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By Wade Keller, Torch editor

KELLER'S TNA DESTINATION X PPV REPORT
MARCH 9, 2008
LIVE FROM NORFOLK, VA. AT THE SCOPE

-After the typically well-produced video with phrases like "pangs and toils" and "not beyond our endurance" and "faith in our cause" with imagery of top wrestlers opened the show.

-They went backstage to Jeremy Borash walking with Team Angle (Kurt Angle, Tomko, and A.J. Styles) arriving at the arena earlier. Angle confirmed with Borash that Jim Cornette saw all of the angles of the controversial finish of the cage match. He said he must reverse the decision. Tomko said for once he agrees with him. Styles asked where Karen was. Angle told him they've got a big match coming up and he shouldn't be thinking about that.

-Another video introduction aired for TNA Destination X. It was refreshingly low-key followed by a blast of pyro as Mike Tenay and Don West introduced the show.

1 -- ROCK 'N' RAVE INFECTION (Jimmy Rave & Lance Hoyt w/Christy Hemme) vs. LAX (Homicide & Hernandez w/Celinas) vs. MOTOR CITY MACHINEGUNS

R&R members did some shout-outs concert-style, with Rave as usual getting the town wrong, calling it Nashville. West noted the Guns were the TNA Tag Team of the Year last year, but they've never worn the gold. He said LAX want the belts back. The Guns got the crowd riled up with some cool double-team moves early. Tenay said fans could vote online for whether they believe Cornette should overturn the Christian win over Angle in last Thursday's Impact cage match. The voting was 54-46 in favor of keeping the decision as is. At 2:00 they went to a series of dives to ringside. Rock 'n' Rave got in sustained offense at 6:00. Chaos broke out at 8:00. West went absolutely nuts after Homicide flip dove through the ropes onto three opponents at ringside. Hernandez meanwhile gave Rave the Border Toss for the win.

WINNERS: LAX in 9:00.

STAR RATING: **1/4 -- Chaotic at times, good pacing for a short opener throughout, with good highspots to get the crowd into the show.

-They showed Jonny Fairplay and Joel "Micronesia" (Joel "Truck" Anderson) at ringside watching the show. Joel was voted off of CBS's "Survivor" last Thursday in a total blindside. He had been a total jerk on the final episode and came across bitter at being voted off. In other words, a natural pro wrestling heel. In a story Jason Powell broke last Thursday on prowrestling.NET, Joel has been training with TNA recently for a pro wrestling career. (Story Link)

-Borash introduced additional camera angles of the finish of the cage match on Impact last week. The angle revealed Angle's feet hit the floor before Christian's did. He again plugged the poll on TNA's website.

-A video feature previewed the Black Machismo vs. Petey Williams match.

2 -- BLACK MACHISMO (w/So Cal Val) vs. PETEY WILLIAMS (w/Rhaka Khan)

Machismo went for an early Lethal Combination. Petey also went for the Canadian Destroyer. Neither pulled it off successfully. Khan got in Machismo's face at ringside, slowing his return to the ring after hitting Petey with a sledgehammer off the top rope. Petey recovered in the mean time and took control of the match. Petey locked on a chinlock. Machismo broke free, but second later Petey took Machismo over with a slingshot hurancanrana over the top rope to the floor. Nice spot, very well executed. They replayed it from two angles. At 7:00 Petey put Lethal in the 619 position and dropkicked him from behind. He signalled for the CD. Val looked on concerned from ringside. Lethal blocked the Destroyer. Petey powerbombed Lethal. Lethal fired right back with a release full nelson suplex for a near fall that popped the crowd. Another nice sequence. Lethal climbed outside the ring and went for a springboard dropkick, but Petey moved. Petey then applied a sharpshooter mid-ring. West predicted a tapout. Petey released it to set up the CD, but Lethal countered with a Lethal Combination. When Lethal climbed to the top rope, Steiner ran to ringside as Khan distracted the ref, and Steiner shoved Lethal to the mat. Petey then hit the CD for the apparent win. So Cal Val yanked the ref by the leg before he could count to three. Khan went after Val at ringside. Val backed up the ramp. Sonjay Dutt ran out to protect her. Lethal remained KO'd in the ring. Petey got the ref turned back around. Lethal surprised Petey with a small package for the win. Afterward, Dutt stepped between Lethal and Val and raised their arms. It's good to see a storyline brewing for Dutt where he's the third-wheel whose jealously is likely to get the best of him eventually.

