TNA 2010: That Doesn’t Work For Me, Brother

[Tig]

This BTB is sooooo much fun to read. It's absolutely brimming with flavour, colour, and humour, and knowing what I do about you, you're probably sitting there, putting this together, giggling like a giddy schoolboy who has just discovered fart videos on YouTube for the first time. While I have super fond memories of TNA in 2010, there was a LOT of shit... some of it actually quite entertaining. I'd say it's a lot easier to do what I'm doing in my 2010 TNA BTB and trying to "right the course" of the promotion but what you're doing here in terms of hyper-realism and booking the way they actually did takes some talent. It's proving for a very enjoyable read overall. I've read the other shows (as they were honestly a breeze, great format) but I'm just going to leave a little recap on the latest edition "ADDITIONAL MEASURES REQUIRED" ... I forgot they named every episode at this time.

LOL #1. Gotta love Hogan berating AJ FREAKING STYLES and saying when he has the championship the company will embody the characteristics of Hulkamania. I'm of the opinion turning AJ heel in 2010 was a misstep by TNA but he had already turned when this project started. Scarily, Hogan in a TNAWHC match is definitely something I think would've happened had his back held out. The Jarrett inclusion might be able to cover some obvious... uh... downfalls of Hogan trying to go 1v1 with Styles in a traditional setting. Giving away a strap match between Wolfe/JJ next week on impact is prime 2010. All about them ratings, brother. I say the JJ backstage interactions would have been a nice little thread running through the show actually. I like things like that on weeklies. Jarrett at the centre of a "Will he?/Won't he?" is actually pretty fun but LOL #2 at Hogan cradling Abyss. LOL #3 Tommy Dreamer emerges on Storm's beer cooler that he stole the week before and causes the distraction by pouring Storm's precious beer on the floor. Very wasteful tbf. Low-key pretty good makings of a very decent tag division even if the champs are a little questionable - but again, hyper-realistic. Like the little angle of Jesse Neal being conflicted, genuinely. You've gotta use The Beautiful People in 2010, I'm planning on using them a little more prominently myself going forward, but really they aren't all bad in the ring and the characters are quite iconic. Tara is a fairly obvious choice for Queenpin of the KO division and a good one too. LOL #4 is self-conjured imagery of Tenay making his super concerned face and handing Love a tissue in their candid and revealing interview. But this actually moved things along nicely going into SACKOFRICE. Paranoid Morgan, cool-ass Konnan, and a vicious Homicide in Lucha Callejera is actually some really good booking. Actually super digging that. Going Global/X unification is actually something I don't think I've seen before. The thoughts of Rob Terry with the X Division Championship though... oh... shit. That's going to happen, isn't it? MCMG and GenMe too... you actually do have a good tag division here dude. It's like it was irl, there's enough here to make you think this could be great if taken srs but too many LOL moments and silly bookings. (I know that's intended, that's the beauty of this project) Shelley/Sabin some small dissensions maybe? LOL #5 WE GOTTA FILL TWO HOURS. Pope/Anderson is actually totally fine and I like announcing a few matches the week before for the following ep so Anderson/Okada is fine by me too. Quite like that Kendrick/OJ set-up as well. WOW, Haze getting thrust straight into the spotlight with some Tara involvement? Nice rub for Haze but gotta wonder why Tara is splitting attention. Haze was somebody I seriously considered bringing in... you win this race, Man. LOL #6, I swear to god if this is Tessmacher heading up a game of knick-knack/ding dong ditch ... LOL

Love what you're doing here dude, it's a breath of fresh air and so, so, so easy to read. Absolutely love it. Hope you keep churning out these shows - at whatever pace. Keep it up, dude.

 

[Mandalorian]

Impact!
May 10, 2010
Impact! Zone - Orlando, Florida

THE DOTTED LINE

With just six days to go until Sacrifice, everything was almost set for the biggest main event in TNA’s history, with Hulk Hogan challenging AJ Styles for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Before that could take place though, both men had to put pen to paper to make the match official. With a table set up in the ring and Eric Bischoff on hand to ensure that the proceedings ran smoothly, all interested parties made their way out from the back. Hulk Hogan was accompanied by Abyss for moral support, whilst AJ Styles brought along his manager Ric Flair and the rest of Team Flair - Beer Money and Desmond Wolfe, along with Chelsea.

Of course, the Special Guest Enforcer for the match, Jeff Jarrett, needed to be present in order to sign his name on the contract as well. Jarrett entered the ring with caution, not wanting to aggravate anyone due to his animosity with Wolfe and the accidental guitar shot to the head of Abyss last week on Impact! Once the ring had been filled to the point where the contract signing table was barely visible, Eric Bischoff confirmed to the crowd what they would be seeing and reiterated the importance of the main event at Sacrifice. Bischoff turned to the man responsible for keeping order on Sunday, and passed the microphone to Jeff Jarrett, who signed the contract before speaking.

Jeff Jarrett: “I stood here in this ring last week and I talked about how it only made sense for me to be the Special Guest Enforcer at Sacrifice. I live and breathe TNA and I thank my lucky stars every day and night that I was able to get this company off of the ground. Being able to bring in someone as big as Hulk Hogan or Ric Flair is something that people would have never thought imaginable eight years ago when I started this company, but we did it.

“Not only that, but we have Hulk Hogan in TNA, facing one of the brightest homegrown stars to have ever stepped foot in this company in AJ Styles. AJ, you and I may not have always seen eye-to-eye, but I won’t lie that I’m proud of you, kid. Hell, part of me actually wants you to win on Sunday night. But my personal feelings don’t matter when I’m in this ring, whether I’m wrestling or just enforcing like I’ll be doing on Sunday night. My job at Sacrifice is to make sure that the two of you - AJ Styles and Hulk Hogan - can give these people a show and have a match worthy of being called the biggest match in the history of TNA.

