TNA IMPACT Wrestling
Location: Orlando, FL
Date: May 1, 2014
Commentators: Mike Tenay and Taz
We start off by looking back at Sacrifice as Eric Young retained his TNA World Title against Magnus, then Young is backstage talking about how nobody thought he’d win the title, nobody thought he’d retain it this weekend, and he’s about to keep the momentum going. He comes into MVP’s office and MVP put him over for being the complete opposite type of champion from the cowardly Magnus. Young says he wants to defend the title tonight, and MVP already has a plan: he brings in Ken Anderson, Gunner, and Bobby Roode and has them draw cards, with the two men with the lowest draw facing each other and the high draw facing the winner of that match, and then the winner of that second match goes on to challenge EY. Got it? Okay, Gunner and Anderson both draw a 4, and Bobby Roode draws an Ace (which Anderson confirmed before drawing that Ace is high). So there we go.
Magnus is in the ring and wants to know why the best wrestler in TNA isn’t involved in the World Title picture tonight and he demands MVP come out and give him answers, but instead Abyss comes out of the crowd and beats the snot out of him. Magnus tries to avoid a chokeslam by kicking Abyss low, but Abyss shrugs it off and chokeslams Magnus anyway. The fans chant for Janice, so Abyss obliges by pulling his old girlfriend out from under the ring and comes after Magnus with it. Magnus heads for the hills, and Abyss stands in the ring raising Janice high and daring Magnus to come back.
Mike Tenay and Taz run down the card for tonight, but Bully Ray interrupts by coming down to ringside with a table as we look back at this past weekend when Dixie Carter cost him the win in the tables match. He leans the table, which has Dixie’s name spray-painted across it, in the corner and grabs a microphone. He talks about how the woman he’d prefer not to name shoved him through two tables and caused him to bruise two ribs, fracture a third, but he’s still standing, and it’ll take a lot more than her to cost him his career. He promises, so help him God, that if he sees her tonight in this building, she’s going through that table.
Dixie arrives in her limo and blows off the mystery cameraman when he tries to ask her about Sacrifice. Guess we’ll find out what she’s got on her mind later on tonight.
Spud sees Dixie backstage and tries to cover her with a tablecloth, saying that nobody smartened her up. Dixie says she’s plenty smart and asks what he’s doing. Spud says that Bully Ray wants to put her through a table, but Dixie says Bubba is all talk, and that if anyone should be worried around here tonight, it should be Bubba because she does not like being threatened.
Contender’s Mini-Tournament – Phase One: Ken Anderson vs. Gunner
They start slow until Anderson takes Gunner’s head off with a hard clothesline, then tries to ground him with a side headlock. Gunner hits a Razor Ramon fallaway slam when Anderson tries a crossbody. James Storm runs out to try and distract Gunner, he goes for a leaping enziguiri but nails Anderson, and Gunner quickly hits the F5 for the win.
Winner: Gunner
Strangely, Storm doesn’t seem to broken up by this faux pas.
Magnus is getting ready in the locker room when someone I didn’t recognize shows up. He says they need to talk, but we’re at commercial.
We’re back, and Magnus’ friend says that the shirt and tie thing isn’t him, and reminds him of all the time they spent getting drunk and getting into fights. He says that Magnus has become an embarrassment, and he grabs Magnus by the shirt, slams him into the wall, and tells him that he’s here for his own good.
Ethan Carter III is in the ring and says that in seven days, he’s having the biggest match of his career when he goes one on one with Kurt Angle. The match was supposed to take place at Lockdown, but he destroyed Angle’s knee and sent him surgery. But now Kurt Angle is back, and that makes EC3 very happy because there’s no way he can validate himself as a professional, a man, and a new American icon until he defeats Kurt Angle. He’s never been pinned or submitted and he doesn’t plan to start now. He has Angle in a week, but he has a surprise tonight. The crowd asks him where his boyfriend is, and EC3 says it’s funny they mention that because he was 288-0 at Boca Raton Prep School, and now he is going to show his stuff in a sparring session with his favorite sparring partner: Spud! They pretend to mat wrestle for a bit, then EC3 tells Spud to assume position, referring of course to the down referee’s position. Kurt Angle comes out and says that’s cute and he’d love to come down and school them right now, but he won’t be sparring with Spud next week, he’ll be wrestling a Kurt Angle who is out for blood. He’s going to put EC3 in the ankle lock and twist and crank until it breaks, and even then he won’t stop. He tells EC3 to enjoy walking for the next week, because in seven days, it gets DAMN REAL.
