Match 1: WWE Tag Team Championships - John Morrison & The Miz (c)
vs. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder vs. Jesse & Festus vs. Finlay
& Hornwoggle
Always a pleasure to hear Mick Foley on
commentary with Jim Ross by his side for the SmackDown team. Fun opening
match to get the flow of the show going as everybody got in a good
amount of offense in which is tough in these types of tag matches. Good
combination of action and straight silliness. Fun start to the show with
Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder scoring their first tastes of gold. Foley
& Ross are just as gold on the headsets.
Winners: Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder
Rating: **
Match 2: United States Championship - Matt Hardy (c) vs. Shelton Benjamin
Always
forgot how over Matt Hardy was in 2007-2008. Hardy was drafted to ECW
and brought along the United States Championship with him as Shelton
Benjamin looked to bring it back to the blue brand. The crowd was pretty
damn hot for this one as the dueling chants amongst the WWE crowd was
very apparent. Great wrestling match that gradually picked up while
keeping a smooth pace throughout. What's there to say here about these
two? Good chemistry from two veterans of the game looking to steal the
show. Benjamin is able to knee Hardy in the face as he attempted a
Moonsault before Benjamin hit the Paydirt for the win as the crowd popped
big. Great undercard match between two of the company's top underrated
stars of 2008.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Rating: ***1/4
Match 3: ECW Championship - Mark Henry (c) vs. Tommy Dreamer
As
Mark Henry made his way out to the ring, Tazz pointed out that we have a
third title change in just as many matches to start off the night. Mike
Adamle hilariously responded with, "Let's hope not." On that note, it's
always cool to see Tommy Dreamer in some sort of PPV role. Same can be
said for Henry, I always thought that he was one of WWE's best heels and
his reign as ECW Champion showed that. A badass and dominant heel with
zero remorse and zero care for the fans or his opponents. Henry
dominates throughout with Dreamer finally scoring some offense in before
his buddy in Colin Delaney turns heel and grabs Dreamer's arm as he
came off the top rope which allowed Henry to score the finish. Henry
laughs it off with the belt over his shoulder afterwards. Such a jerk
heel, got to love it. While the match was pretty whatever, I liked the
unexpected turn from Delaney.
Winner: Mark Henry
Rating: *1/4
Match 4: Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
From
the critically acclaimed feud in 2008, Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
at The Great American Bash turned things up a notch for both the show
and their bitterness. I discussed earlier about the great chemistry in
the Hardy vs. Benjmain match, but I don't think I could even compare
that to this. The chemistry between Jericho and Michaels is just on
another atmosphere. Starting the match off in an aggressive and smart
manner. You felt the hatred between the two but they just built every
next move like it would be the last. I don't remember a time when
landing a suplex from the top rope could end a match, but these two sure
as hell made it seem that way. While I'm normally not one who likes
interferences in matches, the inclusion of Lance Cade just felt right.
The slimy Jericho doing anything and everything in his power to get the
advantage. Things took a huge turn when Jericho landed an elbow to the
injured of eye of Michaels. Blood began pouring out of Michaels as
Jericho's stunned look became a sign of things to come. The remainder of
the match saw Jericho pound on the eye as the referee begged Michaels
to give it up. Jericho was relentless as he systematically beat down
Michaels until the referee couldn't take it and called for the bell.
Jericho stood with Cade next to a bloody and battered Michaels
afterwards. Unbelievable performance from all parties involved. The
wrestlers, the referee and the commentators all did an incredible job.
The feud was already on fire. This match just poured the kerosene and
made things that much more interesting.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Rating: ***3/4
Match 5: Divas Championship - Michelle McCool vs. Natalya
This
is the debut of the hideous Divas Championship as the SmackDown brand
gets a new title for the ladies. A pretty dull Divas match here that saw
Michelle McCool submit Natalya with a heel hook as they both screamed
for about a full minute as the lock was applied. Yup.
Winner: Michelle McCool
Rating: 3/4*
Match
6: World Heavyweight Championship - CM Punk (c) vs. Batista (Taken from
Batista - The Animal Unleashed DVD (Disc 2) Review)
CM
Punk was booked like an absolute champ in 2008 as the champion for the
red brand. Things didn't look too good for him as he had an animal in
his way, Batista. If you haven't figured it out by now, Batista is
almost booked as generously as John Cena. The commentators would not
stop reminding us how Punk was the underdog of the match. The two worked
a really good match around that story, Batista was fantastic in looking
stronger while Punk was just as good in looking fast and cunning.
Batista was understandably in control throughout the entire match but
Punk wouldn't let up, putting his best efforts forward and made himself
look like a legitimate contender. Credit to Batista for that, too.
