DVD Release Date: Friday, July 17, 2015
Disc one
~MATCH #1~
From NWA Total Nonstop Action, 6.23.04 – TNA X Division Champion AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy wrestled to a no-contest at 7:00. Styles has been the Champion since 6.23.04, and this is his second defense. Hardy’s appearance here was a surprise, and a solid one since this was a legit dream match at the time. It’s a back and forth contest from the get-go, with both men eager to show what they’re made of. They chain wrestle and fly a bit, mixing up their attacks. Styles works over Hardy’s leg in an effort to keep him grounded. Hardy fights back and hits Styles with Whisper in the Wind, and while they’re showing a replay, Kid Kash and Dallas run out to attack both men and cause the no-contest. That was quite a bit of fun and a good surprise to have Hardy show up. It would have been awesome if they built on this and did a big match between the two down the line. But since we’re talking about TNA here, they didn’t. Hardy and Styles work together with the help of a chair to clean house on Kash and Hoyt.
Rating: **½
~MATCH #2~
From Destination X, 3.13.05 – Jeff Hardy defeats Abyss in a Falls Count Anywhere Match at 15:29. They fight throughout the building and even go outside. Abyss throws Hardy all over the place. Abyss sets up two tables but Hardy fights back and gets Abyss laid out on said tables. Hardy climbs up on some support beams and flies down with the Swanton Bomb! Awesome spot there. Both men continue the brutality, using tables, chairs, and whatever else they can find. Abyss finds another table and sets it up in the ring. He puts Hardy on it and goes to the top rope. Hardy stops him and tries a rana but Abyss blocks it and powerbombs him through the table! Abyss goes for a Chokeslam on top of a ladder but Hardy blocks it and hits the Twist of Fate! That’s enough to get the pin. The selling was almost non-existent but they managed to wake up a comatose crowd and it was fun hardcore nonsense.
Rating: ***¼
~MATCH #3~
From Lockdown, 4.24.05 – Jeff Hardy defeats Raven in a Tables Match at 11:51. Hardy brings a couple of chairs into the cage and goes right after Raven with one of them. They battle back and forth until Hardy hits a Twist of Fate from out of nowhere. He sets up a table and puts Raven on it. Then he climbs to the top of the cage and misses a Swanton! Of course in a tables match you have to go through a table via an offensive maneuver so the match continues. Raven attacks him with a chair as some girl in the crowd may be about to cry. I love wrestling. A group of “cool guys” try to start a “Let’s Go Raven” chant. I hate wrestling. Moments later Raven sets up two tables side-by-side. He then stacks two more on top of those. The idiot referee actually HELPS Raven do this. Are you kidding me?! As a referee that personally offends me. They climb up the cage and Hardy is able to knock Raven back onto the table stack. Hardy then finishes the climb and hits a legdrop to drive Raven through the tables to get the win. That was a decent hardcore brawl with some goofiness and botched spots knocking it down a peg or two.
Rating: **¼
~MATCH #4~
From Bound for Glory, 10.23.05 – Rhino defeats Abyss (w/ James Mitchell), Jeff Hardy, and Sabu in a Monster’s Ball Match at 12:20. The video package says that these guys have been locked up since midnight last night without food or water, but Rhino was on the preshow for fuck’s sake. They waste no time going at it, and it’s chaos all over the place, with weapons and lots of offensive maneuvers being used by all four men. Hardy and Abyss battle up by the entrance while Sabu stacks Rhino on a table at ringside. Sabu hits a triple jump legdrop through the table and both men are hurting. Meanwhile Hardy has Abyss on a couple of tables he set up, and then he goes to the top of the set and hits a Swanton Bomb to break the table! Late in the match, Abyss gets his bag of thumbtacks but before he can use them Rhino hits a Gore through a table set up in the corner! Hardy is back in the ring now, and bummer for him but Rhino catches him with the Rhino Driver to get the big win. That was an awesome chaotic brawl that had some fun spots and very little down time.
Rating: ***¾
~MATCH #5~
From iMPACT, 3.15.10 – Jeff Hardy defeats TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles (w/ Ric Flair), with Special Enforcer Abyss, in a non-title match at 9:12. 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. Both men show off their skills while Abyss keeps Flair neutralized at ringside. 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. That was a hot TV match, and it blows my mind that they never did a big Hardy v Styles program.
