Wrestling’s 4R’s PPV Edition: TNA Slammiversary (2007)
Posted by Larry Csonka on 06.19.2007
It is Tuesday morning and I STILL hate TNA’s Production Team!
Introduction!
Welcome back to another PPV edition of WRestling's 4R's! It is time once again to break down the PPV of the past weekend in the 4R's style. You know, I am still getting used to calling it the 4R's, it's craziness I tell you! We're back for the 2nd of 3 PPV's here in June, the TNA Slammiversary show! You know, these 3 PPV months are a killer. I blame Vince. STOP HAVING 16 PPV's! Thankfully it is 15 this year, no more December to Dismember. Hopefully they drop back a bit next year as well to 14, which is rumored. Anyway, we have TNA to discuss so let us get to it!
TNA SLAMMIVERSARY Podcast~!
We're back again, the wife and myself to discuss the TNA 5th Slammiversary show! We'll discuss the good that was TNA, the bad that was TNA and the people in TNA that need to be castrated as soon as humanly possible! Dear Christi returns, we'll also discuss Deadliest Catch, The Tudors and "THE LIST~!"
If that doesn't work, copy and paste the following link into your browser and you'll be fine: http://www.sendspace.com/file/czbbjh
How the 4R's of wRestling Work!
Here is a quick explanation of the 4 R's. I will take the 4 main shows (5 if I go RetRo) of the week: TNA Impact, WWE Raw, ECW on Sci-Fi and WWE Smackdown. If we have a PPV, that show will get a special PPV edition of the R's all to its own. I then group my feelings on the shows in various categories: The Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right is stuff that worked very well: a great promo, a great match and so on. PuRgatoRy is a section between the right and wrong. It shows equal traits from both sides that cannot be ignored and need discussed. It is not a bad place per say, as things can get remedied or go the wrong way the very next week. The wRong is what it sounds like: bad matches, bad or boring promos and so on. The Ridiculous is stuff that had no right on TV: Stupid angles, Diva searches and so on. And there is always a possibility of a 5th R, which is as bad as they come, unless you are TNA. They have a special R all of their own, the 6th R; the Russo-FN-Riffic~!
This column is supposed to be analytical, and at the right time very critical of the shows, it was the whole reason it was created. This is not a "mark" column, nor a "smark" column, I cannot speak for Geoff, but my goal is to analyze the show from many different fronts, reward the good and call out the bad. There are also occasions where I will bring out a 5th or even a 6th R to the column, so beware of those~! I will not apologize for my opinions, they are as they are, whether very positive or negative.
TNA Slammiversary 2007~!:
The Matches:
Rhino and Senshi defeated LAX @ 8:25 via pin ***¼
X TITLE MATCH: Black Machismo defeated Chris Sabin to become the NEW X-DIVISION CHAMPION @ 8:58 via pin ***
Jerry Lynn and Frank Wycheck defeated James Storm and Ron Killings @ 9:00 via pin **
MR. BOB BACKLUND defeated Alex Shelley @ 3:55 via pin *¼
The VKM defeated Basham and Damaja @3:34 via pin *TRASH of the Night!
Eric Young defeated Robert Roode @ 11:00 via pin **½
TNA Tag Team Title Match: Team 3D defeated Animal and Rick Steiner @ 6:43 via pin *½
Sting defeated Christopher Daniels @ 6:40 via pin **¼
No DQ Match: Abyss defeated Tomko @ 13:52 via pin ***
TNA World Heavyweight Championship - King of the Mountain Match: Kurt Angle defeated Joe, AJ, Cage and Harris to become the NEW TNA CHAMPION @ 19:25 ****MATCH of the Night!
The Right:
The Hot Opener - TNA Slammiversary kicked off with a hell of a little opener. LAX w/Konnan did battle with Rhino and Senshi w/Hector Guerrero. Now it was changed as Harris was to tag with Rhino, but we will see that they had a higher calling for Harris. But the addition of Senshi to this match was an excellent one. He works well with Cide and with him not being used, was very motivated, as everyone was tonight. Senshi and Hernandez had the greatest parts of this match. Senshi started by chopping and kicking the hell out of Hernandez, and when he was done he angered Hernandez. Young Hernandez then decided to throw Senshi around the ring like a sack of shit, and it was glorious! They got the heat on him, the crowd loved it, Rhino got the hot tag, the crowd loved it and life was great! Konnan tossed in the slapjack, but Hector was able to stun Cide off the ropes, allowing Rhino to gore the shit out of him for the pin. This was great. This also pissed off LAX, who then attacked Hector later in the evening while he was doing commentary, so this will continue and as long as Senshi and Hernandez do what they did tonight, I am all for this. Also, thanks Senshi for remembering you are a wrestler and not a soccer player. Umbros really aren't in style anymore, are they?
