Best Of Beer Money: Too Little, Too Early
Best of Beer Money
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West, Taz
Host: Jeremy Borash
I’m going to cheat a bit with this as this is actually half of a DVD set called Fandemonium, which focused on Beer Money and the Motor City Machine Guns. However, since the set is two DVDs and has nothing to do with each other, I’m splitting this up into two reviews. I think the title says it all here so let’s get to it.
We’re starting with Beer Money and a quick intro from JB.
Storm and Roode say they’re another team thrown together but the difference is they’re both career tag guys.
Team 3D Tag Team Invitational Tournament Finals: Beer Money Inc. vs. British Invasion
From Sacrifice 2009 with the winners getting a title shot against Team 3D plus a trophy and $100,000. The Invasion is Magnus and Douglas Williams with Rob Terry in their corner. Team 3D jumps in on commentary. Roode and Williams get things going with the fans chanting USA. Douglas easily takes him down to the mat and Roode is quickly frustrated. Back up with Douglas cranking on the arm again and taking Bobby down to the mat with ease.
Roode tries some power instead but eats a jumping back elbow to the jaw. Instead, Roode takes him down with a snapmare and the Hennig neck snap before Storm comes in with a Russian legsweep for two. Off to Magnus who takes some right hands to the head before throwing Storm over the top, only to have the cowboy skin the cat. Again I wonder who came up with a term like that.
Everything breaks down for a bit with Beer Money picking Magnus up and ramming him into Williams. Beer Money do their SHOUT OUR NAME bit before Roode backdrops Storm onto the entire Invasion. Rob Terry finally gets in a cheap shot and the Brits take over on Storm. Magnus stomps away as Bully talks about hitting the Invasion with a kettle while they have tea and crumpets. We hit the chinlock for a bit before James comes back with a Backstabber to put both guys down.
Williams comes in before Storm can tag though and it’s time to choke on the ropes. Douglas finally misses a charge into the corner and the hot tag brings in Roode. Everything breaks down and Storm kicks Williams from the apron, only to be pulled outside by Terry. Williams uppercuts Roode for two but Beer Money crotches him on top, setting up a super hurricanrana from Storm and a top rope splash from Roode for two as Rob makes the save. That earns Terry an ejection but Williams grabs his Feast or Fired briefcase, only to have Roode take it away and knock him silly for the pin and the title shot.
Rating: C+. Not bad here but it needed a little more time. Beer Money is a more interesting team than the Brits, though the Invasion wans’t a bad midcard stable with Rob doing well enough out there as an enforcer. Beer Money vs. 3D would be the best match for the division at this point so it’s hard to pick against them winning.
Storm talks about growing up on the USWA while Roode was always a big tag team fan.
Tag Team Titles: Beer Money Inc. vs. Lethal Consequences vs. Matt Morgan/Abyss
From Genesis 2009. Lethal Consequences (Jay Lethal/Consequences Creed, now known as Xavier Woods) are defending, having won the titles less than a week ago. Beer Money has Jacqueline with them because she won’t just go away. Creed and Storm get things going but Consequences wants Roode and his bad knee. He stays with Storm though and nails a few kicks to take over.
Creed stays on Storm in the corner but James bails for a tag as Lethal tries to come in off the top. Jay no sells chops in the corner and nails a top rope ax handle for two. The champs start tagging in and out but Jackie comes in, only to get crushed between Beer Money in the corner. Abyss splashes all three of them and Jackie falls face first onto Storm’s crotch, followed by Roode falling onto his knees behind her. Naturally he likes it as my eyes roll.
Lethal Consequences hit big dives onto Beer Money before Morgan dives onto all four of them. It’s about time the monsters got involved. Abyss finally comes in legally but Beer Money breaks up a double chokeslam attempt and bulldog the big man down. A nice double suplex allows them to SHOUT THEIR NAMES to a fairly tame reaction. Abyss easily kicks Roode off and sends Beer Money into each other before crawling over to Morgan, only to have Creed tag himself in.
Consequences cleans house with a cross body and a double DDT for two on Storm. Beer Money comes back with a big double team into a swinging Rock Bottom from Roode for two. Storm and Roode both drop elbows for two and it’s off to Robert for a chinlock. Back up and a big spinebuster plants Creed for two before Storm comes back in, complete with a cowboy hat. James misses a charge in the corner though and Lethal comes in to speed things up. The fans FINALLY wake up and Lethal dropkicks Roode down for two before avoiding Storm’s elbow for the attempted save.
