Greetings everyone and welcome to your official TNA Genesis recap extravaganza! Impact Wrestling rang in the new year with a pay per view last night and what a show it was. Knockouts-wise, we saw Gail Kim defend her Knockouts Championship against challenger, Mickie James, in a match that was sure to be top notch from the get go. Velvet Sky, however, did not let this go down like their previous showings which saw Madison Rayne hijack Mickie’s hopes and dreams of becoming a nine time champ. Just what did she have up her sleeve? Why scroll on down and have a gander before I sic some bitches and skanks on you.

We head backstage to see Jeremy Borash awaiting Sting’s arrival… until he is stopped by our very own Velvet Sky! She tells JB that she knows Sting is due here and she’s been looking for him all day. Velvet mentions that she would like to be the new Knockouts VP since she displays loyalty as a VP should as she’s been here, consistently, for five years now and never went away. Sting can’t seem to get a word in before Velvet turns the attention to Madison Rayne, and says that she sticks her dirty paws in all of the matches. Velvet claims that Mickie James needs to have a fair chance in tonight’s match, and that won’t happen with Madison Rayne standing behind Gail, therefore she’s come up with a brilliant plan to keep Madison away. Velvet then whispers it into Sting’s ear, but Sting says the crew could never pull it off in this short amount of time. Velvet understands and says that all she needed was his approval because she had it built earlier in the day. She then dubs it the “Velvet Touch”, as Sting agrees to support it and Velvet heads off!

Up first, we see a great video package highlighting the feud between Mickie and Gail, in which Gail calls herself “The Chosen One” and Mickie claims Gail has politicked her way through the division since she got here. Following a tale of the tape which basically summarizes points in their feud, we finally shoot to the arena and focus on a cage that I personally think Diva Dirt’s own Cryssi constructed, considering that it is covered with pink and white bars!

HAAAARRDDDDCURRRRR COUNNNTREHHHH then blasts over the sound system as the plaid lass, Mickie James, two steps her way on down to the ring and poses for the loud crowd. Following her entrance, the (still addicting) theme of Gail Kim hits, as she and Madison make their way out with all of their titles in hand.

They step around the ring as Gail poses on the apron with the belts. The referee tries to inform Madison that she must enter Velvet’s Touch, but she refuses! She demands the bell be rang, but then out comes the possible new Knockouts VP, Velvet Sky! Velvet basically backs Madison up near the cage, and once the referee opens it, she shoves Rayne inside. The referee locks the door as the cage begins to rise! Poor Madison shrieks for her life, as Velvet relishes in her torment. Finally, the bell sounds, as Gail and Mickie take control of the action. Gail shoves James back into the corner and applies her boot to the throat for a choke. She then runs forward with a nice clothesline, following it up with a sharp running knee to the back.

Kim taunts the fans a little as she goes for a clothesline that Mickie ducks. James with the bridging roll up for a close call, as she then slides under a kick attempt and snapmares Gail over. Running dropkick to the face gets the challenger a two count as Madison screams in fear. Mickie is sent into the corner, but elbows Gail in the face. She goes for the Mick-A-Rana, but Gail hoists her over the ropes and then drags her through them to slam her face down hard for a two count. The crowd begins to chant about 75% Mickie, 25% Gail, as Kim goes for her elastic type corner move, but Mickie gets out of dodge. Gail then snaps Mickie’s jaw off the ropes and begins to knee her in the stomach!

Gail sends Mickie flying and hits her elastic move after all. A few kicks to the back, as Gail flies towards the corner and catches herself on the second rope. She goes for a crossbody, but Mickie dropkicks her in the abdomen! Mickie then goes for another slide under the leg, but Gail drops her knee down. Velvet then starts to scream for Madison to shut up, as Mickie connects with a nice arm drag and begins to mount a come back with a pair of clotheslines. The crowd goes wild, as she connects with the flapjack into a kip up! Gail with a knee to the face, as she then runs forward into the Octopus Stretch. Mickie ends up dropping her into an awesome slam. Hook of the leg for a two count! Mickie goes for the Mickie-DT, but Gail shoves her back into the ropes. Gail charges, but Mickie moves and Gail is sent flying to the outside. Velvet Sky walks up to her, but Gail pushes her away and trips Mickie up.

Mickie kicks Gail in the face and connects with a nice Mick-A-Rana off the ring apron. James throws Kim back inside and goes to the top rope… can she? YES! Thesz Press into the split pin for a two count. James then goes for the arm trap neckbreaker, but Gail counters into a hair pull backbreaker (shades of my Knockout queen, Winter) and Madison drops a pair of brass knucks into the ring! The referee spots them before Gail unfortunately, and removes them from the equation. Madison then takes advantage to toss Gail another pair, but as she goes to hit Mickie, James kicks her in the stomach and DRILLS her in the face for the disqualification. The referee calls the bell, as Gail retains her title and a “bullshit” chant erupts. Gail and Madison relish in their victory, as Velvet and Mickie plan for another day.

