Unbreakable 2025
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

This is the second half of a double shot from TNA this week as we just got done with a regular Impact and now it’s a Wrestlemania Week special. This show is going to be in a weird place as it is only a little over a week away from the much bigger Rebellion show, which should make for quite the tricky rope to walk. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at the famous Unbreakable triple threat from 2005, which is the inspiration for tonight’s triple threat for the inaugural International Title.

International Title Tournament First Round: Eric Young vs. JDC vs. Zachary Wentz

Young and JDC agree to go after Wentz to start so Wentz bails out to the floor in a smart move. Back in and Wentz dances a bit before diving onto both of them to take over. A high crossbody puts the villains down again but Young is up to go after Wentz. Young shoves Wentz at JDC, who gets dropped with a Stunner.

Wentz and Young go out to the floor with Young taking over, but he isn’t happy with JDC going after the pin. A DDT drops Young but Wentz is right there with a double missile dropkick. Wentz hits a running shooting star on JDC and an RKO on Young, the former of whom pops back up with a Falcon Arrow for two. JDC is sent outside so Young hits a Death Valley Driver on Wentz, with JDC running back in for the save. Young piledrives JDC for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here and this could have been on any given edition of Impact. That being said, they needed something to fill in the time so having two of the three first round matches isn’t a bad idea. Young moving forward isn’t the most interesting choice, but there is a good chance he doesn’t win anyway.

We run down the rest of the card.

International Title Tournament First Round; Ace Austin vs. Steve Maclin vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Austin takes over to start and the other two clothesline each other to the floor. Eddie drops Austin onto the apron to take over but the Backpack Stunner is broken up. Maclin is back in with an Irish Curse to Eddie and he fires off some running clotheslines in the corner. The KIA is broken up and Maclin is knocked to the floor, leaving Austin to roll Eddie up for two.

A jumping double stomp to the back gives Austin two as Maclin is back in for the save. Eddie is sent outside and Austin tries his apron handstand, only for Maclin to break it up with the Scud in a nice sequence. Back in and Austin hits a Tower Of Doom for two each but Alisha crotches him on top. Eddie gives Austin a spider superplex but gets caught with the spear in the corner. Alisha’s interference doesn’t work as she slaps Eddie by mistake, setting up the KIA to send Maclin to the finals at 9:55.

Rating: B-. This was a more action packed match than the opener and it worked well, with the still popular Maclin going on to the title picture. While I could have gone for Austin winning the title in Chris Bey’s honor, this was a good way to go as well. If nothing else, the System losing is always worth a look as Alisha can throw some good fits.

Frankie Kazarian is fired up for the mixed tag tonight. Tessa Blanchard says she’s coming for Masha Slamovich tonight, but at Rebellion she’s coming for the title.

Earlier today, the System interrupted the UNLV men’s ice hockey national champions. We don’t know what else they did or said, but they did in fact interrupt them.

Moose vs. ???

Non-title open challenge with former NFL star Sean Merriman on commentary and…Sidney Akeem (formerly Reggie in TNA) answering. Moose wastes no time in whipping him hard into the corner to start but Akeem kicks him in the face. That’s broken up but the chokebomb is countered into a hurricanrana. Some dropkicks stagger Moose, who throws him outside without much trouble.

Akeem is back with a dive as the UNLV hockey team is in the front row. Moose powerbombs Akeem onto the apron but yells at the hockey players, allowing Akeem to cut him down. A crossbody gives Akeem two and he snaps off a hurricanrana on the floor. Back in and Moose misses a crossbody, allowing a backflip into a cutter to put Moose down. Alisha Edwards makes the save and gets ejected, but the distraction lets Moose hit a low blow. The spear finishes Akeem at 9:02.

Rating: C+. This is how Akeem can be best used, as he got to do his high spots and flips before losing to the bigger star. Moose cutting down a traditionally flippy guy is a good way to go for his title reign and that’s the direction they seem to have been going. It’s working well, and if Akeem stays more serious like this, he’s fine for an occasional appearance.

Steve Maclin tells Eric Young it’s may the best man win tonight.

We get injury updates on Joe Hendry and Sami Callihan, both of whom are ready to go. This is one of those “make it feel like a real sport” thing and that’s fine.

Mike Santana/Hardys vs. Mustafa Ali/Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth

It’s a brawl to start with the good guys clearing the ring until Santana drives Ryan into the corner to get things going. Ryan fights back but gets caught in a powerbomb faceplant. Matt comes in to send Ali face first into the buckle over and over until Ali flips over him. Ali trips him into the ropes and it’s Matt getting caught in the wrong corner.

Nic comes in with a neckbreaker and the chinlock goes on. Matt fights up and breaks out but a distraction means the referee doesn’t see the tag to Santana. The referee does see a tag to Ryan, sending Hannifan into a rant about the referee being stupid. Ali cuts Matt off again but gets caught in the Side Effect, allowing the tag to Jeff.

A double Whisper in the Wind takes the Nemeths down and it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. Santana grabs Ali and turns the rolling neckbreaker into a Death Valley Driver. The two of them brawl to the back but Santana comes back with Spin The Block to Nic. The Twist Of Fate into the Swanton finishes Ryan at 12:36.

Rating: B-. I love seeing two feuds combined like this and it worked rather well here. The Hardys beating the Nemeths is a fine way to go and the tease of Santana vs. Ali makes things that much better. Both of the big matches will take place next week and I’m curious to see how they go, making this a perfectly fine preview.

The System jumps Zachary Wentz.

Victoria Crawford (Alicia Fox) and Debbie Gibson (Debbie Gibson) are here.

Joe Hendry/Masha Slamovich vs. Tessa Blanchard/Frankie Kazarian

The men start things off but we pause for Kazarian to be announced as the King Of TNA. Hendry whips him into the corner and hits a jumping knee, with Kazarian bailing to the floor. Slamovich knocks him right back inside (before glaring at Blanchard), where Hendry’s bad shoulder is good enough for a delayed vertical suplex.

Kazarian gets smart by going after the arm and stops to mock the rhythmic clapping. It’s off to Slamovich, who sends Blanchard outside. A quick suicide dive drops Blanchard again but she’s right back with some choking back inside. Kazarian hits the jumping Fameasser on the middle rope and Slamovich is in trouble again. Blanchard hits a cutter on Slamovich as Kazarian taunts Hendry with the Call Your Shot trophy.

Slamovich manages a shot on Kazarian but Blanchard is in for an exchange of basement dropkicks. That’s enough for the tag off to Hendry and house is quickly cleaned. Fade To Black is countered into an Angle Slam to give Hendry two but the shoulder is starting to bother him. The chickenwing is countered into a rollup for two but Blanchard is back in to grab Hendry. Kazarian clotheslines her by mistake and the Standing Ovation finishes Kazarian at 14:10.

Rating: C+. This was the same idea as the previous match, as they tied two feuds into one match and even gave us some intergender matches. That’s not a bad way to go and the ending leaves me curious about a title change, as Kazarian losing is something of a red flag. Blanchard vs. Slamovich feels like a huge match and I’m really not sure where it goes, which is a nice feeling to have.

Mike Santana wants Mustafa Ali at Rebellion and Santino Marella seems interested.

Here is Ace Austin….who brings out Chris Bey for a special appearance in his hometown. Bey walks out, with Austin shouting ON HIS OWN TWO FEET! Bey says he IS the Ultimate Finesser and 172 days ago, he broke his neck in the ring. It was embarrassing him because he wanted to finish the match for the fans. He was able to quickly have surgery and learned to walk again.

Austin was there with him every day and Bey had to remember who he was. Thanks to the fans at home and the people in that locker room, he is able to walk again. Bey had to remind himself that he is unbreakable, just like TNA. This is the greatest story ever told and thank you. They get to do their pose and the show needs to just end now, because nothing is topping this. That’s absolutely incredible and one of the coolest things I’ve seen in wrestling in a long time.

We recap Mance Warner vs. Sami Callihan. They’ve been fighting for weeks so now it’s Barbed Wire Massacre. As it tends to be.

Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner

There are all kinds of barbed wire items around ringside and Steph de Lander is here with Warner. Callihan, dressed as Mankind, sends Warner through a barbed wire board to start and then hits him with a barbed wire bat. A barbed wire Nintendo 64 controller goes to Warner’s head (must be Strong Grapple + Down + B) but he comes back with a door shot.

Warner uses a barbed wire chair to drive the board into Callihan but he sends Warner back into the barbed wire around the ropes. A barbed wire ball to the head has Warner bleeding even more and a low blow makes it worse. The Cactus Driver 97 through a barbed wire door is countered into a spinebuster and Callihan is in trouble again. They shout at each other from their knees until Callihan Stunners him onto the barbed wire, which shouldn’t make much of a difference.

The wire is wrapped around Warner’s arm and it’s time for a bag of salt. We’ll hold onto that for a second though as Callihan would rather staple Warner’s tongue to a board. Then he uses a barbed wire chair to the head to break it up. The salt shot is broken up with a low blow so Warner throws the salt into Callihan’s face instead. Warner grabs a screwdriver but Callihan is back with a spike and they stab each other in the head. Callihan whips out a sock for a barbed wire Mandible Claw. The Cactus Driver 97 onto the barbed wire finishes Warner at 19:23.

Rating: D+. Yeah ok. This was as advertised and in this case that’s not the best thing to see. It’s fine for what it is, but having that much barbed wire and over the top violence isn’t my thing. It only works so well and having Callihan dressed as Mankind only made me want to watch him do a hardcore match at a much higher level. I get that this has an audience, but it’s not for me.

We run down the Rebellion card.

Here is Elijah for a chat. Well a song actually, as he talks about his open challenge at Rebellion. In TNA, we walk this way.

We look at the first round of the International Title tournament.

International Title: AJ Francis vs. Steve Maclin vs. Eric Young

For the inaugural title. Francis is knocked to the floor, leaving Young to elbow Maclin in the face. Another forearm takes Francis down but he’s back in for an Alabama Slam to send Young onto Maclin. Francis gives Maclin a running knee in the corner and goes for a walk outside, where he cuts off Maclin’s dive. Young gets powerbombed onto the apron and, after tying his shoe, Francis sends Maclin back inside for a Death Valley Driver.

Maclin manages a running knee into an Angle Slam for two on Francis, who is back with a powerbomb for two of his own. Young is back in to slug it out with Maclin on top so Francis gives them a double AA for two each. Francis’ moonsault misses though and Young is sent outside. Maclin ties Francis in the Tree of Woe for the running shoulder, setting up the KIA for the pin and the title at 13:39.

Rating: C+. It was a fine enough match, but this really didn’t feel like any kind of a special showdown. I get trying to tie it into the original Unbreakable, but the second you start bringing that match up, you’re putting yourself in an unreasonable circumstance. That’s what we had here, and it made for a match that while entertaining, never lived up to its hype.

Maclin celebrates.

The Nemeths get a note from Matt Hardy, who appears via hologram to invite them to the Hardy Compound for DELETION. Can we please just NOT DO THIS AGAIN?

Overall Rating: C+. A lot of this is going to depend on your taste in Callihan vs. Warner, which went on far longer than anything else on the show. That dragged things down, but Bey’s return was one of the best things I can remember seeing in wrestling (or anywhere) for a long time. For a bonus show, this was perfectly fine, but Rebellion is going to have a bit more pressure on it now and that’s not a great thing. That being said, I do like having TNA getting involved in Wrestlemania Weekend, as they’re more than big enough to warrant a spot there.

Results
Eric Young b. JDC and Zachary Wentz – Piledriver to JDC
Steve Maclin b. Ace Austin and Eddie Edwards – KIA to Edwards
Moose b. Sidney Akeem – Spear
Hardys/Mike Santana b. Mustafa Ali/Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth – Swanton to Ryan
Joe Hendry/Masha Slamovich b. Tessa Blanchard/Frankie Kazarian – Standing Ovation to Kazarian
Sami Callihan b. Mance Warner – Cactus Driver 97 onto barbed wire
Steve Maclin b. Eric Young and AJ Francis – KIA to Francis

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Sacrifice 2025
Date: March 14, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s time for another of the big shows between the really big shows and this one happens to be pretty stacked. We have both a ladder match and Lethal Lockdown, the TNA equivalent of WarGames. There are also some stars from NXT here as a bonus, which should help things out a lot. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Aztec Warriors vs. First Class

The Warriors are Laredo Kid and Octagon Jr. After First Class insults the fans, Octagon takes Navarro down with a hurricanrana and hands it off to Laredo. That means it’s a low bridge from Francis though and Kid is sent outside for a big dive. Back in and Francis gets to choke away on the ropes, setting up a running knee in the corner.

First Class spends too much time posing though and it’s a tag to bring Kid back in to pick up the pace. Kid’s moonsault and Octagon’s handstand moonsault hit Navarro with Francis having to make the save. Francis gets in a chokeslam on Octagon and Navarro goes after Kid’s mask. A running Sliced Bread gives Navarro the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C. The Warriors didn’t get to showcase much of their high flying stuff and it didn’t give the fans much to get behind. Throw in the good guys losing and it wasn’t exactly an exciting way to get things going. It’s a weird way to go, as while First Class getting a win makes sense, it might not have been the right way here.

The regular Kickoff Show stuff takes place but Sami Callihan and Mance Warner, who are scheduled to face off tonight in a street fight, brawl in the back. They come to the ring, where Callihan throws in a bunch of weapons, including a chair which hits Warner for a nasty shot. They get inside and we’ll ring the bell.

Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner

Street fight and Steph de Lander is here with Warner. Callihan hits him with a trashcan but gets sent into one in the corner as a cameraman gets taken out. Warner chokes with a chain but gets powerbombed through a table…as we go to the official show. Thankfully we come back without missing anything (fair enough) and Callihan uses a poster to cut Warner’s fingers and mouth.

Warner’s hand is fine enough to hit a chokeslam onto the trashcan but neither can hit a suplex onto a chair. Instead they both grab a staple gun and trade, uh, stapling, with Callihan going low. Warner gets stapled to the turnbuckle pad before being Death Valley Drivered onto the chair for two. Callihan has to block a screwdriver to the head before hitting a Stunner for two more. De Lander throws powder in Callihan’s eyes though and Warner hits a running knee for the win at 10:57.

Rating: C+. Well at least they didn’t have glass and thumbtacks. This was the run of the mill brawling with the table and trashcans, which makes the ending a bit weak. After everything they did, it was a simple bit of powder and a running knee. That’s a weird way to go, but odds are this is going to keep going anyway.

We get the opening video, which looks at the main matches. That’s at least a fresh way to go over the standard way of doing things.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Lei Ying Lee

Local rapper Krystall Poppin sings Blanchard to the ring. Blanchard sends Lee into the corner to start but the big slap is blocked. A suplex sends Blanchard into the corner and another brings her back out of it (well at least Lee kept it even). They go outside where Blanchard takes over and sends her back inside, only to take it right back to the floor.

Back in and a dropkick gets two, setting up the chinlock. Lee fights up and strikes away, before grabbing a spinning torture rack slam. Blanchard shrugs that off and hits a slingshot splash for two but has to bail to the ropes to escape a leglock. They go up top, where Lee hits a twisting brainbuster (geez) for two more. Blanchard grabs a cutter though and Magnum connects for the pin at 11:15.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure if there was much doubt about the winner here as Blanchard is not only a bigger name but she is also likely getting ready for a title shot at Masha Slamovich. The good thing is Lee got in a lot of offense and gave Blanchard a run for her money, but this was the right decision. Blanchard is ready to get back into the bigger spots and this was a step in that direction.

Jeff Hardy and Joe Hendry’s team are ready to win their rather violent matches tonight. With everyone gone, Ryan Nemeth comes in to say “everything they said”. Gia Miller clearly mouths “what the f***?”

