TNA iMPACT 06/10/11 Review: Hulk Hogan's Retirement

IMPACT Wrestling (6th October 2011) We kick off with a Hulk Hogan video package because he claims that his run is finally over and tonight we allegedly have his retirement ceremony coming up. Imagine ending a long term career like that in TNA. He€™s got to be depressed. Not that I€™ll ever believe he€™s finished for good. Hogan and Bischoff arrive in the parking lot. Beer Money are on their way out together, despite having to face each other tonight. Storm says its about damn time Hulk Hogan took a back seat and gave the young guys a chance to entertain the fans. Agreed. Storm tells Hogan to have fun trying to follow their match tonight because they plan on tearing this son of a bitch down in Knoxville Tennessee. Roode takes the mic and plugs James as the Tennessee cowboy and welcomes him home. Roode says Fortune is family but these matches have been exhausting physically and mentally. But he€™s needed them to prepare for Kurt Angle. And tonight, he needs James to do the same thing to get him ready. James says that when they formed Beer Money 4 Years ago they both knew they were shaking hands with a future world champion. He says tonight, its time for him to prove himself like Roode did. Sorry about our damn luck. And with that they fist bump and toast the crowd. The Joker Sting is backstage in a red suit with a yellow Hogan t-shirt underneath being quirky. Hogan Rewind: Hogan debuts in January 2010. Two fans cry. Gunner vs. Kazarian Arm bar reversals to begin with until Kaz knocks Gunner outside the ring. Kaz goes to follow but gets his leg swiped, falling face first on the apron. Gunner targets the arm. Back in the ring, he keeps the pressure on with a single arm DDT. Nice shoulder breaker. Kaz manages a springboard back elbow, and a thrust kick, then sweeps Gunners leg. Springboard Leg Drop for two. The ref gets in the way, so Gunner rakes Kaz eyes and throws him to the ringpost. He slaps on a side wristlock arm bar and Kaz taps instantly! Trainers have to come out to check on Kaz, and the ref reverses the decision and gives Kaz the win by DQ? €He didn€™t even do anything. I guess that one kick after the bell was enough. Mr Anderson struts to the ring. He says hes out to do something hes never done before. Apologise. He says he turned his back on the fans in a moment of weakness. What a cheap way to reverse a heel turn. Considering it only happened recently. He says for years hes watched people swing from the bosses nuts and go right to the top. He says he€™s learned Bully Ray is a giant douche bag. And here comes giant douche bag himself. Bully tells him he€™s not getting another match. Didn€™t the commentators just say its already happening? Anderson talks him into it by saying it€™s a Philly Falls Count Anywhere Match. On a split screen, Beer Money train for tonight. Elsewhere, Bischoff is backstage talking to a camera about Hogan retiring. Also backstage, Brian Kendrick is playing his whacky hippy character and cutting a promo on Austin Aries ahead of their title match. He brings up Kid Kash attacking Jesse, and who should walk up behind but Kid Kash. Kash tells him to say it to his face, and just as Brian is about to, Kash SLAPS him up the face and beats him down in the hallway. Mickie James & Velvet Sky vs. Winter & Madison Rayne (with Angelina) I really hate Hardcore Country. During the match the commentators get word that Kaz is on the way to the hospital. Mickie and Velvet double team Madison, but she is quick to tag in Winter. Sky with knees to Winter and a tag to Mickie. Top rope Thesz Press then the Hurricanrana out of the corner and a neck breaker for two. Love grabs Mickie€™s legs and trips her from the outside. Winter and Madison double team advantage now. Mickie avoids a move and tags Velvet in. She gives Winter a sit out Pedigree but Madison breaks the pin. Angelina goes to trip Velvet, but its reversed and she trips Winter by accident. Sky knocks her off the apron, and Madison still manages to run in and roll up Velvet for the pin. Not a blown spot in the whole match. Sin Cara should train with the TNA knockouts. Backstage, Jeff Hardy has arrived. Man he€™s late, what€™s his problem. Hogan Rewind: Hogan and Abyss and their terrible magical Hall of Fame ring storyline. Bischoff is talking tactics with Angle in the back, then makes his way to the arena. I am sick of talking tonight