The Specialists
TNA Hard Justice 2008 Preview by Wilkenfeld (updated with Rachael's picks)
Aug 9, 2008 - 10:07:13 PM |
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By: Daniel Wilkenfeld, PWTorch Contributor
We seem to be in a bit of a slump. TNA is billing Hard Justice as the hardcore PPV, which would be a bit more effectual if they either this month had a disproportionate number of hardcore matches or if TNA ever had any other PPV that wasn't dominated by hardcore matches (not that I generally mind). Looking at the card, it's actually one of the tamer ones in recent memory. Anyway, a weak card is led by a second outing of a match that probably should never have happened in the first place, and that ended stupidly. The rest follows from there. Still, TNA has proven over and over again that there is no correlation between how good a card looks and how good the PPV is (or, to the extent that there is one, it's inverse), so we can hope.
Daniel's YTD = 53/83 = .639
Rachael's YTD = 38/62 = .613
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Booker T
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Weapons Laden Six Sides of Steel
Where We've Been:
Three months ago Booker T turned heel by attacking his then tag-team partner Sting. Somehow this put him in line to be #1 contender, much to the chagrin of Joe mentor Kevin Nash, who was worried that Booker's games would warp Joe's fragile little mind. He turned out to be right, as Joe "snapped" last month at Victory Road, continuing to pummel Joe long after everyone else was bored of the match. Sting came out to calm Joe down, and when Joe refused to show him proper respect, Sting leveled him with a bat. Since then "Sting's black baseball bat", which as near as I can tell just means "a black baseball bat", has shown up repeatedly in the hands of Booker T. Everyone (save perhaps a hero-worshipping if skeptical AJ Styles) has concluded that Sting has returned to the dark-side. Joe has allowed Booker to prance around as champion after he absconded with the belt last month.
Where We're Going:
As I mentioned on Thursday, I don't think anyone wants to see Sting-Booker for the gold, or Booker-Joe III. So that means we're either headed towards Sting-Joe, or Sting-Booker being a secondary feud while Joe finds something more worthwhile to do with his time. Either possibility requires Joe keeping the strap here. I think I rather favor the latter myself, as it's probably not quite too late to involve Joe with either Styles-Angle or just reward Christian Cage's persistent awesomeness with another run.
Daniel's Pick: Samoa Joe, after Sting proves that he's still face.
Rachael's Pick: Samoa Joe. "I don't like Booker T"
AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle
Last Man Standing Match
Where We've Been:
Some eight to ten months ago AJ Styles joined the Angle Alliance based on the allure of Karen Angle. Unfortunately for Kurt, she starting hanging out with AJ more and him less, till Kurt was convinced they were having an affair. AJ denies it. That's pretty much it. They're not friends now. AJ won their singles match two months ago, and Kurt's team won the TLC match last month.
Where We're Going:
These are easily two of the very best in-ring performers in the world today, so I imagine they'll stretch this out all the way to Bound for Glory in October. While from one perspective they're 1-1 for this feud, since Kurt's win came in a tag match I would think the best way to achieve parity would be to give Angle the nod this month. This is all the more true given that Kurt has reams of back up, and AJ has Karen. That being said, I would personally think a better line would be for Kurt to get continually beat by this punk kid, getting angrier every time.
Daniel's Pick: Kurt Angle.
Rachael's Pick: AJ Styles, on the hope that Angle will forfeit and seek medical attention.
LAX (c) vs. Beer Money (w/Jacqueline)
Tag Team Championship Match
Where We've Been:
About two months ago, TNA's Random-Match Generator 3000 gave us this contest. Beer Money won, but after Hector Guerrero convinced the referee that James Storm had illegally used his belt, the decision was reversed. Beer Money were understandably peeved, and expressed it by going on a belting spree. This led to a Fans' Revenge Match at Victory Road, won fairly decisively by LAX. Somehow this still allowed Beer Money to compete in a #1 contender's match, which they won. They've aligned with Team 3D, and after an 8-man tag match on Impact this past Thursday they put Homicide through their friends' glass table. Ray and Devon didn't seem too happy about that, but they were still considerably better off than Homicide.
Where We're Going:
With Team 3D having feuded with LAX for roughly nine years, there really aren't any other heel tag teams to get involved in the title hunt. TNA started to remedy that situation by having Alex Shelley act grumpily on Impact, but if they intend to make The Motor City Machine Guns heel it's sure going to take a lot of doing. Other than that, you only have The Rock & Rave Infection, and I don't see them getting a title push anytime soon. So I think it's Beer Money for the foreseeable future.
