1-3-13 Impact results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the January 3, 2013 episode of Impact

The show starts with JB in the ring. He’s there to announce who the fans voted for as the 2012 TNA wrestler of the year. He brings out the 5 guys. Bully Ray, James Storm, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, & Jeff Hardy. All 5 guys stand on the ramp. Roode & Aries argue over which of them will win but the award goes to Jeff Hardy. Hardy goes to the ring where the trophy awaits. Jeff thanks the fans and says happy New Year. He wanted to have a great 2012 and this award confirms it. Then Bobby Roode tells him to cut the crap. Roode asks if he Jeff really said the fans’ votes mean as much as the title. Roode says when he was champion he didn’t care what the fans thought of him. Roode says he made history. He became the longest reigning TNA Champion and him not being wrestler of the year is a bunch of bull…Then Aries chimes in and says this is obviously rigged because he was the longest reigning X Division Champion and beat Roode for the World Title. Aries says he averaged 4 star matches in every match he was in and deserves to be wrestler of the year. This year was Total Non stop Aries. Then Aries & Roode bicker and then Jeff says he will face both of them at Genesis. Then he tells them when they think of the year 2012 to think of the enigma. Then the both attack him. Roode holds Jeff, Aries gets the trophy, but Jeff got out of the way and Aries hits Roode. Then he gives Aries the Twist of Fate. This was a good way to start the show. I kind of agreed with Aries when he said the voting is a fix and I knew they were going to announce Jeff-Aries-Roode for Genesis.

James Storm is backstage. The camera guy asks how he feels about not being 2012 wrestler of the year. Kaz & Daniels come in and they impersonate him saying how things didn’t work out for Storm in 2012. Storm says they should be comedians. Then he says that even though he wasn’t world champion in 2012 he will be champion in 2013. He will kick Daniels in his Twitter; kick Kaz in his Face book. Then he says that he will write on their wall sorry about your damn luck. Then he says they need to decide which 1 of them will get their ass kicked tonight. Storm walks off and Kaz tells him that he forgot about my space. This was a good backstage bit. Kaz & Daniels were their usual comical selves and Storm was good here too. Kaz telling Storm that he forgot about my space was funny too.

James Storm is in the ring. Then Daniels & Kazarian come out. Daniels makes like he will face Storm and then Kazarian attacks Storm from behind.

James Storm vs. Frankie Kazarian. Storm gets the pin. This was a good match. Daniels got involved during the match of course but Storm fought him off.

Aces & 8s are in some office. Devon tells Ken Anderson they need an answer. Anderson says the harder they try to convince him the more fun they’re having. Anderson says they should chill. Doc asks Anderson what it’s gonna be. Sting is coming back tonight. They need to know if Anderson is in or out. Anderson then says that if this is how it’s gonna be, then none of them should show Sting even an ounce of fear. He tells Doc not to forget his “little buddy” the bull hammer. Devon says they’ll see what Sting has to offer. Devon asks the big dude if he’s seen his bat. The guy says he hasn’t. This was weak. I’m not a Ken Anderson fan and it’s obvious that he’s gonna make like he’s part of Aces & 8s only to turn and help out Sting. Maybe they’ll surprise me but that’s what I see happening.

Kid Kash is backstage and Kenny King comes up to him and says what an X Division legend Kash is. Kenny mentions that they’re in the number 1 contender tournament to find out who will challenge RVD for the X Title. Kash mentions that he’s been in the ring with him. Kenny says he will beat Zima Ion, Kash will beat Christian York and then they will face each other next week. Kash says he’s been X Division Champion twice. This was alright.

Doc comes to the ring. He asks where Sting is. He tells him to come on down and join the party. This is 1-3-13 and Sting has been telling everybody that Doc is a marked man. He says that he doesn’t feel like a marked man and he dares Sting to come out. Then he says this B.S. and he’s tired of waiting. Sting is wasting Doc’s & Aces & 8’s time. He tells Sting to come and face the guy who will end his career. He says that the fans want Sting to come out. He tells Sting to get out there right now. Then a bat falls from the ceiling. Then Doc screams asking Sting where he is and says he isn’t afraid of him. This was decent. Doc was good on the mic.

Backstage the camera guy asks Brooke Hogan if she’s talked to her dad since she kissed Bully Ray. She says no and the camera guy asks if she means she hasn’t spoke to Hulk or if she means she never kissed Ray. HUH!? She says that she hasn’t talked to her dad and everyone will find out on TV what Hulk has to say. This was idiotic but thankfully really short. The camera guy asking what Brooke meant made no sense!

X Division Title number 1 contender tournament – First Round: Christian York vs. Kid Kash. York gets the pin. This was a good match too. I was pleasantly surprise to see York win.

Chavo & Hernandez are backstage. Chavo they’re the tag team champions and aren’t scared of Matt Morgan & Joey Ryan or anybody. This was ok.

Matt Morgan was scheduled to face Hernandez next but he & Joey Ryan come out. Morgan’s arm is in a sling. He says that these things will happen when you’re throwing 700 pounds around like it’s your job. He will be 100 % at the PPV though. However, tonight Joey Ryan will whip Hernandez’ ass. Ryan wasn’t too thrilled with that.

TNA World Tag Team Champion Hernandez vs. Joey Ryan. Hernandez wins by DQ when Morgan comes in & gives Hernandez the Carbon Footprint. He takes the sling off. Then Joey beats on Chavo in the corner. This was about setting up their PPV match and I thought it was decent.

