Tommy Dreamer vs. Bully Ray (No DQ; Falls Count Anywhere): Wait, this match started the show off? I woulda picked the Ultimate X match. I was amused when Dreamer used that stuffed animal on Bully Ray. Very physical match with a lot of weapons. Good crowd reaction here. Devon (and his sons) interference was predictable. **1/2
Sarita & Rosita vs. Angelina Love & Winter (Knockouts Tag Team Titles): Wait a minute, TNA still uses these belts? And apparently Sarita & Rosita are "Los Mexicanas" now or something. The tag title change was pretty predictable. The Latinas need the belts more to get over as a legitimate threat. The triangle between Love, Sky, and Winter can continue without the titles. Oh, there was a match? Um, all I can say is they tried. DUD
Hernandez vs. Matt Morgan (First Blood): It started with good physicality, but that was one of the lamest finishes I've ever seen in a First Blood match. In these types of gimmick matches on PPV, I want physicality, I want good chaos, I want the crowd to feel like they are seeing some great stuff. Pretty much the exact opposite here. WTF was this? DUD
Kazarian vs. Jeremy Buck vs. Max Buck vs. Robbie E. (Ultimate X; X-Division Title): See, this match should have started the show. A very entertaining match with great spots. I liked the tension with the Bucks just a little there, that brotherly competitiveness and jealousy comes out nicely. ***1/2
James Storm & Robert Roode vs. Shannon Moore & Jesse Neal (Tag Team Titles): Good tag match here. Didn't understand the finish with Moore wanting to use that Book of Dilligaf in front of the ref. Looks like there's tension between Ink, Inc.? **3/4
AJ Styles vs. Matt Hardy: The best match of the night. Great crowd reaction. Flair is a great mouthpiece for Hardy on promos, and will easily help get Hardy over as a heel. Loved the physicality of the match, and AJ sliding under that barricade was pretty sweet. Hardy's style and gimmick are a winner to me. The finish was nice. I haven't seen Styles use that Spiral Tap in ages. A welcome sight to see. ***1/2
Mr. Anderson vs. Rob Van Dam: Apparently this was a #1 contender's match for the World Heavyweight Title. Really liked the start to this match, with the mat wrestling and split crowd reactions. Mic check on the entrance ramp was cool. Again, a lame finish. Double countout?! Really, now? *3/4
AJ Styles vs. Matt Hardy: The best match of the night. Great crowd reaction. Flair is a great mouthpiece for Hardy on promos, and will easily help get Hardy over as a heel. Loved the physicality of the match, and AJ sliding under that barricade was pretty sweet. Hardy's style and gimmick are a winner to me. The finish was nice. I haven't seen Styles use that Spiral Tap in ages. A welcome sight to see. ***1/2
Mr. Anderson vs. Rob Van Dam: Apparently this was a #1 contender's match for the World Heavyweight Title. Really liked the start to this match, with the mat wrestling and split crowd reactions. Mic check on the entrance ramp was cool. Again, a lame finish. Double countout?! Really, now? *3/4
Sting vs. Jeff Hardy (No DQ; World Title): WTF? Ten seconds of actual wrestling and it's over. N/A
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MVPs: AJ/Matt Hardy and Ultimate X. Basically both win by default.
Overall Rating: Overall, a very bad PPV.
First of all, the promoting was very poor. I didn't even realize until this past week that the PPV was today. I didn't even know many of the matches on this card. Perhaps I've been busy with other real-life matters, or maybe otherwise living under a rock, but if a wrestling promotion wants people to buy their PPV (or even watch it), they need to promote the hell out of that sucker.
Second, there were too many Jeff & Karen Jarrett "honeymoon" moments shown. Yes, it is a major storyline, but I watch wrestling for the matches, the in-ring action, to further or conclude storylines. Those skits could have easily been shown on Impact. More time could have been devoted to wrestling. To me, that's just poor time management and producing.
Sure, there were some good matches, but mostly negative things about this PPV. The Knockouts tag match was average. The First Blood match could have been so much better. The double countout spoiled an otherwise decent-looking #1 Contender's Match. The main event was real bad; hell, it wasn't even a match. They could have had at least a respectable match, but instead, it's basically over in less than a minute. Sting didn't reinvent himself, he's just as limited as ever. The main event should be one of the better matches on the card, and because it was practically non-existent, it severely hurts the overall rating.
Despite a couple of decent matches, it's easily the worst PPV of the year. This was mostly a waste of three hours. Seriously, I would have rather watched a mime perform. *
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