Batista hit a Spinebuster outside and once he rolled Punk back in the
ring, Kane appeared out of nowhere and attacked both men which led to a
disqualification. Punk raises his belt in front of Batista after Kane
left and then handed out a Batista Bomb to Punk. I'm not sure what just
happened. Is Batista a heel? Was Kane's interference absolute necessary?
And why exactly did Punk raise the belt after a disqualification
victory?
Winner: CM Punk
Rating: ***
Match 7: New York City Parking Lot Brawl - JBL vs. John Cena
Can
you imagine the WWE doing something like this in 2016? If it did
happen, it'd be a completely watered-down version. Everyone seems to
have a very, very different opinion and I personally am on the minority
side of things. They brought out all the stops and didn't hold back.
It's like this PPV wanted to get every last bit of blood and violence in
before transitioning over to PG. From fire to straight beating each
other with cars and foreign objects, this was a brawl. Even though
nearly all of the match was filmed in the back, it was still a joy to
watch. They finally brought the fight in front of the audience where JBL
tossed John Cena off the top of the stage and onto the windshield of the car they brought out. JBL covered Cena for the win as Cena has a nasty gash on the side of his arm. Cool finish to a really different type of match we're accustomed to seeing. Seems like whenever the WWE tries something different, they get hit hard for it. But whenever they do the same thing, they get hit hard again for it. You just can't please everyone. This was fun. However, I question why JBL got the victory.
Winner: JBL
Rating: ***1/4
Match 8: WWE Championship - Triple H (c) vs. Edge
Mick Foley noted on commentary that this would be the first singles encounter between the two for the prestigious WWE Championship. Interesting fact considering how many times they've crossed paths. Really loved the dynamic here, Edge was a crazed man looking to score his revenge on Triple H for ruining his wedding while looking to capture gold at the same time. Incredible how Edge can change from a cowardly heel into a ruthless one with one snap of the fingers. Foley also noted how Edge is doing all he can without the help of La Familia by his side. Great match that was a a pretty even bout between the two before Alicia Fox came in to make the save for Edge. However, Vickie Guerrero tries to stop her but earns a Spear from Edge for her troubles. The crowd's reaction along with Edge's stunned face was priceless, Triple H plants Edge with a Pedigree for the big win. As great as this match was, it felt strange watching this. It almost felt like Triple H was an afterthought within the whole situation between Edge and Guerrero. But it all made sense, Edge was ready to step foot into the Hell in a Cell with The Undertaker while Triple H was taking more steps into becoming SmackDown's biggest dog.
Winner: Triple H
Rating: ****1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
One of WWE's stronger PPV offerings from a strong PPV year in 2008. Definitely one that gets overlooked. A good range of violence and great wrestling. Despite a couple questionable finishes, the show delivered a better outing than what it said on paper. The main event remains one of my favorite 2008 matches and definitely one that unfortunately gets lost in translation. If you have the WWE Network, then you should definitely check out this great July PPV!
Rating: 8.25/10
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Monday, July 4, 2016
TNA Hardcore Justice 2010 Review
Match 1: The FBI vs. Kid Kash, Simon Diamond & Johnny Swinger
Taz opens up the show to fire up the Orlando crowd before these six old guys come out to start things off. I seriously can't believe that this ECW thing was still relevant in 2010. Or at least TNA tried to make it relevant. Halfway through the match, Simon Diamond stops the match to turn it into a dancing competition as the drunk 40-year-old fans in the audience start cheering. Surprisingly decent opening match here that saw The FBI score the win. Still, this was way too much for anyone to digest. It felt like they were all over the place and doing way too much, even if this was the opening match.
Winners: The FBI
Rating: *1/4
Match 2: CW Anderson vs. Too Cold Scorpio
Second match features more old guys as CW Anderson takes on Too Cold Scorpio who got a pretty big pop. Another basic match here that saw Scorpio hit his sweet finisher to score the win. While the match was pretty basic, it's tough to watch and see these old guys struggle to land the most fundamental wrestling moves. At least Scorpio was able to hit that sick inverted 450. I know we're only two matches deep, but this show is becoming very difficult to watch. Sure, Scorpio got a nice pop and all but man, how old is this dude? How exactly is the company putting a huge focus on these guys?
Winner: Too Cold Scorpio
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: Stevie Richards vs. P.J. Polaco
Stevie Richards comes out with some of The Blue World Order guys and looks to P.J. Polaco, better known as Justin Credible. Should be noted that Richards looked to be in incredible shape. Another bland match for the night that had Richards going over before being attacked afterwards by Polaco with a Singapore Cane. But the lights go out and out comes The Sandman who beats him down to close the segment. Nothing more than to have Sandman make a brief appearance with his huge beer belly.
