home | wrestling | flashback_reviews | tna | impact

Impact Wrestling -March 20, 2015

by Samoa Rowe

-From London, England. Our hosts are Josh Mathews and Taz.

TNA Tag Team Championship (Ultimate X):

The Wolves © (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) vs. The Bro-mans (DJ Z and Jessie Godderz, with Angelina Love) vs. The Revolution (Manik and The Great Sanada)
A backstage segment reveals that Robbie E is too embarrassed over losing to Brooke to compete. I don’t remember any storyline reason for them to trot out the Ultimate X structure other than it hasn’t been used in a while. Match starts with a chaotic exchange, not helped by the shaky camera work. The Wolves clear out the ring but Angelina Love prevents their suicide dives, but they toss DJ Z over her to wipe out the Revolution. Jessie Godderz and Manik work together to clear the Wolves out. Jessie is slow to realize that Manik is taking advantage of him but manages to drop-kick him off the cable. Godderz tries to lift DJ Z up to the belts, and Manik and Sanada follow suit, setting up the worst game of chicken in history. The Wolves capitalize with well-timed Electric Chair missile drop-kicks. Manik recovers and almost reaches the titles, but Edwards pulls him down into a Backstabber combo with Richards. The Wolves kick DJ Z into the metal structure. Meanwhile, Sanada blinds Godderz with green mist, but Eddie uses him as a step stool to set up a hurricanrana. Richards destroys Sanada with diving double boots, and both Wolves climb the cables to retrieve their titles at about 9:22. Not bad for a thrown together stunt show, but the Ultimate X gimmick continues to get watered down, **½.
Winners and still TNA Tag Team Champions: The Wolves

-Footage from earlier shows both Kurt Angle and TNA Champion Bobby Lashley arriving at the arena.

-Austin Aries, sans his Feast or Fired case, comes to the ring to talk. Aries explains that he was sidelined over the past two weeks due to the beating he received from the Beat Down Clan. He cuts to the chase and calls out the BDC so he can get his briefcase back. Low Ki and Samoa Joe answer the call, and don’t seem too interested in handing over the case. Aries argues that the case is worthless to the BDC and challenges Low Ki to a match for the case and X title. Ki denies the request and unleashes Joe on him.

Samoa Joe vs. Austin Aries

Joe’s sucker punch gives him the upper hand in the early going. Aries leaps over Joe and rolls into a Brainbuster attempt, but Joe counters and sends him crashing to ringside. Joe continues to dominate with a bear hug into a belly to belly suplex. Aries escapes a modified crossface, but Joe crushes him with an enziguri. Aries takes more punishment but manages to dodge a back senton to find an opening. Aries lands some turnbuckle punches and serves a neck breaker in the ropes. Missile drop-kick by Aries and a running corner drop-kick. Joe counters the Brainbuster into an armbar. Aries blocks the Musclebuster and nails a pair of discus elbows. Suicide dive by Aries connects! Low Ki assaults Aries on the floor for the DQ at 7:11. Tremendously hard worked match, just lacking time and a finish, **½.
Winner via DQ: Austin Aries

-Low Ki goes to swing the case at Aries but misses and hits Joe. Aries punches the case into Low Ki’s face and finally regains his Feast or Fired contract. Aries takes off his case while Rockstar Spud runs in with his X Division briefcase. Spud cashes in!

X Division Championship:
Low Ki © vs. Rockstar Spud

Spud tosses the briefcase to the referee and immediately hits Low Ki with Sliced Bread #2 for the win at about 0:05. After Spud’s breakout performance last week, this is a great moment.
Winner and new X Division Champion: Rockstar Spud

-The camera finds Magnus and Bram brawling backstage, and things don’t seem to be going well for Bram. Magnus places Bram on a rolling production box and drives him into a wall. They make their way through the curtain and into the ring. Magnus nails a hard clothesline and fetches a chair for a series of shots. A pack of referees break it up but Bram seems to be in agonizing pain. Magnus busts loose and continues the attack. Mickie James rushes to the ring and joins in on the attack. Bram tries to crawl away, but Magnus catches him with a power bomb on the entrance ramp. Magnus and Mickie stand tall as a happy couple.

