TNA SLAMMIVERSARY X
JUNE 10, 2012
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – COLLEGE PARK CENTER
– Well, the day has arrived. Dixie is tweeting Christian photos and bragging about the biggest TNA crowd in history. Could gain some huge momentum tonight. Here we go!
– Your hosts are Mike Tenay and Taz.
– We begin with a look back at the major moments in the past 10 years of Total Nonstop Action. It is labeled as a landmark event. And now Direct Auto Insurance presents…TNA Slammiversary. All red ropes, no pyro. Crowd actually looks pretty decent.
– Nothing says kicking off TNA’s biggest show like, Hulk Hogan making his way to the ring. He says we are kicking off old-school with….
TNA X DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Samoa Joe vs. Austin Aries
– Bell rings and this crowd is red hot. Joe works the arm and Aries kicks it away. Aries with a headlock and shoulderblocked down. The trade kicks and Joe drops him with a STIFF kick! He shoots Aries off and Aries comes back with a huricarana. Joe to the floor and Aries hits the ropes. He dives into a STIFF kick to the face from Joe. Back in and Joe wipes his boots off with Aries being the place mat. Running kick to the face in the corner. Cover gets 1. Joe goes for the running senton and Aries gets the knees up. Aries trues to send him off the ropes and Joe sends him to the outside. Joe goes to dive, Aries runs back in. Aries dives and connects low post on the floor. Back inside, Aries charges and Joe counters for a 2. Aries for a Brain Buster, blocked, Joe with a lifting powerbomb. Cover get 2, Joe picks him up, Boston Crab. He turns it, CROSSFACE! He rolls up Aries for 1. Joe tries to set up a Muscle Buster, but Aries won’t have it. Joe takes him up for the superplex, but Aries counters with an ear ringer. 450 SPLASH BY ARIES! Cover gets 2.8!!!!!!! Holy shit! Aries goes for the discus elbow, Joe blocks and locks in the Kokina Clutch. Aries rolls on top for 2.5. Joe misses a corner charge and Aries runs into the one-armed Uranage. Joe sets him up on top. Hard chop to Aries. Muscle Buster, Aries counters, CRUCIFIX DRIVER! Kick to the face dazes Joe and he is slumped in the corner. Charging delayed dropkick on Joe. BRAIN BUSTER ON JOE’S HEAD! Cover gets 3 and Austin Aries wins it @ 11:46. (THIS is TNA. Unbelievable opener. I was up off my seat at least 4 time here. This is what they need to build on. Dammit Joe still can go. Aries is no slouch, either. A.)
2. Kid Kash vs. Hernandez
– Have no idea what this match is for. I read the were gonna have this match and thought it was a rib. Kash starts with quick forearms and kicks Hernandez to the chest. Hernandez hits the ropes and shoulderblocks him down. Kash grabs Hernandez’s arm and wrings it on the ropes. Huricarana by Kash and Hernandez is on the apron. Slingshot shoulderblock back in. Jumping corner splash by Hernandez. Hernandez clears the top rope and land on Kash! Top rope splash ends it @ 5:50 and you winner is Hernandez. (This reminds me of a mid card match on a WCW pay per view to get a wrestler over. I call it a glorified squash. D+.)
– More great moments in TNA history.
3. Robbie E and ROBBIE T vs. Garret Bischoff and Devon
– Robbie and Garret begin things with Robbie and Garret trading blows. Crowd is shitting on Garret. ROBBIE comes in and goozles Garret. Garret kicks him and hits the ropes. Robbie grabs Garret and pulls him outside. He beats him down and throws him back in. Robbie tags in and elbows Garret down for 2. Sidewalk slam by ROBBIE and flying knee drop by Robbie gets 2. Robbie hits the ropes and gets caught with a faceplant. Devon tagged in and he drops Robbie. Diving shoulderblock. He takes out ROBBIE on the apron. Thesz press and hammers away on Robbie. Uranage on Robbie. Shoulderblock takes out Robbie for a 2. ROBBIE charges and Garret pulls down the top rope. Another Uranage on Robbie and Devon and Garret get the win @ 5:54. (Nothing special here to write home about. Robbies should have won it. D-.)
– Backstage, Jeremy Borash is standing by with Daniels and Kazarian. They are drinking apple-tinis and celebrating being fucking awesome.
