My TNA Hardcore Justice, 22nd August 2013 Recap

The reformed AJ Styles leaps at the now fired Devon. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Bully Ray and Mr. Anderson exchanged a few concerned words backstage, with the former asking why he wasn't informed about Tito Ortiz joining Aces & 8s and why the World Champion hadn't been returning his texts or phone calls. The Aces leader responded by telling Anderson to worry more about getting his own business in order.

Bobby Roode, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian (or the Extraordinary Gentlemen's Organisation as they're now called) came out and first congratulated Bully on obtaining the World Title last week, but also warned him that he has a target on his chest and one of them will be facing him come Bound for Glory as they've intelligently teamed up to help each other in the BFG Series. 

Just as Roode then asked Austin Aries to also team with them (which would be another great acquisition) the tag champs James Storm and Gunner joined them. 'The Cowboy' warned Daniels and Kaz not to trust Roode as he'll turn on them as soon as they've played their part just like he did with him. 'The It Factor' claimed that Storm was just jealous, which he denied and then challenged them to a match right there and then and with the help of Gunner sent them out of the ring to get things kicked off.

Bobby Roode and Kazarian defeated James Storm and Gunner in a solid tag bout. It wasn't too long but maybe that was a positive since you were constantly engaged by what was happening. It was simply a fun watch and a lively start to the show. 

Manic pinned Sonjay Dutt in a decent encounter. Both men delivered fine efforts, but I admittedly found the match lacking a little something. Maybe that's just me being fussy. I am relieved to see they've switched X Division back to one on one bouts too, it never made any sense to me having three-ways all the time, it grew tiresome.

Joseph Parks bested Jay Bradley, Christopher Daniels and Hernandez in a Bound for Glory Series Street Fight. It was an entertaining outing on the whole, and I'm very thankful for the Street Fight stipulation as it would've probably been fairly pedestrian otherwise. Austin Aries appeared to have joined the Extraordinary Gentlemen's Organisation as he high fived the trio, but then quickly turned and brainbustered Daniels before leaving.

Parks gained the victory after having one of his aggressive turns after seeing his own blood, Black Hole Slamming Bradley for the one-two-three.

New TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray came to the ring to boast that after winning back the strap and having Tito Ortiz by his side everything was now right again in TNA. He went on to also bring out his partner Brooke, but it turned out not to be Brooke Hogan (who has now been let go from the company) as we were led to believe, but Brooke Tessmacher, or "hot Brooke" as Bully referred to her. Just before the champ had Tessmacher suck his wedding ring from his finger he asked "does anybody doubt that Bully Ray can ever be stopped?"

Gail Kim beat ODB in a fair contest. The action was pretty stellar for the majority, and although it wasn't up to the standard of recent matches involving James, Kim and Terrell it was still superior to anything you'll get from the female talent on the main WWE roster right now. 

Before the main event, where the man pinned or submitted is fired from TNA, Mr. Anderson offered the one-man short Main Event Mafia the chance to pick someone to lay down and be terminated. Of course the Mafia flat out refused. AJ Styles then strolled out, only to have his older music hit and revert back to his 'Phenomenal One' persona and join the MEM. It was a cool moment and he received a healthy pop for it. 

Main Event Mafia (Sting, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Magnus and Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson) defeated Aces & 8s (Devon, Mr. Anderson, Garett Bischoff, Wes Brisco and Knox) in a five on five tag bout, and as a result of being pinned by Styles, Devon was fired from TNA. 

It was a pretty enjoyable main event, with constant action in and around the ring to keep you interested. The only let down were the displays of the more limited wrestlers involved, such as Bishcoff and Brisco. There were certain periods that were a little more drab too but on the whole it was a watchable affair.

Overall it was a decent enough show, it wasn't as exciting or memorable as last week's other special Hardcore Justice edition of Impact but it wasn't a bad show by any means. There were no bouts that fell below average and we had some nice progression in storylines with Brooke Tessmacher joining up with Bully and Devon being terminated (although does anyone really care too much about that?). My highlights were the main event, the street fight and Storm and Gunner versus Roode and Kazarian. 

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 8th August 2013 Recap

Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Backstage Taz, accompanied by some other Aces & 8s members, told Mike Tenay to take the night off so he could take his spot back at the announce desk after being turned away last week. They then made their way out to the ring where Taz also threatened his superior substitute Jeremy Borash, claiming that "this is my desk."

Bully Ray  then stated that he was in a foul mood, not just because of Tito Ortiz's debut last week (I think many fans were in a bad mood after that) but because he and Devon were booked in a tag team match that night against Sabin and a mystery opponent from Main Event Mafia. So soon enough after asking him to come out to sort their contract for the World Title match at Hardcore Justice, Chris Sabin joined Bully and told him that he always believed he could best the former champ and will next Thursday.

Bully soon had enough and asked Hogan to also join them to sign the papers, but it was Brooke not Hulk that came out and read an email from her Dad (who was out of town) that revealed that if Bully fails to win the Steel Cage Match next week, he will not receive another World Championship opportunity. An angered Bully reluctantly signed the contract after being embarrassed by his wife, who claimed that he was "all talk and very little action."

Jeff Hardy pinned Samoa Joe in a decent Bound for Glory Series contest. I was personally expecting a bit more from this match up, but maybe that's just me being a bit picky. On the whole it was a fun bout, with both men on good form as they went back and fourth. Hardy caught Joe in the winning pinfall after Mr. Anderson (who'd provided guest commentary) stood up and distracted the 'Samoan Submission Machine'. 

Mr. Anderson won via DQ versus Magnus in a BFG Series outing. The disqualification occurred when Bobby Roode attacked Anderson with a chair, purposely costing the BFG Series leader Magnus points. It was a fair match, nothing that will leave a lasting impression from either man.

Before Tito Ortiz could explain why he was in TNA, Kurt Angle interrupted him and warned the MMA fighter that although he appreciates what he's achieved, he better respect his space in the company. The brash Bully Ray also came out and told both that he has no respect for them and that he could easily take them out, also ordering Tito to stay out of his way.

James Storm, Gunner and ODB bested Bro Mans (Jesse and Robbie E) and Mickie James in an enjoyable mixed persons tag bout. As usual Storm delivered a stellar display, being the standout wrestler for me here. It's a shame we don't see so much of Storm and Gunner as of late, they always seem to deliver. Afterwards Gail Kim attacked ODB before being escorted away by an official, allowing Mickie to also strike her.

