Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
TNA No Surrender - September 11, 2011
National Anthem - There generally isn't anything super special about the singing of the National Anthem but it was definitely appropriate considering the day. There was focus on Jesse Neal, who's a Iraq War veteran, and Rosita, whose father was killed on 9/11. Just a simple, tasteful salute. Thumbs Up
Jesse Sorensen vs. Kid Kash - This match was to determine the new #1 contender for the X Division Championship. The first few minutes of the match were ok, nothing spectacular, but this match just didn't do anything for me. There was ZERO hype for it, I didn't even know it was added to the card until the show and that's kinda crappy since it's to determine the #1 contender for a title. Overall, not that much to say here except it just seemed pretty sloppy overall. Sorensen winds up getting the win around the 8 minute mark with some sort of botched suplex type thing. This is the guy's 3rd match and he's already #1 contender for the X Division strap. The guy's green as hell and it shows, I'm just not at all seeing what some others see. *
James Storm vs. Bully Ray - In some ways, this was kind of a boring match and not what you might expect from these two. There were practically no bumps, no real brawling and with a very slow pace. At the same time though, it did a good job of selling the necessary storyline for the match. Again, at the same time though, I knew Storm wasn't going over when they said he'd have to win this match via submission to move on. The story the match was telling was a good one but the very cheap and even lamer finish for this match ruined it for me. This deep into the BFG Series, weak DQ finishes just aren't the way to go and the DQ itself was pretty lame. Storm spit beer into the ref's eyes and I can understand that being a DQ finish but I'll almost guarantee that there'll be tons of interference going on in some of these matches that'll happen right in front of a ref and there won't be a DQ in sight. Ray gets the win at the 11.5 minute mark. *1/2
Mickie James vs. Winter for the TNA Knockouts Championship - In some ways this was an alright match and in some ways, it's more of the same crap we've come to expect and that's especially true when Winter is involved. Generally speaking, the action was alright though it was also one of those matches that just seemed to drag on. Winter pulled out the blood mist or whatever you call it twice in the match. The first time she hits Angelina Love accidentally but she has enough left over for Mickie James. Winter gets the win and regains the Knockouts Championship. 3/4*
Mexican America vs. Devon & The Pope D'Angelo Dinero for the TNA World Tag Team Championship - This was just one lousy match, just flat out lousy. The match was generally counterproductive and utterly forgettable, which I think is going to be standard operating procedure unless Mexican America actually gets good or they get the titles off them. And yeah, as I said earlier regarding interference, it was all over the place here. Sarita & Rosita interfered multiple times, sometimes right in front of the ref and nothing happened. Mexican America retains a little before the 10 minute mark after Sarita foils Devon's attempt at a suplex on Anarquia. 1/2*
Matt Morgan vs. Samoa Joe - Finally, a pretty decent match on a card that's been 100% grade A fertilizer thus far. This match wasn't the brawl I was expecting but that's alright, I've got no problem with watching a couple of big guys have a wrestling match if they can actually pull it off. The match told a good story with Joe doing a mix of his signature moves & posturing for the crowd and working on Morgan's arm. Morgan showed some good perseverance by managing to get out of Joe's rear naked choke. I also like that we had a clean ending for the match when Morgan hits Joe with the Carbon Footprint at the 11.5 minute mark. Not a show stealing match but a good solid effort and much better than anything else thus far. **1/2
Bobby Roode vs. Gunner - For me, this match bored the crap out of me and I think Gunner is a reason why. I honestly do not see what TNA sees in this guy and I think the majority of the fans in the Impact Zone would agree. They were extremely quiet throughout this match, I know that's not saying much as it's an IZ crowd, but you get my meaning. Gunner just isn't a strong heel. Kind of a slow, methodical pace for most of the match that generally dragged some of the time. Both men needed to win via submission here and I'm at least glad TNA made the right call here. Roode winds up getting the win at the 12 minute mark after locking in the Fujiwara armbar. Bischoff comes out afterward and tells Roode that he'll face Bully Ray in the BFG Series finals later on tonight. *
