Powell Editorials TNA Slammiversary Hitlist: Samoa Joe turns on the TNA Originals and helps Kurt Angle win the TNA Title, Beer Money defeats Team 3D for the Tag Titles, Angelina Love vs. Tara for the TNA Knockouts Title By Jason Powell Jun 22, 2009 - 12:15 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing Dot Net members are currently listening to the 52-minute audio recap I recorded late last night. To gain access to all Dot Net Audio for only $5 per month, visit the Dot Net Members' Signup Page. TNA Slammiversary Hits Raven and Daffney vs. Abyss and Taylor Wilde: I didn't have high expectations for this match, but it turned out to be the most entertaining match on the show. It wasn't a five-star classic or anything, but it was just a really fun hardcore match with everyone working hard and Daffney taking a surprising bump on the tacks. Here's hoping we haven't seen the last of Raven in TNA. X Division opener: There wasn't much psychology involved in a match that can be best described as a train wreck. Again, though, it was fun. Granted, I hated the way it was four-on-one to start, yet Suicide was still able to pinfalls in the first five minutes even before it settled into a real five-way match. Plenty of fun spots that the live crowd really got behind. I wasn't surprised to hear the live crowd boo Suicide given that they were in the Motor City and the fans wanted to see Alex Shelley or Chris Sabin win. Given how into the Guns the live crowd was, it cements my belief that the company should have done more to spotlight them on this show. Beer Money vs. Team 3D: Good action from the two best teams in TNA. I didn't like the way they gave Team 3D so many excuses for losing the match. This was one of the only finishes that seemed up in the air before the show and TNA went so overboard with the excuses that they basically told people they would be losing the match. Again, though, the two teams worked hard and lived up to my high expectations for the match. Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. A.J. Styles vs. Mick Foley: I'm giving the actual match and the work of the wrestlers a hit, but the finish is another story (more on that below). It was cool to see Angle debut a new look just to shake things up. Styles had some standout spots and worked his ass off. Foley's elbow drop off the top of the penalty box was great. Joe worked really hard despite his various injuries and no one would have known he was hurt had he (via Twitter) and the announcers not mentioned it. I can't think of a standout moment for Jarrett, but he also worked hard and this was a strong pay-per-view main event. Daniels vs. Shane Douglas: I didn't mind this match as much as most people. It was stuck in the unenviable position of trying to follow up the X Division match, but I liked the way Douglas targeted Daniels's shoulder throughout the match. It wasn't a memorable match, but it was fine for what it was. TNA Slammiversary Misses Samoa Joe helps Kurt Angle win the TNA Title: This was a lousy swerve. Did most fans see it coming? Of course not, because there was no logic involved. Joe beat the hell out of Booker T, Scott Steiner, and Kevin Nash, yet there they were cheering him on afterward. Joe attacked Angle before the bell and beat him up throughout the match. Don West's claim after the match that this was all part of the plan was absurd since Joe and Angle had no way of knowing the referee was going to make Angle eligible to hang the belt. I'm happy they're going in a new direction with Joe, but the way they got there was nonsense. Jeff Jarrett's promo: Jarrett actually said he didn't want to win the TNA Title. I get the idea that he's fighting to regain control of his company, but there was no need for him to say that he doesn't want to win the title. That should be the goal of every wrestler in the company, and having the owner say he didn't want the title cheapens the belt. There was a way to make the same point without directly stating that he didn't want the belt. Production: I'm not criticizing the work of the camera crew (although the director did miss a pinfall in the main event). Rather, I couldn't believe how dark and dingy the building looked on television. I was excited to see how the major league building would look on television and I came away underwhelmed. Sure, they had to darken the upper deck since no one was sitting there, but why not show shots of the outside of the building or in the main entrance area to get over the fact that they were playing a major venue? Pre-show match: The British Invasion beat Eric Young and Rhino by pinning Jesse Neal? How was this supposed to get people excited about the pay-per-view? The match was fine, but the idea that the referee let Neal replace Young mid-match was ridiculous. Mike Tenay and Don West during the tag title match: West has some funny lines and his heel character is an improvement over his babyface cheerleading persona. Of course, I'd rather hear Taz on commentary when his noncompete expires, but I have a hunch they're going to keep him off the broadcast team for a while. The problem I had with the duo during this match was that they were doing their babyface vs. heel schtick instead of calling the match. There's a time and place for the comedy bickering and it's not during the middle of one of the hottest matches on the show. Angelina Love vs. Tara: I'm not sure why they rushed into a match that could have been built up as a big event a couple months from now. Unfortunately, the match was nothing special. I expected more from these two. Sting vs. Matt Morgan: Just a minor miss. I didn't care for the way Sting just volunteered to put up control of the Mafia for no reason coming into the match. Worse yet, TNA just hasn't been able to get Morgan over as a monster heel. The match was just kind of there and then Sting missed the big Scorpion Death Drop spot. Dot Net is now on Twitter. Sign up for regular updates at Prowrestlingnet (the dot is not included in the name). Get brief news with quick links to major stories by visiting Twitter.com/prowrestlingnet. HELP SUPPORT DOT NET! BECOME A MEMBER AT OUR CHARTER RATE OF JUST $5 A MONTH - GET THE FIRST LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE INSIDER DOT NET NEWS, TONS OF EXCLUSIVE AUDIO SHOWS, MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, START YOUR OWN BLOG, AD-FREE MAIN LISTING: SIGN ME UP (or MORE INFO) GOT AN IPHONE OR IPOD TOUCH? THEN BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD OUR NEW FREE iPhone APP: (click here!) (or SEARCH "pro wrestling" in iTunes App Store) FOR MORE BREAKING WWE & TNA NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE PWTORCH.COM (click here!) FOR MORE MMA & UFC NEWS AND COMMENTARY, VISIT OUR AFFILIATE MMATORCH.COM (click here!) CLICK TO RETURN TO DOT NET MAIN LISTING OR SELECT A LINK BELOW FROM THIS CATEGORY Powell Editorials Latest Twelve Articles TNA Impact Hitlist: Hulk Hogan hype, Kurt Angle and A.J. Styles vs. Desmond Wolfe and Daniels, Mick Foley's frustration builds, Kevin Nash teases that Hogan isn't coming alone, Sting interview bait and switch, Tomko returns WWE Raw Hitlist: Final hype for Survivor Series, Undertaker attacks John Cena, Kofi Kingston and Randy Orton brawl, Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper, Triple H Pedigrees Hornswoggle TNA Turning Point Hitlist: A.J. Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniels for the TNA Title, Desmond Wolfe vs. Kurt Angle, Tara vs. Awesome Kong, Amazing Red vs. Homicide for the X Division Title WWE Raw Hitlist: Hype for John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series, Ricky Hatton as guest host, Randy Orton's "hood" line regarding Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, and MVP Powell's TNA Impact Hitlist: Dixie Carter's speech to the talent crew, hype for Hulk Hogan, the build for A.J. Styles vs. Daniels vs. Samoa Joe, Team 3D vs. Matt Morgan and Hernandez, Tara vs. Hamada WWE Raw Hitlist: Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne host Raw, Chris Jericho vs. John Cena vs. Big Show, Sheamus destroys Jamie Noble, The Miz vs. Evan Bourne, vintage Michael Cole