Week in Review (TNA Lockdown 2013)

TNA Lockdown 2013 (3/10/13):

Kenny King took a nasty bump after botching what I think would be a moonsault onto Christian York. King wanted to use Zema Ion as a springboard (I assume) and just looked bad from the start. Kenny finished the match just fine, so just a scare there. Zema Ion with a hurricanrana to King -- and Ion basically does a moonsault-to-pin attempt on Christian York at the same time. Now that's awesome. Tower of Doom spot. York powerbomb to King, who did a fallaway slam on Ion. Multiple great spots. A kickass X-Division triple threat. I'd say another 3-4 minutes of this and it's easily over four stars. ***3/4

Joseph Park's gimmick is over with the crowd, but putting him in a match with Joey Ryan isn't what I had in mind. A comedic filler match.

Another reason why the Knockouts Division is a zillion times better than WWE's Divas. Gail Kim is a part of another great match. Listen to that crowd when Taryn Terrell speared Gail. Yup. I'd give that Knockouts match at least **1/2.

To me, the match between the Robbies was a snoozer. Just couldn't get into it.

Triple threat tag title match = win. Fun spot early with Chavo's multiple suplexes (a zillion amigos, I guess). Impressive double backbreaker by Hernandez. I loved the finish with Roode tagging himself in at the last second as Chavo hits the frog splash. Roode gets the pin to retain the titles. I hope the contract dispute has been taken care of, because Roode is gonna remain a huge factor in TNA. Another tremendous match. ***3/4

Predictable screwjob finish to get Wes Brisco his win over Kurt Angle. Gotta credit Angle for helping the new guys.

Good Lethal Lockdown match. Sting was the last guy in, and he brought the weapons. From there, it was basically Team TNA getting redemption. Nice big spot from Eric Young, doing the elbow drop from the top of the cage. Giving that around ***. At the time, it seemed like a big A&E loss for their momentum. But it turns out that didn't hurt the stable's momentum at all...

...because then the World Title match happened. Once the Hogans came down to ringside, that all but sealed the Bully Ray heel turn. I'm still not agreeing with doing that turn so quickly. Yes, a ton of people could see it coming a million miles away. Yes, Bully is way better as a heel. But why not hold off on it some more and gain even more guys in the A&E stable in the meantime? I for one would have loved to see someone like Brooke Hogan or Joseph Park in A&E before Bully joined. ***1/4 for the title match.

It felt like WCW and the nWo all over again when the beer bottles came flying into the ring. For the wrestler's safety, I wouldn't condone that.

As one saw from the PPV, not all matches were contested inside a steel cage. Excellent move. I thought the PPV was great overall, probably around ***1/2. Quality over quantity in PPVs is a damn good thing for TNA.

RAW (3/11/13):
Another awesome match from Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler. Not surprised there. ***3/4 for it.

Lesnar takes out the New Age Outlaws because of their ties to HHH. Great promo by Heyman to further the storyline. HHH now has to agree to accept a match with Lesnar and sign a contract, and only then will Lesnar announce his stipulations. Of course, HHH is accepting no matter what. Whatever the stipulation really is, it promises to be a war.

Nice to see the Bella Twins back on RAW. An interesting twist in the Cody Rhodes-Kaitlyn storyline that I didn't see coming. And Kaitlyn snorts on her laughing. Wonderful.

WWE's committed to a storyline between Mark Henry and Ryback. I'm not sure of this one. Matches between two non-agile big men generally haven't fared well.

Wade Barrett and Miz continue their feud over being movie stars. Yay...

Brad Maddox is one of the frontrunners for for worst promo of the year. Scripted like that or not, that was brutal. Just say Miz and Jericho have a match, winner faces Barrett for the IC Title next week. Moron.

And of course, Miz and Jericho didn't have a winner because of Barrett's interference. I like the triple threat match possibilities.

Awesome stuff between Halle Berry and Kane to promote The Call (movie comes out on Friday).

The match between Punk and Taker is really on now. I'm sure WWE would have brought Paul Bearer into the mix anyway, but Bearer's passing has made it even more of a big deal. Talk about real life and storyline meshing together. Great heel stuff from Punk as usual.

With my busy schedule this week, I didn't get to watch NXT, Main Event, Impact, Superstars, and Smackdown. I heard Impact had a good match between Sting and Austin Aries.

1/13/13 Genesis

TNA is down to four live PPVs a year now. Makes my life a heck of a lot easier. Yay. I'm very impressed with Todd Keneley's chemistry with Tenay and Taz on the announcing duties. Initially, I wasn't sure of the abrupt introduction to Todd's work late last year, but he's grown on me.

Tag Title match starts the show. Woulda thought the X-Division tournament finals would, frankly.

Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez vs. Joey Ryan & Matt Morgan (Tag Team Titles): Champs Guerrero and Hernandez with solid, aggressive tag wrestling to start. Poor Joey got tossed around for a few minutes at the start. Morgan, who has grown a huge thick beard, booked strong again. Chavo gets the hot tag. Hernandez with a sick-looking powerbomb to Joey. Mr. Sleazy landed hard on his neck. Chavo frog splash gets three and the champs retain. Hoped to see Joey and Morgan get the titles here, but they should get it soon enough. **

Mr. Anderson vs. Samoa Joe: Sucks that Anderson's Green Bay Packers lost on Saturday to the 49ers in the NFL playoffs. Joe talking trash and nuking Anderson early on. Anderson does get his moves in, focusing on Joe's left knee. Joe still does his suicide dive even after all that. Joe's choke countered with a jawbreaker. Joe goes for Muscle Buster on Anderson. The yet-to-be-named Aces & Eights member (Mike Knox) shows up to distract Joe. Anderson capitalizes and hits the Mic Check for three. **

Christian York vs. Kenny King: Finals of the X-Division Tournament. King, in a promo right before the match, is confident he'll be the next champ. Quick pace to start, trading counters. No denying King's athleticism, but York continues to impress me with his agility and vast moveset, even in his mid-30s. Fast forward to last few minutes of match. York double stomp off the top for a close two. King fights back and hits a swinging uranagi for two. York crossbody, King rolls through and tries to use the ropes, but ref catches it. York with a standing switch into a half-nelson suplex, but misses the somersault splash in the corner. Double knees from King get two. King looking for a cradle rollup but York counters into a pin for three. Loved this one. ***1/2

King is pissed and delivers a Burning Hammer to York, then walks away. RVD's music plays. WTF, no break for York? Thought that was a crappy booking move, but whatever.

Rob Van Dam vs. Christian York (X-Division Title): RVD checks on York to see if he wants to go. York responds with a right hand, so the ref starts the match. Strikes and kicks from RVD, then Rolling Thunder. Surfboard from RVD, looks like champ's shoulders are also down but impressive strength nonetheless. Somehow, York landed a couple of knees to RVD. RVD comes back and showboats, so York rolls RVD up for two. RVD misses the five-star frog splash and York with another rollup for a close near fall. York crotched on the top and RVD with another thrust kick. Five-star hits and RVD retains. A much more competitive match than I woulda imagined, but still wanted York to get a little rest before the title match. If anything, it shows York is in amazing shape. *3/4

Devon vs. Joseph Park: Still not solidly behind this Joseph Park attorney gimmick, but it's fun to see him do Abyss moves. Now Park even has a generic regal-sounding entrance theme and a simple lawyer-like entrance video. Split chants from the crowd. Mostly a basic wrestling match. Crowd erupts whenever Park gets any type of offense in. Not bad, but really now, it's simple moves. Devon removes the turnbuckle pad. Devon eventually knocks Park into the exposed buckle and Park's nose bloodies. Transformation time! Park goes for a chokeslam and all of a sudden the transformation wears off. Park in a confused state, so Devon rolls him up for three. Well, that's just lovely. Didn't really care for this one. Devon gets another cheap shot in after the match. *

Knockouts Gauntlet Match: This is to determine the #1 contender for the Knockouts Title. Gail Kim starts against Tessmacher. Nice of Tenay to remind us that Gail became the first Knockouts champ at BFG 2007 by winning a gauntlet match. After about two and a half minutes, Gail pins Tessmacher with Eat Defeat. ODB is next for Gail. Gail runs up the ramp and gets hurt from ODB's...chest. Oh, that's just fun. ODB with her usual gyrations and slaps. Gail knocks ODB off the second rope and pins her using the bloomers. That one probably rook another three minutes. Mickie James is next. Tenay notes that Mickie's also won a gauntlet match before. Can always count on Gail and Mickie to pull off some entertaining wrestling segments. Gail did some of the same moves from earlier in the gauntlet match, with Mickie countering to address the "scouting your opponent" aspect. Mickie with the rollup on Gail, but Gail counters into a rollup of her own. Gail looks like she had the tights and Mickie's foot appeared to be on the ropes. Taryn Terrell didn't care about either one. Velvet Sky comes out last in a bunch of makeup and a catsuit. Gail again with the veteran heel sneak attack to seize control at the start. Gail more relaxed in this one. Gail tries to cheat on a rollup again...oh, Taryn noticed this time! How appropriate. Gail has words with the ref. Velvet with In Yo Face (facebuster). Gail appears to get her foot under the bottom rope (which should stop the count), but ref counts three anyway. Gail clearly the MVP of the gauntlet match; she's a true workhorse. Based on the finish to the match, I'd consider triple threat between Tara, Velvet, and Gail next. *3/4

Writers may have felt compelled to book the Gauntlet Match this way with four babyface Knockouts, but it was probably one of the best choices. Knockouts roster is very thin, but a great move to have two of the veterans (Gail and Tara) as heels.

Christopher Daniels vs. James Storm: Daniels finishes off his low-calorie apple-tini before facing Storm. Storm on fire in the early stages of the match. Not long before Kaz gets involved. Daniels focuses on Storm's left arm. Last few minutes of the match predictably competitive. Storm with Closing Time to set up Last Call. Last Call misses. Angel's Wings from Daniels! Haven't seen that in a while...only two?!?! BME misses. Backstabber and Closing Time from Storm. Kaz hops on the apron and he eats the Last Call. Daniels takes advantage and gets three with the feet on the ropes. It's pretty much what I expected from stars of this caliber. If given more time in a true one-on-one setting, the match could easily eclipse four stars. ***


After we get the Bully video recap from Impact, Bully Ray comes down with Brooke Hogan. I seriously haven't seen Bully smile so much before. Yes, the wedding is in a few days and we're all invited. Bully records a video of the crowd. Short promo, to the point.

Sting vs. Doc: Sting looks for revenge on A&E after the attack many weeks ago. Fighting on the outside to start. They go into the crowd, but then two A&E guys attack Sting. Hebner basically shoos them off because he didn't ring the bell yet. Doc wears Sting down for a bit, then Sting attacks the legs. Stinger Splash and Scorpion Death Drop get three. Wasn't the best match, but you'd figure Sting would get the win here to get some revenge. *

A&E surrounds the ring and Bully Ray comes down to scare them off. The Bully storyline continues in trying to win Hulk Hogan's trust. Might as well make friends with one of Hogan's best pals.

Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode (Elimination; World Title): Main event intros. Match should get at least 20 minutes because it's an elimination match. Aries and Roode gang up on Hardy to start. Hardy tries to divide and conquer, with some success. Roode and Aries take turns teeing off on Hardy for several minutes. Hardy drops both guys and goes for the Swanton, but Roode knocks Hardy off the top. More 2-on-1 stuff. Roode picks Aries up so AA can do a superplex/Tower of Doom spot, but Hardy with Whisper in the Wind to Aries in a cool spot. Roode then holds Hardy for Aries' suicide dive -- and Hardy moves so AA crashes into RR. Hardy setting up RR for Swanton. AA stops that, but Hardy suplexes AA onto RR. I sense a recurring theme here. Poetry in Motion attempt again, but RR uses AA as a launching pad to spear Hardy. RR holds Hardy's legs in the corner. AA with the running dropkick and brainbuster, and ONLY TWO?! Aries and Roode in disbelief. Aries tries the the 450 and misses. Hardy appeared to pull him and Roode out of the area. RR with a fisherman's to AA for two. Collusion's over! AA with a discus forearm to RR for two. RR goes for the spear and AA counters into Last Chancery. RR rakes the eyes to get out. RR with crossface to AA. AA counters into a rollup for two. Aries missile dropkick to Roode. Dropkick in corner. AA brainbuster countered, but AA gets a backslide on RR. Hardy pins the legs and RR is eliminated. Real great spot there. Took about 18 minutes just to get one elimination. Ref telling Aries he didn't get credit for the pin (because of how the ref positioned himself). Aries going on an ego trip and Hardy takes advantage. Twist of Fate to Aries on the ropes! Hung Aries out to dry there, real cool variation on the finisher. I don't think I've seen that one before. Swanton to Aries and Hardy retains. A fine title match to end the show. ***3/4
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Aaron's Ramblings:
The PPV was pretty much what I thought it'd be. I'd give it around **1/2.

The X-Division tournament finals and the World Title match stood out from the rest. I have high hopes for the X-Division. I didn't like that Christian York had to work back-to-back matches with virtually zero downtime. On the positive side, the two matches still made him look like a star ready to wear the strap. York is full of resilience, and I enjoy his moveset. York and Kenny King should each hold the X-Division Title by the end of 2013.

As I noted above, Gail Kim also deserves a lot of credit for going the entire way in the Knockouts Gauntlet Match. Gail brought something different in each match she had with the other four Knockouts. I personally enjoyed the sneak attack on Velvet. Simple, yes, but shows the heel experience factor. The whole foot-under-the-ropes finish should eventually land Gail a spot in a future title match. Still thinking triple threat is logical. Gail's had on-screen words for Tara in the past about wanting the gold.

It sucks not having Kurt Angle or AJ Styles on the PPV, but I understand they probably wanted or needed time off. Angle also recently became a father again, so why not spend time at home? If there are any two wrestlers in the company that I really have major respect for, Angle and Styles would be at the top of that list.

Good energy from the crowd on this PPV. Always a positive.

This whole Bully Ray/Hogan storyline irks me just a tad just because of the whole wedding fiasco. History of wedding ceremonies has shown things generally aren't straightforward anyway. While people are also complaining that the product focuses too much on the Hogans (two people who can't wrestle -- Hulk's back is royally messed up), the long-term effect is likely to give more credibility to Aces & Eights.

I'm hoping that somewhere down the line, Brooke Hogan ends up as an A&E member. Shouldn't be right away; let things stay dormant for a while. I'd book it for Lockdown in March. Hulk's gonna go ballistic, Bully Ray -- still a face -- is gonna be in disbelief. Hulk will naturally blame Bully for all this, but over time, could still ultimately win over Hulk's trust by continuing to feud with A&E members. A&E would have tremendous clout with a Hogan in the stable. If you've thought of this already, awesome.

Next TNA PPV is Lockdown on March 10 in San Antonio. I'm glad TNA finally realized that doing 12 live PPVs a year was not gonna bring them a lot of money. They weren't selling out every show and literally had to give away tickets in just about every situation. Heck, I think they still do that for Impact shows. This move should also cut a lot of costs. There will be taped PPV-caliber events as well, but I don't remember if they will be on PPV or free TV. Frankly, just put it on free TV. Taped PPVs don't usually work out well with people able to post spoilers on the internet.

12/9/12 Final Resolution

Ratings:
James Storm vs. Kazarian: **1/4

Rob Van Dam vs. Kenny King (X-Division Title): ***

Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez vs. Joey Ryan & Matt Morgan (Tag Team Titles): **3/4

Austin Aries vs. Bully Ray: ***

Tara vs. Mickie James (Knockouts Title): **1/4

Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Garett Bischoff, & Wes Brisco vs. Aces & Eights: ***1/4

Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles (No DQ, No Countout): ***3/4

Jeff Hardy vs. Bobby Roode (World Title): ***1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Storm and Kaz in an impromptu opening match. Good crowd, although a bit dead in the middle of the match. Kaz tries to cheat to win, doesn't work. Fade to Black countered, Last Call hits for three. Read that Storm has taped-up busted ribs. Probably explains why he worked the match with his shirt on.

X-Division Title next. Kenny King finally gets to work another PPV.  Interesting to see RVD go to the ground game against KK. Fun match here to show the in-ring style similarities. Amazing agility from both. Frog splash from RVD misses. Royal Flush countered, RVD rolls up KK for three. Very nice.

Tag title match next. Morgan can apparently bench a lot and is really growing that beard. Don't be taking the goat face title away from Daniel Bryan! Morgan looking real strong here.Chavo is the one worked over, then hot tag to Hernandez. Chavo nails the frog splash. Morgan pulls the ref out before he can count three. Ref DQs Morgan. We'll see a rematch very soon.

Next is Aries and Bully. Liking this Bully Ray face turn because he really hasn't changed his gimmick at all. Just being who he is. Why they decide to do another "scandal" or relationship storyline baffles me. Bully with a missile dropkick made me do a double take. Brainbuster countered into a big Bully Cutter for two. Crowd wanting tables. Bully into the steps and does the blade job. Brooke Hogan to the ring. Yeah, come down to the ring NOW?! Serious Hulk walking to the ring. Brooke ushered to the back. Aries with the low blow and rollup for three. Yup.

Knockouts Title next. Mickie donning some sexy attire with overalls. Yay for hardcore country gimmick? Jesse plays distraction role multiple times again. Tara takes advantage and hits the Widow's Peak for three.

We got the 8-man tag next: Angle's squad vs. Aces & Eights (Devon, Doc, and two masked guys). Competitive match here. Angle with the hot tag. Bischoff and Brisco help clean house. Spotfest of signature moves follows. Angle ready to put one of the masked A&E guys away. Bischoff intercepts Doc as he wanted to use that hammer. Angle Slam and it's over. Thought A&E should have won here. I hope this isn't TNA's version of the Nexus storyline all over again.

Styles and Daniels in another classic match. Winner only by pinfall or submission. These two may have been feuding off and on forever, but I'll never tire of the in-ring work. Holy physicality, Batman! Collision looked to be the reason for AJ getting busted open over the left eye. Styles Clash from AJ only gets two. Super Styles Clash countered. Daniels then uses the Styles Clash back on AJ for three. Well, that wraps up a year to forget for AJ, doesn't it? But a heck of a match.

World Title match closes the show. Main event intros from Borash. Hardy still selling the attack from Impact where Roode allegedly paid A&E to hurt Hardy. Roode with methodical offense to Hardy. Action to the floor for more punishment. Hardy with the comeback for a few near falls. Hardy with a nasty bump when missing the poetry in motion on the guardrail. Still, Hardy survives and the crowd loves that. Hardy manages the Swanton, but he's too hurt to get the pin. Roode spear only gets two.

A&E shows up at ringside. Roode wants them to interfere but they don't. Hardy with a Twist of Fate for three. A&E then gets in there and beats Hardy up. Roode's pissed that he should be the champ. A&E takes out Roode. End show.

For me, I'll say that it was a solid, consistent PPV. Nothing four stars and above, but Styles and Daniels came close. Hoped for the crowd to be just a bit more lively at times, but OK overall. ***1/4

11/11/12 Turning Point

Ratings:
Samoa Joe vs. Magnus (No DQ; TV Title): ***1/2

Eric Young & ODB vs. Jesse & Tara: **

Rob Van Dam vs. Joey Ryan (X-Division Title): **1/4

Doc vs. Joseph Park: *3/4

Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez vs. Christopher Daniels & Kazarian (Tag Team Titles): ***1/4

James Storm vs. Bobby Roode vs. AJ Styles: ***3/4

Kurt Angle vs.Devon: **1/2

Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries (Ladder; World Title): ****
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Taz starts the show in the ring acknowledging Hurricane Sandy and the victims affected by that storm. Orlando's Buckethead and TNA's Bully Ray come out. They want to break a Guinness world record for most people texting donations at one time. Going to the American Red Cross. Nice gesture.

Now TNA has a three-man booth for PPVs. Todd Keneley joins Taz and Tenay.

TV Title match up first. No DQ, and it doesn't take long in getting physical on the outside. Ring of Honor reference! Joe kicking Magnus' ass all over the ring, then Magnus throws a chair in Joe's face. Typical Joe offense, but Magnus impressed with his own submission attempts. Good crowd for this. Two top-rope elbows only get two. Even got split chants going here. Corkscrew from Joe late in the match. Muscle Buster...TWO?! Awesome. Double bird from Magnus and the fighting spirit. Joe with slaps and the choke for the win. Great way to start.

Nice to see Eric Young back on TV. And a shark ate his phone! Mixed tag match next, but here, I guess it's OK for guys and gals to (sorta) wrestle each other. Matching colors for Tara and Jesse. Crowd welcomes EY back. Tag partners kiss and then a double elbow drop. Now I've seen everything. EY looks good in the ring despite the time off. Typical EY tag match with the humor and serious bits. ODB with the hot tag and she gets physical on Jesse. EY with the blind tag, then an elbow drop to Jesse for three.

No Matt Morgan (per Hulk's stipulation) for the X-Division Title match. Joey said he told Matt to stay in the back, not because Hulk said so. Crowd really loves RVD. Joey pushes RVD off the top to get on offense. Back and forth they go, but RVD hits the five-star for the win. RVD celebrates on the stage, and Morgan comes out with the carbon footprint. Sounds about right.

Doc and Joseph Park next. Nice to see Luke Gallows have a high-profile role in the company. Park still has no ring music. I've never associated a guy like Joseph Park with quickness, but he did that to stay away from Doc early on. Doc punches the post with his left hand, but can still get shots in with his right. Ref took the studded belt away, but didn't take the chair away earlier? Way to go. Just a basic beatdown from Doc now. Doc then busts Park open with a belt shot behind the ref's back. Park sees red. Remember what happened against Bully Ray? Same thing here. Kinda like the hulking up aspect. Park with the Black Hole Slam generates a big pop, but that's basically the bright spot of the match. Splash for two. Park with a chair to Doc, but only two again. Doc with a chokeslam out of nowhere for three. Sudden finish and damn, that felt long.

