klunderbunker
Welcome to My (And Not Sly's) House
Against All Odds 2009
Date: February 9, 2009
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 1,100
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West
Time for another 2009 show and in this case its the last one Im doing as its the only one I have left. The main event tonight is one that I remember thinking was very stupid in theory. Its Sting vs. Angle vs. Bubba vs. D-Von for the title. Yes, the Dudleys are main eventing as singles wrestlers. Other than that theres really not much here. Lets get to it.
The main event guys get here. This is another Mafia show. Sting doesnt arrive with them though. He arrives on his own in what looks like a yellow Lamborghini.
The opening video is about how people struggle against all odds to reach greatness. Basically they just run down the card here.
X-Division Title: Eric Young vs. Alex Shelley
Shelley is champion of course. Shelley got pinned by Young in a tag match on Impact to set this up. I think Shelley is heel here but Im not very sure. Eric takes over to start and sends Alex to the floor with a clothesline. Young runs in and out to frustrate Shelley and hits a plancha to drill Shelley. Young is serious here and on a roll for the most part. They slug it out on the apron and Shelley gets an advantage that doesnt last long.
Alex goes to the floor again but this time avoids a big dive, sending Eric into the railing. Back inside Shelley takes over, working on the ribs and chest. The fans are split here and Eric gets a clothesline. Thats all he can get though and Shelley gets a knee to the back to take over again. Young grabs an attempt at a Death Valley Driver on the apron but cant get him.
More apron fighting results in Eric diving over the post and crashing to the floor. Shelley speeds things up and keeps pounding on the chest. A seated dropkick gets two. A quick chinlock doesnt do much and Young gets a face plant to shift the momentum. Young starts speeding things up and hits a discus clothesline for two. A top rope jawbreaker by Hsleey ends the run though and Shelley rolls down his elbow pad.
Death Valley Driver is attempted twice but Young cant hit it. Young trips him up and hits a springboard Fameasser for two. Moonsault misses and Shelley gets a nice cradle for two. Here come the kicks and a spinning downward spiral gets a close two. Sliced Bread #2 is countered into a wheelbarrow suplex which doesnt hit so Shelley hits a standing Sliced Bread for two.
They go up to the top rope and Shelley counters something into a bulldog. Very fast frog splash gets a very close two for the champion. DVD attempt from the middle rope doesnt work so Eric drops him down onto the top buckle instead. Young argues with the referee over something that I have no idea about and Young gets rolled up for the pin to let Shelley retain.
Rating: B-. I liked this one here as it was a nice competitive match with neither guy really dominating at all. Young can have some decent matches when hes not being a comedy character and this was one of them. Shelley and Sabin would get really good in a hurry but are in singles matches here for some reason. Nice opener here and a good match.
Angle says JB doesnt understand the Mafia because JB isnt a winner. The Mafia pushes each other and Angle will push Sting tonight.
We recap Petey Williams vs. Scott Steiner. Petey is his protégé and then the Mafia beat Williams down anyway so its teacher vs. student.
Scott Steiner vs. Petey Williams
Steiner shoves him around to start. Time for some arm work as Petey is in trouble. Petey tries to speed things up and hits a missile dropkick for two. He goes up again but gets caught in a belly to belly off the middle rope. Clothesline and elbow set up the pushups. Williams cant get a tornado DDT as Scott keeps the advantage. Petey gets draped over the top rope and Scott gets an elevated Downward Spiral for two.
Williams gets a boot up in the corner to slow things down a bit and they slug it out. They go up top and Petey is able to knock him off and hit a cross body. Theres the tornado DDT but its not very good. Steiner is finally like enough of this and counters a Canadian Destroyer attempt. Petey settles for an enziguri instead to set up a slingshot Codebreaker to put Scott down again.
The fans are split here, proving that faces and heel mean nothing to these idiots called Impact Zone fans. Petey grabs a rollup for two. Dropkick puts Scott on the floor but a slingshot rana is caught in a powerbomb to the floor. Steiner Recliner goes on and Williams is able to get to the ropes. Yes, the move that choked out everything in sight in WCW is broken up by Petey freaking Williams here. We actually get the Steiner Screwdriver here to end it. That move is SICK.
Rating: C. Not bad here but Peteys offense was a lot like what a jobber would use. This wasnt a squash but it was getting close to one at points. The Screwdriver (kind of at least. This was more like a Piledriver) is always a nice touch since its only used once every few years. Not much here, but nothing great at all.
