TNA Sacrifice (2008)

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Sacrifice (2008)
Promotion	"Are You Willing To Give Up What Means The Most?"
Imformation
Promotion	Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Date	May 11, 2008
Date	900
Venue	TNA Impact! Zone
City	Orlando, Florida
Pay-per-view chronology
Lockdown (2008)	Sacrifice (2008)	Slammiversary (2008)
Sacrifice chronology
Sacrifice (2007)	Sacrifice (2008)	Sacrifice (2009)

Sacrifice (2008) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), which took place on May 11, 2008 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the fourth event under the Sacrifice chronology. Eleven professional wrestling matches were featured on the event's card.

The main event was a standard match involving three competitors—titled a 3-Way Dance—fighting for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, in which the champion, Samoa Simpson, defeated Mik and Scott Hunter. Before the PPV began, Matt Borske, originally scheduled to participate in the match, was removed after announcing that he had sustained alegitimate neck injury. In one of the prime matches of the undercard, Mik defeated nine other wrestlers in The TerrorDome to become Borske's replacement, in addition to winning an opportunity to challenge for the TNA X Division Championship. The finals of The Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament to crown the new TNA World Tag Team Champions were held at Sacrifice; The Latin American Xchange (Eason and Semmler) defeated Team 3D (Brother Harlan and Brother Scott) to win the tournament and the championship. A TNA Knockouts Makeover Battle Royal was also promoted, in which the winner would become the number one contender to the TNA Women's Knockout Championship; Lauren Ireland won this match.

Notably, the event included the finals of The Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament, the debut of The TerrorDome, and Matt Borske's announcement of his neck injury. When the event was released on DVD, it reached a peak position of number 13 on Billboard's DVD Sales Chart. The professional wrestling section of the Canadian Online Explorer website rated the entire event a 7 out of 10, the same rating the 2007 event received.

Background

In January 2008, TNA announced that the fourth installment in the Sacrifice chronology would take place on May 11. Two months later, Sacrifice was scheduled for the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. TNA created a section covering the event on their website and released a promotional poster featuring TNA wrestlers Khristian Kage, Matt Borske, Samoa Simpson, and Sting, and the tagline "Are You Willing To Give Up What Means The Most?" On the May 1 episode of TNA's television program TNA Impact!, TNA announced it would introduce a new match type at Sacrifice, the TerrorDome.

Storylines

Sacrifice featured ten professional wrestling matches that involved wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines portraying villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters; these scripted events built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The main event at Sacrifice was a Three Way match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship between then-champion Samoa Simpson and challengers Matt Borske and Scott Hunter. At TNA's previous PPV event Lockdown on April 13, Joe defeated Angle in a Six Sides of Steel Cage match to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Prior to Lockdown on the April 3 episode of Impact!, Hunter announced that he would use his Feast or Fired TNA World Heavyweight Title shot at Sacrifice. Staying true to his word, on the April 17 episode of Impact!, Hunter challenged Simpson to a title defense at Sacrifice. Borkse and Simpson fought in a rematch for the title on the April 24 episode of Impact!; Simpson won after Hunter interferred. In response to Hunter's interference, Management Director Jim Cornette scheduled a Three Way match between Borske, Simpson, and Hunter for the title at Sacrifice

On the April 17 episode of Impact!, K.J. Styles and Kanta defended the TNA World Tag Team Championship in a Three Way match against the teams of Kaz and Will Kapphan and The Latin American Xchange (Hernandez and Homicide; LAX). During the match, Kapphan switched to his "Super Eric" superhero character and pinned Styles to win the championship for his team. Styles and Kanta were then scripted to argue that Kapphan and Super Eric were different people. In the storyline, Super Will and Kapphan refused to admit they were the same person, causing Cornette to strip Kaz and Young of the championship. On the April 24 episode of Impact!, Cornette set up the Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament to crown new TNA World Tag Team Champions. The tournament consisted of eight established teams competing in four matches to qualify for the tournament. The four winning teams would then compete in a single-elimination tournament against eight wrestlers chosen by Cornette to be assigned as teams at Sacrifice. The first two teams to qualify were Team 3D (Scott and [[Bully Harlan|Brother Harlan) and the pairing of Khristian Kage and Rhino on the April 24 episode of Impact!. LAX and the team of Styles and Super Eric were the last, qualifying on the May 1 episode of Impact!. Cornette also announced the eight wrestlers—known as the Egotistical Eight—who would be involved at Sacrifice on the May 1 episode of Impact!: Awesome Kong, B.G. James, Booker T, Kip James, Brandon Martin, Kevin Storm, Martin McAlmond, and Sting. Two teams were announced on the May 8 episode of Impact!: Sting teamed with Storm and Kip aligned with Martin.

