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The pre-show video package is bonkers as it splices Presidential scandals with footage of TNA. I am completely clueless as to the tie-in there, but they also bring out a group of marines to perform the National Anthem so I must be missing something. The commentators make sure to note - multiple times - that the men challenging for the TNA World Tag Team Championships, BG James and his father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong attended Marine boot camp in South Carolina (where this show takes place) to put over how tough they are. The titleholders, AJ Styles and Tomko, are in the midst of a conflict because AJ has sided with Angle and Tomko sided with Christian in their on-going feud. AJ and Tomko put over Armstrong's toughness and BG does most of the work for his team, but this is still a silly match to have for your championships on a PPV (well, I guess technically this was on the pre-show, but still). The right team wins after 8 minutes (it felt like longer). Not as terrible as it could be, but not good. Another example of Styles carrying a bunch of lesser talents to something passable through sheer energy, connection with the crowd, and bumping. (2/5)
Traci Brooks vs. Payton Banks follows in the actual kick-off match of the show. The crowd is hot for this and I'll give Brooks and Banks credit for their effort. This started out very sloppy, but actually got better as it went on - to the point that I may have even been interested in seeing what they could've done with just 1-2 minutes of ring time (the match goes barely 5). Brooks was over with the TNA crowd, but she was not a good worker. Banks is the better worker and would go on to have a very respectable run in the indies over the next decade, but never really got a shot in the WWE for whatever reason. (1.5/5)
Scott Steiner vs. Petey Williams was up next. If the first two matches were a bit underwhelming, this one overdelivered. Scott Steiner may not have have the cardio to keep up with Williams, but his offense still looked vicious and Williams always had great execution, bumping ability, and fluidity to his movements and moves. The crowd is hyped for this too and, at one point, there are loud "Let's Go Petey/Let's Go Steiner" chants. A very fun match where it actually seems like Williams might steal the victory due to Steiner's overconfidence, exhaustion, and some shortcuts along the way (a mule kick to the balls, Steiner getting his head run into a briefcase). Not a "must watch" or even close to it, but this exceeded my expectations and made me care about a Petey Williams match, which is not something that has happened often during my TNA viewing despite his obvious in-ring skills. (3/5)
James Storm vs. Eric Young for Young's "Beer Drinking Championship" followed. Young had a cheap - but somewhat funny - video package before the match. The match was fine, but nothing spectacular. Rhyno made his return to TNA in the end to take out Storm with a Gore. Dependable midcard action seemed like the ceiling for these two at the time as they always delivered a "good enough" match and, at times, exceeded that. (2.5/5)
TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong defended her gold against ODB in the next contest. The crowd was into ODB, but this wasn't on the same level as Kong's matches against Gail Kim. The energy was there, though, and I liked how ODB kept bringing the fight to Kong despite the size difference. Not a bad match, but not long enough to be considered in the "great" range. (2/5)
The next match was dubbed "Barb Wire Massacre" and did not take place in South Carolina, but rather back in Florida due to the "extremeness" of the match stipulation. Abyss had been feuding with Judas Mesias, his kayfabe half-brother, for awhile by this point. The hype around this match would've been hard to live up to, but I'll give credit to both guys for taking some gnarly bumps (especially the shirtless Mesias). The pace was slow, but that makes sense in a match like this because they needed to build up the drama of seeing someone get "massacred." Still, 15 minutes is just a bit too long for either of these guys to work especially against each other. A "spectacle" that was gory and violent, but not very interesting. (3/5)
Booker T was mega over with this crowd and I'm not sure why exactly? He's famously from Houston, but maybe he's got some other connection to Greenville aside from that area being usually considered part of NWA/WCW's "territory." Anyway, they are red hot for him and cheer him on as he comes in and immediately takes over this match against Bobby Roode, who had accidentally slugged Sharmell at the previous show. I like how Booker T dominated the majority of this match even after Payton Banks tried her best to interfere and give her man the advantage. Roode abandoned the match to lead to a double count-out, which seems like a mistake because I really doubt that any future match would be as heated as this one was. (2.5/5)
A hardcore 6-man streetfight for the future of the X-Division followed as Jay Lethal and the Motor City Machine Guns united to take on Team 3-D and Johnny Devine (who was the X-Division Champion). For all the wild plunder and weapon shots, I thought the best moments were the MCMG's speedy double-team offense and a career performance out of Jay Lethal where his execution and timing was just off the charts. Bubba hitting a piledriver on a blow-up doll was goofy, but this match was designed to harken back to their ECW glory days so I wasn't surprised to see a little bit of crowd-popping comedy thrown in. My only real gripe was how much the commentators made this about Lethal overcoming the odds and winning the match 1-on-3 instead of at least giving some credit to the MCMG for all they did in the match. Just felt like they were kinda shitting on them a bit. A good match and maybe even a great match for TNA/WWE in 2008, but nothing I'd strongly recommend or put in "must see" territory. (3/5)
Main event time - Kurt Angle defending the TNA World Championship against Christian. Just like their match at the previous show, a very good match in terms of technicality and execution is marred a bit by being fought between two unlikeable heel characters. Samoa Joe is the Special Guest Enforcer, but does not get super involved until the final few minutes (as one would expect). There are some really good spots in this and these two know exactly how to build a match from beginning to end, with Christian doing a nice job of setting a pace that was not as manic as Angle can sometimes get. The finish was a bit overcooked and when Tomko made his appearance, it was clear that he was going to turn on Christian...which is basically the same exact finish from their previous match at the last PPV. In a sense, it is great to see Christian get his comeuppance after treating AJ and Tomko so terribly when they were part of the Christian Coalition, but its not like you're really cheering for Tomko or for Angle here either. (3/5)
As the old adage goes, it's worse to be boring than to be bad. While Against All Odds earned a decent 2.5-out-of-5 on the Kwang Meter, there is not a single match worth checking out on this card. The main event, six-man, and Barb Wire Massacre matches are good-not great. Scott Steiner vs. Petey Williams is the most interesting bout on the show due to the clash of styles and size difference, but I wouldn't call it "must see" for anyone but the biggest Big Poppa Pump fans.
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
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