Going into this match, it really could have gone either way: Jeff Hardy can be great when he wants to be, but when he feels unmotivated? Well, take a look at the main event one year ago this very month. Not so much. Two men who brought their "A" Game for the night (although to be fair, Kurt Angle is pretty much nothing but "A" game). Convincing nearfalls, creative spots, and a match that finally brought some life out of what had been a library-quiet Impact Zone for the majority of the night. This was by far the best match on the show, and worth seeking out if you didn’t see it live.
WORST MATCH – JAMES STORM VS. BULLY RAY
Let me start by saying this is not a critique of either wrestler involved, as they’ve been terrific for months. James Storm is a genuine "TNA-built" star, and Bully Ray has been as good as he has ever been in his role as the "Bully." But, why advertise this as a match? Storm had legit knee surgery, which warranted keeping the match short, but I think that the company should just have advertised a confrontation between the two rather than a match that consisted of a superkick, essentially. Sure, it keeps Storm strong and Bully Ray can get his heat back in about two minutes on the mic, but TNA needs to understand that when you advertise something that people are paying for, it might be an idea to deliver.
BIGGEST SURPRISE – ROODE WINS
Don’t get me wrong, this was the absolute right decision. But, when I heard that this would be a non-title match, I had a bad feeling that they were adding that stipulation in order to let Sting get the "feel-good" win to send the crowd home happy, which would have been a mistake. The right man won here, as it added more credibility to Roode’s role as the Champion, and he looked strong going into Lockdown. Well done.
BIGGEST LETDOWN – #PLEASESTOPWITHTWITTER
A few weeks back, TNA had a great Bully Ray promo where he made fun of Twitter. After tonight, I never, ever want to hear about Twitter again.
BEST QUOTE – STING
"I'm sick of Twitter…"
Me too, Stinger. Maybe we should hashtag that.
BEST MOVE – JEFF HARDY-KURT ANGLE
The swanton Jeff attempted that landed on Angle’s knees probably felt horrendous. And, by "probably," I mean "certainly." But, it made for a brutal and memorable visual in a great match.
BEST MATCH FINISH – BOBBY ROODE VS. STING
Sting smashing the back of his head on the chair was unnecessary and cringe-inducing; there was no need for it whatsoever. I’m giving this the nod, though, because of the simple fact that TNA kept the Champion strong. TNA is heading into Lockdown, which regardless of the company line, is their biggest show of the year. Storm vs. Roode, with the Champ looking like one. Thumbs up.
OTHER THOUGHTS
Drinking game: Watch this show and take a shot every time they reference Twitter. You’ll make it 20 minutes, tops.
Austin Aries is awesome. That is all.
At the show close, when Bobby Roode was abusing Dixie Carter, where were all of the babyfaces? Why did nobody run in? I understand that wrestling is about the suspension of disbelief, but at least give viewers something to suspend from. Ludicrous booking.
I thought A.J. Styles and Daniels looked great on this show. This is hardly news, but TNA has lightning in a bottle with those two.
Why was Brooke Hogan at ringside trying to stop a chair shot? And, then never referenced? I want wrestling as well, Lagana.
Is Samoa Joe on a – Gasp! – Winning streak?! Book him to the moon, TNA. Seriously.
Gail Kim and Madison Rayne had a solid match. It was nice to see some time given to some very talented wrestlers. Good stuff.
WHAT IT’LL BE REMEMBERED FOR
And, here we are again. The Victory Road concept is similar to WWE’s “Elimination Chamber” show: it’s kind of a countdown show to a big pay-per-view, except you pay for it. I thought Angle and Hardy had an excellent match, and nothing else on the show was particularly bad. But, TNA just needs some consistency. The TNA roster is ridiculously great. Angle, Joe, Styles, Daniels, Storm, Roode, Kim, Ray - the list is phenomenal. So, just let them wrestle, and don’t over-complicate every angle. It’s almost too easy.
UPDATED 2012 PPV EVALUATION RANKINGS
1 - WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER (2012-02-19)
2 - WWE ROYAL RUMBLE (2012-1-29)
3 - TNA VICTORY ROAD (2012-03-18)
4 - TNA GENESIS (2012-01-08)
5 – TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS (2012-02-12)
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