October 18, 2011
The documentary is very thorough and really well done, featuring interviews with Shannon Moore, Kurt Angle, Matt Hardy, Mr. Anderson, and many others. They cover his early life, relationship with his mother, days at the TNA Asylum, his return to TNA, and much more. The most interesting thing about the documentary is how far out of his way Hardy goes to put AJ Styles over as being awesome. A few people mention Jeff’s personal problems but for the most part they gloss over that and make him look pretty cool actually. This is one of the best documentaries TNA has put together in quite some time.
MATCH #1: Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles w/ Ric Flair, Impact, 3.15.10
Abyss is the special guest enforcer to make sure Flair stays out of the match. Styles is the current TNA World Champion but the title is not on the line here. This is Hardy’s first match in TNA since 2005. Tenay says “nobody knows Jeff Hardy better than you, Taz,†but I call bullshit on that. As one might expect, the pace is pretty quick from the get-go. Styles takes control and dumps Hardy to the floor, and as soon as Flair thinks about interfering, Abyss is there to thwart him. Even so the champion remains in control, drilling Hardy with his patented dropkick. Styles goes to work on the leg, but Hardy kicks him over the ropes and onto the entrance ramp. Hardy can’t capitalize right away though, taking another few minutes before making his comeback. They go back and forth – Hardy hits the Whisper in the Wind and Styles counters with the Pele Kick. Styles goes for the springboard forearm shot and the referee gets in the way and goes down. The champ goes ringside for a chair but Abyss stops him from using it. Styles instead goes for the springboard 450 but Hardy had plenty of time to recover. Hardy hits the Twist of Fate and follows up with the Swanton Bomb, and Abyss makes the three-count at 9:12. That was a hot TV match.
Rating: ***
MATCH #2: Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson, Sacrifice, 5.16.10
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 #3: Jeff Hardy & Mr. Anderson vs. Beer Money, Slammiversary, 6.13.10
Anderson & Hardy name themselves the “Enigmatic Assholes†in their pre-match interview. Roode and Anderson start the match for their teams. Not much happens and Hardy tags in. Beer Money takes control on Hardy, who rolls over to his corner for advice from Anderson. Hardy and Anderson come back with some double-team moves of their own. Storm goes after Anderson’s eyes and backs him into a corner for a slap to the face. Anderson comes back and tries to run off the ropes but Roode holds the ropes open and Anderson crashes to the floor. Back in the ring Storm gets a two-count. Anderson fights back on Storm with a clothesline out of nowhere and makes the tag. Tags are made and the match turns into a pier-six brawl. Storm throws Anderson to the floor and Beer Money hits the catapult DDT on Hardy for a two-count. They set up for the Last Call but Anderson pulls Storm to the floor. Hardy takes Roode down with a stunner and then hits a Swanton but Storm pulls the referee to the floor. Storm makes the referee think Anderson did it, causing a big argument and allowing Storm to drag Roode over and make the tag. Both Storm and Roode take turns working Hardy over in their half of the ring. Hardy fights back with a Twist of Fate out of nowhere. Tags are made and Anderson is on fire. Beer Money tries to cut him off but he hits Roode with the Finlay Roll for two. Hardy knocks Storm to the floor and kicks him into the guardrail. He jumps off Anderson’s back for a super Poetry in Motion. Anderson goes for the Mic Check but Roode elbows his way out of it and hits a spinebuster for two. Storm and Hardy rejoin the action and Storm hits him with the Eye of the Storm. A little heel miscommunication, in addition to clever teamwork by Hardy and Anderson leads to a bloody Anderson hitting Roode with the Mic Check to get the victory at 13:55. Beer Money can pretty much have a good tag team match with anyone, and Hardy is an expert at playing Ricky Morton. I don’t know how I feel about Anderson and Hardy being to lovey-dovey with each other but that was a good match nonetheless.
Rating: ***½
MATCH #4: Jeff Hardy vs. Shannon Moore, The Whole F’n Show, 8.12.10
This is an open challenge. The best part of this match is definitely Tazz and Mike Tenay trying to promote the movie “Vampires Suck.†They go back and forth a bit early on to show that they know each other very well. Some of the spots they come up with, especially one involving the corners, are really cool. Moore hits the first dive of the match, wiping Hardy out on the floor. Back in the ring Moore hits a moonsault for two. Moore pretty much dominates the match until Hardy makes the comeback and hits Whisper in the Wind for two. Hardy hits the Twist of Fate and goes up for the Swanton but Moore gets his knees up for two. Moore tries a super rana but Hardy pushes him off and this time hits the Swanton to get the win at 6:46. This was actually a lot of fun in the short time that they had to work with.