Doc with more beating up afterward. Ball-peen hammer again! Bully Ray for the save. Who woulda thunk that a few months ago?

Tag title match next. Crowd still red hot for Chavo. Chavo feeding off the rage Kaz and Daniels caused. Great tag offense from the champs, isolating Kaz. Chavo misses the frog splash and the challengers isolate him. Kaz and Daniels target Chavo's ribs. ROFL at double Gangnam Style moment. Hernandez gets the hot tag. Seeing Hernandez skin the cat and do the clothesline shows how he and Sheamus can have some similarities on moves. Chavo with a crossbody on Daniels (perched on Hernandez) for the win. Strong finish to retain.

It's time for the #1 contender's three-way match. Just to clarify, it's only the guy who gets pinned (or submits) that has to wait until next year's Bound for Glory for his next title shot. What can I say...you knew it would be awesome from the start. You also have to appreciate the complexity the three-way matches take on. Give one guy a chance to breathe while the other two go at it, but the switches are incredibly seamless. Figure four from Styles, so his affiliation with Flair was worth something. Styles smart to target Storm's legs and take the Last Call away. Loved the Beer Money tease, and Storm was ready for the Roode cheap shot. Signature moves galore. AJ misses springboard 450. Roode spear for two. Crossface but Styles counters to get two. Uranagi from Roode?! That gets two. Roode looks for the fisherman's, but backstabber from Storm to Roode. Last Call to Styles, and that gets three. Poor AJ will have to wait nearly a year.

Next up are Angle and Devon. Taz gets all giddy seeing Devon's studded belt, similar to the one Doc had against Joseph Park. Rare botch from these guys on the powerbomb attempt, but they got back to their spot quickly. Devon misses a headbutt, Angle Slam for two. Aces & Eights members surround the ring. Angle with the ankle lock out of nowhere for the submission win. Angle smartly bails quickly. Doc is incensed and says Angle's next on the hitlist.

Main event is the Ladder match for the World Title. Gotta take both belts off the top to win, I guess. Main event intros. Hardy places the ladder upside down, then basically misses a move and impales his body on the steel support to the ladder. OW. Guess we need a new ladder. Aries was smart to wedge Hardy under a ladder and the steel steps. Hardy escaped and nearly got to the belts but got knocked off. Again ow. Second ladder now busted up. Looked like a botch on the counter to the brainbuster, but leads to a Hardy Japanese arm drag on Aries into the ladder. Hardy rides the ladder down and splashes Aries...cool. Hardy climbs, Aries dropkicks the ladder, and Hardy goes flying AGAIN. Ladder sandwich in corner, then Aries with the brainbuster. Aries to the top of the ladder -- and Hardy meets him there. Twist of Fate off the top of the ladder! Swanton! Woohoo! Aries to the outside. Hardy to the top of the ladder. HA! Aries is at the controls and raises the hook carrying the titles! AWESOME. Hardy nukes Aries again, then gets a bigger ladder. Aries meets him up there, and they topple onto the ladder resting in the corner. Big ladder falls. Hardy Twist of Fate on Aries on that smaller ladder in the corner. Hardy climbs big ladder and retains. Damn good match. Most of the ladder spots were at least variations of stuff I'd seen before, but you have to admit, it's still cool to watch. Match of the night for me.

I thought it was a solid show overall. Each match delivered in some way except that Joseph Park "match." I miss Abyss, dammit. ***1/2

10/14/12 Bound for Glory

Ratings:
Rob Van Dam vs. Zema Ion (X-Division Title): **1/4

Samoa Joe vs. Magnus (TV Title): ***1/4

James Storm vs. Bobby Roode (Street Fight): ****

Joey Ryan vs. Al Snow: **

Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero vs. Christopher Daniels & Kazarian vs. AJ Styles & Kurt Angle (Tag Team Titles): ***3/4

Tara vs. Miss Tessmacher (Knockouts Title): *1/4

Aces & Eights vs. Sting & Bully Ray (No DQ): **

Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries (World Title): ****1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
It's TNA's biggest PPV of the year, live from Phoenix! Tenay and Taz are seated at ringside. TNA's got the elevated ramp going again, instead of a true entrance ramp.

Appropriate to start with the X-Division Title. RVD faces Zema Ion. Crowd is red hot for RVD. Ion mocks RVD at the start, not a smart move. Nice counters by both guys here. RVD sells so well and isn't afraid to take legit shots to the face or head. RVD hit the five-star frog splash for the win. Just seemed a bit rushed here. Kinda wish they had a bit more time to book Zema a tiny bit stronger (as in make it appear Zema would truly retain with a finishing move). But hey, new champ. Title change probably also done to make RVD happy and give him incentive to stick around longer.

TV Title match next between Joe and Magnus. Former tag champ partners square off. Good mat wrestling to start. Pretty clear they developed quite the chemistry when working together. Crowd solid on this one. Nice STF and Rings of Saturn from Joe. Magnus goes for the figure four, but Joe catches him in the rear naked choke for the tapout. Awesome.

Time for the Storm/Roode street fight. Feud's lasted about a year. King Mo is the special outside enforcer and barely gets a pop. Hell, why do they even need a real ref? Just have King Mo wear the earpiece. Heck, he really just needs to count the fall or ask for the tapout anyway. Storm and Roode start in the ring for a bit, then it really spills to the outside. Storm into the steel post and blades. Storm puts the trash can on Roode's groin and smacks the can with the kendo stick. Nutshot! Hangman's DDT to Roode on the entrance ramp as Storm's face is a crimson mass. Tons of trash can lids and even a fan's crutch on the ramp. Spear from announce table and cracks the adjacent wooden table. Announce table has a glass top, by the way. They get back in the ring eventually, and Storm gets a comeback in. Last Call hits, but just two! No cheap win for Roode tonight. YES TACKS! Roode tossed into the tacks! Storm with elbow on Roode on the tacks! TWO! Tacks sticking out of Roode everywhere. Nutshot to Storm, hope there weren't any tacks on the forearm. Six pack of beer comes in. Nutshot to Roode. Storm takes the beer bottle and smashes it over Roode. Crowd wants one more. Storm picks Roode up and Last Calls him onto the tacks for three. Nice way to end this one. But why the hell was King Mo even needed? Just for PPV buys, I guess? He just stood around all that time.

Next up is Joey Ryan and Al Snow. Joey wins, he gets a roster spot. I wish Al Snow really brought his mannequin head to the ring. Al with the mind games at the start, showing his experience over Joey. Al shows he's still got it. Al found Head underneath the ring! Joey pushes Al into the ref. Aw, a kiss for Head by Joey. Matt Morgan through the crowd and decks Al with the Carbon Footprint. Al's out cold, and Joey gets three and a contract. Morgan and Joey shake hands, so there's a nice partnership there.

Morgan probably wanted to go to TNA but that whole WWE/TNA lawsuit thing really threw a wrench in that. So I guess it's a heel return for Morgan in TNA.

Triple threat tag title match next. Only two guys in the ring at the same time, other teams can tag in if they can. First pin or submission wins. Chavo's right shoulder has tape on it. Great sequence between Angle and Kaz/Daniels. Now that's wrestling. All hell broke loose from there. Sick hurricanrana from Kaz on Hernandez. Thought he busted his shoulder badly there. AJ with the springboard senton onto three guys after that. Spotfest! TKO (Kaz) and BME (Daniels) only TWO on AJ! Blind tag gets Hernandez in. Border Toss and Frog Splash, and we got new tag champs. Finally. Awesome match. Damn awesome.

Knockouts Title now. I like the mentor-student storylines because Tessmacher will get more comfortable working matches. Tessmacher barely gets a pop coming out; Tara got more of a reaction overall. Local radio personality got to ring the bell, woohoo. Tara with heel tactics to gain the upper hand. Top-rope leap into hurricanrana by Tessmacher. Not easy for the ladies to do on each other with all the force coming down on the shoulders. Tessmacher misses the elbow and Tara hits the Widow's Peak for three. Basically the teacher taking advantage of a rookie mistake. Nothing too special, but it was a passable match.

Tara teases the "Hollywood boyfriend" stuff on social media, how he's a big name. Oh, good grief. It's Jessie Godderz from Big Brother. All-natural pro bodybuilder. Well, at least he has the look to be a star. Now get those two a room.

Highlights played from the previous night's Hall of Fame Ceremony, where Sting became the first inductee. Lex Luger even made a cameo, which was awesome.

I about fell out of my chair seeing Bully Ray in face paint. Kinda looks like Road Warrior face paint material. Two guys bring a beaten down Joseph Park through the crowd and cuff him to the guardrail. No DQ, so all hell breaks loose. Not meant to be a wrestling match. The Spanish table is nuked some more. A&E gets the upper hand when Sting misses the Stinger Splash and eats the guardrail. Bully gets the hot tag and goes to town. Third A&E member low blows Bully and spits at Park. Park breaks free from the cuffs and nukes that third guy. Doomsday Device from Sting and Bully! Crowd going nuts as Sting calls for tables. A fourth A&E guy comes through the crowd and spinebusters Bully through the table for three. Flat ending, to be honest. Too deflating an ending for me.

Gang beatdown on Sting after the match. Hulk comes down to fight. They unmask the last A&E guy in the ring that cost Bully and Sting the match.

DEVON! So he reportedly was in on this "the entire time." Wow. Another guy likely given a new TNA role probably because he, like Morgan, also couldn't jump to WWE. I thought that had pretty good shock value. I think it's a good move as well for Devon because his face run was getting pretty bad. Too generic. Bully freshened his act as a singles star and got a nice push. Now it's time for Devon hopefully to do the same. Take advantage of the excellent mic skills Devon has so he can now be the voice/leader of a faction. Crowd with the "you sold out" chants.

 World Title match gets the most time. Main event intros for Aries and Hardy. I like Aries as that cocky heel, although the crowd is actually behind Aries for the intros. Nice mat wrestling at the start. Hardy takes risks on the outside to dish out more punishment. When Aries got the upper hand, the crowd responded with LOUD split chants. I love that suicide dive from Aries. And we got a second one! Only two, though. Aries with a small cut (at least when compared to Storm's blade job). Last Chancery on Hardy, but Jeff to the ropes. Aries with a hangman's neckbreaker and Hardy's head flat out nails the edge of that ramp. Sick, sick bump there. Would be amazing if he had no concussion. Twist of Fate, but only two! Swanton countered. Aries with top-rope superhurricanrana! YES! Dropkick in corner, Brainbuster by Aries, ONLY TWO! WTF. Crowd loves it. Aries misses double foot-stomp in corner, Hardy counters into a stunner. Hardy with Twist of Fate and Swanton for three. New champ! Again, gotta make Hardy want to stay. Aries had a nice run, but I think now it's a good spot to really break back into the heel act.
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TNA touts this as their biggest PPV of the year, and I thought they came through with flying colors. A lot of solid matches throughout the card. A lot of storylines culminated or got new twists in an attempt to generate more interest.

