Best Of Beer Money: Too Little, Too Early

Best of Beer Money
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West, Taz
Host: Jeremy Borash

I’m going to cheat a bit with this as this is actually half of a DVD set called Fandemonium, which focused on Beer Money and the Motor City Machine Guns. However, since the set is two DVDs and has nothing to do with each other, I’m splitting this up into two reviews. I think the title says it all here so let’s get to it.

We’re starting with Beer Money and a quick intro from JB.

Storm and Roode say they’re another team thrown together but the difference is they’re both career tag guys.

Team 3D Tag Team Invitational Tournament Finals: Beer Money Inc. vs. British Invasion

From Sacrifice 2009 with the winners getting a title shot against Team 3D plus a trophy and $100,000. The Invasion is Magnus and Douglas Williams with Rob Terry in their corner. Team 3D jumps in on commentary. Roode and Williams get things going with the fans chanting USA. Douglas easily takes him down to the mat and Roode is quickly frustrated. Back up with Douglas cranking on the arm again and taking Bobby down to the mat with ease.

Roode tries some power instead but eats a jumping back elbow to the jaw. Instead, Roode takes him down with a snapmare and the Hennig neck snap before Storm comes in with a Russian legsweep for two. Off to Magnus who takes some right hands to the head before throwing Storm over the top, only to have the cowboy skin the cat. Again I wonder who came up with a term like that.

Everything breaks down for a bit with Beer Money picking Magnus up and ramming him into Williams. Beer Money do their SHOUT OUR NAME bit before Roode backdrops Storm onto the entire Invasion. Rob Terry finally gets in a cheap shot and the Brits take over on Storm. Magnus stomps away as Bully talks about hitting the Invasion with a kettle while they have tea and crumpets. We hit the chinlock for a bit before James comes back with a Backstabber to put both guys down.

Williams comes in before Storm can tag though and it’s time to choke on the ropes. Douglas finally misses a charge into the corner and the hot tag brings in Roode. Everything breaks down and Storm kicks Williams from the apron, only to be pulled outside by Terry. Williams uppercuts Roode for two but Beer Money crotches him on top, setting up a super hurricanrana from Storm and a top rope splash from Roode for two as Rob makes the save. That earns Terry an ejection but Williams grabs his Feast or Fired briefcase, only to have Roode take it away and knock him silly for the pin and the title shot.

Rating: C+. Not bad here but it needed a little more time. Beer Money is a more interesting team than the Brits, though the Invasion wans’t a bad midcard stable with Rob doing well enough out there as an enforcer. Beer Money vs. 3D would be the best match for the division at this point so it’s hard to pick against them winning.

Storm talks about growing up on the USWA while Roode was always a big tag team fan.

Tag Team Titles: Beer Money Inc. vs. Lethal Consequences vs. Matt Morgan/Abyss

From Genesis 2009. Lethal Consequences (Jay Lethal/Consequences Creed, now known as Xavier Woods) are defending, having won the titles less than a week ago. Beer Money has Jacqueline with them because she won’t just go away. Creed and Storm get things going but Consequences wants Roode and his bad knee. He stays with Storm though and nails a few kicks to take over.

Creed stays on Storm in the corner but James bails for a tag as Lethal tries to come in off the top. Jay no sells chops in the corner and nails a top rope ax handle for two. The champs start tagging in and out but Jackie comes in, only to get crushed between Beer Money in the corner. Abyss splashes all three of them and Jackie falls face first onto Storm’s crotch, followed by Roode falling onto his knees behind her. Naturally he likes it as my eyes roll.

Lethal Consequences hit big dives onto Beer Money before Morgan dives onto all four of them. It’s about time the monsters got involved. Abyss finally comes in legally but Beer Money breaks up a double chokeslam attempt and bulldog the big man down. A nice double suplex allows them to SHOUT THEIR NAMES to a fairly tame reaction. Abyss easily kicks Roode off and sends Beer Money into each other before crawling over to Morgan, only to have Creed tag himself in.

Consequences cleans house with a cross body and a double DDT for two on Storm. Beer Money comes back with a big double team into a swinging Rock Bottom from Roode for two. Storm and Roode both drop elbows for two and it’s off to Robert for a chinlock. Back up and a big spinebuster plants Creed for two before Storm comes back in, complete with a cowboy hat. James misses a charge in the corner though and Lethal comes in to speed things up. The fans FINALLY wake up and Lethal dropkicks Roode down for two before avoiding Storm’s elbow for the attempted save.

The Lethal Combination looks to set up the Macho Elbow but Morgan tags himself in to clean house. Well at least a room or two. Abyss comes in and no sells Lethal’s offense but gets kicked down by a flying Creed. The Carbon Footprint drops Creed but Beer Money plants Morgan with a Backstabber.

Morgan won’t have any of this though and throws Beer Money down, only to have Roode pop up for two off a Blockbuster. Jackie distracts the referee as the belt comes in, only to have Abyss knock Morgan out by mistake. Lethal drops the top rope elbow on Roode to break up the pin but Jackie WON’T SHUT UP, allowing Storm to Last Call Lethal to give Roode the pin on Morgan for the titles.

Rating: D+. This felt like it went on for about nineteen years and never really picked up. The fans treated it like it was even less interesting than I thought it was though, only waking up when Lethal and Morgan came in. It’s not a really bad match, but it went on too long and really dragged at points.

Beer Money talks about being thrown together and how perfect their name was. They came in when the division was stacked and took on anyone they came up against.

Tag Team Titles: Beer Money Inc. vs. Team 3D

From Destination X 2009. This is an Off the Wagon Challenge, meaning it’s titles vs. TNA careers (only for whoever loses the fall) with Beer Money defending. Roode and D-Von get things going with Team 3D being the heavy crowd favorites. Roode easily takes D-Von down to ride him on the mat before driving a forearm into the back. That goes nowhere so it’s off to Ray who is taken right down as well with Roode walking over his back.

Storm (with a bad leg) comes in and hits a single right hand before posing like a boxer. Time for the standard dancing test of strength spot until Ray takes him down with a neckbreaker. Everything breaks down for a bit with Beer Money taking a beating, including a side slam/legdrop combo for two on Roode. Bobby saves his partner from What’s Up and a double suplex puts D-Von down, allowing them to SHOUT THEIR NAMES.

We settle back down with Roode hitting a nice dropkick for two. The champs start double teaming but D-Von sends them into each other, allowing the hot tag to Ray. We get the required Beer Money gay sex spot so Ray hits a big Rock Bottom for two on Roode. The Flip Flop and Fly drops Storm again but Bobby pops up with the Blockbuster for two.

Storm’s nice hurricanrana sets up the top rope splash from Roode for two more and the champs are getting frustrated. Storm spits beer in Roode’s face by mistake and the reverse 3D gets a VERY close near fall. They load up the regular version but Storm comes in with a chair for the DQ.

Actually hang on a minute as TNA boss Jim Cornette comes out and says this isn’t ending that way. He orders the match to be restarted with No DQ. D-Von heads outside and goes old school with a double noggin knocker as Ray steals Storm’s cowboy hat. 3D connects on Storm but Roode pulls the referee out. He picks up Storm in a fireman’s carry and leaves for the countout.

Rating: C+. This was good for the most part but the ending was rather odd. There really wasn’t a need for the second half of the match as it does the exact same thing that the DQ would have done. It’s one of the better matches so far and hopefully a sign that things are going to pick up soon.

Beer Money talks about how important it was to be in the ring with Team 3D since they were huge influences on them. Team 3D even gave them some tips on their matches, which meant a lot to Storm.

Tag Team Titles: Lethal Consequences vs. Beer Money Inc.

From Against All Odds 2009. Beer Money is defending and the video has an equation theme, mainly talking about how Lethal Consequences are really fast and want the titles back after holding them for three days. Lethal goes right after Roode to start but Robert bails into the corner. The champs slow things down and bring in Storm, only to have Creed (with a bad shoulder) dropkick him out to the floor.

Back in and Consequences easily slams James a few times before snapping off a headscissors. Creed ties Roode in the Tree of Woe and crotches Storm against Roode’s face, naturally sending Roode falling down on top of James. Much beer is consumed to clean out the taste, but Roode spits the beer on James’ face by mistake. Everything breaks down for a bit with Lethal’s back being driven into the barricade for two.

The champs take over inside with some elbow drops for two on Jay followed by a Backstabber for the same. Jay fights up but charges into a knee to the ribs to put him right back down. The champs nail a nice double superplex and LOUDLY SHOUT THEIR NAMES. Jay uses the breather to drive them into each other and roll over for the hot (not according to the fans) tag. Creed’s shoulder keeps him from throwing a lot of punches but he’s still able to nail a double clothesline.

