Victory Road opens with a video package of President John F. Kennedy’s “We choose to go to the moon” speech, which, of course, took place in Houston, TX. TNA highlights are spliced in between the speech and space shuttle footage to hype tonight’s pay-per-view. Houston… we’ve had a problem.
The Victory Road intro then hits as we head to the live crowd in the Reliant Arena where Mike Tenay and Don West hype tonight’s card and the fireworks go off. Jeremy Borash is outside of the arena with a group of fans to tell us that the polls are open at TNAwrestling.com to vote on the stipulation for the 6-man tag team match. Lauren is also standing by with BG James in the audience who hype Victory Road some more before sending it off to the first match.
Match 1: Team Japan vs. Team Mexico vs. Team International vs. (World X Cup Match)
Mike Tenay shows us the standings where Team Mexico and Team TNA are tied for first place with 3 points a piece. This match is going to be contested under elimination rules where once a wrestler is pinned or submitted, they must return to the locker room.
Wrestling for Team Japan are Masato Yoshino, Puma and Milano Collection AT. Averno, Rey Bucanero and Ultimo Guerrero are in for Team Mexico. For Team International is Alex Koslov, Doug Williams and Tyson Dux, while the Motorcity Machine Guns and Curry Man are fighting for Team TNA.
The match starts and Team TNA work over Yoshino until Tyson Dux tags himself into the match. Dux and Doug Williams work over Chris Sabin until he manages to crawl over to Team Mexico’s corner and make a much needed tag. All three members for Mexico come in and begin working over Williams and Dux and pick up the pin fall on Dux.
Puma from Team Japan comes in and begins working over Rey Bucanero until he is able to tag in Averno, who takes on all of Team Japan. Averno takes Puma down with a sit out slam and pins him for the second elimination of the match. Milano Collection AT comes in and takes Averno down with a couple of kicks and nearly scores the pin fall until Bucanero breaks it up.
Chris Sabin is tagged back in and Milano fakes a low blow to try to get Sabin eliminated by disqualification but referee Andrew Thomas doesn’t buy it. Sabin then lands the Cradle Shock on Milano to pick up the pin fall. Yoshino comes in and is almost immediately pinned by Sabin with a small package. The MMG’s begin working over Yoshino until Averno makes the blind tag for his team.
Averno nails Yoshino with a sit out face plant and nearly picks up the pin fall, but Yoshino is able to kick out. Yoshino, however, is able to counter Averno and roll him up for a pin fall to eliminate him from the match.
Team TNA and Team International begin going at it and Doug Williams tries to pin Sabin with a rolling German suplex, but Curry Man is there to break up the three count. Curry Man and Williams start to trade chops with one another until the two remaining members of Team Mexico fly off the ropes and connect with cross body blocks. Ultimo Guerrero then delivers a power bomb off the middle rope to Curry Man to eliminate him from the match.
Team Mexico then makes short work of Doug Williams to eliminate him from the match as well. The Guns the knock Team Mexico out to the ring but they both miss with high risk moves out to the floor. Back in the ring, Ultimo Guerrero nearly pins Koslov after landing a face first suplex from the ropes. Koslov, however, reverses a move to a submission hold and makes Guerrero submit.
Koslov then tags in Sabin who takes Bucanero down with a top rope hurricanrana. The MMG’s then connect with a double team kick to eliminate Bucanero to eliminate Team Mexico. The Guns then set their sites on Yoshino and Koslov as they take them both down with double team moves. Sabin looks to put Koslov away but he pulls the referee in the way. The distraction is enough for Koslov to trip up Sabin and pin him while using the ropes for leverage.
Shelley begins to argue for his partner but is shoved out to the floor and Koslov flies high over the ropes and takes him out. Yoshino is then able to lock in a leg scissors around Koslov’s neck to make him submit and we are down to the final two as Team International has been eliminated.
Shelley and Yoshino begin trading chops and Yoshino is almost able to put Shelley away with a high missile drop kick. Shelley comes back with the Sliced Bread #2 but Yoshino is able to kick out of that as well. The two trade off back and forth but they are not able to score a pin fall on each other until Shelley puts Yoshino away to score the pin fall and win the match for his team.
After the third round, the standings are Team TNA in first place with 6 points, Team Japan in second with 4, and Team International and Team Mexico tied for last with 3 points a piece.
Mike Tenay and Don West run down the rest of the Victory Road card as if we don’t know what is going on tonight. Tenay says we will also be seeing footage of Booker T’s homecoming throughout the evening.
