The Undercard
Magnus defeated Christopher Daniels in the tournament to determine a number 1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. This was a very smart idea for TNA to kick off with a hometown guy, and allows the crowd to inject their excitement and adrenaline. There was some good offense, a vertical suplex that looked impressive, and really showcased the power of Magnus. Daniels rarely misses a step, so this ultimately helped a weaker opponent in Magnus. Magnus finally gets his offense going, and finishes him off with an elbow drop. Good action, enough timing, and I felt like Magnus winning was a nice upset and surprise for the crowd. Grade: B-
Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe ends in No Contest. After an excellent match between the two, Aces and Eights come to attack. They focus on both men, but Joe and Angle fend them off. I understand why you want Angle to be apart of the Aces and Eights feud, but I do not agree with Samoa Joe being involved. Yes, there is a team TNA and Joe is a huge part of the companies success, but I still feel Mr. TNA is AJ Styles. With him off television for a while, I wonder what he has planned for his return. Does he align himself with Aces and Eights? The match was great, but I continue to disagree with Samoa Joe being involved in this. He is just a mid card guy with nothing else to do. Wait, I assume he fits with Aces and Eights then, right? Grade: B-
Gail Kim, Tara, and Jesse defeated The Blossom Twins and Party Marty. New pieces are added, somewhat of an inpromptu Gut Check. Blossom Twins fit perfectly with the Knockouts Division, and Marty looked pretty athletic. The match was simply OK, but my issue has to do with MORE NEW TALENT. I should use the word "Talent" lightly, but does TNA really need to keep looking for more individuals to fill up space? Where the hell is the consistency with guys who have not been seen in quite some time. Build from within, not from the outside. TNA has TOO many wrestlers and TOO many Knockouts to try and find more. They will get wasted, waste money, and waste opportunities for consistent and interesting storylines. Grade: D
James Storm defeated RVD in the tournament. I was so happy to see this for Storm, as he has been completely wasted teaming with Knockouts and dominating Jesse for the past month. Storm is a very talented guy with a ton of charisma. He is likable, connects with the crowd, and is a work horse for the company. The match with RVD was very predictable, but I still enjoyed it. RVD hit a springboard moonsault, and would follow with kicks to the hurt Storm. As Storm came back strong, he would finally take control in the latter parts of the match, and finally hit Last Call for the win. Good chemistry and great timing from both. Well done from two veterans. Grade: B+
