Jimmy Earl Jones is once again on the precipice of greatness as he brings us a video package from Sacrifice to open the show. Great job, it makes me want to see the PPV again.

Monty Brown’s music hits and the Alpha Male is back! Christian looks like he’s happy to see ol’ Monty. The “Adrenaline Rush” music hits and Rhino, Abyss, Raven, and Ron Killings show up. Jeff Jarrett comes down the ramp and talks trash about how he’s the only one who deserves to be in the match. Sting’s music hits, and he might have something to say about all of this. He’s in the rafters like the old days. He says that since Jarrett has involved himself in King of the Mountain, he’s involved the Stinger. He also says Joe has made himself an enemy. Zybysko shows up on the monitors and says that there will be four qualifying matches to determine the four challengers in the King of the Mountain matches. He says that the first match is tonight, and no one will know their match until it’s announced that night. Zybysko’s sounded like a acting school dropout on his promo.

We learn that Senshi will prove his dominance next week. Hooray!

Zybysko has barred everyone from ringside, even locking both teams out of the ImpactZone. Nice, standard trading of reversals to kick things off. Sabin scores early with a kick to the gut, snapmare, and running kick to the back of the head. He scores again with a basement dropkick. The Sabin Splash works as well, but Petey comes back by tossing Sabin over the top rope. Williams follows that with a slingshot hurricanrana on the floor. Petey sets Sabin up and it’s time to sing his national anthem. Poor Sabin. They show the Spanish announcers, and we learn that LAX has refused to wrestle tonight. Konnan has corrupted Moody Jack Melendez! Meanwhile, Sabin scores with a springboard dropkick. Meanwhile again, Kevin Nash has showed up and knocked over a security guard. Oh no!

Sabin welcomes us back with a running big boot to Petey in the corner. He sets him up in the Tree of Woe, and mocks Petey’s singing by standing on his crotch. Nice. He follows that up with the patented Hesitation Dropkick, much to Don West’s enjoyment. A powerbomb gets two. Petey comes back by reversing a Sabin move into a bulldog. He locks in the Sharpshooter. He tries to surprise Sabin by quickly going for a Canadian Destroyer, but Sabin counters into the Cradle Shock. Petey escapes with an armdrag. The Side Canadian Leg Sweep scores for Petey. Williams goes to the top, but Sabin catches him. He turns it into the Cradle Shock and wins the World X Cup for Team USA!

Andrew Thomas presents him with the trophy, but Kevin Nash attacks him. Nash breaks the trophy and jabs part of into Sabin’s head. Sabin’s busted open and dragged to the ring by Nash. Big Kev hits the Jack Knife and grabs a mic. Sabin’s not much of a bleeder we see. Nash hits his new tagline, “Size Matters.” Team USA finally shows up to help Sabin out, along with Jerry Lynn. Shelley leaves with Nash, and Tenay doesn’t even comment on it.

Scott Steiner goes nuts yelling at Jarrett as we head to commercial.

Tenay tells us Borash is backstage with Samoa Joe. First, they say they’ll show us footage of what went down during the commercial break after Nash attacked Sabin. However, they don’t show us anything but what we already saw. Tenay just starts talking about the King of the Mountain qualifiers. Steiner’s music hits and he comes down screaming at Tenay and West. He attacks West screaming at him and choking him. Samoa Joe’s music hits and he has a staredown with Steiner. West says he “was scared to freaking death.”

Poor Chase, no introduction for him. He comes out flying though, taking Joe down with a dropkick to the knee. Joe doesn’t care much for it though and starts the killing. Chase tries to leapfrog him, but Joe just drops him face first. Joe just beats on Stevens on the ropes. Chase comes back with some body shots, but Joe takes him down with a powerslam. He locks in a sleeper hold, which turns into the Kokina Clutch. Chase taps out.

