Superstar Sleeze

Ethan Carter III vs Rockstar Spud - TNA Impact 3/13/15 Hair vs Hair I am shocked there was no thread for this. When did these subforums get made? I know I am so old that my joining predates these subforums so maybe that's why. I went to Shoe's 2015 MOTY thread from 2015 and there were some real heavyweights weighing in on this match. Outside of the Broken Hardy stuff, this is by far and away the most famous thing to come out of TNA's darkest times 2014-2017. Pretty simple story, heel Ethan Carter III levels up to mega-heel when he turns on his heel lackey Rockstar Spud. I always think that's the ultimate heel dick move. You build up this relationship and it sort of humanizing like ECIII is a prick but the friendship with Spud is cute. Then when he beats the shit out him you really hate him. It is a great plot device to build the character. ECIII has gone all Brutus The Barber and is shaving people bald including Spud's close friend, "JB" Jeremy Borash. This is coming out of Spud's home country of England and he leads the audience in a rendition of God Save The Queen and it is just as rousing as when Slaughter did the Pledge of Allegiance in Allentown. What makes this work is this a Memphis-Style, Southern-Fried, Blood-Soaked Brawl! You almost dont need a review because it is so elegant in its layout. Spud is full of piss & vinegar to start and is red-hot. ECIII has a big, clunky arm brace on, probably for a Staph infection, I reckon. It is his best weapon. Spud climaxes his shine with a big dive to the floor. Here comes the Funkasaurus! I forgot about him. He attacks. Mr. Anderson takes him out. This gives ECIII the advantage and the consolidates that when he wildly clips Spud with the arm brace and this busts Spud open. This is definitely enhanced by the blood. Some people didnt like the Borash bit but I loved it. ECIII was doing an ok just on the heat segment as Spud was selling like a million bucks. The Borash bit is what put this over for me. ECIII throwing the bloodied Spud at his feet and taunting him. I thought JB was not going to do anything but he came in low blowed ECIII. Great spot! Popped me! Stunner 1-2-3! Great hope spot/nearfall. ECIII hit a TKO to take back control. Spud made his comeback including a Testicular Claw which popped me and taking a bunch of spots from the stars of yore. Spud goes for Sliced Bread which he should have hit and ECIII could have kicked out for the nuclear nearfall. One of the few times I have ever said they should not have protected the finish. It would have put the match over. ECIII clips with the arm brace again and his lame finisher it is just a bulldog finishes him off. ECIII disingenuously puts ECIII which you can smell from a mile away but hey thats what makes wrestling fun. He beats up Spud and shaves him from the Tree of Woe which I loved! ECIII could have been more vicious on offense and this could have used that Sliced Bread nearfall but besides that this was an awesome throwback to the days of yesterday when the blood flowed and fists flew. Spud truly was a rockstar on this night! ****1/4

TNA World Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode & Austin Aries vs The Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) - TNA Impact 7/1/15 30 minute Ironman First 15 minutes: No Falls to start. All the action is tight and good, but not really much happened. I cant even say oh they threw a ton of highspots. They just worked solid but not much was advanced in terms of the plot. I liked all the arm wringers. Roode stood out to me as the best verbal seller of the bunch and exhibiting the most struggle. Good stuff selling the arm wringer and an Indian Deathlock. I liked all the eyepokes and eyerakes by the Dirty Heels. The shine was not super strong but it was there. Aries deep, deep eyerake gets the transition to the heat segment. The heat segment was solid working over Edwards' leg. I liked the old school ref distraction and fake tags by the Heels, but it all just felt solid. It didnt move me. Writing this helped me realize what this reminds me of. It reminds me of the Hart Foundation vs British Bulldogs. It is well-worked, lots of action, but it doesnt move me emotionally. Davey gets the tag, not quite as explosive as a Davey Boy Smith hot tag with big dropkick but a pretty good hot tag. The Diving Headbutt into Roode as he sits up in a Tree Of Woe was fucking stupid. He kicks out. The Heels knock the Wolves off the top ropes and we go to commercial at the 13 minute mark, 17 minutes to go, it is 0-0. Last 15 minutes: We lose 5 minutes of this for commercials. I will admit I was confused. I thought The Wolves were Champions so I got really confused by the ending. It goes to show how bad the Matthews/Pope commentary team was. They do ratchet up the big bombs. Lots of big nearfalls. I really liked the Heels Missile Dropkick/Powerbomb combo. Edwards hits an overcomplicated running Stunner. There is a great German Suplex pinfall. They hit a double top rope double stomp. Lots of good jackknife covers. All kicks out. The Last Chancery had good heat because they were doing the whole All Japan Roode detains Richards, but Richards breaks free and breaks it up. The first fall does go to the heels. Aries hits his trademark running dropkick and Roode spinebuster, 450 splash. That was a great sequence. I thought at this point the Wolves just needed one fall to force the draw and retain. I didnt realize they needed two falls. Aries explodes into his Suicide Dive. I dont know what happened to Roode, but The Wolves hit a Powerbomb/Lungblower to knot it up. I was confused why the Wolves were still pressing. The last fall sucks. Roode hoists him up in a Firemans Carry Edwards crawls down and rolls him up for the win. Lame finish. The highspots got bigger but it still didnt do much for me. This Hart Foundation vs British Bulldogs for a modern audience for some that works for me, I think it is good, but not great. ***1/2

Impact Women's Champion Laurel Van Ness vs Allie - Impact 3/8/18 So I didnt know how to make heads or tails of Laurel Van Ness's gimmick (Laurel Van Ness is better known as Chelsea Green fyi). She has smeared lipstick over her mouth. I thought she was trying to do a psychotic valley girl but then I hit up Wikipedia. The backstory is pretty damn good. She was set to marry Allie's shoot husband aka The Blade. Blade left her at the altar for Allie. This caused her to descend into madness. Apparently, she used to wrestle in her tattered wedding dress and come out all boozed up/hungover. Awesome! Then she fell for Grado, a slovenly Scotsman who was looking for a Green Card. He rejected once he found out she was Canadian. Reading that popped the hell out of me. So she snaps again! Unfortunately she is not in her wedding dress for his match. Sounds like this match is a long time coming. Great way to start with Allie meeting her at the ramp and it is on like Donkey Kong! Great aggression on the outside. Laurel takes over. Very ok heat segment. The backstory was awesome, but her character work in the match was just fine. Allie is such a great fired up babyface. She hits a Codebreaker this starts her first comeback. Another trademark Allie spot is the suplex into buckles that gets two. They do some work with a chair on the outside that is pretty pedestrian. The match picks up again when Laurel hits the Unprettier on the floor. Drama is high now! Allie beats the count. Laurel hits a wicked curbstomp into the buckles again for two. Allie Valley Driver! Best Superkick Ever (it was actually her best superkick ever)! Allie was great. Laurel Van Ness was alright. The backstory sounds interesting but she did not inspire me to seek out more.

Impact World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries vs Johnny Impact - Bound for Glory 2018 So who had these two down for best shoot-style brawl of the 2010s? Anybody? Anybody? I love both dudes. I have been banging the Morrison drum for a while, but I thought this was his more visceral, pugnacious performance yet. The fucking wacky shoot ending is unprofessional as fuck and Aries is a massive prick for doing it, but it does add to bizarrely shoot-y nature of the match. It turns into more of a spectacle and Aries' rationale for it in an Instagram Live interview is all the more ridiculous, but first the match. The first five minutes of this match are absolutely killer. IT FEELS LIKE A FIGHT! Fancy that! Struggle, grappling, nasty, dirty. Pro Wrestling fans like me and a lot of people who will read this have become desensitized. Aries had insulted Morrison's wife, Taya who was also ringside. Morrison responded in kind by wrestling this match as a fight and being all fired up. It made the story more real. It was not just pretend oh let me watch these two dudes do pretty moves to each other. They went after it tooth & nail. The way Aries hooked in the Guillotine Choke and they tussled. They really ratcheted up the aggression It looked so good. They had a great slap exchange and they were just wailing on each other. Morrison's strikes were on point especially his elbows. Watch how Morrison hits that plancha to the outside. It was not Aries standing around, Morrison just dove on him. I thought when Morrison leapfrogged Aries on the outside and did a split leg on the apron & railing only to do a Pele Kick was his best, most impactful use of Parkoor ever. I liked how Aries took advantage time and time again when Morrison started going for too many flying/gymnast moves. Aries was wrestling a meat & potatoes style. I love how Aries chops so damn good. There's a great moment where Aries rifles him with a kick and Morrison steps up and clobbers him. It felt so damn real. Aries was a great heel. Taya had a perfect moment when Aries was taunting her, the way she screamed Fuck You and flipped off felt like a shoot I loved it. After getting cut off going for springboards, Morrison returns the favor as he rocks with an elbow as Aries was going for his full speed suicide dive. Springboard Corkscrew for Morrison and he hits his Tidal Wave kick as he finally earned those moves. I did think the following section not only dragged but departed from what made the match great, which was this hate-filled, pugnacious shoot-style so going for Spanish Flys and all that jazz took me out of it. When they started fighting on the apron, they got me back and form the Apron Death Valley Driver on this match just rocked. Aries hits a picture perfect 450 Splash for two. The Running Dropkick, which is the set up to the Brainbuster meets feet and Starship Pain gets two as Aries grabs the ropes. This leads to Aries rocking with a Roaring Elbow, Big Dropkick and Brainbuster but Morrison gets the ropes. Good symmetry there. With a nearfall a piece, you know the end is night. Last Chancery! Morrison makes the ropes, I wish Taya was exhorting her husband on camera would have made for a good visual. Aries was staring a hole into Taya. I would have liked some taunt. A fuck you or suck it would have been massive heel heat and I am surprised Aries didnt got for that. Great slugfest and Aries just out of nowhere just runs full steam ahead and wipes Taya the fuck out! Morrison is livid and beats the tar out of Aries. I would have liked him to show more concern for his wife and also not take so long to beat Aries because you know your wife just wiped out, but that's a nitpick. Morrison hits Aries brainbuster and Starship Pain. Aries pops right up, starts flipping off the crowd (turns out he was flipping off Don Callis), and walks out. Morrison clearly says "Are you fucking kidding me?". So what the hell happened. Aries had a 45 minute conversation with Killer Kross who was ringside along with Moose as Aries' flunkies, but never got involved. I did not listen to 45 minute conversation because I have better things to do but if someone did and I got the details wrong please lemme know. Basically Aries was working on like the last day on his contract for this show and he was in the midst of negotiations in the run up to the show. Morrison makes a short joke. In fairness, my Dad is 5' 6" like some dudes do take that shit seriously like my Dad. I am 6' so I know not to do that around him for instance. Aries comes up with this tweet that's ok to make fun of short people but not other protected classes like race, handicapped, sexual orientation or weight and basically how come it is ok to make fun of short people. In the middle the tweet, he calls Morrison out for having a "gay look" and called Taya "husky". I think we can argue until we are blue in the face about what heels can or cannot say. I do think there is a line. I don't think he crossed it here. He was a heel. He was not going to glorified for these comments. He was going to be shamed and beaten. So I do agree with him. Morrison & Taya agreed to the tweet and said they would sell it on TV, but were cool with as a shoot. Regardless of my feelings or Aries' or Morrison's or Taya's, Don Callis did not agree and ordered the tweet be taken down. Aries got pissed. I think this is where Aries is in the wrong. Your boss disagrees with you creatively sorry man, but just drop it. It is not like tweet was going to draw thousands and thousands of fans or millions of dollars. I know it is a principle point of as a heel I should be able to do heelish things, you gotta sallow your pride. We all do. Aries concocted this shoot finish to drum up some controversy. Let's be real, his feelings were hurt, he felt wrong and he wanted to lash out at Callis and fucking ruin the moment. He was a fucking asshole. His rationale was hilarious. Stating that Starship Pain is a weak move and would never knock a man out that long and when Connor MacGregor loses he does not stay around long. He also added it was his own Brainbuster (because no one else has ever done a Brainbuster) is why he lost not Starship Pain. What a loon. On top of that, he begins the conversation talking about protecting the business. Hate to break it to you but this finish did just the opposite of that. Just call a spade a spade, your feelings were hurt, you felt wronged and you lashed at the biggest possible moment to say Fuck You to Callis and ruin his main event of the biggest night of the year and Morrison/Taya were collateral damage. So fuck you Aries. Killer match though. ****1/2

Impact Women's Champion Allie vs Taya Valkyrie - Impact 4/26/18 I have loved the Impact Women's so much that I want to try to watch & review every title defense from 2018 & 2019. They pack a lot of physical, hard-hitting goodness in 4 minutes. This is Taya's best performance so far that I have seen. She was stiff and kicking ass. Jumped Allie at the bell with a clothesline and never relented. Some Kicks of Fear that would make Judy Martin proud. She was kicking through Allie, great choking. LOVED the overhand chops by Taya on Allie. Wicked hard. Check out Allie's neck/shoulder after the match it is bright red. Loved that Allie fired up and hit some vicious overhand chops for her own. Loved Allie's comeback that ended in her just dropkicking the corner and another where she just screamed "Im Allie"! Taya hit a vicious Saito Suplex. She looked damn good in this match very powerful. Like to see more of this and watch she was like against Jordynne Grace less workrate bullshit. She dawdles. Allie Superkicks here (the superkick has gotta go) and Codebreaker. Good physical sprint. I dug this. Su Yung and the Undead Bridesmaids play mind games but Rosemary saves. Good craic. ***1/4

Undead Bride. Allie In A White Tank. Sinister Minister. Sign Me Up. I wouldnt say this was a home run, but I found it exceedingly enjoyable. I know Su Yung kills Allie and I thought this was the segment. It is not so it was a nice swerve for me when Allie takes the hatchet to Su Yung! I popped for that! They wisely limited the dialogue in this. In the hands of even the most skilled actors, the chance for the cheese factor to be strong is high. Allie didnt speak until taking the hatchet to Su Yung. Before that they had James Vandenburg do all the talking and explain the context/rules of the Undead Realm. Allie kills two Undead Bridesmaids and splatters blood everywhere. Awesome. She sees her own soul. Vandenburg makes point that you can look but not touch. She did touch but nothing came of it that I know of. The Su Yung fight scene was really good. Su Yung says "Welcome Home" perfect horror movie line. "Your time has come" not as good. O I forgot to mention the whole point of this is that Allie is trying to rescue Kiera Hogan. She gets Hogan out of the coffin. They try to open the Coffin Portal To Earth, but James Vandenburg screws them over and says he would get Allie in, BUT Not OUT! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Undead Bridesmaids swarm. ROSEMARY! Starts kicking ass. Allie wants to save her. Rosemary helps them open the Coffin and tells them to go, but Allie wants her to come. Here comes Su Fucking Yung with the fucking hatchet in her neck. Goddamn. What a visual! If you watch, watch for no other reason than for Su Yung's tremendous acting with the hatchet. She rips the hatchet out. Here was my one big complaint. Instead of an epic badass fight scene between Su Yung and Rosemary. They all of sudden both have the ability to be able to shoot energy/plasma orbs from their hands they so this struggle until the Undead Bridesmaids seemingly overwhelm Rosemary. Kiera Hogan is all like lets get the fuck outta here and shuts the Portal Coffin shut. Allie says they have to go back. Kiera Hogan says Fuck That Noise, Allie clearly possessed says "its not ok". I am going to have to find out where the conclusion is. I liked this, a lot of fun. I would like to see eighth to a quarter of a show devoted to stuff like this or musical numbers with Jericho/MJF or just any form of genre-bending they can do. Variety is the spice of life.

