Kurt Angle vs. Kazarian is our opening contest. Cue my usual "TNA tried really hard to make Kazarian a star and it never really clicked" line. This was part of Angle's really cool storyline where he announced that, rather than just being automatically ranked as the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship based on his reputation and record, he wanted to prove he was still the best wrestler in the world by systematically working his way through the Top 10. Kazarian was ranked at 10, so we get this match. This is also around the time when it could be argued that Angle was, in fact, at the peak of his abilities. Kazarian was a heel at this point, having aligned himself with AJ Styles, but aside from gloating here and there and using the ropes for leverage towards the end, its not like he's a different performer than he was as a face. There is some very good wrestling on display as, even if Kazarian is a bit too bland for me to ever really get into, he is unquestionably one of the smoothest workers of his generation. I think one issue is that there is really never a question as to who will win this match, even when there are really good near falls and well-timed 2-counts. Its the epitome of "good wrestling-for-good wrestling's sake" because that was essentially Angle's whole gimmick at this point. (2.5/5)
Brian Kendrick challenged Doug Williams for the TNA X-Division Championship next. I'm not sure what it is, but there is just something "off" about this match and pairing. I think the issue might be Kendrick, a guy the audience wanted to cheer for but who didn't have the likeable underdog babyface gimmick that would've made that happen. Instead, Kendrick leaned into the "bizarre" nature of his character and so there's a disconnect as to how sympathetic he is. Williams, meanwhile, is good but not at the same level as the Regals and Finlays that he is comparable to (at least not based on what I've seen so far). They pack a ton into this 10-minute and I liked Williams busting out an "X-Divisiony" move to get the W. (2.5/5)
The TNA Knockouts Championship was on the line next as Madison Rayne defended against Roxxi. Rayne cuts a pre-match promo sans the rest of the Beautiful People and baits Roxxi into putting her career on the line. Rayne clubs her with the microphone before the bell and Roxxi bleeds a ton. Today, seeing blood in a women's match is more commonplace, especially in AEW, but back then, it wasn't so common and definitely stood out. Roxxi was the better worker but there was never really any doubt as to who would win. Inoffensive, but not long enough - I think the pre-match promo runs longer than the actual match - to really leave much of an impression beyond Roxxi blading. (2/5)
A video package airs to hype the next match - a Master vs. Student battle between Bubba Dudley and Jesse Neal. Once again we get a pre-match promo with Bubba apologizing to Neal and attempting to "squash the beef" with both Shannon Moore and D-Von also in the ring initially. However, as they make their exit post-reconciliation, Bubba attacks Neal and throws him into the ring to start the match. D-Von and Moore are prevented from stopping the attack and Dudley controls the majority of it. Again, the pre-match promo feels like it runs longer than the match. I'll give some credit to Bubba too; he's moving with clear motivation and purpose and I'm guessing its because he knew this storyline would sink or swim based on his effort and ability to draw heat (and I've always preferred Bubba in a heel role). Tommy Dreamer shows up in the crowd to a massive ovation in a genuinely cool surprise for the ECW faithful. 15 years later, its may be hard to understand why another "ECW Reunion" would get such a big response, but in 2010, the "failures" of the WWE's ECW relaunch was fresh in people's minds and ECW alumni showing up in TNA made people wonder if Paul Heyman may have been returning too (in a creative role). Dreamer's distraction costs Bubba the match. (2.5/5)
Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez followed. And for the third time, we get a pre-match promo, this time with Matt Morgan claiming to be injured and handing the referee a note from his physician in order to "duck" this match. Hernandez stops him as he's returning to the locker room and the match happens (which is bizarre logic). Morgan basically dominates most of the match that ensues and, I must admit, I found his whole heel act to be quite good. He was really easy to hate here. The match gets thrown out, which was done to protect both guys. The action was okay for what it was. (2/5)
Abyss vs. Desmond Wolfe in a Monster's Ball Match was next. Finally, Abyss is back to doing the thing that he's really good at: garbage wrestling matches. Wolfe takes some nasty-looking bumps in this, including a head-into-a-chair corner spot that is particularly cringe-inducing when you consider Wolfe's history of concussions. This match doesn't have a great reputation, but I enjoyed it quite a bit for what it was and showed that Wolfe did have the range and character to work in every context, including ultra-violent hardcore matches built around weapon shots and goofy valet drama. I loved Abyss getting powerbombed from the corner onto a bed of barbwire. Not everyone's cup of tea, but worth checking out if you're a fan of either guy. (3/5)
Next up - AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal. This is another match that got some "heat" from fans at the time because Styles had been dropped down the card after being the World Champion just a few months prior, seemingly because Hogan and Bischoff had lost confidence in his ability to "draw" and wanted established main eventers like Van Dam, Hardy, and Sting, to be at the top of the card instead. And so Styles and Lethal ended up feuding over Lethal disrespecting Ric Flair and Styles wanting to prove that he was still worthy of being the Nature Boy's protege. It's a thin story, but you knew the in-ring would be good so it makes sense they'd book it. As one might expect, this match is full of great sequences, smooth wrestling, and well-executed high flying moves, but I wouldn't call it "must watch." Lethal gets put over strong here by hanging with the former champ and eventually getting the victory, but it was hard for me to get into that emotional aspect of the match when all I - and at least a vocal portion of the Impact Zone crowd - could think about was why Styles was being treated like just another midcarder after being the best worker in the company not named Kurt Angle for at least two years by this point. (3/5)
Beer Money took on the newly formed Enigmatic Assholes - Jeff Hardy and Ken Anderson - in a match that was really all about the experience of Beer Money vs. the uneasy alliance of new main event-caliber singles guys in Hardy and Anderson. Beer Money were really good here and Anderson was also impressive, taking some great bumps to the floor and, by the end, busting himself open hardway from something or other. Jeff Hardy was also in good form, hitting an awesome somersault dive to the floor off of Anderson's back. I can understand the argument that Beer Money should've gotten the W because of their experience level, but this was worked well enough to not be anything close to a burial and more about the craftiness of Hardy and Anderson. A really solid tag team match. (3/5)
Main event time - Rob Van Dam vs. Sting for Van Dam's TNA World Heavyweight Championship. This is a weird one on paper and an underwhelming one on-screen. Van Dam is not the most reverent guy based on his interviews over the years, laid back to the point of seeming unaffected at times, and I think that lack of real vision hurt this match considerably. Van Dam and Sting don't show a lack of effort, but I'm not sure how hard they searched for chemistry or fresh ideas either, having a pedestrian brawl in the Impact Zone crowd to start and then sauntering back to the ring for some listless action before going into a shoddy ref bump spot that also exposed Earl Hebner as being a shadow of his former self too. This led to
Jeff Jarrett showing up and attacking Sting, which, at the very least, made logical sense (I was half-expecting Jarrett to inexplicably cost Van Dam the title despite Sting being the one who put him on the shelf a month prior). A disappointment because, while its hard to envision what a good RVD/Sting even could be, this match showed what an uninventive one would be. (2/5)
Slammiversary VIII's decent-enough 2.5-out-of-5 Kwang Score is higher than one might expect when they look at the card on paper, but Desmond Wolfe does everything he can to make his match with Abyss as good as it is, Lethal and Styles have a strong bout, and the pairing of Anderson and Hardy works too. Still, matches like Kendrick/Williams and Angle/Kazarian are a bit underwhelming and the main event is an outright clunker.
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
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