(9) TNA World Heavweight Championship Elimination Match
Jeff Hardy (c) def. Bobby Roode & Austin Aries
Rating: A
I have nothing bad to say about this match. After writing the review/rant for the last match, I can’t even explain how much of a breath of fresh air that is.
While Impact has been extremely hit-or-miss lately, the main event picture seems to be always “on”. That should come as no surprise, as the three guys single-handedly carried Impact at one point or another in 2012. Bobby Roode is still my favorite World Heavyweight Champion in TNA history, and Austin Aries is still my favorite Jeff Hardy opponent in TNA history. And while I’m not usually a big Hardy fan – mostly because of a distinct lack of promo depth – it is impossible to deny that he’s been on fire since wining the World title at Bound for Glory. Title match after title match has been incredible, often saving what would have otherwise been a lackluster event.
The story here with both heels working together against the champ was fantastic. It made the moments Hardy struggled back come alive. The inevitable breakdown between Roode and Aries was handled well; it makes sense to have Roode be the first guy to turn, as he’s easily the most cut-throat of the two. Hardy and Aries both have to be considered masters of ingenuity during title matches. You saw it for the first time with some of their spots in the ladder match in 2012, and it carried over to many in this match as well. In particular, I loved the Whisper in the Wind spot with Aries on Roode’s shoulders. It still amazes me that Hardy can work at his level of consistent quality, considering the hell he puts his body through every time he’s in the ring.
The finish was great, and Hardy’s intensity was contagious. I found myself popping for the Twist of Fate across the top rope, and fist-pumping the air after the Swanton put away Aries. Truth be told, I would have preferred Bobby Roode to win the match, but like I said in my preview, all three of them were deserving. Hardy will face Christopher Daniels for the World title next, but my guess is that the war between Aries and Roode is far from over. At least, we can hope…
FINAL THOUGHTS
I came down on this show pretty hard, but it should be noted that it wasn’t a bad PPV. Nothing stood out to me as truly terrible. If I had to pick my least favorite match, it was probably Sting/DOC, but even their encounter had its brief moments of not being frustrating. The collision between Storm and Daniels was still a bit random for my liking, but they had a fun contest made more important by a last minute contention stipulation. But mostly, the card just didn’t shine the way you’d hope the first PPV of 2013 would.
Everything – save for the main event and aforementioned Storm/Daniels bout – was just there, and offered very little we haven’t seen in the past. The first hour actually moved along at a real good pace, telling some entertaining stories and pushing both the tag division and the X-Division in positive ways. In fact, for a PPV that ended 10 minutes early, the card had 9 matches, and none of them felt especially short. A lack of backstage shenanigans kept the wrestling moving along at a brisk pace, which is good when creative hasn’t actually come up with anything new.
The main event championship match really saved Genesis, and at the very least validated my reason for watching it over the NFL playoffs. With a whole new annual format and brand new year of content looking forward, TNA desperately needs to reevaluate its long and short term goals going into Lockdown, if they even want to come close to putting a good crowd in that that giant venue. There’s so much potential hidden within the roster right now. Even Mike Knox, Devon and DOC could be telling a good story if they were given so much as a single step in the right direction.
I’m hoping Ken Anderson is that step, but right now all I can see is Brooke Hogan ruining the best part of Impact Wrestling every week. She’s a 24-year-old failed pop star and C-list celebrity, fake engaged to a 41-year-old hard ass from Hell’s Kitchen. What could possibly go wrong?
FINAL RATING: C-
