Join the Starman as he covers tonight’s pre-taped Championship Thursday episode of Impact Wrestling as it airs on Spike.
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Impact Wrestling starts out by sending their sympathies to the victims and families of Sandy Hook. We then see a “Previously on Impact Wrestling” recap that focuses on Velvet Sky’s return, then tension between Hulk Hogan and Bully Ray, and Austin Aries paying off Aces & Eights to push buttons and get back the TNA World Championship, which leads us to Hardy/Aries III that will take place tonight.
We see Jeff Hardy and Austin Aries arrive at the Impact Zone earlier in the day as the pyro goes off and we are welcomed to this month’s edition of Championship Thursday. Three title matches will take place with Tara defending the Knockouts Championship against one of four possible contenders, plus Jeff Hardy will defend the TNA World Championship against Austin Aries in the main event. The Television Championship will be on the line and that match is up right now.
Match 1: Kurt Angle vs. Devon (TNA Television Championship)
Kurt Angle has his knee wrapped and is limping to the ring. Devon makes his way to the ring with DOC and three other masked members of Aces & Eights. Angle says if Devon wants to play that way, he has a pack of his own as Samoa Joe, Garett Bischoff and Wes Brisco come out to the ringside area. The bell rings and Angle gets the early upper hand as Devon misses Angle and falls out to the floor. Both sides begin to brawl in the ringside area as Angle watches on from the middle of the ring. The referee restores order by sending both sides to the back as Devon sneaks in from behind and takes Angle down with a chop block as we head into a commercial break.
We return to the match to see Devon working over Angle’s injured leg and picks up a near fall. Devon hits Angle with another chop block but Angle manages to make a comeback and takes Devon down with a missile dropkick. Angle then takes Devon down with a belly-to-belly suplex for a near fall. Devon then counters Angle’s attempt at an Angle Slam and slams Angle down for another near fall. Angle comes back and hits Devon with a series of German suplexes before locking in the ankle lock in the middle of the ring. Aces & Eights then come back out and distracts the referee as Devon is tapping out. Joe, Bischoff, and Brisco come out as well as a member of Aces & Eights sneaks in the ring and nails Angle with a pipe to knock him out. Devon then makes the cover to pick up the pin fall to retain the TV Championship.
Brooke Hogan is in the office with Velvet Sky, ODB, Mickie James, and Miss Tessmacher. Brooke thinks ODB should be at home with her husband who was injured by Aces & Eights and removes ODB from the running. The announce team then hype a match with Matt Morgan and Joey Ryan taking on RVD and Kenny King, which is coming up after the break.
Kenny King is backstage and says he beat RVD last week and now he gets to tag with him this week. King says dreams really do come true in TNA and that nobody will have any teeth left when they are through.
Match 2: Matt Morgan & Joey Ryan vs. Kenny King & Rob Van Dam
Ryan starts out against RVD and RVD takes Ryan down with a series of quick strikes and picks up a near fall after hitting a standing moonsault. King is tagged in and goes after Ryan but Morgan makes a blind tag and he comes in to drop King down to the mat. Morgan begins to power King around before tagging Ryan back in, who continues to wear King down. Ryan and King isolate King into their corner and use quick tags to wear King down as RVD watches on from the apron. King finally counters Ryan and rolls to his corner to make the hot tag to RVD, who hits Ryan with a series of strikes. RVD and King double team Morgan and Ryan for a bit. Morgan then comes into the ring and King runs out, leaving RVD by himself. Morgan takes RVD out with a Carbon Footprint and puts Ryan on top to get the pin fall. King is then seen with a smile on his face and asks RVD how his face is.
A promo for 1.3.13 is then aired as we head into a commercial break.
We see a recap of AJ Styles from last week where he said he was no longer a company man and was going to be doing his own thing. Kazarian is in the locker room and says he has no thoughts on Styles, however, he has a surprise tonight for his fans and see how he treats his best friend in the world. Kazarian then takes a phone call from Nick as he walks away.
