By Curtis Shanks, PWTorch Specialist

Welcome to the TNA Impact edition of Under the Microscope. We're here to review all those little observations and tidbits you may have missed. This is not a detailed recap of the show, but a review for those of you that saw the show but didn't actually "watch" it.

After last week, we know that A.J. Styles is a Will Smith fan, there's dissension within the Kongtourage, and Angle and Sting need counseling. But what else is there to notice? Let's see what we can spot. Cue the opening pyro.

For tonight's first match, we get a fun little X Division spotfest, but with some weapons added in. There were some unique-looking spots between The Guns and Lethal Consequences, including Jay Lethal taking a sick-looking backdrop over the top rope and onto a ladder. Only one problem with the spot. It was treated just the same as any other mediocre move in the match. Twenty seconds after Lethal landed hard on the ladder, we saw the end of the match and quickly went to a MEM video. A spot like that doesn't need to be talked about for weeks, but at least give us one or two replays to let the move sink in.

Sting is not the only Mafia member to irk Kurt Angle recently, as he gets into it with Booker T tonight in the MEM locker room. As Booker, Sharmell and Jeremy Borash walk down the hallway after being kicked out we see posters of Awesome Kong, Consequences Creed, Sheik Abdul Bashir, and about ten for Destination X. Amidst all the posters, we pass by a room blocked off with police caution tape. That room was none other that Booker's personal locker room. If you remember last week, A.J. Styles attacked Booker and destroyed the locker room in the process. Nice to see that it wasn't magically cleaned up and put back together by the next show.

Jim Cornette makes an announcement tonight regarding the open challenge by Beer Money. He teases that the challenge was answered by two individuals who will be reforming a tag team not seen in TNA in a few years. A lot of the roster has been with the company less than a few years, so there are not a lot of options as to who it could be. The teams I can think of (I never read spoilers but the choice seems easy) are A.J. Styles/Christopher Daniels, Petey Williams/Eric Young, Chris Sabin/Sonjay Dutt, and A.J. Styles/Abyss. Styles and Abyss were never really a standard team, but did hold the tag titles together on one occasion.

Tonight's Hardcore History 101 doesn't actually seem that hardcore. Mick Foley reminisces about jumping out of a refrigerator box and elbow dropping Sting. This clip was heavily edited as there was no reference to the date, the promotion or circumstances of the incident. What he may be referring to is his WCW debut in 1991. A large gift box was wheeled out to the ring for Sting. Foley emerged from the box and attacked the then babyface Sting leading to a series of matches between the two.

After a loss tonight, Petey Williams is gone from TNA. For those who have not heard, this is not just a storyline, as Petey was released from his contract last week. His departure came as a surprise to many, as he has been a mainstay in the X Division for the past few years. Petey joined TNA in February of 2004 as part of Team Canada and has had some moderate mid-card success in the company. Petey is a two-time X Division champion, one of those reigns (158 days) the second longest in TNA history behind Christopher Daniels.

I will miss seeing the Canadian Destroyer on my TV, as it was probably the sweetest looking finisher between the two TV promotions. That's not all that will be missed. We'll never get to hear Scott Steiner utter the phrase "Make Believe Muscle" again. We'll never get to hear about the "Definition of Definition" again. We'll never hear a bad Arnold impression again. Wait...that last one won't be missed as much.

Two other wrestlers received their walking papers with Petey last week, although we don't get a send off for them. Jimmy Rave and Lance Rock are both looking for work after finishing up their time with TNA as well. Rave had a handful of matches in TNA during the companies first few years and returned full-time in 2007. Rave spent time in the X Division, but it amounted to nothing more than a few forgettable multi-man matches to open a few PPVs.

Rock joined TNA in early 2004 to join forces with Kid Kash. He was known simply as Dallas upon his debut, a reference to his Texan roots. After a singles career as Lance Hoyt (without much success), he was re-dubbed Lance Rock most recently in the Rock 'n' Rave Infection. Hoyt has won two tag team titles in TNA (both with Kash), although the title runs amount to nothing more than a couple months total.