Daniel's Pick: Beer Money. I'd obviously prefer being wrong here, but I can't see what happens next if LAX retain. Also, they gave LAX cover by having Homicide driven through the glass table so close to the PPV.
Rachael's Pick: LAX, and hopefully they'll break up beer money.
Christian Cage & Rhino vs. Team 3D
Jersey Street Fight
Where We've Been:
A few months ago, Team 3D beat Cage & Rhino in the Deuces' Wild Tournament. Since then, they've been on opposing sides of the Booker-Joe and AJ-Angle feuds, and have generally been at each other's throats. Christian recently engaged in a bit of psychoanalysis, accusing Team 3D of wanting to end the team of Cage & Rhino before they could take away Team 3D's legacy. If you're wondering what a Jersey Street Fight is, it turns out it's what you call a Chicago Street Fight when you want Team 3D to think it's their own signature match.
Where We're Going:
I'd like to see Cage get bumped up the main event, but I doubt that's happening. Most likely we'll have another six-man tag match next month, where this feud becomes subsumed under some bigger angle.
Daniel's Pick: Cage & Rhino. Team 3D won last month.
Petey Williams (c) vs. Consequences Creed
X Division Championship Match
Where We've Been:
This came out of nowhere. Before a non-title match, Petey Williams (justly) pointed out that despite all Creed's hype he'd yet to win a particularly big match. That turned out to be a dumb thing to say, as Creed proceeded to pin him in said match. Now here we are.
Where We're Going:
It's the X Division, so we pretty much we go wherever the wind happens to be blowing. Hopefully we're nearing the end of Sonjay-Lethal (though I doubt it), so this could just be a one-off match. That being said, the title could leave with either man. Creed's clearly got potential, and Petey's "Little Petey Pump" gimmick is even more absurd with Steiner out, but the fact is that Petey is still significantly more impressive (or at least proven) inside the hexagoned-circle.
Daniel's Pick: Consequences Creed? I'll be pretty happy either way.
Rachael's Pick: Consequences Creed.
Sonjay Dutt vs. Jay Lethal
Black Tie Brawl-N-Chain Match
Where We've Been:
Lethal was set to marry SoCal Val at Slammiversary, when best-man Sonjay Dutt interrupted to announce that he was really in love with Val too. Last month Sonjay won their first post-wedding encounter, when Val distracted Lethal by urging him to have mercy. Nothing's made much sense since then, but the gist of it is that Sonjay keeps doing wacky things and Val, being either secretly heel or a complete moron, keeps accepting his explanations of them. Since a wedding was ruined, we're having a cross between a Tuxedo Match and a Chain Match.
Where We're Going:
Hopefully we're going towards the end of this nonsense, but something tells me that this is the sort of plot that will drag on till approximately 2027. Given Val's actions, it would certainly make the most sense to turn her heel, but if so I don't know why they didn't do so last month. They could reaffirm her as face, which would have the benefit of ending the feud, unless a scorned Dutt decides that he must have revenge.
Daniel's Pick: Sonjay Dutt. I think they're going the heel route, which suggests Sonjay win this month and Lethal get him back at No Surrender.
Rachael's Pick: Sonjay Dutt.
Taylor Wilde (c), Gail Kim & ODB vs. The Beautiful People & Awesome Kong (w/Raisha Saeed)
Special guest referee: Traci Brooks
Where We've Been:
Kim has been feuding with The Beautiful People since they injured her knee a couple months ago, ODB just doesn't like them, and Wilde got involved when she embarrassed Velvet Sky by beating her three times in a row on Impact. The Beautiful People were somehow able to enlist Awesome Kong, presumably with a promise of vengeance against Wilde for taking her title. Abyss, in his new capacity as defender of the defenseless, has had a couple run-ins with Kong and Saeed. Traci Brooks has been lobbying for some sort of authority position over of the women on the roster.
Where We're Going:
The real trick to the women's division is keeping Kong looking strong while preventing her from being a division killer with the title. Continually pushing these multi-person matches might do the trick, if at a cost. I still advocate a realignment, with Kim channeling her inner heel and Kong ditching Saeed and getting adored for devouring people, but I don't see it happening anytime soon.
Daniel's Pick: The Beautiful People & Awesome Kong.
Rachael's Pick: Taylor Wilde, Gail Kim, & ODB.
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