Final Impact - Impact Wrestling recap for August 18, 2016

Lashley stares down with Aron Rex backstage, then leaves.

"The Cowboy" James Storm comes to the ring. He asks referee Brian Hebner to come to the ring, and Brian Hebner does. He wants to know what happened that caused him to lose. We get video footage of the very beginning of the match from when Jeremy Borash left the ring. He says that he should be World champion, and the crowd chants "You screwed Storm!" before he demands a rematch against Lashley for the World title. Billy Corgan shows up, and says the ref's decision is final and that games are won and lost in the fourth quarter and not the first, but Storm says this is pro wrestling and not football, and demands his rematch. Billy Corgan says "maybe it's not your damn luck, and you just can't win the big one." Storm takes a toolbox from underneath the ring, empties it, takes a hammer, and says he built TNA and that he can tear it down too as he smacks the top rope with the hammer. Security moves into place, and Storm says this is proof that "rock stars need security." He tells Billy he views him as nothing but a rock star, and tells him that unlike AJ Styles, Bobby Roode and Austin Aries, he stayed in TNA because he believed in the company. He then calls Corgan a "stupid son-of-a-bitch." A member of security tries to subdue Storm, but Storm hits him with the hammer. He then tells Billy he's beaten up a lot of people, but he's never beaten up a rock star, and if their paths cross again, he's going to cross a wish off of his bucket list because he's going to "smash [Billy's] pumpkin." Storm leaves the ring and heads to the back, and Billy tells Storm that he is suspended from TNA indefinitely.

Backstage, "The Miracle" Mike Bennett tells Moose that he will change a lot of stuff for him. Moose says he loves to beat people up, and Bennett tells him to do what he says, when he says it, so he can blaze his trail to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

"The Cowboy" James Storm is seen being escorted out of the arena.

Moose beats Eddie Edwards after Edwards hits "The Miracle" Mike Bennett with a dive.

Maria Kanellis-Bennett says Gail Kim will have the worst night of her life when she faces Jade and loses. She then tells Jade that if she loses tonight, she will never get a shot at the Knockouts title again.

Gail Kim beats Jade by disqualification after Gail is attacked by Sienna. Sienna then attacks Jade, then Maria Kanellis-Bennett shows up and calls Gail Kim a failure, saying she will never be able to go for the TNA Knockouts Championship again.

Lashley harasses DJ Z, Mandrews and Braxton Sutter, saying that he has an announcement that will affect all of them. DJ Z says that whoever wins the X Division match tonight should face Lashley for the X Division title.

DJ Z beats Rockstar Spud, Mandrews and Braxton Sutter.

Ethan Carter III says he has heard Drew Galloway's challenge and is ready to answer it after the commercial break.

Dixie Carter catches up with Billy, and says that the Lashley situation has everyone on edge and that "The Cowboy" James Storm's actions are proof of it.

Ethan Carter III is in the ring, and calls out Drew Galloway so he can give him an answer to his challenger from last week. Galloway shows up. EC3 says his answer will surprise Galloway, but Galloway thinks that EC3 will answer no because he's screwed him out of the World title three times and won't make it right. EC3 tells him his challenge is accepted. Suddenly, his challenge is accepted. Suddenly, Aron Rex enters the ring. He tells Galloway and EC3 that the entire universe has been watching Impact Wrestling because the two of them have been making waves with the kind of wrestling he and the people grew up with. He knows EC3 and Drew want to rise to the top, and he's excited to see what happens. The crowd makes it clear that they're excited, too. He then says that he wants to see a clear-cut winner in the match, and announces that he will be the match's special guest referee.

Eli Drake mocks "The Cowboy" James Storm for losing the King of the Mountain title. Lashley shows up and says he'll make Eli eat his words for talking trash about him recently. Eli challenges Lashley, and Lashley tells him to sit back and listen to his announcement, as he'll soon get his chance. He then leaves and runs into Sienna. When he eyes the Knockouts title, Sienna tells him "Don't get cute."

Broken Matt Hardy talks to his now-broken brother Jeff Hardy - now Brother Nero. He deems ladders and high-flying obsolete, and that they should be deleted tonight.

Before the next match, Eli Drake says he's a little hot due to "The Cowboy" James Storm losing the King of the Mountain title to Lashley. He then talks about his backstage encounter with Lashley, and says Lashley doesn't want to face him. Suddenly, Mahabali Shera shows up, calls Eli Drake a dummy and tells him to shut up. This starts their match.

Eli Drake beats Mahabali Shera.

Dixie Carter and Billy Corgan meet up with Lashley, who is very tight-lipped concerning his announcement tonight.

Lashley makes his way to the ring, and hands his titles to some backstage hands who follow him into the ring. He tells everyone that this is a big moment for professional wrestling, He then calls out Dixie Carter and Billy Corgan, who show up. He tells Billy and Dixie that he holds all the power, and that he's a businessman and not just a dumb wrestler. He then tells them that he is uniting all three singles titles and declaring himself the true, undisputed World champion. Billy and Dixie say that they call the shots and that he can't do that. Lashley then says the King of the Mountain title means nothing and that he tore through the X Division division, therefore minimalizing the X Division title as well. Dixie and Billy are not happy with what Lashley is doing, and tell him that he cannot dictate the whens and the whys. He then tells them he'll see them at Bound For Glory, since they want to ruin his history making announcement. Dixie and Billy tell him that he will defend the World title before Bound For Glory, and that next week there will be an open invitation battle royal. Whoever wins it will take on Lashley for the World title.

Billy Corgan decrees that Lashley has vacated the X Division and King of the Mountain titles, and that there will be a new X Division champ soon.

The Broken Hardys ("Broken" Matt Hardy and Brother Nero) beat The Bro Mans, the team of Trevor Lee and Andrew Everett and The Tribunal in an Ascension To Hell Ladder Match to become the #1 contenders to the TNA Tag Team Championships.