The PPV opens with a video with the theme of “No surrender” showing clips of the events leading up to the PPV.
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Mike Tenay and Taz welcome us to the PPV. Mike Tenay announces that Angelina Love and TNA “have parted ways due to business issues.” Canadian Angelina Love can’t work in the US until some work visa problems are resolved.
Finals of the Knockouts Tag Team Title Tournament
The Beautiful People, Velvet Sky & Madison Rayne
vs.
Taylor Wilde & Sarita
Senior Referee Earl Hebner comes out and ejects Referee Slick Johnson, making himself the referee in this match; Tenay and Taz remind us that it’s because Slick has been less than impartial in his rulings for the Beautiful People.
Sarita, Taylor, and Madison do a fine job of carrying this match, even though it’s too short to do them justice. Sarita comes off the ropes to drop kick Madison and Taylor flips her into a bridging suplex to become the first TNA Women’s Tag Team Champions in an entertaining fast-paced match. It’s a shame they couldn’t have replaced Velvet Sky so that they could have given the women a longer match and a more of chance to shine, especially since the Women’s Championship match later on is such a joke.
Tenay announces that a match has been added, Suicide vs, The Pope D’Angelo Dinero. Tenay and Taz run down the rest of the card.
Lauren congratulates Sarita and Taylor Wilde on their big win. The ladies say they plan on holding the belts for a long time.
Jeremy Borash interviews Eric Young, who asks Eric Young why he thinks Hernandez might still join them. Young has Kiyoshi step in and say something in Japanese, then he answers JB by saying he’s not going to touch Hernandez, he’s not even dressed to wrestle.
Grudge Match
Hernandez
vs.
Eric Young
Like everything else associated with the World Elite angle, the story behind this match makes no sense. Eric Young’s poor speaking skills haven’t improved one iota, either, though you’d think with all the time he’s been given on tv, that we should have seen a major improvement by now. Instead, he’s taken to making google eyes at the camera, apparently in an effort to look scary. Every time he does it, I want to laugh, but I can’t, because the whole thing is just so sad. No wonder Homicide asked for his release from TNA; too bad for him they wouldn’t grant it.
Eric Young comes out in his business suit, but Hernandez doesn’t let that stop him from attacking the heel. Hernandez carries on as though Young were fighting, and finishes with a big border toss to get the win in a match that runs less than 5 minutes.
Jeremy Borash talks to Matt Morgan, who says the match tonight is only about him and Angle, not AJ or Sting, and he is going to rip the torch from Kurt tonight.
TNA X Division Championship Match
Christopher Daniels
vs.
Samoa Joe (C)
Daniels uses his quickness high flying and works on Joe’s neck, while Joe stays on the mat and concentrates on submission holds. The crowd is solidly behind Daniels from the start, chanting “Fallen Angel.” Joe works on Daniels’ left knee, which is bandaged under the knee pad.
Joe retains with the rear naked choke, which he still can’t apply properly. Note to Tenay and Taz: when a wrestler is only so-so, and you try too hard to convince us that he is great, you only hurt your own credibility.
Jeremy Borash tries to ask Mick Foley about announcing during the Abyss vs. Kevin Nash match, but Foley is upset because someone destroyed a framed cartoon he had on his wall.
Lauren asks Dinero about his match with Suicide, but “The Pope” launches into a Stacker 2 commercial. Really! Suicide jumps him from behind, sparing us from the rest of his diatribe. Taz says he was getting a headache from it too.
Falls Count Anywhere Match
Suicide
vs.
“The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero
They go right from the attack into a brawl backstage, since this is falls count anywhere. They bash each other into walls, trunks, columns, dumpsters, poles, golf carts, and anything else they can find. Dinero tries to climb over a fence, but Suicide pulls him back, pulling down Dinero’s trunks and exposing his rear end in the process. Taz quips that he feels like he’s watching a Ric Flair match – I was thinking the same thing, Taz.
Finally they brawl to ringside, where Dinero uses the ring bell as a weapon by bashing Suicide’s head into it and then ringing it. Suicide starts to pull a table out from under the ring, but he’s interrupted by the Pope. DInero sets up the table near the ramp, but Suicide comes back and the brawl continues. Dinero tries to suplex Suicide into the table, but Suicide fights out, and they fight up to the entrance. Suicide goes to the back and brings out another table.
The struggle continues, and eventually Suicide puts Pope on the table. Suicide climbs up into a space over the entry door and leaps off, but DInero gets out of the way, and Suicide goes through the table alone. The Pope rolls over onto Suicide and gets the pin.
TNA Knockouts Championship Match
ODB
vs.
Cody Deaner
Taz opens with a string of redneck jokes and says, “it’s Sunday night in the double wide.” ODB finally won with a TKO to become the Knockout Champion.
The less said about this debacle, the better. I realize the intention is to have a comedy match, but no world title should ever be at stake in a comedy match, unless it’s the World Comedy Wrestling Championship. To add insult to injury, this mess isn’t even funny. This is the kind of booking that makes it painfully embarrassing to admit to people that you’re a wrestling fan. I can’t imagine how embarrassing it must be to take part in it. This is what happens when someone doesn’t keep a tight rein on Vince Russo, and now that TNA reportedly has been foolish enough to hire back Ed Ferrara, I fear that we’re only going to see more of this idiotic booking in the future. At least Deaner didn’t win – now we just have to hope they don’t decide to have a rematch. ODB deserves better.
Lauren interviews ODB on the ramp. ODB says that she’s happy to have beaten “that mullet.”
Borash interview Kurt Angle, who says that Matt Morgan is big, bad, and brainless, and Kurt will win because he has brains.
$50,000 Bounty vs. The Legends Championship Match
“The Monster” Abyss
vs.