Steiner keeps beating on him post match until Joes music hits. He pops up on the screen and yells about how the Mafia is responsible for what Joe is about to do. He has the face tattoo now and says Steiner is the first victim.
Time to run down the card, 42 minutes into the show.
Foley is with Sting and JB. Foley says he hopes its not Angle that wins. Sting says he doesnt like Foley talking about a Mafia member. Foley says its personal and not professional. He wishes Sting luck and Sting appreciates it. Foley leaves and Sting says he doesnt expect Angle to not come after him. Sting in a suit and sunglasses is just a weird look.
Brutus Magnus vs. ???
Magnus is pretty new here and is a British gladiator because there are so many of them around right? This is an open challenge because Magnus has run through a bunch of jobbers and has called for better competition.
Brutus Magnus vs. Chris Sabin
The fans chant USA of course. Sabin wants a test of strength to start which he uses to work the arm. Magnus grabs the hair and tries the arm of his own. Sabin keeps firing off shoulder blocks and none of them work. Sabin tries to work on the knee but gets caught by snake eyes and a running knee lift. Theres a fire Russo chant for some reason. The match is kind of boring but its not that bad.
Magnus works on the chest and back to try to slow Sabin down. Off to the chinock and the fans chant boring. OConnor Roll doesnt work for Sabin so he tries a bunch of clotheslines. A springboard one finally takes Magnus down for two. Pinfall reversal sequence results in a Magnus powerbomb for two. Out to the floor and a dive takes Magnus down. Back in the referee gets shoved into the rope so Tormentum (spinning Samoan Drop) ends Sabin.
Rating: D. This match wasnt particularly bad, but sweet tarnation it was boring. Magnus isnt a guy that had pacing or anything like that down yet and was really dull in the ring as a result. Sabin is good but with no story and a weak opponent there isnt much he can do. This was a long six minute match if that makes sense and there was no reason to have this on PPV at all.
Team 3D says Angle and Sting have overlooked them. Can you really overlook someone that means nothing? Theyre partners but this is going to be about winning the title which they both want. This takes like three minutes and is pretty good stuff with them both being rather serious. Bubba actually says Dudley here. Theyre going to go talk to Sting.
Recap of ODB vs. Kong. The idea here is that ODB is the only chick that could stand a chance against Kong physically. The Kongtourage, Kongs other three chicks, are barred from ringside.
Knockouts Title: ODB vs. Awesome Kong
The Kongtourage is here anyway so Cornette is probably ticked off. Yep here he is to throw them out. Well Sojourner Bolt, Rhaka Khan and Raisha Saed, IF THOSE ARE YOUR REAL NAMES, you have ten seconds to get out before I strip her of the title. That cracked me up for some reason. They leave, but Kong chokes Cornette which allowed ODB to blast her. Bulldog gets two.
Kong almost knocks her head off with a clothesline and pulls her hair. Off to a bearhug as other than jumping her, ODB has had almost no offense. Middle rope splash misses for Kong and ODB makes a brief comeback. Theres a slam which is supposed to be a big deal, although it only gets two. And never mind as the Implant Buster ends this a few seconds later.
Rating: D+. This was just a step ahead of a squash here and not a very good one at that. ODB never got going and it wasnt anything of interest as a result. Of all people, Angelina Love would beat Kong for the title at Lockdown. For the hype this had, the match was pretty much a waste of time.
The Dudleys find Sting and Bubba says that Sting isnt like the rest of the Mafia because when the Mafia destroyed him a few weeks ago, Sting had nothing to do with it. Sting is about respect, not ego like the rest of the Mafia. Bubba is coming for the title tonight and if the real Sting shows up, theyll have his back. D-Von said nothing. Lauren says Kurt wants to talk to Sting but Sting says hell talk to Kurt on his own time.
We recap Shane Sewell vs. Booker T. Booker is Legends Champion and Shane used to be a referee that Booker bullied a lot. Cant you see how that makes Sewell a title contender?
Legends Title: Shane Sewell vs. Booker T
Shane is an actual wrestler and is a big deal in Puerto Rico so its not like he knows two moves at most. The idea here is that Booker isnt taking him seriously at all because Shane is just a referee. There are dueling Booker chants. Lot of stalling to start and they finally lock up. Shane is in jeans and a sleeveless referee shirt. They trade wristlocks and Booker is stunned.
