Sacrifice (2009) - Background

Background

The event featured eight professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylines. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains or heroes in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The main rivalry heading into Sacrifice would be a four way match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, entitled "Ultimate Sacrifice". The match was announced on the April 23 episode of TNA's primary television program, TNA Impact!, by TNA co-founder Jeff Jarrett with the theme of the match being that each participant must risk something valuable. If they are pinned or made to submit during the match, they would lose what they wagered. The first participant announced was Mick Foley on the April 23 episode of Impact!, who would wager the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Kurt Angle was announced as being the second participant on the April 30 episode of Impact!, after he proclaimed he would risk his leadership of the villainous alliance The Main Event Mafia. The next week on Impact!, Jarrett promised Sting a position in the match if he got the victory over Foley in the tag team match both men participated in that night; Sting managed to score the victory for his team, and announced his sacrifice would be if he is defeated, he would retire from wrestling. The final competitor was announced as Jeff Jarrett on the May 21 edition of Impact!, in response to Foley assaulting Jarrett the previous week; Jarrett would later declare his wager would be his voting shares within the company, thus putting up his authority.

Another rivalry heading into Sacrifice was between A.J. Styles and Booker T. At Destination X, Styles won the TNA Legends Championship from Booker and since then, there had been constant confrontation between the two. On the April 30 edition of Impact!, one final confrontation between the two led to TNA management scheduling Styles to defend his title in an "I Quit" match against Booker T; this match requires the two wrestlers to fight until one wrestler says, "I Quit", letting the other wrestler to win the match.

The main rivalry from the women's division was between Angelina Love (Lauren Williams) and Awesome Kong (Kia Stevens). At Lockdown, Love won the TNA Women's Knockout Championship from Kong in a three-way match by pinning Taylor Wilde (Shantelle Malawski). On the April 30 and May 7 editions of Impact!, Kong defeated Love's associates in her group, The Beautiful People, Madison Rayne (Ashley Simmons) and Velvet Sky (Jamie Szantyr) (and later Love's manager, Cute Kip (Monty Sopp)) in stretcher matches. It was later announced that Love would defend her title against Kong at Sacrifice.

Another event that happened going into Sacrifice involved the tag team division. Current IWGP Tag Team and TNA World Tag Team Champions, Team 3D (Brother Ray (Mark LoMonaco and Brother Devon (Devon Hughes)), announced the Team 3D Invitational Tag Team Tournament, which was an eight-team, three-round single-elimination tournament with the winning team receiving a trophy, a check for $100,000, and a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship. On the May 7 edition of Impact!, the semi finals took place with James Storm and Robert Roode, also known as Beer Money, Inc., advancing to the finals by defeating the team of Eric Young and Jethro Holliday (William Mueller). The following week of Impact had Doug Williams and Brutus Magnus (Nick Aldis) (collectively known as The British Invasion) advancing to the finals after defeating Suicide and Amazing Red.