TNA iMPACT!
May 6, 2005
Orlando, FL
Universal Studios

The current NWA & TNA Champs were as follows:
NWA World Champion: Jeff Jarrett (6/2/2004)
NWA World Tag Team Champions: America’s Most Wanted (1/16/2005)
TNA X-Division Champion: Christopher Daniels (3/13/2005)

For this recap, we go back to when iMPACT was just an hour-long show at 3PM on a Friday afternoon on your local Fox Sports Network. Good times. This particular episode of iMPACT is special for two reasons: most importantly it is the final TV appearance of Chris Candido before his untimely death and there’s also a significant title change at least at the time.

Your hosts are Mike Tenay & Don West.

• Shocker vs. Petey Williams

After winning a four-way Xscape match at Lockdown, Shocker is on his way to an X-Division title shot coming up at Hard Justice against Christopher Daniels. I never understood Shocker’s push. Nothing against him, but I was never that impressed. Shocker wrestles Williams to the mat to start. He comes up and pulls a 6-1-9 through the ropes (because he’s LUCHA~!) and catches Petey with a powerslam. Williams avoids a Lionsault, but Shocker lands on his feet. Constantly on the defense, Petey blocks a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor and legdrops Shocker. Back in, Shocker fights out of a bowtie chinlock and gives Petey a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Petey comes back with the tilt-a-whirl into a Russian legsweep for two. CANADIAN DESTROYER?! Nope. Shocker backdrops out, but Williams grabs the Sharpshooter instead. Shocker makes the ropes and Petey makes him pay with a back suplex. He tries another Sharpshooter, but Shocker kicks him in the face and rolls him up for the 1-2-3. (3:50) That finish was out of nowhere. What’s Petey doing? Put Shocker over with his finisher if you’re going to push him. *

They show a clip of Chris Candido breaking his leg at Lockdown as he fell wrong off a dropkick bump.

• Sonjay Dutt vs. Buck Quartermain

You may remember Quartermain as a WWF jobber in the mid-90s. Sonjay hits Quartermain with a springboard crossbody and armdrags him to the floor for a nice pescado. Back in, Quartermain levels Sonjay with a flapjack. Dutt wants a tilt-a-whirl, but Quartermain dumps him down on his face. Quartermain starts dropping elbows, but Sonjay avoids one and comes back with a backdrop. Quartermain flips Dutt to the apron, but he slingshots himself back inside into a hurracanrana for the 1-2-3. (4:10) On the other hand, that was a great finish. Quartermain slowed this down from the usual fast paced X-Division style. *½

• The Outlaw vs. Mikey Batts

Mikey Batts is Billy Kidman’s cousin who works as a referee for WWE now. We all know the Outlaw better as Billy Gunn. Batts gets in a wheelbarrow bulldog, but Outlaw stops him with a tilt-a-whirl slam. COBRA CLUTCH SLAM gets the 1-2-3 at 2:13. 3 Live Kru meets the Outlaw in the ring. BG James starts to talk when Konnan takes the mic away and challenges the Outlaw to a match next week. Outlaw laughs it up on the entrance ramp while BG James shakes his head at him.

To the back, TNA Director of Authority Dusty Rhodes makes his big announcement regarding Hard Justice LIVE on PPV on May 15. First up, there will be a 20-Man ‘Gauntlet for the Gold’ match where the last man standing gets an NWA world title shot. In the main event, AJ Styles meets the NWA world champ Jeff Jarrett and the special referee will be the longest reigning UFC champ of all time: Tito Ortiz! Better UFC fans than me would know this if it were true – does that statement still stand?

At the end of the announcement, Jeff Jarrett comes out into the Impact Zone and jumps up on the announce table to say that he fears no man. Don’t forget that Jeff Jarrett defeated four men to become not only the NWA world champ but the King of the Mountain. Most recently, he’s defeated such stars as Jeff Hardy, Kevin Nash, and DDP! Jeff Jarrett tells Tenay to tell Ortiz that he’s no Ken Shamrock and when he sees him, he’s going to slap the taste right of Tito’s mouth. Just like Tito did to Jenna Jameson, right Jeff? Har har.

• NWA World Tag Team Champions America’s Most Wanted vs. The Naturals (w/Chris Candido)

The Naturals defeated AMW for the NWA world tag belts back in the summer of 2004 and now they are back for more gold. Candido gets upset on the mic blaming TNA for making him relive his terrible injury over and over again, but says nothing will keep him from this day to see his boys win back the NWA world tag belts. Hearing Don West say Candido might be ‘milking the injury’ is a little much to hear and honestly its completely ridiculous when you can clearly see his leg turning the wrong way if you see that cage match. It also seems a little tasteless to leave that in on the actual airing considering he passed away a day before the show aired. Then again, maybe there was no time to edit it out – who knows. It’s a big ‘fight through the crowd’ TNA brawl to start with AMW in total control. After about three minutes of that, let’s take a commercial break. When we return, the Naturals are in control inside the ring as Candido chokes on Storm with his towel. Harris gets a tag and takes out the Naturals with backdrops and clotheslines. Flying bodypress on Douglas gets two. Douglas takes over with a High Knee as Chris Harris plays face in peril. Harris gets jabbed in the gut down on the floor with Candido’s crutch. Back inside, Stevens covers for 1-2-NO! We take our final commercial break. AND WE’RE BACK! Harris fights off a double-team and makes the HOT TAG TO STORM! It breaks down as most hot tags will, but Stevens cuts off a Hart Attack on Douglas. Now Douglas takes one of the tag belts in plain sight of the ref to distract from the CHAIRSHOT from Stevens to Storm! Harris spears Stevens and they roll around while Candido sneaks in and puts Douglas on top of Storm for the 1-2-3. (12:39 shown) How did the ref not see Candido? Pretty typical tag formula with a BS finish. This is TNA! **¼

Afterwards, Mike Tenay does his best Lance Russell and reprimands Chris Candido to his face for what he did. Andy Douglas thanks Candido for a successful tag title victory while Chase Stevens has no idea who won.

AND THAT’S THE SHOW! RIP Chris Candido.