Yeah, it was clear Aces & Eights was winning, but I personally loved the Devon swerve as the man seemingly behind it all. He wasn't the talker from the start, but now that Aces & Eights has a recognizable face to serve as a reminder to the fans, this should get good. ***3/4

9/9/12 No Surrender

Ratings:
Jeff Hardy vs. Samoa Joe: ***1/4

Bully Ray vs. James Storm: ***

Miss Tessmacher vs. Tara (Knockouts Title): *1/2

Austin Aries vs. Big Guy from Aces & Eights: N/A

Zema Ion vs. Sonjay Dutt (X-Division Title): **3/4

Rob Van Dam vs. Magnus: **1/4

Christopher Daniels & Kazarian vs. AJ Styles & Kurt Angle (Tag Team Titles): ****

Jeff Hardy vs. Bully Ray: *1/2
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Reviews/Thoughts:
As I thought, we start off with the first BFG Semi (Joe vs. Hardy). Joe plays up a fractured arm from Magnus' attack. Good action on the outside. Fans really behind Hardy early on. Joe kept Hardy grounded in the middle of the match. Split chants during that time. They stayed on a somewhat slower pace early, since this one got a good amount of time. Numerous signature moves on the last third of this bout. Great back-and-forth stuff. Hardy again showing the armbar submission, Joe counters, but Hardy counters back into a rollup for three. Very nice.

Second semi next (Storm and Bully). Bully stalls at the start and beats up a ringside sign. Fans unrelenting in chanting "Devon's better!" Worthy to note that Devon did NOT re-sign with the company, while Bully did. We got some smart fans in the crowd, very vocal ones. Ref bump for Earl Hebner. Stifler(?) a new ref comes in and he took a shot. Storm's real good at taking refs out. Hebner ate another splash from Bully. No ref for Last Call superkick. And yup, Roode came out to cost Storm, like I thought. Beer bottle to the head and Bully wins. Storm and Roode gonna feud again.

Knockouts Title time. Taryn Terrell again as the ref. Tara continuing to counter much of Tessmacher's stuff and otherwise using veteran moves. Tara can't put Tessmacher away, then the champ counters the Widow's Peak into a victory roll for three. Tara obviously frustrated. Good, now set up the rubber match for BFG.

Roode's going to jail? Storm then attacks Roode. Now they both go to jail. Have fun!

Aries not defending his title tonight, he just wants a fight with the armbreaker from Aces & Eights. The big guy comes out. Fight's on. Aries tries to unmask the guy, but low blow stops that. Lots of basic offense and methodical stalking from this big guy. Aries blasts the big dude with powder for the comeback. Bigguy with a bit more offense, but AA nukes him with a roll of coins and the brainbuster. A&E members storm the ring. TNA locker room empties. Big brawl now. Fans loving it. Bully Ray's late to the party, could mean something? Hogan's got his hands full now. Not rating the fight.

Jeff Hardy's been taken out in all this. Left shoulder injury. Bully is the one to point it out and get Hardy medical help, but remember, Hardy's gotta wrestle Bully in the finals later. Coincidence?

X-Division Title time. Sonjay's got a black tape-like brace on his left shoulder, still recovering from the separated shoulder at Destination X. Gotta love all the athleticism and the unique moves here. Crowd not really into the match as much early, but then the pace quickened and the excitement built. Nice Rings of Saturn move by Ion to target the shoulder. Back and forth with the pins. Ion then abruptly hits a Gory Special and gets three. Looks like fans had no clue that would be the end. Great stuff, but the crowd just wasn't as much into it. Oh well....

As trainer tends to Hardy, Magnus takes a shot at Jeff toget more heel heat. He takes on RVD now. Magnus attacks RVD's legs here to keep the man grounded. Cloverleaf from Magnus. That move's been making a nice comeback in pro wrestling lately. RVD with the five-star frog splash for the win. Match wasn't bad, but fans seem spent after being hot for the early part of the PPV.

Tag title match next. They reference the whole Claire Lynch stuff again. Can we put that to bed now? Angle's nursing a legit hamstring injury. Didn't matter. Unreal stuff. Easily match of the night.

Second half of this one just outstanding. Styles and Angle with great jobs on their hot tags. Angle with ankle lock on Daniels. Styles Springboard 450 splash to Kaz only two?!?! Damn. Kaz top-rope belly-to-belly on AJ gets two?!?! Wow. Angle takes Daniels over the top and aggravates his right hamstring injury in the process. Daniels with the drink to AJ's face and they cheat to win. Yeah, that was great stuff.

Fans perked up for this one. These four again showed why they are arguably the best talents on the roster. All-around game from each is top-notch. I hope all tag teams took major notes here.

Bully with a kickass promo. He's not just bound for glory, he's destined for greatness.

Police surround the ring. Bully out first. Hardy's music next, but no Hardy. Hulk Hogan arrives. Promos in the ring. Hogan teases that the finals should just be on the next Impact, but Hardy comes out all beaten up anyway. Left shoulder taped up. Fist bump of respect and the finals are gonna happen.

Bully obviously attacks the left shoulder for several minutes. A somewhat slow beatdown. Again, fans are just DEAD, even as Hardy has a bit of a comeback. Both kicked out of the other's signature moves, but really? Only some clapping? Give the rowdy adults some booze or something, dangit! Finally, after the Bubba Cutter, fans realize there's a decent match going on. Swanton misses. Another Bubba Cutter for two. Two more Twists of Fate. Swanton hit for three! Wow, actually didn't expect that. Fans cheer for Hardy's win, but wow, that deserved so much more crowd response. Affected the rating for sure.
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Show wasn't bad. BFG Series semis were good, but the Tag Title match clearly stole the show for me. Would have been better had A&E found a way into the building during the BFG Series finals. Or even have some of the cops join A&E and secretly let the faction in. Here, I felt A&E got knocked down the totem pole too much. **1/2
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(Posted 9/912 at 11:22 a.m. PST, a few hours before the show aired):
Here were my predictions for the show (recorded the morning of 9/9)!

8/12/12 Hardcore Justice

Ratings:
Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero vs. Gunner & Kid Kash: **1/4

Rob Van Dam vs. D'Angelo Dinero vs. Magnus vs. Mr. Anderson (Falls Count Anywhere): **1/4

Kazarian vs. Devon (TV Title): **1/2

Madison Rayne vs. Miss Tessmacher (Knockouts Title): *1/2

Bully Ray vs. James Storm vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Robbie E (Tables): **3/4

Zema Ion vs. Kenny King (X-Division Title): ***3/4

AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels (Ladder): ***3/4

Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode (World Title): ****
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Reviews/Thoughts:
This will be more of a shorter, to-the-point review, since I have been very busy otherwise.

Chavo curtain jerks the PPV. Opening tag match basically started with Hernandez welcoming Chavo into the company, but guys like Gunner and Kash not too thrilled with the Guerrero name. Crowd hot for Chavo throughout the match. Leave it to the ring vets in Kash and Chavo to control much of the match. Fairly methodical match, but crowd stayed into it. Hernandez with a drop-down version of a Dominator nearly put Kash on his head. Good opener with Chavo hitting the Frog Splash for three.

With that said, I feel for Anarquia, Sarita, and Rosita in all this. It's like Hernandez forgot Mexican America existed for storyline purposes. From a heel stable to a face tag team, just like that.

First of the four-way BFG Series matches, with 20 points to the winner of each. Falls Count Anywhere time. Aces and Eights got to Pope, so apparently he's out of this match. Pope, to his credit, sold the attack well and clutched his left shoulder. Funny how Magnus and Anderson came out next unscathed. Match starts as a three-way dance. Didn't take long for the match to spill to the outside. Again, good crowd reaction. RVD with the chair throwing (literally) and legdropping. Tower of Doom looked botched, so they nixed it. magnus awkward moment with a fan trying to get a chair? Van Daminator from RVD to Magnus on the stage gets the Whole F'n Show 20 points. Good three-way match, but seen better.

Madison Rayne interview. Going into the PPV, she's a three-time Knockouts champ and two-time Knockouts Tag champ. Is it sad that I know that?

But first, TV Title match between Devon and Kazarian. Loaded water bottle shot from Devon not a DQ? Gotta love ref discretion. Crowd still very interested in the match, but slightly less than the first two matches. Methodical heel beatdown, then Devon with the comeback. Nice crucifix counter from Kaz when Devon tried one of those Rock Bottom-like moves. Fade to Black countered and Devon spinebuster gets three. Solid finish.

Knockouts title match next, and of course, Earl Hebner is the ref. I still hate Earl Hebner because he gets to work one of those relationship storylines with Madison Rayne. It's a decent storyline because Earl isn't blatantly biased in Madison's favor. He calls the match down the middle, with the finish being the only controversy. Oh, and the whole Madison Rayne scissors stomp should only be done by a woman, thanks.

Anyway, finish controversial as expected. Madison's foot was on the ropes, so Earl right to stop the count. However, he "didn't see" Madison using the ropes to pin Tessmacher. Good for the storyline, but it comes at the expense of Tessmacher's title reign, which I had hoped would be longer to show she'd be a serious contender in the division.

Tables match next. Bully Ray apparently got an ace and 8 of spades. Bully continues to pin Aces and Eights blame on Storm. Poor Robbie is only in there to get mauled. Love how Bully just manipulates Robbie to get him a table anyway. And Robbie totally BOTCHES the spot where he was supposed to completely get the table out of the way -- Bully went through the corner of the table and the refs had to awkwardly say that didn't count. Would think Storm and Hardy coulda just gotten 10 points each, but nope. Crowd really shat over that one. Only means someone like Bully Ray was supposed to win, and that's exactly what happened. 20 points there. No Joseph Park, eh? In the process, Bully shows Robbie how you really move the table out of the way. WHY THE HELL did Hardy fly OVER the table to Rob Terry when he coulda won the match? Weird logic.

Nice job with the Aces and Eights spots to seemingly help and align themselves with James Storm. I've never seen Bully jump that high over the ropes or scamper away so quickly.

X-Division Title time. Crowd solidly behind Kenny King, although it remains to be seen whether his defection to TNA will really help him in the long run. At least he's gotten good exposure for now. Solid mat wrestling from King on top of his high-flying stuff; KK seems to have the entire package. Easily the best match on the PPV of the matches watched so far. Ion and King work well together. Great finish with the Gory Special. King is something special; I'm confident he'll get his time soon.

BFG Series Standings: Storm still in front with 66 points, RVD now into second with 55 after winning earlier. Joe now third with 54. Angle and Bully Ray now tied for fourth with 48 after Bully won earlier.

BFG Series Ladder match now. Can't go wrong with these four guys. Such a fun match, and the crowd loved it. Daniels nuked early. Leave it to Joe to bring the intensity all match long. Nice "USA!" chants for Angle. Action all over the place, never a dull moment. Kept laughing seeing Angle and Joe nuke Daniels like that. Styles springs out of nowhere to grab the clipboard and win the match. Outstanding. Styles still in 7th place after all that (36 points), but at least he's closer to that cutoff point now (top five).

