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Wrestling’s 4R’s PPV Edition 5.15.12: TNA Sacrifice 2012

May 15, 2012 | Posted by Larry Csonka

How the 4R’s of wRestling Work!
Here is a quick explanation of the 4R’s. The column will run TWO times a week. We will group our feelings on the shows in various categories: The Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right is stuff that worked very well: a great promo, a great match and so on. PuRgatoRy is a section between the right and wrong. It shows equal traits from both sides that cannot be ignored and needs discussed. It is not a bad place per say, as things can get remedied or go the wrong way the very next week. The wRong is what it sounds like: bad matches, bad or boring promos and so on. The Ridiculous is stuff that had no right on TV: Stupid angles and so on. And there is always a possibility of a 5th R, which is as bad as they come. This is not a “mark” column, nor a “smark” column, our goal is to analyze the show from many different fronts, reward the good and call out the bad. We will not apologize for our opinions, they are as they are, whether positive or negative.

Let’s rock…

TNA SACRIFICE 2012:

By: LARRY CSONKA

QUICK RESULTS:
– TNA Tag Team Title Match: Daniels and Kazarian defeated Samoa Joe and Magnus © to become the NEW Tag Team Champions @ 10:54 via pin [***]
– TNA Knockouts Title Match: Gail Kim © defeated Brooke Tessmacher @ 6:56 via pin [*¾]
– TNA TV Title Match: Devon © defeated Robbie E and Robbie T @ 5:28 via pin [*]
– Mr. Anderson defeated Jeff Hardy @ 11:55 via pin [**½]
– Crimson defeated Eric Young @ 5:00 via pin [*]
– Austin Aries defeated Bully Ray @ 13:15 via submission [***¾]
– Kurt Angle defeated AJ Styles @ 20:30 via submission [****]
– TNA World Title Ladder Match: Bobby Roode © defeated RVD @ 15:30 [***½]

THE RIGHT:
TNA Tag Team Title Match: The show opened up with the tag team title match, which I feel was a good selection to start. With no traditional X-Division title bout on the show, this worked because they would keep a good pace, and the Orlando crowd loves Joe, Daniels and Kaz. The match was fun and entertaining, and unlike other TNA PPVs this year, the crowd was into it, which was a good sign early on. This was a good outing by all involved, although the end came off as a bit much and there was a bit of miscommunication. It wasn’t something you’ll remember at the end of the year, but it was a fine way to kick off the show. I didn’t think that they would change the titles, but on a PPV that most perceive as middle ground show, or not as important, it was nice to see something like this happen. I would guess that the title change will play into the AJ Styles angle later in the show, which as some have pointed out, will lead to Angle and AJ tagging to challenge the new champions.

Austin Aries defeated Bully Ray: Going into the PPV, this was one of the three matches I was looking forward too and also felt could deliver. The tag match was good, not quite as good as I would have hoped, but a good opener. This match lived up to my expectations. Early in the match Aries took a scary bump to the floor, jacking up his back as he hit the barricade very hard. From there Ray played off of that, attacking the back trying to nullify the brain buster. Aries constantly challenged Ray, eating chops and asking for more. While Ray did dominate at points, Aries was constantly resilient, always coming back for more. They had a hot near fall when Aries did finally get a brain buster, only for Ray to kick out. The crowd bit for that hard, which means it was a well done near fall. Ray looked to end things with the powerbomb, but Aries popped out and got the last chancellery for the decisive submission victory. Bottom line, this was a really good match that felt complete, with a good beginning, middle and end. They played the big man vs. little man dynamic well, and paid it off with the “bully” giving up right away in the valiant face’s submission hold. And now the key will be follow up. Aries is the X-Division champion, and now has a clean PPV win over a guy that was in feuds around the world title not too long ago. I have said for a long time that they have something with Aries, and now just may be the time to capitalize on it. But the bottom line is that this was a good match, and the PPV needed it.

Kurt Angle defeated AJ Styles: And following the very good Aries vs. Ray match, Kurt Angle and AJ Styles came out and also delivered another very good match. The crowd was in and out of it, and they likely would have been better suited to not place the matches back to back, but that did not take away from another very good match. This was more of your straight up wrestling match, with strong work, a good and deliberate pace, and some great near falls, counters and overall exchanges. While some complained about “another AJ vs. Angle” match on PPV, and I can understand that, I had high hopes for them to deliver, and they did deliver. Again, I can understand the frustration with repetition, but when you get these guys on PPV, who deliver 99% of the time and put them together, you end up with something great. The bottom line from me is that I never turn down good wrestling, and this is what this match was. The end was a bit predictable, with Kaz and Daniels coming out, and that did lead to AJ losing. But the follow up was also good, as Angle made the save for AJ and sent the new champions running. A match at Slammiversary between the champs and AJ-Angle, or a three way with Joe and Magnus being in there works just fine for me. After a so-so start to the show overall, Aries vs. Ray and AJ vs. Angle really helped the stock of the show rise.

