TNA house show
Dublin, Ireland
Report by Dot Net reader Stephen Cooney

The last time TNA was in Dublin was January of this year and they sold out two shows in a 1,200 seater venue (The National Stadium). Tonight they played to a much larger 9,500 seater arena in the 02 arena. Sounds like progress but the problem was that this time around they sold pretty much the same amount of tickets, 2,400. The entire top area of the venue was curtained off and there were a lot of empty seating in the other areas of the arena. That being said, you wouldn't have noticed based on how hot the crowd were all night which created an amazing atmosphere for the event.

Jeremy Borash, of course, was the host for the night and once again he earned his pay check ten times over. I've yet to see anyone who isn't a wrestler get the crowd so worked up on a consistent basis throughout an almost three-hour event. He really makes every element of the show from the matches to the fans seem integral to the night. Anyway on to the show itself...

1. Hernandez defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. Sheik was out first to huge heat from the crowd, delivering his promo in Iranian to really antagonise the crowd. Hernandez came out next to a hug pop. He was over big with the crowd. This match served as a display of strength for Super Mex. He tossed Bashir around like a ragdoll for most of the match, including delivering his hesitation suplex holding Bashir straight up in the air for approx 40 seconds...impressive each time I see it. Match ended when Hernandez deliver a sit out power bomb and got the 1, 2, 3.

JB introduced Earl Hebner to a chorus of boo's and "You screwed Bret" chants as referee for the next match.

2. Taylor Wilde defeated Velvet Sky and Awesome Kong in a triple threat match. Velvet and Taylor teamed up early to try and eliminate Kong, without much success. This match seemed to end very abruptly when after only 4 minutes Kong ended up going over the top rope to the outside, leaving Taylor to pin Velvet using a belly to back suplex. The crowd were a little confused at first as it ended so quick, with I think many assuming that it was an elimination rules three-way. However, JB announced Taylor as the winner to end the match. Nobody seemed injured afterwards so I guess it must have been booked to end that soon.

3. Samoa Joe defeated Jay Lethal to retain the X-Division Title. Lethal was out first and got a positive reaction, but when Joe came out the crowd erupted. TNA could try all they wanted to but there was no way Joe's was going to get boos tonight. This was a fast paced match with both wrestlers hitting suicide dives through the ropes to the outside during the match. Joe ended up winning this match with his rear naked choke to make Lethal tap.

4. Beer Money defeated The British Invasion (Doug Williams and Brutus Magnus). The British Invasion (who were massively booed anyway) decided to amp it up by saying that Ireland should never have broken away from British Rule back in 1916, and decided to treat us to a rendition of God Save The Queen. I thought things were going to turn nasty with the crowd for a while there but thankfully Beer Money interrupted their song. My god are Beer Money over. Without question the biggest reaction of the night goes to Beer Money. Almost everyone I saw who had bought t-shirts at the merch stand had bought the Beer Money shirts. Constant chants of "Beer" and "Money" chants throughout this match between the different sections of the audience. After a good length fast paced match Beer Money won clean with the DWI (really hate that name, especially for face act).

Intermission

Post intermission JB brought the TNA camera man into the ring and they filmed the crowd for a while, as they always do at these events.

5. Suicide defeated Rhino. Both men came out to cheers, with Rhino also greeted with ECW chants. Rhino managed to play the heel and turn the crowd against him by declaring ECW as dead, and cutting a cheap heel promo against Ireland. Another strong match here with Suicide doing most of the work. Rhino hit the Gore however Suicide kicked out after two. The match ended when Suicide reversed a power bomb attempt into a sunset flip roll up for the pin.

JB introduced Mick Foley as the special guest enforcer for the 6-man tag main event. Mick spoke to the crowd for a while and then announced that he had "tweaked" the match so that it was now a No DQ match with chairs and tables now being legal.

6. Team 3D and Abyss defeated Kurt Angle, Scott Steiner, and Booker T (w/ Sharmell). Each participant got their own full entrance for this match with the crowd popping for each in a big way. Steiner and Booker really tried to play up that they were the heels, with Steiner cutting a promo on how Ireland should have stayed with the United Kingdom (popular theme tonight). Team 3D came down from the back of the venue and through the crowd right beside me which was pretty cool and unexpected. The crowd were into every moment of this match.

The match spilled outside the ring at one point and Brother Ray pushed Booker T into a table that has been set up at ringside (obviously for use later in this match). However as Booker feel very lightly back onto the table it broke and he went through it. Brother Ray disappeared backstage and a minute or so later came back out with another table. 3D set this table up in the ring and hit the 3D on Steiner, however the new table did not break. Team 3D pinned Steiner after this 3D to win the match.

Notes: Foley joined 3D and Abyss in the ring (impact storylines between Mick and Abyss don't matter in live shows I guess) and brought a kid in from the crowd (Colm) to give him a piece of the table that Booker had gone though earlier. In a funny moment Foley, in order to prove that TNA worked under safety first rules, tied Colm's shoelaces as they were open, with Brother Ray telling him that when he is 80 he can say that Hardcore Legend Mick Foley once tied his shoes.

Ray and Foley seemed to be really enjoying themselves here. The un-broken table was still and the ring and the crowd chanted for 3D to put JB through the table. After JB ran for cover the crowd chanted for 3D to put Colm though the tables, much to the amusement of Ray. They then brought in Colm's family (brother and I imagine older Sister) to the ring to help carry the piece of table that they had presented to Colm, at which point the crowd chanted to "use the entire family" to break the table.

Ray while laughing proclaimed that we were the sickest sons of bitches he knew. The crowd was of course loving this.

I assume as this was the last show of the tour, all the faces came out to join 3D in the ring for a beer bash. We had Suicide, Hernandez, Taylor Wilde, Jay Lethal, Beer Money, Team 3D and Foley in the ring for a giant celebration to close the show.

TNA really knows how to put on a show for the crowd. From what I heard on the way out of the venue, people absolutely loved every minute of it. I think TNA really made some new fans tonight.

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