The IMPACT Wrestling archives are full of unforgettable matches and moments. This week, we head back to 2015 for One Night Only: TNA Classic, featuring a huge singles tournament!
IMPACT Wrestling has always been known for having one of the most star-studded and diverse rosters in professional wrestling. In 2015, the promotion held a one-night tournament featuring athletes of all sizes and styles. On this night, they would fight it out for one of the most sought-after prizes in professional wrestling – bragging rights!
There were 16 competitors in the single-elimination, four-round tournament. Here's how the first-round matches shaped up: The Great Sanada vs. Gunner, Mr. Anderson vs. DJZ, MVP vs. Davey Richards, Bobby Roode vs. Eric Young, Bram vs. Sonjay Dutt, Austin Aries vs. Khoya, Rockstar Spud vs. Robbie E and Knux vs. Kenny King. Talk about a lineup for the ages! Victorious in the first round were Gunner, Mr. Anderson, MVP, Bram, Austin Aries, Rockstar Spud and Knux. A notable result was a double-countout in the match between Bobby Roode and Eric Young. This meant that MVP, who was scheduled to face the winner in the quarterfinals, would advance directly to the semis!
The quarterfinals played host to these awesome matchups: Gunner vs. Mr. Anderson, Bram vs. Austin Aries and Knux vs. Rockstar Spud. Gunner was able to use his power-edge to advance over Mr. Anderson, Bram was relentless in victory over Austin Aries, and Rockstar Spud pulled out the upset over the much larger man, Knux! Disaster struck after the match though as Spud's rival, EC3, attacked him! Would Spud be able to continue in the tournament?
We were down to the final four. In the semifinals, it was Gunner vs. MVP and Bram vs. Rockstar Spud. Unlike his opponent, MVP sat out the quarterfinals after receiving a bye earlier in the night. This meant that was more rested than the other competitors, likely giving him an advantage over Gunner. However, it was the heart and determination of Gunner that propelled him to the finals, scoring the victory over MVP. Meanwhile, Bram was scheduled to face Rockstar Spud but after Spud was attacked by EC3 earlier, it appeared as though Spud would be unable to compete. Just as the referee was about count him out, Spud made his way to ringside and the match was on! Rockstar Spud was faced with yet another daunting force in Bram. He had already upset Knux and was looking to do it to Bram! However, Bram proved to be too much for Spud to overcome as Bram picked up the victory.
The TNA Classic had come down to this! 16 men entered but only one could walk away as the winner of the TNA Classic! Those two men were Bram and Gunner, set to battle it out for all of the bragging rights in IMPACT Wrestling! After a grueling, hard-fought battle with numerous edge-of-your-seat nearfalls, it was the fan-favorite Gunner who scored the pinfall over Bram to crown himself the winner of the TNA Classic!