THE SACRIFICE BREAKDOWN

Committed Match: Mr. Anderson vs. Samuel Shaw

Winner: Shaw

Sean Garmer: This feud has been comedy gold for both positive and negative reasons, but these two have sort of under whelmed when it comes to the matches and I’m going to keep my expectations low for this in hopes that they will surprise me. I’d expect Sam Shaw to get a win so that they can finally give some kind of direction to this story. Whether it be because Christie Hemme goes on some elaborate plan to trick Shaw or she finally gives in to him being misunderstood.

Winner: Sam Shaw

Alex Crowder: This could be decent depending on what the Committed stipulation actually means. If this is a variant of an ambulance match, it might not be that bad. Unlike most, I actually really dig Shaw’s character because he plays it so well. I think he should win, but have a feeling that Mr. Anderson will win.

Winner: Mr. Anderson

Mike Hammerlock: Shaw’s character hasn’t really developed during this feud. He’s been too static. Hopefully getting sent to an insane asylum gives him some more dimension. It would make sense for Anderson to win this one and then turn his attentions elsewhere. He’s given Shaw a good rub, dropping two matches. This would be a good spot to end this feud with Anderson still in possession of his contender status and Shaw still in possession of some viability.

Winner: Miiiiisterrrrr Anderson

Justin Watry: What a mess. I thought Samuel Shaw lived in his own apartment. Remember the security footage that was somehow aired on TNA Impact Wrestling without his knowledge? Or the whole stalking deal? Now he apparently lives at home, and his mother has no idea who Anderson is. *insert own joke here about nobody watching TNA* Regardless, this stipulation has Vince Russo City written all over it. Shaw had potential months ago to be a creepy character, but this is just beyond ridiculous. Anderson wins to send Shaw off television…maybe even for good.

Winner: Mr. Anderson

Wyatt Beougher: I’m guessing the point of this match is either to get your opponent into a straightjacket or into a the mental asylum van that Anderson hopped out of during Christy’s “surprise” for Shaw a couple of Impacts back. Their match at Lockdown wasn’t anything to write home about, but I’m still hopeful that they can elevate their in-ring performances in this one to suit the extra month of build that they’ve had since then. With Shaw winning at Lockdown, logic dictates that Kennedy win this one, but from a character standpoint, I don’t see how sending Shaw to an asylum would really benefit the character. Either he goes to the Asylum, gets “cured”, and comes back without the gimmick that’s actually gotten him over, or he comes out angrier, which would ruin the Patrick Batemen “barely controlled psychopath” persona that he’s been cultivating. For that reason, I think Shaw wins this match as well.

Winner: Samuel Shaw

Larry Csonka: I’d love to say I am looking forward to the match, but I don’t think that either encounter they have had has been very good. Hopefully they can break the streak on this show. Judging by the direction TNA has been taking with new(er) stars, I would have Shaw go over here.

Winner: Samuel Shaw

Tag Team Match: Willow and Kurt Angle vs. Ethan Carter and Spud

Winners: Ethan Carter and Spud

Sean Garmer: I can’t stand that Willow basically becomes Jeff Hardy with a mask on in the ring, but between Willow’s crazy promos and Rockstar Spud’s hilarious antics I’ve been entertained by this feud. EC3 and Spud are really good together and I expect something to happen that helps Spud get some fluke win over Willow and both feuds continue.

Winners: Ethan Carter and Spud

Alex Crowder: Kurt Angle has been banged up as of late, so this match is a good fit. Willow has had a decent little feud with Spud that has entertained me; meanwhile, Ethan Carter has improved a lot since coming to TNA. This match up could be better than expected. I see the young guns getting the best of the seasoned veterans continuing both feuds in some capacity.

Winner: Ethan Carter and Spud

Mike Hammerlock: Must fight urge to refer to Hardy and Angle as Team 12-Step. Anyway, you’ve got to assume the Willow gimmick is headed somewhere and that TNA wants to milk Angle while he’s still on the payroll. Jobbing Spud out would make sense. On the other hand, we never got that Angle-EC3 match at Lockdown and surely they’re building toward that. I’ll go with the outcome on this one seeming too obvious for it to go down that way. I’m voting this match for Most Likely to Be Overbooked.

Winner: EC3 and Spud

Justin Watry: Jeff Hardy as JEFF HARDY = $$$ / Jeff Hardy as Willow to satisfy his own artistic freedoms = crickets chirp / Kurt Angle is months away from retirement or leaving the company, and he is wasting time with comedy clowns in the middle of the card. Jim Ross pretty much nailed this whole deal a few weeks ago in his blog. Head up north Kurt; it is pretty clear nothing is happening here. Ethan Carter, much like Shaw, has completely went off the tracks in recent months. Oh well! Spud should be getting absolutely ZERO television time right now, but TNA is long past caring about guys who may actually draw a dime in this business. Since it really is just a standard tag match nobody is paying for (even though Hardy and Angle are legends, just not in TNA), I say give the win to the heels. Not that it really matters…

Winner: EC3 and Spud

Wyatt Beougher: I’m torn here, because I feel like there’s always a chance that TNA is going to put its number one merchandise seller over in a match like this, but to me, it makes more sense for Carter and Spud to get the duke. Also, like I said in Fact or Fiction this week, I sincerely hope that Hardy Willow wrestles the majority of the match for his side, words I thought I’d never say or type, but such is Angle’s physical condition that I’m honestly worried every time that he steps into the ring, especially when he looks as poorly as he does right now. I’m picking ECIII and Spud, but if they do decide to put Hardy and Angle over, let’s hope Spud eats the pin and not Carter.

Winner: ECIII and Rockstar Spud

Larry Csonka: This is playing off of the feuds EC3 has been involved in with Angle and Willow. The match makes sense because Angle likely isn’t ready for a full blown PPV singles match, and because Spud is there to take the loss, allowing EC3 to escape like the over confident and cowardly heel he is. I figure that Angle gets the pin to build to a single match with EC3.

Winner: Willow and Kurt Angle

Tables Match: Bobby Roode vs. Bully Ray

Winner: Bully Ray

Sean Garmer: We still haven’t gotten enough of the TWITTA MACHINE!!! From the face Bully Ray, but with Roode seemingly beating Bully at everything lately, it seems Bully is primed to get a win over Roode here. Bully is the master of the tables after all.

Winner: Bully Ray

Alex Crowder: I think the table match is an underrated gimmick, and this one fits perfectly. Usually I’m not big on gimmick matches, but all these matches fit the feuds they’re a part of. Bobby Roode is trying to one up Bully Ray, so I see him winning what should be a pretty good match up. Both men are great, so I expect nothing less than good. I would not be surprised if Bully Ray won. Still, I see Roode winning to continue this feud, which I’m sure most of us are okay with.

Winner:Bobby Roode

Mike Hammerlock: Bully Ray is a face again? I like him so much better as a heel, even though I hated Aces & Eights and his recent firebug phase. He plays an excellent loudmouth misogynist, though maybe that’s not acting. Yet after his zillionth face/heel turn, I’ve got whiplash fatigue (in other words, he’s given me whiplash so many times that I’m tired of it). The man is a walking soap opera. Meanwhile, Bobby Roode is practically his exact opposite. Roode’s the once and future king of the TNA heap. He’s the most legit guy in the company, a bona fide snowflake collector when it comes to his in-ring work. He doesn’t need the dramatic plot twists because he can flat out go in the ring. The real question here is whether the plan is to have these two occupy each other’s time for a few months? If so, Bully Ray wins, which keeps Roode’s attention fixed on him and not the title. If not, then it would make a lot of TNA fans happy to see their best guy to put their biggest drama queen (and I don’t care if he’s a face at this moment) through a table.

Winner: Bobby Roode

Justin Watry: A tables match? Have not seen one of those in awhile. What, a week or two? Bully Ray should never be a face. Never. His name is BULLY! Roode is one of the few talents that WWE should scoop up and feature in main event ASAP. However, at age 37, that ship has sailed. Too bad. He belongs in the big leagues. Bully Ray wins because (again) it really does not matter. That is why.

Winner: Bully Ray

Wyatt Beougher: Because I don’t think TNA is going to give Tigre Uno/Sanada the time it needs to be truly awesome, this is my dark horse pick for match of the night. Roode’s a good hand, and this is Bully’s element, so I’m actually looking forward to seeing how this one plays out. Will Bully continue his dominance in matches involving tables that dates all the way back to ECW, or will Roode rise up and strike down the former President of Aces & 8’s? Since I’m predicting a lot of heel wins for this show, I think Bully takes this one, though if I were booking, I’d put Roode over.

