Backstage News On MITB Match, Divas Battle Royal, More On Impact Rating

Credit: The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (F4WOnline.com)

– As noted before, TNA's Impact drew a 1.32 rating and 1.9 million viewers for this past Thursday's TNA Impact. It had the second highest rated episode of Impact (just short of the record from two weeks earlier), but had its best total viewers ever. The show opened at a 1.27 rating which is its second strongest open since not having UFC as a lead-in. Alex Shelley vs. Kiyoshi gained 28,000 viewers. A segment with promos, including Mafia backstage, Win a night with ODB and Angle beating up Consequences Creed lost 72,000 viewers. A four-way women's match with Angelina Love & Velvet Sky vs. Roxxi & Taylor Wilde vs. Rhaka Khan & Sojo Bolt vs. Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed gained 86,000 viewers. Booker T & Scott Steiner in-ring promo and attack by A.J. Styles & Samoa Joe also gained 86,000 viewers. Matt Morgan vs. Shane Sewell gained 58,000 viewers and the 1.40 quarter was the second biggest quarter hour in the history of the show. Beer Money vs. LAX lost 144,000 viewers and the Angle brawl with Jeff Jarrett at the end of the show gained 130,000 viewers and finished at 1.39.

– Apparently the Big Show was supposed to be in this year's Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania but that got changed up once Mark Henry was added to the match and Show got involved in the Triple Threat World Title Match.

– When John Laurinaitis called Jackie Gayda to invite her to participate in the 25 Diva Battle Royal at WrestleMania, she originally thought that Laurinaitis was calling to fire her husband Charlie Haas. Obviously when he revealed that he was calling her for WrestleMania, she was relieved.