Monster's Ball is next! PCO, as always, took insane bumps. Cardona, dressed as a Ghostbuster, was great as his foil. I could have done without PCO taking a backdrop on the ring steps. They did all the usual plunder with the crowd getting real excited for Cardona bringing in a door, which of course he was sent through. PCO went for a dive but was smashed with a trash can. This was basically your hardcore match with PCO later being powerbombed through another door that sat across several chairs. PCO scares the hell out of me as he has no regard for his own safety. Cardona put tacks in his mouth and nailed the Broski Boot. PCO ended up with tacks in his head. Cardona began pushing them into PCO's face. DISGUSTING. That set up PCO making the comeback. Cardona brought in an "Ecto-Green" barbed wire bat but PCO took him out on the tacks and got the pin with the PCO moonsault. Happy Hardcore Halloween!? If you liked weapons and plunder and insanity, this was for you. Can we never see the tack stuck to the face stuff ever again? Let's lock that in a vault next to stapling money to people's faces from the old IWA Mid-South, OK?
Moose vs. Mike Santana was next. Santana has run through the rest of The System, so we'll see if this is his final victory. The crowd was all over Moose. Santana came in through the crowd and they loved him. This was really good with a good, physical story told. Moose has gotten into even better shape, if that was possible. JDC was with him and interfered. Santana was almost counted out. Santana scored with the discus lariat at the end. This felt like a big moment for him. I'd like to see him chase Bailey going forward for the X-Division title. This was really good, as Moose is a hell of a heel and Santana may be among the most dedicated and driven talents of 2024.
Jordynne Grace vs. Masha Slamovich for the Knockouts title was next and this was marvelous and right up there with Bailey vs. Vikingo for the best match of the night thus far. Masha and Jordynne just took it to each other and it felt like a true passing of the torch moment when Masha finally scored the pinfall. Masha looked like every bit the dominant beast in the ring that Grace does and the win really meant something. Really damn good and is well worth tracking down to see live. There's been a lot of speculation as to when Grace's deal ends and if and when she goes to NXT, so if this was the beginning of the end of her run, they picked the right person for her to put over and ascend to the next level as Masha is great.
The TNA title bout with Joe Hendry vs. Nic Nemeth was good, but also a bit of a disappointment when it was revealed they weren't closing the show. Hendry had some real momentum going into the show, so the finish here was a little crushing, especially after all the good work involved and Kazarian's great job as the heel referee. I don't know that Bradshaw getting involved and killing everyone with Clotheslines from Hell and helping Nemeth getting the win with the story being Nic didn't know was what TNA fans were looking for out of this story. Perhaps it'll be Bradshaw vs. Nemeth in Texas in January? I'm really curious to see what they do to reboot Hendry, unless he's heading off to WWE a lot sooner than expected. I will say this - the Kazarian stuff was so well done, it totally camouflaged the eventual JBL appearance. Unless there's been a major change, I believe Hendry has a little over a year left and I am really stunned TNA didn't decide to go all the way with him and build around him, but we'll see.
The graphics for this week's Impact listed Vikingo as the new X-Division champion. Whoops!
The main event - Full Metal Mayhem with ABC, The Hardys and The System was a hell of a spectacle. I loved the look of the match with all the ladders and other items and even the ring canvas painted up Jeff Hardy style. It created a really different look from everything else on the show and anytime you can create something unique and memorable, I am all for it. Unless they were going to go all cinematic Broken Hardys Universe with production, this was as close as possible. Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers were really strong as the glue holding all of this together and even though they are respected veterans, I really think they deserve a lot more praise than they traditionally get. Myers' spear on Chris Bey in mid-air was great and Edwards and Myers were the ones crashing through the tables at the hands of the Hardys, while Alisha Edwards ate a Twist of Fate from Matt. They were really giving in their roles tonight.
Everyone knows I love ABC and think they are just fn' awesome as athletes and a team, but I think The Hardys going over here was the right call. It was billed as likely the last time they will be in this sort of environment (unless WWE comes calling for a TLC bout, obviously....) and the crowd was into that. The pop they received for the win felt bigger and more sustained than any other reaction on the show and it was a cool visual to watch. That said, there were moments here where time stood still for a moment or two as they were setting things up but I'd prefer that over rushing and getting into a reckless situation where someone gets hurt. But, this all ended on a strong note and it didn't look like anyone got injured, always a plus.
Overall, a very good show. TNA has been on a nice run of late. Dr. Ariel and his crew should be very proud.
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