Booker takes over with ease and hammers away. This has more or less been a squash so far. Book End hits for two and Booker has no idea whats going on. Shane Referees Up and ducks a side kick so he can chop away. Shane takes over and Sharmells face is great. Bulldog puts Booker down and the fans have gotten more and more silent since he took over. Sharmell hooks his foot though and the axe kick keeps the title on Booker.
Rating: D+. So what does this prove? That Booker can beat a referee? Again I dont get the point here and I dont think they really thought this through. Shane hadnt won a match yet other than beating Sheik once, so thats good enough for a title shot? No idea what the point here was but they went with it anyway.
Thankfully AJ comes out for the save to set up their feud which would end with AJ getting the title. AJ says that he was dirt poor growing up but his dream was to be a legend. Being a legend means having people pay their hard earned money to see him and knowing that he gave it everything he had every night. He says hes stepping up to the Mafia and becoming a legend. That would take a LONG time but he finally would in the fall.
Matt Morgan is with Lauren and she says she can talk Abyss out of this. Morgan says no and is a heel here I think. They used to be tag partners and Morgan blames Abyss for them not winning the titles. If Lauren comes to the ring (she was friends with/dating Abyss at this time) Morgan will take her out.
Recap more or less says what I just said.
Matt Morgan vs. Abyss
Morgan is in a t-shirt for some reason here. Actually I think thats due to a shoulder infection he had to get cleaned up. More or less a brawl to start and Abyss avoids a big boot. Time for a big stick of some sort but this isnt a no DQ match. They head to the floor and its a big brawl. Into the crowd and neither guy can get anything as far as an advantage goes.
Theyre over at that wall you see in every match that goes into the crowd with PPV posters on it. Morgan gets a mule kick to Abyss as they come down the steps a bit. Ok never mind as were going back up the stairs. Abyss whips him into the railing and Morgan looks tired. With Morgan in the ring, Abyss starts throwing in a bunch of weapons.
With Abyss wasting so much time, Morgan is able to get the Carbon Footprint to take him down. There are the corner elbows. Legdrop across the bottom rope and Morgan actually hits a top rope cross body for two. Dropkick gets two. Morgan can clearly be heard saying what are you doing so I wonder whats going on here. Abyss makes a brief comeback but cant get a chokeslam.
Double clothesline puts both guys down. Abyss gets up first and gets a corner splash and sidewalk slam for two. Theres the bag which usually has glass or tacks in it. The referee gets rid of it though so he gets bumped as a result. Morgan grabs a chair and cracks Abyss with it to put him down. Another shot is countered into one of the worst chokeslams youll ever see for two.
Morgan gets a chair to Abyss balls and a far better chokeslam gets two for Matt. The referee is back up and gets cracked by a chair. So much for that comeback. Black Hole Slam hits and another referee counts two. Morgan loads up the Carbon Footprint but runs into a second Black Hole Slam to end this.
Rating: C-. I cant believe Im saying this but the 15 minutes this got were needed. This built up rather slowly and the brawl on the outside was kind of needed I think. This was supposed to be a grudge match and while it was sloppy at times, the end result is what it needed to be as Abyss needed this more than Morgan. Not great or even rather good but it worked overall.
Morgan escapes going into the tacks.
Booker is celebrating and Nash yells at him a lot. Sting and Angle have a little chat and Angle says the Dudleys dont care about him. Even though they fight tonight, the family will be strong tomorrow. Sting hugs Angle and says its a deal. Sting leaves and Angle tells Nash to keep an eye on Sting.
Recap of Beer Money vs. Lethal Consequences. They use a lot of math metaphors here and since Im not Scott Steiner I dont understand them.
Tag Titles: Lethal Consequences vs. Beer Money
Beer Money are champions here. Creed has a bad shoulder. Lethal Consequences won the titles for like three days and Beer Money won them in a triple threat at Genesis. Oh sweet merciful crap its a double Boozer Cruiser. It looks like a little train. Roode vs. Lethal to start us off. Basic back and forth stuff here to start with no one getting an extended advantage.
Off to Storm and Lethal Consequences clears the ring. Lethal steals Storms hat because he wants to die I guess. Off to Creed vs. Storm now. Creed speeds things up and takes over on Storm, also taking Roode down as it all breaks down again. Thats been a running theme so far tonight. Theres another homosexual position the champs wind up in which is a running joke for them around this time.
