TNA iMPACT!
July 29, 2005
Orlando, FL
Universal Studios

The current NWA & TNA Champs were as follows:
NWA World Champion: Raven (6/19/2005)
NWA World Tag Team Champions: The Naturals (4/29/2005)
TNA X-Division Champion: Christopher Daniels (3/13/2005)

Let Us Take You Back To Last Week in a video montage.

Your hosts are Mike Tenay and Don West.

• Sonjay Dutt vs. Shark Boy vs. Elix Skipper
  

Alright, let’s get going here with some RASSLIN. Armdrags all around to start. Weird spot as Sonjay springboards onto Skipper who gets caught, then Shark Boy schoolboys them both up at the same time. Finishers by Skipper and Shark Boy are thwarted. Shark Boy flips out of a suplex and tries an O’Connor Roll on Skipper, but Sonjay dropkicks him off the pin. Shark Boy cleans house and tries a pescado on Skipper, but gets caught and dropped on the guardrail. Skipper posts Shark Boy real good and throws him back inside, but then Sonjay springboard dropkicks Skipper off the apron and hits the ASAI DDT on Sharky for the 1-2-3. (4:02) Thus continues Elix Skipper’s losing streak before joining the Diamonds in the Rough. *½

In the back, TNA DOA Larry Zbyszko confronts BG James because he has found a way to make the referees happy and to settle this 3LK situation once and for all. He hands BG James a referee’s shirt and makes him the ref for the 3LK v. Monty/Kip rematch at Sacrifice. If he doesn’t referee the match, then he can keep the zebra shirt when he goes to work at Foot Locker. Pfft, more like Lady Foot Locker. Larry Z got jokes!

• Shocker vs. Alex Shelley – Super X Cup Quarterfinals
  

Not just a tournament match, but also a rematch from Slammiversary where Shocker picked up the victory. They get fancy with the hammerlocks and armdrags to start and then end up slapping each other around. Commercials! When we come back, Shocker takes over with a DDT and a springboard dropkick. Corkscrew elbow drop gets two. Shelley drops Shocker on the top rope and dropkicks him out for a tope suicida. Shelley gets LUCHA~! Back inside, Shelley delivers a cool crucifix pin for two. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker from Shocker slows him down though. Frog Splash from Shocker gets 1-2-NO! Shocker charges at Shelley, but gets caught with the very same hammerlock small package that helped him beat Shelley at Slammiversary for the 1-2-3. (4:56 shown) People just didn’t seem to care for Shocker no matter what TNA did for him. Not terrible, but in my opinion it’s the weakest of the quarter final matches. *½

James Mitchell talks in the boiler room with Abyss standing behind doing what he does during interviews. Mitchell says that in TNA when you want a world title shot, you’re told to get in the back of the line. Well first of all, Abyss is an impatient person. Secondly, he can’t be controlled. And thirdly, he will once again display his dominance over TNA with a level of brutality hitherto unseen. MUAHAHAHA!

• Mikey Batts vs. Cassidy Riley
  

Riley wears his best Raven outfit and sits down in the corner before the match. This lasts just under a minute before Rhino appears to GORE both men as Jeff Jarrett orchestrates the whole beat down. No rating.

Raven’s music hits and he shows up at the tunnel with a mic. First I’ve heard of the tag team main event. Raven says that since he has no friends to be his partner, an enemy will do. The lights go out! When they come back on, Sabu is in the ring with his trusty chair in hand! Chairshot to Rhino! He throws the chair in Jarrett’s face to send him out of the ring. Sabu hits a double jump moonsault on Rhino as the crowd chants ECW instead of TNA. Raven promises one thing for Jarrett: pain. Quote the raven nevermore.

• James Storm (w/Chris Harris) vs. Matt Bentley (w/Traci)
  

The final battle of the superkicks! Bentley draws Storm to the floor and back inside to lower the boom on him to start. Storm makes him pay by throwing him to the floor and dropping his balls straight down onto the guardrail. Storm gets knocked off the apron for the Pillman guardrail bump. He fires back on Bentley, but then takes a NICE bump into the ringpost. Back inside, Bentley covers for two. Storm fights out of a chinlock, but takes a knee to the gut. Superplex by Bentley gets two. He goes back to the chinlock for a while. Traci gets to choke Storm in the ropes a little bit. Storm escapes again and neither man can connect with the superkick. Storm fights off another superplex and puts on the cowboy hat for the Swinging Noose for the 1-2-3. (6:46) So it’s the battle of the superkicks, but we don’t see a superkick? I guess we didn’t necessarily have to see a superkick, but we kind of wanted to see a superkick since all they talked about leading up to this match were superkicks. Not bad. A little awkward in spots though. **¼

Shane Douglas speaks with AJ Styles backstage about his match next week against the winner of Sabin-Williams in the Super X Cup tournament. Next week, the winner of that match will find out why they call AJ Styles phenomenal.

• Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams (w/A-1) – Super X Cup Quarterfinals
  

Christopher Daniels joins Tenay and DW on commentary – mostly to remind us how this is the CDI: the Christopher Daniels Invitational tournament. Heavy choreographed segment to start ending with both men catching each other’s kicks and gently put the other’s foot back down on the mat. Commercial break! When we come back, Tenay reminds us how Chris Sabin was in the 2003 Super X Cup finals and won over Juventud Guerrera who as of this TV taping was working for WWE with Super Crazy and Psicosis as the lawn mower riding clichés: the Mexicools. Moving on! Petey blocks a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor, but misses the legdrop on the apron. A-1 distracts Sabin as Petey comes off the apron with a tornado DDT on the floor! Back in, Petey gets two. A-1 does some choking on Sabin in the ropes. Sabin tries to chop back, but Petey goes to the eyes as Sabin starts swinging blind. As Sabin starts to fight out of a necktie lock, Williams drops Sabin across his knee. Sabin mounts a comeback and Petey shuts him down by throwing out to A-1. Back in, Petey delivers the O CANADA crotch stomp in the corner. Sabin pushes him off to the floor and delivers a tope suicida. Back inside, Sabin is ROCK’N and ROLL’N all over Petey Williams. Running Ligerbomb gets 1-2-NO! The Over Easy gets countered into a release Northern Lights suplex. Sabin avoids the CANADIAN DESTROYER, but then he’s tripped up in the SHARPSHOOTER. Nevertheless, he finds the ropes. Sabin fights back with a Gunn Slinger into a backbreaker and then continues to hold onto Petey for an exploder suplex. Cover, 1-2-NO! Sabin hits a jumping enziguri and delivers the CRADLE SHOCK, but A-1 is on the apron. Meanwhile, Petey jabs Sabin with the hockey stick Canadian flag pole and delivers the CANADIAN DESTROYER to advance in the tournament. (11:14 shown) Good TV match. Sabin was really on fire during this point. ***¼

TNA presents Sacrifice LIVE on PPV on August 14!
Here is the card as it currently looks:

Main Event:
Raven & Sabu vs. Jeff Jarrett & Rhino
The Super X Cup Finals
Jerry Lynn vs. Sean Waltman
Ron Killings & Konnan vs. Kip James & Monty Brown – BG James as special referee