TNA Impact! 8.12.2011

Robert Roode / Sting & Dixie Carter in-ring promo segment
Robert Roode spits in the face of Dixie Carter before he rolls out of the ring….
Backstage, AJ Styles backs Roode against the wall for spitting at Dixie Carter and tells him he is going to make him pay and take the World Title at Final Resolution. Sting comes after Roode, but is held back by Styles.

Samoa Joe Vs Abyss
After a few minutes Scott Steiner comes to the ring and distracts the referee. Bully Ray comes into the ring behind the ref’s back and knocks out Joe with a chain before Abyss gets the pin.
Steiner and Bully Ray are trying to get Abyss on their side again after their recent problems with him, but it doesn’t work and Abyss attacks Steiner.
I don’t like Samoa Joe being used as an after-thought and to further a feud between other guys…. Joe just disappeared after he was pinned. No comeback attack for him or anything….

Karen tells Gail Kim she is against Traci Brookes tonight. Gail doesn’t like the sound of it, but Karen has a plan…. She closes the door so that the camera doesn’t hear her explain it to Gail…

UK-only promo: Jeff & Karen Jarrett announce a competition to win tickets to one of their UK shows and a dinner with Velvet Sky… The Question? Who did Kurt face at Bound For Glory this year? Robert Roode, AJ Styles or James Storm?

Backstage, Sting tells Gunner to stop trying to attack Garett Bichoff…. Gunner says all he wants is a match with Garett, with no Flair or Bischoff around. Sting grants him the match for later tonight.

Devon & Pope are in the ring and they call out Tag Team Champions, Matt Morgan and Crimson. Devon reminds them that he is a 23 time former tag team champion and he also puts them over as having the potential to be a great team. Devon shakes their hands and says he hopes that the best team wins….
The Pope takes the mic and tells Morgan and Crimson that to him it’s all about the Titles, as that’s where the money is and he is going to do whatever it takes to win the Titles at Final Resolution.
Before Pope can leave the ring, Morgan strikes him and all four guys start brawling. Crimson and Devon fight at ringside, leaving The Pope and Morgan fighting in the ring.
The Pope low-blows Morgan to gain the advantage and signals for Devon’s sons, who are in the crowd, to get in the ring and attack Morgan. They jump into the ring and try to work over Morgan, but he no-sells the offence and stands up ….. The Pope, Terence and Terrell leave the ring….

Madison Rayne Vs Mickie James
They have an average Knockout TV match. Mickie James gets the pin, after hitting the jumping DDT.
After the match, Gail Kim appears on the ramp, holding the TNA Knockout Title in the air…

Bully Ray & Scott Steiner are backstage, upset that their plan to get Abyss on their side didn’t work.
Steiner says he knows Eric Bischoff better than Bully Ray does and he is going to go and talk to him…

Video package on Garett Bischoff and his problems with his father and Gunner…

Gunner Vs Garett Bischoff
Gunner comes to the ring with Flair and Eric, but sends them to the back….
Gunner no-sells a few moves by Garett and beats him down, throwing him outside the ring and into the ring posts outside, before throwing him back into the ring.
Garett tries to fight back, but Gunner keeps cutting him off and punishing him…. Garett quickly rolls up Gunner out of nowhere and gets the 3 count. That looked horrible.
Gunner throws him back to the outside and Irish Whips him into the steel steps. Just before he can hit a piledriver on the outside, Eric comes out and tells him to stop, it looks like Eric may be concerned for his son…. Eric tells Gunner to lift up the mat on the outside first…. Gunner hit’s a piledriver on Garett, onto the cement floor outside the ring….

As Garett is unconscious on a gurney and being loaded into an ambulance backstage, Flair and Eric laugh and mock him…

James Storm and Kurt Angle in-ring promo segment.
James Storm tells Angle that he has lived through many things including losing his father when he was younger and having to put his dog of 6 years to sleep last week, so there is no way he has been scared by Kurt Angle. He turns his back on Kurt and tell him to jump him from behind again….. Angle doesn’t do it… James Storm tells him he will get his revenge at Final Resolution.

