Hardcore Justice - TNA Impact Review

Bully Ray gets World Title Justice

By Phil Allely

Bully Ray became the TNA World Heavyweight at TNA's most recent HardCore Justice themed Impact Wrestling broadcast.

The Aces & Eight's president beat champ Chris Sabin (who beat Ray at the recent X Division themed Impact show, where Sabin's X title was forfeited for a shot at Ray's gold). On that occasion Ray fell to a hammer shot from Sabin.  Here Sabin had not only a cage match to contend with, but some cunning tactics by TNA's resident biker gang.

The match itself was a solid affair and saw Sabin (for the main) hold his own against the formidable might of Ray. However it is still hard to watch Sabin take serious bumps after his serious leg injuries of recent years. The key spots worked well and the ref bumps etc. added to proceedings well. The interference by A&8's Mr. Anderson (a cage door shot to Sabin) and run-ins by Rampage Jackson (Main Event Mafia) all led up to the title change.

Jackson easily removed Anderson from the equation, but the appearance of fellow MMA icon Tito Ortiz proved to be his undoing. As Ortiz pulled a swerve and struck Rampage with a hammer to eliminate his interference.

Ray was then left in a position to power bomb a prone Sabin to nail a three count and his second TNA World Title.

Elsewhere on the show Kazarian overcame Austin Aries, AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy in a very impressive  ladder match with 20 Bound For Glory series points at stake.  Kaz was aided in his win with an appletini wielding Daniels however.

Mickie James, Gail Kim and ODB then faced off in a triple threat scrap. As knockouts encounters go this was above average and worked well for the slightly underused ODB (who pulled off the win).

The BFG series tables match then saw Bobby Roode, Magnus, Samoa Joe and Mr. Anderson. This was a match that was face heavy for the most part. There were also some nice spots too. Roode netted himself a nice 20 point BFG score after yet another spot of interference from Daniels.

TNA Impact Wrestling: HardCore Justice also saw company president Dixie Carter acknowledge Kurt Angle entering rehab, the Main Event Mafia offering Austin Aries his spot in the upcoming team encounter with A&8's and much more.

The big news is that Bully Ray is now champion again and whether Sabin was purely a transitional champion rather than a genuine threat to the belt.

As many fans worry about TNA's cost-cutting and talent shedding matters, the flip side is that by doing so the company are ensuring they are a viable competitor to the WWE and will remain it as well.

TNA Live Review: TNA 10

TNA stars old and new take to the ring for the company's 10th anniversary.

By Phil Allely

In another of TNA's ongoing 'One Night Only' series of PPV style events the stars of Impact wrestling were able to step outside of the world of storylines and have some pretty decent matches. This time we were presented with a glimpse into the company's ten year history. The idea being we get to see many highlights form the the past ten years and maybe even se some old faces along the way. 

Kicking things off were Kenny King, Sonjay Dutt and Petey Williams in a nice X Division scrap. This should have been better, but it did do its job to build up momentum and interest in the show. King pulled off the win to a mild response.

Next up the Knockouts elevated things well with what became a well-paced scrap. Gail Kim did what she does best and took Velvet Sky to one of her best matches in ages here.  The ladies pulled out all of the stops as well. Velvet Sky's win really didn't harm Kim's reputation at all wither.

The 'Gauntlet Match' that followed saw some new faces and some old ones too. This was held under over the top rope rules and the the final two would be down to pinfall/submission  conditions. Shark Boy worked very hard throughout here, his fan base evidently are still out there. Jonny Devine made a monumental mistake in a rope based assault and caused his own ejection early on. The now gone Matt Morgan became the star of the show though and played his big man role well.  His win was not a surprise at all.

On the tag team front TNA have been lacking as of late. So when you are offered Bad Influence, LAX and Team 3D we viewers are not going to complain. All three teams raised their game here, 3D were in fine form and Kaz/Daniels were as expected as sharp as ever. The nice touch was Lax's reunion and the fact that they never lost a step. Supermex flew, Homicide risked his life as always and the team were on fire. 3D pulled off the win though after a well placed 3D.

Austin Aries and Jeff Hardy then went on to have a pretty decent encounter. The exchanges were crisp, well worked and much more here. Both men shared the stage here nicely and built the night to the level we expected.  Hardy's win was a favourable one we believe.

As tensions and the atmosphere grew former tag team partners James Storm and Bobby Roode took to the ring. What was nice here was that both me  knew each other so well and could counter almost every move. Roode may have pulled off the win, but he did have his feet on the ropes to achieve it.

The main event saw (now Main Even Mafia members) Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe embark on a wonderful in-ring  tale. As expected Kurt and Joe took things to a while new level here and both had their work boots on too. A well placed 'Angle Slam' saw Joe put way however.

