Wrestling History Today - 19th July
On this day in history ....
1960 - Verne Gagne & Leo Nomellini defeat Murder Inc. (Tiny Mills & Stan Kowalski) to win the AWA World Tag team Title in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1961 - Shoulders Newman & Ted Travis defeat Neff Maivia & Billy White Wolf for the NWA Hawaii Tag Team Title in Honolulu, Hawaii. Less than a month earlier, Newman & Travis (subbing for champion Tim Rice) had lost the belts to Maivia & Wolf. Neff Maivia is the uncle of the Rock.
1968 - Fritz Von Erich & Grizzly Smith defeat The Spoiler & Gary Hart in Houston, Texas to win the NWA American Tag Team Title (later renamed the World Class World Tag Team Title), ending the second reign for Spoiler & Hart.
1971 - Thunderbolt Patterson & Toru Tanaka defeat Johnny Valentine & Wahoo McDaniel to win the NWA American Tag Team Title (later renamed the World Class World Tag Team Title) in Ft. Worth, Texas.
1980 - Pierre Martel defeats Mr. Fuji to win the WWC North American Heavyweight Title in Caguas, Puerto Rico.
1981 - El Solitario defeats Eric Embry in Mexico City, Mexico to win the UWA World Junior Light-Heavyweight Title, beginning his second reign as champion.
1986 - Paul Orndorff turned on Hulk Hogan, airing on WWF's syndicated TV programs, setting up a major money feud for the WWF title.
1987 - Bruno Sammartino substituted for Jake Roberts in the main event of a WWF show at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, defeated Intercontinental Champion The Honky Tonk Man via countout.
1989 - WWF held a marathon television taping (which was the norm in those days) at the Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts. The show had well over 20 matches taped for Superstars and Prime Time Wrestling, and also included the taping for the July 29th edition of Saturday Night's Main Event which saw the following results:
- Hulk Hogan defeated The Honky Tonk Man with a legdrop.
- Jimmy Snuka defeated Greg Valentine with a flying bodypress after referee Ronnie Garvin punched Valentine.
- Brutus Beefcake defeated Randy Savage via disqualification when Zeus interfered.
- The Brain Busters (Tully Blanchard & Arn Anderson) defeated Demolition to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship in a three falls match when Anderson pinned Smash to win the third fall after Blanchard had hit him with a chair.
1996 - Aquarius (Yoshihiro Tajiri under a mask) defeats Dr. Wagner Jr. for the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Title in Tokyo, Japan on a Big Japan Pro Wrestling event. However, EMLL, the governing body for the title in Mexico, had never agreed to the title change. Wagner won the belt back before returning to Mexico, and the title switch was never recognized by EMLL.
1997 - Ian Rotten defeats Bull Pain in Louisville, Kentucky to win the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title.
1997 - ECW held their "Heatwave" event at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here are the results:
- Mikey Whipwreck & Spike Dudley defeated PG-13.
- Axl Rotten defeated Tracy Smothers.
- John Kronus defeated Prodigy.
- Chris Candido & Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Balls Mahoney & Chris Chetti.
- ECW World Television Champion Taz defeated Lance Storm with the Tazmission.
- ECW World Champion Terry Funk defeated Shane Douglas via disqualification when Francine, Douglas' valet, attacked Funk and bit his ear, rendering Funk a bloody mess. It was heavily hyped on ECW television that the referee had no choice but to call for a DQ (a rarity in ECW) due to Francine's actions.
- The Gangstas (New Jack & Mustafa) defeated The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray & D-Von) to win the ECW World Tag Team Title in a Steel Cage Weapons match. This ended the Dudleys second title reign and began the second, and final, title reign for the Gangstas. The Gangstas would never defend the belts, as Mustafa would leave the company, and ECW would push a story that he was injured in this match.
- Rob Van Dam, Sabu & Jerry Lawler vs. Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman and their mystery partner never took place. Rick Rude, working as an announcer, came down to team with Sandman & Dreamer, but then turned on them, leading to a long brawl. This was also Jerry Lawler's last ECW Arena appearance (at least, last appearance in this building for ECW).
2000 - WWF taped Smackdown at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York, headlined by Triple H & Chris Benoit defeated The Rock & Chris Jericho via disqualification when Rock hit the referee. After the match, Rock put Benoit in a Crippler Crossface while Jericho but Triple H in the Walls Of Jericho.
2002 - Former WCW star Yoshi Kwan, Chris Champion, suffered a stroke.
2002 - Race Steele, Jon Heidenreich, Jason Broyles, Steve Bradley, Mike Sanders, Jason Sugarman and were all cut from WWE's developmental roster.
2002 - WWE shut down their affiliation with Les Thatcher's HWA promotion in Ohio as a developmental territory. It was announced all remaining developmental talents will move to OVW in Louisville. The plan is to have 20 developmental talents there, and review them every 90 days.
