TNA WRESTLING “iMPACT!” RESULTS FOR 6/19/08
By Charles Rice

As iMPACT! kicked off this week, many of Total Nonstop Action wrestling’s finest had one thought on their minds…revenge.

That is something that is easier said than achieved as many of the stars of the six sided ring would soon find out. Watch the videos, then scroll down for complete results!

The night began with the still unmarried Jay Lethal waiting for his former best friend, Sonjay Dutt, to show up so he could exact his revenge on for ruining his wedding a few weeks ago at Slmmiversary. Although Dutt had yet to arrive, Lethal promised he would make this a night that Dutt would never forget.

The first match of the night featured the number one contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, Booker T, squaring off against fellow veteran wrestler BG James. Booker attacked James before he could even get in the ring and from there it was nothing but the Booker show. Every time James would start to get in any kind of offense, Booker would quickly combat it. In the end it was the axe kick by Booker that put BG away for good.

It was no surprise that “The Samoan Submission Machine” and current TNA Heavyweight Champion, Samoa Joe was in the locker room in the back watching the match intently.

Afterwards, Jeremy Borash was trying to interview Joe on whether he thought he could beat Booker or not. It was a short lived interview that was interrupted by Joe’s former mentor “Big Sexy” Kevin Nash. Joe made it clear he was tired of Nash always saying things but never backing them up, upon which he challenged Nash to get in the ring with Booker and beat him himself. Never one to back down from a challenge, Nash accepted Joe’s challenge. He said that next week on iMPACT! he would show why, “A veteran makes this a mental not a physical game.” He encouraged Joe to watch saying he may be able to learn something.

Although many emotions were running wild this week on iMPACT! it was also a very exciting night for TNA. It was the kick off for the return of the World X Cup, although last week there were some preview matches, tonight was when the fun really started. In the first round of action it was The Motor City Machine Guns representing Team TNA going up against Davari and Tyson Duxx of Team International. This was a match that showed why the Motor City Machine Guns are one of the quickest rising teams in TNA today. In a match where there were many near falls and many quick tags in and out, it was Team TNA that prevailed in the end when Alex Shelley hit the sliced bread on Davari. While TNA is now up in the tournament, it is far from over.

At one point during the previous match backstage cameras cut away from the action and showed AJ Styles attacking Tomko from behind while he had been lifting weights in the training room. Right after the match cameras caught up once again with AJ who was this time in the parking lot attacking Kurt Angle. Or was he? It turned out that the man AJ had attacked from behind was not Angle after all, but Angle’s friend with the similar bald head, mixed martial arts fighter, Frank Trigg.

After a video package is shown highlighting the career of Gail Kim to date, Mike Tenay and Don West are shown conducting an interview with Karen Angle via satellite because she is at home recovering from Awesome Kong’s attack on her last week. She admits that while she was scared for her life she will not give Kurt the satisfaction of leaving TNA because that is what he wants. She also stands fast behind her statement that there is nothing going on between her and AJ.

We once again see Jay Lethal still waiting for Sonjay Dutt to show up at the Pink Taco but his patience is beginning to wear as we see him throwing bottles and other stuff around out of frustration.

Meanwhile, back at the iMPACT! Zone, Jim Cornette has made his way to the ring and has invited out the TNA Tag Team Champions, the LAX. After LAX along with Hector and Salinas come out to the ring, Cornette announces that their request has been granted. There will be a very special fan’s revenge lumberjack strap match at Victory Road featuring LAX against Robert Roode and “Cowboy” James Storm. (For more details on what this is and how to enter the contest, check out tnawrestling.com in the coming days for more details as they become available.) Hector says LAX is ready for this because after what happened to him and LAX last week, all Roode and Storm did was awaken the Latino fire within.

Cornette then invites Roode and Storm down to the ring to make the match official. However, the only person that comes down to the ring is “the Pride of Tennessee” Jackie. After Cornette questions her on where the other two are, she and Salinas get into a battle of words. This leads to a match being made between the two for later that night.

