Precap to the September 20, 2012 episode of 'Impact Wrestling', or TNA is as TNA does

Aries! Hardy! Good Favors! The BUSINESS! TNA World Heavyweight Championship!

Last week (Sept. 13) I was confused as to why Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling would give Jeff Hardy a shot at Austin Aries' World Heavyweight Championship. Having James Storm in the title picture would make the most sense, at least in my mind. He was the leader throughout the majority of the 'Bound For Glory Series'. Bobby Roode would be waiting in the wings to extract revenge. TNA would have completed a yearlong storyline at its biggest pay-per-view (PPV), Bound For Glory. Everything could have fallen into place beautifully. I didn't understand why anyone would pass that up.

But now it all makes sense, doesn't it?

Storm and Roode planned to fight, but Aries was next in line. It all ended with Roode losing the title match--twice. While this is all going on, Hardy's contract is about to come up. He walks in, TNA panics, and he gets the next shot. So Storm and Roode are both out, stuck with what they've been dealt with. Now it's Hardy and Aries for the championship belt.

See, I should have known better when TNA started to act weird. Just when Hardy was about to leave, Hulk Hogan screamed, "Hey, get back here!" It's always about the business in pro wrestling, nothing else. Thinking that's wrong will only make it harder on yourself.

For so long, TNA has done me so wrong. Somedays it's hard to go on, without bidding this entire promotion adieu.

The rest of the show after the jump.

Aces and Eights! Hogan! Dixie! Brooke! Park! Lockdown! Evidence!

There were two main developments in last Thursday's episode of Impact Wrestling. The first was that Dixie Carter rounded up the Impact posse -- which included Hulk and Brooke Hogan, Bruce Prichard, Al Snow and D'Lo Brown -- to tell them that Aces and Eights needed to be dealt with. She does not want a group of renegades ruining her investment in the company.

Which makes complete sense.

As the boss, though, shouldn't she be offering a bit more advice than "just handle it?" That doesn't seem to be the most productive way of managing a company. On the other side, the Hulkster should be saying more than "don't worry, I got this". He obviously doesn't "got this" or the situation would have already been "handled". Putting the show on lockdown and being suspicious of the entire roster does not foster a healthy working environment. Even within the confines of the story, IMPACT shows how weak the leadership at the top is.

The second development was that Joseph Park told Hogan that he has a piece of evidence coming in tonight that will blow the case wide open. Putting aside the fact he's just nonsensically throwing out legalese, it will be interesting to see exactly what Mr. Park has uncovered. Does he know who is behind Aces and Eights? Maybe he has figured out what the group's plans are? Or perhaps, he just knows where they buy all their cool masks.

We just have to tune in tonight to find out, I guess.

Tara! Tessmacher! Mentor! Protégé! Heel Turn? TNA Knockout Championship!

Tara called out her close friend and former student Miss Tessmacher last week to congratulate her for retaining the TNA Knockout Championship. It was a beautiful moment, a chance to show that friendship means far more than any championship belt could.

This being pro wrestling, though, we all knew what was coming next.

As Tessmacher celebrated and played to the crowd, Tara delivered a helluva clothesline and finished the champion off with a Widow's Peak. What I think this was supposed to mean is that Tara turned heel.

What actually happened is the entire Impact Wrestling Zone started to cheer Tara, who is quite obviously the bad guy in all this. If this was someplace like Boston, New York, or Chicago -- where the crowd tends to be "smarter" -- then I think it gets a pass. This is Orlando, though, where Jeff Hardy is the most over guy on the roster. The Universal Studios sound stage is a strange place.

It will be interesting to see if TNA will try to get Miss Tessmacher over, or if they will continue to let Tara get cheered. Either way, it's good to see the Knockouts getting some love.

Everything Else! Bullet Points!

• Tonight is 'Open Fight Night', and James Storm has let his intentions be known that he will be calling out Bobby Roode. For once, I am truly hoping TNA gives us a schmoz finish.
• It is also another edition of 'Gut Check', with Evan Markopoulos getting a shot. He's from Hudson, Massachusetts, so therefore he is awesome. I hope him and MY GURL Taeler Hendrix can get a "Masshole" stable going.