Slammiversary XI
| Slammiversary XI | |||
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| Promotion | Total Nonstop Action Wrestling | ||
| Date | June 2, 2013 | ||
| City | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
| Venue | Agganis Arena | ||
| Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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| Slammiversary chronology | |||
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Slammiversary XI was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion, which took place on June 2, 2013 at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts.[1] It was the 11th anniversary celebration for TNA, and the 11th monthly Pay-Per-View under the Slammiversary chronology.[2] Slammiversary XI was the fifth event in TNA's 2013 pay per view schedule, following TNA Genesis 2013, TNA Lockdown 2013,and the One Night Only events.[3]
Background
During the Lockdown Fanfest held in San Antonio, Texas on March 9, 2013, TNA President Dixie Carter announced that this year's Slammiversary would take place at the Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts on June 2, 2013.[1] In the press release that followed, Carter stated, "Slammiversary is our biggest show of the summer, and we're so excited to bring it to Boston for the first time.", and finished up by saying, "The Northeast has such a great connection to the world of professional wrestling, and we can't wait to showcase the Impact Wrestling Superstars to this audience, not to mention celebrate our company's 11th anniversary." Tickets for the event went on sale March 29, 2013.[4] The Slammiversary Fan InterAction, held annually, will give TNA fans the chance to get close and personal with their favorite stars in the company for autographs, photographs, and conversing on June 1, 2013, a day before the event.
The headlining angle at the event is Sting versus TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray, for the title. Matt Morgan criticized TNA General Manager Hulk Hogan for his mistakes, including that he mistakenly placed his trust in Bully Ray, who joined the rebel group Aces & Eights and won the world title on March 10 at Lockdown 2013. Presenting himself to Hogan as the "ultimate solution", Morgan campaigned to help Hogan against the Aces & Eights if in turn, he received a shot at the TNA World Title. However, Sting, who was unceremoniously discharged by Hogan for having a wrongful judgement of Bully Ray in the past, returned to help his comrade Hogan combat the threat of the Aces & Eights. Hogan subsequently reconciled with Sting and scheduled Sting and Morgan in a contender's match to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, which Sting won after Morgan passed out to the Scorpion Death Lock. Sting and Bully Ray later met for the contract signing to their match, where Sting chose to compete in a No Holds Barred match and agreed to Ray's stipulation that if he lost, he could no longer compete for the world title.
A primary featured feud is between A.J. Styles and Kurt Angle. In March 2013, A.J. Styles returned to TNA following a 3-month hiatus and portrayed a darker, more silent, lone wolf persona after a past year of setbacks. Many wrestlers attempted to reach out to him, including James Storm, Aces & Eights, Bad Influence, Hulk Hogan, Sting, and his former rival and tag team partner Kurt Angle, some of who caused his problems. Angle, however, became irritated by Styles' behavior of walking out and not picking a side to support between TNA and the rebel group, Aces & Eights, which led to a brawl between the two. Eventually Hogan, giving up on trying to reason with Styles, pit Styles to compete against Angle at Slammiversary.
Starting in February 2013, Austin Aries and Bobby Roode won the TNA World Tag Team Championship and defended them until April, which saw Chavo Guerrero, Jr. and Hernandez defeat them to regain the titles they lost. Amidst the rivalry for the tag titles is Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian), who had lost the championships back on October 14 at Bound for Glory 2012 to who now were the newest champions. After a series of confrontations and matches between all three teams with two teams trying to gain championship contention, James Storm entered the scene when he officiated a match between Bad Influence and Aries and Roode, during which he opposed and attacked competitors in the match, leaving it to end in a no-contest. Storm soon announced a four-way elimination tag team title match, pitting all three teams against him and a mystery partner (later revealed to be Gunner).
