Feud for Thought: Spud vs. EC3

This article is part of #ATPW24, in aid of MIND Charity. You can help support the cause by going to www.justgiving.co.uk/acrossthepondwrestling

Back on New Years Day 2013, some fella from Birmingham going by the name of Rockstar Spud hit our TV screens on TNA's British Bootcamp. At the same time, Derrick Bateman had gone almost 2 months without a match with his then employer, WWE. The debut edition of Feud for Thought will look at how the two became a beacon of light on TNA television over the next two years, initially as allies and more recently as rivals.

Ethan Carter III made his debut on TNA television at Bound for Glory 2013, just six weeks later on Impact Wrestling, the Chief of Staff character was born as Rockstar Spud returned to TNA TV. A partnership was born that would last for a whole year, with the pair involved in a number of backstage skits together, developing the relationship between the two. Spud would involve himself in EC3's matches, all under the watchful eye of Madamme Dixie Carter. 

It was through his characterisation of the Chief of Staff character that would really excel throughout this time. Every little detail seemed to be thought out and even when handed questionable content to perform Spud seemed to find something that would keep the audience glued to his performances, whilst wanted to see him get his head kicked in at the same time. At this same time Carter was running through the TNA roster, maintaining his Undefeated streak. Whilst the matches were never particularly notable, I believe it was this steady build of cheap victories, DQ and Countout wins, that helped develop the EC3 character and that would become even more important when the two would eventually feud.

The pairing was always based around Carter being in charge, whilst Spud seemed infatuated with both EC3 and his aunt Dixie, seemingly doing anything to make sure they were happy. However, the show build to implosion began when Dixie ended up going through a table at the hands of Bully Ray, with EC3 blaming both Spud and hired gun Rhino for the incident. It was October 8th that saw the feud ignite, with Spud snaping and slapping EC3, only to end up fired as Chief of Staff. 

Their feud would last over five months before the two would have a one on one singles match. With Carter bringing in Tyrus as his bodyguard and Jeremy Borash, Mandrews and Mr. Anderson all turning up to help Spud at some point or another, the two were allowed to collide indirectly at different times. It was refreshing to see a feud go so long, whilst also not having the two facing each other in twenty seven singles matches along the way. 

With Carter seemingly obsessed with removing Spud's hair in an attempt to humilate him, this became the focal point of their when TNA returned to our screens on Destination America in 2015. Many a mans head was shaved bald in the crossfire, many a follicle fell in courageous battle for their cause. All the while you feel the swell building towards the two finally colliding, especially across the shows taped on the UK tour. The large crowds seemed to push both man's performances, everything seemed that little bit more important to them, in a time when TNA was really upping it's game.

So when they finally did collide on the 13th March episode of Impact, this match between someone rotting in WWE two years ago and 5' 4'' lad from Birmingham was main eventing the show. And bloody hell did they deliver! A brutal encounter, full of passion and hatred, drama and excitement. The crowd loved it, buying into every movement the pair put together and that allowed Carter and Spud to shine even more. By the finish, with Carter pulling out the win, it impossible not to feel for Spud and even though you'd hate to say it, be impressed by EC3. He'd put a hell of a shift in to get something he wanted.

Luckily, a post-match segment changed that and we were reminded exactly why we were supposed to hate Carter as he teased a reconciliation before destroying Spud and taking his hair. A fitting end to a long running feud, Carter will be able to move forward and up the card towards a full time main event berth that he seems to have his name written all over. Spud on the other hand seems to be moving into the X-Division, and won't be harmed at all by his competitive loss to Carter, in fact, the crowd might be behind him even more.

TNA Impact Wrestling Episode 523 Review (Lashley vs Jeff Hardy)

It's been a very long time since I've watched, let alone reviewed an episode of TNA's Impact Wrestling, but with the return of the six sided ring, the begining of the taped shows from New York City and a big World Heavyweight title main event all on the cards, I thought I'd dip my toe back into the murky water that is Dixieland. Let's see what how it went.



The show kicked off with a well put together video package, that focused on the upcoming main event between LASHLEY and JEFF HARDY, it was a good way to start the show, laying out what was on offer and filling in the gaps for anyone (like myself) who hadn't been paying much attention to TNA recently.

KURT ANGLE was the first to appear in the Manhattan Center, up in the crowd, as he introduced everyone to the show. This was an awkward Angle, who looked uncomfortable in this presenter type role, it's clear this isn't an Angle who is motivated by his current situation.

Over the other side of the building, TAZZ appearred, putting over Angle is his new role as Director of Wrestling Operations, before reminding us that "Wrestling is important". Tazz then compared TNA to ECW. I do wonder how much water is left in the ECW well, which seemed to have been dredged about five years ago with the failing of WWE's relaunch. The crowd however enjoyed it a lot, reacting nicely to Taz's catchphrase finishing his sentence, in a nice moment. Whilst this promo did work the crowd up nicely, it perhaps could have been cut from this broadcast, meaning the wrestling that is apparently so important would happen earlier on the show.

 
I would have started with BULLY RAY and TOMMY DREAMER's entrance into the arena. Ray always delivers on the microphone, and here was no different. Continuing his feud with Dixie Carter, Bully reminded the audience that he had promised to put Carter through a table. Dreamer also had some mic time, reminding us of his NYC roots and putting over the lockeroom as hungry and talented. What he was saying needs to be backed up by the guys in the lockeroom, they need to Dreamer's promo as a springboard and inspiration to really pushing forward with their matches. 

ETHAN CARTER III and RHINO were the party poopers, interupting to some decent heat. I really enjoyed the pairs new act, with Rhino working as the Carter family's hired gun (a nice reference for any Ring of Honor fans). The two really hammed it up on the mic, with Carter using the crowd chants of "You can't wrestle" to get even more heat, replying "I'm very good". Finishing up his promo with the cheesiest pun in wrestling called New York "the big crapple" would have been cringeworthy, if the crowd hadn't reacted to it so well! 

Match 1 - BULLY RAY & TOMMY DREAMER vs ETHAN CARTER III & RHINO

The crowd were very hot for this one, and it was a passable tag team match. The early part of the match was a back and forth affair, with both teams exchanging the momentum, until that pesky Brummie ROCKSTAR SPUD got involved to give his team the advantage. As the heels worked over Dreamer, it was clear that Rhino was in much better shape to the last time I saw him, seeming to have dropped a fair amount of weight, which helped his performance no end. At times it felt like the six sided ring was harming the match as it lead to some awkward exchanges as the competitors got used to the new ring.

