Kurt Angle, Scott Steiner Sign Contract: TNA iMPACT Results, 2-22-07

The following report is courtesy of wrestlemag.com ...

The Elevation X match was pushed strongly to open the show. A.J. Styles climbed the scaffold and challenged anyone, claiming to have invented Elevation X. Rhino came out. Mike Tenay acted surprised. Considering Rhino’s feuded with Styles for months, we're not sure why. As Styles bailed, Rhino climbed up and accepted the challenge for the March 11th PPV.

Team 3-D did an interview previewing tonight’s “Belting Pot Match” (basically a lumberjacks with straps match). Brother Ray tried to do in with an Italian accent. For some reason,

1. Team 3-D defeated LAX in a Belting Pot Match. Several unidentified members of the Pizanos were in the 3-D corner, while unidentified members of the Latino Nation were in LAX’s corner. Homicide and D-Von spent the opening minutes of the match getting tossed out and beaten to a pulp with the straps. As Hernandez got whipped outside by the Italians, Homicide blasted D-Von from behind. After he recovered, Hernandez tried a tornado DDT, but D-Von powered out and made the usual hot tag to Ray, who hip tossed Hernandez, backdropped Homicide, a Samoan drop to Hernandez and an uranage to Homicide for a two count. D-Von recovered to give Homicide a reverse 3-D. D-Von and Hernandez both got knocked to the floor, and the lumberjacks got into the predictable brawl with each other. Cousin Steve ran in, and joined Ray in lifting Homicide’s leg for D-Von to deliver the Wazzup. Steve and Ray told D-Von to get the tables. Hernandez ran back in, only to get caught in the 3-D for the pin at 5:28.

They cut to the back where Jeremy Borash tried to get a word from Abyss (without James Mitchell). Abyss just moaned. Borash was about to send it back to Tenay, but before he could, Abyss choked him, and lifted him up in the air.

2. Eric Young, Richard Roode and James Storm defeated the Voodoo Kin Mafia and Lance Hoyt in 2:00. VKM chant early. Not as much regarding Eric Young this week. He continued to be depressed about being under the control of Roode. Young and B.G. opened by dancing, and actually did a double-clothesline on Roode. Young acted like he didn’t mean it. Storm did the world’s first double-arm spinning neckbreaker as a transition move on B.G. That should be his finisher. Hoyt got the hot tag, gave Storm a flap jack and climbed the top rope. Roode crotched him, and Storm got the pin. Afterwards, Roode screamed at Young, while Chris Harris ran out of the crowd and chased Storm to the back.

Another Chris Daniels video aired, vowing to change from within.

Andre Rison did an interview in the ring. I was afraid he was going to announce the 1st annual Left Eye Memorial Burning Down the House match. Instead, he was there to promote his upcoming appearance on Pros vs. Joes. He was wearing an Indianapolis Colts jersey, which was his first pro team. Abyss came out. Rison stuck his hand out like a total dork. Abyss responded by giving him the Black Hole Slam. Rison sold it well.

The lame comedy segment of the show started with Ron Killings’ latest production, Rambuck Killings. If someone wants a lesson in how to make these segments funny, watch the King Booker/Queen Sharmel production from last week’s Smackdown. That’s wrestling humor at it’s best. Then again, there aren’t many wrestlers with the comedic touch of Booker.

The Paparazzi production was more of Paparazzi Idol. Jay Lethal did more Randy Savage impersonations. Here’s four minutes of this show that could have gone to the ladder match by the end of the show, but instead we got this. Suddenly, Killings rapping about trying to quit smoking didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Tenay and Jim Cornette came out for the Scott Steiner/KurtAngle contract signing. This was the highlight of the show. Cornette mentioned Christian Cage and Samoa Joe weren’t here this week because they were training for their upcoming title match. Steiner cut a promo about how he would take Angle’s gold medal and melt it, and said it was worthless. West chimed in that someone from Angle’s former employer said the same thing. Angle responded that Steiner came to TNA to rape the company out of every cent its worth. Why is it whenever Angle says “rape,” I have flashbacks to horrible Smackdown shows? Crowd was behind Angle for the first time in weeks, and this came off like a match people want to see. After each man signed the contract, they had a staredown, where Steiner threw a stiff headbutt, which opened Angle up. Angle responded with some hard forearms, clearly designed to get hardway blood.

And he succeeded. Tomko did a run-in, followed by Cage, who I guess wasn’t training after all. The heels (who were never given the name Christian Coalition) triple teamed Angle, with Steiner getting in a belly-to-belly, and Cage railroading Angle with the NWA belt. Good angle, and it set up the PPV match well.

Samoa Joe did an interview previewing his match with Cage. It was almost a relief to see no Angle-Joe interaction this week, considering that program has been beaten to death.

3. Jerry Lynn won a five-way ladder match to become the number one contender for the X-Division title over Sonjay Dutt, Senshi, Jay Lethal, and The Austin Starr. It was a disappointment because they never had time to get going. They literally went straight to high spots, because that’s all they had time for. Dutt and Lethal worked as a team, doing the old Hardy Boys’ fistdrop/somersault splash combo on Lynn. Immediately, Lynn came back with a satellite head scissors on Lethal and a spinning backbreaker on Dutt. After barely selling it, Dutt did a dropkick on Lynn while running up the ladder. Lethal and Dutt did a double baseball slide into the ladder onto Starr and Senshi, who spent the early minutes of the match brawling on the floor. Dutt and Lethal followed with stereo pescados, as they went to a commercial. Yep, they interrupted the flow of this match, but gave us two minutes of Kevin Nash telling Lethal he was black.

Mr. Backland came out on the ramp. Senshi tried a handspring elbow on Lynn, who reversed it into a powerbomb attempt, but Senshi countered into the Warrior’s Way. They lined three ladders in a row. Lynn got knocked off by Lethal. Dutt and Lethal climbed up one side, while Starr and Senshi climbed up the other. Senshi and Starr knocked each other down, while Lynn powerbombed Lethal and Dutt at the same time (which we really didn’t see). Lynn climbed up and got the X to win. Backland came to the ring, shook Lynn’s hand, and offered his hand to Starr, who threw his sweat on him instead. Starr tried to jump Backland from behind, but Backland put him in the crossface chicken wing to end the show.