TNA IMPACT Wrestling
Location: Orlando, FL
Date: October 7, 2015
Commentators: Josh Matthews and Taz
We start off with a recap of Matt Hardy’s TNA Title win this past Sunday at Bound For Glory, then Josh and Pope tell us about how wild the last 72 hours have been. We see EC3 flipping out on Aunt Dee and Big John backstage after the match, and then he goes to his attorney’s office to set everything straight. He says it must be nice for Matt to get the title by any means necessary, but he’s getting an injunction to have Matt Hardy barred from Impact forever.
We then go to Matt Hardy at his home where he’s proud to finally become the World Champion in his home state in front of his family, but EC3 couldn’t just admit Matt was the better man, and filed an injunction because he thinks the deck was stacked against him. Now Matt can’t even appear on Impact for the next month because EC3 is holding TNA hostage, and the fans don’t deserve this, so the only thing that’ll make this go away is if he gives up the TNA World Title. He doesn’t want to do it, but it’s what’s best for Impact Wrestling and he’ll get a chance to win it again without controversy.
We skip forward to this morning with Dixie Carter and Billy Corgan, and Dixie says that they were ready to fight the injunction, but after the call from Matt, they’ve accepted his offer to relinquish the title. This puts the injunction to rest, and what Matt did was incredibly unselfish and has set up something unprecedented. Billy says they’ve had a renewed focus on the in-ring action since he’s come in, and now they’ve set up a framework that will allow them to crown a new champion who will stand for everything they believe in. Dixie announces the World Title Series, and we will have a new champion.
Back to Josh and Pope, and Josh tells us that we’ll have eight groups of four, the top two in each group move on to the round of 16 where it becomes single elimination. The first four groups are Group UK (Spud, Bram, Grado, and Drew Galloway), Group Champions (EC3, Lashley, Ken Anderson, and Austin Aries, who doesn’t work here anymore), Group Wildcard (Crazzzzzzzy Steve, Kenny King, Mahabali Shera, and someone else I missed), and Team Knockout (Gail Kim, Brooke, Awesome Kong, and Madison Rayne). Yes, they’ve entered the Knockouts into the tournament.
Drew Galloway is backstage saying that Bound For Glory was the biggest night of his career, and Matt Hardy was the better man that night, but he appreciates what he’s doing and now he has a second chance. He’s steamrolling through Group UK and then he’s steamrolling right to the TNA World Title.
World Title Series Group UK Match: Bram vs Drew Galloway
They do the “two big guys” staredown and then start brawling, quickly spilling out to the floor. We stop paying attention to the match so we can focus on a split screen of Drew Galloway and Bram trading verbal barbs over which of them is the better man and whether this is some kind of Braveheart thing. We go back to the match as Bram smashes Galloway’s face into the ring steps, and then they go back inside where Bram locks Drew down with a rear chinlock. Drew finally goes nuts and fires back with a flurry of right hands and powerslams Bram. Bram rolls out to the floor, so Drew goes after him and rams his face into the ring steps over and over before suplexing him onto the ring apron. Drew hits the running boot and gets the win.
Winner: Drew Galloway
So the current Group UK scores are Galloway 1, Bram 0, Spud 0, and Grado 0.
Gail Kim says TNA has always been the place for women to succeed, and now she has the chance to be the World Heavyweight Champion. She’s going out there and giving it her all.
Drew Galloway is backstage talking about how he felt like he was looking in a mirror when he fought Bram, the difference is he came in with a game plan and he’s not sure Bram does that, but it made the difference tonight.
World Title Series Group Knockout: Gail Kim vs Brooke Tessmacher
They start out with some chain wrestling as we go to the split screen again where both Gail and Brooke talk about how happy they are to have this chance. Back to the match where Brooke counters a flying headscissors to a victory roll for 2. Brooke comes out of the corner with a flying clothesline and then hits a Frankensteiner, and Gail rolls to the apron. Brooke gets a not painful looking variation of Cattle Mutilation; Gail easily gets out and catches Brooke in a top heel hook. Brooke gets out and hits a facebuster, but she misses a top rope elbow drop. Gail drags Brooke to the corner and does the ringpost figure four, then brings her into the ring for a regular figure four and Brooke small packages her for the win.
Winner: Brooke
Great match and I liked the finish.
EC3 is backstage saying the series should be called the EC3 Memorial Screwjob Series. Aunt Dee created this great tournament where everyone is on a level playing field, even though they shouldn’t because he’s the true champion. He’s the only true homegrown TNA talent and he deserves better than this, and it’s convenient how Austin Aries came back just in time for an opportunity like this. The World Title Series isn’t over until he wins.
Back to Josh and Pope so they can talk about what we’ve seen so far, then its back to the tournament…
World title Series Group UK: Grado vs Rockstar Spud
Grado bowls over Spud and overpowers him while we see the split screen of Grado and Spuds arguing unintelligibly. Spud avoids the corner cannonball, hits a corner dropkick, but Grado takes all day to hit a Pedigree and only gets 2. Grado pulls the straps down and gets the anklelock, but Spud quickly rolls out of it and hits Grado with a Stinger Splash. Spud with a bulldog and goes for the Worm, connecting and covering for 2. Grado blows himself up going for the People’s Elbow, but finally hits it for 2. Spud backdrops out of the Styles Clash and chokeslams Grado for 2. Spud does you can’t see me, but he can’t get Grado up for the AA, so Grado tunes up the band, tells Spud he loves him, and goes for Sweet Chin Music. Spud catches the boot and spins Grado around, hits the Stunner, then follows up with the Acid Trip for the win.
