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Hard Justice (2008)
Encyclopedia
Hard Justice was a professional wrestling
pay-per-view
(PPV) event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA), which took place on August 10, 2008 at the Sovereign Bank Arena
in Trenton, New Jersey
. It was the fourth annual event under the Hard Justice chronology. Seven professional wrestling matches
were featured on the event's card
.
The main event saw Samoa Joe
defeat Booker T
, who was accompanied by Sharmell, in a steel structure with six sides that was filled with weapons—a match titled a Six Sides of Steel Weapons match
—to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
. A.J. Styles
defeated Kurt Angle
in the second main match on the card in which the wrestler who was unable to respond to a ten count by the referee would lose. Two tag team
matches were featured bouts scheduled on the undercard. In the first, Christian Cage
and Rhino
defeated Team 3D
(Brother Ray and Brother Devon) in a New Jersey
Street Fight in which no one could be disqualified. The second was for the TNA World Tag Team Championship
, in which Beer Money, Inc.
(Robert Roode and James Storm
) defeated the champions, The Latin American Xchange (Homicide
and Hernandez
), to win the championship.
The event marked the beginning of a return angle for Jeff Jarrett
, who had not been active in the company since May 2007, when Samoa Joe used the signature weapon of Jarrett's (an acoustic guitar
) in his match with Booker T. When the event was released on DVD, it reached a peak position of number five on Billboard's
DVD Sales Chart. Wrestling Observer.com and 411Mania.com writer Larry Csonka rated the entire event a 7.6 out of 10 stars, higher than the 2007 event's rating of 4.
. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains
or heroes
in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.
The main event at Hard Justice was a Six Sides of Steel Weapons match
for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship between the champion, Samoa Joe
, and the challenger, Booker T
, who was accompanied by Sharmell. At TNA's July PPV event, Victory Road
, Joe retained the championship by default in a match with Booker T. It ended in a no contest as a result of Joe assaulting security, referees
, and Booker T, which caused Sting to enter the arena to try to calm Joe down. Joe ignored Sting's request and continue his attack on Booker T, which provoked Sting to attack him with a baseball bat
. Booker T then covered Joe and Sharmell counted the pinfall victory, since the referee had earlier in the match been scripted to seem unconscious. Booker T and Sharmell then left the arena with the World Heavyweight Championship. On the July 17 episode of TNA's primary television program, TNA Impact!
, authority figure Jim Cornette
demanded that Booker T give the championship back to Joe, which Booker T refused, so Cornette set up a rematch between Joe and Booker T for Hard Justice to determine the true champion. Joe then entered the arena and declined Cornette's offer for Booker T to give him the championship back; because he did not feel that he deserved it since he was pinned by Booker T at Victory Road, though Joe was still recognized as the official champion. On the July 24 episode of Impact!, Joe challenged Booker T to contest their championship match inside a 16 foot (4.9 m) high steel structure with six sides known as Six Sides of Steel, which Booker T accepted and added the stipulation that weapons would be allowed in the match. On the July 31 episode of Impact!, while Joe and Booker T were fighting in a ring surrounded by the Six Sides of Steel, a baseball bat; similar to the one that Sting used at Victory Road; was dropped from the ceiling by a rope to Booker T, which he used to knockout Joe.
Kurt Angle
versus A.J. Styles
in a Last Man Standing match was second main match on the card. Before TNA's June PPV event, Slammiversary
, Angle and Styles had a scripted physical altercation during an episode of Impact!, which was later revealed to have been motivated by Angle believing that Styles was romantically involved with his real-life wife, Karen Angle
. Angle and Styles fought at Slammiversary in a standard wrestling match and at Victory Road in a Six Man Tag Team Full Metal Mayhem match, with Angle partnering with Team 3D
(Brother Ray and Brother Devon), and Styles with Christian Cage
and Rhino
. In a Full Metal Mayhem match, two or more competitors fight to either gain a pinfall, submission, or climb a ladder to retrieve an envelope or a championship belt
in no disqualification rules. On the July 31 episode of Impact!, Styles came to the ring and demanded that Sting come out an explain his actions at Victory Road and if he was involved in helping Booker T attack Joe, which had just taken place. The lights went out in the arena and when they came back on, Styles was standing in the Six Sides of Steel with Angle standing behind him. Angle then grabbed Styles and lifted him up and slammed him down to the mat in a move that Angle dubbed the Olympic slam, which he performed three times in succession. Afterward during an interview, Styles challenged Angle to a match to end their rivalry at Hard Justice, which was later announced to be contested under Last Man Standing rules. In a Last Man Standing match, two competitors fight until one is unable to reach to his feet before a referee counts to ten.
Team 3D's (Brother Ray and Brother Devon) and Christian Cage and Rhino's rivalry began at TNA's May PPV event, Sacrifice
, when Cage and Rhino lost to Team 3D in the semi-finals of The Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament for the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship
. Their rivalry continued with Cage and Rhino helping to protect The Latin American Xchange's (Homicide
and Hernandez
) (LAX) manager
, Hector Guerrero
; whom Team 3D were having a storyline rivalry with at the time over the World Tag Team Championship; from attacks by Team 3D. Before and after Victory Road, multiple altercations took place on Impact! between Team 3D and Cage and Rhino. In one instance, Brother Ray lifted Cage up onto his shoulders and threw him down from the top of one of the six padded turnbuckle
s through a glass table in a moved called a powerbomb
on June 26. On July 31, Team 3D cost Cage and Rhino a match against Beer Money, Inc.
(Robert Roode and James Storm
) to be number one contenders to the World Tag Team Championship. After the match, Cage challenged Team 3D to a match contested under no disqualification rules, which Cage dubbed a New Jersey
Street Fight, at Hard Justice; Team 3D accepted.
