A lot of first times have come this Saturday with this 20th edition of “Slammiversary”…TNA Wrestling is back to Montreal for the first time since 2011. The first “Slammiversary” since the company took its 3-letter name back. And my very first review in 2 years, something I’m as excited as in fear to present to you. Time to plug the Nygma mode back… It was time…
Countdown to Slammiversary – Fatal 4-Way Match: Faby Apache vs Tasha Steelz vs Gisele Shaw vs Xia Brookside
This match was announced during last Thursday’s Slammiversary press conference. On paper, the match looked pretty cool, with a former Knockouts Champion, a Mexican wrestling legend, the Quintessential Diva, and a second-generation Knockout. And it looked pretty good on TV.
Shaw and Brookside hit some superkicks early in the match. They teamed up on Apache until Steelz intervened, kicked people down, and hit a big knee to Xia. Faby took Steelz down, then went for the surfboard but Shaw broke that up with a kick to Apache. Shaw connected with the Shock & Awe on Apache.
Faby then went to work on Xia but ate a big boot on her. Steelz unloaded a Codebreaker on Apache and hit a suicide dive. Shaw followed them out with a dive, then Xia. Shaw dropped Steelz and Brookside in a Cradle Shock, but Apache broke up the count. Shaw reversed an Apache rana with a powerbomb, then welcomed Xia with a big knee. Steelz broke up the count, tossed Shaw outside, and covered for the win. Maybe Shaw made the match and would have deserved to win, but the Cruella style definitely fit Steelz like a glove.
Countdown to Slammiversary – Kushida vs Jonathan Gresham Rich Swann
With Jonathan Gresham unable to compete, as announced earlier that day, Rich Swann was chosen to face the latest victim of The Octopus’s mysterious black mist, Kushida. That storyline is far from over but there’s nothing better than a good X-Division-style match to make sure fans (and myself) will stick to their screens.
Kushida made his entrance with the same kind of bodypaint Hakushi was wearing (some of you have probably never heard of Hakushi before when I had the chance to watch him wrestling… I call that the privilege to be a 40+ stunning Nygma). Kushida was slow to start, giving the advantage to Swann with a rough kick and a sleeper. Kushida meditated his way out of the sleeper, then kicked Swann in the face.
Swann strangled Kushida’s eyes (for those who don’t know, my way to say thumbs to the eyes) and hit a kick in the corner. Kushida connected with a Dragon Screw into the handspring back elbow, Tajiri’s way, Swann fought back with a poisonrana and the Lethal Injection. A Tanaka punch knocked Swann out, Kushida then missed a moonsault. Swann replied with a kick. Kushida joined Swann up to trap him into the Hoverboard Lock for the win.
Countdown to Slammiversary – TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship Match: The Malisha (c) vs Spitfire
A rematch from Under Siege that took its time to be signed. And also a first test for The System that night to prove they truly are the Kings and Queens of the TNA Castle. The team of Masha and Alisha will remain a mystery to me as I have rarely seen 2 people as different as they are teaming up.
Threat and Slamovich started things off with Threat working on the arm. Luna came in to shove Edwards down and added a basement clothesline. Slamovich slipped in for a double suplex to Threat and a trip to Luna made it worse. Masha continued with a hard kick to the chest and a snap suplex. Luna managed to kick her way out of the corner.
Threat picked up the pace with a double-running crotch attack against the ropes on the champs. Edwards was even Michinoku-Drivered onto Slamovich. Spitfire unloaded The Hart Attack but Luna was sent outside. Masha connected with the Snowplow on Threat but it didn’t work. Slamovich then distracted the referee so a belt shot could knock Threat down. The Steiner Bulldog did its job and gave The Malisha the win. Good bout but the story seems not to be over yet for the 2 teams.
Countdown to Slammiversary – Santino Marella’s Bonus Match – Hammerstone vs Eric Young
Hammerstone is back and that’s great news. He wasted no time booting EY down. Young replied with a dropkick. Hammerstone tossed Young to the floor without much effort. Back in, Hammerstone hit a missile dropkick. Hammerstone works EY over with a suplex into a clothesline in the corner. EY did the Flair Flip and took advantage. He slammed Hammerstone, then went up top for the elbow drop but Hammerstone stopped him. EY continued with some biting and finally hit the elbow drop. The piledriver was cut off with straight power but Young slipped out of the torture rack and grabbed a win via rollup. With all the respect I can have for EY (and Hammerstone too), I prefer not to say anything about that…
Broken Matt Hardy vs JDC
Like we say, in France too, the best broths are made in the oldest pots. When it comes to the Broken Matt Hardy gimmick, sorry but not only the pot is too old but the broth is hard to swallow. Well, back to the match, Matt is still Broken and was out for revenge after JDC took out Rebecca Hardy on Impact.