Part one of that footage is up next as we get to see inside of Booker T’s home, which has its very own African room. Booker T also has a trophy room for all of his titles and accomplishments, which even includes the key to the city of Houston. Booker then shows off his kitchen and liquor cabinet, which has his own brand of wine that was bottled at his own Booker T Estate. Up next is his impressive car collection that includes a Porsche, a Hummer and a huge RV.
A video package highlighting the feud between Gail Kim and Angelina Love airs and the match between these two Knockouts is up next.
Match 2: Angelina Love vs. Gail Kim
Angelina Love goes right on the attack before the bell even rings to gain the early advantage in this match. Kim is able to momentarily turn the tide until she is tripped up by Velvet Sky on the outside. Love then takes Kim down with a hard clothesline, but it’s not enough to keep Kim down. Love is able to get a few more two counts on Kim until Kim finally hangs her up on the ropes.
Kim then locks in a leg lock around the ring post, but Sky again interferes. Kim fights back and sends her into the guard railing before ascending the ropes but Love knocks her down by shaking the ropes. Love then takes Kim down to the mat with a superplex, however, she is slow to capitalize and make the cover in time. Kim comes back with a series of clotheslines and spears her down to the mat. Kim then lands the neckbreaker on Love to pick up the win.
After the match, Velvet Sky attacks Kim from behind as the two begin beating her down try to give Kim the brown bag treatment but she is able to escape from the ring.
Lauren and BG James are backstage with the 12 lucky fans who will participate in the Fans Revenge match. They have mannequins dressed up like James Storm and Robert Roode to practice their whippings with their leather straps.
A video package highlighting the destruction of the friendship between Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt is aired. These two former friends will meet in a grudge match and it is up next.
Match 3: Sonjay Dutt vs. Jay Lethal
Prior to the match, Sonjay Dutt hands SoCal Val a card and a rose, which gets Jay Lethal fired up as he takes out Dutt by flying through the ropes and onto the floor. Lethal then tears up the card and destroys the rose before rolling Dutt back into the ring to get this match started.
Lethal is in total control as he hammers Dutt around the ring and picks up a quick two count on his former friend. Dutt, however, is able to hand Lethal up on the ring and takes control of the match. Dutt seems to be focusing more on showboating than working over Lethal as he is playing more up to SoCal Val and the crowd.
This relaxed offense gives Lethal ample openings to retake control of the match with an overhead suplex followed by a series of clotheslines. Lethal looks to go for the Lethal Combination but Dutt counters and shoves Lethal into the corner. Dutt then lands a hurricanrana off the top rope but it isn’t enough to keep Lethal down for the three count. Lethal then turns the tide once again as SoCal Val shows an odd look of concern.
These two begin to fight on the outside as Dutt begins to scream for Val’s help. Lethal smashes Dutt on the announce table before rolling him back into the ring and locking in a submission move. SoCal Val hops on the ring steps and Lethal breaks the hold and tells her to get down, which allows Dutt to land a clothesline on Lethal and he crawls over to Val and professes his love for her.
Lethal then grabs Dutt and delivers the Lethal Combination on Dutt as Val again comes up to the ring apron. The distraction allows Dutt to roll Lethal up from behind and use the ropes for leverage to get the cheap victory. Dutt then kisses SoCal Val’s hand before leaving the ring as Lethal is irate and Val looks on with a confused look on her face.
A video package showing Beer Money and their quest to gain the tag team championships is aired. Tonight, they will face the LAX for the tag team titles and there will be 12 angry fans lined up around the ring with leather straps in a Fans Revenge match. Jeremy Borash is backstage with Beer Money and Jacqueline who explain what fury is and that they are not afraid of a 95 pound mark with a leather strap in their hands. Jacqueline, however, is too scared to go out to the ringside area and wishes them good luck.
Match 4: Beer Money vs. the LAX (Fans Revenge Match for the TNA Tag Team Championship)
The 12 fans that are lined up ringside with the straps are all wearing LAX t-shirts. Homicide and Roode start the match off countering and reversing arm bars until Homicide sends Roode out to the floor. The fans are quick to start whipping him and he is quick to return to the ring. Roode tags in James Storm, who dumps Homicide out to the floor and none of the fans do anything. Homicide takes a break to enjoy some of Storm’s beer, which gets him out to the floor where the fans are waiting to whip him.
The action returns to the ring where Homicide tries to dump Storm over the ring ropes once again but Storm is able to skin the cat and re-enters the ring. Hector Guerrero then pulls Storm out to the floor by his feet where the fans once again start whipping him with the straps. Storms gets back into the ring and tags Roode back in and goes out to the floor once again and crawls under the ring to save his hide.