Hulk Hogan’s music hits as he makes his way to the ring and receives a loud “Hogan!” chant. Hogan says 2012 has been a great year for Impact Wrestling and their is so much talent in the backstage area that they are going to let the fans choose who the Impact Wrestler of the Year will be. The voting will take place all the way through the January 3rd episode. Hogan is then interrupted by Aces & Eights music.
A group of them walk to the guard railing as Devon says 2012 was the year Aces & Eights was born and the year they beat the hell out of all the TNA wrestlers. Devon goes on to say that 2013 will be the year that Aces & Eights be revealed and gold will be accomplished, however, Hogan won’t be around to see any of it unfold. Aces & Eights begin making their way to the ring until Bully Ray runs out and chases them off. Ray and Hogan then stare at each other for a moment until Hogan just walks by Ray and leaves the ring. Ray mouths to Hogan “what the hell do I have to do” as we head into a commercial break.
A recap of what just went down is aired. We then see Jeff Hardy talking to himself who is saying he found a new respect for Austin Aries, but he saw his true colors as he paid someone off to hurt him. Hardy says he has beaten Aries twice and he will beat him a third time tonight. We then head to the office as Brooke Hogan is with Miss Tessmacher, Velvet Sky and Mickie James. Velvet and Mickie say they both came back at the same time and they have never had their own moments. Brooke tells Tessmacher that they need to fight this out and dismisses Tessmacher from the running. Kazarian is seen walking backstage with a couple of gifts as we head into a commercial break.
Another package on AJ Styles is aired which recaps the bad year he has had, which ends with him losing to Christopher Daniels at Final Resolution. Kazarian then makes his way to the ring with a couple of gifts and there is a tree and a throne in the ring. Kazarian says he has the holiday spirit and calls out Christopher Daniels to the ring. Daniels comes out with a martini and sits in the chair as Kazarian says he has taken it upon himself for a special visitor to meet him as a trim Santa Claus comes out.
Santa sits in the chair and Kazarian hands him a gift, which is a pair of Zubaz. Daniels then sits on Santa’s lap as Kazarian takes a photo of the two together. Santa then asks if Daniels has been a good boy as the fans begin to chant “No!” Daniels says he has been good and has gotten rid of the biggest loser in Impact Wrestling in AJ Styles. Santa then asks Daniels for his holiday wish as Daniels says it’s not about receiving, but for giving. Daniels wants to make sure AJ Styles’ kids get gifts as their dad is a loser.
James Storm’s music hits as he steps out on the entrance ramp and says the two are making a mockery of Christmas and he isn’t going to let that happen on his watch. Daniels tells Santa that Storm is the reason why Styles can’t challenge for the title for a year and to make sure he is on the naughty list. Storm then enters then ring and begins to wonder who Santa really is. To find out if he is the real Santa, Storm asks what he wished for last year. Santa says it was a Travis Tritt CD, but Storm says it was a case of beer before he lays out Santa with a superkick. Daniels and Kazarian run out of the ring as Storm begins tossing out TNA merchandise from Santa’s bag.
Austin Aries is backstage and talks about how the camera can’t pick up his thoughts and has to speak them out loud. Aries says Jeff Hardy made the biggest mistake by challenging him tonight to a wrestling match. Aries says a wrestling match is his specialty and he will prove again that he is the greatest wrestler in the universe when he defeats Hardy for the title. Brooke Hogan is seen walking backstage as we head into a commercial break.
Another 1.3.13 promo is aired and it reveals Sting who says he wants his bat from Devon and he is coming to get DOC and Aces & Eights. It will be showtime on 1.3.13. We then go into the Aces & Eights clubhouse as the leader wants to know what went on out there earlier in the night when Bully Ray chased them out. The leader says they need smart muscle as Devon says he knows a guy that is pissed off enough to join the group. The group agrees to let Devon reach out to the guy.
Brooke Hogan is backstage with Mickie James and Velvet Sky and she says Mickie never got a fair shake. Brooke tells Velvet to watch the match closely as it may be her turn next and gives the match to Mickie.