Kazarian versus Christoper Daniels in a BFG Series match ended in a double count out after both men simply stood outside and waited for the count to hit ten. There was a brief period of actual wrestling that was decent enough. Bobby Roode then joined Bad Influence and revealed that they had joined forces to aid each other in making sure one of them win the BFG Series. It's a smart plan, and as a fan of all three it's intriguing too.

Chris Sabin and Kurt Angle defeated Team 3D (Bully Ray and Devon) in a solid main event. Before things got going Sabin pretended that Sting was his tag partner, allowing Angle to sneak attack their rivals. The match started off a little slow, but once it got going it was a fun watch, with effective near falls and even a table thrown in. Towards the end Bully and Devon were about to send the World Champion through a table after they'd 3D'd Angle, but Sabin managed to move out of the way and Bully went charging into it himself. Sabin finally applied a crossbody on Ray for the one-two-three.

Overall it was a fair Impact, not up to the standard of many superior ones this year but it still had some entertaining parts. My highlights were the mixed six-persons tag bout, Hardy versus Joe and the main event. Roode, Daniels and Kaz uniting is interesting too. 

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 6th June 2013 Recap

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bully Ray kicked things off by bragging about defeating Sting at Slammiversary and reminding us of Aces & 8s one year anniversary since debuting at the aforementioned event last year. The champ went on to then claim that after taking out all of the companies heroes, he should be inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame. GM Hulk Hogan then came out and admitted that Bully did the job in beating 'The Stinger', but then informed him that he would be facing Jeff Hardy in the main event in a Ladder match with a hammer hanging above the ring.

Hernandez pinned Chavo Guerrero in a decent back and fourth Bound for Glory Series qualifying match. It was never anything outstanding but it was a fun watch, with a worthy display from both men.

Devon demanded that Abyss come out to the ring and hand him back his TNA Television Title, complaining that their bout last Sunday was unsanctioned and shouldn't count. But instead Joseph Parks stormed out and after having enough of being bullied by Devon and being robbed of his title match at Slammiversary after being attacked by him, began to beat on his foe. This didn't last long however as Devon cracked a microphone on Parks head and was about to use a steel chair on him when Abyss's music hit, but he failed to show so Devon announced that he was going to go looking for him.   

Samoa Joe beat Robbie in a brief squash match to qualify for the BFG Series. Much like the last time these two fought Joe was dominant and barely sold Robbie's attacks at all, but he looked stellar in the ring as usual.

Jeremy Borash introduced TNA's latest acquisition Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, and after asking him a few questions was interrupted by the future TNA Hall of Famer Kurt Angle. Angle warned 'Rampage' that if he wanted to take on the best than he was the top man and they stared off. The segment was okay, the fans seemed enthusiastic for Jackson. After watching him for years in UFC I always felt he probably had the charisma and wrestling background to give pro wrestling a decent go, let's hope I'm right.  

Chris Sabin, James Storm and Gunner bested Kenny King, Austin Aries and Bobby Roode in a largely solid six-man tag bout. Not as exciting as The Shield's efforts in WWE at the moment but it was an enjoyable affair, and I can't really fault any wrestler's contributions.

Mickie James defeated Taeler Hendrix in a passable, if unremarkable contest. There were many times here that the clearly fake Mickie was congratulating her opponent and shaking her hand, and it just got tedious for me very quickly. Plus the wrestling was all right but nothing special or exciting. For the finish Jame's feigned a knee injury (which was extremely poorly acted) and then suddenly smacked Taeler with an uppercut and applied a dodgy spinning kick that actually connected with the shoulder for the winning pinfall. It was not the champ's finest outing by a long shot.

Backstage Abyss managed to take out the lurking Devon and his Aces accomplice Knox.

Bully Ray versus Jeff Hardy in a Ladder match ended in a no contest after Bully lost hold of the hammer he'd grabbed from above the ring and Hardy threatened him with it, causing the World Champion to leg it from the ring. The match itself had been entertaining at parts, but definitely not on par with their previous clashes. The use of the ladder was decent but pretty uninspiring, which was disappointing for these two talents.

As Bully ran backstage Hulk Hogan was about to sneak up on him with a hammer in hand, but Brooke Hogan screamed for her Dad to stop, causing the 'Hulkster' to halt in his tracks and allowing Bully to sneak away.  

Overall it was a decent, if uninspiring Impact. There were no bad matches on the show but the six-man tag contest was the only one that stood out to me and that'd I'd recommend to fans. It's also hard for me to get excited over Abyss' return, but then I've never been a big fan and found him fairly drab so maybe that's just me. But at least we're getting the set up for the Bound for Glory Series now which I always enjoy.

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 30th May 2013 Recap

No one wants to see that coming at them, poor Roode. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com 

Backstage we witnessed Mr. Anderson attack D'Lo Brown from behind as his Aces & 8s superiors were about to make their way out. Clearly the gang have had enough of D'Lo's mistakes. In the ring World Champion Bully Ray, accompanied by Devon, admitted that his Slammiversary opponent Sting had beaten some of the all-time greats in between the ropes, but this Sunday he couldn't wait to beat 'The Icon' and stop him from ever holding the World Title again. It was solid mic work as standard from the champ.

Sting and Joseph Parks bested Team 3D (Bully Ray & Devon) in a fair tag bout. The start was a bit hectic as all four men brawled outside the ring, it was an entertaining start to the match up. The action in the ring was fine, although there were a few slightly sloppy moments. Sting managed to apply the Scorpion Death Drop on Devon for the one-two-three after Abyss's music hit and distracted Team 3D, 'The Monster' failed to appear though.

TNA President Dixie Carter came out and once again informed us that this Sunday the next inductee into the TNA Hall of Fame will be announced. Aces members Wes Brisco, Doc and Garett Bischoff then joined her, with Garett asking her why she was biased against his gang. Samoa Joe and Magnus then raced out and chased the trio off. An intense Joe also went on to state his frustration at the gang for injuring him for a month and challenged Garett to a match, saying he wanted to see how he tests against a man not a woman.

Samoa Joe versus Garett Bischoff ended in a no contest after Garett helped out his two comrades in beating down Magnus on the outside. Joe then took a dive and knocked over the three foes. Once back in the ring he informed them that at Slammiversary it'll be them three against him, Magnus and the returning Jeff Hardy. The fans were predictably excited by the news, it'll be nice to have Hardy back. 

Gunner, James Storm, Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez beat Austin Aries, Bobby Roode and Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels & Kazarian) in a stellar eight-man tag outing. Storm failed to participate, due to his leg issues I presume, but every man involved gave worthy displays.

