By Jared Silberkleit - TNA recovered nicely from the very disappointing and poor Slammiversary and delivered a solid PPV in Victory Road. Although the show had a very sluggish start, the second half of the show was good enough to make this a good overall show in what has been a weak and inconsistent year for TNA on PPV.

1.    Ultimate X/Submission match for the TNA X Division Championship: Douglas Williams(c) vs. Brian Kendrick

The show opened up with a match that had Vince Russo written all over it (as did the following two matches): an Ultimate X match where submission rules also applied. Williams goes to climb the X structure at the start but Kendrick stops him, only for Williams to send him back into the ring and put on a cravat. Kendrick fights out and hits some mounted punches in the corner, but Williams regains the advantage with a chancery. Kendrick again fights out, hits a dropkick from the middle rope, and tries for the cobra clutch, but Williams hits a diving uppercut. Williams does a headscissors submission but Kendrick fights out and pounds away at Williams. Williams locks in a Gory Special but Kendrick fights off, hits a few forearms, and tries for the cobra clutch. Williams fights off but gets back body dropped to the outside. They fight on top of a turnbuckle where Williams hits a super back suplex. Kendrick locks in the cobra clutch and Williams rolls to the outside to avoid tapping out. Kendrick tries to climb the X structure but Williams follows him up and they fight on one of the steel beams. Williams knocks off Kendrick, who hits the ring apron and then the floor. Williams drives Kendrick into the ring apron before putting on a pair of climbing gloves. Williams climbs the X structure and Kendrick follows. Kendrick wraps his legs around Williams while they are hanging from one of the cables and they fall to the mat. Williams puts Kendrick in a cobra clutch and the ref calls for the bell after Kendrick passes out. Terrible ending and a bad match. Easily the worst Ultimate X match ever. They did like two spots with the X structure. Match Time: 10:08     Match Rating: 4.5/10

2.    3-Way match: Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal vs. Brother Devon

The match begins as a singles match between Ray and Neal because Devon has been locked in a room backstage. What? Ray beats down Neal in the early going, hitting a big clothesline, an elbow drop, and some punches. Ray hits a couple chops and a bodyslam before Neal attempts a comeback, only to walk into a back body drop. The ECW crew then walks out into the crowd, distracting Ray. Neal hits a big spear but only gets a two count. Neal hits some mounted punches but Ray responds with a clothesline. Shannon Moore comes down to ringside but only ends up distracting the ref, who for one reason or another did not hear Ray hit Neal with a steel chair. Moore gets sent to the back and Devon comes out, instantly having a staredown with Ray. They come to blows and Neal accidentally spears Devon. Ray hits a Bubba Bomb for the win. Horrendous match with awful booking. An exercise in pointlessness. Match Time: 6:01     Match Rating: -2/10 (negative 2/10)

3.    Title vs. Career match for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship: Madison Rayne(c) vs. Angelina Love

For the third straight month, Rayne’s opponent has put her career on the line for no good reason. This match has an added stipulation that if any of the Beautiful People interfere, Rayne loses the title to Love. Both girls start off brawling before Love hits a big spear. Rayne goes to the outside but Love hits a clothesline, rolls her into the ring, and gets a near fall. Love hits another spear and goes for a fall away slam, but Rayne rakes the eyes to prevent it. Rayne chokes Love and slams her into the turnbuckle before hitting a botched neckbreaker for a near fall. Rayne hits a scissor stomp and goes for a neckbreaker but Love hits a clothesline. Love hits a jawbreaker and a flying lariat but Rayne puts her down. Rayne grabs a chair but once she comes back into the ring, Love kicks it into her face. The ref sees this yet does not disqualify her. All of a sudden someone dressed in all black and wearing a dark helmet comes into the impact Zone on a motorcycle. Love gets tossed to the outside where the mystery woman attacks her and shoves the ref, causing a DQ. The ref says the Love is the champion due to outside interference by the Beautiful People, even though he had no way of knowing who the biker was because he never checked. And if he can assume that was the Beautiful People, he couldn’t have assumed that Ray hit Neal with a chair in the last match? This whole thing was just a mess. Awful, awful booking. Match Time: 4:43     Match Rating: DUD (0/10)

4.    AJ Styles and Kazarian vs. Rob Terry and Samoa Joe

Terry and Joe have got to be the most random tag team I have seen in years from any wrestling company. That being said, this ended up being a very fun match, and foreshadowed good things to come on this show. Styles quickly tags in Kaz, opening the match against Terry, who squeezes Kaz’s head. Terry sends Kaz to the outside for Joe to go to work on him, and AJ tries to attack Joe to no avail. Joe gets a tag and hits some punches and stomps to Kaz before tagging in Terry, followed by Styles getting the tag. Terry tosses both of the heels out, and Joe does an outside dive onto both of them. Joe hits a corner splash back in the ring and an enzuigiri, before Styles gets a cheap shot on Joe and double teams him with Kaz. Kaz gets a tag, hits a dropkick, then tags in AJ, who hits some punches and a snapmare before locking on a rear chin lock, which he then transistions into a front face lock. Styles unsuccessfully tries for the Styles Clash and hits a Pele, sending Joe into the corner. Joe catches Styles with a uranage and tags in Terry, who starts to clean house. Terry hits a back body drop to Kaz and a gorilla press slam to Styles, then delivers slams to both of them. Everything breaks down as Desmond Wolfe comes out to attack Joe, which the ref does not notice. Wolfe gets clotheslined by Terry, but AJ and Kaz double team Terry, culminating in Styles hitting a springboard 450 for the win. Solid match that set up Joe vs. Wolfe. Match Time: 8:12     Match Rating: 6/10

5.    Steel Cage match: Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez

This was a very generic, poor cage match but it did have some nice spots. Hernandez starts off by sending Morgan into the cage twice, crotching him on the top rope, and hitting a big dropkick. Hernandez splashes Morgan twice against the cage but misses a third one and goes head first into the cage. Morgan slams him head first against the cage twice and hits a big clothesline. Hernandez prevents him from going out the door but Morgan hits the rapid fire elbows in the corner. Hernandez pulls himself up but Morgan hits the Carbon Footprint. Morgan opens the door and considers leaving but walks back in. Morgan slams Hernandez into the cage and grinds his face against it before choking him in the corner. Hernandez mounts a comeback and hits a big shoulder block. He tries for a Border Toss but can’t really get Morgan up and botches by dropping him. He tries again and it comes out like a botched powerbomb. Hernandez goes to the top of the cage and dives off but crashes to the mat. Morgan handcuffs Hernandez to the cage and tries to climb out over the top, but Hernandez breaks free and dives out headfirst through the door to win the match. Bad cage match with a weak ending and the botches hurt it as well. Match Time: 10:52     Match Rating: 4/10

6.    Jay Lethal vs. Ric Flair

Luckily, the bad stuff was over with on this PPV beginning with this match. This actually over delivered and ended up being way more entertaining than anyone would have expected. The two lock up and Lethal takes Flair down with a side headlock. They get up and do it again, this time with Flair doing the side headlock. Flair hits a shoulder block but Lethal hits a dropkick and a back body drop before clotheslining Flair over the top rope. Lethal reverses a suplex attempt by Flair on the outside, then hits a missile dropkick for a near fall. Flair gets a thumb to the eye and hits some chops in the corner, but Lethal turns it around and hits some chops of his own. Flair takes his goofy bump before going up top, where Lethal is there to meet him with a superplex. Flair avoids a moonsault and stomps away at Lethal’s leg. Flair eventually puts on the figure four, but the ref catches him using the ropes for leverage and forces a break. Flair and the ref argue, allowing Lethal to score a near fall with a roll up. Flair hits some chops but Lethal hits some of his own and they go back and forth. Lethal hits a handspring back elbow and taunts Flair before doing a sunset flip and grabbing Flair’s tights, exposing Flair’s 61 year old dairy air on PPV. Yikes. Lethal fights off a sleeper and hits a springboard cross body, then a chop block followed by a figure four to force Flair to submit to his own hold. Fine match that was better than expected. Match Time: 12:06     Match Rating: 6/10

7.    TNA World Tag Team Championship (titles are vacant): Beer Money Inc. vs. The Motor City Machineguns

This was by far the match of the night and TNA’s best tag match of the year behind the Ultimate X match from Destination X. Storm and Shelley start things off with a lock up, and Storm breaks after backing Shelley into the corner. They lock up again and Shelley hits some quick offense followed by an inverted atomic drop and a head scissors. Roode gets a tag and works over Shelley’s arm before Sabin gets tagged in. Roode hits some punches but Sabin lands a kick and the Guns send Beer Money to the outside following a blind tag. Shelley and Sabin take turns working Roode’s arm and hit a double team move for a near fall. Shelley sends Roode out but Storm punches him in the face. Roode crotches Shelley against the ring post and Beer Money tag in and out to work over Shelley, with Storm using a rear chin lock. Shelley fights out but gets put back down and eats a double suplex. Roode beats on Shelley and sends him from corner to corner before hitting a gut buster. Roode works over Shelley’s midsection before tagging in Storm who does the same. Shelley fights out and tags in Sabin, who comes in with a bunch of offense. Storm accidentally elbow drops Roode, and Sabin hits a cross body for a near fall. Shelley hits a standing sliced bread but Roode breaks up the pin attempt. Sabin hits a hurricanrana to Storm but doesn’t get it on Roode, allowing Storm to recover and hit Sabin with the Eye of the Storm. Beer Money hits a double knee drop and tries for the DWI, but the Guns break it up. Storm hits a double clothesline to the Guns, but the Guns rebound with some double team moves. Sabin hits a cross body to Storm on the outside, then Roode and Shelley follow suit with dives. Storm accidentally spits beer into the ref’s eyes, and Earl Hebner comes down as the Guns hit a double team move for a near fall. Roode rolls through a cross body from Shelley but only gets two. After a bunch of quick offense, Sabin and Storm both score simultaneous pinfalls (remember there are 2 referees) and the bell rings. Borash announces that since there’s no decisive winner, the match will continue. Bell rings and Beer Money are all over the Guns. Shelley avoids a splash and the Guns make a comeback. The Guns hit a cross body/reverse DDT combo for the victory and at long last become TNA World Tag Team Champions. This was a really special moment as the Guns winning the titles has been long overdue. It’s great that TNA finally pulled the trigger and this was a great match. Match Time: 15:50     Match Rating: 8/10

8.    D’Angelo Dinero vs. Kurt Angle

The anticipated encounter between Angle and The Pope was a bit disappointing but still a very good match. Angle takes Dinero down after a couple lock ups, but Pope transitions into a hammerlock. Angle tries for a few submissions but Pope fights out each time. Angle puts Pope down with a side headlock takeover and Pope gets up, only to be met with a shoulder block. Dinero hits a few hip tosses, the last of which sends Angle to the floor. Dinero holds the ropes for Angle to reenter, but Angle quickly hits a buckle bomb, a snap suplex, and puts on a rear chinlock with a knee to the back. Angle with a back drop suplex and another chinlock, but Pope fights out and puts on a sleeper. Angle does a sleeper of his own but Pope hits a back suplex. The two go back and forth with Pope hitting an inverted atomic drop and elbows to the head, but Angle hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Angle hits a big uppercut but Pope hits a German suplex and a heel trip/lariat for a near fall. Dinero sets up for the DDE but Angle moves and hits the three Germans in a row. Pope counters the Angle Slam and sets up Angle up top, but Angle hits a belly to belly off the top for a near fall. Pope counters the Ankle Lock and hits a Codebreaker for another near fall. Angle hits the Angle Slam but Pope kicks out at two. Angle goes for the Ankle Lock but Pope counters into a roll up. He goes for another but Angle counters back into the Ankle Lock, grapevining the leg and forcing the submission. Very good match but it felt a bit too short. Match Time: 12:10     Match Rating: 7/10

9.    4-Way match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Rob Van Dam(c) vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy

This was a good main event but it felt like it was lacking and suffered from a short run time and a mostly dead crowd. After some circling, the three faces attack Abyss when he walks onto the apron. They triple team Abyss, with Anderson and Hardy hitting splashes and RVD hitting a monkey flip. Hardy jumps onto Abyss, and Anderson tries for a quick roll-up. Van Dam goes for rolling thunder on Anderson, but Abyss pulls him out and slams him into the barricade. Abyss enters the ring and teases a double chokeslam, but Hardy and Anderson hit a double shoulder block. Anderson suddenly goes for a cover on Hardy, which is broken up by RVD. Hardy hits Van Dam with a back kick and a front suplex for a near fall. RVD and Hardy each dive onto Abyss on the outside, and Anderson follows with a diving double sledge. RVD hits a split-legged moonsault on Anderson back in the ring but only gets two. Van Dam and Hardy go at it, with Van Dam hitting a big kick before squaring off with Anderson in the corner. Anderson crotches RVD up top and tries for a superplex, but RVD fights it off. Hardy tries to make it a double superplex on RVD, but Abyss comes in and they do a Tower of Doom with Abyss hitting a double powerbomb to Hardy and Anderson, who double superplex RVD. RVD blocks a chokeslam attempt and hits a bunch of kicks to Abyss. Anderson shoves Van Dam off the top rope, sending him onto the ramp. Hardy hits Abyss with the Whisper in the Wind but Anderson breaks up the pin. Anderson hits a Mic Check but Hardy breaks up the pin. Hardy tries for a Twist of Fate but Abyss hits a Black Hole Slam. Anderson and Hardy go at it, with Hardy hitting a Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb. Abyss chokeslams Hardy onto Anderson, but as he goes for the cover, RVD hits a Five Star Frog Splash to all three of them. RVD covers Anderson for the win, and Abyss starts wildly swinging with the nail covered board after the bell, yelling at RVD as the PPV goes off the air. Solid main event but a bit disappointing. Match Time: 12:31     Match Rating: 6.5/10

Overall PPV Rating: 7/10

My name is Jared Silberkleit. I am from Orange, CT and am a huge fan of pro wrestling. I mostly follow WWE and TNA but I also watch the smaller promotions such as ROH and DGUSA. I have been a lifelong WWE fan and have become a TNA fan over the past few years. Aside from wrestling, I also really love baseball and football and follow many other sports such as hockey and MMA. I have written for www.sportsgrumblings for two years.

Tagged with: Brian Kendrick, Chancery, Clutch, Cobra Clutch, Cravat, Forearms, Gloves, Locks, Punches, Ring Apron, Rope, Steel Beams, Submission Rules, Tapping, Tna, Turnbuckle, Uppercut, Victory Road, Vince Russo, Williams C

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