A high cross body gets two on Storm but Jackie offers a distraction, allowing James to shove Creed off the top and arm first into the barricade. Back in and the champs start working over the arm with an ax handle and armbar for good measure. With that not working too well, Beer Money just hammers away in the corner.

Lethal FINALLY tries to make a save and actually beats them down enough to allow Creed to make the hot tag. Jay speeds things up with dropkicks and clotheslines before making Storm elbow Roode by mistake. The Macho Elbow gets two on Roode but Jackie comes in and takes a backdrop. Jay’s Lethal Combination gets another near fall on Roode as Storm can be seen loading up a chain. Lethal loads up a monkey flip but gets knocked out with the chain to retain Beer Money’s titles.

Rating: C-. Not bad here but Lethal Consequences felt like a team there to lose to Beer Money to make the champs look good. The three day reign really didn’t help them as it made them feel like flukes instead of a top team, but at least the match wasn’t all that bad. Creed’s shoulder injury really didn’t play into the match all that much.

Quick chat about how much it meant to beat Team 3D.

Lethal Lockdown

Beer Money Inc, Team 3D

British Invasion, Main Event Mafia

From No Surrender 2009 with Beer Money fighting for the forces of good. This is TNA’s WarGames for no apparent reason. There’s one ring and the two starters fight for five minutes until the villains get to send in a second man due to winning a match prior to tonight. That team will have a 2-1 advantage for two minutes until the team that lost the coin toss sends in a second man. They alternate every two minutes until all eight men are in. Then the roof lowers with weapons attached and it’s first fall wins.

It’s Williams and Storm to start but Douglas tries to get in a cheap shot on the stage. That earns him a beer to the face and a hiptoss on the ramp as the fight starts before the bell. They get inside with Williams choking away in the corner before he nails a running knee to the chest. Storm comes back with a powerslam for a cover that doesn’t count. Douglas nails a jawbreaker and chokes with his shirt as the fans are trying to get into this.

Back up and the Eye of the Storm has Williams in trouble before James chokes with a t-shirt. A low blow has Williams in trouble but he pops back to life and tries to send Storm into the steel. Storm chokes him against the ropes until Magnus gives the Brits a 2-1 advantage for two minutes. He takes too long getting in though, allowing Storm to baseball slide the cage door into his face. That’s fine with Magnus who slams the cage door onto James’ face to put him back down.

A High/Low has Storm in even more trouble and the Brits pose a bit. Storm is busted open and Magnus hammers away at the cut. Roode comes out to tie things up and of course cleans house as soon as he gets in. Very traditional you know. Roode catapults Williams into a DDT from Storm, followed by a Hennig neck snap and a knee drop from James. A few fans try to count down the clock from 25 seconds and it’s as lame as it sounds.

Scott Steiner makes it 3-2 as the villains take over yet again. He busts out a Frankensteiner on Roode in an attempt to make people think he’s more than a brawler. Beer Money is sent into the cage as we’re following the WarGames model to the letter. D-Von ties things up and fires off right hands, followed by a slow motion Thesz press to Magnus.

Things slow down again until Booker T. completes the heel team. Speaking of slow, Booker very calmly walks to the ring while holding both Tag Team Titles. The villains take over with Steiner and Booker sending Storm into the cage so hard that they knock the door open. Cue Brother Ray to give us a ridiculous eight people inside the ring at once. Well in theory at least as Big Rob Terry intercepts Ray on the way to the ring and sends him into the crowd. He adds a chair shot to the back for good measure before forcing the guy in charge of the cage to lower the roof, bringing the weapons into play.

Steiner and the Brits take over with the weapons but Terry misses a chair shot to Ray’s back. Ray hits a completely unnecessary chair shot to the head to put Terry down before taking said chair inside to clean house. Now the good guys take over until Magnus goes through a door in the top and climbs onto the roof.

Beer Money follows him up for a terrifying double suplex and SHOUT THEIR NAMES up top. The 3D plants Steiner back inside but Booker comes back with a trashcan. A Book End gets two on Ray but Beer Money comes back in with DWI (Drinking While Investing, a powerbomb/neckbreaker combo) for the pin on Williams.

Rating: C+. This was good based on being Lethal Lockdown, but there really wasn’t a need for this to be in the cage. As usual, the ring got way too crowded near the ending and the whole thing basically resets after the weapons come in. Nothing special here due to the cage not being needed.

Quick chat about wanting to beat the Brits for revenge instead of wanting the titles, so it’s time to go after the gold again.

Tag Team Titles: Beer Money Inc. vs. Team 3D

From Slammiversary 2009 with Beer Money challenging in their title shot for winning that tournament from earlier. D-Von and Storm get things going with the champ taking over on the cowboy. A shoulder puts Storm down and a flying headbutt gets an early two. Roode gets in a cheap shot from the apron and takes over with a knee drop for two on D-Von. Ray comes in to stare at Roode as it feels like they’re going for the big match feeling here.

Off to Ray legally for a slugout with Roode, whose clothesline has no effect. A forearm finally puts Ray down so he rips the skin off Roode’s chest with some chops. Ray goes Canadian with a big release German suplex and the side slam/legdrop combo gets two on Roode. Somehow Roode just pops up though and goes after D-Von, only to have the Beer Money suplex blocked by Ray, allowing D-Von to clothesline both of them down.

Roode gets D-Von to chase him though and crotches him against the post to give Beer Money their first real advantage. They take turns with their choking until Roode hits the chinlock. D-Von finally fights up and backdrops Storm down, allowing for the lukewarm tag off to Ray. The Bubba Bomb gets two on Roode but Storm knocks Bubba away from Team 3D, leaving Roode to only take the flapjack. What’s Up nails Roode and it’s table time. Storm gets back up and tries to put D-Von through, only to have Ray make a save. That earns Bully a spinebuster from Roode for two and things settle down a bit.

Now the double suplex puts Ray down and they SHOUT THEIR NAMES. Cue the British Invasion who have been having issues with Team 3D lately to join in on commentary. D-Von finally comes in off the hot tag to clean house, including a clothesline for two on Roode. A chokeslam of all things gets two on Storm as everything breaks down again. James pops up for a high cross body to both champions and Roode escapes a Doomsday Device attempt.

Storm’s top rope hurricanrana sets up Roode’s splash for two more as the fans are way into this now. The challengers load up a double superplex but Ray makes a save and sets up the Doomsday Device for another near fall on Roode. 3D puts Roode down again but Rob Terry distracts the referee. Ray goes up top and dives on Terry and Magnus, causing a small earthquake in the processs. Now Williams tries to interfere but gets knocked through a table, only to cause Beer Money to nail DWI on D-Von for the pin and the titles.

Rating: C+. The best word for this one is overbooked. They really didn’t need to do all the stuff they did here for the ending. I get that you don’t want to have the champions lose the belts clean, but the Brits and the tables were more than they needed. At least Beer Money got the belts though, which they rightfully deserved.

Beer Money talks about how awesome that match was, but there was a better one at Lockdown 2009.

IWGP Tag Team Titles/TNA Tag Team Titles: Team 3D vs. Beer Money Inc.

From Lockdown 2009, meaning two months before Slammiversary and this is title for title. Team 3D brought in the IWGP Tag Team Titles and the fans were just supposed to care about them, even though the tag division was barely deeper than WWE’s. This is a Philadelphia street fight but the reason they’re fighting isn’t explained because Ray had to talk about how awesome the Japanese belts are. The match starts in a cage but the door won’t be locked and falls count anywhere.

It’s a brawl to start with Team 3D taking over early on. They quickly throw Beer Money out to the floor and it’s time for the ECW portion of the show. We go split screen but it only covers half the screen because we need a BIG FREAKING LOCKDOWN LOGO instead of more of the match. You can barely see what’s going on but Team 3D seems to be in full control. Storm comes back with some right hands to Ray as they fight into a luxury box.

That’s fine with Ray as he just hammers Storm down and shouts a lot. They fight near the concourse but come back into the arena with Storm falling down the stairs. Ray crotches Roode on a barricade and Storm easily gets knocked backwards. D-Von bites James’ head as they “fight” back towards the ring (read as they stagger about five feet off a single punch).

Back to ringside now with Ray having the cage door rammed into his face to give Beer Money their first control. They load up the steps in front of a table, setting up a double suplex to drive D-Von through the wood in a nice looking crash. A bloody Ray is brought inside where Roode hammers away at the cut like a true villain should. D-Von is still down on the floor so Ray has to clothesline both of them down before climbing up to the top rope for a super Bubba Bomb, knocking Roode senseless.