#1 CONTENDERS MATCH
(WINNER WILL FACE THE TNA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION ON IMPACT, THURSDAY)
4. Mr. Anderson vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy
– Hardy is taking out everyone in the ring. Now Anderson is up and gets thrown into RVD. Anderson on the ground and POETRY IN MOTION! Cover on RVD gets 2. RVD tries a monkey flip and gets shoved onto his head for . Hardy on the top and we were setting up for a Superplex/poerbomb. Hardy crotches himself. So we get a top rope superplex; followed by a Five Star Frog splash. All 3 men battling on their knees. RVD with a enziguiri to the face and rolls up with his feet for 2. Spinning kick on Anderson from the corner. Split legged Moonsault by RVD gets 2. German Suplex on RVD by Anderson. Hardy wants some and drop his legs across for the cover too. RVD kicks out of everything! RVD and Anderson battle on the floor. Hardy flies on top of both men. Hardy and RVD battle in the ring and Hardy hits Whisper in the Wind. RVD tries a suplex and Hardy reverses for Twist of Fate. Hardy nails the Swanton. Cover gets 2 before Anderson pulls the referee out. Anderson runs in and now battles with RVD. RVD goes for the Rolling Thunder, Anderson pops up and nails the Mic Check for the win @ 11:21. (You could tell this match was gonna be half-assed by all men in the ring. Crowd got the guys to up their game. I liked that. C+.)
– Backstage, JB is with Crimson. He is confident that the streak remains in tact tonight. Time to find out who his next opponent is.
– Crimson makes his way out and grabs the mic. He has been undefeated for 470 days. He goes for cheap heat by shitting on the Texas crowd.
5. Crimson vs. James Storm
– Storm heads in and just blasts Crimson out the ring to the floor. He suplexes him back in. He backs him up to the corner and chops him in the corner. Crimson kicks him low and starts choking him with his own jacket. He throws him to the corner and Storm comes out with a big clothesline. Codebreaker drops Crimson. Last Call Superkick and James Storm ends the streak @ 2:09. (Wow, build him up for a year and a half and then have him squashed in less than 3 minutes? Not really smart booking here. Crowd loved Storm though. D+.)
– Backstage, JB is standing my with Austin Aries. What is next for the X Division Champion? He says that he has accomplished everything set out for him. Next, he wants to be the man in the main event.
– Slammiversary moment #2, Hulk Hogan signs with TNA.
– Dixie Carter comes out to her horrible music. She says she is happy to be in front of the largest crowd in TNA history. Dixie wants to thank the roster and they walk out on the stage. The first inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame: STING! Dixie brings him in the ring and thanks him for everything he has done in TNA. He will formally be inducted at Bound For Glory. He thanks everyone and promises tonight will be showtime.
TNA KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP
6. Miss Tessmacher vs. Gail Kim
– Tessmacher starts off with quick offense. Gail slows it down by working the arm. Tessmacher is up and rocks her with a neckbreaker. They trade forearm shots and Tessmacher drops her with clotheslines. Tessmacher misses and hits the mat. Neck-tie neckbreaker on Tessmacher. (Thanks Mike Tenay.) Gail sends her off the apron into the guardrail. She rolls Tessmacher back in. Tessmacher blocks Eat De Feet. Victory roll on Gail and we have a new TNA Knockout Champion @ 6:57. (Very slow and plodding. Really predictable, but Tessmacher is not terrible in the ring. D+.)
– Tessmacher has a quick victory speech, post-match. She blesses Texas.
– Onto more important business. JB is standing by with Bully Ray. He says has Joseph Park right where he wants him. He again doesn’t want to be held responsible for what is about to happen. We get a pre-match video hyping up the following match.
ANYTHING GOES MATCH
7. Bully Ray vs. Joseph Park
– Split “Let’s go Rangers/Yankees suck” chant breaks out before this one gets going. Ray tells him to take a shot and Ray side steps him. Ray slaps him around and spits in his face. Park smacks Ray and Ray drops him immediately. Ray goes to the outside for a chair. Park kicks the ropes and Ray gets racked. Park has the chair and Park turns his back. Ray drops him again. Ray brings the chair down across his back twice. He blasts him in the face with a water bottle. He tees off on his head on the floor and rolls him back in. Ray heads up to the middle rope and misses the senton. Park with a series of rights and lefts. Ray runs into him and gets knocked back down. Jumping big boot by Ray. Now its time for tables. Park scoots under the ring. ABYSS comes out from under the ring! Goozle on Ray and CHOKESLAM THROUGH THE TABLE! Park rolls back in and covers for the win @ 10:23. (I mean, we knew it was coming. Not a strong point for the show, but the crowd was HOT for the match. D.)
– JB is standing by with TNA Champion, Bobby Roode, He says HE is what TNA is all about. Without him, there would be no TNA.
– Hulk Hogan is out and brings out WWE Intercontinental Champion, Christian Cage! Crowd welcomes him back. Crowd chants YES YES YES. Cage says there are 2 less corners in the ring since the last time he was there. But one thing that hasn’t changed was the fans. He introduces the number one moment in TNA history, Sting winning the NWA Title at Slammiversary. More stoked they showed Monty Brown. I’m kidding. And that, my friends, was the trade of for Ric Flair. We hype the TNA Tag Team Title Match.