As usual the chemistry between Bad Influence and Roode and Aries was amusing, each tagging themselves in and helping out with their dirty tactics. Gunner gained the win with a torture rack on Aries. It's been a long while since TNA's tag division looked this strong (and WWE's with The Shield and Team Hell No's series), it's refreshing to see. 

The new Knockouts Champion Mickie James came out and expressed how great it felt to hold the strap again after two years, and thanked her fan base. But she then turned her attention to the minority who questioned her win over Sky last week (when she aimed for the former champ's injured leg) and brought out Velvet Sky to address it.

James condescendingly congratulated Sky on her former run as champ and welcomed her rematch whenever she'd recovered. After Velvet asked for her title rematch at Slammiversary, James claimed that due to there already being one Knockouts match there was no room for it, when did this rule come in? Gail Kim then stormed out and once again stated her case for a championship match, even though she's lost most of her bouts over the last few months. In truth it was poor mic work on Kim's behalf. As Gail went to then attack Sky's leg, with James just looking on, Taryn Terrell ran out to her aid and chased her off.  

Chris Sabin and Taryn Terrell toppled Kenny King and Gail Kim in a decent enough mixed tag contest. There were some enjoyable periods between Kim and Terrell, but they were definitely the weaker part of the match compared to King and Sabin's interactions. Afterwards King then smacked Sabin from behind, so Suicide also came out attacked the X Division Champion, with him and Sabin finally having a face off after the masked wrestler picked up King's strap.  

AJ Styles won via disqualification versus Mr. Anderson when Kurt Angle decided to gain some retribution and began exchanging blows with 'The Phenomenal One'. Aces & 8s then marched out and began taking out Angle and Styles, so this cued other members of the TNA roster to join them and start a brawl in and around the ring, ending with Bully and Devon applying a 3D to Sting. It all felt very familiar, but the 3D was a nice touch, would've been even better through a table but that's just me being picky.

The encounter itself between Styles and Anderson was enjoyable at places, but felt like it dragged a bit. If the allocated time had been shortened it would've probably been a more entertaining bout, with each man making the most with their time rather than having to slow it down.

Overall it was a fair, if pretty unmemorable Impact. With the exception of the eight-man tag outing, which was my highlight of the show, there were no exceptional contests, and besides Bully and Jame's mic work there were no remarkable promos either. All that aside, looking at the Slammiversary card it should be a solid show for the most part I reckon. 

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 23rd May 2013 Recap

Suicide wallops Williams in the exciting three-way. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Hulk Hogan started things off by first promoting his restaurant in Florida (where the show was being taped) and then bringing out pal Sting, trying to convince him to cancel the stipulation with his bout with Bully Ray at Slammiversary where he'll never be able to challenge for the World Title again if he looses. But 'The Stinger' was adamant about it, believing that all he needed was one chance against the Aces President to defeat him.

Brooke Hogan then joined them and blamed herself for the rise of Aces & 8s after falling for and marrying Bully. She was about to resign as President of the Knockouts division when her hubby Bully Ray came out and claimed the blame for himself, not Sting and Hulk, but admitted that he was still in love with Brooke and that she should share the blame too. Basically blame was mentioned a lot in the segment.

Suicide bested Joey Ryan and Petey Williams in an exciting Triple Threat contest. Much like last week's X Division three-way (sounds like a dirty movie) the wrestling came fast and each participant gave a stellar showing. I wasn't (and am still not) entirely convinced by always having Triple Threats in the X Division, but we have received some very entertaining matches from it. 

Gut Check winners San Shaw and Alex Silva were scheduled to compete, but Wes Brisco, accompanied by Doc and Garett Bischoff, informed Shaw (I didn't remember him either) that him and his fellow Aces members had taken out Silva and then proceeded to attack him until Magnus marched down the ramp and chased them out of the ring. Magnus went on to claim that Wes didn't deserve his spot on the roster and berated him for attacking a young up and comer such as himself, then challenged him to a match right there and then.

Magnus won via disqualification versus Wes Brisco after fellow Aces & 8s members ran in and attacked him, but they were soon legging it as Samoa Joe raced out to his former tag partner's aid. So in the course of fifteen minutes the supposed hard and tough biker gang ran away from one man not once, but twice? Wow, they seem really deadly. To make things even more confusing Bully congratulated them afterwards, for what? The actual match itself had been a forgettable one, with pedestrian action for the most part.

Mr. Anderson pinned Kurt Angle in an enjoyable outing once it got going. After a drab start both men gave worthy efforts in their time allocated, which wasn't enough I felt. AJ Styles strolled out during the match up, distracting Angle and the referee, allowing Anderson to low blow his opponent and gain the one-two-three with a roll up.

Backstage a crazed Taryn Terrell attacked Gail Kim during an interview, only stopping once she'd be held back. During her interview Kim claimed that she should be challenging for the Knockouts Title not James. When was the last time she actually won a match?

As James Storm was about to announce his tag partner for Slammiversary, Bobby Roode and Austin Aries interrupted him, with 'The It Factor' stating that his four years in Beer Money with Storm were the worst of his career, and called his mystery partner a joke. Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) also came out and mocked the other three teams they were facing on June 2nd, calling them inferior to themselves. They also added that it didn't matter who Storm's partner was, they wouldn't be up to their standards.  

Shark Boy (I'd love to see someone's reaction to seeing and hearing him for the first time) made a welcome return and along with Robbie E stated his case to be Storm's tag partner. But it wasn't to be for either man as Gunner then came to the ring and took out Robbie and Shark Boy, with Storm then shaking his hand and confirming that he was his mystery tag partner. It was a decent segment.

Mickie James beat Velvet Sky (c) to obtain the Knockouts Title in an average and pretty sloppy encounter. You could visibly see James have to mouth instructions to Sky, the champion, during the bout, it was cringe worthy at times. If you didn't know any better it could've been a Gut Check contest, well maybe not that bad.

At least one positive came from this, the average Sky was relieved of the strap and James, one of the top female performers in the company has gained it. Towards the end Velvet (poorly) sold a knee injury out of nowhere, so a crazed looking James attacked the leg and applied a DDT for the victory and the strap. I think a heel turn is the way to go for Mickie right now, we've seen how well she can pull it off.