Eric is Free! - Eric Young was backstage with JB, and was worried about his match tonight. Traci Tits Magee Brooks came into the picture and tried to seduce him, so that they would not have the match. Enter Gail Kim, who has had some issues recently with Brooks. She told Eric to get in the game and not worry about Brooks. She then kissed him and said that, "this was a real woman." Eric left to prepare and Brooks called Gail a bitch, and life was grand. So we hit the ring and we had the match, and they had a dandy little match. Eric got to be the Eric of old at times, SHOWTIME BABY and that was great. Robert Roode has turned into a heel that you can really hate, in a good way. They battled, all looked good until Roode killed EY with a chair shot and got the pin! He then proceeded to fire young Eric Young and the crowd HATED this! But all was not lost you see, Jim Cornette appeared and said he would watch this because he expected bullshit from Roode, and he restarted the match. And as usual after a restart, 90seconds or so later the match was over, Eric pinned Roode and he was free! I usually hate restarts, but this worked well here as the crowd bought into it all and still loved the ending. I have one complaint, but that will come below.
The X-Title Match/Shelley vs. Backlund - After some thought, I have decided to lump this all together because in reality, it belongs together. To start Nash came out to do commentary, which was and is always great. GURU-Sonjay Dutt also made his way to the ring, spreading flowers about hugging Machismo. And then he disappeared. Now the X-Title match was the 2nd bout of the show, and backed up the hot opener very well. Machismo is very over in the gimmick, the people loved him and they wanted to see the title change. Sabin is a cocky asshole, and they wanted him to lose. They had a damn fine 9-minute match, lots of flippy-do's, reversals and near falls that were all laid out well. They had a great reversal series at the end and then Machismo Lethal Combo and "kinda elbow drop" for the win and title. Nash came into celebrate with him and all was well.
Next we had the battle between Alex Shelley and Mr. Bob Backlund. I probably shouldn't have loved this as much as I did, and I hate that Shelley had to lose, but this was great. Mr. Bob Backlund came out in the robe, he had the towel and he did the wacky hurdle exercises and it was great. They started off and Mr. Bob Backlund did the leg sweep and was in early control. Shelley took him down with the short arm scissor, and then, like he was 2 again, Mr. Bob Backlund CLEAN JERKED HIM ONTOHIS SHOULDERS! He picked up Alex Shelley as if he were a small child and didn't even break a sweat. Sabin would run out and try to help Shelley, but Mr. Bob Backlund was too smart and got the roll up and bridge for the win. He then started to apply chicken wings to both men. Nash and Jerry Lynn came out, to calm things and Nash ended up laying out Lynn with the boot as the MCMG beat down Backlund. Black Machismo then came out and cleared the ring, and looked on with curiosity to Nash, wondering what had just happened. This could lead to some decent fun, with the MCMG and Nash vs. Lynn, Backlund and Dutt or Machismo. It got a bit wacky, turns and all but was fine. Mr. Bob Backlund also looked awesome, and anyone that bashes this remembers that when you see Flair next. Fine stuff overall.
Thank you Jeff, Thank you Jill - Before the main event match, Mike Tenay hit the ring and said we would see a special interview on the big screen. The interview was with Jeff Jarrett. We saw the interview, with JJ saying this is a big milestone for the company. He reminisces about TNA's early days, including the Hogan deal, which has been replayed 800,000 times. He talks about sitting with his dad and wife Jill at the dinner table and starting TNA. He gets very emotional and when discussing her and says she is the one that gave him the strength and encouragement and that is how he got through this all. She was his rock and she was a huge part of making TNA succeed. He discusses her battle with cancer. She was in pain all the time and on May 23rd she passed on. He will not come back until he is prepared, and being in a ring is the worst place for him right now. He thanked us for our support, and thanked us on behalf of Jill. Some people feel that this wasn't needed, but I feel differently. This was a heartfelt eulogy, thank you and goodbye from a husband to a wife. If you aren't married you cannot understand this. She was a big part of his life and of TNA; and now that she is gone it has to be hard for him to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the company. This was well done and I had no problem with it at all. After it was finished, they showed the crowd, with people crying and hugging their loved ones and they chanted "Thank you Jill, Thank you Jeff." Something I will remember for a long time I think.
