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They aired a video feature on Senshi vs. Chris Sabin, pushing it as setting a new chapter for the X-Division. That's exactly how they should be pushing this, and I hope they give them a chance to go all out and have an amazing bout.
Mike Tenay announced that Samoa Joe has been ejected from the building...(well, until the main event, that is. A good storyline.)
TNA X-DIVISION CHAMPION SENSHI VS. CHRIS SABIN
Sabin and Senshi locked up and jockeyed for position around the ring, down to the mat, and back to their feet again. The dueling chants started. Senshi began nailing kicks and chops. Sabin nearly got a pin with La Magistral. Senshi missed a kick but then reversed and nailed it. Senshi drilled Sabin with a knife edge chop. He came off the ropes with the Muta power elbow, then tied up Sabin on the mat. Thus far, it's all slow building and good, solid wrestling.
Sabin began to fight back but Senshi overpowered him with chops. Sabin came back and whipped Senshi into the corner. He charged but Senshi kicked him down. Senshi scissored Sabin's waist with his legs and worked him over, squeezing. They made their way back to their feet and chopped each other back and forth. Sabin missed a kick but Senshi connected. Senshi worked Sabin over in the corner then hit a big spinkick.
Sabin hit a big missile dropkick off the top. He showed some fire, drilling Senshi with a series of moves, then nailed him out of the ring. Senshi grabbed at his knee. Sabin hit a tope suicida to the floor. Sabin kick Senshi with an enziguiri, then tied him to the tree of woe. He hit Senshi with the Hang Time dropkick as Senshi was hanging upside down, but couldn't get the pin.
Senshi applied a submisison while on Sabin's back, but Sabin drilled him into the corner. Senshi went for a cartwheel kick but Sabin nailed him. Sabin hit a tornado DDT for a near fall. They are starting to turn it up into a good match. Sabin went for the Cradleshock but Senshi avoided. They battled on the top. Sabin went for a rana b off the top but Senshi rolled through and drilled him with a double stomp for a near fall.
Senshi missed a splash in the corner and Sabin hit a running kick to the face. He grabbed him for the Cradle Shock, but Senshi escaped. Sabin finally drilled it and the crowd thought that was it, but Senshi kicked up. They changed TNA. They battled to the ropes. Sabin tried for the Cradleshock but Senshi drilled him with kicks to the chest. Senshi hit a dropkick to the chest, then came off the top with the Warrior's Way double stomp. Sabin got hit foot on the ropes at the last minute and the place exploded.
Senshi locked on a Dragon Sleeper, but Sabin pulled through and caught Senshi with a fast, shocking rollup for the pin.
Your winner and new X-Division champion, Chris Sabin!
Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal hit the ring and celebrated with Sabin. Jerry Lynn came out as well.
The crowd, spent on Angle-Joe was dead as they started but this was a great match and they really drew everyone in. By the end, the place was going nuts for all the big spots and near falls. This was exactly the match that the X-Division needed to get back on the right track after the Kevin Nash storyline that went nowhere the last few months and the Jackass silliness of late.
Christian Cage was interviewed by Jeremy Borash. Cage said that Rhino had to nmake a video to make everyone see him as this big hometown hero, but he was just like all of them, a bum. He said that the post-concussive issues Rhino had would be nothing compared to the asskicking Rhino was going to get in front of his hometown friends and family. He said after tonight Rhino would never invite him home for dinner but the cooking sucked anyway. Cage said that he was going to be like the St. Louis Cardinals handing the Detroit Tigers their heads last night, but tonight Cage was going for the clean sweep.
They aired a video feature on the 8 Mile Street Fight.
8 MILE STREET FIGHT: RHINO VS. CHRISTIAN CAGE
They showed Christian Cage backstage when he was introduced. Rhino made his way to the ring down the stairs of the arena, through the crowd. Rhino hit the ring, then went to the stage, where his pyro went off. Rhino headed to the back, where the Street Fight would start on the streets.
Cage and Rhino charged each other. Rhino slammed Cage's head into a car. He tossed him into a dumpster, then dragged him out by the throat. Rhino was screaming, "This is my town." Rhino hit Cage, who bumped onto a wooden palleyt. They brawled into the backstage area. They battled atop a zamboni that was parked in the back. He nailed Cage atop of it, then drove the zamboni into the arena. They battled atop of the zamboni, Cage bumped off of it to the floor.
Rhino climbed down and caught up to Cage at the ramp. They had street lights set up around the rampway. Cage picked one up to strike Rhino with it, but Rhino got it and drilled Cage instead. Rhino grabbed some chairs from ringside and tossed them into the ring. He tossed Cage into the ring and pulled in another street light pole. Cage drilled him with a chair as he went to use the pole. Rhino charged Cage for the gore but was hit with a chair to the face.
They played up Rhino's concussion with the announcers noting it and the referee checking Rhino. Cage began nailing him in the head. Rhino and Cage brawled into the crowd. He took Cage down then drank a fan's beer. They battled into a benching area used for hockey teams during competitions, then battled back to ringside. Rhino slid a table into the ring and set up another at ringside.
Rhino hit a belly to belly suplex on Cage, then set a table in the corner. Cage drilled Rhino with an enlarged 8 Mile street sign. Cage pulled a ladder out from under the ring. Cage began beating Rhino with punches. Rhino was bleeding at this point. Cage charged Rhino with the ladder but was hit with a drop toehold, so cage hit the ladder facefirst. Rhino put cage on the ladder and went for a splash off the ropes, but missed. Cage hit the Unprettier on Rhino, but Rhino kicked up.
Cage drilled Rhino in the face with a ladder, then slammed it atop of Rhino. Cage went under the ring and pulled out a chair and a straightjacket. He began choking Rhino with the jacket and began to put it on Rhino. Rhino looked completely glazed over and out of it. Cage strapped Rhino in. Cage nailed him. Rhino used his head as a battering ram to take down Cage. The referee freed Rhino. The crowd booed that.
They battled to the apron, teasing a suplex into the table on the floor. Rhino hit a piledriver off the apron through the table, like he did during his original run in ECW. They showed a bunch of replays. Rhino covered Cage, who got his foot on the ropes.
Rhino went to gore Cage through a table but Cage sidestepped him. Rhino drilled the table. Cage went for the pin but Rhino kicked up. cage hit an Unprettier on a table piece but Rhino kicked out again. Cage piled chairs on Rhino, then the ladder and began beating the hell out of him with another chair. Cage covered Rhino and scored the pin.
Your winner, Christian Cage!
This was a really good brawl. Everything made sense and played off the Rhino concussion storyline and did a good job of showing Rhino off as someone who fought to the end, coming off as a sympathetic hero in the process. The brawling was good, the zamboni sequence was fun, and everything was treated like a real grudge match.
Jeremy Borash interviewed LAX. Konnan promised they were going to take the LAX violence to a new level. Konnan then warned AMW to stop flapping their gums about the USA because it was about the Latino Nation.
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