Match 3: Mickie James vs. Tara (TNA Knockouts Championship)
Tara comes out to the ring with Jesse by her side. The match starts as Mickie quickly rolls up Tara for a pin attempt. The two go back and forth for a few moments and Jesse gets involved as he trips up Mickie. Tara then uses it as an opening to take control of the match and picks up a few near falls in the process. Tara rams Mickie’s face into the mat a few times and wears Mickie down for a bit until Mickie counters and takes Tara down. Mickie tries to pick up a pin fall but Jesse distracts Taryn Terrell long enough to make sure it doesn’t happen. Mickie then hits Tara with a few kicks and clotheslines before hitting a neckbreaker for a near fall. Mickie then hits her DDT but Jesse pulls Tara out of the ring to break up the pin fall. Mickie then dives of the top rope and takes Jesse out as she rolls Tara back into the ring. Jesse then grabs Mickie’s foot for a moment and Tara hits Mickie with an atomic drop to pick up the pin fall to retain the Knockouts Championship.
Austin Aries and Jeff Hardy are seen walking backstage as the main event is coming up after the commercial break.
Footage of Joseph Park running the ropes at OVW is aired. Danny Davis yells at Park for not being able to do a shoulder block and other easy moves. A wrestler then makes Park bleed from his mouth as he goes crazy and takes him down with a Black Hole Slam. Danny Davis asks Park if he is okay as the segment ends.
Match 4: Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy (TNA World Championship)
Jeremy Borash handles the formal introductions for this championship main event before we head into a commercial break. We return and the bell rings as the two go back and forth in the opening moments. Hardy takes Aries down and picks up a couple of near falls before knocking Aries out to the floor. Aries walks around the ring to regroup for a moment before returning to the ring. The two tie up again for a bit until Hardy knocks Aries out to the floor with a clothesline. Hardy then tries to dive at Aries, but Aries gets out of the way and Hardy nails the guard railing as we head into a commercial break.
We return to the match to see Aries is in control and picks up a near fall over the champion. Aries continues on the attack and picks up a few more near falls in the process as he wears Hardy down. Ares then tries to go for the brainbuster but Hardy counters it and takes Aries down with a front suplex. Hardy then hits Aries with a series of strikes and picks up a near fall after hitting a splash from the middle rope. Aries counters an attempt at a Twist of Fate and hangs Hardy up in the ropes to regain control of the match.
Aries again goes for a brainbuster but Hardy counters and takes Aries down with a flip slam for another near fall. Hardy then misses with a corkscrew dive and Aries goes for another brainbuster but Hardy counters a third time and takes Aries down before hitting a Twist of Fate. Aries blocks a second attempt at a Twist of Fate and kicks Hardy into the referee. Hardy gets up and tries to revive the referee as Aries sneaks from behind and hits Hardy with a low blow.
Aries then takes Hardy down with a brainbuster and calls for an official as he covers Hardy. A referee runs out but Bobby Roode comes out and pulls the new referee out of the ring. Roode begins to make the count but stops at two, which gets Aries’ attention. Roode then flicks Aries off and hits him with a spinebuster before leaving the ring. Hardy then gets up and hits the Twist of Fate as the referee comes to his feet. Hardy then hits the Swanton Bomb and picks up the pin fall to retain the TNA World Championship.
Roode smiles from the top of the entrance ramp and leaves as Hardy celebrates with both of his championship titles. We then see Hulk Hogan in the parking lot and says the World Title has been nothing but payoffs as of late and he is going to get that taken care of. Hogan then sees Bully Ray kissing his daughter in the parking lot as Hogan gets into his car and leaves and Impact Wrestling comes to a close.
Quick Results
– Devon defeated Kurt Angle by pin fall to retain the TNA Television Championship.
– Matt Morgan & Joey Ryan defeated Kenny King & Rob Van Dam by pin fall.
– Tara defeated Mickie James by pin fall to retain the TNA Knockouts Championship.
– Jeff Hardy defeated Austin Aries by pin fall to retain the TNA World Championship.