Impact Wrestling 5-9-13: Abyss Returns

The show began with TNA Hall of Famer Sting and Kurt Angle coming out to get AJ Styles’ answer of whether or not he would team with them to take on Aces & Eights members TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray, TNA Television Champion Devon, & Ken Anderson later in the main event of the evening. AJ Styles comes out, then Angle asked him if he was in or out. When AJ wouldn’t answer, Angle started to lose his patience. Sting calmed Angle down and then tried to get through to AJ by reminding him of who he was, but when AJ still wouldn’t answer, Angle once again got in AJ’s face, but AJ took off. However, Angle was in hot pursuit of AJ and the two then got into a brawl at the entrance ramp. Then, with Sting distracted by the brawl, Bully Ray, Devon, & Anderson sneak attack Sting. Afterwards, TNA cameras caught up with AJ backstage and asked him if he was in or out, but AJ once again refused to answer and stormed out of the building. After doing that, it could only be assumed that AJ was out; therefore, Sting and Angle still needed to find a third partner. Also, TNA Knockout Women’s Champion Velvet Sky teamed up with Mickie James to take on the team of Gail Kim and Tara (accompanied by her boyfriend Jessie Godderz) in a Knockouts Tag Team Match. In the end, it was Velvet and Mickie who got the victory. After the match, Gail was angry at Tara for losing the match for her team and actually went on to attack Tara by hitting her with a clothesline and then dragging her over to one of the corners of the ring and applying the “Figure Four Leg Lock” submission hold with Tara’s leg wrapped around the ring post, similar to what Gail did to Taryn Terrell the previous week on Impact Wrestling. Also, Aces & Eights came out to address the VP of Aces & Eights D’Lo Brown’s loss to Kurt Angle in an “I Quit” Match the previous week on Impact Wrestling. The President of Aces & Eights Bully Ray was disappointed in D’Lo and ordered him to turn in his Aces & Eights vest. Bully then asked D’Lo what he was going to do to earn it back. D’Lo said that he would beat Brutus Magnus in a match; however, Bully decided that D’Lo was going to watch from ringside while D.O.C. would face Magnus instead. Bully then told D’Lo that if D.O.C. wins, then he would earn his vest back. As for the match, at one point, when D’Lo tried to interfere, Magnus threw him into the steel steps. D.O.C. then tried to capitalize, but when he ran across the ring ropes, D’Lo, still dazed from being thrown into the steps, mistakenly hooks D.O.C.’s leg. Magnus then capitalizes and finishes off D.O.C. to get the victory. Afterwards, backstage, D’Lo gets demoted to a prospect and kicked out of The Aces & Eights’ clubhouse. It looks like there is finally some friction brewing between The Aces & Eights. Also, prior to the the tag team match between Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian) and the team of Bobby Roode & Austin Aries to determine the #1 contenders to Chavo Guerrero, Jr.’s & Shawn Hernandez’s TNA World Tag Team Championships, both teams tried to bribe special guest referee James Storm, but to no avail. As for the match, at one point, when one member from each team started to get physical with Storm, Storm hit each guy with his signature maneuver “The Last Call Superkick” and the match was thrown out, thus no #1 contenders were named. Also, a special vignette video aired announcing that Suicide would be making his return soon. I can’t even remember the last time Suicide was around, so I am definitely looking forward to that. Also, after Aces & Eights took out all of the possible partners for Sting and Angle, Sting and Angle were backstage talking to General Manager Hulk Hogan about the situation. Hulk said he was on the phone with someone that could be their partner, but when Sting and Angle were cued to make their entrances, it appeared that they had to face Aces & Eights in a 2-on-3 Handicap Match. At one point during the match, other members of Aces & Eights were shown backstage down and out. Eventually, right before Team 3D (Bully Ray & Devon) are going to put one of their opponents through a table with their tag team signature maneuver “The 3D”, some familiar theme music hits; it is none other than the return of Abyss. Abyss then cleans house and then hits Devon with his signature maneuver “The Black Hole Slam” to get the pin and the win for his team to end the program. Apparently, Abyss was the guy that Hogan was talking to on the phone, as well as the guy who took out other Aces & Eights members backstage. Abyss is back and it seems as if TNA is finally gaining valuable momentum in the war against Aces & Eights. Next week on Impact Wrestling, it will be the official contract signing between TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray and Sting for their championship match at the upcoming Slammiversary Pay-Per-View event. Also, the Bound For Glory Series to determine the #1 contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at TNA’s biggest show of the year, Bound For Glory, will be starting soon. In the first qualifying match of the series, two former TNA Gut Check contestants get the opportunity of a lifetime when Christian York goes one-on-one with Jay Bradley. Also, X Division Champion Kenny King will defend against both Chris Sabin and Petey Williams in a Three-Way X Division Championship Match. While I am a fan of both Sabin and Williams, I’ll be rooting for Sabin to win the championship. All of this and more next week on Impact Wrestling.