World Title match closes the show. No rematch clause for either guy. Borash with the main event intros. Aries with the upper hand early with offense and mind games. Roode got several near falls on offense, but couldn't keep A-double down. Aries even got Roode in the crossface, which Roode has used to win matches. Nice ref bump from Brian Hebner. Then second official nuked. Brainbuster, agonizingly slow Hebner count gets two. Great stuff there.

We get the double pin spot with two refs counting at the same time. Somehow, it takes a few minutes -- and the presence of Earl Hebner -- to figure out to restart the match. "Bullshit" not censored from Roode because we're live. Aries with the "miracle" rollup for three.

Another solid PPV, consistently good from top to bottom. Best matches saved for last, in my opinion. ***1/2

7/8/12 Destination X

Ratings:
Mason Andrews vs. Rubix vs. Lars Only vs. Dakota Darsow: ***

Mason Andrews vs. Kid Kash: **1/2

Kenny King vs. Douglas Williams: ***1/2

Sonjay Dutt vs. Rashad Cameron: ***1/4

Zema Ion vs. Flip Cassanova: **3/4

Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle: ***3/4

AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels (Last Man Standing): ****

Zema Ion vs. Mason Andrews vs. Kenny King vs. Sonjay Dutt (Ultimate X; X-Division Title): ***1/4

Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode (World Title): ****1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Borash on color tonight. JB mentions Aries got his big break here at Destination X last year, grabbing that contract to launch his X-Division career. My, how it comes full circle tonight.

We start off with a four-way X-Division bout with the losers from those qualifying matches. But the winner here must immediately face Kid Kash. I'd still say it's a pretty good consolation prize if you still make it to the PPV. Basically, don't blink on this one. Insane pace at the start. Even the slower-paced stuff had quickness to it. These guys can all fly, and you knew there would be a few aerial spots. Short spotfest of a match. Crowd really behind Rubix. Lars with a sweet facebuster using his feet. Mason with a TKO on Andrews for three. Very nice opener.

Kash comes right out and here we go with the opening match in the X-Division title tournament. Kash great at getting the heel heat. Mason with some offense, but Kash controls most of the action. Kash can still fly even after all these years. Nice running knee by Mason for two. Mason gets the nice rollup for three to advance to Ultimate X later tonight. Another solid showing.

More X-Division action with Douglas Williams and Kenny King. Willaims now in black tights...remember he wore red or blue pants before? Lots of mat wrestling from Williams, the usual old school stuff. King with the acrobatics to get the crowd riled up. Crowd does get behind KK. Williams looks like he put on weight. Doesn't stop Williams from going airborne. Real good match here, despite the contrasting styles. Just tons of near falls, back-and-forth stuff. Huge win for Kenny to advance to Ultimate X. Ultimate X shaping up to be incredible.

Next X-Division match with Sonjay and Rashad. Very quick start, Rashad still looks like Kofi Kingston -- and has the mad hops to prove it. Crowd seems to favor Sonjay, but they still cheer for Rashad's agility. Yes, Sonjay's still got it. Seamless transition for each Cameron move, rolling into the cross armbreaker was pretty sweet. Crowd now deciding to tell Earl Hebner that he screwed Bret. Sonjay with the backflip double foot stomp from the top for three. Another PPV-worthy match. Why the HELL did TNA move away from this in the first place?!?!

Tenay and Borash talk about Jesse Sorensen and the broken neck (perhaps career-ending) that he suffered at Against All Odds when facing Zema Ion. Ion just happens to be participating in the final qualifying match. Thanks to medical technology and knowledge, Jesse appears headed for a full recovery.

Sorensen comes out to a nice ovation. Certainly one of the more feel-good moments of the show. He wants Zema Ion to win the X-Division Title. Jesse vows to win the X-Division Title next year at Destination X and go on to become world champ. That would undoubtedly be one of the best moments in TNA history.

On cue, Zema Ion comes out for his match. Staredown between Sorensen and Ion. Ion faces Flip Cassanova in the final qualifying match. More great agility from both guys, and of course, Ion has to stop to spray his hair. Springboard corkscrew from Flip for two. 450 shooting star senton misses for Flip. Facebuster and a Gory Bomb wins it for Zema. Solid, felt it wasn't as good as some of the others on the card.

Bobby Roode interrupts the other three X-Division stars going to Ultimate X. Roode says all the X-Division stars will fail and he will walk out still the champ.

Must be nice when the middle of the card features Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle. Crowd is just bonkers for this one. And who am I to argue? BFG Series match here. Joe with a nice mohawk as usual.

Want a wrestling clinic? Watch Angle and Joe go at it. Angle with a missile dropkick from the second rope, not a usual thing for him. Joe with a leg lariat of his own from the second rope, gets two. Counters out of submissions. Suplexes from Angle. Joe with the Muscle Buster...two! Joe rear naked choke, but Angle counters into the ankle lock! Back into the choke for Joe! Angle counters into an Angle Slam for only two! Woohoo, awesome. Angle Slam countered, choke by Joe! Counter doesn't work for Angle. Angle looks like he passes out from the choke. Hebner stops the match, and Joe gets 10 points. Excellent stuff, my friends. Samoa Joe takes the lead in the BFG series.

Did you really think AJ and Daniels could have a bad match if given time? Damn great stuff. Two real-life friends have faced each other so many times, it'd really be impossible to have anything but a good bout. Physical encounter, with tons of wrestling. Chair introduced. AJ slammed on that chair, Rock Bottom style. Action spills to the floor for more punishment. AJ busted open. What a spot with AJ basically sending Daniels headfirst into the steps; that busts Daniels open. Daniels backs up the ramp. Double KO spot on the stage. Sick vintage Styles backflip into reverse DDT on Daniels on the stage. At 8 count, Kaz finally makes his cameo to shove AJ off the stage. Good time for a run-in. AJ gets up at 8. Table! Angel's Wings to table? Nope, countered! AJ runs Daniels into Kaz. Styles with the Clash on Daniels...AND THROUGH TABLE YES! Absolutely sweet. Crowd going nuts. Both try to get up, but AJ barely makes it to win! Match of the night so far.

Not surprisingly, Twitter poll overwhelmingly showing Aries the favorite to win.

Time for Ultimate X. Sonjay hit that running shooting star splash and his head hit the bottom rope. That basically took him out for a bit. (Note: Sonjay suffered a dislocated shoulder and re-set it himself backstage, then returned to the ring.) Everyone is flying for more spotfest fun, albeit on a less consistent basis. King with a great springboardspear catching Mason on the crossing X ropes. Sonjay comes back and scales the scaffolding. King and Mason meet at the title belt and hit neckbreakers on each other. Sonjay AND Zema go to the top of the STRUCTURE. WTF. Sonjay and Zema drop down to the ropes holding the title. Hair spray to Sonjay, and Zema takes the title. Good stuff. Very consistent (and great) matches so far. Good heel promo aimed at Sorensen on the way out.

No Knockouts tonight, we go straight to the World Title match! Roode has been an amazing heel champ. Main event intros from Borash. Brian Hebner is the ref. Main event will be given some serious airtime.

Mind games from Roode. Borash mentions Aries is vegetarian. I guess this whole non-meat thing is the way champs go nowadays? Right, Daniel Bryan the vegan? Roode "scouted" Aries well, dodging or countering several signature moves in the early going. "Let's go Aries" and "Bobby sucks" from the crowd. Action becomes more methodical as Roode gets on the offensive. Huge comeback from Aries, who apparently hasa cut now on his nose. Roode spear countered into Last Chancery! Roode counters out into a crossface. Then back into Chancery! Nice balance on the superplex. Aries counters with knees. 450 misses, Aries lands on his feet, rolls through, into RR spinebuster for two. Aries into ringpost, crossface by Roode. Roll-through multiple times doesn't work. Aries to ropes. You'd think Roode would get himself intentionally DQ'd by holding on tothe crossface past 5, but he doesn't. Roode then grabs title belt. Love the logic! Low blow behind ref's back, but Roode only gets two. Ref bump. Roode grabs title. Roode decks Aries. Groggy Hebner counts slow. TWO! Woohoo! Fisherman's by Roode blocked. Victory roll by Aries for two. Aries kicks Roode in the head. BRAINBUSTER! NEW CHAMP! YES! Big markout there.

Nice way to end the show with confetti and celebrating.
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This was a phenomenal show. Every single match delivered in some fashion. Aries provided a huge win not just for the X-Division, but for the entire organization. I have ZERO clue why TNA had moved away so much from the X-Division the last few years -- or at least reduced it to a shell of its former self. It's very clear now that the cornerstone of the company, the very thing that separated TNA from WWE and all other promotions, is back in on center stage. I certainly hope this TNA stays the course on this one, because this was magical stuff. If this wasn't the best PPV of the year, it was definitely close. Easily TNA's best showing of 2012. ****

6/10/12 Slammiversary

Ratings:
Austin Aries vs. Samoa Joe (X-Division Title): ***3/4

Hernandez vs. Kid Kash: **1/4

Robbie E and Robbie T vs. Devon & Garett Bischoff: *1/2

Mr. Anderson vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy: ***1/2

James Storm vs. Crimson: *

Miss Tessmacher vs. Gail Kim (Knockouts Title): *3/4

Joseph Park vs. Bully Ray (Anything Goes): **

AJ Styles & Kurt Angle vs. Christopher Daniels & Kazarian (Tag Team Titles): ****

Bobby Roode vs. Sting (World Title): ***1/4
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Reviews/Thoughts:
We're in Dallas for Slammiversary! Celebrating 10 years. Who woulda thunk TNA would have lasted this long? A bunch of people in the stands. How many free tickets did they have to give out? Heard the Meet & Greet was a flop.

Hogan starts the show. He's going old school tonight from the first match. Joe vs. Aries for X-Division Title. I like that. Joe ruled in the X-Division before. I'm glad he's back where he should be. X-Division Title is what separates TNA from WWE. Hype that stuff. Don't try to just be a WWE carbon copy, because you'd get screwed that way.

Aries and Joe was fantastic from the start. Crowd super hot throughout the match. Incredibly hard-hitting throughout. Tons of chemistry between the two. Numerous counters. Great flow. Basically, this is how you start a PPV. Aries pulled off a 450, sweet! Last sequence was awesome. Joe took a dropkick in the corner right to the face, then got dropped on his head via Aries brainbuster. Awesome opener. Joe coulda had a broken nose there. Mutual respect shown after the match. THIS is how you start a PPV. I can just imagine the rating if they had even five more minutes. Both names trended on Twitter.

Kid Kash returns for this one; hadn't been seen in many weeks. He faces Hernandez, who's also back after a hiatus. Another great bout here. Best spot for me was easily the Hernandez dive to the outside. For a guy his size, just amazing athleticism. Top-rope splash gets three for Hernandez. Kid Kash trended on Twitter as well. Win.

Countdown for the first 10 years. #3 is AJ Styles becoming the first X-Division champ, pinning Jerry Lynn on June 19, 2002 (part of a four-way match). WHY did they have to deviate from all those quality PPV matches? They didn't have to follow WWE's mold and do a bunch of free TV. I'm confident they would have been fine -- perhaps better off -- to keep mostly PPVs, if not 100% PPVs. That is, assuming they played to their strengths and just kept dishing out incredible matches all the time.