Roode comes back in and Homicide hits a trio of suplexes but a distraction by Storm allows Roode to take Homicide down with a spinebuster. Storm is tagged in and begins to wear down Homicide and picks up a few near falls. Beer Money isolates Homicide to their side of the ring until Homicide is able to land a t-bone suplex and crawls over to his corner to tag in Hernandez.
Hernandez comes in a powers both members of Beer Money around and picks up a two count after delivering a sit out powerbomb on Roode. Storm comes in and the two members of Beer Money try to go on a double team attack, but Hernandez is able to just swat them away. Hernandez then flies from the top rope and nails a splash onto Roode, but the pin fall is broken up by Storm.
Homicide returns and takes Storm out with a tornado DDT and he then sends Roode out to the floor momentarily until he quickly slides back in. Roode ends up in the hands of Hernandez, who hoists him up on his shoulders and Homicide flies off the top rope and lands a neckbreaker on Roode to pick up the win and they retain the gold.
Part two of Booker T’s homecoming where he shows off his PWA wrestling school. A couple of his students have great things to say about him and what they have taught them. One student even says that Booker taught him how to be a man. Booker says that he will fulfill his destiny tonight and become the TNA World Champion.
Highlights of Taylor Wilde’s fluke victory over Awesome Kong are aired where she became the TNA Knockout Champion. In her first title defense, Wilde will face the former champion.
Match 5: Awesome Kong vs. Taylor Wilde (TNA Knockout Championship)
Kong attacks Wilde from behind before the bell rings and uses her strength to try to put her away quickly. Kong tosses Wilde around the ring and chokes her on the middle rope. Kong puts Wilde in a camel clutch but she refuses to submit. Kong then tries for an Awesome Bomb but Wilde is able to escape and hits a couple of drop kicks that knocks down Kong, however, she gets right up and decapitates Wilde with a clothesline.
Kong climbs up the ropes and Wilde meets her at the top and takes her down with an arm drag take down from the ropes. Kong gets up and set Wilde up for the Impact Buster but Wilde is able to escape. Kong then tries for a choke slam, but Wilde reverses it into a pin attempt and picks up another fluke victory over Kong to retain the title.
Taylor looks surprised after her second victory in a row over Kong. Raisha Saeed attacks her in the aisle and sends her back into the ring at Kong, who sends her crashing into the mat with an Implant Buster. That isn’t enough, though, as Saeed sends in a steel chair for Kong to use with her Awesome Bomb, but before she is able to we hear the music of Abyss in the arena.
Abyss comes out and stops the beat down but Kong shows no fear as they stare each other down. Saeed is able to talk Kong out of the ring before she gets in Abyss’ face before she slaps him. Abyss laughs and returns the favor by driving her down to the mat with a Black Hole Slam. Abyss then carries Wilde to the back.
Part three of Booker T’s homecoming is aired where they are eating at one of their restaurants called “Sharmell’s.” You see Booker talking with some of the employees about serving smaller portions and watering down the alcoholic beverages. Booker then says it’s not just about restaurants, it’s about the car washes, the car lots and says that he is a business himself.
We are treated to some local shots of Space Center Houston before heading to a video package about the X Division and the upcoming Ultimate X match. The winner of the Ultimate X match will score 4 points for their team in the final round of the World X Cup Tournament. All four teams are still in the running to take it all by winning this match. Don West and Mike Tenay then offer their thoughts on the match as it seems that it is taking the crew a lot longer than it should to get the structure up.
Match 6: Naruki Doi vs. Volador Jr. vs. Daivari vs. Kaz (World X Cup Finals Ultimate X Match)
The match starts and Kaz wastes no time in trying for the X but Daivari is there to pull him down to the mat. Kaz kicks Daivari out of the ring and tries again but is again pulled down by Volador and Doi. Volador is the next one up but he decides to drop down on Doi and pull of a hurricanrana instead.
Kaz clotheslines Volador out to the floor and slowly tries to climb back up but he is pulled down off the turnbuckle by Daivari how sends him into the guard railing. Daivari begins working on Kaz’s arm and sends him into the ring where he is triple teamed by his opponents. Kaz is able to fight his way out of the predicament and tries to climb the cable but crashes down to the mat.
The three begin to work Kaz over once again. Doi is the first one to turn on his new partners and takes control of the match. Daivari is the first one up and meets Doi on top of one of the steel structures and pushes Doi down to the floor. Daivari begins making his way over to the X but he is pulled down by Volador.
