Total Nonstop Action – Pay-Per-View
March 15, 2009 – Orlando, Florida
The theme song for the PPV is My Turn by Hoobastank. The show opens with a video showing images of the current economic challenges the nation faces, alternating with images and videos from the action leading up to the PPV, and graphics that talks about facing challenges.
Next announcer Mike Tenay welcomes us as they show the cheering crowd. Tenay and Don West talk about tonight’s card.
Knockouts Tag Team Match
The Beautiful People, Angelina Love & Velvet Sky, with Madison Rayne
vs.
Roxxi, Taylor Wilde, & The Governor
Kip doesn’t come out with his team, and no one takes notice or tells why. Velvet Sky demands to start off with The Governor (Daffney). After some brief action, Roxxi and Angelina tag in. The Beautiful People soon gain the advantage by cheating and distracting the ref.
This is a fast paced, tough, brutal match, with the Beautiful People showing added viciousness. They manage to isolate Roxxi for a while, and the crowd is solidly behind her, chanting “Roxxi!” In the end, Taylor Wilde pins Madison Rayne with a bridging German suplex to get the win for her team.
Lauren interviews Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley, asking them if they really believe that Sting will split from the Main Event Mafia. Jarrett says there’s no way Sting and Angle can work together. Foley and Jarrett say they will call it down the middle.
Open Challenge Match
Brutus Magnus
vs.
“Showtime” Eric Young”
A special guest ring announcer, Jesse Neal, comes out – he served on the USS Cole in the US Navy in Iraq and introduces Eric Young.
This is not one of the squash matches that Magnus has had previously. Young also makes him pick up the pace, and Magnus matches nearly Eric’s quickness and agility, plus he has a size and power advantage. The fans are hot and cheering for this bout, with Eric as the clear fan favorite. In the end, it’s too much for Eric, and Brutus Magnus gets the win with The Tormentum from the second rope.
Sheik Abdul Bashir comes down to ringside and delivers an emotional promo complaining about not being included in tonight’s PPV or the last two. He claims he’s the victim of discrimination, and it’s wrong for a man in a military uniform to be on the show, when he isn’t. Jim Cornette comes out and says he’s going to give him some answers. He says Bashir isn’t on the show because he doesn’t like him, the wrestlers don’t like him, and the fans don’t like him, and it’s all because of his whining. It’s not because of his race, creed, or national origin; it’s because he’s a big, obnoxious jerk. Then Cornette tells Bashir to get out, and calls out Jesse Neal to sing a song to help Bashir leave. Neal sings God Bless America and some fans join in as Bashir leaves with his head bowed.
Jeremy Borash is there as Kurt Angle tries to rile up the rest of the Main Event Mafia against Sting, saying Jarrett and Foley are conspiring against him. Booker says he has to deal with AJ Styles and leaves. Then Scott Steiner says he has to deal with Samoa Joe, and he leaves. Nash tells Angle it’s his own fault, because he started it with Sting, and he needs to take some responsibility and make it right.
Match of 10,000 Thumbtacks
“The Monster” Abyss
vs.
“The Blueprint” Matt Morgan
The winner is the first man to put his opponent directly into the tacks. Like their previous encounters, this is an all out hardcore brawl. Morgan attacks Abyss from behind before the bell rings. After they brawl a while, Abyss crotches Morgan on one of the ring posts.
There are large trays filled with thumbtacks around ringside, and Abyss carries two of them over so they are on tables right next to the entrance ramp. There are also bags filled with tacks on poles around the ring.
The battle continues after Morgan recovers and forces Abyss back into the ring. Morgan gets one of the bags and empties the tacks onto the ring mat in a pile. He grabs Abyss by the hair and threatens to smash his face into the pile, but Abyss forces him back.
Abyss gets another bag of tacks down from a pole. Morgan hits Abyss with a Carbon Footprint and goes out to the floor to get a steel chair, which he wedges into a corner. He tries to slam Abyss, but Abyss turns the tables and smashes Morgan into the chair. Abyss then dumps his tacks on top of the pile made by Morgan. He hits Morgan with a Black Hole Slam and follows up with a bag full of glass shards on top of the tacks.
Morgan retreats up the ramp and Abyss follows. They brawl on the ramp until Morgan hits Abyss with a Carbon Footprint and knocks him off the entrance ramp into the trays of tacks on tables to get the win. .
They cut to the back. Booker T and Sharmell argue with Jim Cornette, saying Booker was coerced into signing the contract allowing his Legends belt to be put on the line against AJ Styles. Cornette says he signed the contract, and it stands. They say they will bring an attorney to dispute this tomorrow.
The Finals of One Night With ODB
ODB enters with Senior Official Rudy Charles. She’s wearing a pretty light blue dress and high heels, like she’s ready for her date. Borash also introduces a drummer named Crusty who is at ringside. His only purpose seems to be to do rim shots during the contest.
