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They aired a good backstage promo with Samoa Joe warning Magnus to be ready to fight because for three months, Joe has been. He said he was coming to take his belt back.
TNA champion Magnus vs. Samoa Joe
The only way to win is knockout, submission or pinfall. Magnus was wary of facing Joe early on. Joe caught him with a kick to the legs. Joe tagged him with another. Magnus locked up with him and they had some nice back and forth wrestling reversals on the mat.
Joe locked up Magnus in an armwringer and began headbutting his hand and wrist. Joe peppered him with punches and chops. Magnus caught him with a hard right and locked in a side headlock. Joe made a comeback and worked over Magnus with all his signature offense, including a Facewash but missed a back splash senton.
Magnus worked over Joe but was sent into the cage twice. Joe trapped him against the cage and battered his head into the cage ten times, then splashed him into the cage and nailed an enziguiri. Magnus was busted open, the first blood on the show. Joe peppered him with punches to the wound and bit into his forehead.
Joe continued working over the champ until Magnus caught him with a running knee from behind. Joe was slammed into the cage and threw Joe into the cage head-first several times. Joe is now busted open as well. Magnus locked on a figure four leglock. Joe tried to fight the move and turned it over but Magnus escaped.
Joe charged but Magnus used a drop toehold and locked in a Camel Clutch. Joe fought his way out and nailed a back suplex to escape. Joe fired back with a series of strikes and elbows. He whipped Magnus into the corner but was kicked off. Joe saw him coming with a charge and nailed a powerslam, then a back senton splash,
Joe locked in a cross armbreaker. Magnus was able to make it to the ropes. Joe nailed him with a headbutt and placed Magnus on top for the muscle buster. He raked Joe’s eyes but Joe still tried to fight him off. Magnus kicked him down and hit a hell of a flying elbow. They battled back and forth with some stiff shots from Joe. Joe placed Magnus on the top. Magnus tried to fight him off but was crotched on the ropes.
Joe set up for the muscle buster and nailed it. Joe locked in the rear naked choke in the center. A hand (it looked like Abyss’ arm) broke through the ring and grabbed Joe’s arm. It dragged Joe down under the ring as he tried to fight him off. The crowd turned on this and chanted, “Bullshit.â€
Magnus recovered and looked worried in the ring. After a minute, a pissed off Joe emerged from the hole, and stomped whatever was under him. Joe grabbed Magnus by the throat and choked him in the corner against the corner of the ring, trying to choke him out.
Abyss emerged from the hole (off camera) with Janice and nailed Joe with Janice from behind, then nailed a Black Hole Slam. Abyss and Magnus, who was fearful, faced off and Magnus smiled at him. Magnus made sure Joe was out and locked in the rear naked choke on him. The referee held Joe’s arm up and it fell three times. The last time, it almost looked like he was going to come back to life but it was not to be.
Your winner and still TNA champion, Magnus!
An enjoyable match for 99% of it. I wasn’t a fan of doing the screwy finish at the end but it does set up Joe vs. Magnus rematches and Joe vs. Abyss. I just feel like the last thing TNA needs right now (and honestly, for the next few years) is a completely screwball finish in a big “money†match. The company has scorched so much Earth over the years it’s ridiculous.
Backstage, Eric Young tried to confront Abyss but was held back by Pat Kenny and Al Snow. Young said that he thought Abyss was going to get help and Magnus said that he was. He refused to let Young talk to him and they left together.
Dixie Carter sent Rockstar Spud to get her surprise. She said it was going to be her crowning moment. Bobby Roode showed up and demanded to know what that surprise was. She said she’s done her best to give him an advantage by locking Jeff Hardy out of the building and it’s up to him to do the job because he’s the only one who can lose. He warned her she doesn’t want him as an enemy.
Lethal Lockdown: Team MVP vs. Team Dixie
The first ones out are Austin Aries and MVP. They started out. Aries nailed a bulldog and locked on The Muta Lock. Aries went to the ropes and went for a missile dropkick but missed. MVP nailed him with a T-Bone suplex and nailed him with a knee to the face. MVP went for the Ballin’ elbow but Aries nailed a roaring elbow for a two count.