In the tag team
division, LAX and Beer Money, Inc. were having an on-screen rivalry over the TNA World Tag Team Championship. At Victory Road, LAX successfully defended the World Tag Team Championship against Beer Money, Inc in a match where real-life fans where placed around the ring with a leather straps to whip anyone who came outside the ring in a match TNA called a "Fan's Revenge" Lumberjack Strap match. In the following weeks, Beer Money, Inc. assaulted both a planted fan, an actor posing as a fan, as well as LAX's manager. On the July 31 episode of Impact!, Beer Money, Inc defeated Cage and Rhino to gain a chance to fight LAX at Hard Justice for the World Tag Team Championship. On the August 7 episode of Impact! after a match pitting the team of LAX, Cage, and Rhino against the team of Team 3D and Beer Money, Inc, Team 3D introduced a glass table into the ring, however, Beer Money grabbed Homicide and powerbombed him through it, while in the process injuring his right eye, according to the plot.
Jay Lethal
and Sonjay Dutt
were involved in a rivalry over SoCal Val's heart, according to the narrative. At Slammiversary, Dutt ruined Lethal's and Val's wedding reception by confessing he was in love with Val. After Lethal turned to check on Val, Dutt struck him with a tower that was part of the set. As a result of the confrontation, Lethal and Dutt fought in a match at Victory Road, which Dutt won. After a series of events between Dutt and Lethal, TNA began to promote a Black Tie Brawl and Chain match between the two at Hard Justice. A Black Tie Brawl and Chain match is a match where both of the participants wear tuxedos and are attached by a steel chain; the winner of the match is the first to remove his opponent's tuxedo or score a pinfall.
on PPV, a predetermined segment took place outside of the arena between Lauren Thompson (Lauren Brooke
) and Sting, who had just made his unknown and unscheduled scripted arrival. Thompson repeatedly asked him about his actions at Victory Road and possibly helping Angle and Booker T on Impact! in the weeks leading to the event. Sting, however, remained silent while entering the arena.
The event officially began with a live performance of the official theme song for the event, "AyAyAya", by Filthee along with Grandmaster Caz
and Melle Mel
. The show was advertised to also feature an appearance by rapper
Ice-T
, but he was absent with no reason given and was seemingly replaced with Mel. It was later revealed that Ice-T was unable to attend as a result of "travel problems".
The first match at Hard Justice was for the TNA X Division Championship
, between the champion, Petey Williams
—accompanied by Rhaka Khan
—and Consequences Creed. Towards the end of the match, Creed lifted up Khan and spun her 90° in the air and then fell to his back, forcing Khan's face into the mat to perform a move called a TKO. While the referee was attending to Khan, Sheik Abdul Bashir
entered the arena and grabbed a steel chair
. In the ring, Creed set Williams up for a running clothesline. When he bounced off the ropes, Bashir hit Creed in the back with the chair, which allowed Williams to grab Creed, jump over Creed's back, while at the same time pulling Creed's head backwards, causing him to perform a backflip, and slam Creed's head into the mat with a move Williams dubbed the Canadian Destroyer to gain the pinfall victory and retain the X Division Championship.
The next encounter was a Six Woman Tag Team match with Traci Brooks
as Special Guest Referee for the bout pitting the team of The Beautiful People
(Angelina Love and Velvet Sky
) and Awesome Kong
, who were accompanied by Raisha Saeed, against the team of Gail Kim
, O.D.B.
, and Taylor Wilde. After both teams fought back and forth with neither gaining much advantage for a while, Wilde pinned Love by sitting on her chest and holding her shoulders down for the three count in a pinning maneuver called a straddle.
The TNA World Tag Team Championship match was next pitting the champions, The Latin American Xchange (Homicide and Hernandez), who were accompanied by Salinas
and Hector Guerrero, against Beer Money, Inc (Robert Roode and James Storm), who were accompanied by Jacqueline
. While LAX were making their way to the ring, Filthee performed their entrance music and accompanied them. Throughout the match, Storm and Roode attacked Homicide's right eye since it had been injured on Impact!. Beer Money, Inc claimed victory in the match when Homicide was setting Storm up for his finishing maneuver Da Gringo Killa. Roode then entered the ring and crashed a beer bottle over Homicide's right eye while the referee was not looking, followed by Storm pinning Homicide to win the World Tag Team Championship.
Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt fought in a Black Tie Brawl and Chain match next. Most of the match was dominated by Lethal as he used the chain to his advantage and repeatedly pulled Dutt into different types of moves. The finish saw Lethal perform an elbow drop from the top rope to gain the pinfall victory.
to "boo" at what professional wrestling fans like to call a botch
: an unplanned failing of a spot or move. After the botch, Rhino pinned Ray to claim victory in the match for Cage and himself. Following the match, an ally of Team 3D's, Johnny Devine
, entered the arena with a kendo stick, which they used to attack Cage and Rhino. Abyss
came to their aid, by dismantling Team 3D and Devine with his size and strength advantage. While Ray and Devon were making their escape, Abyss grabbed Devine and spun 360° before slamming Devine into the mat back first to perform a move Abyss calls the "Black Hole Slam".
A Last Man Standing match between A.J. Styles and Kurt Angle was next. Though the match was advertised to be a Last Man Standing match, at Hard Justice the match was contested under Texas Death match rules. Under the new rules, the only way to win the contest was for a wrestler to pin his opponent, and then the opponent had until the count of ten to get up and stand on two feet or he would lose the match. The conclusion of the match scripted Angle and Styles standing on the top of one of the six padded turnbuckle
s. Styles grabbed Angle's head and fell backwards to slam Angle's head and neck into the mat by performing a DDT
. Styles pinned Angle to start the count, and Angle did not reach to his feet before the count of ten which meant Styles was declared the winner. After the match, while EMTs
were attending to Angle, Styles entered the ring and lifted up Angle and dropped him right on on the back on his head and neck again to performed a modified fisherman suplex. Styles left the ring and walked up the ramp while leaving a motionless Angle in the ring with the EMTs. When Styles approached the top of the ramp, the lights in the arena went off, and when they came back on, Sting appeared holding Styles under his arm. Sting then performed a reverse DDT on Styles, followed by Sting walking to the backstage area while Kevin Nash
looked on disapprovingly.
In the main event, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was contested inside a Six Sides of Steel Weapons match, in which the champion, Samoa Joe, defended it against Booker T, who was holding the championship around his waist and accompanied by Sharmell. From the start, Joe and Booker T tried to use the weapons that were inside the cage. In one instance, Joe placed two chairs in the middle of the ring and stacked them, he then lifted Booker T up to slam him on them in a move called a Muscle Buster, however, he counter the move when they got to the chairs and lifted Joe up and slammed him down onto the chairs in a move Booker T dubbed the "Book End". In the final minutes, Booker T set Joe up for a kick to the back of the head called a scissors kick, however, when he came close the lights went off. When the lights came back on, Joe was standing behind Booker T with a guitar
in his hand. After Booker T turned around, Joe slammed the guitar over his head and pinned him to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
On the episode of Impact after Hard Justice, Jim Cornette announced that at TNA's next PPV event, No Surrender
, Samoa Joe would defend the championship against three competitors in a match entitled Four Ways to Glory. Christian Cage, Kurt Angle, and Booker T all won entrance into the match. At No Surrender, Joe retained the championship after Jeff Jarrett
entered the ring while the referee was unconscious and stuck Angle over the head with a guitar, which allowed Joe to gain the pinfall victory. As a result of Hurricane Ike
causing all flights out of Houston, Texas to become grounded, Booker T, who resides in Houston, could not make it to the event, which took place in Canada
.
Styles went on to have a short rivalry with Frank Trigg
, which began after Trigg assaulted Styles on the September 4 episode of Impact!. The two had an encounter in a Mixed Martial Arts match
at No Surrender, which ended in a no contest.
Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt continued their rivalry at No Surrender in a Ladder of Love match
, where a wrestler must climb a ladder to retrieve a ring that was hanging by a wire. The winner would get to marry SoCal Val. Dutt defeated Lethal in the match with help from Val. Meanwhile, The Latin American Xchange (Homicide and Hernandez) got their rematch with Beer Money, Inc (Robert Roode and James Storm) for the TNA World Tag Team Championship at No Surrender, in a losing effort as Beer Money, Inc retained the championship. Moreover, Petey Williams later lost the TNA X Division Championship to Sheik Abdul Bashir in a match involving three competitors called a 3-Way Dance at No Surrender, which also involved Consequences Creed.
newspaper The Sun
, stated in his review of Hard Justice that the Last Man Standing match "was the match of the night" and that "Kurt Angle and AJ Styles tore the house down." When referring to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match, he claimed he felt it was a "decent main event". The event was released on DVD on November 11, 2008 by TNA Home Video
in a box set titled the "Cross The Line 3-Pack"; also included were the 2008 Victory Road and No Surrender DVDs. The boxset reached a peak position of number five on Billboard's
DVD Sales Chart for recreational sports during the week of December 6, 2008. During the week of December 13, it fell from position number five to position number sixteen, though remaining on the chart for the second week in a row.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
(PPV) event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA), which took place on August 10, 2008 at the Sovereign Bank Arena
Sovereign Bank Arena
The Sun National Bank Center is a $53 million, 8,500 seat arena in Trenton, New Jersey, home to the Trenton Titans of the ECHL and other special events. In 2011 it will be home to the Trenton Steel of the Southern Indoor Football League...
in Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
. It was the fourth annual event under the Hard Justice chronology. Seven professional wrestling matches
Mock combat
Mock combat involves the execution of combative actions without intent to harm. Participants can engage in such sparring for ritual, training, recreational or performance reasons...
were featured on the event's card
Card (sports)
In sports, a card comprises a listing of the matches taking place in a title-match combat-sport event. Organizers divide overall cards into a main-event match and the undercard, which encompasses the rest of the matches. One can also further subdivide the undercard into midcard and lower card,...
.
The main event saw Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
defeat Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
, who was accompanied by Sharmell, in a steel structure with six sides that was filled with weapons—a match titled a Six Sides of Steel Weapons match
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...
—to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
The TNA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is currently the highest ranked championship in TNA and is primarily defended in TNA's heavyweight division...
. A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
defeated Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
in the second main match on the card in which the wrestler who was unable to respond to a ten count by the referee would lose. Two tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
matches were featured bouts scheduled on the undercard. In the first, Christian Cage
Jason Reso
William Jason Reso is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Christian and Christian Cage...
and Rhino
Terry Gerin
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
defeated Team 3D
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
(Brother Ray and Brother Devon) in a New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Street Fight in which no one could be disqualified. The second was for the TNA World Tag Team Championship
TNA World Tag Team Championship
The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested within TNA's tag team division. It was created and debuted on May 14, 2007 at the taping of TNA's primary television program,...
, in which Beer Money, Inc.
Beer Money, Inc.
Beer Money, Inc. was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Robert "Bobby" Roode and James Storm in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where they are former four-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, while also holding the record for the longest reign as...
(Robert Roode and James Storm
James Storm
James Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J...
) defeated the champions, The Latin American Xchange (Homicide
Nelson Erazo
Nelson Rodriguez Erazo is an American professional wrestler of Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name, Homicide...
and Hernandez
Shawn Hernandez
Shawn Hernandez is an American professional wrestler of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring names, "Hotstuff Hernandez" and "Hernandez"....
), to win the championship.
