A2Z Analysiz: TNA Sacrifice 2010 (Rob Van Dam, AJ Styles)

PPVs, Reviews, Wrestling DVDs

Universal Studios – Orlando, Florida – May 16, 2010

MATCH #1: 3-Team #1 Contender’s Match – Beer Money, Inc. vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Team 3D

Alex Shelley and Robert Roode start the match. They chain wrestle a bit, and Shelley has the first advantage. Roode comes back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a two-count. Storm tags in and avoids a superkick by going to the floor, where he gets kicked in the gut by Sabin instead. Roode comes back in and the Guns double team him. Storm comes back in and the Guns work him over as the crowd chants “Motor City.” Sabin comes in and goes after the arm, but Storm pokes him in the eyes and then hits a high knee. Brother Ray tags in at Storm’s expense, and he goes after Sabin’s arm. He works Sabin over and then tags Devon. Sabin fights back but misses a slingshot dive to the floor. Back in the ring Ray goes for the senton that he never hits, and Sabin makes the tag. Shelley is all over Ray and Devon. The Guns use the trademark tag team cohesion to befuddle both opposing teams. Roode blind tags Ray and surprises Shelley with a hard clothesline. Now Beer Money takes their turn working Shelley over. Storm misses a charge in the corner and Shelley blasts him with an enziguiri. Finally Shelley makes the hot tag, and Sabin is a house afire. He spikes Roode with a springboard tornado DDT and Devon breaks it up. Shelley gets in the ring and everyone else follows so it’s a real pier-six brawl. The Guns get tossed to the floor and Team 3D hits Roode with the Doomsday Device. Sabin comes back in with a springboard cross body block on Ray for two. Team 3D set up for the 3D on Roode, but Storm spits beer in Ray’s face to break it up. Devon and Storm go to the floor while Roode hits Ray with a spinebuster. The Guns take advantage and knocks Roode to the floor. Then they hit Ray with a neckbreaker / cross body block off the top rope combination to get the win and become #1 Contenders at 13:14. That was a solid choice for an opener and I’m pleasantly surprised that Brother Ray jobbed completely clean. That’s awesome.
Rating: ***

MATCH #2: TNA Global Championship Match – Rob Terry vs. Orlando Jordan

Terry has been the champion since 1.27.10, and this is his sixth defense. The champ charges the ring and gets attacked by the challenger, but Terry easily weathers that storm and starts throwing Jordan around. Terry knocks Jordan to the entrance ramp and then follows him out. He throws Jordan back in the ring and hits a running powerslam for a two-count. Jordan catches a kick and goes to work on the knee. This goes on for quite a while. Jordan goes up to the second rope and pulls his knee pad down for a knee drop, but Terry moves out of the way. Terry then simply stands up and grabs Jordan with the Freak Buster to get the pin at 7:46. That was incredibly dull and the finish came out of nowhere.
Rating: *

MATCH #3: TNA X Division Championship Match – Douglas Williams vs. Kazarian

Kazarian has been the champion since 4.18.10, and this is his second defense. Williams had to forfeit the title a month ago because he was stuck over in Europe and couldn’t make it back for a scheduled defense. Kazarian beat Homicide and Shannon Moore to become a three-time TNA X-Division Champion. This is also the second time he won the title after a vacancy. Williams never relinquished the belt, so the challenger comes out wearing the belt while the champion comes out without it. I wonder if that’s ever happened before.

Williams takes Kazarian down to the mat and the exchange holds. The challenger takes the first advantage but Kazarian comes right back with an armdrag into an armbar. Kazarian continues to work the arm, dropping it across the top rope to send Williams to the floor. He then gets a slingshot Oklahoma Roll for two, and then goes back to the arm. Williams powers back and uses a variety of submission holds to wear Kazarian down. Kazarian reverses the necktie hold and lands a kick to the face. He goes up top and Williams shoves him down to the floor. Back in the ring Williams wears Kazarian down at a deliberate pace. Kazarian blocks a suplex and drops Williams’ gut on the top rope, then dropkicks him down to the floor and into the steel guardrail. He follows Williams out with a slingshot body block. Back in the ring he hits a springboard missile dropkick. Both men rise and Kazarian unleashes a flurry of offense. Kazarian hits a swinging neckbreaker for two. Williams comes back and tries Chaos Theory but Kazarian reverses it to a victory roll for two, and then gets a backslide for two. Kazarian hits the slingshot DDT for two. Williams fights back with a short-arm clothesline. He hits a running knee strike in the corner and then goes up top, but changes his mind. Kazarian hits a springboard back elbow, and Williams comes back with a sick looking Buckle Bomb. Williams then hits a pumphandle neckbreaker for a two-count. He goes for the Chaos Theory but Kazarian blocks it and hits the Wave of the Future for two. Williams comes back and tries a piledriver but Kazarian backdrops out of it. Kazarian sets up for an electric chair out of the corner. Williams reverses it to the Chaos Theory to regain the title at 13:53. There was no real story to that match but it was an okay back and forth exhibition.
Rating: **½