Backstage, Karen tells Traci that she needs to lay down and throw the match for Gail Kim later tonight….

Video package on Robert Roode, he talks about being the main event and the World Champion at last and how it has always been the most important thing to him. Roode’s wife and other members of his family talk about how he has turned his back on them and how they haven’t been able to contact him. One of Roode’s friends from home says that he hasn’t seen anyone or been the same person since his heel turn and becoming TNA World Champion…
I really think these segments are great. They add a little bit of realism and it‘s something new, which I appreciate.

Devon is backstage, admonishing his sons for getting involved in the situation with Morgan and Crimson earlier tonight. The Pope walks by and Devon slams him against the wall and blames him for encouraging his sons into the ring, where they could have got hurt. Terrell stops Devon from punching The Pope. After Devon walks away, The Pope tells Devon’s sons that they did the right thing and he was proud of them.

Traci Vs Gail Kim.
Traci pretends she is going to lay down for Gail Kim, but she kicks out at a 2 count and starts fighting back against Gail Kim. After Traci takes down Gail with a Spear, Karen comes to the ring and yells at Traci. Traci is about to punch Karen, but Madison Rayne jumps into the ring and strikes Traci with the Knockout Title, Gail Kim gets the 3 count on the fallen Traci. Karen, Gail and Madison celebrate the victory.
This was a very short, nothing-match….

Chris Daniels is backstage and he cuts a promo on RVD, talking about being sick of being passed over in the company for guys like him….

Bobby Roode & Jeff Jarrett Vs AJ Styles & Jeff Hardy
During the match, Roode and Jarrett cut off the ring and work over AJ Styles‘ leg. Eventually, Hardy and Jarrett brawl to the outside, down the ramp and to the back….
In the ring, Roode get a single-leg boston crab on Styles‘s injured leg, but he reaches the ropes.
Styles fights back and manages to reverse Roode’s Fisherman Suplex attempt into a small package and gets the pinfall on Roode.

After the match, Roode tries to attack Styles, but AJ fights back and gets the better of Roode. Styles continues to sell his injured leg as he chases Roode down the ramp, to the back.
While Roode is out of sight, Styles stops and poses at the top of the ramp. Roode returns from behind Styles and takes him down from behind before he continues his assault on Styles and his injured leg.
Roode tells AJ Styles that the World Title belongs to him and that Styles can’t beat him, as he holds the TNA World Title above his head and Impact ends…..

As is often the case, I liked some things on the show and disliked other things.

The Things I liked:

The Kurt Angle / James Storm promo segment was strong and made me more interested in watching their match at Final Resolution.
I really liked the Devon & The Pope / Crimson & Morgan segment and the backstage Pope / Devon segment too. I’m pleased that TNA are not rushing the Pope / Devon angle and giving it time to play out. Great promo work by Devon and Dinero.
Excellent Robert Roode video packages featuring his family and friends, I think these are really effective in helping to portray Roode as a selfish and self-serving heel, who only cares about himself.
The main event tag match was good and the build between Roode and Styles has been pretty good, with Roode trying to take out Styles before their Iron Man match at Final Resolution.

The things I didn’t like:

It would have been nice to have had more time dedicated to the actual matches.
The Gunner / Garett Bischoff thing isn’t very interesting and it’s taking away time that could have been spent on Austin Aries, Kid Kash, Rob Van Dam or someone else…. Where is Kazarian!?
The Knockouts aren’t being used in a meaningful or interesting way, at all.
Samoa Joe should not be used as an afterthought! Samoa Joe is a headline talent or at the very least, a strong upper-mid-card performer.

Over the last few weeks, TNA have been doing a really good job at building to the matches booked for their Final Resolution PPV and this was the last Impact show before the event.