Hall’s TNA Against All Odds 2009 Review

Against All Odds 2009
Date: February 9, 2009
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Attendance: 1,100
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West

I like looking back at these old TNA shows as the company has such a long history that a good deal of it has been forgotten. Granted in some cases that’s for the better, as there have been some dreadful periods over the years. This might be one of them as I barely remember anything about this show. Let’s get to it.

Earlier today, the four participants in the World Title match arrived: defending champion Sting, Kurt Angle (Sting’s partner in the Main Event Mafia, though Sting arrived separately), Brother Ray and Brother Devon. Yeah that’s our main event: Devon Dudley getting a pay per view World Title shot.

The opening video basically shows that it’s the Main Event Mafia against everyone else up and down the card. I’ve heard worse ideas.

X-Division Title: Eric Young vs. Alex Shelley

Young is challenging after pinning Shelley in a tag match. Young starts fast and knocks the champ down for a middle rope elbow, with Shelley bailing out to the floor. A triangle dropkick puts Shelley down again and the slingshot dive connects as well. Shelley is up with a trip to send Young onto the apron though, allowing him to knock Young into the barricade.

Back in and Shelley starts getting a bit more cocky, even as he dropkicks Young out of the air. A knee to the ribs and a kick to the back of the head have Young down again, followed by a middle rope knee to knock him out of the ropes. They go to the apron again, where Young blocks a catapult but gets driven into the corner back inside. A baseball slide dropkick gets two and Shelley grabs a chinlock.

That’s broken up as fast as your average chinlock and Young hits a running elbow to the jaw for two. A jumping enziguri sets up a quickly escaped Death Valley Driver so Young goes with a top rope Fameasser for two more. Young misses a moonsault and gets rolled up for another two, followed by a Shell Shock (Sister Abigail) for the same.

They go up top where Shelley grabs a super wheelbarrow bulldog, setting up a frog splash for another near fall. They go up top again with Young’s Death Valley Driver not working, as he kind of drops Shelley face first onto the buckle. Young stops to yell at the referee, allowing Shelley to grab a rollup with tights to retain at 13:05.

Rating: B-. Good opener here with Young being a mostly clean challenger here who could get the fans into what he was doing. Shelley escaping the Death Valley Driver over and over worked well for a story to the match as Shelley eventually caught Young and cheated to win. Nice stuff here, mainly because there were no wacky shenanigans dragging things down.

Kurt Angle says he and Sting will push each other tonight and it doesn’t matter who wins because the Main Event Mafia is leaving with the title. Sting is nowhere in sight.

We recap Scott Steiner vs. Petey Williams. They were friends and teammates but Steiner blamed Williams for costing him a World Title shot. After returning from an injury, Williams was attacked by Steiner and then cost him a big match against AJ Styles. As a result, Steiner wants revenge and it’s time for Williams to fight back.

Petey Williams vs. Scott Steiner

Steiner isn’t impressed and shoves him down to start. A slam drops Williams again and Steiner starts in on the arm. That’s broken up so Steiner goes after the knee, setting up a missile dropkick for one. Steiner heads to the floor so Williams dropkicks him through the ropes. Back in and Steiner easily catches him on top with a belly to belly superplex. Williams’ tornado DDT is blocked and another suplex gives Steiner two more.

Williams gets a boot up in the corner for a breather and Steiner’s next superplex attempt is blocked. Steiner gets planted, setting up a Swan Dive to give Williams two. The Steiner Recliner attempt is countered into a quick rollup so Steiner bails outside. The slingshot hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb on the floor though and Williams is in trouble again.

Back in and the Recliner goes on, with Williams eventually managing to make the ropes. With that not working, Steiner busts out the…well it’s called the Steiner Screwdriver but it’s more like a fast sitout Tombstone than the insanity that was the Screwdriver. Either way, it finishes Williams at 11:13.

Rating: C+. This was basically Steiner toying with his food for about ten minutes until he had enough. That’s all it should have been, as there was pretty much no reason to believe that Williams could beat Steiner. It certainly wasn’t a squash and it shouldn’t have been, as instead they went with pretty much exactly what they should have gone.

Post match Steiner yells about how he’s going to finish the job like the Main Event Mafia is supposed to do. A super Angle Slam drops Williams again but here is the returning Samoa Joe, now with the weird face tattoo. Joe invites him to the Nation Of Violence, which sounds rather painful.

We run down the remaining card, over 40 minutes into the show.

Sting and Mick Foley (boss) are in the back with Foley, who gets to award the World Title to the winner of the main event, hoping that he doesn’t have to hand the title to Kurt Angle. They exchange pleasantries and Sting says the praise means a lot coming from Foley. With Foley gone, Sting says he wants to win tonight too but either way, the Main Event Mafia keeps moving forward.

Brutus Magnus vs. Chris Sabin

Magnus debuted earlier in the week and would later be known as Nick Aldis. Here he’s a gladiator because he was on the Gladiators competition show in the UK. For some reason TNA didn’t bother mentioning this (save for possibly a quick line) to the American audience so there was suddenly a British gladiator for no apparent reason. This is the result of an open challenge and before the match, Magnus issues it again because it is time for his glory to reign over…someone.