already. Basically he calls out Jeff Hardy and berates him for being such a huge screw up and tells him to twelve step his way out of TNA. Jeff gives him a Twist of Fate and shouts screw you. Then he has to sprint out of there before Gunner and Bully Ray catch him. When we come back, he is backstage saying if he€™s outta here, he€™s outta here on his terms. Hogan Rewind: March 2011, Hogan controls TNA from Dixie Carter. I cant believe these are the clips TNA are pulling out to hype Hogan€™s TNA Career. They€™ve all been awful, embarrassing moments. But I guess that sums up Hogan in TNA altogether. Samoa Joe vs. Crimson Crimson is still undefeated by the way. Crimson with his knees to the face and a neck breaker. Joe manages to get his Pele kick in the corner. Charge is blocked and Crimson his a nice T Bone Suplex on big Joe. Outside the ring now, Crimson backs him into the apron. Crimson swings a kick, but Joe grabs his leg and throws it into the steel barrier. Joe puts his leg in the barrier and throws him backwards. It doesn€™t really do anything to his leg. Back in the ring now, Joe with a front leg sweep. Joe applies a single leg hold, Crimson rolls him up and that€™s a three! Bully Ray says screw Philly, he€™s from NYC. Then ahead of the next match, Storm is backstage happy for Roode, but also happy he gets to show what he can do. Then Roode gets a video package. James Storm vs. Robert Roode Looking forward to this one. The start of it is the two showing their familiarity reversing each others moves. Storm comes close to getting a super kick. Roode then almost locks him in the arm bar. Then its ad break time and we come back, they€™re in the corner. Roode with a flip over snap mare. Storm starts to come back now, but then Roode is immediately back with clotheslines. Now its getting heated and they€™re shoving each other. They start to throw right hands and Storm gets the better of it. Roode meets him with a boot to the face and a block buster. 2 Count. Roode charges but gets thrown to the apron. He takes a boot and Storm drags him in with a draping DDT for two of his own. Storm sent to the apron now but he gets a big kick on Roode. Back in the ring he charges but gets picked up and slammed with a Robert Roode Spine Buster. Up top goes Roode, Storm crotches him on the buckle. Top rope super plex! Storm slowly hooks the leg but its only a two count. Storm pumps up the super kick, its reversed, and again, and now Roode drags him down into a Cross face! Storm struggles and he gets a foot on the rope. Out of nowhere, Storm gives him a Code breaker and a back stabber! One€Two€Kickout. Fans rightly getting behind this match. The ref somehow gets taken out in the corner and al three are down. Now out comes Kurt Angle and throws Storm into the steps. He throws him back into Roode. Kurt leaves. Roode crawls over on Storm. One€Two€NOPE! Storm shoves him off, goes for the super kick but cant follow up and stumbles. Roode takes advantage and gives him a Fisherman€™s suplex and pins him for three. Great TV Main event. Post match Roode checks on Storm. It€™s Hogan retirement time, and I could not care any less. Let€™s see if he mentions Wrestlemania 3, like always. Fans are actually chanting a lot for him. He says today is the last day for him in the wrestling business and sucks up to Knoxville. He says fans were asking was it worth driving 10 miles, is it really his last night and he had to tell them yes. BULLSHIT. I hope you reimburse them their gas money you liar. Big Thank You Hogan chant now. Just get Sting out here and get it over with. He says its time to put Hulkamania to rest. Let the celebration begin. But no, here comes Sting in his Hogan coloured suit. Hulk says hes not welcome. Sting wants to know if anyone buys this retirement stuff. Not me Sting, not me. Sting claims to know Hogan better than anyone and talks about how amazing cameras are. Sting has some footage to show us. And the footage is Hogan and Bischoff backstage laughing about the fans falling for the retirement stuff. I'm not sure that time code on the video matches up with when Hogan arrived earlier. Hogan is livid at Sting now, and says if Sting wants a fight, he can get one at Bound For Glory and if Sting wins he€™ll give the company back to Sting and Dixie Carter. And the moment it leaves Hogan€™s lips he regrets it and is completely shocked at himself. Sting gets what he wants and off he goes.