Mulleted wrestler Cody Deaner (he’s on contract with TNA) enters next, followed by Shark Boy. Last is Bernie Weber, who is introduced as a mortgage broker.
ODB asks them why they deserve a hot and steamy night with her. Deaner says he doesn’t need a whole night, because he can get it done in 60 minutes. Shark Boy says he can do it in 22 minutes, and maybe even do it twice. Weber says he has cars, airplanes, and lots of money.
ODB says she wants a dance off among the contestants. Borash calls off a bunch of wacky dance moves & wrestling moves for them to do. This is too silly to describe and includes Shark Boy doing the Norman Smiley and the “Flip, Flop, and Flounder.” Deaner dedicates his dance to “the late, great, Dale Earnhardt,” and his moves include “Mullet Mania” and “Hammer Time.”
Borash asks the fans to vote, and it sounds to me like a win for Shark Boy, but ODB makes the final decision. After feeling them up, she decides on Cody Deaner. This wasn’t nearly funny enough to justify the amount of time spent on it, but it was enough time for a bathroom and/or snack break.
Lauren interviews Beer Money, who are happy to have gotten several wrestlers fired with their Off the Wagon Challenge. They say they are tired of hearing how many times 3D have been champions, whine about not getting respect, and say 3D doesn’t have a chance of beating them tonight.
Knockouts Championship Match
Awesome King (C) with Raisha Saeed
vs.
Sojournor Bolt
Kong dominates at the start, but Bolt escapes and hits Kong with a quick drop kick and tries to overcome with a quick barrage of moves. Kong barely moves when being hit, however, and comes back to dominate again. Bolt gets out of the way of a big splash by Kong, and makes a comeback that includes a magistral cradle. When Kong charges, SoJo pulls down the top rope, and Kong drops to the floor. The rally doesn’t last long, though, and Kong soon wins with her Awesome Bomb.
Samoa Joe
vs.
“Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner
Joe has a tribal pattern painted on his face and is carrying what Tenay says is a Samoan tribal knife. Tenay says that Steiner seems intimidated, but West points out that he has reason to be concerned about an opponent who keeps putting a knife to his neck and is allowed to bring a knife to the ring.
Joe goes crazy and attacks the referee about two minutes into the match, so Steiner wins by DQ almost immediately. They brawl through the crowd and out of the arena, with Joe biting Steiner’s head.
Lauren talks to AJ Styles, who thanks Devon and Rhino for helping out, but says he can’t allow them to fight his battles for him anymore. Tonight Booker T will find out why they call him “The one, the only, the original AJ Styles.”
Legends Championship Match
The Phenomenal AJ Styles
vs.
Booker T (C) with Sharmell
They start off fast with grappling and quick exchanges and reversals. It’s Booker’s power against AJ’s speed and agility, and they keep the crowd cheering and chanting throughout with the intense action as Booker breaks out some speed of his own. Booker tries to wear down AJ with some clever submission holds.
AJ gets a near fall by locking Booker into a Full Nelson and suplexing into a bridging pin. Booker misses with an axe kick, and AJ hits the Pelé. AJ nails the Styles Clash and pins Booker for the win. Styles celebrates by leaving through the cheering crowd.
They cut to Lauren outside the arena with Samoa Joe, who is carrying a bloody ceremonial knife. A panicky Lauren asks Joe what happened to Scott. Joe tells her to ask Scott what happened. Then he grabs Lauren, threatens her by holding the bloody knife up to her face and throat, and tells her to let the Main Event Mafia know he’s coming for them.
TNA World Tag Team Championship Match:
Off the Wagon Challenge
Team 3D, Brother Ray & Devon
vs.
Beer Money Inc., James Storm & Robert Roode (C)
If Team 3D lose, the one who gets pinned has to leave TNA forever. James Storm’s left thigh is heavily bandaged.
Beer Money starts off mocking and insulting 3D. Brother Ray asks for a test of strength, and then plays his own mind games on Storm. BMI eventually isolate Devon on their side of the ring and go for the frequent tags and cheating they are known for. Devon finally gets the tag to Ray, who manages to create some dissension between Roode and Storm for a little while.
Storm hurricanaranas Ray off the top turnbuckle, and Roode hits the cross body off the top for a pin attempt, but Ray kicks out. Ray hots the Bubba Bomb on Roode but gets only two. Storm accidentally spits the beer into Roode’s face instead of Ray’s, allowing Devon to throw Storm out of the ring. 3D nail Roode with a double slam, but only get a two count. Storm runs in and slams Ray in the back with a chair, so Ref Andrew Thomas disqualifies them, but Jim Cornette comes out and restarts the match as no DQ.
