Last week's show, while somewhat lackluster, did end with a fantastic cliffhanger as we saw Roode with the TNA World Title in hands after a scuffle with Lashley against the Beat Down Clan. That leads us to this opening segment where Roode put over Lashley well and returned his belt. As you know if you watched, Austin Aries and MVP come out and get involved which leads to a four way title match being made. Solid opening segment that did what it set out to do and also portrayed Lashley as the fearless dominant babyface who is always up for a challenge.
1) Taryn Terrell vs. Gail Kim vs. Madison Rayne - Knockouts Title Match
If all else fails, TNA can almost always count on their knockouts to deliver some quality action that fans aren't used to seeing in mainstream wrestling. That was most definitely the case here as we got an action packed triple threat match with the KO's Title on the line. The wrestling here was on point and there were several cool spots involving the steel ring steps. Good match that I really enjoyed.
Match rating - ***
Tommy Dreamer calls out Eric Young
EY has really been impressive in the past year. When he became world champion, he was able to put his underrated in-ring skills on display and now that he's turned heel, he's began to come into his own on the microphone. This was a very passionate and intense promo from EY which turned heated quickly. Nice segment!
2) Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss - Monster's Ball Match
This wasn't quite what I expected however I still enjoyed it just as much as I thought I would. What I mean by that is, The Revolution interfered mid-match and brawled with Matt Hardy & The Wolves which took away from the match itself, but it DID serve as a great build to the upcoming Hardys/Revolution tag match at Lockdown. Beyond that, we got some sweet spots such as Hardy crashing through a table over the top rope and Abyss getting powerbombed into thumbtacks. Fun stuff.
Match rating - **3/4
3) Rockstar Spud & Mark Andrews vs. BroMans
First things first, I refuse to call Mark Andrews, "Mandrews". Now that that's out of the way, this was more fun stuff from Spud & Andrews. His shooting star press got a huge pop from the crowd yet again and Spud was over as well. Ironically, the only thing I got annoyed with here was EC3 and that may mean he's doing his job, but I'm just tired of seeing him do basically the same thing for a year straight and never wrestle. It's doing wonders for Spud though so I can't complain. He & Andrews were the stars here.
4) Bobby Lashley vs. Austin Aries vs. MVP vs. Bobby Roode - TNA World Title Match
Nice action packed main event here. It didn't tell too much of a story although it did do a wonderful job of showcasing Lashley as a monster. Moments like him lifting Aries up out of the last chancery, hoisting him on his shoulders, and driving him to the ground was an unbelievable visual. To top it all off, Aries was going for a dive and Lashley nailed him with a spear out of nowhere that turned him inside out. Awesome finish to a very fun four way match.
Match rating - ***1/4
The closing segment of the show saw the stage being set for several matches at Lockdown next week. The first being Roode/EY and the second being the Team Angle/Beat Down Clan match. The card for next week is certainly stacked and I'm personally looking forward to it.
Overall thoughts: Tonight's episode of Impact was pretty enjoyable. I wasn't glued to my TV screen however it was still an easy show to sit through. There were several solid matches along with some great storyline progression. They built extremely well towards Lockdown next week and made me want to tune in. I'd say that makes this show a success and something worth checking out if you're interested.
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