Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Tournaments - Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament

The Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament was a professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) promotion during the months of April and May 2008 for the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship. It took place on TNA's television program TNA Impact! and at their Sacrifice PPV event on May 11, 2008. It was announced on the April 24, 2008 episode of Impact! by Management Director Jim Cornette. It involved twelve teams overall.

Background

On the April 17, 2008 episode Impact!, then-champions A.J. Styles and Tomko defended the title in a Three Way match against the teams of Kaz and Eric Young and The Latin American Xchange (Hernandez and Homicide; LAX). Young left during the encounter, but later returned as his "Super Eric" superhero character to pin Styles and win the championship for his team. Due to this finish, Styles and Tomko were scripted to argue that Young and Super Eric were two different people. Super Eric and Young refused to admit they were one in the same in the storyline, which caused Cornette to strip Kaz and Young of the championship. Cornette then set up the Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament on the April 24, 2008 episode of Impact!, announcing two stages with the first involving eight teams competing in qualifying matches to gain entry into the tournament. The second stage of the tournament involved eight wrestlers known as the Egotistical Eight chosen by Cornette. The Egotistical Eight made up four randomly chosen teams that would compete against the four teams which qualified at Sacrifice for the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship.

Qualification matches and Egotistical Eight

The Egotistical Eight were announced on the May 1, 2008 episode of Impact! as Awesome Kong, B.G. James, Booker T, Kip James, Matt Morgan, James Storm, Robert Roode, and Sting. The first two qualification matches took place on the April 24, 2008 episode of Impact!. Team 3D (Brother Devon and Brother Ray) defeat the team of Black Reign and Rellik in the first, while in the second the pairing of Christian Cage and Rhino defeated The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) to advance. The final two took place on the May 1, 2008 episode of Impact!. In the first, LAX defeated the team of Kaz and Young. The team of A.J. Styles and Super Eric defeated The Rock 'n Rave Infection (Jimmy Rave and Lance Hoyt) in the second to qualify for the tournament. Two Egotistical Eight teams were determined by lottery drawing on the May 8, 2008 episode of Impact!. Sting drew Storm's name in the drawing, connecting the two together for the tournament. Meanwhile, Morgan drew Kip's name, joining the two as a team. Later in the episode, Sting and Storm fought in No Disqualification match, which Sting won. Kip and Morgan also fought in an encounter, with Morgan coming out the victor.

Sacrifice

Booker T teaming with Roode and Kong teaming with B.G. were the final two teams for the tournament, determined at Sacrifice. The first Quarterfinal match pitted Team 3D against the team of Sting and Storm. Team 3D were the victors after Sting turned on Storm by forcing him through a table. The second Quarterfinal match was between the team of Booker T and Roode and the team of Cage and Rhino, which the later won after Rhino tackled Roode. LAX defeated the team of Kip and Morgan in the third Quarterfinal match after Morgan accidentally hit Kip with a bicycle kick. B.G. and Kong fought the team of Styles and Super Eric in the fourth and final Quarterfinal match. During the bout, Styles accidentally tripped while attempting to jumping off the ropes causing him to fall face-first to the mat below. Afterwards, B.G. lifted up Styles to perform a suplex, which Styles countered into a small package pin for the win.

Team 3D, the team of Cage and Rhino, LAX, and the team of Styles and Super Eric all advanced to the Semifinals. Team 3D were pitted against the team of Cage and Rhino in the first bout, while LAX were pitted against the team of Styles and Super Eric in the second. Team 3D defeated Cage and Rhino after Ray bashed Rhino with a kendo stick. LAX advanced to the Finals after their manager Hector Guerrero reversed a small package pin attempt by Styles on Homicide into LAX's favor while the referee was distracted by Salinas. LAX went on to defeat Team 3D in the Finals to win the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship when Homicide pinned Devon following a splash from the top of a padded turnbuckle.

Aftermath

After Sacrifice, LAX defended the TNA World Tag Team Championship against Team 3D in a rematch at TNA's Slammiversary PPV event on June 8. The match was set up on the May 15, 2008 episode of Impact!, when Team 3D attacked Guerrero, blaming him for their loss at the event. At Slammiversary, LAX defeated Team 3D to retain the championship.

Tournament Bracket