The event marked the beginning of a return angle for Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
, who had not been active in the company since May 2007, when Samoa Joe used the signature weapon of Jarrett's (an acoustic guitar
Steel-string acoustic guitar
A steel-string acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the classical guitar, but strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound...
) in his match with Booker T. When the event was released on DVD, it reached a peak position of number five on Billboard's
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
DVD Sales Chart. Wrestling Observer.com and 411Mania.com writer Larry Csonka rated the entire event a 7.6 out of 10 stars, higher than the 2007 event's rating of 4.
Background
The event featured seven professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylinesNarrative thread
A narrative thread, or plot thread , refers to particular elements and techniques of writing to center the story in the action or experience of characters rather than to relate a matter in a dry 'All knowing' sort of narration...
. Wrestlers were portrayed as either villains
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
or heroes
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.
Hardcore wrestling
Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted...
for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship between the champion, Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe
Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
, and the challenger, Booker T
Booker Huffman
Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World...
, who was accompanied by Sharmell. At TNA's July PPV event, Victory Road
Victory Road (2008)
Victory Road was the fourth Victory Road professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by American promotion, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
, Joe retained the championship by default in a match with Booker T. It ended in a no contest as a result of Joe assaulting security, referees
Referee (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
, and Booker T, which caused Sting to enter the arena to try to calm Joe down. Joe ignored Sting's request and continue his attack on Booker T, which provoked Sting to attack him with a baseball bat
Baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. It is no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at the thickest part and no more than 42 inches in length. It typically weighs no more than 33 ounces , but it...
. Booker T then covered Joe and Sharmell counted the pinfall victory, since the referee had earlier in the match been scripted to seem unconscious. Booker T and Sharmell then left the arena with the World Heavyweight Championship. On the July 17 episode of TNA's primary television program, TNA Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
, authority figure Jim Cornette
Jim Cornette
James Mark "Jim" Cornette is an American professional wrestling manager, commentator, promoter, and booker. As a manager, he has worked for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation and from 1991 to 1995, was the owner of Smoky Mountain Wrestling...
demanded that Booker T give the championship back to Joe, which Booker T refused, so Cornette set up a rematch between Joe and Booker T for Hard Justice to determine the true champion. Joe then entered the arena and declined Cornette's offer for Booker T to give him the championship back; because he did not feel that he deserved it since he was pinned by Booker T at Victory Road, though Joe was still recognized as the official champion. On the July 24 episode of Impact!, Joe challenged Booker T to contest their championship match inside a 16 foot (4.9 m) high steel structure with six sides known as Six Sides of Steel, which Booker T accepted and added the stipulation that weapons would be allowed in the match. On the July 31 episode of Impact!, while Joe and Booker T were fighting in a ring surrounded by the Six Sides of Steel, a baseball bat; similar to the one that Sting used at Victory Road; was dropped from the ceiling by a rope to Booker T, which he used to knockout Joe.
Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
versus A.J. Styles
A.J. Styles
Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
in a Last Man Standing match was second main match on the card. Before TNA's June PPV event, Slammiversary
Slammiversary (2008)
Slammiversary was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on June 8, 2008 from the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi. It was the fourth event under the Slammiversary chronology and marked the sixth anniversary of the...
, Angle and Styles had a scripted physical altercation during an episode of Impact!, which was later revealed to have been motivated by Angle believing that Styles was romantically involved with his real-life wife, Karen Angle
Karen Angle
Karen Jarrett is an American professional wrestling valet and personality, currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. Angle and Styles fought at Slammiversary in a standard wrestling match and at Victory Road in a Six Man Tag Team Full Metal Mayhem match, with Angle partnering with Team 3D
Dudley Boyz
Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals...
(Brother Ray and Brother Devon), and Styles with Christian Cage
Jason Reso
William Jason Reso is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Christian and Christian Cage...
and Rhino
Terry Gerin
Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. In a Full Metal Mayhem match, two or more competitors fight to either gain a pinfall, submission, or climb a ladder to retrieve an envelope or a championship belt
Championship (professional wrestling)
A Championship or "title" in professional wrestling is a recognition promoted by professional wrestling organizations.Championship reigns are determined by professional wrestling matches, in which competitors are involved in scripted rivalries...
in no disqualification rules. On the July 31 episode of Impact!, Styles came to the ring and demanded that Sting come out an explain his actions at Victory Road and if he was involved in helping Booker T attack Joe, which had just taken place. The lights went out in the arena and when they came back on, Styles was standing in the Six Sides of Steel with Angle standing behind him. Angle then grabbed Styles and lifted him up and slammed him down to the mat in a move that Angle dubbed the Olympic slam, which he performed three times in succession. Afterward during an interview, Styles challenged Angle to a match to end their rivalry at Hard Justice, which was later announced to be contested under Last Man Standing rules. In a Last Man Standing match, two competitors fight until one is unable to reach to his feet before a referee counts to ten.
Sacrifice (2008)
Sacrifice was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on May 11, 2008 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the fourth event under the Sacrifice chronology...
, when Cage and Rhino lost to Team 3D in the semi-finals of The Deuces Wild Tag Team Tournament for the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship
TNA World Tag Team Championship
The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested within TNA's tag team division. It was created and debuted on May 14, 2007 at the taping of TNA's primary television program,...
. Their rivalry continued with Cage and Rhino helping to protect The Latin American Xchange's (Homicide
Nelson Erazo
Nelson Rodriguez Erazo is an American professional wrestler of Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name, Homicide...
and Hernandez
Shawn Hernandez
Shawn Hernandez is an American professional wrestler of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring names, "Hotstuff Hernandez" and "Hernandez"....
) (LAX) manager
Manager (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the...
, Hector Guerrero
Hector Guerrero
Héctor Manuel Guerrero Llanes is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, better known simply by his paternal name, Héctor Guerrero...