Roode drinks some beer to clear his mouth out but Storm says thats mine, resulting in the beer accidently being spit in his face. Apparently were in a Three Stooges routine now. Lethal gets a top rope double axe but the champs take over with some double teaming. Lethal vs. Roode now. Creed tries to come in so the champs do the whole hand clap in place of a tag. I dont get how thats actually considered evil. I mean, why even bother with it? Lie and say you tagged and youll get better heat for it from the fans.
Lethal tries to speed things up but gets crotched for his efforts. Double superplex and its time to shout their own names. Both champions have been in the ring for like two minutes now and Creed is just chilling on the apron. Some partner. Lethal rolls through and makes the tag but Creeds shoulder bothers him. Everything breaks down again and a distraction by the ever annoying Jackie causes Creed to be knocked to the floor.
The champs work over the bad arm which was hurt even worse in the fall. Storm gets a DDT on the arm (which might be called a single arm DDT, but Id think that would be a regular one) and Creed is in trouble. Lethal does something that is hardly ever done and I dont understand why. He comes in, takes out both guys and throws Creed into his own corner so he can make an easy tag.
The genius known as Jay Lethal takes over, hitting a dropkick to both guys at once. He cleans house and hits the top rope elbow for two as Storm makes the save. Jackie comes in and gets backdropped. Lethal Combination gets two on Roode. Jackie slips something to Storm which is apparently a chain. A shot with that is enough to end things. Incredibly anti-climactic ending.
Rating: B-. Pretty good match here but it never gets to the point where its great. The ending was really bad as it just happens out of nowhere and doesnt fit the match at all. The arm work was totally worthless and the whole match came to a quick close with that, which isnt good. Match was good until then.
We recap the main event. Its mainly Frontline vs. Mafia as Bubba was destroyed by the Mafia a few weeks ago and came back as the conquering hero. The Dudleys are saying they need to prove theyre more than just tag wrestlers, because people for some reason seem to think the Dudleys need to be singles wrestlers because being the most decorated tag team ever isnt enough.
Foley is on commentary and will present the belt to the winner.
TNA World Title: Brother D-Von vs. Brother Ray vs. Sting vs. Kurt Angle
They do the long intros where we see them coming from the locker room and everyone gets a hype video. In other words, entrances take about ten minutes. The Dudleys come out together and are Japanese tag champions. JB does the big match intros in jeans, which doesnt work at all. The Dudleys take over to start, working together because theyre you know, a team.
Angle rams them together though but the Mafia guys get clotheslined down. Bubba and D-Von face off and Bubba lays down for D-Von to pin him. It only gets two but thats rather brilliant. Why not go with a submission though? Double flapjack takes Sting down. Now they actually slug it out with D-Von taking over. Ray gets a slam as this is more of an exhibition than a competitive match. Double clothesline leads to a stalemate.
Angle and Sting are back in now and everything goes out to the floor in a big brawl. Lets make fun of Vince a bit because thats what we need to do right? Bubba gets put in the ankle lock and D-Von is in the Scorpion. Angle gets kicked off and into Sting, causing some issues with the Mafia. Bubba tries a Figure Four on Sting and its a total failure.
Kurts eye is busted badly. Bubba gets the figure four (close enough I guess) and Angle is in a Boston Crab. In a NICE touch, Kurt crawls over onto Sting while still in the hold and gets two. That was really creative and psychology if Ive ever seen it. The holds are broken and Kurt hits an enziguri to Bubba. The blood is off Kurts eye and it looks a lot better. The Mafia squares off and trade finisher attempts.
The Dudleys break up an ankle lock attempt and the fans are behind them. Angle Slam to Sting gets two. Ray gets a Rock Bottom (called that by West) gets two on his partner. Angle tries ten corner punches on D-Von but gets caught in a Doomsday Device for a long two. 3D is loaded up but Sting avoids it. Stinger Splash misses but Angle breaks up Whats Up. And never mind as Sting grabs a really quick Death Drop on Bubba to end it.
Rating: C-. At the end of the day, the Dudleys were in the main event of a PPV and it was for a world title. Why in the world am I supposed to think that they have a chance here? The match itself wasnt anything special as it was really a glorified tornado tag match. No idea why they didnt go with a tag with the title on the line but its TNA so Im probably thinking too hard.
Foley hands him the belt and a highlight package of the match ends this. Foley would turn heel on Sting soon after this and win the title at Lockdown.
Overall Rating: D+. This was a rather lackluster show with nothing worth seeing at all and a weak main event. This is the problem with having major shows throughout the year and then one PPV a month: you get shows like this, which definitely isnt worth 30 or 40 bucks or however much it is. This would have been much better off as a special Impact, but as a PPV it wasnt much at all.