WINNER: Lethal in 11:00 to retain the X Title.

STAR RATING: *** -- Really good match. The near falls were believable. Great counters. Great teases throughout for their big signature spots.

-Tenay and West were shown on camera. They previewed the rest of the show.

-Crystal interviewed Samoa Joe, Kevin Nash, and Christian Cage backstage. Joe said the only dependable thing about Cornette is that he's undependable, so whatever his decision, they will prevail. Joe said they will stand united. Christian insisted he won the match because the ref raised his arm. As for Cornette, he said he's made some questionable calls in the past. He said after what Styles and Tomko did to him, he's into the match regardless of Cornette's decision. Nash asked Crystal if she assumes he's going to sit down the first five minutes. He said that's not going to happen. He said most importantly, at Lockdown it's Joe vs. Angle for the belt in the cage. He said he made Joe a promise and he's going to keep it. He said he might start the match. "I guarantee ya', they're not expecting that."

-The promo aired with Rellik talking about drilling a hole in Young's skull and sucking out his brains and pulling out his heart and plucking out his eyeballs and stir it into a martini glass. (After that promo, he beat Young and walked away, doing nothing to fulfill his promise, showing as a monster, he's all talk.)

3 -- ERIC YOUNG & KAZ vs. RELLIK & BLACK REIGN

Kaz opened with some offense for two minutes, the tagged in Young to appaluse from the fans. Young kicked Reign between the legs, or "right in the nads" as West indelicately put it. Young bailed out, tagged in Kaz in the process. Kaz remained on offense. He suplexed the interfering Rellik while simultaneously back bridging Reign for a two count. Cool spot. The heels double-teamed Kaz to take control at 4:00. Rellik hit a big boot to Kaz and settled into a cobra clutch on the mat. Young got a hot-tag at 7:00. When Rellik sat up, though, Young panicked and bailed out. West said Young "didn't have the stones" to stay in there. He ran to the back, leaving Kaz alone. Kaz eventually made a comeback, but when he looked up to make a tag, Young was nowhere in sight. Superhero music played and a masked, caped Young walked out. Tenay's voice cracked with a "What?!?" He tapped into his alter-ego and beat up both Reign and Rellik. He hit a top rope bodyblock for a near fall on Reign. Rellik clotheslined Young and then climbed to the second rope. Young shoved Reign into Rellik, then stacked both of them onto his shoulders and dumped them over with a "double Death Valley Driver" in a display of, well, "superhero strength." He then pinned Reign.

WINNERS: Young & Rellik in 10:00.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- Fun storyline advancement. A bit silly, but in small doses, it's fine mid-card content.

-They went to Cornette's office. Borash asked if Cornette was going to let the fans rule TNA because they voted for the decision to stand. Team Angle was present. Angle told Cornette to make it right because the replay makes it obvious. Cornette said it was too hot in his office and he walked away. He bumped into Team 3D and groaned. Brother Ray told Cornette to let the fans make the stipulations. "Why do you continue to screw the good guys?" said Ray. Ray said maybe he should be drug tested. Cornette said if he could take a drug that would make them all disappear, he'd take it. He said he'd made his decisions in his time without their help. They trailed behind him yelling all along.