Thoughts: I’m pretty torn on this ending. In one sense, I liked it because I didn’t see it coming. To be honest, I thought for sure when Mickie was outside, Velvet was going to screw her over and turn heel because Mickie basically invaded Velvet’s push without her even getting her rematch. I like when wrestling is unpredictable, so in that way, I kind of liked being surprised. On the other hand, I don’t think Mickie and Gail have had enough stuff happen in their feud for Mickie to say “screw it” and just beat her down with the brass knuckles. I could see Traci doing that and it would make sense, but the feud hasn’t really been about Mickie per say. For instance, the segment on Impact focused on Traci, and Traci shows that fire and aggression in the ring when she faces off with Gail. I could have easily seen Traci run down the ramp when the second pair of knucks came out and SHE wuould whack Gail causing the DQ, which would’ve been perfect in my opinion because it would’ve made more sense and Mickie/Traci could have some tension which could’ve developed into a triple threat to mix things up.

Actually, I don’t understand why Traci wasn’t given the role Velvet had tonight anyways considering she’s been lobbying to be VP since the storyline began, and Velvet hasn’t even been on TV in a month, but I really like Velvet so it was good to see her back. The match was solid though, and I’d rank it second or third of their past showings because I enjoyed the main event on Impact last week a little bit more, but it’s pretty close to their Final Resolution bout for me. I think there were too many distractions, but I loved that Gail retained because I want the title to have lengthy reigns. It seems like she is the person who they’ve put their stock into, so I’m glad that the hot potato games have stopped. I don’t know where they go from here, whether or not Mickie will continue to face Gail, or maybe Velvet will step up to the plate? Anything really can happen, but for now I’m just going to sit back and wait to see.

Match Rating: 3/5

If TNA’s New Year’s resolution was to confuse fans of the Knockouts division, they certainly succeeded tonight.

Valiant babyface Mickie James cost herself the Knockouts Championship in very heel-like manner by clocking champion Gail Kim with a pair of brass knuckles in view of the referee.

And that wasn’t all! Velvet Sky revealed her plan to “take a stand” for the Knockouts division by lobbying for the role of Knockouts VP, vacated last month after Karen Jarrett‘s firing, and wanted to prove herself to Sting by suggesting a stipulation for the Knockouts match. With Sting signing off on Velvet’s idea, Gail’s partner Madison Rayne found herself hanging above the ring in a cage to prevent her from interfering in the match.

However, even with Madison Rayne unable to interfere, Gail Kim retained the Knockouts Title in the third match between her and James.

Perhaps summing up the general sentiment regarding the way this segment ended, the Impact Zone crowd rather aptly chanted, “Bullshit!”

A confusing night, indeed.

Tune in at 8pm ET live on pay per view.

Discuss the show in the comments!

Tonight at Genesis, Gail Kim puts the Knockouts Championship on the line against Mickie James for the third time. Which Knockout will walk out with the gold? The Diva Dirt team weigh in…

Bobby: This could easily go either way. I’m not sure if TNA would really go for Mickie losing three straight times in a row, but part of me just doesn’t see Gail’s title reign ending yet. I just hope that if Gail wins, it’s on her own accord and not because of help. Perhaps maybe Madison can stroll down, but Mickie takes her out this time, only she then turns around into the Eat Defeat and Gail Kim retains the Knockouts Title.

Cryssi: You know what, I’ll be completely honest. I really didn’t have a clue that there was a pay per view tonight. So in the spirit of TNA, where titles can change hands more times than a prostitute changes underwear (and hey, they change via lock box too), I’m going to flip a coin. Heads, Mickie wins. Tails, Gail wins. Drum roll pleeeeeeeeease…….. TAILS! IT LANDED ON TAILS! Gail Kim WINS! She’s likely going to be Knockouts Champion forever until another former Diva joins TNA. That’s all. Go Broncos!

Katelyn: Gail Kim. In keeping with the Knockouts Title hot potato, I choose Mickie James to take the victory and her third Knockouts Championship. And given that Gail’s won several matches against Mickie via Madison Rayne interference recently, I say the dastardly duo try it again but it backfires.

Melanie: With two losses to Gail, it’s possible that Mickie will take the title tonight, but I hope that’s not the case. Mickie had a lot of time in the spotlight last year and frankly, I’m enjoying Gail as champion. I think there’s a lot more that they could do with Gail, such as giving Traci Brooks a title shot against her. Those two have had good chemistry since Gail’s return and I think that Traci has earned a shot. I’m going to go with Gail Kim for the win.