Date: February 9, 2009
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 1,100
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West
Time for another 2009 show and in this case its the last one Im doing as its the only one I have left. The main event tonight is one that I remember thinking was very stupid in theory. Its Sting vs. Angle vs. Bubba vs. D-Von for the title. Yes, the Dudleys are main eventing as singles wrestlers. Other than that theres really not much here. Lets get to it.
The main event guys get here. This is another Mafia show. Sting doesnt arrive with them though. He arrives on his own in what looks like a yellow Lamborghini.
The opening video is about how people struggle against all odds to reach greatness. Basically they just run down the card here.
X-Division Title: Eric Young vs. Alex Shelley
Shelley is champion of course. Shelley got pinned by Young in a tag match on Impact to set this up. I think Shelley is heel here but Im not very sure. Eric takes over to start and sends Alex to the floor with a clothesline. Young runs in and out to frustrate Shelley and hits a plancha to drill Shelley. Young is serious here and on a roll for the most part. They slug it out on the apron and Shelley gets an advantage that doesnt last long.
Alex goes to the floor again but this time avoids a big dive, sending Eric into the railing. Back inside Shelley takes over, working on the ribs and chest. The fans are split here and Eric gets a clothesline. Thats all he can get though and Shelley gets a knee to the back to take over again. Young grabs an attempt at a Death Valley Driver on the apron but cant get him.
More apron fighting results in Eric diving over the post and crashing to the floor. Shelley speeds things up and keeps pounding on the chest. A seated dropkick gets two. A quick chinlock doesnt do much and Young gets a face plant to shift the momentum. Young starts speeding things up and hits a discus clothesline for two. A top rope jawbreaker by Hsleey ends the run though and Shelley rolls down his elbow pad.
Death Valley Driver is attempted twice but Young cant hit it. Young trips him up and hits a springboard Fameasser for two. Moonsault misses and Shelley gets a nice cradle for two. Here come the kicks and a spinning downward spiral gets a close two. Sliced Bread #2 is countered into a wheelbarrow suplex which doesnt hit so Shelley hits a standing Sliced Bread for two.
They go up to the top rope and Shelley counters something into a bulldog. Very fast frog splash gets a very close two for the champion. DVD attempt from the middle rope doesnt work so Eric drops him down onto the top buckle instead. Young argues with the referee over something that I have no idea about and Young gets rolled up for the pin to let Shelley retain.
Rating: B-. I liked this one here as it was a nice competitive match with neither guy really dominating at all. Young can have some decent matches when hes not being a comedy character and this was one of them. Shelley and Sabin would get really good in a hurry but are in singles matches here for some reason. Nice opener here and a good match.
Angle says JB doesnt understand the Mafia because JB isnt a winner. The Mafia pushes each other and Angle will push Sting tonight.
We recap Petey Williams vs. Scott Steiner. Petey is his protégé and then the Mafia beat Williams down anyway so its teacher vs. student.
Scott Steiner vs. Petey Williams
Steiner shoves him around to start. Time for some arm work as Petey is in trouble. Petey tries to speed things up and hits a missile dropkick for two. He goes up again but gets caught in a belly to belly off the middle rope. Clothesline and elbow set up the pushups. Williams cant get a tornado DDT as Scott keeps the advantage. Petey gets draped over the top rope and Scott gets an elevated Downward Spiral for two.
Williams gets a boot up in the corner to slow things down a bit and they slug it out. They go up top and Petey is able to knock him off and hit a cross body. Theres the tornado DDT but its not very good. Steiner is finally like enough of this and counters a Canadian Destroyer attempt. Petey settles for an enziguri instead to set up a slingshot Codebreaker to put Scott down again.
The fans are split here, proving that faces and heel mean nothing to these idiots called Impact Zone fans. Petey grabs a rollup for two. Dropkick puts Scott on the floor but a slingshot rana is caught in a powerbomb to the floor. Steiner Recliner goes on and Williams is able to get to the ropes. Yes, the move that choked out everything in sight in WCW is broken up by Petey freaking Williams here. We actually get the Steiner Screwdriver here to end it. That move is SICK.
Rating: C. Not bad here but Peteys offense was a lot like what a jobber would use. This wasnt a squash but it was getting close to one at points. The Screwdriver (kind of at least. This was more like a Piledriver) is always a nice touch since its only used once every few years. Not much here, but nothing great at all.
Steiner keeps beating on him post match until Joes music hits. He pops up on the screen and yells about how the Mafia is responsible for what Joe is about to do. He has the face tattoo now and says Steiner is the first victim.
Time to run down the card, 42 minutes into the show.
Foley is with Sting and JB. Foley says he hopes its not Angle that wins. Sting says he doesnt like Foley talking about a Mafia member. Foley says its personal and not professional. He wishes Sting luck and Sting appreciates it. Foley leaves and Sting says he doesnt expect Angle to not come after him. Sting in a suit and sunglasses is just a weird look.
Brutus Magnus vs. ???
Magnus is pretty new here and is a British gladiator because there are so many of them around right? This is an open challenge because Magnus has run through a bunch of jobbers and has called for better competition.
Brutus Magnus vs. Chris Sabin
The fans chant USA of course. Sabin wants a test of strength to start which he uses to work the arm. Magnus grabs the hair and tries the arm of his own. Sabin keeps firing off shoulder blocks and none of them work. Sabin tries to work on the knee but gets caught by snake eyes and a running knee lift. Theres a fire Russo chant for some reason. The match is kind of boring but its not that bad.
Magnus works on the chest and back to try to slow Sabin down. Off to the chinock and the fans chant boring. OConnor Roll doesnt work for Sabin so he tries a bunch of clotheslines. A springboard one finally takes Magnus down for two. Pinfall reversal sequence results in a Magnus powerbomb for two. Out to the floor and a dive takes Magnus down. Back in the referee gets shoved into the rope so Tormentum (spinning Samoan Drop) ends Sabin.
Rating: D. This match wasnt particularly bad, but sweet tarnation it was boring. Magnus isnt a guy that had pacing or anything like that down yet and was really dull in the ring as a result. Sabin is good but with no story and a weak opponent there isnt much he can do. This was a long six minute match if that makes sense and there was no reason to have this on PPV at all.
Team 3D says Angle and Sting have overlooked them. Can you really overlook someone that means nothing? Theyre partners but this is going to be about winning the title which they both want. This takes like three minutes and is pretty good stuff with them both being rather serious. Bubba actually says Dudley here. Theyre going to go talk to Sting.
Recap of ODB vs. Kong. The idea here is that ODB is the only chick that could stand a chance against Kong physically. The Kongtourage, Kongs other three chicks, are barred from ringside.
Knockouts Title: ODB vs. Awesome Kong
The Kongtourage is here anyway so Cornette is probably ticked off. Yep here he is to throw them out. Well Sojourner Bolt, Rhaka Khan and Raisha Saed, IF THOSE ARE YOUR REAL NAMES, you have ten seconds to get out before I strip her of the title. That cracked me up for some reason. They leave, but Kong chokes Cornette which allowed ODB to blast her. Bulldog gets two.
Kong almost knocks her head off with a clothesline and pulls her hair. Off to a bearhug as other than jumping her, ODB has had almost no offense. Middle rope splash misses for Kong and ODB makes a brief comeback. Theres a slam which is supposed to be a big deal, although it only gets two. And never mind as the Implant Buster ends this a few seconds later.
Rating: D+. This was just a step ahead of a squash here and not a very good one at that. ODB never got going and it wasnt anything of interest as a result. Of all people, Angelina Love would beat Kong for the title at Lockdown. For the hype this had, the match was pretty much a waste of time.
The Dudleys find Sting and Bubba says that Sting isnt like the rest of the Mafia because when the Mafia destroyed him a few weeks ago, Sting had nothing to do with it. Sting is about respect, not ego like the rest of the Mafia. Bubba is coming for the title tonight and if the real Sting shows up, theyll have his back. D-Von said nothing. Lauren says Kurt wants to talk to Sting but Sting says hell talk to Kurt on his own time.
We recap Shane Sewell vs. Booker T. Booker is Legends Champion and Shane used to be a referee that Booker bullied a lot. Cant you see how that makes Sewell a title contender?
Legends Title: Shane Sewell vs. Booker T
Shane is an actual wrestler and is a big deal in Puerto Rico so its not like he knows two moves at most. The idea here is that Booker isnt taking him seriously at all because Shane is just a referee. There are dueling Booker chants. Lot of stalling to start and they finally lock up. Shane is in jeans and a sleeveless referee shirt. They trade wristlocks and Booker is stunned.