; whom Team 3D were having a storyline rivalry with at the time over the World Tag Team Championship; from attacks by Team 3D. Before and after Victory Road, multiple altercations took place on Impact! between Team 3D and Cage and Rhino. In one instance, Brother Ray lifted Cage up onto his shoulders and threw him down from the top of one of the six padded turnbuckle
Turnbuckle
A turnbuckle, stretching screw or bottlescrew is a device for adjusting the tension or length of ropes, cables, tie rods, and other tensioning systems. It normally consists of two threaded eyelets, one screwed into each end of a small metal frame, one with a left-hand thread and the other with a...
s through a glass table in a moved called a powerbomb
Powerbomb
A powerbomb is a professional wrestling throw in which an opponent is lifted up and then slammed back-first down to the mat. The standard powerbomb sees an opponent first placed in a standing headscissors position...
on June 26. On July 31, Team 3D cost Cage and Rhino a match against Beer Money, Inc.
Beer Money, Inc.
Beer Money, Inc. was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Robert "Bobby" Roode and James Storm in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where they are former four-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, while also holding the record for the longest reign as...
(Robert Roode and James Storm
James Storm
James Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J...
) to be number one contenders to the World Tag Team Championship. After the match, Cage challenged Team 3D to a match contested under no disqualification rules, which Cage dubbed a New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Street Fight, at Hard Justice; Team 3D accepted.
In the tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
division, LAX and Beer Money, Inc. were having an on-screen rivalry over the TNA World Tag Team Championship. At Victory Road, LAX successfully defended the World Tag Team Championship against Beer Money, Inc in a match where real-life fans where placed around the ring with a leather straps to whip anyone who came outside the ring in a match TNA called a "Fan's Revenge" Lumberjack Strap match. In the following weeks, Beer Money, Inc. assaulted both a planted fan, an actor posing as a fan, as well as LAX's manager. On the July 31 episode of Impact!, Beer Money, Inc defeated Cage and Rhino to gain a chance to fight LAX at Hard Justice for the World Tag Team Championship. On the August 7 episode of Impact! after a match pitting the team of LAX, Cage, and Rhino against the team of Team 3D and Beer Money, Inc, Team 3D introduced a glass table into the ring, however, Beer Money grabbed Homicide and powerbombed him through it, while in the process injuring his right eye, according to the plot.
Jay Lethal
Jay Lethal
Jamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion...
and Sonjay Dutt
Sonjay Dutt
Retesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler of Indian Punjabi descent, better known by his ring name, Sonjay Dutt. He is best known working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is also known for his stints with Combat Zone Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and other various independent...
were involved in a rivalry over SoCal Val's heart, according to the narrative. At Slammiversary, Dutt ruined Lethal's and Val's wedding reception by confessing he was in love with Val. After Lethal turned to check on Val, Dutt struck him with a tower that was part of the set. As a result of the confrontation, Lethal and Dutt fought in a match at Victory Road, which Dutt won. After a series of events between Dutt and Lethal, TNA began to promote a Black Tie Brawl and Chain match between the two at Hard Justice. A Black Tie Brawl and Chain match is a match where both of the participants wear tuxedos and are attached by a steel chain; the winner of the match is the first to remove his opponent's tuxedo or score a pinfall.
Event
Before Hard Justice aired liveLive television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
on PPV, a predetermined segment took place outside of the arena between Lauren Thompson (Lauren Brooke
Lauren Brooke (interviewer)
Lauren Thompson or Lauren Brooke is a U.S. television personality, print and voiceover model who works for Golf Channel hosting "Top Ten" and "Golf Now" , as well the "College Sports Minute". She is also known for previously working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a backstage interviewer...
) and Sting, who had just made his unknown and unscheduled scripted arrival. Thompson repeatedly asked him about his actions at Victory Road and possibly helping Angle and Booker T on Impact! in the weeks leading to the event. Sting, however, remained silent while entering the arena.
The event officially began with a live performance of the official theme song for the event, "AyAyAya", by Filthee along with Grandmaster Caz
The Cold Crush Brothers
The Cold Crush Brothers is a hip hop group that formed in 1979 in the Bronx, New York City, New York, alongside other early hip hop acts.-Formation:...
and Melle Mel
Melle Mel
Grandmaster Mele Mel , also known as Melle Mel , is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.- Biography :...
. The show was advertised to also feature an appearance by rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Ice-T
ICE-T
* Ice-T, an American rapper and actor* ICE T , a tilting model of the German InterCityExpress series of high-speed trains...
, but he was absent with no reason given and was seemingly replaced with Mel. It was later revealed that Ice-T was unable to attend as a result of "travel problems".
Preliminary matches
TNA X Division Championship
The TNA X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily defended in TNA's X Division—a style based on a fast-paced, daredevil type of wrestling...
, between the champion, Petey Williams
Petey Williams
Peter "Petey" Williams III is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time X Division Champion and a former captain of Team Canada. Williams Currently Wrestles for Lucha Libre USA...
—accompanied by Rhaka Khan
Trenesha Biggers
Trenesha Biggers is a model and professional wrestler who worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Rhaka Khan. She was in the final top 25 in the 2005 WWE Diva Search.-Professional wrestling career:...
—and Consequences Creed. Towards the end of the match, Creed lifted up Khan and spun her 90° in the air and then fell to his back, forcing Khan's face into the mat to perform a move called a TKO. While the referee was attending to Khan, Sheik Abdul Bashir
Shawn Daivari
Dara Daivari is an Iranian American professional wrestler, currently performing on the American independent circuit as Shawn Daivari. He is best known for his work with World Wrestling Entertainment as simply Daivari and with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as Sheik Abdul Bashir.-Career:Daivari...
entered the arena and grabbed a steel chair
Folding chair
A folding chair is a light, portable chair that that folds flat, and can be stored in a stack, row, or on a cart.-Uses:Folding chairs are generally used for seating in areas where permanent seating is not possible or practical. This includes outdoor and indoor events such as funerals, college...
