Impact Wrestling
August 15, 2013
Norfolk, Virginia
“Hardcore Justice”
We head inside the arena in Norfolk for Impact Wrestling and Hardcore Justice. We have Knockouts, Tables, Ladders and a steel cage match for the World Title. We start right out of the gate.
HARDCORE LADDER MATCH: Austin Aries vs. Kaz vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy
There’s 20 points on the line in the BFG Series, and a clipboard hangs above the ring. They certainly picked the right quartet of guys to put this match off. Now, just because this is a free TV match doesn’t mean they need to skimp on the matches. Treat this like a PPV and make these matches a solid 15-20 minutes each. All four guys are indeed going full bore, throwing each other all over the place. At one point Aries and Hardy are brawling on the ladder when Kaz pushes it over and there’s bodies everywhere. If Hardy wins this match, he takes the lead in the BFG Series. Two ladders up and all four men climb and start brawling. Everyone’s touching the clipboard with the twenty points, Hardy and AJ hit the deck. AJ and Kaz are battling on the ladder and Kaz goes for a suplex but AJ blocks. Eventually everybody’s back on the canvas. Great match so far. Kaz starts climbing the ladder but Hardy follows on the other side. They start punching when Aries jumps off the top rope to knock the ladder (and the guys) down to the canvas. Mid-match out comes Bobby Roode and Chris Daniels. AJ and Aries brawl on the ladder. Hardy pushes them down and Aries’ face goes into the other ladder. Hardy cleans house and may take the clipboard when Roode comes in to pull Hardy off the ladder. Hardy cleans him out and goes back up the ladder but Daniels comes in and throws the Appletini in Hardy’s face, knocking him down. Kaz regains himself and gets up the ladder and grabs the clipboard. 22 points for Kaz, and a great match to boot. WINNER: Kazarian
World Champion Chris Sabin is backstage and he reminisces about the Dudley Boys putting guys through a flaming table. That won’t happen tonight, and Sabin says Bully better not take him lightly.
The Main Event Mafia is in the ring, and Dixie Carter is too. She acknowledges that Kurt Angle is in rehab and will be out for a while. The 10-man tag match between the MEM and Aces & Eights has been moved to next week. The whole thing is stupid. Kayfabe shouldn’t have been broken. At least Aces & Eights comes out to get back to the storyline. VP Mr. Anderson is stoked because he says “Next week we will end the career of one of you. Maybe Sting, maybe Joe or Rampage?” He taunts Magnus that he “could have been the future of wrestling.” Magnus says he will punch Anderson in the mouth, and the crowd is telling Anderson he sucks. Magnus says “We need a week to find a replacement for Angle, but the crowd will help us out.” Magnus says someone in Aces & Eights will be with a pink slip next week. Anderson yells to the crowd and the brawl begins. Due to the 5-on-4 odds, Aces & Eights is on top.
Tito Ortiz arrives. YAWWWWWWWN.
TRIPLE THREAT HARDCORE MATCH: Mickie James vs. Gail Kim vs. ODB
With ODB in there you know there won’t be any punches pulled, like a Divas Hardcore match. HAHA there wouldn’t be a hardcore match with the WWE divas. The crowd is chanting Mickie James. Nice job TNA. It’s a hardcore match and no weapons left under the ring. Mickie is from here so she’s getting the hometown pop. She finds a kendo stick and beats ODB with it. ODB wrests the kendo away and she gets shots on the other two. Out of nowhere ODB pulls a bra out of her chest and starts choking the other two with it. ODB spits bourbon from the flask in Mickie’s face. She drops Gail Kim with a Samoan Drop on the chair and gets the three count. That was pretty fun, and ODB wins with her bra hanging out. WINNER: ODB
Sting is pissed backstage about what happened. They need a fifth guy and he wants Aries. Samoa Joe fucked up and said “Our careers are on the line tonight.” But the match was moved to next week.
Back from break and Sting is with Austin Aries. He asks Aries to be in next week’s 10-man tag. Sting’s even talking about the match as if it’s tonight. See, Dixie screwed this whole thing up moving this match. They just should have kept it tonight. What did moving it accomplish, really? She’s an idiot. Just write the checks and stay off camera.
Backstage Bobby Roode is happy for Kazarian and tonight he will be in second place after winning the tables match and 20 points.
The rest of the MEM is talking, when Sting walks in and he says Aries said no. Rampage says he has an idea and he’ll do it in the ring.
