On Impact Wrestling's September 8, 2016 episode on Pop TV, they aired the highly-anticipated follow-up to the "Final Deletion" between Matt and Jeff Hardy between the Hardy family and the Decay.
This one took a massive shit on what WWE attempted to do with the New Day "invading" the Wyatt Family's compound and took the craziness from the Final Deletion to new heights - if that was even possible after what they pulled off in the Final Deletion.
From a cinematic perspective, I absolutely love this blending of styles with how they shot this one. I'm almost at the point of wanting to see a full-blown film starring Broken Matt Hardy after how outrageous and bizarre these segments have been.
There were moments in this segment where I thought it would have been better if they aired it closer to Halloween, but given the success of shows like Stranger Things on Netflix, I can see why they went ahead and put it out there now. That moment where Rosemary was walking down the road alone was straight out of a horror movie, but I'm still laughing to myself about the Decay leaving that guy who hit on her laying in the middle of the road with his pants down. What did the Decay do to him, let Rosemary give him a "happy ending"? Even worse if Abyss and Crazzy Steve did it... (Shudders)
I marked so hard for Joseph Park's cameo in this segment, along with Vanguard-1 (V-1, get it?) shooting fireworks at the fleeing Abyss and Steve until it created a Daredevil/The Crow-style pattern burned onto the Hardy's lawn. That joke about the "spot monkeys" in Matt's personal zoo, along with the "Bucks of Youth" should be trending for years to come. Excellent shout out to the Young Bucks and the boys in the X-Division.
I was little bummed out that we didn't get to actually see Reby and Rosemary get physical, but I guess TNA are going to save that for Bound for Glory next month when the Tag Titles are finally on the line. They still have about 2-3 more weeks to build up for the PPV, so there's that. For those who don't know, Matt Hardy's wife is a trained wrestler. I don't know what's her condition after having a baby but I guess she would need some time getting the ring rust off before a big match at BFG in the event that she does decide to get physical.
I'm anxious to see where they go with Jeff Hardy's "sacrifice" at the hands of Abyss and "Janice" to save his brother Matt and what the Decay will do with the kidnapped Senor Benjamin. As long as they don't leave him in the road with his pants down like that other guy, I'm sure it will be entertaining nonetheless.
Author's Note: I was going through my drafts of unfinished articles on this blog and I was shocked to see that this wasn't published yet. Strange as I could've swore I put it out there AGES ago. That being said, enjoy folks. (1/12/16)
Out of ALL of TNA's One Night Only annual events, this is easily my favorite since you guys should know that I'm a bit "crazy" about women's wrestling. TNA's Knockout Knockdown 2 originally aired on November 7, 2014 on PPV, but you can still order and watch the entire event in its entirety on Impact Wrestling's official YouTube page.
Special thanks to Modern Myth Photography for allowing me to use their superb photos for this article. Be sure to visit their official Facebook page for more of their amazing work.
I wouldn't be doing this write-up justice if I don't talk about the opening segment, where Ethan Carter III (formerly Derrick Bateman on WWE's NXT Redemption) and Rockstar Spud introduced this year's "budding" Knockouts, who were taking place in this year's tournament. This year's tournament features Marti Belle, Scarlett Bordeaux, Reby Sky, Veda Scott, Mia Yim (returning from last year), Jessica Havok, Karlee Perez, and Deonna Purrazzo.
To my delight, Impact Wrestling took the time to play off almost ALL of these guest starring Knockouts personalities and backstories into this event, starting with addressing the elephant in the room about Karlee Perez and EC3's past from WWE as the popular troublemaking couple, BateMax (Bateman & Maxine).
The jokes don't end here as Scarlett Bordeaux plays a drunken party girl who is obviously feeling the aftermath of hanging out as one of Adam Rose's Rosebuds in WWE. Reby Sky plays off the so-called "beef" between herself and Velvet Sky. Veda Scott recycles her gimmick from FWE as a shy, yet bubbly babyface (for now...). Mia Yim vows to make a stronger impact in this year's tournament. All this while Rockstar Spud finds love with Marti Belle, who opts to be his first-ever girlfriend.
Gail Kim def. Veda Scott
This match started off innocent enough as Veda Scott was geddy with joy to face her "idol" in this opening contest.
I could tell that Veda Scott was nervous working with a woman as talented and well-known as Gail Kim, but this was a fun match to watch. I was happy that I could cross off another fantasy match-up off my list of women's wrestling bouts I would like to see in my lifetime.
Angelina Love def. Scarlett Bordeaux
It was good to see that Scarlett Bordeaux was putting her gimmick as a former Rosebud to WWE's Adam Rose's "party posse" to good use here. Or maybe we should refer to her as a former Hoopla Hottie from the House of Truth in Ring of Honor?
Nothing against Scarlett in the least, but she lasted longer than I thought she would against former Knockouts Champion, Angelina Love.
Reby Sky def. Velvet Sky
Madison Rayne def. Jessicka Havok
Very bad timing for this match. I guess TNA didn't expect that they would have signed Jessica Havok (currently Havok AKA the former Knockouts Champion) to the roster by the time that this Pay-Per-View aired. Much like everything else on this card, it was recorded VERY early into this year, so we don't get to see the meanstreak and pure domination from Havok that we have used to with Havok over the past few months.
Taryn Terrell def. Karlee Perez
After a promo like that, I'm STILL surprised on why WWE allowed a woman as talented as Karlee Perez go. Much like Ethan Carter III, WWE's loss is now Impact Wrestling and currently Lucha Underground's gain - she is Mil Muertes' valet, Catalina, on the El Rey Network.
Mia Yim def. Brittany
Mia Yim (now the Dollhouse's Jade) is no stranger to battling Santana Garrett (Brittany) as they have managed to top the charts on the indie scene with their match against each other in 2015 as a Match of the Year candidate. Here, you can see the beginnings of their destinies against each other as they have excellent chemistry with each other.
My only regret here is that TNA didn't keep Brittany as staple part of the Knockouts division.
Brooke Tessmacher def. Deonna
Out of the young newcomers to debut at the this event, I think Deonna shows the most promise. Fast forward two years later and she's managed to garner enough experience underneath her belt to work both Impact Wrestling's One Night Only event and NXT tapings in the first week of January 2016.
Brooke was switching back into her heel gimmick and took her frustrations out on the young rookie. Not a bad match for both women at all, just really didn't stand out among everything else on this card.
Marti Belle def. ODB
This match was more about playing the crowd than the actual in-ring aspect and I had no problems with this as this match was a riot of laughs from bell to bell. No pun intended. Rockstar Spud is definitely one to provide plenty of laughs for sure.
ODB def. Rockstar Spud
This match was comedy gold and worth the price of the PPV alone. After his "break-up" with Marti Belle, Spud tries to take his frustrations out on ODB and it doesn't go his away at all. This was one of the last matches that ODB/Jessica Kresa worked for TNA in 2014 and boy did she go out with a bang... or rather BAM!
Madison Rayne def. Angelina Love, Brooke Tessmacher, Gail Kim, Marti Belle, Mia Yim, Reby Sky and Taryn Terrell in a Queen Of The Knockouts Gauntlet Match
The event concludes with this gauntlet match with no real surprises unlike the previous year's finale. As much as I love Gail Kim, I was glad to see someone else walk away with the crown for once.
