TNA Impact Wrestling Review for the 21st June 2012 episode

Hulk Hogan comes out and discusses what happened to Sting last week. He says they won’t give the masked men any publicity, as they won’t replay the clip, but will find out who did it. Hogan then calls down Austin Aries for his answer to giving up the X-Division Title for a World Title shot. Aries joins Hogan in the ring, and says Hogan’s given him a great opportunity, but it comes with a catch. He says option A gives him the chance to be the man, like everyone wants to be, option B allows him to keep the belt that built the company. Aries thinks if he hands over the X-Division belt, the title means nothing, so suggests “Option C”. Hogan tells him option C better sound good. Aries suggests that he’ll hand over the title on one condition: from now on, whoever has the X-Division title around Destination X, gets the same chance as he is getting. Hogan says Aries is as quick on his feet as he is with his thinking, and agrees to Option C. Bobby Roode makes his way out, and he isn’t happy. Roode says the X-Division title means nothing, unlike the World Title. He warns Aries that he isn’t an X-Division star, but “God’s Gift to wrestling”. Aries suggests that because it’s Open Fight Night, why not fight now? They brawl outside the ring, until security breaks it up.

Mr Anderson appears as Roode and Aries are being escorted out, either side the ramp. He puts them both of notice, he doesn’t care who the Champion is, because they’ll face the main who wins the Bound For Glory series…Mr Anderson.

After a short break, Mr Anderson is in the ring. He wants to call out a man who has the balls to attempt to destroy a man’s family: Daniels. Daniels looks surprised, and refuses to put down his Appletini and drinks it on his way down the ramp.

Bound for Glory series: Mr Anderson vs Daniels

Anderson with a few early blows, but makes the mistake of going to the top, and Daniels drops him onto the turnbuckle. Daniels puts the octopus on Anderson, Anderson breaks out with a hiptoss, then a clothesline. They trade blows, Anderson then builds momentum, and strikes with the Green Bay Plunge. Anderson tries for the Mic Check, only to have Daniels block it, and hit a spin-out powerbomb. Daniels moves to go for the B.M.E, Anderson grabs his foot and tries for a roll up, before hitting a swinging neckbreaker, then the Mic Check to win.

Winner: Mr Anderson (7 BFG points)

AJ Styles and Dixie Carter are backstage. Dixie asks if he’s ready, and says they’re doing the right thing. AJ thinks it isn’t a good idea, and there may be another way.

We’re in Brooke Hogan’s office, and she’s with Velvet Sky, ODB, Mickie James and Madison Rayne, to discuss who will face Miss Tessmacher for the Knockouts Title. Brooke and Velvet discuss Montgomery Gentry’s video with Velvet in. Rayne interrupts saying she’d rather discuss what they were called in for. Brooke wants to get to know why these ladies want the title shot. ODB says she is different to the rest, before mocking Rayne about her crown. Rayne says she held the title “forever”, but Brooke thinks Rayne is obsessed with “Mr imaginary friend”. Velvet claims she never got her rematch (uhhh, what about Lockdown 2012?). Mickie says she’s the greatest female wrestler in the world, having won every title known to woman (really?). Brooke tells Madison having the longest title reign means nothing now (I thought Gail Kim had the longest reign?). She says how Miss Tessmacher is training hard every day, and advises Madison to keep personal stuff away when she is in the ring, before eliminating Madison. Brooke says she has 1 more elimination to make (nope, you got 2 more!), and says they can stay in the office if they want.

Robbie E.T. are in the ring. Robbie E says he isn’t scared of anyone in the Bound for Glory series, and throws out an open challenge. Big mistake, as Kurt Angle accepts it!

Bound for Glory series: Robbie E vs Kurt Angle

Robbie E attacks before the bell, Angle reverses a irish whip into 3 German Suplexes, hits an Angle Slam then locks on the Ankle Lock to make Robbie E submit.

Winner: Kurt Angle (10 BFG points)

Video profile of TNA GutCheck participant, former OVW Women’s Champion, Taeler Hendrix. She talks about what made her want to be a wrestler, as well as the biggest challenge of her life: having to overcome cancer after being diagnosed at 21. Her aim is to become the next TNA Knockout.

