Alex: I can understand some of the anger towards TNA for taking the belt off of Aries, but I just don’t understand the anger towards putting it on Jeff Hardy. The guy got addicted to pain pills because of the way he wrestled for years, got about as low as you can get, accepted responsibility, got help, and has made amends. It’s pretty disrespectful to continue to call the man a drug addict and say he doesn’t deserve the TNA title. I’m a huge Aries fan. In fact, he’s probably my favorite TNA performer. His title reign was not great, especially from a ratings standpoint. Hardy is the third biggest name in the company and the biggest name on the active roster. When you need better ratings, you put the belt on a top name. If you don’t expect an Aries/Hardy feud that will stay in the main event for at least a few weeks, you’re crazy. They put on a great match and will put on several more before this feud is through.
Violet: Aries and Hardy work exceptionally well together, and I am already looking forward to their rematch. Both men were faster and more exciting than they otherwise are when they work with any of the other top guys in the company. This was a great match to end a great PPV with. I was, however, disappointed by the harsh reaction to Hardy's win on Twitter. Sure, he's made mistakes; but what wrestler (or even: what person) hasn't? He appears to be back on track, and he's been chasing the title for months and months. I say it's about time the strap is his.
Aces & Eights defeated Bully Ray & Sting
Alex: Just when we thought the Claire Lynch storyline was the worst they could do, they reveal Devon as a top Aces & Eights member. It was shocking, I’ll give them that, but not in a good way. I certainly didn’t see it coming, but only because it barely makes sense and because it’s the reveal that absolutely no one was hoping for. The match itself was bad, and considering the fact that Hogan made it no disqualification, the whole TNA locker room not hitting the ring immediately was just stupid. The feud went from feeling very main event to feeling mid-card at best.
Violet: Devon? Really? How long was that the plan for? Even though he wasn't outed last night, I'm still not convinced that Bully Ray isn't somehow involved in Aces & Eights. He could be back in cahoots with Devon, his long-time tag partner. And I have to hope that Bully Ray's Sting face paint was ironic. Bully Ray would never paint his face like Sting and mean it, right?
Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Hernandez defeated Christopher Daniels & Kazarian and AJ Styles & Kurt Angle for the TNA Tag Team Championship
Alex: The first half of this match seemed to move in slow motion for me. Things did eventually pick up in what turned out to be one of the better matches of the night, but the finish was more crap. Chavo and Hernandez? Absolutely no one cares about either of these guys. TNA dropped the ball on Chavo from the start (not that he’s a huge somebody anyway), and Hernandez just isn’t all that entertaining. Daniels and Kazarian have been the best tag team in all of pro wrestling over the last few weeks, so hopefully they’ll immediately chase and regain the titles.
Violet: Kaz and Daniels have been so entertaining as the champions that it makes no sense to take the belts off of them right now. They're like the TNA equivalent of Team Hell No. They can do no wrong.
James Storm defeated Bobby Roode in a Street Fight
Alex: The blowoff match of this feud was amazing. Storm and Roode both played their parts masterfully throughout the match. Great action, great story, and great execution. King Mo was pretty unnecessary here and I think he could’ve been better utilized elsewhere on the card, but at least he didn’t do any damage to the match itself. Match of the night, possibly match of the year.
Violet: This was everything I expected it to be and more. While I am typically bored by Storm, I couldn't take my eyes off of this match (well, except for when thumbtacks were involved...they make my stomach turn). I am baffled, however, as to why this match aired as early as it did. It was so good that if left me worrying that the remaining matches would end up falling short.
Samoa Joe defeated Magnus to retain the TNA Television Championship
Alex: Joe and Magnus really set the bar for the night. Joe looked strong with his chokeout submission victory, and Magnus looked great in defeat. This was probably the second best match of the night in my book. I hope they find a creative way for this feud to continue and for Magnus to get the better of Joe at some point.
Violet: Of course Magnus lost, but at least he looked good while doing so. I can only hope that he gets the push he deserves someday. In the meantime, Joe and Magnus have great chemistry, so hopefully Joe's predictable victory doesn't end their feud.
Rob Van Dam defeated Zema Ion for the X Division Championship
Alex: Zema and RVD opened the night with a pretty good X Division Championship match, but this was the first in a night of strange finishes. RVD is clearly a bigger name than Zema, but he’s also almost twice his age, too big for the X Division, and has no story in the X Division. Yeah, having the X belt will get you a Heavyweight shot at Destination X, but there’s a long way to go until then. I was really expecting Zema to hold the title until Jesse Sorenson returned to avenge his injuries and win the strap. Hopefully this leads to a RVD / Zema feud and Zema eventually goes over. Otherwise they’re just wasting his talent and wasting the X Division Championship on a guy who doesn’t need it.
Violet: Sometimes I swear that the TNA creative team is made up of the dumbest people ever. Months ago, when they had the Destination X tournaments, the live crowds went crazy for the X Division matches. Why wouldn't they use those guys in their current X Division matches instead of predictable old RVD? Furthermore, Ion's title reign was nothing short of lackluster. He's a talented, charismatic guy who has everything he needs to front the X Division, but they simply never gave him the chance to do so.
Tara defeated Miss Tessmacher for the TNA Knockouts Championship
Alex: Tessmacher just doesn’t have it in the ring. Tara did an ok job of making up for it, but this was a clunker of a match. I’m glad Tara got the win, but the Hollywood boyfriend reveal fell flat on its face. “Who are you?” chants were very well deserved.
Violet: While I was pleased by Tara's victory, I was letdown by the reveal of her "Hollywood" boyfriend. Who is he? How many people actually recognized him? I was still hoping that it would be Joey Ryan.
Joey Ryan defeated Al Snow
Alex: Al Snow looked to be in great shape and didn’t show any ring rust. On top of that, the crowd was into Head big time. Matt Morgan was a surprise, and it’ll be interesting to see if he just let Joey Ryan survive at the end, or if they are somehow in cahoots. I hope they’re in cahoots.
Violet: As excited as I am to know that Ryan won a TNA contract, I'm disappointed by how pathetic he was made to look during the match. And, why on earth did Matt Morgan interfere? Does he have something against Al Snow? His interference was confusing and unnecessary. I would have liked to see Ryan win this on his own merit.
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