The TNA 10 Year special was a fun addition to proceedings. The matches were for the main above par, the roster stepped up and we loved seeing events unfold. However many of us did hope to see more old school/veteran TNA stars appear.

TNA Pics Dublin January 2013

TNA Lockdown 2013 Review

TNA Lockdown Review 2013

By Phil Allely

In a perfectly pitched reveal/swerve TNA's Bully Ray not only won the World Heavyweight Championship, but proved that the long-running Aces & 8's storyline arc was well worth the wait too.

Ray's main event cage match with Jeff Hardy was a hard-hitting, back and forth affair. During the match Bully kept high-flyer Hardy at bay, unleashing solid shots on the champ. The match took a new turn when A&8's members hit the ring. Ray/Hardy joined forces to dispatch their collective foes. However things got interesting when Hulk Hogan and (Ray's wife) Brooke Hogan joined in the mayhem. During a scuffle with the Ace's Ray pulled off one of the best swerves in recent wrestling history.

He with an assist from his former tag team partner Devon nailed Hardy with a weapon to net himself his first World Heavyweight Title.

Post match Ray announced his true colours, as the President of Aces & 8's, shocking the Hogan’s and fan alike.

The event also offered up many exciting bouts. Some within the steel cage and the always entertaining Lethal Lockdown match was set to pit Team TNA against The Aces & 8's.

Kenny King successfully defended his X Division Championship. His opponents Zema Ion and Christian York were on fine form throughout. This opener did exactly what it should, it picked the viewer up and drew them into proceedings. King retained his gold after a well-paced finishing sequence.

The Joseph Park and Joey Ryan feud took a more comedy route next. Ryan and Park (Abyss) tried their best, but it never really gelled. Park overcame Ryan, to pull off his first ever TNA PPV win.

The Knockouts Championship encounter between Gail Kim and champ Velvet Sky was a short, but well-received affair. Kim's frustration with referee Taryn Terrell saw her slap the ref and fall to Sky whilst being distracted.

Robbie E and Robbie T then went toe-to-toe in a fun, but ultimately unexciting affair. Big man Robbie T's win was a well-earned one for the often underused Welshman.

There were fears that TNA Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode and Austin Aries title defence may not happen as rumours of Roode's contract situation unfolded. Thankfully all was good for all concerned and the match took place. Chavo/Hernandez were definitely the men to watch out for here. Roode pulled off the win for his team after all six men fought their way around the arena and traded some fluid exchanges.

The first cage match of the nigh saw Wes Brisco face former mentor Kurt Angle. The action was solid, but not spectacular. A ref bump and D-Lo Brown run-in allowed Aces & 8’s member Brisco to nab a surprise victory.

ACE & 8’s dominated the early stages of the always enthralling Lethal Lockdown match. Told well the action unfolded perfectly with the heel team having the numbers advantage for the majority of the scrap. Bischoff took the brunt of Team TNA’s assault. Things really kicked off when last man out Sting brought an assortment of weapons with him. There were some nice spots including a ‘tower of doom’ and Eric Young’s cage top elbow to win the encounter.

Team TNA’s celebrations over the Aces were short-lived of course, as the faction’s President was unveiled (Bully Ray) and he is now also the world champion too.

What this means for TNA we don’t know, but whilst one half of the Aces & 8’s storyline has unfolded, there are still many questions to answer. Its nice to see Ray & Devon back together, Ray as champ will freshen up the title picture.  Lockdown offered up some solid action, Lethal Lockdown, the tag team, X Divison and main event all delivered the goods, making it an above average TNA PPV.

 By Phil Allely

www.impactwrestling.com

---

Phil Allely

TNA PPV Review: Genesis 2013

By Phil Allely

TNA's opening salvo into the PPV world of 2013 saw World Champ Jeff hard retain his gold over the troublesome duo of Bobby Roode and Austin Aries.

Genesis was also the first of only four (real) PPV's for the company in 2013. This year will see (as your writer has hinted) scale back their PPV schedule to one that they can successfully build up to. The normal monthly scatter gun effect has been hit and miss at best,so a revamp was long overdue. We will now see the months in between the PPV's being filled with a stand alone themed event. UK fans will of course still see theses three hour offerings on Challenge for free. US viewers will get them at a reduced rate.

The opening match between the combos of Joey Ryan/Matt Morgan and Chavo Guerrero/Hernandez (for the TNA Tag Team Titles) was a fun encounter and a nice opener. Ryan took a nasty looking series of moves to lose this one for his team. Morgan must have been relived to have not tagged in there. The champs kept their gold once again.

Mr Anderson tackled Samoa Joe next. This big man outing was a fine one that highlighted Anderson's ability to perform well with the right foe. Joe fell to a mic check to see the Aces & 8's affiliate pick up a well-earned win.

