Extreme Rules predictions

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Extreme Rules is set for Sunday night. For the last month or so my viewing of Raw has been minimal. I told the story already about the bunny chewing the cord to our DirectTV box. Once the company sent a new one, I was ready to go. But a storm moved through on Memorial Day night, knocking out the signal to our satellite. I did get to see part of the show and I've of course kept up online with what's happening. So here are some quick thoughts...

Rich Swann and Sasha Banks will beat Noam Dar and Alicia Fox. I have no basis on this call, other than I don't usually bet against Sasha Banks. 

I want Neville to retain the Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries in a submission match. But my gut tells me they're going to put the title on A Double. I don't have a problem with that, as I'm sure this will be another outstanding match between these two.

Alexa Bliss will retain the Raw Women's Championship against Bayley. These two are battling it out in a kendo stick on a pole match. I'm all in for Alexa and switching the title again this quick is not a good thing.

The Hardy Boys will lose the tag team titles to Cesaro and Sheamus. I love both of these tag teams, with Cesaro and Sheamus really coming into their own. Their evolution has been impressive through the last several months. Many believe (myself included) if the Hardys lose in the cage match, this will set them off to begin singles careers. I haven't read up on the lawsuit over the Broken gimmick, so I don't know what will be next for the duo.

I'm split on the Intercontinental Championship match. Until Elias Samson got involved in the angle I figured the Miz would beat Dean Ambrose and regain the gold. Now I'm not so sure. Of course, I thought Baron Corbin was going to win the title at WrestleMania, so my ability to successfully call IC title matches has been limited.

When it comes to the five way to determine the number on contender to the Universal Championship, it's literally anyone's match to win. I've read that each of these men will eventually face Brock Lesnar for the championship up until WrestleMania, it just depends on what order they want to go and how dominant Lesnar will remain. To me, the WrestleMania matchup should be Samoa Joe and Lesnar. But WWE thinking will be a rematch between Lesnar and Roman Reigns. I like Finn Balor a lot, but I don't see him being the guy to beat Lesnar for the belt, so I'm going to go with him to win this match at Extreme Rules and be fed to the Beast at Great Balls of Fire.

What are your picks for Extreme Rules? Weigh in here or on the My 1-2-3 Cents social media pages. 

SummerSlam A to Z: Tables, Ladders and Chairs

TLC SummerSlam 2000
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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Ladder matches had become a regular occurrence in the WWF by the year 2000.  When SummerSlam rolled around that year, Commissioner Mick Foley decided to add a twist to the concept.  He declared the first (technically speaking) Tables, Ladders and Chairs match.  Edge and Christian, who were the tag team champions, had been using chairs as weapons against the Dudleys (tables) and the Hardys (ladders).

Courtesy: WWE

The match at SummerSlam was even more brutal than the triple threat triangle ladder match the three teams had months earlier at Wrestlemania 2000.  I went back and watched the match for this blog and winced several times.  Those chair shots hurt just watching.  Bubba Ray going through the four tables as he tried climbing the ladder was brutal.  Edge getting folded in the ladder and Christian tossed on top of it made me yell in agony.

Courtesy: WWE

Lita's attempt to help the Hardy Boyz backfired as Matt ended up getting knocked into a several tables.  The over-the-ring camera captures an amazing shot of the impact.  Edge spears Lita after that and the champs ended up using a ladder like a stick and treat D-Von and Jeff Hardy like a couple of pinatas and knock them to the ground before climbing the ladder for the win.

Courtesy: WWE

Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler do an excellent job telling the story beyond the violence.  Each man has classic lines during the battle, but I think JR's "I've never seen carnage like this!" hit the nail on the head.  If you have Channel 999, check it out.  Otherwise you can find it for free online.  

SummerSlam A to Z: Edge

Edge's first SummerSlam (98)
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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When it comes to naming an MVP for SummerSlam, Edge's name has to be among the contenders.  The Rated R Superstar is 8 and 2 at annual event (although he did get pinned at Summer 2010 in that elimination tag match, his team won).  