Kevin Nash
Mick Foley is at ringside with Tenay and Taz. He says that he’s not upset that Abyss interfered and cost him his shot at the Legends Title on iMPACT! Then he says again that he’s upset about his picture being destroyed. As Nash and Abyss brawl out of the ring and around ringside, Mick and Taz crack jokes about no longer having to announce while someone yells in their headsets.
Nash and Abyss battle back into the ring, Dr. Stevie brings out a chair and sits on the entrance ramp. So far they haven’t used all the weapons common to Abyss’ matches; it’s a typical big men’s power match. Stevie distracts the ref while Daffney sneaks in with a taser, but Abyss catches her and delivers a Black Hole Slam. Abyss grabs the taser, but Stevie snatches it away before he can use it on Daffney.
Nash slams Abyss with a chair, but can’t get the pin. Finally, Abyss asks Foley for his barbed wire bat. Foley hands it to him barbed wire first, so Abyss drops it; meanwhile, Nash sneaks up behind Abyss and tasers him in the crotch, then rolls him up for the pin.
Stevie tries to renege on paying Nash, since he didn’t end Abyss’ career, but Nash power bombs Stevie and walks away with the cash.
Jeremy Borash talks to Steiner and Booker. Steiner says he doesn’t like anyone else in the match with them, and Booker says that they are sure to win tonight.
TNA Lethal Lockdown
Beer Money Inc.
vs.
Team 3D
vs.
Scott Steiner & Booker T
vs.
British Invasion
Doug Williams enters first, followed by James Storm. Williams interrupts Storm’s entrance, and gets beer spit in his face in reply. This was a good choice to start off, as Storm and Williams give us the most impressive wrestling of the night so far. Magnus enters next, and Storm baseball slides into the door, smashing it into Brutus’ face. The Brits double team Roode until the buzzer signals the next entrance. Robert Roode runs to the rescue and cleans house impressively. I’d like to see a program between these two teams.
Scott Steiner is the next man in. One of the first things he does is hit Roode with a Frankensteiner. Brother Devon enters next and evens up the sides once again. Taz cracks a joke about “summer teeth – some er green, some er black…” and asks Mike if he feels like he’s working with Heenan again.
It’s Booker’s turn to enter next, but he walks down very slowly, carrying the tag team belts and posing. Taz says it’s “a T.O. moment.” Brother Ray is the last to enter, but Rob Terry blind sides Ray and bashes him several times with a chair, knocking him out. Then Terry threatens the man who has the controls for the cage cover, and forces him to lower the roof even though Ray isn’t inside yet.
The weapons come into play with the roof down, and the heels have a 4 to 3 advantage. Ray crawls up to the ring, and Rob Terry goes after him again, but Ray jumps up and takes out Rob with a chair. Ray gets into the cage at last and goes to town with his chair. Ray helps him out with a trash can lid, and Storm chips in with a trash can. Roode, Magnus, and Storm go up to the top of the cage. Roode and Storm give Magnus a double team suplex on the roof as the fans cheer.
Beer Money return to the cage as the fans chant, “This is awesome!” A DWI on Williams gets the win for Beer Money and 3D.
Lauren interviews Rhino, who says that Lashley may be good at MMA, but real men wrestle. This isn’t an octagon, it’s a six-sided ring, and Rhino will “rip him in half with a Gore! Gore! Gore!”
“The Boss” Bobby Lashley’s TNA PPV Debut
“The Boss” Bobby Lashley
vs.
“The War Machine” Rhino
Lashley gets the advantage early on, so Rhino goes to the floor to regroup. Lashley follows, and Rhino gets the advantage when Lashley is distracted by some fans on the guard rail. This is a super hard-hitting match with convincing MMA overtones. It’s the kind of thing wrestling should do more of. Bobby Lashley gets the win by punching Rhino in the head as Rhino charges him for a Gore.
Jeremy Borash talks to Sting and AJ, who say they are focused and ready, and one of them is headed out to the first day of the rest of his life.
TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sting
vs.
Kurt Angle (C)
vs.
Matt Morgan
vs.
AJ Styles
As Jeremy Borash is finishing the ring introductions, Hernandez comes out and cashes in his Feast or Fired case to get a shot at the title too. Angle flips out and punches Hernandez in the face, but Hernandez barely flinches, and hits Angle right back. The others stand back as Hernandez lifts Angle into an overhead suplex and holds him there for what must be close to a full minute. Hernandez and Angle go to the floor and brawl there as Sting, Morgan, and AJ fight in the ring.
Hernandez starts to border toss Angle on the ramp, but Eric Young runs out and hits Hernandez behind the knee with a club, then Pile drives Hernandez on the ramp. A trainer comes out for Hernandez, and Angle returns to the ring.
As the match goes on, Morgan decides to join with Angle against Sting and Styles, so it becomes something like a tag team match. All four men put their best into this match, and it’s a fine mix of scientific, high flying, and power wrestling.
Sting goes for the Scorpion Death Lock, but Angle counters it into the ankle lock. Morgan looks at AJ, who is out on the mat, sees his chance, and hits Angle with the Carbon Footprint. Morgan charges Sting, who dodges, pulls down the top, and causes Matt to go over to the floor. Sting looks at AJ, steps aside, and goes to the floor to keep Morgan busy as Styles hits Angle with a springboard 450 off the ropes to get the pin and become the TNA Heavyweight Champion.
Christopher Daniels runs out to congratulate AJ, and is soon followed by other wrestlers and fans filling up the ring. Okay, Russo books some things right.
Despite one truly awful match, this was a marked improvement over the last two PPVs from TNA. It’s well worth buying the replay for the last three matches alone.
TNA’s next PPV is Bound for Glory on October 18 at the University of California Irvine’s Bren Events Center.
— Karen Belcher
Courtesy of ProWrestlingDigest.com