1. Devon & Pope v. British Invasion - 3 out of 5.
2. Eric Young v. Robbie E. for Television Championship - 4 out of 5. Robbie oversold a lot of spots, but I have a feeling that's in his character. This was just really entertaining.
3. Kurt Angle v. Ken Anderson for Heavyweight Championship - 3 out of 5. Even with Sting as special guest enforcer, Ken couldn't keep from getting his ass handed to him by Immortal.
4. Winter & Angelina Love v. Mickie James & Velvet Sky - 4 out of 5. The knockouts are one of the reasons I keep tuning in to TNA. I would love to see this quality of performance from the Divas. Kelly, take notes.
5. Bully Ray v. Gunner v. Bobby Roode v. James Storm 4-way Tornado Match - 3 out of 5. Come on, how much abuse did Bully Ray think Gunner was gonna take? This has the potential of a being a great story no matter what happens in the Bound for Glory matches yet to take place. Of course, this is TNA, so I'm not holding my breath.
Let's get it out of the way: Jeff Freakin' Hardy. Much ado was made about his return this week. I think a lot of people are rubbed the wrong way about the Hardys in general, but here's the really scary part: at this point, Jeff is the NORMAL one. In probably the most tasteful move the company could have made after not releasing Jeff, his appearance was actually a quick one, just at the end of the show. He admitted he was screwed up, did not deserve the fan's forgiveness, and said that everyone in the back who was really pissed off at him had every right to be, and that he knows he doesn't deserve another shot. He then asked for another shot. *headdesk* Outside of the ring, just yesterday morning Jeff plead guilty to the charges against him. Some people may think that a $100k fine and a 10-day jail sentence are a slap on the wrist, but we're ignoring the last part of that sentence: a 30-month probation. That's almost 3 whole years Jeff has to be a good boy. And there's been no rehab to speak of, and probably won't be for the foreseeable future if he's going to return to work. Can we give him the benefit of the doubt at this point? I suppose we'll just have to wait and see how this unfolds.
There were a few vignettes and in-ring promos that just served to heat up rivalries. RVD finally took his frustration out on Jerry Lynn. Karen Jarret continued to be a bitch to the Knockouts. Brian Kendrick confused Austin Aries as he rambled through about 3 religions in under a minute and stripped off a very nice suit he'd bought to make a point about materialism. But the most prominent feud-building exercise was also the first, between Immortal & Beer Money. Bully Ray acknowledged Beer Money's place in tag team history, but he doesn't think that they'll look out for one another. You know, the way Gunner's gonna make sure Bully gets the championship. Gunner looked like he took exception to that, and he did. He ended up pinning Bully Ray in the 4-way main event. I'm really hoping they can turn this around to a face turn for Gunner and a rivalry between the two. I'd told Mehe at the top of the show that I hoped it didn't end up being Gunner v. Bully Ray in the BFG finals, but this was mostly out of fear of Finger Poke of Doom Part 2. Now that there's some beef, I want to see something happen.
Finally, this week's updates to No Surrender. Winter will have her rematch against Mickie James. These girls are consistent performers, and I like them both. Looking forward to another good show here. Also, the Heavyweight Championship match is now a three-way battle between Kurt Angle, Sting, and Ken Anderson. Bischoff looked downright depressed upon getting that update from "The Network" and Hulk... well, the only appropriate way to describe his reaction is HULK SMASH.
So the Pay-Per-View is set. 7 matches on the card for Sunday:
1. Bound for Glory: Bully Ray v. James Storm
2. Bound for Glory: Gunner v. Bobby Roode
3. Grudge Match: Samoa Joe v. Matt Morgan
4. X-Division Championship: Austin Aries v. Brian Kendrick (c)
5. Tag Team Championship: Devon & Pope v. Mexican America (c)
6. Knockouts Championship: Winter v. Mickie James (c)
7. World Heavyweight Championship: Sting v. Ken Anderson v. Kurt Angle (c)
Holding my predictions off for now...
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