The two Robbies face Devon and Garett, stemming from the last couple weeks. Devon gets the hot tag, and the crowd responded accordingly. Devon spinebuster wins it. Random dancing post-match.

I'm unsure right now what this does for Garett, other than to give him screen time. I'm hoping he turns on Devon at some point, once GB gets more comfortable in the ring. Note Madison Rayne all dolled up on the stage. I hope she's eyeing Garett Bischoff. It would give the young man a (possibly good) storyline to work from to establish himself. Garett doesn't even have to turn heel if that happens. Riding Devon's reputation and veteran leadership is fine for now. I just hope, with all this slow buildup (which I really love), it actually turns into something worth watching. Madison left the stage by the time the match was over, so the slow build continues.

Borash with a short interview for Daniels and Kaz. All three are basically TNA lifers. Celebrate!

Three-way match to determine World Title #1 contender is next. Hardy flips a coin, attacks RVD anyway, and we're off. Anderson trends on Twitter during the match. Again, a very good pace throughout. Awesome balance of aerial offense and ground moves. "This is wrestling!" and "This is awesome!" chants from the fans. Credit all three guys in this one, but I continue to marvel at RVD's cardio and flexibility. Mic check from Anderson gets the win. Ending surprised me, a bit abrupt there. Wish the match went longer.

Crimson interviewed, confident as usual. Heel promo before his open challenge. OOPS, James Storm! Crimson is livid. Usual offense from both guys. Storm Last Call superkick ends the streak at over 470 days. One star for the crowd reaction. After, Storm celebrates with showering the front row with beer.

I'm on the fence as to whether this was the best way to end Crimson's run. This basically turned into a squash for Storm overall. Is that really how you want a streak to end, one that you had hyped the last few months? It wouldn't have been so bad had Crimson gotten more offense in, but it was short and mostly all Storm in this one. At least for me, it would have been better to end it via a fluke. Then it can at least generate more smoothly into a storyline.


Countdown for the first 10 years. #2 is signing Hulk Hogan to the TNA family. It was a blockbuster move, that's for sure. Arguably the biggest name in pro wrestling generates a big buzz. Questionable moves during Hulk's tenure, but also some good ones (i.e. signing Aries). Hoping more good comes out of this over time.

Dixie Carter comes out. This PPV is the largest U.S. live crowd in TNA's history. Not a huge surprise. She calls out the entire roster for a standing ovation. Well deserved. Note AJ Styles was the first guy out there, not just for being one of the original talents, but perhaps for storyline purposes.

Goes right into the first TNA Hall of Fame inductee. STING! I love that HOF logo. Wonderful tribute video. Sting first debuted in the company in 2003, and it's been nine years. I'm sure TNA wanted to pull the trigger first on inducting Sting before WWE had a chance to. ROFL, THEY GOT A "YES!" CHANT GOING! That was golden. Formal induction ceremony will be at Bound For Glory. Sting with a short speech, seemingly impromptu.

Knockouts Title match followed. Tessmacher is no longer called "Brooke" anymore because Brooke Hogan is officially on the roster. Tessmacher's home state, so she's clearly the crowd favorite. Gail shows some deceiving power in this match. Several submissions and rest holds from Gail. A couple of shaky spots (perhaps botches) from Tessmacher. Tess into the guardrail. Gail wants to pin Tess in the ring. Gail teases Eat Defeat, then tries Tess' finisher. Tessmacher counters into a pin for three. New champ! Thank God. I really wanted this to happen, given the push she's gotten over the last few months.

Well, I hope this whole Joseph Park character gets axed after this one. Park faces Bully Ray. Park basically comes out in workout sweats. "Yankees Suck!" chants from the crowd. Match basically starts with Bully taunting and Park whiffing on haymakers. Each time Park has an opening, he turns his back and Bully attacks. How freakin' stupid are you, lawyer boy?! Chair shots to Park's back. Big "New York sucks!" chants, which I'm glad Taz acknowledged. Table is in play. Nut shot to Bully, then a kendo stick to the head for two. Park knocked to the outside, then goes under the ring. Yup, Abyss comes out. Who didn't see that one coming? Abyss chokeslams Bully through the table, then goes back under the ring. Duh, Joseph Park then reappears a few seconds later to get the three. Not the most technically sound match, that's for sure. But the crowd was great.

For the record, there was a separate guy playing Abyss for the PPV. Fittingly, it was a student from the Team 3D wrestling school.

Hulk comes out to reveal the #1 TNA moment in the first 10 years. WTF, CHRISTIAN IS THERE?! Wow. How much did TNA pay Vince for that one? Huge "YES" chants again. Christian pokes fun at TNA going from the six-sided ring to four corners. He presents the #1 TNA moment: Sting returning in 2006 as Christian's tag partner to face Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown at Final Resolution. Really?! That's #1?!

Glad Christian got to appear. It was in TNA that he got a main event push. When he returned to WWE, Vince practically had to pull the main event trigger himself. Edge's retirement merely sped things up.

Tag title match is next. Great video package to hype this. One of the best storylines going right now. Styles with new music and entrance video. "P1" for "Phenomenal One." Fast start here because Styles wants to kick some ass. It quickly went back to a traditional tag match, but that's not bad when you have four of the top wrestlers in the company. Great double-team moves from Daniels and Kaz. Angle hot tag. Sweet double German by Angle. Crowd appreciated that one. Hot tag to Styles now. Reverse DDT-traditional DDT combo for Styles. Another awesome spot. Some new stuff from everyone, which is already amazing considering the vast moveset of all four guys. Outstanding spotfest ensues. AJ WITH THE SPRINGBOARD SHOOTING STAR! Haven't seen that in years. Fade to Black countered into Ankle Lock! Kaz taps and we have new champs. Best match of the night right there.

Sting video package. With Sting being the first TNA HOF inductee, you think he HAS to win the title now.

Sting out first to an enormous pop. Roode comes out with a new entrance video and a new robe. Borash with the main event intros. Bunch of stalling from Roode. Some offense from the champ but Sting keeps frustrating him. Roode tries to walk away, but that doesn't work. Sting has complete focus. Roode gets the upper hand eventually. Sting with the comeback. Scorpion Death Lock applied! Great stuff from Roode by teasing the tapout multiple times. Roode tries to run and Sting just attacks him anyway. No countout tonight. Stinger Splash to Roode on the guardrail! Now on the broadcast table. Scorpion applied again. Roode taps on the announce table, but duh, ref doesn't count it. Sting plays dumb and is like "how does that not count?" Roode grabs the six pack of beer from Storm's celebration. Sting blocks one, then gets nuked with another. Yeah those were real bottles, not some breakaway crap. Roode gets three and the crowd boos.

Sting then gets up all busted open. Takes out Roode and the ref. Suplex on the entrance ramp to Roode. Scorpion Death Drop off the stage onto probably a padded table. Roode escaped, but the feud looks like it will continue. While I liked Roode retaining, Sting just may win the rematch, if there is one. That I continue to not be a fan of. It would be a feel-good story for the new Hall of Famer to win the gold, but what else does that do? Sting's career is winding down. It's the young faces who need to be lining up to topple Bobby. This is why I wanted Storm to come back against Roode, instead of ending Crimson's streak.

The PPV was overall a great one. Several prime matches here. Solid opener, strong finish. Crowd explosive throughout. Christian's appearance was a nice surprise, and for all those reasons, it merits a nice rating. ***3/4

5/13/12 Sacrifice

Ratings:
Christopher Daniels & Kazarian vs. Samoa Joe & Magnus: ***

Gail Kim vs. Brooke Tessmacher (Knockouts Title): **3/4

Devon vs. Robbie E vs. Robbie T (TV Title): *1/2

Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Hardy: **1/4

Crimson vs. Eric Young: *1/4

Austin Aries vs. Bully Ray: ***3/4

Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles: ****1/4

Bobby Roode vs. Rob Van Dam (Ladder; World Title): ****
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Reviews/Thoughts:
Earl Hebner comes to get Roode's title so he can hang it for the ladder match tonight. Needless to say, Roode's pissed and complaining.

Tag title match starts the PPV off. Magnus impressive, catching Daniels on a crossbody and lifting him up for a delayed vertical suplex. Champs dominate early, then Daniels with the heel tactics to seize control. Heels isolate Magnus. Joe gets the hot tag and goes to town. Double-team on Joe leads to STO from Daniels for two. Daniels gets nuked good by Joe in the corner, snapmare into flying elbow only gets two because Kaz pulled Magnus out of the ring. Nice high clothesline-low sweep from Kaz and Daniels gets three. New tag champs. Solid opener.

Knockouts title match next. New ring attire for Tessmacher, Captain America-like colors, with Undertaker-like  coat (no hood). As a note, Gail actually got married a few days ago to chef Robert Irvine, congrats to the newlyweds. Brooke tries Gail's own finisher early on for mind games. Crowd is somewhat into it, which is nice to see. Gail in control for much of the match, fairly slow pace. Wow, not often that I see a woman hit a top-rope elbow. Gets only two for BT. BT goes for her finisher, countered. Gail tries Eat Defeat, countered. BT hits Eat Defeat on Gail! GK to the outside. BT had to roll Gail in, and that cost her, only two.  Gail uses the rollup with the ropes to cheat and escape with the title. Very good match, was the proper way to end it.

Great promo from Kaz and Daniels gloating about their title win and sticking it to AJ some more.

Triple threat TV title match next, although it'll resemble more of a handicap match. Devon isolates Robbie E early before Robbie T starts getting physical. Basically the Robbies double-team Devon before Devon makes a comeback. Robbie T with a powerslam on Devon, and here goes the ol' heel arguing about who should win the title. Devon physically introduces the Robbies to each other, then Robbie T rolled up for three. Robbie T looks pissed, but they reconcile. Vintage noogie! Robbie E should never hug another guy ever again. Awkward.

Anderson and Hardy starts with ground moves from Jeff. They fight on the outside, Hardy still in control. Anderson attacks Hardy's left arm. Hardy hit a Mic Check on Anderson?! Anderson later hits Twist of Fate on Hardy. What's with the talent doing other wrestler's finishers so much now? Totally destroys the awesomeness of that scenario. Senton by Anderson, but Hardy with the knees up. Swanton by Hardy...only two! Hardy atomic drop, goes for his heels to midsection move with Anderson's legs spread.Anderson blocks and rolls Hardy up for a close three count. On replay, looked like Hardy kicked out before three. Slightly awkward, not sure if that was supposed to be the end. Christy Hemme announced it pretty quick, so it probably was planned that way. Anderson acts surprised. They shake hands and a friendly embrace after the match. Would be a decent explanation to extend the storyline.

Video shown of Abyss resurfacing on Impact. JB has Joseph Park in the crowd. Joseph is not surprised if Abyss appears tonight. He wants Aries to kick Bully's ass.

