The Undercard
Austin Aries defeated Bobby Roode in a Bound For Glory Series Match. The match between two different wrestlers came off very well. It is hard to imagine either guy looking weak after this match but I felt like Bobby Roode needed this match more than Aries. At a point, TNA needs to realize that Roode is the more long term main event guy, while Aries is extremely talented but still lacks the star power. Aries is excellent in the ring and he shows it here, but I really do have a personal dislike for how he handles his business outside of the ring. Mark Madden said it best, he is an indy worker with an indy mentality. Aries and Roode reverse each others' finishers time and time again until Aries finally gets Roode up for the Brainbuster. Aries gets 7 points and Roode loses another BFG match.
Grade: B
Sonjay Dutt defeated Petey Williams and Homicide in an X-Divison Championship Qualifying Match. We got a fast paced and 3 star X-Division match here. Dutt wins with a moonsault double foot stomp for the win, which has to hurt. Where has all the X-Divison stars gone? TNA cuts a ton of payroll and then brings up random guys like Dutt, Williams, and Homicide back to fight? Maybe they took less money? Maybe they did not get paid at all? This division used to be stock piled with talent, but they are very thin right now. They lack the star power in the division.
Grade: C
Manik defeated Chavo Guerrero and Kenny King in an X-Division Championship Qualifying Match. Here is what I was talking about. I would rather see all three of these guys in a championship match over the other three from the previous match. Chavo has the lineage to his name, while King and Manik are at least somewhat important. Instead, two of them get eliminated and Manik goes on to the championship match next week. King is a freak athlete who has great instincts in the ring. When he realizes he does need to oversell every single move, he will be taken more seriously. Chavo steps aside in this match, hitting a few of his classic moves. After the Three Amigos, King hits a running knee strike and Manik is able to connect with a Gutbuster. Good match with quality workers. Too bad only one of them will be seen next week.
Grade: B-
Greg Marasciulo defeated Rockstar Spud and Rubix in a match I had absolutely no interest in. Robix is a generic mask who should never be in the ring. Guys like him are a dime a dozen. Rockstar Spud may weight 120 pounds and looks absolutely RIDICULOUS in a wrestling ring. Marasciulo, formerly known as Trent Baretta in WWE, gets the victory. I will say I have always thought he was a great athlete who never had a real chance. He has very good size and a knack for making simplistic moves look complex. Spud kicked Rubix out of the ring, then he sets up a powerbomb but Greg counters with an reverse double underhook piledriver for the win. I think Greg will be a good addition to a division that is lacking big names. He may not be a big name, but he is certainly deserving of a chance. Also, I wish they give him a name change. It is not easy to say, not catchy, and could come up with something better. Greg Marsh? Keep it short and simple.
Grade: C