Booker takes over with ease and hammers away. This has more or less been a squash so far. Book End hits for two and Booker has no idea whats going on. Shane Referees Up and ducks a side kick so he can chop away. Shane takes over and Sharmells face is great. Bulldog puts Booker down and the fans have gotten more and more silent since he took over. Sharmell hooks his foot though and the axe kick keeps the title on Booker.
Rating: D+. So what does this prove? That Booker can beat a referee? Again I dont get the point here and I dont think they really thought this through. Shane hadnt won a match yet other than beating Sheik once, so thats good enough for a title shot? No idea what the point here was but they went with it anyway.
Thankfully AJ comes out for the save to set up their feud which would end with AJ getting the title. AJ says that he was dirt poor growing up but his dream was to be a legend. Being a legend means having people pay their hard earned money to see him and knowing that he gave it everything he had every night. He says hes stepping up to the Mafia and becoming a legend. That would take a LONG time but he finally would in the fall.
Matt Morgan is with Lauren and she says she can talk Abyss out of this. Morgan says no and is a heel here I think. They used to be tag partners and Morgan blames Abyss for them not winning the titles. If Lauren comes to the ring (she was friends with/dating Abyss at this time) Morgan will take her out.
Recap more or less says what I just said.
Matt Morgan vs. Abyss
Morgan is in a t-shirt for some reason here. Actually I think thats due to a shoulder infection he had to get cleaned up. More or less a brawl to start and Abyss avoids a big boot. Time for a big stick of some sort but this isnt a no DQ match. They head to the floor and its a big brawl. Into the crowd and neither guy can get anything as far as an advantage goes.
Theyre over at that wall you see in every match that goes into the crowd with PPV posters on it. Morgan gets a mule kick to Abyss as they come down the steps a bit. Ok never mind as were going back up the stairs. Abyss whips him into the railing and Morgan looks tired. With Morgan in the ring, Abyss starts throwing in a bunch of weapons.
With Abyss wasting so much time, Morgan is able to get the Carbon Footprint to take him down. There are the corner elbows. Legdrop across the bottom rope and Morgan actually hits a top rope cross body for two. Dropkick gets two. Morgan can clearly be heard saying what are you doing so I wonder whats going on here. Abyss makes a brief comeback but cant get a chokeslam.
Double clothesline puts both guys down. Abyss gets up first and gets a corner splash and sidewalk slam for two. Theres the bag which usually has glass or tacks in it. The referee gets rid of it though so he gets bumped as a result. Morgan grabs a chair and cracks Abyss with it to put him down. Another shot is countered into one of the worst chokeslams youll ever see for two.
Morgan gets a chair to Abyss balls and a far better chokeslam gets two for Matt. The referee is back up and gets cracked by a chair. So much for that comeback. Black Hole Slam hits and another referee counts two. Morgan loads up the Carbon Footprint but runs into a second Black Hole Slam to end this.
Rating: C-. I cant believe Im saying this but the 15 minutes this got were needed. This built up rather slowly and the brawl on the outside was kind of needed I think. This was supposed to be a grudge match and while it was sloppy at times, the end result is what it needed to be as Abyss needed this more than Morgan. Not great or even rather good but it worked overall.
Morgan escapes going into the tacks.
Booker is celebrating and Nash yells at him a lot. Sting and Angle have a little chat and Angle says the Dudleys dont care about him. Even though they fight tonight, the family will be strong tomorrow. Sting hugs Angle and says its a deal. Sting leaves and Angle tells Nash to keep an eye on Sting.
Recap of Beer Money vs. Lethal Consequences. They use a lot of math metaphors here and since Im not Scott Steiner I dont understand them.
Tag Titles: Lethal Consequences vs. Beer Money
Beer Money are champions here. Creed has a bad shoulder. Lethal Consequences won the titles for like three days and Beer Money won them in a triple threat at Genesis. Oh sweet merciful crap its a double Boozer Cruiser. It looks like a little train. Roode vs. Lethal to start us off. Basic back and forth stuff here to start with no one getting an extended advantage.
Off to Storm and Lethal Consequences clears the ring. Lethal steals Storms hat because he wants to die I guess. Off to Creed vs. Storm now. Creed speeds things up and takes over on Storm, also taking Roode down as it all breaks down again. Thats been a running theme so far tonight. Theres another homosexual position the champs wind up in which is a running joke for them around this time.
Roode drinks some beer to clear his mouth out but Storm says thats mine, resulting in the beer accidently being spit in his face. Apparently were in a Three Stooges routine now. Lethal gets a top rope double axe but the champs take over with some double teaming. Lethal vs. Roode now. Creed tries to come in so the champs do the whole hand clap in place of a tag. I dont get how thats actually considered evil. I mean, why even bother with it? Lie and say you tagged and youll get better heat for it from the fans.
