Ultimate Warrior Announced as WWE Hall of Fame Inductee

Ultimate Warrior Announced as WWE Hall of Fame Inductee

By Phil Allely

WWE (WWE) announced today that The Ultimate Warrior will return to WWE after an 18 year absence and be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Saturday, April 5, 2014 at New Orleans Arena, as a part of the WrestleMania 30 festivities.

“The Ultimate Warrior was the most intense, colorful, competitive and outspoken Superstar in sports entertainment history, and his contributions to WWE were extraordinary,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “We are thrilled to induct The Ultimate Warrior into the WWE Hall of Fame.”

The Ultimate Warrior was one of the most iconic and exciting Superstars in WWE history. When the distinctive ring entrance music of Warrior hit, he would burst out of the dressing room and sprint towards the ring, causing a frenzy of excitement amongst WWE fans. Inside the squared circle, Warrior was responsible for many of the most memorable moments in WWE history.

In 1988 at the inaugural SummerSlam, he defeated the Honkytonk Man in record time to win his first of two Intercontinental Championships. In 1990, Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan™ to become WWE Champion at WrestleMania VI in one of the most exciting matches in WrestleMania history. Warrior would continue to captivate audiences around the world with epic encounters against WWE Legends such as Undertaker and Randy Savage. After a storied career that also saw him compete in WCW, Warrior stepped away from the ring in 1998. Last year, he was featured in the WWE 2K14 video game as a downloadable character,.

Additional WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2014 inductees will be announced over the coming weeks.

By Phil Allely

Brooke Hogan latest TNA release

Hogan's Daughter released by TNA

By Phil Allely

Hulk Hogan's daughter Brooke Hogan was released by TNA this past week. The main reason for this is said to be that she is another casualty of the company's ongoing cost-cutting measures.

These measures have become necessary due to the amount of extra money it has cost to take Impact on the road (away from the comforts of the Impact Zone studio in Florida). These additional costs are said to be in region of hundreds of thousands of dollars per taping.

There are also rumours that the company have not been receiving as much at the live gate and on merchandise as they expected either.

The lovely Miss Hogan had proved to be a good addition to the roster and apart from her role controlling the Knockouts division (which went down very well on and off screen), she was also a major part of the Bully Ray heel turn and Aces & Eights. Brooke was of course involved in a (storyline) romantic relationship with Bully Ray that led to an ill-fated on-screen wedding and saw her and Hulk become the centre-pieces to the inevitable reveal that Bully was after all the mastermind behind the biker-inspired gang.

The odds are Brooke may well return to TNA at some sporadic points down the line. As long as her father is working there this seems logical. Her recent real life engagement to a US football player has also damaged at least one storyline as well.

Miss Hogan joins the recent spate of TNA release's that has included D-Lo Brown, Matt Morgan, Jess Sorensen, Doc, Tara and talent Boss Bruce Pritchard. UK star Doug Williams was also a victim of this talent cull.

TNA Live Review: TNA 10

TNA stars old and new take to the ring for the company's 10th anniversary.

By Phil Allely

In another of TNA's ongoing 'One Night Only' series of PPV style events the stars of Impact wrestling were able to step outside of the world of storylines and have some pretty decent matches. This time we were presented with a glimpse into the company's ten year history. The idea being we get to see many highlights form the the past ten years and maybe even se some old faces along the way. 

Kicking things off were Kenny King, Sonjay Dutt and Petey Williams in a nice X Division scrap. This should have been better, but it did do its job to build up momentum and interest in the show. King pulled off the win to a mild response.

Next up the Knockouts elevated things well with what became a well-paced scrap. Gail Kim did what she does best and took Velvet Sky to one of her best matches in ages here.  The ladies pulled out all of the stops as well. Velvet Sky's win really didn't harm Kim's reputation at all wither.

The 'Gauntlet Match' that followed saw some new faces and some old ones too. This was held under over the top rope rules and the the final two would be down to pinfall/submission  conditions. Shark Boy worked very hard throughout here, his fan base evidently are still out there. Jonny Devine made a monumental mistake in a rope based assault and caused his own ejection early on. The now gone Matt Morgan became the star of the show though and played his big man role well.  His win was not a surprise at all.

On the tag team front TNA have been lacking as of late. So when you are offered Bad Influence, LAX and Team 3D we viewers are not going to complain. All three teams raised their game here, 3D were in fine form and Kaz/Daniels were as expected as sharp as ever. The nice touch was Lax's reunion and the fact that they never lost a step. Supermex flew, Homicide risked his life as always and the team were on fire. 3D pulled off the win though after a well placed 3D.

Austin Aries and Jeff Hardy then went on to have a pretty decent encounter. The exchanges were crisp, well worked and much more here. Both men shared the stage here nicely and built the night to the level we expected.  Hardy's win was a favourable one we believe.

As tensions and the atmosphere grew former tag team partners James Storm and Bobby Roode took to the ring. What was nice here was that both me  knew each other so well and could counter almost every move. Roode may have pulled off the win, but he did have his feet on the ropes to achieve it.

The main event saw (now Main Even Mafia members) Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe embark on a wonderful in-ring  tale. As expected Kurt and Joe took things to a while new level here and both had their work boots on too. A well placed 'Angle Slam' saw Joe put way however.

The TNA 10 Year special was a fun addition to proceedings. The matches were for the main above par, the roster stepped up and we loved seeing events unfold. However many of us did hope to see more old school/veteran TNA stars appear.

WWE DVD Review - Top 25 Rivalries

WWE DVD Review: Top 25 Rivalries

This latest WWE DVD is an interesting one. Whilst many of the matches/stories featured are likely to be in a lot of wrestling fans collections, they have never been compiled like this.

The Top 25 Rivalries set is a really great effort at letting us see just how important feuds are in the world of wrestling. What is also nice is the way the WWE are embracing the products of other companies too. Which means that even though this is a WWE heavy effort, we do see some WCW, NWA, ECW and other promotions classic encounters featured too.

Of course what any fan of wrestling will know is that it is a good, well-planned rivalry that will make us tune in each week to see what is happening next. I for one have been a fan for almost 30 years so have seen my fair share of top quality feuds and witnessed their final pay-off match-ups too.

