Results: TNA Maximum Impact Tour 23/01/2013 - Glasgow, Scotland

Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez defeated Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian.

Rob Van Dam defeated Zema Ion.

Marty Scurll defeated Rockstar Spud.

The Blossom Twins defeated Gail Kim & Tara.

Austin Aries defeated James Storm & Bobby Roode.

Bully Ray defeated Magnus in a No DQ Match.

Kurt Angle & Sting defeated Devon & D.O.C. in a Steel Cage Match.

Results: TNA Maximum Impact Tour 21/01/2013 - Dublin, Ireland

Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez defeated Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian.

Velvet Sky & Miss Tessmacher defeated Tara & Gail Kim.

Rob Van Dam defeated Zema Ion.

James Storm defeated Austin Aries & Bobby Roode in a Handicap Match.

Bully Ray defeated Magnus.

Kurt Angle & Sting defeated Devon & D.O.C. in a Steel Cage Match.

Clem Shoots: Tale of the Absentee World Champion

Coming off a successful defense of his World Heavyweight Championship at Genesis, against the fiercest competition in all the business, Jeff Hardy stands tall atop Impact Wrestling. But despite such a rosey outlook, storm clouds are fast approaching the Charismatic Enigma. His conviction for drug possession from several years prior has reared it's head once again and will prevent him from appearing on any of this week's "Road to Lockdown" UK Tour dates.

If this were simply a regular tour, the loss of such a performer would be no big deal. TNA would quickly draft in a replacement and send fans home just as happy as if Hardy had been there himself. Hell, they've already done it, in drawing Sting out from his International retirement last year and announcing The Icon will fill in for the M.I.A. Champion. However, in this case, this is no regular tour. Four whole episodes of Impact Wrestling will be taped across the shows in Manchester and London. Any other performer and it would be a shame to lose them for a month's worth of TV time, but Hardy is different. Jeff Hardy is the World Heavyweight Champion...who can't travel the World.

Any wrestling promotion worth a damn and their top program will be the top stars challenging to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Take that away and they're left in a horrendously awkward position. Just what do the stars of Impact Wrestling do for the next four weeks (taking place at the biggest shows of the year)? Ten thousand screaming British fans, twenty if you account for both shows, and you're NOT going to bring the big gold belt everyone's been fighting over? I suppose Austin Aries and Bobby Roode are just going to forget the last year spent chasing exactly that and what, have tea and crumpets in the middle of the ring?

Jeff Hardy not being allowed to travel to the United Kingdom puts TNA and Impact Wrestling in the most undesirable position possible. The scariest thing is that the company have had multiple chances to avoid this incoming iceberg. There was the triple threat main event at Genesis. Absolutely no one would've thought twice about Hardy dropping the World Heavyweight Title in a match where the odds were stacked against him. Yet he retained. Then, worst case scenario, the 'Fallen Angel' Christopher Daniels had just earned himself a shot at Hardy's World Title the very same night. But it won't surprise the average wrestling fan to learn *spoiler* Daniels doesn't come out on top of this encounter.

Having missed every opportunity to remove Jeff Hardy as World Heavyweight Champion, we're now left knowing there will be no Champion on the UK Tour or the four weeks of Impact Wrestling stemming from it. To account for the World Champion's absence, TNA have enacted an injury cover story. *spoiler* Aces and Eights will turn their attention towards the Title next week and take Hardy out in brutal fashion.While I will never turn down an opportunity to watch Hardy beaten like a government mule, it's too little, too late.

As (inexplicably) beloved as Jeff Hardy is by the TNA fanbase, I keep coming back to the same conclusion where the UK Tour is concerned - Hardy MUST be stripped of the Title in absentia and the Manchester/London shows used to find a new Champion. We all know how TNA love a good tournament. In the past month alone we've had tournaments for the X Division Title and a 'One Night Only' Tag Team special. Another thing TNA love is crowning a new World Champion at a show "on the road". This creates a much larger scale than by simply doing it in the Impact Zone and that footage will be looked back on for years to come.

Even though these Impact tapings take place over an insanely short amount of time, the company must be represented by that footage for the next month at least. To put their best foot forward, TNA need a World Champion and the American legal system says that can't be Jeff Hardy. He had a good run across Bound for Glory, Turning Point, Final Resolution and Genesis. Hell, I've known wrestlers win a title one month, drop it the next, Hardy has managed four. But if you can't defend the belt for a month, you're as good as forfeit.

Written by Mark Clements

Follow us on Facebook at Canned Heat Wrestling

News: World Champion Jeff Hardy NOT appearing on UK Tour?

Reports suggest that, despite being advertised, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Jeff Hardy, will NOT be appearing on the UK Tour next week.

His absence stems from the same felony conviction that kept him from appearing on last year's international shows.

