Welcome to this week’s Impact Write-Up! I’m filling in for Chris this week as TNA looks to clarify the Knockouts Title picture heading into Sacrifice.
We shifted slightly from the focus on the reunited Beautiful People back to the Knockouts Title picture, as we learned who will be next to take on Madison Rayne for the belt. The number one contendership was on the line in a Fatal Four-Way match pitting Angelina Love, Brittany, Gail Kim and ODB against one another.
We join the program as Angelina and Velvet Sky are making their entrance. Gail, Brittany and ODB are already in the ring. Well, that can’t bode well for their chances.
At the bell, the Knockouts pair off: Gail taking it to Brittany and Angelina and ODB go head-to-head. Brittany takes control in one corner as ODB does in another, taunting Angelina and slapping her on the butt. She kicks Angelina and sends her falling out of the ring.
Meanwhile, Brittany steps up to ODB, trading blows with the former Knockouts Champion. The veteran gets the better of her, scooping her up. However, Brittany slips out of the hold and comes charging at ODB. ODB has the same idea, though, and the two end up hitting each other with consecutive clotheslines, leaving both Knockouts dazed.
Angelina re-enters the ring and returns the favor to ODB, tossing her out of the ring. Gail gets to her feet and starts in on Brittany, stomping on her in the corner. Angelina joins in, wanting to get in a few blows of her own. Gail shoves her away, though, starting a duel over who gets to beat the crap out of Brittany.
They create some inadvertent teamwork, Angelina snapmaring Brittany into the middle of the ring and setting her up for a low dropkick from Gail. Gail goes for the pin, but Angelina pulls her off, deciding to claim the pin for herself. Gail breaks it up and shoves Angelina. Angelina delivers a shove of her own, knocking Gail off her feet.
Before the two can continue with their argument, Brittany’s on her feet, fighting both of them. She whips Gail into a corner, and Angelina soon after, going for a handspring elbow that Angelina dodges. This leaves Gail to take the blow directly.
Angelina knocks Brittany down and hits her with a sidewalk slam, going for a pin that ODB flies into the ring to break up. Brittany rolls out of the ring as ODB goes to work on Angelina, dodging an attack from Gail that sandwiches her with Angelina once again.
ODD charges at them, but now it’s Gail’s turn to dodge the blow, leaving Angelina to take the hit. ODB takes out Gail nonetheless, hitting her with a fallaway slam. Upon seeing how Angelina’s positioned, she can’t resist hitting her with the Bronco Buster.
ODB tries to drag Angelina to the center of the ring, but Gail knocks her to the mat. ODB fights her off just as Brittany gets back into the ring, leaving herself prone for a fancy standing moonsault from the rookie. ODB quickly kicks out of the pin, rolling out of the way as Angelina sets her sights on Brittany, hitting her with a DDT. This takes Brittany out of the equation again, leaving Gail and Angelina alone.
Gail goes on an offensive tear, hitting Angelina with a backbreaker. She goes for the Eat Defeat, but Angelina blocks it, running to Velvet and trying to grab some foreign object from her. Gail grabs Angelina and rolls her up, but the kick out propels her right into Velvet, who sprays her in the eyes. This temporarily blinds her, allowing Angelina to hit the Botox Injection and pin her, becoming the number one contender to the Knockouts Title.
On top of that excitement, we saw Christy Hemme‘s failed attempt to rid her life of its Sam Shaw problem:
We also witnessed “the wrath of Dixie Crater” as she sought to get some repayment from Bully Ray for his Lockdown betrayal:
Thoughts: Though it was a short match, I like that the four-way did allow everyone to have their moment to shine. I do wish that Brittany factored more memorably in the match’s endgame, as I think she’s a lost a bit of momentum from her great debut, but I suppose putting her alongside TNA veterans like Gail, Angelina and ODB is enough of a feather in her cap at this point.
I’m not surprised at all that Angelina won, especially since she was the only one out there with backup. Once she returned to TNA, I think most of us knew that she’d be the next to face Madison for the title. This was just a nice way to set it up without her leapfrogging the rest of the Knockouts.
As for her chances against Madison, I think they’re good. As we’ve seen over the past few weeks, TNA believes that The Beautiful People are money. I’m sure Angelina will win the title on her first shot, capping off a successful return for Angelina and the return of The Beautiful People’s domination over the division. I just hope that it allows for them to spice up the act a bit. The spraying and the general bitchiness is classic them, but it wouldn’t her the change things up. Perhaps a third member will be brought in to help elevate Velvet’s status, which will be dented a bit by being the one watching as Angelina claims gold for herself. With this success as of late, I imagine many an evil-minded woman would be happy to step into that third pair of fuzzy boots.