Rating: ***
MATCH #5: Semifinal Tournament Match – Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle, No Surrender, 9.5.10
Angle beat Douglas Williams and Hardy beat Rob Terry to get here. Dixie Carter is shown in the crowd looking like the concerned mark that she is. Angle and Hardy start off slowly and take it to the mat, which is Angle’s forte. Hardy fights back and tries to quicken the pace. He gets a couple of moves in before Angle absolutely flattens him with a hard powerbomb. For some reason Angle just sits there not covering Hardy, even though he appears to be out for much longer than three seconds. Instead, Angle locks on a headlock and keeps Hardy on the ground. Moments later Hardy fights back with some fast paced offense and someone somewhere is cursing because they have to bleep out a bunch of stuff. Angle responds with a belly-to-belly suplex for two. He locks on a chinlock and Hardy fights out with a chinbreaker and the Twist of Fate. Hardy just hit one of his finishers and the crowd didn’t pop and the idiot commentators didn’t even call it. He goes up top but Angle pops up and hits the super belly-to-belly for another two. Instead of putting over the move, Taz puts over the production crew for the shot they got of it. I hate you Taz. Hardy fights back and hits the Twist of Fate again and goes for the Swanton, but Angle rolls out of the way. Angle hits the Angle Slam, and even with stacking him up he couldn’t get the three-count. The straps come down but Hardy kicks off the Ankle Lock so Angle hits the three rolling Germans instead. Hardy kicks out at two. Angle goes up for a Moonsault but Hardy avoids that and hits the Whisper in the Wind for two.
They roll to the floor and Hardy hits the Twist of Fate. Hardy then hits the Swanton Bomb from the top rope to the floor! I think that’s what dislocated Angle’s rib. Both men struggle to get back in the ring and trade weak punches as they try to recover. Hardy tries the Twist of Fate but Angle counters with another German suplex. Angle goes up top and hits a Frog Splash but Hardy kicks out at two. Hardy recovers and hits a back body drop and another Twist of Fate for two. He immediately follows up with a legdrop and goes up top for the Swanton but Angle kicks out at two! He goes right back up and hits yet another Swanton but it still isn’t enough. The third time is not the charm, as Angle gets his knees up. Angle hits an Angle Slam and Hardy kicks out at two. He locks in the Ankle Lock but Hardy uses momentum to kick Angle to the floor. Hardy brings Angle right back into the ring and Angle traps him in another Ankle Lock and won’t let go. After some time in the hold Hardy kicks Angle away, but even tenacious, Angle hits a clothesline for two. Angle goes right back to the Ankle Lock and keeps it cinched on for a ridiculously long time. Hardy briefly reaches the ropes but Angle pulls him off and adds a grapevine to the hold. After about three minutes in the hold, the time limit expires at 20:00 and the crowd is pissed. Why was there only a 20 minute time limit?
Eric Bischoff comes out and announces that they are going to add another five minutes on the clock. Why not just make it sudden death? Angle viciously attacks the ankle until Hardy is able to kick him to the floor. Hardy kicks him into the guardrail and then brings Angle back in the ring. He goes up top but it takes him too long because of his ankle and Angle knocks him down. Angle hits a super Angle Slam but it only gets two. He charges at Hardy and gets backdropped to the floor. The clock is once again winding down as Angle barely avoids getting counted out. Back in the ring Angle gets an O’Connor Roll for two. Both men get up and clothesline each other. Angle is able to roll over for a cover but Hardy kicks out, and then the time limit expires again at 5:00. Bischoff announces that once again they are adding five more minutes. Seriously, just do Sudden Death.
Both men are looking exhausted but Hardy is definitely worse for wear. Angle drives a couple shoulders into Hardy’s midsection, and then goes for a charge but Hardy moves and Angle crashes into the ring post. Hardy now attacks the shoulder, ramming Angle into the ring steps and then slamming his face into them. That last move has busted Angle open. Back in the ring Hardy locks on a Boston Crab and Angle appears ready to pass out. Miraculously Angle reverses the Boston Crab and locks on the Ankle Lock. Hardy doesn’t give up so once again time runs out at 5:00.
Bischoff and the referee and that red-headed mark who always interjects herself into the storylines are trying to decide what to do as the trainers clean Angle’s bloody wound. Bischoff announces that the doctors have decided that Angle should not continue, so the match is officially a draw at 30:00. That was a pretty extreme example of the Kurt Angle “just hit a million finishers with no rhyme or reason,†but that style works in front of the iMPACT Zone so at least the crowd was hot and that made it fun. I think these two could have an amazing match if they told a story rather than kicking out of each other’s finishers for half an hour, but that’s what Angle does.
