John
02-26-2011, 10:25 AM
TNA house show report
February 26, 2011
Norfolk, Va.
Report by Matt & Belinda Elliott, PWTorch readers
We bought tickets for Friday night’s TNA house show in Norfolk, Va. when they first went on sale, so we were a bit perturbed earlier in the week when they announced Scott Steiner vs. Jeff Jarrett as the main event with semi-main events of The Hardys vs. Crimson & Matt Morgan, plus Beer Money vs. Ink Inc. Not pretty on paper.
None of these advertised matches took place. The card was good and the atmosphere was a lot of fun, as it has been at each previous TNA house show we have attended.
Before the show, Mick Foley signed autographs.
Borash started with the usual mic work. Jarrett and Ink, Inc. came out and claimed they wouldn’t allow any fans backstage, but Borash said he is defying their order.
(1) X Division champion Kazarian beat Chris Sabin to retain the X Division Title. Neither of the wrestlers were advertised for the show. Great opener.
(2) Mickie James pinned Sarita. Pretty good match with a couple of obviously botched moves, but still, fine entertainment.
Mick Foley was introduced next. He came began talking about how it was referee Brian Hebner’s return to his home state of Virginia, as if that was a big deal. Magnus came out to interrupt. He and Foley argued back and forth for a minute, then Foley announced he would be the ringside enforcer to help ref Brian Hebner be sure there were no ringside shenanigans in Magnus’s match with Rob Terry.
(3a) Rob Terry vs. Magnus was stopped a few minutes in by Mick Foley. They were being very scientific and kept shaking hands with each other after every exchange. Mick said Terry and Magnus were breaking Virginia’s state law prohibiting sucking. So he was making himself the new in-ring referee and was making the match a three-way adding in Eric Young.
(3b) Eric Young defeated Rob Terry and Magnus in a three-way match. Foley became involved in a two-on-two fight, helping Young against the heels. This was very entertaining and ended with each face applying a sock-covered mandible claw on the heels. Not a classic, but the crowd was very entertained.
(4) Scott Steiner & Crimson & Matt Morgan beat Jeff Jarrett & Ink, Inc. (Jesse Neal & Shannin Moore). I wasn’t aware Ink, Inc. were heels. But, they brought a “This place sux” sign with them to be sure the audience knew they were heels. Good match with Jarrett avoiding Steiner the whole match. Jeff submitted to the Steiner recliner once Steiner finally got a hold of him.
[Intermission. Mickie James signed autographs.]
(5) Samoa Joe beat "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero via submission to the rear naked choke. Good match.
(6) TNA tag champions Beer Money (James Storm & Robert Roode) beat the Hardys (Matt & Jeff Hardy) to retain the TNA Tag Titles. This was a much better main event than the advertised matches. It had been previously announced that the Hardys would be taking pictures with the fans after the show. Matt got on the mic and said if they won this match, not only would they be tag champs, but they would not have to take any pictures with the fans. James Storm then added that if Beer Money won, not only would the Hardys have to take pictures with the fans, Matt Hardy would have to kiss this older woman sitting in the front row. Beer Money won a good match.
Afterward, Matt Hardy kissed the fan in question who fell down to the mat on top of him and laid there for a minute or so kissing him. The Hardys then spent over an hour taking pictures with the fans for $20 a picture. There had to be at least 500 people in line to get pictures with them.
Meanwhile, several other wrestlers surrounded the ring signing autographs and Jeff Jarrett signed autographs at the merchandise table.
I would estimate the attendance as about 1,500. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less.
Everyone seemed to have a really good time and no one seemed to mind TNA changing the advertised card.
Since we bought floor seats, we were able to attend a pre-show meet and greet. Before letting us in, Don West said wrestlers would only be signing official TNA merchandise. So, I bought a $20 program with which I obtained about 15 different wrestlers's autographs. A fan complained that after buying $50 seats to be able to attend the meet and greet, they were now being told they had to spend more money to get autographs. He asked Don West why the wrestlers couldn’t just sign his ticket. Don said that wasn’t possible because there would be too many autographs for the wrestlers to sign because everyone had a ticket. Yes, everyone had expensive tickets that were supposed to get them in to the meet and greet where no rules had been established in advance.
The meet and greet included Pope, Sabin, Sarita, Terry, Young, Magnus, and Crimson. So, Pope was the most famous of the wrestlers at the meet and greet for the fans who bought the most expensive tickets. The general public was included later in the night in opportunities to meet most everyone else - Samoa Joe and Scott Steiner were the only ones I didn’t see come out to meet fans at some point.
They were selling $80 TNA model race cars that were limited editions. Anyone who bought one of these got to go backstage for a Hardy Party to meet the Hardys and “whoever else was backstage at the time.” So, I guess buying expensive seats for a mid-card meet and greet wasn’t the greatest investment.
Having said that, TNA really does put on a good house show and it was a lot of fun interacting with the wrestlers.