Here we get to see the top 25 rivalries from across all the promotions already mentioned. Now fans of the more modern day WWE will feel a bit put out as many of these scrap/storylines here are from eras gone by. But you know what give them a chance as this is a wonderful way to learn about the grapplers that wrestling industry we know today.

Many of the faces and matches here feature some of the industries legendary names. Now our host Renee Young and her references to the periodic table did confuse me, but that is only a minor thing for me and does in no way take anything away from the show here.

So what can you expect here? Well you will get to see Sabu and Taz battle it out in ECW, Mr McMahon and Stone Cold have the feud that took the WWE to a whole new level, Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat have matches that we all wish we could have seen live in the NWA/WCW, Edge take on John Cena in some thrilling encounters, Hulk Hogan at his WWE prime, Undertaker and Mankind's most brutal outings and much more.

What I personally enjoyed here were the references to the 1980s legends who paved the way for the rise of the WWE's 'Attitude Era' and WCW's now period. This is where we get to see the Fabulous Freebirds, Von Erich's, Bruiser Brody and many more old school stars highlighted.

The talking heads with each rivaly are well sourced and give us a nice insight into the affair at hand. Be it former announcer Mean Gene, Billy Gunn, Shane Douglas or Road Dogg, they all have a fair point and story to tell.

It is a shame that due to Hogan and others being in TNA we do not get any up to date interviews with them. But its no real big deal they are not here.

Now a few feuds featured I have not mentioned yet are the ones that will enthral many viewers the most. These are the infamous Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart one, which of course led to the Montreal Screwjob for the WWE title. There are also nice looks at Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage feud. Plus of course the way that the WWE (then WWE) built WrestleMania into the monster it is today.

The first disc here features the 25 rivalies countdown. The others house the matches and other extras. All of which are well worth a view.

WWE The Top 25 Rivalries is available from all good retailers on June 24^th 2013.

DVD RRP £24.99/Blu-Ray RRP £34.99

www.wwedvd.co.uk

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

WWE DVD Review - Top 25 Rivalries

WWE DVD Review: Top 25 Rivalries

This latest WWE DVD is an interesting one. Whilst many of the matches/stories featured are likely to be in a lot of wrestling fans collections, they have never been compiled like this.

The Top 25 Rivalries set is a really great effort at letting us see just how important feuds are in the world of wrestling. What is also nice is the way the WWE are embracing the products of other companies too. Which means that even though this is a WWE heavy effort, we do see some WCW, NWA, ECW and other promotions classic encounters featured too.

Of course what any fan of wrestling will know is that it is a good, well-planned rivalry that will make us tune in each week to see what is happening next. I for one have been a fan for almost 30 years so have seen my fair share of top quality feuds and witnessed their final pay-off match-ups too.

Here we get to see the top 25 rivalries from across all the promotions already mentioned. Now fans of the more modern day WWE will feel a bit put out as many of these scrap/storylines here are from eras gone by. But you know what give them a chance as this is a wonderful way to learn about the grapplers that wrestling industry we know today.

Many of the faces and matches here feature some of the industries legendary names. Now our host Renee Young and her references to the periodic table did confuse me, but that is only a minor thing for me and does in no way take anything away from the show here.

So what can you expect here? Well you will get to see Sabu and Taz battle it out in ECW, Mr McMahon and Stone Cold have the feud that took the WWE to a whole new level, Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat have matches that we all wish we could have seen live in the NWA/WCW, Edge take on John Cena in some thrilling encounters, Hulk Hogan at his WWE prime, Undertaker and Mankind's most brutal outings and much more.

What I personally enjoyed here were the references to the 1980s legends who paved the way for the rise of the WWE's 'Attitude Era' and WCW's now period. This is where we get to see the Fabulous Freebirds, Von Erich's, Bruiser Brody and many more old school stars highlighted.

The talking heads with each rivaly are well sourced and give us a nice insight into the affair at hand. Be it former announcer Mean Gene, Billy Gunn, Shane Douglas or Road Dogg, they all have a fair point and story to tell.

It is a shame that due to Hogan and others being in TNA we do not get any up to date interviews with them. But its no real big deal they are not here.

Now a few feuds featured I have not mentioned yet are the ones that will enthral many viewers the most. These are the infamous Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart one, which of course led to the Montreal Screwjob for the WWE title. There are also nice looks at Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage feud. Plus of course the way that the WWE (then WWE) built WrestleMania into the monster it is today.

The first disc here features the 25 rivalries countdown. The others house the matches and other extras. All of which are well worth a view.

WWE The Top 25 Rivalries is available from all good retailers on June 24^th 2013.

DVD RRP £24.99/Blu-Ray RRP £34.99

www.wwedvd.co.uk

www.wwe.com

By Phil Allely

DVD Review: The Best of Monday Night Nitro Vol. 2

These days many wrestling fans will be unaware of just how cutthroat the industry was in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Yes the WWE may be the most well known name in the grapple game today, but it does have serious competition from its young challenger TNA/Impact Wrestling.

However during this period the good ship WWE was almost sunk by the might of the Ted Turner funded and Eric Bischoff ran WCW. 

This battle between the WWE (then WWF) and WCW kickstarted the infamous Monday Night Wars and created a wonderful few years for wrestling fans across the board.

WWE's Monday Night Raw went head to head with WCW's Monday Night Nitro and Raw lost an awful lot of the time, but the bubble did indeed burst and a 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin led WWE clawed things back.

This second installment of the best of Monday Nitro is a very welcome release for anyone (like myself) who was a loyal fan of both promotions during this time and relished the way both organisations attempted to outdo their opponent.

There were of course over five years of Nitro and here we have another selection of the best, most memorable and interesting moments from them.

Our host Diamond Dallas Page is perfect for his role. He after all worked his way up through the ranks in WCW. Page first started off as a cocky manager type character and eventually after many years of hard work and determination he became an active wrestler and even a World Champion. Page is now known for his work as a fitness/yoga instructor and aide to fallen wrestlers.

Content wise this three disc set features matches involving Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Sting, Kevin Nash, Rey Mysterio, Goldberg, Bret Hart, Lex Luger and many more. 

DDP is an amiable host, he may not say much at times, but his smile and enthusiasm is infectious. 

The Best of Monday Night Nitro Vol 2 is a wonderful homage to a bygone era and a nice tribute to a company that were so close to taking the mantle of the number one wrestling company in the world.

WCW in its prime were able to poach countless WWE stars and make them (both WCW and the wrestler in question) a fortune too. This period saw many of the WWE's top stars jump ship and in many cases rejuvenate their careers.

The creation of the N.W.O. was the catalyst back then and its presence is felt here throughout. This was one of the first times the wrestling industry in the US had seen a faction invade a promotion at this level and dominate its show. many have tried to re-create the magic, but none have succeeded yet.

Match quality wise we range from decent to very good, we also see as many of the WCW key roster of the time too at some point.

I highly recommend this to any old school fans who have longed for a DVD of classic WCW matches and also suggest newer fans check it out to see what all of the fuss was about.

The Very Best of WCW Monday Night Nitro Vol 2 is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.

RRP £24.99 (DVD), £34.99 (Blu-ray) 

wwwedvd.co.uk

By Phil Allely

TNA Lockdown 2013 Review

TNA Lockdown Review 2013

By Phil Allely

In a perfectly pitched reveal/swerve TNA's Bully Ray not only won the World Heavyweight Championship, but proved that the long-running Aces & 8's storyline arc was well worth the wait too.

Ray's main event cage match with Jeff Hardy was a hard-hitting, back and forth affair. During the match Bully kept high-flyer Hardy at bay, unleashing solid shots on the champ. The match took a new turn when A&8's members hit the ring. Ray/Hardy joined forces to dispatch their collective foes. However things got interesting when Hulk Hogan and (Ray's wife) Brooke Hogan joined in the mayhem. During a scuffle with the Ace's Ray pulled off one of the best swerves in recent wrestling history.

He with an assist from his former tag team partner Devon nailed Hardy with a weapon to net himself his first World Heavyweight Title.

Post match Ray announced his true colours, as the President of Aces & 8's, shocking the Hogan’s and fan alike.

The event also offered up many exciting bouts. Some within the steel cage and the always entertaining Lethal Lockdown match was set to pit Team TNA against The Aces & 8's.

Kenny King successfully defended his X Division Championship. His opponents Zema Ion and Christian York were on fine form throughout. This opener did exactly what it should, it picked the viewer up and drew them into proceedings. King retained his gold after a well-paced finishing sequence.

The Joseph Park and Joey Ryan feud took a more comedy route next. Ryan and Park (Abyss) tried their best, but it never really gelled. Park overcame Ryan, to pull off his first ever TNA PPV win.

The Knockouts Championship encounter between Gail Kim and champ Velvet Sky was a short, but well-received affair. Kim's frustration with referee Taryn Terrell saw her slap the ref and fall to Sky whilst being distracted.

Robbie E and Robbie T then went toe-to-toe in a fun, but ultimately unexciting affair. Big man Robbie T's win was a well-earned one for the often underused Welshman.

There were fears that TNA Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode and Austin Aries title defence may not happen as rumours of Roode's contract situation unfolded. Thankfully all was good for all concerned and the match took place. Chavo/Hernandez were definitely the men to watch out for here. Roode pulled off the win for his team after all six men fought their way around the arena and traded some fluid exchanges.

The first cage match of the nigh saw Wes Brisco face former mentor Kurt Angle. The action was solid, but not spectacular. A ref bump and D-Lo Brown run-in allowed Aces & 8’s member Brisco to nab a surprise victory.

ACE & 8’s dominated the early stages of the always enthralling Lethal Lockdown match. Told well the action unfolded perfectly with the heel team having the numbers advantage for the majority of the scrap. Bischoff took the brunt of Team TNA’s assault. Things really kicked off when last man out Sting brought an assortment of weapons with him. There were some nice spots including a ‘tower of doom’ and Eric Young’s cage top elbow to win the encounter.

Team TNA’s celebrations over the Aces were short-lived of course, as the faction’s President was unveiled (Bully Ray) and he is now also the world champion too.

What this means for TNA we don’t know, but whilst one half of the Aces & 8’s storyline has unfolded, there are still many questions to answer. Its nice to see Ray & Devon back together, Ray as champ will freshen up the title picture.  Lockdown offered up some solid action, Lethal Lockdown, the tag team, X Divison and main event all delivered the goods, making it an above average TNA PPV.

 By Phil Allely

www.impactwrestling.com

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Phil Allely

Hulk Hogan - UK Interview Highlights

Hulk Hogan: The UK is high in our priority

During the recent UK/Ireland Tour TNA wrestling's most famous face Hulk Hogan not only participated in a number of media appearances, but also appeared live in the ring for two Impact Wrestling TV tapings (Manchester and London). Alongside fellow veteran grappler Sting (who our Phil interviewed exclusively during the tour) Hogan was very high on the UK/Irish fans and highlighted just why these shores are special to TNA.

Here are some of Hulk's comments during his few days in the UK.

'You know wrestling is not just a job it is a lifestyle. The UK guys and girls (on TNA's Bootcamp series) know that and they have done a great job. I have really enjoyed meeting them  and watching them in action. Rockstar Spud was a worthy winner of the show and I look forward to seeing how he does in TNA.'

'The UK is one of our main fan bases and we love coming here. Our shows on Challenge are ratings winners and we aim to keep that building up. the UK fans are louder and more into the TNA product than the US fans are at times. I Think this is because we only travel here once a year and it is all the more special to our UK/Irish fans. In the states we get to visit cities more often.'

'The TV tapings in the UK have been very successful and we aim to do the same this year. We promise big matches, big names and the best action we can offer. These are hot tickets.'

'Magic happens at Tv tapings such as this and this year will be no different'

'Look out for much more TNA activity in the UK. It is high in our priorities and we love coming here'.

www.impactwrestling.com

By Phil Allely

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Phil Allely

TNA DVD Review - Bound For Glory 2012

TNA DVD Review - Bound For Glory 2012

By Phil Allely

TNA's annual PPV Bound For Glory is an event the entire roster and loyal fan base cannot wait to be a part of. This is the companies biggest event of the year it features a weekend full of fan interaction events and guest appearances by roster members old and new. BFG 2012 not only promised to deliver in the ring (Ace's &8's vs Bully Ray/Sting, Roode vs Storm, Hardy vs Aries), but also paid homage to the Icon Sting with the first TNA Hall of Fame induction.

