The Big News: Mick Foley will make his first company appearance as a wrestler at Genesis in a six-man match. And Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle had a pull-apart brawl. If you’re looking for a Christmas review featuring a barbed-wire tree, you’ll be disappointed.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to everyone. On with the show.

Mick Foley came out to start the show. He was upset that the Main Event Mafia promised him no more gangland-style hits, only to jump Samoa Joe later in the show. Joe was announced as just being released from the hospital after three days after having his arm mangled. Foley cut a promo on Kurt Angle saying the “code” was a pile of angle, and the next time there would be a gangland-style hit, he might become personally involved. The mafia came out. Angle said it was all a misunderstanding because Kevin Nash and Sting didn’t want to be involved in last week’s cage match, and when you put them in a savage match, they act like savages. Angle then called Kevin Nash one of the greatest wrestlers in the world. Well, it is Christmas. Angle then tried to talk Foley into joining the mafia. Foley said he couldn’t put a match together for Nash, Booker T and Scott Steiner for Genesis because the Mafia may take out their opponents, but he could order a double main event for tonight’s show. He said he would force Booker and Steiner to face Brother Devon and A.J. Styles. Angle said he didn’t want to give away a PPV match for free. They barely have time to give away squash matches for free. Foley also ordered Angle to face Rhino tonight with Jeff Jarrett at ringside as a special enforcer. Foley vowed to get physically involved if the mafia interfered.

Rhino did a backstage interview on Angle saying he would feel pain tonight, not emotion.

1. Chris Sabin defeated Kiyoshi in 4:29 in the semifinals of the TNA X Division tournament. Sheik Abdul Bashir was watching from the ramp because Shane Sewell was back as referee after his two week suspension. Kiyoshi did a straight jacket neckbreaker and controlled the early going. Sabin performed a hesistation drop kick after Kiyoshi was tied to the tree of woe. Sabin did a tornado DDT for a near fall. Kiyoshi did the Taijiri triple kick and hit a lightning flash (thrown Death Valley driver) for a near fall. Kiyoshi missed a moonsault and Sabin hit an enzuigiri and got the pin with a cradle shock. Good, but not as much as Sabin’s match with Sonjay Dutt last week. ***

Postmatch, Bashir came to the ring to confront Sewell, who tried to walk out of the ring but Bashir stopped him and slapped him. Bashir kept egging him on and Sewell teased going off, but just as he was ready to pull of his shirt the lights went out and Suicide floated in. Crowd didn’t seem as eager to see him clean Bashir’s clock, but that’s exactly what he did.

Backstage, Sarah Palin met with the Beautiful People in front of a crowd of people chanting “velvet.” Palin wanted them to meet the public, but the Beautiful People wanted no part of them. Then Palin led them into a crowd of people while Angelina Love and Velvet Sky screamed. I have no idea why the crowd was chanting velvet, what the point of this skit was, or even the point of anything regarding Sarah Palin on TNA to begin with.

Mike Tenay did a taped sit-down interview with Jeff Jarrett. It was filled with some insider comments. Jarrett said that he hired Angle two years ago to become the face of the company, but Angle has gotten to a point where he thinks he’s bigger than the company. Jarrett said TNA needs Angle, but Angle needs TNA just as badly. As for the comments that Angle makes about his family, Jarrett said he doesn’t think that Angle is the same person he was two years ago. He said that losing to Angle at Genesis isn’t an option, he has to win for his career, his company and his family. It was a good interview to make the match seem more important than any PPV main event in recent history.

As Tenay and Don West went back on the air “live,” Angle walked up to the announcer’s booth and said he would hurt Jarrett tonight. And just to make sure Rhino doesn’t get in the way, Angle was bringing Sting with him. Well, since Jarrett knew what to expect, I guess that made it easier to prepare. It’s amazing how much smarter the babyfaces become in this company when the owner gets involved again.

Rough Cut: Beer Money continued with a piece focusing on how the team was formed. Much more kayfabe this week. Robert Roode mentioned after the team was formed after Slammiversary, he wasn’t sure if fans would react like they were a cheap knockoff of America’s Most Wanted. To the company’s credit, they didn’t bury Chris Harris. James Storm just mentioned that Roode brings something to the table that Harris couldn’t bring, and vice versa. Roode said he thinks they’re the best tag team in the world today. As far as major companies go, it’s hard to disagree. They said it didn’t matter what the fans thought of Beer Money.

Then came yet another video segment detailing Beer Money’s program with Matt Morgan and Abyss. Morgan then did an interview where he ordered Abyss to stay silent, and he did. Morgan cut a serious promo on Beer Money vowing to get even with them at Genesis.

Styles and Devon were backstage with Jeremy Borash. Styles revealed that before Joe went out to the ring before his tag match last week, he learned his wife was in labor with his first child. Now, the first time Joe would hold his little girl in his arms, it would be with a broken arm. Another case of trying to use family situations for the mafia to get heat. Styles got emotional but couldn’t really pull this off convincingly. Devon said Team 3-D had been together for 15 years. Well, it’s really 12 but who’s counting? Devon said in all that time, he had never known Brother Ray to second guess himself, until now when Ray asked the Front Line to leave two weeks ago so he could face Angle.

