Match #55
AJ Styles vs. Matt Hardy
TNA Victory Road - March 13, 2011
Chris, you are right, this is up next. Also, did anyone else see this match and think it was. on paper, a recipe for disaster? Matt Hardy was in a horrible state in this run. Depressed, out of shape, having to deal with his brother's shit now he was away from WWE Wellness Policy eyes... AJ's a great wrestler, but not a miracle worker.
Reminder that Matt Hardy was pretty much packaged as the "social media guy" around this time, before even Zack Ryder got over with the internet fans. Sadly Matt Hardy's 2011 internet career was not illustrious (remember that fake suicide note on YouTube? Bad, bad times). AJ takes early control with strikes, but Matt fights back to be on vaguely equal footing for a while with a hammerlock. This is mostly end-to-end initially, finishing with an AJ dropkick that rolls Matt out. AJ has to backpedal on a slingshot plancha as Matt slides in. He soon tosses Matt back out though, and he's about to fly when Ric Flair grabs his leg. Matt gives a clothesline (which AJ sells like he's been hit in the face with a cannonball) for two.
I notice Matt's being a lot more slow-paced and methodical, which I imagine reviewers trashed at the time because they wanted him to be a Hardy Boy still. It works for this, though. AJ tosses Matt to the outside and moonsaults off the apron. Matt shoves AJ into the apron, then sends him "like a lawn dart", as Taz said, into the ring post. Matt soon after tries to toss AJ into the guardrail, but he slides right under like the BEAST he is. Phenomenal Forearm off the rail!
Back in the ring, and AJ's trying to elbow Matt out of a waistlock but Matt tosses him into the buckle. I feel uncomfortable seeing that when we've had multiple relatively recent buckle bomb incidents causing injury. Matt throws AJ to the outside, where Flair starts chopping the hell out of him. Then Flair and Earl Hebner start throwing hands!
Matt hits a catapult (not a commonly used moves, but one that seems like it would be quite nasty. He then applies his Ice Pick submission (I had to look up what he called it, it's a double underhook with bodyscissors, like Roman's use of the guillotine but without the actual choke). AJ counters it by turning it into a pin and then getting his foot to the rope.
It only now occurs to me just how many zips Matt has on his jeans. Matt goes for Ice Pick again but AJ rams him into the corner. In response, Matt flapjacks AJ on to the turnbuckle and hits a neckbreaker for two. Matt uses a rope choke as an opportunity to distract the referee, so Flair can go for a unique form of offense... the Testicular Claw! I'm not sure whether to
or
at that one. Matt continues to work the neck, making the cravate he's using actually make sense! We've seen so many chinlocks and facelocks this show, but none of them actually made sense like this. This is refreshing! AJ really has to battle to his feet, at which point he delivers forearms and chops so forceful they make the ref duck.
Both men clash with clotheslines and stagger pretty much symmetrically. Enzuigiri from AJ leads to a double down. Both men immediately start punching after getting up! AJ hits a fireman's carry... kneeling... neckbreaker for two. And then he lifts Matt completely over himself for another neckbreaker. AJ gets a flying nothing, misses a discus clothesline, and eats a Side Effect. Top rope elbow drop to the back of AJ's neck, then Twist of Fate attempt, but AJ counters into a backslide for two! AJ goes for the Styles Clash but Matt counters with an Alabama Slam! AJ goes for an Asai Moonsault DDT, botches it a bit, but it wasn't going to get a pin anyway as Flair's distracting the referee.
Flair pokes AJ in the eyes, and he tries to hit the Pele on Matt, but hits it on Flair instead!!
Matt feints a Twist but switches it into a DDT, then gets a moonsault for a VERY close two! Matt climbs to the middle rope, but AJ hits another Pele! Then a SPIRAL TAP to finish it! Post-match Flair accosts AJ, who smashes him in the nuts! Payback!
That was fun. Matt Hardy outperformed expectations, this was a match with a good, solid cohesive story. This PPV hasn't been that bad (except the women's tags and Matt Morgan) so far...