By Chris Shore

TNA Impact Wrestling on SpikeTV
Aired live from Wichita Falls, Texas.

[Q1] Before the show started, Taz was shown backstage coming into the arena, but security wouldn't let him in because of Hulk Hogan's orders. Taz had a meltdown and said he was going to call someone and have them fired. He stormed off as security apologized…The recap video aired, followed by Mike Tenay and Jeremy Borash checking in on commentary…

A new #August1Warning video played and the guy said he would be there tonight…Austin Aries made his ring entrance. He cut a promo congratulating Chris Sabin on his win, and then put over his match with AJ Styles later in the show. Bobby Roode cut him off and came to the ring and cut a promo about not having a good year ever since Aries beat him for the title. He said he was going to turn it around and win the BFG series. Aries said he hoped Roode did get to the finals so he could bear him again and left the ring. Hernandez started his entrance, but Roode attacked him on the ramp…[C]

Shore's Slant: I was having weird audio problems during the Aries promo and first part of the Rood promo so I'm mostly piecing it together from context. I also don't know if the bell rang or not because of the problem.

[Q2] 1. Bobby Roode vs. Hernandez in a Bound for Glory match. The match was in progress when the show returned. Hernandez missed a top rope dive and Roode slapped on a crossface. Hernandez sold it for a moment before standing up and slamming Roode down. Hernandez did the flying shoulder tackle while Roode just stood there and oversold the hell out of it.

Roode sneaked in a low blow and hooked a roll-up for two. He went to the floor and tossed several chairs in the ring. When the ref started tossing chairs out of the ring, Roode grabbed a beer bottle from under the ring and hit Hernandez with it. He covered, and the ref counted while looking confused…

Bobby Roode defeated Hernandez at 10:43 to earn 7 points in the BFG series.

Backstage, the Main Event Mafia was shown arriving. Sting said they would find out who the August 1 guy was tonight and Angle said they were going to make the Aces and Eights an offer they couldn't refuse…[C]

Shore's Slant: I was really getting into the match when the stupid running shoulder tackle spot happened and Roode just stood there waiting for Hernandez, and the flopped around like a fish out of water after the move. So bad. Otherwise a pretty good match. I hate the beer bottle gimmick, but the announcers made a point of repeating Roode who said he was "going back to his roots." That was in the promo that I only caught a piece of apparently.

A video recapped Roode's actions, followed by the BFG leaderboard…Backstage, ODB got ready for her match by drinking and talking to Eric Young. She left EY alone with Joseph Park. EY told Park he had an idea about what was happening and handed Park a container and said he wanted Park to wear it tonight…

A video recapped Manik winning the X Division Championship. Backstage, Chris Sabin talked to TJ Perkins, who kept his back to the camera. Sabin congratulated him on winning the title. Perkins said he was a failure as Perkins but the mask had given him a rebirth. Sabin said that's why he wanted to face Perkins in his first match as champion. He told Perkins to bring his best and Perkins said he would see him out there…A stretch Hummer limo was shown arriving outside…

[Q3][C] Jay Bradley made his ring entrance while a video had him cutting a promo about getting overlooked because of his zero points. EY and Park were out next. EY opened the box and it was headgear for Park. Bradley attacked to start the match…

2. Jay Bradley vs. Joseph Park (w/Eric Young). Young kept trying to pull the headgear off, but Park fought him off in a way that kept Bradley in control, not that Texas seemed to care. Bradley had Park setup for the Boomstick, but Park scooped him up and hit a Samoan Slam for the win…

Joseph Park defeated Jay Bradley at 4:23 to win 7 points in the BFG series.

Shore's Slant: Are you kidding me. Park took four minutes of offense and wins with a Samoan Slam that JB called a fallaway slam? That's terrible booking. Neither of these guys matter right now, so it's not the end of the world, but it's still really bad.