Alex Shelley and Sabin were backstage celebrating Sabin’s win earlier. Borash called Kiyoshi “Kiyashi.” With that said, Borash would have been so much better than Drew Carey two weeks ago when the Price is Right contestant got the Showcase Showdown price guess exactly right. That was a once in a decade moment, and Carey was more subdued than Vince McMahon promoting a Rock DVD. If it had been Borash, there would have been minor pyrotechnics involved. Anyway, there’s still a tease of the Motor City Machine Guns doing a program with Borash as Shelley was annoying him. Sabin did a total heel interview calling Kiyoshi the “not so Great Muta.” Shelley ran down Eric Young when Young walked in upset about how Shelley was dressed for some reason. Young slapped Shelley and they brawled all the way to the ring. Shelley was supposed to be the heel but got more cheers. Another screwed up dynamic. It was funny watching Sabin try to intervene but getting held back by Consequences Creed. It ended with Young doing a tope on both Shelley and Sabin while Creed and Black Machismo ran out to break it up.

In the ninth straight segment without wrestling, Jeremy Borash appeared with this week’s text message come on. He claimed contract negotiations have broken down with two TNA superstars. They cut to ODB, Roxxi, Christy Hemme, Taylor Wilde and Traci Brooks for a promo for the 2nd annual Santa Helper’s match. What a relief. I had visions of having to write a review for the 2nd annual Silent Night, Bloody Night match, which was sure to be trumped by Brian and Vinny’s radio review. Then again, this entire review is destined to be overshadowed by the Christmas radio show, which has more high spots than a Vince Russo wet dream.

There was four minutes of wrestling in the first hour of the show. You know, they didn’t have enough time when the show was one hour in 2006.

A.J. Styles and Brother Devon fought to a no contest against Scott Steiner and Booker T in 8:50. It was a match used for an angle. Styles was more aggressive in this match, but was also in the tricky position of having to sell a lot since Steiner can barely move anymore. Even worse, Steiner’s punches are starting to resemble Sid Vicious in 1999. It broke down to a four way brawl where they slammed each other into the ring announcer’s table, the barricade, etc. After a commercial, Devon and Booker brawled to the back of the Impact zone while Styles and Steiner fought into the crowd. Devon fought to the same dumpster where Ray was laid out two weeks ago, where Nash and Angle jumped him and handcuffed him to the dumpster. Meanwhile, Styles took out Steiner with a flying forearm, while Angle and Nash did run-ins only to get knocked down. Booker ran back to the ring, but Styles knocked him down with a Pele kick. Angle hit Styles from behind and the mafia put the boots to him. They teased giving Styles the Pillman treatment with his arm wedged into a chair, but Creed, Young and Machismo ran in to get destroyed. The mafia put the boots to him before Rhino ran in. You’ll notice no Sting involvement in any of this. Crowd chanted for Foley. Some of the heels sold for Rhino before Steiner took him out with some awkward looking chair shots to the back. Again, the mafia was about to break Styles arm before Foley ran out. I was ready to see Foley clean house as much as anyone, but asking him to run down the ramp on his Kenta Kobashi-caliber knees was not a good idea. Still, everyone sold for Foley like he was a star and the crowd loved the comeback. **

After a commercial, Foley cut an in-ring promo announcing Nash, Booker and Steiner would face Devon, Styles and Foley in a six-man match at Genesis. Foley’s return got a big pop. Whatever happened to Foley not announcing any of the other mafia members to Genesis matches from earlier in the show?

Taylor Wilde, ODB, Christy Hemme and Roxxi defeated Raisha Saeed, Rhaka Kahn, Awesome Kong and Sojourner Bolt in a Santa’s Helper Streetfight match at 5:27. Ever see a street fight where no weapons were used? If you saw this match, you did. In fact, it was a basic tag team match until about three minutes in. Why a match needs tag when it’s a street fight is anyone’s guess. Tide turned when Kong tagged in, and she put the boots to three of the faces trying to interfere while holding Hemme in a chinlock. It turned into a eight-way brawl. They did the wise thing and leg Wilde and Saaed work in the ring while everyone else brawled. It led to a big spot where Wilde did a plancha onto the seven others outside the ring. Wilde pinned Kahn with a rolling ¾ nelson for the pin. *1/4

Brutus Magnus is still coming, talking like he’s Maximus from Gladiator again.

Kurt Angle defeated Rhino by DQ at 12:09. Again, a match built around an angle, this time with Jarrett’s presence at ringside controlling Angle’s attention Rhino clotheslined Angle over the top to the floor. Angle gave Rhino a shoulder block and then spit a Jarrett, leading to Jarrett going into the ring and having to be pulled away by every referee in the company. Can’t say they aren’t building the Genesis main event up well. The heart of the match was Angle working on Rhino’s ribs using shoulder blocks and a bear hug. Rhino pulled out of the bear hug and got the running shoulder block to the gut and a belly to belly. Angle blocked a gore attempt with a kick to the gut, but Rhino eventually hit a spinebuster for a near fall. Angle got a fireman’s carry into an ankle lock, but Rhino rolled through and Angle went to the floor. Jarrett was giving Angle a lot of lip on the outside, but Angle slapped him in the mouth. Jarrett charged after Angle, who dodged and Jarrett went into the barricade. Man, two faces outsmarted by one heel, and one of the faces is the company owner. Talk about making the faces look inept. In the ring, Angle put the ankle lock on Rhino. Jarrett ran in and jumped Angle, and it turned into a pull apart brawl. Terry Taylor and B.G. James joined security in pulling them away. James screamed at Angle to control his emotions. Angle hauled off and decked him with one punch. The announcers freaked out like Angle had punched a long-term front office member, as opposed to someone who has been with the company for years. **

SUMMARY: Can’t say they aren’t building Genesis well. The attention to detail regarding top programs is certainly better whenever the company owner is involved. Still, you had to endure a year’s worth of talk to get there. But the television is at least helping build the PPV, which should always be the purpose.

Jeff Hamlin
jhamlin@vilcom.com