Team 3D nail Storm with the 3D. Ray goes to pin Storm, but Roode pulls Ref Andrew Thomas out of the ring so he can’t count three on Storm. Don West hands the belts to Roode, and Roode carries Storm to the back as Jim Cornette chases them. 3D win by count out, but they don’t get the titles, and the crowd chants, “Bullshit!” Ray and Devon threaten Don West for handing the belts to Beer Money.
They show the Ultimate X participants talking about the match. They play up Suicide as being an unknown factor in the match.
TNA X Division Championship Match
Ultimate X Match
Alex Shelley (C)
vs.
Jay Lethal
vs.
Consequences Creed
vs.
Suicide (Christopher Daniels)
vs.
Chris Sabin
The X Division belt is hanging from two heavy wires suspended across the top of the ring on four steel towers. Suicide makes his ring entrance on a zip line.
Christopher Daniels is wrestling as Suicide (from the TNA Wrestling video game) because Frankie Kazarian, who was the original Suicide, is out with an injury. There’s a joke making the rounds that this gives Daniels the chance to lose the Feast or Fired match again this year, and be “fired” from TNA three years in a row.
Sabin and Shelley gang up on Suicide right from the start, and then go after Lethal and Creed. Ultimate X is a match known for the fast, wild and crazy action, and this edition is no exception. Sabin is the first to try for the belt, but Creed cuts him off.
Sabin dives through the ropes onto Lethal on the floor and Shelley follows. Suicide hoists Creed into a fireman’s carry and then rolls though into a flip off the ring apron onto the other three on the floor. This gets the fans to chant “Suicide!”
Lethal boosts Creed up onto the cables, but Creed doesn’t know what to do once he gets there, and Sabin flies off the ropes to spear Creed off the wires. Suicide starts up the tower and ends up on top of a Tower of Doom with Lethal as the power man on the bottom. Lethal takes down Sabin and Creed, but Suicide hangs onto the wires. Lethal comes back and power bombs Suicide off the wires before he can reach the belt.
The action continues, and Sabin and Shelley hit Creed with their combination move Made in Detroit. Suicide and Shelley end up battling it out on a tower. Suicide gets hooked by one leg as Creed suplexes Shelley off the tower. Sabin, Shelley, and Creed are all on the wires at the center fighting over the belt as Suicide gets loose. The masked man makes a wild dive from one corner to the center, knocking off Sabin, Lethal, and Creed to get the win and become the new X Division Champion
Jeremy Borash interviews Sting, who tells Angle to bring his A game to the match. He says Foley’s going to make sure it stays one on one, and Jarrett is going to count 1-2-3 when he pins Kurt for the win.
TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match
“The Icon” Sting (C)
vs.
Kurt Angle
Special Enforcer: Mick Foley
Special Referee: Jeff Jarrett
The match becomes a brawl early on, when Sting sends Angle over the ropes to the floor and then follows him around ringside, smashing Angle’s head into ring barricades and walls. When they return to the ring, Angle is able to use his wrestling skills and gain an advantage. In numerous near falls, both Tenay and West comment that Jarrett’s counts are timed the same for both men, and that he is keeping his decisions down the middle. Tenay mentions that Jeff was a referee before he became a wrestler.
Don West says this match is as much about control of the Main Event Mafia as it is about the Championship. They battle on in a close but intense contest, neither man willing to lose. Angle tries the ankle lock, but Sting counters out of it. Angle goes for the three German suplexes and the Angle Slam, but only gets a two count. Angle hits a moonsault but gets only two.
Sting ducks and Angle accidentally clotheslines Jarrett, so Foley goes in to check on Jeff. Sting gets the Scorpion Deathlock on Angle, who taps out, but no one sees it, as Foley is checking on Jarrett. Sting releases the hold after Angle taps, only to see that no referee called the submission. Sting goes to check on Jarrett, allowing Kurt to hit the Angle Slam, & Kurt tells Mick to count, but only gets two.
Angle argues the count, then low blows Foley and goes out for a chair, but Foley recovers in time to take it away from him. Mick tries to hit Angle with the chair, but Kurt ducks, so Foley accidentally hits Sting with the chair. Angle takes out Foley with the Angle Slam and wakes up Jarrett to count his pin on Sting, but gets only two. Don West claims the count was slow, but Tenay points out that Jarrett is groggy. Angle disputes the count and spits in Jeff’s face, then punches Jeff, who punches back. This allows Sting to hit Angle with the Scorpion Death Drop and get the win to retain his title. Sting has some words with Foley and then celebrates his win, while Angle screams at Jarrett that he hates him.
This was another excellent PPV from TNA, with not one bad match on the card. I recommend you get the replay.
TNA’s next PPV is Lockdown on April 19 at the Liacouris Center in Philadelphia, PA.
— Karen Belcher
Courtesy of ProWrestlingDigest.com