TNA Slammiversarry XII (2014)
So after our WWE Wrestlemania 30 adventure down in New Orleans a few months back, we follow it up with going to rival promotion TNA’s version of their annual big show – the awkward named Slammiversary. While I’m not the biggest fan of the weekly TNA Impact Wrestling television product, how could this not be fun?
Affordable at tickets only $10 bucks, its right down the road from Jessica’s house, her favorite wrestler Gail Kim was performing & a chance to see a different promotion do their big thing. When we heard the Von Erichs were gonna be making an appearance, not going was no longer an option.
TNA Slammiversary XII – June 15th – College Park Center – Arlington, TX
With approximately 3,000 fans inside the arena for a rare local TNA pay-per-view event the anticipation was palpable. Not exactly a sell-out as the center holds more than twice that but the fans that were here were so vocal they were loud enough to fill up a stadium.
When you look up and down the TNA roster, you realize that for a pay-per-view structured show, where you have eight-or-so matches that can go ten-to-twenty minutes, TNA has all of the ability in the world. They have the exact right mix of talent to put on a great card of matches.
The show starts with their MC, a man named Jeremy Borash who comes out to hype the crowd and will serve as a bit of narrator for the rest of the evening.
We didn’t like our seats and as the entire other side of the arena was empty, we just walked over there and had an entire section to ourselves.
Jessica’s good luck in this capacity serves us once again.
X-Division Title Six-Way Ladder Match:
Participants are:
Tigre Undo
Sanada
Eddie Edwards
Davey Richards
Manik
Crazy Steve
Lots of crazy spots throughout the match. Davey went to grab the title, but Manik came back and hit a sunset flip and powerbombed Davey into the ladder.
Sanada then climbed the ladder and grabbed it while Eddie tried to stop it.
MVP came out. He reiterates the new matches for tonight. Bobby Lashley vs Samoa Joe as well as Austin Aries vs Kenny King and the winner of those matches will go on to face each other and Eric Young in a triple threat match.
Samoa Joe vs. Lashley
I really don’t know this product or its roster and only occasionally recognize someone from WWE or some other former promotion. I remember Bobby Lashley from the big Donald Trump vs. Vince Mcmahon in a hair vs. hair match back at Wrestlemania 23.
This time Lashley jumps Joe immediately after the bell rings. Lashley dominated a lot of this match.
This Samoa Joe guy is really over with the crowd (for reasons I don’t quite understand) & rallies back with a kick to the head,
but Lashley powers out. OH NO, REF GOT IN THE WAY. Spear, Lashley wins.
Magnus vs. Willow
Again, I really have no idea who any of these people are, but we are having fun enjoying the show and loving the isolation of having three whole rows to ourselves.
A guy named Bram is in the corner of Magnus & a total rip-off of Mick Foley’s Mankind charachter – a guy named Abyss is in the corner of Willow.
Magnus did the old Finlay spot where Willow goes for a baseball slide but he opens the canvas trapping Willow in it.
Though Willow is in a mask, his attire and well, really everything else about him is totally Jeff Hardy, until I look closer and realize “Wait…that IS Jeff Hardy!”
This was certainly confirmed when as hits two twist of fates for the pinfall.
Borash introduces Kurt Angle, who will give the Hall of Fame announcement. He introduces two men who I recognize as the Dudley Boys (but here are called Team 3D) who will be inducted at the next Pay-Per-View. Great team, one of my old favorites and I was happy to see them.
As I would learn, that this was something of a reunion for these guys as Bubba Ray is largely a solo act here under the name of Bully Ray.
Crowd chanted the ol’ “we want tables!!” at a fever pitch for an impressive amount of time as D-Von and Bubba hugged.
A very real, legitimately special moment that you don’t get too often. Certainly deserving as they’ve won every tag team title & held a major footprint in every company they’ve been a part of, including TNA.
Austin Aries vs. Kenny King
Aries started to mount an offense and gets the last chancery locked in but Kenny rakes the eyes and counters with a blockbuster.
Kenny goes for something off the top rope, but Aries counters it with a brainbuster off the top rope for the pinfall. Really good match.
Borash comes back and diverts the attention to some Dallas Cowboys that are in the audience before introducing the Von Erichs.
The main reason we are here – If you were a wrestling fan in the 1980s (& especially if you lived in Texas, and specifically right here in the DFW area) I don’t have to remind you of their contributions to the sport but locally they transcended all of that and were freaking GODS when I was growing up, & I was one of their biggest fans.
If you know anything about them, sadly you probably know of the unimaginable tragedies that befell them, claiming literally the entire family other than sole survivor Kevin Von Erich.
Because of this, Kevin relocated to Hawaii, raised his sons Ross & Marshall and trained them to wrestle. This is his first time back in DFW in over 10 years in any capacity and though not officially affiliated with TNA, he chose this event, in his hometown, on Father’s Day no less to debut the next generation of Von Erich wrestling.
What this means to this community, not just the wrestling fans, is paramount.
The Bro Mans vs. The Von Erichs
Ross and Marshall wait in the ring as Bro-Mans, Jessie Godderz & DJ Zema make their way out. Jessie cuts a promo & does the typical rip on the local sports teams (remember theirs a few Dallas Cowboys here tonight) & Texas in general. Kevin takes a seat in the front row to watch the match as a fan.