Wes Lee/Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe vs. Ace Austin/Rascalz

Lucha rules. Lee bails to the floor to start but comes back in to send Austin to the floor. Igwe comes in and gets hurricanranaed to the floor, with DuPont following. Triple dives are mostly cut off though, leaving Austin as the only part of his team standing. Back in and a full nelson slam plants Austin for two, followed by Lee’s basement dropkick between the shoulders.

Igwe kicks Austin in the head for two and we hit the abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Lee gets over for the Rascalz to come in and clean house. Everything breaks down and DuPont’s stomp to Miguel’s head gets two. Austin and Wentz kick away at Lee from the apron, allowing Miguel to hit a sliding DDT. Back in and Lee is left all alone so he yells a lot, only to get taken down with a Lightning Spiral/Fold combination. Wentz hits a Spiral Tap for the pin on Lee at 9:53.

Rating: B-. The lucha rules kind of hurt things here, as it was little more than just having people running in and doing things. It did feel like the end of the feud though, with Wentz getting his revenge on Lee. It was a fun match, which tends to be the case with Austin and the Rascalz.

Steve Maclin is ready to take out Frankie Kazarian.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Steve Maclin

Eric Young is on commentary. Maclin takes Kazarian into the corner to start and hits some clotheslines to the back but gets knocked down in a hurry. Kazarian hits a springboard spinning legdrop and grabs a suplex for two. After a quick Shawn Michaels pose from Kazarian, Maclin is back up with some more clotheslines and an Angle Slam. The running shoulder in the corner has Kazarian in more trouble so he snaps the throat over the top rope to get out of said trouble.

Kazarian pulls on something like a cross armbreaker but can’t hit the Fade To Black. The chickenwing is broken up and Maclin’s running knee gets two. Now the chickenwing goes on, even with Kazarian falling out to the floor without letting go (that’s a heck of a trick). Since submissions don’t count on the floor, Kazarian lets go, allowing Young to sneak in a brass knuckles shot. Maclin, who didn’t see it, grabs a quick KIA for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. This was something that could have been on any given Impact, as it was more about the Young involvement than anything else. The ending should be a way to see if Maclin wants to join him in what is likely the dark side, though that’s only so interesting. It would also be nice to have Kazarian lose the stupid trophy title shot already, but we could still be months away.

Spitfire is ready to get rid of By Elegance for good.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance/Personal Concierge vs. Spitfire

Spitfire is defending in a handicap match and they get the Personal Concierge if they win. The Concierge introduces By Elegance and then disrobes, which has commentary, uh, unhappy. Luna takes Ash down into an armbar to start but Heather comes in to crank on the arm for a change. The Concierge goes to the…bottom rope for an ax handle before handing it back to Heather, who is quickly put down. Threat comes in for a basement crossbody, followed by a suplex/clothesline combination for two.

Ash offers a distraction though and Heather takes over inside. The Concierge adds some stomps, then stops to dance, meaning Ash has to come in for a save. A catapult into a Codebreaker gets two and we hit the chinlock on Threat. As usual, that’s broken up and the tag brings in Luna to clean house. By Elegance is sent outside for a big dive, leaving Heather to get caught with a helicopter bomb, with the Concierge having to make the save. The Pressure Drop hits the Concierge but Threat gets caught in an assisted top rope double stomp for the titles at 9:12.

Rating: C+. By Elegance had to win the titles at some point if they wanted to have any kind of a future. At the end of the day, Ash has been here for a bit but hadn’t won anything of note coming in. You can present has as a star all you want, but it doesn’t matter without getting some kind of a prize. That is what she pulled off here and it was fairly long overdue. The feud needs to end already, but it’s not like there are many other teams to come after the belts.

Post match the lights go out and NXT’s Meta Four show up for your next crossover title feud.

We recap Mustafa Ali vs. Mike Santana, which is built around the idea of Ali wanting to make TNA better, which means a lack of Santana, who is a recovering addict. Santana wants to prove himself, while Ali wants to prove that Santana can’t handle the pressure. In other words, it’s JBL vs. Eddie Guerrero, which has made a good story, albeit a familiar one.

Mike Santana vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali has his cabinet with him and a local sportscaster introduces Santana. Just in case you didn’t get the story they were redoing, Santana drives a car into the arena. Santana scares Ali to the floor to start before catching him with a powerslam. Two Amigos connect but Santana cuts off the third with a small package.

Back up and Santana hits another suplex to send Ali outside for a needed breather. Ali fights up and goes after the arm, including a 450 from the top onto the arm, with Santana standing, on the floor. Back in and a rollup, with feet on the ropes, gets two and the referee is not pleased. The rolling neckbreaker gets two more and Ali stays on the arm with a crossface.

That’s broken up and Ali sends him to the floor, where Santana cuts off a dive with a cutter. Back in again and Ali lifts him up for a German suplex and a tornado DDT, only to miss the 450. Santana’s rolling cutter gets two and the frog splash gets the same (with a BIG reaction from the crowd). Spin The block connects but the arm gives out, allowing Ali to go up. Santana pulls him out of the air with a powerbomb but the Good Hands get up for a distraction. Ali rolls him up and grabs the rope for the pin at 13:12.

Rating: B. this was the match I was looking forward to the most coming in and they didn’t disappoint, with both guys working hard and telling a story. Ali is the more polished wrestler of the two and better with the technical side of things, while Santana is more about powering through and hitting his big moves. That allowed Ali to pick him apart but then when he couldn’t handle Santana, he cheated in the end, which will allow him to brag about his amazing skill. Heck of a story told and a very good match at the same time.

Post match Ali leaves a drink for Santana.

We recap Masha Slamovich defending the Knockouts Title against Cora Jade from NXT. Jade showed up and decided she wanted a title so she went after Slamovich, setting up the title match.

Knockouts Title: Masha Slamovich vs. Cora Jade

Jade is challenging and Arianna Grace is on commentary. Jade jumps her to start and is quickly clotheslined down for a kick to the chest. The chase doesn’t go well for Jade but she gets in a cheap shot for a needed breather. A quick stomp to the back gives Jade two and she pulls Slamovich down by the hair for the same.

Back up and Slamovich hits a rolling kick to the face for two of her own but Jade is back up with a knee to the face. A Canadian Destroyer on the apron connects but Slamovich is down on the floor. Back in and Jaded connects for two, leaving Jade rather frustrated. Jade strikes away but walks into a kick to the face. The Requiem retains the title at 9:24.

Rating: C+. As was the case with Blanchard vs. Lee, there was only so much drama to be had here. Slamovich is the monster champion who can smash through just about anyone in front of her. Jade has gotten better, but she isn’t on Slamovich’s level and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. Jade got in some stuff here, but Slamovich wasn’t in much danger.

We look at Oba Femi defeating Moose to retain the NXT Title this week on NXT.

We recap Moose facing Jeff Hardy for the X-Division Title in a ladder match. Hardy has pinned Moose a few times in tag matches so now we’re doing the ladder match thing.

X-Division Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Moose

Moose, with Alisha Edwards, is defending in a ladder match. They stare each other down to start before going straight to the floor to grab the ladders. Hardy knocks him to the floor and hits a clothesline off the apron but the Twist Of Fate is shoved into the steps. Moose bridges a ladder between a chair and the apron but Hardy fights up and pulls out the painted ladder.

The climb takes too long though and Moose hits a powerbomb before bridging a ladder into the bigger one. Hardy gets powerbombed onto the bridge ladder, landing so hard that a rung on the bigger ladder is broken. Back up and Moose grabs a table, only to get pulled onto the bridged ladder for a Twist Of Fate down to the mat. Moose is able to get up and throws the ladders out (with one hitting a camera) before hitting a heck of a spear.

Hardy is fine enough to hit a backdrop onto the bridged ladder at ringside before grabbing another table. The Swanton sends Moose through that table so Alisha has to make a save. That earns her a Twisting Stunner but Moose spears Hardy through a table. That’s enough for Moose to retain the title at 16:54.

Rating: B-. Commentary summed up the issues at the beginning of this match: Moose was in his first ever ladder match while Jeff was in his thirty ninth. That kind of takes away the impact, as Jeff has literally done this dozens of times. What we got was indeed good as they beat each other up, though I never quite bought that Jeff was going to win. I get why they had the match though and it did feel interesting, at least most of the time.

Mike Santana rants to Santino Marella about what happened and gets a rematch on Impact.

Earlier this week, the city declared it TNA Wrestling Day in El Paso. That’s cool.

The cage is being set up (the arena isn’t big enough to have it hanging) so here is First Class for their Penthouse. They’re introducing their First Class Records label and consider allowing the fans to audition but then mock the idea of the fans having talent. The Aztec Warriors come out to protest and the brawl is nearly on but referees break it up.

We recap the main event. The System and the Colons have been annoying the resident good guys so it’s time to do this in a cage.

JDC/Brian Myers/Eddie Edwards/Orlando Colon/Eddie Colon vs. Joe Hendry/Matt Hardy/Nic Nemeth/Elijah/Leon Slater

This is unofficially Lethal Lockdown, meaning two competitors start for two minutes. Then a member of the villains (who won the advantage on Impact) gets a 2-1 advantage for two minutes. The good guys then get to even it up and after that, the entry intervals drop down to one minute. When everyone is in, first pin or submission wins. Edwards and Elijah start things off, with the latter coming in on a horse because reasons.

After a song mocking the System and the Colons, Elijah gets inside and we’re ready to go. Elijah starts fast and works on the arm, setting up an Old School. A big boot drops Edwards again and he gets sent into the cage as Myers is in for the advantage. The System Overload connects but Nic Nemeth is in to even things up. Nemeth hits a neckbreaker/DDT combination and it’s already Orlando Colon coming in to go up 3-2.

The rapid fire entrances continue with Leon Slater coming in as these intervals are too long to really work. Slater stomps away until Eddie Colon is in to cut him off as well. Matt Hardy is in as well for the Side Effect and rams Orlando into the buckle. JDC gives the villains their final advantage and some chairs are thrown in to keep up the beating. Joe Hendry is in last to complete the field and the bell rings, which I hope isn’t considered the official start to the match.

Hendry starts firing off fall away slams, including a super version to Myers. Back up and Myers hits Hendry low to cut him off and Edwards’ Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Nemeth. Slater is sat on top of the cage but crotches JDC and Myers, meaning it’s a Swanton 450 from the top of the cage onto a pile. Cue Ryan Nemeth as we hit the parade of finishers. Hendry grabs one of the chairs and a Twist Of Fate with the chair around JDC’s neck lets Hardy gets the pin at 17:05.

Rating: C. Yeah this didn’t really work, as it felt like they were scrambling to get the match in as fast as they could. That only got them so far, as the short entrances completely destroyed the intrigue of the match. Someone would get in, hit one or two things and then someone else would come in to reset the whole deal. It didn’t make for a good main event, as this needed way more time, and probably two less people, to really work.

Post match most of the team leaves but Ryan gets in and locks the door. That’s enough for Nic to jump Hardy (the camera mostly misses it) and the beating is on. The rest of the team is held off with a chair and Hardy is busted open. The beating continues to end the show. The Nemeths vs. the Hardys is certainly a choice for a title feud.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a back and forth show, as there were some good things on here that had me interested in what they were doing, but then they did some things that simply weren’t very interesting. The top two matches were only so good and the ending was more of an “eh, ok I guess” than anything else. Things should get to pick up a bit with a fresh top heel, but they need something else for Hendry to do already, as he’s just kind of floating around despite being World Champion.

Results
First Class b. Aztec Warriors – Running Sliced Bread to Kid
Mance Warner b. Sami Callihan – Running knee
Tessa Blanchard b. Lei Ying Lee – Magnum
Ace Austin/Rascalz b. Wes Lee/Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe – Spiral Tap to Lee
Steve Maclin b. Frankie Kazarian – KIA
Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance/Personal Concierge b. Spitfire – Assisted top rope double stomp to Threat
Mustafa Ali b. Mike Santana – Rollup while grabbing the rope
Masha Slamovich b. Cora Jade – Requiem
Moose b. Jeff Hardy – Moose pulled down the title
Joe Hendry/Elijah/Matt Hardy/Leon Slater/Nic Nemeth b. Orlando Colon/Eddie Colon/Brian Myers/JDC/Eddie Edwards – Twist Of Fate with a chair to JDC

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Slammiversary 2010
Date: June 13, 2010
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Taz, Mike Tenay

This is something I don’t get very often, as someone wanted me to look at an old TNA show. In this case it’s still fairly early in the Hogan/Bischoff regime and the main event is Sting challenging Rob Van Dam for the World Title. Other than that, Abyss is being rather violent with Desmond Wolfe so we have Monster’s Ball. Let’s get to it.

Sidenote: it’s Slammiversary VIII, which is of course the sixth Slammiversary. I get what they’re going for, but it doesn’t sound great.

The opening video looks at the company’s history, which really has been quite strong over the years. That being said, the “modern” stuff with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff bring it back down.

Kurt Angle vs. Kazarian

Angle is annoyed that Kazarian made a recent top ten so it’s time to beat him up. Kazarian gets taken down by the arm to start and cranking ensues. That’s reverses into Kazarian’s own wristlock but Angle snaps off a German suplex. A low blow cuts Angle down though and a slingshot legdrop gives Kazarian two.

Back up and another release German suplex drops Kazarian, followed by an overhead belly to belly for the same. Angle mixes it up a bit with a powerbomb into the ankle lock but Kazarian rolls out in a hurry. For some reason Kazarian thinks going to the top against Angle is a good idea, earning himself the belly to belly superplex back down.

The rolling German suplexes let Angle take the straps down but Kazarian is up with the Fade To Black (Hangman Page’s Deadeye) for two of his own. A quick Angle Slam gives Angle two but he gets powerbombed out of the corner for the same. Angle pulls him into the ankle lock and grapevines him for the tap at 14:16.

Rating: B. This was getting going and Kazarian was able to hang with Angle pretty well. Granted that might be due to Angle’s pretty rapid descent around this time. You could see the personal issues starting to take their toll and it would only get worse going forward. He could still do well enough here, though dang it’s weird seeing him in a spot like this rather than the main event scene.

Commentary praises the various commentators over the years.

X-Division Title: Douglas Williams vs. Brian Kendrick

Kendrick is challenging after having beaten Williams, who hates high fliers, in a non-title match. Feeling out process to start with Kendrick pulling him into an armbar, sending Williams over to the ropes. Williams’ front facelock is broken up as well as they’re certainly going technical to start.

Williams gets logical by going after the leg before they head outside, where Kendrick misses a charge into the barricade. Back in and we hit a camel clutch, followed by a pop up Samoan drop for two on Kendrick. We go European with a cravate on Kendrick, who fights out and hits a missile dropkick. Williams gets in a hard kick to the ribs and a rollup gets two, followed by a gutwrench suplex. Rolling Chaos Theory is broken up but Williams is right back with the tornado DDT to retain at 9:36.

Rating: C+. This was a fine way to go as Williams gets to keep the title. The X-Division has been such a major focal point of the company’s history that it had to be featured on a show like this, though you might have expected the title to change hands for the feel good moment. Williams was a talented star and the “mat wrestler who hates high flying” is a classic story, but the match was only pretty good.

Eric Bischoff, with assistant Miss Tessmacher, is looking forward to the main event and wants Rob Van Dam to get rid of Sting for awhile.

Knockouts Title: Roxxi vs. Madison Rayne

Rayne is defending after, just like the previous match, the champ got beat in a non-title match. Hold on though as Rayne asks how the Beautiful People have been so dominant but Roxxi gets to pop in and out whenever she likes. What is she putting on the line tonight? We should make it a title vs. career match, with Roxxi agreeing, and then getting hit in the face with the microphone to start fast.

