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Csonka’s TNA One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown 4 Review 4.22.16

April 22, 2016 | Posted by Larry Csonka
5.5
The 411 Rating
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Csonka’s TNA One Night Only: Knockouts Knockdown 4 Review 4.22.16  

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Csonka’s TNA One Night Only: Joker’s Wild 4 Review 4.22.16

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Allysin Kay defeated Gail Kim @ 7:55 via countout [***]
– Rebel defeated Shelly Martinez @ 6:15 via pin [THE DIRT FUCKING WORST]
– Cherry Bomb defeated Velvet Sky @ 4:50 via pin [**]
– Jade defeated Leva Bates @ 9:55 via pin [***¼]
– Rosemary defeated Veda Scott @ 6:08 via pin [**½]
– Barbi Hayden defeated Raquel @ 6:15 via pin [DUD]
– Madison Rayne defeated Deonna Purrazzo @ 8:40 via pin [**¾]
– Marti Bell defeated Jayme Jameson @ 6:03 via pin [*]
– Mike Bennett and Maria defeated Gail Kim and DJZ @ 7:50 via pin [**¼]
Queen of the Knockouts Gauntlet Match: Jade defeated Madison Rayne, Allysin Kay, Cherry Bomb, Rosemary, Barbi Hayden, Marti Bell, and Rebel @ 14:40 [**½]


– The PPV was taped on March 17th.

– Jeremy Borash opened the PPV, but was interrupted by Maria and Mike Bennett. They are hosting the event tonight. Bennett was upset that Borash said a queen would be crowned, because there is only one queen, his wife, Maria. Maria claims that she is bringing in eight hopefuls, and they bring Allysin Kay, Cherry Bomb, Veda Scott, Leva Bates, Barbi Hayden, Jayme Jameson, Shelly Martinez and Deonna Purrazzo. Maria spoke about how beautiful she was, but she overcame that and made something of herself appearing in Playboy and being on the Apprentice. They then did the gimmick where they spoke with each woman, where they cut forced promos with bad comedy and tried to kill as much time as possible. It really did nothing to get their personalities over, for the most part; Veda Scott and Barbi Hayden came off the best as far as showing strong personalities in my opinion. Maria then tells them that they are fighting for a spot tonight. There will be eight singles matches, and the winners face off in a gauntlet match to win the Queen of the Knockouts Title. They then ran through tonight’s matches…

* Allysin Kay vs. Gail Kim
* Cherry Bomb vs. Velvet Sky
* Rosemary vs. Veda Scott
* Jade vs. Leva Bates
* Barbi Hayden vs. Raquel
* Marti Bell vs. Jayme Jameson
* Rebel vs. Shelly Martinez
* Madison Rayne vs. Deonna Purrazzo

– We now get clips of Gail Kim, Madison Rayne and Awesome Kong winning the previous Queen of the Knockouts PPVs. Kong defeated Jessicka Havok last year, and now both are gone. That worked out well.

– Josh Mathews, Jeremy Borash, Mike Bennett and Maria are all on commentary.

Allysin Kay vs. Gail Kim: They had a solid back and forth opening portion, with Kim using her speed, only to be cut off by the power game of Kay. They did a lot of cutting away to Maria on commentary, which became distracting and constantly took away from the match. While it does have some continuity with the current storylines, commentary focusing on Maria wanting to control the division and showing her distain for Kim was another distraction. Kim had started a comeback and used the figure four on the post; it then went into some back and forth with both getting time to shine. Kay again used her power, and then worked for an arm bar. They’re working well together, constantly playing off of the speed vs. power dynamic, and Kay getting a lot of time to shine. Kay kept countering eat defeat, Kim went up top and Bennett distracted her, so she dove off onto him to take him out. Maria then posted Kim, leading to a countout win for Kay. Bennett actually got busted open during the dive. I was really enjoying the match, as they gave Kay a lot of time to shine (working a very even and competitive match with Kim) here, but that finish was flat as hell. This had the bones of what could have been a very good match, but only got to good.

– Post match, Kim called Mike Bennett a pussy, and challenged Maria and Mike to a tag match later tonight.

Rebel vs. Shelly Martinez: They spend nearly the entire first minute arguing, did a lockup spot and they then argued more. Shelley Martinez attempted to do what some would describe as arm work, she yelled a lot and called Rebel a bitch. Rebel then spent time hiding behind the ref, raked the eyes and that allowed her to get the heat. Rebel then did some horrendous “counter wrestling” as she tried for an abdominal stretch. They then fell to the mat, and had to edit shots because Martinez stated to fall out of the bottom of her bikini style outfit. Martinez they made a comeback, and then they completely blew a head scissors spot. My God this has fallen completely apart. Martinez then tried for a dive, which was to be a miss where she got caught in the ropes but she actually got caught in the ropes and Rebel sort of rolled her in for the pin. Martinez was covering her crotch post match because apparently she was letting it all hang out again. How this made PPV in the first place is amazing to me, was no one watching a monitor backstage when they taped this? This was a complete embarrassment on every level, is quality control too much to ask for?

