SAN ANTONIO – Today @ 10:30 a.m., Two nights of wrestling at the Boeing Center, and a guide dog who stole the show.
TNA WRESTLING AT BOEING CENTER AT TECH PORT
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Total Nonstop Action Wrestling took over the show from the Boeing Center at Tech Port, with a live Impact broadcast set for tonight and a second night of action tomorrow. First up was Nic Memeth, holding the world title and the tag team belts at the same time, teaming with his real-life brother. He called it the best run of a 20-plus-year career, noting that his brother pinned Jeff Hardy to win the tag straps, and that they have now done it twice. He also pushed back on the idea that wrestling is a one-night-a-week job: five more days of shows, live events all over the world, no offseason. His plan for the night was simple and said with a straight face: steal the show again.
GUIDE DOGS OF TEXAS AND THE BIG GIVE
In studio for the 24-hour Big Give push for South Texas nonprofits, Guide Dogs of Texas brought along a two-and-a-half-year-old black lab who is a working guide dog and, as her handler explained, was born in the organization’s care and began training at three days old. The group serves all of Texas and places guide dogs with Texans who are blind or visually impaired at no cost. Her handler said she used to trust her vision too much, stepping off curbs and into things, and now trusts the dog instead. Big Give donations go to the puppy program, covering food, vet care, supplies and training, and three of that same dog’s own puppies are in it right now. Donations can be made by searching Guide Dogs of Texas on the Big Give site or at GuideDogsOfTexas.com , where volunteering is also an option.
THE HARDY BROTHERS
The tag team veterans came in as former champions chasing a rematch, and they were not in a joking mood about it at first: someone has been attacking wrestlers backstage in recent weeks, and their challenge was for whoever it is to show up on live Impact and face them. Matt Hardy wore his goatee in a ponytail, which led to a running bit about the pair being the goats of tag team wrestling. What still drives them, they said, is the act of dreaming something up and making it real inside the ring, plus fans who have ridden with them for three decades and call themselves diehardies. A rapid-fire round produced peanut butter M&M’s, a heavy hand with salad dressing, dogs over cats, coffee, a karaoke pick apiece, a “delete, delete, delete” taunt and a morning warm-up dance. San Antonio food order: barbecue, brisket and tacos.
XIA BROOKSIDE, KNOCKOUTS WORLD CHAMPION
The Knockouts world champion closed out the wrestling block and had no interest in the suggestion that she bends the rules to keep her title. Those were opportunities, she said, ones other people were not willing to take, which is why she is champion and they are not. The booing, she added, has made the last six months the best of her life, and she invited San Antonio to boo her all night. With the rest of the division lining up for a shot after the TV title tournament, her read was that they are distracted and she is living her best life. She also said this trip was her first look at the River Walk, fountains and live music included, though nobody had gotten her a taco yet.