King of the Mountain Match - With the Jarrett deal out of the way, Jim Cornettte entered the ring and said he had to announce the 5th man for the KOTM match. He says there were only 2 choices, and they started here in Nashville. One was Jeff Jarrett, so he went to JJ and talked about this. JJ insisted he gave this shot to the 2nd man as we saw, and so Cornette introduced Chris Harris. I was fine with this. He had great matches with Storm, he DID win the previous bout so that is a fair reason and also, back in the day when Harris got a singles push while Storm was injured, he was in a KOTM match and has experience with the gimmick. I had no problems with him joining the match and actually wondered if they would pull a quick title change on him, so that's good booking if people think that he has the chance. Angle, Cage, AJ and Joe all made their way to the ring and SHIT WAS ON! They all started brawling and the crowd loved it. Cage and AJ worked together, and Cage even got AJ to lay down to be pinned, but that was broken up. TNA booked the beginning very smartly as Harris got the first pin of the match, capitalizing on his momentum. So he was the first man eligible and AJ was sent to the penalty box. We had another great 4-mimutes or so of action, and as Harris was climbing the ladder, he ate an Angle slam from up there and was then pinned by Angle, who could now hang the title. And then, DRAMA ensued. Angle and Joe were brawling, and there was…A REF BUMP~! Joe then locked in the clutch on Angle, and he phantom tapped. But with no ref, there was no official tap. Christian eventually got the pin on Angle and HE was then eligible. The last 9-minutes were just as hectic as the beginning, with big ladder spots and AJ Styles dying as Joe tossed him off the cage through the announce table. Chris Harris then dove off of the cage with a lariat on Cage and the crowd was rocking. The end saw Cage and Angle brawling on the ladder, Chris Harris went up top and speared Cage. As Cage flew off the ladder, Angle snagged the belt and hung it for the win. Now, people are complaining that Angle won the title. I can see the argument there. But the fact is that Joe's booking has been poor the last few months and it would have been a cold win. Angle won, but Joe made him tap. The ref never saw it, thus Angle never went to the box and Joe was never properly made eligible. That is what they can work off of. A well-built Joe title chase is best for business, and if they start now and have Joe burn through bitches until Bound for Glory and beat Angle there, that could work. Sure it is taking longer then almost everyone wants, but it could work. Let's just hope that the booking doesn't fail them. In the end this was a FINE main event, **** and just damn good stuff.
Purgatory:
Abyss vs. Tomko - This was a late edition to the card, but in the end I think that this was a good addition to the card. There was actually more build and history for this match than others on the card, so at least in that aspect it should have been on the card. Before the match Cage, AJ and Tomko were cutting a promo and Cage told Tomko, "Tomko, go out there and take care of Abyss. Because if you fail…he might come after me!" Tomko's reply was, "I'll get right on that." And get on that he did. They went in there and did not grapple, but instead tried to kill each other, which I appreciated since Abyss SHOULD want to kill him for the beating he took months ago. They beat down each other and Abyss got the bag of fun, tacks, and promptly got TREE SLAMMED into them. Eventually bag of fun #2 got introduced and that was the glass, and again Abyss got slammed into that followed by Tomko taking some glass and driving it into the head of Abyss. Tomko then grabbed the barbed wire bat and tried to maim Abyss further. They battled up the ramp and then started to climb a scaffolding. They work up the scaffold and they take these HUGE bumps off of it and the crowd goes wild! They love this shit and are satisfied. And then, then it turns to shit. First of all, the TNA production crew needs to die and die now, but they will get their own section below. But here is the second thing. They take this 20-whatever-foot fall from this deal. Does the match end there? Do we see this awesome spot and end the match so commentary can out it over and we can digest this? NO! These men climb out of this quagmire of boxes (See later rant below) and then back to the ring. They did SPOTS and eventually Abyss black hole slammed Tomko into the glass and then got the win. This match was great for the first 10-minutes or so and was rocking its way to match of the night. They worked an excellent hardcore brawl but TNA production and booking of the final minutes really hurt the match. What a shame.
Sting vs. Daniels - Sting and Christopher Daniels had been having some issues as of late, and they decided to have this grappling bout this evening on the PPV. A first time match, I was happy that they actually waited until the PPV to have them face. Genius. Before the match, Christopher Daniels appeared in the crowd decided to cut a promo on Sting. Daniels said he was being true to himself and he used Sting's life as an example, especially the relationship with "our Father." That is when he saw things in a new light. Daniels said he has always been an angel, sent to do "his" bidding. The God he follows says to take an eye for an eye and a life for a life. That his God has no tolerance, and that his God is the one that gave him the gifts to be a champion, and will make him the TNA Heavyweight Champion of the world. All his God asks of him is to be, so Sting, in that ring, my will be done. While I don't need God in a tag match with Vince McMahon, this works VERY well here. Daniels is playing off of the Fallen Angle character as well as Sting's Christianity; this worked and was a FINE promo. They had their match, they worked hard and it was pretty good and then it ended in under 7-minutes, with Sting winning clean. I would hope that this lights a fire under Daniels and that there is a promo or some form of attack on Sting this week, because if this feud is over, that sucked. Let's hope for some great follow up here, but as of now, this feud is booked oddly.
