Slammiversary 2012: TNA's Tenth Anniversary Gets the Card It Needed

Austin Aries defended the X Division Championship against the much larger Samoa Joe in Slammiversary opening match, deliberately bringing the title division back to its early TNA reputation for athletic mismatches. Joe controlled with chops, kicks and a running boot, while Aries used a hurricanrana and heat-seeking suicide dive to create openings. Joe countered Aries momentum with a powerbomb followed by a Boston crab, STF and further submission traps. Aries escaped but had trouble lifting Joe into the Brainbuster, making the closing sequence a test of both speed and endurance.

Aries landed a 450 splash for a near fall and survived Joe rear naked choke attempt after countering to a pin. Joe repeatedly tried to position the champion for a Muscle Buster, but Aries escaped with a crucifix throw, struck with a roaring elbow and corner dropkick, and finally hit the Brainbuster for the pin. The B+ (8.0) reflects the clear progression toward that difficult finisher and an important X Division title defense. Joe showed respect afterward, but there was no title transfer.

Hernandez met Kid Kash in a short heavyweight-versus-veteran singles match where the challenger tried to keep the larger man from using his power. Kash targeted Hernandez arm near the ropes and followed with chops and a tornado DDT that drove Hernandez toward the apron. Hernandez answered with shoulder blocks and a brawling comeback, then leapt over the ropes for a plancha that sent both men into the ringside area. The contrast between Kash technical interruptions and Hernandez explosive size gave the compact match its main identity.

After the dive Hernandez brought Kash back inside and attempted the Border Toss, but Kash escaped with a dropkick and tried to catch Hernandez higher in the corner. Hernandez blocked the offense and hit a top-rope splash to get the pin. The C (6.2) acknowledges a handful of risky spots in a match that never developed larger championship stakes or a longer rivalry payoff. Kash was the pinned opponent, and Hernandez won by a straightforward fall, not a countout.

Devon joined Garett Bischoff against Robbie E and Robbie T in a supporting tag match that gave Bischoff time to sell the challengers control before the Television Champion could intervene. Garett began against Robbie E and gained the upper hand with punches and clotheslines, but the challengers pulled him to ringside and isolated him with frequent tags. Robbie T used a side slam to set up an elbow drop from E, while Devon had to enter early to break a possible fall. Bischoff eventually escaped with a facebuster to make the needed tag.

Devon entered with a Thesz press, uranage and corner splash, forcing Robbie T to interrupt another cover. Garett chased T through the ropes and kept him occupied with a dive to the outside. That let Devon catch Robbie E inside the ring with a spinebuster and pin him for the tag team victory. The C (6.2) reflects functional partner coordination more than a standout anniversary spectacle. Robbie T was not the losing fall participant; Devon pinned Robbie E.

Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam and Mr. Anderson faced off in a three-way contest to determine the next challenger for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Hardy threatened the early pin with a Whisper in the Wind and Twist of Fate, while Van Dam used his aerial attack to break up covers and create exchanges neither singles opponent could control. Anderson fought through both sets of offense, survived near falls and kept looking for an opportunity to use the Mic Check. The number-one-contender stipulation meant every broken cover could change a later championship match.

Hardy hit a Swanton Bomb and moved to cover, but Anderson pulled the referee away before the three count. Anderson then threw Hardy to the floor and concentrated on Van Dam. When RVD attempted Rolling Thunder, Anderson caught him and delivered the Mic Check for the decisive pin. Anderson won the contender slot by pinning Van Dam, not Hardy, and the finish should retain that exact participant. The B (7.6) credits the substantial finishing exchanges and a result with immediate stakes.

Crimson issued an open challenge while boasting about a long undefeated run, but James Storm answered it as the returning hometown favorite. Storm attacked immediately and sent Crimson outside with a clothesline, giving the established unbeaten opponent little time to settle. Crimson used his physical size to halt the momentum and even pulled at Storm jacket during a brief burst of offense, but the gap between the challengers confident entrance and the much sharper final exchange made the upset feel inevitable.

