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Prior to the live show...
Jeremy Borash opened the festivities
by mentioning some of the big names
that
would be appearing later. Bagwell got
mostly boos. Mixed response for
Jarrett. Hall got the biggest pop. He
introduced the TNA girls (Debbie,
Natalie and Doris. Yes, he said her
name was Doris.)
They did two matches intended to air
on June 26.
Cheeks (with Brown-Eyed Girl) beat
Frank Parker in about a minute and a
half
with an avalanche splash. Cheeks is
the same guy who wrestled in Nashville
as
Rolling Thunder. We're talking massive
cellulite. Biggest pop was for two
running stink faces. Just what they
need, a poor man's Rikishi. That's
probably already more than you want
to know. Afterwards, Brown-Eyed Girl
slapped Cheeks on the cheeks and they
danced.
The TNA girls gyrated in mock cages
scattered around ringside. A brief TNA
chant broke out.
Apollo beat David Young (with Bobcat).
The ropes broke so they re-taped it
later. Apollo looked good. He won it
with a fireman's carry into an Ace
crusher.
Bert Prentice strongly encouraged the
crowd to fill in the lower level
seating. Ringside and the lower level
were full, and the upper level had a
smattering of people in a building that
holds 10,000. I heard an estimate of
3000. Time to go live. The ring crew
was still working furiously to tighten
the ropes as the pyro was going off
to open the show.
The live portion came across quite
well in the building. With all the
freebies, this was a lively but not
highly sophisticated wrestling crowd.
They seemed happy with seeing good action,
even if they didn't know the
players, and they got it with Flying
Elvises and the midgets. Crowd popped
big for the starpower of the Jarrett-Hall-Shamrock
segment. I doubt that
Keith and the NASCAR guys meant a whole
to people buying a PPV at home,
except for the Southerners. However,
they were perfect fit for the Huntsville
crowd. The segment where Sadler got
in Krush's face got over huge. So did
the
stuff between Jarrett and Keith. As
far as the Gauntlet for the Gold...Rick
Steiner can still throw a good clothesline.
Going by his appearance here,
that's about it. A shadow of his former
self. Funny seeing Del Rios
(Spellbinder from Memphis) as a low
rent Scott Steiner. For you NWA Wildside
fans, Justice stole Scottie Wrenn's
Psycho slam finisher.
Hall and Jarrett had a mild pull apart
and staredown after the live show went
off the air.
They did a brief intermission after
the live show. Some of the non-paying
customers took the opportunity to call
it a night right there. Crowd
gradually dwindled through the second
half. Not sure how much of a problem
it
will be on TV.
Joel Gertner opened the second half
by cutting a promo on alternative
lifestyles. Gertner said Rainbow Express
have better lives than the fans. He
said what Rainbow Express does back
in the hotel was their business but
in
the ring they were ALL business.
Chris Harris & James Storm beat
Rainbow Express (Lenny & Bruce with
Gertner)
in 4:50. Dupps were introduced as opponents
for the Express and then Harris &
Storm were brought out as substitutes.
Strange. Heat on Storm. Express kissed
each others hands instead of tagging.
You can imagine how that went over in
Alabama. Harris interfered to set up
the hot tag. Lenny went for a rolling
reverse cradle. Harris kicked out. Express
collided and Harris got a roll up.
Lenny pouted.
Apollo beat David Young (with Bobcat)
in 5:30. Apollo has the size and the
look. Young's shoulder blocks couldn't
move him, so when Apollo did the
dropdown-leapfrog, Young went for a
low blow and the one finger salute.
Weird
seeing Young as the lowly cheating heel
afte his recent work in Wildside.
Apollo hit a double arm suplex and a
pescado. Bobcat ignored the ring action.
She was too busy playing to the crowd
in an attempt to channel Marilyn
Monroe. Young got mad when she was giving
Borash a close-up of her chest.
Young hit a Shining Wizard style enzuigiri.
Apollo did a springboard DDT.
Apollo used the Hawaiian Crush for the
finisher again.
The camera cut to a segment with Mike
Tenay, Ed Ferrara and Don West but no
sound.
Scott Hall (with Toby Keith & Jackie
Fargo) beat Jeff Jarrett in 7:02. Great
heat for this one. Decent match too.
Hall did the toothpick routine. Jarrett
got real cocky when he was able to take
Hall down and smack him around a bit.