Roxxi is busted open but comes back with a clothesline and ax handle for two, only to be sent outside. Back in and Rayne sends her into the corner before cranking on the arm, which feels a bit out of place when Roxxi is pouring blood. Roxxi fights up with a boot to the face and a Voodoo Drop gets two. Back up and Rayne hits a quick Rayne Drop to end Roxxi’s career at 4:16.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure if they went home early because of the blood or if this was the plan, but either way, this was far from something interesting, as it was more or less a basic TV match. I would expect something more out of both a pay per view title match, as well as the end of Roxxi’s career. Nothing much to see here and that’s a disappointment.

We recap Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal, which is due to Ray thinking Neal (his former student) is disrespectful. Naturally this is what we get rather than a match between their respective teams, because that might make too much sense.

Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal

Hold on though as Ray asks both partners (D-Von and Shannon Moore) to come out here, with Ray offering an apology. Ray calls Neal a hero for his time in the Navy and yes he (Ray) made a mistake. Team 3D goes to leave and yes of course Ray jumps Neal on the ramp and throws him inside to start fast. D-Von is ticked off but leaves, allowing Ray to hammer away on the mostly helpless Neal.

Neal gets tied in the Tree of Woe and knocked back out, allowing Ray to hit some rather hard chops. The comeback is actually on with a crossbody into a belly to belly but the Bully Bomb cuts him off. Cue Tommy Dreamer (who wound up being a surprise that Dixie Carter had teased, because of course) for a distraction, causing Ray to miss a middle rope backsplash. A spear gives Neal the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C-. Oh come on. This warranted a spot on the pay per view? They really needed to bring in Tommy Dreamer that badly? Other than that, the match was another weak one as well, with Ray basically toying with him and shrugging off Neal’s offense. This easily could have been on regular TV and had no real business being on this show.

Hernandez is ready to fight his former partner Matt Morgan.

We recap Hernandez vs. Matt Morgan. They were partner and champions until Morgan turned on him and put Hernandez on the shelf. It’s time for revenge.

Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez

Hold on though (again) as Morgan comes out in a neck brace. He blames Hernandez for hurting him and he has a doctor’s note saying he can’t wrestle. Cue Hernandez to throw Morgan back inside and we’re ready to fight. Hernandez hammers away in the corner and puts the referee on the top, allowing Morgan to send Hernandez outside. Back in and Hernandez is sent into the post a few times before firing off the elbows in the corner. Hernandez fights out and chokes on the ropes a few times, followed by a shove of the referee for the DQ at 5:17.

Rating: D+. I repeat my “Oh come on” as this was absolutely a TV angle rather than a match. I have no idea why they’re doing with this with the pay per view as this is the third straight match (out of five) that could have easily been on Impact. If you want these two to have a fight then let them have a fight. Don’t just tease something and then make you wait after asking us to pay this time. Again.

Post match Hernandez beats up the referee again so more referees come out to check on him. This is the focal point after a former team brawled on pay per view.

Hulk Hogan is looking forward to the main event.

Abyss vs. Desmond Wolfe

Monster’s Ball and Chelsea is here with Wolfe (who is better known as Nigel McGuinness), who tries to swing the kendo stick to start. This doesn’t prove to be a good idea against Abyss, who slams him down and grabs a barbed wire board. That’s broken up (the momentum, not the board) and Wolfe gets in a shot of his own. A barbed wire teddy bear (How did Mick Foley never have one of those?) is brought in by Abyss knocks him down and busts out the bag of broken glass.

We’ll save that for later though as Wolfe takes him up to the stage, where Abyss hits a chokeslam through part of the set. That’s not enough for even a cover though as Abyss takes him back to the ring, where Wolfe hits a sunset bomb onto the barbed wire board. The kendo stick sends Abyss, now bleeding from the arm, into the glass for two and Wolfe is stunned. Wolfe tells Chelsea to throw him the brass knuckles but she intentionally throws them to Abyss instead. A right hand with said knuckles and the Black Hole Slam finish Wolfe at 11:45.

Rating: B-. It was the usual hardcore, weapons based brawl that we’ve seen from TNA for years. That’s probably the point, but they didn’t exactly give us much of a reason for these two to be fighting. I’m sure there was a reason, but it would be nice to get a quick recap of what set this up. If Ray vs. Neal can get one, you might think this could too. Anyway, the Chelsea turn was the point here, and that was an effective enough way to wrap up a decent hardcore match.

Rob Van Dam is going to keep the World Title so Sting can’t get it and bring the company into dark days. TNA? Dark days? Like that could ever happen (over and over and over).

We recap Jay Lethal vs. AJ Styles. Ric Flair is mentoring Styles and trying to turn him into the new Nature Boy (and yes it was bad) but is mad at him for losing to Lethal, who had embarrassed him with an impression. Now Flair wants Styles to get revenge.

Jay Lethal vs. AJ Styles

Ric Flair is here with Styles, who comes out in a feathered Flair robe, because of course AJ STYLES needed this kind of thing. They fight over a lockup to start and Styles takes him into the corner for a slap to the face. Styles’ headlock is broken up so he goes after the knee and chops away.

A snap suplex gives Lethal and he grabs a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for the same. Styles is back up and knocks him to the floor but gets tripped onto the apron. Back in and Styles kicks him in the face for two, setting up a knee drop for the same. Lethal’s own kick gets his own two but Styles plants him with a belly to back suplex. Flair gets in a few cheap shots of his own and we hit the chinlock to keep things slow.

That’s broken up as well and Styles strikes away, with a crossbody getting two. Lethal goes up top but gets caught in a backbreaker, only to grab his pop up neckbreaker (always looked good) for two more. Styles gets evil by poking him in the eye and slapping on the Figure Four, with Lethal making the ropes. Lethal is back with a nasty German suplex for two, followed by his own Figure Four which has Flair freaking out (again). That’s broken up so Lethal hits another backbreaker but Styles gets in a Pele. Styles goes up and dives right into a northern lights suplex to give Lethal the big upset win at 16:33.

Rating: B. This is the kind of win you do not see very often but it can go a long way in making someone a star. Lethal was still getting established as a singles wrestler around this point and beating a legend like Styles clean is only going to help that. I’m still not sure who thought it was a good idea to turn Styles, who was LONG established at this point, into a new Nature Boy but TNA has to TNA.

Post match Flair yells at Styles so Frankie Kazarian comes out to calm things down.

Sting says he’s going to take the World Title from Rob Van Dam as part of his war with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. The bosses being more important than the title is certainly a choice.

We recap Beer Money vs. Jeff Hardy/Mr. Anderson. Beer Money is a seasoned team and Hardy and Anderson don’t get along. The feud has been building for weeks and…that’s the extent of what we’re told. WHY they’re fighting isn’t exactly explained, which is kind of a big thing to miss.

Hardy and Anderson dub themselves the Extreme Enigmatic A*******.

Mr. Anderson/Jeff Hardy vs. Beer Money

Roode and Anderson start things off with Roode taking him into the corner for an early break. It’s off to Hardy, who gets dropped with a shoulder and then Storm knocks him down as well. Everything breaks down and Beer Money gets cleared out until Roode low bridges Anderson to the floor. Back in and Roode gets two off a knee drop as we settle down into the heat segment.

Anderson finally gets in a clothesline for a breather and it’s back to Hardy to clean house. Roode slows him up though and Storm grabs a DDT for two but Anderson breaks up the Last Call, allowing Hardy to Swanton Roode. Storm pulls the referee out at two so Hardy hammers on Storm, only to get caught in a wheelbarrow Codebreaker. A hanging DDT plants Hardy for two more as things slow down again.

The villains shout their names and it’s back to Roode for a front facelock. That’s broken up but Hardy misses Whisper In The Wind, only to come back with a quick DDT. Anderson comes back in to clean house but walks into Roode’s spinebuster, with Hardy making the save. The Eye Of The Storm drops Hardy and everything breaks down again. Hardy sends Storm outside, saves Anderson (busted open) from a suplex, and lets Anderson Mic Check Roode for the pin at 13:54.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly good tag match with Hardy and Anderson working together well enough against a full time team. Commentary still didn’t do much to explain why the teams were fighting but the match being good enough helps a lot. It’s not exactly a classic, but it went well enough.

Post match the winners congratulate each other.

We recap Sting vs. Rob Van Dam for the World Title. Sting has been going a lot more violent and possibly evil, but he swears there is more to it. He’s trying to help protect the company by protecting the title, but Van Dam isn’t cool with that.

TNA World Title: Sting vs. Rob Van Dam

Van Dam is defending and Sting is in his really lame t-shirt look. Sting takes him outside to start and they go into the crowd, where Van Dam kicks him away. They get back to ringside where Sting backdrops him right back over the barricade. Van Dam gets whipped into a wall before some rams into the barricade keeps him in trouble.

We actually bother to get inside, where a Stinger Splash gets two and we hit the chinlock. Van Dam fights up and starts kicking away, including the middle rope kick to the face for two. The referee gets bumped though and Sting gets in some baseball bat shots. Cue Jeff Jarrett to use the bat on Sting, allowing Van Dam to hit Rolling Thunder for two. The Stinger Splash misses though and Van Dam hits the Five Star to retain at 10:56.

Rating: C-. Sting’s time in TNA saw him have a lot of lame finishes to his matches and that was kind of the case again here. The biggest problem is this in no way felt like a pay per view main event but rather something that you could see on any given Impact. They brawled outside for almost half of the match and then the referee got bumped. Sting and Van Dam are more than capable of having a good match but they weren’t given the chance to do it here. Not good, and it felt like a fairly meaningless way to wrap up a major show.

Van Dam celebrates and we’re out.

Overall Rating: C. There are good parts to this show but the section in the middle, from the Knockouts Title match to Hernandez vs. Morgan and then the main event were just not worth your time. It also doesn’t help that there was pretty much nothing big, especially not for an anniversary show, to make it stand out. The show just came and went and while there were some good parts, it just didn’t stand out overall. Things would get more interesting in TNA in the coming months, though the quality would certainly be…uh, yeah.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NWA TNA Weekly PPV #8
Date: August 7, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Ed Ferrara, Don West

I keep thinking that these shows might get a bit better and that seems to be my problem. Most of the time, wrestling companies start to figure things out and the booking gets better, but this is Vince Russo’s TNA and things don’t get better around here. The big story this week is Ron Killings getting a World Title shot against Ken Shamrock so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Apollo and the Dupps are outside Ricky Steamboat’s office.

Amazing Red/Spanish Announce Team vs. Flying Elvises

It’s a brawl to start until Siaki is left alone to clothesline Red. Jose Maximo (brother of Joel) gets triple powerbombed and the Elvises get to pose and dance. For some reason Yang and Estrada go to commentary, leaving Siaki to get triple teamed in the corner. Then they sing a little Elvis as a surfboard/dragon sleeper combination sets up a top rope double stomp for two on Siaki.

Back up and Siaki fights back but he doesn’t want a tag from Yang. Red kicks Siaki down on top and it’s a double super Spanish Fly for two. Yang and Estrada come back in and take out the Maximos but Estrada gets caught in Code Red for two more. Estrada counters a double super Spanish Fly into a double super DDT to the Maximos. A top rope legdrop/splash combination hits Red but the other Elvises pose, allowing Siaki to steal the pin at 11:46.

Rating: B-. Oh that’s a Russo trait if I’ve ever seen one. You have the team who doesn’t get along but wins anyway, making the other team look that much worse. If Red and the SAT’s can’t beat Siaki when they have him 3-1, why should I believe they can beat pretty much anyone? It’s a bad idea and something that Russo absolutely loved, which shouldn’t be all that surprising.

We run down tonight’s card.

Apollo is mad at being left out of the World Title picture because it’s a show of disrespect. Why is Ron Killings getting the shot over him? Apollo accuses Ricky Steamboat of being corrupt (Mike Tenay is STUNNED) and promises to do something about it.

AJ Styles leaves Steamboat’s office and Apollo confronts Steamboat, who will talk to him on his own time. With that done, Jerry Lynn jumps Styles and a big fight breaks out before their match tonight.

Steamboat comes to the ring but the Dupps interrupt him. Steamboat isn’t having this and sends them to the back, telling them to do whatever they wanted. Oh that does not sound smart Dragon.

NWA World Title: Ron Killings vs. Ken Shamrock

Shamrock is defending and Steamboat is on commentary. Shamrock goes for the leg and Killings goes straight to the rope. A kick to the chest takes Killings down again as Steamboat talks about “them” holding him away from the WWF Title in 1987. Killings takes him down into a chinlock but gets pulled into a quickly broken kneebar. Back up and they collide for a double knockdown before Shamrock grabs a slow motion hurricanrana.

The ankle lock is broken up again as the Disciples Of The New Church are watching from the stage. Monty Brown comes out to watch as well as Shamrock hammers away and grabs a cross armbreaker (with Killings just laying there). They fight to the floor and (deep breath), Apollo, the Disciples Of The New Church, Don Harris, Monty Brown and Ricky Steamboat get into it with them. Apollo superkicks Shamrock by mistake and Steamboat throws him inside, where Killings hits a cutter for the pin and the title at 9:20.

Rating: D+. The match was a mess (believe it or not with that many people interfering) but it’s also the right move. Killings has at least been featured somewhat regularly while Shamrock has been this guy kind of off to the side who happened to be World Champion. Shifting the title to someone who is a lot more active and important is a good thing, even if it was as messy of a way to get the title off of him as possible. It didn’t help that the match was bad too, with the two of them having completely different styles which did not click whatsoever.

Post match Steamboat gets in the ring to call out Apollo, because THE WORLD TITLE CHANGING HANDS (and Killings becoming the first Black man to win the title) isn’t important enough to warrant a few moments to breathe. Steamboat grants Apollo a title shot, but, say it with me, Jeff Jarrett comes out to complain. Jarrett says he’s not getting the title shot because he’s white, because a Black man is champion and a Puerto Rican is getting the title shot (oh dear). Steamboat is tired of this (preach it) and makes a #1 contenders match with himself as guest referee for tonight.

And now, Jive Talkin with Disco Inferno but someone has stolen his set. Cue the Dupps to announce the Dupp Cup Invitational, which is for a family cup that they have used for moonshine over the years. This is the new hardcore division and they’re doing it because Ricky Steamboat said do whatever they want. They bring out a chalkboard with rules on it, saying you have to score ten points to win the match (this is going to be really, really stupid). We even have scoring options (and yes, they go over EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM):

Put an opponent through a table: 2.5 points
Put an opponent through a burning “tabel” (that’s how it’s spelled: 5 points
Put an opponent’s head in a toilet: 2.5 points
Put an opponent’s head in a toilet with waste in it: 3.5 points
Goose a woman: 2.5 points
Goose a man: 3.5 points
Hit Jeremy Borash: 2.5 points
Hit the ticket lady: 2.5 points
Use a farm animal of any kind in any way: 2.5 points

Note that at this point we cut to a fan with her hand over her mouth and a horrified look on her face. This is about as appropriate as anything you will ever see in wrestling.

Spank an opponent’s bare a** with “Horsey Poo” (a stick horse): 2.5 points
If the opponent likes it: -2.5 points
Introduce an opponent to Jai: 2.5 points (no, they do not specify who or what Jai is)
Cry like a pu**y: – 5 points
Put your opponent’s head in a cotton candy machine for one full rotation: 10 points, automatic win

In case that’s not enough, Disco starts suggesting his own scoring idea, such as using a weapon from a fan for 5 points, but the Dupps say that’s just 1. We’re going to even have the first match, with Bo Dupp defending the honor of his “girlfriend” Goldilocks. They offer 64 cents but then add in a night with Fluff Dupp…which is enough for Ed Ferrara to accept. He even gets a 2 point head start by decking Jeremy Borash. Then he jumps West and gets in a fight with Borash, which somehow makes it 6-0 as I guess this is a match.