Winner: Stevie Richards
Rating: *
Match 4: Elimination - Brother Runt vs. Al Snow vs. Rhino
No, this isn't a 2003 edition of Monday Night Raw. It's TNA Wrestling in 2010. A three-way dance held under elimination rules that saw some fun action for a bit as Brother Runt was able to eliminate Al Snow before Rhino hits a Gore to pick up the quick win. Just another nostalgic match to get these guys on the card before we go into the main events. Not really much else to say, a couple cool spots but nothing else more.
Winner: Rhino
Rating: *1/2
Match 5: Old School South Philadelphia Street Fight Falls Count Anywhere - Axl Rotten & Kahoneys vs. Team 3D
Axl Rotten & Kahoneys come out to issue an open challenge. By the way, Balls Mahoney is Kahoneys. Team 3D come out to accept and they quickly take the fight to the stands. Does TNA have to do this for every PPV? It's tough to watch the match and indulge what exactly is happening when they split the screen into two small screens as they follow the guys outside. They finally take it inside where Kahoneys and Brother Ray have a lightsaber fight. I'll admit, that was actually pretty fun to watch. The match ends when Team 3D drive Kahoneys through a flaming table. New Jack & Mustafa Saed come out to beat down Team 3D before all the men embrace each other to close out the segment. Typical TNA street fight with some lightsabers and a flaming table added to the mix. Seriously, what year is this?
Winners: Team 3D
Rating: **
Match 6: Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer
They billed this match as the final showdown between the two with Mick Foley serving as the referee who quickly let the competitors know that he's placing no disqualification rules. Raven cut a great promo before the match and stares down Tommy Dreamer's family before the match. Why exactly are his kids watching this? Some good action here which was expected from the two veterans who tend to have good chemistry when working together. They tried to keep the tension hostile but it became so hard to take seriously when all the interferences and shenanigans came to play. Raven was able to handcuff Dreamer and hit him with a DDT onto a steel chair for the victory. A good bloody match but not enough for me to justify it as the co-main event.
Winner: Raven
Rating: **1/2
Match 7: Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu
Since Jerry Lynn was unable to go against Rob Van Dam due to injury, Sabu wrestles in his place. The always annoying Bill Alfonso is there to support both guys. At least he kept blowing the damn whistle to a minimum. Sabu looked pretty sharp, almost as if he's never looked this good. The action was fine but the atmosphere never screamed main event to me. It felt more like another lame attempt at TNA trying to recapture some old nostalgic moments, only this time in the main event. Good effort from the two that finally saw Sabu dive through a table on a missed attempt of an Arabian Skullcrusher. RVD then hit a Frog Splash for the win. Good match with a nice flow to it despite the annoying Alfonso becoming the third guy of the match. Was this enough to justify the show? Hell to the no. This would make more of a better opening match than anything. How exactly does the company benefit from something like this? Afterwards, the elderly ECW guys come out to toast. Cringing would be the best word to describe this.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This show was a pretty easy thing to point to when someone asks why TNA doesn't get it. We shifted the focus from old WCW guys to old ECW guys. This is 2010, fuck bringing back the past again. Nobody wants to see these guys anymore, when will these companies get it? Why the hell is so much focus being put on these older guys that don't even work regularly for the company? I just don't get it. If anyone wants to watch a hardcore reunion of sorts, then go back to the One Night Stands of 2005 or 2006. I'm glad that reliving the past is kept to a minimal now in 2016 compared to 2010. Were they trying to recreate the old One Night Stands? Or were they actually trying to move forward by going in reverse? This shit was just embarrassing. You ever wonder why this sport has such a bad reputation? Look no further. Give me December to Dismember 2006 over this.
Rating: 2.5/10
Taz opens up the show to fire up the Orlando crowd before these six old guys come out to start things off. I seriously can't believe that this ECW thing was still relevant in 2010. Or at least TNA tried to make it relevant. Halfway through the match, Simon Diamond stops the match to turn it into a dancing competition as the drunk 40-year-old fans in the audience start cheering. Surprisingly decent opening match here that saw The FBI score the win. Still, this was way too much for anyone to digest. It felt like they were all over the place and doing way too much, even if this was the opening match.