Cherry Bomb vs. Velvet Sky: Cherry attacked before the bell and took control right away. Cherry worked her over, yelling the entire time, which is her thing. Sky made a comeback and tried several roll ups and pinning combinations, and then hit a basement dropkick for a near fall. They then went back and forth, both looking for an advantage; Cherry got a kick to the gut and back rake for a near fall. Sky then hit a series of clotheslines, and a bulldog for a near fall. Sky picked up the pace and came off better here than she has during her last few Impact outings. Cherry then got the double leg in the corner and used the feet on the ropes to pick up the win. Rock solid. Sky they hit Cherry with a stunner post match, because of course she had to get her heat back. That was stupid.

Jade vs. Leva Bates: Leva did some wacky dancing, and did spots based on that early to take control. It got a bit clunky; Leva hit a spear and then got a near fall. Jade had enough of that bullshit, and not only beat down, but also kicked the shit out of Leva’s hat. Jade used Leva’s suspenders to choke her out, which was a nice heel spot. Jade then took the heat, using the tarantula and a Muta lock. Leva got a desperation roll up, and then ate a superkick for her troubles. Nice control from Jade here, but Leva isn’t doing anything to make me care selling wise. Leva then hit a code breaker for a double down spot, leading to Leva making her comeback with kicks and a bridging northern lights suplex for a near fall. Leva then straight up punted Jade in the face, but then blew her corner knee spot and had to immediately redo it. Jade would cut off Leva as she went up top, Leva then missed a double stomp and Jade hit an STO for the win. It had some execution issues, but it was overall the best match on the show so far.

Rosemary w/Business Casual Crazzy Steve vs. Veda Scott: Scott gave a fun and quality pre-match promo, playing off of her fear, but also hyping herself up. I prefer non-ROH Veda Scott, she’s adorkable. She claimed Rosemary was afraid because she brought Crazzy Steve with her. Steve left and Rosemary attacked. Rosemary was just brawling and clubbing away, Scott came back using wrestling moves and kicks, which allowed her to get some momentum. Steve distracted Scott, allowing Rosemary to counter a high cross and hit a back breaker. We’ve mainly got to see Rosemary as an outside addition, but she’s playing the role well in the ring here. She comes across as rough and unorthodox, fitting of the character. Scott tried a triangle choke, but Rosemary powered her up and powerbombed her to the corner for a near fall. They then traded submissions; Rosemary bit Scott’s foot to escape a hold as her arms were trapped. Scott scored with the snap mare driver for a near fall. She’s looked good, out side of some rope running issues (not used to the ring). She then hit repeated dropkicks, Steve then got on the apron to distract her and Scott hit him. Steve liked it. The ref got distracted, and Rosemary blew mist into Scott’s face and picked up the win. Not bad at all, they had some flow issues and I could have done without another distraction finish, but it wasn’t bad.

Barbi Hayden vs. Raquel: They did something similar to arm drags and counters, Raquel runs the ropes poorly, as in she hits and then almost walks to her opponent. I know she doesn’t have much experience, but it’s very noticeable. Lots of starts and stops in the first 90-seconds, no flow at all. They then completely blew a reversal spot, like a basic shoot to the ropes and reversal spot. Barbi took control as Raquel tried to sell, and looked completely lost. Deer in headlights here kids, she looks so lost in between every move. Barbi is trying. Raquel then made a comeback, which came off better than most of the stuff she tried and Barbi sold very well for her. Trina Michaels, Barbi’s fan, jumped the rail for the distraction finish (#3 for the night) and Barbi hit a hangman’s DDT for the win. That was the opposite of good. Raquel then got to get her heat back and cleared the ring post match. I have no idea why, because it wasn’t good.

Madison Rayne vs. Deonna Purrazzo: Purrazzo is extremely excited to be here and celebrated with the referee before the match even started. Purrazzo kept playing nice, shaking hands and also congratulating Rayne on her moves. Purrazzo was the plucky underdog, being out wrestled by the established veteran here, but being gracious about it. Rayne scored with several pinning combos, and Purrazzo yelled out, “I don’t know what that was, but THAT WAS AWESOME!” This led to her snapping and taking Rayne down and laying the boots to her. Purrazzo shot Rayne to the steps, and got the heat after that. Purrazzo showed a really good aggressive side when she turned the switch and went crazy, showing good personality. Rayne made her comeback, which felt slow and lacked energy. Rayne missed a high cross, and Purrazzo got a near fall off of a running senton. Purrazzo argued with the ref about the near fall, leading to Rayne hitting cross Rhodes for the win. They were doing well, but the comeback by Rayne and the clunky finish took away from the overall match. Purrazzo has really improved from the last time she was here, which was two years ago. She’s gotten shots with NXT and seems to be working almost everywhere, which is great for her. Purrazzo was the more impressive performer out of the two.

