TNA Genesis 2007 Review

Hey guys. Declan Dimi here with my first of hopefully many TNA Retro Reviews. Today I start off with Genesis 2007. This PPV got mixed reactions, some thinking it was great, some thinking it was bad, but here is my take.

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Opening Match – Shop of Horrors – Black Reign v Abyss
For all of you guys who didn’t know, Black Reign was Dustin Rhodes (aka Goldust). A Shop Of Horrors match is basically a No DQ Match. It was a normal Abyss match. Black Reign has a pet mouse called Misty, which he locked in a box all the time. During the match Abyss got a hold of Misty and went to throw him onto some mouse traps, but Father James Mitchell (Abyss’s old manager) hit him with a Singapore cane, preventing him from doing so. Abyss then turns around and shoves Misty down his shirt, for some sort of comedic value. Reigns then sneaks in and hits a crappy pedigree onto the Mouse Traps, and somehow only gets 2. He grabs Brass Knuckles and runs at Abyss, but Abyss reverses into a Black Hole Slam for the victory.
Post Match: Abyss celebrates his victory, before walking up the ramp, to a box which could fit a person in it, and unlocks it with a key, and out comes a man in a mask, and he spits mist into Abyss’s face, before Mitchell, Rellik (Johnny Stamboli) and Reigns lock Abyss in the box, and tip it off the stage.
My Thoughts: This match was TERRIBLE. There were a few botches, and the Mitchell interference did absolutely nothing to help or invest anybody into the match. 3/4*

2nd Match – Team 3D vs The Motor City Machine Guns
This was during the “Team 3D takes over X-Division” feud. The Guns attack Team 3D in the aisle and we’re on. They take an early advantage and use their double team skills. Ray and Devon finally get it together and double team Sabin. However the Guns come back right away and frustrate 3D. They dump Ray to the floor and knock Devon down in the ring. Team 3D turn it around and hit the What’s Up on Shelley and Devon grabs a table. Sabin kicks it right back into his face and then tries a sunset flip on Ray. It gets blocked but Sabin avoids a falling Ray and the Guns hit the High-Low on Devon but Ray pulls the referee out. Team 3D hits the Doomsday Device but Sabin kicks out! Frustrated, Team 3D brings a table into the ring. Sabin avoids getting thrown into the table and Devon winds up going through it. Shelley recovers and the Guns hit Ray with a series of kicks to the head for the clean win.
My Thoughts: This was a great match. It had fast paced and slow paced action at the right times in the match. Team 3D looked really good and this was possibly the best match of their first TNA run. ***1/4

3rd Match – TNA Knockouts Title – ODB vs Gail Kim (c) vs Angel Williams vs Roxxi Laveaux
The challengers all gang up on Kim. The champion fights back and referee the sends both Kip and BG back to the locker room. Laveaux and ODB work together on Williams. The partnership doesn’t last too long before ODB is hitting the Dirty Dozen on Laveaux. Kim makes her way back in and hits ODB with an enziguiri. Williams and ODB trade shots in the ring now and they trade control. Laveaux comes back in and they work in a Tower of Doom spot. Kim comes back in the ring with a missile dropkick on Laveaux and all four Knockouts are down. ODB gets rid of Williams, and then Laveaux spits some kind of mist into her eyes. Kim takes Laveaux out with a Spear, and then hits ODB with the straightjacket neckbreaker to get the pin.
My Thoughts: This match felt really clunky and rushed. It lasted just over 9 minutes, which was enough time to put on a solid match, but they rused through it too much. **1/4

4th Match – TNA X Division Championship – Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt
They immediately set a fast pace and they show off how well they know each other after being partners for around a year. Dutt throws Lethal to the floor and wipes him out with a dive. Lethal fights back with a moonsault off the second rope, and then he wipes Dutt out with a dive on the floor. Dutt fights back with an enziguiri and a moonsault for two. He follows with the standing Shooting Star Press for two. Dutt counters a DDT with an impressive DDT and an Ace Crusher, and then rolls into the Camel Clutch. Lethal escapes and is able to hit the Lethal Combination from out of nowhere. He goes up top and hits the Flying Elbow to get the win.
Post Match: Lethal, Dutt, and SoCal Val celebrate in the ring until Team 3D comes out and attack Dutt and Lethal. They say the Machine Guns cheated in their match, so they are taking the X-Division division and the title hostage.
My Thoughts: This match was solid. The action was fast paced and the timing of the moves were very good. ***1/4