It’s Beer Money up first but D-Von breaks up DWI, allowing Ray to nail a big side slam for two on Roode. Storm takes a Doomsday Device for two and What’s Up Roode. It’s table time but D-Von takes the better part of forever to bring the thing in, allowing Beer Money to drop Ray with a double belly to back.

A Blockbuster/Samoan drop combo gets two on Ray but he avoids a splash from Roode and a Swanton from Storm. That’s fine with Bobby who comes back with a spinebuster and neckbreaker as Storm has fallen to the floor with a bad knee. He’s good enough to slam a door, only to hit his partner by mistake though knocking him into the 3D for the pin and the titles.

Rating: C. This was your standard ECW style brawl, but at least this was a different kind of match than what we had been seeing for most of the night. It used to drive me crazy when I had to see six or seven matches that were so similar in the original ECW, so mixing things up like this helped.

The team talks about what it means to stay together instead of go their separate ways.

IWGP Tag Team Titles/TNA Tag Team Titles: Beer Money Inc. vs. British Invasion vs. Team 3D vs. Main Event Mafia

This is a TLC match with two sets of titles above the ring. These teams have been feuding forever and this is the final showdown. The British Invasion (Douglas Williams and Brutus Magnus) and the Main Event Mafia (Booker T. and Scott Steiner) hold the IWGP and TNA titles respectfully coming in.

It’s a huge brawl to start with Team 3D getting beaten down in the corners. We head outside with Steiner using a ladder on D-Von. The Brits are smart enough to go in to try and climb but stop for a handshake, allowing Beer Money to make the save. The fight is getting too busy to keep track of as Beer Money destroys Williams in the ring and Steiner fights with I believe Magnus by the stage. Booker comes in to clean house but Roode stops his climb attempt.

Booker ax kicks Roode and Steiner is choking D-Von with a cable. The fans go nuts for the Spinarooni but Booker takes too long climbing, allowing Beer Money to take him down with a Last Call and DWI (powerbomb/neckbreaker combination). Steiner gets back in and destroys everyone in sight, even busting out Frankensteiners and superplexes for the Brits. Booker’s wife Sharmell comes out to check on Booker’s knee as Scott suplexes everyone he can find.

Scott goes up and we realize that the ladder needs to be about four feet higher. The Brits drop Steiner with a double neckbreaker and Booker is taken out on a stretcher. What’s Up nails Steiner and it’s Table Time. Team 3D destroys the Brits for stealing their table gimmick and Beer Money takes a beating of their own. Ray hands Zack Wylde (remember him?) a chair to blast Storm before D-Von puts Williams through a table in the ring. The real What’s Up makes Magnus writhe in pain and we get a lot more tables brought in.

Beer Money gets chokeslammed through tables but Steiner comes in with a chair to drop Team 3D. He brings in a ladder but is still too short to bring it down, allowing Team 3D to slam him through a table. The belts seem to be lowered a bit when it’s clear that this match is never going to end.

Both members of Team 3D climb up at the same time but Rhino of all people comes in to destroy them with chairs. D-Von pulls the IWGP Title down anyway to win the titles for he and Ray but takes a beating from the chair. The Brits come in and lay out Rhino and Team 3D even more before climbing up to to go after the other belts. Beer Money makes another save by shoving one ladder over and superplexing Magnus off the other.

They take too long getting up though and Magnus nails them both with a chair. Storm comes back with beer to Magnus’ face and a huge sunset bomb off the ladder. Williams hits James with a chair but Roode knocks him off. The third British Invasion member Rob Terry pulls Roode down and slams him through a table before lifting Williams up the ladder for the TNA Tag Team Titles. That’s the same way TLC II ended at Wrestlemania X7.

Rating: B+. This was a solid brawl, even though Scott Steiner was down WAY too long towards the end of the match. They did a good job of keeping all of the teams involved for the most part, which is the hardest thing to do in a match like this. Booker being taken out of the match was the way to write him off TV as he and Sharmell were leaving TNA.

One last talk about the future of the team wraps things up.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s not bad for the most part but this really needed to be done like two years later. This was all from the same year and got repetitive after awhile, with eight matches and five of them had Team 3D involved. The set was released before the great matches with the Motor City Machine Guns. This was very similar to the Kurt Angle DVD where they just needed to wait another year or so to have a far better match selection. It’s good, but the best for the team was yet to come.

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Bound For Glory 2009 (2014 Redo): Even When He Loses

Bound For Glory 2009
Date: October 18, 2009
Location: Bren Events Center, Irvine, California
Attendance: 2,400
Commentators: Taz, Mike Tenay

This is a lot of people, myself included, really liked as AJ Styles was back to being serious again and had won the World Title in a five way match the previous month. Tonight he’s defending against Sting because WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT STING IN THE MAIN EVENT??? Other than that we have a four way Full Metal Mayhem (TLC) match for two sets of Tag Team Titles because TNA felt the need to bring in Japanese Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.

The opening video shows most of participants of the main events, set to a hip hop song because almost every video is anymore.

We get quick soundbytes hyping up the bigger matches. AJ wants to fight Sting to prove that he’s the best. Sting has been hinting that it’s going to be his last match.

Zack Wylde of Black Label Society plays a rock version of the Star Spangled Banner. This goes about as well as you would expect it to.

X-Division Title: Suicide vs. Daniels vs. Amazing Red vs. Homicide vs. Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley

Ultimate X with Red defending. Red is a guy that was around near the beginning of TNA and did some very impressive flips, earning the adulation of Don West. Don is now managing the champ and was known to climb on the announcers’ table and cheer for him. Sabin and Shelley won a match on the preshow to get in this match. Suicide is a video game character who started appearing on TV, portrayed by Daniels or Kazarian (the latter here). Homicide is part of the World Elite stable, which is a group of international wrestlers, led by Eric Young, who feel they haven’t been treated right.

It’s a mad scramble to the corners to start but no one can get anywhere. Everyone goes after everyone with Homicide getting the biggest advantage by taking down Shelley and diving through the ropes to take out Daniels. Suicide rolls the champion over and dives onto Homicide but the Guns work together to set up a suicide dive on…uh Suicide actually. Red kicks Shelley but gets dropped by Daniels, who goes for a climb. Red isn’t done yet and hurricanranas Daniels onto everyone else in the match.

Back in and Sabin busts out a giant swing on Red but Shelley adds a dropkick to the champ’s head to make it even worse. Daniels attacks both Guns and Homicide goes for a climb, only to have Suicide springboard up to the ropes and make a save, only to get pulled down into a Gringo Cutter. Sabin holds Daniels and Homicide for a top rope double stomp from Shelley.

The Guns continue their control by working over Red but the champion escapes a Doomsday Device with a Sliced Bread #2 instead of a clothesline and takes Sabin down with a hurricanrana. Suicide comes back in but Homicide suplexes him down. Homicide drops the champ and goes up but Daniels pulls him down and nails a Death Valley Driver. Red goes for the ropes but slowly comes back down for some reason, only to go back towards the belt until Suicide pulls him back down.

Now it’s Daniels and Sabin going up and kicking at each other while hanging in the air, eventually knocking each other down for a big crash. Sabin nails a tornado DDT on Daniels and Shelley nails a Sliced Bread #2 on Suicide. We get the Parade of Secondary Finishers, followed by Shelley, Red and Suicide hitting a huge Tower of Doom out of the corner with Suicide taking the worst of it (and kicking Daniels in the face on the way down).

Suicide throws Daniels down but Red kicks him in the face and gets caught by a corkscrew dive. Sabin goes nuts until Suicide kicks him off the top rope. Suicide goes right back up and hits the Flux Capacitor on Sabin, setting up Daniels’ Best Moonsault Ever. Daniels and Suicide climb onto the top of the structure above the cables and Red follows after them.

The fans ask them not to die so Daniels and Suicide tease suplexing each other off. They slap each other until Daniels carefully climbs down onto the X but Suicide does the same and they both fall with Daniels landing on his head. Tazz rightfully shouts CHECK HIM as Red slips down through the treeses as well and grabs the title before someone dies.

Rating: C+. That Daniels bump had me terrified when I saw it live and it doesn’t get any easier here. Thankfully he was ok for the most part. I can’t emphasize how much better this was than last year’s opener with just six men involved. It gives the match a chance to breathe and you can keep track of what’s going on. This was a good opener but the Daniels fall made it hard to sit through at the end.

The Beautiful People (now without Angelina but with Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich) insult Lauren by calling her JB. They’re coming for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles because the belts were started for the Beautiful People. Madison talks about the lineup of the team switching but says now they’re going to accessorize with the Tag Team Titles.

The Knockouts Tag Team Champions Taylor Wilde and Sarita (a newcomer from Mexico) say they’ll take on all comers. Sarita speaks some Spanish and Wilde is confused.

