From The Shelf- TNA Hardcore Justice 2012

TNA Hardcore Justice 2012
8-12-12
Orlando, FL

Your hosts are Mike Tenay and Taz.

Gunner and Kid Kash vs. Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez
Gunner and Kash attack from behind to start but Chavo comes back with a dropkick to Gunner. Three Amigos by Chavo and he goes up. Gunner shoves him off the top to block and he tags in. Double shoulderblock by Gunner and Kash gets 2 and Kash tags in. Kash hammers away on Chavo and Gunner slingshots Chavo in the ropes for 2. Tag to Kash and they hit a double slingshot suplex to Chavo for 2. Tilt-a-whirl headscissors by Chavo but he walks into a clothesline by Gunner from the apron. Tag to Gunner and he hits another clothesline for 2. Chinlock by Gunner but Chavo fights out. Backdrop by Gunner gets 2. Tag to Kash and he knocks Chavo down. Snapmare and Kash grabs a crucifix cross armbreaker. He releases and tags Gunner who works Chavo over in the corner. Tag to Kash and he rakes the face of Chavo. Camel clutch by Kash but Chavo breaks with the electric chair. Tag to Gunner and he stomps away on Chavo as Kash prevents the tag. Tag to Kash and Chavo misses a dropkick. Kash catapults Chavo into the corner but Chavo blocks and they clothesline each other. Tag to Hernandez and he cleans house. Hip toss by Hernandez and he hits the Avalanche in the corner. Dominator by Hernandez gets 2 as Gunner saves. Double clothesline by Hernandez and Gunner bails. Air Mex by Hernandez and he hits a slingshot shoulder block back in to Kash. Chavo goes up and hits the Frog Splash for 3.
Winners- Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez **1/2 ( Solid opening match. The crowd was hot for Chavo and all four guys worked hard. I have no issues with this. )

Video package for the Bound for Glory series airs.

Bound for Glory Series Falls Count Anywhere Match- Rob Van Dam (35 Pts) vs. Magnus (21 Pts) vs. Mr. Anderson (40 Pts)
Winner of the match gets 20 pts. The Pope was supposed to be in this match but was taken out by Aces and Eights moments before. RVD poses for the crowd so Magnus knocks him to the floor. Hip toss and a clothesline by Anderson gets 2. Clothesline by Magnus gets 2 as RVD saves. Spin kick in the corner by RVD to Anderson and he hits the monkey flip to Magnus. Spinning leg drop to Anderson and RVD hits a spinning heel kick taking Magnus to the floor. RVD gordbusters Magnus onto the railings and he looks for the leg drop off the apron but Anderson knocks him off to block. Magnus pulls him out and rams Anderson against the apron. Anderson works Magnus over and slams his face off the steps for 2. Magnus sends Anderson into the steps and he goes to nail Anderson with a chair but misses. Magnus blocks a DDT attempt and Anderson lands back first onto the chair for 2. They head to the side of the stage and Magnus gord busters Anderson onto the railings. RVD tosses a chair at the head of Magnus and RVD hits the spinning leg drop off the entrance ramp onto Anderson. Chop block by Magnus and he grabs the Texas Cloverleaf on the ramp. Anderson breaks it up and back in, they slug it out. They clothesline each other and both men are down. RVD goes up but Anderson crotches him and follows up. Magnus catches Anderson and goes for a powerbomb but Anderson blocks. He dumps Magnus to the floor and follows back up with RVD. RVD fights him off and hits the Five Star Frog Splash for 2 as Magnus pulls him off the cover!!! Magnus suplexes RVD onto the ramp and goes for a slam but RVD escapes. He tosses the chair at Magnus and hits the Van Daminator for 3!!!
Winner- Rob Van Dam *** ( Fun brawl, I loved they tease the spots you normally see like the spinning leg drop and tower of London but they prevented them because they wanted the points.)

Madison Rayne says she does not need help to win the Knockout Title and says Miss Tessmacher can’t beat her. She blows a kiss to Earl Hebner.

TNA TV Title- Devon © vs. Kazarian
Devon slingshots Kazarian into the ring to start and he hits a spinning back elbow to Kazarian. Flapjack by Devon and an Irish whip sends Kazarian all the way to the floor. Devon follows and he prevents Kazarian from running away. Devon works him over and Kazarian tries a springboard crossbody to the floor but Devon blocks and hits a slam on the floor. Back in, Devon hits a short arm clothesline after Kazarian proposes a handshake. Devon charges in the corner but misses and he rakes the eyes. Kazarian snaps Devon’s neck off the ropes and he hits a clothesline. Kazarian hammers Devon on the mat and he chokes Devon in the ropes. Back elbow by Kazarian gets 2 and he hits a springboard back elbow. Springboard leg drop by Kazarian gets 2. Chinlock by Kazarian but Devon fights out so Kazarian hits a leg lariat for 2. Devon chops away to come back but Kazarian pokes the eye to stop the momentum. He hits some forearms in the corner and Devon fights back with rights. Spear by Devon and both men are down. Devon cleans house and hits a leaping shoulder block to Kazarian. Neckbreaker by Devon and he hits a dropping head butt. Avalanche in the corner by Devon and he hits a flying shoulderblock for 2. Jawbreaker by Kazarian and he charges in the corner but misses and Devon hits a neckbreaker for 2. Kazarian counters the urinage into a crucifix for 2. He goes for Fade to Black but Devon rolls through and hits the spinebuster for 3.
Winner and Still TV Champion- Devon **1/2 ( Solid match, as the crowd’s weird love for Devon help make this match a more exciting and compelling contest.)

Video package for Tessmacher/Rayne airs.

TNA Knockout Championship- Miss Tessmacher © vs. Madison Rayne
So Earl Hebner is having a storyline affair with the challenger and he is reefing the match. That makes sense. Both girls look for control early and Tessmacher rolls Rayne up for 2. Jackknife roll-up gets 2 and Rayne bails after rolling through a backslide attempt. Back in, Rayne hits a clothesline for 1. Rayne chokes Tessmacher with her boot and she tosses Tessmacher across the ring. Tessmacher comes back with a crossbody and a clothesline. Back elbow by Rayne stops the momentum and she hits a Northern lights suplex for 2. Scissors stomp by Rayne gets 2. Jawbreaker by Tessmacher and she hits some forearms. She cleans house and goes for a back suplex but Rayne rakes the eyes. She charges in the corner but misses and Tessmacher takes her down by the hair face first. Tessmacher goes up and hits the flying elbow drop off the top for 2 as Rayne gets her foot on the ropes!!! Tessmacher argues with Hebner and Rayne rolls Tessmacher up using the ropes for 3.
Winner and NEW TNA Knockout Champion- Madison Rayne ** ( I was going to rant on the stupidity of Earl Hebner being the ref here but he didn’t factor in the match so I’ll hold back. This was better than the average Diva or Knockout match.)

Bully Ray says he’s making sure that the Aces and Eights don’t jump him, as he found their cards on the front of his car today. He tells the Aces and Eights he isn’t hard to find. He says he’ll be putting people through tables if they’re looking for them.

Video package on the Aces and Eights angle airs.

Bound for Glory Series Tables Match- Robbie E (5 pts) vs. Bully Ray (28 pts) vs. Jeff Hardy (35 pts) vs. James Storm (66 pts)
Robbie E tells the other three competitors to focus on him and not the Aces and Eights so all three guys take shots at E. Hardy and Storm dump him to the floor but walk into a double clothesline from Ray. Ray then apologizes to Robbie, saying they’re boys due to their New York/New Jersey connections. He tells Robbie to get him a table and Robbie obliges so Ray knocks him off the apron!!! Awesome. Ray sets up the table but Hardy and Storm hammer away on him. They go for a double suplex but Robbie moves the table enough for Ray to only break a corner of it. The refs declare it an unofficial table break so the match continues. Robbie chokes Ray with his boot in the corner and he hits a back elbow to Hardy. Ray brings a table into the ring and Robbie sets it up. He hammers away on Jeff and puts him on the table. Robbie goes up but Storm catches him with an enzuigiri. Storm follows up but Jeff stops him and looks for the Tower of Doom. Hardy connects but Ray pulls the table out of the way just in time. Clothesline by Ray to Hardy and he goes for a backdrop through the table but Storm moves it out of the way. Inverted lungblower by Storm and he sets the table up in the corner. Robbie goes to send him through the table but Hardy blocks. Sit-out gordbuster by Hardy to Robbie and he bails. Hardy sets up a table on the floor and he puts Robbie on the table. Hardy goes up but Robbie T comes out, so Hardy hits a crossbody to him onto the floor!!! Robbie E sends Hardy into the railings and he puts Jeff onto the table. Robbie goes up for a flying elbow drop off the second rope through the table but Jeff moves!!! Back in, Storm hammers away on Ray and he hits an enzuigiri to the back of the head. Ray comes back with a clothesline but the Aces and Eights come out. Storm catches Ray with the Last Call as one of the Aces and Eights members give him the thumbs up. The distraction allows Jeff to attack from behind and he stomps away in the corner. Slingshot basement dropkick by Jeff and he sets up the table. Storm charges in the corner but eats elbow and Jeff hits Whisper in the Wind. Twist of Fate by Jeff and he puts Storm on the table. However, the Aces and Eights distract Jeff which causes him to walk into the Last Call from Storm. Ray dumps Storm to the floor and he powerbombs Jeff through the table!!!
Winner- Bully Ray **1/2 ( I liked the teased table spots and the exchange toward the end between Storm and Hardy was pretty damn good. However, the match was awkward at points and the Aces and Eights stuff took away from the match.)

Austin Aries says he’s prepared for anything tonight including the Aces and Eights. Aries says he gave up the rematch clause because of the disrespect shown by Bobby Roode. He says the only man who is concerned with a rematch clause is a man who needs one. He says while Roode is at the A-level, he is not at the A-Double level.

Video package on Kenny King airs.

TNA X-Division Championship- Zema Ion © vs. Kenny King
King takes Ion down and works over the left arm to start. Drop toe hold by King and he rolls Ion up for . Backslide by King gets 1 and he gets an inside cradle for 2. King knocks Ion off the apron but Ion drags him off the apron to return the favor. Corkscrew senton off the apron by King and back in, Ion snaps King’s neck off the ropes. Summersault senton by Ion and back in, he hits a neckbreaker for 2. Snapmare and Ion stomps the face of King. He bends King against the ropes and King fights back with forearms. Knee to the gut by Ion gets 2. Knee drop by Ion and he grabs a half nelson chinlock. King fights out so Ion catches him with a DDT for 2. Springboard moonsault by Ion but King comes back with a reverse atomic drop. He cleans house and hits a spin kick to Ion for 2. Exploder suplex into the corner by King and Ion bails. Spinning plancha to the floor by King and he hits the springboard Blockbuster back in for 2. They trade counters and King takes Ion down into the half crab. Ion is able to escape the hold and he charges in the corner but eats boot. Atomic drop by King but he misses the enzuigiri. Back suplex into a facebuster by Ion gets 2. Ion goes up but King stops him and follows up. Ion fights him off so King catches him with the enzuigiri for 2. Kick to the head by King and he catches Ion in a small package for 2!!! King goes for another sunset flip but Ion blocks with the Gory Bomb for 3.
Winner and Still X-Division Champion- Zema Ion **3/4 ( A solid showcase of King’s athleticism and the crowd was super into him. However, the match was just a collection of moves so while the action was solid there was no real story to get invested in.)

Samoa Joe sends a message to the Aces and Eights and then says he’s going to take his twenty points.

