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Universal Studios – Orlando, Florida – November 15, 2009
Introduction
The opening video focuses on the three-way TNA World Title match, the Angle versus Wolfe match, and the six-man tag team match, with clips of Dixie Carter talking about Hulk Hogan spliced in. Mike Tenay and Taz are calling the action.
MATCH #1: TNA X-Division Championship Match – Amazing Red w/ Don West vs. Homicide
I really like West with Red, but I’m pretty sure it never went anywhere. Red has been the champion since 10.8.09, and this is his third defense. The champ takes the early advantage with his speed and quickness, and Homicide takes a powder. That doesn’t work out for him though, as Red follows him out with a rana off the apron. Back in the ring Red gets a cross body block for two. Homicide comes back with a hard clothesline. Red fights back with a series of kicks and a sliding clothesline for two. Homicide responds with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. The challenger goes on offense now, hitting a standing neckbreaker for two. Red makes the comeback and delivers a turnaround Flatliner from the second rope for a near-fall. Homicide comes back and hits the Bronx Bomber 27 for a two-count. He goes for the Gringo Killer but Red escapes and gets catapulted into the top buckle. Homicide tries the Ace Crusher but Red blocks it and hits the Red Star Press for two. Red goes up top for a moonsault but Homicide sort of catches him in another Ace Crusher for a near-fall. Homicide puts Red up top for a rana but Red pushes him down and hits a jumping Code Red to get the pin at 10:09. I’m not normally a huge fan of either guy, but this was a good little opener they put together.
Rating: ***
MATCH #2: Six-Knockout Tag, All the Gold on the Line – Taylor Wilde, Sarita & ODB vs. the Beautiful People
Wilde and Sarita have been the tag team champions since 9.20.09, and this is their third defense. ODB has also been the champion since 9.20.09, and this is her fourth defense. Wilde and Sky start the match. The champions take the early advantage until Sky backs ODB into her corner and tags Rayne. ODB backs Rayne into the corner and tags Sarita. The team of champions continues to control the match as Wilde tags in and hits an armdrag. Von Erich sneaks in the ring and hits an illegal clothesline. Rayne hits a neckbreaker for two. Now the Beautiful People are in control, working Wilde over in their half of the ring. The Impact Zone chants “You Can’t Wrestle” when Von Erich is in the ring. Eventually ODB gets the hot tag and she’s on fire. The Beautiful People weather her onslaught and clear the ring to triple-team ODB, but she’s too much for them to handle. ODB hits Rayne with a TKO to get the pin at 5:57. That was a few different kinds of ugly.
Rating: *½
MATCH #3: TNA World Tag Team Championship Match – the British Invasion w/ Rob Terry vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money, Inc.
Brutus Magnus and Doug Williams have been the champions since 10.18.09, and this is their second defense. James Storm and Magnus start the match and Storm dominates. Robert Roode and Alex Shelley get tagged in next. Shelley is able to maneuver Roode to the floor and holds him for a running kick to the chest by his tag team partner Chris Sabin. Some chicanery leads to Williams and Sabin in the ring together, and Sabin drills with a kick to the chest. Shelley comes back in and the Guns double-team both Williams and Magnus to send them running. Magnus trips Sabin from the floor to give his team the advantage and then he tags in. Storm tags himself in and he goes to work on the Champions. Roode joins him and then hit Williams with a double suplex. The referee has lost control. Beer Money and the Guns work together on the champions. Sabin knocks Williams to the floor but then misses a dive. Shelley goes for the Sliced Bread #2 on Magnus but can’t hit it. Now Beer Money comes in to attack the champions. They hit a catapult DDT and an assisted Rock Bottom on Williams but Magnus breaks up the count. Eric Young, the TNA Global Champion and the leader of World Elite, comes out to help his compatriots in the British Invasion. The referee tries to send Young to the back, but Kevin Nash actually stops him! Storm gets all excited, but then Nash takes the belt and blasts Storm in the face with it! Even Young looked surprised. Roode goes for a tag but no one is there and he falls prey to the British Hart Attack and the Invasion retains at 10:20. That was going really well until Young and Nash got involved.