They fight over arm control to start until Sabin’s chops annoy Magnus. Back up and a Snake Eyes into a running shot to the face have Sabin in trouble. A slingshot elbow sets up the chinlock, which naturally makes Sabin fight up for a springboard clothesline. Magnus misses a charge to the floor and gets taken down by a slingshot dive. Back in and Magnus crotches Sabin on top, setting up a kind of spinning Samoan drop for the pin at 6:51.

Rating: C. This was fine enough as a way to make Magnus look good in short order. He’s still brand new and needs to pick up some wins so beating half of a great tag team is a fine way to go. The finisher was ok enough, though Magnus didn’t exactly look dominant here. The result is really all that matters though and the match did what it needed to do.

Team 3D says they’re a great tag team but everyone wants to be World Champion. They’re ready to try to do it tonight but blood is thicker than water and they’ll be ok no matter what.

We recap Awesome Kong vs. ODB, which is going to be a hossette fight for Kong’s Knockouts Title.

Knockouts Title: Awesome Kong vs. ODB

Kong is defending and has the Kongtourage with her…which brings out Jim Cornette, who has said this will be one on one. Therefore they can get out of here or the title is going to be handed over to ODB. They do indeed leave so Kong grabs Cornette, with ODB making a save to start the brawl.

ODB kicks her around ringside and takes things inside, where a bulldog gets a fast two. Kong knocks her out of the air though and a running splash in the corner crushes ODB. The bearhug goes on so ODB tries a slam, with Kong falling onto her for two. Kong’s splash misses though and ODB slugs away, setting up the slam for two. Back up and Kong grabs the Implant Buster to retain at 5:35.

Rating: C. They started fast here but it wound up being Kong’s slow paced offense. That makes sense of her, but it didn’t make for the best match. At the same time, ODB was popular but could only get so far with this kind of a showdown. Kong worked well as a monster though because…well she was a monster and really good as well.

Team 3D talks to Sting, with Brother Ray thinking that Sting is honorable, unlike the rest of the Main Event Mafia. Sting didn’t help in a recent beatdown and Ray hopes that Sting shows up tonight.

We recap Booker T. defending the Legends Title against Shane Sewell. The latter would be a referee that Booker has pushed around so much that he’s getting a title shot.

Legends Title: Booker T. vs. Shane Sewell

Booker is defending and has Sharmell with him. The bell rings and Booker smirks as he stretches, clearly not worried about Sewell whatsoever. There’s no contact for the first minute as Sewell looks ready and Booker looks uninterested. They finally lock up and Sewell backs him into the corner before reversing into an armbar, sending Booker to the ropes. Booker gets serious and starts striking away in the corner before kicking him down. Another kick to the face gets two but Sewell fights up and makes the comeback. A bulldog drops Booker but Sharmell trips Sewell, setting up the ax kick to retain the title at 6:04.

Rating: D. This was a good example of a match that might have made sense on paper but it doesn’t mean that it was entertaining. The idea of the match was that Sewell was in no way competition for Booker and…that’s pretty much exactly what happened. Booker beat him up, got in a small amount of trouble from not taking this seriously, and then won when he got a single chance. There’s a way to make this work, but this felt like a TV match to set up something else rather than the big pay per view match.

Post match Booker yells at Sewell but AJ Styles returns to clear Booker out. Styles grabs the title and talks about what he thinks it means to be a legend. It means that when the fans pay their money to see Styles wrestle, they get what they paid to see. Maybe a bad metaphor as these shows were free but Styles would win the title the next month.

Matt Morgan can’t stand Abyss, his former partner, and is ready to beat him up.

We recap Morgan vs. Abyss. They were partners who couldn’t get along and Morgan turned on him for making too many mistakes. Therefore, it’s time for a monster fight.

Abyss vs. Matt Morgan

They both go for the throat to start until Morgan starts hammering away in the corner. Abyss is back to send him into some corners as well though and the right hands have Morgan in trouble. Morgan gets sent outside and punched in the face, sending them over the barricade. Abyss gets choked up against a wall before Morgan beats him up in the crowd.

That’s broken up and Abyss sends him back down to ringside for a posting. It’s time to throw in some trashcan lids and other things, which allow Morgan to come back with a Carbon Footprint. Morgan chokes on the ropes again and a high crossbody of all things gets two. Another dive off the top lands in a chokeslam attempt but Morgan fights out, meaning it’s a double clothesline to put them both down.

The referee gets crushed in the corner so Morgan blasts Abyss with a chair for two. Another chair shot is countered with a chokeslam to give Abyss two but Morgan gets in a low blow. The chokeslam onto the chair gives Morgan two so Abyss grabs the chair. Morgan pulls the referee in the way of said chair though and that means…that Abyss just grabs the Black Hole Slam. Another referee comes in for two so Abyss hits a second Black Hole Slam for the pin at 15:42.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t bad at all, though that ending was more than a little weird. I’m not sure if the ending was a botch or not, as having Abyss just do the same move twice was an odd way to go. At least they didn’t go too nuts with the weapons, which would have been the easy way to go here as it tended to be when Abyss was involved.

