TNA house show report
January 11, 2008
Dallas, Texas
Report by Jana Bulloch Rodriguez, PWTorch.com reader

The TNA house show in Dallas, Texas, was held at the House of Blues. This venue was not the best, from a general admission fan's perspective. The ring was set up on the main music stage, which was so tall that the canvas and large portions of the action couldn't be seen from the floor. When one stands right next to the barricade, seeing the whole ring would be nice. The people in the upper balcony and on the stage itself were fine, though much fewer in number than the general admission crowd on the floor. The barricade was about four inches from the edge of the stage, so all the action was confined to the stage area. Dixie Carter walked through the audience, talking to people and taking photos with them. Audience numbers are hard to guess, due in part to the building layout, but there were probably 400+ people there when the doors opened at 6:30, and more steadily came in until the show started at 8:00. Maybe 1,000 or so? A sign hung on the wall next to the ring that read, "No! Fighting In Here." Heh.

A local radio personality started things off, pumping up the audience by talking about TNA's first show in Dallas, and making enough noise to let the wrestlers know how much we want to see them. He only talked for a few minutes, and was rather good. An older guy who was apparently a higher-up of TNA came to the ring next, and repeated most of what had just been said, with the addition of encouraging flash photography, but no video. Jeremy Borash came out next, and the place went crazy. Dallas loves them some J.B.

1. KAZ & ELIX SKIPPER vs. MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS - X-Division tag team match.

Great opener. The whole audience was chanting and cheering for the Guns. Tight pacing, lots of double-teaming from MCMG. Kaz started the match, while MCMG did paper-rock-scissors to see who would start. Alex Shelley won. Elix Skipper eventually tagged in, and took the bulk of the punishment for the next several minutes. Chris Sabin tagged in, and Alex Shelley really played to the crowd and got chants and clapping going even louder. All four guys went to the outside at some point. Kaz hit the Wave of the Future, but didn't get the three-count. Elix Skipper was double-teamed by MCMG for the win with several of their kick combos. All four guys shook hands after the match.

I had a sign for the Guns, and Shelley and Sabin actually took it with them as they left the ring. The audience continued to pop for them after they left.

Winner: Motor City Machine Guns



2. MISS JACKIE MOORE vs. AWESOME KONG - Women's Title match.

Major face pop for Jackie, and she played off it the whole time. Kong looks quite scary in person. She threw Jackie around like a rag doll for the first part of the match. Jackie fought back with stiff punches and forearm shots, and jumped on Kong's back to attempt a sleeper hold. Kong ended the match with a TRIPLE power bomb. After Kong exited, Jackie was helped up by the refs and cheered all the way out. Pretty brutal action on both sides, and not at all the expected squash.

Winner (and still Champion): Awesome Kong

3. JOHNNY DEVINE vs. "BLACK MACHISMO" JAY LETHAL - X-Division title match.

Devine came out with the X-Division belt, and repeatedly informed the referee that "this is MY belt." Lethal came out and cut a promo (still thinking that he really is Randy Savage) about beating the "supposed greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time, the Honkey Tonk Man." He then announced, pointing at Devine, that he would now do the same to Honkey Tonk Man's tag team partner, Greg "the Hammer" Valentine. The fans who got it laughed hysterically. The newer ones just stared. There is a bit of a resemblence, now that he mentions it. Devine used considerably more high-risk attacks than Lethal, missing a moonsault, but hitting most of the rest. Chants of "3-D's bitch!" were common during this match. Lethal won the match with the Flying Elbow Drop, but as the ref was putting the belt around his waist, Devine ran by and snatched it, running off-stage with it. Yes, Devine still has the belt, but Lethal is still the champ.

Winner: (and still Champion): "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal

4. CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. SAMOA JOE

This match got the biggest reaction of the night, but only just. The dueling chants were actually warranted this time, with about a 50/50 split. Cheering and chanting took so long that they couldn't start the match for a few minutes, and just took turns playing off the crowd. When the action started, though, it got intense quickly. At one point, Christian grabbed Joe's towel and used it to wipe his face. Joe went after him and reclaimed his towel. Pretty brutal action all the way through here as well. Christian was on the receiving end of a face wash from Joe's boot, followed up by some very stiff kicks to the back and chest. Reversal after reversal kept everyone guessing. Christian stole the win, but went to shake Joe's hand after the match. Joe gave him the finger, everyone cheered, and Joe left. Christian cut a promo in the ring about the Dallas Cowboys playing the NY Giants, and returning to Texas as the TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Both guys were way over as faces.

Christian was the only one signing autographs during intermission.

Winner: Christian Cage

JAMES STORM vs. ERIC YOUNG

The comedy match of the night. The religion that is the Dallas Cowboys cannot be overestimated here. Storm cut a strong promo about how everything from Texas (the Houston Oilers, Miss Jackie Moore, etc.) moved to Tennessee because Texas people sucked. Eric came out and the match started with strong offense from Storm. Eric ended up on the floor, and came out from under the ring with a Dallas Cowboys helmet. He put it on, and banged his head into the ring post to show he could take it. He soon took it off and hung it on the top of one ring post, where Storm came over and spat on it. Storm pushed referee Earl Hebner several times. Hebner pushed back, and the two of them got into a shoving match. Eric Young got between them and broke it up, and started acting as referee while Hebner put Storm in a face lock. Eventually the match returned to Storm and Young. Storm took a swig from his bottle and tried to hit Young with it, but Hebner grabbed the bottle just in time. Storm spit beer in Young's face, but couldn't get a three-count. Young got the win.

After Storm left, the old guy from TNA management who had spoken at the top of the show came back. He made an announcement that wasn't completely coherent, but Eric Young brought the Dallas Cowboys helmet out to a kid in a wheelchair in the audience.

Winner: Eric Young

6. ROCK AND RAVE INFECTION vs. L.A.X.

Lance Hoyt and Jimmy Rave came out first. Hoyt cut a lengthy promo about being from Dallas, and all the opportunities that TNA had given him over the past four years, including being able to buy his first house. He described the house in detail, and announced that it was in Orlando, Florida, and as far away from Dallas, Texas as he could get. Chants to shut up went unheeded. HE continued to talk about the Cowboys, and supporting them no matter what else happens. L.A.X. came out to massive pop. Homicide addressed the audience in Spanish, and teased the gringos about not being able to understand him, but that they had a lot of love for them anyway. Neither woman was present.

A solid tag match, with plenty of fast tags and "Holy Shit!" moments. Homicide landed his running tope onto Rave right in front of the people sitting on the stage. Hernandez went flying twice, and nearly went off the stage entirely. The audience was totally behind L.A.X. from beginning to end. Homicide hit the Gringo Killer on Jimmy Rave for the win.

Winner: L.A.X.

7. ROBERT ROODE vs. BOOKER T

Robert Roode came out first, and made the referee sit on the ropes and open them for him. The biggest pop of the night went to Booker T, who didn't come out until his music had played for a bit. Another solid match, with Booker doing the Spinarooni in the middle of it. Roode grabbed a chair towards the end of the match, and Ms. Brooks ran out and grabbed it away from him. She took it and ran, leaving Roode to get flattened by Booker with the Book End for the win. After Roode left, Booker cut a promo about getting his start on Industrial Boulevard (he even gave the exact address), and how much being back in Texas meant to him.

Winner: Booker T

NOTES: Fans were told to hang around and get autographs if they wanted them, but most of the performers had already left. The ones who did come out didn't get to sign for very long, and were hustled off to make their flights to Oklahoma (or so I was told). Everyone seemed to leave happy in terms of what they saw.

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