wrestling / Columns
411’s PPV Roundtable Preview: TNA Slammiversary 2008
Introduction:
Greetings, humanity! Welcome back to another 411 Round Table Preview. I am your host, Chris Lansdell, host of the hottest Sunday morning news report on 411, Lansdell’s Sunday Brunch, and this is the Slammiversary edition of the always-popular PPV Round Table! Aside from the annual King of the Mountain match, we have a potential show-stealer in Angle vs AJ, and 2 other titles up for grabs! Plus, the TNA in-ring début of Mickie Knuckles, AND the wedding of the year!
Also, starting this month and carrying on to Slammiversary 2009, we will be tracking the accuracy of each writer’s predictions, and the bonus points for the extra stuff I throw in from time to time. Winner gets…something. I have a year to figure that out.
Who’s going to do what to whom? Let’s see what the 411 Illuminati have to say!
With us this month:
Movie reviewer par excellence, Shawn S Lealos!
Captain of the Navigation Log, Matt Short!
That Westerfeld guy.
Video reviewer and my personal statistician, Jeremy Thomas!
“Writer” of Truth B Told and published pervert, Bayani Domingo!
Original Gangsta Shimmy, Andy Clark!
Former Ask411 guru and general staff member, Gavin Napier!
From The Bowery, Robert Leighty, JR!
High-Impact Chronicle’s Owain Brimfield!
Enemy of Canadians everywhere, Larry Csonka!
And, of course, the Lansdellicious One himself, Chris Lansdell!
TNA Sacrifice 2008
THE CARD:
KONG’S $25,000 CHALLENGE
Jeremy Thomas: Ahh, hell, just when I was confident in my predictions. *Sighs* Okay, well, most of the Knockouts who’ve gotten much face time to speak of are in the tag match. This is going to be another squash for Kong, that much I’m pretty certain of, and it’s too much of a crap shoot to pick a non-TNA contracted wrestler, so I’m going to guess it’s going to be a Knockout. Someone that she can squash whose credibility won’t be hurt, as they’ll never be built up as a challenger to Kong…oh, well, that makes it fairly easy.
OPPONENT: Christy Hemme
RESULT: Hemme gets flattened
Matt Short: This has been one of the better “challenge” angles in ages. I’m not as up to date on who’s coming up or likely to début with TNA soon, but I think there’s good odds of someone like Christie Hemme getting murdered. Who would I most like to see? Daizee Haze comes to mind.
Jarrod Westerfeld: Well, it looks like fans was out of the question as this thing progressed – I blame Devon and Ray for not producing enough new girls to feed to Kong. Either way, I could see this being the stage to open up to more of the ladies from SHIMMER, so why not throw in a Daizee Haze or even a Sarah Stock? I could actually see this thing continuing up until Victory Road, where Raisha Saeed reveals herself to be Cheerleader Melissa, though I doubt that would actually happen. Either way, I’m sensing a Kong win – no dispute over the earnings just yet, that’s going to take place on an Impact, I feel.
Andy Clark: TNA says “Fuck Mexico” because Vince Russo hates foreign wrestlers anyhow and brings in Sarah Stock. Takes it too Kong but Kong decides to leave. The World X Cup is now screwed.
Robert S. Leighty JrKong kills some bitch dead, and then a bigger name (perhaps Hemme) gives it a go, and also gets killed dead.
Owain J. Brimfield: Although it probably makes the most sense for Kong to face a genuinely tough opponent here, I’d just love to see her kill another bitch. Hell, make it two or three. This has been the most consistently entertaining segment on Impact all month and whichever way they go with it, I’ll be sure to pay close attention.
Larry Csonka: The angle has progressed well and on Impact this week they went to known wrestlers, a good change I think, trying to challenge Kong. They are using this better as a way for someone to get noticed and possible earn a job. I feel that they will keep with that this time, likely debuting Shantell Taylor for the gig. I will say that this is where the tide fully turns, as she either gets the fluke win or angers Kong so much with her resilience that Kong gets DQ’d. That will lead to a feud and dispute over the money.
Chris Lansdell: I was no more impressed with this angle than any other “fan challenge” angle until this Impact, which got Becky FREAKING Bayless on my TV. I mean, watching Kong kill bitches dead is fun, but aside from the actual Kong Bombs, the beatings have been ugly. I think we’ll get either Jazz or Daizee Haze here, and they will put up a fight before getting obliterated.
Shawn S. Lealos: I don’t really have an opinion of this. I think it will be very cool to see Kamala and Koko B. Ware. What are the odds Snake Roberts will ruin Jay’s wedding? This should be the moment that Sonjay Dutt will make his heal turn. It’s about time.
Matt Short: I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crowd get so excited to see Koko B. Ware like when they announced it at the bachelor party this past Thursday. And by excited I mean strained enthusiasm. Nothing against the guys they’re getting for this, but let’s be honest with ourselves, it’s all for camp value. Jake Roberts is in the same boat, though he gets a little bit more respect that Koko or Kamala. However, I’m a fan of camp so whatever. I don’t see this being a huge draw, but it could be an entertaining segment provided that it doesn’t eat up time that should be going to matches. Sonjay Dutt heel turn? It’s more likely than you think.
Jarrod Westerfeld: I foresee this thing getting about 30 minutes of on-air time, and not just for the wedding, I’m talking all backstage promos building up to the actual wedding which should eat up a good 12 or so minutes. If TNA were smart, and we know they aren’t, we’d see this go the Full Monty with comedy, that means Koko dragging a dead parrot around and talking to it, Kamala cutting a heart-warming speech, while everyone expects him only to drool out what one would only assume would be Ugandan, and Jake Roberts thinking Jay really is Macho Man, and trying to break up the wedding, all while Sonjay tries to remind him that’s his job. Whatever, though, Lethal is a putz as he looks like the type of whipping boy that would want to marry the first girl he got with after only a few months of knowing them, and TNA looks like a loser for rushing this angle for the sake of giving us a reason to see Dutt finally turn heel. Someone pull away Terry Taylor’s tape collection because that man can’t help buy try and recycle ideas others utilized long before him. +5 Kudos points to you if you caught that reference.
Jeremy Thomas: You know, I’d swear this sounds familiar somehow. Hold on, lemme think…I’m thinking something around the general, vague ballpark of, oh…sixteen years, nine months, and thirteen days before this event. Yeah, I think that sounds right. Ahh, you silly TNA writers, you got us again! So, let’s see if I can imagine what’s going to happen. Jay and Val will get married, of course…then at the reception, Val’s going to open a box with a live snake in it that will frighten her. Everyone will think it’s Jake, for some ODD reason…and then Sonjay Dutt will crash the reception (I’m sure he’s invited, but it’ll be called crashing it anyway) with a returning Abyss, and they’ll attack Lethal. This will lead to Lethal coming out of “retirement” to feud with Du–oh, sorry, I forgot, Lethal’s not retired. Got a bit too wrapped up in the past. Anyway, this will be both fun and stupid, I think, and Dutt should probably turn heel now, FINALLY. If they can somehow get Randy Savage to show up to give Jay some advice, this would be the greatest TNA moment of all-time…but naah, probably not gonna happen.
Bayani Domingo: This actually seems like it might be pretty damn entertaining if the reports are correct and we’ll be getting all those wacky cameos. Funny how a lot of WWE fans cream all over themselves when they get random appearances by old wrestlers, but if TNA is doing it then they piss all over it. I think this should be harmlessly good fun and it will end up with Sonjay turning….EVIL and finally give the guy some direction and a decent feud. In……DEEED!!
Andy Clark: For the most part this will go off without a hitch. There may be some wackiness with the groomsmen, especially Jake Roberts, but the wedding should actually take place. Here’s hoping Machismo is the one to turn heel and not Sonjay, playing up the Mega-Powers Exploding. Oh, and since there really isn’t anywhere else to put this, Abyss will make his return when Eric Young introduces “Elvis”…who turns out to by the Honky Tonk Man. Black Hole Slam to both.
Gavin Napier: Blah blah blah. Heel turn, Snake Roberts, nostalgia, rehash, 80s, ripoff, Lethal, Dutt, TNA, stupid, entertaining. Mix those up and come up with your own thoughts on this. Everybody should be pretty sure of what’s going to happen here.
Robert S. Leighty Jr: Having Jake there tips the idea that he will be the one to crash the wedding. I think he does just that, but he does it while in a crazed trance. The audience at home can hear some music, but those on screen can’t. It is revealed that Sonjay (who is from India) is playing up his Snake Charmer heritage, and gets Roberts to do his bidding. Eventually Sonjay gets tied in the ropes and a hooded figure sicks a snake on his bicep. Everyone is screaming that it’s Jake, but the hood comes down and Sonjay screams “It’s me, Lethal. It’s me all along.”
Owain J. Brimfield: I’m happy about this simply because it’s the only real bit of wackiness on the entire card, which is a massive step up from previous months. I expect we’ll see the Sonjay heel turn and some sort of Snake/Sonjay beatdown on Machismo.
Larry Csonka: This could either be very fun or very bad. I am afraid that it gets too much time and slows down the momentum of the PPV, but I hope I am wrong. Dutt supposedly has a surprise, maybe he got Val drunk and married her already? THE DUTT/VAL ERA! Let’s hope it is kept short and simple.
Chris Lansdell: I see this one happening between AJ-Angle and the KotM, because the former is bound to outshine the latter. What gets me, though, is how everyone seems to be sure that the REAL Jake, Steele, Koko and Kamala will be at the wedding. This is TNA we’re talking about, the same company that is currently doing imitation gimmicks of Stone Cold and Macho Man. As for Sonjay’s surprise….it’s either video of Jay boinking one of the backstage girls, or Val is really a man, which explains that face. Bitch be Ug-Lee. No, really, Sonjay turns heel in some way.
Shawn S. Lealos: The Beautiful People have suddenly become viable wrestlers recently. Color me surprised. I really think the women’s division in TNA is still the strongest of the Big 2. With Gail Kim walking without crutches, she has been added along with the muscle Mickie Knuckles. It doesn’t matter. It’s time for Roxxi to get her revenge against The Beautiful People.
WINNER: ODB, Gail Kim and Roxxi
Matt Short: The Beautiful People are high on my list of favorite groups to watch on TV these days. They might have a fairly generic gimmick, but they make it work. What really helps this feud is the fact that all the ladies involved have done their part to really make it interesting in the ring and out of it. I have pretty high expectations for this match. The addition of Mickie Knuckles should be a fresh twist to the match-up. I would be inclined to say that the heels win this one to extend the feud, but I get the feeling that they’ll want to end this so they can move on to find the next major challenger for Kong. I suppose Roxxi would continue to feud with them though.
Winners: ODB, Gail Kim, & Roxxi
Jarrod Westerfeld: The things I could say about this all. I’m glad for Mickie, and major kudos to the TNA make-up staff for making Mickie look really good in her début – I swear, she didn’t even look like the Mickie I’ve seen before, but then again, she wasn’t bloodied to hell and back, and actually looked feminine. But at what point was Roxxi supposed to come out of this looking like she was the major face in this feud? I get more of the feeling that this was all meant to further ODB’s career, despite the fact the one who ate the shaving was Roxxi! Just what the fuck, TNA? You got Roxxi over with some major sympathy, and just like everything else that falls into your lap as being the goose that laid the golden egg, you drop the fucker into a frying pan and cook it for dinner thinking it was a blessing that you wouldn’t have to starve for the night. Brill-fucking-liant.
What else CAN be said about this that would leave me on a fucking tear? Honestly, I’d love to draw blood just from these words I’m so aggravated over the booking of this match. They had a good thing coming out of that over-booked ladies match from Sacrifice, and going into this show, they squandered it by further building an already over ODB, and made The Beautiful People continue to walk away from the exchanges looking only that much better, and that much more clever. I can’t even see TNA doing the responsible thing here and having Roxxi pull away with a decisive win to try and get back SOME of her momentum, as it’ll probably end up being Kim or ODB who gets the pin – though Mickie might just be a surprising enough factor here to give her team the win. You know what? Let’s bank on that instead.
Winner: The Beautiful People and Mickie Knuckles
Jeremy Thomas: More Knockout fun, and I just love what they keep doing with this division. The Knockouts, obviously, own the Divas in about every sense of the word. This should be a fun match, and with the few number of actual matches on the card, it should get some good time, too. Mickie will make this a more even contest, but following TNA booking logic, the new, impressive, built-up talent gets to take the pin on their first Pay-Per-View. We can’t have too much momentum, right? Although it’ll be nice to see Roxxi get her revenge, and move on to Kong.
WINNER: ODB, Kim, and Roxxi (Roxxi pins Mickie)
Bayani Domingo: I have to figure that Gail is going to be limping around the ring selling her “injury” and that in order for this to go down right she will end up taking the pinfall here due to “not being cleared to wrestle”. This keeps The BP strong and doesn’t hurt Roxxi or ODB. Then again since Gail is the most popular female in the match I could also see ODB eating the pin and keeping the BP strong and on top of the TNA knockout division whilst Kong is busy killing random bitches.
Winner: Los Bonita Personas
Andy Clark: Gail and ODB are perpetually over, the Beautiful People are the hot new act, and there is a new wrestler that needs to get put over. The winners here are pretty clear. Hey, that rhymes!
Winners: The Beautiful People & Mickie Knuckles
Gavin Napier: TNA has done a fantastic job of establishing the Knockouts division up and down. There was a point when it was simply Kong and Kim. Then it was Kong and Kim and ODB. Now it’s a legitimate division. This has been said to death, but if everything in TNA were booked half this well, they’d be a ball of fire right now. That said, the Knockouts division has been all about the heels for a while now. Kong has been dominant. The Beautiful People were responsible for shaving Roxxi’s head, costing Gail the title, and knocking out ODB. Then just when it looked like the face-ettes were going to make some headway, Mickie Knuckles (GREAT pickup, btw) tilted the odds in favor of the heel-ettes again. At some point the faces have to go over. My guess is that it’s going to be Slammiversary.
Winner: ODB, Gail Kim, and Roxxi.
Larry Csonka: If you have paid attention to my recent columns, you should know that I have really enjoyed the evolution of The Beautiful People. They have turned into a real bitch group and have done so convincingly. I also like the addition of Mickie knuckles as their muscle, as they said, they CAN fight ugly. I think that the bad girls have to go over here again to really cement them as bitches, leading to a stipulation match at Victory Road.
WINNER: The Beautiful People and Mickie Knuckles
Robert S. Leighty Jr:The Heels get the win to continue the feud a little longer. Eventually Roxxi gets her revenge, but in a 6 Woman Tag isn’t the time. Her time will come though.
Winner: The Beautiful People and Mickie Knuckles
Owain J. Brimfield: The Beautiful People can frankly do what they please on my screen. Gorgeous AND interesting characters? My goodness, but yes, this women’s division is top notch.
WINNER: The Beautiful People and Mickie Knuckles
Chris Lansdell: Is Mickie Knuckles married to Bumpie Knuckles? This is another example of TNA throwing their current ratings cow on the PPV in a last-minute match. That said, this could be good fun, and Mickie vs ODB could be interesting. There’s really no way the faces will go over here, since heels winning is the time-honoured formula for a feud that Must! Continue!
Winners: Sky Love Knuckles
Shawn S. Lealos: This has been a great face turn for AJ Styles and this match has the opportunity to be fantastic. Kurt is wrestling with legit injuries and that might cut into what he can do, but if they let AJ fly around the ring like he used to, Kurt can work on the pure wrestling game trying to ground the Phenomenal One. This has the chance to be MOTN and I hope is the start of the rebirth of what made AJ the best wrestler in the company to begin with. TNA, please don’t let Karen Angle play any role in this match.
WINNER: AJ Styles
Matt Short: I’d be looking forward to this match even more were it not for Kurt Angle’s neck. Worrying about something like that can really ruin a match as you can find yourself more interested in seeing a potential accident than a great match. And I do think we’ll get a great match here, because Angle has shown how great he can be even though he’s hurt. With AJ flying around this will be a must see match. Here’s hoping that whatever happens Angle takes some much needed rest. I say AJ takes it, getting the rub from Angle while heading into his rest period.
Winner: AJ Styles
Jarrod Westerfeld: Seriously, this was well built and had me pledging to buy any pay-per-view this would appear on…but it’s too early. Never mind the last 3 weeks (and yes, I missed this week’s edition feeling sick and wanting to go to bed early, so I’ll have to catch up with that later on) which has left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth considering AJ ate 2 beat downs from the heels, when the first was so much more sufficient. What I’m bothered by here is the fact that Kurt is still hurt, and no one is being the responsible adult here. Kurt refuses to sit down, a problem he’s had going back to his days in the WWE; and TNA refuses to be responsible and sideline Kurt when they know his history with working through pain and injury. I could’ve done without this match this month for the sake of Kurt’s health, and instead gone with Tomko and AJ for this card, as that would only further add to this great build. As it stands, the only thing I’m hoping for out of this match is that no one will get hurt and everyone will walk out of it alive and well to see another day. As to the booking of who goes over, Kurt needs to in order for this to further build to a big blow off, which sadly means many more people will cry that AJ was “jobbed” out, when really he’ll probably eat a dubious pin after some shenanigans, a trademark of TNA.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Jeremy Thomas: AJ’s been getting his ass kicked week in and week out, and it’s time for him to get a win back to solidify him as a threat to Kurt. This should be a great, if somewhat toned-down due to Kurt’s injury, match, and I can see Tomko interfering to put AJ in peril, then Karen providing the final distraction to cost Kurt the match. It’ll likely be a overbooked mess, but in the end, AJ should, by any sense of logic, get the win here.