We run down the card for a bit to fill in time.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Sarita/Taylor Wilde vs. Beautiful People

Madison and Velvet are challenging. Lacey kisses the referee before the match, convincing him to change places with Earl Hebner, who may or may not be sleeping with Madison. Earl comes out and ejects Lacey for her efforts and Taylor rolls Velvet up for two. Everything quickly breaks down and the champions clean house on Sky until the challengers finally double team Sarita to take over.

They lift Sarita into the air and let her crash down for two but she comes back with a kick to the face. Hot tag brings in Taylor who destroys the People, setting up dropkick from Sarita to send Madison into a German suplex for the pin. Too short to rate but the girls looking good is about the only positive here.

We recap the Legends Title match. The Legends Title was introduced about two weeks after last year’s Bound For Glory and became the midcard title TNA had needed for years. The story here is Eric Young wants Hernandez to join World Elite, which is feuding with the Main Event Mafia. Mafia leader Kurt Angle put a hit on Eric Young for $30,000, so Young went to Mafia member and Legends Champion Kevin Nash and offered him $60,000 to take out Hernandez, who Young was scheduled to face here. I had to watch the video twice to have this make sense.

Young and Nash are in the back where Eric goes off about Hernandez and Nash doesn’t seem to care as long as he gets paid.

Legends Title: Kevin Nash vs. Eric Young vs. Hernandez

Hernandez runs them over to start and sends Young flying out to the floor. All three go to the ramp and slug it out with Hernandez getting double teamed to slow him down. SuperMex will have none of that and nails Nash before hits a backbreaker on Young. Nash finally gets back up and drives knees in to Hernandez’s ribs. Eric is willing to come in and get a few shots of his own as this is turning into a handicap match.

Hernandez fights back again but Nash breaks up a suplex on Young. The fans are all over Young as he helps Nash with the boot choke in the corner. A back elbow stops another Hernandez comeback and Young tries to steal the pin, which doesn’t seem to be in the plan. Things calm down and Nash hammers on Hernandez in the corner. Hernandez somehow pulls himself to the top and hits a missile dropkick to put Nash down. SuperMex tries to clean house but Nash knocks him face first into the middle buckle.

Another double team is broken up and Nash is down, leaving Young to get caught in midair for a sitout powerbomb and two. Back up and Nash misses a clothesline, allowing Hernandez to dive over the top to take Young down. Eric comes back in and drops a top rope elbow on Hernandez before lowering Nash’s straps for him. Young picks up Hernandez and throws him head first into Nash’s crotch, allowing Eric to dive in and get the pin for the title. Nash’s shoulder was about a foot off the mat.

Rating: C+. I liked this more than I thought I would with a good formula and a nice swerve at the end. They had to get the title on Young somehow due to how much heat he had and that was as good a way as any other. Nice little match here and Nash going after the money is perfect for him.

The Main Event Mafia, Beer Money Inc. and the British Invasion are brawling in the back. Douglas Williams calms things down and says they should be focusing on Team 3D. Wrestlemania X7 is referenced as the Full Metal Mayhem match is TNA’s TLC match.

IWGP Tag Team Titles/TNA Tag Team Titles: Beer Money Inc. vs. British Invasion vs. Team 3D vs. Main Event Mafia

We recap the three way for the Knockouts Title. Tara (formerly Victoria in WWE) debuted and wants the title, ODB is champion and Awesome Kong is Awesome Kong.

Knockouts Title: Awesome Kong vs. ODB vs. Tara

ODB is defending. Tara has her spider Poison with her which never worked for me. Kong grabs the belt to start and runs ODB down, only to have Tara slug away at the giant. Tara and ODB’s double team goes badly but the both avoid a middle rope splash. They nip up at the same time and shoulder Kong back down. A double suplex puts her down a third time but the normal sized girls get in an argument over who should cover.

ODB takes Tara down with the fall away slam and chops in the corner but Tara comes back with the Tarantula. Kong gets back up for the save until Tara moonsault presses both of them down. It doesn’t seem to bother Kong who runs Tara over and chokes the champion in the corner.

Tara seems to get in a fight with some fan and leaves (more on this later), allowing ODB to hit a Samoan drop on Kong for two. Kong slams her back down as Tara is back to save ODB from a middle rope splash. There’s the Implant Buster to ODB for two and Kong is SHOCKED. She brings in a chair but splashes it instead of ODB, who retains the title with ease.

Rating: D+. The match was dull for the most part, but the Tara thing is interesting in how stupid it was. The fan was the wife of former UFC Champion Randy Couture, who Tara wanted to work a match against. Why this is supposed to be interesting isn’t clear and it never lead to anything. Also pay no attention to the fact that this wasn’t mentioned on TV, at least not here.

Matt Morgan says his match with Angle is business and personal.

Samoa Joe vs. Bobby Lashley

This is a submission match for what should be obvious reasons and Joe is Mafia. Lashley has bad ribs coming in but is still able to power Joe into the corner. Some slaps to the face tick Lashley off so he spinebusters Joe down and tries an armbar. Joe tries a kick to the ribs but opts for a leg bar instead. That goes nowhere as Lashley rolls out and takes Joe down again before pounding away in the corner.

Lashley gets sent outside for a breather, drawing a LOUD Lashley Sucks chant. Joe starts going after the ribs and the referee goes down, allowing Joe to hit Lashley in the ribs again. Back to the floor and Joe nails the suicide dive before driving Lashley into the barricade. They get back inside and Lashley gets caught in an abdominal stretch with an elbow in the ribs. He powers out with a hiptoss and is quickly booed out of the building.

A powerslam puts Lashley down but Joe goes for an armbreaker for some reason. Lashley blocks the hold so Joe hammers away in the corner. A full nelson slam drops Joe and the fans just rip into Lashley and cheer Joe louder. Joe just destroys him with spinning Rock Bottoms but Lashley sweeps the leg and puts on a side choke for the quick win.

Rating: D-. WOW this was bad for Lashley. He barely did anything and the fans just let him have it. He might be the guy who looked the best on paper and then never played out in the slightest. His 2014 run has been FAR better when they made him a killer, but the face runs were disasters. Joe was just so unmotivated at this point and I can’t say I blame him. He feuded with the Mafia for months then joined them because Samoa Joe has to be in heel stables for some reason. One other thing of note: this was the first non-title match as well as the first one on one match of the night.

Oh and one more thing: STOP TRYING TO TURN WRESTLING INTO MMA! IT’S CALLED WRESTLING FOR A REASON!

Mick Foley says if Abyss wants to be the biggest hardcore star ever, he has to earn it. He wanted Abyss to be his protege but now wants to hurt him to prove a point. Foley is evil here if that’s not clear.

Abyss vs. Mick Foley

Dr. Stevie (Richards) is guest referee and if Abyss uses tacks he’s disqualified, even though this is Monster’s Ball. Foley jumps Abyss from behind with a barbed wire bat and drags the monster to the stage. He climbs the tower on the set and this can’t end well. Abyss follows him up but gets knocked off and goes through the stage. Foley drops his running elbow with the barbed wire bat into the hole and both guys are down.

Stevie congratulates Foley as they walk to the ring. Abyss climbs through a new hole in the ramp and runs Foley over before heading to ringside to get some weapons. The monster bridges a barbed wire board between the ring and barricade before just smashing Foley with a trashcan. Another barbed wire board is brought in but Foley grabs a double arm DDT to plant Abyss on top of it. The barbed wire bat is raked across Abyss’ head as the violence really gets going.

Foley goes after the arm with the barbed wire and we see a lot of blood on Abyss’ forehead. He’s still able to send Foley into the third barbed wire board in the corner but misses a charge, catching himself in the board. Foley shoves him onto the board on the mat and drops an elbow to crush him between the boards for two.

Now Mick busts out the tacks but gets grabbed by the throat. Stevie won’t let Abyss chokeslam Mick onto them, so Abyss Shock Treatments the referee. Creepy chick Daffney comes out and slides Foley a taser of all things, which explodes as he shocks Abyss. This brings out a regular referee to count three….but he starts a four count because Abyss doesn’t kick out in time.

An attempt at a barbed wire Socko results in Foley being sent into the board, but Stevie gets up and nails the replacement referee. Daffney goes up top but gets chokeslammed through the barbed wire board at ringside (off camera of course). A Black Hole Slam puts Stevie into the tacks and a chokeslam onto the barbed wire is enough for the pin, with Abyss grabbing Stevie’s hand to make him count the three.

Rating: D+. This is what happens when TNA just tries too hard and it stops working. The tacks thing was stupid but at least Abyss got the win and gets put over as a result. The problem here is this was basically all barbed wire, which is a good visual if you use it once or twice, but then it’s just numbing. Also the fall through the stage was way out of place with the rest of the match.