Dupp Cup: Bo Dupp vs. Ed Ferrara

First to ten points wins and Ferrara is up 6-0. The Dupps chair him down a few times to make it 6-2 and more weapon shots make it 6-5 in a hurry. A blowup doll is brought in as this somehow gets dumber. Stan goes after the ticket lady, who comes out of her office with a broom to beat him up.

Paulina From Tough Enough (yes that is her official name) uses the chalk board to beat up Stan as Ferrara spears Bo at ringside. Somehow it’s 8 to 6.5 so Ferrara uses Horsey Poo…which Bo likes so it’s tied (I think, as this is somehow even dumber and messier than it sounds). The table is brought in but Bo chokeslams Ferrara through it to win at 6:45.

Rating: N/A. This wasn’t wrestling.

By the way: this whole thing, from the start of Disco’s segment to moving on to the next thing was over seventeen minutes. That’s longer than the main events of multiple Wrestlemanias. On this mess. The next time you’re at some low level, badly paying job, just remember that someone was paid to come up with this. See how much worse that makes you feel. Absolutely horrible and one of the dumbest things I have ever sat through in wrestling.

Earlier today, Mike Tenay sat down with Monty Brown. We hear about his career in football as part of the Buffalo Bills and now he’s wrestling. He had to fight to get a contract as an undrafted free agent so he knows about the politics that he’ll have to face in wrestling. As for Ron Killings, he’s tired of hearing about about “them” holding him back. Cue Elix Skipper with a bunch of yellow paint to cover Brown.

Don Harris vs. Malice

First Blood. They brawl around ringside to start as James Mitchell is on commentary. The fight goes into the crowd as we hear about the weird symbolism of the blood from last week. It’s BLOOD. This doesn’t require an explanation. Harris hits him with a chair and they walk around the building with Malice taking over.

They go to the ramp where Harris reverses a powerbomb into a backdrop but here is Slash to jump him as well. Harris takes a spike from Slash and busts him open but Malice jumps him again. Mitchell gets the ceremonial blood poured on him, followed by Harris hitting a Boss Man Slam. Somehow this busts Harris open (yep) and Malice wins at 6:28.

Rating: D. Somehow, this was miles better than the previous match and it was a terrible brawl. The first blood thing is something that fits into what they did last week, but Malice won while Harris, as in one of the HARRIS TWINS, was beating him up. You can’t have one of the Harris Twins take a pinfall against the person who was supposed to be the big monster? It’s no wonder this promotion is such a mess if that’s their mentality out here.

Post match the Disciples beat him up and leave him laying.

Sonny Siaki is looking for Ricky Steamboat. Taylor Vaughn comes in to jump Bruce (who is here too) and challenges him for tonight. Bruce is in, for an evening gown match. Then AJ Styles and Low Ki start brawling.

Apollo vs. Jeff Jarrett

#1 contenders match with Ricky Steamboat as guest referee. Apollo hammers away to start but Steamboat cuts him off, allowing Jarrett to get in a shot of his own. The fight heads outside but Apollo grabs a sitout powerbomb for two back inside. They go back outside where Apollo (already bleeding) is dropped onto the announcers’ table but Steamboat cuts off a chair shot.

Back in and Jarrett knocks him down for two before tying him in the Tree of Woe. Steamboat breaks that up so Jarrett goes with the Figure Four instead. Apollo is up at two arm drops and the comeback is on, including a DDT for a double down. The right hands in the corner have Jarrett in more trouble and the superkick connects but Jarrett gets a foot on the rope. Apollo grabs a German suplex but Jarrett gets his shoulder up for the (delayed) three count at 10:05.

Rating: C+. Yeah Jarrett won, but my goodness it was nice to see a match actually go clean around here. It wasn’t a great match or even a particularly good one, but what matters is that it was actually wrestling. After everything else tonight, I’ll absolutely take this, even if it was just ok for the most part.

Post match Apollo yells at Steamboat, who says he has no problem with Apollo but Jarrett won. With Apollo gone, Steamboat says Jarrett gets Killings….just not in a World Title match. Instead, it’s Jarrett and Killings against AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn in a Tag Team Title match. So yeah, there’s the screwy twist that they just have to do. The fans even boo, because not only were they screwed out of a title shot, but Jarrett is screwed over as well as he won that match 100% clean and is getting ripped off. Again: this booking is horrible.

Miss TNA: Bruce vs. Taylor Vaughn

Bruce is defending in an Evening Gown match so Bruce is indeed in a dress. Bruce immediately takes her down and hits a suplex before adding a faceplant. Then he takes Vaughn’s dress off for the win in a total squash. This stuff is still so dumb.

Post match Bruce strips to make the fans happy and we get a lot of pixelation.

Don West gives us a preview of next week’s show and shills merchandise. To be fair, this is his specialty and he’s awesome at this kind of thing.

X-Division Title: Low Ki vs. AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn

Styles is defending and gets double teamed to start, including a faceplant. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gives Lynn two on Ki but Styles is back up with a powerslam. Ki is back up with a dropkick and elbows but Styles pulls the referee in and kicks Ki low (there’s a joke there somewhere). Ki and Lynn strike it out until Lynn sends him to the apron for a legdrop over the rope.

The dragon sleeper has Styles and Lynn in trouble but Lynn takes Ki down. A top rope hanging DDT gets two on Styles with Ki making the save. Ki butterfly suplexes Styles for two and Styles puts Ki down for the same with Lynn making the save. Styles and Ki go up top and it’s a super sunset bomb to turn it into a Tower Of Doom. Ki gets back to back dragon sleepers for back to back saves.

Styles brainbusters Lynn for two but Lynn is back with a Ki Crusher 99 for two on Ki. Back up and Ki accidentally takes out the referee (ERG) but gets launched out to the floor. Styles chairs Lynn down so Ki covers for two, only for Styles to hit the Styles Clash to break it up….but Ki falls back on Lynn for the three (as in the third count, with the break apparently not mattering, which isn’t how it works in wrestling) for the title at 16:18.

Rating: A-. Rough ending aside, this was great. They were all going nuts and doing their thing as fast as they could and it made for an awesome match. As usual, the X-Division stuff is stealing the show and that shouldn’t be a surprise given what else we’re seeing. Excellent match here as they were doing everything they could for all of the time they had.

Jeff Jarrett and Ron Killings argue in the back as Styles beats up Lynn. Jarrett comes out to yell because OF COURSE he’s the last thing we see.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure what it says when a show with that awesome of a main event, plus a good opener and a fine Apollo vs. Jarrett match is still so weak. The bad parts on this are just so bad that they drag down the good things. As usual with a Russo booked show, everything is just so all over the place and at times idiotic that you forget how good some of the wrestling really is. It’s an improvement over last week, and that’s all because of the X-Division carrying everything they can.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

NWA TNA Weekly PPV #7
Date: July 31, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Ed Ferrara, Don West

While there are some interesting parts to this show, there are far more things where I either don’t know what is going on or even worse, I don’t care. Since security has given up around here, Ricky Steamboat of all people is going to be in charge this week. I’m sure he’ll set everyone right. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: AJ Styles vs. Elix Skipper

Styles is defending and Jerry Lynn is on commentary. Skipper jumps him to start but Styles fights up with some right hands in the corner. A legdrop gets two on Skipper and a leg lariat puts him down again. Skipper is back up with a running forearm and a belly to back suplex cuts off Styles’ kicks to the ribs. A hard slam gives Skipper two and he knocks Styles down rather hard again.

Skipper kicks him in the back of the head and we hit a front facelock. That’s broken up and Styles tries a hurricanrana, which is countered into a powerbomb for two. Back up and Skipper tries a northern lights suplex but gets reversed into a guillotine for a smart counter. Styles leverages him out to the floor but Skipper switches places and hits a slingshot dive. Back in and Styles breaks up a springboard, setting up the Spiral Tap to retain at 12:40.

Rating: B-. This was a way for Styles to get a title defense against someone the fans are going to know. That’s the point of using people from WCW, as they are useful to boost up the new stars. Styles isn’t overly well known six weeks into the company’s history, but now they know he can beat a star from WCW. Build Styles up that way and let him go from here.

Ricky Steamboat has returned the NWA World Title to Ken Shamrock and lifted Jeff Jarrett’s suspension so Jarrett can face Scott Hall tonight. I mean, we don’t get to SEE these things but apparently they happened. And Malice stealing the title is just leading to….nothing? Sure.

As Elix Skipper is leaving, Monty Brown runs out to beat him up as payback from last week. The Alpha Bomb leaves Skipper laying. What a hero.

Here is Jeff Jarrett, carrying a big burlap sack over his shoulder, which appears to contain a person. Jarrett has to start from the bottom and work his way up to the top so he’ll start against….this kidnapped midget. Jarrett calls out anyone for a fight and gets Puppet, who pulls out a GUN. Security distracts him though, allowing Jarrett to drop Puppet with a chair. Cue Ricky Steamboat, with a Harris Twin and Bob Armstrong. Jarrett challenges Steamboat for a fight but Scott Hall sneaks in to chase Jarrett off before anything happens.

Sonny Siaki is fine with wrestling on his own tonight. And stop staring at his a**.

Slash vs. Sonny Siaki

James Mitchell is on commentary as Slash sends Siaki out to the apron. That earns Slash a hurricanrana to the floor but he sends Siaki into the barricade. Back in and an Eye Of The Storm plants Siaki again and Slash grabs the cobra clutch. They both go up and wind up crotching each other for a double down. Siaki fights up with some shots to the face and a pumphandle suplex gets two. Mitchell gets up on the apron for a distraction though and Slash puts a hood over Siaki, setting up a neckbreaker for the pin at 7:41.

Rating: C. It needed more Elvises. The match wasn’t much more than Siaki acting too much like Elvis as played by the Rock. Slash is just kind of a generic heel as well so there wasn’t much to be seen here. The New Church feels like a situation of “we need a weird heel stable” and that was the extent of the thinking behind it, which isn’t exactly inspiring.

Post match Slash ties him up in the ropes and Mitchell rubs blood on Siaki’s head. Don Harris, the head of security, comes in for the save.

Ricky Steamboat is here to lay down the law and he is not Bill Behrens.

Ron Killings comes out to complain about one of the cage dancers being exploited as a Black woman. She might claim to be a dancer, but she is nothing but a “$2 ho.” Violence is teased but Monty Brown comes in for the save, only to get hit in the head with something made of wood.

Cue Ricky Steamboat to say Killings has his attention, so have the guts to come say it to his face. Killings gets in his face but Steamboat doesn’t get his problem. Killings brings up Steamboat’s time in the WWF and says he was a fan. Steamboat was the Intercontinental Champion, but then it stopped. Why was that? It’s because the Intercontinental Title was always for second class citizens, which is just what is happening to him today. Steamboat actually agrees and gives Killings a World Title shot next week. Killings raps a bit. So did Steamboat just accuse the WWF of racism and side with the heel? Did I get that right?

Apollo vs. Malice

James Mitchell is here with Malice. Apollo jumps him to start but gets knocked into the corner without much effort. Something like a top rope leg lariat gives Apollo two and he knocks Malice outside to hammer away. They trade whips into the barricade until Malice takes him back inside for a powerbomb. A superplex gives Malice two and a middle rope legdrop connects for the same. Apollo was busted open somewhere in there but comes back with a DDT into a superkick for the pin at 6:34.

Rating: C+. This was mainly a brawl on the floor but that worked as you had two bigger guys here. Malice is a fairly generic monster but that’s the kind of thing you need to have on a show. On the other hand you have Apollo, who still feels like someone who could be something, with his look alone being a nice appeal.

Post match Malice chokeslams a referee so Don Harris runs in for the save. Slash comes in and helps tie up Don, who gets the blood treatment as well.

Don West brings out Taylor Vaughn for a chat about being Miss TNA but Bruce interrupts. Bruce wants a match for the Miss TNA title and gets kicked low, with the referee coming in.

Miss TNA: Taylor Vaughn vs. Bruce

A suplex gives Vaughn two but Bruce runs her over. The abdominal stretch has Vaughn in trouble and a spinning faceplant gives Bruce the win at 2:06. This is, in fact, stupid.

Post match Bruce cries after being given the tiara and sash.

Low Ki is ready to prove himself in the ring.

Low Ki vs. Jerry Lynn

AJ Styles is on commentary. Ki grabs a hammerlock to start but gets reversed into a headscissors. The grappling on the mat goes to a standoff so they fight over wrist control. Ki takes him down by the leg but gets reversed into an armbar and kicked in the head. Lynn’s tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two but Ki kicks him in the face for two.

It’s too early for the Ki Krusher 99 so Ki goes with a dragon sleeper in the ropes instead. Back in and Lynn gets in a facebuster but the cradle piledriver is countered into a triangle choke. That’s broken up (Styles approves) and Lynn hammers away. Ki’s dropkick into a jackknife rollup gets two and a springboard kick to the face knocks Lynn silly.

Another kick to the head gets two but Lynn catches him with a helicopter bomb for two. The dragon sleeper is countered into a tornado DDT to give Lynn two more but Ki kicks him in the head. Ki loads up the Ki Krusher 99, only for Styles to kick Lynn in the back for the DQ at 14:11.

Rating: B. These guys were rolling by the end and then it fell down a few pegs because of the lame ending. Other than that it was good stuff with both of them working hard and trying to steal the show, which they pretty much did again. Styles getting involved might make sense, but dang it would be nice to see a match end without something screwy happening.

Post match Ki plants Lynn as the match is a no contest, because a DQ apparently means something very different around here.

Don Harris wants a first blood match with Malice.

And now, it’s Jive Talkin, with Disco teasing that he’s going to replace Oprah Winfrey. He’s tired of the lack of skin around here so he introduces a “dumb b****” who is going to take her top off. The guest is Goldilocks and we talk about her music career a bit before he tells her to take off her shirt. That’s not happening so she slaps him and gets in a low blow but a woman from Tough Enough comes in to choke Goldilocks out. This show continues to go 100mph and it’s all about bringing in anyone who might have been around wrestling in any way.

Don West gives his usual overly hyped preview for next week and it’s awesome.

Scott Hall vs. Jeff Jarrett

Stretcher match. Hall brawls with Jarrett on the ramp to start and drops him face first onto the announcers’ table. They go up the ramp and into the back, almost going outside in the process. Hall uses various things to knock him back into the arena and Jarrett staggers into the crowd.

The stretcher (which is the kind that folds up rather than the traditional wrestling version) is pulled out and Jarrett hits him in the ribs but Hall whips him into it a few times. Hall drops him throat first onto the stretcher and then hits the Razor’s Edge…for two, as that’s what happens in a stretcher match. Anyway Ron Killings runs in for the save and gives Hall an ax kick so Jarrett can get two.

Monty Brown goes after Killings and Jerry Lynn goes after Jarrett so AJ Styles (who has pretty much NOTHING to do with ANY of this) comes in, only to get cut off by Don Harris. The Disciples Of The New Church take out Harris and we need a double count, with both of them getting up. They slug it out and Jarrett grabs a chair but Ricky Steamboat (the ninth person to get involved in the match) comes out to take it away. Steamboat takes it from Hall as well, but Jarrett hits the Stroke on Hall onto the chair for the win at 12:05.

Rating: D-. When you have enough people to present a decent battle royal involved in a singles match, you’re doing something wrong. Throw in the stretcher thing not making a ton of sense (at least not by the traditional definition) and this was, as usual, a Russo mess. Oh hey and Jarrett gets to stand tall again, because of course he does.

Hall is laid on the stretcher to end the show. Not moved, but just laid on it.