WINNER: AJ Styles (Roll-Up following Karen slapping Kurt)
Bayani Domingo: I’m at a loss for how this goes. One would think that AJ takes a beating as either Tomko or perhaps someone else gets involved and saves Angle from having to job. Then again the real focus has been on AJ lately and you don’t want to kill his momentum. I could see some shenanigans taking place allowing AJ to win, but not resoundingly. The best case scenario is AJ wins, takes revenge on Kurt and puts him on the shelf for a bit so he can heal up and then get back at AJ again. At the very least this would even up the series at a win a piece as Angle got a win a while back on Impact over a “face” AJ.
Winner: “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince” AJ Styles
Andy Clark: This match should be awesome. The build up has been great and it’s cool to see AJ back as a face. I actually loved how AJ got to recharge his batteries as a kickass face for a few years playing the goofy heel sidekick, but now we’re back to early-TNA AJ. Even if Angle’s neck is better I still expect a great match here. This should just be the beginning so I doubt AJ gets his revenge, just a solid beatdown where he can look courageous.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Gavin Napier: It’s unfortunate that Kurt isn’t healthy, because this would have been the midway frontrunner for match of the year. Don’t count it out just because Kurt is wounded – this is a rare collection of talent in a singles match. This is the best worker of the last ten years against my pick for the best worker of the next ten years. Angle will know how to pace himself and keep things on the ground. AJ will handle the high spots and bring the emotion into play. AJ Styles matches are usually the highlight of the card for me, and this is no exception. If AJ wins outright, the feud is essentially over, and who wants that? I’ll call Tomko-ference.
Winner: AJ Styles via disqualification, followed by Tomko and Angle beatdown.
Robert S. Leighty Jr: I have been waiting for this match for over a year, and hopefully it will live up to all our expectations. I don’t think it can touch Michaels/Angle from WM 21, but it should give Joe/Angle I a run for the money. If they are feeling it, matching Joe/Angle II should be no problem. Just please let this men put on a show, and leave Karen out of the match for now. Maybe in the rubber match bring her back, but let these 2 men go.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Owain J. Brimfield: If it wasn’t for Angle’s injury I’d see him winning to prolong the feud, but given that he frankly NEEDS some time off I really hope AJ gets a decisive win here.
WINNER: AJ Styles
Larry Csonka: In ways the feud has been built well and in others it has pissed me off with all of the “ANGLE FAMILY MATERS” shit. I also think it is a mistake for Angle to wrestle here due to his injuries. I say we get a no contest, a brawl and AJ doing something crazy to take Angle out for a bit, establishing some temporary revenge.
WINNER: NO CONTEST
Chris Lansdell: How awesome would this match be with a healthy Angle? Not as good as people seem to think. Sure it would probably tickle ****, but I question Kurt’s ability to work with AJ on a believable level. I just don’t think they will have the chemistry. As it is, Kurt is not going to be taking any head bumps, so look for a lot of offence from him, a brief AJ comeback, and interference leading to a cluster to top it all off. Got to get Sting, Matt Morgan, James Storm and Tomko on the show somehow!
Shawn S. Lealos: LAX should be in for a strong title run and Team 3D are just as big without the belts as with them. When one team needs belts and the other team doesn’t, I go with LAX. Team 3D can still bring it when motivated and LAX has really become one of the best teams in any federation.
WINNER: LAX
Matt Short: To me, this felt like it was filler on TV but the story behind it is a solid one. LAX defeated Team 3D for the vacant Tag Team Titles, so it makes sense that they be the first challengers. Can’t go wrong with that, especially when you play off the past history between the two teams. LAX should definitely retain here as they’re due for a decent run as champions. A second win of Team 3D will help build them again.
Winners: LAX
Jarrod Westerfeld: What? Seriously? I thought Team 3D, along with Emperor Huffman, would be so focused on Christian and Rhino that we’d see LAX defend against another team. You mean to tell me that this entire time that Team 3D and the rest of the Heel Faction get to look so dominant, with the champs getting little to no air-time rolling into this feud, that I’m supposed to believe that the champions have a fighting chance to walk out retaining? I’m sorry, but I’ve got Team 3D pegged to take what they’re due, despite what everyone else thinks about LAX being the more deserving team – maybe talent wise, but kayfabe tells me that the more dominant Team 3D look like they’re owed what’s coming to them, and have been owed this title run since first dropping the titles last year. While I know TNA will keep the belts on LAX to keep their fans happy, I’m still going with who strikes me as being more deserving as far as the storylines go.
Winner: Team 3D
Jeremy Thomas: This one’s pretty simple; LAX just got the belts after that overbooked mess with the Deuces Wild tournament. Team 3D make complete sense as the first challengers, but no way to they flip-flop the tag belts this quickly. I’d also like to take this opportunity to say that Slammiversary here is doing right exactly where Sacrifice did wrong. A short number of matches that can get a lot of time, and only one gimmick match. This is easily shaping up to be TNA’s best show of the year. Anyway, LAX beats Team 3D after a good brawl, and make it out of Slammiversary with their belts.
WINNER: LAX (Homicide pins Devon; STILL TNA World Tag Team Champions)
Bayani Domingo: LAX goes over here. No reason to give team 3D a run with the belt now and totally neuter LAX, besides I really want an LAX/MCMG title feud down the line and the possibilities of them facing some of the other teams seem a lot more promising than Team 3D.
Winner: LAX
Andy Clark: In the past these two have not had very good matches, but hopefully that can change here. LAX will probably retain but I don’t think that will last long.
Winners and STILL TNA World Tag Team Champion: LAX
Gavin Napier: If only the Motor City Machine Guns would have bladed. Instead of a rehash of a feud that fell flat last year, we could be seeing LAX take on the Guns in what would be a showcase of TNA’s tag team division and young talent. I expect this match to follow the pattern that the matches between these two teams have set in the past – things will start slow, be kind of sloppy in the middle, and the antics of both teams will draw the reluctant crowd into it. The end will be just as sloppy as the middle, and overbooked, but the crowd will be into it. I don’t see the need to move the tag titles again so quickly, and Team 3D have been great about doing the job over the last year.
Winners: LAX
Robert S. Leighty Jr: LAX should blow right through this match. Please don’t kill their new found momentum by having Guerrero turn. Let them run through Team 3D and move to bigger and better things.
Winner and Still TNA Tag Champs: LAX
Owain J. Brimfield: At this stage in their careers 3D should only exist to put people over, not as genuine contenders.
WINNER: LAX
Larry Csonka: If 3D is motivated the match should be good. Hopefully they don’t end the LAX run here and the match is a good one.
WINNER: LAX
Chris Lansdell: I can sum up my feelings on this match thus:
I mean, LAX are pretty good, but 3D just make me want to turn off like no team since VKM. LAX had better win, end of story.
Winners: LAX
Shawn S. Lealos: Petey Williams is another of the walking hurt and Kaz really needs some kind of title run to reward his great work over the last year. Scott Steiner might have something to do with the results of this match and knowing TNA they will keep it on a hurt Petey and continue to hold Kaz back. Kaz is the one who needs to win this match. The match will be nowhere near as good as it should have been without the injury to Petey.
WINNER: KAZ
Matt Short: Here’s another match where injury is playing a factor, though I don’t think Petey’s injury has people as riled up as Kurt Angle’s broken neck. Injury or not, I’d give this one to Kaz. You can’t deny that the man has been busting his ass for month and he’s due for a reward.
Winner: Kaz
Jarrod Westerfeld: Okay, is anything on this card going to make sense to me? Petey’s been out with injury, but that injury wouldn’t have stopped him from at least cutting promos. Kaz wins a King of the Mountain Ladder match over other X Division stars that grants him another World Title match at some point in time (don’t hold your breath), and hasn’t, at any point, built up this X Division title match. Why should I care for this title match outside of the fact that it’ll be a good match to sit down and watch? Not only that, should I really think Petey is going to retain over a number one contender to the World Title?
Winner: Kaz
Jeremy Thomas: I’m surprised they’re doing this match, as Petey was still supposed to be out by this point. I’m pissed as hell that Steiner decided, in typical Big Poppa Pump style, to bury the Terrordome match on Impact, but what can you do? It’s Steiner, and that’s the kind of thing you practically expect out of the douche any more. I expect a decent match that’s not as good as it could be, with Kaz getting the gold. And it’s about damn time, too.
WINNER: Kaz (Flux Capacitator; NEW TNA X-Division Champion)
Bayani Domingo: Petey must be really gutting it out because I can’t imagine he’s 100%. Something tells me this match either gets thrown out because of Steiner-ference or somehow Steiner might end up subbing for him instead. Kaz will eventually take the belt again, but I just don’t see it taking place here. Look for this feud to continue but it’s going to be tough as both of these guys seem to be getting pushes but someone has to eat the pin.
Winner: Lil’ Petey Pump
Andy Clark: Part of me wants to say Kaz needs to win to pay off all of these start and stop pushes, but another part of me wants to make sure Petey gets something out of this title run. Unless Steiner interferes on Petey’s behalf though I just don’t see him retaining.
Winner and NEW X-Division Champion: Kaz
Gavin Napier: Interesting choice here. The Petey and Scott Steiner tandem has paid off in a new look and new persona for Petey Williams beyond being “the guy that has that cool finisher”. And Kaz has been perpetually over since they started investing a little in him, even managing to survive that awful feud with Black Reign and Killer Spelled Backwards. I’d hate to see them move the belt from Petey this quickly, but I think that he and Scott could be a viable addition to the tag team ranks. The Latin American eXchange vs. North American Muscle? I’d watch. Kaz has looked great against Christian, Angle, and the entire X Division. The fans dig him and he’s the first guy in a VERY long time to have the buzz about him that the “original” X Division stars did. If TNA’s smart, they put the X Division title on him here. Thus..
Winner: Petey Williams
Robert S. Leighty Jr: Kaz was made to look strong the last show, but he is still not on the level with the Main Event. Give him the X Title and let him have a long run to season himself. It worked for Styles and Joe. It can work here.
Winner and New X-Division Champion: Kaz
Owain J. Brimfield: Kaz is definitely a future X-champion, but given his world title shot in the bank I can’t see him winning this AND getting a shot at the heavyweight title. Besides, we’ve needed a properly established X-Division champion for a while.
WINNER: PETEY WILLIAMS
Larry Csonka: With Kaz winning he title shot on Impact, I say he loses here due to Steiner costing him the match. This will likely derail Kaz again into a secondary feud with Steiner before he takes home the X-Title at a different time.
WINNER: PETEY WILLIAMS
Chris Lansdell: Another match i would be looking forward to if both guys were at 100%. Kaz has really shown over the past 6 months that he can step up to the next level when given the opportunity, and Petey finally has a gimmick that suits him. It will still be a good match, and they can work around this injury a little easier than Angle and AJ can. I’m torn on a winner, though. Petey deserves a good run with the belt, but he’s hurt and could be gone a little while longer, and a clean loss would hurt Kaz. With a world title shot coming next week, which he will lose of course, Kaz needs to look strong, and although a loss by Steiner-ference wouldn’t make him look bad, it’s hardly the way to build a world title challenger. Still, that seems to be the only sensible way to go.
Winner: Petey Williams
Shawn S. Lealos: I love King of the Mountain matches. My one gripe is James Storm should be in this match over Rhino. Everyone in the match should be good, but no one deserves the win more than Samoa Joe. Jeff Jarrett said in Samoa Joe needs to hold the title awhile to test his “It Status” in TNA. So, the question is what will happen. Abyss is coming back this Sunday, so expect to see him go after someone on the card, and what better place than the King of the Mountain Match. I hope he doesn’t interfere in the match itself, unless he takes out Roode. I think he might return at the end and be the next challenge for Joe. What about Nash? I don’t think Nash is going to turn on Joe and is just there as a red herring.
WINNER: SAMOA JOE
Matt Short: TNA loves to play up the fact that the champion has never won a King of the Mountain match. And I have a really strong feeling that TNA would love to get Booker to do his king gimmick again. After that it would turn into Jeff Jarrett returning to reclaim his position as King of the Mountain. But let’s not think about that scenario. Rhino and Roode aren’t going to win it, I think that much can be said for certain. Cage and Booker are the two biggest threats to the title then and I think Booker edges out Christian there. I think that Joe should be allowed to retain, yet with Nash there I can’t help but worry about shenanigans. What the hell, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt this time around.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Jarrod Westerfeld: Okay, something that’s been built up, and makes sense. Now we’re getting somewhere. Shame, though, that Joe and Rhino both look like punks after running their mouths 2 weeks ago, Booker looks dominant after laying the boots to AJ for 2 weeks, and Cage; Christian looks like the sacrificial lamb to all of this, and Roode strikes me as being nothing more than the guy to eat all of the pins. Funny how the only guy to walk into this looking totally good and credible, outside of Booker, is Nash, so why can’t I pick him to be the winner of this whole thing? I know, I’m supposed to pick Joe here to retain and break up what’s become a standing tradition of this match crowning new champions at every turn, but honestly I don’t even care. Everyone else is getting more face time than Joe. It looks like we’re supposed to be getting some payoff between Nash and Joe, but the last time Nash was supposed to end up feuding with a champion, Angle, it never got beyond a tag match. So what’s going to be the payoff here? Joe takes on Booker at the next pay-per-view? Joe and Nash battle it out on an Impact somewhere leading to Victory Road? Oh who even cares? Joe doesn’t look like an effective champion because he doesn’t get the air time the more established stars get, and what little time he does get, he’s all talk and no action. Now TNA can point to this title run and say, “we knew what we were doing not giving him the title all those months ago.”
Winner: Samoa Joe
Jeremy Thomas: So much potential here, but I see it all going wrong somehow. Let’s see, so we’ve got Roode & Booker, who have a long rivalry, Rhino and Christian and their friendship/rivalry…and Joe/Nash. Let’s watch this all fall apart in a major way. I hope it won’t, but I can see it happening. Anyway, Roode’s got as much chance as winning the title right now as I do, Rhino’s got about a micron more of a chance, Christian and Booker maybe, but I doubt it. I see Joe winning and moving on to Victory Road where, if the poster is any indication, it’ll be Joe vs. Booker. In the end, I don’t think Nash will turn, as it would be a SHOCKING SWERVE~! if he didn’t.
WINNER: Samoa Joe (STILL TNA World Champion)
Bayani Domingo: The real focus of this match is going to be when/if Nash turns on Joe and aligns himself with the “Millionaires Club”…I mean, Booker/Angle/3D. you have to assume it’ll happen at some point but I just can’t see Joe being stupid enough to fall for it and losing his belt this way. If they really want to push Joe then having him be the first champion to retain in a KoTM match is the place to start. I look for Joe to barely win but Nash to make it look like he was going to turn, but just coming up short and using it as a bargaining chip to get a shot at the title sooner than later.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Andy Clark: Wanna know a secret? I mark like crazy over the King of the Mountain Match. I’ve always thought it was a cool concept and even Robert Roode shouldn’t be able to ruin this for me. I hate the idea of the champion retaining in KOTM at this point in the gimmick’s history, but I don’t really see any other way. The only guy other than Joe that stands a chance at winning the belt is Booker T, but I don’t see it happening yet. Nash won’t screw Joe just yet because it’s too obvious, but give them a few months. I look forwards to a good match here and I am predicting some sort of sick spot involving the GORE! GORE! GORE!
Winner and STILL TNA World Heavyweight Champion: Samoa Joe
Gavin Napier: If you’ve been watching wrestling for very long, you should be able to guess what’s going to happen here. TNA has dropped too many clues. First thing we can do is mark off Rhino and Robert Roode as potential winners. Not going to happen, friends. Joe, Christian, and Booker T are all viable options here, for various reasons. Christian Cage is a former champ and still has the claim of never really losing the belt in the first place. He’d be my preference to win this thing, but I’m not feeling it. Then there’s Booker T. The heel character is still growing, and I can’t really buy into putting the belt on a character that’s still establishing his boundaries. The problem with Joe is that they’ve kept pushing this Nash turn on us. Surely Nash is going to turn on Joe and cost him the match, right? No. See the Lethal/Dutt angle for an example of how long they’re willing to delay a turn. They’ll keep teasing it at Slammiversary, but it’s not going to happen. They also keep mentioning how no champion has ever retained at King of the Mountain. Time for that to change.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Robert S. Leighty Jr.: Joe hasn’t been the ratings draw during his reign, but it is not time to abandon ship yet. It hasn’t helped RAW or Impact that they have had to go up against the most watched Stanley Cup Finals in years, and now the NBA’s wet dream Final: Celtics vs Lakers. Joe vs Booker looks like a lock for the Houston PPV, but there is no need to give Booker the strap here. Let Joe roll into that show as the champ and go from there. I would not be shocked if they make the change, but I just hope they don’t do it.
Winner and Still TNA Champ: Samoa Joe
Owain J. Brimfield: Although this isn’t likely to be as viscerally appealing as past KotM matches, it should still be solid. Unfortunately, no-one aside from Joe has been built as a genuine contender, so although it’ll be entertaining the result is somewhat of a foregone conclusion.
WINNER: SAMOA JOE
Larry Csonka: Unfortunately I don’t see this being one of the better KOTM matches. I don’t think it will suck, but it lacks some sizzle for me. No champion has ever walked out of the KOTM match with the title, and if they are serious about pushing Joe, he wins here. Expect drama with Nash, as well as something setting up Joe vs. Booker next month.
WINNER: SAMOA JOE
Chris Lansdell: Let me preface this by saying that TNA made a HUGE mistake putting the X-Division guys in King of the Mountain on Thursday. Nobody in the big match can do the spots the X-Division guys were doing, the big match will be much slower, and basically it will seem like a huge let-down. I don’t think even Joe being the first champ to retain in this match can save it from that. It might be a fine match, but the strange decision from Thursday will overshadow it.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Don’t forget to join us Sunday night for LIVE coverage starting at 8pm, and the Instant Analysis right after the final bell!
Lansdellicious – Out.
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