The Beautiful People are backstage talking about how great their celebration is going to be, and how jealous the other Knockouts are going to be when they see them.
Knux is riding around with his girl, whose name we learn is Rebel, and she thinks they’re going to TNA just the two of them, but he has news for her: it’s going to be four of them. Knux, Rebel…and also Crazy Steve and the Freak. Rebel isn’t happy, but Knux says the deal is done and they’re going to pick them up now. By the way, the Menagerie is coming to TNA! Looks like a circus gimmick…YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TAKE THAT SERIOUSLY, RUSSO!
Contender’s Mini-Tournament – Phase Two: Gunner vs. Bobby Roode
Roode fires off some shots early, but Gunner shrugs it all off and fires right back on Roode and covers for 2. They go out to the floor where Roode rams Gunner into the ring steps, then brings him back inside and covers for 2. Roode hits a Blockbuster for 2 and then goes to a kneeling surfboard. Roode tries coming off the second rope again, but Gunner catches and slams him, then hits a DDT for 2. Gunner counters a Roode Bomb and goes for the kill, but Roode avoids him and hits the Roode Bomb on the second try and gets the win.
Winner: Bobby Roode
Roode will now challenge his former partner Eric Young for the TNA World Title later on tonight.
Dixie Carter is backstage, and she’s…SURROUNDED BY SECURITY! She tells them they know what to do, and we’ll find out what that is after this commercial break!
The Beautiful People are backstage and they got a letter from the TNA Board of Directors telling them they need to dress respectably now that Angelina is the Knockouts Champion. They decide they’ll play along and wear evening gowns since they’re classy, but who knows what they’re going to be wearing by the time the night is over.
Dixie Carter comes out with her security team and says she’s Dixie Carter, the woman who put Bully Ray through a table. She’ll never forget how Bubba double-crossed her at Lockdown, and now he’ll never forget how a lady put him through a table for the first time. She mocks the Twittah Machine and how this little bitty girl damaged the big bully’s ribs, and says how dare he bring the table with her name spray-painted on it to HER ring to try and intimidate her. She won’t be intimidated by her, it’ll be the other way around because Bully Ray should fear Dixie Carter. Bully Ray comes out and says the TNA fans want to see him put her through a table, then asks Dixie if she really thinks he fears her. He asks the security guys standing in his way if they really think they’re going to stop him from getting to the table, and asks if they really want to stick up for her and stand in his way when he knows what they’ll do to them. They all know deep down how much they’d love to see him put Dixie through a table, then tells them to do the right thing and just walk away. The security guys seem to agree with that and step aside, but Dixie has three more in the ring with her who aren’t going anywhere. Bubba gives those three until the count of five, and if they aren’t gone by then, he’s going to slide into the ring and kick the crap out of each of them before putting Dixie through a table. The fans quickly count to five for him, so Bubba rushes the ring, cleans all three of their clocks, and grabs Dixie. He gets ready to put her through the table, but MVP comes out and says that as much as it pains him to say this, he tells Bubba to leave her alone. He has a lot to deal with already and doesn’t need to deal with this, so until further notice, they’re both barred from the Impact Zone. Okay then!
Willow vs. James Storm
Willow tries a dive at Storm’s leg right off the bell, but Storm blocks it and just starts beating the crap out of Willow. Willow escapes the Eye of the Storm and comes back with trademark Jeff Hardy stuff (and by the way, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the announcers mention an alter ego’s real identity as often as Willow since the days of Dude Love/Cactus Jack/Mankind). They go out to the floor where Willow springboards off the ring steps and smashes Storm into the barricade, but Storm dodges another charge and Willow sends himself crashing into the steps. Storm does something I didn’t catch because I was typing and gets disqualified.