2002 - Jim Ross announced on his WWE.com Ross Report column that The Island Boys, Shannon Moore, Johnny "The Bull" Stamboli, Bull Buchanan, Shelton Benjamin and Victoria would all be moving to the main roster.
2002 - WWE broadcast Byte This on their website. John Shepard filed the following report:
We open to clip of Bischoff becoming the general manager on Monday, including his promo.
Kevin Kelly and Tom Prichard are together again and acknowledge some technical difficulties that caused the show to start late Kevin says as a result we won’t hear Droz today, but he will be on Sunday’s Countdown to Vengeance Show. Tazz won’t be on because of family obligations (Thank God no more talk about the growth on his stomach). Tom Prichard is asked about Bischoff coming into the WWE and becoming Raw’s general manager. Dr. Tom says it just proves that you can never say never in the wrestling business. Pritchard says Bischoff is a “conniving” individual and has big plans for Raw. He wonders if he can sign HHH away from Smackdown. Kevin Kelly says he still can’t believe that Bischoff is in the WWE and that they are going to talk with him later.
Dr. Tom says controversy is good for business and it will be good for Raw. Pritchard adds that Bischoff is a shrewd business man. Kevin Kelly asks what this means in the big picture and what is the point of having two general managers work in a company where Vince owns both shows (Great Question). Tom says it is all about competition and the two general managers will push each other to create a better product and one up each other. Tom says it will be more competitive now between the two rosters, and it will give the critics who don’t think the brand extension has worked so far, a little of what they have been asking for (Like more Steph).
Eric Bischoff comes on via the phone. Kevin asks how Bischoff felt when he was announced on Monday. Bischoff says it was unbelievable and surreal like J.R. said. Kelly asks how his arrival worked. Bischoff says he and Vince have been talking for a year now, but the “ice was broken” in the last two weeks when he and Vince begins to speak one-on-one. Bischoff puts over how well his entrance was kept quiet by the WWE, and that he didn’t leave his hotel room until a few hours before show time. Bischoff says when he went into the arena, the boys were completely shocked.
Bischoff waited in his hotel for 6 hours not wanting to leave so that no fan could see him and leak the surprise. Bischoff says it was nerve racking, but exciting as well to be sitting there that long, waiting to be picked up. Bischoff says he couldn’t wait to get out there. Kelly mentions how Bischoff was able to run down his accomplishments on Raw. Kelly says Bischoff changed the way Vince did business. Kelly asks Bischoff if he thought the WWE was going under while running the WCW. Bischoff says he never really new the true status of the WWE and that wasn’t his goal to ruin the company. He acknowledges that he said things to fire people up, because WCW was so small and a distant number two when he took over, and he had to rally the workers to be aggressive. It was under these circumstances that talk about putting people out of business arose. Eric says he is competitive by nature and a mercenary by choice (Nice choice of words). He said he heard rumors about the WWE and their status during the Monday Night Wars, but never truly knew anything. Bischoff said he was told that Vince was going to do his attitude thing and he didn’t think it would work. Eric says once he saw that Vince was moving away from family entertainment to an attitude product, and they were marketing to an older crowd he knew the WWE was not going to lay down and die. He evens says he thought he was in trouble (I highly doubt that).
Dr. Tom asks Eric if J.R. was his boss at anytime in WCW. Bischoff says not really, that he worked for Jim Heard not J.R. But that he did have dealings with J.R. Tom asks Bischoff about J.R. and how he feels about him. Eric says he hasn’t really spoken to Jim Ross since coming into the WWE, but he has no problem with Jim and he respects him. Bischoff says he is happy to be in the WWE and wants to help how ever he can
Kevin asks about the Invasion angle and how it was handled. Bischoff says hindsight is 20/20 and that the only critical thing he could say about it was that it didn’t seem credible or real (That is an understatement). A lot of the top WCW talent wasn’t there, and that without it, the angle was destined to fail. Tom asks about when DX “invaded” WCW Offices, and how he felt about it. Bischoff says he had thought about doing things like that including getting the NWO to buy a ticket and sit in on Raw, but they couldn’t get the support from the heads of Turner to do it. Bischoff also mentions that at the time WCW was in a lawsuit with WWE and the WCW people were very conservative and he was limited to what he could do to them. Bischoff says what really bothered him about the whole angle was that the WCW headquarters looked very poor and it embarrassed him to show it to a television audience.
Bischoff is asked how it is to walk into the WWE locker room with guys who he didn’t like and don’t like him. Bischoff says as many guys like him as dislike him, and he isn’t concerned either way. Bischoff says he is just going to work hard and make this job successful. Kelly asks about the Big Show and Chris Jericho leaving and if that hurt WCW (Big Show? Yeah that killed the company). Bischoff says neither leaving hurt the WCW and that they expected the Big Show to leave, same with Jericho. Bischoff says if either had stayed things would not have been any different in the end. He said he is happy for Chris and it was a great move for him. Bischoff says he discovered Jericho (I question this). Bischoff says WCW’s problem was bigger than these two.