“An’ I will take any necessary step to make sure that match is called right down the middle and we can see these two get it on fairly. That’s my sole intention. So please, Abyss, believe me that I did not mean to hit you with that guitar last week. I was simply trying to defend myself and I got my aim a little off thanks to these slippery bastards. Now, I’m going to do what I can to make it up to you and make sure that tonight I leave just about enough of this crumpet-eating English wanker for you to finish off at Sacrifice.”

Jarrett’s comments unsurprising drew the ire of Desmond Wolfe, who rushed him but Abyss got in between both men and stared Wolfe down, causing him to back off. Jarrett then flexed his power and ordered both Wolfe and Abyss to leave the ring, demanding that Beer Money do so as well. Eric Bischoff ratified the command and all accessories departed from the ring with the exception of Ric Flair, who insisted that he spoke on behalf of AJ Styles when the champion was offered the microphone prior to signing his name on the match contract.

Ric Flair: “Unlike most people, I believe Jeff Jarrett when he says that he did not mean to hit that big, dumb ANIMAL Abyss last week. That’s because he’s squarely in YOUR pocket, Hogan! How is AJ Styles supposed to defend his championship under these circumstances, huh? Answer me that, Bischoff! I don’t know why I’m asking you anyway because you screwed Team Flair at Lockdown. This whole company is CORRUPT! From the top all the way down to the bottom and the only people doing the right thing are those loyal to me.

“These are the guys who aren’t afraid to be themselves and show everyone that just like me - they’re the stylin’ an’ profilin’, jet-flyin’, limousine-ridin’ kiss-stealin’ wheelin’ ‘n’ dealin’ SONS OF GUNS! That’s what AJ Styles has become under my wing and he’s the one puttin’ this company on the map - NOT you, Hogan! Under my tutelage and my teachings, AJ Styles has become THE MAN here in TNA. You know how the saying goes, to be the man, you’ve gotta BEAT the man!

“Hogan, unlike you, I know my time has passed. You can pretend that you want to help elevate the future stars of TNA but I know you’re full of crap. You’ve let your little friend Abyss get his ass handed to him by Team Flair for weeks just so you can make sure that you’re the one in the spotlight. Well with that light shining on you, I can see right through that leather hide you try to pass off as skin. You want to throw those twenty four inch pythons around and call yourself a champion again? Well, it’s not going to happen because just like all of the others… you can’t beat AJ Styles. You can sign the contract now, kid.”

The TNA World Heavyweight Champion seemed impressed with Flair’s rundown and he signed the contract. There was a tense staredown between Hogan and Flair as ‘The Immortal’ collected the pen and paper from Bischoff and he raised the microphone in front of him.

Hulk Hogan: “You not going to speak for yourself, Styles? Ever since I arrived here in TNA and even before, all I heard was that AJ Styles is the best wrestler in the world and the greatest wrestler in the history of TNA. Well, as far as I’m concerned, those times are in the past, brother. Because if you ask me, the best wrestler in the history of TNA doesn’t need to take shortcuts and hide behind Ric Flair in order to win his matches and defend his title.

“That’s why we need someone like ‘Double J’ Jeff Jarrett at Sacrifice, to make sure that you don’t try to take the easy way out again, Styles. That’s not going to be an option ”

AJ Styles: “SHUT UP, HOGAN! No matter what you think, I’m my own man and I am the man who has carried this company on my back for eight years, right from the beginning. What you heard about me? It’s all true, Hogan. I am the best wrestler in the world today and I am the best wrestler and the biggest star in the history of TNA Wrestling. I’m not hiding behind Ric Flair or anyone else and certainly not from someone like you. So at Sacrifice, you can bring your crooked official, that crybaby Abyss and those twenty-four inch pythons but I will show you exactly why people call me the best.”

The sudden outburst from Styles seemed to take everyone back, including Ric Flair, and the champion left the ring before Hogan could even sign the contract. The challenger at Sacrifice on Sunday did so once Styles had departed and tensions were clearly running high between those remaining once he had done so.

Styles was shown to be in deep focus when the cameras caught back up with him later in the night and Ric Flair entered the room as well. There was no acknowledgment at first from the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, but Flair then tried his best to perk AJ up and convince him to come and party with him after the show like they have done for the last few months, but Styles broke his concentration to stand in front of ‘The Nature Boy’ and he shook his head.

AJ Styles: “Look Ric, I appreciate everything that you have done for me since we started working together. Everything. I mean it. This Sunday though, I need it to be different. I need to win this match my way and most importantly, on my own. So, by all means, come out and support me like you have but for this one, supporting is all that I want you to do. Jarrett won’t stand for any crap… and I won’t either. I wanna beat Hogan one, two, three in the middle of the ring and make him realise who he has been messing with… and it is going to be phenomenal.”

Flair’s initial reaction seemed like it was going to be one to convince Styles to utilise his skills as he had done in the past, but the veteran competitor knew that there was no convincing Styles. Instead, Ric assured AJ that he’d be in his corner and he knows that Styles has what it takes. As he left Styles alone in solitude once again, Flair’s face dropped to a slight look of concern, and he pulled out an old flip phone and slowly typed a message using only his index finger.

It was a busy night for Ric Flair as he also offered support to Desmond Wolfe in the main event of the evening against Jeff Jarrett. A leather strap was affixed to the wrist of each man and they made use of it with Jarrett gaining some catharsis by whipping Wolfe several times with the strap and the Englishman using the strap to choke Jarrett out at one point. Once again, Chelsea would be the difference maker for Wolfe, as Jarrett found himself distracted by her once again. ‘Double J’ managed to whip her across the backside with the strap at one point, but this came at the cost of the match as Wolfe rolled Jarrett up and got the win at 10:21.

