TNA Impact Wrestling Review - July 11, 2013

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Main Event Mafia Interrupted Bully Ray

This was a solid segment to kick off the show. It hyped a number of things, including Bully Ray's reveal of the new Vice President of Aces and Eights, the newest member of Main Event Mafia, and built towards the brawl between the two factions next week on Impact Wrestling. Ray is always excellent on the mic, while Sting and Kurt Angle were good here as well. It was odd not seeing Magnus and Samoa Joe in suits, but that was obviously due to the fact that they were going to be in action later in the night.


AJ Styles and Samoa Joe def. Jeff Hardy and Joseph Park in a Joker's Wild Qualifying Match

The match had a ton of star power, but it was way too short to mean anything. Styles and Joe are both loner characters, so it was interesting to see them pair up. Hardy felt like a complete afterthought in this match, so it was logical for Park to be the one to get pinned. The match wasn't bad at all, but it definitely needed to go longer to be more memorable.

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Magnus and Mr. Anderson def. Jay Bradley and Hernandez in a Joker's Wild Qualifying Match

Unlike the previous match, this bout had more of a story to it. I liked the idea of pairing the opposing factions together, as it definitely helped hype the brawl between Aces and Eights and Main Event Mafia next week. Bradley costing Hernandez the match was also made sense given the match they had a match against one another last week. This win also made Magnus look strong since he overcame the odds without the help of Anderson.


Bobby Roode and Kazarian def. Christopher Daniels and Austin Aries in a Joker's Wild Qualifying Match

This was another interesting qualifying match, as it pitted two regular tag teams against each other. This is what the Bound For Glory Series is all about. Not to mention the fact that the newly formed teams also had a nice dynamic with each other. Despite the finish, I don't expect Daniels and Kazarian to split up any time soon, but rather focus on the fact that it's every man for himself in the BFG Series.


Gail Kim def. Taryn Terrell in a Ladder Match to Become the No. 1 Contender to the Knockouts Championship

While I found their Slammiversary match to be a bit better, this was an equally entertaining contest. Both lovely ladies put forth a strong effort and provided plenty of chaotic spots. The finish was more clever than it was stupid, as it's not something you normally see done these days. I was surprised to see Kim emerge victorious here, but I'm fine with it. It allows Mickie James to feud against Kim for the time being while Terrell can always contend for the title at Bound For Glory.


Magnus Won the Joker's Wild Gauntlet Match to Earn 25 Points in the Bound For Glory Series

The match itself was nothing special, but it was well wrestled for the most part. The eliminations weren't all that exciting, but the bout definitely got much more suspenseful when it came down to Magnus and Bobby Roode. They had a nice series of reversals before Magnus finally scored the victory. With 49 points, one has to think that he might lose most of his matches going forward. Regardless, I love the aggressive push that Magnus is receiving right now, as his worthy of being a main event player in TNA and certainly has breakout babyface potential.


TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray Confronted X-Division Chris Sabin

Sabin has never really been known for his mic skills, but he had one hell of a promo here. Ray, as noted before, is always excellent on the mic and this segment was no exception. I loved the fact that Sabin brought up how he was the one who ended Team 3D in late 2010 and was also the first person in history to kick out of their finisher. That alone made Sabin look like a legitimate threat to the World title. Everyone else played their roles well here, but the spotlight was definitely on Sabin and Ray more than anyone else. I'm fine with Rampage Jackson being revealed as the final member of Main Event Mafia, especially given the fact that he's allies with Kurt Angle. However, if he's not going to be wrestling on a regular basis, then what is the point?


Overall Show

This was yet another great edition of Impact Wrestling. They had a fun show last week and they continued to raise the bar this week. The Joker's Wild qualifying matches weren't much to write home about, but Magnus' victory in the gauntlet match was a huge highlight. The Knockouts Ladder match was great while the opening and ending segments were very strong. I'm highly anticipating next week's Destination X event, which has the potential to be incredibly awesome with what they have lined up as of now.