Tensions are building between Mickie James, Tara and Madison Rayne. With such a violatile mix, what can we expect on Impact tonight?
Apparently we’re kicking the show off with a fight backstage! It’s Tara and Mickie James going at it in catering (with no food…), beating each other with garbage, empty pans, a beverage keg and anything else they can get their hands on. There’s a few people looking on in the background, one of them actually appearing to be laughing. (Corpsing? Send for the man!) Maybe they should be getting acting lessons from Dixie Carter if they’re going to be on screen.
They wind up in the ring eventually, with Madison Rayne, Sarita, Velvet Sky and Angelina Love getting involved along the way. Flair comes out with security and separates them (not very well however) and stipulates that later we’ll see The Beautiful People and Mickie James vs. Madison, Tara and Sarita. He keeps calling Mickie “nutjob” along the way. Ric Flair has finally lost it.
Thoughts: Not a bad way to start the show, featuring most of the Knockouts division. It’s nice to see Sarita getting involved as she’s one of their best workers, as anyone who’s seen her work outside of TNA can attest to. If they can continue to keep this level of passion in this feud, it’ll put the Knockouts back on top as a big ratings draw for TNA. Me? I’m not going to put all my eggs in this basket just yet.
Before the match, however, we get a backstage segment with Velvet and Angelina and a very special guest…
Thoughts: “Do you believe in Fate…Ms. Love…?” Shivers. Kat is such a damn good actress, she’s pulling this off convincingly. Between her tone, her accent (beautiful!), and her overall ‘look’, only Kat could fit this role. There’s been comparisons between this angle and the one between Mickie and Trish, but those are way off base. You have the supernatural element here. There’s also been comparisons to the whole WCW Hulk Hogan/Ultimate Warrior-in-the-mirror angle, which, grudgingly I can see. I mean, you have the same cast of characters writing the Kat/Love angle – and they’re the ones who wrote and starred in the Hogan/Warrior storyline. This time, however, it’s done much more subtly. I’m still willing to see where this goes before writing it off.
Onto the tag match!
Out come the first group of Tara, Madison and Sarita. The first two are in their usual wrestling gear, while Sarita’s sporting new colours. I approve. However, TBP and MJ aren’t about to wait – they come running down the ramp and attack before the first trio even get in the ring! It’s another brawl on the outside…and security’s out there again, pulling them apart. Wtf? TNA’s infamous lack of logic at play here. The women get into the ring, continuing to brawl, so the security follows them in and separates them at last. I’m clueless, but what else is new?
Hebner looks like he’s about to have a coronary as he screams instructions at the women. Order is restored and we’re starting out with Madison Rayne vs. Angelina Love. The two throw swings at each other, but when the tide turns against Rayne, she tags out to Tara, who also gets the worst of it from Love. Dragging her back into her corner, Angelina tags out to Velvet. The duo hit a double side Russian leg sweep before Vel Vel goes for a cover. Just in time, Tara kicks out.
After a nice headscissors takedown, Sky tags in Mickie James, but as Mickie climbs up onto the turnbuckle, Tara rakes Sky’s eyes and breaks free of the hold. She backs up, motioning for James to come at her. The brunette complies – only for Tara to tag in Sarita. Sarita goes at her with a forearm but James ducks and goes on a flurry of offense. After a hard neckbreaker, she goes for the cover, but only gets a two count. Mickie gets to her feet and backs up, waiting for Sarita to get to hers, but Tara smacks her head from behind. When James turns to hit Tara, Sarita takes advantage going for a waistlock. Mickie reverses, rushing her into the ropes for a rollup, but Tara kicks Mickie in the face, sending her to the mat. Sarita follows up with some kicks and fists before going for a pin. It’s not enough to put the former WWE Diva away however.
Sarita tags in Madison, who chokes James before hitting that weird move that drives her face into the mat repeatedly. Only then does Tara tag in, taking her time beating on the weakened Mickie. She goes for an Irish whip off the ropes but Mickie reverses and brings them both down with a modified clothesline. The two tag out to Angelina and Sarita, the former getting a burst of offense on the Latina, but it’s shortlived when, Love having Sarita up for a bodyslam, Madison and Tara rush in, taking Love down. She rolls to her corner, allowing Mickie to tag in. She goes up on the turnbuckle, aiming for a still-dazed Sarita, and hits a huge Lou Thez press. Going for payback, she hits Madison and Tara in the corner, but as Sarita approaches, Madison grabs MJ by the hair. James kicks Sarita away and breaks free, throwing an elbow into Rayne’s head. The Beautiful People are begging for a tag, but once more Tara and the Rayne burst in to deny MJ a tag.
The two whip James off the ropes and, unbeknownst to T&M, Velvet tags herself in. It’s at this point that I hear Lacey Von Erich is absent from ringside due to the fact she’s teaching Miss Tessmacher how to wrestle. I almost choke on my Coke. I’m not going to touch that with a ten foot pole, however, as the match is still on-going. Velvet rushes into the ring (as Mickie throws Tara out) and takes Madison down with a clothesline. She then hits her implant DDT on Sarita and goes for a cover, but Rayne breaks it up. At this point, the match breaks down with everyone in the ring going at it. Velvet and Sarita are on the outside, Madison hits Angelina with her knee to the face finisher, Mickie hits the MickieDDT on Rayne, Tara hits a beautiful Widow’s Peak to James, the Beautiful People hit a double kick on Tara, and finally Sarita re-enters the ring to toss Love out of it. Sarita grabs Sky and hits a nice double underhook tiger powerbomb to get the 3 count and the win for her team! The trio celebrate in the ring, Tara trying to imitate Sarita’s wiggle, as TBP and Mickie regroup on the outside.
Thoughts: Solid match by all six women! I like the fact they took the mini-rivalry that was started on Xplosion between Sarita and Mickie James and incorporated it into the main show. It gives her a chance to get back into the game and expand the feud to the Beautiful People by proxy (as next week, we’ll see Sarita vs. Velvet Sky on Impact). All six women are giving everything they have, it feels like, and it’s refreshing to see them start the show and almost dominate it. Will this last? Probably not, but tonight was a good change of pace.