The Lethal Combination looks to set up the Macho Elbow but Morgan tags himself in to clean house. Well at least a room or two. Abyss comes in and no sells Lethal’s offense but gets kicked down by a flying Creed. The Carbon Footprint drops Creed but Beer Money plants Morgan with a Backstabber.
Morgan won’t have any of this though and throws Beer Money down, only to have Roode pop up for two off a Blockbuster. Jackie distracts the referee as the belt comes in, only to have Abyss knock Morgan out by mistake. Lethal drops the top rope elbow on Roode to break up the pin but Jackie WON’T SHUT UP, allowing Storm to Last Call Lethal to give Roode the pin on Morgan for the titles.
Rating: D+. This felt like it went on for about nineteen years and never really picked up. The fans treated it like it was even less interesting than I thought it was though, only waking up when Lethal and Morgan came in. It’s not a really bad match, but it went on too long and really dragged at points.
Beer Money talks about being thrown together and how perfect their name was. They came in when the division was stacked and took on anyone they came up against.
Tag Team Titles: Beer Money Inc. vs. Team 3D
From Destination X 2009. This is an Off the Wagon Challenge, meaning it’s titles vs. TNA careers (only for whoever loses the fall) with Beer Money defending. Roode and D-Von get things going with Team 3D being the heavy crowd favorites. Roode easily takes D-Von down to ride him on the mat before driving a forearm into the back. That goes nowhere so it’s off to Ray who is taken right down as well with Roode walking over his back.
Storm (with a bad leg) comes in and hits a single right hand before posing like a boxer. Time for the standard dancing test of strength spot until Ray takes him down with a neckbreaker. Everything breaks down for a bit with Beer Money taking a beating, including a side slam/legdrop combo for two on Roode. Bobby saves his partner from What’s Up and a double suplex puts D-Von down, allowing them to SHOUT THEIR NAMES.
We settle back down with Roode hitting a nice dropkick for two. The champs start double teaming but D-Von sends them into each other, allowing the hot tag to Ray. We get the required Beer Money gay sex spot so Ray hits a big Rock Bottom for two on Roode. The Flip Flop and Fly drops Storm again but Bobby pops up with the Blockbuster for two.
Storm’s nice hurricanrana sets up the top rope splash from Roode for two more and the champs are getting frustrated. Storm spits beer in Roode’s face by mistake and the reverse 3D gets a VERY close near fall. They load up the regular version but Storm comes in with a chair for the DQ.
Actually hang on a minute as TNA boss Jim Cornette comes out and says this isn’t ending that way. He orders the match to be restarted with No DQ. D-Von heads outside and goes old school with a double noggin knocker as Ray steals Storm’s cowboy hat. 3D connects on Storm but Roode pulls the referee out. He picks up Storm in a fireman’s carry and leaves for the countout.
Rating: C+. This was good for the most part but the ending was rather odd. There really wasn’t a need for the second half of the match as it does the exact same thing that the DQ would have done. It’s one of the better matches so far and hopefully a sign that things are going to pick up soon.
Beer Money talks about how important it was to be in the ring with Team 3D since they were huge influences on them. Team 3D even gave them some tips on their matches, which meant a lot to Storm.
Tag Team Titles: Lethal Consequences vs. Beer Money Inc.
From Against All Odds 2009. Beer Money is defending and the video has an equation theme, mainly talking about how Lethal Consequences are really fast and want the titles back after holding them for three days. Lethal goes right after Roode to start but Robert bails into the corner. The champs slow things down and bring in Storm, only to have Creed (with a bad shoulder) dropkick him out to the floor.
Back in and Consequences easily slams James a few times before snapping off a headscissors. Creed ties Roode in the Tree of Woe and crotches Storm against Roode’s face, naturally sending Roode falling down on top of James. Much beer is consumed to clean out the taste, but Roode spits the beer on James’ face by mistake. Everything breaks down for a bit with Lethal’s back being driven into the barricade for two.
The champs take over inside with some elbow drops for two on Jay followed by a Backstabber for the same. Jay fights up but charges into a knee to the ribs to put him right back down. The champs nail a nice double superplex and LOUDLY SHOUT THEIR NAMES. Jay uses the breather to drive them into each other and roll over for the hot (not according to the fans) tag. Creed’s shoulder keeps him from throwing a lot of punches but he’s still able to nail a double clothesline.
