TNA house show results
August 31, 2012
Richmond, Va.
Report by Rob Witham, PWTorch correspondent

I would guesstimate the audience at 1,000 to 1,200, seemingly down some from their February 2011 appearance at the Landmark Theater, but it is Labor Day Weekend, plus our minor league baseball team is wrapping up their season this weekend.

Jimmy Jay did the usual crowd-rousing, throwing out several keys and a few other prizes, then So Cal Val was introduced. She did a very impressive job all evening working the crowd and keeping the pace of the show at an excellent clip.

(1) Battle Royal to determine who faces Austin Aries in the main event was thrown out. The show kicked off with an eight-man battle royal with Sonjay Dutt, Zema Ion, Magnus, James Storm, Kurt Angle, Kazarian, Christopher Daniels, and A.J. Styles. utt, Ion, and Magnus went out after just a few minutes, followed by Angle and Storm at about the same time. Styles took some 2-on-1 punishment, then got the better of the Tag Team champs. Daniels was knocked out, then, as Styles went for the win grappling Kazarian on the ropes, Bobby Roode ran down the aisle and into the ring, and a melee ensued. Daniels and Angle re-entered, then Aries came down and got involved.

The ref announced a "No Contest," which the crowd did not appreciate. Aries took the mic and said that it seemed like Richmond was about to see an Aries-Styles main event, but, since he sees three beside the ring (Kazarian, Daniels, and Roode), and three of the best in the ring (Aries, Angle, and Styles), then there should be a six-man tag main event. It was made.

(2) Mickie James beat Gail Kim. After the battle royal participants left, So Cal announced Knockouts action. Gail Kim came out first, followed by the birthday girl, Richmond's own Mickie James. Huge pop for Mickie, who absorbed most of the punishment during the match before notching the comeback win over Kim in around six minutes.

(3) X Division champion Zema Ion beat Sonjay Dutt to retain the X Division Title. Excellent action from both, especially Dutt. Ion riled up the crowd with his aerosol can, getting a big ton of heat when he screamed he had "worked four hours on his hair." Funny stuff. A distracted ref late in the match allowed Ion to use the can to his advantage, getting Dutt in the eyes, then covering him for the pin in about 11 minutes.

So Cal re-entered the ring and asked Richmond if they want to see The Charismatic Enigma, Jeff Hardy. The place went nuts. He was introduced, and, after about a minute or so wait, he appeared. He spent a lot of time with fans around ringside and threw four different shirts to the crowd. He briefly talked, but was interrupted by the presence of a masked man at the corner of the railing who was quickly held back by TNA security. After a moment, Hardy led the crowd in a chant of "Let Him Go!" so they did, which led to a brawl/unsanctioned bout between Hardy and the Mystery Dude. This went back and forth for six or seven minutes, and when Hardy got the upper hand, the Aces and Eights member bailed out, jumped the rail, and left to a cascade of boos...

[Intermission. Brian and Earl Hebner signed Earl's t-shirt for $10.]

The second half only featured two bouts.

(4) James Storm beat Magnus. Magnus came out first, then "Cowboy" James Storm. Both used the mic effectively, then produced a fair match. Storm performed the better of the two and won with a Last Call Superkick at around 9:00.

So Cal Val introduced the main event. The Tag Champs came out and did a very R-Rated talking/dancing routine that seemed to go on for-ever. Then, Roode was introduced and he arrived wearing his best fake Ric Flair robe. For the faces, Styles came out first, then Angle, then Aries. Great pops for all. Styles, after offering a joke that fell flat, wisely said, "Enough with the talk, ring the bell, for pete's sake." Best words any of the six uttered the whole night.

(5) TNA World Hvt. champion Austin Aries & Kurt Angle & A.J. Styles beat Bobby Roode & TNA tag champions Daniels & Kazarian in a six-man tag match. The crowd was very, very hot for Angle, who worked little in the earlier battle royal, staying in a corner most of the time. He looked legit injured, as his upper right leg was taped. He never ran at any point tonight and favored the leg, especially after this match.

As for the meat of the match, Styles took the usual beating. But, before that, a funny spot occurred where Styles escaped a would-be armbar that Kazarian gave him while not the legal man on the apron as the ref was, as usual, distracted. Only, Kazarian didn't see that Styles moved and pushed Daniels into him, so Kazarian continued to give arm shots to the shoulder of his partner, "unbeknownst" to him. Roode then jumped the railing and got on a chair, waiving frantically at Kazarian. Aries, then Angle, and eventually Styles all went outside the ring on the heel side to laugh at Kazarian, who only then discovered what he was doing.

Aries eventually took the hot tag when Styles finally survived the beatings, and eventually everyone hit a signature spot, including a slam from Angle in spite of his condition. Aries covered Daniels to get the pin at 14:00. Aries then ended the evening posing for pictures with fans in the ring for a charge.

Biggest Pops:

(1) Kurt Angle (even with his limited ability due to apparent injury, the crowd was crazy for him)
(2) Jeff Hardy
(3) Mickie James (the hometown girl)

Biggest Heat:

(1) masked Aces and Eights member
(2) Daniels and Kazarian
(3) Zema Ion

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

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