TNA Slammiversary Review

TNA Slam it home for the 8th time

by Phil Allely

Hot on the heels of the move back to Thursday nights and the (as yet) unfulfilled 'big' company announcement by President Dixie Carter, Slammiversary still delivered a decent series of matches and story progressions for TNA, but unfortunatley saw the the roster lose yet another long-serving Knockout from their once standout womens wrestling division.

TNA have had their fair share of ups and downs over the last eight years and Slammiversary only proved too highlight the good and bad points todays product delivers.

Kurt Angle took Kaz to wrestling school in the opener, Kaz losing his #10 world title contender spot with relative ease as Kurt unleashed a full arsenal of German suplexes, high-risk moves and spots, before latching on an ankle lock for the win.

Doug Williams is a great man to carry the flag for the UK, but his mat-based ring style doesn't blend well with many of the X Division Title contenders he defends against. Brian Kendrick proved to be yet another positive tick on his win collumn, as Williams brought the high-flyer down to earth, defeating him with a nice ddt to retain his gold.

A bloody Roxxi saw her recent trumphant TNA return end as quickly as as it started next, losing a career versus Knockouts title match to champion Madison Rayne. The always dependable Roxxi was visibly emotional at her loss and subsequent journey back into the world of low paying indy wrestling.

High-spirited newcomer Jesse Neal then defeated Brother ray via spear when a debuting Tommy Dreamer distracted Ray, the former ECW favourite turning up and interuptions from Brother Devon and shannon Moore were probably the better parts of this brief match-up.

Former tag team champs Matt Morgan and Hernandez then turned up for a spin on the old fake injury/playing possum angle, Morgan faking a neck injury and Hernandez beating him down brutally anyway. Supermex lost by DQ, but won a serious slice of revenge in doing so, ref Brian hebner saw some unplanned action too.

Abyss and Desmond Wolfe had a very enjoyable Monsters Ball brawl, with a bevy of weapons including barbed wire helping proceedings plow on wiith ease. Blood, violence and a surprise (to some) Chelsea turn on Wolfe in favour of Abyss, saw the Monster hit a hard 'Black Hole Slam' to put Wolfe down for the three count.

In a shocker Ric Flair impersonator Jay Lethal pinned AJ Styles in their challenge match, the bout was chock-full of great moves, counters, blocks and near falls, however this wasn't AJ's night. The finish saw Lethal pinning Styles and an irate Ric leaving wiith new pal Kaz.

Jeff Hardy & Mr Anderson's oddball team (self dubbed the Enigmatic A**holes) were up up next and opponents Beer Money Inc. were their prey.

Storm & Roode may be TNA's best regular combo, but team EA were able to easilly overcome them, it was give-and-take a lot of the way, before the faces stole the win with a good looking Anderson 'mic check' finisher on Roode.

World Heavyweight Championship challenger Sting is undeniably a living legend and deserves his spot on the TNA roster, however even wiith an age and stye difference, allowing champ RVD and himself share the bumps worked well.

The reliable Sting was able to rise to the challenge of the gifted opponent he was presented with, yes Jaff Jarrett did get involved, but that really couldn't distract too much from the quality main event on offer.

RVD overcame some stiff baseball bat shots to hit a beautiful five star frog splash & put The Stinger away, savouring the adoring crowds roar as he did so.

Slammiversary may not have been as ground breaking as we expected surprise-wise (according to Dixie that's to come soon), but it did boast a few fair-good bouts, progress storylines, gave hope to young roster members and showcased the benefits of having a man the calibre of Van Dam as champ. More savvy fans will be wondering if Tommy Dreamer appearing means an ECW style invasion is part of the company's masterplan too.

Eight years on TNA is a company this reviewer is proud to have watched grow, where they go next, who know's but with Hulk Hogan on board, Flair attempting to revive The Horsemen and a certain Mr Monday (ok Thursday now) Night on top, it's all looking good and been one heck of a ride so far.