The beating started on the outside before the bell and JDC (in his American flag pants) had to get in a quick flag shot to take over. Now the bell rang and JDC sent him chest first into the corner and danced (something that, for me, will never be Broken). Hardy was draped over the top rope for a running boot to the head, followed by an elbow to the face.
The bodyscissors worked on Hardy’s ribs for a bit but the Down And Dirty on the apron missed. Hardy
sent JDC into the corner over and over, setting up a middle rope elbow. Hardy hit the Side Effect but JDC was back with a Falcon Arrow. Another Down And Dirty was stopped and a middle rope Twist Of Fate gave Hardy the win. Post-match, Hardy hit two more Twists Of Fate. Next match, please.
TNA World Tag Team Championship Match – The System (Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards) (c) vs ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey)
The System, with Alisha Edwards, was ready to dominate the night, it was time to prove it. Austin stomped a mud hole in Myers. ABC connected with some double teams and a Hart Attack. Chris Bey ate some double teams. Alisha worked Bey over on the ring ropes. Austin tagged in and the System got dumped outside. Bey took them out both on the floor. Edwards blocked Austin on a springboard attempt. Edwards eventually overtook Austin in the ring, then tagged Myers back in. Austin got decapitated on the bottom rope. Ace fought out of a chinlock, but couldn’t get the tag when the official could see it.
Myers connected with a modified Cobra Clutch. Austin fought out, but Myers hit a back suplex. Austin blocked a move in the corner and hit a kick on Myers. Edwards & Bey tagged in, and then Bey took Edwards & Myers down with chops. Alisha blocked Bey from doing what he wanted to do. Bey cut Edwards down on the apron, and Austin hit the Soar to Glory. A frog splash on Edwards in the ring got two. Bey got taken out by a spear. ABC followed with a Magik Killa. Alisha got knocked out by the Art of Finesse. Myers ate the 1-2-3 Sweet and we had new Champions. ABC is a heck of a team and they proved it that night. When it comes to domination, The System can come back later…
Mike Santana vs Jake Something
Here are 2 wrestlers who had to leave TNA Wrestling to understand it was their home. I couldn’t wait to watch them compete against each other, just for the pleasure of seeing 2 talented wrestlers squaring off in the same ring and showing the best of themselves and each other.
We started with a fight over a lockup until Santana cranked on a headlock. Something told him to bring it with the running shoulders before knocking a Lou Thesz press out of the air. Back in, Santana hit a hell of a springboard flip dive to drop Something and a German suplex. Santana hit a chinlock but Something fought up and grabbed a slam.
Something stomped away in the corner until Santana scored with a kick to the head. The rolling cutter connected for Santana and a middle rope dropkick set up a Cannonball. Another Cannonball was pulled out of the air for a sit-out powerbomb but Santana ran to the corner for a release German superplex. They fired punches, with Santana knocking Something down, only for Something to tell him to bring it. The Spin The Block gave Santana the win. Everything I love and exactly what I wanted to see from them.
The Rascalz (Trey Miguel, NXT’s Wes Lee & Zachary Wentz) vs NXT’s No Quarter Catch Crew (Charlie Dempsey, Myles Borne & Tavion Heights)
Who would have thought a few years ago that kind of match could happen, whether in NXT or TNA Wrestling? WWE and TNA have been doing an amazing job of promoting their talents, showing the competition is not always where you think it is.
Miguel got the advantage early on Borne, so Dempsey tagged in. Wes Lee tagged Miguel. Lee got the advantage over Dempsey with a headscissors and a dropkick. Wentz bronco-busted Dempsey. Wentz got suplexed and dropped a couple of times by Heights. Miguel owned the world for a minute, but a distraction let that go. Miguel got worked over for a while, eating slams, suplexes and clotheslines, but Miguel fought back.
Lee went after all three and hit a DDT on Dempsey. We turned into a 3 on 1 in the ring but Wes Lee kept fighting. He tagged Miguel and Wentz who took everybody out on the outside. Dempsey’s dragon suplex connected but Lee broke it up with a frog splash. Lee hit the big dive and Wentz had to break up a double submission. Back up, Heights got caught in the Soup Kitchen (Dominator/top rope double stomp combination) and the Hot Fire Flame from Wentz gave the win to The Rascalz.
This was the way the match needed to go as it gave us the feel-good moment of the Rascalz not only coming back together but also getting the win. A very nice match that was more about the feeling than the wrestling.
