PPV Review: TNA Hard Justice 2008

Submitted By Patrick Kelley on 08/10/08

Unfortunately, Hard Justice has always seemed to be a mediocre PPV for TNA. Going with the Brief history, 2005's entry was largely forgettable except for the amazing AMW vs. Naturals match (which was in trbiute to Chris Candido) and the well deserved title win of AJ Styles (match itself was nothing special) 2006 looked to be TNA's best card of the year on paper, but unfortunately the Impact Zone caught fire during the opening match which led to an immediate evacuation and immediate halt of the show. The show went on once everything was cleared up, but alot of the life & energy seemed to be sucked out of the crowd and the PPV itself. 2007, despite having some good matches, saw the lackluster debuts of Black Reign & Andrew Martin into TNA. It was also the show where Joe got screwed out of the title, a swerve which everybody saw coming a mile away (everyone except Joe that is) We also got the debut of Pacman Jones into TNA, a move that unfortunately couldn't benefit the company in any way since the Tennessee Titans forbade him to do anything remotely physical. And of course, people like to focus on the negative when going over these shows, so those are the things that stick out. But 2008's version of Hard Justice was billed as being "The Most Hardcore PPV of the Year", which promised a good number of gimmick matches. This is something TNA has been bashed for repeatedly, but IMO, if WWE could put on a good show with One Night Stand, then TNA deserves a chance as well. - The show opened up with a performance by Grandmaster Cas &, Filthee with Ice T being a no show. OK, I hate rap. I make that no secret at all. Its one of the reasons I can't stand John Cena for crying out loud. So basically I didn't see this. Thank God they put it on first just to get it out of the way. - The opening match saw the X Division Championship being defended by Petey Williams against young star Consequences Creed. Now I was kind of looking forward to this one. There was no real build up or anything, but I've liked what I've seen from Creed. I've said this about Kofi Kingston as well: I don't know what kind of future he has, but he's a pretty exciting young talent at the moment, so I figure lets see what he's got. The match itself was a very good & action packed opener. The crowd was definately on Petey's side. I don't know if that was because of recognition for a TNA main stay or what, but they didn't seem to like Creed that much. I've heard people say they don't like the gimmick. I don't know why. Maybe its because I am a HUGE fan of the Rocky movies, but I love the gimmick. To each his own I guess. Anyways, some of the reversals were very cool in this one especially Petey countering that backbreaker into The Sharpshooter (which sounds impossible when I read over that sentence, but trust me, he did it) this was great X Division action, and once again, the X Division deliveres a strong opener for a TNA PPV. Hopefully Creed won a few fans with this one, because I really like the guy. Petey of course got the win with help from Daivari, now known as Sheik Abdul Bashir. Well if they wanted to do a USA vs. Anti American angle, they might as well have Sheik go up against somebody painted in Red, White & Blue. As long as Creed's not going up against an Italian Stallion or a Roided Up Russian, I think he'll survive! - Now throughout the show they did a few backstage segments with several stars talking about Sting, looking for him, or trying to get a word from him with no success. The best of those segments was with Team 3D, where Bubba (oh I'm sorry Brother Ray) is afraid of heights. Lauren actually showed some personality in that segment too. The Sting segments were alright. They didn't really add anything, but they didn't take away anything either. - Next up was the Six Women Tag Team Match with Taylor WIlde, Gail Kim, & ODB taking on The Beautiful People & Awesome Kong. The Knockouts showed once again that they don't have to take a backseat to the men as they put on yet another strong effort. All the girls looked good in there, and they kept Kong limited which actually made her stuff matter more. Taylor is looking good in there, and I like how she can hit that roll up from seemingly anywhere. Traci was good as referee (any excuse to put her on TV is good) and ODB was friggin hysterical. We got a really good match here with the faces getting the victory. - I was really looking forward to the next match as LAX defended the tag titles against Beer Money Inc. Say what you will about Storm & Roode being just two singles guys thrown together. Normally I would agree, but they have done so well in their new role that might be my favorite Tag Team in TNA right now. Seriously, they are doing great, and I was happy to see them win the tag titles here. As for the match itself, I felt it was the best of the undercard. I thought it was a very exciting and action packed match up. LAX is great too, and Hernandez is just a friggin beast. And that Border Toss to Homicide to the outside of the ring was an amazing visual. I'll go on record to say this was the best tag title match I've seen from TNA this year, which is funny because my previous pick for best TNA Tag Title Match of 08 was the LAX/Beer Money match from Impact where Storm/Roode won but the match was restarted. That says something about these two teams. - Now we go into the Hardcore portion of the PPV with all the remaining matches being gimmicked. Poor Lethal & Dutt. That's pretty much all I can say. If it had been a straight up chain match, it would have been fine, but adding the Tuxedo gimmick to it was just over doing it. First of all, how can you take the jackets & shirts off if you are chained to each other? Makes it kind of hard doesn't it? As expected, there were chants of "Fire Russo!" and "Boring" The effort was certainly there and I don't blame Dutt & Lethal at all. I'm actually liking this angle more than I thought I would and Dutt is really coming along nicely as a heel, but this was not the way to go. That said, they did do some cool things with the chain that saved it from being a complete disaster, and I liked how they played up that Lethal was so pissed at Sonjay that he was trying to do all these sick things to get back at him. This was the weakest match on the show by a mile though, and thats a shame given the talented guys that were involved. Anyways, Lethal got the win here, and hopefully we get another match to make up for this (ala Harris/Storm from last year) - Things improved with the New Jersey Streetfight or as I like to call it the "ECW