The show begins with an Eddie Edwards highlight reel before showing EC3 vs. Edwards. Lashley vs. Edwards in the compound is shown, and is really hard to see due to the video filters on everything. Josh hypes up this being a presentation of Anthem Sports and boy is his mic echoey. Pope says Anthem will make TNA great again before Eddie comes down and says we are LIVE from OR-LAN-DO. Eddie trying to be charismatic doesn’t help him – but he is great talking about how TNA was born on competition. Eddie says he has a surprise, but Lashley interrupts.
Lashley says he’s tired of Eddie’s crap and wants another shot tonight. EC3 comes down to further the revolving door promo. EC3 comes out and points out the Anthem logo before saying “sup dudes!?” He buries Lashley for being super-intense and says that Eddie is too white-bread. A couple of fans yell for Eli while EC3 says he wants Lashley. Eddie says that he wants a triple threat while Josh says that Eddie is “Mr. AIP – Anything is Possible”. That sure rolls off the tongue.
Moose and Bennett prep backstage for their Grand Championship match. The triple threat match setup is recapped. Maria cuts every Bennett hype promo ever before his match. Moose comes down and gets a mild reaction while Josh hypes up the rules for the Grand Championship. Moose and Bennett had no chemistry as allies and have even less as opponents. Bennett gets tackled down and avoids the wacky Rainmaker because MOOSE SPINS TOO MUCH and superkicks him a couple of times. Moose hits a flying tackle, which impresses Pope for some reason since was in the NFL and all. Bennett hits a sleeper and Pope says that fans might not be excited, but it’s smart for Bennett to wear him down.
Pope and the judges give Bennett the win for round one. A schoolboy powerbomb hits for Moose. Moose hits a moonsault off the second rope, but the discus lariat is countered again with a superkick. Maybe stop just doing the needless spins before the Rainmaker? A Bennett cutter gets 2 while Pope says this is like an X Division match with the pace. Maybe the Abyss era of the division. Bennett hits the Rainaker punch. Moose hits a pounce, but time expires.
After a break, we get a recap of round two and find out that Moose wins round two. Moose charges him in the corner and hits Go to Hell for 2. Moose hits a run-up moonsault, falls short and Bennett lands a piledriver for 2. They do a slow back and forth punch exchange before forearms are used. Bennett hits a one-legged flying kick off the top before a lariat takes him down. They go the distance. Moose wins the decision and Bennett throws a mild fit.
Swoggle plays with Vanguard 1 before Jeff Hardy tells him he swoggled with mouthwash earlier. Broken Matt asks him if he was sent here BY HIS FATHER MEEKMAN!? Rockstar Spud talks…but his mic doesn’t work. Spud wants Swoggle and can’t stand having someone turn their backs on him – especially in North Carolina. Spud says 2017 is a new era and THE STREAK STARTS NOW. Swoggle comes down to face him.
Josh buries Mariah Carey and says it’s STANDING ROOM ONLY here. Spud shoves him, brags, and gets speared and taken to suplex city. A Celtic Cross hits and gets the win. Spud says no and gets a yes chant – just to remind you more of WWE. He says he lost to a 1 year old boy, lost to a man who looks like a 1 year old boy, and says the company sucks – before quitting. Bennett calls Moose stupid and says that their issues go beyond the title – he wants to end things on the PPV.
Eli can’t speak, so he uses cue cards and says he’ll speak next. Eli’s set is mid-ring and he gets a Delete chant. “It’s 2017 and nothing’s changed!” He tells EC3 he’ll never stop fighting him and brings out the Broken Hardys. Their entrance video is now just the painting of Matt’s giant head from the Dome of Deletion. Rebecca gets a round of applause while King Maxel gets a chant.
Eli says he wasn’t invited – while Matt says that he was invited, along with the Bucks of Youth and the Day of the New, who weren’t there. Jeff asks if Eli needs to be held and calls him a dummy. Eli buries Matt and Matt says he is MAGIC. Eli wants a tag title match against the Hardys – with him getting a mystery partner. Eli tries to jump them, but he’s outnumbered, and clearly a moron – so that fails.
Eddie is asked a question that we can’t hear and says he’ll put the title on the line tonight to prove he’s the best. Tag Team Apocalypto is recapped. Helms, Trevor Lee, and Andrew Everett are back together. GS Helms doesn’t remember what happened in the lake, and says it’s all about unity before Everett says “there’s no I in Unity”. Well, that was amusing. Decay gets a new theme using the scream from Pope’s theme – it’s pretty good. A better theme change than Tanahashi got. Helms goes for a chokeslam on Abyss, which backfires – and isn’t a DQ. He gets the mist and then Everett jobs to a super chokeslam. A clock airs and it’s seemingly the DCC.
Yup – and they jump Decay with beer bottles. Maria shows Allie highlights of a match and says that it’s time for her to get her gear on – she has a surprise. Maria, LVN, and Sienna are mid-ring. She says that the girl squad is the brand that saved TNA. But she has a gnat problem – and her name is Allie. Maria blames her for every failing in 2016. Maria wants a fight and Allie accepts…a match with Sienna. Sienna has slimmed down and has a tattoo along her ribs now. Allie avoids a corner charge and hits a big lariat. Allie hits a basement dropkick for 2. LVN flirts with Braxton, distracting Allie and leading to a lariat that gets 2. Allie fires up and Sienna spits on her. Eww. Allie kicks her and hits a crossbody and a frog splash. LVN hugs Braxton, leading to a pounce and a win.
EC3 comes out as Josh calls him the face of the franchise. What a bizarre combination of Cena’s the face that runs the place and franchise monikers. Lashley’s corner spear with a military crawl and hop before another spear hits EC3, and is impressive. EC3 sends Lashley down with a Stinger splash. EC3 hits a flapjack to set up an Edwards basement dropkick. EC3 and Eddie stare down before a break.
Lashley hops up on the apron and gets taken off by Eddie. Lashley hits a DOUBLE GERMAN SUPLEX! Lashley takes off top turnbuckle pad, then the middle one. Eddie and EC3 hit a series of back and forth chops before they double chop Lashley. Lashley hits a tower of doom powerbomb on them to get a “TNA!” chant. Eddie hits a second rope codebreaker, but eats a shot from EC3. EC3 hits an overhead belly to belly on Lashley and goes for the One Percenter, but Eddie runs in leading to a backdrop to end that. A TK3 hits for 2 on Lashley.
EC3 misses a really slow, low-jumping Stinger splash. EC3 gets an RNC out of the running stunner. Lashley spears them into the buckle and tosses Eddie to the floor. Lashley puts on the sweat band and spears EC3 on the floor. Eddie dives onto Lashley on the floor, goes to dive mid-ring, but eats a spear! Eddie rolls to the floor and Lashley grabs the belt before shoving the ref down. Davey distracts Lashley and Eddie hits the knee party to retain the title.
Screenshots –
http://www.imagebam.com/gallery/i9ot3osvz4n7mm3w70stcw661n69sl8b
