TNA’s Victory Road pay-per-view comes to us live this Sunday from the Impact Zone in Orlando, FL. A four-way match for the TNA World Championship highlights the show and is one of the four title matches on the card. Five additional matches round out the event.
- Rob Van Dam vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss (TNA World Championship)
- Ric Flair vs. Jay Lethal
- Kurt Angle vs. D’Angelo Dinero (Contenders Battle)
- Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez (Steel Cage Match)
- Douglas Williams vs. Brian Kendrick (Ultimate X for X Division Championship)
- Beer Money vs. the Motorcity Machine Guns (TNA Tag Team Championship)
- Madison Rayne vs. Angelina Love (TNA Knockouts Championship vs. Career)
- AJ Styles & Kazarian vs. TBA
- Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal vs. Brother Devon
Rob Van Dam vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss (TNA World Championship)
When the newest Top 10 rankings came out, the top three places were undecided between Mr. Anderson, Jeff Hardy and Abyss. A three-way match was booked to determine who would face RVD at Victory Road but it ended with a triple count out and this four-way match was booked. Along the way, Abyss turned heel while Hardy and Anderson has had some tension between them.
On paper, this is a solid match but I didn’t particularly enjoy the build up to this match. Seeing Abyss revert back into his monster persona was a much needed change and the inevitable tension between Hardy and Anderson was bound to come sometime, albeit a bit soon for my liking, but not much emphasis was put into the TNA World Championship or RVD. Because of that sole reason, I am not looking forward to this match at all.
As Michael Cole always likes to point out, the champion only has a 25% chance of retaining his title in this type of match and the odds are stacked against him. While RVD’s championship reign has gone downhill over the last month, I don’t feel that he will be dropping the title at Victory Road. Mr. Anderson would be a logical choice but a feud with D’Angelo Dinero is around the corner, Abyss will more than likely continue his feud with Hulk Hogan and I don’t think TNA would allow Hardy to hold their main championship with his court case coming up.
Maybe RVD has a better chance of retaining the gold after all.
Starman’s Prediction: Rob Van Dam to retain the TNA World Championship.
Ric Flair vs. Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal has dropped the Black Machismo gimmick and has added a spot on impersonation of the Nature Boy to his repertoire. Ric Flair didn’t find this amusing and took it out on Lethal’s brother by beating him down with some help from AJ Styles. Lethal will now take on his idol as Flair makes his return to pay-per-view.
I’m not looking forward to seeing Ric Flair wrestling in the ring, but I am happy for Jay Lethal for getting the opportunity to wrestle someone of Flair’s status. Lethal has taken out both AJ Styles and Kazarian lately, so I expect more of the same with this match. This would be a huge win for Lethal and would do more for him than it will for Flair. If Flair does pull out a win, it will probably be due to some interference.
Starman’s Prediction: Jay Lethal to win the match.
Kurt Angle vs. D’Angelo Dinero (Contenders Battle)
Kurt Angle is continuing on his quest to work his way up the Top 10 rankings by beating everyone on the list. He defeated Kazarian at Slammiversary and recently defeated Desmond Wolfe on an episode of Impact. Next in his sights is #8, D’Angelo Dinero, who is coming off a shoulder injury. To add to the match, Angle stated that if he loses, he will retire from wrestling.
That added retirement stipulation gives this match a little something extra, but I don’t expect Angle to lose any time soon. Angle will most likely make Dinero look good in the process and Dinero always has an excuse for losing as it is his first match back from his shoulder injury. Even if Dinero isn’t at 100% for this match, it should be a lot of fun to watch.
Starman’s Prediction: Kurt Angle to win the match.
Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez (Steel Cage Match)
Hernandez recently made his return to TNA after his former tag team partner, Matt Morgan, put him on the shelf. The two met in a match at Slammiversary but it quickly ended in a disqualification after Hernandez shoved the referee. The two have crossed paths a few times over the last month and Morgan took out Hernandez’s former partner, Homicide, to show him what he is capable of.
I could see this match going either way. Hernandez could win to get some sort of retribution for what Morgan did to him and his friend. On the other hand, Morgan could win the match and impress Ric Flair to be invited to join his new faction. It’s a tough call but I have to go with Hernandez on this one. This could be a fun match as well with these two big men in the cage. I also guarantee that Mike Tenay will let a ‘six sides of steel’ slip during the match.
