WINDSOR — TNA Wrestling brought its IMPACT Wrestling world tour to Windsor’s WFCU Centre on Sunday afternoon, and while half of the main event may have been a surprise, he sure knew how to draw heat from the crowd.
Before the show, Don West was at his best encouraging people to buy merch and organizing fans who were there for the pre-show signing. The man is great in his role, keeping the fans engaged by frequently throwing freebies into the crowd.
Gunner, AJ, Abyss, Magnus, Austin Aries, and Jesse Sorensen were in the pre-show signing area. After that, all fans were able to get an autograph from Mr. Anderson.
1) Jesse Sorensen vs Austin Aries – X-Division Championship.
Good match. Sorensen hit a big high cross body, but Austin rolled it over and got the pin.
2) ODB vs Velvet Sky – Knockouts Championship.
Lots of comedy throughout, including referee Earl Hebner (still beating the Bret horse) feeling up both women. In the end, Hebner kissed a fallen ODB, and then Velvet hit an XXX-Factor on her for the pin.
3) Magnus vs “Cowboy” James Storm.
Before the match, Storm led the crowd in a rendition of Oh Canada. Magnus tried to prove he was a manly man by chugging a Canadian beer. He did, and was about to finish his last gulp when Storm superkicked him and pinned him.
4) Abyss vs Mr. Anderson.
Abyss played the bad guy here, Pearl-Harbouring Anderson during his self-introduction. Standard big-man vs less-big-man contest. After getting beaten down for some time, including taking a nasty chokeslam, Anderson was able to battle back. In danger of losing, a desperate Abyss smashed him with a chair, earning himself a disqualification. After the match, Anderson brought a young fan into the ring to help with the announcement.
During the intermission, Velvet Sky and Earl Hebner signed for fans in the arena. Meanwhile, the fans who had earned backstage passes for being the loudest got to meet Ric Flair and other stars.
After the intermission, Ric Flair came out and cut a babyface promo. He expressed his condolences to the family of his friend Bob Probert of the Detroit Red Wings, and then put over the TNA roster.
5) Gunner vs Scott Steiner vs Rob Van Dam.
This was effectively a handicap match with RVD against two Immortal members. They would throw RVD to the floor where one guy would punish him with chairs or the guardrail while the other kept Hebner distracted in the ring. RVD capitalized on some miscommunication, and when Steiner was knocked to the floor, he nailed Gunner with the 5-Star Frog Splash for the pin.
6) Bully Ray vs Jeff Hardy.
Bully Ray is tremendous at getting people to hate him. Biggest heel reaction of the night. He used his size advantage to keep Hardy grounded. But when he went for his chain, Hardy recovered and dropped him first, following it up with a Swanton for the win.
After the show, fans could buy a Polaroid photo with Jeff Hardy.
