TNA Slammiversary (June 12, 2016) & Impact Wrestling (June 14, 2016) -- Results & Afterthoughts

Slammiversary (2016) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). It took place on June 12 at the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the twelfth event under the Slammiversary chronology and the first event in the 2016 TNA PPV schedule.

Fatal 4 Way for X-Division Championship - Eddie Edwards def. Trevor Lee (c) vs. DJ Z and Andrew Everett to become NEW X-Division Champion

Amazing match to kick off this PPV event. I thought it was a nice touch to eject Gregory Helms from ringside too. About time that they let Everett and Trevor Lee stand on their own two feet, even though Helms looked like a Bond villain in his snazzy new suit.

The Tribunal (w/ Al Snow) def. Grado & Shera

This was just horrible from start to finish. I feel bad that the Legionnaires left NXT from one stupid storyline/angle to come to TNA in another. I wish they would do something more with Shera than him being a dancing goof. Grado showed promise in X-Division, why not have him go back to that? I can say the same about Rockstar Spud as well...

Also, can someone take that whistle away from Al Snow? Then again, I rather hear that instead of Allie's high pitched wailing and screaming at ringside...

Maria Kanellis vs. Gail Kim

Speak of the devil... here comes Allie with her high pitched shrieking at ringside during the next match. Sucks to see this match cancelled at the last second, but Billy Corgan made a nice save as the on-screen authority figure here to assess the situation by adding Gail Kim into the Knockouts title match.

Triple Threat Match for Knockouts Championship Match - Sienna def. Jade (c) and Gail Kim to become NEW Knockouts Champion

I felt a little bad for the ladies here because the crowd wasn't really into the match. Here's the thing. TNA Knockouts have ALWAYS put on acceptable matches; long before they signed women like Paige and the Forse Horsewomen and WWE started their "so-called" Divas Revolution. It's just that their crowds are conditioned to their women's matches not being the bathroom breaks of the night. This wasn't a bad match by any margin - it just lacked the crowd being hyped for it.

I think after the X-Division opener then with the crap that followed next, they didn't really perk back up yet to the wrestlers.

I was fine with the finish that saw Marti Bell (I laughed when a lot of people on social media thought she was Layla during the live broadcast...) screw Jade out of the win for Sienna to pick up the gold. It does two things simultaneously. One, Maria Kanellis' faction with Allie and Sienna has all of the power in the Knockouts division going forward

James Storm def. Braxton Sutter (Pepper Parks)

Not a bad match, especially with the emotional journey of Pepper Parks, now Braxton Sutter, coming to TNA. Pretty cool factoid to know that James Storm has worked ALL 14 Slammiversary events in TNA history. That being said, I didn't agree with Storm getting the win here. Given the build-up of Sutter, you'd think that he would get an emotional first "big" win of his TNA career tonight, but nope. This was over a bit too quick for my taste. They should've taken time from that horrible Grado/Shera vs. Tribunal match and gave it to these guys.

TNA Tag Team Championship Match - The Decay (c) def. BroMans (w/ Raquel)

There were lots of false finishes in this one to get the blood flowing back into this crowd to bring them back to life. I was ready to get salty the second it looked like the BroMans were about to win. FAR too soon for the Decay to be losing to anyone for the tag titles right now in my honest opinion. Plus, Raquel needs to educate her "boys" some more. I'm sure there's a lot more lessons she can teach them before they find success at the top of the division again.

Speaking of which, I wasn't too crazy about the finish as it really didn't make sense. Raquel attacked Rosemary (I dug that because it's good to start setting up more new Knockouts feuds as Gail Kim can't hold this thing together forever... On top of that, how many high profile feuds does she really have left is a better question...) then Robbie E and Crazzy Steve pulled their own girls off of each other, only for Rosemary to run back around and distract him AGAIN to allow Abyss to make the finish. I was left scratching my head on that one even though I was happy that the Decay retained the gold.

Full Metal Mayhem - Jeff Hardy def. Matt Hardy

I got to give the Hardy Boys credit. It's 2016 and they are STILL cooking up new crazy spots in TLC/Full Metal Mayhem matches.