Another week and another edition of Awesome Kong’s $25,000 fan challenge is underway. The fan selected is a pretty blonde named Taylor. In a match that looks like we might finally have an upset on our hands, Kong is taken to the limit. After Taylor was able to escape two Awesome Bombs and take Kong off her feet several times, she met her match when a third attempt at an Awesome Bomb from Kong resulted in the pin fall. None the less, Taylor put on quite a showing getting in several chair shots and near falls on Kong.

Backstage cameras catch Team 3D standing over a motionless Rhino who has been put through a table. Both men are standing there mocking him. It seems as if they have taken Rhino out of action for their main event match later in the night against him and Christian Cage.

In another area of the backstage, Jeremy Borash finds Sonjay Dutt and asks him why he hasn’t gone to face Lethal at the Pink Taco. Sonjay says he is a guru and that means he is full of love not violence. He tells JB that Jay will have to forgive him because Val loves him just like he loves her.

In another preview match for the World X Cup, Kaz took on Alex Koslov. In a match that showed both men pulling out all the stops while trying to gain momentum for their teams, Kaz was able to pull off the victory when he connected with a Wave of the Future on Koslov.

Christian Cage is seen backstage and says that while many look at Rhino being taken out of action, he sees it as “ A phenomenal opportunity.” Does cage have an ace up his sleeve?

In a special edition of rough cut, Matt Morgan is featured talking about how he had A.D.D. as a kid and was a successful basketball player. The second part of that interview will be shown next week on iMPACT!

Finally, Sonjay had arrived at the Pink Taco and somehow he was able to convince Jay to hear him out. After, listening to Sonjay speak, he seemed to have heard enough when Sonjay said that Val loved him and not Jay. Upon saying that, Dutt was met with a hand to the face and an all out war broke loose. Both men brawled all over the Pink Taco and eventually Jay smashed Dutt through the door. Somehow we later found out that Dutt managed to escape from the Taco in one piece.

In another backstage interview, Team 3D makes it clear that Christian Cage isn’t surprising anyone. They know that he was insinuating that AJ Styles was going to be his partner and that they were happy about it. They said they enjoyed beating up AJ and would do it again during the match.

In Knockouts competition, Jackie and Salinas had an all out battle. Both women exchanged blows and kicks and lefts and rights. In the end it was Jackie who walked out victorious after making Salinas tap out. Still, Jackie wasn’t done. She proceeded to take off her belt and once again a member of LAX, this time Salinas, got whipped.

In the main event of the night, Team 3D’s prediction came true. It was Christian Cage and his new partner, AJ Styles taking on Team 3D. This match was one that showed not only a back and forth battle between the two teams, but also several new attitudes. First, AJ continued showing that he was no longer everybody’s sidekick but that he was his own person not to be messed with. However, an even larger note showed that he and Cage had made peace, and cage looked at him as an equal now. There new found respect for each other led them to a hard fought victory over Team 3D. Still it did not come easily, and it is a fair assumption to say that all these men will meet again somewhere down the line.

While AJ may have gotten some of his revenge tonight, the night would once again end in a common theme for iMPACT! as of late. AJ would be left lying battered and bruised on the mat. For, after the match, Frank Trigg came out to confront AJ. This gave Kurt the opportunity he needed to come from behind and lock an ankle lock onto AJ. As iMPACT! went off the air, Kurt once again stood tall over AJ and could be heard saying, “If you’re looking for me, you found me.”

While not everyone got the revenge they sought this week on iMPACT! there will be plenty more opportunities next week. As the stars of TNA gear up for Victory Road live on Pay-Per-View from Houston, Texas on July 13th, stayed tuned to the Web site and iMPACT! every week as more matches and details are announced. If you missed this week’s iMPACT! make sure you watch the re-play on Spike TV this Saturday night. Check your local listings for times.