4 -- AWESOME KONG vs. ODB vs. GAIL KIM -- TNA Knockouts Title match

Kong overpowered both ODB and Kim early. Kim legdropped Kong as ODB held over over the top rope. Kong fell to the floor. ODB and Kim then battled, exchanging leverage pin attempts. Kim got the better of ODB and then climbed to the top rope. Instead of diving at ODB, she turned to dive at Kong on the floor. Kong caught her. ODB then dove onto both of them, prompting a "TNA, TNA" chant to break out. ODB and Kim returned to the ring and fought with Kong recovering at ringside. ODB gave Kim an overhead suplex, then she patted her breasts. Kim came right back with a big spear. She punched ODB repeatedly in the corner, but ODB lifted her. Kim escaped and yanked ODB to the floor. Kong then entered the ring and grabbed Kim by her hair, yanking her around. She collided with her and knocked her hard to the mat. Kim came back with a crucifix attempt. Kong blocked it and went for her spinning backfist. Kim blocked it and gave Kong a jawbreaker with her knees. Kong fired back with a hard clothesline and threw Kim shoulder-first into the ringpost. ODB returned to the ring and low-dropkicked Kong's ankle. Kong ducked an ODB enzuigiri attempt and lifted her by the throat and slammed her to the mat. Kim returned to the ring and she and ODB took turns punching Kong. Kong remained on her feet. ODB pulled out her flask and took a swig. Kim did the same. Tenay said, "You gotta be kidding?" Kim winced at the taste. They double missile dropkicked Kong to take her down. ODB and Kim broke up each other's pin attempts, though, then went after each other. Kim clotheslined ODB to the mat. Kong lifted Kim, but ODB schoolboyed Kong for a near fall. It would have been a tough call as Kim was on top of Kong, also, during the pin attempt. Kong gave Kim an Implant Buster. Kon then splashed Kim of the second rope. ODB dove over Kong to break up the pin. It was really awkward, as Kong still had Kim covered and Kim's shoulders were still down, but the ref just stopped counting. Kong stood up, absorbed two ODB chops to her chest, and gave ODB an Implant Buster. Kong went for a splash off the second rope, but ODB moved. ODB attempted a comeback. She dove off the second rope with a Thesz press for a two count. Saeed tripped ODB. ODB grabbed her by her scarf. Kong pulled ODB into the ring and gave her an Awesome Bomb for the win.

WINNER: Kong in 12:00 to retain the Knockout Title.

STAR RATING: ***1/4 -- In some ways, just excellent. There was a little bit of bad timing here and there and that really bad pin break-up by ODB late, but all in all, a strong showing again by these women.

-A video feature previewed the Elevation X match with Rhino pacing on the scaffolding and asking if James Storm will ever walk or even breath again after this one. They actually ran the audio long enough that you could hear Rhino ask, "How was that?" five seconds after he finished his take.

-Cornette stood mid-ring and said it's great to be back in the Scope after all of these years. Cornette said if Team 3D makes weight tonight, they don't have to weigh in anymore, but if they don't make weight, their contracts will be terminated. They went to a split screen with Team Angle and Borash backstage listening to Cornette's decision on the cage match finish. Cornette said Angle's foot did hit the floor first, so he should have been declared the winner. Angle jumped up and down in celebration. Cornette said Angle is asking him to overturn 100 years of tradition and set a legal precedent for video replays in pro wrestling. He said that was too big of a decision for him, so he was leaving it up to the fans of TNA. He asked the fans if they want him to overturn 100 years of tradition. The fans booed and shouted no. Or, he asked, did they want him to walk backstage and tell Kurt Angle to "suck it up and get over it." The crowd cheered mostly, with some boos. He told the Angle Alliance to get ready for the fight of his life because the decision stands.