Brian Kendrick vs. Austin Aries for the TNA X Division Championship - Very good effort here from both guys with a good, long match. It was also refreshing to see an X Division Championship match this late in the show as it's usually been the curtain jerker in recent ppvs. The match started off with a decent pace that kicked things up about half way through and really got quite good the last 5 minutes or so. There was a nice spot about the 9.5 minute mark in which Aries sends Kendrick over the top rope but misses a suicide dive through the ropes and hits the security railing. There was a pretty sloppy spot about the 11 minute mark when Aries completely misses a corkscrew dive on Kendrick. They get back in the ring and trade some fun moves before the ending. There was some referee incompotence as he was "in the way" when Kendrick went for Sliced Break. Aries hits a low blow then hits the brainbuster at the 13.5 minute mark to become the new TNA X Division Champion. Nice heel way to win the title and making the ref sorta carry him around the ring as part of his celebration was a nice, unique touch. ***1/4
Bobby Roode vs. Bully Ray - I thought this was a very fun match between two guys that have good chemistry. It did a good job of telling the story with Roode coming off as the heroic babyface that takes a beating most of the match. Ray's heel antics during the match also worked and the crowd was definitely into this one. Gives you a good idea how important having a heel who is actually over is. The match was a little slow at times but it was still a very solid outing and, again, it had the right outcome. Roode gets the win over Ray at the 13 minute mark with a spinebuster. Bobby Roode wins the BFG Series and will face the TNA World Heavyweight Champion at Bound For Glory. ***
Sarita Interview - This was a genuinely heartfelt, emotional interview from Sarita as she talked a little about her father and how much he meant to her. Nothing was staged or felt the slightest bit phony about it, nor should it have been. Jeff Hardy needs to watch this and learn how to cut an emotional promo, or at least he needs to study it to maybe get an idea of how he can at least fake it. Thumbs Up
Kurt Angle vs. Sting vs. Mr. Anderson for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship - Like some TNA main events that I've seen on Impact Wrestling, this one had a potential to be great but ultimately fell short. There was some good action and I love the fact that we got a main event that actually went more than 10 minutes but the ending really hurt this match in my view. It wasn't nearly as overbooked as we've seen as the interference, while relatively minor comparatively speaking, was every bit as lame. Sting has Angle seemingly where he wants him before Hogan jerks him out of the ring and sprays him in the eyes with something. Sting sells his eyes burning, climbs back into the ring and locks the referee in the Scorpion Death Drop. Angle hits a low blow, then an Angle Slam to retain the title at the 15.5 minute mark. The spray can interference was lame but I think what ultimately killed this match for me is that it felt like filler. I knew that the title wasn't even remotely in danger and that it wasn't going to be until BFG. **
Overall Show - I thought this was a pretty lackluster and overall forgettable ppv. This is the third TNA ppv I've watched this year and, out of the 3, it was most definitely the worst whereas Destination X was quite fun and Hardcore Justice was pretty solid. The first half of the ppv stunk up the place in my view. The first match was a heavily underhyped #1 contendership match that just felt sloppy. Bully Ray vs. James Storm was disappointing and the extremely cheap finish ruined the match for me. TNA continues to hot potato the Knockouts Championship while Mexican America is...well..Mexican America. I enjoyed Morgan vs. Joe much more than I thought I would. It was a solid match that I think may have come off in my eyes as being better than it was because everything before it had been so bad. Roode vs. Gunner was a snoozefest, but at least Roode went over. The X Division Championship match was the match of the night with a very entertaining effort from both guys with the right result of Aries going over. Roode vs. Ray worked for me, it wasn't as good as the X Division match, but it told a good story and Roode going over was the right call. The main event felt like filler to me, everything about the TNA WHC picture for the last several months has felt that way in my view, but I'm hoping that'll change. Aside from the X Division Championship match and Roode vs. Ray, nothing else really did it for me on the show.
