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Welcome to the 8th edition of TNAlt here at PWInsiderXtra.com. If you missed last week's show, you can read it by clicking here, plus for our 'PPV' from this past Wednesday night, click here
Last week's show did a 1.3 rating (based on "thumbs up" getting the majority of the vote). As always, we'll be looking for your feedback on this week's show. Further details are available at the bottom of the page.
With Christmas just a couple of weeks away, we're going to be taking a couple of weeks off. TNAlt #9 will be available as normal next Sunday, then we'll be taking two weeks off, with TNAlt #10 appearing on Sunday, January 6 ahead of January's PPV, which we'll be printing on Wednesday, January 9.
Don't forget the rules in which we write these columns. To keep things as realistic as possible, if a wrestler under contract to TNA Wrestling leaves the company, we have two weeks to write him or her out of our shows.
TNAlt #8 - Sunday, December 9
First show ahead of next month's PPV (available Wednesday, January 9)
Location: Orlando, FL
Announce team: Jeremy Borash & Kevin Nash
After a video package airs briefly showing what happened at last Wednesday night's PPV, the show gets underway without any pyro or introductions. Instead, Christopher Daniels comes to the ring, flanked by Elix Skipper. Daniels states that last night, he got attacked and screwed over by Senshi and his new allies in LAX. He notes that its clear Senshi is a jealous and bitter man, and calls him out.
Senshi comes to the ring with Homicide and Hernandez, and asks Daniels what it would take to get him out of his life for good. Daniels replies that all he ever wanted was a clean one-on-one match to teach Senshi some respect for his cowardly attack on Skipper. Senshi says all he ever wanted was to put Daniels out of wrestling, adding, "You criticize me for using backup? Chris, don't you think that’s a little rich coming from you? For five years I WAS YOUR BACKUP!" Daniels says that's not true. He says Senshi wasn’t back-up, he was a partner and friend, "or so I thought."
Homicide shoves Skipper, who slaps him back. Hernandez steps in, but Senshi calls them back. Senshi gets on the mic once again and says "Christopher Daniels, it's clear to me that there isn't room for both of us to co-exist in TNA. I hate you now, I'll hate you forever, and I want you out of my life for good...so I want to face you tonight in a match where the loser leaves TNA, and I don't mean just leaves for two weeks and comes back. I WANT YOU OUT OF MY LIFE FOREVER." Daniels says he arrived early at the show today, and saw something that intrigued him. "The guys were emptying the truck, and they had something that I thought could come in very useful tonight. You want a 'Loser Leaves TNA' match? How about you be a man about things and we do this without interference from either my partner, Elix Skipper, or your partners, LAX? How about you take me on one-on-one, in the SIX SIDES OF STEEL! Be prepared for the fight of your life!"
Senshi nods in agreement, but it's also a signal to Homicide and Hernandez, as Homicide takes out Skipper with a slapjack shot, and all three men stomp away at Daniels, before the attack is broken up by security and a number of wrestlers from the TNA roster.
We stay at ringside, where Jeremy Borash and Kevin Nash take us back to last Wednesday night's PPV. They discuss Sting's win over Ron Killings as still images of Sting retaining his title are shown. Borash says that Sting is in the building and will speak later tonight before questioning whether we saw a new side to Sting during his win over Killings. Nash says he was shocked by the vicious streak he saw from Sting and that he can't wait to hear what he has to say on tonight's show. We're also told that on tonight's broadcast we'll hear from both Samoa Joe and Booker T, plus there will also be a major announcement regarding Kurt Angle's newly won X Division title later tonight.
As Borash finishes talking, the lights in the arena go out. On the video screen above the entrance way, a number 28 appears. It fades in and out as a heartbeat like noise can be heard. The noise stops, the 28 remains on the screen, and what looks like blood can be seen gushing down from the rafters in front of the screen onto the entrance way below. The lights come back up and we return to ringside where Borash looks as white as a sheet and Kevin Nash asks "What the hell is this about?" before Borash quickly takes us backstage, where Mike Tenay is with Christian Cage.
Tenay asks Cage where AJ Styles and Tomko are. Cage says they're preparing to defend their tag team titles on tonight's show. Cage again says what he has been saying in recent weeks that he deserves to have a belt around his waist again. "I've headlined PPV's, Mike. Those two guys can't get on a PPV even when they have gold! I'm a ratings winner. Always have been, always will be. My time will come, Mike. My time will come." With that, an arrogant and frustrated looking Cage pushes Tenay aside and walks off.
TNA Tag Team Title Match: AJ Styles & Tomko (with Christian Cage) vs. Petey Williams & Shark Boy
Borash notes that Christian is outside the ring supporting his friends and it must be eating him up inside since usually it's him defending championship belts and that's a position he feels he should be in. Styles and Petey Williams get the match started. They run the ropes, with AJ showing his athleticism, leapfrogging Petey and hitting a standing dropkick to take him down. AJ gets up to celebrate in front of Christian, who, instead of high-fiving like AJ wants, steps back from the apron with his arms crossed and looks down at the ground. Once Tomko gets tagged in, he is able to use his superior power to throw his opponents around the ring, and when he lays out Shark Boy with a big boot, the force of the kick moves Shark Boy's mask halfway around his face so he "can't see anything."
Shark Boy is able to tag out, and Williams makes the comeback, punching away at Tomko and using his athleticism to take down AJ. After hitting AJ with a huracanrana, he looks to hit him with the Canadian Destroyer. Instead, Tomko takes him out with a lariat, and then gives Shark Boy a press slam from the ring right to the outside. AJ hits Petey with the Pele Kick and then hits the Styles Clash for the win. Winners at 8:24 and still TNA Tag Team Champions - AJ Styles & Tomko
After some awkwardness between Cage and the tag team champions at ringside, with Cage still seemingly less than happy about his current plight in TNA, we cut backstage where we see Angel Williams in the Knockouts locker room, doing some last minute stretches. We then cut to Talia Madison, who is going through a similar routine. They're both in action tonight. In fact, they're facing each other tonight, and it's up next!
Don West's Deal of the Day commercial airs.
Talia Madison vs. Angel Williams
As both Talia and Angel make their way to the ring, we're reminded of the history between the two, who have teamed up together and fought against each other in recent weeks. TNA management put this match together after both women had requested a rematch in order to get a win and get back on the ladder with a view to earning a future title shot. The match gets underway with Talia in control early on, using some basic takedowns to get an early advantage over her opponent. Jeremy Borash again reminds us that later in tonight's show we'll be hearing from Sting as well as Samoa Joe and Booker T. He also reminds us of the announcement regarding the X Division title and says that the announcement will be made in the second hour of tonight's show.
Angel Williams tries to make a comeback, hitting Talia with several clotheslines and hitting her with a dropkick which gets her a near fall. As we pass through the four minute mark, Williams hits a DDT then sets Talia up for a cradle suplex. As she does so, a woman hops over the guardrail and enters the ring. She hits a dropkick to break up the cradle suplex attempt as Jeremy Borash screams, "That's Shelly Martinez. What is she doing here?" Martinez hits Angel with a tornado DDT before hitting Talia Madison with a sit out face buster. Martinez leaves back through the crowd as Borash and Nash are left trying to figure out what just happens. Winner at 4:49 - No contest
A video promoting next month's PPV airs before we return to ringside. Borash and Nash remind us that later on tonight's show we'll be hearing from the World Heavyweight Champion, Sting, who will explain his actions this past Wednesday night. They then talk us through the Motor City Machine Guns' rise over the past couple of months. They're in action first, but before that, we see a quick video package showing highlights of Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley in the ring, which concludes with the closing moments of their win over Team 3D last Wednesday night. In split-screen, we see Alex Shelley diving through the ropes onto Devon on the outside as Sabin nails Brother Ray with an enzuigiri in the centre of the ring.
Motor City Machine Guns (w/Jim Cornette) vs. Jim Jones & Bob Brown
After the video finishes, we see the team of Jim Jones and Bob Brown already in the ring as Jim Cornette leads the Machine Guns to the ring. Chris Sabin starts the match with Jones, and takes him down with an arm drag. Sabin ducks a clothesline and hits a quick superkick before tagging in Alex Shelley, who dives into the ring hitting his prone opponent with a slingshot twisting splash. Brown tries to rush into the ring only to be met by a double superkick by the Guns, and after Sabin hits Jones with the Cradle Shock, Shelley locks on the Motor City Stretch for the submission victory. Winners at 2:29 - The Motor City Machine Guns
As the Guns are celebrating in the ring, Team 3D rushes the ring and attacks them from behind. After slapping Jim Cornette and shoving him down, Brother Ray hits a sit out full nelson driver on Shelley and Devon starts whipping him with his belt. Sabin tries to make the save, but as he’s brawling with Devon, Brother Ray delivers a low blow, and they take him out with the 3D. Then, Brother Ray signals at Devon to get the tables, and, after laying Sabin on a table, Brother Ray climbs to the top rope and powerbombs Shelley onto Sabin, breaking the table and leaving the Motor City Machine Guns laid out.
Brother Ray then grabs the mic, stating that these kids might have beaten Team 3D at the PPV, but anybody can win a match once if they get lucky. He says it takes a great team to keep winning and winning and winning forever, as he and Devon have proven over the years. "The Motor City Machine Guns think one win means they’re a great tag team all of a sudden? No, it doesn’t work like that! You think you’re a great team? You think you’re the future of the business? Why don’t you take us on in a rematch? In our match...a TABLES MATCH!"
After the Guns slowly make their way back to their feet and head towards the back, selling their beating, we cut to a short commercial promoting TNA's upcoming house shows around the country. We then return to ringside where Jeremy Borash again reminds us that later in tonight's show we'll be hearing from Sting as well as Samoa Joe and Booker T. He also reminds us of the announcement regarding the X Division title and says that the announcement will be made after the break.
We return from commercials where Borash and Kevin Nash talk us through still images of Kurt Angle defeating Jay Lethal to capture the X Division title in a match that lasted the better part of thirty minutes. Video footage of the post-match activity is shown, with Kurt Angle offering Jay Lethal a handshake, only for Angle to then spit in Lethal's face instead. Jeremy Borash then informs us that following Wednesday night's PPV, TNA management made the decision to keep both men away from TV tonight, and for good reason. Borash says that both men are resting from Wednesday's thrilling encounter, and are also preparing for next week, as on next week's show, Kurt Angle will be defending his newly won X Division belt against Jay Lethal in a rematch from last Wednesday's PPV!
HOUR TWO
Samoa Joe makes his way to the ring and grabs a mic. He says that last Wednesday night, there was no winner in his match with Booker T, and therefore he didn't prove to himself and to everybody that he's the tougher man. "We beat the hell out of each other until neither of us could reach our feet," he adds as the crowd applauds in appreciation and chants for Joe.
Joe is fired up now, and asks people if they want to see Joe-Booker II. Again the crowd roars with approval. This brings out Booker T and his wife Sharmell, who make their way to the ring to a mixed reaction from the crowd. Jeremy Borash reminds us of how these two were kept apart and told to stay home from TV after Booker T debuted at last month's PPV, and as Borash says this, we see officials, referees and even wrestlers coming down to ringside and surrounding the ring. As this happens, Nash comments that, "the heat is rising in here, JB!"
Booker offers to shake Joe's hand "out of respect for the great fight we had last Wednesday night." Joe shakes his hand, but then pulls Booker close to him so they are nose-to-nose. "Yeah we had a great fight, but this isn’t over. I wanna fight you again!" Booker says he wants that too, but what if they both get knocked out unable to stand up again? Joe says he's been thinking about that all week long, and he proposes a last man standing match. He adds that if the same thing was to happen again, with neither man able to answer the ten-count, the match will simply be restarted once both men do get to their feet until there's a definite winner.
"And that winner will be me, because I am Samoa Joe, I am pro wrestling, and I will break you if you try to stop me." Booker nods appreciatively, saying "kid, you got some guts to man up and challenge me, you want to go to war? You got a war, now can you dig that, suckaaaaaaaa!"
Joe and Booker get in each other's faces and try to stare each other out. Neither man backs down as the massive number of staff and wrestlers surrounding the ring start to climb through the ropes and the atmosphere is electric as Borash and Nash appear to have switched their headsets off in order to keep the focus on what is happening in the ring. They stay head-to-head, almost head butting each other as both continue to refuse to look like they are backing down first. As the intensity increasing, we eventually fade out with both men being pulled apart by officials in the ring.
A video airs showing highlights of how Awesome Kong captured the TNA Knockouts title from Gail Kim last Wednesday night on PPV.
Non-Title Match: Awesome Kong vs. Miss Jackie
The match gets started as Kevin Nash notes that, even though we haven't seen much of Jackie lately, she's always had a reputation as one of the toughest women in the world. She goes right after Kong with some early forearm shots, but they don't even faze the champion, who lets off a scream and takes Jackie down with a clothesline. Jackie's face is shown; clearly shocked that nothing she's trying is working. She charges again, only to be met by another clothesline. Kong then grabs her and powerbombs her into the mat, before connecting with the big splash and getting the pinfall. Winner at 4:02 - Awesome Kong
After the match, Borash says he's never seen such an impressive performance, and wonders who could possibly stop Awesome Kong.
A video promoting next month's PPV airs before Jeremy Borash reminds us that on next week's show, we'll see Kurt Angle defending his X Division title against the former champion, Jay Lethal.
Sting makes his way to the ring as Jeremy Borash and Kevin Nash again take us through the events of last Wednesday night and Sting's actions. Sting grabs a mic, and says that throughout his entire career, he’s always been the guy who played fair. He's always been the guy who played by the rules, and as a Christian it's more important to him now than ever. But, he says, as TNA World Heavyweight Champion, sometimes in the heat of battle you get carried away with things, especially against a talent like Ron Killings. He asks Killings to come to the ring.
Killings limps to the ring, feeling the effects of Wednesday night and looking angry. "Like you say, you've always behaved in a classy and fair manner - a sporting manner as the gold standard in this industry. But last night, you tried to break my leg" Sting takes offense at this, stating "I've been wrestling for 20 years. If I wanted to break your leg, I would have done it." Killings gets in Sting's face and says that if Sting wants to break his leg to try it now. Sting backs down, saying he actually came out here to apologise, that he wants to move past this, and that he regrets his actions at the PPV. Killings seems to accept this, and says "OK, I'll accept your apology. Killings pauses, before adding, "...if you give me a rematch.
Sting shakes Killings' hand, as Borash says how great it is that we'll be seeing a fair ending to what should be a great match this time. But as Killings turns to leave the ring, Sting takes a baseball bat out of his trench coat and whacks Killings on the leg. As Killings falls to the mat, Sting hits him on the leg again and again, before dragging him to the corner. Holding Killings' leg up against the ring post, Sting delivers another baseball bat shot to the leg, leaving Killings writhing in agony. Sting smiles to the camera, and taunts Killings, standing over him holding the TNA World Heavyweight Championship belt and saying, "You will NEVER hold this belt. You can go and tell all the boys in the back just what I'll do to anyone else that tries to take it from me." Killings is clearly in agony, and it takes several minutes for paramedics to treat him, before carrying him out of the arena on a stretcher.
A lengthy video package airs ahead of tonight's main event, showing the history between Senshi and Christopher Daniels, as well as showing how much both men have contributed to the company since they first debuted.
Six Sides of Steel Match - Loser Leaves TNA: Christopher Daniels vs. Senshi
Both men make their way to the ring alone, both looking extremely focused and inten"se as Jeremy Borash reminds us that one of these men will have their TNA contract terminated at the end of this match. As soon as Daniels joins Senshi in the ring, it's on, and they strike each other with stiff forearms and punches for a good thirty seconds or so. Daniels gets the upper hand, and whips Senshi into the cage before hitting him with a clothesline in the centre of the ring. Senshi gets back into the match almost immediately and hits Daniels with a huge right hand which takes him down. Senshi then gets on top of Daniels and repeatedly lays into him with some clubbing forearms, with Daniels doing is best to cover up and protect himself.
Eventually they both get back to their feet. They lock up, with Daniels getting a headlock. Senshi throws him into the ropes but Daniels knocks him down with a shoulder block. They run the ropes and Daniels gets the upper hand with a dropkick. We head to the final commercial break of the night with Daniels continuing to wear down his opponent in the centre of the ring, returning to see the pace picking up as Daniels whips Senshi into the ropes and connects with a back drop. He picks Senshi back up, but Senshi gives him a thumb to the eye and hits Daniels with a flurry of stiff knife-edge chops. He takes Daniels into the corner and sits him on the top rope. Senshi stands on the top rope, and connects with knees to the head before picking up Daniels on the top and hitting him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex sending them both crashing back into the ring.
Senshi slowly makes the cover but Daniels kicks out on two. Senshi hits him with a flashing elbow, but Daniels again kicks out on two. Senshi tries a different approach as Kevin Nash points out the intelligence of Senshi for changing his game plan as he can't finish Daniels off. Senshi tries to lock in the cross face chicken wing on Daniels, but Daniels finds the energy to prevent Senshi from getting the hold on him, and elbows his way to freedom. Senshi charges at him, but Daniels ducks a clothesline attempt and catches Senshi with a sidewalk slam. Daniels catches a breather and waits for Senshi to get back to his feet. Borash questions whether Daniels is doing the right thing in following up the slam, but as he does that, Senshi rises to his feet and is nailed with an enzuigiri. Daniels makes the cover and gets a two count.
Daniels hits Senshi with Angel's Wings, but again Senshi kicks out on two. Senshi mounts a comeback, laying into Daniels with forearms and hitting him with a Tidal Krush. He sets Daniels up in the Tree of Woe position as Borash on commentary believes that this could be the end for Christopher Daniels in TNA. Senshi climbs to the top rope looking to connect with a double foot stomp, but Daniels is able to pull himself up and joins Senshi on the top rope.
They brawl a little, using the cage to keep their balance. Daniels then gets the upper hand using a thumb to the eye himself. Nash says that Daniels' actions are shocking, but Borash counters that his career is on the line, and he's only doing what Senshi has already done in this match to win. Daniels repeatedly rams Senshi's head into the cage, busting him open in the process. The final connection between head and cage results in Senshi crashing back down to the match. Daniels pauses briefly on the top rope, looking at the crowd who are on their feet. He then looks above him, and climbs to the top of the cage. You can feel the energy from the crowd as Daniels balances on the top of the cage. He takes a deep breath, turns around, and then connects with a moonsault from the top of the cage to Senshi below him! The crowd starts chanting "TNA, TNA" as Nash shouts "Holy s**t!" The referee makes the cover as Daniels slowly makes the cover, and makes the three count. Winner at 22:35 - Christopher Daniels
After the match, Daniels slows gets to his feet and soaks up the amazing ovation before looking at his beaten opponent who is still laid out in the centre of the ring. That's the final camera shot we see of Senshi, as Daniels climbs to the top rope and holds his arms above his head as Jeremy Borash says "He did it, Daniels did it. LAX are down in numbers and Senshi is out of here!" as we fade to black.
We're looking for your feedback on this week's show. To vote, simply email vote@tnalt.com with your thumbs up, down or in the middle. Votes will be accepted up until Saturday, December 15 at 12noon EST, with the "rating" being announced next Sunday at the start of TNAlt #9!
You can contact Phil Lowe at phil@tnalt.com or Mark Bright at mark@tnalt.com