A proud Bully Ray introduced AJ Styles and even shared a beer with the tee totaller before asking Anderson to fit AJ with his own Aces & 8s waistcoat and finish up his initiation into the gang. But Angle then came out and claimed that Style's TNA legacy had gone right down the "crapper" after joining them, so Doc hit him from behind and sent him into the ring to be attacked by Aces, finally being cracked on the leg with a hammer by Styles.

As the gang members all celebrated, AJ then used the same hammer to strike a few Aces members before running off. It was a strange ending to the show, and I somehow doubt that the writers have a remotely logical explanation for it. AJ reenacting Sting's tactics with NWO years ago by infiltrating Aces & 8s and taking them down would've made much more sense, if been more predictable. 

Overall it was an average show for the majority, with the James Storm tag team partner reveal segment, Anderson versus Angle and the X Division three-way being my only real highlights. Other then those moments it was either average, confusing or just dull.  

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 9th May 2013 Recap

Sting, accompanied by Kurt Angle, started things off by claiming that he didn't want to wait until Slammiversary to get his hands on Bully Ray so he'd asked for the six-man main event that night pitting him and Angle against three Aces & 8s members. Angle then took to the mic and demanded an answer from AJ Styles on whether he was on their side or not.

Sure enough AJ joined them but he refused to say a word after 'The Stinger' tried to convince him to join them in the main event. A hasty Angle had enough though and screamed at Styles, demanding to know who's side he's on. So AJ had enough and left, but Kurt gave chase and as the two began exchanging punches on the ramp Bully Ray, Devon and Anderson took out Sting. Everything was coming up Aces.  

Mickie James and Velvet Sky bested Tara and Gail Kim in a largely decent tag bout. I feel like a broken record typing this but James and Kim were (as usual) the top performers here, each giving stellar displays. Sky looked quite average as she finished off Tara with the In Yo' Face for the one-two-three. 

Afterwards a frustrated Kim then clotheslined Tara and applied a Figure Four from the outside around the ringpost just like she did to Terrell last week. I wouldn't mind seeing Tara and Jesse turn face actually, could be quite entertaining.  

Aces & 8s made their way to the ring, where Bully reprimanded D'Lo for loosing to Angle in an I Quit match last week, and demanded he hand over his Aces jacket. D'Lo refused and asked for another chance, so a few other members snatched the jacket off of him, with Bully ordering him to sit near the announce desk and watch the following match. Ray's mic work was solid, as standard for him.  

Magnus pinned Doc in a match of two halves. The start was pretty drab and pedestrian, but fortunately the contest picked up and both men gave worthy enough displays as they upped the pace and interest. The finish did look daft however as D'Lo was somehow blinded by an earlier Irish Whip by Magnus into steel steps (how does that work?) and then accidentally pulled Doc's legs near the ropes which allowed Magnus to grab a quick roll up pin for the victory. 

Afterwards as punishment Bully then demoted D'Lo to the gang's lackey and barked at him to leave.

Austin Aries and Bobby Roode versus Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) in a Tag Team number one contenders match ended in a No Contest after special referee James Storm had enough of Aries and Daniels and Last Call Superkicked them both. It was an exciting match for the majority, with crisp wrestling as excepted with this level of talent. The ending was a little strange but a three way between these two teams and the champs does make sense for Slammiversary.

Backstage we witnessed a few Aces members beat down Magnus. The Brit managed to make a brief comeback but it wasn't enough as the gang managed to get him down and ram a trolley of some kind into his head (which happened where we couldn't see it).

X Division Champion Kenny King came out and after bigging himself up,  called out Chris Sabin to tell his story of his recovery from his injury. Sabin explained to King that at this point he had nothing left to lose and would do everything to win back the X Division strap. After the champ feigned some more admiration for his future opponent, he then claimed that even if he hadn't had the two operations on his ACL then Sabin still wouldn't be as talented as him, so Chris retorted with a swift punch to send King packing. It was a nice segment, with King especially oozing confidence on the mic.

Backstage we saw a beaten down Storm on the ground, with Aries, Roode, Daniels and Kazarian all nearby and screaming at each other and officials.

Abyss, Sting and Kurt Angle beat Bully Ray, Devon and Mr. Anderson in a fair main event. Once the bout got going it was enjoyable enough, with nice work from Devon, Bully and Angle. During the match we were shown footage from backstage where various Aces members had been taken out by a mystery assailant which turned out to be Abyss, who Hulk Hogan had called earlier on in the show to help out. 

Abyss made his way down at the end where he clumsily and slowly beat down Bully and also chokeslammed Anderson through a table before Black Hole Slamming and pinning Devon for the win. Compared to Lesnar's awesome attack on 3MB a few weeks back on Raw this looked sloppy. I can't say that he's a welcome return for me, I personally prefer his Joseph Parks alter ego.

Overall it was a decent enough Impact, with not one bad or unwatchable match on the card. My highlights were the tag team bout and Bully and Kenny King's very nice mic work. Unfortunately I still can't say I'm hyped for the Bully and Sting title match at all right now, but at least we should still be grateful for Ray making Aces & 8s interesting at all.

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 18th April 2013 Recap

Styles looking more serious then ever. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com 

Wes Brisco and Garett Bischoff defeated Kurt Angle in a decent Handicap match. There were drab periods when Wes and Garett were in control, but once Kurt got going the action stepped up in quality and excitement. Kurt was pinned after Garett managed to crack him on the back with a chain handed to him by D'Lo Brown while the referee was distracted by Anderson at ringside.

Afterwards Wes and Garett double powerbombed Angle, with Anderson then speaking about how the company was deteriorating while Aces & 8s were on the rise, then wished AJ Styles luck for his match later on.  

Kenny King (c) bested Petey Williams and Zema Ion to retain the X Division Title in an entertaining Triple Threat contest. All three men looked stellar here, especially Williams who upped the overall standard of the bout with a great display.

Backstage Brooke Hogan spoke down to Mickie James and Brooke Tessmacher by claiming that she saw something "special" in them and  that was why she'd booked them in a number one contenders match for the Knockouts Championship. I mean, what has Brooke ever done in professional wrestling to give her the right to talk to female performers like that? How condescending, especially for someone of Mickie's talent and experience.

Before the Television Title match could begin, Aces & 8s members attacked Magnus, eventually double chokeslamming him onto the ramp. Devon was about to orchestrate more damage until Samoa Joe ran out to his ex-tag partner's aid.

Mickie James pinned Brooke Tessmacher in a good effort to earn a Knockouts Title shot in the near future. As usual James was on solid form, and Brooke also worked well here. My only slight gripe was the amount of disagreements each competitor had with the ref ODB, they're all faces so why would they need to add this to the bout?