Once the match was over, it seemed as if Ric Flair was about to put a hit on Jarrett as all Team Flair members James Storm and Robert Roode became present once again and surrounded the Special Guest Enforcer in the ring along with Flair and Wolfe. Jarrett looked to defend himself and Hulk Hogan and Abyss ran down from the back but waited outside of the ring. Ric Flair made it clear that he could get to Jarrett at any time he wanted and reminded him that he has to call things down the middle.

The show ended with AJ Styles walking out from the back and expressing some disappointment over the intimidation tactics being employed by ‘The Nature Boy’.

READY FOR WAR (MACHINE)

The Impact! Tag Team Special last week certainly helped establish the pecking order between the runners and riders in the TNA tag team division, and after several matches pitting the premier teams in TNA against each other last week, this week they found themselves having to work together in a blockbuster Twelve Person Tag Team Match. It was originally scheduled to be Beer Money, Team 3D, Jesse Neal and Shannon Moore facing off against Kevin Nash, Eric Young, Tommy Dreamer, Rob Van Dam and the Motor City Machine Guns, but with Alex Shelley occupied elsewhere on Impact!, a sixth member of the fan favourite team was required. Prior to the match, Tommy Dreamer took possession of a microphone…

Tommy Dreamer: “I don’t want to take up too much of everyone’s time, but there’s a couple of things I want to say. Now, I’ve not been in TNA for very long but I think that I’ve got a pretty good idea of how some people want things to work around here. From what I can tell, Ric Flair thinks that he’s the guy that runs the place and he has his little Team Flair cronies running around and doing his bidding.

I heard what Ric Flair has had to say about me, and my buddy Rob, here. Ric Flair thinks that just because we used to be a part of ECW that we’re not as good as him or any of you. Except, things haven’t exactly been going to plan for Beer Money over here, though? You see, ever since I got here, Bobby and James haven’t been looking too hot have they? Well, gentlemen, things are only about to get worse! That’s because this Sunday at Sacrifice, there’s going to be a match. It is going to be a Tag Team Match, with myself teaming up with my good friend Rob Van Dam taking on the two of you jackasses!

Now, Team 3D might have renounced themselves of their past and act superior to everyone else, but me and Rob, we’re ECW to our cores! So when it came to finding a partner tonight for this match, we spoke to Kevin, Eric and Chris and they agreed that someone else who was ECW down to their core would be perfect for this team. So, I made a couple of calls and I found someone more than willing to come here tonight in the Impact! Zone and show you just what ECW is all about! So ladies and gentlemen, please welcome BACK to TNA… ‘THE WAR MACHINE’... RHINO!”

Following Dreamer’s passionate introduction, Rhino made his return to TNA after a couple of months and charged down to the ring and the match began in hectic fashion. Once things settled down into a more regular rhythm, it was clear that there were several combustible elements waiting to go off. Neither Beer Money member wanted anything to do with any of the ECW group and there were clear communication issues between Team 3D and Shannon Moore, with Jesse Neal stuck in the middle of things. Despite this, Team 3D almost got a victory for their team after a 3D on Eric Young, but Chris Sabin broke up the fall.

This caused everything to break down and people were running into the ring to hit a big move, only to be immediately put down by a big move from someone else. However, an errant Clothesline from Brother Ray accidentally took down Shannon Moore. Ray seemed apologetic, but Jesse Neal accused him of doing it on purpose. Despite both Ray and Moore trying to convince Neal to stay, he decided to walk out on the match. This allowed the other team to rally; Beer Money were chased off by Dreamer and RVD and Team 3D also decided that the match wasn’t worth it. This allowed Rhino to cut through Shannon Moore with a Gore and win at 8:35.

After picking up the win, Rhino celebrated alone in the ring as the crowd basked in his return to TNA. Team 3D watched on from the stage as Kevin Nash and Eric Young held the championships above their heads and dared them to come back and come for the belts ahead of their showdown for the titles at Sacrifice on Sunday.

SO MANY FLANNEL SHIRTS

After her honest and very personal interview that was screened on Impact! last week, the fan support for Angelina Love was at an all-time high when she made her entrance for her match. Lacey Von Erich represented the Beautiful People, who also had crowd support for obvious reasons when making their entrance. For this Lumberjill Match, Velvet Sky and the Knockouts Champion Madison Rayne stayed at ringside along with the rest of the Knockouts division; Tara, Sarita, Taylor Wilde, Daffney, new signee Daizee Haze and most ominously, Tara. The rest of the women seemed to keep their distance from Tara, who watched the action without getting involved physically. Despite this, her presence did distract Love several times throughout the match, almost always result in Von Erich earning an advantage.

When Von Erich spilled to the outside, she was targeted by Wilde and Sarita mainly, but Sky and Rayne countered this well. Love was ejected from the ring and swarmed by The Beautiful People, but Haze helped Sarita and Wilde fend them off. On another instance where Love was on the outside, she landed at the feet of Tara. Tara grabbed her by the hair and looked to attack her once again, but this was thwarted by Haze, who was not pleased about Tara’s introduction for her to TNA last week. Additionally, there was a surprise return of the former Knockouts Tag Team Champion Hamada, who took out the women who won the titles after she and her partner were stripped of them - Wilde and Sarita - with a steel chair.

Despite everything happening on the outside, Love pulled out the victory at 6:16 with the Botox Injection. The celebrations were cut short though when The Beautiful People stormed the ring and attacked their former stablemate. On the outside, Tara finally freed herself from Haze and entered the ring too. As she has done in recent times, Madison Rayne showed some intimidation in the face of one of her challengers at Sacrifice. However, whilst The Beautiful People made their exit, Love re-emerged and took down Tara from behind. The assault finally ended with a DDT on Tara in the middle of the ring and an impassioned Love then took charge of a microphone.

