Credit: Jim from Boston and prowrestling.net
The crowd filled in pretty quickly and were hot in the right places most of the night. I was seated in the section just to the right of the ramp, and there were some good fans near us, but also some irritating ones.
The Ultimate X match got the crowd up pretty well. A few fans were cheering for Suicide, but I think it may have been tongue and cheek. The crowd was solidly behind Sabin throughout, although they did die a little after the Tower of Doom spot looked over choreographed. A good pop for Chris Sabin winning.
Hulk Hogan got one of the top reactions of the night when he came out to talk to Sabin and Aces and Eights. The crowd liked Sabin getting the chance to cash in, as well as the profanity coming from Hogan.
A good reaction for Magnus, superstar reactions for Samoa Joe and Hardy, both were way over. The crowd loved Joe’s offense, especially with Garrett Bischoff, who got loud “you can’t wrestle” chants.
No one cared about Sam Shaw and Jay Bradley. There were some “who are you” chants directed towards both. Massive exodus to the concession stand.
Good heat for Devon during his promo, especially when the Knicks were brought up. Loud “lets go Bruins” chant. There was good anticipation for Abyss and the crowd responded for his entrance and the win, even though the TV title means nothing.
Great reaction for Kurt Angle being inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame, although a lot of people seated near me wanted Jerry Jarrett. The crowd got a little impatient with Dixie Carter leading up to the announcement. Like Sting last year, Angle looked like he didn’t know going in.
Bad Influence got the best reaction leading to the tag match, and there were a lot of their shirts throughout the crowd. Not much of a reaction for Bobby Roode and Austin Aries or Storm and Gunner, and solid boos for Chavo and Hernandez. The crowd did not like Bad Influence being disqualified, and audibly voiced their displeasure. Decent pop for Storm and Gunner winning, but most thought it was the wrong call.
Admittedly, I did not see much of the Knockouts match, as I hit the concession stand, but what I saw was impressive. Loud “Holy Shit” and “This is awesome” chants for the bulldog spot.
Real good reaction for Angle, and a decent one for AJ Styles. His new music definitely fit him. The crowd almost didn’t seem to know who to cheer in this match, and there wasn’t much pop for the finish, a lot of people didn’t see it coming, as we expected the match to go longer and expected an AJ win.
There was a big pop for Sting, some decent heat for Bully Ray, but he had some audible support as well. This was a typical Sting brawl through the ringside area match, with a lot of shortcuts. Big expectation for the rumored Brooke Hogan heel turn, but it never came to be. The crowd loved the piledriver spot on the exposed ring wood. The right guy went over, but there was too much going on in the finish.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable show. Other than the tag match and Angle vs. AJ, the right people went over, and the crowd appreciated the effort.
Biggest Pops
1. Sting
2. Angle
3. Hogan
4. Joe/Hardy
Most Heat
1. Devon
2. Bully Ray
3. Garrett Bischoff
4. Chavo and Hernandez