Starman’s Prediction: Hernandez to win the cage match.
Douglas Williams vs. Brian Kendrick (Ultimate X for X Division Championship)
Douglas Williams and Brian Kendrick will have a rematch from last month’s pay-per-view, but instead of a straight up match for the X Division Championship, it will be a combination of an Ultimate X match and a submission match. The title will be suspended above the ring but it doesn’t necessarily need to be taken down if the match ends with a submission.
It was recently brought out that Williams is afraid of heights and Kendrick has also added a cobra clutch submission move to his arsenal. Seems like the deck is stacked against the champion in this match and this could be a good way to get the title off of Williams and on to someone else. Williams has been great as a champion, but he can also be great as a challenger.
Starman’s Prediction: Brian Kendrick to win the X Division Championship.
Beer Money vs. the Motorcity Machine Guns (TNA Tag Team Championship)
Due to the personal troubles with Scott Hall, the Band was recently stripped of the TNA Tag Team Championships. A short tag team tournament was then held with the winners facing the #1 contenders, the Motorcity Machine Guns. Beer Money defeated Ink Inc. in the finals and this match was decided.
I really hope this is the time that the Motorcity Machine Guns get their due and win the TNA Tag Team Championship. This team has been around far too long and has been fan favorites far too long not to have held the titles. No disrespect to Beer Money, who are a great tag team in their own right, but this night better belong to the Machine Guns.
Starman’s Prediction: The Motorcity Machine Guns to win the TNA Tag Team Championship.
Madison Rayne vs. Angelina Love (TNA Knockouts Championship vs. Career)
Angelina Love has shown quite the mean streak as of late and has personally taken out two of the three members of the Beautiful People. Madison Rayne is the only one left and Angelina will face her in a title vs. career match at Victory Road. It was also announced that if the Beautiful People interfere during the match, Madison will be disqualified and Angelina will be awarded the title.
Madison has been making a name for herself by retiring Knockouts with the title vs. career stipulation. I have a feeling, though, that it will come to an end with this match as Angelina becomes a four-time Knockouts Champion. I could even see Angelina being brought back into the Beautiful People group with Madison being tossed out.
Starman’s Prediction: Angelina Love to win the TNA Knockouts Championship.
AJ Styles & Kazarian vs. TBA
AJ Styles and Kazarian have been at odds as of late as they have both have been mentored by Ric Flair. The two fought each other in a match that was aired this past Thursday on Impact that ended in a double count out. Flair then came out and called them a special breed of wrestlers and booked them in a tag team match against an unknown tag team. Flair promises that they won’t be happy campers if they lose the match.
It is hard to say who the two could be going up against and, quite frankly, I really hate these mystery opponents when it comes down to pay-per-view matches. Since I do not know who the opponents are I am reserving the right not to voice a prediction for this match.
Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal vs. Brother Devon
Brother Ray has been at odds with Brother Devon and Jesse Neal for quite a while now. Ray stated that even though Neal was trained at their wrestling school, he is still an ungrateful punk and called out his brother as he has problems with his loyalty. Ray then went on to say that Eric Bischoff granted him this three-way match and says that Devon’s true loyalty will come out on Sunday.
This is similar to the match between Ray and Neal that took place last month at Slammiversary. I predicted then that the match would either end with Devon turning on Neal and joining Ray in a beat down or it would cause friction between Team 3D. I’m sticking with those predictions and will say that Ray and Devon won’t see eye to eye and begin a brotherly feud.
Starman’s Prediction: Jesse Neal to win the match.
That is the Victory Road PPV in a nutshell. Unlike the last pay-per-view, I predict that we will see a couple of titles change hands, plus the fans are guaranteed to see at least one new champion crowned as the vacant tag team championships are up for grabs.
Overall, the card has a few week spots but a few of them (Angle/Dinero, Morgan/Hernandez, Beer Money/Machine Guns) could make up for the rest of the card. It’s not one of the best lineups that TNA has put out, but it isn’t one of the worst either.
As always, live coverage of Victory Road will take place on Gerweck.net starting at 8PM EST.
