7/30 TNA in Winston-Salem: Rob Van Dam vs. A.J. Styles for the TNA Title with Mick Foley as special referee, Beer Money vs. Ink Inc.

TNA house show
Winston-Salem, N.C.
Report by Dot Net reader Michael Wilson of Greensboro, N.C.

I went to the TNA show with my brother and his girlfriend. It was a great experience. The wrestling is really secondary to the atmosphere though. It is incredible. If you have not been to a TNA live event it is hard to explain. The crowd was large for TNA with about 2,000 people or so there.

We were let in at 5:30 p.m. because we had VIP seats and got to do a meet and greet with the wrestlers. VIP seats were $50 which were the first three rows ringside. Don West was there. Whatever TNA is paying him is not enough. I have read about TNA's financial issues but after being to this show it is hard to believe. All the merchandise was selling out and most of it was due to Don. He was incredibly gracious to the fans and has great enthusiasm for selling the merchandise.

The biggest sellers were a new RVD shirt and four dvds for $20 and TNA programs for $20. Both sold out. I got autographs from AJ, Mick Foley, Angelina Love, Jay Lethal, Matt Morgan, Jessie Neal, Shannon Moore, and Jeff Hardy. The crowd was rabid and loud. I went to a TNA show last year in WS and this was much better. The fans were insane and I could not believe how much merchandise they were selling, especially with the current economy. Here is the rundown of the card...

1. Ink Inc. defeated Beer Money.

2. Doug Williams over Jay Lethal.

3. Madison Rayne beat Angelina Love.

4. Jeff Jarrett defeated Desmond Wolfe.

5. Jeff Hardy over Matt Morgan.

6. RVD over AJ Styles with Mick Foley as the referee.
 
Notes: The card was over around 10:15 p.m. but people stayed another hour getting their picture in the ring with RVD ($20) and getting other autographs. The only downside to me was that TNA or actually Atlas security was very rude and aggressive with some of the fans. This is a minor complaint, though.

TNA really goes out of their way to make sure fans have a great time. I imagine the house show circuit is helping their bottom line considerably. Go to a TNA house show if they come near you. It is well worth the money.