Rating: ***¼
MATCH #6: Semifinal Tournament Match – Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle, Impact, 9.16.10
This match has no time limit. Both men are a little cautious early on after the battle they went through at No Surrender. Angle broke a rib in the previous match, so Hardy wisely focuses his attack on that area early on. Angle fights back at about five minutes in, just as Mr. Anderson comes out to join the broadcast team and they cut to commercial. Anderson will face the winner of this match at Bound for Glory to determine the vacant TNA Championship. Back from the break the action in the ring takes a backseat to Mr. Anderson in the booth. Angle and Hardy are tearing it up though and the crowd is into it. The straps come down and Angle locks on the Ankle Lock. Hardy kicks off it and goes up top for the Swanton but it only gets two! He goes for Whisper in the Wind but the Angle moves and the referee gets hit instead. Angle hits the Angle Slam and a new referee is out to make the count but Hardy kicks out at two! Impact time runs out so the match runs into Reaction. Angle locks on a body scissors and holds it for a bit before Hardy escapes and hits the Lung Collapsing dropkick. They spill to the floor and Hardy throws Angle into the stairs. Back in the ring Angle recovers and hits five rolling German Suplexes for a two-count. Angle locks on the Ankle Lock again as I can spot the first referee coming back around. Hardy locks on his own leg submission, and both men’s shoulders touch the mat and each of them are counted down by one of the referees to end the match at 15:43. What a brutally stupid finish to an otherwise hot match. I liked this one better than the previous match; everything was more concentrated and not foolishly drawn out. I had to take points away for the finish, but everything up to that was really good stuff.
Rating: ***¾
MATCH #7: Tournament Final for the Vacant TNA World Heavyweight Championship – Jeff Hardy vs. Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson, Bound for Glory, 10.10.10
The title has been vacant since 8.19.10. Anderson beat Jay Lethal and D’Angelo Dinero to get here. Hardy beat Rob Terry, while Angle beat Douglas Williams, and then Hardy and Angle wrestled to a no-contest to turn this match into a three-way. All three of these guys made their name working for WWE. Just sayin’.
Everyone looks cautious in the opening seconds, and then Angle and Hardy unload on Kennedy. This match is no countout, no disqualification, and no time limit, by the way. Angle gets knocked to the floor and Hardy is in the driver’s seat. Anderson comes back with a neckbreaker for two. Angle is back in and he’s using suplexes and going after Anderson’s leg. He even executes a double German Suplex on both opponents and gets a near-fall on Anderson. He throws Anderson to the floor and covers Hardy for two. Hardy comes back and backdrops Angle to the floor. Anderson gets back in the ring and the pace in this one has just been non-stop. Angle pulls Anderson to the floor and they trade punches. Hardy then wipes them both out with a hilo. Back in the ring none of the men can gain a sustained advantage. Hardy goes up for the Swanton while Angle is in the corner. Anderson moves out of the way and Angle tries to catch Hardy or something, but they can’t complete the spot so Angle just covers for two. Moments later Angle starts handing out rolling German Suplexes, which the crowd appreciates. Angle locks Hardy in the Ankle Lock. Anderson tries to break it up so Angle puts the Ankle Lock on him. Angle then grabs Hardy’s ankle too, so it’s a double Ankle Lock! That’s cool. They roll through to break the hold and Angle goes up top. Anderson cuts him off and hits the Green Bay Plunge. He covers but Hardy comes off the top rope with the Swanton to break it up. Hardy covers and only gets two. Anderson gets knocked to the floor and Angle hits Hardy with the Angle Slam for two. Now Anderson goes up top and Angle cuts him off with a Super Angle Slam for two. Hardy catches Angle with the Whisper in the Wind, and then nails Anderson with the Twist of Fate. He goes up top and lands the Swanton but Angle breaks it up with the Ankle Lock! Hardy rolls Angle right into a Mic Check by Anderson but Angle kicks out at two. Angle comes back and hits Hardy with a moonsault for two. Hardy rolls to the floor to catch a breather. Anderson and Angle trade holds and counters and no one can land anything. Referee Brian Hebner gets in the way and Angle lights him up with a clothesline. Anderson hits Angle with another Mic Check but there’s no referee.
Eric Bischoff makes his way down with a steel chair. Before he can hit anyone Hulk Hogan’s music hits and the Immortal one is here! He’s on crutches from his most recent surgery. I love that NOW Angle and Anderson are selling like they’re dead. Hardy finally gets back in the ring while Hogan and Bischoff are squaring off with Hogan’s crutches. Hogan gives Hardy his crutch, and instead of hitting Bischoff, he blasts Kurt Angle across the back! He then hits Anderson with the other crutch, then delivers the Twist of Fate. Bischoff drags Hebner back to the ring to make the three-count at 18:39. Jeff Jarrett comes out along with Abyss and the new super group celebrates. Rob Van Dam comes down and comically tries to ask Jeff what he’s doing, and he gets clobbered for his troubles. The match was really fun until Hogan and Bischoff got there and it grinded to a halt.
Rating: ***½
MATCH #8: TNA World Championship Match – Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Morgan, Turning Point, 11.7.10
Hardy has been the champion since 10.10.10 and this is his first defense. Morgan uses his power to dominate the World Champion early on. Hardy pretty much tries to avoid Morgan, and agitates the big man by spitting in his face. They spill to the floor and Morgan controls out there too, but back in the ring he misses a legdrop and that gives Hardy the opportunity to go after the big man’s legs, which is good strategy. After a few minutes Morgan makes a big comeback with a series of strikes. Morgan rips Hardy’s shirt off and then hits a discuss clothesline for two. Hardy comes back with a hard DDT for two. Now Morgan comes back and Hardy cuts him off with a low blow and then hits the Twist of Hate for a near-fall that the crowd didn’t care about. Morgan fights back again and hits the Carbon Footprint, and for some reason the referee just stops counting and then Hardy kicks him in the head, sort of. What the hell was that? Morgan’s confusion gives Hardy the chance to hit another Twist of Hate but Morgan kicks out again. Hardy is able to connect with the Whisper in the Wind and follows up with a third Twist of Hate for the win at 13:05. That started off okay as a big man versus little man match, but it never kicked into a higher gear and the goofiness with the referee hurt it.
Rating: **
MATCH #9: No Disqualification Match for the TNA World Championship – Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Morgan, Final Resolution, 12.5.10
Mr. Anderson is the special guest referee Hardy has been the champion since 10.10.10 and this is his second defense. Just like the previous match, Morgan dominates the early going with his power advantage. Tazz actually says “just because there are no disqualifications doesn’t mean there are no countouts, which is asinine. Hardy tries to come back with the Whisper in the Wind but Morgan avoids it easily. Morgan hits the discuss clothesline but it only gets two. Hardy hits a Twist of Hate out of nowhere for two. Morgan comes back with the Carbon Footprint and appears to have tweaked his knee. He goes for the Hellevator but Hardy slips out and hits another Twist of Hate for another two-count. Hardy goes up for the Swanton Bomb but Morgan gets his knees up, which does further damage to his injured limb. The champ has had enough and starts walking toward the back. Anderson tries to coax him back in the ring, and Hardy takes exception. Hardy piefaces the referee and receives a beating for it. Morgan then rolls Hardy up but can only get a two-count. Hardy comes back and hits a Twist of Hate but Anderson delivers the slowest count in the history. Well that makes Morgan look credible. Hardy uses a chair to further injure Morgan’s knee. He goes for another Twist of Hate but Morgan pushes him off right into Anderson, who goes tumbling to the floor. Morgan then hits the Carbon Footprint and the crowd almost counts to 20 before Eric Bischoff comes out with rookie referee Jackson James. Bischoff hurls Anderson into the ring post and then throws James into the ring, and then pulls him out before Morgan can get the three-count. Well that just makes everyone look stupid. Morgan sets the chair down and signals for a Chokeslam but Hardy delivers a low blow and then hits the Twist of Hate on the chair to get the pin and retain the title again at 12:31. This was even more overbooked than the last month’s match and in their efforts to protect Morgan ended up making him look like a total rube.
Rating: *¾
MATCH #10: The Hardys vs. Mr. Anderson & Rob Van Dam, Impact, 1.13.11
Anderson, the current TNA World Champion, and RVD attack in the aisle to start the match hot. RVD and Matt pair off while Anderson and Jeff battle each other in a continuation from their Genesis matches. The referee finally gets control of the match and we start the match proper with RVD and Matt. They go back and forth a bit and when Anderson tags in the Hardys take control of him and work over his somehow already bloody head. No one can keep control very long as the momentum swings and they spill back to the floor as we go to commercial. We come back from the break with RVD and Matt battling it out. Jeff tags himself in and goes to work on RVD. The hot tag is made to the World Champion, who is a house afire. The referee takes a bump and Beer Money comes out to administer a beating on Anderson and RVD. That gives Matt the chance to hit Anderson with the Twist of Hate and Jeff follows with the Swanton Bomb for the pin at 9:57 (shown). That’s a solid TV main event and when you use interference that makes sense and on the free TV show to put heat on a pay-per-view match, that’s just smart booking.