TLC at SummerSlam '00
Courtesy: WWE

Edge's victories at SummerSlam include tag team matches with Christian against The Hardy Boyz and The Dudley Boyz in a TLC match.  He and Sable teamed up and beat Marc Mero and Jacqueline at Edge's first SummerSlam.  But his singles career really took off too.

Putting the boot to John Cena in '06
Courtesy: WWE

Edge won the Intercontinetal title from Lance Storm at the 2001 event.  He defended it in a triple threat match beating Batista and Chris Jericho 2004.  But perhaps his biggest SummerSlam victory came in 2006 when he retained the WWE Championship by pinning John Cena.  Of course Lita's help and a pair of brass knuckles may have influenced that outcome.  Eddie Guerrero and Matt Hardy were also beaten by Edge at different SummerSlams.

Beaten by the Undertaker '08
Courtesy: WWE

But as mentioned, he had some loses.  The first coming in a tag team turmoil match in in 1999 with his long time partner Christian.  The Undertaker also beat Edge in 2008 in a Hell in a Cell match (which is the only HIAC to happen at SummerSlam).  In 2010, Heath Slater pinned Edge to eliminate him in the Team WWE vs. Team Nexus match.  Team WWE came out on top and Edge is still credited with a win. 

Edge missed three SummerSlams when he was active.  All three were due to injuries.  It was his neck, pec and achilles that were affected in '03, '07 and '09.  Sadly Edge had to retire from the ring in 2011, but he remains one of the most decorated Superstars in the history of WWE.

Chasing Amy Into the Hall of Fame

Amy "Lita" Dumas as Women's Champion
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

The WWE has announced the third inductee for the Class of 2014 Hall of Fame ceremony this year.  It's none other than Amy Dumas.  Fans know her better as Lita.  I think the announcement of Lita is a solid choice, with the exception of Trish Stratus, she's the most accomplished women's wrestler of the 21st century in the WWE.

Lita held the WWE Women's title four times in her six year run with the company.  She had some great matches with Stratus.  The two had a great rivalry and friendship during their time in WWE, as they both pretty much came up through the system together and left around the same time.

Lita vs. Trish
Courtesy: WWE

I don't know that there has been a Diva quite like Lita in terms of wrestling ability.  She trained in Mexico and the luchador influence has taken her to new heights (yes I went there).  Lita and Trish dominated the women's division either as friends or opponents.  It was a true resurgence of women's wrestling with some truly gifted athletes leading the way. Molly Holly, Victoria, and Jazz were also great talents during that era.

Lita & Edge
Courtesy: WWE

Besides being a talented wrestler, Lita also served as a valet for many Superstars through the years.  Her debut was with Essa Rios, but it didn't take long for her to throw support behind the likes of Matt and Jeff Hardy, Kane, and Edge.  Those angles turned into some really compelling storylines and real life drama added some flare to the product.  

We all know the shelf life for a Diva is much shorter than a Superstar, and Lita definitely made the most of her years in WWE.  It was nice seeing her come back and defeat Heath Slater in 2012, although I'm sure he'd disagree.  It's weird to me seeing the stars of the Attitude Era, many who are my age and even a few years younger get inducted into the Hall of Fame.  I need to stop thinking it's an honor reserved for the "old timers" or I need to accept that I'm (we're) getting old too.  None-the-less, congrats to Lita.  I'll be in New Orleans eager to see the ceremony on April 5. 

Mania Memories: Silver Anniversary

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

In my post about Wrestlemania 24, I called it my favorite live Wrestlemania experience.  By contrast, I'd have to say 25 was my least favorite.  But keep in mind, anytime you're at Wrestlemania, it's a helluva good time.  But for some reason, I left like the 25th installment of this historic show should have had more pizazz.

Mania was main event by Triple H and Randy Orton.  There are several reasons why I didn't enjoy this scenario, one of the biggest being that these two had wrestled countless times prior to this match.  Not to mention they were in a three way match for the WWE title the year before with John Cena.  Trips came out on top of this contest in one of the most lackluster main events in the history of the event.

Taker finishes off Shawn

Maybe it's not Triple H and Orton's fault entirely.  They were coming off the heels of one of the best Wrestlemania matches I've seen live, the Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels.  As I mentioned recently, I thought Batista had the Undertaker's number a couple of years earlier, but when he came up short, I figured the WWE had fully intended to keep the streak intact.  The thing I like about Shawn being in the match was he was one of the few guys in the locker room who had a fighting chance of beating the Undertaker.  The two put on an amazing show, pushing their bodies past the limit.  With the other title match of the night being Cena vs. Edge vs. Big Show, the Undertaker and Shawn undoubtedly stole the show.

One of the matches I was most looking forward to was the brother vs. brother contest between Jeff and Matt Hardy.  I'm not sure why, but I felt like this one fell short of my expectations too.  I think part of that was my shock in the outcome.  I had really banked on Jeff winning and gaining some revenge on Matt.

Legends vs. Jericho

And of course how can I ignore my legends vs. Chris Jericho match.  Regular readers know my love of old school wrestling, and since it was the Wrestlemania 25, it only made sense to have some old school players.  Who better to fit that bill than "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, and Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat?  All three hall of famers were on the very first Wrestlemania card (Snuka was in the corner of Mr. T and Hulk Hogan).  The only problem with using guys who were on the show 24 years earlier is that they're now 24 years older.  Their age showed as they plodded around the ring against the younger, stronger Jericho.  Even with Ric Flair in their corner, the legends came up short, but I must say Ricky Steamboat really did look great in there.  He had been retired for about 15 years at that point, but really didn't miss a beat.

And I shouldn't admit to this now, but I was very disappointed that CM Punk won a second Money in the Bank match.  I love the guy now, but back in his early days in WWE I could not stand him.  It wasn't until his heel turn and feud with Jeff Hardy that I got to appreciate him, and I think the WWE let him spread his wings a little more as a heel too.  I had been hoping that the returning Christian would win MITB and go on to become world champion.  Eventually he would, but it didn't last (a rant for another day)

Hogan & Piper Jr.

So like I said, even a not so hot Wrestlemania in person is pretty damn awesome.  Oh yeah, I forgot to mention our costumes, as a tribute to the first Mania, Chad and I went as Hogan and Piper.  And let me tell you after the show it was pretty chilly outside and I was running around in a tank top and shorts.  Brrr.  At least I didn't have the breeze blowing up my kilt though.

Over the Limit

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger on Twitter

I'm going to try to write this without sounding like a "holier than thou" fan, but I make no promises.  Yet another wrestling star has been arrested for DUI.  It seems like this has been quite a trend lately.  The latest arrest: WWE tag team wrestler Jimmy Uso.

The son of Rikishi was picked up in Tampa early Thursday morning.  According to the popular website, TMZ, Uso was more than twice the legal limit in Florida.  He was also allegedly driving the wrong way on a one way road.

Booking photo

This news is disappointing, but not surprising.  Just thinking of the top of my head, in the last four or five months, at least four wrestlers have been busted for driving under the influence.  Alex Riley, Kurt Angle, and Matt Hardy all have mug shots floating out there after their DUI arrests.

Some may look at this as no big deal. And I'm certainly not here to point the finger of blame on wrestling, as I know people from all professions and walks of life make the bad decision of driving while intoxicated. But drinking and driving (or texting and driving for that matter) can have serious consquences.  Lucky for Jimmy, he was not involved in a crash (notice I didn't say accident).  Innocent lives could have been lost as a result of his careless.  Same goes for Kurt, Alex, and Matt for that matter. And in Matt's case, he actually did crash.  He's lucky he wasn't seriously hurt or killed.  He was just fired.

Booking photo

But Matt is obviously working on other demons in addition to the DUI problems.  Do Alex Riley and Jimmy Uso have demons too?  I don't know.  I'd be curious to know how the WWE handles DUI situations.  They've made the public well aware of their wellness policy regarding substance abuse.  I wonder if they have some sort of plan in place for drunk and impaired driving cases.

Again, I'm not making Jimmy Uso or any of the others who have been busted for DUI out to be bad guys.  Nor do I think they should be arrested.  But I do think they need to start making better choices.  Superstars who haven't been caught yet, take warning too.  There is no excuse for getting behind the wheel drunk or high.  Call a cab.  Call a friend.  Just don't get behind the wheel.  Wow, that felt like one of those old WWF magazine "Say No To Drug" ads.

Agree with me or think I'm out of my mind?  I want to know.  Post here or like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe on YouTube.

Hard(l)y the Right Call

From Impact Wrestling

By Chad Smart   

@ChadSmart on Twitter

Jeff Hardy made his return to TNA IMPACT the same day he was sentenced to 10 days in jail and 30 months probation in his 2 year long arrest for drug possession. Technically, Jeff made his return a week before the sentencing since the episode was taped as part of a double taping in Huntsville, Alabama. I think it was very optimistic move by TNA management to bring Jeff back prior to finding out what would be his eventual penalty.  I also think it was a decision which reinforces my belief TNA management puts profits over the well being of their employees.

After reading Hardy was making his return, I was secretly hoping the judge in the case would be a wrestling fan who was tired of TNA’s ineptitude and would sentence Jeff to at least a year in jail just to make TNA look foolish for bringing him back on the day of the sentencing. Since Jeff doesn’t have a match announced for the No Surrender pay per view, why didn’t TNA wait until after the PPV to bring Hardy back? Other than bringing Jeff back when they did allowed him to make a return in front of an actual paying crowd instead of the mix of tourist and TNA loyalists at the Impact Zone.

Sting pins Hardy (Impact Wrestling)

Since Jeff’s embarrassing performance at Victory Road, there have been no reports of Jeff admitting to having any type of substance abuse problem, or taking any action showing regret and remorse for the situation.  Why does TNA feel they needed to bring Jeff back? Given the firing of Matt Hardy a week prior to Jeff’s return, the decision to have Jeff return makes very little sense. I’m trying to think of anything Jeff has to uniquely offer the TNA product.

Ratings will not dramatically increase with Jeff’s return. There aren’t any dream matches I can think of that are new.  It would be foolish to put Jeff in any program for a title given his track record. So what benefit does TNA see in having Jeff back on the shows?  It would be different if Jeff had publicly apologized to the fans and to the TNA staff.  If he had asked for a chance to right the wrongs and said he wanted to show the fans the Jeff Hardy they enjoyed during the Attitude Era, maybe I could understand bringing him back. But, as I’ve said, there has been no remorse by Jeff. At least none that I’ve seen been made public.

From Impact Wrestling

With Kurt Angle’s recent DUI’s, the hiring of Rob Van Dam and Brian Kendrick who have both made public statements about their marijuana usage, and now the continued employment of Jeff Hardy, TNA, I feel, is setting themselves up for a potential media backlash. What happens when one of their wrestlers either has a serious or fatal accident? The cynic in me says if that that happens, the media will mention them as former WWE wrestlers instead of current TNA wrestlers and the blame will be deflected away from TNA. Even if that is the case, TNA needs to wake up and implement a drug-testing program similar to WWE’s and make it publicly known. If they want to be the number two promotion, they need to start acting like it instead of being a glorified independent promotion.

From Impact Wrestling

I hope Jeff Hardy recognizes the severity of his arrest and decides to clean up his personal life. Hopefully being back on the road with TNA won’t bring a return of his personal demons. I guess only time will tell.

What are your thoughts? Should TNA have brought Jeff Hardy back or should they have moved on and pushed new stars? Share your thoughts on our Facebook or Twitter pages. 

Three I's: Intoxicated, Idiotic, & Inexcusable

By Chad Smart

@ChadSmart on Twitter

I’m a few days late on this which is fine because it’s given Kurt Angle time to make idiotic claims trying to defend himself. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, Kurt Angle was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of driving under the influence. Kurt has said the Breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol level was .06 which puts him in the legally acceptable range for drinking and driving.  The arresting officer claims Kurt blew a .09 and failed several sobriety tests. Call me crazy but I’m more inclined to believe an officer I’ve never heard of over Kurt Angle who has made several borderline crazy comments in interviews over the past few years.