. In the ring, Creed set Williams up for a running clothesline. When he bounced off the ropes, Bashir hit Creed in the back with the chair, which allowed Williams to grab Creed, jump over Creed's back, while at the same time pulling Creed's head backwards, causing him to perform a backflip, and slam Creed's head into the mat with a move Williams dubbed the Canadian Destroyer to gain the pinfall victory and retain the X Division Championship.
The next encounter was a Six Woman Tag Team match with Traci Brooks
Tracy Brookshaw
Tracy Brookshaw is a Canadian professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet and professional wrestling referee, better known by her ring name Traci Brooks. She is currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she has spent most of her career.-Early life:Brookshaw grew up on a...
as Special Guest Referee for the bout pitting the team of The Beautiful People
The Beautiful People (professional wrestling)
The Beautiful People was an alliance of professional wrestlers that appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , consisting of Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, Cute Kip, Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich. The stable was known for their narcissistic gimmick, and holding the TNA Women's Knockout...
(Angelina Love and Velvet Sky
Velvet Sky
Jamie Szantyr is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a former TNA Women's Knockout Champion and TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with her former Beautiful People partners Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich...
) and Awesome Kong
Kia Stevens
Kia Michelle Stevens , better known by her ring names Amazing Kong, Awesome Kong and Kharma. She is signed with WWE, but has been inactive since May 2011 due to pregnancy...
, who were accompanied by Raisha Saeed, against the team of Gail Kim
Gail Kim
Gail Kim is a Canadian professional wrestler of Korean descent, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is the current TNA Women's Knockout Champion and one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions with Madison Rayne...
, O.D.B.
Jessica Kresa
Jessica Kresa is an American professional wrestler and actress better known as ODB , currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where she is a former three–time TNA Women's Knockout Champion....
, and Taylor Wilde. After both teams fought back and forth with neither gaining much advantage for a while, Wilde pinned Love by sitting on her chest and holding her shoulders down for the three count in a pinning maneuver called a straddle.
The TNA World Tag Team Championship match was next pitting the champions, The Latin American Xchange (Homicide and Hernandez), who were accompanied by Salinas
Shelly Martinez
Shelly Leonor Martinez is a Mexican American model, actress, professional wrestler and valet. She is known for her work with World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand under the ring name Ariel and for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Salinas as valet to The Latin American...
and Hector Guerrero, against Beer Money, Inc (Robert Roode and James Storm), who were accompanied by Jacqueline
Jacqueline Moore
Jacqueline DeLois Moore is an inactive American professional wrestler, who was most recently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
. While LAX were making their way to the ring, Filthee performed their entrance music and accompanied them. Throughout the match, Storm and Roode attacked Homicide's right eye since it had been injured on Impact!. Beer Money, Inc claimed victory in the match when Homicide was setting Storm up for his finishing maneuver Da Gringo Killa. Roode then entered the ring and crashed a beer bottle over Homicide's right eye while the referee was not looking, followed by Storm pinning Homicide to win the World Tag Team Championship.
Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt fought in a Black Tie Brawl and Chain match next. Most of the match was dominated by Lethal as he used the chain to his advantage and repeatedly pulled Dutt into different types of moves. The finish saw Lethal perform an elbow drop from the top rope to gain the pinfall victory.
Main Event matches
The fifth match was the encounter of Team 3D (Brother Ray and Brother Devon) and Christian Cage and Rhino in a New Jersey Street Fight. The encounter started off as an all out brawl between the four men. Team 3D gain the advantage early, by attacking Cage and Rhino while they had their backs turned to them. The conclusion to the match saw Rhino performing a running shoulder block to Ray aimed at a table. When Rhino and Ray hit the table it did not break, causing the fans at the Sovereign Bank ArenaSovereign Bank Arena
The Sun National Bank Center is a $53 million, 8,500 seat arena in Trenton, New Jersey, home to the Trenton Titans of the ECHL and other special events. In 2011 it will be home to the Trenton Steel of the Southern Indoor Football League...
to "boo" at what professional wrestling fans like to call a botch
Botch (professional wrestling)
To botch in professional wrestling means to attempt a scripted move that does not come out as it was originally planned due to a mistake, miscalculation, or a slip-up. Most botches are harmless but embarrassing, such as a wrestler simply flubbing a line or missing a cue, or falling before his...
: an unplanned failing of a spot or move. After the botch, Rhino pinned Ray to claim victory in the match for Cage and himself. Following the match, an ally of Team 3D's, Johnny Devine
Johnny Devine
John Peter "J.P." Parsonage is a Canadian professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Hot Shot" Johnny Devine...
, entered the arena with a kendo stick, which they used to attack Cage and Rhino. Abyss
Chris Parks
Christopher J. "Chris" Parks , better known by his ring name "The Monster" Abyss, is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling...
came to their aid, by dismantling Team 3D and Devine with his size and strength advantage. While Ray and Devon were making their escape, Abyss grabbed Devine and spun 360° before slamming Devine into the mat back first to perform a move Abyss calls the "Black Hole Slam".
Turnbuckle
A turnbuckle, stretching screw or bottlescrew is a device for adjusting the tension or length of ropes, cables, tie rods, and other tensioning systems. It normally consists of two threaded eyelets, one screwed into each end of a small metal frame, one with a left-hand thread and the other with a...
s. Styles grabbed Angle's head and fell backwards to slam Angle's head and neck into the mat by performing a DDT
DDT (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling a DDT is any move in which the wrestler has the opponent in a front facelock, and falls down or backwards to drive the opponent's head into the mat...
