Wrestling. On June 10 at Slammiversary, Roode successfully defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a rematch against Sting, after hitting him with James Storm's beer bottle. After the match, Roode was again attacked by Sting. On the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Roode made another successful title defense, defeating Mr. Anderson by submission. On July 8 at Destination X, Roode lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Austin Aries, ending his reign at 256 days. In an attempt to prove that Aries' victory had been a fluke, Roode faced the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion in a non-title match on the July 19 episode of Impact Wrestling. However, the match ended in a no contest, when both competitors were attacked by a group of masked assailants, known only as the "Aces & Eights". On August 12 at Hardcore Justice, Roode unsuccessfully challenged Aries for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, with a pre-match stipulation preventing him from getting another rematch for the title as long as Aries was champion. After not being seen for several weeks, Roode returned on September 9 at No Surrender, costing James Storm his Bound for Glory Series semifinal match against Bully Ray. On the September 20 episode of Impact Wrestling, Storm challenged Roode to a match as part of the Open Fight Night. The match ended in a no contest, when referee Brian Hebner was unable control the two brawling rivals. The rivalry between Roode and Storm culminated on October 14 at Bound for Glory in a Street Fight, with King Mo serving as the special guest enforcer, which was won by Storm. On November 11 at Turning Point, Roode was again defeated by Storm in a three-way number one contenders match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, also involving A.J. Styles; however, Roode was not pinned; had he been, he would not get another title opportunity until Bound for Glory 2013. However, on the following episode of Impact Wrestling, Roode defeated Storm in a rematch for the number one contendership for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. On the December 6 episode of Impact Wrestling, Roode was revealed as the man who paid off the Aces & Eights to attack TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy at the end of the show. Three days later at Final Resolution, Roode failed in his title challenge against Hardy, after which, both men were attacked by the Aces