Joe just keeps kicking him. Andy Douglas makes his big return to try to save Chase. Joe acts like he’s going to back off, and he does. Shane Douglas also shows up, standing on the ramp. I guess he’ll be managing The Naturals. That could be interesting…

They decided game show hostess wasn’t good enough, so now Christy Hemme is also “random backstage announcer who doesn’t interview anyone.”

Borash is backstage with Team 3D. Ray is a little pissed about the James Gang’s tactics during their match. Ray and Devon argue like dummies. Ray then starts using the word “extreme” again, saying that it’s the flavor of the month again. He says that it should be kept dead and buried, “you can’t breathe life into something when the heart and soul of it is right here.” He then goes off on the James Gang, saying next time the match will be a brawl and the James Gang can pick the stipulations.

No James Mitchell due to the thumb tack bump from the PPV. Rhino attacks to start, beating on Abyss in the corner. Abyss comes back with the knee to the gut. They trade punches, until Rhino hits a shoulder block in the corner. He sets up for the Gore, but Abyss hits him with a Big Boot as we head to the final commercial break.

They’re brawling at ringside as we return. Tenay says Abyss has been in control during the break. Rhino comes back by slamming Abyss into the guardrail. Back in the ring, it’s Abyss in charge. He chases ref Rudy off for counting on a choke hold. He drops Rhino with a sweet clothesline. Abyss beats on Rhino in the corner, following it up with his goofy splash. Rhino kicks out at two. Abyss just beats on Rhino around the ring, until Rhino tries to make comeback #8. Abyss whips him hard into the corner to put a stop to that. The neck vice slows things down for a minute, until Abyss just punches Rhino in the top of the head. Abyss suplexes Rhino for another two count. I don’t remember Abyss doing very many suplexes in the past, he’s feeling crazy tonight! Rhino goes for comeback #9, and it works with a clothesline. He uses another shoulderblock in the corner, Abyss stops him with an elbow in the corner, but Rhino gets another clothesline. He climbs to the second rope and hits another shoulder block. A belly to belly suplex keeps Rhino in complete control. He sets up for the Gore again, but Bobby Roode shows up. He eats the Gore. Coach D’Amore gets on the apron, and Rhino brings him in the hard way. Abyss takes advantage and hits a Black Hole Slam on Rhino for the win, and the berth in King of the Mountain III.

D’Amore stands over Rhino and paint brushes him as we end the show.

A video package of the King of the Mountain qualifying series, including highlights from the match we just saw, puts the finishing touches on Impact.

· The editing was really sloppy tonight. The video package at the end was really awkward, as was he aftermath of Nash’s attack on Sabin. Tenay says we’re going to have footage from the commercial break, but we get nothing.

· Also, what’s up with absolutely no comment on Shelley leaving the ring and walking up the ramp with Nash? Tenay freaks out about 87 things in sixty minutes, but no comment on that?

· I flipped to Fox Soccer Channel after Impact ended and am bewildered by the use of R.E.M.’s “Shiny Happy People” during a video package of Italian soccer highlights. I guess R.E.M. is big in Milan.

· The bitchiness between Brother Ray and Brother Devon has to stop. It’s just flat out stupid.

· I’m glad the King of the Mountain is becoming a yearly event. I’ve enjoyed it each time and think it’s the best new gimmick match of the last few years. I’d rather see it than Ultimate X.

· Rhino has to be leaving for the new ECW, or at least TNA thinks he might. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for their booking of him at the PPV and tonight.

· Speaking of the new ECW, Ray’s random “cryptic” mention of it was pretty lame. I don’t really disagree with his comments, but throwing it in the middle of a poorly constructed promo isn’t the best way to get your point across. I don’t know if he’s trying new things or what, but his promos have sucked out loud lately.

· Joe kills everybody, but backs off when Andy Douglas shows up?

Not a bad show tonight, but the sloppiness on the production side took things down a notch for me. We’ll see what the next King of the Mountain qualifier is next week, as well as if Scott Steiner is still trying out for the After School Special “Roid Rage.” See y’all next week…