Montreal Street Fight for the TNA Digital Media Championship and the Canadian International Heavyweight Championship – PCO vs AJ Francis (c) (with Rich Swann, Smoke DZA, and Josh Bishop)
I’m going to be very biased this time because not only am I French but PCO is a friend. Also, I’m a huge fan of everything hardcore, with toys of all kinds like barbed wire or tacks. First, finally, D. Destro appeared to bring his creature back to life, something all the PCO fans have been waiting for so long. Also, kudos to the French announcer who presented the local hero with all the passion and talent he has shared with the fans for so many years.
PCO hit the cannonball onto Francis on the apron. He unloaded a PCO sault onto Francis and Swann on the floor. Swann went after PCO, which seemed like a terrible idea until Francis hit a superkick on PCO. PCO fought back against Francis and Swann. Francis found a trash can he wanted old wrestlers to put their valuables into. Francis went off with chair shots in the general area of PCO and a leg drop. He followed with some electric chairs into some chairs. Of course, this led to Francis getting slammed through some tables.
Francis’s friends went after PCO afterwards. Joshua Bishop bounced PCO off a chair. Sami Callihan came out and got attacked by Rich Swann. Rhino’s music played and he rushed after Rich Swann and Gored him. PCO got Francis back in the ring and hit the moonsault. Francis hit a tombstone with the Taker cover but PCO kicked out. PCO chokeslammed Francis into the chairs and hit another PCO sault to make history in his hometown.
This is the kind of match you like or hate, and obviously, I liked it, but you can’t not be happy when a wrestler wins in his town and when a crowd can be genuinely happy for their hero. And, the cherry on the cake, Steph De Lander proposed and he said yes…
TNA Knockouts World Championship Match – Jordynne Grace (c) vs Ash by Elegance
Remember at Hard To Kill, Ash by Elegance was spotted in the crowd during the TNA Knockouts World Championship match between Jordynne Grace and Trinity, the former defeating the latter to win the title. Since then, the newly signed Ash took to sitting ringside for Grace’s title matches, in TNA and NXT, scouting potential competition. She got it at Slammiversary.
Ash, with her Personal Concierge, flipped out of some early suplex attempts. Grace chopped her down and hit a spinebuster as we saw a lurking Rosemary. The interfering Concierge was ejected so Rosemary whipped out a knife to chase him off. Ash used the distraction to hit a cheap shot and take over with some shots to the back. A sleeper was broken up with a drop-down, setting up some powerslams.
Jordynne hit the MuscleBuster but Ash hit back with a running tornado DDT. They went up top, where Grace grabbed a superplex and rolled into a Jackhammer. With nothing else working, Grace just tackled her and hammered away. Ash came back with a Canadian Destroyer but the Rarefied Air hit raised knees. Back up, Ash hit a Sliced Bread Ash. Grace pulled her into a quickly broken sleeper and then reversed a kick to the face into the Juggernaut Driver for the win.
A good match that once again proved Jordynne Grace is THE Champion. I ask myself who will dethrone her because not every woman is, at the same time, a women’s wrestling flagbearer, a true Champion and a real Juggernaut.
TNA X-Division Championship Match – Mustafa Ali (c) vs Speedball Mike Bailey
Montreal had 2 local heroes that night, PCO and Mike Bailey. The first won a title earlier that night, so why not the second? If one man can end Mustafa Ali’s reign as X-Division Champion, it is Speedball. A 2-time X-Division Star of the Year and a 2-time consecutive Match of the Year winner. Both 2 years in a row. A wrestler who is unable to make a bad match. So bring Campaign Singh and the security, Ali, you have one hell of a man to face off that night.
They fought over a headlock to start. Ali snapped off a running hurricanrana but Bailey kicked him down. The threat of the Tornado Kick sent Ali out to the apron and a quick shot had Bailey in early trouble. Bailey was right back to knock him to the floor with a middle-rope moonsault. Ali’s Secret Service offered a distraction though, allowing Ali to come back with a middle rope tornado DDT. Back in, Ali connected with a rolling neckbreaker, setting up the chinlock to slow things down. Ali continued with a spinning Downward Spiral.
Back up, Bailey hit a Falcon Arrow into a Shooting Star Press. The moonsault knees only hit the apron so Ali hit a hard superkick. They both went up, where Bailey managed a super Spanish Fly onto the Secret Service/Singh. Back in, they traded rollups until Bailey knocked Ali down. The Ultimate Weapon was knocked out of the air though and a Cheeky Nandos dropkick rocked Bailey again. Bailey scored with another kick into the Ultimate Weapon for the pin… but Ali’s foot was on the rope.
