A2Z Analysiz: TNA Against All Odds 2008 (Christian Cage, Kurt Angle)

PPVs, Reviews, Wrestling DVDs

For an easy to navigate archive of my TNA reviews, just Click Right Here!

Bi-Lo Center – Greenville, South Carolina – February 10, 2008

Mike Tenay and Don West are on commentary.

MATCH #1: TNA World Tag Team Title Match – AJ Styles & Tomko vs. BG James & “Bullet” Bob Armstrong

Styles & Tomko have been the champions since 10.14.07, and this is their fifth defense. They’re torn between siding with Kurt Angle and Christian Cage, so there’s tension. I’m not sure what TNA’s fascination is with having Bullet Bob Armstrong wrestle at his age. AJ and BG start the match, and BG takes control and makes the tag to his elderly father. Bullet Bob slaps AJ across the face and AJ sells it like a gunshot. Tomko tags in and BG quickly follows. The challengers actually take control of Tomko, but only AJ really sells for him. Tomko hits the old man with a powerslam and AJ tries to steal the pin but only gets two. The champs continue to isolate the elder challenger, who eventually makes the tag to his son. The match breaks down and AJ accidentally hits Tomko with the springboard flying forearm, and BG follows with the Pumphandle Slam for a near-fall. Tomko goes after Bullet Bob on the floor and BG goes out to help him. That’s a mistake. Back in the ring AJ hits a springboard missile dropkick right to the knee. The champs quickly hit the Tornado-Plex to get the win and retain the titles at 7:48. That wasn’t a horrible match per se, but Bullet Bob obviously had no place being in there.
Rating: *¾

MATCH #2: Women’s Match – Traci Brooks vs. Payton Banks

They start with slaps to the face but apparently Traci slaps harder. It’s mostly a cat fight in the early going, and they roll to the floor. Traci is the aggressor, chasing Banks around and whipping her into the guardrail. Banks comes back by using the ring steps and then throws Traci back in the ring. The crowd is fully supportive of Traci, as Banks continues to make it Rain. Banks hits the Lungblower but it only gets two. She goes for a piledriver but Brooks backdrops her way out of it and turns this thing around. Traci goes up top but Banks knocks her down. Seconds later Traci gets a schoolgirl rollup out of nowhere to get the pin at 5:07. That was adequate and thankfully short.
Rating: *½

After the bell Banks hits a Northern Lariat but when Traci fights back Banks runs away.

MATCH #3: Case versus Case Match – Scott Steiner vs. Petey Williams

This was a bit of a convoluted storyline involving two Feast or Fired cases, the trading of cases, and Scott Steiner thinking Petey Williams is too small. The bottom line is that the winner of the match gets a shot at both the TNA World and X Division Titles. They try to psyche each other out early on as the crowd shows support for both guys. Petey wisely uses his speed and agility to try keeping Steiner off balance. Steiner of course fights back with his raw power, and dominates for several minutes. He tries to use one of the cases as a weapon but the referee stops him, which allows Petey to use the case instead. Petey hits a hurricanrana for two. He tries the Canadian Destroyer but Steiner blocks it and hits a Michigan Slam for two. Petey comes back with a rollup for two, a hesitation dropkick, and the slingshot Codebreaker. He goes up top for a cross body block and gets two. Petey then locks on the Steiner Recliner, which of course Steiner powers out of. Maple Leaf Muscle perseveres though and hits a Tornado DDT for two. The referee gets distracted by something shiny and Steiner hits a blatant low blow. Petey returns the favor with a low blow, and then throws Steiner face-first into the other case. He hits a missile dropkick and then a really tall woman (the unnamed Rhaka Khan) shows up for a distraction. Yikes. Steiner hits a Last Ride powerbomb to get the pin at 9:25. Petey put on a great showing and the match was shockingly entertaining. But the finish sucked hard and the message the fans get is that Petey is too small to get a World Title shot.
Rating: **¾

