Impact Wrestling
Date: October 21, 2015
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Angelo Dinero
It’s week three of the World Title Series and that’s really all there is to say. These matches don’t have stories and it’s too early to make many predictions. Tonight we’ll probably start seeing some of the second matches for some of the people, but it’s going to be a long time before any of the eight groups start to wrap up. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of the events that set up the Series (which seems like a weekly thing) and last week’s results.
The announcers recap things up to this point and preview tonight’s matches.
Group Champions predict who will go on to the next round. Carter picks his clone to go to the next round to give himself a double chance.
Group Champions: Austin Aries vs. Mr. Anderson
Feeling out process to start and we go split screen to hear more from Aries as he misses a missile dropkick back in the ring. Anderson goes after the arm with some punches to the shoulder and a quickly broken armbar. Aries comes right back with a slingshot elbow (Pope: “Shades of Austin Starr.”) and the announcers discuss Ethan not knowing what independents are. A double cross body puts both guys down and we take a break. Back with Aries flipping over Anderson’s back as we hit five minutes left.
Aries sends him to the floor for a suicide dive but Anderson comes back with the Regal Roll for two. Anderson tries another from the middle rope but gets slammed down, setting up the 450 for an even closer near fall. We see Thea getting nervous on the floor.
A spinwheel kick of all things gets a near fall for Anderson and now the middle rope Regal Roll gets the same thing with less than two minutes to go. They fight over finishers for a bit until Aries connects with the discus forearm. The running dropkick staggers Anderson on the top and a super brainbuster kills Anderson dead for the pin at 14:02, eliminating Anderson from the competition.
Result: Austin Aries b. Mr. Anderson – Super brainbuster (14:02)
Group Champions
Austin Aries – 4 points (1 match remaining)
Lashley – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Ethan Carter III – 1 point (2 matches remaining)
Mr. Anderson – 0 points (1 match remaining)
We’ll see the Bound For Glory main event later.
Video on the X-Division Title match at Bound For Glory.
Group X-Division: Tigre Uno vs. Mandrews
Tigre doesn’t have the X-Division Title with him. Mandrews rides a skateboard to the ring while wearing his hat backwards. Tigre quickly takes him down to start but they go to a standoff with Mandrews having to explain a fist bump to Uno. Mandrews takes him down and surfs on the champ’s back, followed by a standing moonsault for no cover. Josh talks about how someone in the X-Division basically has no chance to ever be World Champion aside from Option C.
Tigre kicks him to the floor and scores with a baseball slide as Josh breaks down the math on Group Champions. Back in and Mandrews knocks him to the floor for a flip dive of his own but instead of following up he takes a lap around the ring high fiving fans. Back in Mandrews misses a shooting star and gets German suplexed into the corner. A quick corkscrew splash (similar to Starship Pain) out of the corner gives Tigre the pin at 6:42.
Result: Tigre Uno b. Mandrews – Corkscrew splash (6:42)
Austin Aries says Thea’s smile is all the extra motivation he needs.
Here’s the main event from Bound For Glory 2015.
TNA World Title: Matt Hardy vs. Ethan Carter III vs. Drew Galloway
Carter is defending and Jeff Hardy, Carter’s former employee, is guest referee. As usual, JB says Drew is standing when he’s kneeling. Tyrus tries to cheat thirty seconds in and gets ejected. Matt and Drew take turns punching Ethan in the corner and a clothesline puts the champ on the floor. Drew goes after Matt with some forearms to the back and a big headbutt as Ethan comes back in.
Carter knocks Matt out to the floor and stops to yell at Jeff for no apparent reason. A cravate slows Drew down but they trade cross bodies to drop both guys. Everyone gets back in but Matt and Ethan are quickly on the floor, allowing Drew to hit a big flip dive and take Hardy out. It’s table time but Drew picks Ethan up and hits a White Noise onto the steps for a big thud. Matt makes the save and puts Drew on top of Ethan (there’s no count for no apparent reason) for a double stack moonsault.
Ethan runs Jeff over by mistake and walks into the Side Effect but there’s no one to count. Carter is up first and puts Drew on the table at ringside, only to suplex Matt from the apron through Galloway in a big crash. Back in and a TKO gets two on Matt but Drew comes back in and tries to pull Matt off the top. Hardy headbutts him into the Tree of Woe but Ethan comes of to make it a superplex, only to have Drew do a sit up to add a German superplex.
