TNA house show report
September 15, 2011
York, Pa.
Report by Greg Kurtz, PWTorch reader

On Thursday, TNA returned to the York Fair for the second year. The crowd seemed a bit larger than last year, and they were into most wrestlers. A $50 ticket afforded a ringside (or close to it) seat and a meet and greet, but the meet and greet was only ringside for the wrestlers who came out prior to the show. There was a "Hardy Party" deal where the purchase of a Hardy racing truck included a chance to meet him backstage. The wrestlers signing ringside were Mexican America, Austin Aries, Brian Kendrick, The Pope, and Winter.

At the start of the show, Jeremy Borash came out for the usual "backstage pass to the loudest fan" spiel.

(1) X Division champion Austin Aries beat Brian Kendrick and Robbie E. in a three-way match to retain the X Division Title. Aries did a fist-pump dance, which was pretty funny. Aries won this quick match, which could have gone longer. All three, even Robbie E., got a good response.

Earl Hebner came out for the next match doing the "Damn Right I Did" gimmick, mocking Bret Hart with pink sunglasses and his mannerisms, then did a crotch chop.

(2) James Storm beat Gunner. Loud "Beer....Money" chants for Storm. I think with some character development, Gunner could make a decent heel. Big pop when Storm won.

(3) Knockouts champion Winter beat Mickie James to retain the Knockouts Title. The crowd seemed dead when Winter came out, perhaps not knowing who she was or what she was about. Loud chants for Mickie. Mickie's music played after the match to keep the crowd happy.

(4) Bobby Roode beat Bully Ray via submission. Ray asked Roode to put up his #1 contender slot, which Roode agreed to. Lots of "you tapped out" chants to Ray, coming off the PPV. Roode made Ray tap out to his armbar finisher. Bully Ray has come a long way since 3D, and I think he is a great heel and should rise the card. After the match, Ray scared a little girl in the crowd, so JB said she would get backstage passes to "give him a piece of her mind." Doubtful, as the girl looked terrified of Ray, a great heel tactic.

(5) TNA tag champions Mexican America (Hernandez & Anarquia) beat The Pope & Devon. I thought Pope and Devon were at odds about Pope spending time with Devon's sons, but they acted like the best of friends here. Pope and Devon were over with this crowd. "ECW" chants for Devon at the end as both posed and laughed it up together.

(6) Jeff Hardy beat Jeff Jarrett. Hardy came out to apologize personally to the fans for his behavior this past year, when Jarrett dragged Earl Hebner to the ring and told Hardy he has to apologize to him as the founder of the company. Jarrett jumped Hardy before the bell. Hardy was over huge, as always. Hardy won with a Twist of Hate (is it a Twist of Fate now that he is a babyface again?) and a Swanton off the top rope. Hardy then posed and slapped hands with those fans closest to ringside. Hardy seemed motivated and very happy to be there, and called himself a "Charismatic Father."

(7) TNA World Hvt. champion Kurt Angle beat Mr. Anderson via Angle Slam to retain the World Title. Anderson was looking for the drop mic, so JB slipped in the ring behind him, stood on a chair, and dropped a mic down to him. Lots of chants for Anderson, and some for Angle too. It was a bit uncomfortable hearing chants of "Lets Go A**hole" considering the small children in the crowd. Anderson suddenly disappeared after the match and $20 got a picture for an entire group with Kurt Angle.

Overall, a great show with some good action and a great crowd. House shows seem better than TV, as there are few long stories to keep up with, and the "40 Plus Club" isn't hogging the time. This was my fourth TNA show, and it was worth the money, even if the meet and greet was a bit confusing. Highly recommend checking out TNA on the road!

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

We suggest these recent related articles...

SHOW RESULTS - 10/9 AAW in Berwyn, Ill.: Gargano challenges for AAW Hvt. Title, more title matches, big women's tag match, more

SHOW RESULTS - 10/3 NWA Smoky Mountain in Kingsport, Tenn.: NWA Hvt. Title match, Rob Conway, Kid Kash, Ricky Morton, more

LIVE REPORT - 10/4 TNA BFG PPV in North Carolina: Live notes on technical glitches, pre-Angle match announcement, Captain America Fan, more