The string of strong TNA pay-per-view events continued Sunday with Hardcore Justice as the show was solid throughout but really taken over the top by the final two matches: A four-way ladder match between Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels and the main event title match between Austin Aries and Bobby Roode.
Even though three extreme Bound For Glory Series match each had 20 points on the line, no match was more important than the one fall last chance match between Austin Aries and Bobby Roode for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.
Aries locks in the Last Chancery less than a minute into the match but Roode makes the ropes. Roode takes a walk and is not happy to say the least. Now Roode takes an extended walk and asks for a time out. He’s about to get counted out. He slips barely into the ring to break the count and in response, Aries hits a slingshot dive to get Roode back into the ring.
He sends Roode to the outside and goes to the top rope and wants a sledge, but Roode moves and Aries goes chin-first into the guard rail. Ouch. That allows Roode to take things over and he goes to work inside the squared circle.
Aries in total control at this point, grounding the champion and continually working him over. He sends him into the corner and puts him in the tree of woe. Aries, though, is able to put a hold to that and it ends up with both men down in the ring. Referee Brian Hebner counting and both men up at eight. Aries lays in some chops and some strikes. Roode briefly responds with an inverted atomic drop but Aries gets the best of Roode again, sending him to the outside. Aries wants the suicide dive but Roode moves and Aries is able to halt his momentum. Roode walks but Aries goes to the top and hits a double sledge to the floor. Roode ends up in a ringside chair and Aries runs back and hits a running dropkick.
Back in the ring, Aries applies the Last Chancery but Roode is able to rake the eyes to escape. Now Aries tries and locks in the Crossface. Roode is able to escape and lock it in himself now. After a long time in the hold, Aries is able to squirm his way to the ropes. They exchange chops and strikes. Aries to the top rope and comes down with a missile dropkick. He follows with the corner dropkick and wants to load Roode up for the Brainbuster but Roode hits a Double R spinebuster for two.
Another striking exchange between the two. Roode puts Aries up on the top turnbuckle and wants a superplex but Aries blocks it, sends Roode to the canvas and comes down for a 450 Splash but Roode gets his knees up. Roode goes for a spear but Aries moves and Roode spears Brian Hebner. Aries goes for a roaring elbow but Roode hits him with the spear. A referee comes flying in but it’s not soon enough for Roode, as Aries kicks out at two.
Aries wants the Brainbuster but Roode halts that and pushes Aries right into the new referee. Aries with a big kick to the head and he hits the Brainbuster. Hebner slow to come to and his slow count allows Roode to beat the count, kicking out at two.
Aries to the top but Roode hits the ropes and crotches him. Now Roode goes back and wants the superplex. He hits in and immediately goes into a cradle. Each referee awakens and go to count on each side. Each referee counts to three as both men kick out right after three.
Each referee is declaring one man the winner. Earl Hebner comes down as the senior official and declares that the match be restarted.
The bell rings and Roode has the title in his hands on the outside. Aries hits the ropes and comes through for the suicide dive but runs right into the title belt in Roode’s hands. Aries is out. Roode never moved his arms. Roode cradles Aries and gets him back in the ring. He makes the cover but Aries kicks out at the last second. Roode grabs Aries and wants the Perfect Plex but Aries counters and rolls him up and gets the pin to retain the world championship.
Roode is in disbelief.
The next TNA pay-per-view is No Surrender on Sept. 9.
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, Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez defeated Kid Kash and Gunner.
Backstage, the Pope is being taken out by Aces & Eights, which likely means he is not going to make it to the following match.
Match #2 – Bound For Glory Series Falls Count Anywhere Match – Rob Van Dam (Battle Creek, Mich.) vs. The Pope (Harlem, NY) vs. Magnus (Kingsland, England) vs. Mr. Anderson (Green Bay, Wisc.)
This one doesn’t take long to go to the outside. All three men giving and taking. RVD cranks Magnus with a Van Daminator on the stage and that does it.
Winner via pinfall (20 points): Rob Van Dam
Match #3 – TNA Television Championship – (c) Devon (New York City) vs. Kazarian (Anaheim, Calif.)
Devon gets off to a super hot start. Kazarian trying to run. Devon belts him with a series of beverages outside the ring. Kazarian, though, gets back into the match with an eye rake and a neck wringer. Crowd trying to fire up Devon but Kazarian levels him with a springboard back elbow and a leg drop.
Kazarian gloating to the crowd now but that gives Devon an opening and he starts firing up but Kazarian again stops it with a poke to the eye. Back in centre ring, Devon ducks under a Kazarian springboard and absolutely levels the challenger with a spear.
Now Devon starts to get rolling. Big shoulder block lands and a neckbreaker follows. A running headbutt connects and Kazarian is reeling. Avalanche for Devon and another shoulderblock but Kazarian kicks out at two. Devon connects with a high impact neckbreaker off the second turnbuckle but Kazarian kicks out at two. He goes for the uranage but Kazarian counters into a crucifix pin for two. Kazarian wants Fade to Black but Devon rolls through and plants Kazarian with a spinebuster and that does it.
Winner via pinfall and STILL TNA Television Champion: Devon
Match Rating: 7/10
Match #4 – TNA Knockouts Championship – (c) Miss Tessmacher (Houston, Texas) vs. Madison Rayne (Seattle, Wash.)