I like Rampage’s camouflage suit tonight. We get a video package of what Sabin and Bully have gone through since Destination X. Bully is backstage on the phone, I guess with Brooke. Their conversation seems to be very civil. Interesting.
Out comes Rampage with Samoa Joe, and I know what this is all about. He says “Everybody thinks I sold out coming here, but I belong here and I love it here.” Even though he’s wrestled ZERO matches so far. He loves the MEM, but he won’t get his ass kicked by guys on mopeds. So he’s going to ask one of his own for help. So he calls out Tito Ortiz. Ugh. He says to Tito that they will meet in a Bellator ring in November. Rampage says “This is different, this is TNA. You owe me one favor. Help the MEM take out Aces & Eights next week.” Tito puts over his MMA career and babbles on and on. Before he answers he’s interrupted by Bully Ray. He says “If I wasn’t winning my World Title later tonight, I’d beat the piss out of both of you tonight.” He runs the “MMA buddies” down. He calls Tito the “Huntington Beach bitch.” Tito wants at Bully Ray but Joe and Rampage holds him back. Bully is a great heel though.
TABLES MATCH: Magnus vs. Bobby Roode vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Samoa Joe
Another match with 20 BFG points on the line. All four guys are pummeling each other. At one point Joe drills Roode in the nuts with the ring bell hammer. The match really slows down and the crowd is kind of dead. Magnus and Anderson pretty much work exclusively so far. Magnus puts a table down but Anderson hits the Mike Check. Joe catches Anderson with a punch. Joe hits a musclebuster on Anderson but Roode moves the table. Roode and Magnus battle and Roode puts him on the table. Roode goes to the top but Joe crotches him. Kazarian comes out and tries to help Roode. He battles Joe while Roode and Magnus are on the top rope. Daniels comes out and throws an Appletini in Magnus’ face, which allows Roode to power bomb Magnus through the table and get the twenty points. I like this alliance. WINNER: Bobby Roode
We return from break and the TNA guys are constructing the cage. Backstage Sting says Tito will be an asset to the MEM, but be careful what you wish for. We then get a promo for No Surrender on September 12. The final four in the BFG Series will battle that night for the TNA Title shot.
Backstage Anderson and Bully Ray are arguing about this match and Bully is wound tighter than a drum.
TNA CHAMPIONSHIP; STEEL CAGE MATCH: Chris Sabin © vs. Bully Ray
I hate saying things about Sabin because the guy is a great wrestler, but he’s not championship material, at least at this level. He doesn’t have that “it”. Somebody should tell Borash he’s not Michael Buffer. They just showed a graphic for the Bound for Glory PPV, and Bully Ray was holding the title. Destiny? Bully uses his size early and tosses Sabin all over the place. They took a commercial break about five minutes in. Why? Blow it out and give it that PPV feel. Taz keeps comparing Bully to Ted Arcidi. What? Of all people. Sabin’s done pretty much nothing thus far. Bully keeps dominating the action until he plants Sabin on the top rope and Sabin turns it into a DDT. This match is good, not great. Sabin rips Bully’s cut off and hits the Driver Down. Sabin starts whipping Bully with his cut. Sabin wastes time walking around and Bully recovers and boots Sabin in the face. Both men start fighting on the top rope against the cage wall. Sabin hits a hurricanrana and Bully looks to have hurt his shoulder. Sabin goes for something but Bully hits a suplex. The cage door opens and Bully goes for it. Sabin crawls through Bully’s legs to the door but Bully catches him. Sabin ducks a splash and Brian Hebner gets crushed. They keep battling, and the action picks up. Sabin has the pin but the ref is out. Sabin goes for the door but Mr, Anderson comes down the ramp and shuts the door on Sabin’s face. Out comes Rampage and Tito. Rampage tosses Anderson off the ramp, but Tito pulls a hammer out of his jeans and cracks Rampage in the head knocking him out. Meanwhile Bully throws Sabin into the cage wall, hits the Bully Bomb, and gets the three count. Bully regains his World Title, but Tito Ortiz is with them now? Oh brother. WINNER, AND NEW TNA CHAMPION: Bully Ray
They celebrate in the ring and with that we’re out.
SCOTT’S TAKE: I expected Bully Ray to win the belt back, but Tito Ortiz? Well they did sign him, might as well use him. The show wasn’t bad. Ladder match at the beginning was good.