Winners: The FBI
Rating: *1/4
Match 2: CW Anderson vs. Too Cold Scorpio
Second match features more old guys as CW Anderson takes on Too Cold Scorpio who got a pretty big pop. Another basic match here that saw Scorpio hit his sweet finisher to score the win. While the match was pretty basic, it's tough to watch and see these old guys struggle to land the most fundamental wrestling moves. At least Scorpio was able to hit that sick inverted 450. I know we're only two matches deep, but this show is becoming very difficult to watch. Sure, Scorpio got a nice pop and all but man, how old is this dude? How exactly is the company putting a huge focus on these guys?
Winner: Too Cold Scorpio
Rating: *1/4
Match 3: Stevie Richards vs. P.J. Polaco
Stevie Richards comes out with some of The Blue World Order guys and looks to P.J. Polaco, better known as Justin Credible. Should be noted that Richards looked to be in incredible shape. Another bland match for the night that had Richards going over before being attacked afterwards by Polaco with a Singapore Cane. But the lights go out and out comes The Sandman who beats him down to close the segment. Nothing more than to have Sandman make a brief appearance with his huge beer belly.
Winner: Stevie Richards
Rating: *
Match 4: Elimination - Brother Runt vs. Al Snow vs. Rhino
No, this isn't a 2003 edition of Monday Night Raw. It's TNA Wrestling in 2010. A three-way dance held under elimination rules that saw some fun action for a bit as Brother Runt was able to eliminate Al Snow before Rhino hits a Gore to pick up the quick win. Just another nostalgic match to get these guys on the card before we go into the main events. Not really much else to say, a couple cool spots but nothing else more.
Winner: Rhino
Rating: *1/2
Match 5: Old School South Philadelphia Street Fight Falls Count Anywhere - Axl Rotten & Kahoneys vs. Team 3D
Axl Rotten & Kahoneys come out to issue an open challenge. By the way, Balls Mahoney is Kahoneys. Team 3D come out to accept and they quickly take the fight to the stands. Does TNA have to do this for every PPV? It's tough to watch the match and indulge what exactly is happening when they split the screen into two small screens as they follow the guys outside. They finally take it inside where Kahoneys and Brother Ray have a lightsaber fight. I'll admit, that was actually pretty fun to watch. The match ends when Team 3D drive Kahoneys through a flaming table. New Jack & Mustafa Saed come out to beat down Team 3D before all the men embrace each other to close out the segment. Typical TNA street fight with some lightsabers and a flaming table added to the mix. Seriously, what year is this?
Winners: Team 3D
Rating: **
Match 6: Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer
They billed this match as the final showdown between the two with Mick Foley serving as the referee who quickly let the competitors know that he's placing no disqualification rules. Raven cut a great promo before the match and stares down Tommy Dreamer's family before the match. Why exactly are his kids watching this? Some good action here which was expected from the two veterans who tend to have good chemistry when working together. They tried to keep the tension hostile but it became so hard to take seriously when all the interferences and shenanigans came to play. Raven was able to handcuff Dreamer and hit him with a DDT onto a steel chair for the victory. A good bloody match but not enough for me to justify it as the co-main event.
Winner: Raven
Rating: **1/2
Match 7: Rob Van Dam vs. Sabu
Since Jerry Lynn was unable to go against Rob Van Dam due to injury, Sabu wrestles in his place. The always annoying Bill Alfonso is there to support both guys. At least he kept blowing the damn whistle to a minimum. Sabu looked pretty sharp, almost as if he's never looked this good. The action was fine but the atmosphere never screamed main event to me. It felt more like another lame attempt at TNA trying to recapture some old nostalgic moments, only this time in the main event. Good effort from the two that finally saw Sabu dive through a table on a missed attempt of an Arabian Skullcrusher. RVD then hit a Frog Splash for the win. Good match with a nice flow to it despite the annoying Alfonso becoming the third guy of the match. Was this enough to justify the show? Hell to the no. This would make more of a better opening match than anything. How exactly does the company benefit from something like this? Afterwards, the elderly ECW guys come out to toast. Cringing would be the best word to describe this.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Rating: ***1/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
This show was a pretty easy thing to point to when someone asks why TNA doesn't get it. We shifted the focus from old WCW guys to old ECW guys. This is 2010, fuck bringing back the past again. Nobody wants to see these guys anymore, when will these companies get it? Why the hell is so much focus being put on these older guys that don't even work regularly for the company? I just don't get it. If anyone wants to watch a hardcore reunion of sorts, then go back to the One Night Stands of 2005 or 2006. I'm glad that reliving the past is kept to a minimal now in 2016 compared to 2010. Were they trying to recreate the old One Night Stands? Or were they actually trying to move forward by going in reverse? This shit was just embarrassing. You ever wonder why this sport has such a bad reputation? Look no further. Give me December to Dismember 2006 over this.
Rating: 2.5/10
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