Bound for Glory Series Ladder Match- AJ Styles (16 pts) vs. Christopher Daniels (33 pts) vs. Kurt Angle (48 pts) vs. Samoa Joe (54 pts)
Winner gets 20 pts. Styles stomps away on Daniels to start as Angle and Joe look on. Angle then stomps away on Daniels but then Joe throws some kicks to the head. All three men take shots at Daniels but Daniels fights back. Springboard moonsault press misses and Joe hits an inverted atomic drop. Big boot into the back senton by Joe and Styles dumps Daniels to the floor. Joe throws some jabs at Styles before turning his attention to Angle. Corner enzuigiri to Angle and he gives him some face washes. Daniels pulls Joe to the floor and he goes for a slingshot pescado but Joe catches him. Styles then hits the slingshot pescado to take both down. Styles stomps away on Angle back in and he goes to the apron but Daniels drives the ladder into the leg of Styles to take him down. Back in, Daniels drives the ladder into the midsection of Joe in the corner. Joe comes back with a Urinage onto the ladder!!! Joe sets the ladder up and he climbs but Styles stops him. Jabs by Joe but Styles comes back with a dropkick. Angle knocks Styles down with an uppercut and he hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Daniels goes low on Angle with the ladder and he dumps Angle to the floor. Daniels climbs but Joe takes him off with a powerbomb in the corner!!! Joe climbs but Angle stops him. Overhead belly to belly suplex by Angle and he slugs it out with Styles. Angle chokes Styles in the ropes but Styles shoves the ladder into the head of Angle to come back. Styles climbs but Joe stops him so Styles catches him with the Pele. Styles hammers away on Daniels in the corner and he hits some punches in the corner. Joe backdrops Styles to the floor and he hits the elbow suicida to the floor. Belly to belly suplex on the floor by Angle to Joe but Daniels catches Angle with a DDT on the floor. Back in, Styles charges in the corner but eats boot and he comes back with a back elbow. Joe cleans house on both and he hits an overhead belly to belly suplex to Daniels in the corner. Styles goes up but Joe stops him and goes for the Muscle Buster. Angle catches Joe with a german suplex to block which causes Styles to take a scary fall. Daniels counters an Angle Slam attempt with an arm drag and he hits the STO. Daniels climbs but Angle takes him and catches him in the Ankle Lock. Daniels slams Angle’s face against the ladder to break but Styles catches him with a springboard forearm. Styles climbs but Daniels tips the ladder over sending Styles crashing to the floor. Daniels climbs but Joe and Angle shove the ladder over to send him crashing down. Angle and Joe both give Daniels over head belly to belly suplexes and Joe hits a release German suplex. Angle gives Daniels the same and Joe hits the Saito suplex to Daniels. Angle Slam by Angle to Daniels and they put Daniels in the ladder to trap him. Joe throws some jabs at Angle and charges but Angle low bridges him sending Joe to the floor. Angle climbs but Daniels stops him. Joe sets up another ladder and he climbs. Angle and Joe fight it out on top of the ladder but Styles springboards onto the ladder and grabs the clipboard!!!
Winner- AJ Styles ***3/4 ( This was as good a match as you would expect from these four. I think the ladder match stipulation hindered them a bit though, they try to do straight up wrestling and the ladder didn’t factor into a majority of the match. Still, this was an excellent contest and you’ll enjoy the beating Daniels gets in this match.)

Bobby Roode says Austin Aries is a fluke and he says Aries’ dream ends tonight. Roode says he will walk into Bound for Glory as World Champion.

