John
08-30-2009, 04:23 PM
Jeremy Borash opens the show announcing that the TNA crew will be searching for the loudest fans in the arena to take backstage throughout the show. He wasn't joking, as no less than 50 fans were taken backstage to me the stars.
Match #1: Shark Boy vs. Suicide
This might as well have been Spiderman vs. Aquaman, as it was hard not to compare the whole bout to a super-hero showdown. On the down side, Shark Boy looked like somebody has been dropping to much chum in the feeding tank. The match started with some pretty basic back and forth action which saw a slight halt when a fan shouted for Shark Boy to "relax". Shark Boy started off with some strong offensive which left Suicide on the ground in the turnbuckle. Shark Boy grabbed Suicide by the legs and attempted to lift him up in the air and slam him on his back, but Suicide land perfectly on his feet. After a body slam, Suicide hit an impressive 180-springboard-legdrop, followed soon by a missile dropkick. Shark Boy began mounting a return only to be caught by the Suicide Solution for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Suicide
Match #2: Lethal Consequences vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir & Kiyoshi
Lethal Consequences cam out to a huge pop from the crowd. As Bashir began to try entering the ring, Consequences Creed kept him at bay and outside the ring by pointing at him and yelling the names of American cities such as Atlanta, Philadelphia and New York. Apparently, the mere mention of an American city is enough to frighten a grown man. That was news to me. The match started with a hard double team which saw Kiyoshi learning what it must feel like to walk in on a drunk and abusive stepfather cheating on your mom. The match turned a 180 as Kiyoshi whipped Creed into the ropes which were supposed to have been pulled down by Bashir to cause Creed to fly out of the ring. Instead, Bashir barely tugged on the ropes and Creed fell face first into the mat. After some good technical work on behalf of Creed and Kiyoshi, Lethal was brought into the ring. A good offense was mounted which left Kiyoshi prone to a Lethal flying elbow from the top. Instead, Bashir distracted Lethal long enough for Kiyoshi to get to his feet. Lethal leapt for a flying double-axehandle, but was caught by a mist to the face, followed by a spin-kick to the head that was stiffer than Ron Jeremy with the camera's rolling. The kick was good for the pinfall.
Winners: Sheik Abdul Bashir & Kiyoshi
Match #3: Angelina Love & Madison Rayne vs. Sarita & Hamada
I'll be honest, I paid as little attention as possible to my pen and paper during this match. To be even more honest, I don't feel the least bit bad about the infinitesimal room which barely remained between my jaw and the ground as I watched these women in front of my kid's mom. Sarita started off the match with some of her typical (not so typical for anyone else) high flying moves. Sarita and Angelina exchanged some good back and forth action. Madison distracted the referee long enough to turn the tide, at which point Hamada made her way into the ring. This was a great match, and I was very pleased with how well Sarita and Hamada worked together. Hamada botched a few spots on her own, but her work with Sarita was impeccable. I couldn't tell what move was used to finish the match (I was focused on Madison bent over at ringside), but I looked up just in time to see Sarita cover Angelina for the win.
Winners: Sarita & Hamada
Match #4: Bobby Lashley vs. Eric Young
Eric starts out on the mic talking about how he hates America, and how Texas must be the worst of all. He even lambasts Lashley for talking about how excited he was to come back to Texas. Young says that he is going to give Lashley a once in a lifetime opportunity... to turn his back on America and join the World Elite. Lashley promptly refused his offer and, as he turned around, was attacked from behind by Young. Lashley turned around and picked Young up into a vertical suplex. I make no joke when I say that this suplex lasted at least 50% of the match. Lashley held young in the air for about 25 seconds, the last 10 of which were one-armed. Then, Lashley was up to his feet and waiting for an opportune time to connect with the spear for the pinfall.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
This match was far too short, but I think the fans are just happy to see Lashley back in the ring. He was also extremely friendly and accessible for his fans, even posing with me, my daughter's mom, and some young kids before the evening started. Lashley made up for his lack of in-ring time with his surprisingly available face time.
