The Undercard
Knux defeated Chris Sabin via Disqualification. I was a little skeptical of this pairing. Knux is much larger than Sabin and I was not sure that he could keep pace with the former World Heavyweight Champion. I was pleasantly surprised to see Knux keep up and actually showcase the athleticism that he has. Knux is a big guy, no doubt, but a diving body press and a few quick moves to the mat showed me that he has an underrated speed that nobody talks about. The ending came when Bully Ray threw the hammer in the ring and both men went for it and Sabin hit Knux in the back. He would get disqualified and Knux walks away as the victor. It looks like TNA needs more members of Aces and Eights to win to prove they are still relevant. I cannot remember a time where all members of the group were in matches, but that is what we are getting tonight.
Grade: B-
–Mickie James cuts a heel promo on not being invited to the VMA's. She talks about her friend Miley and the crowd begins to boo her. ODB comes out to confront her about taking the Knockouts Championship. James hits a cheap shot, but ODB gets back up and one ups her. James freaks out about her being striked and she retreats. James and ODB is a pairing that is somewhat new to us. I like the psychology between the two. You have the bigger and stronger opponent facing the established champion who uses her intelligence to get out of any situation. Keep the physicality for their title match and not much more before that.
Grade: C+
Wes Brisco and Garrett Bischoff defeated James Storm and Gunner in a non-title match. The heels start off by running down and getting a quick advantage on the champions. Garrett slams his head into the steps and Wes really picks up the pace on Gunner. I loved seeing Wes be able to get more offense in throughout the match. He hits a beautiful flying armbreaker before getting knocked down with a Closing Time. Wes breaks up a pinfall on Bischoff and the match heads towards the conclusion. Garrett, with a distraction, hits Gunner with a chain in the head and picks up the win. Once again, the heels cheat to win. That is what Aces and Eights is built upon. If they want to make them relevant, give them opportunities in more than one storyline. You can see they are taking a page out of the book of The Shield. You need a midcard guy, a tag team, and a main eventer to really excel a stable. I still dislike the progression of Garrett in the ring, as he continues to stall his set skill. Wes, on the other hand, could be a star. He has all of the tools and will only continue to improve.
Grade: B-