TNA World Title Ladder Match: Full disclosure here, I wasn’t all that thrilled with this match headlining the PPV, and I honestly did not have very high hopes for the match. But with all of that being said, they had a good main event here. It wasn’t spectacular, it won’t be remembered in a few weeks, but the main event was better than a lot of TNA main events in recent months, and RVD actually looked motivated for once. I felt that the match was strong, laid out well, and while it didn’t have a ton of spots that people are used too, again, it was laid out well. Roode, despite the booking at times, has really developed into a good champion, and as a fan of the guy for so long, it is a nice thing to see. It is also a nice change to see RVD motivated out there, because he can still have good matches, when he wants too. The end was either a botch, or an incredibly planned botch where RVD tried to Spider-Man onto the ladder, only to get a foot caught and it looked as if he ripped his knee apart. But the finish worked well either way, as it looked as if Roode “escaped with the title” again, but in a way that didn’t make RVD look bad. I was pleasantly surprised with the match.

PURGATORY:
TNA Knockouts Title Match: While I would not call the match good, I will say that it was better than I expected. Gail Kim is great, and busts her ass to get what she can out of opponents, and Brooke, to her credit, is a good athlete and tries really hard. Unfortunately trying doesn’t exactly make a great match. Again, it wasn’t bad, but on PPV I expect a certain quality, and we just didn’t get that here. But I will give them credit for trying and for doing better than I thought that they would.

Mr. Anderson defeated Jeff Hardy: Going into the PPV, I did not hide the fact that I was not looking forward to Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Hardy. I had stated that they were not really delivering, and I felt that they would not deliver here on PPV. This was one f those matches when people ask me about it, I will say that, “it was a match.” It was not a bad match, but unfortunately for two guys that are supposed to be big stars, the match the delivered was “fine,” but nothing special. But what really hurt the match was the finish, which looked as if it was botched. If you missed it, Anderson blocked the leg drop to the balls, rolled Hardy up and got the win. But Hardy kicked out as the ref counted three. Anderson looked pissed about it (way to sell the win dude), Hardy seemed confused and it came off poorly. So we had an average outing, not too much crowd reaction, and the botched finish. Sucks for these guys, but I just cannot place it into the right. Maybe if the finish wasn’t botched and we got to a proper ending I could have, but not with what was presented. Also, in case it wasn’t a botch and just a “creative finish” to give Anderson a singles victory over a top star while protecting Hardy at the same time, that’s a shit finish. Anderson is beyond stale, Hardy is at least on a roll and over, it’s not rocket science.

THE WRONG:
TNA TV Title Match: Ok, I will keep this one really simple. This match was exactly what you would expect. A triple threat that ended up being worked as a handicap match, where the heels with the advantage controlled until the had miscommunication, which allowed the face to win the bout. It also was not very good, at all. I am all for reestablishing the TV Title, and again Devon was fine to begin, but I beg them, please move away and get us some fresh challengers for this title. Perhaps some people that can work. We need something, but what we got tonight was not it.

Crimson defeated Eric Young: Again, they continue to book Crimson poorly, I mean, this may possibly be the worst undefeated streak in the history of the wrestling business. His matches are generally bad, the crowd doesn’t want to see him, and then I had to watch him on PPV in a nothing match with Eric Young. I think what makes matters worse is the fact that Eric Young is SO MUCH BETTER than he is. Now I know that Eric Young is not world title material, but man, it is sad how much better he is than the guy who is getting the big undefeated push. This was a nothing match, with the usual comedy, and the fact that Crimson and his “streak” mean both jack and shit. Again, if they want this to mean something, he has to be on TV each and every week beating guys, perhaps with the TV Title. I have said that for a while now, and I think they can salvage it, but doing open challenges to comedy characters on PPV isn’t the way to do it.

THE RIDICULOUS:
Nothing

The 411
Well TNA rebounded from a poor Lockdown event and delivered a good show here. Less bullshit than usual, decisions that made sense, and four matches that delivered above the *** mark. There was still some stuff that wasn’t good, but this was easily the best TNA show of 2012. Does it have something to do with the fact that Eric Bischoff, Dixie Carter and Hulk Hogan were not at the show and involved in the last minute details of it? That’s up for you to decide…

SHOW RATING: 7.2

As a reminder, I will be going by the 411 scale..

