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Booker T (with Traci Brooks) vs. Robert Roode (with Payton Banks) - Strap Match
The winning wrestler's girl gets to strap the losing side's girl.
Robert Roode was cautious about getting in the ring while Booker came out with the strap and was ready to go. Roode tried to run away once he was strapped in but Booker dragged him back and cleaned house. Booker backdropped Roode and choked him with the strap.
Booker nailed a superkick. The crowd chanted Booker's name. Roode rakes Booker's face. Roode began unloaded with right hands and shoulderblocks in the corner on Roode. Booker fired back with chops and punches. Roode finally caught Booker with a side Russian legsweep.
Roode controlled Booker, who made a comeback with a clothesline and a suplex. Booker worked over Roode in the corner with knee strikes. Roode caught Booker with an elbow to the face as he charged Roode after an Irish Whip in the corner but Booker reversed the momentum.
Booker went for the scissor kick but Roode slipped out of the way and drilled him with a DDT for a near fall. Booker went for the Bookend but Roode nailed him with elbows. The referee went down in the fracas. Payton Banks tried to give Roode handcuffs but was attacked by Brooks. She went to toss them to Booker but Roode nailed him low and got them.
Roode nailed Booker with the handcuffs and pinned Booker.
Your winner, Robert Roode!
Banks gets to lash Brooks 10 times. Booker tried to tell the referee what happened but the referee didn't want to hear it. Atlas Security entered the ring and forcibly removed Booker while Roode and Banks raised their arms in victory.
Roode stepped out of the ring to watch Brooks' face as she was lashed. Banks was loving. They showed closeups of Brooks crying and spitting at Roode as he mocked her. Roode called a time out after the seventh shot and whispered in Banks' ear. Banks kept lashing Brooks after the tenth one. Brooks fought back and got the strap but Roode grabbed her by the throat and shoved her down. Roode and Banks teased leaving but he smiled, then returned to lash Brooks. That was an AWESOME old school moment.
Sharmell hit the ring, lashed Roode with a belt of her own, then unloaded on Banks, the referees, security, Jim Cornette and even ring announcer David Penzer (well, he's deserved it for years). Security finally took her out.
The match was solid, but shorter than I expected. I thought Roode and Banks were absolutely great in the post-match and Brooks did a hell of a job making herself a sympathetic babyface. All three were so good that it was almost a shame they pulled the trigger on the Sharmell return because it took all the focus off of them.
This has been a really good show tonight. They'd have to really screw it up at this point for me not to recommend a replay. Between this show and the ROH PPV, it's been a good weekend for wrestling.
Crystal interviewed James Storm, saying tonight could be a career-ending move for him. Jackie Moore was scared for Storm. Storm said he backs down from no one. Storm said he started the feud with Rhino and knew he would be the one to finish it. He said that he never thought Rhino would be stupid enough to challenge him to an Elevation X match. Storm said he hasn't had one sip of beer today because he doesn't think people should drink or drive and he doesn't think people should be drinking when they are fighting two stories up. He said he was taking a six pack with him to celebrate after he knocks Rhino off. A good promo.
They are pushing the Elevation X is two stories up and played a great video feature on the match.
James Storm vs. Rhino - Elevation X Match
Storm climbed up but retreated to the floor when Rhino came up. Rhino started firing beers at Storm from the scaffold. Rhino followed Storm to the floor and attacked him. He whipped Storm into the railing at ringside. Rhino pulled tables and a trash can out from under the ring.
Storm took over the control of the match. He and Rhino battled in the corner over a superplex, which neither got. Rhino made a comeback and Jackie got involved. She climbed up the structure, in heels no less, and Rhino followed. She crawled across, distracting Rhino as Storm followed him up. Storm tried to sneak up on Rhino but he realized it and they faced off.
They showed lots of shots of fans in the crowd watching serious and worried.
Storm tried to offer Rhino a handshake. Rhino tried to offer him a beer. Storm goes for a thumb to the eye but missed. Rhino got him and smacked Storm's head on the scaffold. Storm teased slipping.
