In “I Was There” 3MB provides a first hand account of a things we attend.
The Hammerstein Ballroom and The Grand Ballroom, the space above the Hammerstein, have been an important part of wrestling history. The walls probably found nicks and dents from all the several promotions they’ve hosted over the years; WWF Monday Night RAW originated from The Grand Ballroom (it was then known as The Manhattan Center); that same space was a staple for ECW shows during its run. Ring of Honor has held shows in both venues; even during Wrestlemania 29 weekend, ROH called the Grand Ballroom its home, hosting both PPVs and TV Tapings there. This past June, TNA made their debut in the Grand Ballroom. During their 3 days of TV Tapings, they taped one of their PPV-on-TV series: Destination X.
In between the matches, Jeremey Borash, TNA’s resident hype man, went into the ring to thank everyone for being there. It was a dream for TNA to be in New York City. To show their appreciation, they spent the night making dreams come true. Outside the ring, they were pulling fans from the audience to be part of autograph signing backstage. In the ring, they were putting on dream matches, like the first time encounter between The Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards) and they Hardy Boyz, Matt and Jeff. Both teams understood the importance of their meeting and had the utmost respect for each other.
But that wasn’t the only dream that came true that night. TNA brought up New York’s relationship to the Extreme and had a 8-man Hardcore War match. EC3 led a team of Rhyno, the last original ECW champion, Ryklon (formerly Ezekiel Jackson, the last ECW champion in the WWE era) and Gene “It’s Not My Fault” Snitsky against Tommy Dreamer, Team 3D and … a surprise partner: Al Snow! The crowd was given foam heads to head bang along with Snow to the strobe lights and a Prodigy-esque tune.
But that wasn’t the end of dreams becoming true that night.
For months, Bully Ray promised to put Dixie Carter through a table. After several near misses, it finally happened. Bully Ray’s dream came true and we were all able to witness it. To be fair, it was something that everyone wanted to see. The TNA Roster came to ringside to witness this moment. And nothing captures the moment like this mid-air image of Dixie:
EXCEPT FOR A GIF OF DIXIE CARTER GOING THROUGH A TABLE!
The Grand Ballroom erupted! The TNA roster proceeded to celebrate their ‘beloved’ boss going through a table by joining Bully in a performance of “Ding Dong The Witch is Dead!” and then thanking the crowd for their support during their visit.
TNA’s New York City debut was a success. They already had a second run of TV tapings earlier in August and, hopefully, more shows are in the works. You can check out more photos from the event on our Facebook Page.