Crimson again comes out. Open challenge. Brian Hebner to the ring. Bullies Hebner to ring the bell and count. At about eight, here comes Eric Young and ODB. Really?! ODB calls Crimson a douche. EY has some nice moves and chases Hebner. You can tell ODB wants to get involved. Nice suplexes and throws from Crimson. ODB with the liquid courage but Crimson shoves her down. Not on Spike TV, so that's fine. EY's pissed. Again, EY checks on ODB. Opening for Crimson to hit Red Sky for three. Actually better than I thought it would be.

Hit up Bully Ray on MySpace! Aries doesn't back down from the bully. Now it's Bully who wants Aries to calm down. More stalling in the ropes. Bully gets caught in the nuts (by AA kicking the ropes). Bully uses power to get the upper hand. Spit to Aries' face. Aries biting the calf of Calfzilla! Whoa, Aries got kicked when on the top rope, and he flew into the barricade. Ouch. Aries in a bad way now. Back probably hit the guardrail; it's all bruised. Bearhug by Bully. Big Rock Bottom-like move got two for Bully. NICE, lifted Aries up into an Ace Crusher for two. A solo 3-D! Bully with the chain. Joseph Park makes his voice heard and face seen. Bully assaults Park as Aries hits his dive through the ropes. Aries a house of fire now. BRAINBUSTER! One, two, NO! Wow. Bully for a powerbomb, countered! Last Chancery! Bully taps! Best match of the night so far.

Time for Angle and Styles. Angle's put on weight in the last few months. AJ with the mat wrestling! Very good start. Angle quickly shows Styles who's the king of all that. Angle tries to give AJ a chance to take him down with the leg, Angle ducks, and walks right into a kick. Numerous counters out of the Clash and Ankle Lock. Outstanding stuff even on the floor. If there are three things you can expect between these two, it's counters, a consistent flow, and nice crowd reaction. Each guy got great time for a bunch of offensive moves. Huge springboard Superman punch to Angle on the outside! AJ landed pretty hard. Angle still quick well into the match. Amazing conditioning. Styles with the Clash! Only two! Angle Slam a bit later, and that only got two. Angle tries the Clash, blocked. Ankle lock countered. AJ hurricanrana countered. Angle hits the Styles Clash?! Only two!!! Wow. Angle badly misses a moonsault. AJ springboard senton for two. I think he wanted the 450 but wouldn't have been able to flip over to finish it. Kaz and Daniels interfere. Angle doesn't see the interference. Angle Slam...TWO?! Ankle lockwith grapevine, and AJ taps. Excellent match.

Kaz and Daniels attack AJ post-match. Angle doesn't like it and decks Kaz. Respect for AJ and Angle. Awesome.

Facebook poll: fans pick RVD to win there. Duh. Roode with another promo.

Time for the ladder match. RVD out first, then Roode. Roode looks nervous. Main event intros. The usual wrestling to start. Spills to the outside. RVD with his 360 guillotine legdrop on the guardrail. RVD just impales himself headfirst when taking a DDT. To me, the best part of the match was seeing the ladder in the supporting role, instead of just seeing ladder shots every 2 seconds. Slingshot by Roode, and RVD's head gets caught in the ladder. Wow. RVD suplexes Roode on the ladder, then springboard moonsault. Roode wedged in the corner by a ladder. RVD gets a chair. He dropkicks the chair and the ladder into Roode. Ouch. RVD goes for the title, and Roode cuts him off. OW, spinebuster to RVD on the ladder. RVD comeback. Monkey flip on the ladder. Rolling Thunder! RVD's elbow is busted and swollen. RVD misses the five-star and crashes on the ladder. RVD to the outside. Crowd is very much into it. Roode sets up the ladder and slowly climbs. RVDtries to do the Spiderman spot onto the ladder but misses. Roode falls off to play along. RVD leg twists badly in the ladder. Roode gets the other ladder. RVD tries to stop Roode. Roode knocks RVD off and Rob's head hits the chair. Roode climbs and takes the belt down to retain. Another excellent match.

Trainer comes down, but RVD looks pissed. Not sure if he's just mad at himself.
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I really liked the show. Fairly solid from top to bottom. The knockouts match impressed me the most; it showed that Gail is the proper person to carry the division, and she's turned Brooke Tessmacher into a legitimate threat. She made BT look awesome in that match.

OK, I really, REALLY don't like how so many matches here had people stealing finishers. It just cheapens its use. It wasn't necessarily novel coming into this one, but it should really be saved for the huge feuds. Otherwise, great stuff. Slammiversary is June 10. ***3/4

4/15/12 Lockdown

Ratings:
Garett Bischoff, AJ Styles, Austin Aries, Mr. Anderson, & Rob Van Dam vs. Eric Bischoff, Bully Ray, Gunner, Christopher Daniels, & Kazarian (Lethal Lockdown): **1/2

Samoa Joe & Magnus vs. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley (Cage; Tag Team Titles): **

Devon vs. Robbie E (Cage; TV Title): *

Gail Kim vs. Velvet Sky (Cage; Knockouts Title): *3/4

Crimson vs. Matt Morgan (Cage): *1/2

Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle (Cage): ***3/4

Eric Young & ODB vs. Sarita & Rosita (Cage; Knockouts Tag Team Titles): 1/2*

Bobby Roode vs. James Storm (Cage; World Title): ***1/4
__________________

Reviews/Thoughts:
Usually, you can win any of these cage matches by pinfall, submission, or escape cage unless otherwise specified. An exception is Lethal Lockdown (described a bit below).

Storm segment from earlier in the day, packing up to head to Lockdown. They're in Storm country tonight.

And whoa, we start with the Bischoff Lethal Lockdown match! Team Garett huddles together. Garett wants to start. He wants to earn respect. Nice. I laughed when Aries wanted to go last. A-double is awesome.

Remember, if Team Garett wins, Eric Bischoff is gone and can no longer use the Bischoff name. If Eric's team wins, Garett is off the roster permanently. I guess we know who's winning now, but let's see how it pans out, yes?

Predictably, Gunner is out first. Again, Team Eric gets the advantage, so another Team Eric member enters after three minutes, then both teams alternate one extra member into the match until all ten guys are in the cage. Only after all ten guys in the ring (with weapons) do pins or submissions matter. Gunner beats Garett down for three minutes, and then Bully Ray enters. Ouch. Team Eric really frontloading with brawn in this one. Very methodical beatdown, and quite boring. Glad it's only five total minutes. Crowd wants Aries. WOOHOO, they get Aries! House of fire for A-double. Team Eric sends out Kaz -- new shaved head look -- as the third guy. Garett still getting nuked for eons now. Third guy for Team Garett is AJ Styles. He tags Kaz with the fist and the cage. Big stuff from Styles until Bully bowls him over. Again, heels mostly back on the offensive. Daniels is the fourth man out for Team Eric. Pretty clear Eric himself would have been last anyway. Gunner throws Garett like a dart into the cage. Pretty sure GB has gotten maybe 15 seconds of offense and gotten an asskicking the rest of the time.

Anderson is the fourth guy for Team Garett and comes out swinging. AJ showing major power by slamming Bully down. Kaz and Daniels take it out on AJ. Eric Bischoff comes out last for his team. Eric holds up his son as Bully tees off with those lethal chest slaps. Kaz kicks Garett square in the face. Reading the Riot Act to Garett. RVD out last for Team Garett, so all ten guys are in the ring. House of fire for RVD while Eric cowers in the corner. Anderson with his trademark pose, but no mic. The roof of weapons lowers instead! Goalie hockey stick, garbage can lids, guitars, etc. Garett is all busted up. AJ and Aries bring Eric in the hard way. RVD wants a five-star frog splash, but Gunner cuts it off. Aries thrown into the cage.

Kaz and AJ hang from the top of the cage. I think Kaz wanted to get to the top of the cage, but fell. AJ with the elbow drop and then RVD five-star frog splash. Bodies everywhere. Bully with a boot to AJ, Van Daminator to Bully. Angel's Wings to RVD. Daniels grabs Garett. Eric comes in the ring. Nice counter, perhaps a cutter (couldn't quite see) from Garett. Eric with kendo stick shots to his son. Garett rallies and hits a guitar shot on his dad to score the pin. It was fine, but just too scattered. Crowd reaction could have been way better.

Tag title match next. Feels weird to have a traditional tag match inside the cage. Not bad action, but crowd is pretty listless right now. Sabin got beat down good, but got the hot tag to Shelley. Magnus counters Sliced Bread #2. Sabin with a power bomb on Joe, wow. Magnus eats the steel. Shelley with a double foot stomp from the top, but Joe saves it. Joe eats the steel now. Guns with great double-team moves, but no dice. Joe with the choke on Sabin. Sliced Bread to Magnus, so Joe has to break that up. Why is the crowd NOT caring?!?! Oh right, it's TNA. Shelley nearly got three on a rollup. Sliced Bread countered. Joe takes out both Sabin and Shelley. Snapmare and flying elbow for three. Good, but crowd killed things.

TV Title match next. I actually forgot Devon won the title. Shows how much TNA cares about that belt. Title looks awesome, at least. Rob Terry refuses to get out of the cage, so Devon helps him. Nice to see Devon had cut all that weight from 1-2 years ago. Devon gets beat down early. Even Devon's comeback doesn't fire the crowd up. Spinebuster gets three for Devon. Rob Terry beats Devon down after the match.

Morgan doesn't care about the steak, he just wants revenge. The cage is a prison cell tonight. Great promo.

Knockouts title bout between Velvet and Gail. No releasing pigeons again from Velvet, and Taz is again disappointed. Madison accompanies Gail to the ring. Gail attacks from behind and we're underway. Velvet tries quick pins, to no avail. Gail missile dropkick from the top impresses Taz, but tough crowd tonight. Good submissions from Gail, working on the leg. Gail is doing what she can, although too many restholds for me. Gail is confident, then goes for that flying body attack in the corner, but meets the cage. The crowd sorta cared there. Velvet with the comeback. Nice sunset flip powerbomb from Velvet but only  two. Damn. Madison runs interference. Gail caught trying to escape, Velvet rolls up for two, then Gail gets her own rollup for three. Deflating, to say the least.

Flair in the ring. Hogan's music hits and Hulk arrives. Flair blames Hogan for ending Eric Bischoff's career. Flair is pissed and Hogan decks him. Well, that filler time was the most vocal the crowd's been all night. Flair snaps even more.

Time for Morgan and Crimson. Crimson tries to leave the cage but eats the steel. Morgan could walk out and win, but remember, MM wants revenge. Morgan chokeslam is countered and Crimson chop blocks Morgan's left leg. More basic, yet effective offense. Nice back suplex from Morgan. Crimson sandwiched between a flying Morgan and the cage. Morgan misses the carbon footprint. Crimson tries to escape over the top, but Morgan gets to him in time. Morgan crotched on the top. Morgan shifts his feet to get his foot caught in the ropes, so Crimson can just escape over the top. This could have been booked so much better. Good grief.