Overall Rating: D+. This is a show where the good parts are few and far between, because everything in between is so terrible and it kills the rest of the show. This show was built around Ricky Steamboat being in charge and we didn’t even get to see most of what he did. Other than that, you had Jeff Jarrett being brought back after a suspension (where he was threatened with another suspension, which doesn’t have much of a threat) and the rest of the dumb stuff filling it in.

This show is a mixture of some good action, which usually involves wrestlers who are able to avoid the storylines, and the worst of Vince Russo, who is getting to be his over the top worst here with no one to call him off. And odds are it’s only going to get worst as he loses whatever is left of his mind.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Genesis 2025
Date: January 19, 2025
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the first major pay per view of the year and the big story is that Joe Hendry is getting his second chance to become TNA World Champion. That’s enough of a story, but other than that, there is a good chance that NXT is going to be heavily involved around here, as the two promotions have announced a multi-year partnership. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Ashante Thee Adonis vs. Jake Something

This is the result of NXT’s Adonis’ opening challenge to officially kick off the new partnership. Adonis throws his jacket at Something to start and is promptly run over with some shoulders. A hard forearm takes Adonis down again and, after shrugging off some stomps, Something shoves him into the corner. Adonis gets in a forearm to the back and kicks away but Something is back with a heck of a running shoulder in the corner. Something knocks him out of the air and hits Into The Void for the win at 3:54.

Rating: C+. Nice choice for an opener here as Something got to look like a monster and the fans liked what they were seeing. Other than that, it was nice to see a TNA star dominating an NXT name, even someone as low on the list as Adonis. Not a great match, but it was fun and got the fans going without taking much time. In other words, it was exactly what it should have been.

Kickoff Show: Leon Slater vs. Frankie Kazarian

JDC is on commentary. Kazarian armdrags him down to start but Slater gets in a whip to the corner, meaning it’s time to dance. Back up and Slater is sat on top for a shove out to the floor, setting up the slingshot legdrop for two back inside. The running flipping neckbreaker gives Kazarian two and there’s a springboard spinning legdrop, though JDC isn’t happy with Slater playing to the crowd (ignore Slater not playing to the crowd).

Slater fights up and hits a running boot to the face, setting up a high crossbody for two. Something like a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Slater two but the slingshot Fameasser into the slingshot cutter drops Slater again. Fade To Black is blocked and Slater kicks him to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive over the post. Back in and the Swanton 450 hits knees though, with Kazarian grabbing a rollup with tights for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. Gah they were starting to get to a higher level right at the end when it all stopped. I’m not sure if Slater is going to go on to become anything big around here but the fans are reacting to him and his high flying stuff is looking rather nice. That’s more than enough to warrant giving him another look and TNA seems to know that, even this early in his time with the company. The fans were reacting to Slater here and I could have gone for another few minutes.

Camryn Wright sings the National Anthem.

The opening video talks about how this is the beginning and looks at the biggest matches.

X-Division Title: Moose vs. Ace Austin

Moose, with JDC and Alisha Edwards, is defending and debuts a new title design. Austin immediately jumps him to start and hammers away in the corner but they’re quickly on the floor. Moose gets in a whip into the barricade and then does it again for a bonus. A missed charge sends Moose into the barricade for a change though and Austin adds a suplex on the floor.

JDC offers a distraction, allowing Austin to get chokeslammed off the top and onto the apron. Back in and Austin tries to fire off some chops but gets knocked down without much trouble. The spear misses for Moose and Austin Russian legsweeps him down. A springboard kick to the face and a double stomp gets two. The Fold is blocked and Moose’s middle rope chokebomb gives him two of his own.

They slug it out until Moose knocks him to the floor, where another chokebomb is countered into a hurricanrana. They go outside where Moose accidentally spears JDC, allowing Austin to hit the Fold. Cue Brian Myers for a distraction, with Moose hitting the spear for two. Austin kicks him in the head and tries the Art Of Finesse but gets speared out of the air. Another spear retains the title at 14:38.

Rating: B. I kept going back and forth about the winner here, as the appeal of having Austin win the title in honor of Chris Bey would have been an awesome moment. At the same time, Moose holding onto the title and dominating the division until someone steps up to dethrone him works very well too. I could go for seeing where that goes long term and if it means more matches like this, I’m all for it. This was a heck of a power vs. speed match and the fans, again, were all over what they were being given. Austin can go with anyone and I wouldn’t be complaining about seeing him doing something more important.

Post match the beatdown is teased but Eric Young and Steve Maclin (scheduled to face the System tonight) run in for the save. The brawl is on and we’re doing this one now.

Steve Maclin/Eric Young vs. The System

Maclin backbreakers Edwards to start and knees Myers down, only for Edwards to come back with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Myers takes over on Maclin and Edwards adds a clothesline for two as commentary talks about the history of tag wrestling in the company. Maclin facebusters and clotheslines his way out of trouble, allowing Young to come in and clean house. The top rope elbow gets two on Myers but a double suplex drops Young for two. Everything breaks down and Alisha’s distraction lets Myers get in a spear for two on Maclin. The System Overload is broken up though and it’s the KIA to pin Myers at 7:30.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here and the good thing is they didn’t take too long. That’s a trap that so many promotions fall into and it’s nice to see someone realize that a match like this doesn’t need to be fifteen minutes. Maclin and Young aren’t likely to be a long term team, but they’re fine for two bigger names who don’t have anything else to do at the moment.

We meet the French announce team and run down the rest of the card.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Spitfire vs. Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance

Spitfire is defending but the challengers get a New Age Outlaws style introduction by the Personal Concierge. By Elegance are in Dallas Cowboys cheerleader gear but stop to say GO EAGLES, meaning the fight is on in a hurry. Luna splashes Ash for two to start but a double suplex is broken up. Heather comes in and gets suplexed (with a squat) instead but the Concierge gets in a trip from the floor to take over.

Back in and Luna gets choked on the ropes, allowing Luna to flip around a bit. A running dropkick in the corner gets two on Luna and Ash grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and it’s off to Threat to clean house. Everything breaks down and a Backstabber/double stomp combination gets two on Threat. Luna is back in with some German suplexes before Threat sends Heather outside with Pop Shove It. The Pressure Drop retains the titles at 9:31.

Rating: C. The match was fine but the titles still don’t feel like they really need to be a thing. By Elegance was a fine choice for challengers, but where do we go from here? The champions retained the titles clean, so other than a rematch, it’s time to find new challengers. That has been the problem for the titles since their inception and that is going to continue until there are a lot more teams to pick from, which isn’t seeming likely.

We look at Frankie Kazarian beating Leon Slater on the Kickoff Show.

Kazarian teases cashing in his Call Your Shot tonight.

We recap Tessa Blanchard vs. Jordynne Grace. Blanchard returned at Final Resolution and no one is happy about it, with Grace stepping up for the Knockouts division and the company.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace wastes no time in powering her into the corner to hammer away. They head outside with Grace hitting a big dive but Blanchard sends her into the steps. A hurricanrana is countered into a swing into the steps but Blanchard stomps on the hand. The fans are all over Blanchard here as she comes back in with a dragon sleeper. Blanchard sends her into the corner for a running Codebreaker but Grace catches her on top with a super fall away slam.

They take their time getting up before slugging it out, with Grace getting the better of things. A package powerbomb gives Grace two but Blanchard is back with a double underhook Canadian Destroyer for the same. Grace’s suplex is countered into a neckbreaker for two more and they head back outside.

Grace shrugs off a shot to the head and hits a Death Valley Driver from the steps to the floor for a nasty crash. Back in and they go up, with Blanchard grabbing a super crucifix driver for two more. Blanchard is back up with an octopus but Grace reverses into a reverse fisherman’s suplex.

A cutter drops Grace for two but she’s right back up with a spinning reverse Alabama Slam for two more. With nothing else working, Blanchard rips off most of a turnbuckle pad and Buzzsaw (hammerlock DDT) sends Grace into the pad for two. A bulldog into the buckle and Magnum (top rope Codebreaker) finish Grace at 20:17.

Rating: B+. Blanchard has a lot of baggage to her and that has ruined a lot of her career, but she is one of the most talented women of her generation. She’s a complete package and it makes sense for TNA to want her to be a major star. I’m not sure how well that is going to go given what she has done behind the scenes, but dang it can be fun to see her in the ring.

We recap Mike Santana vs. Josh Alexander. They hate each other, they’ve been fighting a lot, it’s time for an I Quit match.

Josh Alexander vs. Mike Santana

I Quit match and the Northern Armory is barred from ringside. Alexander goes for the wrestling to start and Santana realizes he’s in over his head, so he sends Alexander to the floor for a big flip dive. It takes to long to set up a table though and Alexander snaps off an overhead belly to belly suplex. Alexander starts going after the leg and rolls Three Amigos to really annoy the crowd.

The running crossbody to the back misses so Alexander has to settle for a World’s Strongest Slam onto the apron. Back in and Santana uses the good leg for a kick to the face, setting up a Cannonball. A Death Valley Driver hits Alexander and they’re both down. Spin The Block is countered into the ankle lock but Santana loses his boot to escape (and commentary points out the Eddie Guerrero connections), only to get backdropped over the top and through the table at ringside.

That’s still a no on quitting so Alexander grabs a chair and beats the heck out of the leg. Santana insists there is no quit in him so Alexander stomps away, even with Santana busted open. The C4 Spike just wakes Santana up and a springboard hurricanrana sets up a frog splash.

Spin The Block puts Alexander down but he won’t quit. Santana steals Alexander’s zip tie and ties the arms together, setting up another Spin The Block. A Cannonball against a table onto Alexander still isn’t enough so he pulls out the slap jack and hammers at the ribs. That’s still not enough so Santana loads up a Curb Stomp onto the steps, which makes Alexander quit at 23:08.

Rating: B. All of the Eddie tributes aside, this was a star making performance from Santana, as he survived everything Alexander threw at him and then overwhelmed one of the most successful stars TNA has ever had. If Santana isn’t World Champion by the end of the year, I don’t know what this company is doing, because he has stepped up in a huge way and the fans are reacting to everything that he does.

Post match Santana wants a handshake and Alexander gives him one….then he quits TNA.

We recap the Hardys defending the Tag Team Titles against the Rascalz. The Hardys are the champions and the Rascalz want the titles.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Rascalz

The Hardys are defending…and NXT Tag Team Champions Fraxiom come down to watch at ringside. Matt and Miguel start things off with a series of exchanges and escapes before it’s off to Jeff (pop) vs. Wentz. Jeff takes him down for some early near falls and it’s quickly off to Matt for two of his own. Wentz knees Jeff down though and some rapid fire strikes take over without much effort. A Dream Sequence gets two but Matt cuts off a dive and hits a Side Effect on the floor.

Back in and the Plot twist gets two on Miguel and everything breaks down, with a baseball slide sending Matt into Fraxiom. A dive takes Fraxiom out by mistake so here is security to get rid of them. Jeff uses the steps for Poetry In Motion but Miguel is back with an enziguri to Matt and everyone is down. The Twist Of Fate is broken up and it’s a Cheeky Nandos Kick into a 619 to Jeff. Another Twist is broken up but Matt grabs one on Miguel, setting up the Swanton to retain at 13:04.

Rating: C+. The match was mostly action packed and the Fraxiom tease was mainly about setting up something for the future, but it’s still a bit much to see the ancient Hardys beating another young, talented team. It wouldn’t shock me to see the Hardys getting the NXT Tag Team Titles soon and that’s a bit much to take.

Video on the Chris Bey Go Fund Me.

Rebellion is in Los Angeles on April 27.

We recap Rosemary challenging Masha Slamovich for the Knockouts Title. Rosemary hasn’t had the title in seven years so now it’s time for a Clockwork Orange House Of Fun match.

Knockouts Title: Rosemary vs. Masha Slamovich

Rosemary is challenging in a Clockwork Orange House Of Fun match, meaning a weapons filled, falls count anywhere street fight. Slamovich strikes away to start and grabs a trashcan lid to take over fast. A staple gun to various parts of Rosemary have her in trouble but she mists Slamovich to take over.

It’s too early for a DDT onto an open chair and Slamovich can see well enough for a running crossbody to put Rosemary through a table at ringside. Slamovich’s running flip dive off the apron only hits chair though and it’s time to bust out Janice (the 2×4 with nails sticking out), which is raked over Slamovich’s back. The beating takes Slamovich up the ramp as Rosemary pours the tags onto the stage.

A spear sends Slamovich into the tacks but instead of covering, it’s time for a barbed wire board. As usual, that takes too long and it’s a Snow Plow to send Rosemary into the wire. Slamovich goes up a well placed ladder but gets shoved down through a table at ringside. Back in and Rosemary sets up some chairs, only to get piledriven from the middle rope onto said chairs to retain the title at 14:02.

Rating: B. It was a violent match, but it was hard to imagine that Slamovich was in any serious danger here. She is going to need a special kind of challenger to take the title. Rosemary is a talented star, but Slamovich is a monster champion right now and I could go for seeing her hold the title for a good while.

Post match NXT’s Cora Jade comes out for a staredown with Slamovich.

The Busted Open Radio hosts talk about the main event but Ryan Nemeth comes out to say HIS BROTHER is not going to be happy with their picks. Santana Marella bans him from ringside.

We recap the World Title match. Nic Nemeth beat Joe Hendry to retain the title at Bound For Glory but Hendry earned a rematch and feels he has to win to validate all of the faith in him.

TNA World Title: Joe Hendry vs. Nic Nemeth

Hendry is challenging. They fight over a lockup to start with the stronger Hendry shoving him down for an early advantage. They trade rollups for two each before fighting over wrist control. Nemeth hits a dropkick but Hendry is right back with a jumping knee. The delayed suplex is countered into a sleeper from Nemeth as Ryan Nemeth, ticket in hand, sits down at ringside.

Hendry fights out of an armbar and fires off some uppercuts, only to get caught with a neckbreaker. A crossface keeps Hendry in trouble until he fights up, where Nemeth hits another dropkick. Hendry is fine enough to grab a running cutter and wins a slugout, setting up the all away slam to send Nemeth flying. A short powerbomb gives Hendry two and an AA is good for the same as the momentum is building.

Nemeth knocks him off the top rope and hits a Fameasser for two, leaving them both down. For some reason Nemeth goes up but gets caught in a super fall away slam. Cue Kazarian with the trophy but John Layfield makes the save before taking out Ryan Nemeth and leaving. The Standing Ovation gives Hendry two and the superkick into the Danger Zone gives Nemeth the same. Back up and Hendry hits another fall away slam into another Standing Ovation for the pin and the title at 19:07.

Rating: B. They didn’t have another real option here, which makes the relief that they did the right thing all the funnier. What matters the most is that Hendry got the win (clean at that) and gets to be the top star, as long as it lasts. This is what TNA needed to do and it came after a hard fought, back and forth match where Hendry FINALLY won the big one. Good stuff here as they close it out on a feel good moment.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show with nothing bad and some nice feel good moments. I was way into a lot of what I was seeing here and they even paid it off with a big moment at the end. They didn’t do anything screwy here and it was about four hours counting Kickoff Show. Really awesome show here and worth a look if you want a look at what TNA can do and in this case, does.

Results
Jake Something b. Ashante Thee Adonis – Into The Void
Frankie Kazarian b. Leon Slater – Rollup with tights
Moose b. Ace Austin – Spear
Steve Maclin/Eric Young b. The System – KIA to Myers
Spitfire b. Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance – Pressure Drop to Ash
Tessa Blanchard b. Jordynne Grace – Magnum
Mike Santana b. Josh Alexander when Alexander quit
Hardys b. Rascalz – Swanton to Miguel
Masha Slamovich b. Rosemary – Middle rope piledriver onto open chairs

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

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Final Resolution 2024
Date: December 13, 2024
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the last major show of the year and in this case we have the main event of Nic Nemeth defending the World Title against…AJ Francis. That’s kind of a weird choice to make but they only had two weeks to set the show up so there was only so much to do. The real main event is a four way for the World Title shot at Genesis so let’s get to it.

Countdown Show: Leon Slater vs. JDC

JDC grabs a headlock to start and dances, only to get armdragged down so Slater can dance. The big dive to the floor its teased before Slater hits a smaller dive to drop JDC again. Back in and JDC hits some running shots in the corner for two and we hit the chinlock. A Falcon Arrow gives JDC two and it’s off to a front facelock.

Slater fights up for a leg lariat and a running dropkick gives him a needed breather. Back up and JDC sweeps the leg in the corner but it’s too early for Down And Dirty. Instead Slater kicks him in the face on the top, setting up the big flip dive out to the floor. The Swanton 450 misses though and JDC rolls him up for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: C+. I have no idea why you would have JDC, the designated goon of the System, beat Slater, who has been getting a minor push. It’s just a weird for the match and I’m not sure I get it. Slater’s high spots were the usual entertaining parts of his matches, but he has just enough more to get by and that helps enough. A win would have helped more though.

Countdown Show: Frankie Kazarian vs. Jonathan Gresham

As usual, Kazarian has to get in his usual special intro and the distraction lets him jump Gresham. That doesn’t last long on Gresham, who grabs a quick Octopus hold in the ropes. The slingshot Fameasser in the ropes cuts Gresham off and a suplex drops him again. Another suplex gets another two and Kazarian works on a double arm crank.

Gresham fights up but gets pulled down into the chickenwing. That’s reversed into the Octopus but Kazarian makes it over to the ropes. Back up and Kazarian sends him to thee apron for the slingshot cutter (that was a nice one), setting up a thumb to the eye and the chickenwing for the win at 9:14.

Rating: C+. Well what in the world was that? This was Gresham’s hometown and he loses by submission in the middle of the ring? Yeah there was cheating but I’m not sure how wise it is to have both good guys lose on the Countdown Show. Kazarian needs to be in the building to threaten the cash in, but did Gresham have to lose like that?

And now, the show proper.

The opening video looks at the major matches and doesn’t have much of a theme.

X-Division Title: Moose vs. Kushida

Moose is defending and starts fast with a hard whip into the corner. Kushida fights back but gets sent outside for a toss into the steps. That’s almost good for a ten count but Moose breaks it up, only to miss a charge (close enough) around the ring and into the steps for a crash. Back in and Kushida starts runs Moose’s fingers over the ropes as Moose’s arm is already banged up.

A flipping kick to the head staggers Moose, who drops Kushida with another hard slam. Moose slaps him in the face though and Kushida fights up for Back To The Future and another near fall. Kushida strikes away at the arm so Moose goes up, only to dive into a Kimura. The rope is grabbed so Moose hits a dropkick to set up the spear for the pin to retain at 10:52.

Rating: B-. There is something to seeing Kushida strike away and crank on the arm like that, only for Moose to win through raw power. It’s a fine story and it worked well here. Moose has been powering through the division so far and that could make for a long term story until someone can find a way to stop him. If nothing else, it’s something new for him to do and that is overdue.

We run down the card.

AJ Francis is ready to win the World Title.

The Rascalz vs. PCO/Sami Callihan vs. Jake Something

Something’s partner Hammerstone is injured and a replacement wasn’t found so this is something of a handicap match. Callihan runs Wentz over to start but Something tags himself in and drops Wentz with some running shoulders. PCO comes in and gets struck down by the Rascalz, only to fight back and hand it off to Callihan. PCO’s backbreaker drops Miguel and everything breaks down with Wentz managing a German suplex on Something.

A superkick into a crucifix bomb gets two on Something but Callihan throws Wentz onto a pile at ringside. PCO dives onto said pile but Something is back in with a powerbomb to send Wentz onto Miguel. Sitout powerbombs hit Callihan and PCO (the latter was impressive), only for PCO to pop back up. The Rascalz are back up though and it’s a superkick into a backbreaker into a middle rope Meteora combination to finish Something at 10:57.

Rating: B-. Another fast paced match here with Something being the logical person to take the fall here as he was coming in with a handicap. PCO and Callihan could turn into a nice resident monster team while the Rascalz are already established as a regular team. I could see them getting into the title picture again and this might be a start on the way there.

Post match the 23 appears again, prompting a WHAT WAS THAT chant.

Eric Young gives Steve Maclin a pep talk before the #1 contenders match.

Trent Seven vs. Ace Austin

Austin slugs away to start and takes him down for a basement dropkick to the floor. Back in and Seven gets in a cheap shot to take over so the pace can slow down. A spinning slam gives Seven two and we’re hitting the early frustration. Seven’s chops just annoy Austin so a DDT takes Austin back down. A powerbomb out of the corner lets Seven wipe himself with what looked like a Chris Bey shirt, which is enough to wake Austin up.

Austin drives him into the corner for some chops and a running double stomp gets two. Seven catches him on top though and it’s a Birminghammer onto the apron for two, with Austin having to put his foot on the rope. Some chops to the neck set up the Seven Star Lariat but Austin slips away, only to get caught with a piledriver for…one. Another Birminghammer is countered into a DDT, meaning it’s the Art Of Finesse into the Fold for the pin on Seven at 12:39.

Rating: C+. The ending with Austin doing his own version of the 1-2-Sweet is a nice thing to see and hopefully we get to see the team version again. Austin is more than talented enough to do something on his own but Bey is going to be on everyone’s minds for a long time. Having Austin beat Seven is a nice way to go, but it’s not like this is some epic feud.

Frankie Kazarian is ready for a big year and teases a cash-in.

Rosemary vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace powers her around to start but it’s too early for a Juggernaut Driver. Some knees to the ribs stagger Rosemary but she’s right back with the Upside Down. With that broken up, Rosemary hammers away on the neck and kicks her in the ropes for an early one. Rosemary plants her on the apron and hits a shot off the steps, followed by a choke back inside.

A hard palm strike knocks Rosemary back but she rises up, only to get dropped for two more. Grace cuts off a spear and knees her down for another near fall. They go outside so Rosemary can choke her on the ropes, earning her a hard drop onto the ramp. Back in and another spear gives Rosemary her own near fall but As Above So Below is blocked. Grace hits the Musclebuster…but someone in a mask pulls the referee out. We’ll call that a no contest at 10:00.

Rating: B-. These two were starting to pick up the pace a bit here and it’s nice to not have Grace pick up another win when she seems to be on her way out of the company in just a few weeks (in theory at least). The other interesting here is that the two of them have fought twice in the last few months and both of them have ended in a no contest. That’s a nice little way to protect Rosemary, which is nice to see as she’s quite the star in the division.

Post match the masked woman lays out Jordynne Grace and it’s….Tessa Blanchard, who is returning after years away.

In the back, Blanchard says she’s back to take what is hers and shoves Gia Miller down.

Joe Hendry vs. Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander vs. Mike Santana

For the World Title match at Genesis and Eric Young is on commentary. It’s a brawl to start with Santana and Alexander brawling in the ring. Maclin takes Santana’s place but Hendry takes Maclin’s place. The fall away slam is blocked and Santana is back in to enziguri Maclin in the corner. Hendry’s delayed suplex puts Maclin down but Alexander makes the save. Back in and Alexander rolls some German suplexes on Maclin, who manages to escape and fires off some clotheslines in the corner.

Hendry is back in and avoids a middle rope dropkick from Alexander in a Samoa Joe style sidestep. Santana breaks that up and has the big staredown with Alexander. A middle rope knee gives Alexander two and he drops Santana with a belly to back. Back up and Santana’s rolling cutter gets two on Alexander, who gets lifted up for a Doomsday Blockbuster to really leave him down.

Hendry is back up with a fall away slam but Maclin runs him over with a running knee. Alexander goes up but gets caught with a super fall away slam. Maclin hits the Jar Headbutt, only to get hit with a frog splash to give Santana two. With everyone else on the floor, Hendry hits a dive before he and Maclin hit stereo clotheslines. Alexander whips out the zip ties to tie Santana to the barricade before kicking Maclin low. That’s enough to set up the C4 Spike but Hendry is back up with the Standing Ovation to pin Alexander and go to Genesis at 18:23.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was the big match coming in and it more than delivered. There was only so much doubt about who was going to win as Hendry had been presented as a main eventer over the last few weeks, but now all that matters is that he actually wins the title. I’d hope that is the case, but sweet goodness I’m almost scared to imagine what happens if it doesn’t. Heck of a match here, and that is always nice to see.

Video on Chris Bey.

Nic Nemeth is ready for Joe Henry because he’s going to beat AJ Francis tonight.

We recap Masha Slamovich defending the Knockouts Title against Tasha Steelz. Slamovich finally vanquished Jordynne Grace but now has to beat Steelz, who wants the title back.

Knockouts Title: Tasha Steelz vs. Masha Slamovich

Slamovich is defending and…here is Santino Marella to ban Alisha Edwards from the building and make this Falls Count Anywhere.. Slamovich kicks her down to start and gets two off an early cradle. A dive drops Steelz (and security) for two but Steelz is back up with a suplex onto the steps (geez) for two. Back in and Steelz hammers away at the chest and grabs the chinlock, which doesn’t last long. Slamovich knocks her outside again, where Steelz grabs a hanging DDT for two.

Back in again and a superplex drops Steelz so they can slug it out. Steelz has to slip out of a powerbomb attempt and rakes the eyes, meaning it’s time to head to the apron. Neither can hit a piledriver so they head to the ramp, where Steelz gets two off a cutter. Steelz’s bulldog on the stage gets two more but Slamovich gets annoyed at being rammed into the stage. A few shots to the face set up a piledriver to retain the title at 12:35.

Rating: C+. You can only do so much with Steelz as a challenger to a monster like Slamovich as it’s kind of hard to imagine Steelz being a threat. The stipulation helped a bit, but I couldn’t imagine anything Steelz could throw out there being a threat to Slamovich. They didn’t go too nuts here and the result was the right call.

We recap the Hardys defending the Tag Team Titles against the System in a tables match. The System lost the titles at Bound For Glory and then put the Hardys through a table, meaning it’s time for revenge.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. The System

The Hardys are defending in a tables match (elimination rules) and it’s a brawl to start with the champs hammering away. Back to back Plot Twists have the System on the floor and it’s time for a table. There’s a Twist of Fate to Myers but Edwards is back up for the save. A superplex saves Myers from being eliminated and Matt is sent through a table for the elimination at 5:12. That leaves Jeff on the ramp but Matt fights up and cutters Myers off the apron to even it up at 8:13.

Edwards and Jeff fight around ringside but Edwards gets slapped by a fan (and slaps him right back, in what was apparently not planned). Jeff uses the distraction to fight up and hit a basement dropkick inside. Myers sends Matt into the post and breaks up Jeff’s Twist of Fate. Jeff gets dragged into the crowd, where the System sets up another table. Matt makes the save with a chair and Edwards is put on the table for a Swanton out of the balcony to retain the titles at 16:51.

Rating: C. The match was mostly wild but it felt like it was there to hide what the Hardys can’t do anymore. There is only so much you can ask from two guys who are past the age where most stars hang it up and are very banged up after so many years. Throw in the fact that the feud as already run out of steam and there wasn’t much to see here. The Hardys being featured players around here isn’t helping TNA’s reputation and the match was nothing that we haven’t seen done better multiple times.

We recap Nic Nemeth defending the World Title against AJ Francis. Nemeth is a fighting champion and Francis talked his way into a title shot. Here we go.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. AJ Francis

Nemeth is defending and Francis has KC Navarro with him. Francis yells a lot and gets superkicked for an early two. A sleeper is broken up but Nemeth can’t slam him. Francis knocks him down and here is Frankie Kazarian to join commentary. They head outside where Francis drops him onto the apron but it’s too early for the chokeslam back inside.

For some reason Francis goes up, earning himself a superkick into a powerbomb for two. Nemeth drops a bunch of elbows for two but gets kicked in the face for another near fall. Some clotheslines and the running DDT put Francis down but he’s right back up with a spear. A Vader Bomb gets two with Nemeth’s foot on the rope.

Navarro shoves it off, which is enough for an ejection to make it one on one. Nemeth manages a quick Danger Zone for two but Francis drops him again. Francis’ moonsault (oh dear) misses and Nemeth hits a Fameasser for another near fall. A Roode Bomb of all things gets two on Nemeth and the chokeslam connects, with Nemeth rolling out to the apron. Francis launches him back into the ring, where Nemeth hits a Fameasser into the Danger Zone to retain at 15:15.

Rating: C. This was about as good as you could get as Francis was little more than a filler challenger. That’s not the worst thing in the world and they did try, but there is a reason Francis has that reputation. The match just wasn’t anything worth seeing and Nemeth was doing everything he could to hold it together.

Post match Navarro comes in for the beatdown but Joe Hendry makes the save. Nemeth and Hendry stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was pretty much thrown together in a few weeks and it certainly felt like it. There was only so much that you could get out of this card and only the four way felt important. The rest of the show came off like it was there because they needed a show this month. You can have good action throughout, but it isn’t going to matter if the show feels like pure filler, which is how most of this came off.

Results
JDC b. Leon Slater – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Frankie Kazarian b. Jonathan Gresham – Chickenwing
Moose b. Kushida – Spear
The Rascalz b. Jake Something and PCO/Sami Callihan – Middle rope Meteora to Something
Ace Austin b. Trent Seven – Fold
Jordynne Grace vs. Rosemary went to a no contest when Tessa Blanchard interfered
Joe Hendry b. Mike Santana, Steve Maclin and Josh Alexander – Standing Ovation to Alexander
Masha Slamovich b. Tasha Steelz – Piledriver on the ramp
Hardys b. The System – Swanton to Edwards through a table
Nic Nemeth b. AJ Francis – Danger Zone

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Turning Point 2024
Date: November 29, 2024
Location: Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the Thanksgiving week special, though the card is only so good. They’re coming off the biggest show of the year with Bound for Glory so this is going to be something of a downgrade. The main event will see Nic Nemeth defending the World Title against Eddie Edwards, plus we have the annual turkey suit match because tradition. Let’s get to it.

This show is taking place as part of WrestleCade, a wrestling fan convention, though the venue is rather dim and doesn’t look very big.

Countdown Show: Rosemary vs. Savannah Evans vs. Xia Brookside

They circle each other to start until Rosemary hits Evans in the face. Rosemary’s quick rollup on Brookside annoys Evans but they get together to clothesline Brookside. The alliance is as short lived as you would imagine and Rosemary is sent outside, leaving Brookside to drop Evans. Brookside’s dive is pulled out of the air and Evans drops a leg, with Rosemary making the save.

Evans clotheslines Rosemary and grabs a fisherman’s suplex for two, with Brookside making the save. Back up and Rosemary slugs away at Evans but Brookside is back in to hit some running shots in the corners. Evans kicks Rosemary in the face and gets Codebreakered by Brookside. The Brooksey Bomb takes Evans down but Rosemary spears Brookside for the pin at 9:14.

Rating: C+. They were doing a nice job of keeping things moving here and Rosemary stealing the win is a good way to go. Rosemary needs to win a few matches to rebuild herself up and this was a fine start. Evans felt like a monster and Brookside was keeping things moving, making this a nice choice for an opener. If nothing else, they were in and out in less than ten minutes, which is as long as a pre-show match needs to go. Get in, let the fans have some fun, get out.

The opening video is a quick montage of what is coming on the show.