3D vs. Animal and Rick Steiner - Prior to the event TNA finally released that Scott Steiner would not be a prêt of the event, so that was god although it should have been done earlier. On the PPV Cornette and Rick had a meeting and Cornette was saying he would have to forfeit, but much to the delight of Cornette Rick had a partner. Team 3D then cut a promo, calling Scott a bitch. They said he punked out 3D and said they had no legacy, but when it came time to put up, Scott left his brother alone. They didn't care who Rick's partner was, they were going to win. As many predicted they brought in Road Warrior Animal to be his partner, and as far as replacements go, this was fine. Animal looked ok, got a great pop and that was fine stuff. So they had this match and let me say, Animal has not worked almost at all since leaving the E and Rick has worked a limited schedule. They were thrown in there with 3D, who are not exactly Tully and Arn; so this was a true recipe for disaster. They had a basic match, it was fine, Animal did the tribute to Hawk by no selling a piledriver and the crowd turned HARD on 3D; treating Animal and Rick as the faces. Rick and Animal teased a doomsday, but Animal got tosses and 3D pinned Rick Steiner. Now there are two ways to view this. Either you are pissed because they pinned Rick, a man they will still eventually feud with. Animal wasn't there for a run, jus a one-night deal and he should have been pinned. OR…they pinned Rick and 3D will now gloat and turn heel, declaring that in one night they defeated the legacies of the Road Warriors AND The Steiner Brothers. That could work, especially with how the crowd has been lately.
Jerry Lynn and Frank Wycheck vs. James Storm and Ron Killings - So we moved onto the match on the card that I was not excited for. But I will say that James Storm did an excellent promo before the match and actually made me want to see this match. It's funny, people talk about Harris and Storm and which one of them should get pushed and who will be the "HBK" of the team. Harris is bigger, says in better shape and has more "big match" experience. But Storm has the charisma of 43 men and cuts a damn fine promo. It's a hard call, just depends on who they decide to push, which will most likely be Harris. Anyway, great promo and we moved onto the match. So they had a match, and you know what? This was a FINE bout and much better than I expected this to be. Everyone worked hard; Wycheck did not embarrass himself and actually, for a complete amateur looked fine. I saw worse matches this week alone. The crowd was VERY hot for the match and most likely they sold some extra tickets by having him on the card. So that is a good thing.
BUT…and there is always a "but," there were issues. First of all there was the fact that this match was billed as a singles match forever. Sure it was announced as a tag on the website, but that doesn't matter. Secondly there is the fact that this was Ron Killings big return. The former two-time NWA Champion, who had been gone for months with a knee injury came back with NO hype, NO build and with nobody giving a flying fuck. Add into the fact that Killings was a face when he left, and came back and was a HEEL for no reason and no explanation hurt things. Thirdly there is the fact that James Storm took the loss here. After the efforts of last month and putting in awesome efforts, they job him to the local football player. Fuck this. And finally, and this is a pet peeve of mine, the concussion thing. They brought up that Wycheck retired from football because of concussions and all of that. That annoyed me, and since I bashed WWE, TNA gets it as well. Stop with the concussion bullshit.
The wRong:
The VKM vs. Basham and Damaja - There is a school of thought that I believe in, and follow me here because I think you'll agree. You use TV to hype the PPV. You use TV to make people want to BUY the PPV. You do NOT use the PPV t make people watch TV, that is ass backwards. The VKM faced Hemme's Boys at Slammiversary in a match that should NOT have been on the show since it went under 4-mnutes. VKM wins, they chase Hemme away and Lance Hoyt appeared. He snagged her up, Kip demanded he bring her to the ring for an ass raping and it was at this point that Lance Hoyt turned on the VKM. That part of this worked well. Thinking back, Hoyt had been conveniently late to the save a lot of the time in this feud, so I really like that part of this. BOOKING~! But with video, entrances and the aftermath this was 10-minutes that could have gone to matches that really needed it. Overall, this was a TV Angle played out on PPV, and that is not the way it should be. They should have done this on TV and they built to a 6-man match on PPV where the VKM have to find a partner to even the odds, and then let them bring in someone from the roster to help, or X-Pac since they could trust him as a friend. BOOKING fails at life here. And never trust a man with a tramp stamp, that is straight edge or a vegetarian.
