TNA Sacrifice 2012

TNA Sacrifice 2012

Orlando, FL - May 2012

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the TNA World Heavyweight Champion was Bobby Roode, the X-Division Champion was Austin Aries, the TNA World Tag Team Champions were Samoa Joe and Magnus, the Knockouts Champion was Gail Kim, the Television Champion was Brother D-Von, and the Knockouts Tag Team Champions were ODB and Eric Young. 

At Lockdown, which isn't available to watch in full on YouTube, Bobby Roode retained his TNA World Championship against former tag partner James Storm in a well-received, very bloody (according to reviews) match. Jeff Hardy defeated Angle to get even from their match at Victory Road 2012, beating him with an Angle Slam and then a Swanton off the cage, and pushing him even closer to his goal of getting another shot at Roode's Championship.

Sacrifice 2012 kicks off with the TNA World Tag Team Champions, Samoa Joe and Magnus, defending the titles against Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels, who were now on the same page and still making accusations about AJ Styles and Dixie Carter's romantic involvement. This was a solid opener with an enthusiastic crowd. By this point, Joe and Magnus had good chemistry and felt like a real team and not just two singles guys who got thrown together. Kazarian and Daniels were also a good team with some cool double-team moves. This was a straight-forward match that ended with the heels "stealing" the victory after all sorts of cut-offs and cheap heel tactics, though nothing outrageous. (2.5/5)

Gail Kim defended her TNA Knockouts Championship against Brooke Tessmacher in the next match. The story here was that Brooke wanted to be taken seriously as a wrestler after being seen as "just a model"/"eye candy" since her debut. In the weeks leading up to the show, Tessmacher even scored 3 pinfalls over the champion in non-title scenarios. This wasn't great, but it was probably better than anyone could've predicted as Kim had her working boots on. Speaking of boots, the match was built around both women trying to deliver Kim's "Eat The Feet" finisher but when Tessmacher did connect with it, it sent Kim to the floor and prevented her from scoring a pin. Eventually Kim used her cunning (and the ropes) to get the W. Inoffensive. (2/5)

At Victory Road 2012, Brother Devon had surprised Robbie E (and his bodyguard "Big" Robbie T) by coming out of the crowd to challenge him for his TNA Television Championship. Devon would win the title and then beat him in under 4 minutes at Lockdown according to Cagematch. And so we got this match - billed as a three-way but mostly wrestled as a handicap match for Devon's TV Title. As expected, Devon falls prey to the numbers game after an initial flurry, Robbie E prevents Robbie T from making the cover (because he wants the title to himself), and their arguing allows Devon to get the W. This didn't overstay its welcome and I must admit that Robbie E and Robbie T (Rob Terry) have gotten "over" with me as an act even if I don't think they're "PPV worthy." (2/5)

Jeff Hardy took on Ken Anderson in the next match. In the weeks leading up to this, Anderson and Hardy had both made their intentions clear as they saw themselves as rightful number one contenders for Bobby Roode's World Championship. Anderson, despite being a self-proclaimed "Asshole" that didn't mind breaking the rules, had his fans, but Jeff Hardy was even more popular and was the de facto babyface. Not much to say about this aside from that the finish is a bit confusing as Hardy tries for his legdrop to the midsection (crotch) but Anderson blocks him and rolls him up for a somewhat awkward 3-count. Even the commentators - and Anderson himself - seem a little confused by it. I'll give them credit for going with a fresh ending, but the rest of the match was unremarkable. (2.5/5)

Backstage, Austin Aries cuts a promo about how he is going to defeat Bully Ray and then we jump to a replay of the return of Abyss on Impact, who tells off his "little brother" Joseph Park. 

Back in the ring, Crimson - who was still undefeated - issued an open challenge which was eventually answered by one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions, Eric Young (who held the titles with ODB, his kayfabe "wife"). Young did some fun stuff, basically carrying the whole match his energetic bumping and balanced mix of comedy and "serious" wrestling. Crimson hit some decent power moves and got good heat by shoving ODB in the corner. Young fired up and hit his signature elbow drop from the top but got distracted helping ODB up and ate Crimson's finisher, the Red Sky, to end this one. Not too terrible for what it was as Young (and ODB to a lesser extent) were over enough, had good enough chemistry, and did just enough to make this work. (2.5/5)

Austin Aries faced Bully Ray in the next match. Another solid Bully Ray performance, which is not something I take much pleasure in writing because Bubba is one of my least favorite wrestling personalities these days. Aries is also an unlikable figure/asshole, but there's no doubting his agility and technical skill. Highlights included a nasty bump to the floor off the top rope by Aries, a nifty pop-up neck breaker by Bully (Tazz called it a "one-man 3D"), Aries hitting an impressive Brainbuster for a false finish, and then a solid, mostly-clean conclusion that saw Aries lock in the Last Chancery after a teensy bit of distraction/interference from Joseph Park. Solid match. (3/5)

Next up - Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles. This match was used as a bit of a "TNA cheat code" because you know when these two get in the ring, you're going to get an above-average match even if the "story" is pretty weak. Styles was still engaged in a lengthy feud with Kazarian and Daniels, who had now presented photographic evidence that AJ was in a romantic relationship with Dixie Carter (the picture was of them hugging). Angle got pulled into things because Daniels and Kazarian had cost him a match against AJ and was now hell-bent on making AJ tap out without their interference. Styles and Angle go a full 20 minutes, though it does feel a bit longer (and not necessarily in a good way). Angle wasn't a full-fledged heel (even after his feud with Jeff Hardy) while AJ's motivation for this match wasn't 100% clear aside from him just wanting to defeat his opponent. The lack of drama or story prevents this from ever feeling important beyond the surface-level competitive spirit. Of course, because AJ and Angle have such good chemistry, the action is undeniably great and there are some real highlights - AJ's Phenomenal Forearm to the floor, Angle busting out a Styles Clash, the intensity of Kurt's Ankle Locks. Unfortunately, the finish - predictable interference from Kaz and Daniels costing AJ the match - ends things on a sour note and negates the positives of the match. After the match, Angle saves AJ from a 2-on-1 beat down. (3/5)

Main event time - Bobby Roode defending the TNA World Championship against Rob Van Dam in a ladder match. Going into this match, there were not many folks predicting an RVD victory, but there was at least curiosity over where Van Dam and Roode would deliver a hard-hitting and "fresh" ladder match. They didn't re-invent the wheel, but Roode bumped and sold big-time and RVD busted out (almost) all of his signature moves. The match went a little under 20 minutes but there were no real "down" times. The finish saw RVD get kicked down from the ladder with his head hitting a steel chair very hard on the landing. It made an awful sound and looked like it hurt like hell. Maybe in 2012 this would've been considered "special" but watching this over a decade later with all of the craziness that AEW has produced and put on national TV, this didn't wow me very much. (3/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.56-out-of-5, Sacrifice 2012 was a decent show that featured some good wrestling but suffered a bit from a lack of engaging storylines to buoy the action. Take the Styles/Angles match. In a vacuum, looking at just the athleticism and execution on display, it was a very good match-up. Unfortunately, the "heat" around AJ's character revolved around Kaz and Daniels' accusations and there was no "personal issue" or title implication to give the match real stakes or its participants motivation. Aries/Ray was also solid, but Aries was barely a babyface, his smugness and arrogance still very much part of his character (on-screen and off?). The main event was fine, but nothing more, and I had similar thoughts about the tag opener and the Anderson/Hardy match, which never really grabbed me. While I didn't factor it into too many of the scores, I also must say, by this point, Taz and Tenay's commentary has become a bit grating to my ears.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver