Sacrifice 2012: Angle-Styles and a Loaded Final Hour Deliver

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian challenged Samoa Joe and Magnus for the TNA World Tag Team Championship and worked to prevent the powerful champions from maintaining their coordinated offense. Magnus started against Daniels and brought Joe in for heavy strikes, but the challengers dragged the younger champion away from his partner and attacked him near the ropes. Joe eventually tagged back into the action, avoided a Daniels moonsault and hit a corner uranage. Joe followed with a kick as Magnus landed his diving elbow, only for Kazarian to break the resulting fall.

With Joe knocked out of the ring, Daniels and Kazarian finally had Magnus alone and delivered their version of Total Elimination, allowing Daniels to get the deciding pin. The challengers became new champions in the opener rather than winning a non-title contest. The B (7.8) rewards purposeful interruptions and an actual title change that set the night moving, although the match ended soon after the champions most promising comeback. A full watch is worthwhile for the hot tag and title-winning team finish.

Gail Kim defended the TNA Knockouts Championship against Brooke Tessmacher in a short match that turned on the challenger borrowing the champion own signature move. Tessmacher began with arm drags and a monkey flip, then rallied after Kim worked her back with a backbreaker and corner attacks. A top-rope elbow drop brought a near fall before Kim tried for Eat Defeat. Tessmacher countered and struck Kim with her own version, but the momentum sent the champion to the floor instead of leaving her in place for an immediate cover.

By the time Tessmacher rolled Kim back inside, the defending champion had recovered enough to survive. Kim then caught the challenger in a sudden rollup, placed her feet on the ropes for unauthorized leverage and secured the three count. The C+ (6.6) reflects a real challenger comeback undermined by a cheating finish rather than a decisive clean defense. The title stayed with Kim, and Tessmacher had a credible complaint about the referee failing to see the rope-assisted pin.

Devon defended the TNA Television Championship against Robbie E and Robbie T in a three-way match. The challengers tried to work together, but Robbie E repeatedly insisted on getting the pin for himself. Devon initially knocked the larger T from the ring and attacked E. Robbie T pulled the champion outside for a clothesline, and the two Robbies took turns controlling him back inside. Robbie T hit a running powerslam and covered Devon; Robbie E pulled the referee away and broke his own teammate’s count. Their alliance began to fracture just as a championship change looked possible.

Robbie T backed Robbie E into the corner to confront him, and Devon charged both challengers from behind. Devon then rolled up Robbie T to retain at approximately 5:33. Contemporaneous live play-by-play from Slam Wrestling, Cageside Seats and Wrestling Inc, together with Pro Wrestling History, independently identifies T as the wrestler pinned; one later recap instead names Robbie E, and that conflicting account is retained in research for transparency. The C (6.2) assesses the hurried finish and the challengers’ self-defeating argument without turning the brief title defense into a major wrestling showcase.

Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson entered their singles match on relatively respectful terms and ended it with a disputed referee count. Hardy knocked Anderson outside early, but his attempted aerial attack near the ring steps missed and he struck the barrier. Anderson targeted Hardy arm, slowing down his airborne offense and generating a series of near falls. The wrestlers then borrowed each other finishing sequences: Hardy landed a Mic Check-style move, Anderson responded with a Twist of Fate, and both survived attempts at higher-risk aerial attacks. Neither had built an obvious final advantage.

Anderson tried a Swanton but landed on Hardy knees; Hardy then hit his own Swanton, which Anderson survived. When Hardy attempted another leg drop, Anderson countered into a tight rollup. The referee counted three despite replay appearing to show Hardy escaping at the last instant. Anderson is still the recorded winner by pinfall, not the loser or a no-contest, but the finish was visibly disputed. The B- (7.2) rewards the exchanges and finishers while acknowledging that the awkward count reduced clarity.

Crimson issued an open challenge during his undefeated streak after his expected meeting with Matt Morgan failed to take place. Eric Young answered with ODB nearby, introducing a comedic mismatch between Crimson serious challenge and Young playful manner. Young briefly gained an advantage with a headscissors takedown and dropkick, while Crimson used his size to toss him out of the ring and interrupt the pace. ODB tried to intervene when Crimson controlled her partner, drawing the referee attention and escalating their exchange at ringside.

Young fought back with a string of moves ending in a top-rope elbow drop, but he stopped to check on ODB after Crimson shoved her toward the corner. Crimson capitalized on the distraction, attacked Young from behind and finished him with Red Sky to continue his winning streak. The C- (5.8) reflects a brief open-challenge angle whose comedy and outside involvement crowded out competitive tension. The official winner was Crimson by pin, and ODB was not an in-ring participant.

Austin Aries faced Bully Ray in a size-versus-speed singles rivalry that also involved the ringside presence of Joseph Park. Ray stalled early and knocked the smaller Aries from the top turnbuckle to the floor before controlling him with hard chops and a bear hug. Aries repeatedly stood back up despite punishment, making his eventual comeback feel earned. Ray landed a one-man 3D for a near fall, but Aries escaped a powerbomb attempt and began pressing with dropkicks and a suicide dive.

When Ray produced a chain, Joseph Park reached the ringside area and drew his attention. Aries struck with a dive before returning to the ring, hitting a missile dropkick, corner dropkick and Brainbuster. Ray survived the pin, but Aries countered the next Bully Bomb attempt and locked in Last Chancery to force a submission. The B+ (8.0) rewards clear escalation toward a legitimate submission victory and the contrasting physical styles. Park was a distraction, not a third official competitor.

Kurt Angle faced A.J. Styles in a long singles contest while Christopher Daniels and Kazarian were escalating their conflict with Styles. Angle sought the ankle lock from the opening exchanges; Styles responded with hard kicks, a springboard forearm and near falls from his own high-impact offense. The wrestlers exchanged German suplexes, a Styles Clash and an Angle Slam, with neither finisher producing the winning count. Angle missed a moonsault, allowing Styles to answer with a splash, but the evenly matched exchanges left both men exposed to outside interference.

Daniels and Kazarian arrived at ringside as Styles climbed for another attack. The interruption drew his attention, and Daniels disrupted his footing. Angle caught Styles with an Angle Slam, then trapped him in a grapevined ankle lock until Styles submitted. Angle won by submission rather than pinfall; Daniels and Kazarian were outside interferers, not opponents. Afterward they attacked Styles until Angle drove them away. The A- (8.9) reflects strong technical counters and a credible final hold, with an unavoidable deduction for the outside distraction deciding the opening.

Bobby Roode defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Rob Van Dam in a ladder match whose victory condition was retrieving the suspended belt, not pinning an opponent. Van Dam took the fight to ringside, landed a leg drop across Roode draped over the guardrail and sent the champion into a ladder. Roode responded with a spinebuster onto a ladder, while Van Dam repeatedly interrupted the champion attempts to climb. Van Dam delivered Rolling Thunder and attempted a Five-Star Frog Splash from above, but the splash missed, exposing his vulnerability high above the ring.

Near the finish Van Dam moved between ladders as Roode tried to climb. Van Dam slipped with a leg caught between rungs, then fell and struck his head against a chair after Roode kicked him from the ladder. With Van Dam unable to stop him, Roode climbed and removed the championship belt to retain. The A- (8.5) credits hard ladder impact and a finish tied to the stipulation while acknowledging the hazardous-looking misstep. Roode did not win with a three-count or submission, and there was no title change.