Is it a sign of the state of a company when someone who hasn’t competed in 10 years is the star of the show? That was the case Sunday at TNA Sacrifice, when Chyna, who hasn’t been active in a major American promotion since 2001, easily outshone every other worker on the show in terms of crowd reaction when she teamed with Kurt Angle to face Jeff and Karen Jarrett.
In the main event, Sting defended his World Heavyweight Championship against former champion Rob Van Dam.
RVD catches Sting with a kick and goes to work. He hits a slingshot leg drop onto the apron. RVD puts Sting in the corner and goes to work with kicks and punches. He whips him to the other corner and goes flying in but Sting moves and RVD goes flying over to the floor.
Sting tries to splash RVD on the barricade but he moves. RVD goes to hop on the barricade for a leg drop but Sting moves and RVD lands real awkwardly. They’ve been brawling on the outside for minutes and it’s not a double countout yet. They trade turns throwing each other into a wall. They start brawling into the members of the Impact Wrestling Universe. They continue to brawl back toward the ring now. RVD flies at Sting and takes him out. After about five straight minutes on the outside and Sting in the ring, Earl Hebner finally decides to start counting.
Sting goes to grab RVD off the apron but gets his neck wrung. Side kick from the top rope for RVD. He goes for Rolling Thunder but Sting gets his knees up. Sting fires up now. Punches and chops and two big clotheslines. RVD into the corner and Sting goes for the Stinger Splash, but RVD gets his leg up.
Both men down. RVD gets up and goes for the Five-Star Frog Splash but Sting moves. His roll-up gets two. He goes for the Scorpion Death Drop, hits it and that’s it.
Winner via pinfall AND STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Sting
Match Rating: 4/10
The next TNA pay-per-view is Slammiversary on June 12, 2011.
Following a video package, Mike Tenay and Taz welcome us to tonight’s show, a nine-match affair from Orlando, Fla.
In the opening match, Hernandez and Anarquia defeated Ink Inc.
Jeff and Karen Jarrett are in the ring and Karen is on crutches. Karen can’t compete tonight against Kurt Angle and Chyna due to an ankle injury, they say. Out comes network rep Mick Foley and he calls out Karen on faking it. Karen says she doesn’t have anything to wear in the match, but Foley says he had the costume lady make something up for her. Karen goes nuts and throws her walking boot at Foley.
Match #2 – Robbie E. (Seaside Heights, NJ) vs. Brian Kendrick (Venice, Calif.)
Kendrick goes to the top rope but a distraction from Cookie allows Robbie to come across and knock Kendrick to the floor. Robbie goes to work now. Kendrick bleeding from the mouth. Kendrick fires up out of the chinlock but runs into a back elbow. Second rope elbow drop for Robbie for two. To the outside and Robbie suplexes Kendrick on the floor and Cookie puts the heel to him as Robbie takes the referee.
He goes back to the outside and attempts another but Kendrick shoves him into the apron. Back in the ring, Kendrick hits a missile dropkick. Kendrick charges Robbie but Robbie sends him into the turnbuckle. Robbie throws up the fist and goes for the neckbreaker but Kendrick pushes out, hits a dropkick and that’s it.
Winner via pinfall: Brian Kendrick
Match Rating: 5/10
Match #3 – Knockouts Championship – (c) Mickie James (Richmond, Va.) vs. Madison Rayne (Seattle, Wash.)
Madison puts on the loaded glove but Tara hops on the apron and pulls it off. Mickie goes for the DDT but Madison counters and rolls her up and pulls the trunks for two.
Mickie starts rolling with some forearms and a flapjack. She heads to the top rope and goes for the Thesz Press but Madison moves and she hits the referee. Rayne goes for the Rayne Drop but Mickie counters and goes for the DDT, but Tara jumps in and loads up the glove. Madison screams at Tara to hit Mickie. Tara turns to Madison and Madison begs off. Tara turns to Mickie and winds up but turns around and hits Madison. Tara wakes up the ref and Mickie covers.