Another mind-boggling moment saw Bully Ray tag in Dreamer even though Dreamer was already inside the ring. Instead of making them redo the tag (which surely could have been edited in post-production) the referee allowed the tag to stand. It's things like this that will make TNA look bush league. Luckily, the finish made up for this, keeping the heat on Carter and Rhino, whilst allowing Ray and Dreamer to look strong, as Dreamer hit an awkward looking Dreamer Driver on Carter, only for Spud to cause the distraction that would eventually allow EC3 to get a school boy roll up victory. Not a bad TV match, that keep the story ticking over nicely. The one person that needs to come out of this feud smelling of roses is Ethan Carter III, he's the young guy that TNA will need going forward, hopefully we'll see that in the coming weeks. 

Winners - ETHAN CARTER III & RHINO

Backstage we saw the arrival of MVP's group that could really do with a name and Jeff Hardy. For some reason EC3's music was still playing, despite the caption reading "Earlier Today". 

The music continued to play as Angle went to speak to X Division Champion AUSTIN ARIES. Angle info-dumped lines reminding the audience of the upcoming Destination X special and made a Gauntlet match for Aries' title later tonight. Aries' being up for the challenge of seven other men gunning for his title was a refreshing change, especially with Angle not playing the evil boss role that has been prevalent in wrestling over the last few years.

The backstage segments continued, as JAMES STORM had a chat with SANADA. Storm was on top form as he bullied Sanada around, making references to the Japanese people's reserved nature and Sanada's mentor The Great Muta. With the delivery of intriguing lines like "Be careful who you listen to", it's clear TNA has some plans, what they are exactly I'm not quite sure.

Match 2 - AUSTIN ARIES (C) vs EDDIE EDWARDS vs MANIK vs DAVEY RICHARDS vs DJ Z vs CRAZZY STEVE vs TIGRE UNO vs SANADA, X Division Title Gauntlet Match

For this bout was the match of the night, supplying lot's of fast paced, high flying action that used to dominate the X Division. Following loud ROH chants as Aries and Edwards start the match, the particpants came thick and fast, with DJ Z perhaps having the best entrace hitting a Sunset flip that caused Edwards to hit a German Suplex on Manik. Following a series of series of great looking springboards, the eliminations began, with Manik taking himself and DJ Z out of the match with a hurracanrana. Crazzy Steve continues to be an interesting addition to the roster, as whilst a spot that saw him run against every side of the ring fell flat with the live crowd, they absolutely loved him whipping out the silly string. Whilst Steve managed to eliminate Tiger Uno, he fell fowl of a lovely handspring heel kick from Davey Richards. After Sanada had eliminated The Wolves in quick succession we were down to the final two meaning the match became a regular one on one encounter. 

Aries and Sanada went at it, creating an exciting couple of minutes of action to close out the bout. Both men had their fair share of chances to win the bout, with Sanada surviving Aries' Last Chancery and Sanada pulling out a superb bridging pin off an O'Connor roll. These repeated near falls kept me hooked, with the finish really upping the ante, as Sanada missed a Moonsault before Aries unleashed a barage of attacks, including two discus elbows and a corner dropkick before retaining his title with a Brainbuster in the middle of the ring. The only drawback of the match for me was a dirty looking Tiger Suplex by Sanada that didn't quite look as it should have. I would have prefered to have seen TNA give a new name an opportunity at Destination X, as the last three years have all involved Aries in some way or another. He really should be considered an established main event star these days. 

Winner and still X Division Champion - AUSTIN ARIES

It was then back to the backstage segment, with BOBBY ROODE and ERIC YOUNG chatting about their mutual problems with MVP and his group. This was a nice build to the tag team match later on, again setting out all the threads of storyline that anyone who hasn't been watching needed to know. 

Storm caught up with Sanada again, this time delivering a vicious beating to the former X Division Champion. Storm's repeated ushering of the word "loser" was another interesting development, TNA will have to be very careful here, as this didn't exactly make Sanada look a million dollars. It's possible that both men could benefit from a feud, but it would seem TNA have their sights set on Storm vs Great Muta at Bound For Glory in Japan, so Sanada could end up just being a stepping stone for that feud. 

After seeing Dixie Carter arrive backstage, there was quick interview with Jeff Hardy. This was essentially to fill in the gaps as to why Hardy so quickly stopped being "Willow". It was a paper thin excuse, but I'll take anything as long as Willow is banished from my television screen for good. 

Finally, it was back into the arena, as MVP and King got some mic time. MVP was on crutches to sell his torn meniscus (which must have healed by the time this was recorded). The two were impressive on the mic, getting a good deal of heat out of the crowd. The idea of MVP "wrestling under protest" worked well and played nicely into the match that would follow. 

Match 3 - MVP & KENNY KING vs ERIC YOUNG & BOBBY ROODE

Another solid piece of tag team action here, with a strong story-driven element that did a good job at advancing the storyline heading forward. Eric Young and Kenny King seemed to have some chemistry in their section of the match, with King flipping off the top rope into a Young crossbody being a particular highlight. The main story of the match was MVP not wanting to fight Roode, and only tagging into the match when King had gained a clear advantage on Young, continuing to sell the injured leg. 

The finish made a lot of sense as Roode finally got his hands on MVP, sticking him in the Crossface, until King made the save. MVP had then had enough attacking Roode with a crutch for the disqualification ending, before the pair worked over Roode and Young with a crutch each. Yes, no one likes an DQ ending, but seeing as this was the only one on the show and this is free TV it worked to have such a finish here. I would have liked to have seen this match get an extra five minutes as it did feel a little short, with perhaps a few of the backstage segments being taken out to make space for the extra time.

 

Winners by Disqualification - ERIC YOUNG & BOBBY ROODE

Match 4 - BRITTANY vs MADISON RAYNE, No Disqualification No Countout Match

This was the only thing on the show that the NYC crowd literally couldn't give a shit about. They disrepctfully chanted for Jeremy Borash and Christy Hemme throughout the match. In my opinion, if you're not into something at a show, you should just stay quiet and remain respectful to those attempting to entertain you. I am surprised however that TNA didn't just edit these chants out, surely that's one of the bonuses of having your show taped? 