Winner: Bully Ray

Larry Csonka: The match stems from the Lockdown PPV and Ray not following through with Dixie Carter’s payoff. Roode, upset that he lost out on 10% of TNA, is out to take everything that Ray has, including his title of “Master of the Tables Match”. It is easy, both guys are good on the mic, and have worked together very well in the past. I have high hopes for this one to deliver a very good match. I think that Roode wins via shenanigans.

Winner: Bobby Roode

I-Quit Match: James Storm vs. Gunner

Winner: James Storm

Sean Garmer: I like heel James Storm, it has made me more interested in his character. Gunner has grown on me as the weeks have wore on and I feel Gunner has been improving in the ring and with his promos as well. I still think Joe has unfinished business with the World Title, so I don’t see Storm jumping this feud just yet. He also needs his win back after Gunner won the Last Man Standing match as well. It would probably make Storm look really weak to lose two big matches two PPV’s in a row.

Winner: James Storm

Alex Crowder: The I Quit match is again the perfect stipulation. This feud has really elevated Gunner. This match up should be pretty entertaining too. I expect brutality in a heated match. The result of this match to me depends on if the feud will continue. I think this could be a feud enter, so TNA would take the next step with Gunner by having him win this feud. Gunner getting the better of James Storm on two occasions is a big deal. I would not be surprised though if James Storm wins and they continue the feud.

Winner: Gunner

Mike Hammerlock: I don’t get why this feud’s still going. Gunner beat Storm at Genesis, Lockdown and in a no-DQ match on Impact. It’s turning into Arthur Dent vs. Agrajag. At this point, Gunner’s won too much to drop this match. I’m sure it will be a well-worked affair, but it feels like overkill. To rework an old baseball saying, better to end a feud one match too early than one match too late. You can always sell unfinished business down the road.

Winner: Gunner

Justin Watry: The feud that will never end! How many gimmicked up, feud closing ‘blow off’ bouts can two guys have? Seriously, the feud is done and over with. It has been for a while now. A part of me is actually intrigued enough to know what kind of gimmick match these two will have on Impact this Thursday. Surely, it will continue. I mean forget logic and all that basic wrestling story line sense. To make things worse, Gunner has won every single time. Why is this still an issue? If he has won all of those, he is not going to say I quit now. Poor James Storm. Beyond repair since late 2011. Said it then. Will say it again.

Winner: Gunner

Wyatt Beougher: This is a match I’m completely unsure on, because while I think they want to push Gunner, what do they do with James Storm if he loses to Gunner again? Still though, Storm is one of the more consistent performers currently employed by TNA, so he’ll weather another down stretch after the Modern Day Viking picks up the win here.

Winner: Gunner

Larry Csonka: James Storm and Gunner had the match of the night at Lockdown, and then followed that up in a rematch on Impact, which was also very good. As much as I liked those matches, I don’t understand why we need this one. Gunner won, clean, in a last man standing match, and then won again clean on Impact. He’s the good guy, he got revenge for his dad, and they got to kick Storm’s ass again. I honestly have no idea why this is continuing. I hope that they can make it three in a row as far as good matches go, they have done well thus far and I love good matches, just not sure why we’re getting a third match. And stop calling it a “rubber match,” that insinuates that the series is tied 1 to 1. They have done very well building Gunner, and he SHOULD win here. SHOULD.

Winner: Gunner

Tag Team Championship Match: Champions The Bro-Mans vs. The Wolves

Winners and NEW TNA Tag Team Champions: The Wolves

Sean Garmer: I’ve actually enjoyed The Bro-Mans run as Tag Champs, especially Jessie who has really become TNA’s version of The Miz and came from reality TV to be a good talent. The Bro-Mans have made me laugh with all the silly reasons why they couldn’t defend their titles. Then DJ Zema even got involved to help out his pals. All that being said, there’s NO WAY TNA can possibly keep this going for another few months. The Wolves need a big PPV Title win to give them back some of their shine they’ve lost since TNA decided to pull the idiotic title switch at a house show, only for the Bro-Mans to win it back a week later.