Matt and Drew slug it out so Ethan gives them both the 1%er at the same time for two each. The fans aren’t even reacting to these near falls and Jeff has barely been a factor so far. Ethan realizes that Jeff needs to get involved so he shoves the referee and demands a DQ. It’s No DQ though so Ethan grabs a chair, only to have Jeff take it away. Ethan slaps him again so Jeff lays Carter out with a Twisting Stunner. Drew adds a running boot and Matt hits the Twist of Fate on Drew for the pin and the title at 20:01.
Result: Matt Hardy b. Drew Galloway and Ethan Carter III – Twist of Fate to Carter (20:01)
The Hardy Family celebrates in the ring as Ethan goes to the back to yell at Dixie.
Ethan says he’s winning the title back for himself and he’s going to be lethal against Lashley tonight. It’s not over until he wins.
The announcers talk about Group Wild Card.
We get a thirty second clip of Jesse Godderz making Crimson tap out to the Adonis Lock.
Group Future Four
Jesse Godderz – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Micah – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Eli Drake – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Crimson – 0 points (2 matches remaining)
Jesse gives us a top five list of reasons why he’s going to win the World Title Series with #1 being “look at me.”
Clips of Micah vs. Eli Drake going to a double countout for 1 point apiece.
Group Future Four
Jesse Godderz – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Micah – 1 point (2 matches remaining)
Eli Drake – 1 point (2 matches remaining)
Crimson – 0 points (2 matches remaining)
Group X-Division: Manik vs. DJZ
The announcers cover the mask being back by saying Manik wants better peripheral vision. Manik works on the arm to start but gets armdragged down a few times. A dropkick knocks Manik down again but the announcers would rather talk about Shane Helms (the greatest cruiserweight of all time according to Josh and Pope).
Manik cranks back on the arm again and stomps away before rolling some suplexes. A quick backbreaker gets two for DJZ but he dives into two boots to the ribs. Manik misses a frog splash but comes right back with something like a GTS but with a kick instead of knee for the pin at 6:49.
Result: Manik b. DJZ – Kick to the head (6:49)
Group X-Division
Tigre Uno – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
Manik – 3 points (2 matches remaining)
DJZ – 0 points (2 matches remaining)
Mandrews – 0 points (2 matches remaining)
Clip of Carter vs. Lashley from over the summer.
Group Champions: Lashley vs. Ethan Carter III
Carter hides in the corner and then on the floor for the first two minutes. Lashley finally gets his hands on him and scores with some running shoulders to the ribs. A clothesline puts Carter on the floor and we take a break. Back with Lashley following Carter to the floor, only to get clubbed in the back and sent into the steps.
Carter dives into a spinebuster on the floor but Tyrus posts Lashley to keep his boss in it. They get back inside but Carter sends Lashley right back to the floor for a slam from Tyrus. We’re under five minutes to go as Carter puts on a camel clutch. That goes nowhere and they’re both down again. An eye rake gets Carter out of a torture rack so Lashley powerslams him down and grabs a rear naked choke. Tyrus helps out again for the save and it’s a Stinger Splash from Carter.
We’ve got two minutes to go as Lashley scores with a powerbomb, followed by the spear. Tyrus pulls Lashley to the floor though, giving Ethan time to kick out. This time Tyrus just gets in the ring but gets speared down, allowing Carter to grab a chair (like he did over the summer). Lashley blocks it but gets kicked low, setting up the 1%er for the pin on Lashley at 15:40.
Result: Ethan Carter III b. Lashley – 1%er (15:40)
Group Champions
Austin Aries – 4 points (1 match remaining)
Ethan Carter III – 4 point (1 match remaining)
Lashley – 3 points (1 match remaining)
Mr. Anderson – 0 points (1 match remaining)
Quick Results
Austin Aries b. Mr. Anderson – Super brainbuster
Tigre Uno b. Mandrews – Corkscrew splash
Manik b. DJZ – Kick to the head
Ethan Carter III b. Lashley – 1%er