February 26, 2011
Norfolk, Va.
Report by Matt & Belinda Elliott, PWTorch readers
We bought tickets for Friday night’s TNA house show in Norfolk, Va. when they first went on sale, so we were a bit perturbed earlier in the week when they announced Scott Steiner vs. Jeff Jarrett as the main event with semi-main events of The Hardys vs. Crimson & Matt Morgan, plus Beer Money vs. Ink Inc. Not pretty on paper.
None of these advertised matches took place. The card was good and the atmosphere was a lot of fun, as it has been at each previous TNA house show we have attended.
Before the show, Mick Foley signed autographs.
Borash started with the usual mic work. Jarrett and Ink, Inc. came out and claimed they wouldn’t allow any fans backstage, but Borash said he is defying their order.
(1) X Division champion Kazarian beat Chris Sabin to retain the X Division Title. Neither of the wrestlers were advertised for the show. Great opener.
(2) Mickie James pinned Sarita. Pretty good match with a couple of obviously botched moves, but still, fine entertainment.
Mick Foley was introduced next. He came began talking about how it was referee Brian Hebner’s return to his home state of Virginia, as if that was a big deal. Magnus came out to interrupt. He and Foley argued back and forth for a minute, then Foley announced he would be the ringside enforcer to help ref Brian Hebner be sure there were no ringside shenanigans in Magnus’s match with Rob Terry.
(3a) Rob Terry vs. Magnus was stopped a few minutes in by Mick Foley. They were being very scientific and kept shaking hands with each other after every exchange. Mick said Terry and Magnus were breaking Virginia’s state law prohibiting sucking. So he was making himself the new in-ring referee and was making the match a three-way adding in Eric Young.
(3b) Eric Young defeated Rob Terry and Magnus in a three-way match. Foley became involved in a two-on-two fight, helping Young against the heels. This was very entertaining and ended with each face applying a sock-covered mandible claw on the heels. Not a classic, but the crowd was very entertained.
(4) Scott Steiner & Crimson & Matt Morgan beat Jeff Jarrett & Ink, Inc. (Jesse Neal & Shannin Moore). I wasn’t aware Ink, Inc. were heels. But, they brought a “This place sux” sign with them to be sure the audience knew they were heels. Good match with Jarrett avoiding Steiner the whole match. Jeff submitted to the Steiner recliner once Steiner finally got a hold of him.
[Intermission. Mickie James signed autographs.]
(5) Samoa Joe beat "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero via submission to the rear naked choke. Good match.
(6) TNA tag champions Beer Money (James Storm & Robert Roode) beat the Hardys (Matt & Jeff Hardy) to retain the TNA Tag Titles. This was a much better main event than the advertised matches. It had been previously announced that the Hardys would be taking pictures with the fans after the show. Matt got on the mic and said if they won this match, not only would they be tag champs, but they would not have to take any pictures with the fans. James Storm then added that if Beer Money won, not only would the Hardys have to take pictures with the fans, Matt Hardy would have to kiss this older woman sitting in the front row. Beer Money won a good match.
Afterward, Matt Hardy kissed the fan in question who fell down to the mat on top of him and laid there for a minute or so kissing him. The Hardys then spent over an hour taking pictures with the fans for $20 a picture. There had to be at least 500 people in line to get pictures with them.
Meanwhile, several other wrestlers surrounded the ring signing autographs and Jeff Jarrett signed autographs at the merchandise table.
I would estimate the attendance as about 1,500. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less.
Everyone seemed to have a really good time and no one seemed to mind TNA changing the advertised card.
Since we bought floor seats, we were able to attend a pre-show meet and greet. Before letting us in, Don West said wrestlers would only be signing official TNA merchandise. So, I bought a $20 program with which I obtained about 15 different wrestlers's autographs. A fan complained that after buying $50 seats to be able to attend the meet and greet, they were now being told they had to spend more money to get autographs. He asked Don West why the wrestlers couldn’t just sign his ticket. Don said that wasn’t possible because there would be too many autographs for the wrestlers to sign because everyone had a ticket. Yes, everyone had expensive tickets that were supposed to get them in to the meet and greet where no rules had been established in advance.
The meet and greet included Pope, Sabin, Sarita, Terry, Young, Magnus, and Crimson. So, Pope was the most famous of the wrestlers at the meet and greet for the fans who bought the most expensive tickets. The general public was included later in the night in opportunities to meet most everyone else - Samoa Joe and Scott Steiner were the only ones I didn’t see come out to meet fans at some point.
They were selling $80 TNA model race cars that were limited editions. Anyone who bought one of these got to go backstage for a Hardy Party to meet the Hardys and “whoever else was backstage at the time.” So, I guess buying expensive seats for a mid-card meet and greet wasn’t the greatest investment.
Having said that, TNA really does put on a good house show and it was a lot of fun interacting with the wrestlers.