Rhino nailed Storm and teased he lost his balance, falling forward and hanging on the side. Storm and Rhino, each holding on, exchanged blows. Storm got the better of it and slipped into the underside of the scaffold. Storm sat inside drinking a beer. Hell, I'd need one too right about now.
Rhino recovered and was confused, looking around for him. Rhino began asking the crowd where Storm was, so Rhino found out. He tried to grab at Storm, who kept hiding. Rhino ripped the top of the scaffolding off to get at Storm, who blinded him by spitting beer in his face.
Rhino punched Storm in the midsection as he stood up in the scaffolding, so Storm crotched himself. Rhino began laying in punches. Storm hung under the scaffolding. Rhino began stomping on him and Storm fell into the ring, crashing through a table.
Your winner, Rhino!
They did as much as you can do in a match of this nature without needlessly putting yourself into the line of danger. This was the one match where the crowd was noticeably quiet, just watching and waiting to see what happened. I am not a fan of these type of matches in general since I don't want to see anyone hurt, but they were smart to do the brawl around ringside first and leave the scaffold to the end. I thought the sight of Storm hiding and sipping beer was priceless. It was what it was and I give both guys respect for even trying and putting themselves out there like this.
EMTS stretchered Storm out of the ring after the match.
TNA champion Kurt Angle & TNA Tag Team champs AJ Styles & Tomko vs. Kevin Nash & Samoa Joe & Christian Cage
The babyfaces will have a 3 on 2 advantage for the first five minutes of the match, so the tag champs stalled to start, which is a smart strategy. Joe and Nash attacked them at ringside and tossed Styles into the ring.
Cage and Styles officially started. Styles missed a moonsault and was caught with an elbow. Styles caught Cage with a thrust to the throat and tagged in Tomko. Tomko missed a charge in the corner and Cage nailed him with chops. Tomko tried to press and slam Cage but Cage escaped and went for the Unprettier. Tomko escaped, clotheslined Cage and got a two count.
Nash and Joe grabbed Tomko, allowing Cage to work him over in the corner. Styles tried to help but was caught with a spear. Joe and Nash worked over Tomko.
With one minute left, Styles backdropped Cage off the top and nailed the Spiral Tap. Nash chokeslammed AJ. Tomko and Joe faced off with Joe nailing Tomko with a snap powerslam. As the countdown ended, Joe went into the aisle to meet Kurt Angle face to face.
Angle came out and there was this awesome moment where they stared down at each other from a distance, then Angle sprinted at him and the fight was on. They battled into the ring. Joe dove out of the ring on Tomko. Angle tried to superplex Cage but was shoved off and nailed with a frog splash.
It settled down into Styles working over Cage in the ring. Styles nailed a dropkick and tagged in Tomko. Tomko nailed a spinebuster but Cage kicked up. Cage was busted open. Angle tagged in and locked on the anklelock. Joe hit the ring and started battling with Angle but the referee forced him out of the ring.
Cage went for an inverted DDT on Angle but saw Styles coming with a clothesline. He ducked, then he and Styles clotheslined each other. Cage tagged in Nash. He cleaned house on the tag champs. He hit a sideslam on Styles and a big boot on Tomko. Styles caught Nash with a dropkick to the knee.
Joe and Tomko tag in. Joe unloaded with forearms and elbows. He nails a kick to the face then catched Styles springboarding in and powerbombs him down. Joe goes for the muscle buster, but Angle nails him low. Styles hits the Pele Kick. They went into a ton of spots. Nash chokeslams AJ out of the ring. Cage nails an Unprettier.
Joe locks in the choke on Tomko as everyone else is brawling and Tomko finally taps.
Your winners, Kevin Nash & Samoa Joe & AJ Styles!
The babyfaces celebrated at Kurt Angle swore that Joe wasn't going to beat him. We went off the air with a great Lockdown promo.
A good six man tag to close the show. This may have been one of the most balanced, entertaining TNA PPVs in some time. No really bad finishes that hurt the momentum of the matches, no really terrible vignettes muddying up the flow, no bad performances, nothing. This is totally worth a replay look in my opinion.
The bab
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