Pritchard asks about the exiting of Steve Austin. Bischoff says he doesn’t know the whole story, but he went through the same thing with Austin. Bischoff says when he brought in Hulk Hogan to the WCW, that Austin wanted to be Hulk’s tag partner and be apart of Hogan’s program. Bischoff says when he didn’t give him what he wanted Steve was angry and made it miserable to be around him from then on. Bischoff mentions a time when Austin also didn’t show up for a scheduled interview and Bischoff says he doesn’t regret firing Austin. Bischoff says he doesn’t owe Austin a damn thing and Austin should think him for making him leave the WCW. Bischoff says he even predicted that Austin would become angry and leave when Hogan, Hall, and Nash came into the WWE (Man I have to believe this was a shoot, and the WWE is not only burying Austin, but defecating on his grave).
A caller asked Bischoff if he is only a character or has creative input. Bischoff says his duties have not been defined, but that everyone wants to hear new ideas in the WWE and they are open to it (except from Russo). But right now he doesn’t have any creative duties. Tom says that WCW talent has always said they felt they had a small window of opportunities to put in creative ideas and they were frustrated by this. Bischoff says he agrees to a point and in the WCW they were very busy and while creative ideas were suggested, these ideas had to fit into the overall plan or they would not be used (So if the ideas didn’t involve making the NwO or Goldberg look good they were flushed). Bischoff says however that he doesn’t understand that criticisms because other people have often complained that too many people had his ear, and were giving him too many ideas. Bischoff says the WWE has a lot of talented wrestling people and the WCW were often given Turner rejects and they weren’t wrestling people. Bischoff said he has read every comment of wrestlers saying what went wrong in the WCW, but none of them knew what really happened.
Kelly asks Bischoff about guaranteed contracts and if that was eventually a problem. Bischoff says it wasn’t a problem, and they didn’t cause WCW to fail. Bischoff says when he came in there were already guaranteed contracts, he inherited them and had to work with them. He said the organization made money from 95 to 99 for the first time with the guaranteed contracts. Bischoff says that the WCW was impacted by the WWE attitude move and the WCW front office told Bischoff they were going in another direction. Bischoff says he was called into a meeting in 98 with Turner executives, and that was when he realized he wasn’t really in charge of the company. Once the merger with Time Warner happened he knew things were in trouble. He said the beginning of the end started in 98 with people being more concerned with stock options instead of the quality of the business.
Kelly asks about the Vengeance Main Event. Bischoff says the match up is interesting. Bischoff says all 3 have strong characteristics but are different. He says the Rock drips charisma and is on a roll and with the momentum he has he will be hard to stop. Bischoff says the Undertaker has a lot of pride and has been around for a long time (I guess that makes him a threat to win?). He looks at Taker and Hogan with the same view. Bischoff says Kurt Angle is charismatic and physically is a machine. He says the main event will be tremendous. Kelly asks with Stephanie McMahon running Smackdown and her dad running things overall, how will he get a fair shake on Raw. Bischoff says he likes going against another McMahon and he will succeed because of hard work and dedication.
Kelly asks about HHH. Bischoff mentions that HHH was in the WCW for awhile but he never got to work with him, and he is excited to be working with him. Bischoff says he really looks forward to working with guys like HHH that he never worked with before. Pritchard asks about Goldberg. Eric mentions he hasn’t spoken to Goldberg sense he came to WWE, but that he would love to see Goldberg in the WWE. Bischoff thinks he could contribute tremendously to the company. Kelly says critics argue that Goldberg is an almost 40 year old flash in the pan with a chip on his shoulder. Bischoff says that is unfair and that he doesn’t think Goldberg has a chip on his shoulder, he admits Goldberg has a big ego, but that can be a good thing. Bischoff says Goldberg is a good person but he had some problems with him professionally. Bischoff says Goldberg came out of nowhere and accomplished more in a short period of time than anyone but the Rock (How about Kurt Angle). Bischoff says that all other superstars were in the business for a long time before they got over, but Rock and Goldberg are exceptions. Bischoff says Goldberg is often too intense in and out of the ring, and it may have lead to injuries.
A caller asks about Ric Flair. Bischoff says he and Flair's problems have been blown out of proportion, and that their relationship is a roller coaster, but that the later part of their relationship was very good. Bischoff says he and Flair had run-ins, but they had really good times too. He claims they get along well now. Kelly says Bischoff has been credited with the creation of the Nitro girls and it had an effect on the WWE divas (Not sure how?). Kelly asks what divas he is interested in. Bischoff mentions he is partial to Stacey, and puts over her legs.
