Segment 8: Jeff Hardy vs. Joseph Park
Positives: In spite of all the shenanigans, Hardy “won.”
Negatives: Hardy did an admirable job playing into the Joseph Park storyline, but it really wasn’t a good idea for him to take even one bump for Park. Hardy is the most marketable commodity in TNA (including Hulk Hogan) and should be treated as such. If he’s wrestling Park, it should go Mule Kick – Whisper in the Wind – Twist of Fate – Swanton Bomb – Pin.
This match also suffered from being way too long. As wrestling fans, we should never have to watch Joseph Park working a reverse chin lock on Jeff Hardy in the middle of the ring. I admire Jeff Hardy for trying to tell a meaningful story with his matches, but this was a time for him to win handily.
The finish of the match was an abomination. Why not have two matches: one where Hardy goes over clean and shows off his moves and one where Park wrestles someone a little lower on the card and goes through the same “transformation?”
Segment 8 Score: -1
Segment 9: Gut Check Part 2
Positives: Ryan Howe is gone from TNA.
Negatives: Borash asked Ryan Howe if he thought the judges had seen his best effort, and to everybody’s great shock, he said yes. So, losing is his best effort? He should have been ushered toward the exit door the second he said that. Then, his “kick out promo” had nothing to do with wrestling. He could have been auditioning for any ol’ thing, talking about how “entertaining” he is. Mercifully, he was sent packing, but I’m still wondering why TNA devoted even a second of TV time to him. Featuring him even to show how good TNA wrestlers are by comparison was a colossal waste of time, which is a limited resource.
Segment 9 Score: -1
Segment 10: X Division Triple Threat
Positives: Aries and Sabin did a great job illustrating why the triple threat formula for the X Division title doesn’t work. They put together a compelling match after the third man was removed from the equation. It’s a net positive that Sabin won the title back, but what the heck was the point of last week’s show then?
Negatives: I get that Bully Ray is supposed to be concerned about who he will face at Destination X, but I didn’t like that they started the match by drawing attention to Aces & Eights. He is the World Heavyweight Championpion, but the X Division should given a chance to shine on its own leading into Destination X.
This match featured a powerbomb onto the floor and a Death Valley Driver onto the apron — both of which, while high-impact, were totally unnecessary and dangerous. I get that they wanted to write Suicide (errr… Manik) out of the match, but there were any number of spots they could have gone to that were less risky.
The finishing sequence exposed some of the shortcuts taken in main event matches, with unnecessary kickouts from finishers necessitating the finish off the top rope. The spot was “cool,” for what it’s worth, but better saved for a match people are paying to see. As time passes, I believe more and more that finishers should be reversed, not kicked out from. The chain of kickout false finishes just feels like a tired holdover from the Attitude Era.
Segment 10 Score: +0
NET +/- FOR JULY 4 EDITION OF IMPACT WRESTLING: -1