Winners and NEW TNA Tag Team Champions: The Wolves

Alex Crowder: I hate to say it but I’m not that much of a fan of The Bro-Mans; nonetheless, I think this match will be decent. The Bro-Mans have played their part well regardless of my bias towards them. The Wolves are always pretty good, and I see them regaining the Tag Team Championship. Otherwise, they may lose any momentum.

Winner:The Wolves

Mike Hammerlock: This is as good a place as any to note that Sacrifice is TNA’s first post-death-of-pay-per-view PPV. The WWE Network comet hit the earth and good luck getting people to pay a premium to watch a very special TNA card. It’s too bad because the Wolves have had a nice three-month build to this title match. Much as people make sport of TNA Impact ratings, roughly 50x more people watch it than will see this PPV. It would be good business for the Wolves to go over and win the belts in front of a bigger audience, allowing TNA to start marketing them as the best tag team on the planet. Their win here will create a small ripple in a very small pond.

Winner: The Wolves

Justin Watry: Zema Ion is added, but it (again) does not really matter. Pop quiz! How many times have The Wolves got a tag team title match? When you answer that, feel free to tell me you are willing to spend $40 on the pay off on Sunday for the long awaited title change…oh wait. Hold the phones. The Wolves won the straps at a live event already. Well, so much for that idea. It is great that Jessie came from Big Brother, but he and Robbie E rank right up there with Spud and Dixie Carter as the worst things on all of television in 2014. The Wolves should win this in 30 seconds. With only two tag teams in the entire company though, TNA just may pull off their typical ‘swerve for the sake of swerve’ here. Hope not.

Winner: The Wolves

Wyatt Beougher: Well, the stipulation here clearly suggests that the Wolves will win the straps; however, I don’t think I’m personally ready for a world where at least one of the titles in TNA aren’t held by a member of Team Dixie. I only wish these guys had more in-ring chemistry, as their styles just seem to be too different to actually put on a compelling match (the BroMans are almost strictly comedy, and the Wolves don’t have a funny bone between them). Still though, if the Wolves are going over, we can expect this to be a fast-paced match with some stiffness, so it could always be worse.

Winner: The Wolves

Larry Csonka: This has been a simple and easy story to tell. Asshole heels with the belts doing anything they can to retain their titles against the faces that the crowd wants to see win. I enjoy the act of the Bro-Mans, and the one good thing is that they have improved greatly, especially because they have been working with the Wolves so much, which is a plus to the feud. They stretched it almost too long, but I think this is the right time for the title change; the Wolves should win and enjoy a proper title run, even with DJ Zema Ion added to the mix.

Winner: The Wolves

X Division Championship Match: Champion Sanada vs. Tigre Uno

Winner: No contest

Michael Weyer: I’m so glad the X-Division is getting love again and Kenny King has been dynamite on the microphone since coming back too. TNA has done a wonderful job with video packages for Sanada and I think he has much more appeal for TNA as the X-Division Champion right now. Sanada retains the title here and I’d expect Kenny King to waste no time challenging Sanada on the next IMPACT.

Winner AND STILL TNA X-DIVISION CHAMPION: Sanada

Alex Crowder: This is the matchup I’m most looking forward to. I really hope these guys get some time to cut loose. I think the two of them are very skilled and will help bring the X-Division back to glory. TNA needs to continue to push these two and let them put on great matches. You have Sanada who represents the Japanese Junior Heavyweight style meeting Tigre Uno who exemplifies Lucha Libre. These two styles blend together perfectly. I’m really looking forward to this one as a fan of Light Heavyweight wrestlers. I see Sanada retaining since he hasn’t held the title that long. Kenny King could either help extend this feud or become the winner’s next challenger.

Winner: Sanada

Mike Hammerlock: Stylistically this should be fun, though with all talk segments TNA runs on Impact, you’d think they’d have given these two a story beyond Japanese vs. Mexican. As for the match itself, this is a chance for TNA to showcase something you really don’t see that much on WWE programming. If they’re planning on giving one match a surprising amount of extra time, pick this one and let them steal the show, then YouTube the hell of out it.

Winner: Tigre Uno

Justin Watry: It is Reboot the X-Division Version 56,337. If TNA does not care, neither do I.

Winner: Sanada

Wyatt Beougher: “Please get fifteen minutes, please get fifteen minutes, please get fifteen minutes.” All I really want is for this match to get the proper time to shine and make the X Division title feel important. The two matches that led up to this didn’t get even ten minutes combined, so I realize it’s probably wishful thinking, but I refuse to give up hope. At any rate, I can’t see them taking the belt off of Sanada just yet, especially not until they’ve built up Tigre Uno more. Hopefully they have a closely fought match here that makes both guys look awesome, so that this rivalry can continue, then either Tigre Uno or Kenny King can snag the belt at the next PPV in a three-way dance.

Winner: Sanada

Larry Csonka: Given time, Sanada vs. Tigre Uno should be a very good match. We have seen flashes of good times, but they have been in rushed three-minute exhibitions masquerading as the first two matches of a best of three series. A best of three series tossed out there with no real reason other than to get to this PPV match. Sorry, I am not a fan of the build to this. Hopeful these guys get 12-15 minutes to shine on PPV. Word is that TNA wants to bring back the older style; highflying, high risk, no limits X-Division matches and they want these guys to do it. Please give them a chance.

Winner: Sanada

Knockouts Championship Match: Champion Madison Rayne vs. Angelina Love

Winner and NEW Knockouts Champion: Angelina Love

Sean Garmer: I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t been a fan of the Beautiful People reunion. I just don’t find Angelina all that interesting and feel like Velvet was in a better place with the Sabin storyline. I’d prefer Velvet being in the match here as I feel like both her and Madison have grown as workers and maybe Angelina has regressed. Maybe Angelina will surprise me here, but either way, it seems like TNA is destined to give Angelina the belt since returning and it makes most sense for her to win here. This way Madison can chase her until Slammiversary and perhaps there is still another turn left in Velvet before this feud is all done.

Winner and NEW Knockouts Champion: Angelina Love

Alex Crowder: The reunion of The Beautiful People has injected new life into the character of Velvet Sky. The Beautiful People play malicious women better than most. I do love Madison Rayne’s work and think she makes a great champion; however, I think the Knockouts division could use a heel at the top. The Beautiful People fit that criteria and could make for some interesting interactions with the other knockouts. Mean girls always make the Knockouts more interesting.

Winner: Angelina Love

Mike Hammerlock: This match is so 2010. There’s no chance of anything like good wrestling happening. I suppose it counts for eye candy if you happen to be into women who look like transvestites. Hopefully Velvet Sky interferes a lot.

Winner: Angelina Love

Justin Watry: I do not mind Madison Rayne. I do not even really mind The Beautiful People reuniting. The problem is all of this has been rehashed over and over for how long now? Then with Gail Kim and ODB still hanging around, it is even more of a rerun. Same girls all fighting for the same title they have all held numerous times. Not much there. Since Angelina Love just came back and Vince Russo reportedly loves the act, I expect a title change.

Winner: Angelina Love

Wyatt Beougher: I’m really not interested in this match in the least, as TNA rehashing the Beautiful People for the umpteenth time does nothing for me. Honestly, at this point, would it surprise anyone if Velvet Sky turned on Angelina to help Rayne win, only to reveal she and Rayne had been working together all along after Love wouldn’t apologize to Rayne? I doubt it’ll happen, but then again, stranger things have happened on TNA shows. On the bright side, it’s the more talented member of the Beautiful People in the ring, so this match could actually be pretty decent. Since Rayne won the belt shortly after returning, I think TNA does the same thing here with Love.

Winner: Angelina Love

Larry Csonka: TNA has invested a lot of TV time and effort into the return of The Beautiful People. They have shaken up the division with Kim looking to go back as a face and Brittany as Madison’s stalker. With all of that being the case, I figure that TNA does the title change, shenanigans involved to cheat Madison out of the title.