Angelina Love: “How the tables have turned, huh, Tara? I’ve been made to scratch and claw my way into this match at Sacrifice and when we get there this Sunday, I’m going to be going one step further! The time for bullies is over and I’m going to end it at Sacrificr when I become the NEW TNA Knockouts Champion!”

Love slammed the mic down emphatically and enjoyed the fan support as she celebrated in the ring. She motioned towards Madison Rayne that she was coming for the title at Sacrifice and

DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH

As both Alex Shelley and Rob Terry made their way to the ring for their match which would decide who would challenge Kazarian for the X Division Championship at Sacrifice, it was clear who the fans in the Impact! Zone were in favour of. Of course, it was Shelley, who not only is part of one of the most popular tag teams in TNA history, but also someone who Mike Tenay believed embodies the spirit of the X Division more. Tax argued that point of view, saying that the division has always been for everyone, and there’s no reason why Rob Terry can’t have an opportunity the same as everyone else.

With X Division Champion Kazarian watching on from commentary, the two mismatched competitors engaged in a clash of styles which saw Shelley’s speed and technical ability able to overwhelm Terry’s size and strength in the opening exchanges. However, every time that Shelley did get caught by Terry, he suffered a strong power move. The larger man was able to weather the storm, and Terry got the win at 7:58 with a Running Powerslam. The fans were not best pleased about the result, and even Kazarian expressed some disappointment, as he favoured the show-stealing match that he and Shelley would have been able to put on.

Shelley shook his head and refused a handshake with Terry after the match, dejected by his loss. This did not garner Shelley any negative response from the crowd as they shared his feeling of disappointment. The new #1 Contender to the X Division Championship did not care though; Terry held up the Global Championship and draped it over one of his biceps before motioning that the other was free for Kazarian’s championship. The sight of Terry with one title already seemed to spark a brainwave for Kazarian, and he took a microphone and entered the ring. The X Division Champion showed no fear when standing across from the much larger challenger.

Kazarian: “Rob, I’ve got to admit it. I stood in this ring a few weeks ago and I demanded some true competition for the X Division Championship here in TNA and you stepped up to the plate. Three wins in a row… you’ve earned your shot at the X Division Championship at Sacrifice. But, I can’t help but notice that all of the attention has been on my championship. What about yours?

I’ve had a little idea of how we can make things a bit more interesting at Sacrifice. Maybe, you put up your Global Championship as well and we make this Title Versus Title? The winner at Sacrifice this Sunday walks out with both belts. What do you say?”

Kazarian extended his hand towards Terry and the Welshman looked around at the fans for some inspiration, and then nodded his head. The two shook hands, with Kazarian pulling Terry in close to show that he was not backing down.

THIS IS HOW AN ASSHOLE DOES IT

In the card run down for Sacrifice, the commentary team was excited in particular for the clash between Mr. Anderson and ‘The Pope’ D’Angelo Dinero. Tenay and Taz agreed that both were on the cusp of breaking through and becoming one of the biggest stars in the world, but there was disagreement over who would overcome who. Taz echoed some of Anderson’s comments regarding ‘The Pope’, saying that he lacks the cutting edge and the will to do whatever it takes to win and that’s going to continue holding Dinero back. Whilst Mike Tenay held firm in his belief that Dinero could overcome Anderson’s ways and win whilst still doing the right thing.

Anderson’s opponent - the young Japanese talent, Okada - was already waiting in the ring and ‘The Asshole’ took a microphone before the match started and asked Okada how he felt about Dinero almost attacking him after their match a couple of weeks ago. Okada answered in broken English that he was grateful that Dinero changed his mind and that he thinks Anderson needs to learn to show some respect as well. This of course irked ‘The Asshole’, who attacked Okada before the match with his personalised microphone and bloodied him before the opening bell had even rung.

As a result of this, Okada was easy pickings and Anderson won in ten seconds after a Mic Check. Anderson continued to talk on the stained microphone after the match and looked to a message to ‘The Pope’ that he did have the killer edge that he was talking about by resuming his assault on Okada once the match was over. He struck him several more times with the microphone in what became a gruesome scene and after doctors and referees had pleaded with Anderson to stop, Dinero ran down to the ring to a big cheer from the crowd. Anderson met him and the two began trading strikes in the ring and were eventually separated by security.

Anderson was escorted out of the ring and ‘The Pope’ checked on Okada who was in dire need of medical assistance due to the amount of blood that he had lost.

WE GOTTA FILL TWO HOURS

After mixing it up with Beer Money and Desmond Wolfe at the beginning of the show, Abyss was later found in a dark backstage area tending to his wounds following the beating he was seemingly given. He was found by Jeremy Borash, but JB only made matters worse for ‘The Monster’ when he reminded Abyss of the roll that Wolfe was on when compared to his own slump against Team Flair as of late. This was hard for Abyss to process and he shook his head and knocked over some containers before roaring out in anger and frustration. Hulk Hogan happened on the scene and comforted him, telling him that he needed him.

Matt Morgan was given a chance to respond to what Konnan laid out to him a week earlier and made it clear that he did not have a problem with all of the Latino people, just Hernandez. He accused Konnan of trying to bend a narrative against him but as he did so, he was confronted by the WCW legend once again. It was clear to Konnan that it didn’t matter whether Morgan hated one Latino or all of them, he was still guilty of persecuting innocent Latinos in this fight with Hernandez. Konnan promised Morgan that at Sacrifice, Homicide was going to be the judge, jury and executioner. A vignette was also shown later in the night, with Homicide walking down some “mean streets” and talking about the Lucha Callejara at Sacrifice and he promised Morgan that he would be coming for a pound of flesh.

