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Before the show started Mr. Anderson was in the lobby signing autographs, for free, for the fans. So right off the bat you have one of TNA's biggest names right there, signing autographs, before the show even started. So Nick and myself go up, meet him, get his autograph , and move on, very nice way to start off.
Then the actual show starts, and the first match is Jay Lethal vs. Kazarian for the X Division Championship. THis match surprised me, it turned out to be a very, very good match, much better than than I though it would be. Lethal retained the title.
Next up was Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne for the Knockouts Championship. "Obviously this match is nothing special", you would think, but again, this match surprised me and delivered. Earl Hebner was a large part of that, I'll admit, but even the actual quality of the match impressed me. Rayne retained her Knockouts Championship.
Taz comes out and talks to the New Yorkers about the Jets and such, being from Long Island himself, he was able to draw a nice reaction and it was great to see him there.
Next up was Robbie E (w/ Cookie) vs. The Pope. Seeing The Pope used in a such a stupid match made me cringe, as he really is a great wrestler, but the match was alright. Not great, but alright. Pope defeated Robbie E, after a not-too-great, but alright match. After the match Pope kissed Cookie, so the segment was fun to watch, although overall, it really was nothing special.
The next match was Beer Money vs. Ink Inc. Another match that surprised me and turned out to be pretty great. The guy behind was pretty much screaming like he had swallowed a bull horn, which got the attention of Beer Money and they got on the mic and talked to him, so it was fun to see that level of fan interaction right there, in the middle of the match. Beer Money defeated Ink, and like I said, another very good match.
Then came the intermission. Out in the lobby they had Mickie James signing autographs, which drew a massive line. While Nick was on that line I went to the merch stand to see that Earl Hebner and his son, Brian, were signing T-Shirts. Those t-shirts were the "Damn Right, I DID IT!" T-shirts, obviously referring to the Montreal Screwjob. This is the single best wrestling T-Shirt ever made, in wrestling history, period. And there is was, for 10 bucks, signed by Earl Hebner and his son. Best 10 bucks I ever spent. This is something only TNA, being so small could pull off, having a wrestler signing autographs and having Hebner be behind the merch stand signing shirts, that just cannot be done at a larger event by WWE.
Back from the break, the first match was Jeff Jarret's open challenge to anyone who could make him tap out in the audience. But, Tommy Dreamer and challenged him to a Falls Count Anywhere match, and he accepted. A very, very good match took place right then. They came into the crowd, I was an aisle seat and they were right in my row, Dreamer bashed Jeff's head on the arm rest of the chair right above me, and he threw a drink in Jarret's face (beer, I think) and I got pretty wet. Nasty, but still fun. Jeff ended up winning, but the match itself was another great one.
The main event was Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Matt Morgan for the TNA World Championship. This is match was actually not that great, it had it's spots, but could have been much, much better. There isn't a ton to say about it. Hardy retained his World Championship.
That did it for the show, but afterwards they did their annual Autograph Party, so all the guys came down to ringside and signed autographs, if you wanted you could go in the ring and get your picture taken with Jeff Hardy with his belt. And on the way out, in a separate room, they had Jeff Jarrett and Mickie James signing autographs. This is something only TNA could pull off, simply because they were in such a small arena, and it's a very fun experience.
All in all, the show was great. It was fun, and had very good matches. It's amazing how it's the same product that's on TV, because on TV it is just so much worse, it hard to comprehend. None-the-less a TNA Live House Show has never disappointed me, but their TV shows continue to. The show was great, though.
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