The referee accidentally got kicked down so the Secret Service and Singh came in to lay Bailey out. Trent Seven came to break up the cover and take out Ali’s crew. Ali got in a cheap shot though but Earl Hebner came in to referee. Ali grabbed a Sharpshooter and Hebner teased calling for the bell but couldn’t do it. A frustrated Ali got a chair, only to have Bailey kick it away. The Sharpshooter gave Bailey the title back.
Match of the Night, absolutely. A five-star match, probably but no. The match was so damn good but, sorry, the Montreal Screwjob nod had nothing to do there. Mustafa Ali had held the title for a long time and had done an amazing job. It was Bailey’s time to shine, at home, and keep making his way to the company’s history, again.
Six-Way Elimination Match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship – Moose (c) vs. Nic Nemeth vs. Joe Hendry vs. Josh Alexander vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Steve Maclin
The more they are in a ring, the more complicated it is to describe a match. I will do my best, knowing that the World Championship is on the line and every participant is a serious contender for it (even if, I confess, I don’t believe in Joe Hendry).
Moose tried to get the early alliance with Kazarian, who bailed to the floor… and then came back in to stomp on Moose in the corner. Kazarian was sent outside as well, the other four paired off to start fast. Hendry threw Nemeth onto Moose and followed him to the floor, leaving us with Alexander, Kazarian and Maclin inside for a weird three-way. Kazarian got beaten into the corner before Alexander and Maclin could fight again, as usual.
Alexander started snapping off the German suplexes to just about everyone, including the rolling editions to Maclin. A double German suplex sent Maclin and Kazarian flying but Moose was back in to take over. Nemeth cut that off and dropped the ten elbows but Moose rolled outside and unloaded a jumping elbow. Back in, Kazarian got to hit some slingshot cutters on Moose, leaving everyone down. Hendry came back in but Maclin was right there to send people outside, setting up the series of Scuds. Back in, Maclin loaded up the KIA on Kazarian, only to get speared by Moose for the pin and the elimination.
Moose released Rock Bottoms to Kazarian, hit a powerbomb on Hendry, Alexander, and Kazarian on the apron, and a Buckle Bomb on Nemeth. Hendry jumped on Moose though and Alexander hit the crossbody on the apron to put everyone on the floor. They all fought up to the stage, where Moose had to backdrop his way out of a C4 Spike attempt. Nemeth escaped the Fade To Black as well and superkicked Kazarian off the stage and through a table.
Most of them went back to ringside, where Moose chokeslammed Nemeth onto Alexander. Hendry came up behind him though and hit a cutter on Moose. The Fallaway slams hit everyone else around and Hendry was rolling. Moose hit a Spear on Alexander and Nemeth but Hendry reversed into a backslide. Back up, Moose kicked Hendry in the face but got dropped with a hard clothesline. The Standing Ovation finished Moose for the elimination. We would have a new Champion.
Alexander hit a nutcracker on Hendry (low blow, for the not-used-to Nygma style) and hit him with the C4 Spike for the elimination. Alexander sat on Hendry and slapped him a bunch before going after the referee. Nemeth broke that up but got caught with a powerbomb backbreaker for his efforts. Alexander hammered his own and posed a lot before going after Nemeth’s bad shoulder. That was broken up though and Nemeth grabbed a running DDT for a needed breather. Nemeth escaped another C4 Spike attempt, Nemeth and Alexander exchanged superkicks until a lethal Zig-Zag that eliminated Alexander and made Nemeth the new World Champion.
Since he arrived at Hard to Kill, it has been written that Nemeth would become World Champion. The question was when. It was a pretty good match and a huge fail for The System who lost that night his supremacy. As Kazarian was not really eliminated, as Hendry eliminated Moose, as Alexander seems to have a problem with Hendry, some very interesting things should happen in the coming weeks.
The Nygma Says…
Like I said earlier, I had been away from the reviews business for 2 years but I have never stopped watching TNA Wrestling. As always, I watched a very good PPV, with his good matches, great matches. TNA is on a pretty good roll, with Nic Nemeth as World Champion and the end of The System’s dominance.
What I’m trying to say is that whoever the Champions or the Bosses are, the company’s soul is the same. The exact same I’ve been writing about for the last 7 years. The TNA roster is magic, whoever is a part of it. TNA Wrestling is a state of mind, it’s not only a promotion. A giant heart that has been beating at the same pace for years and years. So I’m proud to be back writing about it…
I may not believe in Joe Hendry but I have never stopped believing in TNA/Impact Wrestling.
All pics and videos courtesy of TNA Wrestling/Basil Mahmud – Very Nygma thanks to Mr Deathman – “Slammiversary” remains available to watch on Triller TV and TNA+.