w/ Alex Archer & Violet Buttle
Jeff Hardy defeated Austin Aires & Bobby Roode in a Three Way Elimination Match to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Alex: Instead of coming up with an interesting story and finish for their main event triple threat elimination match, TNA decided to use the exact same formula that every other triple threat match that involves two heels and one face has always used. Roode and Aries picked apart Hardy, and then, inexplicably, Roode turned on Aries. I get it, he’s a heel that’s out for himself. That doesn’t mean he’s stupid. I’m not upset that Hardy won, but I am upset with the way the match played out. Your top heels shouldn’t act like bumbling idiots, especially if it doesn’t fit their character at all.
Violet: Hardy, Aries, and Roode all did a lot of good work during
their title match. I was pleased to see the elimination of Roode
happen so close to the actual finish or else Roode might have ended up
looking like the weakest link. I did, however, feel like the match
was a little too formulaic. It was obvious from the start that Roode
and Aries would team up until one of them would get the edge over the
other. It happens in every single triple threat match that has two
heels in it.
Sting defeated DOC
Alex: Another Aces & Eights member is soundly defeated by a member of the TNA roster. What's the point? I honestly feel a little bad for Aces & Eights. They just keep getting beat up, unmasked, and embarrassed. They haven’t had a win in or out of the ring in weeks.
Violet: Sting just isn’t believable as a wrestler anymore.
Christopher Daniels defeated James Storm to become the Number One Contender for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Alex: Christopher Daniels and Kazarian are easily the best thing going in TNA today. Their pre-match interview was top notch, and Daniels and Storm worked very well together. I’m happy to see Daniels getting a title shot in a few weeks, and I’m excited to hear what he has to say about Jeff Hardy. I imagine it’ll be hilarious.
Violet: I’m glad that Daniels won here. It’s about time he got a
title shot. Also, his act with Kazarian is too good to waste. They
could be a lot of fun in the title picture.
Velvet Sky defeated Gail Kim, Miss Tessmacher, ODB, and Mickie James to become the Number One Contender for the Knockouts Championship
Alex: The Knockouts gauntlet match wasn’t awful, aside from the officiating. I get the story they’re trying to tell (Gail cheated to the finals, then got cheated), but did they really need to make the only person currently officiating Knockouts matches look like a buffoon?
Violet: Who is the woman that is masquerading as Velvet Sky? Sky
must have gotten some plastic surgery done during her time away from
TNA. She’s hardly recognizable now. Looks aside, Sky has a terrible
finisher with a terrible name. I would have much rather seen Mickie
James get a long deserved title shot.
Devon defeated Joseph Park
Alex: It took Devon, TNA’s Television Champion, 11 minutes to defeat a guy who’s been training for 3 weeks. At least Aces & Eights got a victory, though, right?...
Violet: Joseph Park matches are way too formulaic for me to find them
entertaining. He gets beat up. Out of nowhere, he executes an actual
wrestling move. He gets beat up some more. He sees blood and wrestles
like Abyss. Every time. And no one ever makes a big deal out of the
fact that Park essentially turns into his missing brother every time
he sees his own blood. Park should be disturbed by these flashes of
Abyss, and he should be wondering where they are coming from. The
announcers and wrestlers should be treating him like they’re afraid he
might snap. A mentally unsound Joseph Park would be a lot more
entertaining than the goofy cartoon lawyer we get every week.
Christian York defeated Kenny King
Alex:
Kenny King and Christian York put on an exciting match. I was really happy that they showcased both mens athleticism and wrestling ability with a lot of fast paced offense and a ton of counters. I was surprised to see York come out on top, but I suppose this will lead to King continuing to act more heelish each time we see him.
Violet: I assumed King would win here, but I’m glad that he didn’t. I
think that this loss will allow him to develop more depth of character
than a championship win would have. King and York both looked pretty
good, despite a couple of sloppy spots here and there.
RVD defeated Christian York to retain the X-Division Championship
Alex: They did a good job of making York look like a trooper for hanging with RVD after his long match with Kenny King that ended with him eating a finisher. I still think it’s a mistake to have the X-Division Title around RVD’s waist, though. I’m still hoping this leads to King getting the title and feuding with guys like Zema, Dutt, and Sorenson once he returns.
Violet: This match didn’t have the X-Division feel that the one
before it did. Now, I’ve been saying this since he won the title, but
it is definitely time for RVD to drop the belt. I can assume that they
put the belt on him to bolster the X-Division while they build up some
new talent, but that isn’t what’s happening. Instead, guys like York
and King end up looking like they can’t compete with the veteran.
Mr. Anderson defeated Samoa Joe
Alex: This is honestly the part of the Aces & Eights I was most interested in. Anderson has a legitimate gripe with the TNA Roster. They left him high and dry and showed no concern after he got jumped. This would be the perfect time for Anderson to drop that ridiculous cadence from his voice and be a badass. He started to show that on the last episode of Impact, but hopped right back into it for his intro. The match was decent and the finish made sense, even if it was predictable and a bit of a letdown.
Violet: Honestly, I didn’t even watch this match. I took a
shower instead.
Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez defeated Joey Ryan & Matt Morgan to retain the TNA Tag Team Championship
Alex: Unless Morgan is ditching Joey Ryan and going solo already, keeping the titles on Chavo and Hernandez is a mistake. The TNA tag titles are like a non-title around their waists. And how about that powerbomb that Hernandez tried to kill Joey Ryan with? Brutal.
Violet: Chavo and Hernandez are the most boring tag team around,
yet they still hold the titles. And, not only is this team boring, but
they’re also pretty dangerous. Hernandez almost killed joey Ryan with
the world’s sloppiest powerbomb at the end of the match. As if it
isn’t bad enough that Ryan is booked like a jobber, now he has to face
near death experiences too.
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#FTLOW
Alex: This match was just too predictable. It was a good match up until the lights went out. From that point on, it was the cookie-cutter finish that everyone expected. I understand that Rock = $$$, but the man that was just champion for the last 434 days lost to an elbow drop. I don't care if it was the People's Elbow, it's still a damn elbow drop.
Alex: Here's another one that was pretty obvious. The Rumble match itself was a ton of fun. Jericho was a great surprise at number 2, and I popped big time for Goldust. In the end, Cena won, just like we all predicted. There's a lot that can happen between now and WrestleMania, but I fear we're in store for Rock / Cena 2: Once in a Lifetime... One Last Time.
