For the first time since October’s abomination of a Bound For Glory PPV, TNA is holding a live PPV Event this Sunday with the 13th edition of Slammiversary. Over the years, Slammiversary has been a pivotal PPV for TNA as this is usually when they announce a Hall of Famer as well as put on some of their best shows. Last year’s Slammiversary, which was held in Arlington, TX, kicked off a very strong summer and fall for TNA where they set up shop at the Manhattan Center as well as the Sands Casino in PA for the rest of the year. This year’s Slammiversary tells a much different story as it will be held in the Impact Zone as well as five or six weeks of Impact episodes that will air following the PPV have already been taped. Also, there are no title matches being contested at the PPV event, which gives it that throwaway feel like last year’s Bound For Glory had. There is also a lot of news surrounding TNA with rumored departures and expiring contracts, as well as quite a few people that have already parted ways with the company this week. But having said all that, it is a live PPV event taking place this Sunday and since there will be about fifty Battleground Predictions posted in the upcoming weeks, I figured I would give TNA and Slammiversary its just due and give some predictions for this weekend’s event.
**Disclaimer: I don’t read spoilers so I have no idea of anything that will be transpiring in the upcoming episodes of Impact. If you plan to comment on this article, I ask that you please respect that and not post any spoilers in your comments for the benefit of me and others like me who choose not to read spoilers. Thank you in advance.**
JESSE GODDERZ VS ROBBIE E
Something has gone wrong with the Bro Mans, and it has led Jesse to take on a big time mean streak. He’s attacked his former Bro Mans partners Robbie E and DJZ several times over the past couple of weeks leading up to this showdown. Jesse taken on a whole new attitude and look. He’s dropped the over usage of “Bro” and “Dude” and seems to be taking things much more serious now. Jesse Godderz gets the win here, solidifying his moving on from the Bro Mans and taking that next step toward whatever awaits him in his future as a professional wrestler.
The Dollhouse vs Kong & Brooke
Since their debut, the Dollhouse has been terrorizing pretty much everyone in the Knockouts Division. With TNA Knockout Champion Taryn Terrell at the helm, The Dollhouse has used the numbers game to their advantage time and again. They do battle with Kong and Brooke, who are teaming up for this match to get retribution before their Triple Threat Title Match on this upcoming episode of Impact. The Dollhouse always seems to pull off a victory in their matches and I don’t see that changing here. Brooke and Kong will eventually start to disagree since they’ll be opponents three days later and the Dollhouse will capitalize on it.
Lashley & Anderson vs EC3 & Tyrus
This is one of those curious situations that I spoke about in my intro here. EC3 has a title match against Kurt Angle coming up on Wednesday. The good thing about this is, his undefeated steak is not in jeopardy. The bad part is, he’s got two men across thering who absolutely hate him. Tyrus has proven to be very beneficial to EC3’s success this year, but on Sunday, the odds are even. Lashley and Anderson get their revenge, but they get the pin on Tyrus, and EC3 gets to keep his ego.
Davey Richards vs Austin Aries
Another curious move, TNA decided not to have match five of this incredible series of matches on their PPV. Instead, Richards and Aries will go one on one with the winner choosing the stipulation for match five, which will now take place on Wednesday. This should be the match of the night and a potential match of the year candidate, even though full metal mayhem from this past Wednesday will be difficult to top. The Wolves took the first two matches and then the Dirty Heels went full heel to take the next two and even the series. It only makes sense that Austin Aries picks up the win here and chooses the stipulation for Wednesday’s final match to crown new Tag Team Champions. There could be shenanigans involved but either way, Aries picks up the win.
Bram vs Matt Morgan
Bram has been on this kick where he wants to beat past TNA talents building toward something that we still don’t have the answer to. So far, he’s defeated Crimson, Joseph Parks, and lost by DQ to Vader where he attacked him with the steel turnbuckle weapon or whatever it’s called. Well, this brought on the return of another former TNA talent in the Blue Print, Matt Morgan who beat down Bram and tossed him out of the ring. Bram will look to exact his revenge and continue his streak of defeating TNA talents of the past. I was hoping we would get answer to his quest this Sunday but it looks like it will continue on a little longer. I fully expect Bram to continue the roll he’s on and get the best of Morgan.
James Storm vs Magnus
This is a heated rivalry that has been built over a couple of months just as the Magnus/Bram feud came to an end, James Storm entered the picture to save Mickey James from certain harm at the hands of Bram. This kicked off a weird relationship where Storm seemed to venture away from his Revolution and was somewhat of a fan favorite in his support of his good friend Mickie James, much to the dismay of her fiance’ Magnus. James crossed the line at several points but nothing worse than a few weeks ago where he pushed Mickey off a rail road station platform. This match should be vicious and violent. Will we see a darker side of Magnus come out? Will Mickie James show up? In the end, I fully expect Magnus to get the revenge he’s looking for, but wouldn’t be surprised if Mickie James turns on Magnus and it’s revealed that she actually did join Storm’s revolution after all. I’m leaning toward a Magnus win, especially if the reports of James Storm leaving TNA are true.
6 Man X Division Title Ladder Match
Between WWE and TNA, I think this year has broken a record for number of ladder matches in a year. I haven’t seen this match officially annouced but according to wikipedia, it will take place. Tigre Uno will defend against Spud, Mandrews, Kenny King, Manik, and Crazzy Steve. No Grado is definitely a good thing here. I was pleasantly surprised to see Tigre win the X Division title last Wednesday. This match should be chock full of action and high flying spots with Tigre Uno keeping his title at the end.
King Of The Mountain
Another variation of a ladder match here, only this one seems to work in reverse. You need to get a pin or submission to be eligible to win the match, which is achieved by hanging the belt up, instead of climbing up to retrieve it. Another kicker is, if a wrestler is pinned or taps, he must go into a penalty box for 2 minutes. There seems to be a lot going on in this match. Another question is, with no title on the line, what are they supposed to be fighting for? What are they supposed to hang up when they climb the ladder? A contract for a future World Title match? How do you do this match just for nostalgia? You can’t. It’s one of those matches you need to have goal or purpose to win. Anyway, the match was announced two weeks ago but unbeknownst to us all, Jeff Jarrett is involved. He faces off against Bobby Roode, Eric Young, Matt Hardy, and Drew Galloway. This match had no build at all and it will serve a single purpose, which is to start an long, interpromotional feud between TNA and GFW. I expect Jarrett to win this match and in a perfect world, it will be with the help of The Bullet Club, most notably, AJ Styles. Not sure if a future title match will be in the works but that’s for another article.
Conspicuous by his absence is the TNA World Champion, Kurt Angle. I’m not sure why you hold a live PPV event and not feature your World Champion in some way. Since Eddie Edwards doesn’t have a match, they should’ve booked them in a non-title match together, just to have them on the show. Oh well. I’m sure Angle will be there in some capacity, just would’ve been nice to see him in a match.
On the surface, Slammiversary looks very weak. But if done correctly, which is to say, enough WOW! moments, it could be an entertaining show. Richards vs Aries should be an incredible match. Storm and Magnus should have plenty of violence. Bram is always must see. And King of the Mountain has a chance to have some memorable moments like AJ Styles back in a TNA ring. I don’t know about everyone else, but I love seeing guys from one promotion showing up in another. To me, that’s always been a cool thing. But of course, that’s IF it happens.
Thank you for reading. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments on this. And of course, my shameless plug of my FB page, www.facebook.com/voltageentertainment.
Enjoy Slammiversary and Be Safe Everyone.