I actually didn't think this was a bad match, with some good character work from Brittany, who reminded me a lot of Mickie James when she first debuted in WWE, and from what I can work out this is a similar storyline to one Mickie had with Trish Stratus upon her debut. There were some well worked spots, like Madison's Crossbody block from the apron to the outside, a back body drop onto the ramp and a Northern Light's Suplex on the outside from Brittany. However, there wasn't much point to the No DQ rule as neither woman even attempted to break the rules and even the spots on the outside could have been worked into a regular match. Madison picked up the win with Package DDT, for a surprisingly clean finish. 

 

Winner - MADISON RAYNE

Because there just hadn't been enough tonight, there were some more backstage segments. First Lashley and Hardy continued to warm up for their main event, whilst Dixie Carter interrogated an interviewer to whether he was on the payroll (Surely, the president of the company should know who's on the payroll?) before cutting a surpriingly good promo on Bully Ray comparing Ray to a poodle. 

Another backstage segment between Kurt Angle and Austin Aries reminded the audience of Aries' decision on next weeks episode. Whilst there was a decent promo from Aries, there was probably less time consuming ways to get across this information that would have been just as effective. 

Main Event -  JEFF HARDY vs LASHLEY (C), TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match

At the start of this match, I noticed something that I hadn't felt about a TNA match for a long while. This match had a "big fight feel", maybe it was the fact that these two had never faced off before, maybe it was that both men got full entrances with no ad breaks in between or maybe it was just the super hot New York crowd, but there was certainly something different about this one. 

It was by it's very nature, a speed vs power contest, with Hardy attempting to get separation from Lashley who used his powerful offence to keep him grounded, this was embellished by some great commentary from Mike Tenay and Taz who really got over the story that was being told in the ring. I love story driven wrestling and this was exactly what the match needed to be keep me fully engaged from start to finish. 

There were however a few things that niggled at me a little. Similar to Ryback's series of matches with CM Punk on WWE television late last year, any time Lashley was on the offence he looked fantastic, but the other side of his game, taking Hardy's offence, was less convincing. Another draw back for me was something really simple, as Hardy seemed to gain momemtum he hit both a Whisper in the Wind and a Twist of Fate, but didn't attempt a pinfall. These two near falls would have added to the drama of the bout that was almost non-existent when Hardy got a two off a Swanton Bomb. This would then have added an extra dimension to Hardy's missed Swanton Bomb onto the steel steps, with idea being that Hardy had tried everything in arsenal and had to resort to high risk tactics in an attempt to win the match. The finish saw Lashley get a clean victory with a Spear, showing that TNA have faith in Lashley as Champion and I'd expect him to hold onto that title until Bound For Glory as things stand. 

 Winner and still TNA World Heavyweight Champion - LASHLEY

Personally, I think this match should have been the thing to close the show. There's no reason that a World Heavyweight Championship match shouldn't be in final slot on a TV show, in my opinion. 


Instead, we got a few more backstage segments, both involving Kurt Angle. First Angle attempted to stop Dixie Carter from heading out into the arena to confront Bully Ray to no avail, before interupting MVP, Kenny King and Lashley to book MVP against Bobby Roode in a Falls Count Anywhere match next week. This really was becoming overkill with these segments, I thought this was what the Impact 365 Youtube series was for? 

In the main event segment of the show, Rockstar Spud was back to introduce Dixie Carter. Spud is still excellent by the way, with some magnificent charecterisation, that really make you want to punch him in the face. Carter came out flanked by Rhino and EC3 and proceeded to cut a terrific heel promo that garnered a tremendous amount of heat. She shat on New York, she called Dreamer a crybaby and Bully Ray "irrelevant", with some great comedy using Ray's "Do you know who I am?" catchphrase. 

Of course it didn't take long from Dreamer and Ray to make their entrance with a table in tow, clearing the ringing of Carter's cronies. It was clear that Carter wasn't going through the table just quite yet, as Ray climbed to the top rope to deliver his infamous powerbomb, EC3 was the one to make the save, nailing Dreamer with a low blow and allowing Aunt D to escape through the crowd. 

It was unlucky night for EC3, as DEVON made his return to TNA for first time since he was announced as TNA's newest Hall of Famer, assisting Bully Ray in putting EC3 through a table with a 3D as his Aunt looked on. The moment Devon came out got a nice reaction, as did the classic "Get the tables line", and it was great to see Team 3D back together one more time. EC3 will be quick to recover from this, as he has the ability on the mic to pass it off as a vicious three on one assault. We are heading toward Dixie Carter getting powerbombed through a table, just how long TNA will hold it off for I don't know! (I've tried to avoid any spoilers involving the date)

Overall, I actually rather enjoyed this episode Impact Wrestling. The matches were for the most part, entertaining, with the X-Division Gauntlet being particularly impressive. Some feuds, like Carter vs Bully Ray are building nicely towards a conclussion, whilst other, like Sanada and James Storm are just about to get started. It will take time for talents to re adjust to the Six Sided Ring and I would imagine by the end of these NYC tapings we will see an improvement in the comfortability of the talent with their new surroudings.

I would have preferred a lot less backstage segments, as it felt like they were only there for info dumps and to convey things that could really have just been covered by the commentary team. TNA needs to listen to it's own promos "Wrestling is important" and "Less talking, more action", because when they actually do the latter, it actually produces a damn good product.

I will be tuning in next week on the strength of this episode, which is certainly the best outcome I could have hoped for heading into the show. Bobby Roode vs MVP, Falls Count Anywhere has the potential to be a very good match.

TNA Impact Wrestling TV Taping 30th January 2014 Review

For those who keep up on our Youtube and Twitter then you'll know that I was in attendance for the recent TNA Impact Wrestling tapings at the Hydro Arena in Glasgow. It's been a while since then, but I decided to hold off writing my review until after the shows had aired on television, so that I could compare what was shown on television to what I witnessed inside the arena.

Before I start, I need to say that there was a LOT of long gaps in between the action happening in the arena. Apparently this was down to a problem with the screen not functioning properly, and did give the show a slight dragging effect throughout at points within the night, as well as some confusion as to what was actually going on.

The show kicked off with the commentary team of Jeremy Borash and Mike Tenay making their way down to ring side. Christy Hemme was out on ring announcing duties, which I have no complaints about!

I was surprised that there was no Xplosion taping or dark match before the first episode of Impact, as general logic would suggest a pacy X-Division bout would go on first to get the crowd even more riled up.

One of the only video packages that worked was the opening one, which was essentially a recap video of the previous weeks Impact Wrestling, with Magnus defeating Sting and tearing up his TNA contract. Obviously, they needed to show this package on TV, but it did feel a bit of a kick in the teeth for the fans who had brought their tickets with the hopes of seeing Sting (although they should read the promotional material before buying tickets!)

A lengthy opening in ring segment followed this up, with TNA World Heavyweight Champion Magnus, Ethan Carter III and Rockstar Spud coming out to a tremendous amount of heat from the Scottish audience. As with any professional wrestling show, the crowd has the opportunity to make or break a show, and their constant enthusiasm throughout really helped this show. Magnus seems to have settled into his role as World Champion fairly comfortable and looks in control of the crowd as he easily worked them, getting some extra cheap heat by trashing Scotland, whilst Spud continues to play his role down to a tee! Not sure how I feel about the dissention between Magnus and EC3, it's in-bickering like this that is currently harming WWE's Authority stable, I'd much rather see a cohesive heel faction, at least for a good few months yet. Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe interrupt and after some back and forth, a tag match is booked with Angle teaming with Joe to take on Magnus and EC3, with a stipulation being added that if Joe or Angle pinned or submitted Magnus they would become Number One Contender. Dixie Carter was out trying to stop the stipulation, with the idea being that she doesn't believe in her champion to get the job done, where have we seen that before?

1. Tag Team Match: 

Gail Kim & Lei'D Tapa 

Versus 

Knockout's Champion Madison Rayne & Velvet Sky

Remember that pacy opening contest I spoke about earlier? Well, this wasn't it. This was over in a matter of seconds, with Sky picking up the victory for her team with In Your Face. These women could have done a lot better if given even just a few more minutes, so it was a shame to see this end quickly

Winners: Knockout's Champion Madison Rayne & Velvet Sky

Straight after the bout, Sky's boyfriend Chris Sabin was out with a few questions to ask. Sabin's character is really coming together lately and he looks a lot more comfortable in this role than the one he was portray during his short World title run last year and asking Sky if it was "her time of the month" generated a good mixture laughs and heat. Sky ended the segment by yelling "We're through!" for a nice pop. An enjoyable segment, that would have been even better if Velvet had just had a lengthy tag bout!

Up next, James Storm was out to call out former tag team partner Gunner. The two had some back and forth on the mic, and whilst it's both are obviously competent on the stick (Gunner especially has improved a lot recently) the content of the promos weren't especially friendly to their location, with a lot of references to the US Armed Forces. Scotland is apparently the bizarro land, as a small USA chant broke out. They were interrupted by Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian, read our Daniels interview here), who through some fantastic insults at Gunner & Storm ("Monkey Fart" anyone?). A tag match was made between the two sides with Gunner's Feast or Fired briefcase on the line.

World Heavyweight Championship Feast or Fired Tag Team Match: 

Gunner (B) & James Storm 

Versus 

Bad Influence

A decent, if not a little basic tag team encounter, it at least got a decent length for a TV contest at just under ten minutes. Bad Influence spent most of the match working over Gunner, until an ill-fated Angel's Wings attempt from Daniels (when was the last time he used that?), lead to the hot tag to Storm, with Storm working the crowd up quite nicely. The finish saw a few botches and timing mistakes, although it was a nice idea in principle, Kazarian couldn't reach Daniels to make the tag with Storm setting Daniels up for the Eye of the Storm. Once it all came together, Storm hit the Last Call Superkick to Daniels on the apron and Gunner hit a Diving Headbutt onto Kazarian (I imagine as an homage to the Dynamite Kid as I've never seen Gunner use this before) to allow Gunner and Storm to pick up the victory and Gunner to retain his World Title Feast or Fired Briefcase. After teasing tension between the winners at the end, they instead decided to celebrate.

Winners: Gunner & James Storm

Rockstar Spud was out for the second time in the evening, as he turns up to call out The Wolves, Eddie Edwards and Davey Richards, in an attempt to find out who the mystery investor is. My love for Spud in this role is becoming almost an obsession, all his expressions are spot on. It doesn't take long before things get psychical and The Wolves take out  Spud  with their Alarm Clock move. Watching this episode back it's noticeable that Richards is more comfortable in his role than Edwards, who seemed desperate to laugh throughout the whole segment on TV. It wasn't much more of The Wolves on the show, it would've been great to see them in tag action, especially after seeing Richards last year at PCW.

3. TNA World Tag Team Championship Match: 

The Bro-Mans with DJ Zema 

vs. 

Eric Young & Abyss

Again some more basic tag team action, with Robbie E and Jessie Godderz of the Bro-Mans working over Eric Young for two or three minutes, before the hot tag to Abyss saw the match break down, with Abyss attacking referee Steve Lynsky, leading to the DQ finish. This was less a match and more of a set-up for what was about to come.

Winners via Disqualification: The Bro-Mans 

After the bout, Eric Young went on to challenge Abyss to a Monster's Ball match "next week", which of course meant we'd be seeing the match tonight. The crowd seemed very excited at this fact.

On-screen they showed a continuation of the Samuel Shaw/Christy Hemme saga, which lead into the reveal of somekind of shrine to Hemme. It was unclear when this had happened, as Hemme was at ringside and this footage was clearly supposed to be from Shaw's home in the US.

The segments continued as Bully Ray headed down to ringside pushing a coffin in front of him. This was the strongest segment of the night in my opinion, simply because Bully Ray is such a fantastic heel. There's a reason he was vote ATPW Heel of 2013! Bully Ray challenged Anderson to a Casket Match at some undefined point in the future. Anderson was quickly out, as Bully threw some fantastic barbs "I'm gonna piledrive your wife and kids", which got the desired reaction from the crowd before the brawled around ringside.

There was more bickering between Magnus and EC3 as the big screen began to flicker into life.

4. Tag Team Match: 

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Magnus & Ethan Carter III 

vs. 

Samoa Joe & Kurt Angle: 

Another tag team match! Alongside some more basic tag team storytelling, there were a few added things that made this one stand out from the rest of the action so far. Despite his injuries, Kurt Angle looked crisp in the ring, including a nice couple of suplexes on EC3. As the match settled into a regular rhythm, it was Angle who took the brunt of the offence from EC3 and Magnus, with some stellar heel work by Magnus as he taunted Joe, which really got the crowd going. The finish was well worked as well, with Angle pulling EC3 out of the ring for a Belly to Belly suplex on the outside, allowing Joe to eventually lock in the Rear Naked Choke to pick up the submission victory and become Number one Contender to Magnus' World Heavyweight Championship. It didn't light the world a light, but at least the finish was clean and the action decent.