Storm hit a series of strikes, a Codebreaker and then a Last Call superkick to pin Crimson in just over two minutes, ending the undefeated run. There was no championship at stake and the finish did not require a referee mistake or another wrestler joining the match. The C- (5.8) credits the sudden historical streak-ending result rather than the small quantity of actual wrestling. Skipping most of the short contest loses little, but the finish is useful context for Storm next direction.

Gail Kim defended the Knockouts Championship against Brooke Tessmacher in Texas, an increasingly important rematch after the champion used the ropes to beat the same challenger at Sacrifice in May. Kim controlled much of the early action through a shoulderbreaker and holds, and at one point knocked Tessmacher to ringside with a spear. The champion could have pursued a countout but instead brought Tessmacher back inside because she wanted a decisive fall. That choice created the opening the challenger needed as Kim continued to seek her Eat Defeat finishing strike.

Tessmacher avoided the Eat Defeat attempt and caught Kim in a sudden rollup for three to become the new TNA Knockouts Champion. The B- (7.2) recognizes the payoff to the disputed earlier match and a championship change in the challenger home state, rather than claiming a lengthy technical classic. Unlike their previous meeting, the match ended in Tessmacher favor and the championship changed hands on the official pin.

Joseph Park met Bully Ray under Anything Goes rules in a storyline linked to his search for his missing brother Abyss. Park entered visibly inexperienced, while Ray taunted him with open-handed slaps before resorting to chairs and a ringside assault. Park gained temporary momentum with punches and a kendo-stick strike, only for Ray to shut him down. Ray set a table inside the ring, and Park later crawled under the apron while the larger wrestler tried to find him. The unexplained pause created a theatrical interlude within a no-disqualification contest.

An Abyss figure appeared from the opposite side of the ring and drove Ray through the table with a chokeslam before disappearing beneath the ring. Park then emerged and crawled back inside to cover Ray for the deciding three count. Park is the official winner; the apparent Abyss involvement is a story beat and must not create another recorded official participant or change the result to an Abyss win. The B- (7.2) rewards the character reveal and surprising finish more than sustained mat wrestling.

A.J. Styles and Kurt Angle challenged Christopher Daniels and Kazarian for the TNA World Tag Team Championship in a match influenced by the Daniels and Kazarian attacks on Styles during his singles rivalry. Styles started with a springboard attack on Kazarian outside, while Angle followed with German suplexes and an Angle Slam. Daniels tried to isolate Styles, and Kazarian broke up several pin attempts, but the challengers repeatedly regained control through quick tags. At one point Angle caught both defending wrestlers in overlapping German-suplex exchanges, making the title defense feel increasingly vulnerable.

Late in the bout Daniels dragged the referee outside to stop a near fall, and Styles dove onto Daniels to prevent further interference. Kazarian attempted Fade to Black against Angle, but Angle countered into the ankle lock and grapevined the leg. Kazarian submitted, giving Styles and Angle the tag titles. The A- (8.7) credits a clear submission finish after substantial tandem wrestling; Angle forced Kazarian, not Daniels, to give up. Daniels was a legal opponent earlier but was outside for the deciding hold.

Bobby Roode defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Sting on a night when Sting was also announced as the first TNA Hall of Fame inductee. Roode avoided engagement early and repeatedly bailed outside, forcing Sting to pursue him around the barricades before the champion could establish a hold. Sting rallied, caught Roode in the Scorpion Deathlock and later repeated the hold on an announcers table where Roode tapped, but a submission outside the ring did not finish their sanctioned singles match. Roode survived by reaching the ropes inside and staying out of position whenever possible.

Back in the ring the champion introduced beer bottles. Sting seized one but the referee removed it, giving Roode time to hit him with another concealed bottle for the pin and retention. Sting attacked Roode after the bell and sent him through a table with a Scorpion Death Drop, but that happened after the official result and does not change the winner. The B (7.6) acknowledges the useful main-event character conflict while recognizing that the cheating finish, not a fair wrestling exchange, decided the championship.