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Universal Studios – Orlando, Florida – March 21, 2010
Mike Tenay and Taz are on commentary.
MATCH #1: Ladder Match – Brian Kendrick vs. Amazing Red vs. Daniels vs. Kazarian
The winner gets a shot at the X Division Title. No one wastes any time in getting the action going at a rapid pace. The battle quickly spills to the floor, where Red takes Daniels and Kazarian out with a dive. Kendrick makes the first attempt at grabbing the contract but the other three quickly get back in the ring to stop him. The crowd chants “X Division.” Everyone uses various ladders as weapons, with bodies flying all over the place. The action is too fast to call accurately. Non one can gain a sustained advantage or make a serious attempt at grabbing the contract because there’s always someone there to cut them off. Finally two ladders get set up and Daniels tries to trap Red and Kendrick under them. Kendrick escapes and climbs up. Kazarian springboards in and knocks Kendrick down, and then suplexes Daniels all the way down. Kendrick goes back up and almost grabs the contract but Kazarian knocks him down and grabs the contract for the win at 13:39. That was a perfect way to kick off the pay-per-view, as all four guys went all-out to get the crowd going. The spots didn’t look too contrived and everyone got a chance to look good.
Rating: ***½
Ric Flair Speaks
Flair is wheeled out in a wheelchair by Desmond Wolfe’s girlfriend Chelsea. He says he is not a happy camper about being in the chair for the first time in his illustrious career. He yells at the crowd and tells Hulk Hogan and Abyss that they’re going to pay for doing this to him.
MATCH #2: TNA Women’s Knockout Championship Match – Tara vs. Daffney
Tara has been the Champion since 1.17.10, and this is her second defense. The Champion charges right at her challenger and here we go. Tara takes Daffney down and lands the standing moonsault for two. Daffney fights back and stomps on Tara a few times for a two-count. She continues with the unorthodox offense until Tara is able to lock on a Tarantula, albeit briefly. Daffney goes right back on offense with some hair mares and a kick to the chest for two. Tara escapes a submission hold and hits an enziguiri. She follows with a spinebuster for a near-fall. Daffney comes back with a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Tara avoids a charge in the corner and hits the spinning side slam for a two-count. Daffney rakes the eyes and hits a Codebreaker for two. She throws Tara to the floor and rams her back into the guardrail. Back in the ring Daffney tries to hit Tara with the title belt but Tara ducks it and hits the Widow’s Peak for the pin at 6:43. That was a perfectly solid back and forth contest. Daffney brought something different to the Knockouts Division, and I miss that in today’s TNA.
Rating: **½
After the match Daffney steals Tara’s tarantula Poison, and who knows what she’s going to do with it! A distressed Tara chases her to the back.
MATCH #3: TNA Global Championship Match – Rob Terry vs. Magnus
Terry has been the Champion since 1.27.10, and this is his second defense. The Champion charges down the aisle and immediately takes it to his challenger and former partner. Terry clotheslines Magnus to the floor. Back in the ring Magnus rakes the eyes and goes to work. Magnus tries a cross body block but Terry catches him in a huge powerslam. Terry lands a nice spin kick and then flattens Magnus with a spinebuster for the pin at 1:25. That wasn’t much of a match, obviously. It bums me out to see Magnus job like that to Terry, but I think by today both men have ended up where they belong.
Rating: ¾*
MATCH #4: Ultimate X Match – Generation Me vs. The Motor City Machine Guns
The winners here will be the Number One Contenders to the TNA World Tag Team Titles. This is the twentieth Chris Sabin has been in Ultimate X an incredible 13 times, and Shelley has been in it four times. Max and Jeremy Buck are competing in Ultimate X for the first time. The action kicks off at a rapid pace and Gen Me takes the first control. The Guns fight back and I think this is going to be a lot like the opening match in that it’s going to be hard to keep up with all the action. Jeremy makes the first attempt at the X but Sabin quickly cuts him off. Both teams continue to use high-flying moves and double-teams to keep their opponents reeling and the crowd juicing. These teams are both just so, so good. Gen Me takes both Guns down and Jeremy tries for the X while Max guards him. Sabin kicks Max in the gut and then leaps off Max’s back to take Jeremy down with a Spear. Max goes after the X but the Guns cleverly take him down. All four men hit a maneuver on someone and everybody is down. They rise and all climb out after the X. No one can grab it and they fall to the mat for a Superkick Party. Gen Me tries More Bang For Your Buck but Shelley avoids it. The Guns hit Max with a Doomsday Sliced Bread #2. Sabin goes after the X and Jeremy goes out there with him. They throw kicks at each other and Sabin knocks Jeremy down. Sabin comes down with the X for the win and the title shot at 12:02. That was non-stop action with ridiculous moves from everyone. These guys can just hit everything so well and make it look so natural. This is what the X Division is all about.