Marshall wrestles barefoot like his father. He works on Jessie and then Zema. Marshall calls for The Claw but Bro-Mans turn it around with some double teaming in the corner.
Back and forth match, Marshall and Ross look great in the ring. & Marshall imprsses with a moonsault for a pin but Jessie hits him with a chair for the disqualification.
Then IT happens – it was emotional enough just to see Kevin inside a wrestling ring again earlier, in DFW no less – but now to right this injustice, he hops the barricade and comes running in, beating up Zema and giving him the Von Erich patented claw as the entire arena (us included) freaking EXPLODE –
One of the biggest pops I’ve ever heard and as legitimately emotional as it gets – One of the biggest compliments the fans can give is when an older wrestler is in the ring still looking impressive and the crowd starts to chant “YOU STILL GOT IT!” –
He brings in his boys and they celebrate -Happy Father’s Day Kevin, glad you spent it with us.
Angelina Love vs. Gail Kim:
And now the other reason we are here – not only to see Jess’s fave wrestler Gail Kim but to see her face one of the hottest & most talented female performers in the biz Angelina Love.
Gail is out first – introduced by who I recognize is former WWE Diva Christy Hemme is also insanely hot.
Angelina comes out with her tag team partner Velvet Sky for a memorable entrance.
Angelina goes for a high kick early on but Gail dodges and hits a leg sweep.
Gail gets back in it when she throws Angelina headlong over the steel steps.
Back in the ring, Gail heads up to the top rope for the second time and is unsuccessful once again as Angelina interferes. Angelina then drags Gail down by the head and hit what I think was supposed to be an inverted bulldog, but either she went too far from the corner or Gail wasn’t ready to move. Whatever happened, Angelina goes for another pin but Gail kicks out.
When Gail scrambles to her feet, Velvet sprays her in the face with hairspray and the referee just lets it happen!
Earl “He Who Screwed Brett Hart” Hebner arrives on the scene and ejects both Velvet Sky and the crooked referee from the the ring.
Gail lines up a drop kick in the corner but Angelina gets out of harms way.
Meanwhile, Gail lays this referee out.
The other referee, who apparently is named Stiffler (what a name!) is back at ringside and tending to Earl when Gail hits her finisher- Nobody counts. Gail tries to get Earl up but nothing (This is known as the Dusty Rhodes finish)
Angelina rolls through, hits the pin, grabs the tights and Stiffler counts. Angelina retains.
Texas Death Match – Bully Ray vs. Ethan Carter III
Bully did his best Stan Hansen impersonation swinging a bull rope to the ring. Bully dominated early and set up 3 tables on the outside, removing the mat protection on the outside. Bully brings out a cheese grater. Why would those be lying around a wrestling ring? Were the ring crew just enjoying a piece of cheese before the matches started and oops, someone forgot to put it in the sink?
He continues this gory, hardcore style match (not my thing at all) by grinding it into EC3’s chest & useing a box cutter to destroy the ring and open up the canvas, exposing the wood paneling.
EC3 empties out a bucket Bully introduced earlier and there are shards of glass. Um, that doesn’t need to be used in pro wrestling ever. Bully hits the bubba cutter on EC3 into the glass.- This has gotten completely out of control – I am not into it at all.
He goes to splash EC3 into the table but Dixie Carter comes out and says no collides into Ec3 by “accident” & Bully puts Dixie on the tables.
He falls into the table with Spud pulling her out of harm’s way at the last second. Bully gets slammed into the tables and the referee counts to 10.
Ken Anderson vs. James Storm
I recognize Ken Anderson as the former WWE performer Mr. Kennedy, who I absolutely loved. He does that thing where they drop an old school microphone from the ceiling so he can introduce himself…complete with doing his echo – “Miiiiiiiiiiisssttaaaaaar ANNderson!!…….(wait for it)…..ANNderson!” – Great stuff
This feuds started when Anderson started to act like a dick to James Storm and as a result, they’re having a match.
Storm confronts the Cowboys, gives them the finger and spits beer at them.
With the ref distracted, one of the Cowboys came in and distracted Storm allowing Anderson to hit the mic check and the win.
TNA World Championship – Eric Young vs. Austin Aries vs. Bobby Lashley (Steel cage):
A brief intermission as they prepare the ring for a three-way Steel Cage match as Borash explains the rules.
Lashley started off hot early, using power to throw Eric Young and Aries around and threw them into the cage. Eric gains control and hits a nearfall in a great spot.
Aries hits a hurricanrana that sends both of them to the ground.
The Joey Styles OMG moment came when Young invoked the spirit of the Superfly and climbed to the top of the cage to deliver a flying elbow to Lashley.
Lashley breaks it up & goes for another spear, but misses and spears himself through the door out to the floor.
Young goes for a piledriver for the win.
Great, great match.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
This show FAR EXCEEDED any expectations we had. Everyone worked hard and the main event was great. I hope this sparks a change for the next six weeks of taping they’re doing.
Much of the good vibes of this card can be attributed to the crowd who were hot for everything tonight.
If TNA could nail-down a better weekly television product, these pay-per-views might actually sell, because on its own as a wrestling show, it totally delivered.
Photos –
Roy Turner
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