TNA Impact Wrestling: Hulk Hogan Returns, James Storm vs. Bobby Roode and More

TNA Impact Wrestling from London England opened with Bobby Roode and Bully Ray heading to the ring.

They said that Jeff Hardy wouldn’t be there due to what happened last week, then Bully Ray showed off his calves.

They took out Hardy but the job wasn’t done yet. They called out James Storm and he made his way to the ring.

The Icon Sting then immediately came out. He gave an update on Hardy, said that he was doing fine and that he’d be ready for Against All Odds on February 12th.

He then booked a fatal-four-way match for the title between Roode, Bully Ray, Hardy and Storm at the PPV.

Storm wanted both of them now so Sting booked a double main event with James Storm taking on Bobby Roode and Bully Ray in separate matches.

I felt this was a good way to open the show. The fans got to find out what the main event was for the PPV as well as the show they were watching at that moment.

Roode and Bully Ray were great on the mic and I’m loving Sting as an authority figure.

I also like that TNA has been keeping their in-ring segments short and to the point as of late. It gives more time for matches!

Backstage, Garett Bischoff is on the phone with his trainer. He’s looking forward to the show and can’t wait for him to arrive.

I can’t wait for him to arrive as well; mainly because it’s pretty obvious who his trainer is.

Magnus and Samoa Joe vs. Matt Morgan and Crimson: Non-Title Buckingham Brawl

A coin toss determined the advantage. With Morgan choosing heads and the coin landing on tails, Joe and Magnus got to be in the ring at the same time while the champions had to tag in and out.

The ending saw Joe and Magnus pick up the victory when they hit their finisher.

I thought this was a good match. While it was one-sided at times, it showed the cohesive unit that Joe and Magnus have become.

This was also something different, which is always good to see!

Joe and Magnus have had the upper hand in this feud since after Genesis and have been making the champions look weak.

Morgan and Crimson may have started out strong, but Joe and Magnus have become a better team than Morgan and Crimson ever were.

If TNA were smart, they’d give the belts to Joe and Magnus. They could carry the division back up the ladder.

It would also help if TNA brought in some more teams as well.

Backstage, Eric Bischoff had arrived. I hope this father/son feud ends soon; Eric needs to be taken off of television.

Bischoff made his way out to the ring next.

He was there to burst his son’s bubble. He called out Garret and he came to the ring. Daddy said that he was living in a fantasy and that his training was a sad waste of time.

His trainer is a coward and will never back him up.

Garret then decided to answer his phone and declared that his trainer had just arrived and wanted to see Eric later.

I liked this segment because it was short and to the point.

I’m not quite sold on Garret Bischoff just yet. I’d like to see him in a legit match before I support him as a wrestler.

Mark Haskins vs. Austin Aries

Austin Aries picked up the win with the Brainbuster, then bridged into a submission hold.

This was quite the good match. The match was even at times, had a good pace to it and featured some nice moves.

Austin Aries continues to prove why he deserves that title. I think that by the end of the year, A Double will be challenging for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

Mark Haskins put on a good show against the champion here. He showed that he should be featured on Impact Wrestling more often.

He’s got a lot of skill, though he doesn’t seem too good at executing a shooting star press.

Perhaps he took lessons from Brock Lesnar on that move.

Either way, Haskins was able to keep up and perform very well next to the X-Division champion.

Backstage, Eric Bischoff was trying to call for a taxi but seemed to be having some trouble. Sting then appeared and hung up the phone. He led Bischoff back into arena to meet his fate.

Eric Bischoff really should not be featured this much.

James Storm vs. Bobby Roode: Non-Title Match

Bobby Roode picked up the victory with a spear after Bully Ray caused a distraction. Post-match, Bully Ray delivered a Rock Bottom to Storm onto the title belt.

This was a good match that was a nice preview to the eventual big one-on-one match between these two.

TNA fans have been waiting to see Storm gets his hands on Roode one-on-one since Roode took the title away from him and they got it here.

Both were great in the ring and the match really added to the feud.

I loved Bully Ray’s involvement because it makes the fatal-four-way match even more unpredictable.

The bully may have Roode’s back now, but will he have it when he has a chance to become a world champion?

Tara vs. Gail Kim: Non-Title Match

Tara got the victory when she hit the Widow’s Peak after Madison Rayne accidentally hit Gail Kim.

I thought this was a great match. The women of TNA have the tools to put on great matches and the company lets them do exactly that.

Gail Kim was great and proved why she’s champion despite her reign being kind of boring.

Tara showed that she’s still got it as a singles wrestler and seems ready to take the title away from Gail.

These two women know each other inside of the ring and it showed here.

The Knockouts division has been lacking a bit lately, with Mickie James getting title shot after title shot, but this feud could really re-ignite the division and produce a number of great matches.

WWE, I hope you were taking notes, since this is how a women’s wrestling match should go.

Garret Bischoff then made his way out. He thanked the fans for their support but before he could introduce his trainer, his father and Gunner came out.

Eric still doesn’t believe that he was going to show but then Hulk Hogan’s music hit!

After an almost four-month absence, the Hulkster was back in TNA.

He and Garret punched Gunner back-and-forth before Hulk knocked him to the ground. Gunner ran off and pulled Eric out with him.

Hogan ripped off his shirt to end the segment.

This was apparently Hogan’s first time in England in over a decade and the fans loved every second of it. He without a doubt got the biggest reaction of the night.

It’s great to see the Hulkster back in TNA and as long as he doesn’t get back into the ring I’m fine with him sticking around for the long haul.

I’ve been a life-long Hulkamaniac, but I don’t want to see him back in the ring.

Hogan would be best utilized in a managerial role. As someone’s mouthpiece, he could really benefit the wrestler he’s paired with in this case—Garret Bischoff—and possibly TNA as a whole.

Backstage, Hogan said that Garret has Hulkamania behind him and that Eric will be at his feet soon.

The United Kingdom is behind him and they will sniff out Eric for him. He’ll feed him to his son and the Hulkster will take the leftovers.

He then went onto say that it was TNA’s birthright to be bigger and better. TNA is doing everything right and greatness is the company’s destiny.

While he certainly can’t wrestle anymore, the Immortal one can still talk.

I agree with him 100 percent that TNA is destined for greatness.

They’ve been on a roll for the past couple of months and if they’re able to keep it up throughout the year, WWE may finally have some real competition on their hands.

Bully Ray vs. James Storm

James Storm picked up the win with the Last Call superkick. Both Bobby Roode and Sting were at ringside and the Icon chased away the champion with a cricket bat.

This was mostly controlled by Bully Ray but this encounter was a good match.

The former Dudley boy is really a great heel and is the second-best heel in the company behind the champion Bobby Roode.

He can handle himself in the ring and knows how to get under the crowd's skin with his actions inside the squared circle.

James Storm was great once again and did a good job playing hurt.

This match made it seem like he had a “never say die” attitude and wouldn’t give up despite being in pain.

It’s only a matter of time before both of these men are TNA world champions, and 2012 could very well be their year for greatness.

Overall this episode of Impact Wrestling was great.

I felt that all of the matches delivered and were solid while the in-ring segments were short and to the point.

There were only four backstage segments, which is a very low number compared to previous weeks.

The London crowd was hot all night and it created a great atmosphere. I can only imagine how it was to be there live.

TNA Wrestling has been very good over the past couple of months and I hope that they can keep it up throughout 2012.