Hall caught Jarrett and a crossbody
attempt and hit the fallaway slam. Hall
clotheslined Jarrett over the top, where
he was trapped on the floor by Keith
and Fargo. Jarrett reached in and pulled
Hall down to regain the advantage.
Pair of dropkicks by Jarrett. Jarrett
the thing where he hung all over the
rope and jumped on his back. That was
good for a near fall. Hall was selling
big for Jarrett's punches. Hall fired
back, so Jarrett locked on a sleeper.
Hall sagged to the mat before reviving
for a back suplex. Both down. Hall
made the comeback with punches and lariats.
Hall had Jarrett in position for
the Razor's Edge when K-Krush came out
to break it up. Brian Christopher
battled to the back with Krush. Jarrett
tried to go for The Stroke so Keith
interfered with a low blow. Keith and
Hall teamed up for a double face slam.
Hall got the pin for a big pop.
Brian Christopher (with Sterling Marlin
& Hermie Sadler) beat K-Krush in
4:50. These guys both had some star
aura going for them. Krush jumped
Christopher from behind. Christopher
came back with a neckbreaker and an
old
style bulldog for a two count. Krush
countered bulldog number two by sending
Christopher flying crotch first into
the second buckle. A nice sequence of
moves by Krush ended in a spinkick for
a near fall. Christopher elbowed his
way out of a rear chinlock. Krush brawled.
Christopher used an enzuigiri that
left Krush face down on the mat. Krush
telegraphed a backdrop and took a
stunner. Krush used a reverse atomic
drop. Christopher did a jawbreaker.
Sadler and Marlin wound up on the apron
for a spot where they pulled the rope
up for a shot to Krush's gonads. Looked
pretty weak. Christopher put on the
goggles and hit the Hip Hop Drop.
Krush ragged on the NASCAR boys. He
called them punks. "You sign a
contract.
I want some of that racin' ass."
Christopher ran up the ramp and surprised
Krush by throwing a drink in his face.
I can understand wanting to get a
babyface pop with the NASCAR boys, but
Krush got over so strong as a heel on
the live show that it made no sense
to beat him so soon.
Taylor Vaughn (past role as EMT on
WWE) won the Lingerie Battle Royal in
5:10
to become the first Miss TNA. This was
about what you would expect from nine
women (Borash insisted there were ten)
trying to pull each others pajamas
off. Horrible. The ringside males jumped
up every time some lingerie was
revealed. Order of elimination was Tyler
(bit of a Nidia look to her), Sasha
(pretty sure that was not Tammy Sytch),
Erin (Bray who was recently in camp
with WWE), Francine, Joni (Lawler's
valet), Laree, Shannon and finally
Elektra. Shannon (Daffney) and Alexis
Laree appeared to be the only ones who
had a clue about wrestling. Francine
had her boob exposed momentarily while
three girls teamed up to strip her down.
The hard cam probably picked it up.
Crowd seemed to be pulling for Daffney.
She made it down to the final three,
before Elektra and Taylor stripped her.
Taylor pantsed Elektra. Francine came
back into the ring for some revenge.
She stripped Taylor to her lingerie
and
gave her a few licks with a belt. The
guys in the ringside area ate this
match up. Sure didn't do the women any
favors.
Ricky Steamboat introduced the new
NWA Champion, Ken Shamrock. Shamrock
mentioned the history of the belt and
said that he would defend the belt with
honor and pride. He talked about having
been all over the world, but now, he
had risen to the top as NWA champion.
Shamrock said he appreciated the people
being behind him...and those who weren't
could kiss his ass. Out came
Minister James Mitchell. "Excuse
me, I do so hate to intrude on this
schmooze
party." Minister got immediate
heat by referring to the crowd as "crackers."
Minister said he had a message from
God. "Not your God but mine."
Minister
said the Disciples of his new church
would control the belt. Minister dared
Shamrock to face his disciple with the
belt on the line. He brought out
Slash (Wolfie D). Shamrock asked if
that was a joke. He offered to put the
belt up on the spot. Shamrock said he
had someone else in mind. Malice (The
Wall with an entirely new physique)
jumped Shamrock from behind and choked
the bejesus out of him. "Might
is right and the meek inherit nothing."
Once
Shamrock recovered, he called Malice
some nasty names and threatened to break
his bones. Shamrock did a bit of that
psycho rage thing.