Impact Women's Champion Tessa Blanchard vs Taya Valkyrie - Impact Bound For Glory 2018 Only my second Taya match, but she is a bayface here, excited to see what it is like. I like Taya's look a lot and she busted out a couple lucha sequences and a submission so that was pretty cool. This was definitely a workrate match. A lot of the highspots blurred together. Taya did keep up with Tessa and went shot for shot with her. Taya being as big as she is poses an interesting challenge for Tessa. I always like a wrestler going for their finish early we see that from Tessa early. Some of the transitions were too loose for my liking, but I did like how Taya was countering with high impact highspots. There was no cuteness. It was big Germans or a big Chokeslam. Nice moonsault by Taya very pretty, Tessa was a little too close to the ropes. Great submission work here by Taya. Tessa claws for the apron skirt to avoid going back into the ring. Taya hits the Glam Slam for two because the ref was fiddlefucking with the skirt. I like that they protected the babyface's finish, but lets get a better protection please, that was lame. Taya gets posted and Hammerlock DDT! I bit hard on this finish, I was already switching tabs over here when I heard in my other tab, the kickout damn. What's fair is fair and Taya getting to kickout of Tessa's finish was big. There is a little bit of Tussle before Tessa hits a Jumping Codebreaker cant say I love it, but at least she has a Super Finisher. These women are great athletes and have the potential for classic matches, but someone needs to help them with match layout or they can watch some film and figure it out. This whole lets just do moves thing will only get you so far. ***

Impact Women's Champion Su Yung vs Tessa Blanchard vs Allie - Impact 8/30/18 It is a damn shame they didnt give this more time as this was shaping up to be one of the better triple threats I have seen in a long time. The strikes in this matches were phenomenal some of the best I have seen in the 2010s and puts most men's matches to shame. I thought Allie looked the best, just vicious forearm shivers and chops. Liked Su Yung's palm strikes. Surprisingly I found the usually intense Tessa to be timid in this match and really did not have many memorable moments. Allie started off with a great shine. Nice double spot on both. Su Yung worked a great submission on Tessa. Su Yung had an amazing spot where she ran up the turnbuckle pads and did a hurricanarana on Allie. For as many good strikes Allie had, the Best Superkick Ever is more like the Worst one ever and I say that with love because she is so good at other moves, she needs a new finish. Su Yung brings out the bloody glove for the Mandible Claw but Allie superkicks Tessa only to have it happen to her. Allie hits a Codebreaker only for Tessa to roll up Allie for the win. The finish was abrupt and made the match feel truncated. I felt like these women had so much left to give and they were just kicking it into high gear. Also the finish was so lame. Tessa is not a chickenshit heel that benefits from this type of flukey win. I know they booked themselves into a corner and needs to lift the title of the Undead Bride, but they were better more effectives ways to do. On its way to greatness, but stopped short. ***1/4

I fucking love Jericho/MJF that is my shit! Pro wrestling should be fun and that was killer all around. Definitely helps that Jericho can sing. Jericho's mannerisms are so on point. He had me and my brother rolling. AEW needs to take more big chances like this if it wants to grow. This was awesome. The only thing better was the Orange Cassidy promo! Holy Shit! They needed to find a voice for that gimmick and BILL FUCKING BELLICHICK IS THAT VOICE! MARK OUT CITY! I went from LOATHING Orange Cassidy when I first saw him at Beyond's New Year's Eve show 2018 to really starting to enjoy him to Jericho feud to now being totally onboard with OC! I thought the promos on this show were incredible! Big reason they kept them short and sweet. A pro wrestling promo should be about 2 minutes, 5 minutes max. I dont like Moxley at all, but that was a fucking good, cogent, coherent promo. Kingston is the man. A lot of people would overlook that Cody promo or phone it in, but not my man Cody that was a fucking killer promo, talking about putting on weight and why he did it. I love it. Hell even Rusev's promo was good. I was trying to be the cool dude not anymore. Loved that! I thought the Wardlow performance was really good, but I wish they inverted the layout. Jungle Boy hot, fast break shine and then Wardlow kills him dead. Rather than Kill Him Dead and then he resurrects, but it is 2020 and psychology is dead. I just wished people remembered/realized there are levels to selling. Everyone has forgotten about register. Everything is this "epic" "death" sell and just undercuts the whole match. The Cleaner is coming...I'll keep an open mind...but I am not exactly thrilled at the prospect of "Mr. Seven Star" going long every single Dynamite with his "epic" selling and 8 bajillion V-Triggers.

X-Division Champion Brian Cage vs Fenix - Impact 8/30/18 I like both guys a lot but this was just kinda there for me. I love how Impact was really pushing Cage hard on commentary as a once in a lifetime athlete that was revolutionizing the game. Is it hyperbole? Hell Yeah! But it made Cage feel like a big deal. I actually think Fenix is the game changer, what he can do on the ropes is sublime. Honestly, I am not a huge flippy/gymnastics guy with one major exception if you are really good I mean really good then I'll watch. Fenix is that dude. Cage was trying to live up to the hype of being the Ultimate Hybrid athlete busting out the 619 early on (it was kinda ugly mind you) I preferred when he was just doing his power wrestling and hurling Fenix around. There was a really nice Firemans Carry into like a Snap Death Valley Driver that was sick. I LOVED him catching Fenix cleanly on a suicide dive into a Vertical Suplex. I saw that spot in Lucha Underground. It was insane then and it is equally as insane now. Marked out for that. I liked Fenix's use of head-rocking kicks to set up his aerial assault and a great use of double stomps. The Top Rope Powerbomb ala Chris Candido is always a cool finish. Ultimately, felt like this match was a collection of highspots as opposed to cogent narrative that excites the mind or moves you emotionally. A good exhibition to see what these two are capable above from a raw athletic standpoint. ***