MATCH #4: TNA Knockouts Championship vs. Career Match – Madison Rayne w/ The Beautiful People vs. Tara

Rayne has been the champion since 4.18.10 and this is her third defense. Tara is the aggressor before the bell, and rightfully so since her career is on the line and all. Rayne comes back with some girly looking offense. Tara rolls to the floor and takes Rayne out with her. She hurls Rayne into the ring post and gets a two-count back in the ring. Tara argues with the referee, giving Rayne the chance to recover with a sunset flip for two and then they try to do the fish out of water but it’s just pathetic. Rayne hits a clothesline but Tara comes back with a knee to the face. Tara shows off her “MMA training” by doing some wrestling moves. They look lost and confused some more and then Tara hits the Widow’s Peak. Rayne wisely rolls to the floor. Tara retrieves the champion and hits the moonsault for two. She tries another one but Rayne moves and hits the Zack Attack to end Tara’s career at 6:27. For anybody who tries to say that Tara is a good wrestler, just watch this match. Rayne is not very good either.
Rating: ¾*

MATCH #5: TNA World Tag Team Championship Match – The Band (Nash & Hall) w/ Eric Young vs. Ink, Inc. (Jesse Neal & Shannon Moore)

The Band has been the champions since 5.13.10 and this is their first defense. Scott Hall and Moore start the match. The larger Hall immediately overpowers Moore, so the smaller man uses his speed to get a quick rollup for two. For crying out loud look at how fat Scott Hall is. Moore comes back with a dropkick off the second rope. They stand around a bit and then make tags to Nash and Neal, respectively. Nash takes over on Neal and slowly works him over. Hall comes back in and also slowly wears Neal down. Eventually Neal makes the tag and Moore is on fire. Moore tags Neal back in and then hits the Mooregasm on Nash. He hits Hall with a slingshot body press to the floor. Back in the ring Neal goes for a Spear but Nash moves and the referee takes it. Eric Young comes down with a kendo stick and gives it to Nash, who hits Moore with it. Neal then hits Nash with the Spear and picks up the stick himself. Young prevents him from using it, and then Brother Ray comes out and takes the stick from Young and hits him with hit. Ray gets in the ring and looks to hit Nash with the stick, but instead hits Neal with it. Gee, I bet no one saw that coming. Young pulls Nash on top of Neal for the pin at 8:00. That was borderline embarrassing for everyone involved. I also hate the fact that they’re using the tag team titles to advance a feud between Brother Ray and Jesse Neal.
Rating: ¼*

MATCH #6: Ring vs. Chelsea – Abyss vs. Desmond Wolfe w/ Chelsea

Abyss attacks Wolfe in the aisle and the fight is on. Chelsea tries to retreat backstage but the referee makes her sit in the nice chair and watch. They fight on the floor for a bit before getting into the ring to officially start the match. Abyss throws Wolfe around and shrugs off his offense. Chelsea distracts Abyss, allowing Wolfe to dump him to the floor, landing on his shoulder. Wolfe joins Abyss on the floor and throws his shoulder into the ring post. Back in the ring Wolfe continues working the shoulder with a keylock and other arm submissions. Abyss breaks out and lands a boot to the chest. He squashes Wolfe in the corner and hits a side slam for two. Wolfe comes back with a quick DDT for two. He hits a running European Uppercut in the corner and continues to work on the shoulder. He goes for the Jawbreaker Lariat but Abyss catches him with a Chokeslam. Chelsea comes down to the ring apron and passes Wolfe her purse, which contain brass knuckles. Wolfe puts the knuckles on and drills Abyss with a punch but the Monster kicks out at two! Abyss Hulks Up and hits the Black Hole Slam for the pin at 9:00. That was competent but nothing special. Wolfe didn’t really look like a threat. Abyss has won the services of Chelsea for the next 30 days, as Tenay hypes the free TV show on the pay-per-view.
Rating: **¼