Winner: Willow by DQ
Storm smashes his beer bottle to make a parking lot knife, but Willow bashes him with the $39.95 At ShopTNA.com Umbrella and sends him scurrying up the ramp and right into the clutches of Ken Anderson, who goes after him to get revenge for earlier.
The Bromans are backstage bitching about MVP putting them in an unfair 3-on-2 match with the Wolves at Sacrifice, so MVP makes a match tonight with the three of them against the Wolves and their special partner. The Bromans leave and Bully Ray comes in and says that MVP is the Director of Wrestling Operations because he made sure he kept the job. He asks what MVP was doing earlier, and MVP says he’s responsible for everything that happens in that ring and can’t have Bubba beating up Dixie Carter out there, but he also mentions he has no jurisdiction over what happens outside the arena, then he puts his glasses on and walks off.
The Bromans vs. TNA tag team champions The Wolves and TNA X Division champion Sanada in a 6-man tag team match
The Bromans try jumping the championship team before the bell, but they quickly get driven to the floor and taken out with a series of dives. The champs take turns pummeling Robbie with kicks, and the Bromans briefly trap Eddie in their corner, but he breaks free and tags Davey in to clean house. Zema winds up caught by himself and takes a moonsault from Sanda and the double double stomp from the Wolves for 3.
Winners: Sanada and The Wolves
Good match, but the Bromans will get one more shot at the Wolves for the title next week.
The Beautiful People are backstage in the evening gowns they just happened to bring to the arena with them, and they’re ready to go out there and show everyone what they have in store.
We come back from commercial and the Beautiful People come down to the ring and read the letter from the Board of Directors, then say that if they’re told not to do something, they’re going to do it. They start stripping, then stop and laugh at the fans for thinking they were going to show them their goodies. They admit to writing the letter themselves, and basically just did it to screw with the fans. Angelina puts herself over as the greatest Knockouts Champion of all time, but Gail Kim comes out to get in their face about making a mockery out of the division she helped build. She said if they want to strip, she’ll strip them of everything, then proceeds to lay a beating into both girls and take the belt. The BPs backtracks up the rampway and run into Madison Rayne and Brittany, who get a few shots in as well before Velvet and Angelina scurry off to the back.
Eric Young and Bobby Roode are backstage, and they’re…WALKING! The World Title is on the line…NEXT!
It’s main event time!
TNA world title match: TNA world heavyweight champion Eric Young vs. Bobby Roode
The fans chant “Super Eric” as the champion runs his former partner over with a shoulderblock. Young ducks around Roode to send him out to the floor, then takes him out with a baseball slide as we go to commercial.
We’re back as Roode whips EY into the ring steps, then brings Young back inside and tries to ground him with a full nelson. Young escapes that and mounts a comeback, planting Roode with a belly to belly suplex and then taking Roode out with a dive when he tries to escape to the floor. Young brings Roode back inside and takes him out with a missile dropkick for 2, then gets a crucifix for another 2. Roode hits a spinebuster for a close 2, then dodges a crossbody and goes to the second rope. Young catches Roode coming off with a shot to the gut, then hits the piledriver for 2. Roode dodges a top rope elbow and hits the Roode Bomb, but Young kicks out at 2. They trade blows in the middle of the ring, Roode comes out on top and puts Young on the top rope to go for a super Roode Bomb, but Young fights him off and hits the top rope elbow for the win.
Winner: Eric Young
Young retains again, and shows what a swell guy he is by helping Roode back to his feet after the match.
Bully Ray is in the parking lot and the mystery cameraman asks him what he’s still doing there since MVP banned him from the Impact Zone. Bubba says he’s right, he was banned from Impact, so he’ll go to the next logical place: Nashville.
Source: http://www.ringsidenews.com