X-Division Champion Rich Swann vs Sami Callihan - Impact Rebellion 2019 Hardcore Match Interesting that in all my viewings of TNA/Impact that not many X-Division matches have piqued my interest or been recommended to me, I think that shows how it had fallen to being a midcard title. This is a blood feud that goes back to Callihan taking Swann in after his personal tragedies. No dancing from Swann tonight. It is OVE rules match similar to a Ravens Rules or a Hardcore match. I thought this was the best Callihan match I have seen so far for two reasons: 1. Pacing was way better 2. They had a really clear story that was woven throughout the match. They start off with meaningless kicks to the face lets forget that happened. In fairness, they have been showing symmetry or similarities but there are a lot better ways to achieve that without their silly kick each other in the face. The real story kicks in. Swann has brought a Staple Gun to the party. That's the story of the match, Rich Swann was willing to go to the levels of violence of Callihan and beat Callihan at his own game. The Staple Gun was one example. He was able to wield weapons like a chair and garbage can against Callihan. He turned the Legos against Callihan. The ultimate moment was when he did the Calligan lugi, testicular claw and then used a Barbed Wire Baseball Bat Crossface to win the match. The lugi and the Testicular Claw are staples of the Callihan offense and were both used earlier in the match. I loved how Swann gave Callihan a taste of his own medicine. The match actually followed a pretty standard shine-heat-comeback-finish. So the structure helped tell the story they wanted. One thing I do love about Callihan is that he is not uber serious which you kinda expect him to be given his demeanor and style. He is willing to ham it up and show ass and be a coward so I appreciate that. Swann has a really nice punch. The Callihan suplex of Swann onto that standing chair was insane and the coolest spot of the match. Swann hit his Back Handspring Cutter on the ramp and Callihan followed up with a Piledriver on the railing after a groin claw. I think they flirted with Swann dying but they always pulled out right at the last second. The Cactus Piledriver on the apron was another moment where they almost went too far but they had Swann reverse the next move which was smart. I cant say Im huge into the Legos spot. I feel like Callihan being all covered up it is a little bit of a cop out. Again we got Swann getting piledriven into the Legos. That moment just came back to me. Three piledrivers are really hard environments is a bit much for me. It shows that Swann was resilient and beat Callihan on Callihan's terms at Callihan's game. The story of Swann outdoing Callihan in a hardcore match buoy this up and makes Callihan's best, but there are still aspects of Callihan's work that doesnt fully click with me. ****

Impact Women's Champion Taya Valkyrie vs Jordynne Grace - Impact Rebellion 2019 I am working the night shift and something came up between finishing watching this and writing the review. Lets see how my memory is. I attended a lot of Beyond Wrestling in person last year and got a good taste of Thick Mama Pump! I love the look, I am a sucker for big set of arms. She hits hard, athletic and I just love power wrestlers and she is a good one. Never seen Taya before I know she is Johnny Mundo's main permanent squeeze. Good presence lots of cockiness. She seems like she would hold the power advantage in most situation except against someone like Jordynne. Impact's women's division slaughters AEW's and I would hear arguments for why it is better than WWE's. Nice shine for Jordynne, really establishes her power game. That Electric Chair visual really stood out to me because Taya is a big girl and it looked really impressive. Powerbomb on the apron. It was a little overkill to start but the idea was to establish that Jordynne is a force to be reckoned with so mission accomplished. Taya did a good job being coward. She snaps the arm of Jordynne across the top rope. Taya busted out some sweeeeeeeeet, sick Lucha submissions on the arm. Awesome arm psychology that lasted throughout the match! Taya was using it as cutoffs and Jordynne was showing how it affected her offense. I love how Jordynne turned a simple, elementary bodyslam into a highspot by letting it sink in. It felt like a big deal when she did a bodyslam. Love it! Bodyslams are cool and we should bring them back. Jordynne cant get all of the Michinoku Driver because of the arm. Taya is relentless using the arm as a cutoff to work her way back into contention. Jordynne cannot negotiate her finisher which requires arm strength. She tries to bully Taya with lariats but the right lariat causes her clutch in pain. Taya takes advantage and hits the Glam Slam for the win! There were a couple stutter steps here and there, but I loved the power these two women showed. Really enjoyed the submission work from Taya, but above all else I really loved the psychology and how they stuck to the body part injury narrative. It was Jordynne's first loss and she is protected because if Taya does not get that fluke arm snap over the top rope does Jordynne not just run away with this? It is an interesting question. Good power wrestling match! ***3/4

Austin Aries vs Davey Richards - Slammiversary 2015 "If you can jump six inches, I can jump six and one more" - The Pope, with the most hilarious gaffe this side George W. Bush. I had to pause and just let the laughing subside. Thank God, finally a TNA/Impact match with a halfway decent layout! I thought nobody in TNA/Impact knew how to construct a match but leave it to two ROH veterans to put together a very good match. I saw Aries vs Richards main event an ROH house show out in Michigan when I was in college. Even though I run lukewarm on Richards, I remember it being a banger. So I was interested to see how this match would go down. Aries is the heel you want to know how I know? Aries is in a tag team with Bobby Roode called Dirty Heels. They are embroiled in a tag feud with the American Wolves over the Tag Belts. They are 2-2 in a Best of 5 Series, winner of this match picks the stipulation for Match #5 on Impact. They have two PPVs a year but they are still building to Impact instead of the PPV. In fact in addition to the Tag Team Titles being on the line this Impact, Angle is defending the World Championship against ECIII on Impact and there is no defense on Slammiversary. You have 2 PPVs! Why would you book like this? TNA is so bizarre. I loved the beginning. They trade back chops. Then they run a cool shine that shows Aries powdering over and over again when Richards gets the best of him. Richards almost kicks his head clean off. Aries powder and strikes a Vogue pose making sure his head is still attached to his body. Aries gets the advantage but takes too long on his trademark Pendulum Elbow and when he eats canvas, he powders. Aries tries pummeling Richards, but Richards breaks free and dropkicks him clean out. Aries evades the Suicide Dive. Richards hunts him down beats him up on the outside. They told a nice, easy to understand story. That built tension and made you want to see Richards to beat up Aries and also made you wonder how Aries would gain the advantage. Pro wrestling is not hard, I swear. Aries is about to eat a Diving Headbutt or maybe a Double Stomp. He desperately dives for the ropes and crotches Richards. Aries works a great heat segment. Everything is fluid and looks great. He lets things breathe and sink in. That really cool Wolf Claw Slash tattoo on Edwards is not a tattoo, just warpaint. Aries SMACKS IT CLEAN OFF with a wicked chop. I mentioned this in my previous Aries review. I love his chops. He feigns with the right hand knife edge and CRACKS you with overhand left. Sick. Richards takes back over with a great suicide dive. Not as great as Aries, but he had really nice form and looked like torpedo. Missile dropkick by Richards as he looks to be rolling. He starts ringing Aries bell with an assortment of kicks. Aries sells it like he is dazed & confused and looking for a tag from Bobby, a little over the top, but entertaining nonetheless. Aries loves to go to the Boxing The Ear to comeback and this leads to his shot out of the rocket Suicide Dive. Fuck it is so sweet. Last Chancery gets a "nearfall" for him. Best part of the match Richards is starting to comeback. Richards is ready to run across the ring and all of sudden ARIES FLIES INTO THE SCREEN AND SMOKES WITH A DROPKICK! They should have done the Brainbuster right then and there. Their only miscue was Richards converting into a Falcon's Arrow. Bad choice. Richards gets the Double Stomp for two. Roode out. Edwards stops Roode. Distraction Schoolboy finish gets it for Aries. That finish is the drizzling shits and needs to be retired permanently. Terrible finish and the one miscue choosing to have Richards hit a move after that DEVASTATING dropkick aside, this was a psychologically sound match. I dug it. ***3/4

