5/5 TNA in Joplin, Mo.: Beer Money vs. Tommy Dreamer and Devon for the TNA Tag Titles, Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Jarrett, A.J. Styles vs. Bully Ray, Velvet Sky vs. Sarita, Crimson vs. Abyss, Scott Steiner vs. Eric Young

TNA live event
Joplin, Mo.
Report by Dot Net reader Joe Lancello

First, some full disclosure. Two of the radio stations I work for sponsored the show. Jeff Jarrett was live on Kissin 92.5 yesterday from 3-4 and from 4-430ish was on another station (I think it was KIX 102.5, but they didn’t sponsor the show, so it could have been Big Dog 97.9. See the confusion consolidation has caused the radio biz!)
 
I hadn’t been to a TNA show since their Nashville weekly PPV days and rarely watch their TV (that’s when I’m at work and a lack of interest in watching Bischoff and Hogan). It’s also hard to keep track of who’s on which side of the fence (face/heel).
 
Joplin seems to really like TNA. The crowd was very loud, the building was about three-quarters full (think the Minneapolis Auditorium cut in half..that’s how the building is shaped.) Don West was great throwing stuff to the crowd and hawking stuff. With the crowd they had, it makes me wonder why Harley Race doesn’t have WLW here. Anyway….
 
1. Crimson beat Abyss in 8:40. 2 stars (out of 5). The finish had Abyss finding the board w/nails, swing and a miss, then Crimson’s finisher. The ref set the board in front of JB and he acted like it had cooties or something..wouldn’t touch it.
 
2. Velvet Sky beat Sarita in 6:00. 1.5 stars. USA chants against Sarita. Sarita picked up Velvet after a 2 count, wanting to hurt her more, but Velvet rolled her up and got the three count. Both girls signed autographs before and after the show. I was really worried one or both girls would "burst their bubbles!"
 
3. Scott Steiner beat Eric Young in 9:30 with Steiner Recliner. 2.5 stars. The fans were more for Steiner even though he was the heel. Young did a good Rick Steiner barking impression. I led a Canada chant for Eric, but no one picked up on it. L
 
4. Beer Money beat Tommy Dreamer and Devon to retain the TNA Tag Titles in 15:30. 3.5 stars. Best bout of the night. Scientific wrestling start. Then Storm hurt his knee. They were starting to help him to the back when he said he wanted to continue. When they got back in the ring, Dreamer clipped him in the knee rather than let him tag to Roode. "Hey, it’s for the title," Tommy said, kinda like when Billy Robinson went heel in his later years, knowing he didn’t have many shots left. Devon didn’t like this at all. Dreamer ended up getting pinned. Afterwards, he, Devon and the ref were arguing. The ref shoved Dreamer down and Devon gave him Wassup! This was the best wrestling and "sports entertainment."
 
Best accidental entertainment was as the bout was starting when Roode went to the corner with the tag rope and Storm went to the other corner on the same side. Roode had to do a "Dude, over here." Storm have an early beer buzz???
 
Intermission
 
5. AJ Styles beat Bully Ray in 7:00 with a Pele kick. 3 stars. Ray ragged on the crowd..great mic work. There was a guy who was missing a few teeth that Ray picked on. He had his kid (age 8 or 9?) on his shoulders and the kid started crying and that gave Ray more ammo and heat. After his victory, AJ got the kid into the ring. Disappointed they didn’t wrestle longer. (The 7:00 doesn’t include Ray’s pre-match mic work)
 
6. Mr. Anderson beat Jeff Jarrett in 9:00 with the mic check. 2.75 stars. Jarrett and the ref got into it early. The ref took off his shirt, Anderson put it on. Eventually, the scheduled combatants got back into it. The ref took a bump; Anderson yelled, "Why are you sleeping?!" Jarrett brough in a chair and wedged it in a corner between the second and third buckles. A whip was reversed, Jarrett got the chair and the Mic Check. Not bad. Anderson seems smaller than I remember him in OVW. 
 
All in all, a good time..even if they did run out of Pepsi products and I had to buy a beer ($5 for a cup?? I get spoiled in press boxes. No beer, but comfy circumstances in K.C. watching the Twins play like crap Sunday.)