MATCH #4: Drinking Championship Match – Eric Young vs. James Storm

Young is the current champion through means I don’t remember. Storm is accompanied by “The Pride of Tennessee” Jacqueline. Young tries to drink a few beers with the fans pre-match, but Storm attacks him. In the ring Young fights back and sends Storm right back out. Young wipes Storm out with a huge cross body block off the top rope. Jacqueline interferes to distract the champ, allowing Storm to reclaim the advantage. They go back to the floor and Storm removes the padding to hit a hard hiptoss. Back in the ring Storm gets two. Once again they head to the floor and Young reverses a suplex. Back in the ring Storm hits an Orton DDT for a two-count. Storm follows with the Eye of the Storm. Young counters with a powerbomb, and then hits a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Storm hits a jawbreaker and a bodyslam and goes up top to miss a somersault senton. Young responds with a moonsault but it only gets two. Jacqueline tries to interfere again and Young is able to stack both her and Storm up for a Death Valley Driver. Young covers Storm but only gets two. They fight up top and Storm is able to hit a Sunset Bomb for a near-fall. Jacqueline passes Storm the beer bottle but Rhino comes out and hits Storm with the Gore before he can use it. Young crawls over and covers Storm for the win at 7:49. That was a fun little back and forth match, but Young doesn’t really know how to tell a story in a match, and Storm hadn’t quite gotten there yet as a singles wrestler.
Rating: **½

Rhino gets on the mic and says that he has a lot to say, but he’ll say it Thursday on Impact. I hate it when they do that.

MATCH #5: TNA Women’s Championship Match – Awesome Kong vs. ODB

Kong has been the champion since 1.10.08, and this is her first defense. We’re still in the infancy of the Knockouts Division here. Kong is accompanied by Raisha Saeed. ODB goes for an immediate bodyslam but that goes nowhere. Kong knocks her down and ODB bails to the floor for some liquid courage. Saeed stops her from doing that, and back in the ring ODB still can’t complete the bodyslam. Kong throws ODB into the corner and squashes her. They go back to the floor and Kong throws ODB into the guardrail. Back in the ring the dominant champion stays in control. Kong goes for an Awesome Bomb but ODB counters it to the Dirty Dozen. ODB tries a Tornado DDT but Kong throws her off. She tries a Thesz Press and Kong once again just dumps her to the mat. Undeterred, ODB starts throwing dropkicks and then hits a Thesz Press from the second rope for two. ODB tries the bodyslam again but Kong blocks and hits a clothesline. Kong hits the Implant Buster but it only gets two. She goes to the second rope but ODB fires up and is able to slam her finally. Sadly for ODB it only gets two. ODB take a drink from her flask and fires up, even knocking Saeed off the apron. Kong cuts her off with the spinning back fist and connects with the Awesome Bomb to get the pin at 6:56. ODB isn’t great but Kong is a bit of a miracle worker so this turned out to be pretty okay.
Rating: **½

MATCH #6: Barbed Wire Massacre 2 – Abyss vs. Judas Mesias

I love how they keep saying you’ve never seen anything like this before, but it’s the second time TNA has run it (the first was Abyss versus Sabu at Turning Point 2005). South Carolina wouldn’t sanction this match, so they taped it ahead of time in Orlando at the Impact Zone. Both men try to push each other into the barbed wire right away. Abyss takes the first shot, right in the arm, but then he’s able to drop Mesias chest-first into the wire. Mesias hits a drop toehold and Abyss catches his hand in it. Tenay keeps saying that Abyss and Mesias are step-brothers, but also that James Mitchell is the father of both of them. That would make them half-brothers you halfwit. The Impact Zone fans chant for blood as Abyss goes under the ring to grab a barbed wire chair. Abyss sets the chair on top of Mesias, and then jumps crotch first right onto it. I hate that spot. Mesias then cracks Abyss on the head with the chair twice. Obviously Abyss is busted open now. Mesias brings in one of the barbed wire boards. They take the battle to the floor and Abyss sets a barbed wire board between the apron and the guardrail. Mitchell interferes to give Mesias the advantage, and back in the ring Mesias uses barbed wire to cut Abyss all over. Abyss comes back and drops Mesias stomach-first on one of the barbed wire boards. He throws another board in the ring and then is able to slam Mesias off the apron through the board he set up earlier. Now Abyss chases Mitchell into the ring and hits him with the Black Hole Slam. Mesias gets back in the ring and he takes a Black Hole Slam as well but it only gets two. Back on their feet Mesias rushes Abyss and slams him into one of the boards. Mesias charges again but of course runs right into the Black Hole Slam and Abyss gets the win at 14:52. If you like carnage you might enjoy this, but without barbed wire this match would have been even more boring than it was.
Rating: *¼