"I haven't seen a man more psychotic than Matt Hardy..." A direct quote by Josh Matthews during this match. Obviously he hasn't been paying much attention to the Decay lately...

That spot with the keyboard was fucking stupid though. It looked like it bashed Jeff in the face upon impact (no pun intended). Jeff is lucky that thing didn't knock his teeth out.

I lost count somewhere within the middle of the match but Jeff had to have hit Matt with at least 4-6 Twists of Fate and about 3 Swanton Bombs. Good grief, man.

I don't see how they can keep this feud going from here. Jeff has "killed" Matt like twice now.

EC3 def. Mike Bennett

If you don't see nor realize that EC3 is TNA's biggest star right now, then you're crazy. The crowd turns into Full Sail for NXT when his music hits. This match was a little underwhelming for me. Outside of the numerous near-falls and brawling out of the ring, it was a pretty standard match that could have been on Impact on the weeks leading up to this. I was expecting a lot more in terms of the finish, especially after what Bennett took away from EC3 in terms of his "undefeated" streak.

Sue me. I was expecting something more here to say that they were keeping this feud pretty intense until now and it ends as a pretty standard fair match? Just seemed like a missed opportunity to me.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match (Submission/Knockout to win) - Bobby Lashley def. Drew Galloway (c) to become the NEW World Heavyweight Champion

I honestly busted out laughing when Galloway hit the Claymore as soon as the bell rung. I thought it was going to be over that quick. Fortunately, I was wrong and man, they made that one worth the wait. They definitely had me on the edge of my seat as I had no idea who was going to come out as the winner with so many near-falls and false finishes.

I wish Lashley would lose the headband. He looks like the ultimate douchebag wearing that in a wrestling match. That's something you see guys in the NBA wearing not pro wrestlers. (Shrugs) Maybe he should keep it. It's adding to his heel heat as I'm definitely not alone in hating that fashion accessory.

I feel that the loss here doesn't hurt Drew Galloway as it gives him the opportunity to be in the chase yet again. A rising star like Galloway needs more obstacles in his way to challenge him and allow him to grow into an even better wrestler and major player for the promotion.

That being said, this was a fairly decent event, with just about every match other than the Grado/Shera vs Tribunal match being worth the watch. Regardless, I'm sure the TNA haters will find something to complain about here. There's enough to go forward with and build towards future events throughout 2016.

---

Impact Wrestling (LIVE!! June 14, 2016)

I didn't catch the "live" broadcast since I was napping after work Tuesday evening, but I heard about the technical difficulties that Pop TV had that caused the show to be postponed for over 45 minutes. That wasn't TNA's fault at all, but sucks all round since this was Gold Rush night, which wasn't a bad night of Impact at all. 

Bobby Lashley opens the show with a heel promo, rubbing salt into the wound that he dethroned Drew Galloway and reclaimed the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. I can dig this Lashley. More of this PLEASE, TNA. I was skeptical at first, but I can dig Lashley in this position as the top monster powerhouse heel. EC3 and Galloway were quick to name themselves as challengers, but Galloway was the one who won out on that vie for the title match by cashing in his rematch clause. 

I dunno about that as they could have saved that for the next PPV. I wouldn't mind EC3 getting another run with the gold if it ends up with Mike Bennett scratching and crawling his way up to that position like EC3 did during his "campaign". 

King of the Mountain Championship Match - Eli Drake (c) def. Jeff Hardy

I don't know why they just don't call the KOTM title the TV title again. That's all what it is now as they essentially don't defend the match in a KOTM match for every title defense. Either way, I won't lie - I was half-asleep during this match until the finish that saw Matt Hardy screw Jeff Hardy out of the win for Drake to retain. 

Matt Hardy confronts "Brother Nero"

I said this on Twitter last night too, but Reby's boobs are the biggest stars of this feud. I don't see how Matt is still "disturbed" and "crazy" when he has a hottie like that to go home to. In either case, this confrontation sets up the Hardy Boys' match in a Steel Cage Match next week on Impact. I don't see how they are going to top some of the other crazy spots in this feud other than Jeff taking another one of those scary cage dive/falling spots. 