Volador begins making his way towards the X as Kaz and Doi battle below his feet. Kaz sends Doi against the ropes and then catapults Doi into the groin of Volador to knock him down. Doi comes back and knocks Kaz down and begins making his way across the rope backwards as Kaz quickly follows him up. The two begin to kick each other as Volador begins making his way over from the other side. Kaz knocks Doi down to the mat and Volador and Kaz meet in the middle between the X.
A few swift kicks from Kaz sends Volador down to the mat as Daivari begins to climb up as Kaz goes for the X but is knocked down. Volador then grabs Daivari’s legs and powerbombs him down hard on the mat. After a series of counters and reversals, Volador and Doi take each other out with cross body blocks and all four participants are down on the canvas.
Doi is the first one up and begins crawling across but Volador knocks him down with a missile dropkick. He then takes Doi out on the floor with a moonsault from the top rope. With Doi and Volador out on the floor, Daivari and Kaz begin climbing the same structure and begin fighting at the top.
Daivari is able to momentarily daze Kaz to allow him to make his way across the cable but Kaz takes both of them out with a flying leg drop from the top of the structure. With the two out on the mat, Volador sees the opening to crawl across the cable and grab the X to win the match and the World X Cup Tournament for Team Mexico. Mike Tenay then enters the ring to present the World X Cup trophy to Team Mexico.
Part four of Booker T’s homecoming is aired and we see Booker on the golf course. A random person compares Booker’s golf game to that of Tiger Woods as we get to see Booker sink a 10 foot putt. He tells some people in the clubhouse that he is going to win the title at Victory Road and party like it is 1999.
Frank Trigg joins the announce table to help call the six-man tag team match. Trigg hopes that Angle’s team can pull out the victory as we head to the match preview. The results are in from the fan voting on tnawrestling.com and the match stipulation is Full Metal Mayhem.
Match 7: Team 3D & Kurt Angle vs. Rhino/Christian Cage/AJ Styles (Full Metal Mayhem)
As AJ Styles is making his ring entrance, Kurt Angle attacks him and this match gets under way. As Angle and Styles are fighting in the entrance ramp, Cage is choking Brother Ray on the announce table and Brother Devon is working over Rhino on the guard railing. Styles then enters the ring and dives over the top rope taking out both Angle and Devon on the floor.
In the ring, Rhino takes Angle down with a spinebuster but Angle is able to kick out of the pin attempt. Ray then takes Rhino down with a clothesline and Cage follows up with a couple of shots from a garbage can, but Ray is able to kick out of a pin attempt. Ray then takes Cage down and out with a high back body drop.
Styles then flies in and takes Ray down with a flying forearm but Devon is there to help out his brother as they pancake him on the mat shortly after. Team 3D is standing tall in the ring as Rhino and Cage take them both out with a ladder but Angle comes in and takes them both out with a steel chair. Angle then gives Cage a belly-to-belly overhead suplex onto a ladder.
Team 3D and Angle are in total control as Styles springboards off the top of a ladder and takes Ray down with a flying forearm. Styles looks to have the pin fall but referee Earl Hebner is dragged to the outside to break the count. The numbers game then catches up with Styles as the three of them begin to work him over. Cage, however, begins crawling up one of the Ultimate X structures and takes the three of them out with a high cross body block.
Cage grabs a ladder but he is clocked in the head with a steel chair by Ray. Styles suffers the same fate as Rhino enters the ring and delivers gores Ray. Rhino then delivers the Gore to Angle and Devon to pick up the trifecta. Rhino sets up a table in the ring and sets up Devon on the turnbuckle but Ray comes over and puts Rhino on his shoulders as Devon gives him a clothesline through the table. Ray covers for the pin but Cage is there to break up the three count.
Angle enters the ring and goes after Cage as the are able to reverse and counter each others moves until Angle finally locks in the ankle lock. Cage is able to roll out of it and into a pinning predicament but Angle is able to kick out. Cage then drives Angle down with an inverted DDT and heads to the top rope but Devon gives him a low blow. Devon then grabs Cage and delivers a 3D onto a table that was set up on the floor.
In the ring, Styles begins working over Angle as Ray nails Styles with a garbage can. The numbers game is against Styles once again but he is able to turn the match into his favor until Ray takes him down with a superkick as he yells out to the crowd “You didn’t know I had that one in (me), did ya?”
Ray then sets up a table in the corner of the ring and onto in the middle and places Styles on that one. Ray climbs to the middle turnbuckle and Styles gets up and punches Ray right in the crotch. Styles then sends Ray through the table as Devon enters the ring and Styles sidesteps him and he goes through the other table.