. Styles pinned Angle to start the count, and Angle did not reach to his feet before the count of ten which meant Styles was declared the winner. After the match, while EMTs
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...
were attending to Angle, Styles entered the ring and lifted up Angle and dropped him right on on the back on his head and neck again to performed a modified fisherman suplex. Styles left the ring and walked up the ramp while leaving a motionless Angle in the ring with the EMTs. When Styles approached the top of the ramp, the lights in the arena went off, and when they came back on, Sting appeared holding Styles under his arm. Sting then performed a reverse DDT on Styles, followed by Sting walking to the backstage area while Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
looked on disapprovingly.
In the main event, the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was contested inside a Six Sides of Steel Weapons match, in which the champion, Samoa Joe, defended it against Booker T, who was holding the championship around his waist and accompanied by Sharmell. From the start, Joe and Booker T tried to use the weapons that were inside the cage. In one instance, Joe placed two chairs in the middle of the ring and stacked them, he then lifted Booker T up to slam him on them in a move called a Muscle Buster, however, he counter the move when they got to the chairs and lifted Joe up and slammed him down onto the chairs in a move Booker T dubbed the "Book End". In the final minutes, Booker T set Joe up for a kick to the back of the head called a scissors kick, however, when he came close the lights went off. When the lights came back on, Joe was standing behind Booker T with a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
in his hand. After Booker T turned around, Joe slammed the guitar over his head and pinned him to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
Aftermath
| Other on-screen talent | |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Mike Tenay Mike Tenay Michael William "Mike" Tenay is a professional wrestling play-by-play announcer currently employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Prior to signing with TNA in 2002, he had a notable tenure with World Championship Wrestling from 1994-2001... |
| Don West Don West (sportscaster) Donald "Don" West is an American pitchman, television personality and wrestling broadcaster currently working as an on-screen talent for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and also as a pitchman for WildWestDeals.com, an internet marketing website... |
|
| Hector Guerrero Hector Guerrero Héctor Manuel Guerrero Llanes is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, better known simply by his paternal name, Héctor Guerrero... |
|
| Willie Urbina | |
| Ring announcer | Jeremy Borash Jeremy Borash Jeremy Borash , is an American professional wrestling play-by-play commentator, announcer, ring announcer, booker, interviewer, producer and website designer... |
| David Penzer David Penzer David Penzer is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, most recently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling between 1995 and 2001.... |
|
| Referee | Earl Hebner Earl Hebner Earl William Hebner is a professional wrestling referee currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and the twin brother of Dave Hebner... |
| Rudy Charles Rudy Charles Daniel Engler is an American professional wrestling referee, better known by his ring name, Rudy Charles, best known for his time as a referee in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he was the promotion's senior referee... |
|
| Mark "Slick" Johnson | |
| Andrew Thomas | |
| Interviewers | Jeremy Borash |
| Lauren Thompson Lauren Brooke (interviewer) Lauren Thompson or Lauren Brooke is a U.S. television personality, print and voiceover model who works for Golf Channel hosting "Top Ten" and "Golf Now" , as well the "College Sports Minute". She is also known for previously working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a backstage interviewer... |
On the episode of Impact after Hard Justice, Jim Cornette announced that at TNA's next PPV event, No Surrender
No Surrender (2008)
No Surrender was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , which took place on September 14, 2008 at the General Motors Centre in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada...
, Samoa Joe would defend the championship against three competitors in a match entitled Four Ways to Glory. Christian Cage, Kurt Angle, and Booker T all won entrance into the match. At No Surrender, Joe retained the championship after Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
entered the ring while the referee was unconscious and stuck Angle over the head with a guitar, which allowed Joe to gain the pinfall victory. As a result of Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
causing all flights out of Houston, Texas to become grounded, Booker T, who resides in Houston, could not make it to the event, which took place in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Styles went on to have a short rivalry with Frank Trigg
Frank Trigg
Dewey Franklin Trigg III is an American mixed martial artist, color commentator, pro wrestler and co-host of MMAWeekly radio show and TAGG radio show...
, which began after Trigg assaulted Styles on the September 4 episode of Impact!. The two had an encounter in a Mixed Martial Arts match
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
at No Surrender, which ended in a no contest.
Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt continued their rivalry at No Surrender in a Ladder of Love match
Ladder match
A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling that is most commonly used to describe a match where an item is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item...
, where a wrestler must climb a ladder to retrieve a ring that was hanging by a wire. The winner would get to marry SoCal Val. Dutt defeated Lethal in the match with help from Val. Meanwhile, The Latin American Xchange (Homicide and Hernandez) got their rematch with Beer Money, Inc (Robert Roode and James Storm) for the TNA World Tag Team Championship at No Surrender, in a losing effort as Beer Money, Inc retained the championship. Moreover, Petey Williams later lost the TNA X Division Championship to Sheik Abdul Bashir in a match involving three competitors called a 3-Way Dance at No Surrender, which also involved Consequences Creed.
Reception
411Mania.com and Wrestling Observer.com writer Larry Csonka rated the entire event a 7.6 out of 10 stars, which was higher than the 2007 event's rating of 4 out of 10 stars. The Last Man Standing match was rated a 4 out of 5 stars, while the main event for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship was rated a 2.5 out of 5 stars. Phil Allely, a journalist for United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
newspaper The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, stated in his review of Hard Justice that the Last Man Standing match "was the match of the night" and that "Kurt Angle and AJ Styles tore the house down." When referring to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match, he claimed he felt it was a "decent main event". The event was released on DVD on November 11, 2008 by TNA Home Video
TNA Home Video
TNA Home Video is a division of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that releases TNA's PPV events & other TNA produced compilations on DVD. TNA Home Video was formed in 2005 to partner with Navarre Corporation to distribute and produce TNA's expanding video library...
in a box set titled the "Cross The Line 3-Pack"; also included were the 2008 Victory Road and No Surrender DVDs. The boxset reached a peak position of number five on Billboard's
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
DVD Sales Chart for recreational sports during the week of December 6, 2008. During the week of December 13, it fell from position number five to position number sixteen, though remaining on the chart for the second week in a row.