5th Match – TNA Tag Team Championship – AJ Styles & Tomko vs. The Steiner Brothers
Scott and Styles start the match with some mat wrestling. Scott hits a suplex and makes the tag to his brother, so Styles tags Tomko. Rick hits a very bad looking Death Valley Driver right away. The match breaks down and the Steiners hit their Doomsday Bulldog on Styles and Tomko breaks up the pin. Scott goes outside to continue the assault on Tomko, which is where the referee goes. Meanwhile, Rick hits Styles with a powerbomb and the referee gets bumped on the floor. Styles responds by bringing in a chair and blasting Rick in the head with it to get the pin.
My Thoughts: This was terrible. The Steiners and Tomko put in a terrible performance. Styles tried his best, but he could not save the match. **

6th Match – Samoa Joe vs. Robert Roode
Joe chases Roode around ringside and he slips and falls.They make it into the ring and Joe is dominant. Roode fights back with a suplex on the entrance ramp. Joe responds by throwing Roode into the steps and then kicking him in the head. Roode comes back with a Blockbuster for a one-count.. After several minutes Joe is able to grab an Ace Crusher from out of nowhere and both men are down. Back on their feet Joe takes control, hitting a Samoan Drop for two. The cameraman catches that Ms. Brooks is unconscious on the floor. They didn’t even show how it happened? Meanwhile Joe has Roode in the STF and Roode gets to the ropes. Joe goes for the Choke but Roode fights it off with a low blow and a DDT for two. Joe goes for the Muscle Buster but Roode counters and hits the Northern Lariat for two. Roode hits a Piledriver but again only gets a two-count. He goes for the Payoff but Joe reverses it to the Muscle Buster to get the win.
My Thoughts: This was a great match, probably one of Roode’s best ever. It put him over big time, while still making Joe look like a force to be reckoned with. ***3/4.

7th Match – Fight for the Right Finals (Ladder Match) – Kaz vs. Christian Cage
This tournament started with 16 guys in a reverse battle royal Then it became an eight-man tournament. They trade control back and forth in the early going. The ladder gets involved early on. A close up shot shows Cage is bleeding from the mouth and from the head. Even so Cage takes control of the match and drops Kaz on a ladder set up between the ring and the guardrail. Cage then comes off the top rope with a Frog Splash! They continue using the ladder as a weapon in increasingly vicious ways. Kaz makes his first attempt at climbing the ladder and Cage sets up a ladder right next to him and climbs that one. Cage is able to take Kaz down with an inverted DDT. Kaz sets Cage on a ladder and climbs up another ladder but misses a legdrop! Cage sets up a ladder now and climbs, but Kaz takes him down with a missile dropkick. AJ Styles and Tomko run down as Cage and Kaz fight on top of a ladder. The ladder tips over and Cage lands on Styles and Tomko! Kaz pushes off the top rope and is able to bring the contract down.
My Thoughts: This match was insane! My MOTM so far (and probably will be). The action was brutal like it should be in a ladder match. The right man in Kaz went over, as TNA are trying to build a new star. ****1/4

Match 8 – Tag for the Title Main Event – Kurt Angle & Kevin Nash vs. Sting & ???
Tag team matches for singles titles are weird. The mystery partner turns out to be Booker T, which Tenay and West put over huge. Angle and Sting start the match for their teams. Sting gets the advantage and frustrates Angle, so he bails and makes the tag. Booker takes it to Angle much to the crowd’s delight. Angle cuts him off and makes the tag to Nash, who delivers a side suplex for a two-count. Now Angle and Nash take over on Sting. In an odd twist, Angle and Nash break up each other’s pinfall attempts because the rules of this match state that whoever gets the fall wins the title. Angle goes for an Olympic Slam but Sting counters with a DDT. Sting makes the tag and Booker cleans house. Karen Angle distracts the referee, allowing AJ Styles and Tomko to interfere. That brings out Sharmell, Booker T’s wife. Sharmell and Karen get into a catfight on the floor, distracting the referee. That allows Angle to hit Nash with the belt, and then hit Sting with the Olympic Slam to get the win and the title.
My Thoughts: This was absolutely terrible. Nash was so slow and it brought the match quality down. Biggest disappointment of the night. **1/4

Overall Thoughts:
This PPV had more good rather than bad. The MCMG/3D match, Kaz/Cage and Joe/Roode matches were all insane. The X-Division match and the aftermath were decent but the rest was just terrible. I would recommend watching though, for the great matches. 6.5/10