Kelly asks about the atmosphere in the WCW and his ego. Bischoff says the negative atmosphere has been exaggerated, and he does have a big ego, but it doesn’t bother him (How about how it bothers others). Bischoff says he has a lot of other projects going to feed his ego, but he loves the wrestling business. He says there is no better feeling than being successful in wrestling. Kelly mentions how Bischoff looks like a Baldwin. A caller asks about Bischoff trying to buy WCW before Vince did. Bischoff says he and his partners were interested and were within hours of closing the deal. Bischoff even says he took his family on vacation to spend some time with them, because he knew when the deal went through that he wouldn’t get to see them that much. While on vacation he was told the deal “hit the fan” and it was explained that when AOL/Time Warner group that took over were no longer interested in putting wrestling on the Turner Networks. So they were willing to sell Bischoff the company, but would not put it on TBS or TNT. At that point he and his partners backed off.
Kelly asks what the future is for wrestling and what the next big trend is. Bischoff says there is no magic bullet or lightening in a bottom to turn things around. He puts over how long wrestling has been on television and a successful business. He says it has proved to be fad proof. Bischoff says right now there is a ton of reality programming out there which is very extreme and controversial, which cuts into the wrestling business profits. Bischoff says these show target the same audience as wrestling, but they only last during the summer. He says that in the fall when the sitcoms and dramas come back on, that wrestling will fair better and ratings will go up. Bischoff says he would like to see more reality based story lines in wrestling. Bischoff says this is a wrestling show and that they need to convey the sense that things could blow up at any point. Bischoff now leaves. (That was a really good interview)
Kelly & Tom put Eric over. They mention how Bischoff will be on Confidential tomorrow. We now go to Howard Finkel. Finkel gives his props to the “Byte This” show and says it digs deeper than any show out there. Kelly mentions how much he and Finkel are starting to look alike (Huh?). Finkel is asked about the triple threat match. Finkel asks who the fans are going to cheer for. Finkel says the Undertaker has a huge collection of loyal fans. Finkel says the match will be spectacular, he says it could easily be one of the best triple threat matches ever. Finkel now asks his weekly question, “A Nationally Televised WWE Broadcast in the Joe Louis had a very famous non-wrestling person as a special guest referee for the event. Who was it and what was the main event of that broadcast?”
Pritchard mentions how the HWA was removed as a territory and how wrestlers were let go. Pritchard says all these guys worked hard and to only trust WWE.com to find out who was let go and not trust rumors.
John Cena comes on and he mentions how he and Nova are going to fight in a no holds barred match in the OVW tonight. Kelly asks how Cena reacted to fighting Kurt Angle at first on Smack down. Cena says he was only told at 3:00 that he was going to fight Kurt Angle. He said he thought he was only going to fight a dark match and then he thought he would be a heel, but he was shocked when he new hew was going to fight Angle as a babyface. The guys say that sometimes that it is best to go into a match with little time to think about it. Kelly adds that John Cena’s early work used to suck. Cena said that once he got to OVW things turned around for him.
Kelly asks about Danny Davis. Cena says that in other promotions they cared more about your look and entrance than you in-ring work. Cena says Danny Davis is brilliant ands knows the business. He says he can analyze matches and knows how to make people. Kelly proceeds to bash Davis. Pritchard asks Cena about his first views of OVW. Cena says he loved it because it is nothing but wrestling. The guys trash the facilities, but mention they are moving into a new arena. A highlight of Cena’s match with Jericho is shown.
Kelly asks what lessons he has learned in the WWE. Cena says it is amazing because the guys have a lot of suggestions and are helping him advance and make himself better. Pritchard asks Cena about the name Prototype. Cena says that he and some of his friends were trying to come up with names and people always thought of him as a robot (He claimed he has never drank a beer. Dude relax) so the name Prototype came up. Kelly puts over Cena and mentions how John played college football at Springfield College in Illinois.
Kelly asks how he compares to Chris Nowinski. Cena says Chris is nice, But he steers more toward athletics while Chris goes more toward academics. John tells how he wanted to be a wrestler since he was four and that he and his brothers used to wrestle in their basement and create paper belts. Kelly asks Cena about Brock Lesnar. John Cena says Brock is a monster and a true athlete. He calls him a freak and a mutant (He adds several more words like this but you get eh point). Kelly then asks about Randy Orton. Cena says he didn’t get to work much with Orton, but that he is very crisp and smooth in the ring and looks like he belongs in it.
Kelly mentions John does a lot of tape studying. Cena says he likes old Debiase and Flair stuff. Cena says he likes watching old 80’s wrestling because they got people over without doing all the high spots of today. Cena said he was amazed that guys back then could get over just throwing chops and punches (Amazing concept isn’t it) .The guys talk about how important ring psychology is. A guy in the chat room mentions John Cena resembles Sting (Nice Call There). Pritchard ask about the locker room. Cena says everyone has been very receptive to him and has been excellent. He says they all have been helpful. Kelly asks if Cena is a white supremist because he looks like a Hitler Youth (What in the?). Then we get talk about the weather in Louisville.
A caller mentions how Cena is from Boston and he wanders if he has pressure to represent that area (What?). Cena says he doesn’t feel pressure, but he loves the area and is proud of Boston. Kelly rags on the Celtics and the Redsox. John Cena leaves and the guys put him over big time.