A. J. Styles defeated Jerry Lynn, Psicosis
and Low Ki to win the X division
title in a double elimination match
with a total time of 25:58. It almost
had
to be good with the talent involved,
and this turned out to be so good that
it makes the PPV worth buying. I don't
usually do stars, but it had to be
****. The double elimination concept
worked for me. It was one-on-one with
a
fresh opponent getting in after every
fall. Much better than a four-way free
for all. The ringwork was light years
beyond anything else (except Flying
Elvises match) on the show. Too bad
the crowd was waning at this point.
It
was one-on-one with a fresh opponent
getting in after every fall.
Styles pinned Psicosis two minutes.
Psicosis used a wheelbarrow facebuster.
Styles did a cartwheel into a superkick
for a two count. Psicosis hit the
guillotine legdrop for a near fall.
Styles Clash for the pinfall.
Styles pinned Low Ki in 2:25. This
was my first opportunity to see Low
Ki
live. Virtually none of the fans knew
who he was (not many knew Styles either
for that matter), but those stiff strikes
gave him immediate credibility. Kip
up headscissors by Styles. Ki blocked
a German and hit a flying roundhouse
kick. Ki with some stiff chops. Ki countered
to escape the Clash. Ki did that
deal where he does a German off the
ropes and then rolls through to a
crab/dragon suplex. Crowd loved it.
Ki landed a kick the gut that made a
sickening thud. Styles did the German
suplex/facebuster combo for the pin.
Lynn beat Styles with cradle piledriver
in 20 seconds. Lynn was fresh. Styles
was not.
Lynn eliminated Psicosis with a cradle
piledriver in 3 minutes. A hot three
minutes. Lynn did a spinning headscsissors
(most other pale in comparison to
his version) and then, a bulldog off
the top for a near fall. Psicosis sent
Lynn to the floor with a headscissors
and followed with a tope con hilo.
Psicosis got two with a spinwheel kick
off the top. Lynn did an inverted DDT
for a near fall. Psicosis held the ropes
and hung Lynn out to dry on a
dropkick attempt. Psicosis tried to
come off the top again. This time Lynn
met him in midair with a dropkick to
set up the finish.
Lynn eliminated Low Ki in 4:20. Low
Ki used a Muta elbow early. Lynn rolled
through a huracanrana for a pin attempt.
Ki was kicking the crap out of Lynn.
A leg feed enzuigiri by Lynn left both
men down. Ki tried to counter with
headscissors but Lynn was able to hit
a huge powerbomb for a good near fall.
Ki went for running fisherman buster
that Lynn countered with a DDT. Short
arm clothesline...cradle piledriver...1-2-3.
Styles beat Lynn in 4:02. Lots of counter
moves and near falls. Styles
countered a huracanrana with a powerbomb.
Lynn used a tilt-a-whirl
backbreaker. Styles went for the chest
moonsault. Lynn was able to counter
with a DDT for a two count. Styles hit
a neckbreaker for a near fall. Lynn
used a Liger bomb for another near fall.
Styles countered Lynn's piledriver
attempt with a backdrop. Styles Clash
for the pin.
Steamboat was introduced as the referee
for the final fall.
Styles beat Lynn in 9:52. Outstanding
stuff. Tons of great near falls that
popped the portion of the crowd that
stuck around to see it. A slew of back
and forth pin attempts lead to a double
clothesline spot. Crowd was really
into counting along with Steamboat.
Both up at 8. Lynn gave Styles a diamond
cutter across the top rope that sent
him to the floor. Action moved to the
outside. Styles moonsaulted to his feet
from the apron for an inverted DDT on
the floor. Lynn draped Styles over the
ropes and did a DDT. Lynn went for an
inverted Gory Guerrero Special. Styles
escaped but got dropped on his face
on
a great move by Lynn. Lynn did a fireman's
carry dropped into a backbreaker.
Lynn did a spinning brainbuster. Styles
kept barely kicking out. Styles
shoved Lynn off the top and hit a somersault
corkscrew legdrop that was a
sight to behold to win the title. Lynn
congratulated Styles after the match.
Don't know how this will translate
to television but it made for a very
entertaining live show...As expected,
they taped vignettes and interview
segments for the June 26 show that were
not seen by the live crowd...Eddie
Marlin, Brickhouse Brown and Athena
were in the building.
Credit:
Larry Goodman
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