TNA Knockouts Championship:
Taryn Terrell © vs. Awesome Kong vs. Gail Kim

Gail and Taryn both go after Kong at the opening bell. Kong sidesteps Gail to pile her onto Taryn for an avalanche. Kong lifts Terrell for a slam, no-sells Gail’s drop-kick, and slams Taryn onto her! Kong dominates in methodical fashion, countering Taryn in mid-air with a clothesline. Gail counters the Implant Buster, landing on Kong’s face when Taryn delivers a roll-up, almost resulting in a double pinfall. Terrell catches Kong with a flying cross body, but her neck breaker is countered. Kong removes her gloves but misses a diving head butt, allowing Taryn to nail an Ace Cutter for a near fall. Terrell loses her temper and ties Kong in the ropes for a drop-kick. Gail shoves Taryn and lands a flying cross body to Kong on the floor. Gail follows with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb on Terrell for 2. Terrell blocks Gail’s Eat Defeat and rolls her up for the pinfall at 6:22. Had this gone another 5-10 minutes, it would have reached the high water mark set by the NXT women, **½.
Winner and still TNA Knockouts Champion: Taryn Terrell

-James Storm cuts a shadowy promo about flipping a coin to determine Matt Hardy’s fate.

-Backstage interview with Kurt Angle about his TNA title match with Bobby Lashley. Angle says it’s been over a year since he competed for the World title, so he’s driven by the need to prove he’s the best in the business.

No Disqualifications:
James Storm (with The Revolution) vs. Matt Hardy

Storm and Hardy begin brawling in the aisle before the opening bell. Hardy fills the ring with chairs but Manik grabs his ankle to buy Storm some time. Storm places a chair in the turnbuckles but turns around to some trash can shots from Hardy. Sanada interferes and trips Matt on the top rope, setting up Storm’s superplex. Abyss hands James the bag filled with thousands AND THOUSANDS of thumb tacks, and he spills the sharp objects all over the ring. Hardy blocks another superplex and shoves Storm back-first onto the tacks (thousands, I say). Matt nails the Twist of Fate, but Abyss pulls the referee out. Matt holds his own fighting off the Revolution henchmen, but Storm ends up driving him into the bridged chair for a believable near fall. Matt surprises with another Twist of Fate but is too hurt for a cover. Abyss hands Storm a cowbell and Sanada blinds Matt with green mist. Storm finishes Hardy with a pair of Last Calls at 6:42. This overbooked garbage brawl turned into a guilty pleasure before it was all said and done, but is another example of being more angle than match, **.
Winner: James Storm

-The Revolution hold Matt in place for a cowbell shot to the head. Storm says there’s always room for one more in the Revolution and they depart.

TNA World Championship:
Bobby Lashley © vs. Kurt Angle

Both competitors get dramatic entrances with extended remixes of their theme music. The match begins immediately after a commercial (much better than WWE’s habit of having 90 seconds of action first). They feel each other out with Angle trying to grapple and Lashley favoring power moves. Angle nails a belly to belly throw and goes right into three rolling German suplexes. Lashley breaks an early ankle lock with the ropes and takes control of the fight at ringside. Lashley alternates between suplexes and submission holds as he plays a subtle heel. They trade punches and Angle surprises with another round of rolling Germans. Lashley blocks the Angle Slam and nails a spinebuster for 2. Lashley misses a spear, earning himself six more Germans. Angle applies the ankle lock, but Lashley powers out and nails a Jackhammer. They take a commercial break, and the match continues about where it left off. Angle sidesteps Lashley to reapply the ankle lock. Kurt hits the Angle Slam but gets shoved off while a “This is Awesome” chant breaks out. Lashley looks dismayed by the crowd booing (like an actual babyface would) and hits a delayed vertical suplex. The spear connects but ANGLE KICKS OUT! Lashley crashes and burns in a flying cross body attempt! Angle nails a cross body of his own, but Lashley rolls through to steal an the ankle lock! Kurt escapes and hits the Angle Slam for another near fall. Bobby catches Kurt with a cross arm breaker, but it’s countered into an ankle lock. Kurt grapevines the leg and Lashley taps at 15:24 (shown)! The crowd explodes at this outcome! I was expecting a good match, but they went ahead and delivered a great one. Great ring work, hot crowd, and high stakes make for a **** match.
Winner and new TNA World Champion: Kurt Angle

Final Thoughts: The main event is must-see and caps off a night of decent/good matches. If you’re like me from a few months ago and haven’t been watching TNA due to years of incompetence, this would be a good time to give them another shot. Check out both London shows, they are easy Thumbs Up events.

back to Current Reviews Index