AJ Styles & Dragon Lee vs. Je’Von Evans & Leon Slater
The grandfather of TNA Wrestling’s X-Division and current World Tag Team Champion, the legendary “Phenomenal One” AJ Styles, teams with his championship partner Dragon Lee, as they take on the new generation of risk-takers in NXT’s own Je’Von Evans and the youngest and current TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater. This match left the WWE Universe breathless.
In the first 30 seconds of the match, Slater and Evans would hit the World Tag Team Champions with stereo Superkicks. Evan got a ton of “bouncy,” hitting a Suicide Dive Body Press to take out Styles. Slater would execute a Corkscrew Press over the ring post onto Dragon Lee.
For most of the match, the young guns took control. Lee would turn the tide by hitting a Liger Bomb, allowing Styles to enter the match for the first time. While AJ managed to muster a Phenomenal Comeback, Slater and Evans would not let up, unleashing a relentless onslaught.
With Lee out and Styles isolated, Je’Von would hit an OG Cutter, and Leon Slater took the air out of the Capital One Arena with an incredible Swanton 450 Splash. In a display of guts, Styles would kick out. Dragon Lee would take Evans out of the equation with a Swan Dive on the outside.
Slater would try to hit Styles with his own finisher, the Styles Clash, but AJ would counter. Slater would not let Styles finish off the match, fighting the veteran off. Styles would get his hits in and go for Phenomenal Forearm. But in an unfortunate turn of events, Styles would slip off the top rope.
Slater would scale the ring and try for his own aerial offensive move, Styles would catch him and take him out with a Style Clash, and win the match. All four celebrated after this breakneck pace of a match.
Before the main event started, The Miz would protest that he was a main character in the story of Cena, and wanted everyone to stop pretending he wasn’t. R-Truth would interfere in proceedings, exposing Miz for tampering with the entries, and taking a guy’s spot, which was Joe Hendry. When his name was said, he appeared.
Hendy would hit a slam on The Miz, but R-Truth and Hendry would hit a Ten-Knuckle Shuffle on the A-Lister. R-Truth would make a ceremonial three-count as Hendry pinned Miz in this unofficial match.