Angle says he had AJ beat and the time ran out. This has nothing to do with his match tonight.

We recap Angle vs. Morgan. Angle had been stringing Morgan along and promising him a place in the Mafia but then screwing him over. Morgan became a killer and cost Angle the title at No Surrender, setting up this showdown.

Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan

Kurt has his borderline homeless man beard going here. Angle runs to the floor to start and cuts off the fans’ dueling chants in the process. They do the same sequence again before Morgan just grabs Kurt by the head and throws him over the top. Back in and Morgan busts out the rapid fire elbows in the corner before hitting a kind of reverse chokeslam to send him face first into the buckle. Kurt goes to the eyes and sends Matt outside, only to get caught diving off the apron. Morgan sends him back first into the post and stands very tall.

Back in and Matt hits a high cross body for two, only to have the Carbon Footprint hit the buckle. Angle chop blocks the big man down and gets his first advantage. There’s a Figure Four and Morgan is suddenly in big trouble. Morgan finally turns it over, sending Angle to the ropes for the break. Some clotheslines have Angle in trouble and a side slam gets two as Matt’s knee seems fine.

Kurt goes back for it to stagger the big man but Morgan counters a cross body with a fall away slam. Chokeslam gets two but Angle counters the Hellevator into the rolling Germans. That must be punishment for not selling the knee. The Angle Slam is countered and a big boot (dude come on) gets two. A second attempt at the Slam gets two and the ankle lock goes on. Morgan kicks him away and avoids a charge into the corner, setting up the Hellevator for two.

We get the required tombstone attempt from a big man but Kurt counters into the ankle lock. Matt kicks away and nails a clothesline for two but the fans think he sucks. Morgan goes up top so Angle can run the buckles for the superplex. A frog splash gets two for Kurt and he goes back up, only to get caught on Morgan’s shoulders. Possibly playing off the knee from earlier, Angle grabs a victory roll for the pin.

Rating: C+. It’s an entertaining match as they tried the main event style, but it has a few problems. To begin with, Morgan wouldn’t sell the knee for more than about five seconds, so the point of the match kind of died halfway through. This brings us to the big problem: Angle did not need to win this match. He’s by far the bigger star and has been established for years while Morgan hasn’t proven he can win the big one yet. Here’s what makes it even worse though.

On Impact, Angle basically disbanded the Mafia because Morgan proved that Angle was wrong about the younger generation. The story is EXACTLY the same if Morgan wins and in some ways is even better. On top of that you get a new star (because TNA just had SO many of them running around) who had potential, but instead it’s Angle because this company is all about paying homage to old names.

We don’t get much of a recap for the main event. AJ was about to leave wrestling due to all of his failures, but Sting gave him a great pep talk and AJ won the World Title at No Surrender. Styles wanted to give Sting a title shot and Sting has implied it might be his last match. The problem here, again, is that the main event is all about Sting instead of making a new star.

TNA World Title: Sting vs. AJ Styles

Both guys are good here. Style takes over with a quick hiptoss but Sting comes back with one of his own. Another hiptoss sends Styles to the apron but he springboards back in for no contact. A shoulder puts Styles down but he avoids the Sharpshooter and we get a standoff. AJ scores with a slam and drops a knee for two before Sting whips him upside down into the corner.

Back up and a clothesline puts AJ on the floor. This is still in the grounded stage as neither is wanting to do anything big. Sting lets AJ get back in clean and they reset. An enziguri drops Sting and a nice suplex gets two. Sting comes back with bulldogs and a big backdrop but doesn’t follow up. AJ gets back up so Sting bails to the floor, only to sidestep a diving AJ, sending him into the barricade.

Sting misses a Stinger Splash against the same barricade though and both guys are down. Back in and Sting misses another splash but stops a charging AJ with a boot in the corner. They exchange tombstone attempts until AJ gets planted for two. Back up and the champ’s springboard forearm gets the same before he loads up the moonsault into the reverse DDT. Sting counters into the Death Drop but can’t cover (ignore his leg being on top of AJ).

A Stinger Splash and another Death Drop gets two so it’s Scorpion time. AJ screams a lot and grabs the ropes but Sting Hulks Up. He puts AJ on the top but gets knocked down with a headbutt. AJ falls off the top but manages to Pele Sting from the apron. The springboard splash is enough to retain AJ’s title.

Rating: C+. The match was decent enough but there was almost no emotion here. They were trying to make this feel like a big deal for Sting, because if there’s one thing we’ve learned so far, it’s that BOUND FOR GLORY IS ALL ABOUT HIM. There were some nice sequences in here but it felt like the buildup for something bigger which never came.

AJ calls Sting back to the ring and Sting tells him it’s his (AJ’s) time. Sting says if he just lost his last match, he’s glad it was to someone like AJ. The fans say please don’t go but Sting says he isn’t sure what he’s doing (“and that’s not kayfabe.”) but the fans have made him want to stick around forever. His music hits and we’re quickly done.

Overall Rating: B-. Most of the show is good but nothing on here feels special. The main event is really lacking and felt far more about Sting than Styles, which defeats the purpose of giving someone a rub. It’s a show that is entertaining enough if you watch it but there’s nothing worth going out of your way to see. Once Sting got out of the way for a bit, AJ was able to take off as champion and just own every main event he was in for a few months.

Ratings Comparison

Amazing Red vs. Suicide vs. Daniels vs. Homicide vs. Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley

Original: B

Redo: C+

Beautiful People vs. Taylor Wilde/Sarita

Original: D+

Redo: N/A

Eric Young vs. Kevin Nash vs. Hernandez

Original: D-

Redo: C+

Main Event Mafia vs. British Invasion vs. Team 3D vs. Beer Money Inc.

Original: B

Redo: B+

Awesome Kong vs. Tara vs. ODB

Original: C-

Redo: D+

Bobby Lashley vs. Samoa Joe

Original: D

Redo: D-

Mick Foley vs. Abyss

Original: C-

Redo: D+

Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan

Original: B-

Redo: C+

Sting vs. AJ Styles

Original: B

Redo: C+

Overall Rating

Original: B

Redo: B-

It’s about the same for the most part but the Legends Title match was WAY better than on another viewing.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/10/16/bound-for-glory-count-up-2009/

Wrestler of the Day – August 31: Magnus

Today we’re going with a Roman who became British: Magnus.

We’ll start things at some point in 2008 in England.

Nick Aldis vs. Dean Allmark

Aldis is Magnus’ real name and he’s under a mask here. The ring is TINY here as is the case in a lot of indy promotions. The much smaller Allmark takes Aldis down to start but is easily dominated in a test of strength. A Sin Cara armdrag out of the corner puts Aldis down and Dean cranks on an armbar. There’s a nice Owen Hart spinout to counter but Dean dropkicks him out to the floor.

Back in and Allmark goes for the mask, earning him a European uppercut to the jaw. Nick avoids some clotheslines and nails a jumping knee to the jaw for two. Allmark blocks a Vader bomb with his knees and gets two off a cross body. Aldis drops a good looking top rope elbow for two and says that’s it. He goes up again, only to get slammed off the top Ric Flair style. Dean nails a superkick (it is an indy match after all), followed by a middle rope moonsault for the pin.

Rating: D+. This was your basic power vs. speed indy match but the small ring caused them some issues. Allmark was nothing special but you could see that Aldis was going to be something under the right circumstances. This was far different from old school British wrestling, though the older style is more interesting to a degree.

Magnus got his start in TV on the British TV show Gladiators (British version of American Gladiators. This became his gimmick in TNA, but as a full Roman gladiator. Why a Roman was British wasn’t really clear and TNA didn’t feel the need to explain the connection. Anyway, he debuted in the beginning of 2009 and we’ll pick things up at Destination X 2009.

Brutus Magnus vs. Eric Young

Magnus is undefeated coming in. He hammers away on Young to start and gets a jumping back elbow to take him down. The fans are of course behind Eric and he speeds things up to take him down with an armdrag. Ok apparently Magnus is on the British version of American Gladiators, properly enough titled British Gladiators. That explains the name, but when do you remember an American Gladiator that thought he was a Roman gladiator? Kind of odd but it makaes sense if you think about it from a wrestling viewpoint.

Brutus takes over again and the beating begins. I’d assume it’ll continue until morale improves. Powerbomb connects but the top rope splash by Magnus that it sets up misses. Death Valley Driver, Young’s former/current finisher, gets two and the ending is already sealed by that with ease. Top rope elbow by Young gets two as well. Nice bridge by Young into a backslide gets two. Eric goes up top only to get crotched and end his momentum. Something resembling a TKO off the top rope ends this with Magnus getting the win.

