TNA in Hamilton, Ont.
Report by Dot Net reader Kale Sherar

The show was nowhere near a sellout, but there was a solid 1,000-1,250 people there.

The show started promptly at 7:30 with Jeremy Borash hyping everybody up. He may be corny, but he sure as hell knows how to get a crowd going.

The section I was sitting in, 108, was completely silent, except me, my brother, and a few other people. There has to be 200 other people in it.

The referees for the night were Earl Hebner and Mark 'Slick' Johnson.
Before the first match, Earl was playing to the crowd as we were chanting 'You screwed Bret'. He gave the DX crotch chop a couple times.

1. Eric Young beat Suicide. Suicide entered first, to mostly cheers. He came from the concession area through the stands. Eric came out to the old 'Team Canada' theme, and was really over with the crowd. Anytime Suicide got offense, he was booed, except for a few kids. There were a lot of 'Let's Go Frankie' and 'Let's go Kaz' chants from the people who know it's Kaz under the costume.

Twice during the match, EY and Suicide did criss-crosses while running the ropes. It was funny thr first time, but fans were booing the second time. The first finish was botched, as Young dropped Suicide from the Wheelbarrow Hold. However, he quickly hit a Death Valley Driver, then the Youngblood Neckbreaker (Wheelbarrow Neckbreaker) for the pin. Post-match saw Young pin Earl Hebner in a comedy spot. This was a good opening match, and it had a little bit of everything in it. Really got the crowd going.

2. Angelina Love pinned Taylor Wilde. Angelina entered first to mostly cheers (she's from nearby Toronto). Taylor came out to cheers, but also a few boos (even though she's also from Toronto). Throughout the match, fans got more behind Angelina Love, and most booed when Taylor hit any moves. Angelina hit the Lights Out for the pin. This was a solid Knockouts match. I was very surprised though that there were so many people behind Love, but I guess Taylor just doesn't click with most fans.

3. Homicide defeated Consequences Creed to retain the TNA X Division Championship. JB mentioned before the match that Homicide wins the title on a match that airs on next week's Impact. Creed came out to a nice pop, and was interacting with fans, but he then got on the mic saying that he hated Canada, and couldn't wait to go back home to the USA. Homicide came out to a great pop, and everyone was cheering (except my section).

I was doing the LAX symbol, and since I was the only in section 108 on their feet, he acknowledged me by flashing the symbol back. The early part of the match saw a lot of stalling from Creed, which got the 'You Suck' chant going. Homicide took the mic and said 'He don't suck, the USA sucks!' which got a lot of cheers. This was a very fast-paced match which saw Homicide hit the Gringo Cuttah for the win. Post-match, fans were singing 'The Goodbye Song' to Creed.

4. AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels defeated Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe. Joe was out first to mostly boos, but some cheers. Angle came out to a huge pop, but that was all, as almost everyone turned on him throughout the match. Daniels came out to his old 'Fallen Angel' theme to a good pop. I (only one in section 108 on their feet) gave the old 'Fallen Angel' hand symbol and he pointed right at me and did the new hand symbol.

AJ came out to the biggest pop of the night to that point. Fans love this guy, and like Daniels and Homicide, I was acknowledged by Styles for doing the hand gesture. This was an amazing tag match which saw both team split the offense. The end came when Daniels hit the BME (amazing move to see in person) on Joe, then Styles rolled through an Angle Slam to hit the Styles Clash. Crowd popped huge for the finish and rightfully so, this was a very entertaining match. Post-match, Styles and Daniels got on the mic and said they loved being here, and that TNA fans are the reason why they stay in this business.

Next came a 15 minute intermission. I took this chance to go down and meet JB, and get his autograph. He's a great guy in person.

After the intermission, JB got on the mic and said that TNA is considering bringing a PPV to Copps Coliseum in the near future. This got a lot of cheers, but I don't see it happening until mid-2010.

5. Jay Lethal defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. Sheik was out first to immense heat, and then he got on the mic and spoke in Iranian. Lethal came out to a great pop, and the fans were really buying into his 'Black Machismo' gimmick. This was much better than I was expecting from these two. At one point in the match, Lethal backed Sheik into the corner, and a really good-looking girl was standing ringside. Jay yelled out 'She's hot!'

A bit later, he got a kiss on the cheek from her. Near the end, Sheik hit an awesome Super Frankensteiner on Lethal for a near fall, but Lethal fires right back with the Lethal Combination for another near fall. Finish came when Lethal hit the Diving Elbow Drop for the pin. Like I said, this was an outstanding match, and I wished it would've gone longer. There were lots of 'Daivari sucks' chants, and even more 'Black Machismo' chants. Hell of a match from two solid mid-carders.

6. Beer Money defeated Team 3D for the TNA Tag Team Championship. Beer Money out first (to Storm's old music) and an enormous pop. Roode and Storm were hugging fans and shaking hands and really playing the face role. 3D came out to the biggest pop of the night, though. Everyone was chanting 'Tables, Tables.' Roode got on the mic and said there weren't going to be any tables, and we should all sit down and shut the hell up.

The first few minutes were stalling, until Roode got on his knees and hugged Storm on the apron. Ray did a little dance, and the fans started chanting 'You suck d*ck, and You are gay'. A few mintues in, Ray hit a Sunset Flip on Storm, and pulled his trucks down, exposing his ass. Everyone was laughing at it, and JB looked like he was about to puke. A small 'Brokeback Mountain' chant broke out soon after. Storm ended locking Devon in a Sharpshooter, and Earl teased a Screwjob until Ray kicked Storm and yelled 'Screw you Earl!'

The finish came when Hebner was distracted by Roode, so Sheik came out and low-blowed Ray. Storm hit the Last Call Superkick on Ray for the win. Sheik handed the Title belts back to Roode and Storm, who promptly threw him into the ring, where he was 3D'd through a table that Devon had set up during the match.

After the show, 3D did the pictures in the ring for 20 bucks, and there was a massive lineup. My brother and I were lucky enough to be the first ones to get them done. While 3D was doing this, JB brought out Angelina Love, Daniels, Creed, and Lethal. They all signed autographs for about a half hour, until they had to leave. 3D was still doing pics as I left, and that was about 45 minutes after the show ended. Hebner was chatting it up with some guys close to the entrance way, and they made no mention of the Screwjob.

Notes: Slick Johnson is hilarious to watch. He was jumping up and down, flailing his arms around, and bouncing around for every match he reffed. Hilarious dude. Hebner was subjected to 'You screwed Bret' chants for every match he reffed. After the show, the curtain to the back was open, and I clearly saw Kaz walking around and talking with Samoa Joe. The crowd was hot all night, and even my section picked up by the last match.

TNA is definitely doing the right thing with their live events. The interaction with the wrestlers is fun, and they are really nice people. They went out of their way to sign everything the fans had. Ray and Devon are two of the nicest guys I have ever met. They took the time to have fun with every fan who did pictures in the ring. They thanked everyone after the pics. Angelina came across as a very nice person, as she was taking alot of pictures with disabled people, and she appeared to enjoy every minute of it.

I have been to two Monday Night Raw tapings, and one TNA live event, and I must say, TNA blew both Raws out of the water. It was really great having the wrestlers acknowledge you, and even better to meet them. I don't care if TNA does a PPV here or not, I'd rather go to another one of their live events. They should keep this up, cause they will definitely win over a lot of fans with these shows.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: