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The PPV opened with a great opening video previewing the TNA title bout and Hulk Hogan vs. Sting.
Mike Tenay and Taz welcomed everyone to the broadcast, noting that the future direction of the company would be determined tonight.
TNA X-Division champion Austin Aries vs. Brian Kendrick
Big pop for Aries since he really carved his name in Philly, which Taz pointed out. They locked up and Aries and Kendrick began exchanging holds. Nice chant for Aries early. Aries took him down with a headlock takeover but Kendrick reversed it and they faced off.
Aries was sent into the ropes but shoulderblocked Kendrick down. Kendrick came back with a headscissors. They led to a back and forth reversal until Kendrick dropkicked Aries out of the ring. Aries called for a time out, trying to slow Kendrick’s momentum.
Aries was kicked off the apron and Kendrick his a slingshot pescado to the floor. The crowd booed him for that. Kendrick sent him back into the ring and scored a two count with a flying bodypress. Kendrick nailed a pair of monkey flips but was shoved off while going for a trifecta. Aries drilled him with a clothesline for a two count.
Aries drilled Kendrick with an elbow across the top of the head. Kendrick rebounded off the ropes with a stiff elbow for another near fall. Aries nailed a back elbow to take Kendrick down for another two count. Aries continued to work on Aries until Kendrick fired back with a series of forearms and kicks. Aries avoided one but was nailed with a double axe handle for a two count. Kendrick comes off the top but Aries avoided it and nailed an STO and a Pendulum elbow for a two count.
Kendick kicked off Aries during a charge and nailed a tornado DDT. Aries kicked out and the crowd began chanting for him. Kendrick went for Sliced Bread #2 but was sent to the floor. Aries hit a nasty torpedo dive to the outside, leading to a “TNA†chant.
Aries drilled him with an elbow and hit a hard running dropkick in the corner. Aries went for the brainbuster but Kendrick drilled him with knees to the head and small packaged him for a two count. Kendrick superkicked Aries and went for Sliced Bread #2 but Aries stopped it and they battled on the top. Aries battered him with elbows and hit Sliced Bread #2 off the top rope but Aries draped his foot on the ropes at the last second.
Kendrick went for Sliced Bread again but was shoved to the floor. Aries punted Kendrick hard as he returned to the ring and nailed another stiff dropkick. Aries spiked him with a brainbuster and scored the pin clean.
Your winner and still X-Division champion, Austin Aries!
Very good, hard fought entertaining match to kick off the show. Both were really on their game.
Backstage, Jeremy Borash and Traci Brooks were playing with the Jarrett children when Karen Jarrett came in and was obviously pissed about it. She ripped on Brooks’ attire and then announced she would be refereeing the Knockouts title bout herself. Jarrett told Brooks that she was not to come to ringside unless she was in “harm’s way†tonight.
Full Metal Mayhem: Jerry Lynn vs. Rob Van Dam
Pretty large “ECW†chant for a few seconds, but it quickly died out. They went back and forth trying to take each other down. RVD went for an armbar but couldn’t lock it on. Van Dam used leg scissors to cover Lynn for a two count. RVD nailed a spinkick in the corner.
RVD went for Rolling Thunder but Lynn dropkicked him coming out of the somersault. Lynn went for a tornado DDT but RVD countered and they went back and forth with counters until facing off. Van Dam kicked Lynn in the gut and avoided a clothesline. They collided against each other near the ropes. Van Dam nailed a guillotine legdrop across the apron.
They battled on the floor. Van Dam went for a moonsault off the railing but Lynn moved and RVD hit the ground. Lynn pulled a ladder into the ring. Van Dam tossed Lynn into the ring but began favoring his leg from hitting the ground. Van Dam grabbed a chair from under the ring but as he returned, Lynn nailed a sliding dropkick into the ladder, slamming it into RVD.
Back in the ring, Van Dam nailed a bodypress off the ropes, crashing Lynn down onto a chair in the ring for a two count. Van Dam set up Lynn in the corner for the skateboarding dropkick. Van Dam set up a ladder in the corner and whipped Lynn hard into it. He fell with the ladder landing atop of him. Van Dam nailed Rolling Thunder onto the ladder. Big “ECW†chant.
