-- 8/8 TNA Hardcore Justice PPV Reax

Kris Malik of Cleveland, Ohio (3.5): Best: Raven vs. Tommy Dreamer. Worst: Team 3D, Gangstas, Balls Mahoney, and Axl Rotten hug fest. I just want to state that I dislike TNA, but I loved the old ECW, and I was curious what would happen on the PPV. Unfortunately, my curiosity got the better of me this time because this was major letdown. Don't get me wrong, I had extremely low expectations for this PPV; I was just disappointed that it didn't exceed them. The PPV got off to a bad start with a very boring (and somewhat embarrassing) match with the FBI. Sadly enough, it didn't improve as the PPV progressed. Now, the Team 3D match was okay, but then the Gangstas came out and beat the hell out of Team 3D. That's fine, but then what does Team 3D do? They hug the Gangstas! They got their butts kicked and then they hugged them like nothing happened?! I spent money to see the old ECW wrestlers kick some ass, not hug and be friends. This is a wonderful example of why some people don't like TNA. ... Say what you want about Dreamer and Raven, but I enjoyed this match until Raven did an unprotected chair shot Tommy Dreamers head. You can still have a hardcore match without shots to the head. That is uncalled for. While that bothered me, I still enjoyed the heck out of the match. I cringed when Dream did a Crossface with the barbwire, but hardcore things like that were what had me tuning into ECW every week. RVD vs. Sabu was fine while it lasted, but you have to think Lynn could have put on a better match. The ending was the worst ending to a PPV I have seen in my entire life. "We just beat the crud out of each other, but now we are friends and are going to have a beer just like nothing mattered." Thanks a lot, Tommy, for reminding us that this PPV was fake.

Brian Hart of New York (2.0): Best Match: C.W. Anderson vs. 2 Cold Scorpio. Worst Match: Team 3D vs. Kahoneys & Rotten. This was by far the saddest PPV I have ever seen. TNA means nothing any more and this PPV showed they can screw up a PPV that doesn't even have their regular talent on it. Tommy Dreamer should have kept the office job with WWE - where does he go from here? He'll be standing next to Simon Diamond and D-Lo Brown as an agent because I can't think of anything Tommy can do at this point in his career. Speaking of Simon, I saw him at the TNA event in Brooklyn, N.Y. a few weeks back. He said he didn't miss being in the ring, and I saw why, as he is woefully out of shape. ... I actually enjoyed Anderson vs. Scorpio, and even that wasn't impressive. Al Snow is in better shape then I thought he would be after seeing Simon. The BW 2.0 thing was pretty sad, as they had a video message from Blue Meanie, but for some reason, they used some fat guy picking another guy's nose instead of the real deal. Justin Credible deserved better then jobbing to Stevie Richards. The Team 3D vs. Kahoney & Rotten match with the Gangstas involved was a debacle meant to be a comedy match, but they shouldn't have sold it as a street fight with a bunch of no-selling and hugging at the end. We get that it's fake, but that was actually insulting seeing someone get powerbombed through a flaming table, then him hugging the guy who did it to him ten minutes later. Dreamer and Raven was what it was. Sabu and RVD was a spotfest. I really wish Jerry Lynn could have been cleared because that might have saved the show for me. And, by the way, why was Dixie Carter shown so much? Was Vince McMahon front row at the 2005 One Night Stand PPV saying, "Hey, look at me, I did this!" She is putting herself over at the expense of her own talent and now the ECW talent. And I want to know how Tommy could sit there and say this was one hell of a PPV when a week before, he was standing arm-and-arm with someone like Hulk Hogan, who represented everything ECW was against. At least WWE gave the ECW guys a job after the 2006 re-launch until they proved they couldn't cut it in the big leagues. How many people do you expect Dixie to sign based on this PPV? NONE. It was a short-term answer to a long-term problem. I was at the ECW ONS PPV in 2005. That's when ECW died. This was a sad afterthought so Dixie could feel important, like she accomplished something. She did - she helped tarnish the ECW legacy more then Vince ever did.

Michael Bagala of Baton Rouge, La. (8.5): TNA's Hardcore Justice PPV was a nice break from current wrestling and a fun trip down memory lane. While the show wasn't filled with technical classics, it was filled with unique energy and spirit that once flowed through the ECW Arena a little over a decade ago. The FBI vs. Kash & Diamond & Swinger match was a good throwback to the former FBI matches with some solid wrestling and decent humor thrown in. Anderson vs. 2 Cold Scorpio and Polaco vs. Stevie Richards were decent, by-the-book matches. Scorpio looked to be in excellent shape while Polaco proved that he may deserve at least a tryout in TNA. The three-way dance was fun for what it was, and it seemed fitting for Snow to do the J.O.B. ... Axl/Balls vs. Team 3D was a nice hardcore/brawling match. Anyone complaining about the "workrate" in this match is totally missing the point. Fans of these four expected brawling and weapons, and the match didn't disappoint. I thought the light saber spot was pretty cool and helped cement it as a good fun match. ... Raven vs. Dreamer stole the show, I thought, and displayed the lost art of telling a story and pacing themselves. As they have done countless times throughout their past, these two had a brutal, engaging, and well thought-out match. The ending was excellent and it was nice to see the run-ins by the BWO v. 2.0, Beulah, and the return of Lupus, who was a favorite of mine in the Original ECW. ... RVD vs. Sabu wasn't bad by any means, but unfortunately couldn't live up to what I thought was an excellent Raven-Dreamer match. ... In the end, it was a nice swan song for ECW. ECW in the '90s did their thing whether fans loved it or hated it. The PPV was a great reminder of what ECW used to be and I thought the same spirit was recaptured. Sure, some people will complain about the show and some refused to give the show a chance, but like the Original ECW, they did what they wanted to do. This fan is thankful of that.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "TNA PPV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on the PPV, click here.

[Torch art credit Jason Conlan (c) PWTorch.com]

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