This DVD is the first to become available via TNA's new deal with UK distributors Clearvision and it is a long-awaited release (fans have been without TNA DVDs for some months now).

The opening match saw Rob Van Dam challenge Zema Ion for the X Division Title in a fun match-up.

Former tag team partners Magnus and Samoa Joe then had a pretty decent scrap for Joe's TV Title next.

Surprisingly a match the magnitude of the Storm/Roode Streetfight was relegated to third of the night. The good news was that the pair really had their work boots on here and risked life and limb to put forth one hell of a match-up. Weapons we used frequently, blood flowed and special enforcer King Mo kept his distance, allowing the former best friends to pulverise each other in and out of the ring.

The Joey Ryan/Al Snow encounter had potential and even saw an appearance by one of company's best big men too.

Of the three thrown together teams in the Tag Team Title match (Styles/Angle, Kazarian/Daniels) the combo of Hernandez/Chavo have rove dot be the one with the most potential. They do that old school thing of combining strength, speed and experience. Making their team a formidable one. The match was fun and well-paced. The result went down a storm too.

Former friends and knockout tag champions Tara and Miss Tessmacher faced off for Tessmacher's Knockouts Title next. As women's matches go this was above par and allowed each the chance to shine.

Highly anticipated (due to the pacing of the storyline) was the Ace's & 8's versus Sting/Bully Ray match. This was a good old fashioned brawl, no finesse at all in the moves and it suited the ageing Stinger and rough-housing Ray to perfection. Sting and Ray fared well until the numbers game got the better of them. This match is worth re-viewing for the run-ins and shock ending too.

In the main event spot was the World Heavyweight Title encounter between Champ Austin Aries and the back in form Jeff Hardy. This was a match where moves came thick and fast, both men chose their spots and for the main hit them perfectly. Your reviewer does wonder what a match between an in his prime Hardy and Aries would have been like (we can but dream). The bout flew along at a decent rate and allowed both to take risks. The ending came as a total surprise to many. I'll not ruin that for you here.

DVD wise we get a nice set of extras too. There is the Before The Bell show, Stings Hall of Fame Ceremony footage, interviews and fan interaction footage.

Bound For Glory 2012 is available now form Clearvision and all good retailers.

RRP £14.99

www.clearvision.co.uk

www.impactwrestling.com

By Phil Allely

DVD Review: The XWF Lost Episodes

When US wresltings number two organisation (well one for a while) WCW floundered and failed, a few key grapplers decided to take the WWE on at its own game and try to create their own wrestling league. So the XWF was born and even though it did not live for long this was a show that perhaps allowed many other companies to tackle the same thing (some to greater success over others).
The XWF was fronted by former WWE, WCW and many other promotions manager extraordinaire Jimmy 'Mouth of the South' Hart and Nasty Boy Brian Nobbs. Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan was along for the ride and so were a number of the industry's stars old and new.
This DVD is billed as the lost episodes for the short lived XWF series of recorded events and perhaps these are the best to view also.
From a talent point of view we have an all star list that any promoter would be proud of. The results are often surprising too, you can tell how the roster here hoped this promotion would work by the way some big names laid down for the pin fall loss.
Old school fans will love seeing Buff Bagwell, Marty Jannetty, Jimmy Hart, The Nasty Boys, Curt Hennig, Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan, Vampiro, Konnan, Jerry ' The King' Lawler, Jimmy Snuka, and even The Road Warriors all appear in matches and segments.
When you throw in XWF CEO Rena 'Sable' Mero, XWF commissioner 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper, talking heads by rock stars Alice Cooper, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Willie Nelson and other too and you have a show that entertains at many levels.
The XWF did something right, they left storylines to the background and let action speak for itself. The matches were exciting, the combatants were current and the concept worked well.
This may be a highlight reel for  a promotion that fell short of its expectations, but where else could you see some of the 80s-90s finest compete with some of the industry's best up and comers.
A special bonus on this three hour DVD is a unique interview with Hulk Hogan himself, but there is even a better bonus, because we get to see something I for have never seen. A match between the late Curt Hennig and Hulk Hogan.

The Lost Episodes of XWF is available now from all good retailers.
By Phil Allely

DVD Review: The Randy Savage Collection

WWE DVD Review: The Randy Savage Collection

It is hard to believe that 'Macho Man' Randy Savage is no longer with us. His sad passing was well documented across the globe (including a few pieces by yours truly). This three disc DVD box set is a very good way to fondly remember the legendary grappler. The only thing it lacks is any fresh input form Savage himself. This is of course just how these things go sometimes. Randy and the WWE were not on good speaking terms when the DVD was produced (2009) and thus his inclusion was something that we cannot really have expected to see.

Overall this is a perfectly enjoyable highlight reel of 'Macho Man's WWE and WCW career, plus much more along the way.

Matt Striker and Maria are our hosts in this roller-coaster ride through the ups and downs of Savage's tenure in wrestling. Savage was one of the few former wrestlers who retired gracefully and never returned to the ring. He did however make an appearance in the original Tobey Maguire starring Spiderman film though.

I for one had hoped the WWE and Randy would one day bury the proverbial hatchet and offer him a place in the Hall of Fame. Maybe that will still happen, it is just a shame that the man himself will not be able to appreciate it. That fateful heart attack and subsequent car crash saw to that unfortunately.

So what will you see on this three disc set? Well from the get go we get to see Randy as the perfect heel for the WWE at that time. He was cocky, exciting and more than willing to bend the rules when he could. Things really picked up when he was aligned with (real life spouse) Miss Elizabeth. Liz was something the WWE had never seen before, she was a glamorous young woman and she was a breath of fresh air in a company that possessed mainly older male managers.

From a match point of view across the discs we get to see some classic encounters between macho and Ricky Steamboat (with whom he had one of wrestling's finest ever feuds and WrestleMania's best match too), we also see him face off against Ted DiBiase, Honky Tonk Man, Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair. Included here also are the legendary Mania match with Hulk Hogan, the well-paced 'retirement match' with Ultimate Warrior and the quite scary battle with Jake Roberts (which saw Savage get mauled by Jake's pet snake).

Throw in some nice TV matches, WCW classics and a huge amount of vignettes, the 1991 in-ring wedding of Randy and Liz, and you have one hell of a good release.