A high cross body gets two on Storm but Jackie offers a distraction, allowing James to shove Creed off the top and arm first into the barricade. Back in and the champs start working over the arm with an ax handle and armbar for good measure. With that not working too well, Beer Money just hammers away in the corner.
Lethal FINALLY tries to make a save and actually beats them down enough to allow Creed to make the hot tag. Jay speeds things up with dropkicks and clotheslines before making Storm elbow Roode by mistake. The Macho Elbow gets two on Roode but Jackie comes in and takes a backdrop. Jay’s Lethal Combination gets another near fall on Roode as Storm can be seen loading up a chain. Lethal loads up a monkey flip but gets knocked out with the chain to retain Beer Money’s titles.
Rating: C-. Not bad here but Lethal Consequences felt like a team there to lose to Beer Money to make the champs look good. The three day reign really didn’t help them as it made them feel like flukes instead of a top team, but at least the match wasn’t all that bad. Creed’s shoulder injury really didn’t play into the match all that much.
Quick chat about how much it meant to beat Team 3D.
Lethal Lockdown
Beer Money Inc, Team 3D
British Invasion, Main Event Mafia
From No Surrender 2009 with Beer Money fighting for the forces of good. This is TNA’s WarGames for no apparent reason. There’s one ring and the two starters fight for five minutes until the villains get to send in a second man due to winning a match prior to tonight. That team will have a 2-1 advantage for two minutes until the team that lost the coin toss sends in a second man. They alternate every two minutes until all eight men are in. Then the roof lowers with weapons attached and it’s first fall wins.
It’s Williams and Storm to start but Douglas tries to get in a cheap shot on the stage. That earns him a beer to the face and a hiptoss on the ramp as the fight starts before the bell. They get inside with Williams choking away in the corner before he nails a running knee to the chest. Storm comes back with a powerslam for a cover that doesn’t count. Douglas nails a jawbreaker and chokes with his shirt as the fans are trying to get into this.
Back up and the Eye of the Storm has Williams in trouble before James chokes with a t-shirt. A low blow has Williams in trouble but he pops back to life and tries to send Storm into the steel. Storm chokes him against the ropes until Magnus gives the Brits a 2-1 advantage for two minutes. He takes too long getting in though, allowing Storm to baseball slide the cage door into his face. That’s fine with Magnus who slams the cage door onto James’ face to put him back down.
A High/Low has Storm in even more trouble and the Brits pose a bit. Storm is busted open and Magnus hammers away at the cut. Roode comes out to tie things up and of course cleans house as soon as he gets in. Very traditional you know. Roode catapults Williams into a DDT from Storm, followed by a Hennig neck snap and a knee drop from James. A few fans try to count down the clock from 25 seconds and it’s as lame as it sounds.
Scott Steiner makes it 3-2 as the villains take over yet again. He busts out a Frankensteiner on Roode in an attempt to make people think he’s more than a brawler. Beer Money is sent into the cage as we’re following the WarGames model to the letter. D-Von ties things up and fires off right hands, followed by a slow motion Thesz press to Magnus.
Things slow down again until Booker T. completes the heel team. Speaking of slow, Booker very calmly walks to the ring while holding both Tag Team Titles. The villains take over with Steiner and Booker sending Storm into the cage so hard that they knock the door open. Cue Brother Ray to give us a ridiculous eight people inside the ring at once. Well in theory at least as Big Rob Terry intercepts Ray on the way to the ring and sends him into the crowd. He adds a chair shot to the back for good measure before forcing the guy in charge of the cage to lower the roof, bringing the weapons into play.
Steiner and the Brits take over with the weapons but Terry misses a chair shot to Ray’s back. Ray hits a completely unnecessary chair shot to the head to put Terry down before taking said chair inside to clean house. Now the good guys take over until Magnus goes through a door in the top and climbs onto the roof.
Beer Money follows him up for a terrifying double suplex and SHOUT THEIR NAMES up top. The 3D plants Steiner back inside but Booker comes back with a trashcan. A Book End gets two on Ray but Beer Money comes back in with DWI (Drinking While Investing, a powerbomb/neckbreaker combo) for the pin on Williams.
Rating: C+. This was good based on being Lethal Lockdown, but there really wasn’t a need for this to be in the cage. As usual, the ring got way too crowded near the ending and the whole thing basically resets after the weapons come in. Nothing special here due to the cage not being needed.