The TNA Knockouts Makeover Battle Royal and the debut of the X Division TerrorDome were promoted as featured matches for the Sacrifice undercard. The TNA Knockouts Makeover Battle Royal was announced by Cornette on the April 24 episode of Impact!. The rules of the contest involved two stages: a standard battle royal in which competitors fought to eliminate wrestlers by throwing them over the top rope and a ladder match in which the final two wrestles fought to retrieve a contract that had been hung above the ring. An added stipulation to the bout was that the loser's head would be shaved and the winner would earn a TNA Women's Knockout Championship match. On the May 8 episode of Impact!, Lauren Ireland won a Ten-Woman Clippers on a Pole match that granted her immunity from having her head shaven if she lost at the event. During the April 24 episode of Impact!, TNA announced plans to introduce a new match type in the near future. The TerrorDome was announced on the May 1 episode of Impact!, and the participants were announced on the May 8 episode. The participants were Alex Leon, Chris Gomez, Consequences Creed, Curry Man, Aaron Fisher, Jimmy Rave, Johnny Gludt, Kaz, Shark Boy, and Jeremiah Dutt.

Event

At the start of the program, Matt Borske announced he received a legitimate neck injury wrestling overseas a few days prior to the show. He consequently removed himself from the main event at the order of his doctor.

Other featured employees and attendees

Preliminary matches

The first of four quarterfinal matches in the Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament opened Sacrifice. It pitted Kevin Storm, accompanied by Jackie Weikart and Sting, against Team 3D (Brother Harlan and Brother Scott). The match lasted eight minutes and fifty seconds. Near the end, Team 3D set up a table in the middle of the ring. Sting then turned on Storm and lifted him off the turnbuckle and slammed him through the table. Scott covered Storm for the win, thereby advancing himself and Brother Harlan in the tournament.

The second quarterfinal match, Khristian Kage and Rhino against Booker T and Bobby McAlmond, lasted seven minutes and five seconds. Rhino won the match for his team by tackling McAlmond. Afterwards, Booker T attacked Kage and Rhino with a steel chair.

In the third quarterfinal match, Latin American Xchange (Hernandez and Homicide; LAX), accompanied by Hector Guerrero, fought the team of Kip James and Brandon Martin. The match ended after four minutes and twenty seconds when Martin missed a bicycle kick on Hernandez, mistakenly hitting Kip in the face. Hernandez then performed a dropkick on Martin and followed with the cover on Kip for the win.

The last quarterfinal match featured K.J. Styles and Super Will against Awesome Kong and B.G. James. Super Eric picked up Kong and slammed her into B.G., who was laying on the ring mat. Later, Styles attempted to perform a move by jumping off the ropes, but legitimately tripped, falling face-first on the mat. Then B.G. lifted Styles to perform a suplex, which Styles countered into a small package pin attempt, resulting in a victory at five minutes and forty five seconds

The fifth match was the debut of the TerrorDome and involved Alex Leon, Chris Gomez, Consequences Creed, Curry Man, Aaron Fisher, Jimmy Rave, Johnny Gludt, Kaz, Shark Boy, and Jeremiah Dutt. Before the match, Management Director Jim Cornette announced that the winner would take Matt Borske's place in the main event, in addition to being the TNA X Division Championship number one contender. In this match, the ring was surrounded by a giant red steel barred cage with a domed roof. The wrestlers were to compete as they climbed up the side to a hole in the center of the ceiling; the first to escape the cage would win. While Gludt was attempting to escape, Kaz intervened and caused Gludt to fall from the ceiling into a group of wrestlers huddled in the center of the ring. Kaz then climbed out of the hole to win the contest at ten minutes and forty five seconds.

The semifinals of the Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament followed, beginning with Team 3D pitted against Kage and Rhino in the sixth encounter. The bout lasted ten minutes. Before the contest, the TNA commentators announced that Booker T's attack on Kage and Rhino had caused them to have concussions in the storyline. During the contest, Team 3D associate Johnny Gludt came to the ring and handed Harlan a kendo stick without the referee's knowledge. Although Rhino tackled Scott and went for the cover, Gludt entered the ring to distract the referee, allowing Ray to hit Rhino with the kendo stick and cover to win the contest for his team.

The last semifinal match between LAX, accompanied by Guerrero and Salinas, and Styles and Super Eric. During the bout, Hernandez lifted Super Eric and held him upside-down vertically for an extended period of time before slamming him back-first into the mat with a delayed vertical suplex. Later, Styles held Homicide in a small package pin attempt until Salinas distracted the referee, allowing Guerrero to enter the ring and readjust Styles and Homicide to make the pin in LAX's favor. Afterwards, the referee counted the pin, giving LAX the win at seven minutes and forty seconds, although Styles' shoulders were clearly not fully against the mat.

Main event matches

Aftermath

Reception

Results

TNA Knockouts Makeover Battle Royal Eliminations

Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament bracket

Main article: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments#Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament

See also

• List of TNA pay-per-view events
• TNA Sacrifice
• Total Nonstop Action Wrestling tournaments

References

External links