TNA IMPACT! Slamback: Stroke This!

Nothing could prepare anyone for what happened at Hard Justice. Sting made his mark on AJ Styles. Beer Money showed the upside of slamming a beer. And Samoa Joe pulled another surprise out of his hat to reclaim his stolen championship.

So what would last night's IMPACT! bring to the table for the battered superstars of TNA?

Kong meets her Godzilla

The TNA Knockouts Champion made great work out of Christy Hemme as she continued her new found dominance of the Knockouts Division. But it was what happened after the bell that left everyone wondering what would happen next.

After Taylor Wilde defeated Hemme, Awesome Kong came down to extract more revenge on the woman who shocked the world last month. Thanks to Raisha Saeed, Kong was able to ground the high flyer, but just when it looked like all was lost for Wilde, Gail Kim came down to the ring and took out the massive behemoth. Thanks to her rescue, Kim now has a new score to settle with Kong.

And next week on IMPACT!, Kong and Kim will lock horns in a Knockouts Street Fight. The next chapter of this heated rivalry begins next week, and expect more plot twists to take place during this bout.

Bound For a Blaze of Glory

Samoa Joe pulled out a huge victory over Booker T at Hard Justice. But it was what happened last night on IMPACT! that had everyone wondering how long he would be the World Champion. After Joe made it clear that things were just getting interesting around here.

Thanks to TNA Management, he was right. Jim Cornette made the huge announcement that Samoa Joe will be defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a "Four Ways to Glory" Match at No Surrender. Qualifying will start next week as Booker T will face Rhino in a qualifying match.

As for Joe, he along with Kevin Nash got a hard fought victory over Team 3D, but the Champion snapped after the match and prompted the ref to reverse his decision. Despite all that, Joe now knows that he will have to go through hell once more to make it to Chicago and Bound For Glory.

An Unlikely Alliance Forms

Matt Morgan has made it clear that he is on his way to the top. His mission: To become TNA World Heavyweight Champion. After making quick work of Johnny Devine, he realized that his mission may have met a roadblock.

After the bell last night, Team 3D hit the ring and began to assault The Blueprint. But before they could make any severe impact, The Monster Abyss hit the ring and sent the duo flying. Following a Black Hole Slam, The Monster and The Blueprint exchanged handshakes and apparently started a partnership of mutual respect.

With two of the most dangerous forces in TNA now united under one common goal, how will TNA be able to handle the possible arrival of a more dangerous tag team than the current champs, Beer Money? Speaking of Beer Money...

Here For The Beer...Staying for the Fight

After "slamming" their way to tag team gold at Hard Justice, and taking out Homicide in the process, Beer Money was on a high that beer and shots couldn't capitalize on. But they forgot about one simple thing: Never go against the family.

Hernandez got a measure of revenge for his vato after taking out Cowboy James Storm in one on one competition last night. But thanks to Robert Roode and Miss Jackie, it almost didn't happen. Despite constant interference from his partners, The Tennessee Cowboy couldn't handle the massive strength of the lone LAX behemoth.

With Homicide on the sideline, it's clear that LAX is not going away anytime soon...but there could be some help for the weary on the horizon because...

The Legends Continue to Cross The Line

At Hard Justice, Sting crossed the line once again. He dropped AJ Styles with a Scorpion Death Drop, then he walked away as if nothing happened. When approached by Kevin Nash after the incident, Sting said that he was not confused by his actions. He told Nash that his biological clock was ticking, and he was at the end of his ropes. He ended his confrontation with it's now or never. But Sting wasn't the only seasoned vet that was making noise at Hard Justice...

Thanks to a mysterious guitar that popped into the ring after the lights went out, Samoa Joe was able to reclaim his stolen gold from Booker T. The 6x World Champion was not happy with coming up short in a match that he had a basis in. But not even Sting's trusty bat could save Booker T from feeling The Stroke from a legend's trusty hardware.

But Booker T wasn't the only one to feel the wrath of The Stroke. Last night on IMPACT!, Kurt Angle was out to prove that he was better than Styles. To show his dominance, he issued a Gold Medal Challenge to The Phenomenal One...with the prize being the ultimate championship: Angle's 2006 Olympic Gold Medal. After the ref got tossed out of the ring, Angle delivered a clothesline to drop Styles. He then looked towards the rafters, and just like that, the lights went out and Sting's music hit.

As Angle wielded Sting's black baseball bat, the lights went out again, and this time it was Jeff Jarrett's music that sent the IMPACT! Zone into a frenzy. After the lights came back on, Styles turned into a member of Pearl Jam and cracked the Olympic Champion over the cranium with the guitar. Styles then pinned a knocked out and bloodied Angle to win the match and the Olympic Gold Medal.

If this is a sign of things to come, it's clear that the mere mention of the names of The Icon and The King of The Mountain are enough to have everyone looking over their shoulder. With No Surrender almost a month away, it's clear that Sting and Jarrett could have lit the right fire that will force everyone to either cross the line or get taken out via The Stroke.