Match #4: Team 3D vs. The British Invasion
This was a Table match advertised as "Falls Count Anywhere in San Angelo". Aside from the fact that "falls" don't count in a tables match, and that getting put through a table always counts everywhere in a tables match, I thought that this misnomer was forgivable. I had expected the other fans to get the problem with the title, but was astoundingly proven wrong as I sat outside the arena listening to a snaggle-toothed version version of a grown-up Garbage Pale Kid would tell anyone who was willing to listen about the exciting "falls count anywhere" stipulation, and the fact that she was ready to "follow 'dem out tuda highway ifah gotta". The match started off pretty strong before the Invasion picked up and left ringside. They only made it halfway to "the highway" (or at least the entrance way) before getting stopped by the Dudleys and pulled back to the ring. The majority of the match was contested outside of the ring, and right in front of my seat. The Dudleys put on one hell of a show for their fans. There's really no point in going move for move on this one, just a whole lot of brawling around ringside and the use of guardrails as weapons. The match ended with a 3D through the table delivered to Doug Williams.
Winners: Team 3D
After the match, Team 3D invited a young girl, probably about 6 years old, into the ring. The took a piece of the broken table, autographed it, and then gave it to her as a souvenir. Bubba Ray grabbed a mic and spoke to the little girl. "Hey, sweetheart... are you having a good time tonight?" Her answer was a prompt "no". She probably cried on her father's shoulder for the rest of the evening, but something tells me that man was willing to sacrifice his daughter's tears for that autographed table shard. Some parents.
Match #6: For the World Heavyweight Title, Kurt Angle vs. Abyss.
I couldn't begin to count how many times Kurt ran out of the ring and away from the Monster. I can, however, say that his running earned a shout that "If you always ran away that fast, your criminal record might still be clean". For the few fans who seemed to be in the know on this one, the look of frustration on Angle's face was real, and the laughter on their end was just as real. Not to take anything away from Angle. Innocent until proven guilty. Right? Outside antics aside, Kurt and Chris put on a great match. Usually, at a house show, you see a lot of guys hold back. I can honestly say there was not a single athlete at the show who did not perform as if the cameras were rolling for a pay-per-view, minus the Lashley/Young match. Kurt and Abyss were no exception. There was hardly a "collar and elbow" to be seen from bell to bell. Abyss through Angle into the corner for a stiff running splash. Angle retaliated by sneaking behind the Monster and clipping him at the knee. The next several minutes involved a systematic attack on Abyss's left knee (not ankle). But who cares? The kids at ringside must have most certainly believed that Abyss's newfound calf injury would weaken him for the ankle lock. Out of nowhere Abyss hit the Shock Treat and covered Kurt for the one, two..... and three quarters. The little boy beside me at the rails nearly burst into tears at the thought of his hero almost obtaining the gold. Meanwhile, the lone child chanting "You suck, Abyss" was about to run the gauntlet with a bunch of anti-Angle all-American youth. He might as well have walked into Jerry Johnson's new stadium wearing a Miami Dolphins jersey. Meanwhile, real athletes were actually being paid for their action as the match continued. Abyss mounted the occasional offense only to be cut short every time by another blow to the knee. Abyss barely escaped the ankle lock only to be caught by the Angle/Olympic/HGH Slam (who knows what it's called these days?). One. Two. Three.
Winner: Kurt Angle
After the match, Kurt said that he wasn't nearly through with Abyss. While the Monster was nursing his wounds in the corner, Kurt grabbed hold for another ankle lock. This brought out the Hardcore Legend! Quick to limp to ring and throw about zero punches, which was just long enough for Kurt to turn around into the Black Hole Slam. Mick got on the mic to do his usual work. I was please when he looked at a friend of mine (who idolizes Foley) and saw him holding up a sign that I had made which stated "Mick Foley Put My Ass In This Seat". Mick commented about how he liked the sign and had it brought into the ring so he could hold it high and show off the fact that 95% of the fans who came that night came to see a man who wasn't even scheduled to wrestle.
In the end, the metal barricades were moved so that fans could pay a whopping $20 to get in the ring with the Hardcore Legend himself and have their pictures taken. You better believe I paid that whopping twenty bucks! But it was worth it, as I got to talk to one of the greatest of all time, and even got him to sign a ten year old "Mankind" comic book. Jeremy Borash encouraged all of the fans to gather around at ringside, and a parade of wrestler began to walk up and down every step of the rails to sign autographs for their fans. This was far different from a WWE show, and that is a very good thing. I had a short chat with Jay Lethal about how he may have the best gimmick in wrestling today. What could be better than the black Randy Savage? The Hurricane? Maybe. But Jay was a great guy, and nearly all of the athletes were completely accessible for their fans.
At $50 a seat for ringside seats, and a modest $100 spent on merch for the night, the show was great well worth the cash. My only regret is that there was a turnout of less than 600 people for the show. The athletes deserved better. Hopefully the advertisers will actually put a little more behind their efforts when TNA returns next summer.