Winners: Kurt Angle & Samoa Joe

Dixie Carter was out again soon after, with some words for Magnus, though she was quickly interupted by Samoe Joe who cut a short promo reminding Magnus that "he tapped out" and to "shine up the belt because Joe is gonna kill you" both of which garnered large chants for the live crowd. Kurt Angle also got in on the action thanking the live audience. Carter was quick to call out the rumoured new investor, with the lights cutting out, and when they came back on The Wolves stood a top the entrance ramp with former WWE wrestler MVP walking out chain in hand to complete the first episodes taping.

5. Singles Match: 

ODB 

vs. 

Alpha Female

I'd have to say I pretty disappointed with this match, the crowd was notably tired by the time this one got going and the action did very little help the fact. A lot of sloppy slams and other such moves, with ODB and Alpha Female never seeming to connect in the ring. The finish came when both ODB and Female put their hands on referee Steve Lynsky (poor Steve!) leading to a double DQ finish. I'm not sure if TNA will follow up on this, but both women will need to up their game.

Winner: Double DQ

Kicking off the second taping, X-Division Champion Austin Aries was out for an in-ring promo, as he talked up his past achievements and how he'd challenge for the World title again soon. Aries was distracted by The Bro-Mans, allowing DJ Zema Ion to jump Aries from behind with his Feast or Fired briefcase and would immediately cash-in for an X-Division title shot.

6. X-Division Championship Match: 

Austin Aries (C) 

vs. 

DJ Zema Ion

Another disappointing contest, as Aries batted off Ion in just over two minutes, finishing him off with Brainbuster. We know that these two are capable of much, much more when given a longer amount of time, and therefore it's a shame we didn't get to see them do so, especially when the X-Division looks so thin on the ground.

Winner and still X-Division Champion: Austin Aries

Curry Man came to the ring next and seemed to be Bully Ray's sacrificial lamb. It's a shame the lead up video with Bully backstage wasn't played, as this segment made very little sense to the live audience. Ray quickly dispatched of Curry Man with a Piledriver, and then placed him in the coffin. A nice little bit of build up to Bully's upcoming bout with Mr. Anderson.

7. Monster's Ball Match: 

Abyss 

vs. 

Eric Young

An enjoyable hardcore bout, with everything that you'd expect in a Monster's Ball encounter. Plenty of plunder throughout, plenty of nasty looking spots and the welcome return of Janice, who even got her own chant that evening. Crowd was very much behind Eric Young, who was very over with the Glasgow faithful. This bout was all about the spots, Young blocking a big splash attempt by Abyss by giving him a chair in the nether regions, Abyss sending EY head first into a chair in the corner, a sunset flip from EY that sent Abyss onto a pile of thumb tacks. The finish was heavily rooted in the Abyss/Joseph Park storyline, with EY managing to remove Abyss' mask revealing Park before Park hit a Blackhole Slam to pick up the victory.

Winner: Abyss

MVP was out next to cut a promo about his return earlier in the night. Personally, I thought the promo was too long, although there were a lot of enjoyable moments and I was glad to see MVP back. He talked about his time away, as well as how he was tired of maniacal bosses running the show. This seemed a bit like a shot at WWE, although whilst TNA is running almost the exact same storyline it felt very odd. Rockstar Spud was out again, asking MVP to a meeting with Dixie Carter. Before he left however, MVP booked Magnus in a match with Kurt Angle tonight. No complaints here.

8. Singles Match: 

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Magnus

vs. 

Kurt Angle

Well, I said no complaints. But this was another disapointment, although it had been clear all night that Angle had been working with some kind of injury. After a few minutes of decent back and forth between Angle and Magnus, EC3 was out to break up Angle's Ankle Lock to cause the DQ finish.

Winner: Kurt Angle

Afterwards, EC3 worked over Angle's knee, first with a steel chair and then locking in some kind of leg lock submission hold. Again, it would have been nice to see Angle and Magnus tear it up, but if Angle is hurt than this is probably the best we could have hoped for and it sets up a future match with EC3 when Angle is fit and ready.

9. TNA World Heavyweight Championship Number One Contender's Match: Samoa Joe 

vs. 

Bobby Roode

With no real explanation to the live crowd, another Number One Contender's match was made (this would all become clear when shown on TV) and lead to a bit of confusion amongst the audience, who were already very tired. This probably didn't live up to it's billing, with some decent back and forth action at the beginning and both men looking crisp with their offence, unfortunately it seemed to fall apart at the end. I'm not sure if either man lost their footing in the match, but there was a clear moment where no one seemed to know what was going on. Any way they quickly scrambled something together and Joe won following an Muscle Buster and another Rear Naked Choke for the victory.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Dixie Carter was out again next, alongside Rockstar Spud, as she called out MVP for another confrontation. Carter talked up that the two could work together, with a good deal of heat for the TNA President, before MVP cut her down blaming Carter for the state of TNA, as well as proclaiming her reign of terror to be over and finishing off with a staredown between the two, in a typical Impact closing segment.

After the camera's stopped rolling, and Carter had left, Spud headed back to the ring and confront MVP, ending up taking a number of MVP's signature moves, finishing off with the "Ballin'" Elbow drop, to send the crowd home "happy". I had expected a dark match seeing as the show had ended with a segment, however with The Hydro staff quick to shuffle us out of the arena that did not seem the case.

Whilst a number of the matches could have been longer, and the segments could have been shorter, I did find myself having a pretty good time at this Impact tapings. Abyss and Eric Young's Monster's Ball Match was a lot of fun, as was the first main-event tag match, anything involving Rockstar Spud or Bully Ray was also a pleasure to watch. It was a shame that The Wolves weren't involved in a match, as well as only short appearances from Austin Aries and Bad Influence. I got what I expected from my TNA experience, plenty of skits and promos, some short matches, but at least there were some clean finishes along the way. I'm interested to see what else got recorded on these shores in the next couple of weeks on Impact Wrestling.

