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Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Hardy
My cable box decided at 7:58 to reboot itself so I missed the first 8 minutes of the PPV. If anything major went down, I'll catch it and add on the replay. My apologies.
TNA Bound for Glory Series Semi-Final bout. Obviously, we are joining this in progress. When my box actually decided to work (gee, thanks Time-Warner), Hardy had just wiped out Joe outside the ring and brought him back into the ring. They exchanged shots in the corner. Joe peppered him with several rights and nailed an inverted atomic drop followed by a big boot and a back senton splash for a two count. Joe covered him for a two count and locked on a rear chinlock, then a nerve hold.
Joe drilled Hardy with a knee to the back and went back to the rear chinlock. There was a small back and forth chant for each competitor. Hardy was sent into the ropes and caught with a snapping powerslam for a two count. Joe and Hardy exchanged forearms and punches. Joe sent Hardy through the ropes to the outside and nailed the tope suicida elbowsmash to the outside. Joe sold that his elbow was bothering him. He rolled Hardy into the ring and covered him for a two count.
Hardy fought back and nailed it twisting kick to the chest. He went for the cruncher but Joe kicked him off into the ropes. Hardy rebounded into a leaping clothesline that knocked Joe down. Both men were down and out but struggled to return to their feet. Hardy nailed another clothesline but Joe pulled him down and went for the back senton splash. Hardy moved out of the way and nailed the cruncher for a two count.
Hardy went for the Twist of the Fate but was shoved off into the corner. He kicked Joe and nailed a twisting moonsault press for another two count. Hardy charged Joe in the corner but was nailed with the Uranage. Joe called for the Muscle Buster but his arm was hurting bad. He placed Hardy atop the ropes and went for it but Hardy slipped out and nailed the Twist of Fate. Hardy went to the top for the swanton but Joe cut him off and crotched him on the top rope. Joe went for the muscle buster but Hardy turned it into a forward roll for a two count.
Hardy rolled through with a headlock while locking Joe in an armbar for a submission. Joe turned it into a pinfall combination but Hardy shocked him by turning that into a crucifix style pinfall.
Your winner, Jeff Hardy!
Joe looked like he had seen a ghost when he lost but acknowledged it and showed respect to Hardy.
From what I saw, it was a solid opening match.
Jeremy Borash interviewed James Storm backstage. Storm said he chose Bully Ray for a reason. Last year, it came down to them and he didn't get the job done so tonight, he rights the wrong. He said that he's led the entire BFG series and when he's done with Ray, he moves on to Hardy. Hardy is one of the only guys to beat him in the Series but he's lived and learned and gotten better. He said that no matter who he faces, sorry about their damn luck.
Bully Ray vs. James Storm
Ray stalled early and then asked Storm if he forgot about last year. Storm spit in his face. That made Ray leave the ring and walk around ringside, where he tormented the fans and slammed a steel chair down. Ray returned and locked up with Storm. He pushed Storm back into the corner and slapped him. Storm fired back and Ray went down hurting in the corner. The crowd chanted that he got "bitch slapped." This led to more Ray stalling as he was pissed about being hit. Ray was slapped again and Storm unloaded with a series of rights. Ray retreated back to the floor.
When he returned to the ring, Ray worked over Storm, who made a comeback and whipped him back into the buckles, then stomped on his fingers after he hit the mat. Ray raked his eyes to change the flow of the bout and used a series of hard shots with strikes and smashes into the turnbuckles. Storm nailed a big running clothesline for a two count.
They battled to the floor and back into the ring. Storm went for the Last Call superkick but Ray moved and Stifixm got caught in the ropes. Ray nailed him and began beating Storm down Ray cinched in a bearhug in the center of the ring. Storm boxed Ray's ears to escape but was caught with a big boot for a two count. Ray nailed a suplex for another two count. Storm came back with a kick from the ropes and came off the top with a high cross bodyblock for a two count.
Storm went for a crucifix for a two count. Storm kicked Ray in the back of the head and charged him but nailed Earl Hebner. Ray nailed the Bully Bomb but there was no referee to count the pinfall. Another referee hit the ring for a two count and then started checking on Heber. Ray went to the ropes for the back senton splash but Storm rolled out of the ring. Storm went for a flying forearm but Ray ducked and the second referee was wiped out. Ray pulled up Hebner but Storm nailed him with the Backstabber and superkicked Ray into Hebner. Earl acted like he was shot although the two hardly collided.
Storm covered Ray but there was no one to make the save. Bobby Roode hit the ring and drilled an unsuspecting Storm with a beer bottle. Storm went down and Roode draped Ray's arm over him. A woozy Hebner counted the pinfall.
Your winner, Bully Ray!
Match was OK and from a wrestling standpoint, it wasn't anything memorable. They had some entertaining sequences but three referee bumps in one bout is beyond excessive in my opinion. Looks like Roode vs. Storm at Bound for Glory.
Bully Ray vs. Jeff Hardy will be the finals.
Jeremy Borash interviewed Miss Tessmacher. She said that Tara is truly her mentor and best friend. She taught her everything and they were Knockouts Tag champions together. She said that she wouldn't be champion right now if it wasn't for Tara. She called her out because she needed to see that she could beat Tara and lost. Brooke Hogan made the match and Tessmacher needs to know that the student can beat the teacher and that she deserves to be the champion. Her best promo to date.
TNA Knockouts champion Miss Tessmacher vs. Tara
Taryn Terrel is the referee.
They locked up and Tara got the better of the early struggle. Tessmacher began working over her arm but Tara used a cartwheel to escape and reverse. She bridged Tessmacher back with her strength. Tessmacher used the ropes to flip out of it but was snapped over with an armdrag. They locked up again and Tessmascher used a headlock takedown and a shoulderblock. Tara swept her leg out from under her and they faced off.
Tara locked in a side headlock and held on when Tessmacheer tried to shove her off into the ropes with the idea that she's the stronger of the two. Tessmacher shoulderblocked her down. They went back and forth with reversals until Tessmacher ended up on the floor. She returned to the ring and Tara rolled her up for a two count. That upset Tessmacher as they were having a clean match. Tessmacher got angry and nailed several armdrags and locked on an armbar. Tara got to the ropes and Tessmacher didn't want to break. Terrell forced her to do it. Tara got mad and nailed Tessmacher. Tessmacher came back with a series of rights as the temper got the better of them.
They battle back and forth. Tessmacher nailed a series of clotheslines. Tara reversed a whip and sent Tessmacher into the corner where she came back out with a back elbow for a two count. Tara came back to nail a superplex for a two count. Tara was mad she couldn't get the win. Tara went for the Widow's Peak but Tessmacher turned it into a forward roll for the pin. Tara wasn't happy.
Your winner and still TNA champion Miss Tessmacher!
Solid match and way better than any Divas match on WWE TV of late as they worked really hard. Tessmacher is really improving. Backstage, Bobby Roode was being taken out by the cops for assaulting James Storm. Wait, since when can you be arrested for interference in a wrestling bout? Storm attacked Roode and ended up handcuffed and carted out as well. Hulk Hogan was in the middle of this and the segment was better than this recap probably reads.
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