I agree with the comments above. I think something clicked for Lashley clicked in the 2016 timeframe and he finally understood how to utilized all his natural athleticism and power effectively in a pro wrestling environment. That being said his WWE run has been mostly lackluster, but that can also be attributed to booking. TNA World Heavyweight Champion Eddie Edwards vs Bobby Lashley - TNA Impact 1/26/17 IronMan I've known Eddie Edwards as a fellow Bostonian and one half of the Wolves, but the less famous half. So lets see what he can do in a 30 minute Ironman Match against an improved, motivated Lashley First 15 minutes: We lose a big chunk of the first half of the match to commercial break. There is not much going on before the first ad break. Lashley hit the first highspot, a delayed vertical but that was pretty meaningless as Edwards came back with a good suicide dive. Edwards kicked some ass on the outside, good chops. I am not a big tattoo guy never seen that many I truly think are cool. That being the Wolf Claw Scratch tat on Edwards' chest is pretty badass. Before the ad break, Lashley takes over again. Pretty messy start. They did not establish a story or their characters. I like Lashley's back elbow to the head, but that was no sold. Spear out of nowhere for the first fall. This at least creates an inherent story can the valiant, plucky champion overcome a 1-0 deficit against the powerful Lashley. Lashley methodically, arrogantly pummels Edwards. He takes his foot off the gas. Edwards strings three moves together and looks to be on the comeback trail. Lashley HURLS him to the outside. Great demonstration of power and great bump by Edwards. Lashley THROWS Edwards DOWN on the Ramp with a Ferocious Powerbomb for the countout fall. It is now 2-0 Lashley. The match feels like it is starting to pick up. Lashley has exposed the turnbuckles in the ring and Edwards is really milking this Powerbomb sell as he should. Lets see if the second half is better than this ok first half. Second 15 Minutes: The Edwards fall after Lashley charges into Exposed Turnbuckle was very lame. There was no build to it. Totally heatless. To make matters worse Lashley hit the the next slam after the fall. I thought the Boston Knee Party (I like the move name, but wish it was done with the kneecap rather than the inside of the knee) on the ramp was a lot better. Had great heat. It was a Hail Mary that landed, but because it was outside the ring. It didnt count yet. Ultimately, in the ring Edwards connected again and scored another fall. It is all knotted up. They did the whole kick out of each other's finishers because there is only 5 minutes left deal. Lashley trapped him in a head/arm triangle to get the tap out. Go up 3-2! Lashley tries to run out the clock by milling around the outside and saying he should just be declared champion. Pope gets on his case rightfully. That dweeb Josh Matthews prattles on about how smart this is! Listen you tool, there is something to be said for sportsmanship! Furthermore, jackass Josh, there are classier ways to run out the clock. Finally, he is the FUCKING HEEL, stop defending him and do your job and deride him. The only thing that has decayed more in wrestling than the wrestling itself in the 21st century is the commentary. Where are the STRONG BABYFACE voices!!! Anyways, Lashley does get back in the ring and goes for the Spear to put this out of reach but Edwards grabs a Guillotine Choke. Lashley just barely hangs on after a minute to escape and win the World's Championship. Perfectly acceptable wrestling. The two highspots on the ramp were good other than that it was very alright. Would have liked to seen more interesting character work or narrative. ***

I think I am going to watch the Final Deletion again and do a more comprehensive review. I am going to crosspost this analysis of Broken Matt here: The original Broken Matt gimmick is sheer brilliance. Normally, I am all for evolving a character & adding layers, but in this case it only turned it into a self-parody of what was originally a genius gimmick. You see prior Matt had turned heel after winning the World Championship, something that always eluded him. He started slicking his hair down with a side-part and dressing in suits. Why? The first was insecurity as the older brother who failed to reached the singles heights of his younger brother who had won multiple World Championships in TNA & WWE. He was a giver instead of a taker but was not receiving as much as he was giving out. So he felt the world was unfair and jealous of his younger brother. Then enters his ambitious, ruthless wife, who wants the house on the hill, the fortune and fame, maybe most importantly she wants to be married to a winner, champion and the better Hardy. She drips the poison in his ear that now is the time to take, take, take. Well before the Broken Matt gimmick, he was experiencing a personality and descending into madness. Then he loses the championship and his brother starts to slag. The rift grows into a chasm and then Jeff Hardy hits a massive Swanton Bomb that broke Matt in half complete with stretcher job and not appearing on TV. They took this physical break and made it into a mental break with reality. One could say in addition to the jealousy, stress of his wife pushing, his lust for fame & fortune, he also probably loves his brother and hates that it has come to this. All this stress on him leads to psychotic break. He becomes obsessed with deleting Jeff Hardy. That's the motivation. A heel can be logical and you can understand their perspective; it is the fact they take things too far that makes them a heel! The funny emphasis on words like "Delete", "Obsolete" and "OVAH" had an entertainment factor to the character. Choosing to visually depict his obsession as a classical, Baroque pianist is an interesting take on it that again add entertainment value and plays in line with American stereotype that those men were MAD geniuses like Broken Matt. I wonder if the word "Baroque" was an inspiration to take the character in that direction. Anyways, dressing of the gimmick, the diction and speech emphasis add to the entertainment value to make the gimmick stand out, but it is the OBSESSION and STRESS on Matt underpinning the gimmick that make it work. That's why I believe it flopped in WWE and AEW is because Broken Matt was not being built on the fundamentals of human emotion it was leaning into the shallow, superficial aspects of the gimmick. Terrific gimmick originally and we will always have 2016, brutha. I enjoyed the pre-match antics more than the actual match itself. The first birthday party for King Maxel was just so perfect to set the tone for this. Reby Hardy is so hot and a perfect hard ass for the gimmick. Senor Benjamin was a genius addition to the drama. Preparing The Battlefield is great. The backdrop of their shoot child's first birthday for the Proclamation of The Final Deletion of Brother Nero is terrific. This match is scored wonderfully, the music is sick and badass. When Jeff's charging with the firework in hand and Matt is using the Dilapidated Boat as a shield, that guitar riff is sick. Mad Max Fury Road came out the prior summer and had a big influence on this. I think the sound effects where picked up really well. I think the Sound was the best part of this. The shit at Jeff Hardy's home was also awesome. How the hell does Jeff Hardy get is fucking lawn to look like that? That's insane! That's dedication by somebody. Wow! The Vanguard1 nonsense to herald the beginning of the Final Deletion was a fantastic way to invite Brother Nero to War. Matt destroying the Lawn was the best part of the entire thing. It was so deliciously perfect. The match itself like I said earlier the best part was the scoring, great music and the sound effects came across well. We got see one great punch from Matt. Then the weapons came out. Jeff's big highspot off the tree onto ladder was sick. The fireworks definitely stand out when either one of them used them. The Dilapidated Boat popped me again. I forgot how this ended. Matt tries to drown Jeff, but Jeff comes back as Willow. Senor Benjamin shocks Willow. Matt comes upon a fallen Willow and pins him only to find out much to his dismay that is is Senor Benjamin. The Final Deletion ends in the Battlefield that Senor Benjamin had prepared. Matt had told Senor Benjamin to douse the field with gasoline that was leftover from the savage, ruthless mowing of Brother Nero's lawn. Furthermore, Matt had claimed the Birthday Candle would only be extinguished once Brother Nero was Deleted. Jeff climbs a HUGE statue of his Symbol, you know that abstract cross-like, J-like Jeff Hardy symbol. Reby hands Matt the Birthday Candle and he lights the Battlefield on fire and that travels up the symbol and Jeff is sent flying off the symbol to his demise. Brother Nero has been deleted. I prefer the Boneyard Match, BUT I think this is a huge feather in the Hardys' cap as that was truly innovative special. Bravo!

