(6) AJ Styles vs. James Storm vs. Bobby Roode
Results: The majority of this match was spent with two men in the ring, keeping the third stranded on the outside. Roode almost had the match won with a big spear to AJ in the center of the ring, but “P1” kicked out at two. Storm would eventually hit the Last Call Superkick on Styles for the win at 16:38. After the match Storm celebrates his victory as the new #1 contender, Roode screams in frustration at not being involved in the finish, and AJ looked devastated at the loss of his championship dreams for the next year.
Review: I honestly did not expect AJ Styles to be the guy left out in the rain when this whole thing was over, but I have to say it makes a lot of sense. As a “TNA original” – a term that holds very little meaning for a company that’s been around 10 years already – Styles has had his chances to hold the company on his shoulders. He’s been to the mountain and back on multiple occasions; Storm and Roode are relatively new to the scenery at the top.
James Storm winning makes sense off the heels of his big Bound for Glory victory. He really should be next in line for a title he was screwed out of last year around this time. And Bobby Roode is just too good to keep from the main event for the next 11 months. I would have been legitimately upset if they made that call, and I’m glad to see they did not. I loved the match two, and all three guys worked their asses off. When reality bleeds into the ring, you’re usually in for a quality match. You could tell each of these three athletes want to be “the man” in TNA; every move, and every gesture was a wrestler trying to prove to the back that it should be them winning this match. That’s what happens when your wrestling company doesn’t have a ceiling; here’s looking at you WWE.
Rating: A
