TNA house show results
April 26, 2009
Columbus, Ohio
Report by Zack Perry, PWTorch.com reader

All seating was on the floor level, this being a convention hall-type venue. So, it was somewhat difficult to say how many were there exactly. There were some empty sections, though.

(1) Lethal Consequences (Jay Lethal & Consequences Creed) defeated Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm & Robert Roode) after a failed double team attempt led to Creed using the schoolboy on Roode. Before the match, BMI got some cheap hometown heat referencing the economy and how filthy and dirty the rednecks are. There were a couple of "Brokeback Mountain" chants during the match, which was back and forth and just as good (if not a little better) than their match on Impact. After the match, with lots of persuasion, ref Earl Hebner danced with Machismo and Creed, who came out to James Brown's 'Living in America.' Now only if they used that track on Impact, as it's miles better than Creed's current music. I'm sure licensing that song is rather costly, though.

(2) X Division champion Suicide beat "Stone Cold" Shark Boy to retain the X Division Title. Both guys played face here, but I can see a heel turn making Sharky somewhat relevant if TNA ever goes that route. It was a pretty even match that would've had marks thinking Shark Boy actually had a chance to win. Quite a few near falls on both ends for both guys, including one after a Shark Boy Stunner. The Suicide Solution put Sharky away, however. After the match, both competitors shook hands before heading to the back.

(3) Madison Rayne (sans her Beautiful People cohorts) beat Sojo Bolt with a modified bulldog. TV doesn't do Rayne justice as she definitely is aesthetically pleasing in person. Sojo looked great, too rocking the Daisy Duke trunks. During the match, a guy yelled out, "Watch the weave!" as Rayne tugged on Bolt's locks. Honestly, the wrong wrestler won here, because if Bolt is the number one contender, it would have made sense for her to get the win making her seem like a serious challenger. The match, including the finish, had some not-so-crisp moments, but given the amount of time they had, it was a decent bout that saw both get in an appropriate amount of offense.

Throughout the show, Jeremy Borash promoted the backstage pass giveaway to the loudest and rowdiest fans. During one of these promos, he read a text message sent by Sheik Abdul Bashir, running down Columbus and issuing an open challenge. Out came the Sheik, who drew the usual "USA" chants and ranted and raved to the crowd. His opponent turned out to be TNA founder Jeff Jarrett.

(4) "The King of the Mountain" Jeff Jarrett pinned Bashir after a sunset flip. Bashir threatened to leave if the fans chanted 'USA' once more. Of course, they did and he hightailed it out, but Jarrett tossed him back in. Bashir escaped the ring and went through the crowd, before Borash got on the mic and said per Jarrett, if Bashir didn't get back in the ring he'd be suspended. The Sheik entered the ring at the count of nine just to roll back out. The match itself showed Bashir as a future star if they just book him right.

The finish came as Abdul brought a chair in and ref Slick Johnson snatched it away. Eventually, Jarrett garnered the chair and threatened to use it, but as Slick warned him, Bashir took off his belt, wrapped it around his fist and knocked JJ down for a two and a half count. Bashir's pants came down leading to an exposed backside and eventually the finish. After the match, Bashir verbally and physically accosted Johnson. This led to Jarrett making the save with a guitar shot to Abdul's head after Johnson gave Bashir a low blow. All three guys worked hard here (that includes the ref) and with a few tweaks, Bashir can be an upper level heel in the future.

(5) After the fifteen minute intermission, Rhino beat Brutus Magnus in a match longer than expected. On the other hand, it was a borderline squash in Rhino's favor. Magnus was sans gladiator outfit and was sporting long British Bulldog looking tights. The Brit ran down the town and called the whole place "a toilet" and the fans "turds." Out came Rhino, who was told by a random fan he sucked, informed Brutus he respected the fan's opinion because in the U.S. the people have that right. Furthermore, Rhino told Magnus he had the right to kick his ass. Brutus got in a little offense, but fell prey to the Gore. It's a shame Magnus' gimmick and push have been jettisoned after such a short time, but apparently he has to pay his dues.

(6) In the main event, TNA Originals Samoa Joe (minus knife) & "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels beat Main Event Mafia (Kurt Angle & Scott Steiner). Borash introduced Daniels as "The Fallen Angel" and Daniels did come out of his theme music circa 2006, but didn't he recently shorten his name on TV? Anyway, Steiner got the Michigan heat by having JB mention Ohio State sucks. All four guys busted their humps and put on a PPV worthy match. The finish came when Daniels hit the Best Moonsault Ever on Steiner, leading to Angle taking him out with the Olympic Slam. After that, Joe landed the Muscle Buster on Angle for the clean pin.

The faces departed with Steiner taking off shortly thereafter. Angle stuck around and thanked the fans for their viewership and support. In the process, he also put over Jay Lethal, A.J. Styles, Joe, and Beer Money as the future of TNA. Borash got on the mic and said that they'd bring backstage out to the fans. Fans got a photo with Angle in the ring for $20 while others got to take photos and obtain autographs from Sojo Bolt, Madison Rayne, Lethal Consequences, Shark Boy, and Earl Hebner around the guardrail.

All in all, a great house show given the talent involved. I don't know if a PPV from Columbus is feasible given the turnout (granted the start time of 4:00 p.m. is a bit atypical and the economy has forced some to sacrifice their dollars elsewhere), but it would be great to see TNA back in town at some point. If they'd be willing to book some Impact matches in the same fashion as the live events, there's no reason cracking a 2.0 in the ratings is impossible in the immediate future.

Most popular
-- Daniels (who was WAY over)
-- Rhino
-- Joe
-- Jarrett

Most hated
-- Bashir
-- Beer Money
-- Magnus
-- Steiner

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