This Christmas this may just be the one wrestling DVD that the wrestling fan in your life would love to have.

The Randy Savage Collection is available now from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.

By Phil Allely

DVD Review: nwo The Revolution

DVD Review: n.W.o The Revolution

In 1996 the world of professional wrestling took a turn for the better. As the industry waned slightly and the main two companies (WCW and WWE) struggled to sell out arenas somebody needed to do something to break the status quo.

The moment that changed it all was when former WWE main eventer's Scott Hall and Kevin Nash decided to leave the organisation for some big money deals with their rivals WCW.

WCW was then under the leadership of Eric Bischoff (currently one of the key men behind TNA). Bischoff had gained power recently and whilst the product had grown steadily and even procured the talents of former WWE figurehead Hulk Hogan, he still felt something was needed to go to the next level.

Cue Hall (and subsequently Nash) appearing on WCW live TV. Both cutting some killer promos that seemed to allude to the fact that the pair were invading the company on behalf of the WWE (which they were not). The storyline gained momentum quick and saw Nash and Hall become two of the hottest commodities in wrestling ever.

The next big turning point was when during a six man tag match at Bash at the Beach Hall and Nash took on the trio of Lex Luger, Sting and Randy Savage (three men they had been intimidating for weeks). The punchline here was the lack of the much-hyped third partner for the Outsiders (as Hall and Nash were now known). This was the key moment in n.W.o history, as perennial good guy Hulk Hogan came to ringside, we all thought he was there to help Sting and Co. but he did the unthinkable and aligned himself with the Outsiders to pummel the WCW boys.

Hogan's heel turn was a landmark event. No one saw it coming and this DVD uses that as its main factor in the success of the n.W.o.

There have been other DVDs focusing on the New World Order, but this is the definitive version. Here we are presented with a nice history of the concept and wonderful array of talking heads, who were there at the time. The only major face missing is The Hulkster (whose TNA contract restricts his inclusion), but he does feature in events heavily. It is nice to see some people like Mike Rotunda, Lex Luger, Arn Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, Billy Kidman and many others all give their two cents in relation to what made the story line work and inevitably implode.

The documentary here covers everything from the n.W.o's introduction to their demise. When it was at its peak the faction saw a weekly introduction of new members (mostly on huge cash deals) and the group ran amok in the company. The problem was the group got too big for its boots and expanded too far. As WCW ran into financial problems and closed its doors the WWE decided to rejuvenate the n.W.o for one more run and re-introduced Hulk, Hall and Nash to the WWE audience. It was however a short-lived thing and never really caught off the way it had before.

n.W.o. The Revolution is a three disc (two on Blu-ray) set that not only features the stoy of the faction, but some of the best matches (both WCW and WWE) that it had to offer. There are also some nice extras which include such things as the Hall and Nash intros and much more.

On the match front we have bouts featuring Rowdy Roddy Piper, Dennis Rodman, The Steiner Brothers, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jay Leno and Sting, all of them battling some member of one of the New World Orders roster.

Fans of the late 1990s wrestling industry will lap this up. Newer fans will enjoy seeing just what leaps and bounds were made during this era in the sport and how guys like Hall, Nash and Hogan have became so powerful in the business.

n.W.o. The Revolution is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.

Check out ww.silvervision.co.uk for this and more WWE releases.

RRP £29.99 (DVD), £34.99 (Blu-ray)

By Phil Allely

TNA announce Manchester TV taping for Jan 2013

TNA IMPACT WRESTLING ANNOUNCES MANCHESTER TV TAPING Two episodes of hit Challenge TV show to be recorded at Manchester Arena Booking fees waived for TNA UK event tickets bought via ‘October offer’ link Competition launched to find the best fan signs on the TNA January Tour MANCHESTER, ENGLAND (October 22, 2012): Two episodes of top-rated Challenge TV show TNA IMPACT WRESTLING will be recorded at Manchester Arena on January 25, 2013 - the first time TNA has ever filmed the programme in the UK outside of London. The event will form part of the TNA 'Road To Lockdown' Tour of the UK which also features huge live shows in Glasgow (Jan 23), Nottingham (Jan 24) and a previously announced double TV taping at London's Wembley Arena (Jan 26). All four events will feature a steel cage match and worldwide wrestling stars including TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode and AJ Styles. The Manchester and Wembley shows will air over a period of four weeks on Challenge TV in February, as part of the channel's special 'TNA in the UK’ month. They will also be broadcast on Spike TV in the US and in more than 120 other countries around the world. To celebrate the news, TNA IMPACT WRESTLING has teamed up with gigsandtours.com to waive the booking fee on tickets bought throughout the rest of October for TNA's UK January Tour dates. The offer* is open to those booking via the dedicated web link www.gigsandtours.com/go/TNAOffer or the ticket shop on the TNA Wrestling UK Facebook page at www.facebook.com/tnawrestlinguk TNA IMPACT WRESTLING will also be running a competition to find the best fan signs brought to the UK events, with one winner at each show receiving an exclusive backstage pass. Dominic Wilkins, Acting Director of Challenge TV, said: "TNA IMPACT WRESTLING is a huge hit with Challenge TV viewers so it is with testament to this bourgeoning UK fan base that TNA is filming two more shows in Manchester, as well as two at London’s Wembley Arena. “Viewers will be able to catch these four new programmes as part of our ‘TNA in the UK’ month during February. They will follow on from the premiere of the exclusive new series TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp which airs on Challenge during January 2013.” TNA President Dixie Carter added: "I’m so excited for the rest of the world to see how loud and crazy the fans in Manchester are. We’re going to have some fun!" The TNA Road To Lockdown Tour also comes to Dublin, Ireland, on Monday January 21. * Offer is no booking fee charged on full price TNA January 2013 UK event tickets bought from 9pm on October 21 until 11.59pm on October 31. Only available via exclusive closed web link and TNA UK Facebook Ticket Shop. Offer is subject to availability and non-retrospective.