Winner via pinfall and STILL Knockouts Champion: Mickie James
Match Rating: 4/10
Match #4 – X Division Championship: (c) Kazarian (Anaheim, Calif.) vs. Max Buck (Southern California)
They trade shots in the middle of the ring but Buck answers with a dropkick. Buck with a chinlock. Kazarian tries to elbow out but Buck slams him to the canvas by his hair. Buck with a kick to the chest but Kazarian comes back and runs up the turnbuckle and hits a gut-wrench suplex that sends Buck to the mat. They stand and Kazarian gets going. Spinning heel kick for Kazarian.
He comes off with a springboard leg drop for two. He goes for the Fade to Black but Buck gets out but eats a kick. Neckbreaker for two for Kazarian. He goes for the Fade to Black again but Buck gets out and lifts Kazarian and delivers a corner power bomb. He hits Sliced Bread No. 2 but Kazarian kicks out at 2 7/8.
Buck hits a draping DDT and goes to the top and hits a 450 Splash but Kazarian somehow kicks out. Buck starts slapping Kazarian. He goes for a suplex but Kazarian blocks it and drops him on the top rope. Kazarian winds up and kicks Buck right in the kisser. Buck with his head through the middle rope bent over and Kazarian comes over with a sunset flip power bomb to the floor. Kazarian brings him into the ring and gets a two count.
Buck rolls up Kazarian for two but Kazarian grabs him and goes for Fade to Black but gets countered again. Kazarian, though, hits the ropes and hits the Shining Wizard. That does it.
Winner via pinfall and STILL X Division Champion: Kazarian
Match Rating: 7/10
Match #5 – Abyss (Parts Unknown) vs. Crimson (Brooklyn, NY)
Crimson clotheslines Abyss over the top rope and then smashes his face into the guard rail. Abyss, though, takes over and runs Crimson into the steps. Back in the ring, Abyss with a chinlock. Crimson tries to elbow out but gets pulled back down. Crimson to his feet. Both hit the ropes and clothesline each other. Flying forearm for Crimson. Kick to the body and then some knees to the face for Crimson. He transitions those into a neckbreaker.
Crimson goes for a corner splash but Abyss moves and hits a choke slam but Crimson kicks out at two. Abyss goes under the ring and finds Janice. Abyss sends the referee packing. Abyss lines Crimson up but he ducks and hits a spear for two. They get Janice out of the way. He goes for another spear but gets kicked in the chest. Abyss goes for the Shock Treatment but Crimson slides out and hits a double-arm DDT for two.
Abyss catches Crimson’s head on the top rope and then hits a Vader Bomb for two. Abyss charges Crimson but runs right into a Sky High and that’s it.
Winner via pinfall: Crimson
Match Rating: 4/10
Match #6 – World Tag Team Championship – (c) Beer Money vs. Matt Hardy (Cameron, NC) & “Wildcat” Chris Harris (Fort Wright, Ky.)
Beer Money in complete control early but Hardy slaps Storm down and then knocks Roode off the apron. Harris then spits Storm’s beer in his face behind the referee’s back. Hardy and Harris get going on Storm but Storm hits Hardy with the Codebreaker and tags in Roode. Hardy brings in Harris. Clothesline for Storm. Roode comes off the second turnbuckle with a neckbreaker and then a fisherman’s suplex for two.
Storm wants the tag but before Roode can get it, Hardy pulls him off the apron. Harris uses the break to hit a full nelson slam. Hardy and Harris take over. Harris spits in Storm’s face but then Roode pushes him off and tags in Storm. Storm going to town on Harris. Thesz Press for Storm. Roode takes out Hardy. Storm to the second turnbuckle and hits an inverted DDT for two.
Hardy breaks up a double team and hits Roode with the Side Effect. He goes for the Twist of Hate on Storm but he hits a Backcracker instead. Beer Money suplex on Hardy. Roode shoves Harris into a Last Call Superkick. Roode wants the DWI but instead Storm wants the Death Sentence and they finish Harris off that way.