Rating: ***
~MATCH #6~
From Bound for Glory 2010, 10.10.10 – Jeff Hardy defeats Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson in a Three Way Tournament Final Match to win the vacant TNA World Heavyweight Title at 18:35. 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’. All three men wrestle back and forth, with none of them able to take a sustained advantage. Eventually 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 #7~
From Against All Odds 2011, 2.13.11 – Jeff Hardy defeats TNA World Heavyweight Champion Mr. Anderson in a Ladder Match to win the title at 18:10. Anderson has been the champion since 1.9.11 and this is his fourth defense. 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. 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 #8~
From Turning Point 2011, 11.13.11 – Jeff Hardy defeats Jeff Jarrett (w/ Karen Jarrett at 0:05. Jarrett is the current AAA World Heavyweight Champion. Hardy charges the ring and hits an immediate Twist of Fate and gets the pin! Well, that’s one way to do a “match.”
Rating: DUD
~MATCH #9~
From Turning Point 2011, 11.13.11 – Jeff Hardy defeats Jeff Jarrett (w/ Karen Jarrett) at 5:08. Jarrett is pissed, and he wants to go again. Hardy agrees and here we go. They do their stuff, and after a while a series of reversals ends with Jarrett trying the Figure-Four Leglock and Hardy turns it into an inside cradle to get his second pin. As Hardy walks up the ramp, Jarrett grabs a steel chair and blindsides Hardy with it. Jarrett drags Hardy back to the ring and delivers The Stroke. He and Karen demand one more match and they get it for some reason. Jarrett covers and gets two, as Hardy rolls him over into a crucifix to get his third pin at about 20 seconds. I guess the third fall didn’t count as an official match since an opening bell never rang. These two have never had good chemistry as opponents, and this match was no different. It was a short, awkward exercise that made Jarrett look like a doofus and Hardy like a guy who beat a doofus.
Rating: *½
~MATCH #10~
From Final Resolution, 12.11.11 – Jeff Hardy defeats Jeff Jarrett (w/ Karen Jarrett) in a Steel Cage Match at 9:45. Sting is the outside enforcer and is handcuffed to Karen to keep her from interfering. If Hardy wins, he gets a title shot and the either Jeff or Karen will be gone from TNA. If Jarrett wins, Hardy will be the one leaving. These two have never had great matches together, and this one is no different. After the usual back-and-forth, Hardy goes for a Swanton off the top of the cage but Jarrett moves. Jarrett hits The Stroke but Hardy stops him from escaping. Sting foolishly stands too close to the door and get it slammed in his face. That allows Karen to steal the key and un-cuff herself. Karen slams the cage door in Hardy’s face and Jarrett covers for two. She tries to give Jarrett the guitar but Sting stops that. Hardy hits the Twist of Stunner and gets the pin. This felt much longer than it was, and just never seemed to kick into a higher gear. Despite the high stakes it never felt like anything was on the line.
Rating: **
~MATCH #11~
From Lockdown 2012, 4.15.12 – Jeff Hardy defeats Kurt Angle at 14:52. Angle takes the first advantage and tries to keep Hardy grounded. That’s always a good game plan if you’re Kurt Angle and you’re facing Jeff Hardy. Angle puts a beating on Hardy, and it looks like the Charismatic Enigma is busted open. As we get into the stretch, Hardy tries to escape out the door but Angle pulls him back in with the Ankle Lock. Amazingly, Hardy reverses to an Ankle Lock of his own! Angle escapes it but Hardy hits the Twist of Fate. Hardy goes up top and hits the Swanton Bomb. He hits another Swanton Bomb and this time covers but only gets two! Angle pulls Hardy’s face into the cage. He hits an Angle Slam for another two-count. The straps come down but it’s Hardy who hits an Angle Slam this time! Hardy’s shirt comes off and he goes up to the top of the cage to hit another Swanton! That’s enough to get the pin. That was a well worked cage match between two pros. They built well to the finish, which was the requisite big spot from Hardy. Good stuff here.
Rating: ***¾
~MATCH #12~
From Bound for Glory 2012, 10.14.12 – Jeff Hardy defeats TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries at 23:03 to win the title. Aries has been the Champion since 7.8.12, and this is his second defense. The crowd actually seems to be more behind Aries than the conquering hero challenger. They start out on the mat but it’s pretty clear that there is some tension between these two. These two put on a tremendous display, and the crowd stays hot for both men. Late in the match the challenger goes up top and Aries knocks him down on his junk. Aries goes up top and delivers a super hurricanrana! The Champion is locked in now and he drills Hardy with an IED. Aries hits the Brainbuster but Hardy kicks out! He goes for the Warrior’s Way of all things but Hardy avoids it. Hardy hits a Stunner out of the corner and then another Twist of Fate. The Charismatic Enigma heads up top and hits the Swanton Bomb to get the pin and win the title! The crowd made this pretty interesting with the mixed reactions, but Hardy did get a pretty sizable pop for the win so I think the crowd did appreciate the match for as good as it was. Both guys wrestled liked they legitimately NEEDED to beat the other guy, and this felt much bigger than I thought it would when I first heard this match announced. They won me over.