Rating: ****
MATCH #5: Kevin Nash & Eric Young vs. Scott Hall & Syxx-Pac
If Hall and Pac win, they get TNA contracts, but if Nash and Young win then Hall and Pac are banned for life. Nash and Young are just missing a Crosby and a Stills. Pac and Young start the match. They lock up intensely and start slugging at each other. Young hits a Thesz Press and some punches. Hall takes a cheap shot, allowing Pac to hit a spin kick for two. Now Hall tags in legally, and he tells Young to suck it. Hall neutralizes Young’s arm, and then hits the Fallaway Slam for two. Pac tags back in and sends Young to the floor. He follows him out with a dive. Young ducks a clothesline and picks Pac up to drive him nuts-first into the ring post. Hall punches Young in the face to allow Pac a chance to recover. Back in the ring Pac and Hall continue to wear Young down. Hall locks on a Sleeper. Young reverses it and Hall breaks it with a back suplex. Finally Young makes a tag but Pac had the referee distracted so it’s not allowed. Pac goes under the ring and finds a can of spray paint, and he sprays it in Young’s eyes. Young fights back and finally makes the tag to Big Sexy. Of course Nash turns on Young and hits him with the Jackknife Powerbomb. Pac then adds the X-Factor for fun. Hall finishes Young off with the Razor’s Edge for the academic pin at 7:56. The match was okay-ish to begin with, but the Nash turn could be seen coming from a mile away. Aside from that, Young would soon after this join The Band, rendering this whole silly little feud entirely inconsequential.
Rating: *½
MATCH #6: TNA X Division Championship Match – Doug Williams vs. Shannon Moore
Williams has been the Champion since 1.28.10, and this is his third defense. The Champ tries to take it to the mat right away, which is wise strategy for him. Moore comes back by quickening the pace, which is also good strategy. He hits a rana from the top rope for a two-count. Williams cuts Moore off and grounds him again. He goes for the Chaos Theory but More blocks it. Instead Williams hits a running knee to the chest. Moore comes back with a bulldog and a flurry of offense. He hits the Mooregasm and Williams rolls to the floor. Moore follows him out with a moonsault from the top rope. Williams goes underneath the ring and grabs a brick. Back in the ring he repositions the referee and drills Moore with the brick to get the pin at 6:21. That felt more like a TV match and I hate that finish, because the gimmick with Williams as Champion was that he could out wrestle the acrobatic high flyers, not win by hitting them with bricks like every other heel, ever. No wonder that gimmick went nowhere, which was especially disappointing given how well Williams could have pulled it off.
Rating: **
After the match Williams verbally thrashes Moore and asserts his superiority. He then grabs a woman’s purse from ringside and smears lipstick all over Moore’s face.
MATCH #7: TNA World Tag Team Championship Match – Matt Morgan & Hernandez vs. Beer Money Inc.
Morgan and Hernandez have been the Champions since 1.17.10, and this is their third defense. Morgan and Robert Roode start the match. Before any contact is made, Morgan tags his partner just to be a jerk. Roode takes it right to Hernandez and takes him off his feet with a flying forearm. Morgan tags himself in and hits Rode with a side suplex, just dropping Roode instead of falling with him. Hernandez tags back in and fights off a double-team. He hits Storm with an extremely delayed vertical suplex. The Champions continue to dominate while not getting along with each other. It’s the dissension between Morgan and Hernandez that allows Beer Money to take control. The challengers hit Hernandez with a double superplex. BEER! MONEY! Hernandez fights back with the slingshot shoulderblock from the apron. Morgan gets the tag and he unloads on Roode and Storm. He then tags in his worn out partner, just to be a jerk. Hernandez wipes Roode out with Air Mexico. Morgan gets irritated and throws Hernandez back in the ring himself. Storm tries to spit beer on Hernandez but hits Morgan instead. Hernandez then hits Storm with the Dominator to get the pin at 11:22. That was a pretty heatless match, with no one seeming to care who won the tag team titles. Fighting tag team partners was never all that interesting.