MVP kicked Aries as he charged in the corner and nailed a Yakuza Kick MVP worked over Aries with a knee drop and a series of forearms to the face. MVP tied him up on the mat.
The countdown ended and Robbie E. was the next guy out for Team Dixie. MVP sent him up with a flapjack and nailed clotheslines on both of his opponents. Aries nailed him with a dropkick as MVP was working over E. They worked over MVP until the next man for Team MVP came out, Eddie Edwards.
Edwards hit the ring and worked over E with a series of chops in the corner. Aries drilled him but was chopped and hit with a back suplex. Zema Ion climbed the cage but E was thrown into the cage to knock him to the floor. MVP and Edwards cleaned house.
The next man out was Jesse Godderz. He was immediately nailed with a Judo Throw by MVP. Team Dixie worked over MVP and then turned their attention to Edwards. The Bromans double teamed him as Aries stomped away on MVP. Team Dixie controlled the ring.
Davey Richards came out with his shoulder taped up. He outmanned the Bromans and set up a droptoehold/dropkick combo with Edwards. The crowd was into Richards and chanted for him. The Wolves began whipping out all their signature stuff on Aries. The Bros Mans went for a suplex on Davey but Eddie saved him and they nailed stereo One legged Boston Crabs.
Bobby Roode, the captain of Team Dixie, came out to compete the team. He and MVP battled back and forth in the center of the ring. Roode snapped him down with a spinebuster. Richards and Edwards each ate spinebusters as well. Team Dixie beat down MVP’s team until a countdown began. The announcers wondered who it would be since Jeff Hardy was locked out of the building.
It was Willow. The lights went out. When they returned, he was on top of the cage and hit a bodypress onto all of Team Dixie. The roof came down for Lethal Lockdown, bringing that element back after the mechanism broke last year and they were unable to use it.
The announcers sort of teased that they knew it was Hardy but wouldn’t say it outright. Before anyone could get the weapons, Dixie came out and said she was happy to introduce her insurance policy, the special referee Bully Ray. Well, she did say she went to NYC for it.
Team MVP looked shocked as Ray made his way to the ring, allowing Team Dixie to recover and work them over from behind. Ray pulled a table out from under the ring. Everyone began grabbing weapons and worked over Team MVP. Dixie sat on the stage with Rockstar Spud, surveying the battle.
They focused their attack on Richards, who was locked in a Crossface after being beaten down. He teased tapping but refused. Team MVP rallied and Edwards made the save. MVP nailed a Facebreaker and the Ballin’ Elbow on Roode. E. attacked MVP.
Aries teased powerbombing Willow onto a trash can but Willow turned it into a reverse powerbomb into the cage, which looked great. The Bromans worked over MVP with a hockey stick, scoring a two count. Edwards fought off the Bromans. The Wolves drilled E. with a kick to the chest. The Wolves trapped them in the corner with a trash can and hit stereo Van Terminators with a trash can on them. That was a cool spot. They scored a two count. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome.â€
Aries ducked a kick and nailed a brainbuster through a chair on Richards. Willow made the save. Aries trashed him with a garbage can. Aries went for a 450 splash off the ropes but Willow moves and Hardy ate the can.
A table came into play. Roode set up a powerbomb on MVP but Bully blocked it and then hit a Uranage on Roode. MVP nailed a Yakuza Kick and scored the win, so he’s now in charge of wrestling operations.
Your winners, Team MVP!
Bully put Roode through a table after.
I think the idea here was that Bully went to MVP and got a better deal, so in the end Dixie screwed herself.
A solid main event, but nothing over the top spectacular in terms of highspots but a lot of brutal weapons shots and everyone worked hard.
I think this was by far one of the more enjoyable TNA PPV events in some time but the TNA title finish really brought it down a huge notch for me personally.
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