Rating: ****¼
Disc two
~MATCH #13~
From Turning Point 2012, 11.11.12 – TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy defeats Austin Aries in a Ladder Match to retain the title at 21:10. Hardy has been the Champion since 10.14.12, and this is his second defense. They build off their match last month, and both wrestle like they not only need to win the title but beat their opponent. That’s what makes their matches together work. Near the finish, Hardy brings in a tall ladder and both men climb. They knock each other over and land on a ladder Aries had previously set up in the corner. Hardy hits a Twist of Fate! Aries and the ladder crash to the floor. That gives Hardy enough time to climb the big ladder and retrieve the belts. This was in every way a worthy successor to their match at Bound for Glory 2012. They both worked hard and did some innovative moves. Hardy in particular took some sick bumps. Aries did a great job using the ladder to brutalize Hardy, and he looked like he was desperately trying to regain the title. I always think the ladder match is dead and then I see one like this and it restores my faith. Aries and Hardy have amazing chemistry together.
Rating: ****½
~MATCH #14~
From Genesis 2013, 1.13.13 – TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy defeats Austin Aries and Bobby Roode in a Three Way Elimination Match at 20:22 to retain the title. Hardy has been the Champion since 10.14.12, and this is his fifth defense. Aries and Roode immediately start working together on the Champion, and that goes on for a bit. Of course eventually Roode and Aries decide to go at it. That gives Hardy a chance to rest on the floor. When Aries executes a backslide, Hardy makes his way in and helps hold Roode’s legs down and that’s enough for the first elimination at 18:50! That was cool. Aries talks some trash, allowing Hardy time to recover. Hardy hits a Twist of Fate, and then hits another one between the ropes. I’ve never seen that before. Hardy goes up top and flattens Aries with the Swanton Bomb to get the pin and retain the title. These three have historically had great matches together, and none of the chemistry was lost by having all three of them out there. Aries and Roode working together right until the end, and Hardy’s resilience were simple yet effective stories, and the action almost never stopped.
Rating: ****¼
~MATCH #15~
From IMPACT Wrestling, 9.10.14 – The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy) defeat Team 3D (Bully Ray & Devon), and The Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) in a Three Way Tables Match at 11:30. This is the second match in a best of three series, with Team 3D scoring the first win a few weeks ago. The action starts off fast and wild, and pretty much stays that way throughout. All three teams prominently feature tables in their offensive attacks. After multiple momentum shifts, the Hardys are able to trap Edwards on a table at ringside, and Jeff comes off the top rope with a Swanton to get the win. That was a tremendous amount of fun, a nice throwback to the Attitude Era style of matches. I think this was a great use of Team 3D and the Hardys, and a nice spotlight for the tag team division.
Rating: ***¾
~MATCH #16~
From IMPACT Wrestling, 10.22.14 – The Hardys (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy) defeat Jessie Godderz & DJ Z in a First Round Tournament Match at 6:22. Matt and Jeff pretty much dominate here, and I have no problem with that. The BroMan duo is able to put Matt in peril for a brief time, and then Jeff gets the hot tag and cleans house. The Hardys finish Godderz off with a Twist of Fate followed by a Swanton Bomb. That was a decent little TV match, with Godderz and Z getting in just the right amount of offense to not be a total joke, and the Hardys looked great.
Rating: **¼
~MATCH #17~
From IMPACT Wrestling, 10.29.14 – The Hardys (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy) defeat Ethan Carter III & Tyrus in a Semifinal Tournament Match at 7:02. EC3 & Tyrus beat Eric Young & Rockstar Spud to get here. Winners get to face Samoa Joe & Low Ki in the finals. This one starts off plenty quick, and the Hardys show their precision teamwork. When Carter is able to tag Tyrus into the match, the momentum definitely swings the opposite direction. Carter and Tyrus focus on Matt and keep in their half of the hexagon. Once again Jeff gets the hot tag and the pace really picks up. The Hardys are able to isolate Tyrus and both brothers hit a Twist of Fate and Jeff follows pup with the Swanton to get the pin. That was another very solid tag team match that didn’t stray from the formula, but that generally works, so good for them.
