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Christy Hemme interviewed Devon. Devon told Bubba that it was the night he get to spew his garbage about who carried Team 3D. Devon said that they can go back to the old days where they beat the hell out of each other in a Bingo Hall making a name for themselves. My God, did they ever. He said when Bubba has his hand out tonight, it won’t for Devon to tag in and save him, but for Devon to kick his ass. Good promo.
Bully Ray vs. Brother Devon
When Devon hit the ring, Ray retreated, just like in the build for the match on TV. Ray’s dropped some weight. Ray grabbed SoCal Val to use her as a shield, so she slapped him. Devon jumped Ray in the aisle and tossed him into the barrier. Devon grabbed a water from a fan and drilled Ray with it. She sent Ray into the barrier. Fans began chanting for tables. Ray was sent into the ring steps.
Devon continued working over Ray on the outside. He began choking Ray with the leather vest REay wore to the ring. He continued beating Ray around ringside. They noted the bell hasn’t officially rung yet. Devon tossed Ray into the ring and they rang the bell.
Ray began begging off, saying he was sorry and that they were brothers. Devon looked to the crowd for an answer and Ray went for a lowblow. Devon caught him and began working him over. Ray reversed a whip but missed a splash in the corner. Devon clotheslined Ray and nailed a Thesz Press.
Ray went to the outside, dazed. Devon came off the apron and nailed him. Devon and Ray brawled into the crowd, exchanging punches. Devon whipped Ray into the wall of the Impact Zone. The referee warned them he was going to start counting them out but Ray tried to get out of the area by climbing the bleacher stairs. Devon followed and they exchanged punches on the stairs. The referee began counting. A fan handed Devon his sneaker, so Devon nailed Ray with it. Mike Tenay called it “Nike Justice.†Devon put the sneaker in Ray’s mouth.
Ray was tossed back in the ring but as Devon returned, Ray caught him with a double axehandle. Ray continued beating down Devon. Devon was bleeding from the elbow. Ray nailed a splash in the corner. He began slapping Devon around, daring him to fight back. He charged Devon and was caught wiuth an elbow. Devon went for the shoulderblock but Ray caught him and scored a two count.
Ray went for the Bubbabomb but Devon escaped and nailed a suplex for a two count. Devon went to the top but Ray nailed the ropes and Devon was crotched in the corner. Ray nailed him with a hard chop across the chest and then nailed a second. Ray went for a superplex and nailed it.
Ray grabbed a chain and went to hit Devon but missed. He wrapped it around his fist but Devon cut him off and nailed a series of punches. The announcers pointed out Ray should have been DQ’d. Devon grabbed the chain and nailed Bubba, so the referee called for the bell.
Your winner by DQ, Bully Ray.
Devon kept whipping Devon with the chain as the referee, Jackson James, tried to stop him. Devon refused to listen to the referees and kept working over Ray. The referees restrained Devon and Bubba attacked him. They battled back and forth. Several officials and agents came out. Ray broke free and kicked Devon low. Ray walked off holding his arms up in victory.
OK match. Some of the brawling was heated and good. I think I may have expected more out of their first meeting based on knowing what they pulled out in the past, but that was well over a decade ago. The finish really hurt and it felt like they never really got going. Hopefully there will be something deeper going forth and you can't give them everything in chapter one.
Christy Hemme interviewed Jeff Jarrett about his MMA exhibition and asked about his strategy. Jarrett mocked Kurt Angle’s credentials as a pro MMA fighter and said he’s never had an MMA fight. Jarrett said he was undefeated in MMA and has $100,000 of his own money to prove it. Jarrett laid out that there are three rounds and said Angle was rusty has he hasn’t been in the ring in six months, while Jarrett has the best cardio in wrestling history, including Angelo Poffo and Bob Backlund. That is hilarious. Jarrett said he was going to feel Kurt out in round one, show him how many times he could submit Kurt in round two and then let him wonder what’s coming in round three. Awesome promo.
TNA TV champion Douglas Williams vs. Abyss
Williams tried to take down Abyss but was overpowered early. The story is that Williams trained for Styles and well, Abyss is a different type of wrestler. Williams’ wrist was taped up. Williams tried to nail a high cross bodyblock but was caught. He sidestepped an Abyss charge into the corner and covered him but no dice.
Abyss ducked a charge and sent Williams into the ringpost shoulder-first. Abyss grabbed the taped wrist and slammed it into the ringpost. Abyss continued to work on the wrist, slamming it into the stairs. Back in the ring, Williams kicked away Abyss but got caught coming off the ropes. Williams escaped a chokeslam but was nailed with a discus clothesline.
Williams came back with several forearms but was cut off with a knee to the mid-section and sent into the barrier. Fans were chanting they wanted Styles. This hasn’t gotten out of first gear yet. Abyss teased hitting Williams with the belt but was stopped. Abyss tossed Williams into the ring and stomped the hand.
Abyss continued working on the hand and the arm, then chopped away Abyss continued with punches but Williams fought back with forearms. Williams came off the ropes with an European uppercut, knocking Abyss to the mat.
Williams began working on Abyss with uppercuts and headbutts, followed by a running knee lift. He went for a Gernan suplex but Abyss broke free. Williams ducked a clothesline and nailed a belly to back suplex. The champ went to the top and nailed a Bombs Away kneedrop for a two count.
Williams went for another running knee in the corner but Abyss caught him and slammed him down by the throat. Abyss scored the pin but Williams got his hand on the ropes to break it. Abyss went under the ring to get Janice, his barbed wire board. The referee went to the outside.
AJ Styles, limping badly, hit the ring and drilled Williams with the TNA TV title belt. Styles looked to be hurting just falling over. Abyss hit the Black Hole slam and scored the pin.
The winner and new TNA TV champion Abyss!
Like I wrote, it never got out of first gear.
Backstage, Eric Bischoff was with Rob Van Dam. RVD said that it doesn’t matter who it is in the ring because if it’s not Hardy, it’s a waste of time. He told Eric to do the right thing and make the match. Bischoff told him that if he wanted Hardy, he’s got Hardy.
Matt Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam
RVD’s mouth dropped opened when Matt, not Jeff, walked out. Matt has dreads like Raven now and came out wearing a trenchcoat. They went nose to nose and started punching each other hard. Hardy kicked off a RVD charge and brings him down with a modified neckbreaker. Hardy mocked RVD’s thumb-posing and ate a spinkick for his troubles.
RVD caught Hardy with a kick in the corner. Hardy nailed a Ryder Kick off the ropes while Hardy was on the apron and he took a bump into the barrier. Mike Tenay noted TNA Genesis was trending on twitter. RVD went for a dive but Hardy saw it coming so RVD stopped and instead hit a moonsault off the apron.
RVD tossed Hardy back into the ring and nailed a flying bodypress for a two count. Hardy caught RVD with an elbow as RVD charged him. Hardy tossed Van Dam backwards into the corner. Hardy nailed a clothesline in the corner. Hardy nailed a bulldog for a two count.
Hardy locked on a full nelson but Van Dam fought out of it. Hardy hit a variation of the Stroke for a two count. Hardy kept working over Van Dam’s neck and drilled him with a neckbreaker. He went to the ropes for the legdrop off the second turnbuckle but was caught with a kick as he came down. Hardy nailed the Sidewinder for a two count.
Hardy locked in a side chinlock. Van Dam fought his way out. He went to slam RVD into the turnbuckle but Van Dam kicked him in the face and used a body scissor to turn Hardy into a pinning combination. They battled back and forth but RVD got the better of it with several clotheslines and kicks. Van Dam nailed the reverse windmill kick and scored another near fall.
Hardy small packaged RVD for a two count. Van Dam nailed an inverted atomic drop and the Ryder kick off the ropes. Van Dam hit Rolling Thunder and went to the top rope and nailed the Fiva Star Frog Splash but Hardy’s hand was under the rope so the referee stopped the count. Of course, it was Jackson James.
Van Dam began stomping away at Matt. Van Dam and the ref had words and Hardy caught Van Dam with the Twist of Hate and scored the pin. Van Dam’s leg was under the ropes and out of the ring but the referee ignored it as part of the build to the eventual reveal that Jackson is in cahoots with Immortal. They used several replays to get over that it was a bad call.
Your winner, Matt Hardy!
Very middle of the road match. I think I was expecting something more crisp for Hardy’s debut but there was nothing that really blew me away and he looked like he was finding his wind in the ring. Van Dam was really putting on the steam towards the end and there were some stiff shots but nothing really memorable when it was all done. I can imagine people losing their minds over the finish, but for the storyline, it was the right finish.
Christy Hemme interviewed Kurt Angle. She brought up Jarrett’s comments from earlier. Angle said he’s been out a few months and said that if people want to know what type of shape he’s in, they should ask Jarrett’s wife. Angle said he was going to have a great time kicking Jarrett’s ass.
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