Marti Bell vs. Jayme Jameson: Jameson used the power game to control from the opening. She’d toss and slam Bell around, and did so with ease. Bell finally was able to stun her off the ropes, which allowed her to gain control. Jameson then tried for, some sort of slam, and almost dropped Bell. It did not look good. Bell tried to slow things down, but Jameson came back with clotheslines and a powerslam for a near fall. This is really disjointed, as they seem to be having trouble settling into a cohesive flow of action. Jameson struggled hitting a spinning uranage, which got a near fall. Bell then hit a leg sweep into a clothesline to pick up the win. That was no good there; Jameson has a good presence, but appears to need a lot of work. They just never fully got on the same page.

Maria and Mike Bennett vs. Gail Kim and DJZ: Maria wanted no part of Kim, and tried to get out of starting the match, and tagged out immediately. They ten did a bunch of tag in and out to tease Kim vs. Maria, and this was the first two-minutes of the match. Bennett and DJZ finally started things off, with DJZ using his speed and running wild on Bennett. Maria eventually distracted DJZ, allowing Bennett to drop him with a right and take control. Bennett worked over DJZ as his cut from the opening segment opened up on him. Bennett worked a house show heat segment here, which was bland but fine. DJZ finally connected with a great high cross, and both men were down. Maria pulled Kim to the floor to stop the tag, so DJZ kept making his own comeback and did some really nice stuff. Kim then chased Maria around, and finally speared her in the ring. Bennett stopped her, Maria went to the floor and DJZ attacked Bennett. Bennett then countered the slingshot DDP and hit the Miracle in progress to pick up the win. This felt like an end of the loop house show match, it wasn’t bad, never got going and was just OK. It’s absolutely hilarious that they keep trying to build Kim and Maria like their eventually clash is something people want to see.

Queen of the Knockouts Gauntlet Match: The participants are: Jade, Madison Rayne, Allysin Kay, Cherry Bomb, Rosemary, Barbi Hayden, Marti Bell, and Rebel. Barbi Hayden was #1, and #2 was Marti Bell. They spend most of the first minute posing and arguing with each other. They finally locked up and #3 was Rayne; the intervals were supposed to be two-minutes, that was 90-seconds. Rayne spent most of the time fighting off both ladies, and #4 was Rebel. She came in and threw sloppy spin kicks, came face to face with Marti and they celebrated. They worked over both Rayne and Barbi, and posed a lot. They then tossed Barbi, and #5 was Cherry Bomb. They’re definitely doing 90-second intervals instead of the announced two-minutes. Cherry came in and worked over Bell, yelling the entire time. This feels really slow thus far, not bad, but just lacking energy. #6 is Allysin Kay, who ran in and tried to get something going energy wise as she attacked everyone, and was then cut off way too soon. You have to let someone get some momentum in there. Kay then eliminated Cherry Bomb, and then Rebel. That’s better. #7 was Rosemary. Everyone acted afraid and tried to run from her, but Rosemary would eventually run people down and work them over. She then got eliminated after about 45-seconds, and then Kay was also eliminated. #8 was Jade, and were down to Rayne, Jade and Bell. The two Dollhouse members of course worked together at first, but then Jade had enough of that and attacked Bell. Jade apologized, and then eliminated Bell. We’re down to Jade and Rayne now. They are doing the one on one to a finish now. Jade took control and worked the Muta lock, grounding Rayne who came in at #3. They then worked to the floor, Rayne posted Jade and rolled her back in. They then had a solid back and forth, but again Rayne’s comeback felt a bit lackadaisical. Jade then countered a tornado DDT into the STO for the win. It wasn’t bad at all, just straight up average. It was a match that every time you thought would kick up in action and intensity, just never did. Jade as the winner is more than fine with me.

– Jade joins Gail Kim, Madison Rayne and Awesome Kong as previous winners of the illustrious Queen of the Knockouts gauntlet match.

– Next month’s PPV is “Victory Road 2016.”

* End scene.

* Thanks for reading.

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“Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye Felicia!”

5.5
The final score: review Not So Good
The 411
I wouldn’t call this a “good show” by any means, but it was way more tolerable than the usual TNA One Night Only event. It had its moments as Allysin Kay vs. Gail Kim & Jade vs. Leva Bates were the two matches that are worth your time, Veda Scott and Deonna Purrazzo also had good performances; Rebel vs. Shelly Martinez is a clusterfuck of epic proportions that you may want to see just to witness how bad it was. I still have no idea how that made air. Not a good show and not a show I could tell you to spend $15 on, but I didn’t hate it. Still, you’re better off watching Impact if you like TNA, it may not be great week in and out, but it’s an easy watch and doesn’t cost $15. .
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