This presents an interesting logistical question, as TNA will be forced to explain why their Champion cannot appear on an entire month's worth of programming, set to be filmed in Manchester and London.

Hardy is scheduled to defend his World Heavyweight Championship on the January 24th edition of Impact Wrestling (to be taped tomorrow) against 'The Fallen Angel' Christopher Daniels. Throwaway TV match or last minute swerve?

Ringside Report: NBW Southside Wrestling: Supremacy (19/08/12)

Back in January the Maximum Impact IV tour inspired me; I have been a wrestling fan for many years but before my venture to the Capital FM Arena, I had only previously been to two wrestling live events, both held by the WWE and both over 10 years ago; but watching the likes of A.J. Styles and Austin Aries in person made me want more. Last month I attended Leicester Championship Wrestling's 'Summertime' event and now I had a front row ticket for Southside's 'Supremecy' event in which the main attraction was to see Ring Of Honor's Davey Richards in person as he is regarded as one of the best in the world.

Arriving at the venue I wasn't sure what to expect, the LCW show I attended was good but had a crowd made up of kids; but walking into the bar waiting area I could tell this would be different, a large array of different people but only a small number of children to be seen and a variety of wrestling t shirts ranging from the everyday WWE CM Punk shirts to the rarity of ROH merchandise. 

After a lengthy delay, presumably down to the Q&A session taking place we were allowed into the arena, we were sat on top of a bowling green, but I guess finding  places to hold events is tough and once I was seated I was in a wrestling arena rather than anywhere else.

Seated at ringside, right in front of the corner of the ring near to the wrestlers entrance way and sound desk, it was worth the extra fiver not to have anybody in front of me to have the perfect view, only spoilt on occasion by the camera men trying to make their living. 

The show kicked off and the ring announcer 'Diamond Dale Mills' made his way to the ring to a chorus of boo's, but only from the side of the crowd that I was in! Having not read up on the history I was a little taken aback, but on the introduction of Harvey Dale it became clear there was a divide between Southside and the House of Pain which are two promotions (but seemed more like factions such like the WWE Invasion angle) and the crowd behind me was made up of HOP trainees. The two in the ring had a good back on forth on the mic and set the tone of the rest of the show and then introduced the opening bout of Lionheart vs. Ego Dragon, Harvey was then sent packing to the back and DDM took a spot on the commentary table. The match was a solid opener and I was familiar with Lionheart having seen some of his matches on the internet, but the crowd heat died off from the opening promo and the in ring action suffered slightly from it, Ego Dragon picked up the win which continued his undefeated streak    

The second match on the card was a treat as it was unscheduled, Gresham and MK Mkinnon took on the 'LDRS of the New School'  Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr in tag team action. LDRS are regarded as the best British tag team and from this showing its easy to see why, once the novelty of referring to 'Party' Marty as that guy from ITV's Take Me Out has worn off. The match built from comedy moments at the start including lots of hugging and 'wrestling friends' to a hard fought, hard hitting bout which showcased the talents of all involved including some great technical wrestling and excellent selling by ZSJ who spent a large period of the match looking out of it right by my feet. LDRS picked up the win and Zack challenged Marty for a shot at his Speed King Title for later on this evening. 

The entrance of Rockstar Spud

The next 'match' segment brought out HOP's Max Angelus with Harvey Dale to face Rockstar Spud; who coming to the ring to the whole of Living On A Prayer rivalled any Wrestlemania entrance in length; Spud grabbed a mic and said he didn't want to be there so tried to strike a deal with Dale to make Max lie down for him, this went back and forth with Max initially refusing and riled up the crowd giving back and forth opinions with the HOP side yelling for him to do it and the rest telling him to stand up for himself. After a period of time Max hesitantly got on his back while Spud instructed the camera man and referee to do exactly what he wanted, after the two count though Angelus reveresed the pin and rolled up Spud for the three count. Dale was angry at Max clearly setting up a further angle between the two. 

During the segment I have to say how great Spud was on the mic, his entrance gave him a sleazy feel but his mic work made him despised, especially as he talked down to audience members and bossed around the employees, but he played his part elevating this segment. 

The next contest was a six man tag splitting the audience as it was House of Pain (The Predators and SC Supreme) vs. Team SWE (Martin Kirby, Robbie X and Mad Man Manson). The match showcased everybody's abilities and having read about Mad Man in Fighting Spirit Magazine was amused to see his act in person, with drawn on ring boots, straight jacket and random moves such as nipple twists which added to the match making sure it didn't go too much in one direction.

Noam Dar - Future Superstar

Noam Dar came out next which meant it was time for Davey Richards, going into the event this was the match I was most excited for and it delivered! From stiff looking kicks to hard hitting knocks in and out of the ring this was an excellent match up. Davey picked up the victory but Dar came out looking like the winner, going toe to toe with one of the best in the world, a few more matches like this and it wouldn't surprise me if he was called up to one of the big American companies.
After the match Davey grabbed the mic and put Dar over, then it was time for the interval where Richards stayed in the ring for photo's while selling a very serious limp, whilst Lionheart was selling merchandise in which I quizzed him over a number of things and am hopefully looking forward to seeing him on the Maximum Impact Tour next January.

Richards - Best In The World

After the break it was time for the Speed King title match between LDRS members Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr. The match started slowly between the two friends and tag partners with holds taking part between jokes and reversals being more a 'you can do it, I can do it' mentality but this built into another excellent match with each willing to do anything to become the victor. The crowd were a little flat during this match but I think it was mainly down to not knowing which man to cheer for!  Scrull retained his title in the end after hitting a tombstone and ZSJ was upset with the loss and almost went straight to the back, but Marty won him over and the two embraced to send Zack off on his tour of Japan, with a promise of a rematch in the future to whet out appetites.

The Main Event was to crown a SWE Heavyweight Championship and started with Stixx coming to the ring in street clothes as no opponent had been named for him. After another two and fro between Harvey Dale and 'DDM' the HOP side of the crowd were demanding Stixx just be awarded the strap, but then Mark Haskins was announced as his opponent and the match was a NO DQ match! The match was wild and spilt into the crowd on multiple occasions, the crowd were all on their feet lifting the roof off the venue with the noise being made as the two athletes threw everything at one another, well mostly chairs! HOP got involved in the match but SWE members came to chase them to the back, duelling referees played their part and eventually Stixx picked up the victory, after Harvey Dale took a super-kick off the apron.

The HOP side of the crowd went mental for Stixx winning and he made his way to celebrate with them as Haskins pulled himself together in the ring as stated this wouldn't be the end between them. The crowd continued to be at war with one another with the HOP rubbing the title win in the faces of the rest of the crowd. Once the excitement had died down a little Stixx and co went backstage to draw an end to a fantastic show.



I can only recommend that if you see a promotion close to you holding a show then you should give it a try and if you can make it to a Southside show then what's stopping you! From reports I may have been lucky and caught one of the best independent shows ever in this country but it shows that with quality talent and booking this was from top to bottom an excellent card and definitely worth the price of admission with the only down point to the show was that Juvi Guerrera pulling, but the talent on show and getting to meet most of the card afterwards more than made up for it!
I saw Stixx open the LCW show I attended before this and little could I have predicted he would have been beating a TNA superstar the next event, it just goes to show that you never know what to expect!

Written and Photos by: @Robbie_G_CH

Full set of photos at: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.395327070531472.94499.225595667504614&type=3

International Impact

The set of Ring Ka King
(http://www.wrestlestars.com/2011/12/tnas-ring-ka-king-set/)

TNA have gone International. With Ring Ka King being in full swing and Impact Wrestling from London's Wembley arena airing this week and next, a different side to TNA can be seen opposed to the usual site of the Impact Zone. 

Don't take that as a dislike to the Impact Zone, having a business head on my shoulders I know the benefits of that the 'zone' brings to TNA but seeing the intro to this weeks Impact and being in the crowd at Nottingham it is refreshing to see crowds who care for the product rather than being there to be entertained whilst on holiday (again not saying that all the crowd are Disney tourists) as the atmosphere in the 'zone' can sometimes deter away from the product. The financial implications to take Impact on the road could be crippling doubled up with the extra travelling the wrestlers would do but it would be nice to see shows similar to last years ventures on the road, even it is just a taping every other month or the odd PPV just to add the extra buzz into the show. 

Anyway with the television launch of Ring Ka King and the great crowd's at the Maximum Impact tour I was deliberating the idea of whether TNA could hold a similar event to Ring Ka King here in the UK? well of course my answer was a yes but to what extent is the problem I am stumbling over. I'm not very knowledgeable of the UK wrestling scene but after going to the TNA show in Nottingham I have done a little research, well actually my first research occurred oddly after watching the ITV show 'Take Me Out' when Marty Scrull's appearance drew comments on twitter from Nick (Magnus) Aldis; but anyway I know there are multiple regional promotions and a lot of talented guys that appear across the different promotions, I have watched a few matches on TV this weekend and have to say I'm impressed and sad that I have overlooked the UK scene for so long which is mainly down to the minimal exposure I have had to the scene. 

Mark Haskins has appeared occasionally on TNA
(http://www.pbwwrestling.com/roster/mark-haskins)

TNA could do a television taping in the same way they have done so with Ring Ka King to crown a King of the ring of England, or something to that extent. I don't think that a title need be involved but a trophy would be a nice touch. The format would be a knockout tournament so that it would not get bogged down with storylines and would include (if possible) the best wrestlers on the UK scene and throwing in some lesser used TNA stars to bring some recognised names to entice viewers who may be put off my 'unknowns' and could take place once or even twice a year. 

