I did get to see Hardcore Justice. Really didn’t find it worth writing about. It was good, but it could have been much better. It was fun to see ECW spots, but not as fun as it was five years ago.
So, let’s fast forward to TNA’s actual programs culminating in this special. It looks like they’re starting us off with a bang.
Kurt’s Quest
#7 Kurt Angle vs #6 AJ Styles
- They only thing bugging me about this match is that the TV title should have been on the line. This is a TV. The way to get around the title change? Make it only on the line in the first ten minutes, have Kurt win in 12-15.
- Wonderful suplex on the outside. He could have thrown AJ into the first row if he wanted to.
- I’d like to watch Reaction, but my plate is pretty full at this point. Might try to DVR it and not write it up.
- Can’t get behind that chinlock. AJ wasn’t making it look good.
- They had me after the Pele. Tight near fall.
- Kurt Angle is too old for moonsaults. And yes, so was Terry Funk when he did them.
- Angle looked done after that springboard inverse DDT to the point that the Angle Slam looked horrible. Angle’s stamina isn’t where it was when these guys had those amazing matches years ago.
- That being said, it wasn’t bad for what it was. Good opener, but both these guys deserve better.
- I guess AJ got the TV title as a reward for getting jobbed down the card.
Knockouts Championship: Angelina Love vs Madison Rayne
- The Taz line about signing up to be the second rope was great.
- This is an interesting pairing. Angelina came up through WWE Developmental. Madison was an indie star, stopping at the pinnacle of female work, Shimmer. So a Diva-in-training and actual wrestler.
- That last note explains why this match is miserable.
- And here comes the woman everyone thinks is Mickie James.
- That bit was more interesting than the match. And velvet looks better than anyone thus far.
Is it wrong that I couldn’t care any less about Hogan’s surprise? Does anyone remember when TNA promised a surprise every week? (Note: Of course not. Most of you were barely ten years old when TNA started. I’m miserably old. Are you guys coming to my thirtieth birthday party?)
WWE Castoff Three-Way Match (Okay, it’s not called that, but I can dream, right?):
Ken Anderson vs Matt Morgan vs The Pope D’Angelo Dinero
- I’m going to take this opportunity to say fuck Randy Orton. Randy was concerned about his spot so he faked an injury and got Ken Andreson fired. Randy’s a hell of a talent, so he should have had nothing to worry about. I’m sure he’s a great guy otherwise as well, but Ken Anderson should be in a real company, not wrestling other WWE castoffs in Florida, so fuck Randy and his moment of selfishness last year.
- Cue the unfollows in 3, 2, 1 …
- Hey, I did put Randy over last night. I can’t be too high on anyone :)
- Three-way matches are usually pretty lousy and this one hasn’t been much different.
- Matt Morgan chilling in front of the Puerto Rican flag is a fantastic visual.
- As was Morgan stealing the match.
- Crap overall. A proper elimination match might have been better. Perhaps given more time on PPV they could have done something with it.
- The best part was Anderson’s entrance. He owns that crowd, more than Hardy, more than Angle, more than Joe, more than RVD.
Open Challenge Match: Jeff Hardy vs ???? Shannon Moore
- Didn’t Shannon carry Jeff’s bags? Wait, doesn’t he still carry his bags? (Note: Tenay mentioned later that they arrived together, so yes, there is still bag carrying going on.)
- I have to wonder if Shannon walks around in rural Carolina like that. They’d probably have him committed.
- I wonder if these guys are wrestling the same match they did repeatedly in OMEGA.
- Mostly spots, but I wouldn’t want to see anything else form these two. I gather they were inspired by RVD and Sabu.
- Moore is looking better than he has in a while. I gather Hardy is the only one willing to give him his offense.
- Very southern match: two Carolina boys and a thief from Virginia.
- When Hardy went for the Swanton I threw my arms up. Hardy getting a win after two moves makes him more ridiculous than John Cena.
- Okay, so he gets it after four moves. I guess that was an audition for a possible singles push for Moore. I liked the Moore offense. He looked really good in this match, and he hasn’t looked that good since WCW.
Best of Five Series for the TNA World Tag Team Championship
Two Out of Three Falls Rubber Match: Beer Money vs The Motor City Machine Guns
- By the way, the Ultimate X match was as good as that cage match. Sad to see that they’ve run out of gimmicks for the rubber match.
- Also by the way, I just made a fantastic cup of coffee.
- And already we’re there. Such great work and they’ve barely locked up.
- I could watch Shelley and Roode all day long.
- It’s subtle, but I’ve noticed that all of the Guns’ tandem offense revolves around having larger opponents. It’s fantastic to see and it shows how well these two can adapt.