Rating: ***
MATCH #4: Cage Match – Awesome Kong vs. Tara
Pin, submission, and escape rules are in effect. Both women tear into each other right away and the fight is on. Tara is game for the challenge of the brutal Kong. She works on the hand to try and take away the devastating spinning back fist. She climbs up the ropes to do more damage but ends up taking an electric chair drop for her troubles. They go up top again and Kong knocks Tara down and hits her with a missile dropkick! That gets two. Kong crushes Tara between the ropes and the cage, which is pretty awesome. She continues to abuse Tara, using the cage to her advantage. Tara fights back and repeatedly rams Kong’s face into the cage. She hits the standing moonsault for two. They fight back up to the ropes and Kong reclaims control. Tara goes for the Widow’s Peak out of the corner but can’t hit it, but she is able to grab Kong with a powerbomb! The crowd bought that false finish, and so did I actually. Tara goes up to the top of the cage for a huge Thesz Press to get the win at 7:54! That was really good, and could have used some more time actually.
Rating: ***¼
Hulk Hogan Joins TNA
Tenay and Taz mention that Hulk Hogan has recently signed with TNA, and they show a video package detailing the events surrounding his debut press conference.
MATCH #5: Six-Man Tag Team Match – Team 3D & Rhino vs. Matt Morgan, Hernandez & D’Angelo Dinero
Brother Devon and Hernandez start the match. The babyfaces take control and Dinero comes in to continue where Hernandez left off. Devon is able to make the tag to Brother Ray, and these two get personal with each other quite quickly. Dinero takes advantage so Ray powders to the floor to calm down. Back in the ring Ray takes control with some Flip Flop N Fly. Dinero counters with his own version of it, ending with a backhand. He celebrates with the fans and suffers for it, as Ray is able to hit a Bubba Bomb. Rhino tags in and Morgan quickly follows. Morgan takes control and levels Rhino with a discuss clothesline for two. The referee loses control and Dinero takes a bullet for Hernandez, which would be a lot more effective if the commentators would explain it rather than act confused. The ECW alum team isolates Dinero from his partners now. Ray misses a senton off the second rope and Dinero makes the hot tag and Morgan is on fire. Hernandez gets his turn and he also shows off his power. He throws all three opponents to the floor and then wipes them out with a no-hands dive. Back in the ring Hernandez hits Rhino with a Superfly Splash for a close near-fall. The match breaks down again and bodies are flying everywhere. Ray keeps the referee distracted while Devon hits Hernandez with a steel chair. Rhino follows in with a Gore to get the pin at 14:27. That was perfectly adequate.
Rating: **½
MATCH #6: Falls Count Anywhere Match – Bobby Lashley vs. Scott Steiner
The match starts in the aisle and Lashley is fired up. Lashley hits Steiner with a chair and hurls him back in the ring. He dominates the opening minutes, but when they spill to the floor Steiner hits a low blow and takes control. Steiner uses more low blows and then brings the match back in the ring for a belly-to-belly suplex. He works Lashley over a bit and goes to the top rope, but Lashley recovers and pushes him down to the floor. They fight to the back, which the live crowd always loves. Lashley throws Steiner around backstage, busting him open. He suplexes Steiner through a table for a two-count. Next he finds a 2×4 and beats Steiner with it. Lashley goes for a Spear into some pallets but Steiner avoids it. They fight back toward the arena and up by the Spanish Announce Table. Steiner pulls off a piece of pipe and drills Lashley with it to get the pin at 11:27. That was rather dull and meandering.
Rating: *¾
MATCH #7: Kurt Angle vs. Desmond Wolfe
Imagine Nigel McGuinness teaming with Wade Barrett on NXT. They start cautiously with some chain wrestling. Angle takes the first advantage and goes after the arm. The idiots in the crowd are chanting “this is wrestling” less than two minutes into the match. I don’t think they’ve invented a word yet for the kind of hate I have for TNA fans. Wolfe comes back and works on the arm as well. Taz explains how Wolfe working on the arm takes away Angle’s suplexes, so Angle responds by hitting Wolfe with a suplex. Angle charges into the corner and Wolfe moves, so Angle’s shoulder crashes into the ring post. Wolfe continues dissecting the arm for several minutes. Angle comes back with a belly-to-belly suplex and a flurry of clotheslines for a two-count. Wolfe tries a lariat but Angle ducks and hits six rolling German Suplexes. Angle tries the Angle slam but Wolfe armdrags his way out of it and hits a lariat for two. Wolfe goes for the Tower of London but Angle reverses to the Angle Slam for two. Angle looks to be going for another suplex but Wolfe snaps his arm down and locks on the London Dungeon. I’m disappointed TNA hasn’t come up with names for Wolfe’s big moves, and that the Dungeon gets almost no reaction. Angle rolls through and locks on the Ankle Lock. Wolfe reverses to a nasty looking arm submission of his own. Angle counters again with the Ankle Lock. Wolfe reaches the ropes. Angle goes for another Angle Slam but Wolfe counters with a DDT. Wolfe hits the Tower of London this time but still only gets a two-count. He sets up for another lariat but Angle surprises him with one of his own. Angle goes up and misses a moonsault, so Wolfe locks on the London Dungeon again, and Angle reaches the ropes. Wolfe goes for another Tower of London, but then switches gears for a superplex. Angle punches his way out of it and hits a Frog Splash for two. He sets up for a Tombstone Piledriver and Wolfe reverses, but Angle slips out of that and lock son the Ankle Lock. Angle switches to a triangle choke and Wolfe immediately taps out at 16:21. That match was going along really well but I really hated the out of nowhere finish. It’s also sad to reflect on how much momentum Wolfe had upon his debut and how little of that he has left now.
