TNA Impact Hits

Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy: The best singles match on TNA pay-per-view this year. I could have done without the overbooked five minute overtimes. It was odd enough to have a TNA Title tournament match booked to go only 20 minutes, and the decision to have five-minute overtimes rather than just saying there must be a winner was even odder. I guess it accomplished the goal of getting Eric Bischoff and Dixie Carter on television repeatedly.

Nevertheless, Angle and Hardy shined with a gem of a main event that further cemented my belief that this should have bee the Bound For Glory main event rather than just a semi-final match on a show that fewer people than usual ordered due it being a holiday weekend. Note to TNA's medical team: If you're going to cite a cut as the reason for stopping a match, don't wipe off his forehead and show everyone that it wasn't bleeding anymore.

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Generation Me: A quality opener that did not exceed my lofty expectations, but I liked the post-match heel turn for Generation Me. The nice guy matches were entertaining, but their feud should be a lot more interesting now that the Guns have something to avenge.

Abyss vs. Rhino: Good effort from both wrestlers. Rhino's intensity and offense connected with the live crowd. If nothing else, it was refreshing to see an Abyss match without tacks and glass.

A.J. Styles vs. Tommy Dreamer: This match would have stood out more if it wasn't the third brawl involving a former ECW wrestler. Still, it was a quality "I Quit" match that concluded with the rare finish of a babyface simply giving up rather than going with a screwball finish in which the babyface is giving some type of out for submitting. I do wonder what it says about EV2. There's talk that we'll get a War Games style match between Fortune and EV2 at Bound For Glory, so perhaps this was just TNA's way of putting heat on the heels heading into that match.

TNA Impact Misses

Overall show: It depends how you want to look at it. The show was a hit if we're grading on the TNA pay-per-view curve. However, this wasn't a great show by any means. Sure, it had enough quality in-ring action and the effort was there from the talent roster, but it never felt like anything more than a B-show. The decision to hold a pay-per-view on Labor Day weekend featuring semi-final tournament matches was bizarre. It's a shame they don't make a bigger fuss over their other title belts because they could have gotten away without a TNA Title match if they had made their other title matches feel more important.

Mr. Anderson vs. D'Angelo Dinero: They had the unenviable task of following up the Angle vs. Hardy match. Sadly, even if this match had gone on before Angle vs. Hardy, I would have considered it a letdown. The crowd was flat and the wrestlers didn't have as much chemistry in the ring as they do on the mic.

Douglas Williams vs. Sabu: A disappointing match. Sabu was a pleasant surprise at the Hardcore Justice pay-per-view, but he couldn't match that performance this month. I still disagree with the decision to throw this match out there so early in the crowd. I understood the idea of having the tag title match first since the teams can deliver a fast-paced opener, but they could have made Williams vs. Sabu feel much more important by giving it a stronger buildup coming into the show and then placing it in a spot on the show to make it seem more significant.

Samoa Joe and Jeff Jarrett vs. Sting and Kevin Nash: I think we were supposed to be baffled by the fact that Jarrett used Sting's bat as a weapon even though he's the babyface. The problem is that we see babyfaces use weapons, and could anyone really blame Jarrett given all the times Sting has beat the hell out of him with a baseball bat? I'm guessing this was another step toward Jarrett, Bischoff, and/or Hulk Hogan turning heel at Bound For Glory.

Velvet Sky vs. Madison Rayne: A clunky match with a silly finish involving that ridiculously large motor cycle helmet. Velvet is gold on the mic, but TNA has to know by now that if they're looking for a quality women's match, go with Angelina over Velvet.

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