Mike Santana vs. Frankie Kazarian

Kazarian armdrags him down to start so Santana comes back with a wristlock. An exchange of armdrags sets up a springboard moonsault to drop Kazarian and they go to the floor for a breather. Santana scores with a superkick but Kazarian gets in the Fameasser over the middle rope.

Back in and Kazarian grabs a short armscissors but Santana grabs a belly to back suplex. They go to the apron, where Kazarian hits a slingshot DDT to knock him silly. Back in again and the springboard spinning legdrop gives Kazarian two but it’s too early for the chickenwing. Santana catches him on top though and grabs a belly to belly superplex to leave both of them down.

A rolling cutter gives Santana two and something like a Death Valley Driver gets the same. Santana grabs a hanging twisting neckbreaker for two more but Kazarian is back with a slingshot cutter for two more. Kazarian goes for the leg, only to walk into Spin The Block for the pin at 12:29.

Rating: B-. Nice opening match here with Santana continuing his rise up the company. At this rate it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in the World Title scene sooner than later, as there are only so many things left for him to do. That being said, Kazarian seems destined to try to steal the title sooner or later, and that could delay Santana that much more.

We run down the card.

The System promises a big night.

Joe Hendry vs. Eric Young vs. Hammerstone vs. Rhino vs. Brian Myers vs. John Skyler

This is the Turkey Bowl match, meaning whoever takes the fall has to wear a turkey suit, and yes this is the best they have for Hendry at the moment. The brawl starts fast until Skyler and Hendry are left alone in the ring. Hendry takes over without much effort and gets two off the delayed suplex.

Rhino and Myers take their place but it’s quickly off to Young to work on Hammerstone’s leg. Skyler and Myers take over on Young and Hammerstone joins in, only for Rhino to hit a Tower Of Doom to leave everyone down. Henry cleans house with clotheslines, followed by a fall away slam to Hammerstone. The parade of finishers is capped off by Myers charging into the Standing Ovation to give Hendry the pin at 8:20.

Rating: C+. I’m still trying to get my mind around the idea that there was nothing else for Hendry to do on this show. This was little more than a goofy match designed for the post match comedy spot and I was expecting a bit more for the most popular star in the company. But why push the popular star when you can, you know, not? Other than that, this was what you would expect from six people fighting for eight minutes with no tags, as no one really got to stand out.

Post match Myers doesn’t want to put on the suit so the good guys beat him up and half put it on him.

Rosemary is happy with her win but wants more. Like the Knockouts Title.

X-Division Title: Laredo Kid vs. Moose

Moose is defending and has Alisha Edwards with him. Kid strikes away to start but his springboard is shoved to the floor for a big crash. Moose sends him into the barricade and goes traditionally evil by going after the mask back inside. Kid gets tied in the Tree of Woe for some choking but it’s too early for the spear.

A hurricanrana just annoys Moose, who plants him with a release Rock Bottom. Moose charges into a boot in the corner though and a missile dropkick sends him outside. There’s the big dive, setting up the super Spanish Fly for two back inside. The 450 hits knees though and a pair of spears retains Moose’s title at 8:23.

Rating: C+. There were a few nice spots here but for the most part, this was Moose shrugging off anything Kid threw at him and winning with raw power. There is a good chance that we’ll be seeing that in Moose’s title defenses for a long time to come and it’s not a bad idea. Moose mauling the division until someone is built up to take the title isn’t a bad idea, though it might take some time to really get going.

We recap Josh Alexander vs. Steve Maclin. Alexander has driven Maclin crazy for over a year now and has since turned evil, even zip tying Maclin during their match at Bound For Glory. Tonight it’s No DQ, with Maclin going a bit nuts in his quest for revenge.

Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander

They slug it out to start with Maclin clotheslining him to the floor, setting up the Scud to drop him again. Alexander gets sent into various things on the floor and it’s already time for a table. They fight on the apron but neither can go through the table so Alexander rolls the German suplexes back inside. Maclin grabs one of his own, only to be sent hard into the post.

The fight heads back to the floor, where Maclin grabs a quick Death Valley Driver through a table leaned against the apron. More weapons are thrown in, with some trashcan lid shots staggering Alexander. Back in and Alexander grabs the ankle lock but Maclin breaks it up with more trashcan lid shots.

Alexander hits him with the rest of the trashcan but takes too long loading up a door. Maclin dropkicks the door into his face and hits a Cactus Elbow off the apron to crush the door onto Alexander. Alexander is right back up and goes after the leg before grabbing some chairs. The piledriver through the chairs is blocked and Maclin hits an Alabama Slam through the chairs instead. The KIA is blocked so Maclin settles for a running knee into a chair into Alexander’s head.

Back up and Alexander torture rack bombs him over the top and through the table at ringside for a huge crash. Maclin rolls out of the ankle lock and puts Alexander in the Tree of Woe for three straight spears. The KIA connects…but Maclin pulls him up at two. Instead Maclin throws in a bag of shell cases, earning himself a low blow to cut him off. A super C4 Spike is broken up and Maclin hits a super KIA onto the casings for the win at 23:44.

Rating: B+. These guys beat each other up pretty badly and if Alexander had sold some of the big shots a bit more, this would have been even better. What mattered here was the match feeling like a battle between two people who couldn’t stand each other. Maclin was obsessed with winning and pushed his way forward until Alexander couldn’t survive any longer. Best match on the show by a good while so far.

Video on Chris Bey.

Ace Austin/Hardys vs. Zachary Wentz/Kushida/???

Wentz and Kushida were supposed to team with Trey Miguel, who isn’t here due to travel issues. Therefore the replacement is….Matt Riddle, making his TNA debut. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll refer to Matt Hardy as “Matt” and Matt Riddle as “Riddle”. Wentz and Austin start things off and go to the mat to limited success, meaning it’s an exchange of armdrags.

Jeff comes in but Matt follows him off a blind tag to take over on Wentz. That’s broken up as Wentz goes after the arm, allowing Kushida to come in for a surfboard. Matt gets out and hands it off to Austin to work on Kushida’s arm for a change. Riddle comes in to roll some gutwrench suplexes before it’s quickly back to Wentz, who gets dropkicked in the back.

Everything breaks down and Riddle gets to clean house, with a knee to the face getting two on Austin. Back up and Austin hands it off to Jeff to pick up the pace, including the Whisper In The Wind. Everything breaks down again and we get the Jeff vs. Riddle slugout. A Canadian Destroyer drops Riddle and it’s the Plot Twist into the Swanton to finish Kushida at 16:00.

Rating: B-. The match was fast paced and entertaining, though this was mainly about getting Riddle in a TNA ring. I’m guessing he was there as part of WrestleCade and was brought in as a result, though if TNA can get him around more often, the star power would help. For now though, it was a nice one off match, with the action keeping the interest going.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Masha Slamovich

Slamovich is defending in a 2/3 falls match after they’ve traded wins. Feeling out process to start with some armdrags not getting either of them anywhere. Grace’s spinebuster gets two but Slamovich drops her throat first onto the ropes. Some hair mares send Grace outside and they go to the apron to slug it out. Grace is right back with a package piledriver on the apron and Slamovich needs a breather on the floor.

They fight over a piledriver on the floor, with Grace getting dropped on her head…but Slamovich breaks up the count. Back in and Slamovich gets two (yeah still way too soon after being dropped on padless concrete) so Grace slugs away but can’t get the MuscleBuster. Instead they trade rollups, with Grace getting the first fall at 11:14.

Slamovich is right back up to strike away before cranking on both arms to put Grace in trouble. That’s reversed into a full nelson and they fight over a Vertebreaker. Slamovich gets a rear naked choke, which is reversed into the Vertebreaker for two. A springboard DDT into a guillotine choke has Grace in trouble but she World’s Strongest Slams her way to freedom.

The Vader Bomb connects but Slamovich grabs a small package to tie it up at 17:40 total. The brawl is on as Rosemary comes out to watch. Slamovich gets the better of the strike off and hits a running knee into a piledriver into a package piledriver to finally retain the title at 19:41.

Rating: B. Much like the No DQ match, this was rather good but could have been better without some of the fairly ridiculous selling issues. Again, if someone is piledriven on the exposed concrete, they shouldn’t be up and winning a fall just a few minutes later. That kind of stuff drives me nuts but thankfully it didn’t ruin the match, which felt like a major struggle between two of the biggest stars in the division. Rosemary is waiting on Slamovich and that takes things into a different direction, but it’s going to be difficult to top this.

We recap Nic Nemeth defending the World Title against Eddie Edwards, who pinned him in a tag match to set this up.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. Eddie Edwards

Edwards, with Alisha Edwards, is challenging. They lock up against the ropes to start and that’s an early standoff. Nemeth’s rollup sends Edwards out to the floor as things reset a bit. Back in and Nemeth grabs a headlock but gets sent face first into the buckle. Alisha gets in some choking from the floor, with Edwards adding a chop that has Nemeth slapping the mat.

Nemeth kicks him down and drops the rapid fire elbows but Alisha offers a distraction, allowing Edwards to send things outside. That’s broken up as well and Nemeth drops a top rope elbow for two back inside. A backbreaker cuts Nemeth down and Edwards starts in on the back, with the near fall offering some frustration.

They run the ropes and a double clothesline leaves both of them down for a breather. Nemeth slugs away so Alisha grabs the boot, only to get caught and ejected. Back up and Nemeth gets in a Thesz press and hammers away but Edwards’ Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. The Backpack Stunner connects for two more but Nemeth is back with a Fameasser. Alisha is back (total disrespect for the referee) and Edwards gets in a belt shot for two.

The Boston Knee Party gets two more but the Diehard Driver is countered into the Danger Zone for another near fall. Back up and a Cactus Clothesline sends both of them outside, so here is Brian Myers, in turkey suit, and loads up a ring on his finger (with the referee watching all of this). Cue John Layfield for the Clothesline From JBL to Myers, leaving Nemeth to hit a superkick into the Danger Zone to retain at 22:03.

Rating: B. I’m not sure this was designed to feel like a major threat to Nemeth as Edwards isn’t someone who is going to give him much of a run for his money. The interference helped a bit but the JBL stuff is weird. It doesn’t feel so much like any kind of a turn as he was evening the odds, but at the same time, you don’t bring in JBL as some kind of a guardian angel. Anyway, good enough main event, though Nemeth is going to need a top challenger sooner than later.

Overall Rating: B. The show was entertaining and had a nice string of matches, which makes up for it feeling like a pretty low level show. The Hendry stuff continues to be annoying, as he almost has to be getting back into the World Title picture around Genesis at the latest. Other than that, Maclin vs. Alexander was good and the Knockouts Title match was very hard hitting, which was enough to make this worth a look. It might not be an instant classic, but it’s a nice addition to a holiday weekend.

Results
Rosemary b. Xia Brookside and Savannah Evans – Spear to Brookside
Mike Santana b. Frankie Kazarian – Spin The Block
Joe Hendry b. Eric Young, Hammerstone, Rhino, Brian Myers and John Skyler – Standing Ovation to Myers
Moose b. Brian Myers – Spear
Steve Maclin b. Josh Alexander – Super KIA
Hardys/Ace Austin b. Matt Riddle/Zachary Wentz/Kushida – Swanton to Kushida
Masha Slamovich b. Jordynne Grace 2-1
Nic Nemeth b. Eddie Edwards – Danger Zone

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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NWA TNA Weekly PPV #6
Date: July 24, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Ed Ferrara, Don West

I would say things are picking up around here but that isn’t exactly accurate. There are some things going on but a good may of them aren’t good. With a focus on the weird Puppet stuff, whatever the Dupps are doing and Jeff Jarrett as a focal point, the show isn’t exactly thrilling content. Hopefully it improves here though so let’s get to it.

Here is last week’s show if you need a recap.

We open with Jeff Jarrett smashing a bunch of people with chairs (as he did to end last week’s show). He says the NWA World Title is his and he wants Ken Shamrock out here right now. Shamrock is in the back and yells at Bob Armstrong, saying he’s going to the ring. After heading towards the ring, Shamrock locks a door and has a rather muscular man stand guard. Bill Behrens comes to the ring instead and suspends Jarrett, who chairs him in the head. Now Shamrock gets in for the brawl but some wrestlers come out to break it up, allowing Jarrett to chair Shamrock in the head.

Commentary previews the show.

Amazing Red vs. Low Ki

Red snaps off some armdrags to start and then kicks Ki outside. Back in and a middle rope clothesline drops Ki but he’s right back with a hard kick for two of his own. A butterfly suplex into a double underhook crank has Red in trouble but he fights right back out. Red goes up top, where Ki pulls him into a hanging dragon sleeper for some rather painful cranking.

They trade kicks to the head until Red’s hat flies off, which has him so annoyed that he hits a quick standing shooting star press for two. The Code Red gets two more but Ki strikes away, only to get dropped with a spinwheel kick. Red’s corkscrew moonsault misses though and the Ki Krusher 99 finishes for Ki at 7:29.

Rating: B. This is how you make someone into a bigger deal as Red was in there hanging with someone who almost won the X-Division Title last week. The perk of a promotion still being this new is that people can still make an impact in a hurry. That’s what Red did here and it was a heck of a match as the show kicks off fast.

Jeff Jarrett tries to get back stage but is blocked by the rather muscular man.

Hot Shots vs. Chris Harris/James Storm

Earlier today, Harris told Storm that the cowboy stuff was stupid and he better not fire those cap guns. The fight starts on the floor and we settle down to Storm headscissoring Stevens. Harris comes in with a spear and a belly to belly, but O’Reilly sends him outside. A drop onto the barricade has Harris in trouble for a change though and a dropkick gives O’Reilly two back inside.

Stevens hits a handspring elbow for two of his own, only for O’Reilly to miss (meaning hits, but only because Harris didn’t roll away face enough) a moonsault. It’s back to Harris as everything breaks down, with Storm hitting a reverse tornado DDT. Harris’ northern lights suplex is enough for the pin at 5:19.

Rating: C. This was the latest win for Harris and Storm, who are rising up the ranks rather quickly. Well as many ranks as you can have so soon in a company’s history. You can tell there is a chemistry there and that is something that can take them a rather long way. The match was nothing of note though, as the Hot Shots just didn’t have much going on.

Post match the Hot Shots jump them from behind for the beatdown.

Ken Shamrock wants Jeff Jarrett.

Apolo vs. Brian Lawler

Thankfully Lawler doesn’t get to talk before he slams Apolo go start. Apolo is back up with a slam of his own and Lawler is not pleased. A Sky High gives Apollo two so Lawler goes back to the Memphis playbook with a foreign object. Some choking on the ropes keeps Apolo in trouble and a middle rope dropkick makes it worse. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Apolo is back up with a running shoulder. The legdrop gives Apolo two but the TKO is countered into a reverse DDT. Lawler, with his mouth bleeding, stops to dance…and is promptly rolled up for the pin at 7:06.

Rating: C. Again, Lawler just isn’t much in the ring and that hasn’t changed no matter what he’s been doing. That kind of style works in a place like the old Memphis territory and there is nothing wrong with it, but it’s not working here. Throw in the fact that he was just Grandmaster Sexay about a year ago and still acts the same way and it’s not exactly clicking. At least he wasn’t ranting about Jerry Lawler for once, as that isn’t working in the slightest.

Post match Lawler beats up Don West because that’s what a villain should do. There is still no security but Lawler lets him go anyway.

Here is K-Krush and we get a montage of him hanging…well actually just Norman Smiley and Scott Hall. Back in the arena, Krush talks about how he doesn’t want to go by this name because THEY gave it to him. He is being held down by THEY in the back before talking about Allen Iverson (he’s wearing an Iverson jersey) and says that like Iverson, he’s the TRUTH.

