“Extreme Invitation”
Opening Match: TNA Global Title: Rob Terry © vs. AJ Styles
Kazarian accompanies Styles to the ring and they seem to be getting along. Styles connects with a slight kick and conducts a celebration. Terry responds by using his power advantage. He blocks a springboard attempt with a military press. Styles avoids a chokeslam and connects with an enzuigiri. Terry answers with a spin kick and knocks Kazarian off the apron. Styles almost finds success on a quick rollup. Kazarian trips Terry up on a suplex attempt and Styles falls on him to become the new TNA Global Champion at 3:04. I could sit here and complain about how the match wasn’t built to and all that stuff. However, Styles holding any title is good news and TNA probably wanted the new Fortune stable to have some gold. The booking was rushed but consider the circumstances: Rob Terry doesn’t have the title anymore and Orlando Jordan can’t come back to jumpstart his title chase. *½
Velvet Sky and Lacey Von Erich catch Madison Rayne gossiping about them in the locker room. Rayne claims that she will be handed back her TNA Knockouts Title tonight.
Match #2: Taylor Wilde and Angelina Love vs. Madison Rayne and Sarita
Earl Hebner makes Love surrender her belt back to Rayne before the match. Everyone starts brawling. Love and Wilde suplex Rayne. Love spears Sarita and Wilde adds some strikes. Sarita attacks Love from behind but Wilde starts brawling with her. Love hits a flatliner on Rayne for the win at 2:22. It’s tough to properly put over hatred in two minutes. ½*
The mysterious biker woman rides down to ringside. She helps Rayne and Sarita attack Love and Wilde. Velvet Sky and Lacey Von Erich watch from the entrance ramp. Von Erich leaves with Rayne, much to the dismay of Sky. So the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions don’t get along? Standard.
Match #3: Kurt Angle vs. Hernandez
Hernandez is #7 in the rankings and this could be Angle’s last match if he can’t beat him. You know, because Hernandez might win here. Hernandez hits a slingshot shoulder block and a backbreaker. Angle catches him up top with a superplex. Angle hits rolling german suplexes. Hernandez responds with a modified gourdbuster. Angle avoids the Border Toss and hits the Angle Slam for a nearfall. He misses a moonsault and Hernandez pounces him. Angle reverses a delayed vertical suplex into an ankle lock for the victory at 6:00. This was a nice sampling of what these two could do together. Although it’ll probably be a long time before these two ever wrestle again, I’d like to see a rematch. **¼
Kevin Nash comes to the ring after the match and hugs Angle. Nash calls out Jeff Jarrett, who makes his way to the ring. Nash isn’t sure if this whole Sting situation is Sting’s fault or Jarrett’s fault. He says that there’s young guys in the back that look up to Jarrett. They are the victims. Jarrett talks about how Nash played politics to bring Scott Hall and Sean Waltman into TNA. Nash ends the promo by saying that someday Jarrett’s three kids will realize that their dad is a prick.
Match #4: Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Hardy
Hardy retreats to the floor and high fives some fans in the front row. Joe connects with multiple strikes. Hardy responds with some of his own. Joe takes over with more strikes and a knee drop. He connects with an enzuigiri in the corner and hits a powerslam. Hardy comes back with his hesitation dropkick in the corner. Joe hits a powerbomb and transitions into an STF. Hardy makes the ropes and fights off a rear naked choke. He hits Whisper in the Wind. They trade strikes and the time limit expires at 10:00. The match was going along nicely and they have a solid setup for a rematch on pay per view. I highly doubt TNA will go down that route because they might actually sell pay per views by doing so. **½
Match #5: Matt Morgan vs. Mr. Anderson
Anderson tries a couple quick pin attempts to start. Morgan connects with *vintage* repeated elbows in the corner and hits a side slam. He follows with a fallaway slam and a few lariats. Anderson blocks a discus elbow with the Mic Check for the win at 3:24. Too short and it kind of made Morgan look like an idiot. *
Morgan hits Anderson with his microphone after the match to compensate for losing in three minutes.
Match #6: Street Fight: James Storm and Robert Roode vs. Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley
This is the second match in a best of five series. Beer Money is ahead 1-0. The Motor City Machine Guns charge the ring and start brawling. Storm whips Sabin into the entrance ramp. The MCMG catch Roode with a barrage of strikes. Shelley catches Roode with a knee from the apron. Sabin dropkicks Storm off the apron. Roode blocks a dive from Sabin with a chair shot. Shelley flatlines Roode into a chair but falls victim to a backcracker from Storm. Sabin dropkicks a chair into Roode’s face. Shelley misses a plancha to the floor. Roode lays out Sabin with a spinebuster. Shelley utilizes a kendo stick and Roode accidentally clotheslines the referee. Sabin takes out Roode with a garbage can shot but accidentally baseball slides Earl Hebner into the guardrail. In the ring, the MCMG hit a sliced bread-powerbomb combination on Roode but there’s no referee. Storm hits Shelley with a beer bottle and wakes up the referee for the victory at 6:44. Definitely not as good as the ladder match from last week. I don’t like how they were trying to put over Beer Money stealing another win. It’s a street fight, Storm can legally use a beer bottle. The action was still good until the finish. Now we’re in a situation where it’s almost guaranteed that the MCMG will win the next two matches. However, as long as the matches are consistently solid, I don’t care if they’re predictable. **½
Brother Devon confronts Brother Ray backstage about the ECW invasion. Devon wants to help them but Ray doesn’t seem so willing.
Christy Hemme is with Rob Van Dam. He’s very happy about the ECW invasion and has high hopes for Dixie Carter’s upcoming announcement.
Dixie Carter makes her way to the ring. She thanks the fans and has noticed their love of hardcore wrestling. Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, Stevie Richards, Mick Foley, and Raven are introduced and walk down to the ring. Dixie compliments them. Foley thanks her for giving him a second chance after being fired. Dreamer talks about the similarities between the original ECW and TNA. He also explains that he felt closure at One Night Stand 2005. However, the rebirth of ECW in 2006 made him quit his job. Dreamer says that there is no ECW invasion. He asks Dixie for one night to show the world what ECW was all about. Dixie gives them complete control of Hard Justice. Dreamer ends the show by saying “Impact Zone, we’re going extreme”. While the original ECW and TNA have upwards of zero similarities, Dreamer MADE this promo.
Overall: Decent effort this week with nothing that made me hate myself for watching. The wrestling quality wasn’t anything special but there were some solid outings between Hardy/Joe and Beer Money/MCMG. Styles winning the TNA Global Title was also the right move and maybe he’ll actually defend the belt. The promo to close the show was also executed well and hopefully Hard Justice is able to be the first TNA pay per view this year that I can fully recommend. Keep in mind that we’re already in August. Nothing is required viewing this week but everything was decent enough.
