By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
TNA Sacrifice
Streamed March 8, 2024 on TNA+ and TrillerTV.com
Live from Windsor, Ontario at St. Clair College
Tom Hannifan and Matt Rehwoldt provided commentary. We once again have the entrance ramp to the right, which I really like. I really hate having the entrance opposite the hard camera, as I prefer seeing fans and their reactions to the matches. Hannifan said this show is sold out; it’s maybe 500 fans.
TNA Sacrifice Pre-Show
1. Crazy Steve defeated Joe Hendry to retain the Digital Media Title at 4:05. Laredo Kid had travel issues and canceled his appearance early in the day Friday. Hendry said he lost the Digital Media title in this very building. Hendry showed some funny pictures with Steve’s head superimposed on photos. AJ Francis joined commentary before the bell. Hendry hit a delayed vertical suplex at 1:00. AJ attacked Hendry on the floor. Steve hit a second-rope flying DDT for the cheap pin. Not much to it.
* Gigi Miller interviewed Steve Maclin, Zack Wentz and Trey Miguel backstage. Maclin told them they are on their own; he’s not coming to ringside with them. Maclin said he told Nic Nemeth to stay away from TNA so now he’s going to “tag’m and bag’m.”
2. Mike Bailey and Trent Seven defeated “The Rascalz” Zack Wentz and Trey Miguel at 7:51. Wentz and Bailey opened. Wentz hit some chops on both babyfaces. Bailey and Seven hit punches in the corners. Trey chop-blocked Seven at 2:00. Seven hit a Dragon Suplex. Bailey entered and hit some quick kicks. He hit his Speedball kicks on Wentz at 4:00, but he missed a running Shooting Star Press. He hit a moonsault double kneedrop onto both of them as they were piled on top of each other. Seven nailed a top-rope superplex on Trey. Trey hit a handspring-back-spin kick on Bailey for a nearfall.
Wentz hit a Doomsday Blockbuster on Bailey for a believable nearfall. The ref got bumped. Trey sprayed spray paint in Bailey’s eyes, and Zachary immediately hit a Snapmare Driver for a believable nearfall at 7:00, but Seven made the save. We got a “This is awesome!” chant. Trey accidentally spray painted Wentz’s face! Bailey hit a Triangle Moonsault to the floor. In the ring, Bailey hit a Superkick on Wentz as Seven was hitting a Dragon Suplex! Bailey covered Wentz for the pin. That was a sprint; they got a lot of offense in a match that short.
TNA Sacrifice Main Show
1. Nic Nemeth defeated Steve Maclin at 14:25. This is a first-time-ever meeting. Nemeth came out first and he’s NOT wearing his NJPW Global belt, but Hannifan acknowledged he holds it. They jawed at each other at the bell. Nemeth hit a dropkick and a Stinger Splash. Maclin shoved him shoulder-first into the ring post at 1:30. They rolled to the floor and Maclin was in charge. In the ring, he hit a backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall. Nic fired up and hit some punches. Steve again whipped him into the corner. Nemeth hit an Angle Slam at 5:00 and a Stinger Splash.
Nemeth hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker and a series of elbow drops, then a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall. Steve flipped him to the floor. Maclin nailed a dive through the ropes at 7:00, but he missed a top-rope flying headbutt. Nic hit a Fameasser leg drop for a believable nearfall and they were both down. Maclin tied NIc in the Tree of Woe; he went for a spear but Nic sat up, and Macline crashed through the ropes toward a table on the floor! They got back in the ring but Maclin hit a kneestrike for a nearfall.
Steve hit a Buckle Bomb at 10:00, then a Tombstone piledriver for a believable nearfall and we got a “this is awesome! chant. Maclin hit the KIA double-arm DDT but Nemeth rolled to the floor at 10:30 to avoid being pinned! In the ring, Maclin hit a superkick and a leaping inverted DDT for a believable nearfall. Nemeth hit his own KIA double-arm DDT for a believable nearfall at 13:30. Nic hit some superkicks then the “Danger Zone” jumping inverted DDT for the pin. That was a stellar opener.
* Gia Miller interviewed “The System” Moose, Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards and Alisha Edwards. Eddie said they are here to add more gold. Moose said he will force Eric Young to “pass the torch.”
2. Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers (w/Alisha) defeated “ABC” Ace Austin and Chris Bey for the TNA Tag Team Titles at 13:20. Ace and Myers opened. Bey hit an armdrag on Eddie. Myers speared an upside-down Ace on the apron at 3:00. Bey set up for a dive but Alisha got in the way so he pulled up. In the ring, Myers hit a suplex on Bey for a nearfall and he kept Chris grounded. Alisha choked Bey in the ropes. Bey hit a DDT at 7:00 and they were both down. Eddie and Ace tagged in, and Austin hit a guillotine leg drop. He clotheslined Eddie to the floor and hit a plancha on him.
Eddie hit a powerbomb move on Bey. Bey caught Myers with a flying stunner and suddenly everyone was down at 10:00. Alisha hopped on the ring apron and yelled at Bey. He leapt over her and nailed Eddie and Myers on the floor. Nice spot. In the ring, ABC hit a double knees strike on Eddie. Eddie hit a backpack stunner, and Myers hit an elbow drop for a believable nearfall on Ace, but Bey made the save at 12:00. The heels hit a pop-up faceplant on Bey. Ace got a rollup on Eddie for a believable nearfall. Eddie hit the Boston Knee Party to pin Ace! New champions! The System celebrated in the ring with their new titles.
3. PCO defeated Kon at 8:20. This was mercifully short last month and hopefully the same here; Kon just shouldn’t go over 10 minutes, ever. Kon carried two trash cans to the ring. Kon grabbed a staffer at ringside and threw him around. The lights went out; when they came back on, PCO was in the ring. They beat each other up with the trash cans. PCO hit a Russian leg sweep onto a trash can at 1:00. They brawled on the floor, where they whacked each other over the head with thin cookie sheets.
Kon hit a uranage onto the stage/entrance area at 4:30. He slammed PCO a couple times onto the stage. PCO chokeslammed Kon off the stage and through a table on the floor at 6:00! Kon was able to get up, get back in the ring, and they traded forearm strikes. PCO nailed the top-rope moonsault onto Kon, who was lying on folded chairs, for the pin. Decent brawl; the crowd was really into this.
* A replay of highlights of Hendry-Crazy Steve. Backstage, AJ Francis was cutting a promo, and Joe Hendry came up and challenged him to a match. Francis shoved Hendry. Santino Marella separated them and made a match for Thursday!
4. Dani Luna and Jody Threat defeated Masha Slamovich and Killer Kelly to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles at 4:23. Threat and Luna came out first but Masha and Kelly attacked from behind as they walked down the ramp, and they brawled at ringside. Hannifan stressed the match hasn’t started yet. Masha hit the Snow Plow driver on Luna on the floor. They got in the ring and the ref rang the bell at 2:00, with Jody battling Masha, as Dani is still down on the floor. Masha stomped on her and was in charge. She hit a powerbomb for a nearfall. Kelly tagged in. Luna grabbed Masha’s foot and dragged her to the floor. Jody rolled up Kelly for the pin! New champions! Masha shoved Kelly and left without her. Again, official time of this match is about 2:35.
5. Alexander Hammerstone defeated Josh Alexander at 18:18. Josh immediately grounded Hammerstone and he went for an anklelock at 1:30 but Hammerstone quickly escaped. Hannifan said this is the building where Josh tore his triceps. Josh hit a LOUD series of chops in the corner. Hammerstone hit some clotheslines. Josh hit a German Release suplex, but Hammerstone popped up and clotheslined Josh to the floor at 3:00. Hammerstone powerbombed Josh onto the ring apron; he got a nearfall in the ring. Hammerstone hit some blows to the kidneys/lower back, then a backbreaker over his knee at 5:00 and he paused to celebrate, and was booed.
Hammerstone hit some shoulder blocks to the gut, then he applied a belly-to-belly bearhug at 7:00. He hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex for a nearfall and he cranked on Josh’s neck and kept him grounded. He hit another backbreaker over his knee for a nearfall at 9:00. They got up and traded overhand chops and forearm shots. Josh hit a second-rope flying knee to the back of Hammerstone’s head at 11:00 and they were both down. Josh hit some punches and a clothesline. He hit TEN consecutive German Suplexes, with the last one at 13:30, and fans chanted “Walking Weapon!” He hit his crossbody block through the ropes and they both collapsed to the floor.