Magnus enters the arena. He says he’s a part of the Bound for Glory series, and it means everything for him to be the man to win it. After a break, he’s in the ring, and is calling out a man who’s head isn’t in the game, “the homewrecker”, AJ Styles.

Bound for Glory series: Magnus vs AJ Styles

AJ rushes in and goes straight on the offence, until Magnus catches him and hits a suplex. AJ replies with a dropkick, but misses the Pele. Magnus locks on a headlock, AJ breaks out, hits a forearm smash, and connects with the Pele on the 2nd attempt. As AJ goes to leap for the forearm smash, Daniels and Kazarian appear. AJ leaps over Magnus, and yells at them both, but as he turns, Magnus hits him with the Mag Daddy Driver and wins!

Winner: Magnus (7 BFG points)

Jeremy Borash is in the ring with Taeler Hendrix. He says it’s time for GutCheck, introduces Taeler, then brings down her opponent…Tara!

Taeler Hendrix vs Tara

Hendrix offers a handshake which Tara slaps away, before dropping Taeler to the mat and choking her. Tara then taunts Hendrix, which is nearly a mistake as Hendrix goes for a pin, but only gets two. Tara again tries to choke her, only to suffer a boot to the face, a handstand headscissors takedown and a boot from Hendrix. Despite building up steam, Hendrix misses a big boot attempt, and Tara hits the Widow’s Peak for the win.

Winner: Tara

Joseph Park is being walked through backstage by a worker, until Bully Ray scares the worker off. Bully can smell the fear on Joseph, and Joseph says he’s scared, but not as scared as Bully was last week when Abyss appeared. Bully replies if he ever sees Joseph or Abyss again, it will be the last time either guy is seen.

Samoa Joe makes his way down to the ring. He says since no one has the guts to call him out, he’ll call someone out. Joe reckons James Storm got lucky last week, let’s see how lucky he’ll be this week.

Bound for Glory series: Samoa Joe vs James Storm

Storm with punches to Joe, before Joe works over Storm in the corner with a splash and then the CCS Enzuigiri kick. Joe tries to go for 10 points, attacks the arm of Storm and tries 3 times to make the Cowboy submit. Storm fights back, and breaks out of a Chickenwing attempt, before rocking Joe with a few clotheslines. Storm goes for Calling Time, and Joe blocks that, before going for the Coquina Clutch. Storm runs Joe into the turnbuckle, before hitting the Last Call and picking up 7 points!

Winner: James Storm (7 BFG points)

Samoa Joe slids back in with a beer bottle, but rather than smash it on Storm, he hands it to the Cowboy and leaves.

A video look back on the situation with AJ Styles and Dixie Carter, before we see them backstage. AJ says he’s falling apart, and they need to do this tonight.

Back to Brooke Hogan and the knockouts. Velvet Sky mentions how she finally won the title, only for Gail Kim to blindside her. Brooke mentions she’s tried to figure out who’s focused, and says ODB has been too focused on her wedding and Eric Young pulling his pants down….therfore ODB is gone. ODB jokes about going for Hulk Hogan, and “maybe Eric can watch”…

Bully Ray’s turn to make a BFG Callout. He tells the fans how he scared off Joseph Park, before seeing who is left backstage. Bully wants to go the “easy route”, and calls out The Pope, saying “I’ll make quick work of him, get 10 points and move on to become World Champion”.

Bound for Glory series: Bully Ray vs The Pope

Bully attacks as Pope is taking his coat off. Bully dominates early on, but Pope turns it his way after Bully misses a big splash. Pope strikes with elbows and the Coronation drop on the rope. Bully stops Pope’s offence, and fights back, till he sees Abyss making his way through the crowd. Pope knocks Bully outside with the DDE, and Abyss confronts Bully at the barrier. Bully tries to escape, and runs into the ring, straight into an STO from the Pope before a pinfall.

Winner: The Pope (7 BFG points)

Bully Ray escapes through the crowd and Abyss goes after him.