Now we get the rap up and witty banter segment. Pritchard believes Bischoff is good for business and will get people talking. Kelly believes Bischoff likes his role of being just talent and not creative.
Pritchard says he wishes Bischoff the best of luck. We now make fun of the Heavenly Bodies, and Pritchard and Kelly randomly go into Latin accents talking about Chavo Guerrero. Dr. Tom mentions the Sunday Countdown show before Vengeance. Big Country even checks in from the bar (Not sure what is going on there). Kevin Kelly mentions that Bischoff and HHH may have been going to Gold Club at the end of Smackdown (That is funny).
The show ends with the clip of Chris Jericho becoming the first undisputed champion last year at Vengeance.
2005 - WWE broadcast Raw from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania featuring Edge defeated Kane in a steel cage match, John Cena defeating Snitsky in a lumberjack match, and Kurt Angle defeating Matt Striker.
2009 - TNA held their Victory Road Pay-per-view in Orlando, featuring the TNA debut of Taz. Here is the original PPV report on the show.
The TNA Victory Road opened with a video piece leading into the show. Fireworks went off as Mike Tenay welcome everyone to the PPV.
TNA Knockouts champion Tara vs. Angelina Love (with Madison Rayne & Velvet Sky)
Tara cleared the ring early but Love came back. She drilled Tara back-first into the corner, then slammed her out of the corner for a two count. She followed up with a clothesline and a headbutt. Don West name-checked Bobo Brazil. Tara kicked out of several pinfall attempts.
Tara knocked Velvet Sky off the apron. Sky went to spray Tara with the hairspray but got Love instead. Referee Slick Johnson threw Sky and Rayne out of ringside. That allowed Love to kick out of a pinfall attempt. Tara went for a top rope moonsault but Love rolled out of the way. Love covered Tara and scored the pin, although Tara had her leg on the rope.
Your winner and new TNA Knockouts champion, Angelina Love!
After the bout, Tara argued with Johnson over the count, then laid her out. She drilled Love with the Widow's Peak and teased putting the tarantula on her, but the other Beautiful People pulled Love out of the ring. Tara then put it on Johnson.
This never seemed to get out of first gear. I have a feeling that if they had been given more time, this really could have been something more memorable, so hopefully down the line. I'll be blunt, I hated the finish too. It came out of nowhere and was weak to me.
Mike Tenay and Don West ran down the rest of the PPV lineup.
Birthday Boy Jeremy Borash was in the Main Event Mafia's locker room. Borash noted to Kurt Angle that 9 months ago, they declared that all the former World champions in one group would dominate wrestling. Angle said that unlike others, he backs up his word. He told the fans not to expect a quality wrestling match, since he was going to "maul Mick Foley as quickly as possible." I guess he's like JYD where he doesn't get paid by the minute. Angle said all the things Foley has done in the past mean nothing. Angle then told everyone else that there was no fun or games tonight and that if they didn't have a clean sweep, with all pinfall and submission wins, Angle would come out and fire them on the spot from the M.E.M. tonight.
Matt Morgan vs. Daniels
Morgan and Daniels locked up. Morgan immediately shoved Daniels over the ropes. Morgan followed him to the floor, raking at his face and slamming him into the railings. Back in the ring, Daniels mounted a quick comeback but was nailed by Morgan. Daniels drilled him with several rights but Morgan nailed him with a knee.
Daniels tricked Morgan through the ropes and then hit a tope through the ropes, drilling Morgan. Morgan staggered to the announcer's table but didn't go down. Daniels continued to rock Morgan outside the ring with strikes. He went to the apron and nailed an Arabian Press off the ropes to the floor. The crowd chanted, "TNA!" Daniels went for a pescado but Morgan moved out of the ring. Daniels began selling the knee that has been injured of late.
Morgan tossed him back into the ring and nailed a discus clothesline. Morgan draped Daniels' leg over the apron and nailed legdrop across it. West called Daniels, "A good kid." KID? Morgan began drilling Daniels with rapid fire elbows. He teased a sideslam, then dropped him in a moment of disrespect. Morgan continued to work over Daniels' leg with stomps and leglocks.
Morgan elevated Daniels, then slammed him into the corner face first for a two count. Morgan missed an elbow and legdrop. Daniels, one on leg, began exchanging blows with Morgan. He nailed Morgan with a jawbreaker, but it tossed into the corner. Morgan charges but eats a Daniels elbow. Daniels hit a high cross bodyblock for a two count off the top, then rolled Morgan up for a second. Daniels used a Crucifix for another near fall.
Morgan came back with a Fall Away Slam and motioned for the Hellevator. When he grabbed Daniels, he was caught in a DDT. Daniels went for the BME but his leg buckled. Morgan caught him with the Carbon Footprint. He nailed the Hellevator for the pin.
Your winner, Matt Morgan!
