TNA Impact Wrestling 8-15-13 - Hardcore Justice

[MGFanJay]

This was a really fun show. It wasn't the best Impact ever, but it greatly exceeded my expectations going in, which honestly weren't that high given how little hype they gave it. The KOs match was a different kind of good than the Gail-Taryn matches we're not going to get for at least a year or so assuming Taryn gets back into wrestling after giving birth. The 4-way ladder match was very good without being too crazy.

The table match was the most impressive match, with some awesome spots throughout it. It felt strange to have a show called Hardcore Justice with no hardcore matches and so many 4-ways. 3-ways would've at least been an homage to ECW. Maybe Bully coming out to Tito's theme was one for WCW. Main event was far better than the original Bully-Sabin match - shame Sabin lost it here, as if they'd had this good a match before, maybe his title reign would've gotten off to a better start.

 

http://jayreviewsthings.blogspot.com/2013/08/tna-impact-wrestling-8-15-13-hardcore.html

 

Screens -

 

 

 

 

http://www.imagebam.com/gallery/9yfuo537t4j3xqpjyjd24gorey5i5upf

[Overly Critical Man]

WHY TITO WHY?

[cool arrow]

So I wonder if Rampage is going to be selling the hammer shot "next week" so he won't be in the match either.

[rzombie1988]

I reviewed TNA "Many of Butts" Impact here:
http://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2013/08/tna-impact-wrestling-8152013-results.html

Overall thoughts: I didn't like the show that much. I found most of the matches disappointing and all of the stuff involving Tito was lame. Bully retaining the belt is also something I'm not interested in.

Some shots from the show:



 

[hammerva]

That might be the only way to make the Bellator PPV match interesting between Rampage & Tito. Make it the first ever hammer on a pole MMA match.

[Overly Critical Man]

I hope Tito gets a "Kicked Many of Butts" tshirt.

[DreamBroken]

Figured Bully was winning the title back, but didn't see the shocking swerve~! coming. Sabin just never came off as a top guy. Great Ortiz/Rampage build though. Enjoyed the ladder & table match as well as the knockouts 3 way. Glad they dropped Velvet from the initial tag and made it just that three way instead, good stuff. Too bad Taryn's out, would've liked to see her win the title at BFG.

[Tim Evans]

So when is War Machine gonna join Bad Influence and Roode? Maybe Eddie Alvarez can join the reunited LAX? Way too much talking on this show that supposed to be a free PPV. I liked the women's match and the tables match though. Mickie James is the best character by far. I kinda want to see her vs AJ Lee when her contract is up.

[MGFanJay]

I hope Tito gets a "Kicked Many of Butts" tshirt.

With "Across the World and the USA" on the back. I demand BSW get on that.

[DylanWaco]

I got duped into watching most of this and I actually cannot believe anyone thought the show was good.  The hour and a half I saw was among the worst wrestling shows I've ever seen

[mco543]

I agree with Dylan. This show was abominable. TNA is getting so tough to sit thru that it's got to be rivaling any other horrible promotion in history. Sabin as champion was a complete waste of however long he held it and he was booked to look like a jobber and an idiot in that match tonight. TNA is probably doing a better job booking the stuff for Bellator than they are booking their own shit. I did enjoy Mickie and Gail seemingly competing against one another to see who could throw the phoniest and lightest strikes during their match though.

 

I know I made this joke with Tito showed up but fuck it I seriously want Inoki to lead some type of shooter invasion of TNA now. If TNA is going to suck they might as well rip off late 90's-early 00's New Japan and not late 90's-early 00's WCW.

[Phantom Lord]

The DVDVR Twitter was the best part of tonight's show. So much talking. It really is amazing no one in TNA has a talk show gimmick.

 

Does Roode/Bad Influence have a group name yet? They should have just kept Aries in the group and reformed Fourtune. The Appletini of DOOM was great though. Of all the things Jeff Hardy has put into his body, he should be immune to Vodka at this point.

 

The segment where Aces & Eights beat down on the MEM was just weird. It seemed like it got cut short because it didn't go the way it was supposed to. All that was missing was a director saying "okay, lets just take it from the top". Poor Sting though. He really is 0 for the century when it comes to trying to get people to tag with him. I really hope when his contract is up this year he finally says okay the hell with this, calls up Triple H and gets a huge pay day for a Taker/Sting match at WM 30 and that is that for him. I love Sting, but man TNA just continues to throw his legacy deeper into a pit of dispair.