Quick chat about wanting to beat the Brits for revenge instead of wanting the titles, so it’s time to go after the gold again.
Tag Team Titles: Beer Money Inc. vs. Team 3D
From Slammiversary 2009 with Beer Money challenging in their title shot for winning that tournament from earlier. D-Von and Storm get things going with the champ taking over on the cowboy. A shoulder puts Storm down and a flying headbutt gets an early two. Roode gets in a cheap shot from the apron and takes over with a knee drop for two on D-Von. Ray comes in to stare at Roode as it feels like they’re going for the big match feeling here.
Off to Ray legally for a slugout with Roode, whose clothesline has no effect. A forearm finally puts Ray down so he rips the skin off Roode’s chest with some chops. Ray goes Canadian with a big release German suplex and the side slam/legdrop combo gets two on Roode. Somehow Roode just pops up though and goes after D-Von, only to have the Beer Money suplex blocked by Ray, allowing D-Von to clothesline both of them down.
Roode gets D-Von to chase him though and crotches him against the post to give Beer Money their first real advantage. They take turns with their choking until Roode hits the chinlock. D-Von finally fights up and backdrops Storm down, allowing for the lukewarm tag off to Ray. The Bubba Bomb gets two on Roode but Storm knocks Bubba away from Team 3D, leaving Roode to only take the flapjack. What’s Up nails Roode and it’s table time. Storm gets back up and tries to put D-Von through, only to have Ray make a save. That earns Bully a spinebuster from Roode for two and things settle down a bit.
Now the double suplex puts Ray down and they SHOUT THEIR NAMES. Cue the British Invasion who have been having issues with Team 3D lately to join in on commentary. D-Von finally comes in off the hot tag to clean house, including a clothesline for two on Roode. A chokeslam of all things gets two on Storm as everything breaks down again. James pops up for a high cross body to both champions and Roode escapes a Doomsday Device attempt.
Storm’s top rope hurricanrana sets up Roode’s splash for two more as the fans are way into this now. The challengers load up a double superplex but Ray makes a save and sets up the Doomsday Device for another near fall on Roode. 3D puts Roode down again but Rob Terry distracts the referee. Ray goes up top and dives on Terry and Magnus, causing a small earthquake in the processs. Now Williams tries to interfere but gets knocked through a table, only to cause Beer Money to nail DWI on D-Von for the pin and the titles.
Rating: C+. The best word for this one is overbooked. They really didn’t need to do all the stuff they did here for the ending. I get that you don’t want to have the champions lose the belts clean, but the Brits and the tables were more than they needed. At least Beer Money got the belts though, which they rightfully deserved.
Beer Money talks about how awesome that match was, but there was a better one at Lockdown 2009.
IWGP Tag Team Titles/TNA Tag Team Titles: Team 3D vs. Beer Money Inc.
From Lockdown 2009, meaning two months before Slammiversary and this is title for title. Team 3D brought in the IWGP Tag Team Titles and the fans were just supposed to care about them, even though the tag division was barely deeper than WWE’s. This is a Philadelphia street fight but the reason they’re fighting isn’t explained because Ray had to talk about how awesome the Japanese belts are. The match starts in a cage but the door won’t be locked and falls count anywhere.
It’s a brawl to start with Team 3D taking over early on. They quickly throw Beer Money out to the floor and it’s time for the ECW portion of the show. We go split screen but it only covers half the screen because we need a BIG FREAKING LOCKDOWN LOGO instead of more of the match. You can barely see what’s going on but Team 3D seems to be in full control. Storm comes back with some right hands to Ray as they fight into a luxury box.
That’s fine with Ray as he just hammers Storm down and shouts a lot. They fight near the concourse but come back into the arena with Storm falling down the stairs. Ray crotches Roode on a barricade and Storm easily gets knocked backwards. D-Von bites James’ head as they “fight” back towards the ring (read as they stagger about five feet off a single punch).
Back to ringside now with Ray having the cage door rammed into his face to give Beer Money their first control. They load up the steps in front of a table, setting up a double suplex to drive D-Von through the wood in a nice looking crash. A bloody Ray is brought inside where Roode hammers away at the cut like a true villain should. D-Von is still down on the floor so Ray has to clothesline both of them down before climbing up to the top rope for a super Bubba Bomb, knocking Roode senseless.
