Hola Knockout fans and welcome to this week’s edition of Impact Write-Up, being brought to you once again midweek following TNA’s return to Wednesday nights. In the midst of this return to the Wednesday night time slot, TNA have taken a break from their usual galore themed episodes of Impact to start off fresh with a simple regular program. Not a bad route to take when you are able to feature your Knockouts in every corner of a two hour program. With much ground to cover, let’s not waste anymore time and dive right into the action that took place this week.
Our night begins with a quick recap from last week’s Knockouts Title match, where champion Taryn Terrell went one on one against challenger Gail Kim in a Six Sides of Steel Cage match. Not only did Taryn come out victorious in her match but she also managed to injury Gail’s finger afterwards; all in front of Awesome Kong who could nothing to make the save as the Dollhouse would lock the caged door to prevent any and all interruptions.
With “Doll Parts” casually playing in the background, Taryn relives this story backstage in her pillow talk diary room with her DFFs Jade and Marti Bell, where she is very proud of her actions of putting away the greatest female wrestler of all time. Being in such a lifted mood, Taryn goes on to promise Awesome Kong a shot at her Knockouts Title next week on Destination X. While all that takes place next week, this week Jade and Marti will be playing alone against Brooke, as Jade takes her on in a singles contest.
From the backstage playroom to the ring, we move on to our Knockouts match of the night where Jade has already made her way to the ring with Marti by her side as they await for Brooke to make her way to the ring. “Girls Got a Booty” sounds off and out comes Brooke. As the colorful dressed two times Knockouts champion salutes the Impact Zone from a turnbuckle, Jade tries to sneak attack Brooke from behind but Brooke senses this and dodges Jade attacks to roll her into a pin early on. Jade manages to kick out at two but that doesn’t stop Brooke from going for another pin attempt, this time a jackknife pin but again Brooke only gets a two count.
As Jade tries to compose herself from a corner. Brooke is quick to go for an offense but Jade brushes the oncoming attack and instead takes down Brooke with a running dropkick. Looking for a breather, Brooke slowly moves to the ring apron but is knocked to the outside when Jade strikes another kick to Brooke’s backside.
From the outside, Jade continues keeping Brooke grounded, tossing Brooke face first onto the ring apron. As per the order of referee Earl Hebner, Jade re-enters the ring and as she does, Marti finishes up their dirty work on the outside and clothesline Brooke before tossing her back in the ring. The outside assault triggers Jade to go for a pin cover but Brooke toughens out and kicks out before the three count. Frustrated, Jade immediately goes for another pin but Brooke kicks out as she did the first time. Trying her luck for a third time, Jade covers Brooke but only gets the same results.
Jade puts a halt to her pin attempts to Brooke and trades them for punches to Brooke’s head. After landing several blows, Jade adds kicks to the formula and strikes again to the skull of Brooke.
As Brooke looks to fight her way back into the match, Jade is able to get the better of her and grabs a handful of Brooke’s hair, tossing her like toy around the ring. When Jade tries a bit of trash talk to Brooke, she finds an opening to gut Jade’s midsection and go for a schoolgirl pin from behind. Jade kicks out at two and stays in control of the match with a big boot to Brooke.
After taking such a hit, Brooke looks for comfort from a turnbuckle but it dooms becomes a place for easy target as Jade delivers another running big boot to a recovering Brooke. Jade follows up by whipping Brooke to the opposite direction but for Jade can manage to connect a move, Brooke lifts her leg and stops Jade in her tracks.
Without wasting any time, Brooke climbs the second rope and hits a flying clothesline. Just as Brooke is beginning to build up any momentum in this match, Jade pulls out another signature kick to bring Brooke down. Jade covers but it’ll take more to put away Brooke as she continues to kick out before the count of three.
Jade scoops up Brooke to land a body slam Brooke to the center of the ring- a perfect spot for Jade to attempt a springboard moonsault. Unfortunately for Jade, Brooke manages to roll out the way leaving Jade to only get a taste of the mat upon landing. Ceasing the moment, Brooke hits a lifted face Buster onto Jade before going for the pin.
Marti sees trouble and quickly takes action by grabbing Jade’s right leg to place it on the bottom rope. She yells for Earl’s attention and the pin cover is this broken thanks to a rope break and Marti’s help. Anger takes over Brooke and she grabs Marti by the hair from the outside to bring her to her level. When Jade tries attack the occupied Brooke, she accidentally hits Marti instead with a big boot, knocking her off the apron.
The upset is enough for Brooke to make the most of an off guard Jade and land the Tess-Shocker into the pin and the three count pin! As Marti checks in on her friend after the match, Brooke celebrates her triumph win over Jade with all spunk in the world.