Hulk Hogan is in the back with Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam. He says his biggest two stars didn’t get called out, and maybe because they’re odds on to win the BFG series. He books them against each other in the main event.

We see a clip of Montgomery Gentry’s “So Called Life” video, starring Velvet Sky.

Miss Tessmacher comes down to the ring, before we go back to Brooke Hogan with Velvet Sky and Mickie James. Brooke says she gave Velvet a chance to do the music video, but wants to give Mickie something now, so Mickie gets the title shot.

TNA Knockout Title Match: Miss Tessmacher (c) vs Mickie James

Mickie shows aggression early on in the match, as well as going for hammerlock and a wristlock. Mickie controls the match, blocking any attempts at a fight back from Tessmacher, with a couple of snapmares, dropkick and a flapjack. Mickie misses the Thesz Press off the top, and Tessmacher hits a faceplant for 2. Mickie connects with the Mick Kick, but when she goes for the Mickie-DT, Tessmacher rolls her up for a pin.

Winner and still Knockout Champion: Miss Tessmacher

Bound for Glory Series: Rob Van Dam vs Jeff Hardy

RVD tries for the early pin, and fails. Hardy drops a leg on RVD as he does the splits, before 2 dropkicks knock RVD outside, and a baseball slide from Hardy. RVD turns momentum his way, kicking Hardy from outside, then his single leg kick off the top rope. A split leg moonsault and rolling thunder fail to help pin Hardy, who strikes back with an enzuigiri and front suplex. Hardy goes for the Swanton, and misses, so RVD goes to the top, but tries for a 450 splash, only to miss himself. Hardy then hits an awkward looking Twist of Fate to pick up the 3 count.

Winner: Jeff Hardy (7 BFG points)

The BFG Series leaderboard is shown: 1 – James Storm (27pts), 2 – Kurt Angle (10pts), 3= – Mr Anderson, Magnus, Jeff Hardy and The Pope (all on 7pts). The other 6 (Daniels, Robbie E, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Bully Ray and Rob Van Dam) are on 0pts.

It’s announced next week, Kazarian and Daniels get their Tag Title rematch, against Kurt Angle and AJ Styles.

Speaking of AJ Styles, he comes down with Dixie Carter. Dixie starts to speak how situations like this never end positively, before stopping. AJ says they don’t have to do this, and suggests leaving. They go to leave, and a woman appears. She says we don’t know her, but she’s close to AJ and Dixie. She says they’re not having an affair, but have been trying to help her get clean, as she is an addict. Apparently the photos were just AJ and Dixie looking over her, and the video was Dixie trying to protect her. Daniels freaks out backstage, and he and Kazarian make their way down as this woman “cries” in the ring. Dixie and the woman exit, as Daniels and Kazarian get in. Styles takes care of them both, including a HUGE powerbomb to Kazarian, as the show credit comes on…

Honestly, the ending was really poor. I stayed up till 3am in England to watch this show, and thought I’d fallen asleep and this was a bad nightmare. I just can’t see how they can explain the video and photo the way they did, and let’s put it this way, the woman was from the same school of acting that WWE got Samantha Orton from. I’ve tried to give this storyline a go, to see where it went, but this segment only made me lose interest in it. As for the rest of the show, I expected Aries to go for the World Title. Bit mixed on this Option C though. While I think it works for Aries, and helps build the reputation of the X-Division title up again, I’m unsure how I feel about the title being handed over every year like this. For me, the reason it’s happening now, is Aries has done everything in the X-Division, and it’s time to move him up, without having to suffer a loss. Maybe it will work, and with Destination X being about X-Division, it’s a chance to see the guy who’s been top of that division, take on the top guy in the company. It was good to see 8 matches on the show, and I enjoyed what action we saw. Only thing I will say on GutCheck, is I’d possibly vote no to Taeler Hendrix. Her selling of moves looked strange, as did her running the ropes. She’s talented from the youtube videos I’ve seen, but I think it may be too soon for a TNA contract.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, I look forward to your thoughts!

@GoofyVillain of @TheTopRope