5 -- TEAM 3D vs. SHARK BOY & CURRY MAN

Earl Hebner explained to Team 3D that they have to make weight or be fired. Ray asked the fans if they want to see them fired from TNA. The crowd cheered. Ray said they're not fat, but the fans in Virginia are. He pointed at various fans and called them fat, then insisted they'd make weight. Devon made weight. Rey did some deep breathing and then gingerly stepped onto the scale. He couldn't bare to look down at the number. The ref announced that he made it. Ray celebrated. The crowd cheered and booed. Johnny Devine jumped onto the ring apron and handed them snack cakes because they were free to eat empty-calorie junk food again. Curry and Shark schoolboyed Team 3D from behind for a quick pair of two counts. Curry and Shark went on an early flurry of offense. They double-dropkicked Ray out of the ring. Team 3D tried to regroup at ringside. They walked past the "fish market" set up in the wide entrance aisle. Curry and Shark followed them up the ramp. Shark grabbed a big fish to use as a weapon. For the next several minutes, Team 3D took a beating with various gimmicks, including Curry using a rod and reel to literally fishhook Ray and reel him in. Ray also took a fish net over his head. Ray began throwing fish into the crowd. Ray threatened to throw fish at the announcers as everyone around there scrambled. Devine joined in at ringside and wrapped a fish net around Shark Boy. Ray, meanwhile, brought a huge fish into the ring as Devon held Curry's legs apart. Ray flicked his tongue on the mouth of the fish, then swung it into Curry's crotch. With Curry hung upside down in the corner, Ray hit him with an oar. Devon used the fishing pole as a weapon. The crowd chanted, "We want tables!" Devon missed a diving headbutt, and so did the director. Shark Boy snuck back and hit Team 3D with a flying clothesline. Shark knocked Ray off the top rope with a fish. Curry set up Ray for a fish shot between his legs. Shark dove off the second rope with the fish. Curry dove off the top rope with a crossbody on Devon for a near fall. Shark gave Devon a stunner for a near fall. As Curry hit Ray with a trash can, Devine entered the ring with powder. He threw it, but it hit Ray in his face. Shark then gave Devine a stunner. Shark tossed Devine over the top rope through a table at ringside. Devon gave Shark and Curry a clothesline. Ray mistakenly 3D's his owner partner Devin, and Shark opportunistically made the cover.

WINNERS: Curry & Shark in 12:00.

STAR RATING: ** -- Hard to rate a match as zany and gimmicky as that. It was what it was, and effective at what it was trying to be.

-After the match, Fairplay and Joel celebrated at ringside with Curry and Shark. A minute later Ray shoved Joel hard into a row of chairs behind him. Joel went after Ray, but security intervened right away and kept them apart. Joel had great facial reactions.

-Borash chatted with Team Angle backstage. Angle wasn't pleased with things. They argued over who should start the match. Styles said he wasn't focused yet because he hasn't spoken to Karen in ten days. Angle grabbed him and told him to get focused. Tomko pried Angle off of Styles. Angle said Tomko and Styles were the best tag team he's seen, so there's no reason they should be worried about beating their opponents, who don't even get along. Styles asked Borash if he's heard from Karen. Borash whispered that Karen will be back Thursday and has a bombshell announcement.

[Commercial Break]

6 -- ROBERT ROODE (w/Peyton Banks) vs. BOOKER T (w/Traci Brooks)

Roode stalled, resisting being hooked to the strap before the match. Booker dished out a beating early. Roode came back at 3:00 and got sustained offense. When the ref went down at 5:00, Traci beat up Banks at ringside and took away a pair of handcuffs she had. Roode gave Booker a low blow to get the cuffs himself. He KO'd Booker with them and scored the pin.

WINNER: Roode in 6:00.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- What a letdown that was. Not a lot to it at all.

-Traci got in the ring to take ten lashes with a whip per the stipulation. Booker protested and security had to escort him to the back. Once they got to eight, Roode whispered something to Banks. She strapped her over and over. Roode Traci got the strap and made a move toward Banks. Roode pulled away from her and grabbed Traci by the throat. When Roode grabbed the strap and looked threateningly at Traci, Sharmell ran out and made the save. Sharmell was worked up, and she began whipping anyone in sight including security, referees, the ring announcer, and then even Cornette after he tried to talk her down. Security restrained Sharmell and dragged her to the back.