Who do you think will win? Tell us in the comments…

TNA is teasing a big angle with Velvet Sky, who is not scheduled to wrestle, for tonight’s Genesis pay per view.

In a video on their YouTube channel, Sky is seen hurriedly entering the Impact Zone and interrupted by SoCal Val. Velvet says she needs to speak to Sting because she’s “sick and tired” of what’s been going on in the Knockouts division and plans to “take a stand” tonight.

What could this be about? We’ll have to wait till the pay per view later tonight, but it looks like there’s something big in the works for the Knockouts.

Watch the video below:

Also scheduled for the PPV is Gail Kim vs Mickie James for the Knockouts Title.

As we prepare for tonight’s TNA Genesis pay per view, let’s take a look back at past events…

2010 | In 2010, Tara and ODB continued their feud over the Knockouts Title into January’s Genesis pay per view. Tara won the belt from ODB at December 2009′s Final Resolution pay per view before losing it just two weeks later on a live episode of Impact which went head-to-head with WWE’s Raw on a Monday night. With ODB once again the champion, the pair faced off in one final match at Genesis, a two out of three falls bout to put an end to the back-and-forth for good.

Fresh from their main event match on Impact Wrestling last night, Gail Kim and Mickie James will face off once again at TNA’s Genesis pay per view on January 8th.

Can Mickie finally put away the champion? And with Madison Rayne making her presence known in the pair’s previous two matches, can Mickie overcome the odds?

It is time for the very first TNA pay-per-view of 2011! Genesis has been looming over the Knockouts division for weeks and finally, we get to see the title put on the line. Madison Rayne, along with her bodyguard Tara, have been tormenting Mickie James for weeks. But now, after countless angles, we get to see it all unfold. I’m excited to share my first ever pay-per-view coverage with you so please, saddle up and hold on tight. This trail ride is about to kick into overdrive!

Let’s open this book with a nice little video package to build up to tonight’s Knockouts Championship bout. It showcases the rapid feud between Mickie James and Tara, including interferences from Madison Rayne. A rather short yet detailed package. HARDCORE COUNTRY! The challenger, Mickie bounds to the ring decked out in some serious fringe. My Native American heritage thanks her and honestly, it fits. I can dig the feathers but the trenchcoat, not so much. Walker, Texas Ranger called and he’d like me to ask you to stay the hell out of his closet. SHE’S A KILLER QUEEN! Quick to cut her off is the champion herself, Madison, who comes out to a renewed theme, in her same old beer wench top and black pants. I guess there still isn’t much of a bonus check with that gold. I can say that I am enjoying her brunette hair more each week. She waves like the princess she believes she is to the crowd, hesitant to hand over her championship belt. The referee calls for the bell which sends Madison into her automatic bully technique. Time to get this party started!

Mickie looks to start this match off strong, finally getting ahold of Madison. After an arm drag and a snapmare takedown, going for a couple quick pin attempts in between, Mickie winds Madison up into a side headlock. But Madison isn’t giving in that soon. A shove from the champ sends Mickie careening into the ropes, coming back with a smooth shoulder block. Bringing that side headlock back into play, Mickie sets herself up for a few shots to the abdomen from her opponent. Time for a little gymnastics. Madison drops to the mat as Mickie rebounds off the ropes, throwing in a cartwheel for good measure. A key dropkick rolls Madison out on the apron, bitching at the referee about Mickie getting the best of her. Let the screeching commence! I know, somewhere in Orlando, there are dogs howling.

The challenger isn’t going to stand for too much distraction. Grabbing a handful of Madison’s hair, Mickie nonchalantly flips her right back into the ring, slamming her down to the mat. A quick one..the referee barely counts the two before Madison kicks out. Applying some form of a reverse wristlock, Mickie sets Madison up for some major pain. It wrenches the elbow, wrist and shoulder which doesn’t fare well for the defending champion. She scrambles for the ropes, trying to break the hold and ends up climbing up only to be dropped like a bad habit. “Do you know who I am?! I’m the Knockouts Champion! You don’t do that to me!” Apparently, Mickie doesn’t give a damn, Madison.

Mickie looks to shut up the harsh tone of Madison’s migraine inducing voice but instead, she gets slammed back onto the canvas. The referee immediately jumps on Madison about the pulling of the hair, which gives Mickie James just enough time to jump on Madison with a Lou Thesz Press. Very nice connection there, very steady. A harsh hair toss later and Madison is out on the floor, trying to buy herself some time. She almost looks ready to walk out which would give her a nice disqualification but she would still keep her title. The referee keeps on his count that seems to drive Mickie’s anger level up with each number. She finally gets fed up with Madison’s lolly-gagging (i went there.) and heads out of the ring. What does the champion do? Naturally, she zips right back into the ring. Such a smart one she is, and so very evil.