[Q4][C] A commercial featuring Rampage Jackson, Hulk Hogan, and Kurt Angle, among other athletes, encouraging the IOC to not drop wrestling from the Olympics…Backstage, the MEM held a meeting. Sting said a sacrifice might have to be made, and asked if everyone was in. They all said yes and Rampage added, "I came here to fight." Sting said that was why they liked him…

3. Manik vs. Chris Sabin. Sabin and Manik ran the standard "quick start into mutual respect" start that so many indy matches use…[C] Back from commercial it was more of the same until Sabin hit an enziguri on Manik that dumped him to the floor. He rolled Manik back in and settled into a rest hold.

[Q5] Manik escaped by flipping into a mule kick, followed by a series of different dropkicks for a near fall. Manik hit a La Mistica for two. He went to the top, but Sabin stopped him and hit a superplex for two. Sabin hit an ace crusher, followed by a kick to the face and Hail Sabin for the win…

Chris Sabin defeated Manik at 11:56.

While the replay was airing, Bully Ray attacked Chris Sabin from behind. Ray yelled that Sabin should have handed him the belt. Manik tried to attacked Ray, but Ray knocked him down. That allowed Sabin to attacked Ray and knock him out with an enziguri…Backstage, Taz stormed up on the white limo complaining about Hogan not letting him in. He said he was going to expose the August 1 person and opened the door. He busted out laughing and said to look. It was a laptop on the seat playing one of the videos…[C]

Shore's Slant: It wasn't a bad match, but that was far from the match I thought those two would have. I thought they would go out there and let Sabin show out to get him over as champion. Instead, they had a run of the mill match that no one will be talking about. Swing and a miss. Now Taz, that was just bad acting once he opened the door. Granted he didn't have a lot to work with, but it came across as totally forced and scripted.

[Q6] A video recapped Taz finding the laptop…Christopher Daniels vs. Kazarian was announced for next week. Backstage, IQG asked them about it and they started their normal shtick until Daniels said something about "poor Frankie." Kaz got offended and told Daniels not to be that guy with him. Daniels said he wasn't going to just give Kaz the points. Kaz said he was going to take them and Daniels better be ready. He dumped Daniels's drink out for effect…

4. ODB vs. Gail Kim. ODB got a good reaction and the crowd was hot for her offense to start the match. Kim tried to put the figure four around the post on ODB, but ODB drove Kim into the post instead. She went to the floor to follow-up, but Kim drover her into the steps and both women were counted out…

ODB fought Gail Kim to a double count out at 6:09.

Post-match, the women continued to fight as refs tried, and failed, to drag them apart…Backstage, AJ Styles cut a promo about his match with Austin Aries. He mocked the idea that it was a dream match and said he was no longer the wide-eyed boy he was before, he was the greedy man he has become. He said there was no place for dreams or heroes, and he was going to get the points tonight….

Shore's Slant: Normally I crap on double count outs, but that one makes sense. ODB and Kim are just starting their feud. It also explains why it was a bit of a snoozer of a match. AJ's promo was not a snoozer, though. This is the only heel character I've ever seen him pull of well. The "greedy" line didn't ring true, but otherwise it was a very good promo from Styles.

A video recapped King Mo earning a chance to fight for the Bellator title last night…Backstage, Bully Ray complained about the MEM making them an offer they couldn't refuse. He said he was only obsessed with taking his title back and ending Sabin's career. He sent Anderson and the boys to take care of the MEM.

[Q7] Brooke was standing over at the side and he walked over to her. He antagonized her about not giving her a divorce and she smiled at him. She called him "Mark" and said the contract he was signing next week for his rematch had some things in it he wouldn't like and he didn't want to find himself on her bad list. She told him the saying was "Happy ex-wife, happy life." She tapped his hat playfully and left…

Shore's Slant: That was…uh…weird. What Brooke is doing makes sense, but her glee at it is significantly out of character for her. I don't know if that is foreshadowing or what, but it stood out.