Rating: D+. What the heck is up with the first twenty minutes of this show? Boring match here that again could and probably should have been on Impact. Magnus never really did anything for the most part as he was around and then dropped the whole Gladiator thing and became a generic British dude. Nothing here of note at all.

Magnus would realize he was British and team up with Douglas Williams as the British Invasion. They would win the IWGP Tag Team Titles and defend them while also challenging for the TNA Tag Team Titles in a fourway ladder match at Bound For Glory 2009.

IWGP Tag Titles/TNA Tag Titles: Beer Money vs. British Invasion vs. Team 3D vs. Main Event Mafia

Since this is TNA they can manage to screw up a TLC match. Both tag titles are on the line here and any team can win any of them. The Mafia, Steiner and Booker, are TNA tag champions and the Invasion are the IWGP champions. The thing was that TNA decided that since EVERYONE watches Japanese tag wrestling that there was nothing wrong with having two sets of tag titles because these other belts are SO famous. I really hated this idea, as in far more than most TNA ideas which should tell you a lot.

Thankfully soon after this TNA would WAKE UP and realize no one cared about the IWGP belts because THIS ISN’T JAPAN. Big brawl to start while Beer Money hides in the corner which is smart. We get into the heart of why I hate this immediately as Taz and Tenay talk about how prestigious the IWGP belts are. That’s all well and good but there’s one flaw: your belts are supposed to be the top titles. If they weren’t you wouldn’t call them WORLD tag titles. It was like TNA was saying “yeah we’re a big deal but we pale in comparison to Japan.” I hated it.

Steiner and D-Von go off to fight and it’s a big mess that’s hard to call. I wouldn’t have put two big multi-man climb up to get an object matches on one show but I get what they were thinking here. Ton of weapons go everywhere and of course there isn’t much in the way of flow but there isn’t supposed to be here. DWI for Booker. Steiner busts out the corner Frankensteiner which is nothing like the original one but is an easier way to avoid having to do the harder spot.

Booker might be legit hurt. Steiner does nothing but suplexes, showing his level of awesomeness. Steiner goes up after the TNA belts (at least he didn’t go for the others first) but the ladder is too short and he gets shoved off. Booker has a stretcher brought out for him as Steiner takes What’s Up. Eh with that many steroids in him he probably didn’t feel a thing.

The Brits bring in tables as Booker is wheeled out. Dudleys just END the English dudes with chair shots. And the guitar player from earlier gets a chair shot on Magnus. Williams goes through a table in the ring as we’re in the “everyone but three people lay down while the three guys do spots” and D-Von hits What’s Up on Williams. BIG Table chant. Double chokeslams (from the Dudleys?) put Beer Money down and through tables.

Steiner pops back up and brings in a ladder. And then he falls off a ladder thanks to 3D. The team not the move. The Dudleys go up at the same time like idiots and here’s Rhyno of all people, since you know 8 people in one match aren’t enough, and blasts them with chairs but not before D-Von gets the IWGP Titles down.

Beer Money and the Brits both go up, resulting in a bad looking suplex on Magnus from both guys. Beer Money has an open shot but has to do their taunt first. Storm gets some beer and then a front flip powerbomb to take Magnus out again. Cool looking spot. Roode is about to get the TNA belts but Rob Terry of the British Invasion comes down to throw him through a table and help Magnus get the belt to end it.

Rating: B. Another fun match much like Ultimate X earlier. There were a lot of people here and I think too many teams. That and having two sets of tag titles made this a bit too much of a mess and the lack of a huge spot kind of slowed it down from being great. That being said this was a fun match and did the job it was supposed to do: get the crowd going. It’s not up to the levels of the great TLC matches but it was good. I still wish they didn’t have two multi-man grab the title matches at one show though but what can you do?

Here’s a title defense at Final Resolution 2009.

Tag Titles: British Invasion vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The idea here is that the Brits are just there and the Guns are tired of being overlooked which is a very true statement. At least we get the Motorcity song. The Invasion is part of World Elite and is comprised of Magnus and Doug Williams. The ropes are red and green here which is either cool or stupid as all goodness. Not sure which.

Sabin vs. Williams to start us off here. Williams takes him down with a wristlock and they roll around on the mat a bit. Off to Shelley and it’s a bit more of the same. Magnus comes in and the fourth guy works on a wristlock. Shelley tries to jump at Magnus and it just fails. Right back to the arm because we’ve gone a full 8 seconds without doing that. The Guns both come in and kick away to take both members of the Brits now.

Stereo double dives from the middle rope on the inside to the Brits on the floor in an awesome spot. Back in now with Magnus taking Shelley down and it’s off to Williams. Technically this has been very sound so far. Williams gets an inverted Gory Special to drive Shelley into the top turnbuckle in a cool spot. Shelley manages to get a top rope cross body for two.

Back off to Magnus now for some double teaming. Shelley and Williams (these Brits tag too much) have a nice technical piece and Magnus takes down Sabin to prevent the tag. Full nelson by Magnus gets him nowhere. A Vader Bomb by Magnus eats knees and it’s off to Sabin vs. Williams now for a nice change of pace. Tornado DDT by Sabin gets two.

Back off to Shelley and Magnus and Shelly hits a top rope kick to the chest (think RVD) for two. The tagging thing is more or less being more forgotten by the second here. Sabin dives through Shelley’s legs to take Williams into the guard rail. Sliced Bread #2 to Magnus gets a close two. Double stomp by Shelley misses and he runs into an exploder suplex by Williams.

Everyone in now as the Guns are taken down one by one. That would be all as far as numbers go as there are only two Guns. Shelley and Magnus slug it out in the ring as we’re back to a standard tag format now. Back off to Sabin again and the Guns hit a double team downward spiral/missile dropkick for two. Rolling Chaos doesn’t work as Sabin saves Alex by hitting a Cutter on Williams. The unnamed Skull and Bones gets two on Magnus. Double team Sliced Bread doesn’t work and Sabin gets caught in a sweet powerbomb/European Uppercut off the top combination to end this.

Rating: B. Good stuff here as it was fast paced and the fans were into it. For the life of me though I don’t get why they waited for so long to put the belts on the Guns as they got them due to Hall being released for being Scott Hall. This was a good match and I was getting into it by the end, which says a lot given that I knew who was winning.

Magnus would challenge for the Global Title at Destination X 2010.

Global Title: Magnus vs. Rob Terry

Terry is getting the Goldberg push which is fine I guess. It keeps his matches short if nothing else. It never ceases to amaze me that people talk about what an alternative to WWE TNA is supposed to be and here we have a not incredibly talented musclehead guy getting a mega push. A spinebuster ends this in like a minute and a half.

Rating: N/A. The Goldberg push continues, which I can’t say I have many problems with. This was a total non-threat so that’s all fine and good.

The next year wouldn’t have much for Magnus until he reformed the British Invasion. From Lockdown 2011.

Ink Inc vs. Scott Steiner/Crimson vs. Orlando Jordan/Eric Young vs. British Invasion

Jordan’s outfit of the night is a Tarzan leopard print kind of deal. I think this is one fall to a finish. Young vs. Neal to start us off with Young immediately trying to escape which isn’t an option for winning. Neal with some arm drags followed by Young with an arm drag leading to a standoff. Moore comes in and takes over with basic heel stuff.

Williams and Jordan get tags at the same time and it’s off to Magnus very quickly. Jordan does various dirty things to Magnus while beating both Brits up. Off to Neal again as this is moving too fast, namely due to having too many people in the match again. The Brits beat down Neal for a bit and a double back elbow gets two. Double neckbreaker gets no count as Moore makes the save.

The crowd wants Steiner so we keep going with Neal vs. Magnus because the crowd wasn’t quite dead enough. Neal breaks free and tags Crimson when he was wide open to tag either. After Crimson beats on Williams for a bit we FINALLY get Steiner and a roar. Steiner cleans house with his traditional stuff, including belly to bellies all around. He goes for the pin on Williams but Moore distracts him.

Young tries to jump Steiner and Crimson is fine with his partner fighting off four or five guys. Shannon makes a blind tag to bring himself in. He dances around Scott and then chokes away in the corner. Young takes his pants off to reveal some tiny tiger print tights. And so much for that as a jumping back elbow takes him down.

Everything breaks down as Moore hits a moonsault press to Williams, Young hits the Gender Bender to Young, Crimson hits Red Alert to Jordan, Magnus hits….something like a Michinoku Driver to Jordan, Steiner hits a t-bone on Magnus, Young hits a missile dropkick to Steiner….and then tries to escape again. Rolling Chaos to Moore is blocked and the Mooregasm ends Williams and gives Ink Inc the win. I give up.

