Thanks to K. Man for sending in the following:
Tonight was my first time attending a TNA Impact house show. I was at the WWE Smackdown house show in the same venue 4 months ago and I can honestly say I had a much better time tonight!!! The crowd wasn't as big for TNA, but if they keep up their entertainment factor and how they give back to the fans, that will change very soon.
One thing I was very impressed with was the fact that TNA did a "meet and greet" for ticketholders that purchased a $50 (ringside) ticket. Those fans were allowed in the arena an hour before everyone else. Bully Ray, Bobby Roode, RVD, Austin Aries, Magnus, & Gail Kim were all made available for the "meet and greet". With the purchase of a Jeff Hardy/A.J. Styles action figure set for $20, fans had the opportunity go to backstage and meet those two and get autographs. It's worth mentioning that WWE does nothing like that for their fans when they come to visit…
Please excuse me as I am trying to recall the match order from memory…
"The Phenominal" A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels
*Pre-match, Christopher Daniels got alot of heat from fans. He's pretty good on the mic and got a good reaction out of the crowd, even if it was in a negative manner. A.J. gets the win in his home state and of course he gets the biggest pop of the night!!! Post-match, AJ shakes hands/high fives the crowd on his way to the back.
Gail Kim vs. Brooke "Miss" Tessmacher
*Each of the Knockouts came out with valet's which I believe were picked out of the crowd. Very decent match for a Knockouts' match. The highlight of the match for me was when Gail rolled out of the ring, I immediately began started talking trash to her and she heard me right away we began to go back and forth. lol. It was enough of a distraction for Brooke to strike Gail from behind, roll her back into the ring, and get the win.
Bobby Roode & Magnus vs. James Storm & Samoa Joe
*Lots of heat for Roode & Magnus as they begin talking their smack about the people of Savannah. James Storm grabs a mic and, in a nutshell, gets the crowd to start chanting that Roode and Magnus SUCK! Great mic work. Great back and forth match by both teams, but Joe and James get the victory.
"The Whole F'n Show" RVD vs. Bully Ray
*Both guys were very comedic before the match begins. Another good back and forth match, but Bully Ray gets the win over RVD after RVD misses the frog splash from the top rope.
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Austin Aries for the TNA Impact championship
*Aries is introduced first and is heavily booed. He grabs a mic and goes on about how he's invoking his rematch clause tonight, but is doing it for himself, not the people of Savannah. He was very harsh, but very entertaining at the same time. The Charasmatic Enignma comes out to the 2nd biggest pop of the night. The match ends with Jeff Hardy getting the win by hitting not one, but two "Twists of Fate" (the first one wasn't sold as it looked more like a Stone Cold Stunner).
Kurt Angle vs. Aces and 8's member (most in the crowed seemed to think it was Luke Gallows AKA "Festus")
*Angle comes out to the 3rd biggest pop of the night. Aces & 8's member comes to the ring through the crowd to some serious heat. Each wrestler got alot of offensive moves in. Angle got the win by submission after hitting the "Angle Lock". Post match: Another Aces & 8's member comes through the crowd and he and his partner begin to stomp down on Angle. Bully Ray comes running out to even the odds. Bully and Angle clear the ring after Angle hits the "Olympic Slam". Great sportsmanship by Bully as he extends his hand to Angle and the two shake hands.
POST SHOW:
Jeremy Borash gets into the ring and lets the fans know that the evening isn't over yet. For $20, fans (didn't matter how many were in the group) were allowed access into the ring to take a picture with Kurt Angle. Fans were given one hard copy of their picture with Kurt and were notified that the picture would also be uploaded to TNA's website for digital use. My buddy and I jumped at the chance to get in the ring with Kurt. It's also worth another mention that WWE does NOT do anything like this for their fans at live events. The closest anyone gets to an autograph or picture when WWE is in town is when the wrestler's make their way to the arena and the fans catch them as they are exiting their vehicles.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
