By JSO
June 24, 2015
Orlando, Florida
Kurt Angle and EC3 cut a promo hyping their World Title match. EC3 brought out Matt Hardy as Angle’s opponent tonight. Judging from their war of words, this is shaping up to be one hell of a main event next week. While Matt Hardy is a strange choice, it should be a good match.
Tigre Uno defeated Low Ki and Grado in a three-way elimination match to win the X Division Championship. Well, that’s a relief. I’m happy for Tigre; his sole purpose for coming to TNA was to help boost the X Division. Now we have a new belt and a new champion. Tigre even said it's the greatest night of his life. Here's hoping that TNA is dead serious about rebuilding the X Division.
There was a pre-tape with the Dollhouse. Taryn Terrell was upset with Jade and Marti over their loss. They talked about dismantling Brooke and Kong in a handicap match at Slammiversary.
Velvet Sky defeated Angelina Love with the Stunner to earn her spot on the TNA roster. Eh, I was expecting more of a heated brawl but this was a pretty solid match. Velvet's new offense seems better — maybe that time off was a blessing in disguise. If they play their cards right, there could be some interesting possibilities with this new character against the other Knockouts.
The Dirty Heels defeated the Wolves in a Full Metal Mayhem match when Aries pinned Edwards following a low blow from Roode. The crowd was definitely hot with the "We want tables" and "This is awesome" chants. Both teams worked their butts off and took some stiff shots to deliver a great match. Match #5 should be an epic masterpiece.
Jeff and Karen Jarrett came out and cut a promo in the ring. Jarrett talked about Global Force Wrestling, his history with TNA and returning for the King of the Mountain match. Wow, this is about as surreal as it gets. It truly is never say never in the wrestling business. It started like Scott Hall invading Nitro in '96 before it turned into an Ultimate Warrior moment with real emotions from Jeff, and even Karen in support of her husband. Such a historic moment, in my opinion.
Vader beat Bram by DQ when Bram used a steel turnbuckle on Vader. Matt Morgan came out for the save and cleared Bram out of the ring. WTF?! Vader and Matt Morgan literally came out of nowhere! TNA is living up to the hype with all these surprises tonight. While I don't agree with Bram struggling against an old geezer like Vader, I am interested in Morgan vs. Bram.
Eric Young defeated Chris Melendez with the Piledriver. Eh, it was a pretty straightforward match. Melendez got some decent offense, but at the end of the day he's still a rookie and EY put him down. Melendez obviously needs more seasoning while EY rebounded from the Kurt Angle feud. It served its purpose, nothing more.
The BDC and The Rising had a brawl that spilled out to the ring. Hernandez suddenly attacked the Rising and was revealed as the newest member of the BDC. Geez, now Hernandez is back? At least it makes sense why MVP was smiling after their loss a few weeks ago. Hernandez fits the BDC profile so to speak. There's also the possibility of an LAX reunion in the tag division, so why not?
Kurt Angle defeated Matt Hardy with the Ankle Lock. EC3 tried to attack Kurt after the match but got caught in the Ankle Lock to end the show. Great, competitive match. Matt deserves credit for being in great shape and he proved it against the very best in Angle. The aftermath was well done to set up the EC3 match. It's like Kurt may have been fatigued but still gained the psychological edge by trapping EC3 in the Ankle Lock. Good stuff.
Excellent show! So many awesome matches, moments and surprises rolled into one. Jeff Jarrett, Matt Morgan, Vader and Hernandez came out of nowhere and provided some cool nostalgia. Full Metal Mayhem was incredible, Angle/Hardy was great, and Tigre won the X Division Title. Looking forward to Slammiversary and Bell to Bell. Big thumbs up!