This is Kurt’s second DUI “allegation” this year and comes just a couple weeks after Matt Hardy was fired from TNA for a similar offense. To date the only statement TNA has made regarding Kurt Angle is announcing what upcoming house shows he will be appearing.  While TNA isn’t a public company like WWE so they don’t have shareholders to answer to, their lack of comment on the situation says a lot.

Kevin, Kurt, and Chad

Currently, Kurt is the TNA World Champion and is set to defend the title at the No Surrender pay per view this Sunday, September 11 against Sting and Mr. Anderson. Normally after a situation like the arrest, fans could expect the champion to lose the title as a form of punishment. However with TNA’s biggest show of the year being next month featuring a title match they’ve actually been building to for the past five months, I don’t know if I see them switching the title to someone else simply for the sake of punishing Kurt. Plus, Sting just lost the title to Kurt last month and Mr. Anderson has gone face to heel to face in the last six weeks so putting the title on him wouldn’t make much sense. Then again, this is TNA and logic has never been a strong point.

Matt Hardy at TNA BaseBrawl

As I started to compare a couple paragraphs ago, given TNA recently fired a top name wrestler using same legal problem as the reasoning, if they do nothing concerning Kurt, it will send a very clear message there are double standards for TNA talent.  Allegedly, Matt Hardy had some backstage issues working against him while Kurt has been a company man since signing with TNA 5 years ago and that’s the reason why nothing has been publicly said or done by TNA so far. That may be true, but TNA should realize drinking and driving is a serious issue. I’ll admit I have a strong intolerance to drinking and driving due to knowing three people who have been killed by drunk drivers, so my feelings towards Kurt and Matt’s stupidity is probably a little harsher than most other people. Given this is Kurt’s second offense this year, what will need to happen before TNA management steps in and tries to get Kurt to understand his careless decision could have potentially fatal consequences?

From Impact Wrestling

With Jeff Hardy making his return, I feel TNA is sitting on a potential powder keg for bad publicity. TNA needs to step in, set up a wellness program similar to WWE and realize even drinking and driving is nothing to take lightly. Will it take a death or serious injury before TNA starts to put personal health above potential profits?

What is your take on the current TNA substance issues? Share your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter. 

A Tale of Two Hardys

If you can't tell, photo is courtesy: TMZ

By Chad Smart

@ChadSmart on Twitter

If you haven’t heard the news, over the weekend Matt Hardy was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after driving his Corvette into a tree.  A few hours after news of the arrest broke, TNA released a statement saying Matt had been fired from the company. In my eyes this is a curious move by TNA and opens up a flood of questions I have about their business decisions.

From Impact Wrestling

Matt debuted for TNA in January 2011 after the 90 day no compete clause in his WWE contract had expired. During the last six months or so of his WWE tenure, Matt’s behavior off screen was questionable. I don’t know this to be accurate, but based on reports I’m going to speculate a possible scenario. Matt’s brother Jeff had left WWE in September of 2009. In January 2010, Jeff began working for TNA and was quickly pushed into a World Title reign. Matt on the other hand was stuck in mid-card purgatory in WWE. I feel Matt saw the success Jeff was having and felt he could have similar success in TNA. Matt then asked for his release from WWE and was denied. After that, Matt decided to do whatever he needed to in order to get WWE to release him.  Matt started posting youtube videos and making comments on his Twitter account that led to many fans questioning his sanity.  Eventually after being sent home from a European tour, Matt was released in October of 2010.

Matt at BaseBrawl June 2011 (by My123Cents)

Anyone who had followed TNA for at least a year knew it was only a matter of months until Matt would show up in the company. TNA has a habit of picking up discarded WWE talent and making them the focal point within the company. With Jeff Hardy on the roster it made sense to hire Matt and reform the Hardy Boyz tag team. Personally I was hoping TNA would stay away from Matt as hiring him condoned his behavior during the last few months of his WWE stint. When someone blatantly tries to get himself fired, welcoming them into another job gives the appearance their behavior is not an issue that concerns the company.

