A recap of the locker room clearing brawl at the Impact Zone is aired to start Impact. The voice over guy wonders if the riot will continue tonight, plus we will see the final match between AJ Styles and Matt Morgan to see who will continue on to the main event of Hard Justice.
The Impact intro hits as we are welcomed to this week’s show and head directly into the first match of the night.
Match 1: Christy Hemme vs. Sojo Bolt
The action goes back and forth between these two knockouts with Christy getting the first pin attempt but Sojo is able to kick out. Sojo is able to fight her way back into the match and gets a two count on Christy after landing a back breaker. Sojo looks to go for a powerbomb but Christy counters with a back drop and Sojo lands badly on her neck. Shortly after, Christy hits the FFG for the pin fall.
We head to the announce table and get a preview of tonight’s show that will feature Hernandez going up against Doug Williams, a special interview with Bobby Lashley, Sheik Abdul Bashir & Eric Young against Rhino & Jesse Neal, and Brother Ray against Scott Steiner. Plus, we will see a 4-way Knockouts Spectacular with Awesome Kong against Tara against Angelina Love against ODB.
Lauren is backstage with Taz who says that Samoa Joe let himself down two weeks ago after showing remorse during his match, which cost him the match. Taz says he will motivate Joe and guarantees that Joe will put Homicide out.
Match 2: Doug Williams vs. Hernandez
The bell rings and Hernandez quickly takes Williams down with a shoulder block. Hernandez then holds Williams up with a long vertical suplex before hitting a back breaker for a two count. Hernandez then turns his attention to Brutus Magnus which allows Williams to turn the tide of the match.
For some reason, the fans begin chanting “USA!” as the match continues before changing to “Mexico!” Williams begins to methodically pick apart Hernandez and works him over with a chin lock before missing with a back splash from the top rope. Hernandez comes back sit out powerbomb for the pin fall victory.
After the match, though, Hernandez is attacked from behind by the British Invasion and Rob Terry takes him out with the Feast or Fired briefcase. Once Hernandez recovers, he charges out of the ring and chases the British Invasion as Impact goes to a commercial break.
We return to see Hernandez grab the microphone from Lauren and speak some words in Spanish before tossing the mic back to her and walking away.
An interview between Mike Tenay and Bobby Lashley is aired where he talks about his transition from pro wrestling to MMA. He says it was a smooth transition as he always kept in top shape and thinks that he can be successful in both wrestling and MMA at the same time. Lashley then talks about stepping in the ring against Kurt Angle and says that the fans will be the winners when they go up against each other.
Jeremy Borash is backstage with Daffney and Dr. Stevie and asks if anyone has taken him up on his bounty on Abyss. Stevie says there have been many talking about but he wants to make clear that it is not about pinning Abyss, but maiming Abyss and ending his career. Abyss comes in and begins choking Stevie and calls him a worthless bitch. Soon he is nailed in the back with a chair by Jethro Holliday who screams “remember me” as we cut into a commercial.
Lauren is backstage with Tara who says she wants to beat all of the knockouts one by one and wonders if Awesome Kong is afraid of tarantulas as she walks away.
Match 3: Rhino & Jesse Neal vs. Eric Young & Sheik Abdul Bashir
Neal begins the match against EY and takes him down with a shoulder block before making the tag to Rhino, who also takes EY down with a shoulder block. Neal is tagged back in but Young is able to turn the tables and tags in Bashir, who works over Neal with his speed and tags EY back in who takes Neal down with a hard clothesline and picks up a two count.
World Elite begins to start making quick tags in and out of the match and work over Neal as Rhino paces on the ring apron. Neal is finally able to counter a high risk move from EY and begins to crawl to his corner but instead gets up and nails Bashir on the apron. The distraction then allows EY to roll up Neal from behind and picks up the three count while holding the tights.
Rhino looks on with a shocked look on his face and confronts Neal in the middle of the ring, who tells him he has to make a tag and that his best isn’t good enough. Rhino then slaps Neal across the face before taking him down with the Gore.
Lauren is with Rhino who says Neal’s best isn’t good enough and has made enough mistakes. Rhino says he is sick of being made a fool of and asks if Neal will get back up to fight again as Rhino says he will give enough to die in the ring.
Match 4: ODB vs. Awesome Kong vs. Angelina Love vs. Tara
The bell rings as all four go after each other with Kong going against Tara and ODB against Angelina. Angelina rolls out to the floor as Tara and ODB begin to double team Kong and send her out to the floor. ODB shares her flask with Tara as then both then jump out to the floor from the top rope onto Kong, Saeed and the Beautiful People as we head into a commercial break.
We come back into the match and see Kong and Tara fighting on the floor as Angelina is working on ODB in the ring. Angelina is able to kick ODB down to the match but isn’t able to put her away with a three count. ODB is able to come back with a running power slam but Kong breaks up the pin attempt. Kong then tosses out Angelina as she sets her sights on ODB.
Kong slams ODB hard on the mat and follows with a leg drop but ODB is able to kick out. Kong then chokeslams ODB which gets Cody Deaner to hop up on the apron that distracts Kong. She walks over to Deaner who plants a kiss on her lips and she brings him into the ring and gives him and Awesome Bomb. Tara then comes in and rolls up Kong to get the pin fall and wins the match.
Lauren is backstage with AJ Styles and Sting as Styles says he works well under pressure and says he will either be a winner after tonight’s match or a loser and walks away.
Jeremy Borash is backstage with Team 3D and Devon says the Steiner Brothers and Harlem Heat were both great tag teams back in the day, however, as far as they are concerned, Team 3D is the greatest tag team in the history of the business. Ray seconds everything Devon said and says that they were screwed out of the titles and they will get them back on Sunday.
Prior to the match, Scott Steiner asks for a microphone and says he heard what they said in the backstage area and says that their opinions mean nothing to them. Steiner says they couldn’t beat them then and they won’t be able to beat them now and promises to walk out of Hard Justice as Tag Team Champions.
Brother Ray says they have always been able to back up their words and says that they were both household names but now are both getting old. Steiner answers back with a punch and the match between these two get underway.
Match 5: Scott Steiner vs. Brother Ray (No Disqualification)
Steiner takes Ray down with a back drop. Ray is able to counter with a big boot and goes on the offensive and takes him down with the Bubba Bomb. Sharmell then distracts the referee as Booker comes into the ring and Devon quickly enters to take him out. Ray then slams Steiner down and Devon hits the flying head butt as Ray calls for the tables. Devon slides one in as the British Invasion come out to help out as Booker and Steiner send Ray through the table and picks up the pin fall.
We come back from break to see a table set up in the ring and it is time for the contract signing for the match between Mick Foley and Kevin Nash for the Legends Championship. Foley quickly signs it as Nash takes his time before putting his signature on it to make it official.
Foley wants to add some comments and wonders if championships mean anything to Nash or if it is all about the money. Nash says Foley has already cost him about $20,000 since he stole the title from him. Nash then questions why Foley would rather wrap himself in barbed wire and set himself on fire than take the easy way out and write another best seller. Foley says he has a sense of pride and loves making a difference before wishing Nash luck on Sunday.
Nash begins to walk away and Foley stops him and wonders why they had a contract signing without anyone going through the table. Nash says he isn’t getting paid extra to be put through the table or by putting Foley through it. Nash says he is a businessman and will wait until Sunday. Foley says he would put Nash through the table or go through the table for free. Foley then makes a run against the ropes and jumps through the table and tells Nash that he will see him on Sunday.
A promo for the Pope D’Angelo Dinero is aired that says he is coming on August 16th. We then head to the announce table who runs down the Hard Justice pay-per-view.
Lauren is backstage with Matt Morgan who says he isn’t feeling any pressure and says he is in the driver’s seat in this series. Morgan guarantees victory tonight as he is so confident in himself.
Match 6: AJ Styles vs. Matt Morgan (Match 3 – Best of 3 Series)
Sting is in the corner of AJ Styles, while Kurt Angle is with Matt Morgan. Styles attacks Morgan before the match even starts and takes him out with a flip over the top rope. Styles continues on the assault on the floor before rolling him into the ring as the bell rings to officially start the match.
Styles locks in a figure four as Morgan tries to fight his way out of it and finally makes his way to the ropes to break the hold. Styles, though, continues to go after Morgan and takes him down with a dropkick but Morgan kicks out of a pin attempt before the referee even counted one. Morgan is finally able to counter the attack from Styles with a kick to the chest and fights his way back into the match.
Morgan sends Styles out to the floor as Sting helps him up and Styles crawls back into the ring. Morgan goes right on the attack once again and begins to wear Styles down but isn’t able to pick up the pin fall. Styles is able to kick out of a pin attempt after a fallaway slam as Sting tries to get Styles fired up and back into the match. Morgan begins to ask why Styles won’t stay down and misses with a boot, which allows Styles a moment to recover.
Styles takes Morgan down with a series of punches and a kick to the back of the head. Morgan, however, is able to come back with a side slam but Styles kicks out of the pin attempt. Morgan goes up to the top rope but Styles knocks him down and nails him with the Pele kick. Styles then goes for the quick cover but Morgan kicks out. Styles then goes for the flying forearm and misses and Morgan nails Styles with the Carbon Footprint for the pin fall victory.
