Just four days removed from Winter‘s surprising Knockouts Championship victory and the entire Knockouts division (erm, well most of them) are getting the chance to challenge her next. One storyline spanning several weeks? I approve. But wait… there are still some plot-holes.
We kick off the Knockouts action with new VP of Knockouts Karen Jarrett arranging a meeting in her office between the girls, including the returning Madison Rayne, who seems to be taking on the role of Royal Ass-Kisser to the new VP/Queen of the Mountain.
Watch:
As the Knockouts huddle together in Karen’s cramped quarters (say that three times fast!), she informs Mickie James that she will not be getting a rematch for the Knockouts Championship. TNA’s acknowledgement/lack of acknowledgement for rematch clauses has been perplexing in the Winter/Mickie feud. And besides, if Mickie really did have a rematch clause and was refused her rematch, couldn’t she just lawyer up?
Anyhoo, Karen announces “Queen’s Qualifier Matches” which will determine the three women who will face Winter for the Knockouts Title at Bound for Glory next month. Madison, the one time Queen of the Knockouts, even concedes her crown to Karen. (But what about the sash?) It’ll be James vs Brooke Tessmacher, Madison vs Tara and tonight, Angelina Love vs Velvet Sky.
As Karen shoos the Knockouts from her office, Madison takes the opportunity to schmooze Karen some more. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m loving the interaction between Karen and Madison. She’s like the Ricardo to her Alberto.
With the matches made, it’s time to determine Winter’s first challenger for Bound for Glory — will it be her main squeeze Angelina Love or the woman she stole her from, Velvet Sky?
First out are Angie and Winter, who is looking mighty fierce in a corset and bolero cardigan with her hair in a little bun. Very goth chic.
Vel-Vel is out next and just as she’s doing her civic duty of letting the pigeons loose, she’s knocked off the apron by her former BFF! And with that, men every groan and the change turn the channel, but not us… we’re here for the match!
Angelina revels in the moment before jumping to the outside and adding insult to injury by hitting Velvet’s head off the side of the ring not once but twice, as the crowd tries to cheer on the underdog. Back in the ring, Angelina tries to go for a cover but Velvet kicks out. Love tries to wear her down with kicks and whips her against the ropes but gets a kick to the face by Velvet. Vel-Vel picks up momentum with a nice bulldog which sends Angelina flying out of the ring.
Following a commercial break we return to find Angelina now back in control, having just attempted to pin Vel-Vel. Angelina with elbow drops to the lower back before sending her into the corner. Angelina begins stomping on Velvet. Angelina takes a moment to bask in the glory of her work, but as she returns to the corner, Velvet has caught her breath and outsmarts Angelina with a quick sunset flip pin but doesn’t get the three count.
As the two Knockouts get to their feet, the five-time Knockouts Champion shows off her ring prowess with a quick clothesline taking down her former friend. Angelina then applies a sleeper hold as the crowd cheers on Velvet. Velvet then manages to break out of the hold and hits a jawbreaker on Love. Velvet runs the ropes, looking to capitalize on her momentum, only to be tripped up by Winter from the outside. Angelina quickly mounts Velvet with forearm shots keeping her down on the mat, and then chokes her over the middle rope using her knee. As the referee breaks up the hold, Angelina distracts him with an argument which allows Winter to interfere by choking Velvet some more. Pin attempt but only two.
A-Love applies a sleeper hold on Velvet, trying to tire her down, but Velvet fights back. Angelina then decides to go a more aggressive route, clubbing Vel-Vel across the back and then hits her with a hard knee.
Winter jumps up on the apron and Angelina attempts to whip Velvet in Winter’s direction for some sort of double team move but Velvet manages to reverse it. However, Angelina just about stops in her tracks to avoid collision with the Knockouts Champ. As Angelina turns around she walks into several clotheslines and a snapmare from Velvet followed by a low front dropkick. Velvet then hits an inverted side-slam as the crowd are cheering for the favorite.
As Velvet looks to put away her former BFF, Angelina hits her out of no where, taking her down. Love signals to Winter to hit Velvet with the Knockouts Title — right in the line of sight of the referee. Um… Okay. Velvet moves out of the way, and Winter ends up hitting Love. This allows Velvet to hit a DDT for the win.
Velvet is going to Bound for Glory!
Thoughts: Good match between Angelina and Velvet. Not sure how I feel about the finish, however. Okay, even though it didn’t go as planned, why would Winter and Angelina risk a belt shot in front of the referee? That would get Angelina disqualified if it connected. Little things like that make no sense to me.
As for Bound for Glory, not sure how I feel about this match. I like that TNA is doing something like these qualifier matches to get to that match, rather than just randomly picking three girls, but I still feel underwhelmed. I feel like Bound for Glory, like WrestleMania, should be an event where a big Knockouts feud culminates and two Knockouts battle for the belt. However, in reality, like WrestleMania, it seems like the match we’re getting at Bound for Glory isn’t a ‘must see’ match with a well built storyline behind it.
Also on Impact, Tara & Brooke Tessmacher teamed up with Devon and The Pope to take on Mexican America, consisting of Rosita and Sarita. Watch:
Devon and Hernandez start the match, but we’re not interested in that… Fast forward a little bit, and we have TNA’s own Tiny Spicy, Rosita, jumping in the ring with some choice words for Devon. The earrings are off and Rosita is muy pissed! Tara then jumps in the ring as well as the referee tries to restore order.
As the match continues, the referee is distracted by the team of T&T on the other side of the ring, and again Sarosita show off their Latin temperament — Rosita grabs The Pope by the hair and then they both get into the ring and begin stomping him in the corner.
Fast forward a little more and we have Sarosita, once again, trying to beat up on Devon and The Pope by going for double low-blows from behind but both male wrestlers catch them in the act. In come Tara & Tessmacher giving chase to the former Tag Team Champions.
The referee tries to restore order on the outside by getting Tara & Tessmacher back up on the apron, meanwhile Rosita & Sarita flirt with Devon’s sons at ringside creating a distraction for Hernandez & Anarquia.
Things begin to get back into order as all the Knockouts return to their corners. But those feisty cousins won’t stay on the apron for long! They jump up on Devon & The Pope’s backs and are slammed down to the mat. Tara & Tessmacher hit the ring with double spears on their former rivals, followed by haymakers.
Devon & Pope with a double clothesline out of the ring to Hernandez & Anarquia. That leaves the cousins defenseless as Tara hits Rosita with a sit-out spinebuster and Tessmacher hits a hurricanrana on Sarita. They go for a double-pin and score the victory.
Thoughts: I enjoy when WWE or TNA does mixed/intergender matches and you get to see that interaction between the guys and the girls. I loved the Sarita/Rosita interferences. They were a lot of fun. I would, however, have liked to see more Knockouts action in this match.
Tell us what you thought of this week’s Impact in the comments!