Backstage Kurt Angle thanks Wes & Garrett for having his & Joe’s back but tonight they can remain backstage since this is a cage match. Wes & Garrett protest. Joe says he & Angle don’t need Wes & Garrett. Angle tells Joe that they’re being respectful. Then he tells Wes & Garrett no one will come in or go out the cage. Wes & Garrett walk off. Then Kurt says to Joe that he made a New Years resolution and promised Sting that he would unmask all the Aces & 8s guys.

They show a video package recapping the Hulk-Brooke-Ray-Aces & 8s storyline.

Hulk Hogan comes to the ring. He says that he wants to apologize to the fans for not showing up last week. He got caught off guard when he saw his daughter & Ray make out. Since Ray decided to let this happen in the public eye, he tells both Ray & Brooke to come out so they can continue keeping everything in the public eye. Out come Ray & Brooke. Hulk says for months Ray has been telling Hulk how much he respects him and that he wants Hulk to give him the same respect. He says that he’s been looking at Ray and trying to figure out what the deal is. He says now that he knows where Ray & Brooke were at, he has 1 question. Why? Ray says that Hulk is right. He should have told Hulk about him & Brooke and all the heat is on Ray. Hulk’s been trying to tell everyone that Ray is no good. Hulk says Ray doesn’t belong in this business. If this was 20 years ago for a title they would’ve already gone to war. Then Hulk indefinitely suspends Ray with out pay. Then Hulk tells Brooke that she made her decision and to go live with it. He tells them both to get out of the ring. Ray & Brooke storm up the ramp and Ray asks Brooke what’s gotten into her dad. This was really idiotic. Hulk talked about being old school and following some old “backstage rule book” and that Ray isn’t playing by those “rules” or whatever. 

They show more of Joseph Park training in OVW. Danny Davis says that he believes there’s something in him. Joseph says he’s dedicated himself to the wrestling business and has watched tapes of Kurt Angle and his “brother” Abyss. He says he will become a student of this game. Davis says Joseph caught him off guard in a good way. He believes Joseph could be a game changer for this industry. Then they show Davis telling all this to Joseph. Joseph thanks Davis and says that he is ready.

Brooke Tessmacher & Mickie James vs. Gail Kim & Knockouts Champion Tara. Tessmacher & Mickie win when Mickie pins Gail. This was really good.

At the Aces & 8s clubhouse Doc is complaining about Angle trying to take their masks off. Doc says 2 guys have their masks and they need to keep them. Then the big masked guy says that they need to protect their masks with their lives. That made no sense. This Aces & 8s storyline is getting really stale. They need to unmask more guys soon.

ODB says Aces & 8s have done a lot of damage but Sting is coming back to take care of those guys. EY however isn’t coming back just yet. He is at home recovering. But when he is back she will be by his side.

Hulk comes into his office. Aries & Roode are there. He tells them not now. They both complain about being in a 3 way. Hulk makes the match a triple threat elimination. Next week Roode & Aries will team up to face Jeff Hardy and a partner of Jeff’s choice. Roode & Aries complain the whole time. This was ok. I’m glad the 3 way at Genesis will be an elimination match.

As Kurt Angle was entering the cage Doc came out and attacked Angle. He took him out of the cage and then locked the door. Then he rams the back of Angle’s head onto the steel steps. So Joe will have Devon & masked Aces & 8s guy by himself.

Kurt Angle & Samoa Joe vs. TV Champion Devon & a masked Aces & 8s guy in a steel cage. Angle & Joe win when Angle pins the masked guy. The match was mostly Joe facing both guys but Angle eventually got the keys from Doc and got in. He goes to unmask the guy but Doc gets on the apron. Angle goes over to him and Doc slams the door in his face and Angle is busted open. Then eventually Angle hit the Olympic Slam on the masked guy for the pin. Afterwards Angle goes for the guy’s mask but Doc comes in and beats on Angle & Joe. Then the other Aces & 8s guys come in and they pound on Angle & Joe. Ken Anderson was also at ringside. Then Sting returns and he goes after Aces & 8s with his bat. Sting clears the ring except for 1 guy. Angle unmasks him and no surprise it turns out to be Mike Knox. Aces & 8s are pissed at Knox for losing his mask. Devon looks on all steamed. Angle, Joe & Sting celebrate in the ring to end the show. The match was solid. Angle had a really nasty cut from that door shot. They didn’t have Anderson turn on Aces & 8s. Sting attacking Aces & 8s was just like what he used to do in WCW. I liked that they unmasked another guy & I wasn’t surprised that it was Mike Knox.

I thought this was a mixed bag show. The opening segment with Jeff, Aries & Roode was a good way to start the show. I liked the Cage match at the end of the show too. Storm-Kazarian was a good match. York-Kash was good too but a bit short. Hernandez-Joey Ryan was too short to be much of anything. That was more about setting up their PPV tag title match. The knockouts tag match was really good too. The Hulk-Ray-Brooke in ring segment was terrible. I don’t get why they had Hulk suspend Ray. This storyline is idiotic. I wasn’t into the Aces & 8s bit with Ken Anderson or the clubhouse bit. I was ok with the Joseph Park training video package. It looks like he will be back soon. The backstage bit with Storm, Daniels & Kazarian was good too. Doc’s promo was solid too. The bit with Hulk, Aries & Roode was ok and I liked that they made the Hardy-Aries-Roode 3 way an elimination match. Having Aries & Roode team up next week doesn’t make sense though. Overall I thought this was a mixed bag for the first show of 2013.