There were contrasting emotions in the Motor City Machine Guns camp on Impact! as both Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin regrouped following both of their matches. Sabin was on a high after helping his team emerge victorious in the Twelve Man Tag whilst Shelley threw his wrist tape and elbow pads at his locker in anger after losing out to Rob Terry. Sabin tried his best to reassure his partner, telling him that he knows Shelley will get another chance, but with his win, they could move themselves up a bit in the tag division. Shelley nodded his head in admission but confessed that’s not what he was trying to achieve at the moment, which Sabin understood. Shelley thanked Sabin for being cool about it all, and the Guns hugged, but were interrupted by Generation Me. Max and Jeremy Buck congratulated MCMG on their win last week, but then revealed that they’d spoken to Bischoff and arranged a rematch on the Sacrifice Pre-Show, and they’re going to get their win back. Whilst Sabin was excited for the opportunity, Shelley hung his head low.

A frustrated Team 3D were shown walking backstage after walking out of their match earlier on in the night and confrontation with the TNA World Tag Team Champions. As they walked, with Brother Ray complaining loudly, they bumped into their ward, Jesse Neal. As they had done several times in the last few weeks, Ray and Devon took the opportunity to berate Neal for hanging them out to dry. Ray laid down the law that his fun with Shannon Moore is over and he has to remember that he’s a part of Team 3D and that means helping them win the titles on Sunday. It looked as if for a moment that Neal was going to strike Ray, but a shake of the head from Devon discouraged him and Neal reluctantly agreed to help Team 3D on Sunday at Sacrifice.

Orlando Jordan was in a celebratory mood and seemed to be hosting a small “soiree” for a select few invited guests backstage on Impact! to commemorate his recent run of form on Xplosion. Jordan promised those in attendance that this was just the beginning and that at Sacrifice, he would be hosting a Pre-Show Slumber Party and welcomed anyone and everyone to join him in rolling around in the covers.

The strange series of events which had taken place surrounding Eric Bischoff seemed to escalate slightly further on Impact! this week. Whilst previously it had been silent phone calls or doors slamming, Bischoff received some tangible proof that these were more than just coincidences when he found a note on his desk after returning from the contract signing at the beginning of the show. He called Miss Tessmacher into his office and jotted down a phone number and told her to call the person and ask them to meet with him as soon as they can.

Impact! Quick Results:
Desmond Wolfe def. Jeff Jarrett
Angelina Love def. Lacey Von Erich
Rob Terry def. Alex Shelley
Kevin Nash, Eric Young, Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, Chris Sabin and Rhino def. Beer Money, Team 3D, Jesse Neal and Shannon Moore
Mr. Anderson def. Okada

Xplosion Quick Results:
Orlando Jordan def. Al Snow
Sarita, Taylor Wilde & Daizee Haze def. Local Talent
Generation Me def. Gunner and Murphy
Matt Morgan def. Jay Lethal

Current Card for…
TNA Sacrifice
May 16, 2010
Impact! Zone - Orlando, Florida

TNA World Heavyweight Championship
AJ Styles © vs. Hulk Hogan
Special Guest Enforcer: Jeff Jarrett

TNA Knockouts Championship
Madison Rayne © vs. Tara vs Angelina Love

TNA X Division Championship and TNA Global Championship
Kazarian © vs. Rob Terry ©

TNA World Tag Team Championships
Kevin Nash and Eric Young © vs. Team 3D

Singles Match
Abyss vs. Desmond Wolfe

Singles Match
D’Angelo Dinero vs. Mr. Anderson

Tag Team Match
Beer Money vs. Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer

Street Fight
Homicide vs. Matt Morgan

Pre-Show - Tag Team Match
Generation Me vs. Motor City Machine Guns

No predictions yet, please.

​

​

 

[King Kota]

Mr. Anderson def. Okada

 

[Rosie]

Mr. Anderson def. Okada

Okada's earning his stripes as a Young Lion. Here's hoping Man never saw the Green Hornet

 

[Oz]

let this be a reminder to lil kazu what happened the last time he was booked regularly for a western fed

 

[Mandalorian]

Mr. Anderson def. Okada

Yeah this ain’t the Okada you’re used to. And to answer Rosie’s question, yes I have seen the Green Hornet so strap in.

 

[King Kota]

Yeah this ain’t the Okada you’re used to. And to answer Rosie’s question, yes I have seen the Green Hornet so strap in.

i know which okada it is im just surprised you're running the same gimmick. Then again it is hogan.

 

[Oz]

if tna had okato sing gangstas paradise like the actual kato from green hornet then he'd be the most over man in the history of our sport

 

[Mandalorian]

NEWS AND NOTES III
May 13, 2010

- As Sacrifice draws closer, questions remain over what is being billed and touted as the biggest match in TNA history between AJ Styles and Hulk Hogan for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. The booking committee and senior figures within the company have been divided on many things in recent memory, but the outcome of the match between Hogan and Styles has caused a seismic rift between a number of individuals. Vince Russo has reportedly pitched seven different endings and angles, but no consensus has been reached yet.

Hulk Hogan is reportedly open to any and all ideas, and is willing to lose the match if that is what others agree is the right thing to do. Jeff Jarrett - a known complainant against TNA airing on Monday nights - is very much in the camp that believes that TNA can officially ‘make’ AJ Styles for life by giving him the victory and that Hogan does not need to hold the championship, and him doing so would send the wrong message to the locker room. On the other side of the fence is a contingent headed up by Bubba the Love Sponge, who is staunchly in favour of Hogan becoming champion, citing the success WCW had when Hogan arrived and they capitalised on him with the nWo, and has said as much on his radio show.

