Hardcore Justice 2012

 

- August 12th (US)/15th (UK)

- Orlando, Florida (IMPACT zone)

Chavo Guerrero/Hernandez def. Kid Kash/Gunner

I like Hernandez as I was a LAX fan. Chavo did the 3 amigos (cheap pop). Kash and Gunner dominate Chavo. Taz makes an Iron Sheik reference. Superslow slingshot by Kash then a double clothesline spot with Kash and Guerrero. Hernandez gets the tag. Shoulderblock, dominator then a tope by Hernandez (always impressive for a man his size), as Hernandez was in mid-air Chavo made a blind tag and a frog splash to Kash gets the 3. Chavo was dominated for most of the match to set up Hernandez hot tag, nice dive by Hernandez he seems to be enjoying tagging with Chavo. Formulaic tag match was solid but unspectacular. **1/2

BFG series - Falls Count Anywhere - RVD (35pts) Vs. Magnus (21pts) Vs. Ken Anderson (40pts)
Winner gets 20pts. Pope was set to be in the match but is taken out by Aces & Eights. As long as Anderson doesnt win i’m happy. RVD poses so Magnus takes him out, RVD monkeyflips Magnus. Van Dam is knocked into the guardrail by Anderson who is then whipped into the steps. RVD throws a chair at Magnus from out of nowhere then hits his signature leg drop to guardrail spot. Magnus tries to make RVD submit with a Texas Cloverleaf on the ramp. Van Damm nails Anderson with the 5 star. Magnus suplexes RVD on the ramp, then eventuallly gets a chair from the crowd but Van Dam Vandaminators him for the 3 out of the blue. Eh, not to good some near falls may of helped to add drama, the finish came out of nowhere. Usual triple threat 2 fight 1 rest. RVD now 2nd in BFG series. **

TV Title - Devon (c) def. Kazarian
TV title may aswell be dumped from TNA also this was Devons last TNA PPV (for now) as his contract finished a week or so later so Kaz should win. Scoop Slam on the outside but the match has been even so far, but the match is mainly strikes. Spear, neckbreaker then a shoulderblock gets Devon 2. Devon gets another 2 off a nice neckbreaker off the top rope. Kaz gets 2 off a crucifix. Devon gets the 3 via a spinebuster.  Pretty boring at first but to be fair did pick up near the end. Wrong man won in my opinion. **

Knockouts Title - Madison Rayne def. Miss Tessmacher (c)
Just seen a Jets fan ringside as i’m a casual Patriots fan i’m annoyed. Pretty bad much cause they’re pretty and the match is bad HaHaHaHa. Consipiracy angle coming into it as Earl Hebner (referee) is helping Madison it seems. Match was even, Tessmacher did a X-Factorish move off the top then a top rope elbow (Ohhhh Yeeahhh). Madison got the win and the title with a rope assisted roll up. Bad match the ending furthered the Earl Hebner (ref) and Madison angle. *

BFG Series Table Match - Bully Ray (28pts) def. Robbie E (5pts), Jeff Hardy (35pts) and James Storm (66pts).
Looking foward to this as i’ve always liked people getting tableised, I’m guessing Bully or Jeff go over. All 3 punch Robbie E. There’s a botch when Storm and Hardy suplex Bully but he goes through the edge of a table (You F’D up chant, Tenay, Ta cover it by saying he didn’t go through the whole table). Tower Of Doom spot when Jeff powerbombs James off the top as he superplexes Robbie but Bully moved the table. Bully backdrops Storm but Jeff moves the table, that’s happened quite a lot so far. Robbie tries to whip Storm through a table set up in the corner but Jeff clotheslines Storm before he hits the table to save the match. Jeff sets up Robbie on a table but goes up top and jumps onto Robbie T instead (Robbie T coast Jeff a BFG match Vs. Robbie E, but surely he’d want to win this match more than attack Rob T). Robbie E goes to albow drop Jeff through a table but he moves and Robbie eats wood by putting himself through the table. Bully goes to put Storm through a table but Aces & Eights distract him, which gives Storm the chance to hit Bully with the Last Call and Aces & Eights give him the thumbs up. Aces & Eights appear again near the end allowing Storm to Last Call Jeff, but Bully hits Storm and powerbombs Jeff through a table. I really liked the Aces & Eights interference as it furthered the James Storm is behind Aces & Eights conspiracy, making it look like Bobby Roode was right. Robbie E got more offence than I expected. I liked the match as it furthered the Storm angle and Bully Ray won. ***1/2