Jeff Hardy vs Matt Hardy - TNA Slammiversary 2016 Full Metal Mayhem For those of you that are like me and 2016 is foggy, this match is during the Broken Matt gimmick but before The Final Deletion. The original Broken Matt gimmick is sheer brilliance. Normally, I am all for evolving a character & adding layers, but in this case it only turned it into a self-parody of what was originally a genius gimmick. You see prior Matt had turned heel after winning the World Championship, something that always eluded him. He started slicking his hair down with a side-part and dressing in suits. Why? The first was insecurity as the older brother who failed to reached the singles heights of his younger brother who had won multiple World Championships in TNA & WWE. He was a giver instead of a taker but was not receiving as much as he was giving out. So he felt the world was unfair and jealous of his younger brother. Then enters his ambitious, ruthless wife, who wants the house on the hill, the fortune and fame, maybe most importantly she wants to be married to a winner, champion and the better Hardy. She drips the poison in his ear that now is the time to take, take, take. Well before the Broken Matt gimmick, he was experiencing a personality and descending into madness. Then he loses the championship and his brother starts to slag. The rift grows into a chasm and then Jeff Hardy hits a massive Swanton Bomb that broke Matt in half complete with stretcher job and not appearing on TV. They took this physical break and made it into a mental break with reality. One could say in addition to the jealousy, stress of his wife pushing, his lust for fame & fortune, he also probably loves his brother and hates that it has come to this. All this stress on him leads to psychotic break. He becomes obsessed with deleting Jeff Hardy. That's the motivation. A heel can be logical and you can understand their perspective; it is the fact they take things too far that makes them a heel! The funny emphasis on words like "Delete", "Obsolete" and "OVAH" had an entertainment factor to the character. Choosing to visually depict his obsession as a classical, Baroque pianist is an interesting take on it that again add entertainment value and plays in line with American stereotype that those men were MAD geniuses like Broken Matt. I wonder if the word "Baroque" was an inspiration to take the character in that direction. Anyways, dressing of the gimmick, the diction and speech emphasis add to the entertainment value to make the gimmick stand out, but it is the OBSESSION and STRESS on Matt underpinning the gimmick that make it work. That's why I believe it flopped in WWE and AEW is because Broken Matt was not being built on the fundamentals of human emotion it was leaning into the shallow, superficial aspects of the gimmick. Terrific gimmick originally and we will always have 2016, brutha. Oh yeah there was a match. It was a fine car crash match. Jeff put Matt through a ladder. Lots of Twists of Fate and Swanton Bombs. Matt powerbombed him through a Keyboard. They really played the Side Effect on the Apron. Jeff took it home with a series of Swantons and Twists of Fate through tables. It was a fun match, but the gimmick and the angle were more interesting and it would all lead to FINAL DELETION~! O, before I go, I really liked when Pope said "You can't out-crazy Jeff Hardy" fucking damn straight. That dude is a fucking nut! ***1/2

I didnt know Cody/Brandi went to TNA. They debuted prior to this match where Gail Kim beat Maria for the Women's Title. Then Cody/Brandi showed up Maria & her husband. TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley vs Ethan Carter III - TNA Bound for Glory 2016 No Holds Barred Coming into this match, I was wondering if ECIII could carry Lashley, but this was actually one of the better Lashley performances I have seen in my life. He finally felt like The Destroyer he claims to be. He brought the intensity and he was just suffocating ECIII with a full court press. I LOVED THE SPEAR during the introductions. It really set the tone that Lashley was a Beast. He looks impressive and has impressive credentials but that does not always translate into his work, but it did on this night. As for ECIII, I thought he was fantastic as a character actor in that Bully Ray match, but we didnt get that here from him. I know he is a babyface here and that's a different dynamic, but I would have liked to seen more character work out of him. His selling was good, but I would have liked to seen him get more riled up on offense and really let that crowd in. I thought he chose bad moments/moves to get back on off. Simple Clothesline or Dropkick should NOT be enough to send The Destroyer Lashley reeling. I would have liked Lashley to have asserted himself in those situations, not now, not yet, kid. I think capitalizing on a Lashley mistake would have been more meaningful. I did like the suicide dive on the outside and loved the Spinebuster on the ramp as a cutoff by Lashley. The layout of this match was Lashley is the dominant heel champion and ECIII is the valiant babyface trying to climb Everest. The Spear before the bell was Genius. It immediately puts ECIII in a hole and makes the background story of the match the actual story of the match. For the most part, Lashley did dominate. The growth in Lashley as an offensive wrestler from 2014 to 2016 is readily apparent. He is more sure of himself. He is using his power to control the match and looks more explosive, much better. The Spear in the middle match was a great mid-match climax. Lashley looks to escalate after not winning by getting his belt but it is swing & miss. ECIII starts hitting his big highspots like the TKO, an ugly TKO on the stairs and even stealing Lashley's own Spear. He hits a Frogsplash and when Lashley kicks out. It looks bleak. Spear by Lashley but a cocky cover costs him. He goes to the Chair and this time connects with the foreign object. Still cant win and ECIII hits his Finish for 2! ECIII goes for his Finish off the top but Lashley shoves him off and DRILLS HIM WITH A SPEAR! Strong finish and if ECIII is headed out the door, which he may have been, a logical finish. It is a match that is not going to set your world on fire but there are not too many glaring psychological mistakes, it actually ramps up quite nicely. I think ECIII bringing more charisma and energy is what put a lid on this match from exploding off the canvas. Still a rock solid match. ***

Bully Ray vs Ethan Carter III - TNA Slammiversary 2014 Texas Death Match A fun romp! I do recommend this if you just want something to put a smile on your face. Bully Ray aged way better than you would expect him to. When he was talking about Terry Funk being idol I was like yeah he worked with Funk in ECW and he didnt look that old given it was 20 years ago. Bully was just oozing charisma in this one. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand. He was lapping it up and I was enjoying the hell out of it. ECIII is a gimmick I had heard of and I knew that if this kid even had an ounce of charisma that this gimmick would be gold. Boy, oh boy, did he not disappoint! I was just complaining about Magnus and his lack of heel selling and stooging. Look at this kid go! This is what I am talking. He bumped and fed and stooged and made Bully Ray look like a million bucks in the process. If you like pro wrestling, I am talking real deal, the Southern-Fried shit, none of this processed, High Fructose Corn Syrup garbage they peddle out of Stamford nowadays, check this out! I loved his sell of the Cheese Grater! Somebody push this kid cuz Vince McMahon does not know what to do with an Ethan Carter III, pal. ECIII rocked it in this match. I wished they used the bullrope more. Loved the bumping and bieling on that. Loved the punches. The Cheese Grater bit was awesome. I loved the ballshot by ECIII to avoid the cheese grater to the face. I liked how ECIII was afraid of getting violent. He threw the Cheese Grater away and the way he looked at the tables like he wanted no part of that. He has a yellow streak a mile wide and he is an egg-sucking dog and he aint afraid to show it. The best part of the match by far was when Bully Ray was taking an audience poll if he should put ECIII through a table or through the exposed ring boards. Watch how he controls the crowd. Watch how much fun he is having. MOST IMPORTANTLY, Watch how much fun the crowd is having! I loved this! But it gets better! ECIII's little friend, Rockstar Spud comes out and hits Bully with a kendo stick. Great no sell by Bully. Bully gets control of the Kendo Stick and puts under the little dude's legs and then bounces him up and down on it with his balls crashing down on the kendo stick! TREMENDOUS! Taz called it Yambag Yahtzee and I lost my shit! I will say the finish didnt quite have the heat I wanted it too. You knew ECIII was going to squeak out the victory. Auntie D (Dixie Carter for those not in the know) comes out and Bully Ray takes his eye of the prize. She ends up colliding with her nephew. Bully Ray wants to splash her through a table but Rockstar Spud saves her and ECIII shoves Bully through the tables. It was just missing that little extra kick, but it was the total right call to have ECIII squeak this one out with the help of Auntie D and Rockstar Spud. Super fun match. As Irish would say, good craic! ****