A factor in all of this is Hogan’s physical condition. Whilst there is no doubting AJ Styles’s ability to put on a good match with almost anyone, even he may struggle with a fifty-six year old Hulk Hogan who is struggling with a plethora of back issues. Hogan has reportedly put of multiple surgeries since joining TNA and he has promised the entire locker room that he will be able to compete at Sacrifice.

- Speaking of ratings, whilst Impact! did breach the famed 1.0 target on the April 26 edition, they have not been able to do so again since. The following week garnered a 0.95 and the most recent May 10 episode this week got a 0.99. Whilst frustrating on an optics level, TNA executives have been keeping an eye on WWE Raw’s ratings and for both the May 3 and May 10 shows, these were down, with both managing just 3.05. This is being considered a net “gain” on the competition and as a result, it is unlikely that anything will be changing with regards to programming in the near future.

- It was previously reported that a number of WWE Superstars were released at the end of April. Two of these names have been heavily linked with TNA once their non-compete periods are over, those being Mickie James and Shelton Benjamin.

- Whilst future signings are reportedly being discussed, TNA was pleased to welcome back two wrestlers from injury on Impact! this week. Rhino returned to be part of a Twelve Man Tag Team Match and was seen buddying up with Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer. If rumours are to be believed, the former ECW wrestlers will be remaining together as a group and TNA could be looking to tap into that old audience by running what has been touted as an ‘ECW reunion angle’. What the appetite for this is among the audience and the rest of the roster is unknown at this stage.

In the Knockouts division, Hamada made an emphatic return to attack Taylor Wilde and Sarita. Hamada had been absent since her and Awesome Kong were stripped of the Knockouts Tag Team Championships (controversially so after it was claimed they had not defended them in 30 days, when it had actually been 21). Kong (real name Kia Stevens) was released by her own request in March, and refused an offer to come back to the company as she left due to issues with TNA management, primarily Bubba the Love Sponge. Stevens is expected to sign with WWE in the coming months.

Konnan’s return to TNA was praised by many, especially his performances opposite Matt Morgan to help sell the latter’s feud with Homicide heading into Sacrifice. Konnan rejected an offer to come back and work for TNA full-time, but is happy to work on a pay-per-appearance deal for however long he is required for the ongoing stories with Morgan against Homicide and Hernandez. Hernandez has been working in Mexico since March and still has a few weeks left on his excursion.

Other returns due to happen soon include Sting and potentially Jeff Hardy. Both have been written off of the shows for storyline reasons; Hardy through injury and Sting through suspension. Jeff is said to be doing well in rehab and has asked several times to come back to work, but it is understood that TNA wish for him to stay sober for a month before they will consider putting him back on TV.

- Ratings have been up, but fan satisfaction levels have taken a slight dip, especially within the fan base that have been with the company from the start. A significant reason for this is the current utilisation of the X Division. Fans seem to like Kazarian as the champion and the ongoing story with Alex Shelley has been received well. Unsurprisingly, the main problem that people have with the booking of the division is Rob Terry’s involvement in it.

Despite being the Global Champion, Terry’s stock among the fans (both casual and hardcore) is very low due to his limited abilities in all areas other than look. The fact that X Division talent such as the Motor City Machine Guns, Jay Lethal and Amazing Red have either been relegated to the pre-show or left off the show altogether with Terry getting a shot at the X Division Championship has not sat well with fans and the negative reactions to Terry in the Impact! Zone speak to this.

It is not just the fans that are unhappy about this. Jay Lethal recently admitted in an interview that he was unhappy with his current position in the company and to show his dissatisfaction levels completely, he bluntly responded “I already have” when asked whether he would request his release when asked. This has landed him in some hot water backstage, but a number of big names have reportedly come out in support of Lethal - including AJ Styles and Jeff Jarrett. Ric Flair is also very high on Lethal and has expressed interest in working with him several times.

- A running thread on Impact! the last several weeks has been Eric Bischoff seemingly being haunted or watched by an unknown entity or force. Bischoff himself is believed to be keen for TNA to enter a territory where supernatural occurrences are treated as real and adding a somewhat sci-fi element into the programming. It is not known whether this is the beginning of such an angle, but Vince Russo wrote on his website that TNA has “something cool” planned for the payoff of this particular angle, and that fans should keep paying attention.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

TNA Sacrifice
May 16, 2010
Impact! Zone - Orlando, Florida

-PRE SHOW-
Tag Team Match
Generation Me vs. Motor City Machine Guns

-MATCH ONE-
TNA World Tag Team Championships
Kevin Nash and Eric Young © vs. Team 3D

-MATCH TWO-
Singles Match
Abyss vs. Desmond Wolfe

-MATCH THREE-
TNA X Division Championship and TNA Global Championship
Kazarian © vs. Rob Terry ©

-MATCH FOUR-
Tag Team Match
Beer Money vs. Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer

-MATCH FIVE-
Street Fight
Homicide vs. Matt Morgan

-MATCH SIX-
TNA Knockouts Championship
Madison Rayne © vs. Tara vs Angelina Love

-MATCH SEVEN-
Singles Match
D’Angelo Dinero vs. Mr. Anderson

-MAIN EVENT-
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
AJ Styles © vs. Hulk Hogan
Special Guest Enforcer: Jeff Jarrett

PREDICTION CONTEST

Template

Match Winners - 1 Point per correct answer:
Generation Me - Motor City Machine Guns
Kevin Nash/Eric Young - Team 3D
Abyss - Desmond Wolfe
Kazarian - Rob Terry
Beer Money - RVD/Tommy Dreamer
Homicide - Matt Morgan
Madison Rayne - Tara - Angelina Love
D’Angelo Dinero - Mr. Anderson
AJ Styles - Hulk Hogan

Bonus Questions:
1. Will Orlando Jordan’s Pre-Show Slumber Party go according to plan? [1 point]
2. How many championships will change hands? [1 point]
3. Who will take the fall in the TNA Knockouts Championship match? [1 point]
4. Which match will last the longest? [2 points]
5. To the nearest minute, how long will the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match last (bell to bell)? [3 points]

The winner of the prediction contest will be in control of the fate of one TNA wrestler. As noted above, Jay Lethal is unhappy at the company at the moment. The winner of the prediction contest will get to decide what happens to him. You can force me to push him, or you can fire him. Or something completely different (within reason!); the choice will be yours.