Winner: Angelina Love

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Champion Eric Young vs. Magnus

Winner and NEW TNA World Champion: Magnus

Sean Garmer: Hate on me all you want, but EY may deserve it, but he doesn’t deserve being a pawn for TNA trying to just copy what WWE is doing and then Dixie coming out the next week on IMPACT and basically admitting to it by stating that “people owe her big fat royalty checks for creating the bearded wrestler.” That being said, anything was better than the terrible reign of Magnus with his pussy championship reign. EY being a fighting champion is a perfect way to solidify his reign and a big win over Magnus would help. It would be stupid to have EY lose to Magnus here and basically put him right back into his comedy role. EY needs this win and I think TNA seems set on pushing EY until they get evidence that EY as champion just doesn’t work. Please TNA don’t try to continue copying WWE by having Dixie and Magnus realign as some ploy against EY, it will only hurt TNA to basically have your own version of Bryan vs. The Authority. Do what WWE didn’t do, and show you have faith in EY and have him beat Magnus and continue being champion.

Winner and STILL TNA World Champion: Eric Young

Alex Crowder: Eric Young should win this matchup and help solidify his world title reign. Magnus has beaten so many while reigning as Champion, so Eric Young bettering him on a consistent basis will only strengthen Young’s reign. If any of the heels from further down the card win tonight, they would be perfect challengers for Eric Young. Ethan Carter, Bobby Roode, James Storm, or even Samoa Joe would all make for great contenders if Eric wins. A Magnus win would be very counterproductive and undermine the entire reign of Eric Young. I think TNA learned their lesson with the Chris Sabin reign. I do expect some Abyss interference, but Eric Young will still come out victorious.

Winner: Eric Young

Mike Hammerlock: I’m willing to proclaim Magnus the worst TNA champ ever. His reign was terrible, featuring some of the most unwatchable, most overbooked crap we’ve had to endure in a long time. After a debacle like that, he should be banished permanently from ever holding the belt again (or at least be forced through years of repackaging before he gets another run). Eric Young can become unreasonably popular simply by booting Magnus back down to the mid-card. That’s really what this match is about: Young eradicating the Magnus menace. The Brit sleazed his way to cheap victories for months and now it’s time for someone to beat him straight up, giving fans a feel-good moment. Abyss probably runs in at some point, but expect that plan either to be foiled or to blow up in Magnus’ face. Young may not be champ for long, but he should at least be champ after Sunday night.

Winner: Eric Young

Justin Watry: What SHOULD happen? TNA should buy a time machine and try to erase the past few weeks. What WILL they do? Try to pretend Eric Young is credible for another few weeks before changing the title on another live taping because it is cool to surprise fans and “pop” a one week television rating before plummeting the next week. As bland as Magnus is, I am almost rooting for him to win the belt back and not delay the inevitable Eric Young title loss. Again though, does it really matter? I do not consider this to be a “World” title anyways. Also, it is not like anybody reading this is truly plunking down $40 to watch this event with title/gimmick matches given away for FREE on a near weekly basis. In closing, if anybody working in TNA is reading this, I just have one question: What is the company’s target PPV buy rate for Sacrifice? Seriously. No joking. Please feel free to respond. My email address is [email protected] and is always open. I will even keep your name/job title private. Promise! I will not reveal anything to the public. Just between me and you, what is the internal target range for PPV buys within the company? I truly am curious.

Winner: Eric Young

Wyatt Beougher: As I said in Fact or Fiction this week, this match intrigues me, because if TNA really was using the WWE’s Daniel Bryan storyline, shouldn’t they be pairing Eric Young off with Abyss, who is the closest thing TNA has to a Kane at this point? And, with Abyss no longer working for Magnus, I’m actually curious if they’re going to go that route at all. Sadly for TNA, that actually makes the most sense if they want to keep the belt on Young, as he and Abyss have a ton of history and unresolved issues. And as great as Magnus has been post-Main Event Mafia, I just can’t see them hot-shotting the title onto Young for a couple of weeks, just to put it back on him, so I’m going with Young in this one, possibly by Abyss-ference.

Winner: Eric Young

Larry Csonka: The match on Impact between the two was actually really fun, and I feel that they can have another good match here on PPV. My big fear of course is the over booking that tends to happen in matches like this, and that isn’t a TNA knock, that’s a wrestling knock. Word is that they want to run with Young as champion, and the last thing they need to do is have another Sabin situation, where you switch the title, switch it back and then do nothing with the man that won and lost quickly. Let Young run with the title, keep it simple, and this should be a good match. Enough to be a great PPV main event? Hopefully so.

Winner: Eric Young