Post match Abyss pours out a bag of tacks so Morgan runs off.

In the Main Event Mafia locker room, Booker T. is freaking out but Kevin Nash yells at him to calm down. Kurt Angle says he and Sting are family and tomorrow, things will be bigger than ever no matter which of them leaves as champion. Sting hugs Angle and leaves.

We recap Beer Money defending the Tag Team Titles against Lethal Consequences. Lethal Consequences (Jay Lethal/Consequences Creed, the latter who would later be known as Xavier Woods) won the titles via Feast Or Fired but lost them back to Beer Money in a three way three days later. Now they’re having a scheduled tag match for the titles once and for all.

Tag Team Titles: Beer Money vs. Lethal Consequences

Beer Money, with Jacqueline, is defending and Consequences has a bad elbow. Lethal and Roode start things off with an elbow sending Roode straight into the corner. Some backdrops put the champs down and dropkicks send them to the floor for a bit. Back in and Storm takes Creed up against the ropes, only for Creed to snap off a quick headscissors. Beer Money get sent into the corner for a suggestive landing and it’s time for a breather on the floor.

Roode gets back in and Lethal’s top rope ax handle gets two. Lethal is sent outside though and Roode rams him into the apron as the referee yells at Creed, who isn’t being a great partner (as just running around the ring for a save is out of the question). The champs start taking over with some alternating choking before Lethal gets in a shot of his own. Lethal goes up and gets crotched, setting up a double superplex for the big crash.

Beer Money SHOUTS THEIR NAMES but Lethal is up for a collision, leaving everyone but Creed down. The rolling tag brings in Creed, who cleans house with a quick double Honor Roll. Creed it sent outside and Storm goes after the bad arm to take over. A butterfly slam gives Storm two so Lethal comes in (sans tag) for a save.

That’s enough for Creed to get over to Lethal for the tag and house is quickly cleaned. The basement dropkick hits Roode for two, with Storm’s save hitting his partner by mistake. Jacqueline’s save doesn’t work and it’s the Lethal Combination for two on Roode. Storm gets a chain though and knocks Lethal cold to retain the titles at 15:44.

Rating: B-. That ending came out of nowhere and brought things down a bit. Lethal Consequences were a solid team who made for good challengers here. At the same time, Beer Money is an underrated team and one of the better teams TNA has ever had. Nice match here, though I could have gone for a better finish.

We recap the World Title four way, which is all about the Frontline vs. the Main Event Mafia. There is pretty much no reason to believe that Team 3D is going to win the title here (we’re years away from Bully Ray as a singles star) so this is more about Kurt Angle and Sting teaming together or imploding.

TNA World Title: Sting vs. Kurt Angle vs. Brother Devon vs. Brother Ray

Sting is defending, it’s one fall to a finish, and Mick Foley is on commentary. The two teams stare each other down to start, with Ray and Sting heading out to the floor. Sting is knocked down on the floor and Angle is double teamed, only for Sting to come right back in for the save. A double flapjack puts Sting down and Team 3D do some very gentle grappling. They then smile at each other and start slugging it out, followed by an exchange of slams and clotheslines.

They fight up to a standoff but Sting and Angle are back in to knock them both to the floor. Sting blocks being rammed into the announcers’ table and brawls with Ray into the crowd. Ray’s chair shot misses and they go back inside, with Sting and Angle both getting their signature holds. Angle breaks that up and gets in Sting’s face, allowing Devon to Boston crab a bleeding Angle while Ray gets a hideous Figure Four on Sting.

Those are both broken up as well and Team 3D is sent outside, leaving Angle to go after Sting’s leg. The Angle Slam gets two but Devon is there with the reverse Edgecution. A Doomsday Device puts Angle down, with Sting making the save this time. Sting breaks up the 3D and Angle does the same to What’s Up. That leaves Sting to Death Drop Ray to retain at 14:35.

Rating: C-. Well that happened. This in no way felt like a pay per view main event as there was no reason to believe that Devon or Ray were going to walk away as World Champion. Sting and Angle barely fought at all and this was much more a tag match than a four way. Nothing to see here and a very dull main event.

Foley presents Sting with the title (which he was already holding) to end the show. Foley would go on to win the title in about two months.

 

Results
Alex Shelley b. Eric Young – Rollup with tights
Scott Steiner b. Petey Williams – Steiner Screwdriver
Brutus Magnus b. Chris Sabin – Spinning Samoan drop
Awesome Kong b. ODB – Implant Buster
Booker T. b. Shane Sewell – Ax kick
Abyss b. Matt Morgan – Black Hole Slam
Beer Money b. Lethal Consequences – Chain to Lethal
Sting b. Kurt Angle, Brother Ray and Brother Devon – Scorpion Death Drop to Ray

 

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6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

This was as middle of the road as you could get, with pretty much nothing happening and the best match being just decent. It’s far from a terrible show and it’s interesting to have a flashback like this, but this was the most skippable show with a really weak main event. Find something else from this era, as there have to be better options.