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Magnus vs Samoa Joe - TNA Lockdown 2014 Shoot Style Rules TNA 2014-2017 is a dark time man, well I guess you have the Broken Hardy stuff but outside of that, it is really surprising that company made it out the other end intact. Another dreadful finish that mars an otherwise decent match. I am all for overbooking/run-ins I think they can be great spice for a match but when they are random or forced they come off as heatless and as anchor. A maskless Abyss drags Joe down into the DEPTHS OF HELL aka underneath the wrestling ring. Joe comes out. He is all enraged and Magnus sells shock & fear well, but they have lost the crowd. Joe throttles Magnus but they have ZERO heat. Magnus is not great at being over the top that's what this needed. He is a very muted seller. Abyss hits him with the nail bat and Black Hole Slam. KOs Joe. Of course what is funny is if this was a one-on-one Abyss vs Joe match a Black Hole Slam probably would have been just a nearfall. Magnus slaps on the Koquina Clutch to trigger the tap out. Terrible finish aside, we dont watch wrestling just for that, how was the match beforehand? I was curious to see how Magnus would work as a champion. Overall, I found him to be very bland and dull. He is not particularly good at any one thing. He comes across as competent. He was a part of the Dixieland stable and was being treated as a Paper Champion that was being propped up by the Stable. By 2014, stooging is dead, so I was not expecting a stooging heel but this would have been the perfect time. There was not much cowardice. There not much in the way of heel selling. Heel selling is another lost art. It is a type of selling that does not incite sympathy but rather the opposite it makes the viewer want to see the babyface pour it on. He was not a bump & run heel either. Ultimately, he was useless feeding Joe. On offense, his strategy was decent. Lots of counters and evasive maneuvers to create openings than he would attack from behind. This match was a Joe's Rules match meaning KO or Submission. Magnus did apply the Figure-4 and Camel Clutch. He had a nice Top Rope Elbow Drop. I just didnt see much in character work on either end of the floor whether it was offensively or feeding Joe. He was a competent mechanic. As for Joe, he seemed reserved, almost sluggish. It was like he was afraid of blowing up. There were a couple times when I wanted him to kick it into that next gear and really blow this thing open, but it seemed like he didnt have the stamina to do it. Just four months later, working his match with Lashley albeit 10 minutes shorter, Joe really let loose and let the charisma. In this match, I felt like his cardio was hampering him. His offense was definitely the best part of this match. I LOVED his work on the cut of Magnus. His strikes always look amazing. Great use of the Cross-Armbreaker even if a rope break in a No DQ Cage match is bullshit. Musclebuster/Koquina Clutch felt like a big deal. I would say this was an average Samoa Joe performance. Great offense, could have picked up the energy but with the right opponent it could have been covered. Magnus is a competent mechanic, but needs to be more expressive and show more character. The finish was the drizzling shits.

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley vs Kurt Angle - Impact 3/20/15 Absolute, unadulterated shit. I have said before that my own personal hell is watching Kurt Angle work loose, lazy Anklelock counters and does not get much worse than this. Watch Lashley do nothing in an Anklelock and then get up and hit a Oklahoma Slam. Watch Angle not even sell his own move. Watch 8 bazillion German Suplexes. Watch Lashley be a total void of charisma. The moment when I realized I was watch maybe the Worst Match of All Time watch how Angle sells the Cross Armbreaker. Fuck you. What a fucking shitty match.

Austin Aries vs Kenny King - Slammiversary 2014 Whatever happened to Kenny King? I thought he had tremendous upside, good look, charisma, trash talker and very athletic. King is aligned with MVP & Lashley. Looks like MVP was supposed to face World Champion Eric Young (I cant believe he won the title and am surprised he is their current champion as of this writing, though D'Amore is booking), but got injured so they set up Lashley vs Joe and now Aries vs King. Another fun shine to start. King disrespects Aries at the opening bell so Aries launches into a full steam ahead dropkick in the corner, which is normally the prelude to the Brainbuster, but King had it scouted & powders. I love a fast start. Aries crashes down on him on the outside. I love how Aries chops. He feigns the right hand knife edge and strikes with the overhand left, really cool and something people should point out more. The heat segment here is better than the one in the Lashley even if there is an over-reliance on restholds. King hit a brilliant Karate kick on Aries when he crotched on the top. That Corkscrew Plancha was killer. Good trash talk on the outside. Then he ran out of things to do. It is ok because Aries has a deep offensive arsenal. He boxes the ears and then is shot out of the canon for the best suicide dive in the biz. I love the intensity and crispness of Aries. Then we are off to the races for the finish. King gets a couple nice nearfalls, really nice kick and he hits his finish. Before he hit his finish Aries applied the Last Chancery which Taz thinks sapped some of King's energy, good kayfabe explanation. King is looking to set up the top rope version of his finish but Aries drills him with a Top Rope Brainbuster for the win. I enjoyed this and have really come to like Aries as a pro wrestler in all my TNA/ROH watching. ***1/4

Samoa Joe vs Bobby Lashley - Slammiversary 2014 Samoa Joe was born to be a massive babyface rockstar. The only part of this match worth watching is the shine. What a shine! Not quite as good as the Samoa Joe shine at Bound for Glory 2007, but this one was also fun. The way he interacts with crowd and gets them invested is contagious. The dude is a rockstar. They tussle early and then Joe rocks him with that big head kick in the corner and boy oh boy what a shot and what a reaction! It was off to the races. When Lashley powders on the Facewash, Joe goes into torpedo mode and bowls him over with a Suicide Dive. Crowd was rocking. Lashley ground this match to a halt. Terrible heat segment. Lifeless pummeling and nerve holds. Joe's comeback was his greatest hits: Reverse Atomic Drop, Big Boot, Senton, Urnage out of the corner. Joe attempts the Muscle Buster. Gets crossed up with Earl and Lashley hits a Massive Spear on Joe. When Joe is on offense, this rocks. Skip all things Lashley. ***

Impact World Champion Eli Drake vs Johnny Impact (Morrison) - Bound For Glory 2017 People can complain until the cows come home about Eli Drake being an Attitude Era wannabe, but at the end of the day he has the cadence & conviction that is sorely in today's pro wrestling promo scene. Great promo and really his stuff on NWA Power. On the end of the spectrum is one of the all time terrible promos in pro wrestling history, John Morrison. Morrison does well with The Miz where he can bounce his one liners off him, but left to his own devices he is abysmal. The promo before this match had me cringing badly. That being said I think Morrison is a fantastic pro wrestler in between the ropes and I really have not seen Drake outside NWA Power so it will be interesting to see what he can do. The finish was the shits. Alberto Del Rio, who you may remember unified the titles at Slammiversary against Lashley, had to vacate the title because of his personal issues so Eli Drake won it. Del Rio pulls the ref out and attacks both Drake & Morrison. Even then both laying then puts Drake on top of Morrison. Way to make both you main eventers look like total chumps. TNA sucks! It is amazing that in 2018 that rebounded so well, really goes to show you what good booking can do. The finish pretty much ruined the match, but I will give a quick rundown of what I felt from the body of the match. I thought the crowd was pretty dead for this match, which is a shame because I thought the action and layout was very good. Morrison is great at the full court press early and really suffocating his opponent. Drake is a solid heel. I would have liked to seen more stooging out of him or at least more of a big time bump & run wrestler. I did appreciate his offense it was simple heel offense. The Hotshot is always a great transition to a heat segment. Lots of snapping the neck against the ropes running Morrison into things. Also, Chris Masters was serving as Drake's bodyguard great use of him distracting Morrison and getting cheapshots. I dig that. Some really great, well-timed Morrison hope spots. So much of the Impact I have bene watching way too noisy and way too many hope spots. This was very tasteful. I thought the transition to Morrison could have been more earned rather than given but once it happened...Morrison went all out. That Samoan Drop into that Spinn-y thing was awesome! Good strikes. The Impact Elbow was sick and he needs to bring that to WWE. Decking Masters with Title was a great highspot. It really made you feel like he was taking the Belt. Starship Pain and thats when the shitty finish happened. It was a nice, solid match that just humming along until that dreadful finish. The lads still deserve a good rating even if Del Rio & the booking screwed them out of a very good match.***

