What’s up Knockout fans and welcome to this week’s Impact Write-Up. Your eyes are not mistaking you as it is I, Jack, ready to recap the action on this week’s flagship TNA broadcast. What a treat! Well, I would like to say it’s nice to be back in the Impact Zone but well, I’m no liar. Will the girls surprise me and be a shining light in a show filled with horrendous men’s storylines? Let’s hope so. Let’s have a look at the KO shenanigans.
TO THE VIDEO!
First up this week, we see the peppy Brittany in the backstage area and she comes across the newly face Gail Kim. She says that as she was embarrassed last week by the Beautiful People (news to me, I didn’t bring myself to watch), she wants to get retribution and who better to team with than a woman who loathes the BPs at the present minute, God Kim. The Messiah says that she’d gladly help her take on Angelina and Velvet so its a good job you’re already dressed to compete Gail! Even better, you’ve got matching attires – you would think this wasn’t a scripted segment…
Later in the evening, we see some dancers from Stringfellows nightclub.. oh no wait, it’s the Knockouts Champ Angelina and Velvet. They can’t wait to take on the “title stealer” (again, that reference is lost on me) Gail Kim and the “overzealous cheerleader” Brittany. Zinging comments!
Out in the arena and Gail Kim is already perched on the apron looking absolutely phenomenal in white. Brittany looks great too and their pose makes them look pretty good together. I somehow don’t think it’s Gail who Brittany wants to look good with though…
The BPs are already at ringside (no pigeons for us this time) and the match gets underway with Brittany and Angelina kicking things off. Angelina starts things off with a few stiff shots and a shoulder tackle before doing a ‘sexy’ pose. She whips Brittany off the ropes, with Brit kicking Angelina’s face, the latter of whom was expecting to hit a back body drop. Whose overzealous now Angelina?
Following some forearms and a dropkick, Brittany boots Angelina down with a kick to the face yet her confidence gets the best of her as she turns her back for too long and is taken down by the record-setting six-time Knockouts Champion. Velvet comes in and kicks Brittany a little before distracting the referee, allowing Angelina to play dirty. Velvet chokes TNA’s newest Knockout out with her boot and on the ropes, vicious moves she follows up with a snapmare, hard kick to the back and a basement dropkick.
Brittany gets back into things, tripping Velvet and hitting a jackknife cover yet it’s not enough just yet. The newbie in town forearms Vel Vel before hitting a gorgeous handspring elbow. Yet again though, Brittany’s need to impress Gail and talk to her mid-match proves costly as Velvet shuts her down this time. Angelina comes back into the fray and chokes her foe before distracting the ref, allowing Velvet to do more damage. Angelina belts Gail in the face, allowing the ref to see to her meaning the BPs can dish out more pain. Trapped in the ropes, Brittany gets dropkicked by Angelina, which looked really painful yet Brittany stays alive.
Velvet re-enters the match by connecting with a double axe handle. Velvet hits some strikes, yet Brittany decks Velvet with a russian leg sweep to turn the tide. Velvet tries to keep Brittany in the ring yet Brit kicks her off and here comes the inaugural Knockouts Champion!
Gail rushes in with clotheslines all over the shop and she even sends Angelina off the apron. Gail pelts Velvet with a big dropkick and goes for her corner crossbody yet Velvet sidesteps. Ever the incredible thinker, Gail lands on her feet on the middle rope and executes a diving crossbody for two. Gail points to the top rope yet Brittany tags herself in, despite just getting up from the arena floor! She says that she’s “got this” yet after missing a handspring moonsault, all she got was a face full of the mat. Cue a really badly timed referee distraction and Brittany has been laid out with the Botox Injection. Velvet goes for the cover and gets the win.
After the commercial break, Gail has gone yet Brittany has got a mic and begs Madison Rayne to come out to the ring. The Killer Queen is forced to address why she declined to be Brittany’s partner tonight and she explains that their recent situation has gotten too weird for her. Brittany says that she is responsible for all her actions and just wants to fit in by helping her idol out. Then she says that she “just want to be with” Madison. You read that right. Not be tag partners with her. Be with her. As in, romantically.
DUN DUN DUN!
The BPs take to the mic again too trying to stir up the sh*t yet Madison is defiant on where she stands with both the Beautiful People and Brittany. Brittany needs to back off and Angelina, she needs to step up because next week (a.k.a three weeks ago IRL), Madison is cashing in her rematch clause!
On top of all that goodness, Madison Rayne is also on Impact 365 (someone enlighten me?) and says that she is really taken aback by Brittany and doesn’t know whether to concentrate on her or her title match with Angelina. You probably shouldn’t have picked to cash in your rematch next week then should you?!
Thoughts: Well say what you like about TNA, but they give their girls a really good amount of time, despite their only being 6 girls on the active roster. There are 3 feuds going on plus a potential love angle and the latter of those aforementioned storylines is really interesting. The same can’t really be said for the in-ring work, which sadly was kind of boring to me.
I liked Velvet’s charisma and antics in the match and there were several great examples of that, yet she is still far too sloppy in the ring. She just doesn’t have that savvy in-ring instinct, despite years of training. A slight yet noticeable example was when Brittany tripped her up and then go for the jackknife cover. Velvet was being pulled one way by her legs yet naturally, the rest of her body rolled over to the other side. Maybe I’m just being overly picky yet little dodgy spots like that really take away from the overall presentation.
I did however like Angelina’s dropkick when Brittany was stuck in the ropes and Brittany herself is obviously very talented. Shame TNA is giving her no wins at all though! She also has a fantastic look. I think TNA should go down the legit lesbian feelings route instead of the psycho Mickie James stalker route that has been done before, yet we’ll just have to wait and see.
My highlight however is Gail Kim. She looks amazing, her in-ring work is always on-point and her Face turn is really refreshing. It’s really working for me as it’s so similar to her heel character. She’s still the same badass bitch who knows she’s fantastic in the ring yet only now, she is listening to the fans. A great example of a character turn unlike Velvet’s which took a major diarrhea on years of character development.
And with that, stay tuned, Jack will be back!