-Crystal interviewed Storm and Jackie backstage. Storm put up a brave front and said he has no fears, but he is understandably nervous. Storm said not only is drinking and driving wrong, but so is fighting two stories high with alcohol in one's system. He said he's going to bring a six pack to the top of the scaffold and after he knocks him down, he's going to celebrate over his fallen body and broken bones. "Sorry 'bout your damn luck," he concluded. Really good promo from Storm.

7 -- JAMES STORM vs. RHINO - Elevation X Match

Storm came out first and climbed to the top. Rhino came out second. Storm got cold feet and climbed down, shaking his head. Rhino climbed down and met Storm in the aisle and began a brawl with him there. They brawled for a couple of minutes with tables and trash cans in the ring. Storm set up a table. Rhino came back and gave him a belly-to-belly. Jackie ran up to Rhino and grabbed him to stop him from executing a Gore. Rhino turned toward her. Jackie climbed the scaffold. Rhino followed her up. Jackie climbed down and Storm climbed up. He kneeled. Rhino dared Storm to crawl to midring. Rhino sat down as Storm crawled over to him. Rhino poked him in the eye and rammed his head into the scaffolding. They cut to shots of fans looking concerned for their safety. They both stood up and exchanged punches, then gingerly fell to the platform. Storm, with a beer in hand, slipped under the platform and rested on the scaffolding in the middle. The fans told Rhino where Storm was, which was cheesy since Rhino could have easily checked himself. Rhino pulled a piece of the platform and revealed Storm. Storm hung from his hands and legs and Rhino kicked him off. Storm fell to the mat and he landed on a table. It was a pretty clean landing. His feet hit the table first, but he landed pretty flat otherwise. Tenay called for EMTs. West said nobody can fall like that and be okay. EMTs came out with a stretcher and put a neck brace on him.

WINNER: Rhino in roughly 7:00.

STAR RATING: * -- It was pretty bad. Without someone of Styles's agility, they really were limited in what they could do with this format. It was cheesy and uncomfortable and didn't live up to the hype because both guys (sensibly) were so cautious up there. The pre-climb brawl helped give the fans some action between these two.

8 -- SAMOA JOE & KEVIN NASH & CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. A.J. STYLES & KURT ANGLE & TOMKO

Joe & Nash & Christian had a five minutes three-on-two advantage. When Styles and Tomko stalled at ringside, Joe, Nash, and Christian went after them. With 30 seconds left in the five minute countdown, Joe stepped to ringside and paced while waiting for Angle to come out. Angle charged toward Joe. They brawled at ringside as the crowd chanted, "Joe, Joe, Joe." It settled into a standard six-man tag match. Nash got a hot-tag at 10:00 and cleaned house, giving Tomko a big boot and Angle a Jackknife. Styles hit Nash with a dropkick to his leg. Nash held his knee and writhed in pain. Nash tagged in Joe who took Tomko and Styles down with successive elbows and then a flying leg lariat to Tomko. Joe lifted Styles for a Musclebuster. Tomko gave him a low blow. Styles gave Joe a Pele kick. Angle gave Joe an Olympic slam for a near fall. Christian surprised Angle with an Unprettier. Nash tossed Styles by the neck over the top rope to the floor, then followed him out there. Tomko clotheslined Joe, but Joe yelled and no-sold it, then applied a rear naked choke. Tomko tapped out. Tenay pushed the Joe vs. Angle title match at Lockdown next month in Boston, Mass.

WINNERS: Christian & Nash & Joe in 12:00.

STAR RATING: ***1/4 -- Good six-man tag match, but it didn't feel substantial enough to be a PPV main event.

-Read Another Live Report on this PPV by Jason Powell right now at our co-affiliate prowrestling.NET: POWELL'S DESTINATION X REPORT.

-If you saw this event, we welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "TNA PPV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on this event, click here.

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