iMPACT! Review: Hardcore Justice Comes Home

The lead-in iMPACT! for Hardcore Justice began with an old school promo between Tommy Dreamer and Raven that got very personal when Raven commented on his relationship with Tommy's children. When he called himself "Uncle Scotty" and said that after Hardcore Justice, Tommy's wife Beulah would call him "Daddy," it ignited a brawl between the two. Abyss joined the melee and was soon joined by Rob Van Dam.

Mick Foley's appearance capped an effective promo that blended the original hardcore action from South Philly with TNA's current storyline.

Hamada's return was very well received by a crowd that was hot all night. She teamed with Taylor Wilde to unseat Lacey Von Erich and Velvet Sky as Knockout tag champs. Interference by the "mystery woman" was botched, leading to Lacey being pinned. The postmatch brawl saw Lacey get knocked out. Could this lead to a face-turn for her?

AJ Styles' first TV title defense was a rematch with Rob Terry. Frankie Kazarian was run by the ref, but a low blow followed by a spectacular Pele kick and 450 splash allowed AJ to keep his title. This match sets up AJ vs. Kurt Angle next week in what is sure to be another instant classic between the two.

Match No. 4 between Beer Money Inc. and the Motor City Machine Guns was contested in an Ultimate X match. The Guns evened the best of five at two-two in their specialty match that featured comedy, as James Storm was guilty of "climbing while intoxicated" as well as breathtaking, including walking on a teammate's shoulders in a failed attempt by Beer Money and a high wire finale that saw Robert Roode crotched before he crashed to the mat, giving the Guns the win. These men have elevated the art of tag team wrestling, and I can't wait to see what they give us in the deciding match of the series next week.

The lineup that Eric Bischoff announced for "The Whole F'n Show" next week is indeed pay-per-view quality. AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle, Angelina Love vs. Madison Rayne, Beer Money Inc. vs. The Motor City Machine Guns, Matt Morgan vs. Pope D'Angelo Dinero vs. Mr. Anderson, and Jeff Hardy's open challenge. This show has historic potential.

The Kevin Nash/Hulk Hogan promo led to Nitro flashbacks for me as Jeff Jarrett and a returning Sting got involved. Does Sting's assist of Nash and his red face paint signal a fulltime nWo Wolfpac reunion? Time will tell.

Pope D'Angelo Dinero's victory over Orlando Jordan provided comedy as a concussed Eric Young appeared, collecting Dinero Dollars from the ramp. It also built the three-way dance between Dinero, Matt Morgan, and Mr. Anderson with Morgan's postmatch attack on the Pope.

The streetfight between Ric Flair and Jay Lethal was truly a spectacle to behold. Since Fortune was banned, Douglas Williams assisted the "Nature Boy," allowing him to claim victory. The loss did not hurt Lethal's push. Williams' interference places Lethal in line for X Division title shots.

Rob Van Dam was confronted by Jerry Lynn, his Hardcore Justice opponent. Those two were the original ECW's top rivalry. They should tear the house down Sunday night.

The main event saw RVD and Tommy Dreamer score a victory over Raven and Abyss. Abyss kept his monster heel run going as he destroyed all of EV 2.0 in a postmatch beatdown. This happened until the lights went down and came back up to find Sandman wielding his Singapore cane, with which he used to beat Abyss.

The show closed with a slideshow of classic Hardcore footage that sets the stage perfectly for Hardcore Justice. The show was solid with fast-paced storylines. I enjoyed it.

For those who complain that TNA storylines move too fast, I counter by saying that I enjoy the complexity instead of Vince's cookie cutter booking. TNA is as close to old school wrestling as we have today.

A couple of personal notes before I wrap this one up. With Vince banning absurd things, the wrestling industry as a whole should ban the crossface. It was used during the tag team title match tonight. Why ban it? It is the move that murdered a seven year old just over three years ago. There is NO justifiable argument to keep the hold in the face of Daniel Benoit's death. It only serves to remind those of us who loved him and his mother of that horrific tragedy.

On a more positive note, congrats to AJ Styles for capturing the top spot in the PWI 500 issue.

Thanks for reading.

Photo courtesy: HarcoreJustice.com