Match #1: Shark Boy vs. Suicide
This might as well have been Spiderman vs. Aquaman, as it was hard not to compare the whole bout to a super-hero showdown. On the down side, Shark Boy looked like somebody has been dropping to much chum in the feeding tank. The match started with some pretty basic back and forth action which saw a slight halt when a fan shouted for Shark Boy to "relax". Shark Boy started off with some strong offensive which left Suicide on the ground in the turnbuckle. Shark Boy grabbed Suicide by the legs and attempted to lift him up in the air and slam him on his back, but Suicide land perfectly on his feet. After a body slam, Suicide hit an impressive 180-springboard-legdrop, followed soon by a missile dropkick. Shark Boy began mounting a return only to be caught by the Suicide Solution for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Suicide
Match #2: Lethal Consequences vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir & Kiyoshi
Lethal Consequences cam out to a huge pop from the crowd. As Bashir began to try entering the ring, Consequences Creed kept him at bay and outside the ring by pointing at him and yelling the names of American cities such as Atlanta, Philadelphia and New York. Apparently, the mere mention of an American city is enough to frighten a grown man. That was news to me. The match started with a hard double team which saw Kiyoshi learning what it must feel like to walk in on a drunk and abusive stepfather cheating on your mom. The match turned a 180 as Kiyoshi whipped Creed into the ropes which were supposed to have been pulled down by Bashir to cause Creed to fly out of the ring. Instead, Bashir barely tugged on the ropes and Creed fell face first into the mat. After some good technical work on behalf of Creed and Kiyoshi, Lethal was brought into the ring. A good offense was mounted which left Kiyoshi prone to a Lethal flying elbow from the top. Instead, Bashir distracted Lethal long enough for Kiyoshi to get to his feet. Lethal leapt for a flying double-axehandle, but was caught by a mist to the face, followed by a spin-kick to the head that was stiffer than Ron Jeremy with the camera's rolling. The kick was good for the pinfall.
Winners: Sheik Abdul Bashir & Kiyoshi
Match #3: Angelina Love & Madison Rayne vs. Sarita & Hamada
I'll be honest, I paid as little attention as possible to my pen and paper during this match. To be even more honest, I don't feel the least bit bad about the infinitesimal room which barely remained between my jaw and the ground as I watched these women in front of my kid's mom. Sarita started off the match with some of her typical (not so typical for anyone else) high flying moves. Sarita and Angelina exchanged some good back and forth action. Madison distracted the referee long enough to turn the tide, at which point Hamada made her way into the ring. This was a great match, and I was very pleased with how well Sarita and Hamada worked together. Hamada botched a few spots on her own, but her work with Sarita was impeccable. I couldn't tell what move was used to finish the match (I was focused on Madison bent over at ringside), but I looked up just in time to see Sarita cover Angelina for the win.
Winners: Sarita & Hamada
Match #4: Bobby Lashley vs. Eric Young
Eric starts out on the mic talking about how he hates America, and how Texas must be the worst of all. He even lambasts Lashley for talking about how excited he was to come back to Texas. Young says that he is going to give Lashley a once in a lifetime opportunity... to turn his back on America and join the World Elite. Lashley promptly refused his offer and, as he turned around, was attacked from behind by Young. Lashley turned around and picked Young up into a vertical suplex. I make no joke when I say that this suplex lasted at least 50% of the match. Lashley held young in the air for about 25 seconds, the last 10 of which were one-armed. Then, Lashley was up to his feet and waiting for an opportune time to connect with the spear for the pinfall.
Winner: Bobby Lashley
This match was far too short, but I think the fans are just happy to see Lashley back in the ring. He was also extremely friendly and accessible for his fans, even posing with me, my daughter's mom, and some young kids before the evening started. Lashley made up for his lack of in-ring time with his surprisingly available face time.
Match #4: Team 3D vs. The British Invasion
This was a Table match advertised as "Falls Count Anywhere in San Angelo". Aside from the fact that "falls" don't count in a tables match, and that getting put through a table always counts everywhere in a tables match, I thought that this misnomer was forgivable. I had expected the other fans to get the problem with the title, but was astoundingly proven wrong as I sat outside the arena listening to a snaggle-toothed version version of a grown-up Garbage Pale Kid would tell anyone who was willing to listen about the exciting "falls count anywhere" stipulation, and the fact that she was ready to "follow 'dem out tuda highway ifah gotta". The match started off pretty strong before the Invasion picked up and left ringside. They only made it halfway to "the highway" (or at least the entrance way) before getting stopped by the Dudleys and pulled back to the ring. The majority of the match was contested outside of the ring, and right in front of my seat. The Dudleys put on one hell of a show for their fans. There's really no point in going move for move on this one, just a whole lot of brawling around ringside and the use of guardrails as weapons. The match ended with a 3D through the table delivered to Doug Williams.