Quick Results

1. Tag Team Match: Madison Rayne & Velvet Sky def. Gail Kim & Lei'd Tapa via Pinfall
2. World Heavyweight Championship Feast or Fired Tag Team Match: Gunner (b) & James Storm def. Bad Influence via Pinfall
3. World Tag Team Championship Match: The Bro-Mans def. Eric Young & Abyss via DQ
4. Tag Team Match: Kurt Angle & Samoa Joe def. Magnus & Ethan Carter III via Submission
5. Singles Match: ODB vs. Alpha Female ended in Double DQ
6. X-Division Championship Match: Austin Aries (C) def. DJ Zema Ion via Pinfall
7. Monster's Ball Match: Abyss def. Eric Young via Pinfall
8. Singles Match: Kurt Angle def. Magnus via DQ
9. World Heavyweight Championship Number One Contender's Match: Samoa Joe def. Bobby Roode via Submission

Across The Pond Wrestling Awards FULL Results!

Thanks to everyone who voted! Here's a Full List of Winners!

Babyface of the Year: 

1. Daniel Bryan

2= John Cena

2= Sami Zayn

Heel of the Year

1. Bully Ray

2= Bray Wyatt

2= Triple H

2= CM Punk 

Match of the Year: 

1. The Undertaker vs. CM Punk (WWE Wrestlemania)

2. Antonio Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn (WWE NXT #62)

3. CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE SummerSlam)


Event of the Year: 

1. WWE SummerSlam

2= WWE Wrestlemania

2= WWE Money in the Bank 

Feud of the Year: 

1. CM Punk vs. Paul Heyman

2= CM Punk vs. The Undertaker

2= Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority

Television Show of the Year: 

1. WWE Raw

2. WWE NXT

3= ROH Wrestling

3= WWE Smackdown

3= WWE Total Divas

Promotion of the Year:

1. World Wrestling Entertainment

2= Insane Championship Wrestling

2= Ring of Honor Wrestling 

Most Improved Wrestler of the Year: 

1. Roman Reigns

2= Magnus

2= Big E Langston

Most Overrated Wrestler of the Year: 

1. Ryback

2. Randy Orton

3= Christian

3= Colt Cabana

3= Curtis Axel 

Most Underrated Wrestler of the Year: 

1. Dolph Ziggler

2= Antonio Cesaro

2= Damien Sandow

Gimmick of the Year:

1. The Wyatt Family

2. Fandango

3. Aiden English

Tag Team of the Year: 

1. The Shield

2. Bad Influence

3= Cody Rhodes & Goldust

3= The Usos

3= The Young Bucks

Female Wrestler of the Year:

1. AJ Lee

2. Paige

3. Natalya

Non-Wrestler of the Year:

1. Paul Heyman

2. Renee Young 

3= Tazz

3= Zeb Colter

Move of the Year: 

1. Spear (Roman Reigns)

2. Running Knee (Daniel Bryan)

3. Cesaro Swing (Antonio Cesaro)

2014 One to Watch

1. Roman Reigns

2. Big E Langston

3= Paige

3= Sami Zayn

TNA Bound For Glory 2013 Review

I honestly wasn't expecting a lot from this Pay-Per-View heading into it, and that isn't a great way to be heading into what is supposed to be TNA's biggest show of the year. The build up had included a couple of decent episodes of Impact Wrestling, but whilst I tended to come out of the show feeling entertained, they didn't really make me want to watch this show any more, mainly due to haphazard booking and the awful heel turn of Dixie Carter dominating most of the show.

The show kicked off with a promo video outlining the lead up to the main event, that would see AJ Styles challenge for Bully Ray's World Heavyweight Championship. I thought this was very well put together, and TNA had clearly put some effort into the production of the video, but Styles spent most of the video talking about his issues with Dixie Carter, instead of his opponent. The Styles/Ray build up should of written itself, but TNA have some how managed to balls it up.

X Division Championship Ultimate X Match:

Jeff Hardy

Versus

Austin Aries

Versus

Chris Sabin

with Velvet Sky

Versus

Samoa Joe

Versus

Manik ©

The main feeling I got coming away from this one was that a lot of talent had been wasted. This wasn't the greatest showcase of any one of these guys talents, and a lot of them looked uninspired by their situation. There was some decent spots thrown into the mix, like a Suicide Dive from Samoa Joe onto Jeff Hardy and a well worked hurracanrana spot that saw Manik take Chris Sabin to the outside, but with nothing particularly stringing them together, which with a lot of history between all five of these guys was pretty mind numbing. The Ultimate X stipulation wasn't used to it's full extent with very little interaction with the structure, and towards the end of the contest it became more of a Ladder match, which I kind of defeats the point of Ultimate X. If they wanted a Ladder Match, then they should have just gone ahead and made it a Ladder match. The finish involved Chris Sabin using Velvet Sky as a distraction for Jeff Hardy, allowing him to sneak up the Ladder and after some battle with Hardy, grab the belt to win his seventh X Division Championship. Whilst the finish was a little clichéd, it work well enough here with Sabin's character development, but I think if they'd have had Sky turn heel on Hardy, by pulling him from the X structure then it would have been much more effective than what was actually shown. It wasn't exactly terrible, but with the talent and history involved it should have be a lot better.

Winner and NEW X Division Champion: CHRIS SABIN (11 Minutes, 50 Seconds)

It's nostalgic replay time! Tonight's theme is AJ Styles' greatest hits, which seems a bizarre choice seeing as in storyline TNA President Dixie Carter is trying to push Styles out of TNA. The first video shows Styles becoming the first X Division Champion on 19^th June 2002, at TNA's second weekly PPV, in a bout that also involved Jerry Lynn, Lo-Ki and Psicosis, which TNA should have looked at when putting together the multi-man X-Division match that opened the show.

Bad Influence are out next to complain about not being booked on the show. Kazarian calls it a travesty, and the crowd seemed to agree with him and so do I. Bad Influence have routinely been the most entertaining part of any TNA show for over a year and a half, and should have been a bigger part of this show. Eric Young was out to warn Bad Influence that they had awoken a monster (Kazarian and Daniels had attack Joseph Park during the Pre-Show on Spike TV) and out came Abyss routinely destroying Bad Influence with a series of signature moves. It was teased that Abyss might turn on Young as well, but instead Abyss simply picking him up from the corner. As a short segment, this didn't have a lot wrong with and was a good way of reintroducing Abyss to the fold after far too long. A feud between Bad Influence and the Abyss/Young duo has potential, although Bad Influence are on the brink of becoming too popular to be heels due to TNA's constant mistreatment of the duo.

Backstage in the Interview area, a dapper Jeremy Borash interviewed World Tag Team Champions James Storm & Gunner about their upcoming title defence against The Bro-Mans. I was really impressed with Gunner here, this is certainly the best promo that I can remember him delivering, he came over as an old-school ass kicker and if TNA go down that root with him I can see him doing pretty well for the company. Storm's promo was loud and humorous, as we've come to expect from the Cowboy, messing around with JB. This interview was a nice addition for the show, as was needed to give some context to the upcoming tag title match.

