A2Z Analysiz: TNA Against All Odds 2011 (Mr. Anderson, Jeff Hardy)

Wrestling DVDs

For an easy to navigate archive of my TNA reviews, just Click Right Here!

Universal Studios – Orlando, Florida – February 13, 2011

Mike Tenay and Taz are on commentary. Tenay announces that Generation Me had flight problems and they will not be here for their scheduled #1 Contender’s match with Robbie E.

MATCH #1: Robbie vs. Max Buck vs. Jeremy Buck

Max beat Amazing Red and Chris Sabin, Jeremy beat Jay Lethal and Douglas Williams, and Robbie beat Suicide and Brian Kendrick to qualify for this match. Robbie E comes out along with his squeeze Cookie. He announces that he is the new #1 Contender to the X Division Title, but still wants the referee to count the Bucks out anyway and announce him as the winner. The referee does just that and Robbie is declared the winner at 0:29 (that sure is a long 10-count).
Rating: N/A

Kazarian makes his way out and announces that there will in fact be an X Division Title match tonight, and that it will take place right now.

MATCH #2: X Division Title Match – Kazarian vs. Robbie E with Cookie

Kazarian has been the champion since 1.9.11, and this is his second defense. They make their way into the ring and the champion is on fire. Kazarian thwarts Cookie and knocks Robbie to the floor. Back in the ring Kazarian runs into a boot in the corner, and Robbie follows with a fist drop for a one-count. Cookie interferes every chance she gets as Robbie goes to work on the champion, trying to regain the title he held for a month late last year. Robbie showboats a little too much and Kazarian catches him with a springboard missile dropkick and a flurry of offense. The champ hits a springboard legdrop for two. Kazarian goes for Fade to Black but Robbie counters it. Cookie takes a cheap shot and Robbie gets a schoolboy rollup for a very close near-fall. Kazarian comes back and hits the Fade to Black from out of nowhere to get the pin at 7:11. Robbie E is dreadful but Kazarian did his best to make this fun.
Rating: **½

MATCH #3: Beer Money, Inc. & Scott Steiner vs. Rob Terry, Gunner & Murphy

AJ Styles joins the idiots on commentary for this match. James Storm and Robert Roode are the current TNA World Tag Team Champions. The Immortal team is all jobbers, to be polite. Steiner and Gunner start the match. Just guess how that goes for Gunner. Murphy gets a taste too, so “The Freak” Rob Terry tags in. He can rival Steiner in musculature, and shows that off. Beer Money distracts the ref, allowing Steiner to kick Terry square in the nuts. Murphy tags himself in and Storm quickly follows. Storm takes control so Gunner tags in but it’s more of the same for him. Some chicanery allows the Immortal trio to take over finally. Storm fights back with a lungblower on Terry and makes the hot tag. Roode is on fire, cleaning house on Immortal. He and Gunner blow an easy-looking spot but they don’t dwell on it. Roode hits a uranage slam for two and the referee loses control. Terry and Steiner battle to the floor, leaving the two tag teams in the ring. Terry jumps back in but gets hit with a double suplex. BEER! MONEY! Roode nails Gunner, Murphy, and Terry with the spinebuster. He puts Gunner up top and tags Steiner. Big Poppa Pump goes up and hits the Super Frankensteiner to get the pin at 10:12. For an extended squash that was rather spirited. Storm and Roode were clearly ready to be elevated by this point.
Rating: **½

MATCH #4: “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero vs. Samoa Joe

Pope avoids the fired up Samoan at the start. He even tries to go all the way to the back, but Joe’s cameraman Okada forces him back to the ring, where Joe wipes him out with an Elbow Suicida. Back in the ring Pope is able to hit a vertical suplex but he brags about it so Joe takes him right back down. Pope goes to the eyes to take the advantage. He goes up to the second rope but Joe catches him with an inverted atomic drop, which leads to the Big Joe Combo for two. Joe hits the snap powerslam for another two-count. Pope comes back with a modified Go 2 Sleep and Joe falls hard. Now the Pope pulls a turnbuckle pad off and tries to slam Joe’s head into it but Joe blocks. Joe is able to trap Pope in the Choke and the Pope taps immediately at 8:32. That was fine, like an Impact match but twice as long.
Rating: **½

Pope extends his hand after the bell and Joe scoffs. Of course Pope attacks. Okada tries to make the save but he’s useless. Pope slams Joe into the exposed turnbuckle and then hits him with the D’Angelo Dinero Express. Joe is busted open and looks extremely angry.