The plan is to get the Sacrifice Pre-Show up by the end of the year, with the main show dropping in January at some time.​

 

[Rosie]

Winners Bolded:

Generation Me - Motor City Machine Guns
Kevin Nash/Eric Young - Team 3D
Abyss - Desmond Wolfe
Kazarian - Rob Terry
Beer Money - RVD/Tommy Dreamer
Homicide - Matt Morgan
Madison Rayne - Tara - Angelina Love

YOU SEE, THE THREE WAY AT SACRIFICE...
D’Angelo Dinero - Mr. Anderson
AJ Styles - Hulk Hogan

Bonus Questions:
1. Will Orlando Jordan’s Pre-Show Slumber Party go according to plan? [1 point]
Never.
2. How many championships will change hands? [1 point]
Three
3. Who will take the fall in the TNA Knockouts Championship match? [1 point]
Angelina Love
4. Which match will last the longest? [2 points]
D'Angelo vs Anderson
5. To the nearest minute, how long will the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match last (bell to bell)?
13 minutes

 

[Roy Mustang]

PREDICTION CONTEST

Template

Match Winners - 1 Point per correct answer:
Generation Me - Motor City Machine Guns
Kevin Nash/Eric Young - Team 3D
Abyss - Desmond Wolfe
Kazarian - Rob Terry
Beer Money - RVD/Tommy Dreamer
Homicide - Matt Morgan
Madison Rayne - Tara - Angelina Love
D’Angelo Dinero - Mr. Anderson
AJ Styles - Hulk Hogan

Bonus Questions:
1. Will Orlando Jordan’s Pre-Show Slumber Party go according to plan? Nope lol
2. How many championships will change hands? 1
3. Who will take the fall in the TNA Knockouts Championship match? Angelina Love
4. Which match will last the longest? Dinero vs Anderson
5. To the nearest minute, how long will the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match last (bell to bell)? 15

 

[Tig]

Match Winners - 1 Point per correct answer:
Generation Me - Motor City Machine Guns
Kevin Nash/Eric Young - Team 3D
Abyss - Desmond Wolfe
Kazarian - Rob Terry
Beer Money - RVD/Tommy Dreamer
Homicide - Matt Morgan
Madison Rayne - Tara - Angelina Love
D’Angelo Dinero - Mr. Anderson
AJ Styles - Hulk Hogan

Bonus Questions:
1. Will Orlando Jordan’s Pre-Show Slumber Party go according to plan? [1 point] uhhh... yes? from Orlando's POV
2. How many championships will change hands? [1 point] 3
3. Who will take the fall in the TNA Knockouts Championship match? [1 point] Madison Rayne
4. Which match will last the longest? [2 points] Dinero/Anderson
5. To the nearest minute, how long will the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match last (bell to bell)? [3 points] 2 minutes

 

[King Kota]

Gen me
Team 3D
Wolfe
Terry
Beer money
Morgan
Tara
Anderson
Hogan

1. No sets up a feud with someone
2. 4
3. Rayne
4. Dinero Anderson
5. 3:00 mins

 

[King Kota]

Hope I win so I can make him do the mega powers with Hogan xD

 

[Mandalorian]

TNA Sacrifice
May 16, 2010
Impact! Zone - Orlando, Florida

Jeremy Borash and Don West welcomed everyone to the show for the TNA Sacrifice Pre-Show, which was airing live and free on the TNA website as well as for Pay-Per-View providers. They said that the next thirty minutes would feature one very exciting match, some exclusive interviews with some of the TNA roster and then Orlando Jordan would be hosting his ‘Pre-Show Slumber Party’.

-PRE SHOW-
Tag Team Match
Generation Me vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Sacrifice Pre-Show starts off with a bang as the two most high-energy tag teams in the company mix it up, in a rematch from their match just under two weeks ago. In the early goings, it is Chris Sabin doing most of the work for the Guns, with Alex Shelley playing a somewhat pedestrian role. It is clear from the look on Shelley’s face that he is still disappointed about failing to gain a shot at the X Division Championship on Impact! this past week. Sabin is able to keep up with the Bucks for so long, but he eventually falls victim to a Facebuster by Max.

This opened the window for Generation Me to take control of the match and the Buck brothers wowed the fans filing in to the Impact! Zone by taking out both Sabin and Shelley with stereo Tope Suicidas. The duo attempted to put Sabin away after this with a springboard-assisted Tombstone Piledriver, but Shelley hooked the springboarding Jeremy Buck’s leg as he attempted to execute the move. Sabin then fought back against Max and got a near fall of his own with a Tornado DDT.

The fans wanted Alex Shelley to enter the match and when he did he did so to loud cheers from the fans. Fan support was not enough to lull him out of his bad mood and he definitely took his frustrations out on Max Buck in the middle of the ring. Shelley was the odd man out in terms of his approach, as he wrestled the match at a much slower pace than his partner and both of his opponents. Shelley kept Max isolated and punished him with painful submissions and harsh strikes to his limbs.