Rating: D. Dudes, I beg of you: GIVE THE FANS SOMETHING TO CHEER FOR! Steiner was over beyond belief and was in the match for all of a minute. The opening 45 minutes of this show should be a lesson in how to kill a crowd. Nothing has been interesting and the best match has been ok at best. Well done TNA: you’ve proven me right so far.

Magnus would hook up with Samoa Joe and get a shot at the Tag Team Titles at Against All Odds 2012.

Tag Titles: Magnus/Samoa Joe vs. Crimson/Matt Morgan

Morgan and Joe start things off. Morgan shrugs off some shoulders to start and hits a shoulder of his own for two. Off to Crimson and Magnus with the power guy taking over. Back to Morgan and the champs double team a bit. Suplex gets two for Morgan and it’s Red Boy again. Magnus hits a clothesline to bring Joe back in as the challengers take over. A big boot to the shoulder by Magnus sets up a Joe backsplash for two.

There’s a chinlock by Magnus to Crimson as things slow down and we enter into a traditional formula. Crimson misses a right hand and Magnus suplexes him for two. Back to Joe who peppers Crimson in the corner with right hands. A big boot out of desperation put Joe down and there’s the double tag to give us Morgan vs. Magnus. The big man cleans house with knee lifts and a double clothesline.

He charges into a Magnus boot though, but it doesn’t seem to matter as a spinning slam into a Rock Bottom (I think Chris Harris called it the Catatonic) gets two. Magnus and Joe can’t hit their double team finisher but Crimson accidentally spears Morgan. Crimson is sent to the outside and the snapmare and elbow combination gives us new champions at 10:00.

Rating: C+. Pretty good tag match here and I’ll overlook the questionable booking for the sake of giving me something to like on this show. Nothing has been bad but this first hour has come and gone with nothing significantly above average at all. Joe getting a title is a nice sight though.

Here’s a title defense at Lockdown 2012.

Tag Titles: Motorcity Machineguns vs. Magnus/Samoa Joe

The Guns have generic music to start but their regular theme starts during their walk to the ring. Methinks that was a glitch. You can win by pin, submission or escape for the rest of the matches. Magnus and Shelley start things off. Things speed way up to start and Magnus gets a clothesline for two. Sabin gets a blind tag and a pair of kicks get two. Off to Joe who is too fat for Sabin to run over.

A crucifix into a sunset flip doesn’t really work either so let’s try a dropkick. That at least slows Joe down and it’s off to Shelley. Back to Magnus who gets caught in a pinball series of punches. Magnus comes back and manages a fallaway slam to throw Sabin into Shelley in a cool spot. Back to Joe who pounds Sabin down to give us a face in peril. I think he’s in peril to another face but you get the idea.

The champions double team Sabin to keep him in the ring including a big boot to set up a backsplash for two. Magnus hooks a chinlock but Chris comes back with a jawbreaker to get out. A spinning spinebuster puts Sabin right back down and it’s off to Joe again. Snap suplex gets two. Sabin grabs a tornado DDT while climbing up Magnus and is able to make the tag. Shelley comes in but even that doesn’t wake this crowd up.

Sliced Bread is broken up but Sabin powerbombs Joe out of the corner. Magnus is knocked off the top and a top rope double stomp gets two for Shelley. A move I think called the elevated Hero’s Welcome gets two on Magnus. Skull and Bones is broken up and Sabin is caught in the Clutch. Sliced Bread hits Magnus and Joe has to break up the choke to make the save. The champions’ finisher misses so Sabin hooks up a rear naked choke on Joe. Magnus hits a kind of Michinoku Driver on Shelley and Joe runs out of the corner, dropping Sabin on Shelley. The snapmare/elbow gets the pin on Shelley at 11:19.

Rating: B-. This started really slow but once they stopped the tagging it got a lot more exciting. I definitely agree with the champions retaining here as there’s nothing for the Guns to do in this division anymore. Having them as something like Beer Money for the last year they were together would be a much better spot for them which is something they could do now.

Magnus would enter the 2012 Bound For Glory Series and had this match at Hardcore Justice 2012.

Bound For Glory Series: D’Angelo Dinero vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Magnus

This is Falls Count Anywhere and it’s for 20 points. Dinero is jumped in the back by Aces and 8’s before the match so I guess we have a three way instead. Apparently someone is late to the show but I didn’t catch the name. Anderson is fine with Dinero being out because it’s one less guy to worry about. They play to the crowd to start but Van Dam gets jumped by Magnus and knocked over the top rope to the floor.

Anderson clotheslines Magnus down but can only get a one count. Van Dam comes back in and monkey flips everyone in sight. Well everyone who isn’t a referee that is. Magnus and Van Dam go to the floor but Anderson breaks up the spinning legdrop off the apron. Anderson sends Magnus into the apron for one on the floor. Magnus gets a chair as I assume this is hardcore and not just falls count anywhere.

Anderson knocks the chair away from Magnus but his DDT onto the chair is broken up. The two of them brawl up to the stage on the floor but Van Dam pelts a chair at Magnus to break it up. Now he hits the spinning leg to the back of Anderson who was on the barricade next to the ramp. Magnus gets in a shot to Van Dam’s knee and puts on a Texas Cloverleaf on the stage, only to have Anderson clothesline him in the back of the head to break the hold.

Back to the ring and Anderson and Magnus hit a double clothesline to take each other down. Van Dam stumbles in to try the Five Star but Anderson crotches him. They load up a Tower of Doom but Anderson breaks it up. He tries the superplex on RVD but gets knocked down and Five Starred but Magnus breaks up the pin. Magnus suplexes RVD on the ramp and asks for an expletive chair. RVD goes up the ramp with the Brit following with the aforementioned chair. Apparently no one has watched tape because YOU DON’T HOLD UP A CHAIR IN FRONT OF VAN DAM! Van Daminator gets the pin on Magnus at 9:06.

Rating: B-. I was digging this although I’m not wild on them taking Dinero out. My best guess would be it’s someone trying to take people out of the Series because they’re low in the standings, but wouldn’t you want to take out the people with the most points so you could move up? Maybe it has nothing to do with the standings. Either way, another good match here in a show that feels like it could be awesome.

He would do it again the next year and had a BFG Series match on Impact, June 20, 2013.

Bound For Glory Series: Kazarian vs. Magnus

Magnus knocks him to the floor to start but Kaz comes back in with a forearm to the face and a cravate. Kaz’s spinning crossbody is countered into a very modified powerslam/suplex for two as the crowd is into Magnus. The Brit no sells a missile dropkick (Kaz was supposed to miss but connected anyway), allowing Magnus to hook a Texas Cloverleaf for the submission at 2:54 for ten points. That’s a good move that someone needs to bring back.

Magnus would dominate the Series until the end where he tripped up. He went into a depression but would face his mentor Sting at Bound For Glory 2013.

Sting vs. Magnus

Feeling out process to start with Sting sending Magnus out to the floor in frustration. Back in and Magnus sends him into the corner for some shoulder blocks. We hit a body scissors as Magnus is being rather aggressive here. Back up and Magnus drives in shoulders to the ribs but gets caught in a backdrop so Sting can pound away. There’s a quick Stinger Splash and we’re already in the Scorpion Deathlock less than five minutes in.

Magnus kicks away and a double clothesline puts both guys down. The Brit hits a quick Stinger Splash of his own and gets two off the falcon’s arrow. Sting kicks away from the Cloverleaf and hits another Stinger Splash before putting on the Deathlock again. As usual Sting doesn’t sit down on it at all so Magnus is able to crawl over to the ropes. Stinger Splash number three lands on an uppercut and Magnus hits a Scorpion Death Drop on his own to set up the top rope elbow.

Sting kicks out at two and is able to avoid the second top rope elbow, putting both guys down again. Magnus fires off some hard forearms but Sting says bring it. Sting gets taken down into the Cloverleaf with Magnus actually cranking on the hold….for the submission at 11:02. I NEVER remember Sting tapping before.

Rating: C. Not a great match but the ending couldn’t have been better for Magnus. Sting gave up in the center of the ring without a bit of cheating at all. Good match here and the ending was the perfectly right call, but the match didn’t feel like it had a middle part which hurt it a bit.

Magnus would enter a tournament for the vacant TNA World Title, culminating at Final Resolution 2013.

TNA World Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Magnus

This is Dixieland, meaning it starts in a cage and the winner has to escape and climb a ladder at the top of the stage to pull down the title. Magnus sends Hardy into the corner to start but gets caught in a headscissors. A running forearm in the corner has Magnus in trouble and Jeff rains down right hands. Magnus comes right back with a running clothesline but Hardy avoids the top rope elbow. Hardy tries to leave but shoves Magnus down and misses the Swanton. EC3 is watching at the ramp as we take a break.