X-Division Title - Zema Ion (c) def. Kenny King
Not a fan of Ion but he’ll probably keep belt until Jesse Sorensen returns. Ion looks like Yu-Gi-Oh guy and King like Rodney Stuckey. King works over Ions arm and gets three quick pin attempts. Zema whips King into the apron but King jumps onto apron and flips off onto Ion. Ion gets 2 off a DDT then goes for a moonsault but King gets his knees up. Kenny starts making a comeback as Ion has been in control for abit. In a dangerous looking spot King suplexes Ion into the turnbuckle, a nice corkscrew to the outside by King. Ion gets a 2 off of a tilt-a-whirl jawbreaker. Ion pushes King off the top rope and he like cartwheels out of it then kicks Ion. Zema gets the win by reversing a pin attempt into the Gory Bomb. Got better as it progressed which is good I suppose building to a good climax. Good performance by both men, the corner suplex was dngerous and the tilt-a-whirl jawbreaker was good. ***

BFG Series Ladder Match - AJ Styles (_pts) def. Samoa Joe (54pts), Kurt Angle (48pts), Daniels (33pts)
Been looking foward to this one, Joe winning wouldn’t make sense as he doesn’t need the 20pts but a win for any of the other three would place them in top 4 contention. Chris Daniels gets beaten on by the other three. CD goes for BME (Best Moonsault Ever) but Joe just moves. Joe with a kick to the back of Angles noggin. CD dives over the top but Joe catches him and AJ dives onto both. Sick spot where Joe catches Daniels in midair and chucks him onto a ladder. Daniels goes up a ladder but Joe powerbombs him into the corner in another dangerous lokking spot. Styles whips Angle under a ladder then just pushes it into his face, that could’ve been like Joey Mercury at Armageddon 06. Angle belly to bellys Joe on the outside but is then DDTd by Daniels. Yet another sick spot where Joe belly to bellys Daniels into the turnbuckle. Tower Of Doom spot where Joe goes to Muscle Buster AJ but Angle german suplexes Joe and AJ faceplants the ring. Angle stops Daniels going up a ladder with an Ankle Lock, which also makes sense as a way to injure Daniels foot so he can’t climb. AJ climbs a ladder but Daniels tips it over and AJ takes a bad fall to ringside. Best part of the match now as Joe and Angle play a game of H-O-R-S-E with Daniels by suplexing him in a variety of ways trying to one up each other, Daniels is  out of it now and he gets placed between the rungs of the ladder. Joe and Angle go up two ladders but when Joe headbutts Angle off AJ springboards off the ropes onto the ladder and grabs the envelope for the win and 20pts. Wanted Daniels to win, some damn good spots and there was always something going on. The ladder only came into play near the end as it wasn’t a climb the ladder then pull them down type of ladder match. Best part was Joe and Angle trying each others suplexes on Daniels. ****

TNA World Championship - Austin Aries (c) def. Bobby Roode
No rematch for the loser so this is the last Aries Vs. Roode title match for a while. Aries keeps going for the Last Chancery at the start. Aries dropkicks Roode right on the bonce. Roode goes to the outside but Aries flies over the top onto him. Back on the outside and Aries goes to dive into Roode but he moves so Aries his the guardrail. Roode in control now and he targets Aries mid-section, Aries tries for a crucifix pin but Roode turns it into a gutbuster, Aries starts to mount a comeback but Roode cuts him off with a knee to the gut, more damage to Aries mid-section as Roode has him in the tree of woe. Aries regains the advantage with a 180’ stunner out of the corner. Aries snaps off punches, atomic drop, axe handle to the outside and a dropkick into the guardrail. Roode breaks up a Lat Chancery with a rake to the eyes and then applies a crossface. Roode gets 2 off a spinebuster. Aries goes for a 450’ splash but Roode gets his knees up. Ref Bump! when Roode spears him, he then spears Aries and another ref counts 2. Ref Bump 2! when Aries is pushed into him. Roode kicks out of a brain bustaaaa. Roode hits a superplex and both men pin eachother in a small package-esque move. Earl Hebner makes the match restart. Aries dives to outside but he hits the world title that Roode was holding which gets Roode a 2 count, but Aries is playing possum and rolls up Roode for 3.  **** Did we really need 2 ref bumps and the pointless double pin, was a good match between them until the overbooking tarnished the ending.

22/40 The rating maynot be good but it was a good PPV, the ladder match was great and the main event was very good. The rest of the card was solid if unspectacular. The PPV rating is down due to the early matches. Good PPV, TNA is on abit of a roll.