MATCH #5: Knockouts Title Match, Last Knockout Standing – Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James

Rayne has been the champion since 10.14.10, and this is just her second defense. This is a rematch from Genesis. Madison immediately tries to use the loaded glove but Mickie is ready for it. They spill to the floor and it’s all Mickie in the early going. Madison cuts her off and starts working the back, ramming her into the guardrail and the ring apron. Mickie reverses a whip that sends the champ into the ring post. They keep going back and forth without any real rhyme or reason. Mickie throws Madison to the floor and hits a cross body block off the ring apron. Madison crawls under the ring and Mickie follows. Absolutely nothing comes of that. They go back to the ring and Mickie goes up top but Madison knocks her down to the floor. Mickie makes it back in before the count of 10 and hits the Pie in the Sky and a (sort of) spin kick. She rips the glove off and Tara comes out and gets blasted with it. That gives Madison the chance to pull brass knuckles from out of her boot and hit Mickie with them. That’s enough to keep Mickie down for a count of 10 and Madison retains at 8:30. These two have terrible matches together and this one was no different.
Rating: ¾*

Matt Morgan comes out for a promo. He calls out Hernandez, who wastes no time in showing up. Apparently Hernandez cost Morgan the title last Thursday in a match with Mr. Anderson on Impact. Hernandez says the Americans don’t appreciate the Mexican culture and stuff, and then hits him with an Attitude Adjustment.

MATCH #6: Rob Van Dam vs. Matt Hardy

This is another rematch from Genesis. They start with some awkward brawling and RVD takes control. Hardy blocks a monkey flip and drops RVD face-first into the turnbuckle and flattens him with a clothesline. Of course RVD quickly fights back with a dropkick to send Hardy to the floor. They fight on the floor and Hardy throws RVD around ringside. RVD drops Hardy on the guardrail and hits the spin kick off the apron. Back in the ring Hardy immediately hits a “double-arm style DDT.” I hate the way Mike Tenay calls everything. Hardy takes control of the match as Taz mocks internet fans. Thanks a lot dude. RVD catches Hardy coming off the top rope with a kick to the face and both men are down. Back on their feet RVD is on fire, hitting a series of kicks. RVD hits the split-legged moonsault for two. Hardy fights back with the Side Effect for two. They battle up on the top rope and Hardy backdrops RVD down to the mat. Hardy misses a moonsault and RVD springs to the top rope for the Five- Star Frog Splash to get the pin at 13:19. That was perfectly acceptable; the usual mach you would expect from these two.
Rating: **½

MATCH #7: Street Fight – Bully Ray vs. Devon

This is the third straight rematch from Genesis. Ray tries to sneak up on his half-brother but it doesn’t work and Devon goes to work on him on the floor. They make it into the ring and Devon brings weapons. Devon is all over Ray, and his sons make their way down to ringside to cheer their father on. He tries to make them go to the back, which is distraction enough for Ray to recover and hit Devon with a chair. Terrence and Terrell get in the ring and try to fight Ray but that doesn’t go very well for them. Devon recovers and goes on offense. Now his kids get in on it, as one of them blasts Ray with a trash can, and then they execute the What’s Up. His kids tell him to get the tables, and Devon does just that. Ray recovers though and hits Devon in the junk. He grabs handcuffs and attaches Devon to the middle turnbuckle. Terrence and Terrell try to save their father and both get beaten down. In fact, Ray hits one of them with a boot to the face and gets the pin at 9:24. I didn’t know the boys were officially a part of the match. The brawl was what it was and the finish was silly.
Rating: **

After the match Ray sets up a table and grabs a chair. Devon calls for security to save his kids (seriously, where are they?), but they don’t show and Ray powerbombs one of them through the table.

MATCH #8: Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett

This is the fourth straight rematch from Genesis. If Angle wins, he gets custody of his kids. If Jarrett wins, Angle has to walk his ex-wife Karen down the aisle when she renews her vows with new husband Jeff Jarrett. Only in wrestling could custody of children be put on the line in a fight. They’re so mad at each other that they chain wrestle to start. Angle dominates early on, even giving holds to Jarrett just so he can show that he can break them. They fight in and out of the ring as Karen looks on concerned. Jarrett fights back and hits a cross body block off the top rope but Angle rolls through for a two-count and Jarrett quickly pops up and hits Angle with a clothesline. They continue to fight back and forth and Angle tries the Ankle Lock but can’t keep it on, so he switches it up to rolling German Suplexes instead but only gets two. Jarrett fights back with an enziguiri and tries the Stroke but Angle counters to the Ankle Lock, which Jarrett rolls out of. Karen gets up on the apron and the referee doesn’t see Angle hit the Olympic Slam and cover for more than a three-count. Jarrett takes the opportunity to hit a low blow and then hits the Stroke but only gets two. He goes for another Stroke and this time the referee takes a bump. They go to the floor and Karen distracts her ex-husband, allowing her current husband to take control. Hussy. Jarrett brings a chair in the ring and Angle takes it away from him just as the referee wakes up in time to take it away from him. Angle hits a nice t-bone suplex for a two-count. He goes up top but Karen distracts him again and Jarrett hits a Super Stroke for two. Angle fights back with a release German Suplex and the straps come down. The Ankle Lock is applied and Karen gets dragged into the ring. Once again she distracts the referee and he doesn’t see Jarrett tap out. The ref also doesn’t see Jarrett plaster Angle with the steel chair but somehow Angle is able to kick out at two. Angle gets a quick inside cradle for two and then tries a sunset flip, but Jarrett kneels down and gets the three-count at 16:17. These two have had a bunch of really good matches together, but when Karen is involved she is just too involved, and it hurts them.
Rating: ***

MATCH #9: TNA World Title Ladder Match – Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Hardy

This is the fifth straight rematch from Genesis. Anderson has been the champion since 1.9.11 and this is his third 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

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