X-Division Championship Match - Eddie Edwards (c) def. Trevor Lee

This was a far cry from the match from Slammiversary as Gregory Helms was back at ringside and there was more focus on him trying to screw Edwards out of the title instead of focusing on Trevor Lee's athleticism. As much as I like the Helms Dynasty, Helms is holding Lee back in a sense. Helms should just sit back and let his boys handle their business on their own. 

The BroMans Discuss Their Hidden Cameras

I don't blame them at all. I would be all over spying on Raquel. If she's their "trainer" why don't they just ask her to let them hit that? I mean, c'mon now. She has to be interested if she approached them to help them out. 

Dixie Carter Announces Gail Kim as the newest member of the TNA Hall of Fame

(Stands up and applauds) This was LONG overdue, in my opinion. I know many say AJ Styles, Kazarian, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, James Storm, Bobby Roode, and so many TNA Originals deserve it more, but where are they now? They couldn't give a flying fuck about TNA right now, so let Gail Kim enjoy this. She's been a company loyalist since returning after her "failed" WWE return and there's no denying her impact on the Knockouts division as well as women's wrestling in mainstream wrestling as a whole. Gail Kim is the woman to beat when it comes to women's wrestling in mainstream wrestling. WWE wouldn't have batted another eye at taking their women's division(s) seriously until Gail Kim and the other Knockouts showed that women's wrestling can be a top draw instead of a bathroom break. 

Jeremy Borash interviews Marti Bell for her actions at Slammiversary

I don't mind them taking Marti in a new direction finally. They should've dropped the Dollhouse thing earlier than they did anyway. That stable stayed around well over it's welcome. I'm just happy to see that TNA is back to creating multiple Knockout feuds like they used to back when the division was new instead of focusing on 1-2 women at a time. Don't make the same mistakes that WWE are doing with their women's division.

Fatal 4 Way Match for TNA Tag Team Championship - The Decay (c) def. The Tribunal (w/ Al Snow), BroMans (w/ Raquel) and Grado & Shera

Can someone take that whistle and shove that shit up Al Snow's ass? He's about as annoying as Xavier Woods playing a trombone at ringside. This wasn't as long as the tag team matches on Slammiversary but it worked for what it was worth. With these three teams being the only competition for the Decay, then they don't have to worry about losing the gold before Davey Richards comes back from injury to reunite the Wolves. Goddamn, it's still not as bad as the WWE Tag Team landscape before they signed Gallows and Anderson...

I hope TNA signs a new tag team or injects some new blood into this division. The BroMans with Raquel are decent and all but I can't see them in the chase for the long term of the division.

Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis Express Their Distaste Over Recent Events

This felt a little too much like a wannabe shoot at one point and dragged on longer than it should have, but that slap from Dixie to Maria was LONG overdue. I'm fine with this as long as Dixie doesn't turn into the Stephanie McMahon of TNA where she doesn't put anyone over and chops the legs out underneath from every promising rising star.

I'm anxious to see where they take this as they need to keep pushing BOTH Bennett and Maria in their respective divisions.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match (Slammiversary Rematch) - Lashley (c) def. Drew Galloway

The top rope Celtic Cross was a sweet spot along with the exchange that included the Claymore into a ref bump and the pending Spear(s) from Lashley to end it. EC3 getting involved was a nice touch (although VERY predictable) and it sets up a potential triple threat down the road. The repeated Spears on Lashley on Galloway just added to Lashley's mean streak and sheer brutality,

Afterthoughts

It was unfortunate that Pop TV ran into some technical difficulties, especially right after TNA were trying to pick up momentum fresh off a solid PPV outing. Slammiversary wasn't bad at all outside of one match that I mentioned above, but it's going to be a hard sell to get more eyes on their product after Tuesday night's fiasco.