Video package for Aries/Roode airs.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship- Austin Aries © vs. Bobby Roode
Aries waived the rematch clause so this is their last meeting for the title. Aries spits water in the face of Roode as Roode mocked him for being a fluke. Aries goes for the Last Chancery but Roode bails to the floor to block. Back in, Aries takes Roode down and catches Roode in the Last Chancery but Roode makes the ropes and bails once more. Roode fakes entering the ring a few times to play mind games with Aries. Back in, Aries hits a corner dropkick to Roode and he goes for the Brainbuster but Roode bails again. Roode enters the ring before the ten counts but immediately bails so Aries hits the slingshot pescado to the floor. A second one by Aries and back in, Aries hammers away in the corner. Snap mare by Aries and he hits a second rope dropkick to the back. Kick to the shoulder by Aries and Roode bails. Aries goes up for the axe handle to the floor but misses and hits the railings. Roode rams Aries into the apron and he sends Aries into the railings. Roode stomps away on Aries and back in, Roode covers for 1. Roode stomps away in the corner and he pokes the eye of Aries. Gordbuster in the ropes by Roode and he hits the slingshot suplex. Knee drop by Roode gets 2 and he grabs a rear waistlock. Aries fights out so Roode rams him in the corner to stop the momentum. Running shoulder into the corner by Roode but Aries comes back with a sunset flip for 2. Roode blocks a crucifix attempt and hits a gutbuster for 2. Roode steps on the back of Aries but Aries begins to fight back. Knee to the gut by Roode gets 2 and he goes back to the rear waistlock. Aries fights out so Roode rams Aries into the corner and puts him into the tree of woe. Roode stomps away but Aries kicks at the head of Roode to come back. Stunner by Aries and both men are down. Chops by Aries and he hammers away in the corner. Punches in the corner by Aries and he hits a reverse atomic drop. Clothesline by Aries and Roode bails. Aries goes up and hits the double axe handle to the floor. Running dropkick against the railings by Aries and back in, he covers Roode for 2. Knees to the head by Aries and he grabs the Last Chancery. Roode rakes the eyes to break so Aries catches him in the Crossface. Roode powers Aries up and breaks the hold with a backbreaker. Crossface by Roode but Aries makes the ropes to break. They slug it out and Roode breaks with a knee to the gut. He dumps Aries to the apron and charges but Aries hits a shoulder to the gut. Aries goes up and hits a missile dropkick. Corner dropkick by Aries but Roode comes back with the spinebuster for 2. They slug it out and Roode puts Aries on top. He follows up and Aries fights Roode off. Aries goes for the 450 splash but eats knees!!!! Roode goes for the Spear but misses and takes out the ref!!! Lefts by Aries but Roode catches him with the Spear. He covers and a second ref comes out for 2!!! Roode rams Aries into the corner and he collides with the ref. Aries rolls Roode into a kick to the head and he hits the Brainbuster for 2!!! Aries goes up but Roode crotches him and follows up. Superplex by Roode and they both roll each other up for 3?!?!? Both refs made the count and they declare both men the victors. Roode tries to leave with the belt as the refs argue with one another. Earl Hebner comes out and takes the TNA Championship. He discusses what happened with the refs and Earl orders the match to be continued!!! Slingshot basement dropkick by Aries and he goes for the Heat Seeking Missile but Roode blocks with the belt!!!Back in, Roode covers for 2!!! Roll-up by Aries gets 3!!!
Winner and Still TNA World Champion- Austin Aries ***3/4 ( So the story heading into the match was Aries not trying to prove to Roode that he wasn’t a fluke. However, it took the refs restarting the match and a roll-up for Aries to beat Roode again. Yeah, that doesn’t help the not a fluke argument does it. The match itself was really good but I hated the overbooking at the end so the finish did nothing for me.)

The 411: The positive for this show is that nothing on the show was bad, as every match ranged from decent to pretty damn good with the main events meeting most people's expectations going in. The main issue is that this show felt worthless, as we had thrown together matches for the Bound for Glory series and a main event that didn't even settle the main issue going in of Aries' not being a fluke, as he won the match with a roll-up. This felt like a show that is a place holder for No Surrender and Bound for Glory so I can't give it a solid recommendation but the two main events are worth a look.

Final Score:  6.0   [ Average ]