No Disqualification Match
Jerry Lynn vs. Rob Van Dam
The story here is obviously Jerry Lynn’s final match in TNA, and who better to have it against than long-time rival and fellow member of extreme, Rob Van Dam? Both guys emptied their arsenal two times over, and when that wasn’t enough two tables and a steel chair were brought into play – the chair may have been more damaged than RVD by the end of the match.
Lynn avoids a Van-Daminator at one point, and spears his opponent through a table perched in the corner. Moments later, Lynn would climb to the top turnbuckle, but Van Dam would use the steel chair for a springboard kick, sending the legend off the ropes and through a table ont he outside. RVD brought Lynn back in the ring, landed the Five Star Frog Splash, and picked up the 3-count.
Results: Rob Van Dam wins via pinfall
After the match, Van Dam celebrates with Jerry Lynn as the TNA roster comes out to give him a standing ovation.
Though they would never admit to this, TNA has been creeping more and more towards that PG rating with every passing year. To take nothing away from Jerry Lynn’s career, or the ability of Rob Van Dam, this was probably the most tame encounter I’ve seen between the two. Three foreign objects and no blade jobs may as well be a trip to the grocery store for these two hardcore icons. I guess I was just hoping they’d leave it all in the ring – blood, sweat and tears included – for their final match together.
That probably comes off more offensive than I want it to. I love Van Dam, and while my exposure to Jerry Lynn has been fairly limited over the years, I really do respect the hell out of them. For what it was, they worked a great match on this pay-per-view. It’s just hard, knowing and witnessing the quality of their previous matches, to not be a little disappointed by the lack of absolute carnage left in the ring.
My only other complaint was that this match just…happened. There was no set up, and no introductory video packages. Very little explination of Jerry Lynn’s retirement tour was given before both these guys were in the ring, and the bell had rung. So it was a big difficult to emotionally invest in the match. Luckily, these guys are good enough workers to rope me in the hard way, but I feel like a bit of extra work on production’s end could have made the transition a bit more smooth.
Grade: B-