MATCH #7: Revenge Match – Booker T vs. Robert Roode

Roode is accompanied by Payton Banks. They start brawling right away, because this one is personal. The angry Booker takes early advantage, landing a couple of hard side slams as Banks looks distressed at ringside. Both in and out of the ring Booker is firmly in control, seeking vengeance for his wife’s broken jaw. Back in the ring Roode cuts Booker off and slugs away at him. That doesn’t last long as Booker comes right back with a spin kick and more strikes. Banks gets in the ring to distract, allowing Roode to hit a Northern Lariat. Once again Roode’s offense is short-lived, as Booker hits a superkick. In the middle of a heated grudge match, Booker takes time for the Spin-a-Roony. Booker goes to work on the leg now and dumps Roode to the floor. Roode runs away backstage and Booker gives chase. Apparently the referee is counting and both men get counted out at 9:18. That wasn’t much of a match.
Rating: **

The fight continues backstage as Roode tries to escape via getaway car. Roode actually throws Banks out of the driver’s seat and speeds away.

MATCH #8: Hardcore Street Fight – Jay Lethal & The Motor City Machine Guns vs. Team 3D & Johnny Devine

Devine has been the X-Division Champion since 1.24.08, and this is his second defense (I think the one against Homicide on Impact on February 7, 2008, was a title match – can anyone help me out?). In addition to the title being on the line, if Devine & 3D win, the X-Division is abolished forever. If the Guns & Lethal win, Team 3D must cut their weight to less than 275 pounds in order to compete. Between Chris Sabin’s four title reigns and Lethal’s two, I’d say that makes a total of six X-Division Title reigns for the team. Devine & 3D of course just has the one.

The Guns and Lethal aren’t waiting for any bells, as they meet their opponents in the aisle. Lethal and Ray are the first ones in the ring, and Lethal hits the top rope double axe handle. He starts working on Ray’s arm, and then the Guns get in the ring and suplex Ray. Lethal grabs a Dead End sign from the crowd and cracks Ray’s skull with it. Devon and Devine join the fray in the ring, but they along with Ray get hit with simultaneous tornado DDTs. Alex Shelley starts throwing weapons in the ring. Sabin finds an inflatable doll, and they cut to SoCal Val’s reaction shot for like the third time in the match. The Guns and Lethal each hit an opponent with a trash can and all three go for pins and get two-counts. Sabin uses the kitchen sink, and then the Guns lock Team 3D in dueling sleepers. Ray and Devon escape the sleepers and hit their opponents with weapons to gain control. Then for some reason Ray decides to piledrive the blow-up doll and Tenay calls it a powerbomb. Is that supposed to be funny? The Guns come back with a Hi-Low on Devon for a two-count. They try another double-team move but Ray clobbers them with Northern Lariats. Team 3D hits Sabin with the 3D, and they have one for Shelley as well. Lethal makes sure they don’t make a cover but Ray then blasts him with a clothesline. SoCal Val is crying “stop” outside the ring, but thankfully no one in TNA listens to women. She gets up on the apron and Ray pulls her into the ring by the hair. Ray grabs a cheese grater but Lethal takes it from him and jams it into Ray’s nuts. Lethal checks on Val and then hits Ray with a super hurricanrana. He cracks Ray on the skull with a chair but Devon pulls the referee out. Lethal wipes Devon out with a dive, and then back body drops Devine. Back in the ring Lethal hits Ray with a clothesline off the top rope for two. Devine gets back in and Lethal hits him with the Lethal Combination. Lethal then hits Devon with a superkick for yet another two-count. Ray hits the Bubba Bomb but Lethal kicks out at two. Team 3D goes for a 3D through a table, but Lethal avoids it. Lethal sends Devon to the floor and hits Ray with an enziguiri. Devine tries to hit Lethal with the sign but Lethal ducks and cracks it across Devine’s skull. Lethal sets Devine on the table and hits the Top-Rope Elbow Drop to get the pin and win the X-Division Title for the third time at 12:57. That was a pretty good street fight. It did a lot to make Lethal look awesome, and I have no problem with that, but the Motor City Machineguns totally looked like pussies. As for the match, everything not involving the blow-up doll was pretty decent.
Rating: ***