While Petey Williams seemed to be the sure-shot choice to take the pin in the loser is fired match, I find it a bit ironic that Eric Young was his partner. After Team Canada disbanded and Jim Cornette debuted in TNA, Cornette mentioned that somebody was going to get fired. Young began his paranoid babyface gimmick, fearing that he was the one to be fired. He was seen in the crowd with a "Don't fire Eric" sign even appeared in shirts with the same quote.

The man that ended up being fired in that storyline was referee Earl Hebner for his actions in aiding a Jeff Jarrett title win. He was later rehired when a lie detector test given to Jarrett revealed that Hebner had nothing to do with the match outcome (sorry to rehash the idiocy of that storyline for everyone). To tie everything together, the referee for tonight's "you're fired" match is none other than Earl Hebner.

I hate to make this the "Petey column," but I would be remiss if I did not mention the way he departed TNA. In my opinion, this was a very classy move by TNA. More often than not, a wrestler is fired and to the TV viewer no mention is made and they simply disappear. You hate to see anybody fired from any job, but the Petey sendoff tonight was a nice little touch to give him a thank you for his five years spent with the company. Although you could turn it around, as Lance Hoyt had been with the company just as long Petey Williams.

For longtime wrestling fans, the Angle vs. Sting match-up tonight is not the first empty arena match to be seen. The most famous has to be the Halftime Heat match that aired during halftime of Super Bowl 33 on the USA network. While the Super Bowl emanated from Miami, Florida that year, the match took place in an empty arena in Tuscon, Arizona (although it was taped on the previous Tuesday). USA and WWE's ploy was to get viewers to switch over to the match rather than watch the halftime show on FOX. The halftime show that year consisted of Stevie Wonder, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (a swing band who are long past their fifteen minutes of fame) and Gloria Estefan.

In that match, Mankind defeated The Rock to win his second WWF title. This title change took place only one week after Rock had won the title in an "I Quit" match vs. Mankind at the Royal Rumble. The Rock would go on to regain the title three weeks later in a ladder match on Raw before losing it to Steve Austin at Wrestlemania. For those of you who don't remember football history as well as you do wrestling, the Denver Broncos defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 on the night of the empty arena match.

Tonight's empty arena match is not exactly the same as the one seen ten years ago. The only people in the arena besides Sting and Angle are the camera men and the announcers. Ten years ago, the arena also included a referee, a few stagehands to assist with the camera cords, and Howard Finkel to make the ring introductions. Of course, that match didn't end with interference and security intervening. Leave it to TNA to end an empty arena match with interference.

So what did tonight's bleep counter catch? Four by Kurt Angle (one during a promo and three during his match), one by James Storm, and four during the Knockouts promo. That's gives us a middle of the road nine for a total.

Numbers crunched harder than an unprotected chair shot to the head: The MEM has been dominating TNA TV for the last few months now and billing themselves as the greatest assembly of world champions in wrestling history. We all know the five Mafia members have plenty of title runs in their past, but how does TNA as a whole compare to the other three wrestling shows as far as world titles are concerned?

TNA currently has eleven former world champions on their roster, with a combined 53 reigns between them. WWE sits at 23 world champions with a combined 69 title reigns. Smackdown has nine world champs with 38 reigns, Raw has nine champs with 25 total runs, and ECW has five world champs but only six total reigns.

Not all world title runs are of equal importance, however. Some have lasted for months on end, while others haven't even lasted until the next show. So which show's champions have spent the most days on top? TNA's current roster adds up to 3924 days with a World Title. Raw is next at 2,917 days, with Smackdown sitting at 2,507 days and ECW 423 days.

Curtis Shanks is a self-described wrestling nerd. Who else understands what Matt Striker is talking about all the time. Feedback is welcome, as comments, suggestions, questions and entrance music lyrics can be sent to Curtis at curtisshanks.torch@gmail.com or in the comments section below.

We suggest these recent related articles...

10/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Natalya vs. Paige, Owens vs. Cara, Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Xavier Woods

COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The History of Foam Hands in Pro Wrestling

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt