The Undercard
Joseph Park, Chavo Guerrero, James Storm and Hernandez defeated Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, Kazarian, and Christopher Daniels. This was a fun match to watch from the very beginning. Storm and Daniels start the action, as Storm hits a nice backbreaker to send him to the outside. After this, all members of the match get involved and brawl. You had a quick spurt of each guys action in the ring, but it did get crowded at times. When 8 man tag matches only get about 8-10 minutes, some of the guys will not be utilized to their full potential in a match, creating a lack of flow and chemistry. I thought Aries and Roode leaving was excellent, old school heel type work. They continue to carry the company in many ways, and this was another reason for them to get more heat instead of cheers. The faces end up winning thanks to a Joseph Park splash from the second rope. Grade: C+
Rockstar Spud defeated Robbie E. I am never a fan of undersized guys being considered the underdog and constantly playing that role, as we have seen it WAY too many times. Spud is extremely small compared to Robbie E, and E is only a little over 6 foot. Spud is athletic, no doubt, but you can tell he is going through the motions. The biggest part of this match was after, when Rob Terry and Robbie E get into each other's face, creating a separation in the near future. Please build guys you can have a future with, and stop trying to find random wrestlers and "get lucky." You need to expose your stars more, and forget relying on trying to find the next breakout guy. You may already have one that you do not utilize enough. Grade: C-
Velvet Sky defeated Tara, Miss Tessmacher, and Gail Kim to become the new Knockouts Champion. There was a lot of solid action in the ring, as the faces and heels split up and it seemed like everyone was on their own. I really enjoyed the interactions with Tara and Gail, two grizzly veterans in the world of wrestling. I loved the fact that Tara was not in the final two, as we knew a new champion was going to be crowned. Sadly enough, we knew it would be Velvet Sky since they have done NOTHING with Gail Kim recently. I loved the action, questioned the overall script of the match, but felt it gave the division a jolt of energy. Grade: B-
Rob Van Dam defeated Kenny King to retain his X-Division Championship. Even though King botched his finisher, he is such an excellent athlete with a bright future. You can see how great is timing and execution is in the ring, especially with a nice standing dropkick. The match was not great, just average. You need to give these guys much more time, as RVD did not get a chance to overcome anything. He made a mockery of a guy who should have been on the offensive more, not on the defensive. Grade: C