Backstage Devon and Bully Ray attacked Joseph Parks with a chain after he once again brought up a rightful divorce between Brooke and Bully. In the end they left him in the shower with water pouring down on him, teasing him to cry. It was as if they were in school, not hardened gang members. 

Bad influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) came out and bragged about their new tees, being close to convincing AJ Styles to join the team and a fictional film based on them (amusingly claiming that Morgan Freeman was going to portray Dixie Carter) almost entering production.

As they were also announcing their claim to a tag team title shot Austin Aries and Bobby Roode then interrupted them and announced that they were next in line for a title shot. After some hilarious back and fourth mocking (it really is worth a watch) the actual tag champs Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez walked in and attacked Roode and Aries, sending both teams packing.

Devon (c) beat Samoa Joe to retain the TNA Television Title in a short and pretty unremarkable title clash. The wrestling was competent enough but it lacked any real excitement. Devon grabbed the winning pinfall after Anderson snuck in (Earl Hebner was distracted by Wes Brisco at ringside) and struck Joe with a chain.

AJ Styles defeated James Storm in a solid main event. Both performers gave worthy efforts and as standard for them provided a match worth checking out, with smooth back and fourth wrestling. Styles grabbed the submission win with a leg lock after Storm had picked up a knock earlier in the bout, it was a nice logical finish. 

Afterwards Bad Influence celebrated with Styles, only for him to then take out the tag team and walk away as Aces & 8s attacked the duo and Storm. Bully Ray then took to the mic and stated that he'd taken out all of TNA's heroes because of Hulk Hogan, and demanded that he face him in the ring next week. He really is the last remaining endearing thing about Aces & 8s.

Overall it was a solid show for the majority, with most matches being above average for televised bouts with stellar action. My highlights were James versus Tessmacher, the Bad Influence segment with Aries and Roode, the X Division Triple Threat and the main event. Other than that it was still a fair Impact, with only the Brooke Hogan and dull Aces & 8s segments letting it down. 

My TNA Impact Wrestling, 14th March 2013 Recap

It was as great as the photo suggests. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Before the following tag team title match could begin, Aces & 8s raced out and attacked Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez. Devon then told all the fans to shut up and introduced the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Bully Ray. Bully spoke about how proud he was of his fellow Aces members and how he fooled Hogan, Brooke and the fans for nine months. He also added that in one night he'd accomplished what the NWO never had. It was a decent start to the show, with the always solid Chicago crowd getting into it.

Velvet Sky and Mickie James bested Tara and Gail Kim in a largely enjoyable tag bout. Every performer gave a worthy display here. Referee Taryn Terrell was once again pushed to breaking point by Kim and slapped her in the face, shortly after Sky managed to apply an In Yo' Face on Tara for the one-two-three.

Rob Terry pinned Robbie E in a pretty worthless outing. The only positive was how brief the match was kept, the wrestling was just very mediocre, Terry even seemed to struggle applying a spinebuster at the end. Afterwards Terry then began dancing...badly. It was just awkward. And why is Rob announced as haling from New Jersey? He's from Wales?

Hulk Hogan blamed Sting backstage for trusting Bully and therefore helping Aces gain the upper hand, claiming that he never trusted him. Didn't Hogan walk his daughter down the aisle to marry the guy and admit that the only reason he wasn't sure of him was because he didn't like the idea of Brooke being with a pro wrestler, not who he actually was? TNA defies logic. Sting then begged Hogan not to fire Aces & 8s, and stated that he had a plan for them. But Hulkster wasn't having any of it and told him to get out, adding that "You make me sick." Harsh words, eh?

Backstage Austin Aries and Bobby Roode rubbed in how Sting was wrong about Bully Ray and how it was all his fault right to his face. So 'The Stinger' retorted by challenging Aries to a match later on.

As AJ Style's music hit for his return, there was no sign of the man himself, so Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) came out dressed as Chicago's own Legion of Doom and claimed that it wasn't the first time Styles had let down his fans. They also announced their tribute as "throwback Thursday" and stated that LOD were just fake tough guys, unlike them. Daniels also added his own funny twist on the legendary tag teams famous line with "Ooooooh what a tush!" As usual Bad Influence were on great form.

James Storm then joined the duo and reminded them that LOD were a fair bit taller and bigger than them, and were also a lot more over. He then went on to challenge one of them to a match right there, deciding on Daniels after flipping 'The Fallen Angel' into the ring.

James Storm defeated Christopher Daniels in a solid encounter. Not either man's finest contest but a fun one nonetheless, with nicely executed action. Afterwards as Kaz and Daniels began beating down 'The Cowboy', a worse for wear looking AJ Styles appeared and chased them off, only to then turn on Storm by clotheslining him. 

Backstage we witnessed various Aces & 8s members taking out Kurt Angle, a target they'd anonymously picked out at random earlier.

Joseph Parks came out and told the fans that standing in the ring in his home town of Chicago was the proudest moment of his life. Matt Morgan then joined him and accused Parks of being the biggest mistake that Hogan ever made, and that he planned to eliminate all the errors of the Hulkster. But Parks refused to leave and claimed that in Chicago no one backs down from a fight and challenged Morgan to one. An amused 'Blueprint' told Parks that they'll fight when he wants to, then applied a Carbon Footprint, announcing that they'll have a match next week. 

Sting versus Austin Aries ended in a No Contest after Aces & 8s ran in and took out 'The Stinger'. The match itself had been a very entertaining one, and far better than I was expecting. I was predicting a fair contest here, nothing much, but both men gave great efforts and provided a fun watch from the opening bell. This is one of Sting's finest single bouts in a long while. After Aces beat down Sting (Aries had made a quick getaway) Bully demanded Hogan come out and dared him to fire them. 

Sure enough Hogan came out, but instead announced that he had convinced all the wrestlers in the back to band together to take out the gang. As members of the roster ran out, including former champ Jeff Hardy, they were not enough as Aces also eventually took them out. What's Hogan going to do now?

Overall it was a decent enough Impact, with almost all the matches providing stellar action and some nice progression in the Aces & 8s and TNA feud, with Bully injecting some much needed interest back into the gang as the top heel in the company. Actually, bar the Robbie E versus Terry match I liked all of the show really. My personal highlights were the Bad Influence promo ("Oooooh what a tush!" I will forever remember) Daniels vs Storm, Styles' return and the enjoyable main event.  