MATCH #7: Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Hardy

Anderson charges the ring as I wonder why every match seems to start that way. They lock up fiercely and punch each other a bit. Hardy misses a flying clothesline and tumbles to the floor. Back in the ring they throw more punches and clotheslines. Hardy takes Anderson down in the corner and goes for the elevated dropkick but Anderson gets his boot up into the gut. Anderson wears Hardy down now with some dull offense. He particularly utilizes the abdominal stretch for a while. He charges at Hardy against the ropes and Hardy ducks, backdropping Anderson onto the entrance ramp. Hardy pulls out a chair and hits a running jumping leg lariat off the chair to send Anderson tumbling back into the ring for a two-count. They trade punches and Hardy comes out on top. Hardy hits a Sling Blade for a two-count. Anderson counters a vertical suplex into the Finlay Roll for two. He hits the Mic Check for another two-count. Hardy comes back with a mule kick and a gourdbuster. He goes up top and then decides not to do whatever he was thinking of doing. Instead he hits the Twist of Fate and takes his shirt off. He goes up top and Anderson knocks him down. Anderson goes for the Green Bay Plunge but Hardy elbows him in the face a few times and they both just fall down to the mat. Hardy recovers first and goes up top, hitting a Swanton Bomb across the back for the pin at 13:57. Similar to the last match that was perfectly proficient, but they never really kicked it into a higher gear. There was no real story going throughout the match, just guys doing moves for a while and then one guy wins.
Rating: **¾

MATCH #8: Sting vs. Jeff Jarrett

Before Jarrett can make his entrance they cut backstage, where Jarrett is already bleeding and Sting is working him over. He continues the abuse in the arena, using the baseball bat and just decimating Jarrett in every possible way. He throws Jarrett in the ring and hits a Scorpion Death Drop to get the pin at an official time of 0:13. Obviously that wasn’t much of a match.
Rating: DUD

Sting continues to beat on Jarrett after the bell and just generally hangs around. Finally Hulk Hogan comes out and gets Jarrett to the back. I don’t really understand who if anyone is clamoring to see Sting versus Jeff Jarrett in 2010.

MATCH #9: Rob Van Dam vs. AJ Styles

RVD has been the champion since 4.19.10, and this is his second defense. Styles is accompanied by the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Neither man is in a hurry to get this match started. Styles uses some dirty tactics early on, trying to raise the ire of the champion. RVD clotheslines Styles to the floor, and then stupidly gloats about it right near the ropes. Obviously at this point Styles drags RVD to the floor. Styles tries a moonsault off the entrance ramp but RVD ducks it and then hits one of his own. Back in the ring RVD avoids a springboard maneuver and bounces off the ropes, but Flair grabs his leg. Referee Earl Hebner goes outside and demands Flair go back to the locker room, much to Flair’s chagrin. Flair doesn’t make it back to the locker room, deciding instead to join Tenay and Taz on commentary. Back to the action, Styles sends RVD to the floor and follows him out with a flip dive. Back in the ring Styles hits a knee drop for a two-count. RVD comes back and tries to go up top, but Styles pushes him down onto the entrance ramp. Styles wears RVD down with strikes and submission holds. He hits a tornado DDT for a two-count. Finally RVD comes back with the thrust kick off the second rope. Both men are down. Back up RVD hits a superkick but then misses a spin kick in the corner. Even so, he hits Styles with a monkey flip and then goes up top but misses the Five-Star Frog Splash. Styles hits a springboard flying clothesline for a two-count. He wraps RVD up in a side roll for two. RVD comes back with a chinbreaker, but Styles then hits the Pele for another two-count. RVD comes back with a Northern Lights Suplex for two. Styles gets a quick small package for two. RVD comes back by crotching Styles on the top rope and then hitting a thrust kick off the top rope. He tries Rolling Thunder but Styles gets the knees up and gets a two-count. Styles locks on a Torture Rack and then turns it into a Rack Bomb for two. He hits a flying forearm in the corner for another near-fall. He sets up for the Styles Clash but RVD fights out of it and they do the fish out of water spot. Both men get to their feet and level each other with clotheslines. They get up and RVD gets a couple of pinning combinations but can’t put the challenger away. Styles comes back with the springboard flipping inverted DDT for two. He tries the springboard 450 but RVD moves out of the way. Flair slams his headset down and walks toward the ring, but Jay Lethal comes out to stop him. Lethal hits a low blow, a knife edge chop, and then locks on the Figure-Four Leglock. Back in the ring RVD is up top and Styles knocks him down. Styles goes for a superplex, but RVD counters by dropping Styles throat-first off the top rope. RVD then hits the Five-Star Frog Splash for the pin at 24:46. That was pretty good but it would have been even better if it was five to eight minutes shorter and didn’t have any of the Lethal and Flair stuff. The crowd seemed oddly dead for it too.
Rating: ***¼

~Bonus Material Includes~

– Post Match Interviews
– Photo Gallery
– Music Video

The Pulse: The opener and the main event are both pretty good, and the X-Division Title and Hardy versus Anderson matches are worth watching, but mostly this pay-per-view felt like a long episode of iMPACT! It’s fun to see the Motor City Machineguns and Doug Williams getting solid pushes and seeing Desmond Wolfe at all make me happy. If you’d like to purchase this DVD, you can do so at ShopTNA.com.

I grew up and now I write for Inside Pulse. Oh, and one time I saw a blimp!