TNA iMPACT!
September 9, 2005
Orlando, FL
Universal Studios
(Taped on 8/16/05)

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)

Your hosts are Mike Tenay and Don West.

• Chris Sabin & Shocker vs. Sean Waltman & Alex Shelley – Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament (Finals)

MOTOR CITY MACHINEGUNS EXPLODE as they start the match. Lots of fancy wristlocks from Shelley to start. He’s just being a dick. Commercials! When we return, Sabin escapes a wristlock with armdrags and tags Shocker. Shelley scurries over to Waltman for a tag. Shocker delivers a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to Waltman. He tags back out to Shelley who flies down into a dropkick. In comes Sabin, Shelley begs off and even kisses Sabin’s boot. Not falling for any games, Sabin dropkicks him in the face. To the apron, Shelley kicks him out to the floor to start up some high risk moves from everybody. Back in, Waltman and Shelley take turns chopping and slapping Sabin. Shelley charges at Sabin in the corner with double knees, but Sabin fires back with an enziguri. Hot tag to Shocker, he’s got big boots for both guys. He starts up some release Germans on Shelley, but Sabin flies in with a missile dropkick and nails Shocker by mistake. While Sabin checks on his partner, Shelley superkicks Sabin out of the ring as Waltman low blows Shocker and drops him with the X FACTOR for the win and Chris Candido cup. (8:51) Afterwards, the crowd chants for Chris Candido while Sabin and Shocker shake hands. So much for the love though as Shocker jumps Sabin from behind and lays a beating on him. I wonder why this wasn’t blown off at Unbreakable between these two. **½

In the back, Shane Douglas meets with Monty Brown. Shane brings up Monty’s match at Unbreakable with Kip James against Apolo and Lance Hoyt. They are both get pounced, period.

After the break, Shane Douglas is with X-Division champ Christopher Daniels. Mr. TNA says he will show us on September that his spirit is unbreakable. Hey, that’s the name of the PPV!

• Samoa Joe vs. Shark Boy
  

Joe doesn’t like being bitten. MUSCLE BUSTER and COQUINA CLUTCH gets the win at 1:32.

• Eric Young (w/A-1) vs. Chris Harris (w/James Storm) vs. Andy Douglas (w/Chase Stevens & Jimmy Hart)

EY thinks he can take on both guys to start. That fails. Right now, Douglas and Harris are the ones who really have the problem with each other as Young take a hiptoss to the floor. Now Storm, Stevens, and A-1 get into a fight, which gets them all sent backstage. Meanwhile, Shelley and Waltman are watching the match from backstage. Back to ringside, Young pulls out Harris and posts him real good. He manages to keep Harris on the floor while he drops a weird suplex on Douglas for two. Harris comes back in, but eats a dropkick from Young followed by a flying elbow drop for two. After Young delivers a jawbreaker to Douglas, they walk into a flying double clothesline from Harris. Bulldog and stalling suplex from Harris to Douglas gets two. Young stops a superplex by Harris and drills Douglas with a missile dropkick. With Douglas down on the mat, Harris sneaks the CATATONIC on Young for the 1-2-3. (5:43) Fun little TV match there. **½

• Elix Skipper (w/Simon Diamond) vs. Sonjay Dutt
  

Skipper attacks before the bell with a spin kick. Sky High gets two. To the floor, Sonjay gets beaten up against the guardrail. Back inside, Sonjay mounts a comeback. He runs into a release belly to belly suplex into the corner. During the match, Tenay mentions 3LK will be in action at the Unbreakable PPV. Funny how he didn’t mention that they will be facing the Diamonds in the Rough. He lays a beating on Sonjay, but misses a corner charge and takes a springboard dropkick. Sonjay covers for two. An enziguri and a headscissors follow as Skipper nails a Quebrada for 1-2-NO! Now Simon Diamond is signaling to the back. As Sonjay heads up top for the HINDU PRESS, Diamond shoves him off to the mat. As he distracts the ref, David Young sneaks in and hits Sonjay with a Double-A Spinebuster. He’s done. Skipper delivers SUDDEN DEATH for the win. (3:35) Just a quick squash to make the DITR matter for a second. ¾*

In the back, Jeff Jarrett continues to preach his conspiracy theory to Shane Douglas saying that all the TNA originals could be gone once iMPACT! moves to Spike TV. It’s like an angle mixed with a commercial. Jarrett says he will get his belt back and dares anybody try and stop him from being at the PPV this Sunday. But Jeff, you’re not booked.

• Rhino & Abyss (w/James Mitchell) vs. Raven & Sabu
  

Big brawl to start. Sabu takes out both Rhino and Abyss with a somersault plancha. Back in, Raven wipes a snotty rag in Rhino’s face. Tag to Sabu, he drops a somersault legdrop on Rhino for two. Sabu grabs a CAMEL CLUTCH on Rhino, but James Mitchell distracts the ref while Abyss goes after Raven and throws him back first into the guardrail. Back inside, Rhino puts the boots to Raven. Now Abyss tags and beats in Raven’s face. Raven counters a suplex on Rhino, but can’t make a tag. Rhino grabs a chinlock and Raven tries to escape and make a tag, but Rhino cuts him off. In comes Abyss, he misses a corner charge, but again no tag to Sabu. More face-in-peril stuff. Abyss misses a flying legdrop as finally Sabu gets the hot tag. He’s brought a chair with him too. He jumps off the chair and clotheslines Abyss to the floor. Meanwhile, Raven drop toeholds Rhino face-first onto the chair. VINTAGE ex-ECW GUYS! Sabu jumps off the chair and off the top rope onto Abyss. In the ring as Abyss comes back inside, Rhino misses the GORE on Raven and nails Abyss. Poor guy. Raven tosses out Rhino while Sabu hits Abyss with the ARABIAN FACEBUSTER for the win. (8:10) Wild stuff and an interesting preview to what you would see at Unbreakable. Afterwards, Rhino leaves Raven laying using the steel chair. It’s not pretty – that is, unless you’re a Rhino fan. **½

NEXT WEEK: Last iMPACT! to air until the move to Spike TV on October 1. Just a clips show and not even worth recapping for you.

TNA presents Unbreakable
LIVE on PPV
September 11, 2005
Orlando, FL

MAIN EVENT: NWA World Heavyweight Champion Raven vs. Rhino
NWA World Tag Team Champions The Naturals vs. AMW vs. Team Canada vs. Sean Waltman and Alex Shelley
TNA X-Division Champion Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles
Abyss vs. Sabu
Monty Brown and Kip James vs. Apolo and Lance Hoyt
3 Live Kru in action