Eric Bischoff Interview Highlights

Eric Bischoff called into Extreme Pro Wrestling Radio on 100.3 FM The Fan in Minneapolis (on Twitter at EPWRadio) to discuss a number of topics with Big D, Tim and Crisco including the creative team for TNA Wrestling, who was going to be the third man in the nWo storyline before Hulk Hogan got on board, his current relationship with Vince McMahon and more. Highlights from the interview are as follows: Comparing Bruce Prichard with Vince Russo in their roles writing for TNA Wrestling what are Bruce’s strengths: “It’s hard to compare, two entirely different people with entirely different skill sets and backgrounds and experiences and things like that so it’s kind of a waste of energy to try and compare them other than to say they are two completely different people. I enjoyed working with Vince, I don’t wanna ever sound like I didn’t. It was a challenge for me and it was a challenge for Vince because of our personalities and because of the way we approach things, but it was never personal for me…in TNA and I don’t think it was for him either. “I like working with Bruce a lot because Bruce has more experience than I do. I’ve been in the business for 25 years and I have a lot of experience but Bruce has more than I do. Not only does he have more experience than I do but he experienced the peak of WWE, the formulas that worked there and the processes that work there, he understands production very very well. I’m actually very impressed with his knowledge of production. I love his sensibility and his philosophy regarding wrestling story and finishes in particular. We see, not eye to eye, because that’s not very good when two people agree on everything. “We do have our moments, we had one about 24 hours ago I thought was going to last for 24 hours. But I respect him, he’s been there, he’s done that a couple times and he has the t-shirts. His philosophy is rooted very much in strong wrestling fundamentals. Wrestling is no different from comedy, it’s no different than drama, it’s no different than a really good action film, in that it all comes down to basic storytelling fundamentals. “If you focus on the fundamentals, if you focus on the details and don’t shortcut, chances are your stuff will probably be pretty good. It’s when you try to get so off the wall and throw so much stuff up against the wall and try and be wacky for the sake of being wacky and you abandon simple fundamental story telling that’s when you crater and that’s what I like about working with Bruce. Even though we may disagree on certain things I know that when he is disagreeing he’s disagreeing from a point of good strong fundamentals and I respect that.” Is there an angle or storyline that hasn’t been done yet: “First of all, if I did…or if I could..I wouldn’t do it here. Secondly, I’d be lying to you if I said I saw some secret sauce back in the cupboard in the back that nobody has figured out yet. Nah, I don’t think there is. Again, I don’t know how many different basic stories there are but someone told me a longtime ago that was a film major, basically there is seven basic stories…boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. There’s only seven different ways to tell a story and the art of storytelling and entertainment is just finding ways that feel new and camouflaging those seven basic stories so that it feels like something you haven’t seen before. “I think we’re there with professional wrestling particularly over the last 15 years because of the just plethora of programming that’s out there. Going back to when Nitro was three hours and Thunder was two and Raw was three and then it was two and then it was three again and Smackdown is two hours then there’s a bunch of shows in syndication, a bunch of replays on cable. It’s like, I don’t know how we’ve survived as long as we have… Well, I do but it’s hard, it’s really hard to come up with a story that hasn’t been done before that the audience will accept. It’s funny, we just got done doing two days of really intensive research in a couple different cities. Fascinating research by the way. I’m a little bit of a research nerd. “One of the things I have known for a longtime but it becomes very apparent when you’re sitting in a focus group of people who are identified as serious wrestling fans is that they’re very… they take ownership, they’re very particular, they’re almost obsessive compulsive about it for the most part and they expect you to treat their product, because they look at it as their product, with a tremendous amount of respect. The minute you try to get too cute with it, you really piss them off. So when you ask me, is there some new storyline, some new way of doing it, some new angles, some new talent, whatever… “Yeah, there’s a couple different things we could try that have never been done before but I’m pretty sure how the audience would react that because it would be too far outside their box and comfort zone. It’s just like Nascar fans, if Nascar decided if instead of turning left for 400 miles they’re gonna turn right? People would just have seizures and die all over the country. Yeah, it’s never been done before, it’s really cool, feels different, feels fresh. It would be horrible, it’s the same with wrestling. You gotta be real careful with that, believe me…I have the scar tissue to prove it.”it. Bischoff also remarks on scrapped plans to bring Sting into the now, his thoughts on son Garett’s wrestling career, his current relationship with Vince McMahon, and more. Click LIKE and listen to the interview here – www.facebook.com/extremeprowrestlingradio.

Chavo Guerrero Interview Highlights

Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez spoke with Monday Night Mayhem. Here are some highlights. How the situation presented itself for Chavo to become part of the TNA roster and why the company has indeed lived up to his personal and professional expectations thus far: "To be honest, I didn't really know if I was going to TNA, or if I was gonna stop wrestling, or what I really was going to do. I knew I was going to take some time off, and regroup, and regain some of my sanity after going 12 years in the WWE. Sometimes you have to do that. We just started talking back and forth a bit, me and TNA, over a two-month period, and we decided that would be a good fit. We tried, and it has been working really, really good. I'm just so happy to be there. It's just nice to have people really appreciate your work, because sometimes people just expect that and never thank you, so it's a good thing." Their initial thoughts when they found out they were going to team up together and why their tag team is "a completely different dynamic" from Los Guerreros or The LAX: (Hernandez): "When Chavo came to TNA, everyone talked about the family heritage and experience, but what they don't realize is that this guy is reinventing himself. Every match, he's breaking out something you haven't seen before, or he hasn't done in a while." (Chavo): "Don't confuse our tag team with Hernandez's previous tag team partners. Much respect to Homicide. He's my boy. And with Konnan, the only thing we have in common is that we are Latinos. We are not LAX. They are not just plugging me in as 'the new Mexican guy.' It's a completely different dynamic. This is not Los Guerreros or LAX. It's completely different." Why they are looking forward to their three-way Match (vs. Kurt Angle/"The Phenomenal AJ Styles and "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels/Kazarian) for the TNA World Tag Team Titles at Bound For Glory: (Hernandez): "Kurt Angle, in my opinion, is hands down the best performer in the world right now. That's just how it goes. AJ is AJ. He is the man. This guy truly is phenomenal. He could do anything his body lets him do it's just crazy. It's going to take all of my power and everything Chavo can come up with to become (TNA World) Tag Team Champions." (Chavo): "Kazarian and Daniels are the champs, and they are both really good. They both know how to hold onto those Tag Team belts. I think we match really well against them, because one thing they don't have is the power. I'm just looking forward to getting to Bound for Glory and facing them."