TOO MANY MATCHES - Let me start out by saying that I appreciate the fact that TNA PPV's go to 10:50pm religiously. I also appreciate the fact that they feel they need to make sure people get their money's worth by putting on 8-10 matches on every PPV. But TNA, listen up. Stop trying to put everyone on the card for every show! The late addition of Abyss vs. Tomko ended up well (match wise) but with 10-matches, everything had a VERY rushed feel. Sting and Daniels only got 7-minutes for example. I wish they would have cut the VKM/Hemme's Boys stuff, because with video, entrances and the aftermath this was 10-minutes that could have gone to matches that really needed it. Thanks for trying to be thoughtful TNA, but sometimes less is more. Give us 8 matches that have a great build and that we actually care about. Let those matches have the proper time to succeed. Then we will be happy and feel that we got the money's worth from the show.
The Ridiculous:
Nadda~!
The Ri-GOD-DAMN-diculous:
TNA PRODUCTION FAILS AT LIFE~! - Last month I discussed TNA's production and the fact that they are minor league. They want to jump too much, making you close to having a seizure, but you get used to that. Last month Chris Harris and James Storm have an awesome match. 20-minutes of ass kicking excellent where they busted their ass and delivered a match of the year candidate. The match ends, and within 3-seconds of the match ending they CUT to a promo! I said last month: As soon as Harris got the win and they cut backstage for some bullshit interview that meant jack and shit. Plus they had audio issues, but you could hear the crowd chanting "THANK YOU" to these guys. In what could have been a MAGICAL moment, was shit on. You guys are fucking clueless. Congratulations, you took a moment given to you and pissed on it. TNA production, you fail at life.
So we jump ahead to Slammiversary 2007, the big 5th year show. You would think that they would have a sit down talk and make sure that they have their shit all together. Well, you're wrong! First of all, and this was one I noticed on the second viewing; they lost another moment. Eric Young and Robert Roode have been feuding for what sees like forever. But they have this match, a good match, and Eric after the referee restart WINS HIS FREEDOM~! The crowd is happy, they pop, they jump up to celebrate and THEY CUT right backstage to a promo! They totally skipped HIS MOMENT! First of all, there were TOO MANY MATCHES. Secondly, TNA Production fails at life! Thirdly, and sadly, that was not all!
There was the awesome Abyss vs. Tomko match. This was a great hardcore brawl and I was loving this match. They brawl, they climb this giant scaffold and Abyss throws Tomko off. Abyss then stands and leaps off with a splash onto Tomko! This looked awesome, until you saw some boxes. Now, we all know the crash area is gimmicked so that the men do not get hurt and that is fine. Suspension of belief and all. But we saw these boxes and you would think that the production team would see this and avoid showing it again. But they didn't, THEY DID A WIDE SHOT OF IT AND WE SAW NO LESS THAN 76,000 BOXES! IT LOOKED HORRENDOUS. Now, instead of covering it up and moving on, they SHOWED IT AGAIN! I cannot stress how bad this looked and how much this took away from the match as a whole. This made them look so minor league. Also at the end they cut away from the Abyss win and could have shown Tomko in the glass more. When people complain that TNA isn't where they are supposed to be in relation to WWE, this is one of those reasons. This is also why no one gives a flying fuck about TNA. They don't make anything important. They felt that the Dudleyz talking was more important than the redemption story of Eric Young. Fuck you TNA Production team, fire the director, and fire the producer, fire whoever is responsible for the good of the company. Dear TNA production, you FAIL at life. Thank you, and goodnight.
Closing Thoughts:
While this was not a blow away show, nor did it have a huge show feel, TNA's 5th Slammiversary was an overall satisfying show. The look of the show was great as TNA looks so great in a bigger arena, although the entrance was too Impact-ish for me. Nothing was bad, the opener, No DQ and KOTM matches all delivered big time and with two title changes and Eric Young getting freed people went away happy. Overall I will go with a 7.5 out of 10 for the show and a solid recommendation for the replay. It isn't a show you HAVE to see, but a good effort from all involved and for historians, a show that was never supposed to be. This was a fine night of entertainment.
2007 PPV Rankings:
-WWE Backlash 8.5
-WWE WM XXIII 8.0
-WWE Royal Rumble 8.0
-TNA Slammiversary 7.5
-TNA Sacrifice 7.25
-TNA Final Resolution 7.0
-TNA Lockdown 7.0
-WWE One Night Stand III 6.5
-WWE New Year's Revolution (RAW) 6.0
-TNA Against All Odds 6.0
-TNA Destination X 5.5
-WWE Judgment Day 5.5
-WWE No Way Out (SD) 4.0
2007 TOP PPV Match Rankings:
- (WWE Royal Rumble) Last Man Standing WWE Title MATCH: Cena vs. Umaga ****¼
- (WWE Backlash) Last Man Standing World Title MATCH: Batista vs. The Undertaker ****¼
- (WWE Backlash) WWE Title MATCH: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton vs. Edge ****¼
- (TNA Sacrifice) Texas Death Match: Chris Harris vs. James Storm ****¼
- (WWE Royal Rumble) The Royal Rumble Match ****
- (WWE WM XXIII) WWE TITLE MATCH: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels ****
- (WWE ONS III) LADDER MATCH: The Hardy's vs. TWGTT ****
- (TNA Slammiversary) King of the Mountain Match: Angle vs. Harris vs. Cage vs. Joe vs. AJ ****
- (TNA Destination X) NWA Title Match: Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe ****
- (TNA Lockdown) Lethal Lockdown (Team Cage vs. Team Angle) ****
- (WWE WM XXIII) Money in the Bank III ***¾
- (TNA Final Resolution) 30-Minute Iron man Match: Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe ***¾
2007 PPV MVP AWARDS: This is a little added deal here, as I feel that there are some other things that should be mentioned from the PPV's. Not every PPV will have one, it just depends on who I think steps up and deserves some extra recognition.
-Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker: A Rumble to Remember – WWE Royal Rumble
-JBL: Solo Commentating – WWE No Way Out
-AJ Styles and Rhino: Elevation X – TNA Destination X
-Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker: "They still got it!" – WWE WrestleMania XXIII AJ Styles: Almost Dies for his Craft – TNA Lockdown
-The Main Events: "We can step up." – WWE Backlash
-Harris and Storm: Redemption – TNA Sacrifice
-Matt, Jeff, Shelton and Charlie: "Taking a Risk." – WWE ONS III
-Jeff Jarrett: "Thank you Jill" – TNA Slammiversary
Reader Feedback~!
From P-KON -
Hey there, just watched Slammiversary last night and I had slightly mixed feelings about it. going into the show I didn't have very high hopes as I felt like many others that the show wasn't booked very well. I was curious why they took Harris out of the opening tag match. I figured it out and they announced him in the KOTM before it happened but thought to just replace him with no explanation at first was weird. But hey, BLACK MACHISMO goes on top! I think lethal does a great job of combining his x division style with macho man's style. I thought the match was awesome.
I may be crazy, but I thought Wycheck did a pretty good job. that cradle piledriver was rough and maybe it was just the angle, but he took that superkick from storm DAMN good. I enjoyed Roode/Young and Sting/Daniels, but I have two words for ya... Mr. Backlund! He blew me away. I know the match all together wasn't a five star classic but I was thoroughly impressed with his performance. My TOTN match was between VKM/Basham and Damaja and 3D/Rick Steiner and Animal. The VKM match was just there and not much else. The crowd didn't care. At least Christy Hemme is smoking' hot though. And while I thought The Tag Title match was better, it makes me mad that even on the live preshow and beginning of the live ppv they were still hyping 3D/Steiners. That made me mad, plus I don't like animal very much, so this match is my Trash of the Night.
I was very surprised with Tomko/Abyss. Now, not watching TNA as much as I'd like to, I still don't buy Tomko as a threat do to his stint with the e, but that is changing. TNA I think is booking him stronger than I thought they would. Kudos TNA and congrats Tomko I guess. But these fine gentlemen put on a great match. I just can't get this image out of my head. following the BHS onto the glass, which I imagined hurt, abyss went to pin Tomko. but in order to do so, tomcod's shoulders must be on the mat. so he was rolling Tomko onto his shoulders and he had this look slash expression on his face that to me said, "please no. not on the glass. please ref just count..." he looked to be in so much pain and the thought of rolling back on the glass was too much. I don't know if it was real or he was just selling it well, but I bought it so mission accomplished.
KOTM, great match, however not perfect. I really enjoyed the match from the get go. I really enjoyed that they let Harris get the first fall as CH was my favorite TNA wrestler for a long time when I started watching. He's still top 5 though. But I was furious that, not only did he not win, but also Samoa Joe didn't even become eligible to hang the belt. Blasphemy. I hated Joe when he first came in but now I am a fan and if they don't put the title on him soon it'll be too late. no offense to Angle but I wanted anyone but him to win. The last thing I found wrong with this was angle delivering the angle slam to Joe after all was said and done. I would have at least liked the crowd to boo the hell out of angle. but it seems like maybe they are turning on Joe for some reason. Either way, its difficult to choose but ill have to go with KOTM for Match of the Night. Good job all! And thanks for reading Larry.
From Jamie -
Well. Having just finished watching TNA Slammiversary, my thoughts are generally "what the fuck?". First, let me make clear, I'm neither a TNA mark or a TNA hater. I watch it every week, as I do all the WWE shows in the week, and try and enjoy the show for what it is, but I really don't think I can do that here. I mean, taking Slammiversary for the wrestling show it was, there was nothing horrendous, nothing downright offensive, and there was some really cool stuff, but I can't in good mind call it a good show, because I really have no idea where TNA are going with their product.