Hammerstone barely got back in before being counted out. Josh hit a flip dive to the floor on him. In the ring, Josh hit a clothesline for a nearfall at 15:30. Hammerstone went for a top-rope missile dropkick but Josh caught an ankle and applied an anklelock; Hammerstone kicked free. Hammerstone accidentally splashed the ref in the corner at 17:00. Josh immediately re-applied the anklelock and Hammerstone tapped out but we had no ref! The crowd chanted “you tapped out!” Josh set up for the C4 Spike, but Hammerstone escaped and hit a low blow punt kick! “By any means necessary!” Rehwoldt said. Hammerstone nailed the Nightmare Pendulum/swinging sideslam for the cheap pin. A really good match.
* Gigi Miller interviewed Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley and Kushida backstage and she asked if they can all get on the same page. Kushida showed some clear frustration.
6. Mustafa Ali and “Grizzled Young Vets” Zack Gibson and James Drake defeated Kushida and “Motor City Machine Guns” Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley at 14:11. (They are officially the “Vets” not “Veterans;” I hadn’t caught that until now.) Ali came out with his four ‘secret service’ agents and of course he wore his X Division title belt. Shelley kind of shoved Kushida as he walked past him on the way to ringside; Alex is acting quite heelish. Ali and Sabin opened, but Zack immediately tagged in. Sabin hit some deep armdrags on Drake. Shelley tagged in at 1:30 but he seemed disinterested in being there. Kushida entered to face Ali and they traded quick mat reversals and Kushida hit some deep armdrags.
Kushida tagged in Sabin; Ali ran to his corner to tag out to avoid facing Chris. The faces hit team dropkicks on Gibson. The heels began working over Sabin. Drake hit a spinning heel kick. Ali hit a rolling neckbreaker for a nearfall at 7:00. “You are not the leader we need!” Ali shouted at Sabin. Gibson applied a headlock on the mat and kept Chris grounded. Kushida got the hot tag at 8:30 and hit some quick kicks on Ali. He snapped Ali’s arm across his shoulder. Shelley hit a plancha to the floor on the GYV. Kushida tried to apply the Hoverboard Lock, but Ali escaped. Ali came off the ropes but Kushida caught him with a straight punch for a nearfall at 10:00.
The heels hit dropkicks in the corner on Kushida. Drake nailed a top-rope Doomsday Device clothesline on Kushida for a nearfall. Sabin hit a Thesz Press on Ali and punched him in the face. Sabin hit a tornado DDT on Gibson, then a dive through the ropes onto Ali at 12:00. Jason Hotch and John Skyler came down the ramp but Sabin hit clotheslines on both of them. In the ring, the babyfaces hit some quick team moves on Gibson. They all hit kicks in the corner on Ali. Sabin accidentally kicked Shelley! The GYV hit their team Lungblower move to Shelley’s chin. Ali immediately hit a 450 Splash on Shelley for the pin! More miscommunication between the babyfaces cost them a victory.
* Tale of the tape for the next match. Tasha is the tallest at 5’4″ and the other two are 5’3″. (I guess I didn’t realize Jordynne Grace was that short.) The hype man introduced Ash by Elegance, who came out in a flowing gown and sat at ringside, and she blew kisses at fans.
7. Jordynne Grace defeated Tasha Steelz and Xia Brookside in a three-way to retain the Knockouts Title at 12:37. Tasha refused to let anyone shake hands, so they tossed her to the floor. Xia tried an Irish Whip but she couldn’t budge Grace. Xia hit a huracanrana. Grace hit a shoulder tackle on Tasha. The cameras focused on Ash as she sipped champagne. Tasha hit a running Penalty Kick on Grace for a nearfall at 2:30. Grace hit a Muscle Buster on Tasha, and in the process, clotheslined Xia! Nice. “Super-human strength by Jordynne Grace,” Hannifan said. Tasha hit a bulldog for a nearfall on Xia at 4:30. Grace hit a snap suplex on Tasha.