TNA Review - No Surrender 2012

TNA PPV Review – No Surrender 2012 By Phil Allely Jeff Hardy overcame the odds at TNA's No Surrender PPV to win a the number contender spot at the company's upcoming Bound For Glory event. The entire PPV was overshadowed by the sneak attack heavy group called the Aces and 8's and their decimation of the TNA roster. The run-ins and dodgy finishes that were missing from previous PPV's returned too unfortunately. Hardy kicked off proceedings with a nice win over Samoa Joe in the first semi final of the BFG series. Jeff and Joe unleashed a world of hate on each here and swiftly drew the crowd into the zone with them. The action swayed to and fro, near falls were attempted and the finish came as Hardy took advantage of an arm injury to the Samoan and countered a move with a roll-up to progress. Many fans thinking this year was James Storm's chance to shine were shocked by the result of the next encounter. Facing Bully Ray Storm put forth a well-paced scrap and seemed set to fulfil his destiny and win that elusive World Title Match. Ray of course took every heel short cut he could throughout the match and after a ref bump, Bobby Roode hit the ring to deck Storm with a beer bottle and allow Ray the all important pin. The Knockouts Title match between champ Miss Tessmacher and challenger Tara saw the friends trade near falls, trademark moves and some decent looking exchanges. Tessamacher retained her gold to prove her loss on Impact! was a fluke. Up next TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries (in street clothes) battled Aces & 8's man The Armbreaker in a stiff looking encounter. The pair took it in and out of the ring, Aries gave as good as he got here. Armbreaker received an assist from his fellow group members after Aries nailed a brainbuster, the TNA locker room (including The Hulkster) hit the ring to even things up and chase the gang away. The X Division Title was up for grab next, with Sonjay Dutt challenging champion Zema Ion. This fast-paced match perfectly highlighted the enthusiasm the division has and can have provided the correct talent are utilised. Ion retained his gold after a series of good looking near falls. Rob Van Dam and Magnus then had a reasonable, although not too overwhelming match. The pair gelled well, but never really got off the starting blocks. Van Dam's style proving to be a slight problem for the more European influenced grappler. RVD hit a 'Five Star Frog Splash' on a prone Magnus to send the Brit home with a loss. With Kurt angle nursing a leg injury the Tag Team Title match between him and team mate AJ Styles against champions Kazarian and Daniels was mainly Styles heavy. Angle worked where he could and hit some nice looking suplexe's etc too. The action was good to very good throughout and the Kaz/Daniels combo played their parts well, Styles took a hammering and still out performed all the talent featured. With Angle down at ringside and Styles prone Daniels threw his martini in his opponents face to allow Kaz an easy pin. The main event saw an injured (from the earlier Aces & 8's scrap) Jeff Hardy face Bully Ray with a Bound For Glory World Title shot on the line in the final of the BFG series. After a short stall featuring Hulk Hogan Hardy took to the ring (selling his injuries) and offered up a great selection of counter moves to Ray's brutal shots. Hardy through sheer will and determination fought through the pain to nail a Swanton and net himself the 'series' winning pin. No Surrender may have been a an event where the afore mentioned run-in and outside involvement prevailed over natural results. The matches for the most part were good to excellent and we now have a challenger for Austin Aries title at BFG. The Ace's and 8's storyline is progressing nicely and fans are now primed for the eventual reveal of who the group may be. Running The Ropes may have been left slightly let down by No Surrender, but the potential for BFG overshadows that. Www.impactwrestlingcom By Phil Allely

TNA Announce Bound For Glory PPV US Theatre Deal

TNA WRESTLING ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH SCREENVISION TO BRING “BOUND FOR GLORY” PAY-PER-VIEW EVENT TO THEATERS NATIONWIDE TNA Wrestling’s Biggest Pay-Per-View Event of the Year “Bound For Glory” to be shown Live on Sunday, October 14, 2012 in more than 100 theaters across the United States NASHVILLE, TN (September 13, 2012) – TNA Wrestling teams up with Screenvision, a leading innovator in cinema advertising and alternative content programming, to once again bring the biggest Pay-Per-View event of the year, “Bound For Glory,” to fans nationwide in more than 100 theaters across the country live on October 14. The event, presented by Direct Auto Insurance, will be delivered to theaters primarily by Microspace Digital Cinema's satellite distribution system. The exciting collaboration of TNA and Screenvision forms a one-of-a-kind viewing experience. TNA offers this exclusive event in high-definition and surround sound because nothing means more to IMPACT WRESTLING than its dedicated fan-base. In addition to this unique experience, everyone attending this live in-theater event will receive special messaging explaining how to receive free TNA “Bound For Glory” 2012 T-shirts. "Following the success of our previous events, TNA Wrestling is thrilled to continue our partnership with Screenvision," stated TNA Vice President of Marketing, Michael Weber. "Screenvision has proven to be a dynamic partner with an exciting platform that offers a captivating fan experience." "Theater, concerts and sporting events like ‘Bound for Glory’ are all hugely popular with cinema-goers," said Darryl Schaffer, executive vice president, operations and exhibitor relations for Screenvision. "Based on its past performance and its still-expanding fan base, we’re excited to once again bring the 'Bound for Glory' opportunity to our exhibitor partners.” The superstars of Spike’s “IMPACT WRESTLING” will headline “Bound For Glory,” including Hulk Hogan, current TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries, Sting, Jeff Hardy, Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Mr. Anderson, “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles, “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe, the lovely and lethal TNA Knockouts, the stars of the X-Division and many more. “Bound For Glory” will feature the winner of the “Bound For Glory Series” in the main event for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Tickets for the in-theater event will retail between $14.99 and $19.99. Start time will be 7:30PM ET. For more information, theaters or tickets go to: TNAonscreen.com