LAX vs. Senshi and Rhino: So on their 5th anniversary, 2nd biggest show of the year, we kick off with the best tag team act they have on contract fighting in a match which was thrown together for no reason and changed the day before. Sure they played off the former world champs thing a little, and the match itself was good, but having LAX lose was retarded and the win benefits no one but Hector. At least they returned to beat shit out of him later.
Sabin Vs. Lethal - Again, good in-ring action, although nothing we haven't seen before (or seen Sabin get out of before for that matter). I guess Lethal was the right decision here, but only because they've failed to build up any other viable challenger in what was it, 5 months? Nice celebration with Nash afterwards, which didn't make any sense in two matches later. Also, 5 years, and this is the biggest X division match they could book?
Wycheck/Lynn Vs. Storm/Killings: Ok, so not only is there no reason for Lynn or killings to be here, neither is there for Wycheck ,since I had no idea who he was. This is what they came up with for their 2nd biggest show of the year, on their 5th anniversary? Well, a least it isn't as in your face offensive as Steve O will be. Pointless. Oh, and Harris was awarded the main event for his work, and this is what Storm got? Oh snap.
Backlund Vs. Shelley: Well, this is one way how to waste one of your biggest young stars. Shelley losing was retarded, and even if he had won, this angle is doing nothing for anyone, not even Backlund since Nash showed up to kick his ass. Nash appearance also managed to somehow destroy the sense in him celebrating with Letha. They managed to make a celebration not make sense. Dig that. Nash is funny, but seriously, it's not cool anymore.
A nice little bit of right by getting Daniels out on mic, I liked this.
Bashams Vs. VKM - Case one of the night, where an angle that was started 3 fucking months ago is still going at a snails pace, and doesn't even seem to be finished. 2nd win of the night that actually made sense, but the match was mediocre, and the angle is boring/confusing/shit. At least Lance is heel and can tag with Killings again. zing!
Young Vs. Roode - Decent match, the right finish, I love both guys, but when did this angle start again? Oh yea, 100 years ago. And really, are they now going to push Young above Roode? Again, I can't bring myself to think that even though it was good it as enough. The long term here is non-existent, neither of these guys are going anywhere up the card.
Steiner/animal Vs. Team 3D - I hated this, but really that was my disappointment that we didn't get the Steiner, and that isn't really TNA's fault. The only finish they could really go with, and although it wasn't their fault, it is the second match of the night, which was made up on the spot the day before, and I'm sorry, but my goodwill has been used up rapidly. I'm not impressed as a fan or a customer.
Daniels Vs. Sting - Oh I could rant about this but I'll keep it short. Good until the win by Sting out of no-where, and this is where I got REALLY angry with TNA. All the other stuff I had kinda coped with since "hey, the big matches are still to come, I've still got Daniels/Sting, that'll rock!". But no. Just no. Daniels looked weak as fuck falling to sting like that, and although I love sting the performer, fuck sting the guy. When he came in it was all "oh, I cant wait to work with the young guys and put guys over". When the fuck has he put anyone over yet. All of Jarrett's wins against him involved massive cheating, he made Abyss look like shit even when he lost the title to him ( beating the sit out of someone until your DQ'ed and lose the belt to them, does NOT put them over) and then proceeded to beat him like 2 ppv's in a row cleanly, and now makes Daniels look like a prick in an angle that could only have been wrote by sting and Russo. I seriously thought Daniels was winning this and getting his big push, but even if he beats sting next month it wont be through talent, it'll be through immense cheating and gimmick~!. And that was me not ranting on this. I'm shocked at TNA's inability to push homegrown talent.
Abyss/ Tomko: Good match, but again, this match was thrown together one day before the fucking pay per view, and after two matches already that were thrown together at the last minute and the fall of Daniels, I was too annoyed to get into this. And that isn't what the show should be making me feel.
King of the mountain: And the finale, the pinnacle of 5 years, Cornette made the announcement that Harris was in and I was PSYCHED. I loved the match, I dug the spots and then..........Angle won, after doing very little impressive in the match, and while Joe sitting by ringside watching, where he'd been for the last 5 minutes. And this is where I realized that I don't think I agreed with 90% of the decisions TNA made on this show, or in the whole of 2007. I was convinced Harris or Joe would walk out new champs for the first time, and that would have made it all up for me, but really, I was numb by this point.
