Slammiversary 2011: Angle-Jarrett and Bully Ray-Styles Deliver an Anniversary Show Worth Revisiting

With Robert Roode sidelined by injury, Alex Shelley temporarily partnered James Storm to defend Beer Money's tag team championship against Douglas Williams and Magnus. Roode watched from commentary as Shelley blended his Motor City Machine Guns moves with Storm's power and timing. The British Invasion isolated Shelley for a stretch, then Storm entered off the tag to change the pace.

The finish came after a burst of miscommunication: Storm accidentally spat beer into Shelley's face, and Shelley superkicked his own partner. Both recovered, with Storm striking Magnus and Shelley following with Sliced Bread before Storm pinned Magnus at roughly 10:56. It gives the improvised champions a credible win while acknowledging why an injury replacement can make an otherwise standard opener more interesting.

Matt Morgan and Scott Steiner spent the opening minutes challenging each other's size and strength rather than executing a technical showcase. Steiner insulted the Orlando audience, baited Morgan into charging and used a low blow during a referee distraction to change the momentum. He then kept Morgan grounded with suplexes, chest kicks and a Steiner Recliner that forced the larger wrestler to fight to the ropes. Morgan responded with clotheslines, a heavy sidewalk slam and a sit-out power move for a near fall, but Steiner continued to counter with a victory roll and another suplex.

Morgan survived the Steiner Recliner when his arm rose before the referee could rule him unconscious. Steiner tried a second-rope attack, but Morgan countered, fought out of another belly-to-belly attempt and connected with the Carbon Footprint for the pin in 9:20. Morgan's decisive strike fits the power struggle established earlier, while Steiner's showboating made his final failure easier to understand. The bout occupies a supporting grudge slot on Slammiversary rather than a tournament or championship contest; its appeal lies in an ordinary, hard-fought heavyweight finish.

Abyss defended the X Division Championship in a three-way against Brian Kendrick and Kazarian, which forced two smaller wrestlers to combine their speed against a champion with an obvious power advantage. Kendrick and Kazarian briefly coordinated dropkicks and corner attacks to knock Abyss off balance. Abyss recovered with a Black Hole Slam on Kendrick, a chokeslam and repeated heavy chops. Kazarian answered with a springboard attack and a near fall, while Kendrick used a flying DDT and missile dropkicks to get the champion to the canvas.

The challengers' alliance broke down late in the match. Kendrick and Kazarian started trading punches and countering each other's aerial moves, leaving both vulnerable while Abyss recovered near ringside. As Kendrick appeared poised to control Kazarian, Abyss pulled Kendrick out of the ring and returned to cover Kazarian himself. The referee counted three, allowing Abyss to retain at about twelve minutes without pinning both opponents or winning a singles fall against Kendrick. The finish directly rewards the champion for waiting until his two challengers turned on each other, although that tactic limits the contest as a pure X Division athletic showcase.

Crimson confronted Samoa Joe with his undefeated streak at stake against a former TNA star who understood the pressure of protecting an extended unbeaten run. The two opened aggressively, trading slaps and physical counters before Joe tried to slow the younger wrestler with holds on the mat. Joe applied a single-leg Boston crab and looked for a Muscle Buster after exchanging near falls. Crimson escaped the more dangerous finishing setups and insisted on trading strikes rather than attempting to survive only by running away.

The deciding exchange took place around ten and a half minutes, when Crimson countered Joe's final offensive attempt and scored the pin. Contemporary match reporters disagree on the exact winning move, variously describing a spear or a powerbomb, so the editorial should preserve the firm result and approximate match time without claiming one disputed maneuver as verified. Joe and Crimson shook hands after the bout, a sporting recognition separate from the pin. The short contest's strongest story was that an undefeated prospect had defeated a credible former champion, not that either man's reputation was permanently settled by one exchange.

Mickie James defended the Knockouts Championship against Angelina Love, who was accompanied by Winter. Love used the ring steps to punish the champion outside, while Winter stayed close enough to provide an extra distraction whenever James attempted a comeback. James countered with a Thesz press from the top rope and a spinning kick, but Winter helped Love reach the ropes to avoid a defeat. Referee Earl Hebner repeatedly turned his attention to Winter, making the title contest as much about resisting interference as about finding a clean finishing move.

Love attempted another cover with assistance near the ropes, but James kicked out. James then recovered and caught Love with a DDT to score the pin and retain the Knockouts title at roughly eight minutes. Winter attacked James with the championship belt AFTER the decision, so the post-match strike should not be inserted into the legal fall or mistaken for a separate title change. The champion's victory was straightforward despite the outside drama, and the continued Winter-Love alignment carried the feud forward. A skim shows the finish and subsequent angle without misrepresenting Winter as a third sanctioned competitor.

Bully Ray and A.J. Styles fought a Last Man Standing match in which the referee's standing ten-count, not a pin or submission, decided the winner. Their feud had already produced violent exchanges, but this match spread the punishment across the entrance stage and ringside. Ray trapped Styles beneath part of the steel steps and repeatedly chopped his chest. Styles fought back with a springboard strike, a flying attack from the ring and a chair shot; Ray answered with a powerbomb that left both men struggling to rise. The physical escalation was built around the question of who could answer one more count.

Late in the match, Styles placed Ray on a table near the entrance and climbed the staging. His high-risk diving elbow sent both men through the table. Styles rose first, but Ray was able to kick him down during the referee's next count. Ray regained his feet before ten while Styles could not, and Bully Ray won at 20:18. Styles's spectacular table spot therefore did NOT secure the win for the man who executed it. The ten-count ending gives the lengthy fight a coherent but harsh payoff and is the main reason the bout deserves a higher watch priority than the shorter undercard rivalries.

Sting entered Slammiversary as TNA World Heavyweight Champion and began the defense by attacking Mr. Anderson before the official bell. Once the match started, they brawled into the audience, with Sting initially refusing to allow Anderson an orderly opening. Anderson then targeted Sting's left arm with an armbar and a DDT to reduce his ability to finish a clean match. The champion rallied with clotheslines and a Stinger Splash, then positioned Anderson for his familiar Scorpion Deathlock and later a Scorpion Death Drop.

Eric Bischoff appeared at ringside and distracted Sting during the closing stretch. After the Death Drop, a confusing near fall left fans believing the champion had been denied a completed three-count. Anderson used the disruption to strike Sting below the belt and cover him for the three count, winning the TNA World Championship in 15:51. The low blow and late distraction complicate the sporting result without changing the official title switch. Bischoff should be identified as outside interference, not as a third match participant. The championship change is historically essential even though the finish invites questions about referee timing and how much the interloper influenced it.

Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett closed Slammiversary with a number-one-contender position and Angle's Olympic gold medal at stake. Jarrett had repeatedly mocked Angle over his personal life, giving the contest consequences beyond a championship opportunity. Angle opened with suplexes and sought the ankle lock, while Jarrett used the entrance barriers, a neck attack and The Stroke to keep him from ending it early. Jarrett survived an Angle Slam and later connected with a top-rope version of his own finisher; neither move produced a three-count.

A referee collision gave Jarrett the chance to strike Angle with a guitar, but a replacement official arrived and Angle still escaped the cover. They traded more reversals before Jarrett trapped Angle in an ankle lock of his own. Angle survived, regained control and applied his own ankle lock, grapevining the leg until Jarrett submitted at about 17:39. This was a submission victory for Angle, not a pin for Jarrett or a draw following the official change. The result preserved Angle's gold medal and his route toward the TNA title, while the intense final series of counter-holds made it a credible pay-per-view main event.