Hardcore Justice Review

The Hardcore Justice Pay-Per-View opened with Hernandez/Chavo Guerrero vs. Kid Kash/Gunner, which was an average match that was more suited for Impact than a PPV event. From a booking prospective, the match itself showcased Hernandez, which was a good decision because despite TNA fumbling his initial push, Hernandez could be a star for the promotion. Chavo used the frog splash to get the pin, which helps establish him in TNA, but that being said, I don't know how much Chavo really brings to the table at this point in his career. However, if teaming with Chavo can help establish Hernandez then it's effective booking.

The Falls Count Anywhere match was a triple threat match, as Deangelo Dinero was attacked prior to the contest. It was a good match that emphasized the falls count anywhere stipulation with Rob Van Dam getting the pin on the ramp. Magnus deserves credit as he stepped up his game and was on par with RVD and Ken Anderson during the match. Speaking of Ken Anderson, after the conclusion of the Bound For Glory series, TNA might want to shift gears and give him a run as TNA TV champion since he's been lost in the shuffle so to speak in the main event picture. Despite winning twenty points for the win, I doubt RVD will go to Bound For Glory to challenge for the title since he already had a title run.

I didn't expect much from the TV title match, but it was a really solid match and Devon retained the title. The match really helped Devon's run as TV champion, considering it's been rather lackluster thus far, but Devon didn't get too much help as his recent PPV opponent include Robbie E the past few months. Kazarian, who is one half of the tag champions, gave Devon someone to work with and it helped present a solid match. Some speculated that Devon would drop the title since it was reported that his contact, along with Bully Ray's contact would be expiring soon, but considering Devon is still TV champion and Bully won a match at the PPV, it seems as though both of them could resign with the company.

The Knockouts title match was nothing special and again, it was more of a match for Impact rather than a PPV. Madison Rayne won the title, but I don't think it help jump start the knockouts division, which was once one of the highlights of TNA shows. The major problem with the knockouts division is that TNA destroyed most of the credibility of the division when they had Eric Young and ODB win the knockouts tag team titles because it made the division seem like a joke. Velvet Sky, who was a former knockouts champion, was recently released from the company so the division seems to be lacking some talent, compared to when it was one of the highlights of TNA shows. Both Gail Kim and Tara are being underutilized at the moment so hopefully they will be given a chance to have more featured matches on TNA TV. Speaking of Tara, she's really underrated in my opinion and although she didn't get a Trish or Lita type of push in the WWE, she deserves to be mentioned with them as some of the best woman's wrestlers in WWE history because she has the skills in the ring.

The tables match was a really good match and it built well to the table spot at the conclusion of the match. There was a botched spot where Robbie E didn't move a table fast enough as Bully Ray was getting suplexed and Bully clipped the edge of the table, which looked brutal. Just a few things to mention about some of the competitors and the storylines in the match. Bully Ray won the match, but I don't think he will win the series. However, Bully deserves a lot of credit for completely reinventing himself during the past few months and he's become one of the better heels on the TNA roster. Despite completely botching his initial title run, I think James Storm has the potential and the skills to be a major star for the company. Originally, it seemed like TNA was building towards a Storm vs. Bobby Roode match at Bound For Glory, but after Aries defeated Roode at Hardcore Justice, it will be interesting to see if Storm actually wins the series to get a title shot or if there will be a Storm vs. Roode match at Bound For Glory. Jeff Hardy has had a better run in TNA the past few months and hopefully he continues on the right path because despite his laundry list of problems, Jeff Hardy is a talented performer and it would be sad to see him not use the talent.

The X Division title match was a great technically and aerial match. It was a great performance that both Zema Ion and Kenny King needed, as they are still establishing themselves in TNA. While he's the X Division champion, Ion still hasn't been featured too much on TNA TV since his debut, but the match at Hardcore Justice really showcased his skills. Ion is great in the ring and hopefully, there will be more opportunities for him to show his skills on PPV. Similar to Ion, Kenny King was relatively unestablished in TNA, and despite not winning the title, he proved he deserves to be on the TNA roster. There was some controversy surrounding King's debut in TNA because he signed with the organization while he was still one half of the Ring of Honor tag team champions. That being said, King wasn't under contract to ROH and he got an opportunity in TNA. You can't really blame King for signing with TNA because it gives him a chance to appear on national TV and PPV on the same show as some of the legends of the sport. That compared to an ROH product that has been struggling for years and a syndicated TV show as well as internet pay per view that is notorious for technical problems during shows. That isn't intended to be a jab at ROH because they have some great talent on the roster, but it's understandable that King opted for TNA.

The ladder match was insane and there were some crazy spots, including AJ Styles being face planted into the canvas during a muscle buster/german suplex combination. AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels deserve alot of credit for taking most of the crazy spots during the match, but Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle also added to the match. This was probably the match of the night and there was too much action to describe, but a few side notes about some of the wrestlers in the match. AJ Styles won the match, but considering the storyline during the past few weeks on Impact, it doesn't seem like he is going to win the series. That being said, the whole AJ storyline is ridiculous and really unnecessary, considering he doesn't need a storyline that attempts to use shock value. Styles is great in the ring and he can get over with the crowd using his wrestling ability. Styles is a tremendous athlete and that should be the focus of the storyline. There's a reason that Styles has the credibility to be put into the main event picture at anytime and it's because he's one of the best wrestlers in the history of TNA. Christopher Daniels' current heel turn is probably the best of his career and he has had some improvement on the mic, which has really helped the heel character. Daniels is one half of the tag champions and it will be interesting to see what direction the heel character goes in the next few months. It's great to see Samoa Joe getting a push, after floundering in the company for months and despite TNA fumbling his initial main event push, I think he could still be a major star for the company.

The main event built to a great match and Austin Aries as the TNA World champion has really benefit the company. I think one of the main reasons TNA has seen such an improvement in the product is because they are finally creating their own brand and they aren't presented as a second rate WWE product. TNA doesn't have the appearance of a WWE retirement home, where stars of the 90s or every recently released WWE star go just to get a pay check. It will be interesting to see the next few challengers for the TNA title and hopefully the product will continue to improve the next few months.