Impact World Champion Bobby Lashley vs GFW Global Champion Alberto El Patron - Impact Slammiversary 2017 I wanted to watch at least one match from Impact in 2017 which seems like a real nadir for the promotion in terms of match quality which is saying something. After AJ left at the end of 2013 to the reboot in 2018 under D'Amore/Callis, TNA looks completely irrelevant on paper and it may be a coincidence but it does coincide with Lashley being on top for those four years. This seems like a very TNA main event having two WWE upper midcarders main event their second biggest show of the year. Interesting announce team of ESPN's RoFlo, a well-known wrestling fan, who did a great job and the returning Don West who is always good for a laugh. This was also during Jeff Jarrett's magnificent con job of starting a promotion that only ran 37 shows in two years with Magnus/Nick Aldis on top and no real permanent roster and somehow got Impact Wrestling to bend overbackwards for him and unify all these sham championships with theirs. I dont know what the story is but I think they ended up in litigation with Impact over the rights to the footage. What a huckster! Honestly, the match was better than my really low expectations for it. I expected it to be boring but it really wasnt. Del Rio runs hot and cold for me. He can have some stellar performances like against Big Show or Ziggler, but boy can he mail it in. This was not one of those nights. He had his working boots on. Like Jack Swagger, I really want to like Lashley because of his amateur pedigree and the fact that he is a stacked powerhouse, but he tends to leave me wanting more. Del Rio does have an MMA background even if an old Tito Ortiz proved it is not a very extensive one, so I liked the beginning of the match. It felt more like shoot style with the throw-takedowns and the kicks. That didnt last long and they went to standard WWE style wrestling. Lashley did his heat segment brawling around the ring. Slammed Del Rio into the steps. Del Rio got a lot of hope spots in. Common issue I have bene having lately is matches seem too noisy. It is not a "my turn, your turn" problem per se, but no one is doing meaningful momentum shifts. Lashley stymies Del Rio pretty much at every pass. Del Rio is targeting the arm for his Cross Armbreaker which he applies in the ropes and once on the mat but cant get all of it. Lashley channels Backlund and slams out of it. Don West marks out hard. The moves really were not sticky so it is hard for me to remember the order, which is a sign of an ok match not a great one. I remember a really great Del Rio spear to the outside and Lashley doing an FU off the middle rope. The first time Del Rio did that hanging Double Stomp was more organic and I liked that more. I would have put Lashley over honestly, but maybe they knew even then he was headed to WWE in early 2018. Del Rio was a headcase and his personal life fucked up this run. Anyways, they had a great sequence to put Lashley over. Lashley had a great counter to Del Rio with a nice flying cross-armbreaker, which is Del Rio's move, but Del Rio fought out ONLY for Lashley to hit his Spear. That should have been the finish. Kick out. Each man has seconds. Del Rio has his father, Dos Caras. Lashley has his MMA teammate, King Mo. Caras punts Mo in the balls. Lashley bullies Caras. Del Rio takes advantage hits an Enziguiri this sets up a terribly stilted Double Stomp in the ropes that had ZERO HEAT on it and got NO REACTION when it got the pin. The match was fine. Del Rio had good energy and Lashley had some moments of power. They just kinda threw moves at each other and then ramped into a finish run. They incorporated the seconds well. It was a very alright match.

Nice to see this get a ton of love here as I thought this was light years better than the significantly more hyped LAX vs OGz & Callihan vs Pentagon Jr. Impact World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries vs Moose - Slammiversary 2018 A couple weeks ago, I was playing tennis. A ball ricocheted off the fence and hit me square in the nuts. I have not been hit in the balls in like 10-15 years. Instantaneously you double over. Your legs feel like jelly. The most interesting thing is your throat closes up not completely but you feel it. You feel it for a while probably a solid 2 minutes before it all starts to subside. I tweeted that day, if you no sell a ballshot, you're dead to me. Clearly that's hyperbole, Moose is not dead to me, but brutha it definitely annoyed me when it happened in this match. It took a great match down a peg in my eyes. I hate to see it and just dont do it. Did we really need a no-sold ballshot to set up the Spear?!? Really? This match is significantly better than the more hyped LAX vs OGz & Callihan vs Pentagon Jr matches from the same card because of how expertly this match is laid out. This a match that Aries excels in and is why he is so valuable as a heel world champion. Moose has tremendous upside. He is someone I have wanted to see work now for a couple years. He is leaner than I expected but much taller than your average non-WWE talent. He made Aries look like a child. You could see he is still a green and is trying to figure out the distances in wrestling, but Aries made him look like a million bucks bumping & feeding for him. They established the size advantage early working those great headlocks. Aries established his douche advantage early, celebrating a cartwheel of all things and slapping the taste out of Moose's mouth. It was an interesting idea they came back to twice. That is really the only man that could hurt Moose is Moose. Try as Aries may to hit Moose with some really stiff shots, it left the big man unphased multiple times. It was when Moose got overzelaous and launched himself into the air only to crash & burn that Aries could take advantage. See when Moose sails over the railing into the crowd. Aries begins his work. Another interesting thing about this match is that there is no real heat segment. I liked it in some ways and not so much in others. I don't like long, drawn-out heat segments. I think this style can create more drama when done properly. My turn, your turn is always terrible wrestling. This was NOT that. However, I would have liked to have seen some more meaningful momentum shifts as a lot of the wrestling was great, but it was not sticky i.e. it does not stick with you after you watched it. I think the best move of the middle part of the match by far was Moose cold-cocking Aries on his full sprint Top Suicida and Aries awesome bump & sell. Aries hits the best one in the business because he comes out like a rocket (see later in the match), so when he took that shot at full-speed that popped me huge! I liked how they made Moose earn his Signature stuff. It took two attempts to hit the D'Lo Brown style Spinebuster. It took two attempts to hit the Spear, the first one being countered into the Last Chancery. Less said about the blown off ballshot the better. The money in this match is the finish stretch. After Moose hit the Spear and didnt get the job done, you knew his goose was cooked, but they have him lose in a smart way. He gets in a Big Highspot. He throws Aries from the ramp into the crowd with Security Guards to catch him. This gives the crowd a big moment and gives them something to play in video packages about Moose. It was a great moment. The next best part was how they transitioned into the loss. Moose hurled himself over the top rope and crashed on the ramp. Again, it was Moose who hurt himself not Aries. Moose felt that desperation knew he needed something big, but high risk is sometimes just that high risk. Aries gets the Brainbuster on the floor. Bada Bing Bada Boom! Aries hits the Brainbuster in the ring to polish him off. Great title defense. Moose looked like a valiant babyface champion who came oh so close to winning and was only thwarted by his own overzealousness. Aries was a King Prick and bump & fed well. When it came time to rock the finish, he delivered the goods. ****