Finally, a match that should be a show-stealer. Angle and Hardy. Angle's right leg heavily taped, but he could deliver a killer match with two bad legs. Hardy thrown into the cage and Angle takes over. Hardy either hits big or crashes big. Crowd is the loudest it's been for any wrestling match so far. Hardy sends Angle into the cage and fights back. Whisper in the Wind gets two. How nice of Taz to finally realize Hardy's Twist of Fate now looks like a stunner. Hardy to the top, Angle catches him with an Angle Slam from the top! Sweet. Very close near fall. Front few rows on the camera side are standing. Angle wants to escape over the top, but Jeff gets to him. Hardy now escaping. Angle gets the leg, but Hardy tosses him off. Hardy jumps back into a variation of a frog splash for two. Never saw that before. Crowd FINALLY is into it. This is indeed awesome. Hardy almost out the door, but ankle lock. Jeff counters into an ankle lock of his own! Countered out. Twist of Fate again! Swanton from the top rope! A second one! WTF ONLY TWO?!?! Unreal. Angle lured Hardy in and sent Jeff into the cage. Angle Slam, but only two! Angle pissed. Angle Slam countered...and HARDY hits an Angle Slam! Shirt's off. Super Swanton from the top of the cage for three!

Knockouts tag titles now on the line. Sarita and Rosita tried to tempt EY during the wedding on Impact, not it didn't work. ODB and EY wearing Predators NHL jerseys for a cheap pop. EY is still nutso. ODB bowls both Sarita and Rosita over to start. EY wants to be the ref! ODB gets beaten down and the temptresses try to woo EY. ODB's not happy and fights back. Don't think EY was ever legally in the match. Just a flat match...again.

World title match finishes the show. Storm out first, and he comes out in his truck. He takes a six pack of beer bottles to the ring. Crowd is happy, but they're not going completely nuts. Roode out next. The belt is super lengthy....

Storm doesn't wait. They fight outside the cage. RR into the steps. Still not officially underway as Storm continues the assault. Storm misses with the chair and RR fights back. Still outside the cage. Storm's busted open, and they finally get inside the ring. Storm's wife is in the crowd.

Storm doesn't stop the intensity, wanting RR to hit him. RR gets the better of the deal and extends the beatdown. Insulting slap to Storm in the corner. Storm enraged now. Here we go! Eye of the Storm countered. Storm still gets a back sweep, catapulting RR into the cage. RR meets the steel again. Storm gets the Eye of the Storm this time, but only two. RR out of nowhere with the RR spinebuster for two. Crowd still too quiet for me. This is a damn world title match, fellas!

RR meets the turnbuckle. Codebreaker and backstabber-like moves for two. Desperate move by RR, elevating Storm into the cage. RR wants to escape through the door, but Storm has the foot. RR great job with the crossface! They roll into the ropes. Both guys on the top rope. Storm's head goes into the cage. RR tries to go over the top but Storm gets him. More trading punches on the top, then they ram each other's heads into the cage. One more cage shot and RR is down. Storm going over the top, but he changes his mind. Tenay and Taz say RR may have flipped him off or something. Super Codebreaker move from the top!

Storm warms the leg up for Last Call. Brian Hebner eats the kick instead. RR at the door, telling Earl Hebner to give him a beer bottle. Earl obliges. RR nukes Storm with it. RR yells at Earl to get in the ring to count the slow three. One, two...NO! WHAT?! Thought it was over. RR is stunned. Crowd was somewhat surprised, but I swear they're all hibernating except for Storm's cheering section.

Last Call superkick! But note that RR rolls closer to the cage door. Another Last Call sends Roode out the door. Unfortunately, that means Roode retains because he "escaped" the cage.

Roode continues to win by controversial means. I like that he's still champ, since he's got amazing heel momentum, but come on. At a certain point, he has to win clean or lose by some means. Hopefully, this means another rematch down the road somehow.

I do NOT want Sting to be the one dethroning Roode for the title. I think it's acceptable that Sting ultimately plays a hand in costing Roode the gold, but I would like Storm to come out on top in the end. Perhaps that'll be at Slammiversary -- their version of WrestleMania.

The PPV overall was not that great. The crowd was mostly dead. The two best matches were predictable to pick. Lethal Lockdown was fine, but again could have been better. Then again, a lot could have been better here. *3/4

3/18/12 Victory Road

Ratings:
James Storm vs. Bully Ray: 1/4*

Zema Ion vs. Austin Aries (X-Division Title): **

Samoa Joe & Magnus vs. Matt Morgan & Crimson (Tag Team Titles): *1/2

Devon vs. Robbie E (TV Title): *

Gail Kim vs. Madison Rayne (Knockouts Title): DUD

AJ Styles & Mr. Anderson vs. Christopher Daniels & Kazarian: **1/2

Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy: ***1/2

Bobby Roode vs. Sting (No Holds Barred; World Title): ***1/4
__________________

Reviews/Thoughts:
Bully Ray promo at the start, and crowd starts "We want Devon!" chants. Bully wants his match with Storm to be for the #1 contendership at Lockdown. Vintage hostage taking! Storm says Bully's calves are chicken legs. Chicken legs are probably trending worldwide.

Didn't think that match would start the show, as I was certain something X-Division-related would have that slot. Bully spilled beer! That's never good. Sure enough, Storm caught him with the Last Call. Vintage beer spitting moment! Storm wins a short match. Why the hell was this at the start?!

Borash tries to interview Aries, but Eric Bischoff steps in. Looks like they are going with a take on the real interview Bischoff gave trashing Borash (look it up if you don't know what I'm referring to).

Ion comes out first, then Aries. Fun stuff at the start, trading arrogant/cocky segments. Aries tweets during a match. Yeah, don't see that one very often. Aries with control early, then Ion. Pretty formulaic match with extra theatrics. Ion puts the hairpsray in his tights. Crowd loves Aries more than Ion, that's for sure. Ion distracts ref by bringing the title in, then sprays AA. Rollup only got two, classic Ion stunned reaction. Nice AA powerbomb counter out of the corner. Blinded AA gets help to find Ion, brainbuster gets three. Not bad. And "Austin Aries" trended worldwide on Twitter. Awesome.

Tag title match is next. Seems pretty clear who will win here and how. Crimson unbeaten for 14 months -- as in he hasn't been pinned or forced to submit. All about the technicalities! Crimson keeps telling Morgan he's got things under control, refusing to get Morgan in the contest. Morgan grows more agitated by the second. Crowd wants Matt in the match. Magnus gets the hot tag to Joe, and Crimson again refuses to tag Morgan in. Morgan drags Crimson to their corner and tags himself in. Crimson does the same thing a bit later. Predictable argument, then Crimson leaves the corner. Crimson says he's the winner of the team. Morgan flips the double bird. Crimson spears Morgan, leading to Magnus and Joe retaining. As expected, official severing of Morgan and Crimson as a tag team. Let the singles feud resume!

Borash is back to let Roode cut a promo. Storm gets in RR's face. Storm wants to fight Roode now. Roode walks away.

Here we go with the Robbies. Open challenge #2. It's happening tonight -- open challenge to anyone in the Impact Zone. How fun. Me! Pick me! Oof, he dissed the large women! I woulda paid to see Robbie and SoCal Val go at it. Come on!

Vintage Robbie posing. Uh oh, it's a trimmed-down Devon! HA, Brian Hebner on the mic, and he said "ass" to big Rob! WTF, Brooke Hogan?! She tried to grab the chair from little Rob. There are Hogans everywhere, dangit! Small comeback from Devon, and a spinebuster gets three. That's it? Lame.

How the hell has TNA been in business for 10 years?! They'll be in Dallas (Dixie's hometown) for Slammiversary. UT-Arlington's new arena. Cool beans.

Knockouts title time. So I guess we have five titles on the line tonight. Seems like Taz is down with the latex on Gail. OK, the crowd can go back to being mostly dead now. Faint split chants. Gail with that missile dropkick, but Madison seemed a bit close to the ropes, so Gail took a hard splat on the mat as well. Crowd is still dead. Really feeling sorry for the ladies at this point. Madison goes for her finisher, but Eat Defeat "out of nowhere" for three. Well, that filled time.

At least "Gail Kim" trended worldwide on Twitter.

Tag match with AJ/Anderson vs. Daniels/Kaz was good. Since they know each other very well, there were many counters. But dammit, the crowd. They need to be injected with more life. Cool spot with Styles landing on his feet after getting monkey flipped. Clothesline and a Pele. That was awesome. Hot tag to Anderson. Great counter by Daniels on AJ's backflip inverted DDT attempt. Nice finish with AJ countering the Fade to Black into the clash.

Split chants for Angle and Hardy. Finally, TNA's version of a lively crowd shows up! Nice battling on the outside. Angle did the Cactus Jack bump with the steel steps. Hardy crashed and burned against the steel barricade. This was a pretty slow-paced match here. Hardy's Twist of Fate looks like a Stunner now. Angle kicked out of another Twist of Fate, which didn't draw a huge gasp from the crowd. Didn't understand Hardy just gingerly walking to Angle, only to get kicked in the gut. Really? Angle's cut up. Angle slam gets two, and crowd is saying it's awesome. Angle chokes Hardy with those arm sock bands. Third Twist of Fate. Conditioning on these two is amazing. Swanton hit! Angle counters using the ropes. Ref in an overall poor position but counts three. Great match overall.

Main event title match. Champ out first, then Sting. Dixie cheering Sting on. Borash main event intros. "You still got it" chants for Sting. Icon with upper hand early as the chants get a little louder. RR tries to walk away but that's not working here. "Over here!" chants from the crowd, telling Sting to go where they are. Haven't really heard that too often. Stinger Splash on RR against the rail! Figure four on Sting. Reversed after a few minutes. Crowd cheers for this one. Vintage Sting hulking up! Sting attacks RR's legs to set up for the Scorpion Death Lock. Sting gets it on and with great ring positioning before RR gets to the ropes.

RR gets a chair, and it's in the middle of the ring. Sting counters. Scorpion Death Drop...OH SNAP. Sting's head snapped back into the chair hard. Hope that was planned because that hurt like hell. He hit the chair so hard that he broke the seat off its hinges. RR covered for three in another shady finish.

Post-match, RR gets another chair and grabs Dixie. All in the ring now. RR threatens Dixie, Sting tries to intervene but gets cut down. RR duct tapes Sting to the bottom rope in one of the corners. RR leads Dixie to the opposite corner. RR wants to deck Sting with one final chair shot but Dixie crawls over and lies down as a shield on Sting. RR wipes a bunch of Sting's sweaty face paint on Dixie. "Fire Bobby!" chants from the crowd as the show goes off the air.

Must admit, the last two matches and the post-main event segment had the most crowd reaction.
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Yet another so-so PPV, in my book. The last two were physical and by far the best of the night. Even when Angle is going much slower than he usually does, he's still an amazing athlete.

I was very happy with the heel reaction Roode got after the match, and I thought the finish was fine. He's the top heel, winning in underhanded or controversial manners, and now Roode's really gotten to threatening Dixie Carter even more. The focus should be on strengthening Roode's heel run. This sets up Roode and Storm at Lockdown. I can't tell for sure right now if TNA will just let Storm win at Lockdown, but I'd just go with the title change because Roode already has a (controversial) win over Storm during his reign. **1/4