My Impact Wrestling, 14th February 2013 Recap

Samoa Joe about to elbow Angle in a solid encounter. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Hulk Hogan kicked things off by announcing four matches that night that would determine his choice to face Jeff Hardy at Lockdown next month for the world title. He then went on to also announce a Lethal Lockdown match at the same event (obviously) pitting Aces & 8s against TNA team captain Sting and a unit of his choosing. 'The Stinger' himself then came out warned Aces that he will have retribution.

Magnus defeated Christopher Daniels in a fair outing. Both men looked decent enough, but the match seemed to lack that bit of excitement for me to really get into it. Magnus gave a worthy effort, although he's still nothing exceptional he's continuing to improve which is positive.

Kurt Angle versus Samoa Joe ended in a no contest after Garett Bischoff and Wes Brisco ran in and attacked both men, unfortunately for them Joe and Angle fought back and chased them off. The match itself had been a solid one, with both men as usual working well together and providing stellar displays as they fought back and fourth.

Gail Kim, Tara and Jesse bested the Blossom Twins and Party Marty in a largely average mixed-tag bout. The former TNA British Boot Camp contestants the Blossom Twins and Marty had decent moments but still looked a bit too inexperienced in the ring, which obviously brought down the quality of the match up. Kim was the only real standout performer for me, giving a fine display as standard for her.

Afterwards Kim warned Tara that she had what she wanted in the form of the Knockouts Title, and demanded a match for the strap. So Brooke Hogan came out and booked a four-way for Tara's belt next week, including Gail Kim, Velvet Sky and Brooke Tessmacher.

James Storm pinned Rob Van Dam in an enjoyable outing. It started off a little slow but once they hit their stride it became a fun watch, with counter after counter. Storm managed to capture the win after applying a Superkick. 

Before their match up, Bobby Roode and Austin Aries revealed that they intended to win every title in the company to bring back "prestige and honour" to them.

Austin Aries versus Bobby Roode ended in a double count out. After the bell rung the two argued over who should lay down to be pinned. Aries eventually agreed to be the bigger man and laid down, of course this was a ruse as he then went to pin his tag partner which instigated the actual wrestling. The bout itself was an entertaining one, with nice action and amusing bickering between the two, including an Eddie Guerrero-esque moment of pretending the other man had struck him with a chair. 

The count out came after Chavo Guerreo and Hernandez, each wearing a T-Shirt representing the Tag Champions, came out and distracted Aries and Roode, causing them to leave the ring and try (and fail) to beat their opponent to make the count.

As Hulk Hogan was about to announce the number one contender to the World Title, Aces & 8s members made their way out and surrounded the ring. Just then Bully Ray and Sting also joined Hulk to back him up and scare away the gang. It was a poor end to the show, and running away from two elderly men and Bully only made Aces look weak.

Overall it was a fair Impact, with a few solid matches. Unfortunately the show lacked any half decent promos, and the Aces & 8s and TNA feud is loosing serious steam now, I'm struggling to find any interest in a gang that are just looking weaker and weaker. As I said fortunately the Aries versus Roode, Joe versus Angle and Storm versus RVD bouts made up for the weaker rest of the broadcast. 

My Impact Wrestling, 7th February 2013 Recap

Yeah, I'd be scared too. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com 

Devon once again announced that Aces & 8s plan to make 2013 their year where they take over TNA, and then introduced the newly revealed members of the gang Wes Brisco and Garett Bischoff. Garett gave no explanation as to why he joined, just claiming that the fans gave him no respect, and Brisco berated Hogan for ignoring his phone calls for "two years" and making him work his way up in the company after what his family had done for him in the past.

Neither were particularly good promos, and I'm starting to get a horrible feeling of deja vu with Aces now, thinking back to Immortal's time with the drab and drawn out segments in the ring giving speeches.

Rob Van Dam (c) bested Zema Ion and Kenny King in a Triple Threat to retain the X Division Title. The bout started off scrappy, with rushed sequences that looked fairly messy and clumsy. Fortunately the quality improved towards the end and the pace was kept consistently fast throughout.

Jesse complained about being banned by Brooke Hogan from his girlfriend Tara's match up later on, and then gave what he felt the British fans wanted and began to pose for pictures. But he was shortly interrupted by James Storm, who predictably challenged Jesse to a match right there and then to shut him up and give the fans what they really wanted.

James Storm pinned Jesse in a passable encounter. The action was never spectacular but it was solid enough for the most part, with Jesse looking competent enough and Storm decent as usual. It was wisely kept short and sweet.

Bobby Roode and Austin Aries defeated Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez (c) to obtain the TNA Tag Team Championship in a highly enjoyable contest. The wrestling stayed to a consistently good standard throughout and all four men gave worthy efforts, providing a fun watch with pretty amusing moments of Aries and Roode's egos clashing. Towards the end Roode and AA accidentally clashed, leading to the 'It Factor' storming off, but this all turned out to be a clever (and believable) ruse as he would return a few moments later as the champs looked to retain their straps and help turn things around for the one-two-three.

Hulk Hogan informed Bully Ray that the main event versus Aces & 8s was his chance to prove that he was a "good guy" (he hasn't done that already?). Bully explained that after all they'd done to him and his wife, he was going to be anything but good that night.

Brooke Tessmacher beat Tara in a largely mediocre outing. Tara looked okay but far from one of her top displays I've seen, and Tessmacher unfortunately looked like she's taken a step back and gave an under average effort.

Rockstar Spud made his debut on Impact Wrestling after winning the TNA British Boot Camp contest, receiving a healthy response from the fellow British crowd. But briefly into his promo where he spoke about achieving a huge goal by getting into TNA, Robbie E, accompanied by Robbie T, joined him and claimed it was a travesty that he'd earned a contract. After finally having enough of the obnoxious E, Robbie T dropped down and allowed Spud to clock Robbie E in the face and send him packing. Afterwards T began dancing with Spud. I'm very hopeful for Rockstar in TNA from what I've seen so far.

Bully Ray and Sting defeated Devon and Doc in a Tables match. For the most part it was decent enough, nothing outstanding but fun, and the fans were certainly into it. I just failed to ever really get into it, and feel that if Sting had been replaced with a younger and more able wrestler (such as Samoa Joe) there would've been that bit more excitement it required. For the finish Bully 'Hulked Up' and put his ex-tag partner Devon through a table. Brooke Hogan and Hogan himself then joined them for the celebration.

Overall it was a fair to drab Impact, with the tag team title match and triple threat (once it got going) being the highlights. Unfortunately I never really got into the main event, although it wasn't terrible. The lack of Christopher Daniels and Kazarian, the two most entertaining things about TNA nowadays, was also disappointing, without them there were no decent promos. 