Matt wrestled for TNA for a little over six months before being sent home at the end of June as a disciplinary action due to showing up to events late. After being sent home, Matt took to Twitter claiming he hadn’t been suspended and asking fans who attended TNA shows he wasn’t on if they asked for a refund. Then came the arrest on suspicion of DWI and TNA outright released Matt.  Considering Matt’s name brand awareness and the fact other TNA wrestlers have been arrested for the same offence but weren’t released, I feel there is more to the situation. Though I don’t know what, something just seems odd with how quickly TNA acted to remove Matt from their roster.

From Impact Wrestling

When you factor in the Jeff Hardy story, the Matt Hardy situation is even more bizarre. Following a main event push in WWE, Jeff left the company when his contract expired in August of 2009. On September 11, 2009, Jeff was arrested on charges of trafficking in controlled prescriptions pills and possession of anabolic steroids. While his case is still ongoing, Jeff’s arrest didn’t deter TNA from bringing him into the company in January 2010. Nor did it stop TNA from making Jeff World Champion while he still had the cloud of his arrest hanging over him.

At the Victory Road Pay Per View on March 13, 2011, Jeff wrestled Sting for the TNA Title. Shortly before the match took place, TNA management made a decision Jeff was in no condition to wrestle and had Sting legitimately pin Jeff in 90 seconds. After the show TNA announced they had sent Jeff home from the Impact tapings for the week. That was five months ago. Jeff has not been seen or mentioned since then.

In the past couple of weeks, TNA has released some new products including a Jeff Hardy kid’s Halloween costume. Apparently TNA feels money can still be made off of Jeff Hardy. A pending criminal trial and showing up in no condition to perform is less important than milking a few extra bucks from kids whose parents don’t care who their kids look up to as role models.

What’s the lesson to be learned here? Matt Hardy posts strange comments online, gets a DUI and is fired. Jeff Hardy runs a personal pharmacy, shows up to a major show unfit to compete and gets a nice vacation and new merchandise. This is a time when I’d really like to be able to conduct an interview with everyone running TNA.

From WWE

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t feel Matt Hardy got the short end of the stick. As I was discussing with Kevin over the weekend, Matt is the Kevin Smith of wrestling. A guy who built up a loyal and vocal fan base but through his constant whining and “everyone’s to blame except me” attitude has slowly driven the fan base away. Will Matt or Jeff ever reclaim their past glory and live up to their expectations? Time will tell. For now I think they would both best be served with stepping away from the wrestling industry, getting themselves cleaned up from all personal demons and reevaluating what they want out of life.

Any thoughts on the Hardy Boys? Let us know on FacebookTwitter. 

Manager Interference

By Chad Smart

TNA (or Impact Wrestling) is holding one of their Basebrawl shows in Marion, IL on June 10. The local ESPN radion station is holding a contest where the winner will get to "manage" a wrestler during the show.  Anyone who wanted to enter had to email their ideas for how they would interere during the match. The following is what I wrote as my entry. Even if I don't win, I expect to use these tactics during the show.

 

While the art of the wrestling manager has been pretty much gone the way of the dodo, if given the right circumstances managers could become useful once again the the wrestling industry. One of the trademarks of a good manager is the ability to interfere and allow his charge the ability to get the upperhand on his opponent. Bobby "the Brain" Heenan was a master of distracting the referee. Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart and "Classy" Freddie Blassie would get the referee's attention allowing their wrestlers to use Jimmy's megaphone and Freddie's cane behind the ref's back. But that was the 80s. What would make for good manager interference today, specifically for the TNA Basebrawl show this week. Here are some ideas.

 

While normally the manager would be escorting a heel wrestler because a heel getting the better of a face due to underhanded tactics, TNA's faces are pretty bland so they'd fall for any generic taunt. In order to really get the crowd riled, I think taunting the heels would make for a more entertaining experience. Here are a few examples.