TNA is on the right track if the rumors about Billy Corgan taking more control of the company while Dixie Carter is quietly pushed into the background, despite remaining as an on-air authority figure when needed. I think they need to really focus on elevating the Knockouts, Tag Team, and main event divisions properly and people will definitely begin to care again. The talent has always been there - just need better direction. Since their rebirth on Pop TV, TNA has been putting on much better events than they were on their last lingering months on Spike TV and Destination America. I just wonder if they are going to maintain that time slot after July once WWE Smackdown! goes live on Tuesdays. I highly suggest TNA take the 9PM slot on Wednesdays after Lucha Underground and WWE NXT's new episodes or settle for Thursdays back in Smackdown's old time slot. 

Ring of Honor Final Battle 2014 -- Results & Afterthoughts

Final Battle 2014 is a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Ring of Honor (ROH). It took place on December 7, 2014 at the Terminal 5 in New York City, New York. Final Battle is ROH's biggest event of the year, similar to WWE's WrestleMania and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Bound for Glory.

Four Corner Survival Match - Hanson defeated Jimmy Jacobs (with B.J. Whitmer), Mark Briscoe, and Caprice Coleman

I've been a fan of Hanson since the Top Prospect Tournament at the beginning of the year and it's been a joy to watch him transform into his own star by the end of 2014. It was a bit lame to see Jimmy Jacobs and Mark Briscoe in this filler opening match, but they all looked strong here with the younger talent, Hanson and Caprice Coleman.

Roderick Strong def. Adam Page via referee stoppage

A part of me wishes that Roderick Strong would be the one member of the Decade that would be competing for the World Championship to give that group a sense of purpose other than feuding among themselves, but this match wasn't bad at all. Adam Page is growing into a man of his own right and I can tell that he's being groomed to take Strong's spot once Strong decides to splinter away from the rest of the faction.

The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) and ACH def. The Addiction (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) and Cedric Alexander

I love ALL of these guys in this match and you put them all together in ONE bout, you know it's going to be magical. It doesn't top most of the Bucks' other bouts from throughout the year, but it's definitely worth a look. If you're not a believer that ACH and Cedric Alexander have a bright future in this business, you will be a believer afterwards. I wouldn't be surprised if either WWE or TNA will be trying to scoop them up sooner more than later.

Michael Elgin defeated Tommaso Ciampa

I love seeing Elgin compete against ANYONE as I personally see him as ROH's Kurt Angle. He go toe-to-toe with anyone and make it look like one hell of a match. When he was squared up against Tommaso Ciampa, I knew this was going to be golden. I was surprised that Elgin came through with the win though as I was convinced that ROH would give Ciampa the win to balance out his kayfabe issues with authority over the last few months.

Tag team match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship - reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) (c) defeated Time Splitters (Alex Shelley and Kushida) via submission

If there's anything to learn from this match, it's that Alex Shelley doesn't need Chris Sabin anymore as a tag team partner. Fuck a Motor City Machine Guns reunion. Kushida has all of MCMG's old moves down and then some new ones with Shelley. I'm glad to see Shelley still making a name for himself out there in Japan. As for reDRagon, this was another solid outing for them in their tag title reign. I have to be honest. At the start of 2014, I thought reDRagon were just two losers who just lucked out to win the gold by a fluke, but they have won me over throughout 2014 with their continued success - each match being better than the last. reDRagon and Jay Lethal are among the best champions that ROH have seen in quite some time.

Moose (with Prince Nana and Stokely Hathaway) defeated RD Evans (with Veda Scott)

This match ended up being a squash as Veda Scott played RD Evans for a fool and betrayed him to join up with Prince Nana, effectively ending their partnership and taking on Moose as their sole client. Much like Brock Lesnar, Moose ended #TheNewStreak after whatever number of wins that RD Evans made up with zero losses. The joke was funny while it lasted. Now for all of these individuals to move onto bigger and better things in 2015.

After her exposure on TNA's Knockout Knockdown and FWE ReFueled, I hope Veda Scott is picked up by Impact Wrestling. I would love to see her as part of that roster once she decides to branch out from Ring of Honor.

Singles match for the ROH World Television Championship - Jay Lethal (with Truth Martini and J Diesel) (c) defeated Matt Sydal

To say this was Matt Sydal's first PPV bout back in ROH, he definitely hasn't skipped a beat. If you thought his match against AJ Styles was amazing then you will be impressed here. Great match from top to bottom. Lethal's Lethal Injection (RKO) counter to Sydal's Shooting Star Press would make Randy Orton proud. Jay Lethal ended 2014 on a strong note as professional wrestling's best mid-card title holder of 2014, defending his title around the clock and overcoming EVERY challenge thrown his way. Whether you love or hate him, you have to admit that Lethal's reign has been impressive.

Fight Without Honor for the ROH World Championship - Jay Briscoe (c) def. Adam Cole

From start to finish, these guys gave each other everything they had and then some. I honestly thought that Adam Cole was going to walk away as ROH World Champion again. Boy, was I wrong. Adam Cole is definitely ROH's best pure heel and I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't wind up with the title by the end of 2015. That being said, I'm sure the bad blood between the Briscoes and the Kingdom is FAR from over.

ROH Champions vs. All-Stars 2014 - Results & Afterthoughts

Ring of Honor returned to internet Pay-Per-View (iPPV) on Saturday, October 11, 2014 with their Survivor Series/Bragging Rights-style event, Champions vs. All Stars, pitting ROH's Champions against their All Stars (mostly #1 Contenders) in a 4 vs 4 Team Elimination Main Event.

To my personal delight, Veda Scott replaces Steve Corino on commentary for the first half of this event. Steve Corino returns for the latter half of the card.

Nigel confronts Tommaso Ciampa

The show opens with Scarlet Bordeaux welcoming Nigel McGuiness to the ring as she acts as ROH's personal ring announcer for tonight's event. She's sporting strawberry pink hair, which I'm guessing is leftover from her time acting as one of Adam Rose's Rosebuds on WWE.

Nigel formally welcomes back Ciampa but warns him that there will be NO tolerance for Ciampa attacking officials and other non-wrestlers outside of sanctioned matches. If he failed to comply that Ciampa would be banned from ROH. Nigel adds that Ciampa will be replacing Mark Briscoe in tonight's main event since he hasn't been medically cleared after being exposed to poison ivy.

Seriously, that's HANDS DOWN the most creative and the most stupid excuse to replace someone in a wrestling match that I've heard in YEARS. Bravo, ROH.

BJ Whitmer def. Will Ferrara

Ferrara seems to be ROH's next breakout star for 2015 as he was playing the underdog role here against Whitmer's vicious offense.

Ferrara made a strong impact during the Honor Rumble on the October 11th TV taping that was aired the very night that this event was live on iPPV. Unfortunately for Ferrara, tonight wasn't his night as the Decade's own BJ Whitmer made short work of him as payback for what happened during that match. I wouldn't be surprised if Ferrara is jobbing to the House of Truth on the next set of TV tapings after eliminating them from the Honor Rumble.

UPDATE: During the October 25 TV taping, Ferrara was given a Television Championship match against Jay Lethal - thus confirming my prediction about ROH getting behind this kid.

TaDarius Thomas def. Owen Tavers

This was the only "throw-away" match on this card, as Owen Tavers seemed to be a local jobber and not part of the current ROH roster - making this match completely pointless. That fact was driven home even more after the botched finish at the top rope (referee stopped the count at 2 even though there wasn't a kickout), forcing Thomas to finish Tavers with a spin kick to the face. 

Christopher Daniels def. Cedric Alexander

This was an amazing match from bell to bell. If Cedric Alexander isn't wearing gold by this time next year, I'm going to be shocked. Between him and ACH, they both have a strong future ahead of them in this profession. Christopher Daniels doesn't even skip a beat either and provides a worthy adversary for Alexander to test his skills against. This match was a nail-biter, especially in the final moments as you have no idea who is going to walk out of this as the winner.