Sliding to the other side, Madison slips out onto the floor and drops Mickie’s jugular right down onto top rope. Insert evil cackle here. A snappy pin attempt and this cues the crowd to throw out “YOU CAN’T WRESTLE!” chants in Madison’s direction. Really, people? There are very few in TNA who can’t wrestle but Madison Rayne is not one of them. She may be more gimmick than technique at this moment but her in-ring talent is far from questionable. Get a clue.

Back in control, Madison throws a forearm to Mickie’s chin, knocking her into the far ropes. A coy choke and Madison throws her back across the ring, which knocks her own momentum down. The plan backfires as Mickie slip and slides right under Madison, connecting with a fluid snapmare. A rebound off the ropes and THWACK!, those boots of Mickie slaps right into the face of Madison Rayne. A hook of the leg and oh, only a two count. Both women look to be tiring down which always leads into desperate measures. They work their way to the corner, where Madison is quick to try and sneak in a roll-up with her foot on the ropes but the referee only slaps his hand down twice before Mickie kicks out. This does not make Madison happy. I believe Taz refers to it as a primal scream. I wouldn’t go that far but Madison’s screech is definitely up there with the World’s Worst. I’m talking Ripley’s.

Staring down the official, Madison wraps her hands around Mickie’s throat and goes all the way to the four count before releasing her. Using those turnbuckles for leverage always seems to help, don’t you think? Making the mistake of backing out, Madison gives Mickie too much time to regroup. Just as Madison steps back in, it’s time for a major set of headscissors from Mickie, taking Madison straight down on her head. Mickie leaps back up for the top turnbuckle but Madison jumps on her, tossing her down. The champion straddles her challenger, digging her head into the canvas while sitting on her back. I’m sure most men would love that but I’m willing to bet Mickie wasn’t too happy about it. This goes right along with that migraine issue I was talking about earlier, you follow? This technique slides right into a pair of unsuccessful bridge pin attempts that set Madison up for a quick flip. Mickie turns the tables and one…tw..not quite.

So many pinning attempts, so little time.

A hot shot to the back of Mickie and the taunts begin. A conniption, a hissy fit, a tantrum, whatever you call it Taz, it was pointless. A side neck wrench applied to Mickie, throwing in a few knees for tact. But not to be held down long, Mickie fits back with multiple blows to Madison’s midsection but her effort doesn’t last long. That cocky demeanor has swept back over the champion and she is going in for the kill. She’s a killer queen. Get it? Follow with me here, people! Sitting on Mickie’s back, Madison tries to rearrange the face of her newest foe by a claw to the mouth and nose. Classic heel motives, which I love. Give it a stomp and a headlock and we’re back to a homemade rhinoplasty, Knockouts style. Up on their feet, Mickie tries to fight back, gaining some ground. Tossing, rolling and all around tumbling, Madison isn’t about to let Mickie James get the upper hand again.

Just like a switch, Mickie is back down on the mat and Madison is all smiles. “Come on, Mickieee!” We get it, darling. No. We do. Raising her arms in the air like a true champion, Madison waves to the crowd once again, throwing another conniption of sorts. A lazy hook of the leg and two failed pins later, Madison’s rage puts her in the referee’s face. Her bully techniques don’t phase him so she goes right back to Mickie James, grabbing two handfuls of her hair. I smell a headscissors stomp coming our way. And yes, Taz said ‘vintage’. Why? WHY?!? Sure enough, Madison goes for that coveted signature move but just as she turns it over, Mickie puts her arms out straight. This stops the connection and allows Mickie to pick Madison up in a wheelbarrow position, countering with a nice front slam. Follow-up clotheslines and Mickie is fired up. One order of hot flapjacks and a side of kip up. The challenger is ready to put an end to this and so is the crowd.

Set to ready for that DDT finishing maneuver, Madison ducks out to the corner but Mickie catches her. She has nowhere to run and in true chaotic fashion, Mickie slicks up her hand and lays slaps to Madison’s backside. Oh that has to sting in those pants. Bringing the referee over for a sweet conversation, Madison lays down her complaints and sneaks in a thumb to Mickie’s eye over the official’s shoulder. Very swift, Madi. Going for a phantom boot, Madison misses and gets dropped down with a neckbreaker. Signalling a journey to the top, Mickie climbs to the top turnbuckle and down she comes with a Thesz press. A setup for a DDT and….