Slammiversary 2009: A Bigger Stage Gives TNA One of Its Strongest 2009 Cards

The British Invasion (Brutus Magnus and Doug Williams) (with Rob Terry) defeated Eric Young and Rhino. The bout is presented as tag team match on the pre-show. Without a championship changing hands, the match has to justify its place through the pairing, stipulation and the momentum it gives the surrounding card. At 8:20, the match has enough time to establish its point but cannot waste much of the window. The British Invasion's pre-show win over Young and Rhino is a functional tag match that uses 8:20 efficiently. It introduces the larger event without consuming one of the main card's stronger concepts, making it a reasonable skim rather than an essential attraction. Within Slammiversary 2009, it grades as a C match at 6.4, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Suicide (c) defeated Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Consequences Creed and Jay Lethal. The bout is presented as king of the Mountain match for the TNA X Division Championship on the main card. The championship stake gives the bout an immediate reason to exist, so the result carries weight beyond simple placement on the card. The 23:46 runtime gives the match feature-level room to develop rather than forcing the finish. The X Division King of the Mountain match has the time, field and championship stakes to feel like a major feature. Suicide retaining after 23:46 gives the opening slot unusual weight, and the multi-man format creates enough movement to justify a long runtime. Within Slammiversary 2009, it grades as a A- match at 8.8, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Daniels defeated Shane Douglas. The bout is presented as singles match Had Douglas won, he would have taken Daniels spot as a part it TNA. on the main card. Without a championship changing hands, the match has to justify its place through the pairing, stipulation and the momentum it gives the surrounding card. At 8:12, the match has enough time to establish its point but cannot waste much of the window. Daniels versus Douglas is driven by the stipulation surrounding Daniels' place in TNA, but the wrestling itself receives only 8:12 and never becomes bigger than that premise. The result is useful for the storyline and modest as a stand-alone match. Within Slammiversary 2009, it grades as a C- match at 5.8, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Angelina Love (c) (with Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky) defeated Tara. The bout is presented as singles match for the TNA Women's Knockout Championship on the main card. The championship stake gives the bout an immediate reason to exist, so the result carries weight beyond simple placement on the card. The 6:51 runtime is brief, so nearly everything depends on the clarity of the premise and finish. Tara challenging Love for the Knockouts Championship has a clear prize and recognizable singles structure, but 6:51 makes the match feel abbreviated. Love retaining is a clean outcome; the bout simply needs more room to match the importance of the title. Within Slammiversary 2009, it grades as a C+ match at 6.6, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Abyss and Taylor Wilde defeated Daffney and Raven (with Dr. Stevie). The bout is presented as monster's Ball match on the main card. Without a championship changing hands, the match has to justify its place through the pairing, stipulation and the momentum it gives the surrounding card. At 14:07, the match has enough time to establish its point but cannot waste much of the window. Monster's Ball gives Abyss, Wilde, Daffney and Raven a sharp tonal shift from the conventional matches around them. Fourteen minutes lets the stipulation develop properly, and the mixed pairing keeps the bout unpredictable without losing the basic team objective. Within Slammiversary 2009, it grades as a B match at 7.7, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Sting defeated Matt Morgan. The bout is presented as singles match Had Morgan won, he would have been able to join the Main Event Mafia. on the main card. Without a championship changing hands, the match has to justify its place through the pairing, stipulation and the momentum it gives the surrounding card. At 8:59, the match has enough time to establish its point but cannot waste much of the window. Sting versus Morgan is stronger as a stakes match than as a pure wrestling showcase. Morgan's chance to join the Main Event Mafia gives every near fall meaning, and Sting's victory closes that door clearly even though the 8:59 runtime keeps the bout compact. Within Slammiversary 2009, it grades as a C+ match at 6.8, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Beer Money, Inc. (James Storm and Robert Roode) defeated Team 3D (Brother Devon and Brother Ray) (c). The bout is presented as tag team match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship on the main card. The championship stake gives the bout an immediate reason to exist, so the result carries weight beyond simple placement on the card. The 16:55 runtime gives the match feature-level room to develop rather than forcing the finish. Beer Money versus Team 3D receives 16:55 and a World Tag Team Championship change, giving it the ingredients of a true co-feature. The established teams can work a conventional tag structure, and Beer Money's victory provides one of the night's cleanest and most satisfying payoffs. Within Slammiversary 2009, it grades as a A- match at 8.7, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.

Kurt Angle defeated Mick Foley (c), A.J. Styles, Jeff Jarrett and Samoa Joe. The bout is presented as king of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on the main card. The championship stake gives the bout an immediate reason to exist, so the result carries weight beyond simple placement on the card. The 22:04 runtime gives the match feature-level room to develop rather than forcing the finish. The five-man King of the Mountain main event is appropriately treated as the biggest match on the anniversary card. Angle winning the world title from a field that includes Foley, Styles, Jarrett and Joe gives the 22:04 match major consequence and a finish worthy of the event's scale. Within Slammiversary 2009, it grades as a A match at 9.1, reflecting the complete bell-to-bell proposition rather than the importance of the names alone.