Post-match Christopher Daniels gets on the microphone and puts over Cedric Alexander as the future of ROH and establishes the code of honor out of respect. Class act right here. Alexander may have lost (again in a high profile match) but he continues to win over fans and garner more respect from ROH's live audiences.

Jimmy Jacobs def. Frankie Kazarian 

Not a bad match, but I felt it was pretty crazy to book this immediately following Daniels/Alexander as that was a tough act to follow to begin with. Lots of near-falls and close calls in this one, but ultimately, Jimmy Jacobs comes out on top with a 2nd rope variation of the Contra Code to counter Kazarian's 2nd rope German Suplex attempt. It's also interesting to note that Jimmy Jacobs was pretty neutral in this match when The Decade are known for their heel antics.

Post-match, Jacobs gives an emotional promo about much it meant to win tonight in the very same building that he saw professional wrestling in for the first-time.

Matt Taven def. The Romantic Touch 

Keeping true to his namesake, The Romantic Touch wastes NO time hinting on Scarlet Bordeaux before the match starts.

This is rather confusing... I remember seeing Taven at the FWE ReFueled iPPV event last month and now he's back in ROH as a part (clearly heel now) of The Kingdom with Maria Kanellis, Mike Bennett, and Adam Cole. Shouldn't Taven be going after revenge towards Truth Martini and the rest of the House of Truth for betraying him? Yeah, I'm as confused as most of you guys.

UPDATE: Apparently, this iPPV was live AFTER ROH recorded their TV tapings that aired for October 25th while this event was live on October 11th. Way to spoil the "big surprise" for the TV tapings, ROH... Sheesh.

Matt Taven just seems like a poor man's replacement for Matt Hardy until he's done with the TV tapings for Impact Wrestling. He seems to be losing the "ladies' man" gimmick from before as well. Scarlet Bordeaux gave Taven the cold shoulder before AND after he won. Looks like Taven won't be winning back the "Hoopla Hotties" anytime soon.

I felt like this match should have went on after Daniels/Alexander. It felt more like a "cooldown" match than Jacobs/Kazarian was.

Champions vs. All Stars
ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe, ROH World TV Champion Jay Lethal w/ Truth Martini & ROH World Tag Team Champions reDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Adam Cole,Tommaso Ciampa Mark Briscoe, ACH and Roderick Strong

Get comfortable for this one as it's a well over a hour for this match, with a two hour time limit for this main event. The match itself is set up like a traditional Survivor Series match with the match continuing until there is a last man standing to deem either the team of Champions or All-Stars the winner.

Eliminations: 

1. Jay Lethal eliminated by ACH via School Boy Roll-up out of nowhere - This starts a minor "Bullshit" chant by the fans in attendance. I personally mark for both ACH and Jay Lethal, but that was just nuts to have Lethal lose within less than a minute into this match. 
2. Tommaso Ciampa via disqualification after Bobby Fish faked being hit with the Tag Team title. Ciampa goes nuts and levels everyone left with the gold until Nigel arrives to restore order just before Ciampa was about to lay his hands on the referee.
3. Kyle O'Reilly eliminated by Roderick Strong via an elevated backbreaker
4. Roderick Strong eliminated by Bobby Fish via quick roll-up immediately following O'Reilly's elimination. 
5. Bobby Fish via 450 Splash by ACH after receiving a Super Kick from Adam Cole.
6. Adam Cole via Doomsday Device by Jay Briscoe (w/ assist by Mark Briscoe) after Cole accidentally knocked ACH through the announcer's table at ringside. 
7. ACH via Jay Driller by Jay Briscoe to name Jay Briscoe the winner for Team Champions. 

Closing Thoughts

This wasn't a bad iPPV event at all. I just wish Ring of Honor advertised it better. Plus, it was pretty strange to air it LIVE the same night of their TV tapings. It was pretty short, but with only ONE throw-away match and a hefty-sized main event, I really can't complain much here. Even without the Young Bucks on the card, ROH really did give fans "more bang for their buck" - literally.