All that giddy attitude from Brooke follows her everywhere she goes, including backstage where she meets up with her new pal Rebel. Brooke thanks Rebel for being so supportive and says that her win over the Dollhouse this week causes for celebration. They make plans to make it a Girl’s Night Out right after Brooke showers and freshens up.
As Brooke walks away, the Dollhouse make their way backstage and after overhearing of Rebel’s plans, they decide to have their own kind of celebration by double teaming Rebel in a good old-fashion backstage beat down. Rebel stands no chance against the Dollhouse duo and is beaten all throughout the tighten backstage area, where she is laid out after taking a knee shot to the head thanks to Jade. The Dollhouse leave their broken victim on the floor, with a jawbreaker placed in her mouth as they celebrate their playtime of the night.
From the backstage area of the Impact Zone to a music studio in Nashville, Tennessee, we move on to our next series of Knockouts segments featuring Mickie James and her hopes of furthering her music career. Guess that “last match” will have to wait a couple more weeks huh?
After agreeing to a meeting that her dear friend James Storm set up with musical likes of Billy Corgan and Carrie Underwood, the Hardcore Country singer arrives to the location of interest and is excited for this potential new project. She’s on the phone with fiancé Magnus and asks him to give their son a big kiss and to wish her luck. She’d let him know how it went after the meeting is over and hangs up.
Confused by the empty room, Mickie walks in and asks if anyone is around. There is no response but moments later, someone does arrive and it’s James Storm himself. Mickie is caught off guard and asks what he is doing there? Was he too part of this meeting?
After revealing that this was all actually a setup, Storm and Mickie sit on the couch so that Storm can explain himself. He says that Mickie is a natural star, as wrestler and as a musician. After all, it was Storm who saw all this natural talent in Mickie and he just wants to offer more than what she is given.
Puzzled by this, Mickie asks for Storm to elaborate some more. Storm continues by declaring that he wants Mickie to join him on his journey and wanting to shower Mickie with gifts, the kind of gifts that someone like Magnus could not provide. Storm refers Magnus as a stain and claims he can’t provide for her.
Before Mickie can say more than five words, Storm grabs Mickie’s hand to ask her to consider joining him as part of The Revolution along with her son Donovan.
Mickie breaks free from Storm and is appalled by his request to join him as part of The Revolution! She’s engaged to Magnus and loves the father of THEIR son with all of her heart. She tells Storm that he should know better and that if he wants something more than her friendship then maybe it’s best they went their separate ways.
As Mickie grabs her things to go, Storm apologizes for his actions and promises that all of his favors had been just because he was looking out for her well being. He admits his faults and says that he will support whatever decision she makes. The two hug it out and leave the room together. Nothing can go wrong after that kind of making up right?
As Mickie and Storm make their way outside, camera shots follow them to a train station. Storm believes he heard Mickie’s phone rings but when Mickie checks, there’s no one on the line. She even shows it to him and Storm says that he has the same phone and shoves her off the train guard! Cue the “Like sand through through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives” voice over line here.
Mickie falls a long way down, according to Storm and he says, like Mickie, he has also made a decision. Using the phone Mickie left behind before she took that nasty fall, Storm calls up Magnus to let him know that his bride to be that she wouldn’t be making it home to dinner. Storm walks away after completing the deed. Okay scratch that, NOW cue that Days of Our Lives line. Surely Mickie still has One (More) Life to Live, right?
From that Bold scene from James Storm, we head back to the ring of the Impact Zone to meet the Beautiful Madison Rayne. (Don’t worry, the soap opera references stop here) She has a mic in hand and has an issue she’d like to address that has been frustrating her.
Madison has noticed that unless you twerk down the entrance ramp, carry around a sucker lollipop or if you’re Gail Kim herself, you get nothing in the Knockouts division.
What’s more sickening to Madison is the fact that while she is indeed a contracted to the company, someone like Velvet Sky can waltz on semi-live TV and do whatever she wants despite the fact she was fired from the company earlier this year thus taking away more time from her.
The Queen Bee knows Velvet is close by and asks the crowd to cheer for her, as it seems to be the way to summon her after all. As expected. Velvet walks through the Impact crowd and to the ring apron, no security on hand to stop this supposed non-contracted talent.
Madison tells Velvet to not fear her, unlike Angelina Love, Madison doesn’t need a line of security to stop someone like Velvet. Madison asks Velvet to join her in the ring and seeing no harm, Velvet steps into the ring.
