Monday, June 11, 2012

TNA Slammiversary Results and Afterthoughts

w/ Alex Archer, Violet Buttle, & Mike Bradford
Bobby Roode defeats Sting to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

Alex: What a terrible way to end a great pay-per-view.  After all the talk of TNA taking steps forward and leading the way in professional wrestling, they revert right back to a very "guitar-esque" main event finish.  This main event displayed two of the main reasons people have been down on TNA for the last 6 or 7 years: a 53 year old wrestling for their top belt, and something being broken over the babyfaces head so the heel could score the win.  After kissing Sting's ass all night, TNA didn't need to protect him with a cheap finish, and Bobby Roode desperately needed a clean, decisive victory here.

Violet: This match was sort of boring.  Referees should think twice before making the count on broken glass. Also,  I don’t know why TNA feels the need to put Sting over as much as they do.

Mike: It could've been worse. Sting is 53 and should have done a better job selling some sort of injury after the Scorpion Death Drop off the stage. He essentially took the same bump as Roode, and Roode acted dead. C'mon Sting, you know better that that.

Kurt Angle & AJ Styles defeat Christopher Daniels & Kazarian for the TNA Tag Team Championships

Alex: I was expecting this match to end with some kind of Dixie Carter drama, but was very pleasantly surprised to see a long, clean match with no flukey finish.  All four guys worked their asses off, and in my mind, beat out Joe and Aries for match of the night, and that's saying something.  The decision to put the belts on Angle and Styles seems odd, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and see where this goes and how it plays into the AJ / Dixie storyline.

Violet: I was very surprised to see Daniels and Kazarian drop the titles here. It was a smart choice, however, to have Angle pick up the win. This allows the feud between Styles and Daniels/ Kazarian to continue without any of the men pinning each other.

Mike: My favorite spot of the night was AJ taking out Daniels at the end of the match. I thought this match was fantastic, even if the story did not progress.

Mr. Anderson defeats RVD and Jeff Hardy in a Number One Contender Match

Alex: After seeing these three guys face each other in a ton of random matches over the last few months, I have to admit that I was not excited for this match at all.  Once they got going, though, I was hooked from bell to bell.  I'm ok with Anderson getting the win as long as Roode defeats him clean on Thursday to wash the taste of the beer bottle finish out of fans' mouths. 

Violet: This match was fast-paced and much more fun than I expected it to be. I don’t think Anderson’s match against Roode on Thursday will be nearly as entertaining.

Mike: In my opinion, everyone in this match outdid themselves. The match was full of action and it certainly didn't disappoint.

Miss Tessmacher defeats Gail Kim for the TNA Knockouts Championship

Alex: I'm fine with TNA putting the Knockouts gold on a homegrown talent, but I don't think this was the time to do it.  Gail Kim was on a record-setting title run, and they end it with little to no storyline or buildup.  The match itself wasn't bad, but the story/build was nonexistent.

Violet: What a disappointing and anti-climatic way to take the title off the dominate Kim. Dumb.

Mike: I know I'm in the minority here, but the title needed to change hands to shake thinks up again. Good thing they specified that Brooke is now Miss, otherwise I would've though Brooke Hogan was in the match.

Joseph Park defeats Bully Ray

Alex: I was worried that the "Abyss under the ring" trick was where they were going with this storyline, and sadly, I was right.  The build to this match was great, but the match itself was slow and boring, and the finish was just stupid.  I'm less than excited for the return of Abyss.  Such a boring, stale character.

Violet: This was by far the worst match of the night. Worse than the Garret Bischoff match. Of all the ways TNA could have gone with this story they decided to have a decoy Abyss appear from under the ring and help a desperate Park win. Terrible. Poor Bully Ray.

Mike: I think Joseph Park wrestling like he didn't know what he was doing was well done, but I can't say I'm surprised Abyss's stunt double made an appearance.

Austin Aries defeats Samoa Joe to retain the TNA X Division Championship

Alex: This was a great way to kick off the pay-per-view.  The action was fast paced, the moves were hard hitting, and both guys really worked hard to open the show the right way.  It's only a matter of time before Aries sheds the X Division Title and makes a run at the TNA Heavyweight Championship.

Violet: These two started off the show with a fast-paced, exciting match. After it was over, I thought for sure that this would easily be the match of the night. Even though several other put on stellar performances, I’m sticking by my initial reaction. Even though I’m pleased to see Aries moving toward main event status, I’m bummed that the other X-Division guys seem to be getting neglected in the process.

Mike: Great way to open the PPV. The way Aries is being shown, it looks like he's in line for a World Title shot in the very near future. Joe's string of submissions was awesome as always.

James Storm defeats Crimson

Alex: A nice return for Storm and a very convincing beat down on Crimson.  I'm sure Crimson will play up that he wasn't prepared on Impact this week, which is exactly what his cocky heel character should do.  Storm looked energized in his return and the crowd ate it up.  I don't know if I would say I'm looking forward to his renewed feud with Bobby Roode (whenever they get back to it), but I'm expecting it to be more exciting this time around.

Violet: I was expecting James Storm to accept Crimson’s open challenge, and I was expecting Storm to win. I wasn’t expecting Storm to win with the ease that he did. Why build up Crimson’s undefeated streak just to have Storm destroy him?

Mike: The crowd wanted Goldberg, it was painfully clear. I didn't think Crimson would lose with no story involved, but Storm was a great pick to end the streak. Who could've predicted that him leaving beer behind would have an effect on the main event. Let that be a lesson to you, NEVER leave a beer behind.

Devon & Garrett Bischoff defeat Robbie E. & Robbie T.

Alex: If they're going to use Garrett, then the midcard is the place to do it.  With that said, he still looked like a fish out of water when he was in the ring.  His moves aren't crisp, his charisma is nonexistent, and his look is beyond generic.  The Robbie's need to get away from this dumb feud around the TV Title.  TNA needs to get the belt off Devon as soon as possible.  All of the excitement over the announcement of the TV Title being defended every week has totally worn off during this never ending feud.

Violet: Is the feud between Devon and Robbie E finally over? I certainly hope so. Every time I see Garrett Bischoff I am amazed by how absolutely petrified he looks in the ring. I would assume Madison Rayne is crushing on Garrett, because a goofy, romantic storyline will give Garrett something to do beside wrestle for a bit. But, honestly, he isn’t very good at talking either, so I don’t expect this Madison Rayne nonsense to be watchable.

Mike: I feel so bad for Garrett Bischoff. National TV is his developmental, and the crowd is completely impatient with him. This wouldn't happen with anyone with a different last name. That being said, this match served it's purpose and didn't drag on. However there was no closure to the Madison Rayne story, and that's disappointing.

Hernandez defeats Kid Kash

Alex: I was surprised that Hernandez got the victory, and even more impressed by that dive over the top.  This match was short and to the point, and both guys looked good.  It didn't need to be on the pay-per-view, but I'm not upset that it was.

Violet: This match was short and pleasant.

Mike: Both guys brought it. I guess I just assumed they would kind of sleep walk through the match since there was no storyline involved. I enjoyed it.


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