#ShowYourImpact or #JoinTheForce, choose your side! That’s right Knockout fans, this week’s Impact Wrestling show pins an all about war between members of the TNA roster and the invading talent of the GFW promotion.
After getting the green light from TNA President Dixie Carter last week, Global Force Wrestling founder Jeff Jarrett has been put in charge of running this week’s program and has brought with him an all-star pool have GFW talent that include Sonjay Dutt, Trevor Lee, Brian Myers (formerly known as Curt Hawkins), PJ Black (formerly known as Justin Gabriel) and Chris Mordetzky (formerly known as Chris Masters). As far as a female GFW representative name, Jarrett has brought former TNA Knockout Lei’D Tapa with him to take on one of his all time favorite Knockouts, Awesome Kong!
The women have the honor of being the first to compete in the TNA vs. GFW series. Lei’D Tapa makes her entrance down the familiar ramp within the Impact Zone first but this time she isn’t alone. The one time body guard of Gail Kim has brought a manager of her own this time around by the name of Royal Red; who also just happens to be her real life husband. I have such a soft spot for couples who work in the wrestling business together.
When the pair enter the six-sided ring, Royal Red takes the mic to introduce himself and the self proclaimed Queen of the Rings. He continues by suggesting that any Knockout who dares enter her ring/island must bow down before her! Awesome Kong music hits and does no such thing upon entering the same ring coming with her GFW foe.
A brief stare-off starts things off until Tapa makes the first physical strike with a left forearm to Kong, who manages to absorb it and stay on her feet. Kong responds by running the ropes, hitting a shoulder block onto Tapa who is also able to brush off Kong’s moves.
Another stalemate occurs when both women run the ropes only to collide with each other upon impact. The pace of the match begins to change when Kong lands numerous right forearms to Tapa, finally managing to get some real offense on Tapa.
The momentum is short lived as Tapa headbutts Kong after she runs the ropes again, stopping her tracks to begin landing several powerful punches to Kong and cornering her to a turnbuckle. Once on the turnbuckle, Tapa applies an illegal choke to Kong, only to let go before she can be DQ’d.
Tapa attempts to whip Kong to the turnbuckle for a second time but Kong reverses this and it’s Tapa who gets thrown to the corner. Unlike Tapa, Kong goes for a running maneuver, first landing a running corner splash to Tapa and then taking her down completely with a running crossbody!
Kong goes for the cover but Tapa is able to kick out. When Tapa reconposes herself, she brings Kong to the ground with a big boot to Kong’s face. Tapa goes for the pin but only gets a two count.
Tapa tries to maintain control of the match but Kong fights back, hitting a total of three clotheslines and a splash turn to pin fall when Tapa is laid out on the mat.
When Tapa is able to kick out before the count of three, Kong is enraged and begins eyeing Tapa from across the ring, charging at full speed towards her when she tries to recover at a turnbuckle. Fortunately for Tapa, she gets her elbow up just in time to halt Kong and scoop her up over her shoulders to land a Samoa Drop in the center of the ring! Wowza Tapa! Bow Down!
Still, the surprise move isn’t enough to put Kong away for the win just yet. In fact, Kong has plenty more fight in her and pulls out a page from her own power book, landing a chokeslam to Tapa and taking her out of the ring with an over the top rope clothesline.
Kong looks to continue to cause more damage by stepping out of the ring but Tapa pulls her out instead and begins a to beat down on Kong’s back, throwing Kong’s face to ring apron all while referee Earl Hebner orders then to return back to the ring and begins a count out countdown.
When the referee gets to the count of ten and rules this Knockouts match a double count out, Tapa has nothing to lose and looks to continue to dominate over Kong in their outside environment. However, it is Kong who manages to get the last laugh as she fights through Tapa, bringing the Queen of the Ring to the top of the entrance ramp and body slamming her onto the unforgiving floor! Perhaps it’s time to bring in a second woman to represent GFW?
For the second week in a row, another TNA superstar becomes victim of a random act of violence backstage. Drew Galloway has been found unconscious backstage and this begins to raise concern for Dixie Carter as well as Jeff and Karen Jarrett.
They meet in a backstage room, (where framed pictures of Gail Kim, Velvet Sky and Brooke for the 2016 Knockouts Calendar Cover poll are coincidentally hanging on the wall – Don’t forget to vote for your favorite!!!) and the Queen of the Mountain has a theory that someone is plotting against this TNA/GFW relationship, why else would both Drew and Bully Ray be attacked in the course of two weeks? Who would do such a thing!?
As Dixie leaves the building to check on Drew’s well being, the Jarretts assure that things will run smoothly for the rest of the night. Will these backstage attacks continue?
Our final but of Knockouts goodness comes from the Pillow Talk room as Taryn Terrell rallies up Marti Bell and Jade with a plot take care of Gail Kim to make sure she can never lay a finger on her again! Next week, at a Turning Point themed episode of Impact no less, Taryn has ordered that both Marti Bell and Jade to compete against Gail in a Handicap Steel Cage match. So, in a sense, it’s a repeat of last week’s Knockouts match except with a steel cage setting.
Thoughts: Not a whole lot to say about this week’s Knockouts match.
Personally, I’m not the biggest fan when it comes to Powerhouse vs. Powerhouse (especially for women) but I did enjoy the refreshing feel of seeing new, or in this case returning, blood for the Knockouts division. There were bits of improvements in Tapa since the last time she entered a TNA ring, that Samoa Drop was pretty sweet, but I do think she needs to work more on her selling, as it took a bit away from this match.
I also wish that the women could’ve been involved in the opening TNA/GFW brawl, just so that there would be more grab in the importance of picking up a win for their respective companies. A draw is okay in this case as it does protect both women but it does make me wish the match or outside battle could’ve gone a but longer.
As already announced, our Knockouts match for next week’s Turning Point show will be a handicap match steel cage match as the Dollhouse take on Gail Kim for a second time. While the steel cage does provide the “different” element, it is essential a repeat of last week and just feels unnecessary after Gail woman handled the Dollhouse trio last week. Still, it should still make for a good match and I’m curious to see how the cage will play into the match.
That’s it for this week Knockout fans, hasta luego!