 

The cage match was all right. I didn't like the lack of blood. Did Spike TV suddenly sanitize TNA with the lack of cursing (Sabin saying feces) and now blood in matches that warrant it? I am glad though that Chris Sabin finally figured out the worst thing you can do to a biker (next to touching his bike) is touching his "cut". Why no one else has used this as a plot point I don't know. These guys are supposed to defend those vests with their lifes. Ehh, the ending was as dumb as one could expect it to be. Saw the Tito thing coming from two weeks ago. If TNA were smart, they would at least get Bully Ray and Sting to accompany their respective guys to the cage at November.

 

Overall TNA is really circling the drain right now. They have to do something drastic and this cross promotion with Bellator where Bellator doesn't do jack shit for them isn't gonna be it.

[DreamBroken]

Does Roode/Bad Influence have a group name yet? They should have just kept Aries in the group and reformed Fourtune. The Appletini of DOOM was great though.

 

I don't think they've used it on TV, but on Twitter they've been using the name EGO (Extraordinary Gentleman's Organization) and they've been insistent that Fortune is dead and there will be no 4th member.

[Spontaneous]

I like how Sting reformed the MEM because no one had his back versus Bully Ray. So right before Bully's big rematch he leaves. "Don't know if we can trust Tito, see you next week!" Isn't leaving before the main event a no-no? Why Sting?! When is his current contract up? WM30 in New Orleans versus Taker, come on Sting. We will love you for that 'til the end of time.

 

Although I did like after meeting with Aries "Yeah, I hate him too now."

[Overly Critical Man]

Look, when Tito has assured you that he's kicked many of butts across the world and the USA, you don't need to stick around. You trust him to be there to kick many of Aces and Eights butts because you're Sting and you stupidly trust everyone no matter what.

[epwar]

I actually went to see this show live in Norfolk last night.  Hadn't followed TNA since 2003 or so (same for wrestling in general) but went on a whim with a good friend who also liked them back in the day.  Anyway, it was a really fun show that flew by.  The company kept things flowing and it never dragged.  A bunch of new folks/groups I'd never heard of (Aces & Eights, Magnus), but a lot of old familiars (I was surprised to see AJ Styles doing an emo gimmick now).  As a huge MMA fan, it was totally bizarre to see Rampage and Tito there.  The best match was definitely

Manik vs. Sonjay Dutt filmed for next week.

 I've always been a fan of the X-Division guys and they brought it.  

[epwar]

So I wonder if Rampage is going to be selling the hammer shot "next week" so he won't be in the match either.

 

Well, I can tell you

that Rampage does fight in the main event.  AJ Styles comes out as the mystery fifth member of the Main Event Mafia team and he wins the match by pinning Devon Dudley (not sure what his new name is), so he is the one "fired."  Post-match, Devon stayed in the ring and got a standing ovation from the crowd, so I assumed he retiring is legit.

[cool arrow]

Well, I guess it'd be pretty easy to hide him in a 10-man.

[RIPPA]

The live audience also has the benefit of not sitting through the 24545230846 hours of commercials

[Kevin Wilson]

I actually went to see this show live in Norfolk last night.  Hadn't followed TNA since 2003 or so (same for wrestling in general) but went on a whim with a good friend who also liked them back in the day.  Anyway, it was a really fun show that flew by.  The company kept things flowing and it never dragged.  A bunch of new folks/groups I'd never heard of (Aces & Eights, Magnus), but a lot of old familiars (I was surprised to see AJ Styles doing an emo gimmick now).  As a huge MMA fan, it was totally bizarre to see Rampage and Tito there.  The best match was definitely

Manik vs. Sonjay Dutt filmed for next week.

 I've always been a fan of the X-Division guys and they brought it.  

 

I was wondering if I was the only DVDVR person in the house.  I don't follow TNA much either but I had a good time, felt it was worth my money.  The hardcore matches seemed a little... by the book.  Not that they took no risks, they just didn't try to set any new bars, felt like just "standard" tables and ladder matches.  But the two shows together definitely made it worth it, I agree with you about the best match, it was a fun one.

[Kevin Wilson]

One thing I didn't know is that neither Impact is actually live.  I knew of course the second show was taped, but the "live" show last night actually started a little after 7 PM and ended at 9:05 PM EST, while it airs (here anyway) at 9 PM EST.  I guess that gives them an hour to do some quick edits.