After talking about Mike Tyson and OJ Simpson, Money Brown (to what would become Abyss’ music) interrupts to brag about his own football career. Krush can blame everyone he wants, but maybe he’s just not all that. The challenge is issued but Truth (seems to be his official name) isn’t interested. The brawl is on and Brown easily clears him out.

We recap the issues between AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn. They hate each other but work well together, which is why they’re still Tag Team Champions. A lot of brawling has ensued.

We get a sitdown interview between Styles and Lynn from earlier today and, after the video doesn’t work the first time, they talk about how they still don’t get along. Tonight, they have to get together to retain the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles: AJ Styles/Jerry Lynn vs. Flying Elvises

The Elvises are challenging and Sonny Siaki is on commentary. Lynn and Estrada trade arm control to start until until Lynn elbows him in the face and grabs a running headscissors. Styles adds a running knee to the face and a legdrop gets two. An elbow to the jaw gives Styles two more but Estrada gets in a slam, allowing the rather necessary tag off to Yang.

Lynn comes back in to knock Yang into the corner, setting up a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. What looks like a top rope cutter from Styles…just kind of crashes down and Yang sends him outside for a heck of a clothesline. Back in and a Koji Clutch keeps Styles in trouble, setting up Estrada’s knee to the ribs for two. The banged up ribs are dropped over the top rope for two and a Lionsault connects for the same.

Another rather slow motion knee drop into a slingshot hilo gets two next two, followed by the logical abdominal stretch. Styles tries to fight back but Lynn gets knocked off the apron so the beating can continue. A kick to the face gets Styles out of trouble though and it’s back to Lynn to clean house. Lynn dives onto Estrada but Styles accidentally takes Lynn out with a dive of his own. Lynn is VERY busted open but he’s fine enough to come back with the slingshot Fameasser over the ropes. That’s enough to pin Estrada, even as Styles is on top for the Spiral Tap, and retain at 15:24.

Rating: B. Well hokey smoke, a wrestling match broke out on this show. It really shouldn’t be any surprise that Styles and Lynn work this well together as they’re incredibly talented but at the same time the Elvises are right there with him to make their side work. This was a rather good match and one of the better things the promotion has produced so far.

And now, Glenn Gilbertti has a talk show. After referencing Joey Maggs, Gilbertti talks about how much success he has had, all while commentary WILL NOT SHUT UP about how Gilbertti isn’t a star, continuing to completely undermine the entire joke. Anyway, Gilbertti is help AJ Styles be more athletic, show Ken Shamrock how to be charismatic, and Tennessee how to be smart. Next week, it’s the debut of Jive Talkin. Just in case we didn’t have enough comedy acts.

Ken Shamrock and the muscular guy….are cut off by a camera cut.

Simon Diamond/Johnny Swinger vs. Monty Brown/Elix Skipper

Skipper kicks away at Diamond to start and it’s off to brown for a Flip, Flop And Fly of all things. Swinger gets a clothesline from the apron to take over on Skipper and some rolling suplexes into a gordbuster gets two. Skipper gets in a shot to the face though and it’s Brown coming in to clean house. Diamond drops Brown from behind but a quick Alpha Bomb gives Brown the pin at 5:34.

Rating: C. Yeah I think they know what they have here with Brown, as he’s such a ball of charisma and an athletic freak on top of that. You don’t get someone like that very often and TNA would be smart to push him even harder. Other than that, Diamond and Swinger are good choices to put out there as designated victims as they work well together.

Post match The Truth comes in to jump Brown and choke him out.

The Dupps don’t have a match tonight but intentionally bump into Goldilocks, which is supposed to set up a match. Instead Bo goes after the muscular guy and a match is made.

Bo Dupp vs. Ian Harrison

Stan Dupp is on commentary as the rather big Harrison powers Bo into the corner. A suplex gives Bo a breather but Harrison easily slams him down. Some forearms just annoy Harrison, who comes back with a powerslam for the pin….despite the referee looking confused, at 2:59. Or was it a DQ when Stan ran in? Not that it matters as the Dupps are done for the night and that’s a good thing.

Post match the Dupps go after Harrison, who clears them out with ease. Harrison was every generic monster power wrestler you can imagine. Great physique, but nothing that is going to seem interesting.

With Harrison in the ring, Ken Shamrock and Jeff Jarrett can finally brawl. It’s broken up just as fast.

We get a pretty long recap of Sabu beating Malice in a ladder match to become the new #1 contender.

NWA World Title: Ken Shamrock vs. Sabu

Shamrock is defending and hits him in the face to start. Commentary explains that to even this out, it is Ladder vs. Submission, which means Shamrock has to win by submission and Sabu has to win by climbing a ladder to get the belt (because of course they have to make this more complicated). Sabu grabs a kneebar, suggesting that he can win by submission as well, only for Shamrock to fight out and kick him in the head.

Shamrock is back with a kneebar of his own as we’re told that Ricky Steamboat will be in charge next week. Sabu’s armbar is reversed into a kneebar, with Sabu getting to the ropes. Sabu gets knocked outside where he grabs a ladder, which is kicked into his face. They fight up to the stage for a few seconds before Shamrock is sent through the barricade.

Shamrock is laid onto a table but Sabu takes too long setting up a dive, meaning he only hits table. Now Shamrock gets to go up (as Ladder vs. Submission is already getting confusing) and grabs the belt…but the lights go out. Cue Malice to chokeslam Shamrock off the ladder and grab the belt, which makes the bell ring at 9:31.

Rating: D. They had some hard hitting stuff in there, but when commentary can’t explain the rules, it might be proof that they don’t nee to be there. The idea of ladder vs. submission only makes so much sense in the first place, as there was no reason to change it from being anything other than a regular match. And then the ending is someone pulling the title down because…I have no idea what is going on in this whole thing.

Overall Rating: C+. Things might be inching in the right direction here as there was enough focus on the better, more interesting things. At the same time, there are still enough bad things (submission vs. ladder, the Dupps, Gilbertti’s talk show, anything with Lawler and more) to hold it down. I’m certainly not optimistic, but things could be a lot worse.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NWA TNA Weekly PPV #5
Date: July 17, 2002
Location: Nashville Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Ed Ferrara, Don West

We’re back for another batch of these things and the promotion is not in good shape. Save for the X-Division, the shows are just not very good and there isn’t much of a way around it. Ken Shamrock isn’t an interesting World Champion and Brian Christopher is still getting a lot of attention for whatever reason. Then there’s Jeff Jarrett, and I mean a lot of Jeff Jarrett, on top of everything else. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Jeff Jarrett going all nuts and attacking Ken Shamrock with a chair last week.

Shamrock doesn’t have any comment but he’s ready to show how mad he is.

Opening sequence.

Scott Hall and Jeff Jarrett, the latter of whom is ready to be in a ladder match for the #1 contendership to the World Title, brawl in the back and fight outside. The fight is broken up and executive Bill Behrens says Jarrett has forfeited his spot in the match.

Here is Malice (Jarrett’s scheduled opponent) with Father James Mitchell, so it’s open challenge time for the #1 contenders ladder match. The lights go out and….let’s get this over with as fast as we can.

Malice vs. Sabu

Ladder match for the #1 contenders match and Sabu starts fast with a tornado DDT. Malice isn’t having that and chokes him down before grabbing a chair. A backbreaker plants Sabu again and Malice sends him face first into a chair in the corner. It’s time to get the ladder, which Sabu dropkicks into Malice’s face. The triple jump dive to the floor drops Malice again before bridging the ladder between the apron and the barricade.

That takes way too long though and Malice drops him onto the ladder, followed by a World’s Strongest Slam onto it as well. Naturally Sabu is right back up with a springboard leg lariat into the ladder into Malice for another knockdown. It’s way too early to get the contract though as Malice powerbombs him down, followed by a nasty overhead belly to belly into the ladder.

Malice goes up but Sabu dropkicks the ladder out and chairs him in the head. Sabu kind of bulldogs the ladder down onto Malice, who is right back with a spinebuster. Malice’s climb up the ladder is cut off with a shove through a table, allowing Sabu to pull down the contract and win at 13:29.

Rating: C+. This could have been worse, as Sabu could still move and fits in far better with this kind of carnage than a regular match. If nothing else it adds a bit of a spark, as Sabu is a big enough name to be slotted into the World Title scene, even if it is for the short term. Besides, Malice’s time in the title scene has already been wrapped up so it is time to see someone new get a shot.

Post match the Disciples of the New Church come in to beat on Sabu and a super chokeslam puts him through a table.

Jeff Jarrett and Scott Hall are still being held apart and Jarrett is ejected.

Here’s AJ Styles for an unscheduled chat. Styles calls out Jerry Lynn, who storms to the ring and says Styles must want to know why Lynn jumped him last week. Lynn says he’s been wrestling for fourteen years and done more in this business than Styles has done in his lifetime.

Styles hasn’t done anything or even had to sleep in his car eating peanut butter sandwiches. Lynn gave him a chance when they teamed up and he isn’t going to stand for the disrespect. Styles lays him out and hits the Styles Clash. This was fine and to the point, but commentary responding to EVERYTHING either of them said took away a lot of the impact.

We look back at Jasmin St. Clair stripping for Jeremy Borash and Ed Ferrara making sure it happened in a funny bit.

Francine jumps St. Clair in the back and throws her in the shower.

K-Krush vs. Norman Smiley

Before the match, Krush brags about star power (he even SMELLS like a star). Why did the NWA put him in the ring with a NASCAR driver? They were afraid he was going to become something they couldn’t control and then they would have to sell his t-shirts. He’s been treated as a second class citizen despite being better than everyone. It’s because he’s a Black man, and he’s the truth.

With that out of the way, Krush knocks Smiley down into the corner but Smiley is back with the swinging slam. The Big Wiggle into a faceplant plants Krush again but he hits a spinning forearm to cut that off. Back up and a Russian legsweep gets Smiley out of trouble but Krush plants him with a sitout gordbuster for the win at 3:25.

Rating: C-. This really didn’t work, mainly because they went from a rather serious promo from Krush into something totally goofy, which is all Smiley did at this point. Smiley did have some status, but you probably shouldn’t be having the Big Wiggle after someone went on a rant about how he was being held back because of his face. Krush should have squashed him, but maybe don’t let Smiley get in that much goofy stuff.

Post match Krush takes off his belt and whips Smiley before hanging him over the top. Smiley’s wife comes out for the save and gets choked as well. This isn’t going to go well and it wasn’t exactly comfortable stuff anyway.

Puppet is in a trashcan and all annoyed about his match with Meatball. It’s implied that he is, uh, doing something rather personal with his hand.

The Dupps are all weird and make inappropriate comments about Goldilocks.

Flying Elvises vs. Christopher Daniels/Elix Skipper

Estrada is sent outside to start and Skipper hits a quick dive. Back in and Siaki takes over on Skipper before it’s back to Estrada for a butterfly suplex. Siaki joins commentary for a second to brag about how awesome he is before stomping away back inside. Estrada comes in with a double springboard moonsault but Skipper gets over for the tag to Daniels.

A Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Estrada but Siaki’s cheap shot from the floor lets Estrada get in a quick knockdown. Skipper comes back in as everything breaks down, with Estrada hitting a springboard moonsault. Daniels hits a much less springboardy but far better moonsault for two of his own. Siaki and Daniels fight to the floor, meaning there’s no count off Skipper’s Play Of The Day. Instead Siaki comes back in for a rolling cutter to finish Skipper at 9:50.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced tag match with the Elvises stealing the win over the rather talented Daniels/Skipper team. The tag division is still coming together and it is kind of hard to make that work. Putting teams together work though and this is the kind of match you have to use to make that work.

Post match the Dupps run in to take out the Elvises.

Scott Hall jumps K-Krush and leaves him laying without much trouble.

Meatball vs. Puppet

Hardcore match and Puppet jumps him to start, setting up a ram into a trashcan. Meatball knocks him to the floor though and it’s an ax handle from the apron. The fight heads up towards the entrance, where Meatball pulls some food from a shopping cart to mess Puppet up a bit. A dropkick sends a chair into Meatball’s face and a DDT gives Puppet two. Puppet hits a middle rope Fameasser onto a chair and a Vader Bomb onto a chair onto Meatball is good for the pin at 6:16.

Rating: D-. Oh come on. This was stupid, it wasn’t funny, the whole thing went on too long and this whole deal feels like such a waste of time. I’m sure someone gets a kick out of this but it’s just not working, with the gag of Puppet being a hardcore wrestler having lost the charm which barely existed in the first place. Just find something else to fill in the time.

Here is a damaged Jasmin St. Clair to call out Francine.

Francine vs. Jasmin St. Clair

It’s a brawl to start, they both lose clothes, Blue Meanie comes in to DDT Francine for the DQ at 1:25. This was all about the clothes and nothing more.

Meanie carries St. Clair off and Francine is taken out on a stretcher.

We look at some of Low Ki’s and AJ Styles’ signature moves.

X-Division Title: AJ Styles vs. Low Ki

Ki is challenging and they wrestle to the mat to start. Back up and they chop it out to a standoff until Ki takes him down. Ki strikes away as fans look at someone holding a sign, with security seemingly going after him. Styles gets in a slam and a flipping splash but Ki knees him to the apron.

Ki misses an Asai moonsault but he’s able to kick Styles in the face to cut off a dive. They slug it out on the apron until Ki gets a dragon sleeper in the ropes. Styles uses said ropes to escape and grabs a brainbuster for two. The Spiral Tap misses but Styles reverses a fireman’s carry into a Death Valley Driver for a needed breather. It’s Ki going up but he dives into the Styles Clash to retain Styles’ title at 10:36.

Rating: B-. These two work well together and that shouldn’t be a surprise given how well they have done in previous matches. It wasn’t exactly an epic showdown or a classic match, but they were working hard and it didn’t feel like two old rejects from WCW. Styles continues to be the breakout star around here and that is likely to continue if he’s going to keep doing this well.

Post match Jerry Lynn spears Styles down and gives him he piledriver. A ladder is brought in and Lynn suplexes him into it for the nasty crash.

Scott Hall vs. Brian Lawler

Before the match, Lawler rants about how stupid people have to be to be Jerry Lawler fans. The challenge is issued again and Brian throws in some Jim Ross insults for a bonus. Hall sneaks up behind him and after even more ranting from Brian, Hall finally punches him down to get going. Some right hands send Brian outside and even more knock him off th announcers’ table.

The beating goes around ringside until Brian gets in a shot of his own to take over. Back in and Brian hammers away as there are an awful lot of empty seats on camera. A suplex gives Brian two and, after insulting the fans some more, he goes up but gets slammed off the top. Hall’s belly to back superplex connects and, after taking out K-Krush, the Outsider’s Edge finishes Brian at 8:43.

Rating: C-. At the end of the day, these matches just aren’t very good. They’re a bunch of punching, a few other moves, and then the finish. It doesn’t help when Brian is doing basic heel stuff straight out of the Memphis playbook, but that is only going to do so much to get him around the fact that he’s Brian Lawler and won’t shut up about his dad. Hall didn’t do much more than his signature stuff, which is only so good at this point.

Post match Brian and Krush beat Hall down and hang him over the ropes.  Hall goes out on a stretcher but Jeff Jarrett runs in with a chair and wrecks Hall and pretty much everyone not named Lawler or Krush.

Overall Rating: C. There is some passable stuff on here but the bad is dragging it all the way down. Other than that, the good stuff, which is mainly centered around the less goofy people, is watchable enough. In other words, as has been the case, there is a decent show here if you get rid of the terrible parts. The problem is there is quite a bit of terrible and a lot of it is getting the focus. Fix that and this goes up in value, but it isn’t looking likely anytime soon. Ultimately, the biggest issue is that I have no idea what the biggest story is supposed to be around here and I don’t think the company does either.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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