Grade: D+
National Anthem - There generally isn't anything super special about the singing of the National Anthem but it was definitely appropriate considering the day. There was focus on Jesse Neal, who's a Iraq War veteran, and Rosita, whose father was killed on 9/11. Just a simple, tasteful salute. Thumbs Up
Jesse Sorensen vs. Kid Kash - This match was to determine the new #1 contender for the X Division Championship. The first few minutes of the match were ok, nothing spectacular, but this match just didn't do anything for me. There was ZERO hype for it, I didn't even know it was added to the card until the show and that's kinda crappy since it's to determine the #1 contender for a title. Overall, not that much to say here except it just seemed pretty sloppy overall. Sorensen winds up getting the win around the 8 minute mark with some sort of botched suplex type thing. This is the guy's 3rd match and he's already #1 contender for the X Division strap. The guy's green as hell and it shows, I'm just not at all seeing what some others see. *
James Storm vs. Bully Ray - In some ways, this was kind of a boring match and not what you might expect from these two. There were practically no bumps, no real brawling and with a very slow pace. At the same time though, it did a good job of selling the necessary storyline for the match. Again, at the same time though, I knew Storm wasn't going over when they said he'd have to win this match via submission to move on. The story the match was telling was a good one but the very cheap and even lamer finish for this match ruined it for me. This deep into the BFG Series, weak DQ finishes just aren't the way to go and the DQ itself was pretty lame. Storm spit beer into the ref's eyes and I can understand that being a DQ finish but I'll almost guarantee that there'll be tons of interference going on in some of these matches that'll happen right in front of a ref and there won't be a DQ in sight. Ray gets the win at the 11.5 minute mark. *1/2
Mickie James vs. Winter for the TNA Knockouts Championship - In some ways this was an alright match and in some ways, it's more of the same crap we've come to expect and that's especially true when Winter is involved. Generally speaking, the action was alright though it was also one of those matches that just seemed to drag on. Winter pulled out the blood mist or whatever you call it twice in the match. The first time she hits Angelina Love accidentally but she has enough left over for Mickie James. Winter gets the win and regains the Knockouts Championship. 3/4*
Mexican America vs. Devon & The Pope D'Angelo Dinero for the TNA World Tag Team Championship - This was just one lousy match, just flat out lousy. The match was generally counterproductive and utterly forgettable, which I think is going to be standard operating procedure unless Mexican America actually gets good or they get the titles off them. And yeah, as I said earlier regarding interference, it was all over the place here. Sarita & Rosita interfered multiple times, sometimes right in front of the ref and nothing happened. Mexican America retains a little before the 10 minute mark after Sarita foils Devon's attempt at a suplex on Anarquia. 1/2*
Matt Morgan vs. Samoa Joe - Finally, a pretty decent match on a card that's been 100% grade A fertilizer thus far. This match wasn't the brawl I was expecting but that's alright, I've got no problem with watching a couple of big guys have a wrestling match if they can actually pull it off. The match told a good story with Joe doing a mix of his signature moves & posturing for the crowd and working on Morgan's arm. Morgan showed some good perseverance by managing to get out of Joe's rear naked choke. I also like that we had a clean ending for the match when Morgan hits Joe with the Carbon Footprint at the 11.5 minute mark. Not a show stealing match but a good solid effort and much better than anything else thus far. **1/2
Bobby Roode vs. Gunner - For me, this match bored the crap out of me and I think Gunner is a reason why. I honestly do not see what TNA sees in this guy and I think the majority of the fans in the Impact Zone would agree. They were extremely quiet throughout this match, I know that's not saying much as it's an IZ crowd, but you get my meaning. Gunner just isn't a strong heel. Kind of a slow, methodical pace for most of the match that generally dragged some of the time. Both men needed to win via submission here and I'm at least glad TNA made the right call here. Roode winds up getting the win at the 12 minute mark after locking in the Fujiwara armbar. Bischoff comes out afterward and tells Roode that he'll face Bully Ray in the BFG Series finals later on tonight. *