 

Matt Hardy: The no-brainer idea would be to try and get Matt riled up by saying something about his brother Jeff, the former TNA world champion who is awaiting charges for drug possesion. While there's a lot to work with there, the better taunt would be to wait until Matt has KAZ in place for a Twist of Fate.  Right as Matt is doing his patented yell, the manager would pull out a bag of grapes.  The manager would taunt Hardy with the grapes, eating some and asking Matt if he wanted some grapes.  This would be in response to a video Hardy posted on youtube a few months back where he was training and eating grapes. Matt would become obsessed with getting his hands on some grapes, he would forget about KAZ, allowing KAZ to get an easy schoolboy for the pin.

 

Jeff Jarrett: In order to distract Jeff, simply look to wrestling's past and come to the ring with a manilla envelope. During the match, the manager would get on the apron, hold up the envelope and scream, "Jeff! Before she was yours, she was mine!" Then the manager insinuates the envelope contains pictures of Karen Jarrett in comprimising positions. Of course this could backfire since Kurt Angle is also in the ring and he could take offense of you having pictures of his ex-wife.

 

Robbie E.: this would be the easiest and best. When Robbie starts fist pumping, the manager would put on a headband that says, "woo woo woo"  tell Robbie, he's no Zack Ryder, then pull out a cellphone and pull up an episode of True Long Island Story on youtube and show Robbie how a real broski rolls. Woo woo woo, you know it.

If those ways don't work and you need something more drastic, just pull a Flair. Strip down to your boxer shorts and elbow drop the mat over and over. If THAT doesn't distract everyone, nothing will.

Sacrificial Lamb

By Chad Smart

While I have sworn off RAW, SMACKDOWN and IMPACT for the foreseeable future, a friend invited me to watch TNA’s SACRIFICE pay per view, so I figured why not watch and do some live running commentary. Will this reinforce my decision to stop watching TNA, or make me interested in what will happen this Thursday? Let’s find out. On to the show.

In the opening commentary, Mike Tenay puts over the Jarrets vs. Kurt Angle/Chyna match before mentioning the World Title match. UGH.

Opening match is Mexican America vs. Ink Inc. If this were WWE, I’d expect Jessie Neal to be laid out with the Mexican flag draped over him after the match. Still not sold on Aquinas (or whatever his name is. Still comes off as a taller Chavo Guerrero.) Lots of interference by Rosita and Sarita during the match. Jessie Neal takes a sick looking Dominator to end the match.

For some reason Christy Hemme is doing the ring announcing.

After the match Mike Tenay introduces us to the start of the Impact Wrestling era, yet the graphic behind him says TNA SACRIFICE. Seriously, does anyone in this company know what the name of the company is now?

Once again, the mixed tag team is mentioned before the title match.

Jeff Jarrett and Karen Jarrett (in a foot brace and on crutches) are out to talk. Jeff is explaining how Karen injured herself. Crowd chant’s "bulls&*t." Jeff tells them the PPV audience doesn’t need to hear their filthy language. Jeff says there will be no mixed tag match tonight. Here comes Mick Foley. Why is the network consultant on PPV? Mick claims the x-ray was really that of a 6’6" African-American male. What? Mick with the "wrestling matters" tagline. Guess wrestling matters…until promos matter. Karen claims she has nothing to wear for a match. Mick says he had Jolene make an outfit for Karen. Why do I feel the outfit will be something ridiculous?
Jeremy Borash backstage interviewing Brian Kendrick. Did they switch JB’s and Christy’s duties?

Kendrick with a long-winded promo on what the X-Division is about and his match with Robbie E..
Why does Robbie E. get to be on PPV while Zack Ryder is on YouTube? This match is bad. One positive I can give to the show so far is at least Tenay and Taz have focused on the action inside the ring during the matches. And they’re not arguing. Kendrick wins after several uninteresting minutes. Maybe my lack of watching TNA/IMPACT WRESTLING hinders my opinion of the match as I don’t understand Kendrick’s character.