Solid match with some good storytelling. They did a nice job writing Daniels' knee issue into the bout to explain his loss.
Jeremy Borash interviewed Dr. Stevie (with Daffney) asking why he would even get into the ring with Abyss. Richards said that he respects the mind over the body so he knows he has Abyss where he needs him. He said that tonight's bout will be No DQ and when it's over, everyone will know who the patient was and who the doctor is. As Stevie left, Daffney told him she loves him. He responded, "I know" and walked off. Someone was watching Empire Strikes Back.
Abyss vs. Dr. Stevie Richards - No DQ
Richards attacked Abyss with a a baton immediately at the bell and worked him over. Abyss began to make a comeback. Richards began slapping and chopping away at Abyss to no avail. Richards rebounded off the ropes but was slapped down by Abyss.
Richards retreated to the floor but Abyss followed. They went into the crowd. Abyss catches him on the stairs and begins beating him down. He drags Richards back towards ring. Richards cuts him off and tries to whip Abyss into a wall, but it's reversed. The crowd chanted for a second one and Abyss agrees, sending Richards face-first into the wall. Abyss dumps Stevie back over the railing into the ringside area.
Richards was bleeding after they returned to the ringside area. Abyss ripped off Richards' doctor scrubs and took his time chopping away at Richards in a corner. Abyss set up a chair in the corner, then drilled Stevie into it. Richards was out on his feet. Abyss picked him up for Shock Treatment and nailed it.
Daffney came to the ring with a taser but Lauren came out and shoved her down. Richards got the taser but Abyss nailed the Black Hole Slam. Abyss got the taser and nailed Richards with it. Smoke came out of the taser to give the effect that Abyss burned Richards. Abyss then scored the pin.
Your winner, Abyss!
Abyss and Lauren hugged after the bout.
In terms of finally giving Abyss vindication over Richards, the storyline of the match made sense. It was the Abyss brawl around the Impact Zone that you'd have expected going in.
Mick Foley was having a locker room meeting with TNA Tag Team champions and TNA Legends champion AJ Styles. He said that he may not have been the best boss in the world, but he never messed with their jobs. He said that if they lose the belts tonight, The Mafia will use everything they can to their advantage and everyone's jobs will be in jeopardy, including his own. Kind of funny to see serious Foley after all his goofiness of the last few months in TNA but no one will do a better job of getting the storylines over than him. Foley asked him to retain their belts so at the end, he's not the only defender of TNA when the night comes to an end. He asked them if they were in and they agreed.
IWGP Tag Team champions Team 3D vs. The British Invasion (with Rob Terry)
Doug Williams and Devon opened the bout. Magnus tagged in. Brother Ray handed him some clubbering. Ray clotheslined Magnus over the top to the floor. Magnus improves every month. Putting him in the UK unit was a great idea. Williams distracted Ray for Magnus to attack him but Ray was too smart for it. Still, The Invasion double teamed Ray. Williams nailed an uppercut off the ropes. Magnus choked Ray against the middle rope.
The Invasion began making fast tags in and out. Williams caught Ray with an elbow as he charged the corner. Ray came back. Devon went to the top for the wazzup headbutt but Rob Terry shoved him off the ropes. Williams used his boot to choke out Ray. The Invasion continued to work over Ray. They nailed a double backdrop on Ray. Magnus began punching Ray, who fought back. Ray finally got the better of him and made the hot tag to Devon.
Devon began working over Magnus and Williams. Devon slammed Williams and dropped down into a headbutt for a two count. He nailed a sideslam for a second but Magnus broke it up. Devon and Ray nailed a back suplex/neckbreaker combination for a two count on Magnus. Devon went to the top for the wazzup and this time, nailed it off the top rope. The fans called for 3D to get the tables and chanted for it.
Devon brought onto into the ring but was attacked on the floor by Rob Terry. Ray set up the table but was attacked by Williams and Magnus. Ray tossed Magnus out of the ring. Rob Terry went to clothesline Ray, who ducked and he drilled Williams. 3D tossed Terry out of the ring and then nailed the 3D on Williams for the pin.
Your winners and still IWGP Tag Team champions Team 3D!
Kiyoshi and Sheik Abdul Bashir, allies of the British Invasion, hit the ring and attacked 3D. 3D made their own comeback and Ray nailed a superbomb of the ropes through a table for the big pop.
Good tag match. Williams has always been great, 3D have good showings when they have the time to put together a strong match and Magnus is continuing to improve. Solid, entertaining tag bout here.
Mike Tenay and Don West talked about the controversy of the finish of the Knockouts championship bout with Tara having her leg on the rope. Lauren was standing by with Slick Johnson. He said he was out of position and feels bad that he cost her the title, but the referee's decision is final. Johnson said he was going to Jim Cornette to request Tara get a rematch.