Winners: Team 3D
After the match, Team 3D invited a young girl, probably about 6 years old, into the ring. The took a piece of the broken table, autographed it, and then gave it to her as a souvenir. Bubba Ray grabbed a mic and spoke to the little girl. "Hey, sweetheart... are you having a good time tonight?" Her answer was a prompt "no". She probably cried on her father's shoulder for the rest of the evening, but something tells me that man was willing to sacrifice his daughter's tears for that autographed table shard. Some parents.
Match #6: For the World Heavyweight Title, Kurt Angle vs. Abyss.
I couldn't begin to count how many times Kurt ran out of the ring and away from the Monster. I can, however, say that his running earned a shout that "If you always ran away that fast, your criminal record might still be clean". For the few fans who seemed to be in the know on this one, the look of frustration on Angle's face was real, and the laughter on their end was just as real. Not to take anything away from Angle. Innocent until proven guilty. Right? Outside antics aside, Kurt and Chris put on a great match. Usually, at a house show, you see a lot of guys hold back. I can honestly say there was not a single athlete at the show who did not perform as if the cameras were rolling for a pay-per-view, minus the Lashley/Young match. Kurt and Abyss were no exception. There was hardly a "collar and elbow" to be seen from bell to bell. Abyss through Angle into the corner for a stiff running splash. Angle retaliated by sneaking behind the Monster and clipping him at the knee. The next several minutes involved a systematic attack on Abyss's left knee (not ankle). But who cares? The kids at ringside must have most certainly believed that Abyss's newfound calf injury would weaken him for the ankle lock. Out of nowhere Abyss hit the Shock Treat and covered Kurt for the one, two..... and three quarters. The little boy beside me at the rails nearly burst into tears at the thought of his hero almost obtaining the gold. Meanwhile, the lone child chanting "You suck, Abyss" was about to run the gauntlet with a bunch of anti-Angle all-American youth. He might as well have walked into Jerry Johnson's new stadium wearing a Miami Dolphins jersey. Meanwhile, real athletes were actually being paid for their action as the match continued. Abyss mounted the occasional offense only to be cut short every time by another blow to the knee. Abyss barely escaped the ankle lock only to be caught by the Angle/Olympic/HGH Slam (who knows what it's called these days?). One. Two. Three.
Winner: Kurt Angle
After the match, Kurt said that he wasn't nearly through with Abyss. While the Monster was nursing his wounds in the corner, Kurt grabbed hold for another ankle lock. This brought out the Hardcore Legend! Quick to limp to ring and throw about zero punches, which was just long enough for Kurt to turn around into the Black Hole Slam. Mick got on the mic to do his usual work. I was please when he looked at a friend of mine (who idolizes Foley) and saw him holding up a sign that I had made which stated "Mick Foley Put My Ass In This Seat". Mick commented about how he liked the sign and had it brought into the ring so he could hold it high and show off the fact that 95% of the fans who came that night came to see a man who wasn't even scheduled to wrestle.
In the end, the metal barricades were moved so that fans could pay a whopping $20 to get in the ring with the Hardcore Legend himself and have their pictures taken. You better believe I paid that whopping twenty bucks! But it was worth it, as I got to talk to one of the greatest of all time, and even got him to sign a ten year old "Mankind" comic book. Jeremy Borash encouraged all of the fans to gather around at ringside, and a parade of wrestler began to walk up and down every step of the rails to sign autographs for their fans. This was far different from a WWE show, and that is a very good thing. I had a short chat with Jay Lethal about how he may have the best gimmick in wrestling today. What could be better than the black Randy Savage? The Hurricane? Maybe. But Jay was a great guy, and nearly all of the athletes were completely accessible for their fans.
At $50 a seat for ringside seats, and a modest $100 spent on merch for the night, the show was great well worth the cash. My only regret is that there was a turnout of less than 600 people for the show. The athletes deserved better. Hopefully the advertisers will actually put a little more behind their efforts when TNA returns next summer.