Brian Kendrick vs. Austin Aries for the TNA X Division Championship - Very good effort here from both guys with a good, long match. It was also refreshing to see an X Division Championship match this late in the show as it's usually been the curtain jerker in recent ppvs. The match started off with a decent pace that kicked things up about half way through and really got quite good the last 5 minutes or so. There was a nice spot about the 9.5 minute mark in which Aries sends Kendrick over the top rope but misses a suicide dive through the ropes and hits the security railing. There was a pretty sloppy spot about the 11 minute mark when Aries completely misses a corkscrew dive on Kendrick. They get back in the ring and trade some fun moves before the ending. There was some referee incompotence as he was "in the way" when Kendrick went for Sliced Break. Aries hits a low blow then hits the brainbuster at the 13.5 minute mark to become the new TNA X Division Champion. Nice heel way to win the title and making the ref sorta carry him around the ring as part of his celebration was a nice, unique touch. ***1/4
Bobby Roode vs. Bully Ray - I thought this was a very fun match between two guys that have good chemistry. It did a good job of telling the story with Roode coming off as the heroic babyface that takes a beating most of the match. Ray's heel antics during the match also worked and the crowd was definitely into this one. Gives you a good idea how important having a heel who is actually over is. The match was a little slow at times but it was still a very solid outing and, again, it had the right outcome. Roode gets the win over Ray at the 13 minute mark with a spinebuster. Bobby Roode wins the BFG Series and will face the TNA World Heavyweight Champion at Bound For Glory. ***
Sarita Interview - This was a genuinely heartfelt, emotional interview from Sarita as she talked a little about her father and how much he meant to her. Nothing was staged or felt the slightest bit phony about it, nor should it have been. Jeff Hardy needs to watch this and learn how to cut an emotional promo, or at least he needs to study it to maybe get an idea of how he can at least fake it. Thumbs Up
Kurt Angle vs. Sting vs. Mr. Anderson for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship - Like some TNA main events that I've seen on Impact Wrestling, this one had a potential to be great but ultimately fell short. There was some good action and I love the fact that we got a main event that actually went more than 10 minutes but the ending really hurt this match in my view. It wasn't nearly as overbooked as we've seen as the interference, while relatively minor comparatively speaking, was every bit as lame. Sting has Angle seemingly where he wants him before Hogan jerks him out of the ring and sprays him in the eyes with something. Sting sells his eyes burning, climbs back into the ring and locks the referee in the Scorpion Death Drop. Angle hits a low blow, then an Angle Slam to retain the title at the 15.5 minute mark. The spray can interference was lame but I think what ultimately killed this match for me is that it felt like filler. I knew that the title wasn't even remotely in danger and that it wasn't going to be until BFG. **
Overall Show - I thought this was a pretty lackluster and overall forgettable ppv. This is the third TNA ppv I've watched this year and, out of the 3, it was most definitely the worst whereas Destination X was quite fun and Hardcore Justice was pretty solid. The first half of the ppv stunk up the place in my view. The first match was a heavily underhyped #1 contendership match that just felt sloppy. Bully Ray vs. James Storm was disappointing and the extremely cheap finish ruined the match for me. TNA continues to hot potato the Knockouts Championship while Mexican America is...well..Mexican America. I enjoyed Morgan vs. Joe much more than I thought I would. It was a solid match that I think may have come off in my eyes as being better than it was because everything before it had been so bad. Roode vs. Gunner was a snoozefest, but at least Roode went over. The X Division Championship match was the match of the night with a very entertaining effort from both guys with the right result of Aries going over. Roode vs. Ray worked for me, it wasn't as good as the X Division match, but it told a good story and Roode going over was the right call. The main event felt like filler to me, everything about the TNA WHC picture for the last several months has felt that way in my view, but I'm hoping that'll change. Aside from the X Division Championship match and Roode vs. Ray, nothing else really did it for me on the show.
Grade: D+