Jordynne hit some hard chops on Tasha. Grace did an airplane spin on Tasha while also having Xia on her back at 7:00! Nice! Xia tied up Grace on the mat. Tasha hit a Lungblower on Grace on the ring apron. Xia hit a top-rope crossbody block on Jordynne on the floor at 9:00; they are almost right in front of Ash. Sure enough, Tasha got whipped onto Ash, and the champagne went flying! Ash was livid and she and the hype man headed to the back. In the ring, Xia hit a tornado DDT on Grace, then she flipped Tasha onto Grace and got a nearfall at 11:00.
Grace hit double knees in the corner on Xia, then a Vader Bomb for a nearfall, but Tasha made the save. Tasha tied Grace in a Rings of Saturn, then she hit an enzuigiri. Tasha had a bloody nose. Grace hit a hard clothesline to the back of Tasha’s head. Grace then hit the Juggernaut Driver/pumphandle sit-out powerbomb on Xia for the pin. That was really good and topped my expectations.
8. Moose defeated Eric Young to retain the TNA World Championship at 22:03. I don’t think Eric Young gets this sort of treatment at any city in the United States but he sure gets the massive babyface pop in Canada. Moose’s “The System” partners came out of the back with him but didn’t accompany him to ringside. Hannifan said this is a first-time-ever singles meeting, which is truly hard to believe. Eric immediately hit some punches in the corner. They fought on the floor and Eric repeatedly slammed Moose’s head on the mat. Eric shoved him face-first into the ring post, but Moose bodyslammed Young on the metal ramp at 2:00.
Young hit a plancha. They got into the ring and Moose ripped away some tape around Young’s waist and he hit some elbow strikes to the sore ribs. Moose rolled to the floor and jawed at fans. He bent Eric backward around the ring post at 5:30, and he hit some loud chops. He accidentally chopped the ring post at 7:00, and Young immediately slammed the damaged hand on the ring stairs. In the ring. Moose dropped Young ribs-first across the top rope. Moose hit a uranage for a nearfall at 9:00, and he immediately hit some elbow strikes to the damaged ribs. He applied a belly-to-belly bearhug.
Eric hit a release German Suplex at 12:00. Moose hit a top-rope superplex, but Young held on and he hit a mid-ring suplex and they were both down. They traded mid-ring punches. Eric hit a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall at 14:30. Moose hit a Sky High-style powerbomb for a nearfall. They traded punches. Moose put a thumb in the eye and hit a Mafia Kick. Young countered with a clothesline, then a jumping piledriver for a nearfall, but Moose got a foot on the ropes at 17:00. Moose hit his spear for a believable nearfall, and the commentators were shocked. Young hit a piledriver on the ring apron at 19:30, and they both collapsed to the floor.
Young hit another piledriver on the floor! They got back in the ring. Edwards and Myers ran to ringside but Young dove onto them. Young hit a second-rope Canadian Destroyer on Moose for a nearfall, but The System dragged the ref to the floor! Young urged the ref to not disqualifying Moose, so instead the ref ejected Edwards and Myers. A masked man attacked Young! It was Frankie Kazarian! Frankie tossed Young back into the ring, where Moose hit a spear for the pin. A good match with a VERY predictable finish.
Final Thoughts: A good show. I personally liked Maclin-Nemeth for best match, as Maclin continues to be underrated. I enjoyed the MCMGuns six-man tag and it’s fun to watch Shelley slowly turn heel, and that takes second. Hammerstone-Josh Alexander takes third; Hammerstone needed a win to establish himself, and with his size, he’s a better heel anyway. The main event takes third; it was fine but I never once thought Eric was winning, and I basically was waiting for the inevitable Kazarian interference.
I am a big fan and proponent of women’s wrestling. I attended two of the early Shimmer tapings circa 2005. I just can’t find any positives in having the women’s tag titles change hands in less than five minutes. It hurts Kelly far too much to lose that quickly. TNA is where Gail Kim and Amazing Kong made women’s matches main events. I just find this so damaging. I’m still not into the Kon-PCO feud but once again, they kept it relatively short and the crowd stayed in it.
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