My Impact Wrestling, 17th January 2013 Recap

The always-entertaining Bad Influence mock Hardy's fan base of 'Creatures'. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

World Champion Jeff Hardy kicked off the show, oddly receiving chants of "You still got it" after mentioning the great Triple Threat he participated in at Genesis, when did Jeff 'loose it' exactly? After then thanking the fans for their support and claiming that he was after a fight to keep his momentum going, Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Kazarian) joined him,  with Kaz reminding Hardy that he'll be defending his strap against his tag partner next week, and Daniels calling all of the champ's fans losers.

In retaliation Hardy then began to attack the duo, but soon fell victim to the numbers game, that is until James Storm predictably ran out to his aid and after scaring Bad Influence off challenged them to a tag match right there and then. Daniels and Kaz refused, but where then dragged into the ring and the bout begun.

Jeff Hardy and James Storm defeated Bad Influence in a solid tag team contest. I mean, with these four talents it's hard to go far wrong, right? All four men gave solid displays and kept a nice fast pace going, especially in the exciting final few minutes. Hardy applied the Twist of Fate to Kaz to gain the one-two-three for a popular win.

His future opponent Daniels then snuck in from behind and gave the champ a nicely executed Angles Wings onto his own title belt and laid cockily on top of him. It was a nice image and set up into their title clash, where I see a possible DQ happening which will hopefully lead into a World Championship match at Lockdown, which would be superb I reckon. 

Bryan Cage was first eliminated during the Gut Check segment, leaving the man he lost to last week, Jay Bradley to be judged on whether he deserves a TNA contract. The three judges voted two to one in favour of Jay. With the exception of Christian York, the lack of Gut Check winners of TV each week has diminished the effect and meaning of the whole thing for me.

Kenny King beat Christian York in a largely pedestrian outing. The action was fair, not bad, but also nothing that special. Their match up last Sunday was definitely more enjoyable and engaging. King grabbed the win after a cheeky roll up where he grabbed York's trunks.

Sting called out his good friend Hulk Hogan and asked him what it will take for him to accept Bully and his daughter Brooke's relationship. Hogan explained that there was something about Ray that he didn't trust, that seemed off, so he'll never accept him.

Velvet Sky bested Gail Kim in a number one contenders match to the Knockouts Title. It was a largely decent outing, with stellar work from Kim as she dominated for the most part and an above average effort from Sky (compare to her usual standard). Once again referee Taryn Terrell played a part in Kim's loss as she halted a pin when Sky managed to get her leg under the ropes. As Kim argued with the ref, Sky managed to recover and get in a few offensive moves, including an In Yo' Face for the win. Seems like their setting up a match between Terrell and Kim. I don't remember Terrell being that great in the ring to be honest, I think they should just leave her as a good-looking official.

A suited up Bobby Roode and Austin Aries came out and stated that the only celebration that should be happening rather than the wedding was for them. They went on to also criticise the current crop of champions in the company, claiming that since they'd lost their respective straps it's gone downhill. Tag Champions Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez soon joined them and objected to the claims being made against the title holders of the TNA. After AA and Roode then mocked their race, calling them the caterers, Chavo and 'Super Mex' retorted by chasing them out of the ring. I'm certainly all for a tag team title match between these four, could be great.

After Sting had another word with Hogan backstage, 'The Hulkster' admitted that he had no issue with Bully Ray, but that he objected to the wedding because he didn't want his daughter being involved with a business that had brought some hard times to him. Sting simply told him to do the right thing.

As the wedding ceremony began, Hogan then appeared and walked Brooke down the aisle. The ceremony progressed nicely, but after Bully and Brooke said their "I do"'s, Taz suddenly interrupted and asked if Ray really knew what he was doing. He then took off his blazer to reveal an Aces & 8s waistcoat underneath. This cued other Aces members to enter the ring and take out everyone bar Brooke. So out of all the potentially interesting and exciting members we could have joining the gang, we have Taz? No doubt we'll get some weak reasoning from the commentator next week as to his switch. Disappointing finish to the show, I was personally expecting Brooke or Bully to turn, either would've been more entertaining.
Overall it was a fair Impact, not one of the best as of late. The tag team match was definitely the highlight, providing a solid encounter. The Kim versus Sky bout was also decent enough, the rest of the show was just quite run of the mill and forgettable to be honest. Taz turning, as I mentioned, was a big disappointment, considering the potential candidates (Styles? Bully? Even Brooke, as bad an actress as she is). 

My TNA Genesis 2013 Recap

Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez (c) defeated Joey Ryan and Matt Morgan to retain the TNA Tag Team Championship in a fair opener to the show. It was never anything that special but I can't fault the efforts of all four men, they delivered a decent enough tag bout. Certainly watchable anyway.

Mr. Anderson bested Samoa Joe in a largely drab outing. The last third of the match upped the interest a bit with more technical action from Joe, but for the most part it was pretty pedestrian. Anderson grabbed the win with a Mic Check after Mike Knox distracted Joe from ringside.

Christian York beat Kenny King in an enjoyable contest. Both men went back and fourth with some nicely executed and exciting moves, working well together. And although unfortunately while it was York's best performance I've seen to date he still looked a little sloppy here and there. York grabbed the one-two-three with a quick roll up pin, so an upset King decided to pay him back by applying his Royal Flush finisher.

As per the stipulation York then qualified for an X Division Title match straight after against Rob Van Dam, who inappropriately then came swaggering down and showed absolutely no concern for his fallen opponent. If you didn't know TNA any better you'd have presumed he was a heel with the way he acted. He then did admittedly show some worry for York and said that he didn't have to go through with the bout, but the number one contender wanted to go ahead with it.

Rob Van Dam (c) defeated Christian York to retain the X Division Title in a passable match up. Logically Van Dam had the majority of offense against the still-hurt York, who did manage to get in a couple of nice near falls though. Unfortunately a lack of intensity and some some sloppy moments marred the championship clash. Rightfully RVD applauded the efforts of York afterwards.

Devon beat Joseph Parks in an average encounter. It just failed to deliver any excitement or ever really engage me throughout. Parks, portraying a man who just passed wrestling school, was understandably acting amateur, which made sense but also hindered the quality of the match. As part of his act he also transformed into Abyss after seeing his own blood when he was thrown into an exposed corner post, temporarily throwing his foe around. Devon also looked okay but nothing special, afterwards he cracked Parks with a clothesline from behind.