In May 2013, Chris Sabin returned from one of two torn ACL injuries that sidelined him for close to a year. Upon his return, Sabin momentously fought and defeated Sonjay Dutt and Zema Ion to earn a spot in the newly incorporated three-way format for the TNA X Division Championship. During his public address about his injuries and return to the X Division, Sabin was confronted by arrogant X Division Champion Kenny King, setting up a feud. When Suicide made his return, he defeated Petey Williams and Joey Ryan to earn his place in the three-way.
At Lockdown, Knockouts referee Taryn Terrell reached a high point of conflict with Gail Kim, which stemmed from Kim having issues with how Terrell officiated matches. As a result, Terrell attacked and cost Kim her match with champion Velvet Sky for the TNA Women's Knockout Championship. Due to breaching her probation, TNA Knockouts Executive, Brooke Hogan, relieved Terrell of her referee duties and reinstated her as a wrestler, allowing Terrell and Kim to further feud.
A feud between Joseph Park and TNA Television Champion Devon, has the belt hanging in the balance. Following an attack from the Aces & Eights group to Joseph Park, this became the catalyst for the return of his brother Abyss to manhandle the group. Park later got into words with Devon over how the Aces & Eights treated him, ending with Park getting angered and competitive towards Devon.
After winning contracts into the promotion through the TNA Gutcheck challenge in 2012, Jay Bradley returned to television and defeated Christian York for a shot in the upcoming Bound for Glory series. The following week, Sam Shaw returned and won his shot by default against Alex Silva, who was attacked and left unconscious by the Aces & Eights.
Reception
Slammiversary XI has been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews. Particular praise went towards the Knockouts match and how they handled the 'Last Knockout Standing' stipulation. Many reviews have cited the PPV as one of the best of 2013 whilst fans who attended the event live commended the crowd reaction as one of the highlights.
Results
| No. | Results[5] | Stipulations | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Sabin defeated Kenny King (c) and Suicide | Ultimate X match for the TNA X Division Championship | 12:35 |
| 2 | Magnus, Samoa Joe and Jeff Hardy defeated Aces & Eights (Wes Brisco, Garrett Bischoff and Mr. Anderson) | Six-man tag team match | 10:31 |
| 3 | Jay Bradley defeated Sam Shaw | Singles match TNA Gutcheck tournament final for an entry into the 2013 Bound for Glory Series. |
08:28 |
| 4 | Abyss defeated Devon (c) | Singles match for the TNA Television Championship | 09:45 |
| 5 | Gunner and James Storm defeated Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez (c), Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) and Austin Aries and Bobby Roode | Four-way elimination tag team match for the TNA World Tag Team Championship | 13:29 |
| 6 | Taryn Terrell defeated Gail Kim | Last Knockout Standing match | 10:02 |
| 7 | Kurt Angle defeated A.J. Styles | Singles match | 23:16 |
| 8 | Bully Ray (c) defeated Sting | No Holds Barred match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship If Sting loses, he can never challenge for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship again. |
18:53 |
(c) - refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
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Four-Way Elimination Tag Team match
| Elimination | Team | Eliminated by | Elimination Move | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) | Disqualified | Disqualified after Daniels was caught hitting Guerrero with the tag team title belt. | ||
| 2 | Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez (c) | Aries & Roode | Aries pinned Guerrero after Daniels hit him with the tag team title belt | ||
| 3 | Austin Aries and Bobby Roode | Storm & Gunner | Aries submitted to the Gun Rack applied by Gunner | ||
| Winners: | James Storm and Gunner | ||||
See also
References
- Footnotes
- ^ a b Caldwell, James (2013-03-09). "TNA NEWS: Date & Location announced for Slammiversary". PWTorch. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
- ^ Cohen, Eric. "The History of Slammiversary". about.com. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ "TNA results history-2013". Online World of Wresting. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ Thomas, Jeremy (2013-03-11). "TNA Officially Announces Slammiversary 2013". 411 Mania. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
- ^ "Slammiversary: June 2 in Boston - Sting vs. Bully Ray for the World Title". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Retrieved 2013-03-05.