[LooseCannon]

I was looking up something on Wikipedia to see if one of my theories about next week was consistent with past history and the article I was looking at included a spoiler for next week's taping (confirming my theory, which I admit was kind of obvious).  I tend to be rigid in my avoidance of spoilers.  Grrr.

[Hooker]

 

Does Roode/Bad Influence have a group name yet? They should have just kept Aries in the group and reformed Fourtune. The Appletini of DOOM was great though.

 

I don't think they've used it on TV, but on Twitter they've been using the name EGO (Extraordinary Gentleman's Organization) and they've been insistent that Fortune is dead and there will be no 4th member.

 

So let the speculation of the 4th member begin!

[caley]

Finally got around to watching the rest of this.

 

-Hardy-Styles-Kazarian-Aries was okayish with a stupidly booked ending.  Like, why did Roode have to distract the referee so Daniels could Appletini (*Sigh*) Hardy in the face?!  Isn't the whole gimmick of the show that there are no DQs?!  That's what Tenay and Tazz kept saying all night.  BTW, I don't think there's a more cringe-inducing move in all of wrestling right now than Austin Aries clap-his-hands-behind-his-opponent's-head move.  That shit is the WORST.  He does it so slowly (to get a louder clap sound) that it's always...always obvious that he's simply clapping his hands behind somebody's head and then that guy looks like an idiot selling it.  I also enjoyed the part where Aries threw a punch at someone outside and bounced his arm back at himself after punching the rope.  That double-ladder collision into the two guys standing on the apron was nuts, though.

 

-Loved Sabin coming out of catering carrying the title, like he just carries it everywhere.

 

-A&8-MEM interview/fight was just dumb.  Especially the part where the vicious bloodthirsty biker gang stops beating up the guys they're going to face next week because their music starts playing.  At least get some security guys in there to break it up or something.

 

-ODB-Kim-James was fun enough though I still find anything/everything ODB does just annoys/kinda disgusts me.  I did enjoy her taking her bra off to choke people with but losing to the other half and just having it hanging out of her shirt while wearing another bra leading to a great Tazz quote: "How many bras is this chick wearing?!"  

 

-As much as I was praising WWE for John Cena being the ultimate tweener, TNA is the master at creating tweeners.  Just not in a good way, but in a "Are we supposed to like this guy?" way.  I mean, Austin Aries has been getting a face push lately, because the crowd is totally into him.  So when Sting goes and asks him to help out, what does the brave good guy do?  He turns him down.  Off-camera.  With no reason given, so it just looks like he's a total coward.  Which makes him a face?

 

-Rampage-Tito promos weren't bad, actually.  For two guys with minimal wrestling training, they pulled this off better than two guys who've been trained/taught in the system for years, like Cody Rhodes and Damian Sandow.  "Many of butts" was definitely a highlight.

 

-Joe-Anderson-Magnus-Roode was okay.  Again, not sure why the ref has to be distracted so bad guys can throw another appletini in a guy's face.  Just for the record: Duct-tape covered hammer > Appletini > Steel Chair > Bra > Kendo Stick in terms of what is the most effective weapon at keeping someone down on tonight's show.  Tazz celebrating Roode getting the win when his own "brother" in there was baffling, too.

 

-Main wasn't bad, which I chalk up mostly to Bully being entertaining.  Swerve was a swerve but I actually thought it was going to be Tito and Rampage turning on MEM.  I guess this makes more sense.

 

Special shout-out to my favourite quote of the night when Tazz was running down Magnus and mocked his white tie and said he had a white tie like for his confirmation and Mike Tenay said something like "Nobody cares" and Tazz went "Thanks...my mom cares."

[Ace]

-As much as I was praising WWE for John Cena being the ultimate tweener, TNA is the master at creating tweeners.  Just not in a good way, but in a "Are we supposed to like this guy?" way.  I mean, Austin Aries has been getting a face push lately, because the crowd is totally into him.  So when Sting goes and asks him to help out, what does the brave good guy do?  He turns him down.  Off-camera.  With no reason given, so it just looks like he's a total coward.  Which makes him a face?

 

Aries' character is the entertaining asshole that Anderson tried to be. Basically, his character hasn't changed, they're just not booking him as a heel because the crowd will pop for him regardless.