(2) Mr. Anderson def. Samoa Joe
Rating: C
I have to hand it to TNA, I really thought they would have turned him face again by now. It seemed a foregone conclusion that they’d pull a “swerve” and allign him against the Aces & 8’s for a little revenge, but I’m liking the pissed off Anderson a whole lot more than the flip-flop we’ve grown used to in past years. With a win over Joe tonight, he instantly becomes the most credible member of the Eights, assuming he does in fact affiliate himself with them.
Anderson and Joe work well enough together, and although their match tonight was nothing spectacular, you can’t complain too much when TNA gives you a bit extra for your money. Considering we didn’t know about it until Anderson was being interviewed backstage prior to making his entrance, I’d say they did a fair job. However, like much of the card tonight, it was just kind of there. Nothing bad, certainly, but nothing great either. I don’t mind the Aces & 8’s interference here either, as they need to keep moving Anderson’s story with them along.
(3) X-Division Tournament Finals
Christian York def. Kenny King
Rating: B-
(4) X-Division Championship Match
Rob Van Dam (c) def. Christian York
Rating: C-
Extremely surprised that King didn’t get the win here, but if TNA’s intent was to keep the belt on RVD for the time being, it was probably a smart move, made to protect everyone involved. King and York told a surprisingly sufficient story, with both TNA newcomers trying to show each other up and make their name among the X-Division greats. I don’t want to throw around the word “surprising” too many times with my review of this match, but the former A|N|X member also cut a killer promo before the contest.
I’ve been critical of Christian York in recent weeks, as a few of his matches have come across slow, and quite frankly, a bit sloppy. I questioned whether he even belonged in the X-Division, but TNA and RVD kept putting him over as the future of the pack. Tonight York proved me wrong. As a long-time Kenny King fan, he’s still my favorite of the two, but York brought some psychology to the match, and showed heart in the follow-up with RVD.
As I said, I was surprised TNA went with York int he first place, but it turned out to be a great way to protect all three guys. RVD obviously walks away fine, still holding the X-Division title. York looked fantastic, winning a match and coming back from King’s post-match Coronation to fight the champion (such a great finisher, by the way!). And of course, Kenny doesn’t look bad, narrowly losing the match, but walking away with a small victory, after knocking his opponent out cold. Rather than focusing on one title match, and putting over an individual, TNA managed to spotlight all three men tonight. That’s the way you start to rebuild a division, if you ask me.
