-- 9/5 TNA No Surrender PPV Reax

Chris F. of Upstate, N.Y. Best Match: Hardy vs. Angle. Worst Match: tie between Rayne vs. Sky and Abyss vs. Rhino. I no longer try to approach the totality of a TNA PPV. They're generally too inconsistent to make it worthwhile. That's not how it "should" be, but I find that analyzing each match individually is much more sensible. ... The Styles-Dreamer match exceeded my expectations. Dreamer may be limited in the ring, but he did enough to ensure the match's pace didn't crawl. Also, I think A.J. is finally coming around as a heel. It's not just about promos. It's also about proper body language and psychology, and his taunts and reactions in this match were above and beyond how he was first coming across as Nature Boy, Jr. People will flame the finish, but in a world where every match features finisher kick-outs and guys are getting thrown off of buildings (sarcasm), you have to do something at least a little different with this match gimmick. ... Speaking of finishes, the Hardy-Angle match of course had excellent action, and effectively told a story. But if this is a simulated fight, how long can an Anklelock really be applied? Hardy didn't sell it well because he probably fell asleep for a few seconds during those spots. I can suspend disbelief, but when an MMA fighter applies a submission, they tap in seconds. The (lack of) finish does take something away from this one in my opinion, and that bothers me much more than whether or not they announced a time limit. PPVs are where the payoffs should be. What's so wrong with a re-match? Would a clean pin at this point actually weaken either of them? Hardly. I imagine they will book a triple threat for the next PPV, with Angle-Hardy-Anderson. Fair enough, but I would have had Eric Bischoff declare that the winner of the next match would become TNA champion during tonight's show. This would be "controversial," add excitement to the PPV, would end the title vacancy, and give plenty of potential stories to be told and promo fodder for the coming weeks.

Mike Clark of Memphis, Tenn., student: Best Match: Guns vs. Generation Me. Worst Match: three-way tie with Jarrett/Joe vs. Nash/Sting, Dreamer vs. Styles, Angle vs. Hardy. The first half of the show was solid. Even though I am sick of Sabu and the good ol' ECW, those guys put on a good match. ... We know Sting and Nash are older now, but if they can't get beyond the ten-minute mark, do not wrestle. It's time to hang it up. After the Hardcore Justice show, it was obvious the ECW stars were going to lose every match going forward, but the most disappointing match was Dreamer-Styles match with Dreamer losing by a fork. How can Dreamer quit by a fork that was flat on his face? It was obviously one of the worst and non-convincing matches of the year. This man was beaten up by everyone, set on fire, thrown through tables, and barbed wire, you name it. But a fork? Fail. ... Now, about TNA still watching old WWE videos trying to make an "epic TNA match," this mont with Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy. We all knew Angle was not going to lose, but to stretch what I thought was an uninteresting match into 30 minutes? Not interested. And do not get me started on the Pope-Anderson match. It looked like they were trying to simulate something other than a wrestling match each other with every pin. Overall, was it better than Hardcore Justice? Much, but was it good enough? No. Nowhere near. And finally, why does Dixie Carter always have that "I have a secret" look on her face constantly?

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "TNA PPV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on the PPV, click here.

We suggest these recent related articles...

WWE PPV REAX #1: "I wanted the biggest event of the summer to end with an exclamation point; it ended with a semicolon and a question"

WWE PPV REAX #1: Battleground finish generates mixed reactions...

WWE PPV REAX #2: In-Person Battleground Report on overall show, reactions, more