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.