0 – 0.9: Torture
1 – 1.9: Extremely Horrendous
2 – 2.9: Very Bad
3 – 3.9: Bad
4 – 4.9: Poor
5 – 5.9: Not So Good
6 – 6.9: Average
7 – 7.9: Good
8 – 8.9: Very Good
9 – 9.9: Amazing
10: Virtually Perfect

YEAR IN REVIEW (PPV) by Csonka:
TOP PPVs:
* DGUSA Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 iPPV – 8.2
* DGUSA Mercury Rising 2012 iPPV – 8.1
* WWE Extreme Rules – 8.0
* EVOLVE 13 iPPV – 8.0

* WWE WrestleMania 28 – 7.9
* ROH 10th Anniversary iPPV – 7.5
* ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night One iPPV – 7.4
* EVOLVE 12 iPPV – 7.3
* TNA Sacrifice – 7.2
* EVOLVE 11 iPPV – 7.0

* TNA Victory Road – 6.5
* TNA Against All Odds – 6.5

* TNA Genesis – 5.0
* WWE Royal Rumble – 5.0

* WWE Eliminating Chamber – 4.0

* TNA Lockdown – 3.0

TOP PPV MATCHES:
* From The ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night Two iPPV –ROH Title Match: Davey Richards vs. Michael Elgin [****¾]

* From WWE WrestleMania 28 – Hell in a Cell: The Undertaker vs. Triple H [****½]

* From WWE Extreme Rules – World Title Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus [****¼]
* From DGUSA’s Mercury Rising 2012 – Low Ki, BxB Hulk and Akira Tozawa vs. Ricochet, PAC and Mazaaki Mochizuki [****¼]
* From EVOLVE 11 iPPV – Fit Finlay vs. Sami Callihan [****¼]

* From WWE Extreme Rules – John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar [****]
* From WWE Extreme Rules – WWE Title Match: Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk [****]
* From EVOLVE 11 iPPV – Low Ki vs. El Generico [****]
* From EVOLVE 13 iPPV – El Generico vs. Sami Calihan [****]
* From DGUSA’s Mercury Rising 2012 – Open the Freedom Gate Title Match – Johnny Gargano vs. Masato Yoshino [****]
* From DGUSA’s Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 – Open the United Gate Tag Title Match: Chuck Taylor vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet and Masato Yoshino [****]
* From DGUSA’s Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 – Akira Tozowa vs. Masaaki Mochizuki [****]
* From WWE WrestleMania 28 – WWE Title Match: CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho [****]
* From The ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night One iPPV – Last Man Standing Match – Kevin Steen vs. El Generico [****]
* From TNA Sacrifice – AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle [****]

* From TNA Sacrifice – Austin Aries vs. Bully Ray [***¾]
* From TNA Lockdown – Bobby Roode vs. James Storm [***¾]
* From WWE WrestleMania 28 – The Rock vs. John Cena [***¾]
* From The ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night One iPPV – ROH World Title Match: Davey Richards © vs. Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards [***¾]
* From TNA Victory Road – Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy [***¾]
* From TNA Against All Odds – TNA X-Division Title Match: Austin Aries vs. Alex Shelley [***¾]
* From The ROH 10th Anniversary iPPV – Eddie Edwards & Adam Cole vs. Davey Richards & Kyle O’Reilly [***¾]
* From DGUSA’s Mercury Rising 2012 – El Generico vs. Lince Dorado vs. Rich Swann vs. Cima vs. Chuck Taylor vs. Samurai Del Sol [***¾]
* From EVOLVE 12 iPPV – Fit Finlay vs. Jon Davis [***¾]
* From EVOLVE 12 iPPV – AR Fox vs. Sami Calihan [***¾]
* From EVOLVE 13 iPPV – Low Ki vs. Jon Davis [***¾]
* From EVOLVE 13 iPPV – DGUSA Open the Dream Gate Title Match: Johnny Gargano vs. AR Fox [***¾]

* From TNA Sacrifice – TNA World Title Ladder Match: Bobby Roode © vs. RVD [***½]
* From EVOLVE 13 iPPV – AR Fox vs. Samuray Del Sol vs. Ricochet vs. Jigsaw [***½]
* From EVOLVE 12 iPPV – El Generico vs. Ricochet [***½]
* From EVOLVE 12 iPPV – Jigsaw vs. Low Ki [***½]
* From TNA Lockdown – Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy [***½]
* From EVOLVE 11 iPPV – Chuck Taylor vs. Samurai Del Sol vs. Johnny Gargano [***½]
* From DGUSA’s Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 – PAC vs. Low Ki [***½]
* From DGUSA’s Open the Ultimate Gate 2012 – Rich Swann vs. AR Fox [***½]
* From The ROH Showdown in the Sun: Night One iPPV – Lance Storm vs. Mike Bennett [***½]
* From TNA Against All Odds – Kazarian vs. AJ Styles [***½]
* From TNA Genesis – Monster’s Ball Match: Abyss vs. Bully Ray [***½]
* From WWE Elimination Chamber – Raw Elimination Chamber WWE Title Match: CM Punk vs. The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston vs. R Truth vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Chris Jericho [***½]
* From The ROH 10th Anniversary iPPV – TV Title Match – Jay Lethal vs. Tommaso Ciampa went to a 15-minute time limit draw [***½]
* From The ROH 10th Anniversary iPPV – No DQ Match – Kevin Steen vs. Jimmy Jacobs [***½]