The Final Impact
August 20, 2014
By: Josh Boutwell of Wrestleview.com
“Hardcore Justice” was definitely very wild and TNA certainly lived up to the “Total Nonstop Action” name with action fast and furious all night long. I think maybe they shoved a bit too much into two hours of wrestling but at the same time what do you do with just two hours a week? The best match of the night actually stuck out the most because of it not being a hardcore match.
Unlike the rest of the card Low-Ki vs. Samoa Joe was just a standard wrestling match and I’m glad they didn’t just stick it with a random hardcore stipulation. That match didn’t need it and they put on a hell of a damn show. At the same time it felt like it was overshadowed by so much gimmick wrestling going on. Ki and Joe had the fans eating out of the palm of their hands and I really want this to be a long term program. They didn’t do a ton of flying in the match at all, in fact I don’t think there was one dive. It was mostly stiff strikes and great technical wrestling. The fans loved it and I loved it. Wonderful match by those two, we need more Joe vs. Ki.
The opening match between Bram and Abyss was freaking brutal and when it is a show full of hardcore matches they definitely set the bar pretty high in terms of brutality. Bram took some wicked bumps as did Abyss but you tend to appreciate it falls through barbed wire and tacks when a guy is wearing no shirt. Bram was bleeding all over the place. It was fun and brutal and a good way to end that feud. I’m wondering where they will go with Bram and Magnus now, and where Abyss goes from here.
Angelina and Gail really started off slow for me but damn did they pick it up near the end. There was some pretty brutal spots in that match as well and they put on a fun show. I’m definitely ready for BP to move on to something else, same for Gail.
Good setup for the Best of Series with Hardyz, 3D, and The Wolves. This series could 100% make The Wolves as legit stars in wrestling and I cannot wait to see these matches. This is the way legends like the Hardyz and 3D should be used, to elevate the next group of guys. One problem, well two actually. Davey Richards broke his leg at a recent house show and Bully Ray could very well be leaving TNA very soon. It seems like this series was expected to finish at BFG but it will be pushing it for Davey to be back by BFG and Bully may not even be with the company. That would be a massive downer if that is how this thing ends.
EC3 was excellent tonight and it will be fun to see how that character continues to develop.
Shaw and Anderson was okay I guess. Nothing was really bad about the match I guess but the fans didn’t care because they don’t care about this storyline. I don’t either so it was just kind of there for me. I’ve really grown tired of Anderson, again not a bad guy at all. He usually has solid matches and can cut a good promo but ever since his feud with Bully ended he has been very average to me. Shaw’s character needs to move into that next phase which I would assume turning psycho again.
The Cage Match was fun as hell and really nonstop action with some great spots. The ending was obviously set up to see an EY vs. Roode match to determine who the true #1 Contender is which I’m fine with. I loved the double Tower of Doom spot which I’m sure Adam Martin would absolutely love (insert sarcasm).
– Segment/Promo of the Night: EC3 and Hardyz/Wolves/3D
– Match of the Night: Low-Ki vs. Samoa Joe (****)
– Overall Grade: A
Until next week… PEACE!
Follow me on Twitter: @BamaBoyJosh