Overall, I'm not out to shit on tna, but hell. They've got the talent to make an amazing show, and maybe even outdo the WWE one day. But I think its obvious that creative backstage have no idea what to do to bring ratings and buys up, and their decisions in regards to the matchmaking and who to put over on this ppv shows that wide and clear. I think its pretty obvious that TNA is suffering much like WCW did too, from a few select stars at the top of the card who will not fucking put anyone over and are just in it to make their own legacy look better. Well, angle and sting, you failed, because your legacy doesn't look better when you win a shit angle, or a title belt out of no-where ( and not in that SUPRISE~! way either, that "...um…the fuck? way". Somehow TNA have crafted a show that successfully did not have me emotionally invested in any of the outcomes whatsoever, and a show that I cannot see people looking back at in 5 years and going "look, that for the fifth anniversary, that's what tna achieved". This card didn't showcase what makes tna good, and did not give any talent a chance to shine, whether they won or not, since nothing made sense. Instead, I think people will look back on the show and go "yea, that is what made tna what they were in 2007; this is what made them shit". This could of been a card for the ages, and shown exactly what (did) make TNA "we are wrestling". Sorry for the book of thoughts, but this email really sums up what I got from the show and from TNA, as a fan.
From KEN who was there live -
- The Camera side's upper levels were completely empty. It was a pretty nice turnout but the arena was far from sold out.
- Prior to the PPV starting, several TNA stars went out and about signing autographs. Gail Kim, Petey Williams, Shark Boy, So Cal Val, Dixie Carter, and Lance Hoyt all signed tickets and memorabilia at ringside and then made their way through the crowd signing stuff and taking pictures. I met Shark Boy and he was incredibly nice, and he was one of the ones who worked the crowd the longest along with Dixie and Lance.
-Opening Match: Rhino and Senshi were really over, with lots of "Rhino" and "We Want Rhino" chants.
-"Black Machismo" was really hot with the crowd, with a big pop for his win. There were a LOT of "Black Machismo" shirts in the audience, apparently his merchandise is moving really well. Sadly there was a guy in our section trying to get a "Silver Fox" chant going for Nash, but thankfully that went nowhere. There were a few dueling Sabin/Lethal chants.
- Wycheck got a decent "hometown" pop. It was weird after seeing the highlights of the Harris/Storm match (where Storm got catapulted into the bottom of a table and otherwise beaten into a bloody pulp) that a cradle piledriver from a ex-football player was able to put Storm away, but such is the nature of "celebrity" matches. This was the only match where I heard a very minor "Fire Russo" chant.
- Backlund was over, but some pretty hearty "Shelley" chants too.
- The only reactions for the VKM match were for Christy, and some X-Pac heat for VKM. Lots of boos for their spots. Several people in our section used their match as a bathroom/snack break. Hoyt's turn generated no heat whatsoever.
- During the false finish with Young, the crowd was pretty angry. Two drunk guys in the crowd were so mad they tossed their beers onto people down the row from them, prompting security to head in their direction. The two guys took off when they saw security coming, but apparently they just went to another part of the arena as they came back to their seats later on. Security still spotted them and asked them to leave, but for whatever reason the guys were able to talk their way out of it and got to stay for the main event. Some security.
- Eric Young was WAY over with the crowd, but it's pretty obvious once this feud is done that no one is going to care about Roode whatsoever.
- Animal got a nice pop. Team 3D was practically the heels as they crowd gave them a ton of grief the entire time, mostly treating them as full-blown heels. Huge "LOD" chants broke out, which Bubba acknowledged during the match. Animal got a nice "thank you" after the match was done. The crowd HATED Team 3D by the time the match was through.
- The Daniels/Sting match was way too short. Sting had some nice cheers but there was definitely an undercurrent of boos in there, and Daniels was definitely getting some positive reaction. Still, once the match was done Sting got a very positive reaction as he played to the crowd.
- The crowd was pretty apathetic at the start of the Tomko/Abyss match but as the match got crazier, they really got into it, especially once the glass came out. The big spot with the boxes showing still impressed the crowd, causing a "Holy sh*t" and a "This is awesome" chant to break out. Tomko looks to have won a bit of the crowd's respect by the finish.
- The King of the Mountain came across great live. The big spots all got large reactions from the fans. Interestingly every time Harris looked to be making a play to hang the belt, the crowd started booing, and a there was a small "Not Chris Harris" chant that broke out.
- During the battle on top of the penalty box, a "Please Don't Die" chant broke out. The big spot on the announcer's table got a huge reaction.
- Angle got a great pop for his win. Interestingly enough, the crowd also popped when he appeared to turn on Samoa Joe, which was odd.
- Samoa Joe was also over with the fans. After the PPV went off the air, Joe stared down the ramp. A LOUD "Joe" chant broke out, which he acknowledged by playing to the fans a bit before heading to the back. Borash thanked the crowd for coming, and that was all.
Thanks for joining me for this special edition of the 4R's, and don't forget to check out the regular edition complete with all of the other shows from the week!
