Revisiting TNA Impact Wrestling House Show Bournemouth UK Jan 26 2010
Recently I have been cleaning around my house and tidying a lot of things up. While doing this I found a programme from TNA Wrestling UK Tour 2010 show in Bournemouth.
I haven't looked at this program for some time and to see so many of the stars on the front cover and to see what a stacked roster TNA Impact Wrestling had at the time was insane.
Everyone from Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Aj Styles Team 3D and more. TNA had so many great talents and I think that is appreciated more now in 2020 than it was a decade ago
Everyone from Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Aj Styles Team 3D and more. TNA had so many great talents and I think that is appreciated more now in 2020 than it was a decade ago
I had never been to any TNA show before and was really looking forward to it my brother and my best friend were with me as well and i remember walking to the venue from the car park and having a great feeling of excitement before going into the show.
The Venue was really nice and had a nice sized lobby area where we could hang out for a bit before going into the show.
The pictures in this blog were taken by me on a terrible HTC phone on 2010 i have not edited them or changed them, they look dreadful however i felt they are more authentic left the way they are, they re abysmal but true to life!
Once we got in there it was great to see the 6 sided ring although this had already changed on TV I think at this point and Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff had changed it back to a 4 sided ring - being a fan of TNA for so long i was very glad it was 6 sides as it was something i'd seen for so long so it felt like the authentic TNA experience.
The first people out were Nick Aldis, Doug Williams and Rob Terry The British Invasion we were all very happy to see them as looked forward to seeing them all on TV every week. They came out and got cheered but by the end of it were getting boo-d. They were running down Bournemouth and the fans and also ripped up some backstage passes that they had told fans that they were to give away, They came out again on this show later on and riled up the fans even more after one of the matches, they were an integral part of the evening.
I was always a fan of this Group a young Nick Aldis, a Powerhouse Rob Terry and the Technical Doug WIlliams, I may be bias but I felt TNA should of done more with these guys and they could of been even more than they were in TNA, Bruce Prichard a TNA Executive even admitted that he and TNA missed the Boat on Doug Williams
Now onto our First Match
I was always a fan of this Group a young Nick Aldis, a Powerhouse Rob Terry and the Technical Doug WIlliams, I may be bias but I felt TNA should of done more with these guys and they could of been even more than they were in TNA, Bruce Prichard a TNA Executive even admitted that he and TNA missed the Boat on Doug Williams
Now onto our First Match
Chirs Sabin vs Suicide vs Amazing Red
The show kicked off with Chris Sabin vs Suicide vs Amazing Red a really fun X division match and a great way to kick off the show Chris Sabin ended up winning the match. This is what made TNA stand out very much in the same vein as the cruiserweights in WCW, it felt like WWE was always trying to attempt a division like X division but could never fully make it work, X division was one of the things that TNA did make work and the fans cared about. This match was high flying, impactful, adrenaline fast match and the right way to kick off the show and get the fans into the show.
Eric Young vs Hamada
The next match was an intergender match Eric Young vs Hamda for the TNA Global Title at the time. I was confused by this as i don't remember them feuding on TV or seeing anything from them before and it seemed bizarre to have this match, but Eric Young retained the title in this match. I really enjoyed Eric Young as "World Elite" Eric Young and felt TNA could have done more of this character with him. As with alot in TNA they had the foundation of something interesting but it was disbanded before it could really get any traction or for the fans to get used too it, Eric Young is supremely talented and it showed in TNA with the number of characters he was able to portray.
The Pope vs Rhino
The Next match I was really happy to See The Pope Diangelo Dinero vs Rhino two of my favourite characters in TNA.
I remember being very torn in this match as i liked both and i know my friends were feeling the same too. The Pope ended up winning the match and taking the win
The Pope i thought was excellent and at one point i thought was going to get a chance at TNA World Title. I never know what happened there but it never came to be I loved the music, the character and the wrestling, The Pope was great.
Rhino is a legend who broke through in ECW and to see him in TNA and just to see how big he is and how much presence he has in real life was incredible. I got to meet Rhino in New York 3 years later and then worked with him on some shows here in the UK truly a top class guy.
The next match was a 4 way Tag Team Match Beer Money vs Team 3D vs British Invasion vs Hernandez and Kurt Angle. Matt Morgan was meant to be in this match as Tag Team Partner to Hernandez but i think he got injured so Kurt Angle was the replacement. Beer Money were such a big deal at the time, they were THE tag Team in TNA, they were cool, they had momentum and fans cared about them .
In this match with all the teams and participants it was all action all of the time, I remember team 3D bringing tables in and teams fighting in the crowd too and the crowd totally loving this and i remember it going for a good amount of time too.
Samoa Joe vs Daniels was next up and this was just after the interval and I was surprised with this match as i didnt think both were on the tour and to have a an I Quit match too on his already stacked card was brilliant, I remember us all being so surprised and pleased this show was giving us great value for money. To see both of these wrestlers Samoa Joe and Daniels two of what i would call the originals of TNA going out there and giving us such an enjoyable match Samoa Joe won the match.
The Beautiful People Defeated Taylor Wilde and Sarita
I don't remember this match too much but TNA knockouts Division was pretty damn good and I think laid the foundation for the future of Women's Wrestling. Taylor Wilde and Sarita were a good team and remember them having good chemistry at the time, Sarita had great athletic ability and was very impressive int he ring.. Also The Beautiful People were so popular with a great entrance, look and theme song too. I remember us all being really impressed with this match and think Taylor Wilde would be a future star its so sad that things didn't work out for her in wrestling as i thought she had a great future, the chemistry of Velvet Sky and Angelina Love as too much for Wilde and Sarita to overcome in this match.
AJ Styles defeated Desmond Wolfe
This showed me how great wrestling could be,this match was excellent Aj Styles had just turned on TV and was Ric Flair but when he came out here he was in his old attire and was being good guy Aj Styles. Desmond Wolfe came out and the crowd were hot for Desmond Wolfe as he was in his own country. They started off the match shaking hands and it was very even to begin with, with neither man taking advantage of one another, thought this was strange after seeing them both as a bad guy on TV, this continued for a few more minutes and then it happened when the referee wasn't looked AJ hit a low blow on Wolfe and then the crowd turned. AJ become more aggressive and the crowd started to boo him and the crowd got behind Desmond Wolfe. The dynamic as so clever and it told a story and it got fans invested in the story, this was when i was really realising about the story of pro wrestling, this match was great storytelling and it led to Aj Winning the match and the crowd giving Wolfe a loud and standing ovation.
Looking back on this 10 years later i dont think Wrestling Community give TNA as much credit as they should for as good as it was at the time. I think honestly that we took it for granted. TNA had a stacked roster and had so many great talents and put on her a brilliant show that was fun, ghad great wrestling and was entertaining. None of us left complaining and all of us felt that it was worth doing.
Sadly this was i think the last show TNA did in Bournemouth as the would then change to a schedule of Glasgow, Manchester and London and sadly i was not able to get to those shows, but when i saw the taped impact UK shows on TV they always looked so vibrant and the fans were really into it.
TNA Live Experience was so much fun, looking back on it I appreciate it even more now than I did then
Thanks for Reading
jon422002
Jonathan Orchard