Jenna Morasca (with Awesome Kong) vs. Sharmell (with Sojourner Bolt)
Morasca was slapping hands on the way to the ring. Physically in her ring gear, she didn't stand out compared to some of the women in the company. Hey, isn't she a heel, because she's playing babyface. Sharmell is wrestling in her evening gown. They lock up and Sharmell knees her in the gut. Sharmell slams her head first into the mat. She begins stomping on her and tearing at Jenna's hair but the referee breaks them up. Sharmell covered Morasca for a two count.
Sharmell locked on a camel clutch to make her humble. This is all Sharmell killing Jenna early. Sharmell begins kicking and slapping her in the corner. Jenna landed the WORST slaps in the history of the business. They began doing the catfight roll around on the mat with Hebner ending up rolling around. Jenna began choking Sharmell but Hebner pulled her off. They showed that she had ripped out some of Sharmell's hair.
Sharmell charged Jenna, who moved. Sharmell nailed Sojo, who bumped off the apron to the floor. Jenna gave Kong the hair. Sharmell asked for it back and Kong obliged, then punched out Sharmell. Jenna covered Sharmell and did a pseudo lapdance during the cover.
Your winner, Jenna Morasca!
After the match, Morasca was all riled up by her win and began giving Kong static. Kong laid her out and splashed her.
This may end up being one of the worst segments of the year. WOW.
Jeremy Borash interviewed Kevin Nash, asking him his reaction to Kurt Angle's announcement that if they lost, they'd be fired. Nash said all the stuff Mick Foley said to the other locker room was garbage. Nash said he was so confident tonight that if he didn't win, he would retire. He promised to win the Legends championship.
TNA Legends champ AJ Styles vs. Kevin Nash
Obviously, the size difference should be the story here. They circled each other for a long time. Styles did some hit and run tactics early. Nash finally caught Styles with several knees in the corner. Nash lined up Styles and drilled him with a standing elbow in a corner. Nash drilled Styles with a clothesline for a two count.
Styles came back with a back elbow out of the corner. Styles came off the ropes but Nash nailed him with a big boot and Styles went over the top to the floor. Much slower paced bout than usual for Styles so far. Nash rolled Styles back into the ring. Nash went for a powerbomb but Styles rained down with punches and Nash fell backwards with Styles on top. Styles scored a near fall.
Styles began ducking and weaving while nailing strikes and kicks. Styles began working over Nash with a series of rights. Styles began using the Garvin Stomp on Nash's legs. Styles continued stomping on Nash's knees. He locked up Nash's legs in a submission attempt but Nash fought him off. AJ came back with the springboard forearm smash into the ring for a two count. Styles went for a kick. Nash blocked it and Styles hit the Pele Kick. He went outside for a springboard but was caught by Nash and chokeslammed for the pin.
Your winner and new TNA Legends champion Kevin Nash!
They showed Styles beating the mat in frustration and anger after the bout.
This was about as good as it could have been given the limitations of the match.
Lauren was in the women's locker room trying to get an interview with Tara. Slick Johnson came out of the shower, followed by Madison Rayne, so she was screwing with him in exchange for Love getting the belt back. Rayne told Lauren to mind her business and keep her mouth shut, since, you know, everyone who was watching on CAMERA couldn't see all this to begin with. Dumb.
TNA Tag Team champs Beer Money Inc. vs. Scott Steiner & Booker T
Booker and James Storm started out. Storm got the better of a nice exchange and drilled him with some rights. Storm nails him with a knee to the face and a neckbreaker. Roode and Steiner tagged in. Steiner shoulderblocked him down but Roode came back with a kneedrop for a two count.
Roode and Storm nailed a double suplex. Booker was clotheslined over the top to the floor and Beer Money celebrated. Storm nailed a baseball slide kick to the outside on Steiner. Storm worked over Steiner when they returned to the ring. Booker nailed Storm from behind. Booker pulled him out of the ring and dropped him across the railing.
Steiner and Booker continued to work over Steiner. Storm fought his way out of a Steiner chinlock but was nailed with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Storm tried to fight off Steiner but continued to get worked over with chops in the corner. Storm finally nailed a Tornado DDT out of the corner on Steiner and finally makes the hot tag to Robert Roode.
Roode cleans house on Booker and Steiner. He ducks a clothesline and nailed Steiner with a neckbreaker. Roode elbowed a charging Steiner and went to the middle rope for a snapmare, getting another two count. Booker was going to interfere but Storm nailed an enziguiri. Storm and Roode worked over Steiner, who kicked up at two.
Steiner nailed an STO on Roode for a two count. Storm spits beer in Steiner's face. The ref got bumped. Beer Money hit the DWI but Booker pulled the referee out of the ring. Hebner began yelling at Storm to get out of the ring, allowing Booker to nail the Ax Kick on Roode. They scored the pin.
Your winners and new TNA Tag Team champions Booker T & Scott Steiner!
Match never really got out of first gear, sort of like this show.