5. AJ Styles vs. Austin Aries. Styles dumped Aries to the floor and went for a dropkick, but Aries moved and hit a diving blow off the top rope to the floor. He rolled Styles in the ring and went to the top, but Styles kicked him down and Aries might have busted his mouth on the rope in the process. Styles hit a diving clothesline on the floor into the break…[C]

Back from commercial, Styles nearly took Aries head off with his dropkick. That shit looked great! Aries hit a backbreaker through the ropes and seemed to be favoring his body. He followed with a missile dropkick and a corner dropkick. He set Styles on top and climbed up.

[Q8] Aries went for the superplex, but Styles landed on his feet while holding on. He reset and hit a neckbreaker for two. Styles went for a springboard 450, but Aries moved and locked on Last Chancery. Styles raked the face to escape, but Aries hit a brain buster for a great near fall.

Aries went for a 450, but Styles got the knees up. He hit a clothesline and Aries rolled to the ramp. Styles started to jump over, but Aries kicked the rope and Styles crashed and burned. Aries went for the brainbuster on the ramp, but Styles hit a front suplex. Styles went for a Clash, but Aries backdropped him to the floor. Aries went for a dive, but Styles moved aside and Aries crashed into the stairs. What a painful series to watch.

Back in the ring, both guys unloaded on each other with strikes. Aries suddenly got the best with a German suplex and a discuss clothesline. Styles recovered fast and hit a Pele kick and both guys fell down with their arms on each other. The ref counted both shoulders, but Aries half rolled over and ended up with the win…

Austin Aries defeated AJ Styles to earn 7 points in the BFG series at 17:41.

The MEM were shown backstage heading toward the ring…[C]

Shore's Slant: What? That was the finish. They setup and deliver an absolutely great match and THAT'S the finish? That's terrible. Texas absolutely hated it. They weren't booing Aries, they were booing the shitty ass finish. Of all the inane decisions in this show, this one takes the cake by a mile. That needed an actual finish, not the milquetoast one we got. What a mistake.

The Mafia made their entrance and Sting said they were still looking for the fight they wanted, but for now, they were going to give the Aces and Eights an offer they couldn't refuse. He handed the mic to Angle and they waited for Aces and Eights to come out to the ramp. Anderson said the last time an offer was made, Kurt Angle ended up in the back of a truck.

Anderson said they knew how the Mafia worked, they cheated. He said if they wanted to fight dirty, they could do it too. Angle challenged them to a five-on-five match at Hardcore Justice where the person who was pinned would have to leave TNA forever. Anderson and the gang thought about it while Joe informed them it wasn't a negotiation and grabbed at Anderson to start a brawl.

The Mafia dragged everyone in the ring just to throw them out again. Anderson grabbed a mic and accepted the match. Before anyone could say anything else, the lights went off and music hit. Tito Ortiz walked out on the aisle and simply crossed his arms. Everyone looked on in shock to close the show…

Shore's Slant: That was awful. First of all, why is only one person going to get knocked out of that match? Why not put up the whole team and get it done? Second, why did Aces and Eights attack when Joe said that? They tried to make it look on TV like the Mafia attacked, but they were in the ring. It just looked bad.

But all of that silliness was shoved out of the way when Tito "Who?" Ortiz stepped onto the ramp. It would appear no one near a microphone in Texas had any idea who the guy was, and they kind of half-ass booed just before the show went off. We knew who it was going to be, but the reveal could not have been less impressive.

Outside of Styles vs. Aries, which was must see, this was a completely missable episode of Impact. Manik and Sabin disappointed. Kim and IDB is just getting started. We only had about five minutes of the best heel in the company, and yet another mystery man lets out a giant fart when introduced. Just a few weeks ago I was excited for Impact. Now it feels lost again. Jason Powell and Will Pruett will have more tomorrow. Thanks for watching along tonight.

Questions? Comments? Anyone, anyone? Let me hear from you. Email me at css3238@gmail.com or tweet me @TheShoreSlant with whatever is on your mind.

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