(7) Christopher Daniels def. AJ Styles
As was expected, Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles stole the show. In my opinion, this match made up for the really stupid screwdriver angle they involved in their last big encounter, and the story they told in the ring was enough to forget – not excuse, but forget – the Claire Lynch business.
There wasn’t a whole lot of momentum going in, because the reason for their match was…well, there really wasn’t one. But as soon as Daniels cut his promo earlier in the night, I was sold. These guys have a whole different zone they into right before they meet in the ring. They’ve done it on more than 100 occasions on several different continents, for pretty much every major wrestling company other than the WWE. And the truly special thing is, every time I think I’m going to be bored by their repetition, and every time they prove me wrong.
One of the big things that puts their matches on a different level, is that they trust each other to do whatever they want in the ring. There are a lot of guys who won’t do certain spots, because they’re dangerous. And rightfully so! If I hadn’t worked a match 100 times with a guy, I wouldn’t want him giving me a brainbuster on the ring apron! There’s only two ways that scenario plays out: it hurts like hell and it sells the matc, or you screw it up and somebody gets their career shortened (or ended). Styles and Daniels know each so well, they have no problem throwing all caution to the wind, and doing whatever it takes to put on a five star classic.
Styles losing this match created more interest for me than Jeff Hardy WINNING his match. Chris Daniels, his oldest and most bitter rival, got the win using his own finisher against him. That’s brutal. That is the ultimate insult to injury. In fact, seeing how AJ reacts is the only reason I want to tune into Impact Wrestling this week. They made the PPV worth watching, and they proved why they’re still among the elite in pro wrestling.
Rating: A+
(8) Jeff Hardy def. Bobby Roode to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
A very solid main event showing from both men, with a very odd decision not to include the Aces & Eights in the end result. The swerve was that Bobby Roode paid them off, and the instead left him to the wolves and then picked his bones clean afterwards. I can understand that as a turn in the plot, but wouldn’t the bad guys want a genuinely bad guy as the champ? I don’t know, maybe Jeff Jarrett wants Hardy to be the Champion for when he comes back and beats the hell out of him. Maybe they figure Hardy is an easier target than the longest reigning World Champion in history. Until we see the fallout on Impact, I’m going to reserve judgement for turning their backs on Bobby Roode.
I also enjoyed the World title match. Jeff Hardy isn’t my favorite guy as the face of any company, and I still think his opponents have to verbally carry him through a program, but he did a great job working with Bobby Roode. I was dead after watching Daniels and Styles go to war, but what little energy I had left I put towards enjoying this exchange. I think the end protected Roode from losing completely clean, and Hardy still looks strong either way. Some great spots and near-falls too.
Rating: B
FINAL THOUGHTS:
At the beginning of this reveal I answered “yes and no” to the question of whether or not TNA delivered on ending 2012 with a strong pay-per-view statement. In terms of wrestling quality, this will probably be the strongest show in December for either TNA or WWE. Even the worst match of the night – unquestionably the tag team exchange – wasn’t that bad, just more of the same. TNA continued to deliver between the ropes, which is where some fans think it matters most.
Unfortunately, they didn’t deliver any strong statements in terms of storyline progression. I mentioned earlier that I felt like TNA has failed to move the chains with the Aces & Eights group. It’s an American football metaphor, for any foreign readers. When the ball is moved an appropriate amount of yards, the offensive team is given a First Down and four more tries to move the ball up the field. There is a set of chains that moves with the spot of the ball, and it marks their position as they work their way towards the endzone.
TNA has failed to move those chains on the Aces & Eights story, and in my opinion is still stuck on in their own territory. To further the metaphor, the opposing team (WWE, in this case) hasn’t done a whole lot to put pressure on the offense, and has given them penalty after penalty, resulting in TNA continuing to get first downs, without actually making a ton of forward progress. Ditching the metaphor, TNA has dropped the ball with Aces & Eights (ha, that still actually continued the metaphor). They’ve given up their chances with guys like Matt Morgan, Bully Ray and now Bobby Roode, in favor of Devon and Super Festus. Now they’ve even missed their opportunity for Bischoff and Brisco; not to say they won’t still do it, but it won’t make any sense.
At this point TNA better have God, a team of US Navy Seals and Chuck Norris under those masks, because the talent they’ve turned down is just ridiculous. The most hilarious thing about all of it, is they haven’t furthered the reasoning behind those rejections with good story-telling. They just simple did…NOTHING. And that will be what I remember about TNA as they end their pay-per-view product going into 2013.
NOTHING.
FINAL RESOLUTION (get it?): B-
The show had quality wrestling, which bumped up the rating a little, but the end result was more of the same. The one bright light was Daniels and Styles; without that single match the rating would be at least a whole letter grade lower.