Back with Hardy being pulled back through the camera hole before kicking Magnus in the chest to put him down. Hardy goes to climb out but drops a Vader Bomb from the middle of the ropes to keep Magnus down. The Twist of Fate looks to set up a second Twist of Fate but Magnus shoves him off and chop blocks Jeff’s knee. The Texas Cloverleaf has Hardy in trouble and a Snow Plow sets up the top rope elbow from Magnus.

Hardy fights up and hits a quick Whisper in the Wind before climbing up for a HUGE Whisper from the top of the cage to put both guys down again. They both climb over the top but EC3 goes to stop Magnus. The Brit fights him off but Hardy goes after Carter anyway because he wants to win fair. Magnus and Hardy slug it out on the floor but Hardy hits another Twist of Fate on the ramp. Jeff goes to the ladder but Dixie begs him to not go up. Hardy goes up anyway but Spud shoves the ladder down, sending Hardy down the ramp in an ugly crash. Magnus goes up to win the title at 17:43.

Rating: B-. Obvious ending aside, this was still a good match that gets better if you just make it a cage match. The ladder felt like overkill and the match being called Dixieland made it feel more silly than important. Hardy is good in this role and Magnus as the Corporate Champion makes sense.

From two weeks later on Impact with Magnus defending against the champion that left the company with the title.

TNA World Title: AJ Styles vs. Magnus

No DQ and both guys are champion coming in. Magnus immediately goes to the floor and does it again for a second time in less than ninety seconds. No contact yet. Magnus gets back in but here are Ethan Carter and Spud to jump AJ before any contact is made. AJ fights them off and superkicks Magnus in the ribs but Carter breaks up a Styles Clash attempt. Sting finally comes out for the save but doesn’t do anything as AJ saves himself. Magnus bails to the floor and we take a break.

Back with the two champions still not making contact as the Bro Mans and Zema Ion come out to jump Sting and AJ and giving us six run-ins in less than eight minutes. Zema DDTs AJ and the Bro Down gets a delayed two on Styles. Sting comes back in as Magnus just chills at ringside. The Brit finally comes back in and AJ quickly loads up the Clash, only to have Bad Influence make the save and lay him out with a powerbomb/neckbreaker combo.

Earl Hebner refuses to count so Dixie and Brian Hebner get us to ELEVEN people coming out for this match. Bad Influence goes High/Low on AJ for two and Brian gets yelled at. Sting lays out the Bro Mans with a double Death Drop on the floor before putting Ion in the Deathlock. AJ fights back against Bad Influence as Sting comes in to help even more. We’re down to Magnus vs. AJ with Styles getting the Calf Killer, only to have Kazarian take out the referee.

Kazarian monkey flips AJ into Daniels but AJ clotheslines him down and Peles Kaz. Now the Styles Clash takes out Magnus but there’s no referee. Earl Hebner hobbles back out (we’ll call that #12) to count two before AJ dives over the top to take out Bad Influence yet again. AJ goes up top but Bobby Roode makes it #13 by shoving Styles into the ropes. Three AA/DVDs lay AJ out for about the fifth time, giving Magnus the pin (thanks to referee #3 and the fourteenth person added to the match) and the undisputed title at 15:47. Sting was being held back by most of the heels in case you were wondering.

Rating: D. So they spent all night hyping up the match before going full Russo on it. That’s what we spent months and months building to? The match was definitely energetic but we really had to spend all this time setting up Dixie with her corporate champion? Assuming AJ leaving isn’t a HUGE swerve, this was one of the biggest wastes of time I can remember in years.

Magnus would defend in Japan at One Night Only: Global Impact Japan.

TNA World Title: Magnus vs. Kai

Magnus is defending and Kai won a tournament to get this shot. Feeling out process to start as a lot of TNA guys have come out to watch the match. No one goes anywhere when they fight over a top wristlock so Magnus takes him down with a headlock. Back up and Kai nails three straight dropkicks but Magnus stops him with a forearm. They head up the ramp and fight over a suplex on the stage until the champion takes him over.

Back in and Taz keeps complaining about the referee not being up to his standards. We hit another chinlock followed by a camel clutch to Kai. Taz notices that Kai’s tights say Dress Camp and goes on a rant about summer camp. Kai fights up and sends Magnus to the floor, followed by a suicide dive to take over. Magnus fights out of a powerbomb and kicks away, only to get dropped by a clothesline.

They slug it out with Kai nailing a falcon’s arrow for two. Kai goes up but gets superplexed down, though Magnus can’t follow up. Back up and a springboard enziguri drops Magnus and a running boot to the face gets two. A powerbomb gets two more on the champion but he catches Kai in a Michinoku Driver for a near fall of his own. The top rope elbow gets the same and another Michinoku Driver followed by a second elbow retains Magnus’ title.

Rating: C. It was a pretty good main event style match, but the problem I have with this is the problem I have with almost all shows like this: who is Kai and why should I care about him? Yeah I know he won a tournament, but I have no connection to Kai, have never seen one of his matches or heard him talk. All I know about him I learned in the last fifteen minutes of hearing Tenay and Taz and watching this one match. Wrestling is about connecting with performers, be it through promos or through their matches. With nothing to go off, there’s no reason for me to care about Kai.

Here’s Magnus defending at Lockdown 2014.

TNA World Title: Samoa Joe vs. Magnus

Magnus is defending. Joe gets in the first offense with a hard kick to the thigh but the champion takes him down with a headlock. In a unique move, Joe grabs a wristlock and headbutts Magnus’ hand before putting on a hammerlock. A hard back elbow to the jaw drops Magnus again and Joe peppers him with right hands in the corner. Joe chops him down in the corner and hits the Facewash.

Magnus avoids the running backsplash and hammers away before raking Joe’s eyes. The champion misses a charge and goes into the cage so Joe rams him face first into the steel over and over. The ramming draws blood and Joe goes right after it but misses a charge, allowing the Englishman to send him face first into the steel over and over. Now Joe is busted open and Magnus locks on the Figure Four.

Joe turns it over but Magnus immediately lets go and puts on a camel clutch. That’s powered out of as well but Magnus slaps on a sleeper. Joe picks him up into the air and drops Magnus down onto his back, putting both guys down. Magnus loses a forearm slugout but gets a boot up in the corner to stop a charging Samoan. Joe comes right back with a slam and the backsplash followed by a cross armbreaker.

Magnus rolls out and heads up top and shoves Joe down before dropping the big elbow. Joe gets back to his feet and wins a slugout with his hard slaps before crotching Magnus down on the top. There’s the MuscleBuster and the Koquina Clutch but Abyss’ hand comes up through the ring and pulls Joe through the mat. After a few seconds, a furious Joe slowly comes up through the ring and chokes Magnus in the corner. Abyss comes up through the hole and hits Joe in the stomach with Janice before a Black Hole Slam sets up the Koquina Clutch from Magnus for the win at 19:28.

Rating: B-. Well the Authority has its Kane now. I don’t think it was a big surprise that there were shenanigans at the end but the question was what would happen. Abyss being the corporate monster gives him something to do but it’s not exactly something new. Then again, this is TNA where we have to have an evil alliance on top of the company because that’s almost all they know how to do.

Jeff Hardy came back in a maska s Willow, allowing him to be a bit more psychotic and gain revenge on those who had wronged him. This included Magnus at Slammiversary 2014.

Magnus vs. Willow

Bram and Abyss are the seconds here. Magnus stomps away in the corner to start and avoids a baseball slide to send Willow into the steps. Back in and a big clothesline gets the same for the Brit. There’s a buckle bomb for good measure and Magnus hammers away on the mask. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Willow fights back with an atomic drop and the legdrop between the legs for two.

The Twist is countered but Magnus runs into two boots in the corner. A middle rope splash gets two for Willow before Magnus avoids the Swanton. Bram tries to interfere but Abyss is right there to hammer away. All four guys start brawling on the floor until Willow goes up top and just jumps backwards onto the Brits.

Now Abyss and Bram fight in the ring with the Monster easily throwing him to the floor. The guys in the match get back in as Bram gets his metal bar, only to be one upped by Janice. They walk up the ramp as Magnus breaks up the Whisper in the Wind, setting up a belly to back suplex into a side slam for the pin on Willow at 10:00.

Rating: C-. This was a mess for the most part but not bad. They would have been better off making this a tag match to get everyone in there, but that seems to be where they’re headed anyway. The Willow gimmick isn’t doing anything for me either as the announcement that it’s Jeff Hardy just killed the whole point of the character.

Magnus is a guy that has the look and is good in the ring, though he didn’t quite work as the top guy. He can have good midcard matches though and cuts a good promo but I like him better as a face than as a heel. Magnus is still young enough to do something big but he needs a few tweeks to get there.

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