Van Dam kicked at Lynn who dropkicked Rob into a chair. Lynn clotheslined RVD atop the ladder, who was leaning on the ropes. Lynn went for a flying legdrop but RVD rolled out of the way and Lynn ate nothing but ladder. Lynn slammed a chair into RVD’s face and hit a German suplex with a bridge for a two count.
They battled over a suplex near the ladder with RVD winning the war. All the crazy spots got ECW chants. Van Dam nailed a rolling thunder onto the ladder for another two count. Rob sent Lynn into the corner for a monkey flip but Lynn clotheslined Rob in mid-air. Lynn rolled to the outside to retrieve a second ladder. He bridged it between the ring and the ring barrier.
Lynn and RVD battled over the ladder. The ladder slipped off the apron as they battled. They still did a sunset flip powerbomb with RVD’s head bouncing nastily off the ladder and the ring barrier. Lynn rolled RVD back in but only scored a two count. Lynn went to nail RVD with the chair but Rob ducked and nailed the Van Daminator for a two count.
Van Dam set up a ladder over Lynn and went for the Van Terminator. The crowd chanted, “Holy sh**.†Van Dam pulled Lynn into the ring and scored the pin.
Your winner, Rob Van Dam!
It wasn’t a pure wrestling match but there were a lot of entertaining and scary looking spots. You could see they were giving you all they had to give. The crowd really enjoyed themselves and I can’t help but love the effort, but some of those spots looked way too dangerous for these guys to be doing. But, still quite the spectacle.
Van Dam and Lynn raised each other’s arms after the bout.
They showed footage of Dixie Carter and her husband Serg arriving at the arena earlier in the day.
Samoa Joe vs. Matt Morgan vs. Crimson
Joe immediately told the others to fight but they instead put the boots to Joe. The crowd booed them. Morgan nailed the rapid fire elbows in the corner. Crimson went to punch Joe but caught Morgan. That allowed Joe to work over Crimson. Joe was caught in the middle of them being punched back and forth. The crowd was booing all of this, since Joe has a history in Philly.
Crimson charged Joe but Joe dropped down and Crimson crashed to the floor. Joe took down Morgan. He tagged Morgan with some kicks to the chest. There were some “Joe is gonna kill you†catcalls. Morgan catches Joe with the sideslam and Crimson tried to catch the pin. Morgan wasn’t happy about that, allowing Joe to take them out, tossing Crimson out on top of Morgan. Joe hit a flying elbowsmash tope on Crimson.
Joe and Crimson battled on the floor. Morgan went to the top rope and dove off, wiping out Crimson as Joe stepped out of the way. Morgan was grabbing at his knee after. Joe rolled Crimson in as Philadelphia gave Earl Hebner static for screwing Bret. Joe peppered Crimson with punches. Crimson fired back and nailed a neckbreaker.
Crimson suplexed Joe but Morgan tried to steal the pin this time. Crimson wasn’t happy and they had words again. They jawed but Joe raked their eyes. They nailed Joe only this time, they prevented the other from making the pin. Joe rolled out of the ring as they argued and started battling back and forth. Morgan finally got the better of the exchange but Joe pulled him out of the ring and sent him into the railing. Joe then hit the ring and began drilling Crimson with strikes and a running kick to the head in the corner.
Joe placed Crimson on the top for a mucle buster. As he went for it, Morgan returned to the ring and kick Joe in the gut. Morgan nailed a running knee to Joe’s head. Morgan got caught up in the ropes. Joe staggered into a Crimson spear and was pinned.
Your winner, Crimson!
OK match but nothing of real note. They had a decent pace but it was more of a series of sequences than a hard fought back and forth competitive bout. The building tension between Morgan-Crimson was fine but Crimson still needs a lot of work. The story was that Crimson with the least experience, scored the win. The finish came off a little weak. The crowd booed Crimson on the way out. Welcome to Philadelphia!
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