Results
| # | Matches | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petey Williams Petey Williams Peter "Petey" Williams III is a Canadian professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a two time X Division Champion and a former captain of Team Canada. Williams Currently Wrestles for Lucha Libre USA... (with Rhaka Khan Trenesha Biggers Trenesha Biggers is a model and professional wrestler who worked for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Rhaka Khan. She was in the final top 25 in the 2005 WWE Diva Search.-Professional wrestling career:... ) (c) defeated Consequences Creed |
Singles match for the TNA X Division Championship TNA X Division Championship The TNA X Division Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily defended in TNA's X Division—a style based on a fast-paced, daredevil type of wrestling... |
12:30 |
| 2 | Gail Kim Gail Kim Gail Kim is a Canadian professional wrestler of Korean descent, who is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where she is the current TNA Women's Knockout Champion and one half of the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions with Madison Rayne... , Taylor Wilde and O.D.B. Jessica Kresa Jessica Kresa is an American professional wrestler and actress better known as ODB , currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where she is a former three–time TNA Women's Knockout Champion.... defeated Awesome Kong Kia Stevens Kia Michelle Stevens , better known by her ring names Amazing Kong, Awesome Kong and Kharma. She is signed with WWE, but has been inactive since May 2011 due to pregnancy... (with Raisha Saeed) and The Beautiful People The Beautiful People (professional wrestling) The Beautiful People was an alliance of professional wrestlers that appeared in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , consisting of Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, Cute Kip, Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich. The stable was known for their narcissistic gimmick, and holding the TNA Women's Knockout... (Velvet Sky Velvet Sky Jamie Szantyr is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Velvet Sky. She is a former TNA Women's Knockout Champion and TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champion with her former Beautiful People partners Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich... and Angelina Love) |
Six Woman Tag Team match | 11:27 |
| 3 | Beer Money, Inc. Beer Money, Inc. Beer Money, Inc. was a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Robert "Bobby" Roode and James Storm in the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where they are former four-time TNA World Tag Team Champions, while also holding the record for the longest reign as... (Robert Roode and James Storm James Storm James Allen Cox is an American professional wrestler who competes under the ring name "The Cowboy" James Storm. Since 2002, Storm has been employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he, along with A.J... ) (with Jacqueline Jacqueline Moore Jacqueline DeLois Moore is an inactive American professional wrestler, who was most recently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... ) defeated The Latin American Xchange (Homicide Nelson Erazo Nelson Rodriguez Erazo is an American professional wrestler of Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring name, Homicide... and Hernandez Shawn Hernandez Shawn Hernandez is an American professional wrestler of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, better known by his ring names, "Hotstuff Hernandez" and "Hernandez".... ) (with Hector Guerrero Hector Guerrero Héctor Manuel Guerrero Llanes is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, better known simply by his paternal name, Héctor Guerrero... and Salinas Shelly Martinez Shelly Leonor Martinez is a Mexican American model, actress, professional wrestler and valet. She is known for her work with World Wrestling Entertainment on its ECW brand under the ring name Ariel and for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Salinas as valet to The Latin American... ) (c) |
Tag Team match Tag team Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name... for the TNA World Tag Team Championship TNA World Tag Team Championship The TNA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is primarily contested within TNA's tag team division. It was created and debuted on May 14, 2007 at the taping of TNA's primary television program,... |
14:15 |
| 4 | Jay Lethal Jay Lethal Jamar "Jay" Shipman better known by his ring name Jay Lethal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Ring of Honor , where he is the ROH World Television Champion... defeated Sonjay Dutt Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla is an American professional wrestler of Indian Punjabi descent, better known by his ring name, Sonjay Dutt. He is best known working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and is also known for his stints with Combat Zone Wrestling, Major League Wrestling, and other various independent... |
Black Tie Brawl and Chain match | 11:14 |
| 5 | Christian Cage Jason Reso William Jason Reso is a Canadian professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring names Christian and Christian Cage... and Rhino Terry Gerin Terrance "Terry" Gerin is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by the ring name Rhino . He is best known for his career in Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... defeated Team 3D Dudley Boyz Team 3D was a professional wrestling tag team, consisting of Brother Ray and Brother Devon, formerly sporadically joined into a stable by Brother Runt on several intervals... (Brother Ray and Brother Devon) |
New Jersey New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... Street Fight |
15:22 |
| 6 | A.J. Styles A.J. Styles Allen Neal Jones , better known by his ring name A.J. Styles is an American professional wrestler currently working for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling... defeated Kurt Angle Kurt Angle Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion... |
Last Man Standing match | 24:50 |
| 7 | Samoa Joe Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel "Joe" Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.... (c) defeated Booker T Booker Huffman Robert Booker Tio Huffman , better known by his ring name Booker T, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler and currently signed to WWE, on its SmackDown brand, as part of the announcing team. Booker is best known for his time in both the World Wrestling Entertainment and World... (with Sharmell) |
Six Sides of Steel Weapons match Hardcore wrestling Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling that eschews traditional concepts of match rules in favor of matches that take place in unusual environments, using foreign objects that are not normally permitted... for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship TNA World Heavyweight Championship The TNA World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship owned by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling promotion. It is currently the highest ranked championship in TNA and is primarily defended in TNA's heavyweight division... |
12:44 |
See also
- Hard Justice
- List of TNA pay-per-view events