Kenny King and Christian York's match to be the number one contender for the X Division rattled along at a fine pace next. York and King were on fine form and worked well together. York however was the man fortunate enough to pick up the pin fall, but a post-match beat down by King dampened things somewhat.

X Division Champ RVD hit the ring next. He and York's mutual respect was on the back burner here. Van Dam showed his renewed enthusiasm in the sport and York (in his second match of the night) had to dig deep to match him. RVD retained his gold, but did show respect to his fallen opponent post-match too.

In your reviewers mind the Joseph Park character has outlived his use. The return of Abyss must happen soon. His match with Devon here was bearable, but limited. Both men are capable of so much more. A&8's man Devon scored the pin to put this one to bed. The TV champ performed a post-match beat down on Park too.

The Knockouts Gauntlet cat fight for the No 1 contender spot picked up the PPV momentum however. This one was all about Gail Kim and the recently re-signed Velvet Sky. Kim put away the competition (Tessmacher, ODB, James) until Sky entered the fray and put her down for the three count.

Daniels versus James Storm was pretty decent outing for the talented pair. Each got the opportunity to highlight their skills and Kaz at ringside proved to be a useful component too. It was Kaz's interference that saw Daniels net himself a number one contender shot over fan favourite Storm. Storms time will come we are sure. (Your reviewer met the man himself at the Dublin live show recently, see our pic)

Stings match with A&8's member DOC proved to be a fun encounter. DOC and 'The Icon' fought in and around the ring here. Each trading the advantage, even with interference from a few Aces and 8's members this was the Stinger's night. Bully Ray made an appearance to stop the gang from beating down on his fellow face.

Jeff Hardy's World Title defence against Bobby Roode and Austin Aries was a perfect showcase for the trio involved. Hardy was on fine form, Roode was his usual dependable self and Aries highlighted just how vital he is to the main event picture in TNA.

The Roode/Aries combo work well together and if given a chance will become the pairing to rejuvenate the tag team scene.

The only downside here was Hardy's swift disposal of his opponents. Roode and then Aries were put away (unfortunately) too quick and we the fans were left feeling short-changed by the finish.

Perhaps the move to four main PPV's per year will see us loyal fans appreciate the TNA product more. The new format will allow the creative team time to build storylines and make feuds a lot more believable. The introduction of themed three hour events (to fill the gaps left by the missing PPV's) may just be what the company needs. These shows will concentrate on such areas as the X Division, Tag Team matches and much more throughout the year.

Genesis was a fair to good effort by TNA. Their subsequent UK/Ireland tour heralded exactly what your writer has said for many years. The Impact Wrestling live product has always been one you simply need to see and this year was nothing different. The tour may have lacked World Champ Hardy, but it did feature Sting and the much hyped TV tapings included title changes, Aces and 8's member reveals and live appearances by Hulk and Brooke Hogan.

By Phil Allely

Phil Allely Meets TNA Wrestlers, Dublin Jan 2013

This January Phil Allely caught up with a number of TNA wrestlers at the first night of the Maximum Impact UK/Ireland Tour. Here are some pictures, interviews and more coming soon.

Bully Ray Interview Highlights

Bully Ray recently spoke with The Phoenix New Times. Here are some highlights. How he reinvented himself in TNA: "Well, you have to reinvent yourself in this business. I was part of the most successful tag team in the history of pro wrestling, other than the Road Warriors, for 15 years. Twenty-three major world tag team titles and I've done just about everything you could possibly do as a tag team on the planet." Re-signing with TNA: "My business negotiations with TNA is my business and my business only. The only thing that you need to do is watch me on TV and pay-per-view." Devon leaving TNA: "I really could not care less about Devon. I haven't cared about Devon in almost two years. If Devon didn't let Chris Sabin kick out of the 3-D, I would've never blasted him in the back of the head and turned on him. Devon is not my concern. I have one business interest in Devon outside of TNA and that is [our] professional wrestling school, the Team 3-D Academy. Other than that, I really don't care about him. (When asked to comment on Devon's departure in a non-kayfabe way) "I don't understand. Non kay...what?... I'm giving you my legit answer. I...really...don't...care. Whatever he does with his time, and whatever he wants to do is fine. We have one business interest that is extremely successful, so we choose to continue with that successful business interest, which is our wrestling academy. Other than him deciding not to sign, his business. He doesn't want to be with TNA, his business. Whatever he decides to do with his life, his business." If he would return to WWE: "Pro wrestling is a business just like any other business, and you always go where the best opportunities and the best money is. So whenever it comes time to negotiate, I always leave myself open to make whatever the best decision is in my world, in my best interest. Sticking with TNA right now was in my best interest. When my contract is up with TNA, you never know. I might retire, I could end up with another company. You never know where you're going to end up and you never know if a company's gonna still want you around. So you always leave things open-ended. It's a smart move."