Jeremy Borash came out to ringside to interview the new Tag Team champions. Booker said he told everyone they were going to do it, because they were Mafia. Booker said if anyone wants some, they can come get some. Steiner said they were going to get the Tag belts and they did it. He claimed they were the greatest of all time. Steiner promised that Kurt Angle was going to take Mick Foley down tonight.
Backstage, Lauren asked Samoa Joe if the mystery of his advisor will be revealed tonight. Joe said that he's here and ready to war. He said this person was the man who was responsible for everything he's become and as a gift, he's going to deliver him Sting's head. He said it was showtime for Sting and it would be his final scene. Usual good Joe promo.
Sting vs. Samoa Joe
Joe and Sting began brawling as soon as Sting hit the ring. They went to the floor, where Joe slammed Sting into the apron. Joe tossed Sting into the crowd. They brawled towards one of the walls and Joe slammed Sting into it. Sting fought Joe off and threw him into the wall. They brawled back to the ringside area. Joe suplexed Sting onto the rampway leading to the ring.
Joe continued to beat down Sting, who reversed a whip into the railing. They returned to the ring. Sting bit Joe on the face and began kicking away at him. Joe came back and began peppering Sting with punches. Joe hit a running elbow and then a kick in the corner. Joe locked on a chinlock to wear Sting down. Sting fought his way back but Joe began drilling him with chops, punches and headbutts.
Joe continued the assault on Sting, who began making the superman comeback. Joe caught Sting with a sleeper but Sting dropped backwards to take out Joe. Joe began nailing Sting with a series of rights but was caught with a clothesline. Sting and Joe continued going back and forth. Sting took Joe down with a kick to the side of the head.
Sting went to the top rope but changed his mind. He nailed the Stinger Splash and went for the Scorpion Deathlock. He locked it in and music began playing. Out comes Taz in a black suit. Joe escaped and wakes up. Joe and Sting go back and forth. Sting nailed an elbow and nailed a flying clothesline off the top for a two count. Taz began screaming instructions.
Joe cuts off Sting and goes for the muscle buster. Sting fights him off but is caught in the Tazmission. Sting finally taps out clean.
Your winner, Samoa Joe!
Joe and Taz exchanged words afterwards and Joe glared into the camera.
Match was decent but not the off the charts style their Bound for Glory bout last year was. I can't believe they didn't give Taz a chance to cut a promo.
They went right to a video feature on Bobby Lashley announcing he had signed with TNA.
Jeremy Borash interviewed Mick Foley. Foley said perhaps it's just the Main Event Mafia's night. He said that unlike most foes, he doesn't have a weakness to exploit in his opponent. That said, he nailed Angle with an elbow and Angle was out for a minute so he knows he can take out Angle. He said that backstage after Angle won the belt, he was having problems with his left hand because of his ongoing neck issues and knows that Angle was told he'd be OK unless there were extenuating circumstances. Foley said those circumstances were him and said that if Angle wants to be champion, he's going to have to beat Foley. Good promo.
TNA champ Kurt Angle vs. Mick Foley
This is their first-ever singles bout. They really need to tear the house down as this show hasn't had any major memorable bouts, promos or moments. The bad news is Angle has some sort of groin injury, so we'll see how this unfolds. Foley's wife and kids are all sitting ringside in the second row under the hard camera.
They started slow. Foley caught Angle with an elbow and Angle went to the floor to escape. The locked up and Foley clobbered him across the back, then locked in a front facelock. Foley nailed a suplex for a two count. Angle raked Foley's eyes but is favoring his neck and head. Angle began choking Foley against the ropes.
They went to the back. Foley took a backdrop onto the ring steps. Angle then slammed him into the steps face first. Back in the ring, Angle continued to work on Foley's knees and legs. Foley fought back, focusing on Angle's neck. Angle went for a back suplex but Foley turned it into an armbar. Angle rolled through and locked in an anklelock. Foley was able to kick him off but was caught with a clothesline. Angle went for a moonsault but missed.
Foley comes back with the sock but Angle shoved off Foley, who bumped the referee. Angle hit the Olympic Slam for a two count. Angle dropped an elbow on the referee. Don West said he was upset over a slow count. Angle grabbed a chair but Foley caught him with the Mandible Claw. Foley then tossed Angle to the floor and hit the elbow off the apron to the floor. Foley got Angle into the ring for a pin but Angle got his shoulder up before the three count.
Foley locked on the Mandible Claw while scissoring Angle's body. The arm dropped twice but Angle fought Foley off and began mauling him with punches, then locked in the anklelock. Foley fought his way to the ropes and finally made it, forcing a break. Angle dragged Foley back to the center of the ring, then locked in the anklelock again. Foley finally tapped.
Your winner and still TNA champion Kurt Angle!
I don't think anyone was expecting an all-time match classic here but if you were, it didn't happen. It was another solid bout but nothing over the top memorable.
The show ended with the entire Main Event Mafia, holding all the main titles, celebrating in the ring while Foley struggled to recover. Taz was with them.