TNA Announce British Boot Camp TV Series

Aspiring UK wrestlers pursue their TNA Wrestling dream on Challenge TV First non-game show commission for Challenge TV backs Sky’s commitment to home-grown entertainment content TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp starts December 2012 (6x30mins episodes) Challenge TV today announces TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp a new series which marks the channel’s first full commission with TNA Productions. The thrilling six-part entertainment series follows four aspiring professional British wrestlers, who are trying to make it big in the ultra-competitive world of American impact wrestling. TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp will go behind-the-scenes of TNA Wrestling’s search for a UK superstar. Exclusive to Challenge TV, the series documents the story of four aspiring home-grown wrestlers as they pursue a professional wrestling contract with TNA Wrestling. Challenge viewers will experience the triumphs and tribulations of Manchester-based female tag-team wrestling twins Hannah and Holly Blossom, along with two male wrestlers Marty Scurll and Rockstar Spud from Cambridge and Birmingham, as they embark on their ambition to join TNA’s wrestling roster. Cameras follow them as they travel from their homes in the UK to the USA, get trained and mentored by famous names from the world of UK and US wrestling, and meet TNA’s President Dixie Carter. The finalists will enter the TNA developmental system, to hone their wrestling skills, and be put to the test by legendary British wrestlers and current TNA stars including Rollerball Rocco and Hulk Hogan. Culminating with a match at the TNA Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida, they compete to impress the judges and Dixie Carter. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for the professional wrestlers. At the end of the series the successful candidate(s) will get signed to a contract by TNA and have the chance to appear in front of a home crowd on the TNA World Tour which travels to London’s Wembley Arena in January 2013. “TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp really is compulsive viewing,” adds Dominic Wilkins, Acting Director of Challenge TV. “TNA Wrestling has a huge fanbase in the UK and it’s great to be able to commission exclusive original content which cements Challenge TV as the UK home for TNA Wrestling. This series will provide unmissable entertainment content which resonates with our viewers.” John Jelley, Sky Commissioning Executive for factual and features said: “We are confident that this show’s focus on four of Britain’s most promising wrestlers will inspire Challenge’s passionate TNA fans, and draw in a new audience to professional wrestling, as we track their daunting journey from the UK, through TNA boot camp to the high pressure finale in Florida.” TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp marks Sky’s first non-game show commission for Challenge TV since it re-launched on Freeview last year. It aims to compliment the burgeoning success of the TNA Impact series which is one of the top performing series on the channel and aims to enhance the channels late night male-skewed audience. The series supports Sky’s commitment to increase its investment in home grown content to £600m by 2014, and will let viewers see first-hand what it really takes to become one of the superstars of TNA Impact Wrestling. For further information visit: www.challenge.co.uk www.impactwrestling.com By Phil Allely

TNA Slammiversary 2012 Review

TNA Slammiversary X Review By Phil Allely TNA brought in the big guns and pulled out all of the stops to celebrate its tenth anniversary at Slammiversary X. The night saw titles change hands, quality matches, a Hall of Fame announcement, big name stars and a surprise appearance by a WWE champion. Hulk Hogan opened proceedings to a huge ovation, hyping up the nights event and making the opening bout between Austin Aries and Samoa Joe an X Division Title one. Despite the size and power advantage this was a crisp looking match with some big bumps and high risk moves. Joe looked set to net himself another X title to add to his collection, but the resilient Aries was able to nail a brain buster to retain his belt. Up next was the returning Kid Kash versus Hernandez. Kash fared reasonably well against his much larger opponent and hit some decent weakening blows to him, however ‘Supermex’s’ size and power proved to be the deciding factor, Hernandez taking the win after a big top rope splash. The oddball tag team of Devon (TV Champ) and Garrett Bischoff then faced the combo of Robbie’s E&T in a fair, but un-exciting scrap. Bischoff showed improvement here and Devon proved to be a fine partner to cover the cracks. After some back and forth trading of control Bischoff distracted T to allow Devon the chance to pin E for the popular win. The triple threat battle for the World Heavyweight Title shot on Impact saw Mr. Anderson battle Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam. The trio of former champs worked beautifully together and highlighted the talented roster TNA has to utilise. Amidst the frantic near falls and brutal moves the result seemed to be anyone’s, however it turned out to Anderson who proved the most hungry to gain a title shot, nailing a ‘mic check’ on RVD to pick up the win. Crimson’s year-long winning streak ended quickly next at the hands (well boot) of Cowboy James Storm. Storm took to the ring like a man possessed, swiftly taking Crimson down, nailing a ‘last call’ super kick to a huge crowd response. Dixie Carter brought out the TNA roster next and announced Sting as the first inductee to the Hall of Fame. The challenger for the World Title seemed genuinely moved by the reaction from the live crowd and promised to make it ‘show time’ later. The Knockouts Title changed hands next as Miss Tessmacher wrestled the gold away from Gail Kim in Tessmacher’s home state of Texas. The ladies worked hard to maintain the momentum and crowd energy levels throughout this average knockouts encounter. A blocked ‘eat dirt’ and swift roll-up on Kim ended this one. Bully Ray bullied Joseph Park throughout their match (of sorts) next. A very one-sided affair this saw Abyss’s storyline brother absorb some stiff shots from Ray before an Abyss imposter appeared and blasted the bully through a table to allow Joseph the win. To the shock of all in attendance Hulk Hogan brought out (current WWE IC Champion) Christian to speak to them. Billed as Christian Cage the former TNA star praised the company and its fans for everything they have done. Dream team AJ Styles and Kurt Angle took on Tag Team Champions Kaz and Daniels next in an epic encounter for the belts. This one never let up, each man stepped up their game here and unleashed their best and boldest moves throughout. Angle and Styles overcame the near-falls and double-teams eventually to pick up the titles, following a nice flurry of moves Styles took out Daniels to leave Kaz prone for an ‘ankle lock’. The rejuvenated Sting’s attempt regain the world title from Bobby Roode saw the veteran step up his game and gain a level of revenge on the cocky heel. The match itself was a fair back-and-forth one, with champ and challenger trading control in and out of the ring. Roode eventually relied on a beer bottle to retain his treasured gold. Busting Sting open in the process the champ grabbed an opportunistic win to keep his longest title holder run going. A bloody Sting gained a measure of revenge post match with post match beat down on Roode around the stage area. Slammiversary was one of the best PPV’s from TNA to date and perfectly encapsulated all that is good in the company, there were minimal infuriating booking decisions here and run-ins were non-existent. The matches on the whole were above average and showed that even though the company is still trying to find its niche, there is light at the end of the tunnel. If they pick up that ball and run with it TNA/Impact Wrestling can go all the way given the opportunity.