Mason Andrews defeated Rubix, Dakota Darsow and Lars Only in a "Last Chance Four-Way Match." Andrews got the pin on Lars Only following a TKO-type maneuver. Andrews qualified to face Kid Kash.
Mason Andrews defeated Kid Kash by reversing the Moneymaker into a rollup. Andrews advances to the Ultimate X Championship Match.
Kenny King defeated Douglas Williams with the Coronation. King advances to the Ultimate X Championship Match.
Sonjay Dutt defeated Rashad Cameron with a Moonsault Mushroom Stomp. Dutt advances to the Ultimate X Championship Match.
After a recap video, Jesse Sorensen was introduced. He came out wearing a neckbrace. Jesse thanked the fans for their support. His girlfriend and mom were ringside showing support. Jesse addressed Zema Ion saying he hadn't forgotten about him. He said he hopes Ion wins the title tonight so he can take it from him. Jesse said this time next year, he would trade in the X Title to become World Champion. As Jesse was leaving the ring, Zema Ion made his entrance for his match. The two had a staredown.
Zema Ion defeated Flip Cassanova with an Inverted Gory Bomb. Zema advances to the Ultimate X Championship Match.
Samoa Joe defeated Kurt Angle when he passed out to the Coquina Clutch. Samoa Joe earned 10 Points in the Bound For Glory Series. With the win, Samoa Joe came in first place in the BFG Series with 37 points.
AJ Styles defeated Christopher Daniels in a Last Man Standing Match after hitting the Styles Clash off of the ramp through a table. Kazarian interfered during the match but was eventually disposed off followed by the AJ victory. Awesome match!
Zema Ion defeated Sonjay Dutt, Kenny King and Mason Andrews in an Ultimate X Match to become the X Division Champion. Sonjay Dutt was hurt during the match but later returned. The end came when both Sonjay and Zema climbed the truss. As Sonjay was about to grab the belt, Zema sprayed him in the eyes with his hairspray. Ion then later grabbed the title.
Austin Aries defeated Bobby Roode to win the World Heavyweight Championship following the Brainbuster. Alot of close falls in this match. Awesome encounter. The crowd was loud at the finish. Confetti sprayed into the ring as Aries celebrated to close the show.
REVIEW
-The Fatal Four Way Match was a good way to open the show. The winner of this match would have potentially had to wrestle three times in one night. Putting it on first, immediately followed by the Kash match gave the winner time to relax before having to wrestle in Ultimate X.All four participants looked better here than in their Qualifying Matches on IMPACT. Mason Andrews was nervous on IMPACT but all throughout this show, he earned a potential contract. Even more interesting was the reaction that Rubix got. I feel that he would be a valuable asset to TNA amongst the kids. He is humble and deserved it.
Even Lars Only looked better at Destination X. While the fans didn't get behind him until that foot stomp DDT move he did, he didn't botch like on IMPACT. Dakota Darsow also did better than on IMPACT. The problem is that there are only a certain number of spots on TNA TV and I don't feel either of their performances earned them.
The match was a good opener and was just the beginning of high flying matches throughout the night. They all run together so I can't really comment on any memorable spots.
-Kid Kash is a good veteran for the winner of the first match, Mason Andrews to face. He just seems like a bitter character which gets all of his opponents sympathy. The match between these two was fairly fun. Kash is just so graceful that he can hit any move without screwing it up. Mason earned himself a contract with his performances throughout the night (in my opinion).
-Kenny King vs Douglas Williams was a different take on the X Division Matches as there was alot more technique and ground game than before. I enjoy Doug Williams as a wrestler and felt the charisma and athleticism of King shone through here. King will be a good face for the X Division to be built around. I also enjoy his finishing maneuver.
-The Jesse Sorensen promo was a nice heartfelt moment for Destination X. It was a tragedy what happened to him at Against All Odds. I personally feel that Jesse Sorensen has the look that girls love. He has a great look that could transition into a main event role.
-Using Sorensen to continue to draw heat on Zema Ion was a good use of him. Seeing Ion and Sorensen face off right after Jesse promised to do to Zema what he did to him was a good moment. Zema is one of my favorite guys in the X Division. I felt he would have been a good choice to get the X Division Title off of Aries.
Flip Cassanova isn't a guy I would want in TNA. He was dangerous in his IMPACT Match and wasn't that much more impressive here. I would have him work on his storytelling. Zema's finisher was pretty cool.
-Sonjay Dutt and Rashad Cameron are two guys I think TNA should sign. Cameron would be a good heel in the X Division while Sonjay would be a good face. The whole Philly gimmick of Cameron is a nice little character trait.
This was a fun match but at this point, the matches and spots were blending together. This is why I like having an X Division to a limited degree because the style stands out so much. However if you do four or five X Division style matches a nice, less stands out.
-The Samoa Joe vs Kurt Angle Match was a well wrestled match. I have seen these two battle it out numerous times and while they have had better matches in the past, this match wasn't a disappointment. I liked the exchanged of their finishing holds. Having Angle pass out to the Coquina Clutch saves Angle face while putting Samoa Joe in the lead.
-The Last Man Standing Match was physical. For fans who have wanted an intense rivalry with blood, you got it here. Both AJ and Daniels brought their A-Game here. Whether it be the Uranage through the chair, the double clothesline in the stage or the Styles Clash through the table, there was alot to digest there. Even the involvement of Kazarian made sense here. Match of the Year Contender!
-The Ultimate X Match was a car crash (in a good way). Zema played a great heel in the match and in my opinion made the most sense as the victor here. The triple dropkick by Zema's opponents was an entertaining spot. There was alot of athleticism shown by all three men, especially Zema spraying the eyes of Sonjay.
Speaking of Sonjay, he is a real trooper, coming back to the ring after hurting his shoulder. The move looked like it hurt and I felt that Sonjay ruined his chance up until that point. I think Sonjay would be a good face to chase Zema.
It looks like the fantastic Zema will be the heel champion fending off Sonjay Dutt and others until Jesse Sorensen eventually returns. It was a good choice by TNA Creative here.
-If you are keeping track, I feel TNA should hire the following (in order of favoritism): Kenny King, Sonjay Dutt, Mason Andrews, Rubix, Rashad Cameron. I don't think the others are ready for the spotlight, even though they may be a few months from now.
-The Main Event was an epic matchup. Aries and Roode did such an incredible job building the drama through the match with Aries playing the smaller underdog while Roode played the cocky heel. The sequences between the Last Chancery and Crossface were excellent. There were so meany nearfalls that I got lost.
Aries winning the World Title cleanly was an awesome Moment of 2012 and really marked this event as Memorable. I see both sides of the story about Roode vs Aries holding the title. Putting the World Title back on Roode only to have him lose it to Storm doesn't mean as much now. I figure they can still have Roode vs Storm in a Grudge Match while having Aries defend the title against someone. TNA might also be trying to shake things up by having Aries hold it temporarily (until Hardcore Justice or after) to have fans question who will win the BFG Series.
Overall this was an excellent PPV. IMPACT Wrestling has been a completely different product since going Live and in my opinion has been the best it has ever been. This show had two Match of the Year Contenders in the Last Man Standing Match and the Main Event. The Ultimate X and the Joe vs Angle Match was also good. The X Division Qualifiers were fun if you are a fan of that style. TNA has delivered three great PPVs the past few months and they don't look to be slowing down.
I RECOMMEND THIS PPV.