Rating: *¾
MATCH #8: Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson
Angle takes Anderson down to the mat, always a good idea for someone with Angle’s mat wrestling credibility. He even offers Anderson a free headlock, just to show how easily he can escape it. Angle is absolutely dominant in the early going, as he’s been able to control his temper despite how angry he is with his opponent. He charges into the corner and Anderson gets his boot up. Anderson goes up top and yanks Angle’s arm down across the top rope. Now Anderson is in control and he works the arm. Angle weathers the storm and hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a two-count. A hard clothesline also gets two. Angle goes for the Angle Slam but Anderson avoids it and hits the Finlay Roll for a near-fall. Anderson tries the Mic Check but Angle counters to the rolling German Suplexes. The straps come down and Angle hits the Angle Slam but it only gets two. Angle puts on the Ankle Lock but Anderson escapes it and hits the Mic Check for a two-count. They fight up on the top rope and Angle knocks Anderson down. Angle follows with a Frog Splash for two. He goes for the Angle Slam but Anderson counters it with an armdrag. The referee gets in the way and Angle clotheslines him down. Anderson hits an Angle Slam. He goes outside the ring and brings a steel chair back with him. Anderson decides against using the chair, opting to use Angle’s Warrior Medal instead. Angle ducks the shot and hits a release German Suplex. He then slices Anderson’s head open with the Medal, and unloads on him with right hands. Angle wakes the referee up and cinches in the Ankle Lock. Anderson is forced to tap out at 17:35. Angle is Anderson’s best opponent and he has yet to have better matches with anyone else. This was pretty good, but the finish was pretty conclusive and I don’t get why the feud would continue after this.
Rating: ***½
Anderson cuts a promo after the match, questioning Angle’s Olympic gold medals and his status as a real American. He also says his last name a lot. So I guess that’s why the feud continues.
MATCH #9: TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match – AJ Styles vs. Abyss
Styles has been the Champion since 9.20.09, and this is his eleventh defense. He has Flair and Chelsea in his corner. Abyss attacks during the introductions and the main event is on. Styles tries to fight up but Abyss simply throws him to the floor. Abyss also throws Styles back in the ring with a sweet belly-to-belly suplex. Styles responds by going after the leg. He knocks Abyss to the floor and wipes him out with a dive. The Champ grabs a steel chair and wedges it between the top and middle turnbuckles. Nothing happens with it yet, but I’m sure it’ll come into play later. Styles continues to work the leg. He tries the springboard flying forearm but Abyss catches him by the throat. Styles avoids the Chokeslam but Abyss is able to unleash a different flurry of offense, angering The Nature Boy. Styles fights back with the Pele. Now Styles connects with the springboard flying forearm. Styles goes for the Styles Clash but Abyss counters with a catapult, sending Styles right into the aforementioned steel chair. Abyss hits the Shock Treatment. They fight up on the top rope and Styles knocks Abyss down. Styles comes down with the Spiral Tap but it only gets two. The Champ argues with the referee, and he turns around right into the Black Hole Slam, which gets two! Flair grabs the referee and sprays something in his eyes. Styles hits Abyss with a low blow and then hits him right in the head with the title belt. Hulk Hogan’s music hits and he comes out with referee Earl Hebner. Hogan wheels Flair to the back. Styles goes out and hits a springboard 450 Splash, but Abyss kicks out and Hulks Up! Abyss hits a big boot and a Chokeslam that breaks the ring. Hebner calls for the bell for the apparent no-contest at 14:54. These two have great chemistry as opponents, but the storyline with Hogan and the Hall of Fame ring was stupid, and the finish was remarkably dumb. That hurt the overall match.
Rating: **¾