TNA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
8. Kazarian and Daniels vs. Kurt Angle and AJ Styles
– AJ and Kaz begin it and AJ plants a beautiful dropkick on Kaz and Daniels. Kaz tries to throw AJ into the guardrail and AJ SLIDES UNDERNEATH. Springboard forearm off the guardrail. Daniels clotheslined down. AJ rolls Kaz back in and drops a high knee for 1. Angle tagged in. Double suplex gets 2. Daniels comes in and kicks Angle down. Angle backdrops Daniels and AJ comes back in. Backbreaker on Daniels. AJ gets hung up on the top rope missing a corner kick. Daniels elbows him, grabs his hands, and drives a boot down to his chest. Offensive move missed and HOT TAG to Kurt Angle. He German suplexes Kaz and Daniels! Ankle Lock on Daniels and Kaz kicks Angle straight in the face! Angel’s Wings, countered, backdrop. AJ springboards in and forearms Kaz. Springboard inverted DDT on Kaz and regular DDT on Daniels! AJ misses a charge, Kaz kicks AJ, and Daniels rolls the dice on AJ. T-Bone suplex on Daniels. Reverse facebuster on Kaz! Cover gets 2.8! AJ sets Kaz on the top rope. Kaz battles a superplex and shoves him down. ANGLE SPRINGS UP TOP WITH A BELLY TO BELLY! STO on Angle! AJ and Daniels trade blows in the middle of the ring now. Roaring elbow misses, and Uranage on AJ. BME misses and Angle plants Daniels on his head with a German suplex! PELE kick on Kaz and top rope splash by Angle! Cover gets 2 and Daniel pulls the referee out. AJ with a TOP ROPE SPRINGBOARD SHOOTING STAR PRESS ON DANIELS TO THE OUTSIDE!!!!!!!!!!!! Kaz goes for Fade to Black on Angle, countered, grapevine Ankle Lock on Kaz! Kaz taps out @ 14:20 and we have NEW TNA TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!!!! (Holy fuck of all fucking things! I was so amped for this match and wish it could have ended the show. No disappointment here at all. Doesn’t get any better than that tonight! A+.)
– We hype the main event and felate the Stinger some more. Nice video though.
MAIN EVENT
TNA HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
9. Sting vs. Bobby Roode
– Brian Hebner refereeing this match = REF BUMP REF BUMP REF BUMP! Roode sporting his old robe tonight. Really looking like a champion. Roode stalling and won’t let Sting get his hands on him. Sting chases him in the ring and Roode stomps him down. Sting with a single leg takedown and goes for the Scorpion Deathlock. Roode scoots out quick and Sting throws him into the guardrail. Back in the ring, Sting peppers Roode to the corner. He hiptosses him across the ring and goes for the Scorpion Deathlock again. Roode tries to bail to the back and Sting grabs him. Sting tries to pull him up on the apron and Roode brings him down on the top rope. Roode with a big boot for 2. Sleeperhold by Roode on Sting. Sting reverses it and Roode back suplexes him down. Roode heads up and Sting crotches him on the top rope. Superplex by the Stinger. Scorpion Deathlock applied on Roode in the middle of the ring. Roode reaches out and finally makes the ropes. Roode tries to head to the back again. Sting won’t have it and bounces him off the guardrails until he throws him back in the ring. Roode rolls out the opposite side and STINGER SPLASH AGAINST THE GUARDRAIL! Now they climb on top of the broadcast table. Scorpion Deathlock on the table! Roode is tapping like crazy. Roode grabs James Storm’s beers from the floor. He swings on Sting but the referee takes it away. Roode grabs another and breaks it over the head of Sting. He covers and wins it @ 10:52. (Well, there was your main event. Really can’t say much about it. The slow build made this thing look like it was building to something better. Than that finish!? C-.)
– Sting pops up and his head is split open. He nails Hebner (REF BUMP!) and attacks Roode. He suplexes him on the entrance ramp. He nails him with a Scorpion Death Drop off the stage through a table on the floor! And that folks, is how it ends.
FINAL THOUGHTS….
– I gotta say this was a great show. Sure we had some dull spots, but the crowd, Aries-Joe, and the tag match made this thing incredible. I hope TNA can continue this type of momentum and return to the days of old. The only gripe is the ending. I mean, they want us to think Sting is going over. Yet, they made him look horrible with a 10 minute match and weak ending. Still, it keeps them rolling with the heel champion able to escape with the belt just barely. So I can see where they went with things. See you Thursday for another LIVE impact.