JB interviewing Tara about the upcoming Mickie James/Madison Rayne Knockout title match. If Mickie wins, Tara is free of her servitude to Madison. Tara is conflicted about who she wants to win. Why? They didn’t say if Mickie wins, Tara is free but fired? And why does Mickie care if Tara is contractually obligated to Madison? Really need to stop looking for logic in TNAIMPACT storylines. Even though Madison told Tara to stay backstage, Tara comes to ringside at the start of the match. Still don’t know why they put the title on Mickie last month when she had an injured shoulder instead of waiting until now. The match has gone longer than most WWE Divas matches. I guess that’s a plus. Madison keeps telling Tara, Madison owns her. Ref bump in a Title match. Shocking. Madison gets a loaded glove from under the ring. Tara rips the glove off Madison. Madison with a quick roll up and handful of tights gets a two count.  Am I the only one who thinks the Hardcore Country nickname/catchphrase for Mickie James makes no sense? Another ref bump. Shoot me now. Tara in with the loaded glove on her fist. Madison instructs Tara to hit Mickie. Tara hits Madison. Ref counts the pin fall for Mickie. Blah. Total storytelling match.

JB interviews Fortune. Kazarian tells Max Buck he couldn’t be a star if he was thrown by a ninja. AJ Styles says he doesn’t know what’s going on with Tommy Dreamer. Beer Money talk about their match with Matt Hardy and Braden Walker.

Kazarian vs. Max Buck for the X-Division title up next. Still don’t know why they split up Generation Me. If this match isn’t any good, they should probably stop the PPV because there’s no hope of salvaging the show. Max Buck is from Southern California while Kazarian is from Anaheim, California. Why doesn’t Max get a city? Tenay mentions the Bucks have reunited. That’s good to hear. Match seems to be very pedestrian. Not terrible, but I don’t feel Max Buck has any chance of winning the title so I can’t get emotionally involved in the match. And Kazarian wins.

JB talking to Abyss backstage about his upcoming match with Crimson. Abyss talks about how he’s been beaten, cut, had his teeth knocked out and kept going. Crimson is undefeated. How many matches has Crimson had?

Crimson has been in TNA for almost 5 months. I don’t recall his last PPV match. In the words of Jim Ross, this could be bowling shoe ugly. Abyss brings out "Janice" the board of nails. I really want to see someone get impaled with board. Not because I’m some psychopath, but because bringing out a weapon time after time and never having it actually used is stupid. Yes, I know Crimson hit Abyss with Janice, but that wasn’t during a match so it wasn’t "legit." If I had insomnia, I would put this match on a loop. I would be asleep in no time. Finally, Crimson gets the victory with a sky-high power bomb.

Tag Team Title match up next. Beer Money vs. Matt Hardy/Chris Harris. Matt Hardy is now called Cold Blooded. This should lead to him coming out dressed as Glacier. Chris Harris isn’t as big as he was during his short Braden Walker WWE stint, but he’s still bigger than his America’s Most Wanted days. The continuing theme of the night, decent action but no emotional involvement. Beer Money wins after hitting the old AMW finishing move, Death Sentence.

Okay, I’m once again tapping out. There’s nothing left on this show that interests me. Sacrifice hasn’t been bad, but it feels like a commercial free version of Impact.

To give you an idea of how uninteresting Sacrifice was, I stopped watching the show to get together with friends and watch The Rage: Carrie 2. If you haven’t seen The Rage, you haven’t missed anything. It’s a poorly made movie. But riffing on it for two hours was more entertaining than Sacrifice. I did read the results of the last three matches and don’t regret my decision to stop watching. I’ve mentioned how I’m tired of seeing John Cena and Randy Orton as champions in WWE, well, I’m just as tired of seeing Mr. Anderson and RVD getting title shots in TNAIMPACT. Can we please get some new challengers to the title?

Coming tomorrow is a blog about a company that knows how to put on good shows and tell good stories while providing solid in ring action.