TNA in Rochester, Minn.
Report by Jason Powell

1. Suicide defeated Chris Sabin to retain the X Division Title. Damn Jag Bombs. We stopped at a bar during our 90-minute drive, and then couldn't fight off the desire to have a Shamrock Shake and a Filet-o-Fish at McD's once we finally arrived in Rochester. By the time we finally arrived at the building, we'd missed the opening match. I was told that it was very good. Suicide didn't have the high wire entrance. Rather, he pulled a Dallas Page by entering through the crowd.

2. ODB defeated Sojourner Bolt. Both women worked hard and had good chemistry together. The match was better than any Knockouts match I've seen on television lately. ODB was definitely over with the hometown crowd and her usual in-ring antics drew big reactions. Dot Net Member "Hi Spot" would later tell me that he had to cover his young son's eyes a couple of times during this particular match.

3. Team 3D defeated No Limit. Fun match that went on longer than I expected it to. The Dudleys were definitely stars to this audience. They were so over that it didn't seem to matter to anyone that they were wrestling guys who don't have characters and have only appeared on television a few times. The No Limit guys were fun and played with the crowd at times, but Team 3D were the stars of the match and scored the clean pin.

4. A.J. Styles defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. Bashir previously lived in the area and was greeted with the warm homecoming greeting of "Camel Toe" from the live crowd. Both guys worked hard. Good heat for Bashir, and the live crowd also responded to A.J. like he's a star. Styles scored the pin after hitting the Styles Clash. I'd love to see TNA tweak the Bashir character and give these two an extended on-air feud.

Intermission

5. Beer Money defeated LAX to retain the TNA Tag Titles. Good heel promo by Storm before the match. LAX got a big reaction, but there were apparently some idiot fans in near their corner who were taunting them with racist comments. Hernandez fired back, but he kept smiling throughout the verbal exchange and anyone who was watching from a distance probably just assumed he was having fun with the fans at ringside.

6. Jeff Jarrett defeated Kurt Angle. Very good match to close the show. There were dueling "Let's Go Angle" and "Let's Go Jarrett" chants, which were clearly won by the Angle fans. That said, Jarrett's signature spots were over with the fans. Bashir interfered during the match, but Jarrett still got the win. Team 3D came out and put Bashir through a table for a big pop. My only disappointment is that we didn't get some mic work from Angle.

After the match, Team 3D pitched the idea of having an autograph party since this was the company's first show in Minnesota. They took pictures with fans in the ring for $20, while Styles, ODB, Sabin, and Hernandez signed autographs for free at ringside.

Powell's POV: I thoroughly enjoyed my first TNA live experience. Everyone on the show worked hard and the show had a good pace to it. It would have been ideal to have one more match on the show, but they can get away with six matches given the lengthy autograph and polaroid gimmick they do after the shows.

Jeremy Borash has been criticized in some house show reports for talking too much between matches. I expected J.B. overkill on this show since he had a number of family and friends in the building, but he was very good at his job. He knows all the little tricks to keep the live crowd energized, and his segments between matches were effective rather than long winded.

I taunted Borash with "liar" chants when he teased that a pay-per-view would be coming to Minnesota because I assumed he said this every night, but I found out after the show that there is actually talk of bringing January's pay-per-view to the Twin Cities.

I can't say enough about the post-show autograph party. It generates money for the company and gives the fans a few seconds to bond with the wrestlers, which leads to brand loyalty. You could tell just by looking at the faces of kids at ringside that the wrestlers who took the time to pose for a picture or sign an autograph for them had earned fans for life.

I'm sure the crew gets tired of doing this night in and night out, but you'd never know it based on the way they interacted with fans. Team 3D were all smiles during the in-ring photo session, and agent B.G. James joined them by posing for some photos and dancing with some fans. It's a very cool grassroots experience. Everyone worked hard and there wasn't a bad match on the show. I highly recommend checking out a TNA house show if the company comes to your area.

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