It’s Beer Money up first but D-Von breaks up DWI, allowing Ray to nail a big side slam for two on Roode. Storm takes a Doomsday Device for two and What’s Up Roode. It’s table time but D-Von takes the better part of forever to bring the thing in, allowing Beer Money to drop Ray with a double belly to back.
A Blockbuster/Samoan drop combo gets two on Ray but he avoids a splash from Roode and a Swanton from Storm. That’s fine with Bobby who comes back with a spinebuster and neckbreaker as Storm has fallen to the floor with a bad knee. He’s good enough to slam a door, only to hit his partner by mistake though knocking him into the 3D for the pin and the titles.
Rating: C. This was your standard ECW style brawl, but at least this was a different kind of match than what we had been seeing for most of the night. It used to drive me crazy when I had to see six or seven matches that were so similar in the original ECW, so mixing things up like this helped.
The team talks about what it means to stay together instead of go their separate ways.
IWGP Tag Team Titles/TNA Tag Team Titles: Beer Money Inc. vs. British Invasion vs. Team 3D vs. Main Event Mafia
This is a TLC match with two sets of titles above the ring. These teams have been feuding forever and this is the final showdown. The British Invasion (Douglas Williams and Brutus Magnus) and the Main Event Mafia (Booker T. and Scott Steiner) hold the IWGP and TNA titles respectfully coming in.
It’s a huge brawl to start with Team 3D getting beaten down in the corners. We head outside with Steiner using a ladder on D-Von. The Brits are smart enough to go in to try and climb but stop for a handshake, allowing Beer Money to make the save. The fight is getting too busy to keep track of as Beer Money destroys Williams in the ring and Steiner fights with I believe Magnus by the stage. Booker comes in to clean house but Roode stops his climb attempt.
Booker ax kicks Roode and Steiner is choking D-Von with a cable. The fans go nuts for the Spinarooni but Booker takes too long climbing, allowing Beer Money to take him down with a Last Call and DWI (powerbomb/neckbreaker combination). Steiner gets back in and destroys everyone in sight, even busting out Frankensteiners and superplexes for the Brits. Booker’s wife Sharmell comes out to check on Booker’s knee as Scott suplexes everyone he can find.
Scott goes up and we realize that the ladder needs to be about four feet higher. The Brits drop Steiner with a double neckbreaker and Booker is taken out on a stretcher. What’s Up nails Steiner and it’s Table Time. Team 3D destroys the Brits for stealing their table gimmick and Beer Money takes a beating of their own. Ray hands Zack Wylde (remember him?) a chair to blast Storm before D-Von puts Williams through a table in the ring. The real What’s Up makes Magnus writhe in pain and we get a lot more tables brought in.
Beer Money gets chokeslammed through tables but Steiner comes in with a chair to drop Team 3D. He brings in a ladder but is still too short to bring it down, allowing Team 3D to slam him through a table. The belts seem to be lowered a bit when it’s clear that this match is never going to end.
Both members of Team 3D climb up at the same time but Rhino of all people comes in to destroy them with chairs. D-Von pulls the IWGP Title down anyway to win the titles for he and Ray but takes a beating from the chair. The Brits come in and lay out Rhino and Team 3D even more before climbing up to to go after the other belts. Beer Money makes another save by shoving one ladder over and superplexing Magnus off the other.
They take too long getting up though and Magnus nails them both with a chair. Storm comes back with beer to Magnus’ face and a huge sunset bomb off the ladder. Williams hits James with a chair but Roode knocks him off. The third British Invasion member Rob Terry pulls Roode down and slams him through a table before lifting Williams up the ladder for the TNA Tag Team Titles. That’s the same way TLC II ended at Wrestlemania X7.
Rating: B+. This was a solid brawl, even though Scott Steiner was down WAY too long towards the end of the match. They did a good job of keeping all of the teams involved for the most part, which is the hardest thing to do in a match like this. Booker being taken out of the match was the way to write him off TV as he and Sharmell were leaving TNA.
One last talk about the future of the team wraps things up.
Overall Rating: B-. It’s not bad for the most part but this really needed to be done like two years later. This was all from the same year and got repetitive after awhile, with eight matches and five of them had Team 3D involved. The set was released before the great matches with the Motor City Machine Guns. This was very similar to the Kurt Angle DVD where they just needed to wait another year or so to have a far better match selection. It’s good, but the best for the team was yet to come.
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