It was during this time that the fans who were still trickling into the Impact! Zone began to grow slightly impatient with Shelley’s approach to the match. They wanted Sabin back in but also were getting behind Max as he tried to fight back. A Northern Lights Suplex from Buck got him back into the match and he tagged Jeremy back in, but Shelley did not bring Sabin back into the mix at the same time. This proved costly as the fresh Jeremy caught Shelley with a Superkick to the jaw for a near fall, which was only broken up by a soccer kick to the head by Sabin.

Unfortunately, this move seemed to have done significant damage to Jeremy’s face, and he recoiled away holding his nose, which was quickly gushing blood. Max rushed back in to check on his brother as Sabin looked on in remorse, but Shelley ejected Max from the ring and showed little compassion for Jeremy, hitting him with a Sliced Bread #2 to win the match for the Guns.

Winners: Motor City Machine Guns via pin fall at 11:20

After the match, Shelley celebrated winning the match for his team on his own, as Sabin tended to Jeremy Buck along with the medical team. It was clear that Chris Sabin was very sorry for his part in the injury and he expressed this to Generation Me, who showed some understanding. With the Bucks out of the way, Shelley pulled Sabin up and encouraged him to join in with the celebrations. Sabin did so, but with a wary eye on his tag team partner, as the commentary team theorised that the Motor City Machine Guns could be next in line for a tag team title shot with this win.

**********

Following the Pre-Show match, attention was drawn to the parking lot of the Impact! Zone, and a limousine pulled up with Christy Hemme waiting for someone’s arrival. When the car did stop, the driver walked towards the back of the vehicle and opened the door. Out stepped none other than Hulk Hogan, who was wearing a tank top and jeans but he had his bag in his possession ahead of the main event later on tonight. Christy welcomed Hulk to Sacrifice and asked him how he was feeling ahead of the match.

Hogan said that he was feeling good, and it was because he had his good luck charm with him tonight; he reached back into the limo and helped someone out - his daughter Brooke! She seemed very pleased to be appearing on TNA programming for the first time ever and said she knew that her daddy would become the champion tonight. Hogan then revealed that someone else was riding with him and Brooke - Jeff Jarrett!

Jarrett’s appearance from the back of the vehicle caused Christy to question his impartiality as he is the Special Guest Enforcer for the match between Hogan and AJ Styles later on tonight, but Jarrett snapped at her that he was just going for a ride and he will call the match right down the middle. This received a knowing nod from Hogan along with a wink, and the group then entered the building together.

**********

Elsewhere backstage, Team 3D were shown in their locker room and Ray and Devon were both already dressed to compete as they were challenging Eric Young and Kevin Nash for the TNA World Tag Team Championships in the opening contest after the Pre-Show had finished. Jesse Neal entered the locker room, and Team 3D immediately questioned him on his whereabouts for the entire week after he walked out on them in their match on Impact! on Monday night.

Before Jesse could even explain himself, Shannon Moore entered Team 3D’s locker room as well. He said he was trying to reach Neal all week as well because he actually isn’t happy with him; his actions led to a chain reaction of events that ended with Shannon getting a Gore from Rhino, and he wants an answer tonight about where Jesse’s loyalties lie. He says that together they could be a good team and Jesse could be more than just Team 3D’s lap dog.

Again, before Jesse could say anything, Ray and Devon bundled Moore out of the locker room and told Neal to focus up because they needed his help. Ray said that it is time to finish breaking Kevin Nash by taking the titles from him and Young and then they’ll get a table and put his ancient ass through it. There was no comment from Neal, and Ray patted him roughly on the back.

**********

It was then time to round off the Sacrifice Pre-Show with Orlando Jordan’s Pre-Show Slumber Party. The Impact! Zone was shrouded with dim lighting and patterned lights shone down on the ring. Inside of it was a bed with black covers along with other pieces of bedroom furniture. Once the setting was established, Orlando Jordan made his elaborate entrance wearing a lace outfit which barely covered his modesty. He was not alone, as roughly a dozen men and women in… minimalist… pieces of nightwear joined him on his way to the ring. Orlando got into the bed with a man and a woman and then everyone else got in position on the other seating.

As Orlando’s entrance took so long, there was just under five minutes left on the countdown timer until Sacrifice started proper when he first addressed the audience. The first thing that happened was Orlando getting all of his companions to engage in a pillow fight, which took up an entire minute. He then officially welcomed everyone to the Pre-Show Slumber Party and said that he was looking forward to spending the night with everyone in the Impact! Zone, because he was ready to celebrate his hot streak of wins on Xplosion and it was time he had an explosion of his own.

Mercifully, OJ got interrupted by one of the men that he had defeated on Xplosion recently, Brian Kendrick. Kendrick showed up in a white robe which looked like a dressing gown. Kendrick apologised for interrupting but then said that he had lost sleep following his loss to Jordan so he was hoping that he could use the bed to get some. All of the sleepless nights wracking his brains trying to figure it out and he could only chalk it up to a fluke, which Jordan baulked at.

The tension was cut short though because all of a sudden, there was just thirty seconds left on the clock until the main Pay-Per-View was going to start. Eric Bischoff ran out from the back with Miss Tessmacher trotting behind him in her high heels. Bischoff entered the ring and started barking orders at everyone inside, pointing to his watch. As there was some visible confusion from everyone watching the panic as Sacrifice crept closer, the lights in the Impact! Zone went completely pitch black for roughly ten seconds. When they turned back on, everyone was aghast at the sight of Orlando Jordan completely unconscious on the bed.

Everyone turned to Kendrick, who protested his innocence, but then a more pressing matter came to everyone’s attention…

Eric Bischoff was gone. ​