Once face to face, Madison tells Velvet that she is fully aware of what she’s trying to do. A new look, new hair and chains on the side doesn’t make Velvet a badass in Madison’s eyes. (Line of the night folks) Instead she reminds Velvet of where her place has always been in the company with a slap to the face.
Velvet laughs and spears Madison after hearing enough of her insults. She follows up with a Velvet Stunner which causes Angelina to chime in with the Love’s Security squad. Angelina reminds Velvet that she doesn’t work in TNA anymore. After having attack Madison, Angelina commands that her security team arrest Velvet once again.
Love’s Security surround Velvet and Angelina gives Velvet one more chance to walk away willingly. Velvet refuses and takes down three of Angelina’s pitiful excuse for security but eventually the number game gets to Velvet and she is put away in handcuffs.
With Velvet now in cuffs, Angelina feels comfortable enough to get in the ring with Velvet for some more trash talking. She calls Velvet another “fan” and refers to herself as the star of the show. With her self proclaimed status, Angelina says she is so much better than people like Velvet.
After tossing a couple of good slaps, Angelina orders the security guards who haven’t still been laid out by Velvet to throw her out. As Angelina taunts Velvet being arrested for a second week, other security guards soon come down the entrance ramp. They aren’t looking to be hired for Love’s Security as Angelina thought but are rather present to arrest her!
The crime: The Assault Towards a Fan. With that, Angelina is taken away in cuffs as well. Eh… Not for nothing, but shouldn’t Madison be arrested as well for being the first to actually lay a hand on Velvet?
Our final Knockouts segment takes us back to Pillow Talk room where champion Taryn Terrell promises to expose a brand new side of the Knockouts division next week all while giving Awesome Kong exactly what she wants.
Thoughts: Can we just take moment to really commend TNA on managing to give the Knockouts an ample amount of time and segments for only being a two hour program once a week?
Let’s start with the Knockouts match. While I was a tad disappointed to see the trend of short amount of time gown continue, it was still a solid one on one contest. Seeing someone like Jade in a TNA ring has been so refreshing and absolutely lived for her kicks all around Brooke.
Brooke has been a solid performer and the crowd easily get behind her. I just wish she would be given something more to add to her character if she’s going to be pushed as the next contestant to take on the Dollhouse.
Brooke winning feels like the first step in exposing some of the weakness within the Dollhouse. While getting a win over Jade is one thing, the leader Taryn will be another challenge and it’ll be interesting how the numbers match up as this feud progresses.
With The Menagerie now sadly disbanded, (what happened TNA?) Rebel needs to find something new a way to not get lost in the shuffle or be forgotten within the division. An allegiance with Brooke is a good start as it keeps her in the picture with the other Knockouts who are ready to take down the Dollhouse.
The Dollhouse beat down against Rebel could’ve been staged a bit better, as it felt like it was being done in a very tight setting. I also wondered why there was a cut scene in between the attack but the overall message the Dollhouse tried to deliver was sent.
I usually find the Mickie James and James Storm segments as a hit or miss. This week’s segment had a mixed feelings of both. I liked the effort being put into Storm’s character into manipulating Mickie to join him (it sure beats randomly taking his victims to “that shed”) and Mickie still giving Storm the benefit of the doubt despite what others may have warned her about.
I also appreciated that we were able to see this conversation take place outside the TNA ring and in actual studio. It gives a real vibe to the story being told and sets an intriguing tone as to whether Mickie would even consider turning on Magnus.
It was only until after Mickie turn down Storm’s offer to join the Revolution that things really didn’t mesh well with me. While there was a sense of shock stemming from the “fall” Mickie took after Storm pushed her, it felt too out of place and soap opera like for a show like TNA, even if it is kayfabe. I really am curious to see how things will be spun around to explain how Mickie was able to “survive” it all.
Finally there’s the latest saga in the Angelina/Velvet feud. Had it not been for Madison Rayne, I don’t think the segment would’ve flowed as well as it did this week. For the longest time now, fans have wanted to see Madison back on our screen and her promo this week is a testament as to why.
Madison was brilliant in her promo, all while making value points as to where she currently stands in the division. It’s hard not to root for her in favor of Velvet and frankly had Madison not been involved this week, we would’ve gotten an almost exact repeat of last week’s segment involving Angelina and Velvet, which isn’t too much progression to this feud when Velvet still remains silent.
Not that I expect it but I would love to see if TNA can feature a segment where we see what happened after these two were arrested. If not that, can we at least begin to hear more of Velvet’s side of the story.
That’s it for this week Knockout fans. Don’t forget that Destination X takes place next week and as already mentioned, Taryn plans to give Awesome Kong a title shot while also showcasing a new side to the Knockouts division.
Hasta luego!