Kurt Angle comes in to celebrate with Matt Morgan as the rest of the Main Event Mafia come down to the ring to join the celebration. Kurt Angle asks for a microphone and congratulates Morgan on his victory. Angle says he know that with Morgan’s size, strength and stamina that he would eventually be part of the Main Event Mafia. Angle says he wants one last favor from Morgan, though, before he is part of the Mafia. Angle says he is demanding that Morgan helps Angle to retain the championship. Morgan says nobody demands anything from him and says he isn’t going to pass up the opportunity and promises to walk out as the TNA World Champion.
Angle and the rest of the Mafia stare down Morgan and we are treated to a Hard Justice preview video as Impact comes to a close.
Quick Results
- Christy Hemme defeated Sojo Bolt by pin fall.
- Hernandez defeated Doug Williams by pin fall.
- Eric Young & Sheik Abdul Bashir defeated Rhino & Jesse Neal by pin fall.
- Tara defeated Awesome Kong, ODB and Angelina Love in a 4-way match.
- Scott Steiner defeated Brother Ray by pin fall in a No Disqualification match.
- Matt Morgan defeated AJ Styles by pin fall to advance to Hard Justice.
Starman’s Thoughts
Tonight was the go home show for Hard Justice and it was almost refreshing in the sense that it wasn’t dominated by the Main Event Mafia for once. I was surprised that they managed to cram in four matches in the first hour of the broadcast, but was glad to see that they let the main event run commercial free and gave it some time to develop.
Tonight’s match between AJ Styles and Matt Morgan was the best match these two have had in the series and really gave Morgan a good push heading in to Hard Justice. I really hate seeing Styles constantly losing as he has been recently, but at least it was at the expense of a younger star this time around instead of a veteran that is nearing the end of their career.
After seeing tonight’s match, though, it really is a shame that the other two matches in the series didn’t get the time and attention that this one did. I don’t think it was the best, but it was one of the better television matches this year on Impact. Just think, though, how much more elevated Morgan would be had all of the matches been of this caliber.
I will say that I was surprised to see how little interaction Sting and Kurt Angle had during the main event. As soon as I heard they were in the corners, I figured it would end with some sort of interference. I’m glad they stayed away from doing that and let the two fight it out for the spot in the main event.
I’m not usually a fan of contract signings, but the one between Mick Foley and Kevin Nash worked well. These two veterans don’t want to kill each other, they just have different ideals and philosophies about the wrestling business. Plus, according to Nash, Foley pretty much stole his title, which is costing him money. Due to this, the contract signing shouldn’t have been intense, and it wasn’t, which is why I felt it was done well.
Not to mention, Foley’s comment about the table and putting himself through it was a nice touch at the end.
It wasn’t the best match ever, but it was good to see Christy Hemme back in the ring, especially after suffering a neck injury. I don’t know why TNA always seems to do this, but why put her on television a week before a pay-per-view? This should be used to drive home the upcoming matches, not a re-debut of a star who is coming off the injury list. It really lessens the impact of their return when they do that.
Rhino showed some nice intensity in his post-match interview but I really can’t take him serious until they get Jesse Neal some new ring gear. Yes, I know he is training, but at least give guy a singlet or something. Having him wrestle in plain old gym clothes doesn’t help him or his look. The Animal-esque mohawk could go, too, but the ring attire needs to be changed ASAP.
Finally, maybe it was just me, but I was happy to hear Don West acknowledge the crowd chanting for “USA!” during the Hernandez/Doug Williams match. You think the fans in Orlando would be a bit more intelligent since they get to watch TNA on a regular basis.
Don’t forget, I will return this weekend to give my Hard Justice preview and predictions.
Thanks for your reviews from the netherlands.
AJ made the 1-0 and lost the series? What a fantastic way of putting down a guy like the Phenomenal. Morgan is OK, but AJ is going to miss his first PPV ever (not counting with the Against All Odds, where he did a promo).
I think they gave too much attention to the final match of the series than the main event itself on the PPV.
Why Jethro Holiday on Abyss? I’d prefer Lethal Consequences, because of what happened, but I see that Abyss also attacked JH. Dr. Stevie will interfere and this thing only ends at BFG.
D’Angelo Dinero will be a guy with chicks, dinero (money in Spanish) and power.
Neal’s turn on Rhino? I’d like to see Rhino on other position and stories, but whatever.
Glad to hear that I also have fans in the Netherlands.