Rating: ***¾
MATCH #8: Triple Threat TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match – AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniels
Styles has been the champion since 9.20.09, and this is his second defense. I appreciate the fact that TNA tried hard to build this feud up, but the exchanges between Styles and Daniels reeked of afternoon soap opera drama. Daniels takes the first shot when he punches Styles, and then he punches Joe. Styles quickly gets back to his feet and everyone is going after everyone; no alliances here. The action is quite fast and hard to follow in the early going here. Styles gets a quick O’Connor Roll on Daniels for a two-count. Joe regroups on the floor while Styles and Daniels battle it out. Styles hits a dropkick, and has one for Joe as well. Joe once again takes a breather and Styles grabs Daniels in a side headlock. Styles kicks Joe down to the floor and keeps the headlock on. Joe trips Styles from the floor and then Daniels hits him with an STO. Back in the ring now Joe works Daniels over in the corner. Daniels goes to the floor, leaving Joe and Styles to fight. Styles hits a vertical suplex. They go back and forth, and then Daniels gets back in the ring and locks Styles in a Boston Crab and Joe in a Camel Clutch at the same time. Joe breaks that by biting Daniels, and then hits the STJoe. He face washes everyone and looks to be firmly in control. Styles is able to send Joe to the floor, and he hits Daniels with a vertical suplex. He tries a springboard on Joe, but Joe kicks his leg out. Daniels wipes Joe out with a suicide dive. He goes for the Arabian Press but Styles catches him. Joe locks Daniels in the Choke on the floor, and Styles breaks that hold with the Fosbury Flop. Back in the ring Styles hits Joe with a headscissors. The champion is flying all over the place, hitting Daniels with a springboard hurricanrana for a two-count. Joe comes back and powerbombs Styles for two, and then locks on the Samoan Crab. He turns that into the STF and then a Crossface. Styles reaches the ropes. Joe hits Styles with the snap powerslam for two. Daniels comes back with some more simultaneous offense. This match is cool. Taz calling the almost 40-years-old Daniels “kid” is funny. Styles hits Daniels with the suplex/neckbreaker hybrid. Joe recovers and unleashes strikes on both men, and Daniels responds in kind. Styles hits Daniels with the Pele. He backdrops Daniels to the floor and then hits Joe with the springboard forearm for two. He gets Joe with a rana for two. He this the back flip into a reverse DDT for another two. He tries the same move on Daniels, but Daniels counters with the Last Rites. Daniels hits Joe with a release German Suplex. Joe comes back and crotches Daniels on the top rope and hits him with the Muscle Buster for two. He traps Styles in the rolling sunset flip for two. Styles comes back with a spin kick to the face. Daniels breaks up the Styles Clash with an enziguiri and then goes for another Last Rites. That doesn’t work either and a series of reversals ends with Joe breaking it up and hitting both men with a clothesline. Styles and Daniels team up to take out Joe, harkening back to their days as TNA World Tag Team Champions. They take the match to the apron and then up to the ropes. Joe knocks Styles to the floor and then goes for a Muscle Buster on Daniels. That gets countered with an STO, and then Daniels hits the Best Moonsault Ever. Styles gets back up and on the top rope and hits Daniels with a 450 Splash (his knees landed right in Daniels’s back, ouch), and then pins Joe to retain the title at 21:49. This is the TNA Match of the Year for 2009. The action was pretty much non-stop from the opening bell and they came up with some pretty creative spots. It makes me want to go back and watch the original Unbreakable match to see how it compares.
Rating: ****½