Lethal tries to speed things up but gets crotched for his efforts. Double superplex and its time to shout their own names. Both champions have been in the ring for like two minutes now and Creed is just chilling on the apron. Some partner. Lethal rolls through and makes the tag but Creeds shoulder bothers him. Everything breaks down again and a distraction by the ever annoying Jackie causes Creed to be knocked to the floor.
The champs work over the bad arm which was hurt even worse in the fall. Storm gets a DDT on the arm (which might be called a single arm DDT, but Id think that would be a regular one) and Creed is in trouble. Lethal does something that is hardly ever done and I dont understand why. He comes in, takes out both guys and throws Creed into his own corner so he can make an easy tag.
The genius known as Jay Lethal takes over, hitting a dropkick to both guys at once. He cleans house and hits the top rope elbow for two as Storm makes the save. Jackie comes in and gets backdropped. Lethal Combination gets two on Roode. Jackie slips something to Storm which is apparently a chain. A shot with that is enough to end things. Incredibly anti-climactic ending.
Rating: B-. Pretty good match here but it never gets to the point where its great. The ending was really bad as it just happens out of nowhere and doesnt fit the match at all. The arm work was totally worthless and the whole match came to a quick close with that, which isnt good. Match was good until then.
We recap the main event. Its mainly Frontline vs. Mafia as Bubba was destroyed by the Mafia a few weeks ago and came back as the conquering hero. The Dudleys are saying they need to prove theyre more than just tag wrestlers, because people for some reason seem to think the Dudleys need to be singles wrestlers because being the most decorated tag team ever isnt enough.
Foley is on commentary and will present the belt to the winner.
TNA World Title: Brother D-Von vs. Brother Ray vs. Sting vs. Kurt Angle
They do the long intros where we see them coming from the locker room and everyone gets a hype video. In other words, entrances take about ten minutes. The Dudleys come out together and are Japanese tag champions. JB does the big match intros in jeans, which doesnt work at all. The Dudleys take over to start, working together because theyre you know, a team.
Angle rams them together though but the Mafia guys get clotheslined down. Bubba and D-Von face off and Bubba lays down for D-Von to pin him. It only gets two but thats rather brilliant. Why not go with a submission though? Double flapjack takes Sting down. Now they actually slug it out with D-Von taking over. Ray gets a slam as this is more of an exhibition than a competitive match. Double clothesline leads to a stalemate.
Angle and Sting are back in now and everything goes out to the floor in a big brawl. Lets make fun of Vince a bit because thats what we need to do right? Bubba gets put in the ankle lock and D-Von is in the Scorpion. Angle gets kicked off and into Sting, causing some issues with the Mafia. Bubba tries a Figure Four on Sting and its a total failure.
Kurts eye is busted badly. Bubba gets the figure four (close enough I guess) and Angle is in a Boston Crab. In a NICE touch, Kurt crawls over onto Sting while still in the hold and gets two. That was really creative and psychology if Ive ever seen it. The holds are broken and Kurt hits an enziguri to Bubba. The blood is off Kurts eye and it looks a lot better. The Mafia squares off and trade finisher attempts.
The Dudleys break up an ankle lock attempt and the fans are behind them. Angle Slam to Sting gets two. Ray gets a Rock Bottom (called that by West) gets two on his partner. Angle tries ten corner punches on D-Von but gets caught in a Doomsday Device for a long two. 3D is loaded up but Sting avoids it. Stinger Splash misses but Angle breaks up Whats Up. And never mind as Sting grabs a really quick Death Drop on Bubba to end it.
Rating: C-. At the end of the day, the Dudleys were in the main event of a PPV and it was for a world title. Why in the world am I supposed to think that they have a chance here? The match itself wasnt anything special as it was really a glorified tornado tag match. No idea why they didnt go with a tag with the title on the line but its TNA so Im probably thinking too hard.
Foley hands him the belt and a highlight package of the match ends this. Foley would turn heel on Sting soon after this and win the title at Lockdown.
Overall Rating: D+. This was a rather lackluster show with nothing worth seeing at all and a weak main event. This is the problem with having major shows throughout the year and then one PPV a month: you get shows like this, which definitely isnt worth 30 or 40 bucks or however much it is. This would have been much better off as a special Impact, but as a PPV it wasnt much at all.