World Tag Team Championship Match:

The Bro-Mans

with Phil Heath

Versus

James Storm & Gunner ©

Good acceptable tag team action. The crowd was pretty dead for the start of this one, as it built slowly with The Bro-Mans effectively working over Gunner in their corner, until an impressive Super Fall-away Slam allowed Gunner to make the hot tag to Storm. From here, the match really got going for me, with a series of exciting and well worked near falls for both teams began to get the crowd interested, with a Spinebuster/Backstabber combo from Storm & Gunner on Robbie E, being a particular highlight. The finish saw Robbie E distract the referee by throwing a title belt into the ring, allowing The Bro-Mans to double team Storm hitting a Heart Attack on the Cowboy to pick up the pinfall victory and win their first World Tag Team Championship. The only problem I had with the finish was that it wasn't particularly clear what had happened to Gunner, which isn't the fault of the performers, it had more to do with poor camera and editing work. If they run with The Bro-Mans as champions, and make them look credible on Impact Wrestling for a few weeks then they could lead to some entertaining moments and potential for feuds, and it also gives a chance for both Storm and Gunner to move back into pursuing singles gold.

Winners and NEW World Tag Team Champions: The Bro-Mans (11 Minutes, 50 Seconds)

Footage was shown of Kurt Angle's Hall of Fame evening the night before, with speeches from clips of speeches from Samoa Joe, Magnus and Sting, before Jeremy Borash introduces Sting for the actual induction, it was all a little confusing. Sting put over Angle as a family man, before bringing out the man himself. Sting presented Angle with his Hall of Fame watch, I'm guessing they left the meaningful speeches for the night before, as Sting honestly looked like he didn't want to be there. Bizarrely, Angle went on to turn down the induction saying that he didn't feel like he deserved the induction because of the mistakes he'd made in his life, before leaving the ring. The crowd didn't have a clue to react here, and I'm not sure anyone in TNA had even thought about how they wanted the crowd to react either. I thought it was pretty tasteless of TNA to use Angle's very real personal matters as storyline, it's not like it's never been done in wrestling before, but it just didn't sit well with me.

More AJ Styles based nostalgia was on the way, this time Styles's World Heavyweight Championship win at No Surrender 2009, in a five way including Kurt Angle, Matt Morgan, Hernandez and Sting, with the crazy confetti and the TNA roster flooding the ring straight after. They were really playing up Styles' past achievements, it would have been nice to have seen some Bully Ray moments as well, just to shrink the giant signposts that TNA were planting with these videos.

Backstage, TNA President Dixie Carter met with Ethan Carter III (Formerly WWE's Derrick Bateman) with it being revealed that Ethan was Dixie's nephew, I'm happy to see how that unfolds for now, even if Dixie was giving one of the hammiest performance I have ever seen, reciting her lines in a weird rhythm. Dixie told Ethan that she had hand picked his opponent for tonight, which was mildly interesting at best.

Knockout's Championship Three-Way Match

Gail Kim

Versus

Brooke Tessmacher

Versus

ODB ©

This was not half bad, but it had a potential to be a lot better. The three women involved in the match didn't really connect with the three-way concept, with a lot of one-on-one stuff with the two heels each taking turns against ODB. The early parts of the match felt like everyone was simply going through the motions, with Gail Kim especially spending a lot of time on the outside. They pulled out the Figure Four on the ringpost, which is always impressive, and nice sequence that saw ODB unable to Superplex both women, leading up to a near fall for Tessmacher after an elbow drop on Kim. Following a ref bump, they went for the finish, where it looked like ODB had the win after a Delayed Vertical Suplex on Tessmacher and BAM on Kim, in what looked like a decent finish to the bout, but this is TNA so all was not as it looked. With ODB about to get the win, out came Lei'D Tapa, and for some unknown reason instead of going for the pinfall, ODB went after Tapa and was quickly disposed off, Tessmacher quickly went the same way, with Kim simply falling into the pinfall to win her third Knockout's Championship. It was then revealed that Tapa was in cahoots with Kim, leading to obvious parallels to be drawn between the two and AJ Lee and Tamina Snuka in WWE. I think this ending would have been more effective if this had been used to re-debut Lei'D Tapa, instead of the strange re-introduction on Impact Wrestling a few weeks back.

Winner and NEW Knockout's Champion: GAIL KIM (10 Minutes, 25 Seconds)

Backstage, new interviewer Gil Corsey attempted to catch up with World Tag Team Champions The Bro-Mans, and ended up getting showered in protein shake, in what was pretty funny segment. I still have hope for The Bro-Mans Tag Title run after this. Corsey also looked like a good addition to the broadcast team, bringing an energy to the show that was lacking in a lot of areas.

Up next in Jeremy Borash's interview room was Bobby Roode. Roode did a good job of his promo with some intense delivery as he continues to play his role down to a tee, even if the content and storyline that he's having to deal with at the moment is pretty poor. Roode finished off by saying that he would make Kurt Angle tap out in their bout later tonight, which felt refreshing for a heel, as it's become so easy for guys to simply play the cowardly heel and get away with it.

Bobby Roode

Versus

Kurt Angle

In terms of in ring action, this was by far the strongest match on the card, building up nicely with some solid amateur style wrestling at the beginning. At times, Kurt Angle looked a little bit slow, but that's understandable considering the amount of time that he's had off, his age and everything else he's had to deal with over the last few months, and those limitations were worked round very well and with the way the match built didn't end up effecting the bout that much. Everything in the bout felt like it was done with a purpose, with both men bringing their impact moves to the contest, before the focus of the bout moved to their respective submission holds. The highlight of this bout for me, was a really well done false finish, with Angle transitioning Roode's Cross Face into an Angle Slam, with the crowd absolutely hooked. Then the match was ruined. With Roode passed out from Angle's Ankle Lock, the referee went to raise Roode's hand to check if he was out and accidentally put Roode's hand on the ropes, causing the rope break. It was just felt so stupid and looked like they were trying to pull a screwjob angle, but they weren't. I was pulled straight out of the match that Angle and Roode had worked so hard to get me interested in. The actual finish was just as silly, with Angle hitting a Super Angle Slam on Roode that saw both men down for an extended period of time, Roode managed to get to his feet first and fall onto Angle to pick up the pinfall victory. For me, this one needed a definitive finish, but left more questions open than it answered.