MATCH #9: TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match, Special Enforcer Samoa Joe – Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage

Angle has been the champion since 10.25.07, and this is his fourth defense. They take it down to the mat, which benefits the champion. Cage is game though and does his best to keep up. They go back and forth a bit and then Cage knocks Angle to the floor and follows him out with a cross body block off the top rope. Back in the ring Cage goes to the second rope but Angle pulls him down and Cage lands hard on his shoulder. Angle zeroes in on the injured body part now, obviously. He hurls Cage over the top rope to the floor with a belly-to-belly suplex and follows him out. Angle hits an Olympic Slam into the ring post. I like that spot. Back in the ring Cage tries to fight up but Angle cuts him off with a Buckle Bomb. Angle continues the assault, hitting Rolling German Suplexes but Cage counters to an overhead release German Suplex and Angle almost landed very badly. Cage hits a Flapjack and the Edge-o-Matic for two. He goes up and hits a Frog Splash for another near-fall. Angle tries to fight back but Cage dumps him to the floor. They fight on the apron and do that silly German Suplex tease that will never happen, especially because of the bump the person giving the move would also receive. It makes no sense. Angle is able to put on the Ankle Lock and drag Cage back in the ring. Cage reaches the ropes. Angle goes for the Olympic Slam but can’t connect. A series of reversals ends with Angle finally hitting the Olympic Slam but Cage kicks out at two. Angle goes up and misses the moonsault (I hate it when West, or anyone, calls it a “backwards moonsault”). Cage goes up top but Angle takes him down with a huge suplex for another near-fall. Angle trash talks Cage and slaps him, which fires the challenger up enough to hit an Unprettier but Angle kicks out. The referee gets bumped and Cage puts on the Ankle Lock, so Joe comes in to take the referee’s spot. Karen gets dragged into the ring and slaps Cage’s face. Angle tries to save her but ends up squashing her in the corner and Cage gets a schoolboy rollup for two. Cage and Angle clothesline each other and both are down. Joe clears Karen out of the ring, thank goodness. AJ Styles comes out to interfere and Joe takes him out, with malice. Angle brings a chair in the ring as Joe is long gone. Cage gets a hold of the chair but Angle kicks him in the groin and cracks him across the back with the chair. Tomko runs out and pulls the chair away from Angle but it’s a swerve, as he hits Cage with a torture rack neckbreaker. The referee is revived enough to count the pin at 20:39. That was going along really well until the end got a little overbooked. At least the Tomko turn, while a swerve, was a part of a bigger storyline that was built up, which is more than you can say about some swerves.
Rating: ***¾

BONUS MATCH: AJ Styles & Tomko vs. Samoa Joe & Kevin Nash, Impact, 2.14.08

The TNA World Tag Team Titles that Styles and Tomko hold are not on the line here. (2:34)Nash is a surprise partner, and the fight starts with Joe battling AJ in the ring and Nash battling Tomko on the floor. The match quickly settles, with the Joe/Nash duo firmly in control. They work together to knock Tomko to the floor and then dump AJ right on top of his partner. It’s time for a commercial. When we come back Tomko cuts Joe off from a suicide dive with a hard shot to the face. Now the champs work together to wear Joe down. Joe fights back and makes the hot tag but the referee doesn’t see it so he won’t allow it. Nash doesn’t want to hear it though and he starts throwing bombs. All four men are brawling in the ring. Nash focuses on AJ, and with the referee distracted Kurt Angle runs out and nails Joe. Tomko then hits Joe with the Olympic Slam to get the pin at 5:06 (shown). That was a decent little TV sprint match.
Rating: **¼

I grew up and now I write for Inside Pulse. Oh, and one time I saw a blimp!