TNA "Maximum Impact" U.K. tour house show report
January 27, 2010
Cardiff, Wales
Report by Martyn Grant, Torch reader

(1) X Division champion Amazing Red beat Chris Sabin and Suicide in a three-way match. Great opening match with everything you would expect from TNA's signature division. Quick, fast-paced action from the outset with stunning highspots throughout, including a very impressive spot where Sabin caught Red in a vertical suplex position off a springboard, allowing Suicide to hit a cross body off the top turnbuckle. The bout concluded with Red hitting a top rope Code Red on Suicide for the win.

(2) Sarita & Taylor Wilde beat Beautiful People (Velvet Sky & Madison Rayne) with Hamada as special referee. Next up were the Knockouts, as they came out to quite a decent reaction from the Welsh crowd. Due to Earl Hebner's 'reluctance' to come out and oversee the match due to the perceived disrespect from the crowd, Hamada was assigned as special referee for the contest; and inevitably got into an altercation with the Beautiful People following their questioning of her officiating. All in all, all four Knockouts put on a very decent match that included some stiff shots and impressive moves, culminating in Wilde getting the victory for her team.

(3) Rob Terry beat TNA Global champion Eric Young to capture the Global Title. Despite his lack of televised matches and limited wrestling skills, Rob Terry was the overwhelming fan favorite for this match, being the hometown hero and fighting on his home turf of Wales for the first time under the TNA banner. Coming to the ring draped in the Welsh flag, Terry received a huge ovation that carried on through to the match, where the crowd cheered on his every move...granted his every move consisted of either a punch, kick, clothesline, or slam. However, Eric Young did a superb job of getting his opponent over, flying around the ring from the moment the bell rang. Finally, Terry caught Young in a Powerslam for the three count to become new TNA Global Champion, much to the delight of the Welsh fans. With the gold around his waist, draped in Welsh colors to roars of approval from his fellow countrymen, this must have been a truly unforgettable experience for the muscular newcomer.

(4) Kurt Angle & Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) beat TNA tag champion Hernandez & The Pope & Rhino in a Tables match. Pop of the night had to go to the unexpected appearance of Kurt Angle as Team 3D's surprise partner. Given his announcement on the previous Impact that he had (kayfabe) quit the company, many were unsure whether Angle would be present on the U.K. tour. However, when Team 3D unveiled their mystery partner to be none other than the Olympic Gold Medalist, the crowd went berserk. What's more is the fact that the bout was then made into an impromptu tables match. A good mix of old and new in this match, showcasing some of the younger talent such as the promising Hernandez and the super-talented Pope while showing off the established stars of Angle and the three extreme icons of Ray, D-Von and Rhino. After some good action from all six men, the duo from Dudleyville hit their signature 3D on Super Mex before Angle nailed Rhino with Angle Slam for the popular win. Following the bell, Team 3D then invited two young fans into the ring where they were given a piece of the broken table as a memento of the evening; a class act by the veteran team.

(5) Samoa Joe beat Daniels in an I Quit match. Following the interval it was the turn of Daniels/Joe, "I Quit" rules. The two renewed their storied feud one more time for the live crowd, pulling out their classic moves in a great display of chemistry between the two. Joe made good use of many of his signature moves such as the face wash, enzuigiri and STF/Crossface combo while Daniels fought back by working Joe's arm with a number moves from his impressive offence. But it was Joe who would have his hand raised, after Daniels yelled the words while suffering the Coquina Clutch. A decent match that worked well overall, however I couldn't help wondering how Daniels could have clearly said, "I quit," while being viciously choked out by Joe. Just a thought....

(6) Beer Money (James Storm & Robert Roode) beat British Invasion (Doug Williams & Brutus Magnus). Despite being on their home soil of the U.K., the British Invasion played up the Wales-England barrier superbly to their advantage, gaining some early heat from the Welsh crowd by reciting the English national anthem prior to the bell...only to be interrupted by Storm and Roode. Another great match and all four men put on an impressive bout that showed why they deserve the pushes they have been given. Typical back and forth tag team action of heel tactics and hot tags eventually culminated in Beer...MONEY hitting their signature DWI powerbomb/neckbreaker combination and walking away victorious.

(7) TNA World Hvt. champion A.J. Styles beat Desmond Wolfe to retain the TNA World Title. The main event saw awesome newcomer, Desmond Wolfe, take on the TNA World Champ, the "Phenomenal" A.J. Styles. The crowd went crazy for Styles who, despite his recent heel turn in the States, was the undeniably popular babyface for this match. Wolfe played up his role as the villain to perfection, making frequent stops between moves to flip off the crowd with the V sign or taunt them with a verbal tongue-lashing. Wolfe was on superb form, utilizing his superb technical prowess to wrap styles up into knots, using many of his unique and innovative submission holds to wear down the champion wherever possible.

A.J. on the other hand focused largely on his superior air game, performing his trademark flip dive to the outside and his ever impressive moonsault/reverse DDT move, along with his perfect international dropkick that always gets a great response from the crowd. Wolfe fought back, engaging A.J. with his huge lariat for a near fall, however it was not to be Wolfe's night, as Styles soon had him in the familiar position for the Styles Clash that scored the pinfall to retain the World Title and send the fans home happy.

***

All in all, a superb event showcasing that there is a decent alternative to WWE out there. This house show was a stark contrast to that of what WWE generally offers in that it seemed that all the wrestlers gave 100 percent, nobody seemed to phone in their performances, and the whole show felt a lot more personal. Jeremy Borash did a great job of getting the crowd riled up for the ensuing action and the varied match types kept the card from becoming stale as the show went on. The decision to bring over the six-sided ring was also an inspired move as it again offered something different to the norm.

Despite TNA's revamping of the current roster with the addition of numerous new faces, the wrestlers that appeared on this tour were all those of the pre-Hogan era and in my opinion, that is largely a good thing. While it may have been exciting to see the inclusion of some stars such as Mr. Anderson and Brian Kendrick added to the mix it would have been a flat out chore to sit there and watch the Nasty Boys take on Hall and Nash in a 15-minute slugfest. All those who performed did a great job of showing just how good TNA can be when they play to their strengths which is what goes on inside the ring. With the excitement and enthusiasm that these performances brought out in the crowd, TNA proved one thing: this is wrestling.

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