Rating: ***
MATCH #11: Jeff Hardy & Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle & AJ Styles, Impact, 2.10.11
Angle and Hardy start the match, and the Olympic Gold Medalist handles him on the mat. Styles tags in and Hardy backs him into the corner and makes the tag himself. Jarrett will fight Styles but wants nothing to do with Angle and runs from the ring when he tags in. He then grabs Angle’s leg from the floor, allowing Hardy to take control. Jarrett will tag in when Angle is hurt, but the minute he fights up he runs. Hardy is able to keep Angle down but can’t put him away. We go to commercial and when we come back Angle is firing back. Hardy cuts him off with a clothesline and goes up top and Angle catches him with a super belly-to-belly suplex. Both men are down and then tags are made! Styles is a house afire and goes for the Styles Clash but Jarrett fights out so he hits him with a Pele instead for two. Angle and Hardy make their way back in and Angle looks to get his hands on his nemesis. Jarrett runs away from Angle and the distraction allows Styles to hit the springboard flying forearm to get the pin at 10:43 (shown). That was similar to the last match – solid action, well laid out, and good progression towards the pay-per-view matches.
Rating: ***
MATCH #12: Ladder Match for the TNA World Championship – Jeff Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson, Against All Odds, 2.13.11
Anderson has been the champion since 1.9.11 and this is his fourth defense. The champion is the aggressor early on and Hardy tries to avoid him. They go back and forth as Taz and Tenay don’t sound like they’re taking anything seriously and the crowd sounds like they don’t care. They’ll pop for spots like a sunset bomb off the ladder (delivered by Hardy), but in between the spots they’re pretty quiet. Hardy tries the leapfrog-over-the-ladder legdrop but Anderson moves and both men take some time to recover. The challenger is more experienced with ladder matches so he’s able to use to object to better effectiveness than his opponent. Taz compares the ladder to a bear trap. I can’t make up the stuff that Taz makes up. Meanwhile Anderson hits the Finlay Roll right onto a ladder! Anderson tries the Kenton Bomb but overshoots it and cracks the back of his head on the ladder. Hardy sets up two ladders to climb on for some reason, and thus Anderson joins him up there. They slug it out and fight over the belt, and when Anderson goes for the Mic Check they stumble off the ladders and fall to the mat. Hardy kicks Anderson to the floor and pulls down the title at 18:14. That was extremely dull and the finish looked all kinds of messed up. These two did not have great chemistry as opponents. Anderson isn’t that good to begin with come to think of it.
Rating: *½
MATCH #13: TNA World Championship Match – Jeff Hardy vs. Sting, Impact, 3.3.11
Hardy has been the champion since 2.13.11 and this is his second defense. Sting starts the match off hot, hitting a clothesline and going for the Scorpion Deathlock and Hardy bails. Back in the ring the champion is able to take control, working Sting over in the corner. Hardy goes for a suplex but Sting counters it and this time he locks on the Scorpion Deathlock! The champ won’t quit though as he gets to the ropes and rolls to the floor. Sting follows Hardy out and suplexes him on the entrance ramp. He whips Hardy into the guardrail a couple of times. Sting then goes for a Stinger Splash but Hardy avoids it and Sting crashes into the guardrail. Back in the ring Hardy tries to wear Sting down and he goes for the Twist of Hate. Sting no-sells and unloads with right hands and a bulldog. He hits the Scorpion Death Drop and Hardy kicks out at two! Hardy goes for the Whisper in the Wind but Sting knocks him down and is able to hit a Scorpion Death Drop out of the corner! Sting then picks Hardy up for one more Scorpion Death Drop to get the pin and win the title for a fourth time at 6:15. That was a serviceable TV main event and about six times as long as the rematch on pay-per-view.
Rating: **¼
The Pulse: None of the matches are amazing, but outside of the snooze-fests with Mr. Anderson and Matt Morgan, the match list is a really good sampling of 2010-2011 for the Charismatic Enigma. They varied the number of Impact and Pay-Per-View matches, which is important for someone like me that ends up with all the DVD’s anyway, and several of the TV matches are a lot of fun, so overall the match selection is good. The documentary is really well done and Jeff comes off like a normal, cool guy, despite the recent turmoil in his personal life. This is a really good DVD and I recommend that you check it out. You can purchase it at ShopTNA.com.