Winner: BOBBY ROODE (21 Minutes)

After the match, they had Angle put onto a stretcher with a silent crowd, before Angle refused the medical help and left on his own. With so many people concerned about Angle's real life health, I thought it was really distasteful to have people believe he had suffered an actual injury here. I'm not sure where they are going with Angle at the moment, but for his sake I'd hope he is at least used sparingly by TNA from now on.

More AJ Styles nostalgia was up next, this time showing Styles retaining the World Heavyweight Championship against Sting at Bound For Glory 2009. They were really building up the main event, and showing a truly classic Bound For Glory main event that people were truly invested in, put a lot of pressure onto Styles and Bully Ray to deliver something good in their match later on.

It was then backstage were Bully Ray talked to members of Aces & Eights who were not shown on screen. I'm guessing they wanted people to think they had re-signed some of the members that had left the group, by not showing them, whether anyone truly believed that Mr. Anderson, DOC, Devon or even D'Lo Brown would be getting involved in the main event, who knows?

Ethan Carter III

Versus

Norv Fernum

It was time for Ethan Carter III's début, and on the biggest stage TNA has to offer, they decided to pit him against Norv Fernum (PWG's Peter Avalon) in an enhancement match. For what is was, this match was okay, and if it was on Impact Wrestling I would have had no problem with it, but this a PPV, the biggest pay-Per-View of the year supposedly. Carter picked up a quick victory after a mild comeback by Fernum, hitting a Headlock Driver to get the pinfall. Carter has potential, and I enjoyed his run on NXT a short while ago, but this wasn't a great way for him to début.

Winner: ETHAN CARTER III (3 Minutes, 25 Seconds)

Magnus was up next in Jeremy Borash's Interview room, cutting a so-so promo on his upcoming match with Sting. Magnus failed to draw me in for most of the promo, mainly due to his tone and rhythm of delivery, which at times could have done with changing pace and tone to make his words really begin to stand out. Understandably, Magnus did look nervous here which probably effected his performance on the mic, which is usually pretty sound.

Magnus

Versus

Sting

This was not the match it needed to be, in order to make Magnus look like a star. Where we should have had the young rookie digging deep to defeat one of the best of all time, we had Magnus beating up an almost elderly looking Sting, before a slow comeback by Sting, including one of the worst looking Scorpion Deathlock's I have ever seen, it looked more painful for Sting to put Magnus in the hold, than it did for Magnus. The finish saw Sting asking Magnus to bring it, with Magnus quickly locking in the Kings Lyn Cloverleaf to pick up the submission victory. Magnus will become a star sooner of later, and he's not far off at the moment, but this did nothing for the Brit. If this isn't Sting's last match, there is something very wrong in TNA.

Winner: MAGNUS (11 Minutes, 5 Seconds)

In the final build up for the main event, Jeremy Borash welcomed World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray into his Interview Room, with Brooke Tessmacher in tow, who had apparently recovered from Lei'D Tapa's attack earlier in the night. Ray continued to be a beacon of light in crumbling mess that the Aces & Eights storyline has become, with a stellar promo based around Guns N' Roses track “Welcome to the Jungle”, as he sent a message to AJ Styles. Ray's transformation from tag team specialist to one of the best heels in the business is one of the true success stories in TNA, and it would have been nice to see some focus put onto that during this show, as well as the AJ Styles hype videos.

World Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification  Match

AJ Styles

Versus

Bully Ray

with Brooke Tessmacher

These two wrestlers had the potential to put on a compelling World Heavyweight title main event, but once again TNA thought otherwise and decided to send in the cavalry with a series of run ins and ridiculous shenanigans, with the bout descending into chaos within minutes. In between a distraction from Garrett Bischoff and Knux doing his best 911 impression, Ray and Styles actually manage to scramble together some decent action, showing a spark of what could have been if this bout had been left to play out naturally, with a crazy spot that Ray move out of the way of a springboard 450 splash that sent Styles crashing straight through a ringside table, being the pinnacle of the action for me. They repeated the spot where Bully Ray removes the protective cover of the ring for the third, I didn't enjoy the spot the first time it was done at Slammiversary and I didn't enjoy it here either, and it just seemed unnecessary after Styles had already taken a ridiculous bump through the table. Of course, Dixie Carter had to make her presence felt in the bout, keeping Styles from winning by shouting some stuff at referee Earl Hebner, I'm not sure why the whole build up has been around Carter, instead of the two guys in the match and her input here only dragged the match down again, especially with the logic lapse that was the coming. I thought the closing stages of the bout were actually really well done by Styles and Ray, with Styles looking convincing fighting from underneath after taking a serious beating from Ray, pulling out last gasp move the Pele Kick, before delivering a chair shot and hitting Spiral Tap to pick up a pin fall victory and win his second World Heavyweight Championship. On it's own the end was fine, but in context, why the hell didn't Dixie just stop it again? Overall, the effort that Ray and Styles put into this one shouldn't be discounted, because both men worked incredibly hard throughout the contest, but there was just too much going on and taking the focus of the match for me to really enjoy what they were doing.

Winner and NEW World Heavyweight Champion: AJ STYLES (22 Minutes, 35 Seconds)

The show finished up with images of AJ Styles celebrating in the crowd, whilst Dixie Carter looked on mournfully, similarly to many of the fans who paid money to watch this pay-per-view.

Overall, Bound For Glory 2013 wasn't a vintage year for TNA's “biggest” event of the year. Whilst at time the action within the matches was good, it was often let down by poor booking and an over reliance on “swerve” finishes. The talent still remains within TNA, but until that talent is allowed to breath and then used correctly, TNA will continue to put on disappointing shows like this one. At least there's only four of these a year now though, eh?

Quick Results

X Division Championship Five-Way Ultimate X Match

Chris Sabin def. Jeff Hardy, Austin Aries, Samoa Joe and Manik ©

World Tag Team Championship Match

The Bro-Mans def. James Storm & Gunner © via Pinfall

Knockout's Championship Three-Way Match

Gail Kim def. Brooke Tessmacher and ODB © via Pinfall

Bobby Roode def. Kurt Angle via Pinfall

Ethan Carter III def. Norv Fernum via Pinfall

Magnus def. Sting via Submission

World Heavyweight Championship No Disqualification Match

AJ Styles def. Bully Ray © via Pinfall