Rayne takes over, but referee Earl Hebner is calling it right down the middle. Tessmacher gets rolling with a crossbody but Rayne cuts her right off. She hits the leg facebuster and goes for a pin, but Rayne gets upset by Hebner’s counting. This allows Tessmacher to get going on offense. She hits a face buster out of the corner and goes to the top and hits a flying elbow drop. She goes for the cover but Rayne gets her foot on the ropes. She got it there in plenty of time but Tessmacher thinks it’s a conspiracy and argues with Hebner. Rayne comes up from behind and gets an O’Connor Roll and pins Tessmacher with her arm on the ropes.
Winner via pinfall and NEW TNA Knockouts Champion: Madison Rayne
Match Rating: 6/10
Match #5 – Bound For Glory Series Tables Match – Robbie E (Seaside Heights, NJ) vs. Bully Ray (New York City) vs. Jeff Hardy (Cameron, NC) vs. James Storm (Leiper’s Fork, Tenn.)
They quickly dispatch of Robbie right after he started talking trash to all of them. Hardy and Storm try to put Ray through a table, but Robbie moves it, but Ray catches the edge of it. Everyone is just stopped, wondering what to do. Clearly not planned. Robbie jumps back in and attacks Storm and things carry on.
Hardy ends up on a table and Robbie goes up to the top to put him through but Storm cuts him off. Hardy gets off the table and we get a tower of doom spot, but Ray comes in and gets the table out of the way. Storm props a table up in the corner. Robbie T comes down to get involved and Hardy ends up on a table. Robbie comes off the top but Hardy moves and Robbie goes through, but the purpose here is to put someone through a table.
Ray is getting ready to put Storm through a table when Aces & Eights hits ringside and surrounds the ring. This allows Storm to hit Ray with a Last Call Superkick. The leader gives Storm a thumbs up and they all back off and leave. Hardy in on the distracted Storm. Hardy and Storm go at it and Hardy hits the Twist of Fate. Hardy puts Storm on the table, but as Hardy goes to the top, he’s distracted by Aces & Eights. This allows Storm to cut him off and hit the Last Call. He loads Hardy up for the Eye of the Storm but Ray kicks him out of the ring, grabs Hardy and power bombs him through the table.
Winner (20 points): Bully Ray
Match Rating: 7/10
Match #6 – TNA X Division Championship – (c) Zema Ion (The Philippines) vs. Kenny King (Las Vegas, Nevada)
The two take turns hitting flip dives and Ion takes the match over. King gets his knees up when Ion goes for a moonsault and this gets King fired up. He hits a spin kick for two. King sends Ion into orbit and suplexes him into the turnbuckles and follows that with a big corkscrew dive to the floor. King locks in a single leg crab. Ion tries to go for the ropes but King pulls him back into the middle of the ring. King tries to reposition again, but Ion uses that to reverse and escape. King misses a kick and Ion makes him pay, hitting a facebuster on his knee but King kicks out.
Ion goes to the top but King cuts him off. They dismount and King hits a kick for two. Ion wants the hairspray and King hits a kick and follows with a cradle but Ion manages to kick out at the last moment. King charges Ion in the corner but gets caught in a release Widow’s Peak and that does it.
Winner via pinfall and STILL TNA X Division Champion: Zema Ion
Match Rating: 7/10
Match #7 – Bound For Glory Series Ladder Match – AJ Styles (Gainesville, Ga.) vs. Christopher Daniels (Los Angeles, Calif.) vs. Kurt Angle (Pittsburgh, Pa.) vs. Samoa Joe (Isle of Samoa)
Crazy start to the match. All four men using the ladders effectively. Daniels charges Joe in the corner and Joe destroys him into the madder. This is just insane, folks. Daniels tries to climb the ladder but Joe power bombs him into the corner. Joe tries to climb but Angle stops that and hits a belly-to-belly suplex.
Angle runs face-first into a ladder courtesy of Styles. That looked like it sucked. Styles with a Pele on Joe. Styles goes to town on Daniels. Joe gets Styles to the outside and comes out with a suicide dive. Joe starts punching Angle but then runs right into a belly-to-belly on the floor. Daniels again is the recipient of a belly-to-belly into the corner. Styles to the top but Joe crotches him. Joe grabs Styles and wants the Muscle Buster, but Angle comes in and tries to suplex them and they all sort of tumble. Straps come down and he wants an Angle Slam on Daniels, but Daniels counters with an arm drag and an STO.
Daniels climbs, but Angle pulls him down and applies the ankle lock. Daniels fights off and slams Angle’s head into the ladder. As he turns around, Styles hits him with a springboard forearm. Styles wants to climb but Daniels pushes the ladder over, sending Styles crashing violently to the floor. Now Joe and Angle team up throwing Daniels around. Dueling suplexes here.
How they stick Daniels through the ladder take turns kicking him. Now Joe goes after Angle, but he charges and gets low-bridged by Angle. Now Joe and Angle climb. Joe knocks Angle off, but as he does that, Styles comes springboarding right onto the ladder, grabbing the clipboard and the points.
Winner (20 points): AJ Styles
Match Rating: 9/10
Match #8 – TNA World Heavyweight Championship – (c) Austin Aries (Minneapolis, Minn.) vs. Bobby Roode (Toronto, Ontario)
Winner via pinfall and STILL TNA World Heavyweight Champion: Austin Aries
Match Rating: 9/10
Event Rating: 8/10
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