- I really have to think these four were pissed about getting bumped from PPV for a bunch of forty year-old retirees and decided to steal every show they appear on.
- And I’m so glad they came to that decision.
- Sick looking DWI for the first fall.
- About time the Beer Money chant worked against them.
- Short, but fast and exciting second fall.
- Damn, that’s twice Sabin’s been planted on the apron.
- I’m very much a fan of the indie show “Everyone does a dive” spot.
- Double stomp-tree of woe combo? Yes, please!
- I damn near fell off the couch from after the springboard DDT. He went half way across the damn ring! Amazing near fall!
- This match is too exciting. It should have a warning label.
- Mrs. Atomic is sleeping. Any more exiting and I might end up waking her.
- These men will have to kill each other.
- Thankfully, they didn’t. Motor City is the real deal. I’ve liked these guys for years, and they’re finally getting the push they deserve.
- Taz is right. The last three matches are all MOTY candidates. This match was truly the best match I’ve seen this year.
- So glad they got time on a show where most of the matches seemed compressed. They should sell a DVD with all these matches uncut. I’d probably even pay money to see them again.
Stairway to Janice for the World Heavyweight Championship: Abyss vs Rob Van Dam
- Your special guest referee and man who doesn’t understand the wrestling business as it stands today and that most of his best talent came from Ring of Honor and who can go fuck himself right away is Eric Bischoff.
- Good way to start the match hot. RVD should have landed on Bischoff.
- Have any stairway matches started with the ladder ready to go right in the middle?
- RVD now joins the ranks of the handful of wrestlers who have had a major show named for them: Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, The Rock, The Undertaker and D-Generation X. If I missed anyone, please let me know.
- Thankfully they appear to be avoiding this becoming a full-scale garbage match.
- If anyone is bumping off that mace, it’s Abyss. RVD and Bischoff are not taking puncture wounds.
- Okay, RVD might take tacks. Dunno about glass.
- Okay, the glass isn’t real. Won’t be terrible for Rob.
- I wish Abyss wasn’t so limited. His big bump is grazing tacks and fake glass. Oh boy.
- RVD has been a bump machine.
- Phony barbed wire was well? Abyss grabbed it with a bare hand and didn’t even wince. Right after an ECW style show, this just looks horrible.
- That Rolling Thunder would have looked better if Abyss took it full on.
- Thus far, this is less interesting than the SummerSlam main event.
- Off the ladder onto the ladder didn’t look great either. Probably because Rob got caught up in the ropes. Perhaps this leads to Rob taking time off?
- So Abyss lets go of the mace and it falls down? It wasn’t actually caught in the buckle? This match is horrible.
- Thought it might be redeemed by this upcoming Van Terminator. Somewhat.
- That was the best looking spot of the match. About time something clicked.
- Beer Money and MCMG should have closed the show.
- Can Abyss not be number one contender any longer? I’m tired of this guy and his poor workrate, even his own kind of matches.
Hogan’s Big Surprise/EV 2.0 and Tommy Dreamer promo/Fourtune beats down everyone/Abyss “carves up” RVD backstage
- Well, it’s no surprise that that Hogan has glom all over everything.
- Rather typical Hogan promo. Put people over, then change the subject.
- If anything, Terry, TNA is number 3.
- Yes, Tenay, another curtain call that Hogan has to stand in the middle of and suck up everyone’s heat. I’m tired of seeing that.
- Wait, when did Matt Morgan get in Fourtune?
- Was Sandman not drunk enough to be ready to help the boys?
- Wait, Douglas Williams is in Fourtune as well?
- Hmm, more phony looking stuff with Abyss. I guess that leads to RVD’s time off.
- That was a pretty brutal beatdown. Hopefully the claim isn’t that Fourtune hates hardcore wrestling, as that was the most violent thing I’ve seen in ages.
- I wonder how much aspirin the boys swallowed beforehand. That was a lot of blood. Mrs. Atomic is lucky she didn’t see that. Even I’m a bit skeeved.
Caught the beginning of Reaction on my recording. Looks like it might be worth checking out.
Fun show, with a crummy main event and a really great closing angle. My adrenaline is still leveling out from the Beer Money vs MCMG match. So amazing.
TNA has finally done something, albeit a little too brutal, to entice me to actually keep watching. Could be interesting to see where all this goes.
Just noticed in the footage from Reaction that Robert Roode had a hockey stick. That’s a wonderful throwback to his Team Canada days. Was anyone watching then? Give me some feedback and let me know.
TNA has come a long way. Hardly recognizable from the high quality technical work they used to exhibit, but they also have a better locker room. I’m sure Angle, Styles and Joe are happy they aren’t carrying the entire company these days.