Winner via pinfall and STILL World Tag Team Champions: Beer Money
Match Rating: 6.5/10
Match #7 – No Disqualification Match – Tommy Dreamer (Yonkers, NY) vs. AJ Styles (Gainesville, Ga.)
Snake Eyes for Dreamer but Styles quickly kicks out of the cover attempt. They brawl to the outside and Styles takes over. He dumps what appears to be a Sprite on him and crotches him on the guardrail. Styles slides under the rail and then hits a springboard forearm off it. Dreamer heads into the crowd and Styles follows. Chops by Styles send Dreamer to the floor. Dreamer pulls Styles into a wall and then sends him ribs-first into a staircase support.
Back to the ringside area and Dreamer gets some plunder from under the ring. Dreamer goes to step into the ring with a trash can but Styles jumps up and kicks it into Dreamer’s face. Table in the ring and the crowd chants “We want fire.” Wow. Styles sends Dreamer into the post and then runs up the partially set up table and hits a flying forearm. Styles goes to suplex Dreamer into the table but Dreamer counters with a DDT.
Now Dreamer grabs a fork. If you recall, Styles beat Dreamer in an I Quit match back in September by using a fork to the eye. Styles fights it off. He goes for the Styles Clash but Bully Ray comes out and hits Styles with a chain. Daniels comes out and runs Ray off.
Dreamer picks up Styles and hits a piledriver through a table (where Styles head popped out a good second before contact and he didn’t even make contact with the table. His head was cradled in Dreamer’s stomach. Think the Kane Tombstone of Linda McMahon from years ago.). That’s it.
Winner via pinfall: Tommy Dreamer
Match Rating: 6/10
Match #8 – Jeff & Karen Jarrett (Hendersonville, Tenn.) vs. Kurt Angle (Pittsburgh, Pa.) & Chyna (The 1990s)
Angle and Jarrett in the ring and the crowd is chanting “Chyna’s gonna kill you” at Karen. Crowd chanting for Chyna and gets her when Angle brings her in. Big pop for that. That means Karen has to come in now. Lots of stalling. Crowd chants “Chyna’s gonna kill you” again. Referee starts counting and Karen reluctantly starts to enter when Jarrett attacks Angle and they say that since Jarrett never tagged Karen, he was still legal. SINCE WHEN? Typical TNA. So this is basically a singles match with women standing on the apron.
Angle locks in the ankle lock but Jarrett escape when Karen jumps in. Angle puts Karen on his shoulders and starts walking to Chyna but Jarrett chop blocks him. Jarrett takes over but Angle gets going with the triple German suplexes. He pulls the straps down and goes for the ankle lock but Jarrett counters with a kick to the back of the head. He goes for the Stroke but Angle rolls through into the ankle lock but the momentum sends Angle into the ropes. Angle comes back and hits the Angle Slam for two. Angle goes to make Jarrett tag Karen but Jarrett low blows Angle.
Chyna in and she just goes after Jarrett. Terrible slam and then another bad-looking suplex. Chyna then stalks Karen. They get into the ring and Karen runs into Angle. Chyna sandwiches Karen in the corner and then hits the Pedigree. Then she locks in the ankle lock. Jarrett comes flying in to prevent Karen from tapping but Angle locks in the ankle lock on him and they both tap.
Winners via submission: Kurt Angle & Chyna
Match Rating: 6/10
Match #9 – World Heavyweight Championship – (c) Sting (Venice Beach, Calif.) vs. Rob Van Dam (Battle Creek, Mich.)
Winner via pinfall AND STILL World Heavyweight Champion: Sting
Match Rating: 4/10
Event Rating: 5/10
Matt Bishop can be reached at bishop20@msu.edu. Please include your name and hometown. Click here to follow Matt on Twitter. Should be a good one!.