Throwback Match" It was Team 3D taking on Rhino & Christian Cage in a Hardcore Brawl that was highly entertaining. Some of the bumps in this one were just insane like that Top Rope Powerbomb and a Frog Splash off the Ladder. I mean seriously, how do you even practice things like that? The brawl around the arena bit is always fun (although I'm sure its much more fun if you're there live!) I highly enjoyed this match. It's a shame the table didn't break on the Gore at the end, but what can you do? Rhino & Cage got the win, and to be honest, I wouldn't mind seeing them go up against Beer Money. I think that would be an interesting match up. After the match, we got an appearance from "The Monster" Abyss who saved Rhino & Cage from a beat down. Abyss has been getting great reactions whenever he does he random run ins, and that's good. I just wish they'd go somewhere with it. They could either explain why he's doing why he's doing it, or start having him focus on one person (he had his 2nd staredown with Kong on Impact) Hopefully this builds to him being included in the Monster's Ball where he'll be forced to go back to his hardcore ways or something. - I saw this PPV as having somewhat of a Double Main Event as AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle has been one of the biggest feuds in the company for a while now. This time, they had a Last Man Standing Match, which in TNA the 10 count is only done after a pinfall, which I actually like more because other wise the whole match is just "Do a Spot, Count to 10, Do a Spot, Count to 10" It doesn't have to be that way as I've definately seen LMS matches that avoid that formula (Cena vs. Umaga, HHH vs. Jericho) but having to make the pin prevents that, so its all good. As for the AJ/Angle match, this might have been TNA's Best Match this year. It was brutal, but not in the same way that the Streetfight was. AJ & Angle just took some hardfalls in that one that they probably shouldn't take, especially Kurt. I swear that guy is just fearless. If I had his neck problems, I wouldn't be taking any the falls he took (hell I'm healthy and I wouldn't do it!). There were some great counters and nearfalls and such, and the crowd appreciated the effort. I think this match surpassed their Slammiversary bout, and gave us a great one. That finish was sick. A DDT off the Top Rope?!?! What was Kurt thinking?! Had it been anyone else, I probably wouldn't have been as concerned, but with his history, there is always a little bit of uncertainty when get takes a hit that bad and doesn't get up right away. AJ Styles won, which effectively put an end to the feud. What happened after the match was most interesting. Syles, like Joe with Booker at Victory Road, seemed to take things to far and attacked Kurt after the match. The lights went out, and when they come back, we see Sting drop AJ with a Scorpion Deathdrop. Now ever since Sting signed with TNA again in late2005, a dream match I have been dying to see has been AJ Styles vs. Sting. Now it seems as if I'm finally going to get it. Whether it happens at Bound for Glory, No Surrender, or heck even on Impact, the match is one I'd really like to see, so I'm a little excited about that. I'm not saying it would be the greatest match of all time, but jus tot see them lock up would be a treat, much like Joe & Steiner was back in 2006. - And now the main event. Samoa Joe & Booker T in their rematch inside the Six Sides of Steel with Weapons hanging around the ring. For long term TNA fans, the set up kind of looked like a Raven's House of Fun Match only inside of a cage. Anyways, this was a good solid main event. Nothing spectacular, but Joe looked good and hit some really cool spots, and thankfully the weapons didn't completely take over the match (we saw enough of that in the Streetfight) I was also really happy to see Joe pick up the win, but I was shocked at how it happened. The Lights go out and instantly everybody thinks its Sting. The lights come back on, and Joe is holding Jeff Jarrett's Guitar! He then smashes it over Booker's head for the win. Now that was a nice littlw twist to end the PPV on, and it gives the audience a reason to tune into Impact. Now with Jeff Jarrett returning, it seems like they are bringing him in as a Babyface, which in my opinion, that's the way it has to be. Jeff Jarrett was at one time the most hated heel in TNA, but alot has changed since then. The last time we saw him on TV, he was giving a speech thanking the TNA fans for their support, not only for him but on behalf of his wife Jill, who had passed away just weeks before. After that speech, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. Heck I had a few tears rolling myself. And to me, there is just no way I can boo that man upon his return after seeing that. That'd be like booing "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan after he returned after his bout with cancer. You just have to sympathize with the guy, and for me, it'll be great to see him back doing what he loves: Wrestling. So after that whole speech, Hard Justice was a pretty entertaining PPV overall. Not amazing or one of TNA's best, but definately a fun show with some really good matches and some nice twists thrown in. I think they set up some good things for the future, most notably AJ vs. Sting. If you want a great match, check it out for the AJ/Angle match as that one was definately a keeper. The X, Tag, & Knockouts division got to shine as well, and it was all capped off with a solid main event with a great twist at the end. I'd go as far to say its the best Hard Justice they've put on to date. Match Rankings: Best to Worst 1) AJ vs. Angle 2) LAX vs. Beer Money 3) Petey vs. Creed 4) Cage/Rhino vs. Team 3D 5) Joe vs. Booker 6) Taylor/Gail/ODB vs. Kong/Sky/Love 7) Lethal vs Dutt Next Wrestling PPV is Summerslam 2008, the WWE's 2nd Biggest PPV of the year (or 3rd I guess depending on how much of a fan of the Royal Rumble you are) Looks like a good show, with two really big matches (Cena vs. Batista & Taker vs. Edge HIAC) and the big announcement by HBK, so it should be a good one. Like Hard Justice, I feel like this show has some of the past to make up for as the last two Summerslams were pretty lackluster to me, so hopefully they improve. They have the potential for sure. :: DISCUSS THIS POST ON THE FORUMS! :: SEE MICKIE JAMES & THE DIVAS NUDE! :: BUY WRESTLING DVD'S THROUGH OUR STORE! :: GO BACK TO THE HOME PAGE WRESTLING EPICENTER STORE IS OPEN! THE HOTTEST WRESTLING DVD'S ARE NOW AVAILABLE! We've got hundreds of pro wrestling DVD's at your fingertips! 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