Winner: Rockstar Spud
Well that was unique! Great entertainment value. Group UK is now at Galloway 3, Spud 3, Bram 0, and Grado 0. Oh, and Group Knockout is Brooke 3, Gail 0, Kong 0, and Madison 0 since I forgot to mention that before.
Josh and Pope go over Group Champion, then we see Tyrus backstage saying he’s just going to kick back and watch the tournament play out since he’s the #1 contender. The cameraman asks him what happens if EC3 wins the tournament, and Tyrus pauses for a second before saying that if that happens, things are going to get interesting.
World Title Series Group Champion: Ethan Carter III vs Austin Aries
Austin Aries is accompanied to the ring by Thea Trinidad, who Josh reminds us was once known as Rosita here in TNA. Josh also explains why Aries is here after losing his career to Spud: they did a group in the tournament called Team Champion, and they needed four former champions to put in it. Well, I get the logic, but you still didn’t explain why he’s allowed to disregard the outcome of a match that ONLY HAPPENED THREE MONTHS AGO. They do some chain wrestling to start, but EC3 hesitates like Larry Zbyszko, so Aries goes after him on the floor. Aries takes Tyrus out with a dive, but EC3 knocks Aries off the floor and Thea checks on him as we go to commercial.
We’re back as EC3 hits a side salto for 2. We see the clock counting down, telling us that we’re going the time limit since we haven’t seen it all night. Aries backdrops EC3 to the ring apron, rams him from corner to corner, and hits a neckbreaker over the second rope. Aries hits a missile dropkick, but EC3 gets the boot up when Aries goes for the IED. Aries with a roaring elbow for 2, but EC3 pops Aries up and hits a TKO for 2. EC3 misses the Stinger Splash, Aries hits the IED, EC3 blocks the brainbuster by ramming Aries into the corner and he puts him on top for a superplex. Aries boxes EC3?s ears to knock him off and hits the 450 splash, but EC3 kicks out at 2. Tyrus trips Aries from the floor and EC3 schoolboys him for 2, then lifts Aries off the mat and hits a powerbomb for 2. Thea Trinidad returns the favor by tripping EC3 from the floor and Aries rolls him up for 2, then gets the Last Chancery. EC3 makes it to the ropes, so Aries goes for the brainbuster again, EC3 counters to the 1%, Aries escapes and goes for a brainbuster, EC3 tries to counter to the 1%, and this goes on until the clock runs out.
TIME LIMIT DRAW
So now each man gets one point, so Group Champion is Aries 1, EC3 1, Lashley 0, and Anderson 0. EC3 sneak attacks Aries after the bell and goes for the 1%, but Aries shoves him off, hits a roaring elbow, and drills EC3 into the mat with a brainbuster for the moral victory. Thea Trinidad comes into the ring for everyone’s victory.
Ken Anderson says he loves being in the toughest group, and if he wants to be the World Champion, he’s got to go through all these guys and that starts tonight with Bobby Lashley.
Austin Aries is backstage saying that for all the legends EC3 has beaten, he couldn’t beat Austin Aries. He heard the fans asking for five more minutes and let them fight (we didn’t, but we’ll take his word for it), but EC3 wanted nothing to do with it. He knows what the brainbuster feels like, and if they wrestle again, he’s putting EC3 away.
World Title Series Group Knockout: Awesome Kong vs Madison Rayne
Kong just pounds the snot out of Madison, but Kong misses a splash and Madison gets a couple of quick rollups for 2. Madison hits a missile dropkick for 2, but Kong hits the Implant Buster for the dominant win.
Winner: Awesome Kong
Pretty one-sided, but that’s fine by me. Group Knockout standings are Awesome Kong 3, Brooke Tessmacher 3, Gail Kim 0, Madison Rayne 0.
Bobby Lashley can’t wait to compete and he’s done tournaments his entire life. This one is a little more special because his group is the best of the best, and he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’ll dominate anyone put in front of him. His first victim is someone he likes, trusts, and respects, but Ken Anderson stands in the way of what he’s looking for and he will become victim #1.
Jeremy Borash interviews Matt Hardy, and he says that everyone’s dream in this business is to be the World Champion, and he got to do it with his family there and the belt in one hand and his son in the other, and it was perfect. EC3?s insane injunction handcuffed everyone, so the only thing for him to do to save all the legal trouble was to forfeit the title. It sucks, he hates it, but he felt like he had to do it for the good of Impact Wrestling. He won the TNA World Title and feels good about how he did it, and winning this series gives him the chance to prove he’s the best and deserving of being the TNA World Champion.
Josh and Pope go over tonight’s results, and then its main event time!
World Title Series Group Champion: Ken Anderson vs Bobby Lashley
They lock up and go to a headlock, and we go to commercial. Yow!
We’re back as Lashley hits a SWEET double overhook suplex. That was one of my best moves when I was amateur wrestling. Lashley gets Anderson up for a delayed vertical suplex, but Anderson takes Lashley to the mat with a series of short shoulderblocks and a top wristlock. Anderson goes to the top and yanks Lashley’s arm over the top rope while leaping to the floor, but Lashley rockets back to the advantage with a series of clotheslines and a torture rack. Anderson fights his way out, but Lashley hits a spinebuster and goes for the spear. Anderson dodges and hits clotheslines of his own and a neckbreaker, then a Finlay Roll and covers for 2. Lashley fights out of the Mic Check, hits the spear, and covers Anderson for the win.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
Source: http://www.prowrestling.com/