Angle then gets up and tries for the Olympic Slam, but Styles counters and lands the Styles Clash but Angle is able to kick out of the pin attempt at two. Johnny Devine then enters the ring with a kendo stick but Styles takes him down with the Pele kick. Styles then knocks him out of the ring with a shot from the kendo stick and then points the stick at Frank Trigg. With his attention diverted, Angle sneaks up from behind and lands the Olympic Slam but Styles is able to kick out of it.
Angle goes out and brings another table into the ring and sets a ladder up in the corner. Angle pushes Hebner out of the way and tweeks his ankle as Angle goes over and sets up the table. Angle goes for an Olympic Slam onto the table but Styles counters and places Angle on the table. Styles begins climbing the ladder as Frank Trigg leaves the announce table and nails Styles in the head with the kendo stick. Angle then backdrops Styles through the table and scores the pin fall to win the match.
Jeremy Borash is backstage with Samoa Joe who reminds him that this is Booker T’s hometown and that people seem to think that he has doubt. Joe says that he has no doubt and guarantees that Booker will have to take his life to take the title from him. Kevin Nash then appears and tells Joe that he is in his corner. Joe tells him that if he is in his corner and tells him that no matter what, stay in the back and let him take care of business.
More scenic shots of Houston are aired as we are then treated to a video package highlighting tonight’s main event. Mike Tenay goes over the tale of the tape and the key points in this match up before the match gets under way.
Match 8: Booker T vs. Samoa Joe (TNA World Heavyweight Championship)
Sharmell is in attendance in the crowd and is not ringside with Booker T. Jeremy Borash is in the ring for the official introductions and Rudy Charles is the referee for tonight’s main event.
The bell rings and the crowd starts a big “Booker T” chant and Booker slaps Joe across the face. The two begin to trade blows and Joe takes Booker down with a high knee to the face and picks up the first near fall of the match. Joe continues to work over his opponent as the crowd tries to rally behind Booker. Joe is finally dumped out to the floor and Booker gains some momentum on the outside after sending Joe into the railing and into the steel steps, which busts Joe open. Booker sends Joe back into the ring and works over Joe’s bloody forehead but Joe fires back with an atomic drop but misses with a senton splash. Booker then hits the axe kick but Joe is able to kick out of the pin attempt.
Booker continues to methodically work Joe over with a series of kicks but Joe is able to mount some offense and turn the tide of the match. Joe nearly puts the match away with a snap slam but Booker is able to kick out at a count of two. Booker and Joe then go through a series of counters until Booker falls on referee Rudy Charles. Joe then channels Stan Hansen and delivers a huge lariat clothesline to Booker.
Joe then takes Booker out to the floor and sits him down in a chair in front of his wife. Joe then goes back and delivers a running kick to Booker’s face that drives his head into the guard railing. Sharmell pleads for Joe to stop and slaps him across the face and Joe goes after the personal security that surrounds her.
Joe then sends Booker into the ring and Booker has now been busted open as Slick Johnson goes out to the ring to officiate the match, but Joe just pie-faces him. Johnson calls for backup and Andrew Charles comes out as the two begin to calm him down but Joe takes then down with a clothesline and a DDT. Joe continues to rip into Booker as security comes down to the ring but Joe makes quick work of them.
Sharmell enters the ring and begs Joe to stop the assault on her husband as Joe locks in a choke hold on Booker. Sting’s music then hits as he makes his way to the ring with a baseball bat and tells Joe that he has taken it too far. Sting tries to reason with him and begins to leave but Joe decides to continue beating down Booker.
Sting enters the ring and says that Joe has made his point. Joe just gives Sting the finger and Sting answers back with a couple of shots with the baseball bat. A near unconscious Booker T then drapes his arm across Joe as his wife makes the three count. Sharmell then grabs the World Championship and hands it to Booker, who leaves with the title. Mike Tenay and Don West are confused and say wonder how he can be World Champion if he never actually beat Samoa Joe as Victory Road comes to an end.
Quick Results
- Team TNA defeated Team Japan, Team International and Team Mexico in a 12-man tag team elimination match in the third round of the World X Cup.
- Gail Kim defeated Angelina Love by pin fall.
- Sonjay Dutt defeated Jay Lethal by pin fall.
- Taylor Wilde defeated Awesome Kong by pin fall to retain the Knockout Championship.
- The LAX defeated Beer Money in a Fans Revenge Match to retain the TNA Tag Team Championship.
- Volador Jr. defeated Kaz, Daivari and Naruki Doi in an Ultimate X match in the final round of the World X Cup.
- Team 3D & Kurt Angle defeated Rhino/Christian Cage/AJ Styles in a Full Metal Mayhem match.
- Booker T and Samoa Joe fought to a no-contest.