Gail Kim first eliminated Brooke Tessmacher, then ODB and Mickie James, but was finally pinned by Velvet Sky after she applied an In Yo' Face to win the Knockouts Gauntlet to to become number one contender to the Knockouts Championship. It was a controversial win however as Kim's foot was under the rope as the winning pin was counted, I imagine this will set up a Triple Threat for the Knockouts strap.

The majority of the gauntlet was fair viewing, and to be honest much more engaging than anything you'll get from the female talent in WWE right now. The highlight was the period between James and Kim, the most talented Knockouts in my opinion.

Christopher Daniels bested James Storm in a solid bout. It's hardly a suprise that two of the companies best all-round talents pulled out an fun watch, with stellar wrestling from the opening bell. That should really be enough to convince you to check it out. Daniels gained the win (and a World Title match on a later episode of Impact) after Kazarian distracted Storm.

Bully Ray and Brooke Hogan came out and once again announced their wedding that will take place live on Impact Wrestling this Thursday. Bully then also recorded a live video to tweet out of the crowd who the couple had invited to the wedding. That was it, they could've just recapped the proposal from last week's Impact to be honest and saved time.

Before the match even begun, a few Aces & 8s goons beat down Sting before Doc dragged him into the ring for the opening bell.

Sting beat Doc in a brief and unmemorable match up. Nothing about it was outstanding as Sting gave a pretty pedestrian display and Doc was his usual drab-self in the ring. You wouldn't miss much by skipping this one. After the bell rung more Aces members were about to pounce on 'The Stinger' until Bully Ray ran out with his chain in hand and chased them off.

Jeff Hardy (c) defeated Bobby Roode and Austin Aries in an Elimination Triple Threat to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. And what a superb main event this was. Now I was expecting a solid contest here, but it exceeded that as all three men worked very hard to provide a red hot match up, and succeeded. As promised beforehand Aries and Roode attempted to beat down Hardy and eliminate him first, but the resilient champion resisted the dramatic pinfall attempts, eventually rolling to the outside to leave the other two to face each other.

After some nice exchanges Hardy and Aries then managed to score a double pinfall on Roode to send him packing. Shortly after Hardy then applied an insane-looking Twist of Fate on AA through the middle rope, followed by a Swanton for the winning pin. Terrific high note to end the event on, as should always be the case.

Overall Genesis was a bumpy pay-per-view, with the majority of matches being quite forgettable and humdrum, but King versus York, Daniels versus Storm and the main event providing above average and in the case of the Triple Threat, brilliant entertainment. I'm sure Lockdown in March will provide a much more consistent show. Hopefully.

My Impact Wrestling, 10th January 2013 Recap

Crack! Aries ends a great tag match via DQ. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com

Sting, accompanied by Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe, warned Doc that at Genesis this Sunday he'll be coming for him. Joe then also threatened Aces & 8s after their group attack on him in the steel cage last week. Finally Angle took to the mic and called out Mr. Anderson, who stood by as the aforementioned attack from Aces & 8s took place on him and Joe, and demanded to know who's side he's on.

Anderson then joined them and explained that he'd turned his back on them after Sting and the others failed to help him when he was taken out by Aces a couple of months ago. After Angle then gave Ken the choice of either being against them, or with them, Anderson admitted that he'd never liked Kurt much anyway, which prompted the gold medallist to attack him and send him on his way. The best part of the opening segment was Anderson's nicely subtle but effective mic work.

Kenny King defeated Zema Ion in an entertaining match up. Both men looked good here and put in decent displays, with nicely executed and exciting moves to keep the fans going throughout.

Robbie T and Brooke Tessmacher bested Jesse and Tara in a largely pedestrian inter-gender tag bout. Tessmacher looked good enough in the ring, but that was about the only really noteworthy part of the contest. Afterwards Robbie T began dancing with Tessmacher, then laid on a big snog which apparently knocked her off her feet.

Jay Bradley beat Bryan Cage (yes, that was really the name he'd chosen to use) in a fair effort by both men in the Gut Check Challenge. The start was quite dull but once it got going they looked okay, nothing exceptional but competent enough, and better than some of the past Gut Check challengers.

In the Aces & 8s base, Mike Knox was informed that after being unmasked last week he would be given one chance to earn back his spot in he gang.

Joseph Parks called out Hulk Hogan and after completing his time at the OVW training camp begged him for a match against Aces & 8s as retribution for their attack on him, so 'The Hulkster' accepted. Brooke Hogan then joined her dad and asked if he was going to reinstate Bully Ray after he suspended him on last week's show. Hogan simply answered "No" and left his upset daughter. Brooke's acting here was awful, I mean really bad.

Jeff Hardy and James Storm won via DQ versus Austin Aries and Bobby Roode in a terrific tag contest from start to finish. I'm a fan of all four men but it still surpassed my expectations with solid wrestling and some red hot action, especially when Hardy made a hot tag to Storm, with 'The Cowboy' on top form as he barraged through his two opponents and then Christopher Daniels and Kazarian who decided to make their way down and interfere.

The disqualification came after Aries struck Hardy with his own title belt across the back of the head. Roode and AA then argued as they both held up Hardy's World Championship strap. I'm predicting a very good Triple Threat for the title this Sunday. 

After Anderson hesitated to enter the ring with Angle, Mike Knox appeared and cracked Kurt with a hammer and legged it once Samoa Joe, Garett Bischoff and Wes Brisco appeared on the scene. As Angle was being stretchered away a livid Sting then stormed out and demanded that Knox enter the ring with him one on one. After fellow Aces members convinced him to take up the challenge, Knox accepted.

Sting defeated Mike Knox in a passable, if quite drab outing. The action wasn't bad at any point, it just never went beyond okay and failed to ever really engage me. You can skip this one.

Afterwards 'The Stinger' was about to deliver some retribution to Knox with his own weapon, until Devon and crew appeared with Brooke Hogan hostage and warned him to halt. This prompted the indefinitely suspended Bully Ray to run out and save Brooke with a chain in hand to back off the Aces & 8s members. Hogan then also came out and accused Bully of being a fake and putting his daughter in harms way. Bully retorted by calling Hogan crazy and admitted that he loved Brooke more than anything else. To prove this Bully then proposed in front of a furious 'Hulkster', with his daughter accepting. Bully went on to convince her to have the wedding live on next weeks show. At least this storyline is progressing a bit more. The hilarious cartoon-face on Hogan alone made this closing segment worth watching.