Rating: **½
~MATCH #18~
From IMPACT Wrestling, 11.5.04 – The Hardys (Jeff Hardy) defeat Samoa Joe & Low Ki in the Number One Contender’s Tournament Final Match at 14:40 to win a shot at the TNA Tag Team Titles. Joe and Ki beat Gunner & Samuel Shaw and MVP & Kenny King to get here. These are two very good teams, and they show how evenly matched they are by going back and forth in the early going. Things stay pretty even throughout, and the referee loses control. Both teams unload with signature moves, some of which get countered and some of which are successful. Joe traps Matt in the Choke and Jeff breaks it up with a Swanton Bomb on his own brother, but with Joe underneath that’s a pretty sweet move. The Hardys trap Ki on his own and hit Poetry in Motion. Jeff lands a Swanton and Matt follows with a nice moonsault to get the pin and win the tournament. This was tremendous stuff, an exciting tag team match that felt like something was on the line.
Rating: ***½
~MATCH #19~
From IMPACT Wrestling, 1.16.15 – The Hardy Boyz (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy) defeat The Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) in a Number One Contender’s Match at 10:08. I think it’s fair to call this a dream match. The action goes at a breakneck pace from the beginning, with the Wolves especially wrestling like they’ve got something to prove. Edwards and Richards take the first sustained advantage on Matt, but the resilient Matt is able to fight back after taking a great deal of punishment. Of course both teams are pretty much allowed to run wild, and the match has no shortage of high spots. Jeff is able to dump Richards to the floor, and then the Hardys hit Poetry in Motion. Jeff hits the Twist of Stunner, and then the brothers hit an assisted Twist of Fate to score the win and earn the shot against James Storm & Abyss for the Tag Team Titles. These two teams meshed very well together and the action was pretty much nonstop. The finish was nice and clean too, and everyone comes out of this looking good.
Rating: ***¾
~MATCH #20~
From IMPACT Wrestling, 3.27.15 – Jeff Hardy defeats James Storm in a Steel Cage Match at 10.52 (shown). This is like a Lethal Lockdown cage, with weapons hanging from the ceiling. Storm wastes no time attacking Hardy with a trash can, and he fight is on. He’s able to stay one step ahead of Hardy for most of the match, cutting off his comeback attempts at every turn, and keeping the high-flying Hardy grounded. Hardy is even able to keep Storm down long enough to hit Whisper in the Wind and a Swanton Bomb, but Storm kicks out at two! Finally Hardy gets frustrated enough to attack Storm with a bevy of weapons, including Storm’s own cowbell! Hardy hits the Twist of Fate and then climbs to the top of the cage. He swings back and forth from a support beam, building up momentum to hit a big splash and get the pin. This was a well worked cage match, and they used the weapons effectively too. Everything built up really well from spot to spot, and the finish was on point.
Rating: ***¾
~MATCH #21~
From IMPACT Wrestling, 4.17.15 – The Hardys (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy) defeat The Revolution (James Storm & Khoya) in a qualifying match at 5:39. Winner here gets to enter a four-team Ultimate X match to fill the vacant TNA World Tag Team Titles. Storm and Khoya attack right away but the Hardys withstand that assault and do their thing. They do the usual formula stuff, and that’s what the Hardys excel at. The match breaks down and Storm accidentally delivers the Last Call to Khoya. Matt hits Storm with the Side Effect to take him out, and Jeff hits Khoya with the Swanton Bomb to get the pin. Good, fast-paced action here.
Rating: **½
~MATCH #22~
From IMPACT Wrestling, 4.17.15 – The Hardys (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy) defeat Ethan Carter III & Bram (w/ Tyrus), Bobby Roode & Austin Aries, and The Beatdown Clan (Low Ki & Kenny King) in a Tournament Final Ultimate X Match to win the vacant TNA World Tag Team Titles at 8:20. This start off as an eight-way brawl, with everyone pairing off with one of their opponents. Aries and Roode work really well together and they take an early advantage. EC3 and Bram introduce a ladder into the fray, as they try to climb it to retrieve the belts. That backfires on them in a big way, as Matt and Jeff are able to take control of the ladder, and they’re the experts. Tyrus interferes to help EC3 out of a jam. Aries breaks up that interference an now it’s time for the parade of offensive maneuvers. Roode and Aries almost get the belts down but Homicide interferes to make sure that doesn’t happen. Matt and King battle on top of the ladder and Matt brings him down with a Twist of Fate! Ki joins Matt back up on the ladder, and Jeff climbs the ropes out to get in position to pull the belts down. That was certainly brief, but they packed a lot of action in that time. It was certainly not boring.
Rating: ***
A2Z Analysiz
This is a pretty thorough representation of Jeff Hardy’s time in TNA. The match list does skew more recent, which is actually a mark in its favor since A) Jeff’s later time in TNA is better, and B) he already has two previous DVD sets. I like the mix of singles and tag matches, as well as the variety of opponents. It’s easy (and fun) to make fun of TNA, but taken out of the context of their awful weekly show, I found a bunch of really good matches on this set and I highly recommend it.