This venture would not only give UK fans a taste of televised wrestling that looks set to be an annual event on the Maximum Impact tour but would also promote the talent that is under our noses in the UK, Mark Haskins (@Mark_Haskins) has had little time to make an impression in the brief appearances he has made on Impact, but he among with others such as the aforementioned Scurll (@MartyTakeMeOut), Lionheart (@LionheartUK) and Noam Dar (@NoamDar) to name but a few would have their time to shine on the biggest platform with the wider viewers that TNA brings in.

It is about time the UK had some home grown talent on TV and this seems like the perfect way to do so,they could use the footage on Xplosion and it would boost the growing profiles of the UK talent and could benefit TNA in multiple ways, they would receive increased exposure too and have access to new talent that the may consider signing. 

In the meantime I intend to check out more UK shows and I advise you all to do so too! 

@Robbie_G_CH

TNA Maximum Impact Tour IV: Nottingham Results 26/01/2012

Capital FM Arena, Nottingham

Match One:  Douglas Williams def. Gunner via pinfall.
Match Two: Samoa Joe & Crimson fought to a double DQ.
Match Three: Austin Aries def. Mark Haskins & Alex Shelley via pinfall to retain the X Division Championship.
Match Four: Gail Kim def. Tara, Mickie James & Madison Rayne via pinfall after attacking Tara with the title belt to retain the Knockouts Championship.
Match Five: A.J. Styles def. Bully Ray via pinfall.
Match Six: James Storm def. Bobby Roode via DQ. Roode retains the World Heavyweight Championship.
Match Seven: James Storm, Hulk Hogan & Sting def. Bobby Roode, Bully Ray & Kurt Angle via pinfall.

These are just the results of the show, for more in depth check back in the next few days for our exclusive tag team take.

@Robbie_G_CH

TNA 2012 Maximum Impact Tour IV

On January 26th the stars of Impact Wrestling will be arriving on British shores for their annual tour of the UK and this year for the first time ever will be filming Impact Wrestling outside of the US and we here at Canned Heat can't wait!

From Sting's last ever UK appearance to Hulk Hogan's first in 18 years, World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, The Phenomenal A.J Styles and X Division Champion Austin Aries there is something for everybody and a hell of a lot of talent on show!
Despite the list of talent above I have heard a number of complaints from fans that Jeff Hardy and RVD will not be on the shows, I'm not to sure why RVD has been excluded but I imagine it's allowing his storyline injury to pay off along with the rumour he is keen to head back to WWE and Hardy to my knowledge isn't allowed to leave the US due to the result of his drugs conviction. As big a draw as both athletes are that shouldn't deter fans from going to see the show; you don't buy a PPV for just one match so enjoy what other talents are on the card.

Impact Wrestling

The final date of the tour is now the date gathering the most attention, not only is it in the capital at Wembley but now it has been announced that Impact Wrestling will be filmed outside of the US for the first time in TNA's history!
The filming will include 2 episodes of Impact Wrestling which is usual for tapings but will be something new for the UK fans who will be experiencing this for the first time. Not only is this a privilege for the UK to host Impact but for those two TV shows the feeling will be totally different to that of the Impact Zone, hopefully the excitement and scale will come across more like a PPV event and encourage TNA to take Impact back on the road around America and back to the UK in the future.

Wrestling Matters

For those unable to attend the Impact taping and Wembley like ourselves, I wouldn't be too disheartened, the talent listed on show will be provide an excellent evening out and house shows generally provide a better quality of match as things do not need to be crammed in or happen to move along a storyline.
Looking at the announced names we have an idea of the match ups that we will likely see, chances are the Nottingham and Manchester shows will vary, but this is our guess on what will be on the cards:

Hulk Hogan / Sting / Storm vs Roode / Angle / Bully Ray

Crimson / Morgan vs Samoa Joe / Magnus

Kazarian vs A.J Styles

Gail Kim / Madison Rayne vs Mickie James / Tara

Austin Aries vs Alex Shelley 

Doug Williams vs Gunner 

There are a number of possible match ups that could occur over the events and I'm sure most fans would be happy with any of them, Samoa Joe has a title shot which he earned on Xplosion which will also be cashed in on the tour and don't be surprised if more wrestlers than advertised turn up to the show!

All in all this tour is bringing most of TNA's biggest names, Hulk Hogan is only there for selling power but it seems to have worked and gained media interest in the tour, Sting will be in his last ever matches on these shores and a roster full of talent will be making for three entertaining evenings, see you all in the stands!

@Robbie_G_CH