Reported by Mike Siciliano of WrestleView.com
On Saturday, May 12, 2007 at 9:34 PM EST

ON PAPER, this card looks pretty good from where I sit, but when you look at the reviews from Impact, the fact just stands out clear as day, TNA isn't pitching with a full count right now, and they are floundering, from what I can tell. Anyway, the talent is obviously there to put on the show, and let's go down the card for Sacrifice, and see if I can come up with some sort of a good record for this one.

VOODOO KIN MAFIA vs. BASHAM & DAMAJA (w/CHRISTY HEMME)
Right off the bat, this one has been done too damn much. First, its the Heart Breakers for a one night stand, then its Serotonin, which has turned in to life support central for those three members, and now it's the Bashams. Quite frankly, it surprises me, because VKM was supposed to be this big war machine, (oops, sorry Rhino), to poke fun at WWE, and all that has seemingly happened is VKM has turned into WWE re-tread central. I mean, think about it, in this 3 month period, there's two people that's competed in these matches that is not a WWE re-tread. Johnny Devine and Matt Bentley, or Havok and Martyr, if we have to be current. Anyway, VKM has lost a few hundred steps on their path to retirement, and it's quite obvious the time has caught up to them, but I don't see Christy winning this feud before it ends. I see Christy walking out of Sacrifice with a lot of egg on her face, figuratively, and her teams being 0-3 on Pay Per View.

WINNERS: Voodoo Kin Mafia

Four Corners X Division Match
JERRY LYNN vs. ALEX SHELLEY vs. TIGER MASK vs. SENSHI
Someone please explain to me the logic of bringing a New Japan guy in here at this time. From where I sit, it's just a weak attempt at a collaboration because TNA takes a look at a promotion like Ring of Honor, whose champion has managed to split time between his home promotion of NOAH, and still manage to raise the prestige of its world championship. Perhaps TNA is trying to show the world that it still has connections in the Orient by bringing the New Japan competitor Tiger Mask to Sacrifice and putting him in this match.

Whatever the case may be, Austin Aries is to partially blame for this mess. Aries' attitude, which I support fully, because he's only trying to do what's best for himself, has caused this match to take place, because inadvertently, all of these men were involved in some way with the Starr/Backlund thing. Senshi was in the matches, Shelley was kissin' Nash's ass, and Lynn was just out there making people angry that he was winning matches and supposedly this ancient old man. Anyway, this should be an interesting contest, and I would actually not mind seeing anyone new from Japan compete. Who's got the most to lose and win with a victory here? Good question. I think a portion of what happens here may affect the X Division title match later in the card. It's been a while since Hot Potato Russo has changed title holders, and this match can definitely be suspected to be a #1 contenders match for the X title. With that being said, take out the New Japan guy from winning right off the bat, and we're down to the three locals, Lynn, Shelley & Senshi. I'm going to go out on a limb and say....

WINNER: Jerry Lynn

And why? You'll find out later.

SAMOA JOE vs. AJ STYLES
This is by far and way the biggest miscarriage of justice known to man from a booking standpoint. I mean, think about it, go back to Sacrifice 2005, and Joe and Styles are main eventing the pay per view for the Super X Cup. Joe and Styles later on the following year put on first class calibre matches and three ways with Chris Daniels. Now, we advance to 2007, Styles is a "heel", and Joe has "tripped over some bad booking", and now this match, with no prep work on Impact, has been signed for a PPV to hopefully bring some spark back in to the TNA product. Personally, if I was Joe and Styles, I'd be livid by the booking here, because everybody who's a wrestling pundit knows that this match is a main event style match, and it would not surprise me in the least if it opens the PPV. Abyssmal, to the extreme.

WINNER: AJ Styles

I think they're still punishing Samoa Joe for his commentary, and his lack of "enthusiasm" about the product. Personally, I don't blame him, one bit.

CHRISTOPHER DANIELS vs. RHINO
It's quite obvious since the umpteen year feud between Styles and Rhino was such a raving success that they decided to go forward with the other half of the X Division Dream Team going in to a singles program with the War Machine. Daniels new gimmick is, in a word, lame. I don't get it, I don't understand the logic behind it, and personally, it stinks. The "Fallen Angel" was making money hand over fist from what I saw with his gimmick of sorts initially, tampering with it was messing with a good thing. In this particular sense, I think Daniels will cheat, and figure out a way to win the match. Plain and simple.

WINNER: Christopher Daniels

JEFF JARRETT vs. ROBERT ROODE
Again, why isn't it Eric Young vs. Robert Roode? Someone want to explain that one? Ok, never mind. We've got Young's friend, the King of the Mountain going up against the former Team Canada enforcer, who quite honestly, needs a win here in a big way. His gimmick is getting stale, he's spending too much time yelling at Young, and not enough time focusing on bigger fish to fry. This is his ticket in to the title picture, if he's able to score the upset. And that's what it would be, an upset. The world knows Jarrett is eventually en route back to the TNA World title, whenever that comes to pass, and it's just a matter of time before it happens. The question remains, will creative allow for some bumps in the road, or is the King of the Mountain headed back up the mountain at the expense of others who have worked to keep TNA on the map, such as Mr. Roode.

My opinion...

WINNER: Jeff Jarrett

Texas Death Match
CHRIS HARRIS vs. JAMES STORM
Ok. I'm not the encyclopedia of gimmick matches, especially while in TNA, because they're normally different than most other federations. What's the rules here? Yes, I said it, I don't know the rules for this match. Regardless of that fact, this match is a virtual pick 'em, for two reasons. A) The women outside cancel each other out, regardless if Jackie Moore got her dental surgery or not, Moore & Kim will cancel each other out, and B) There hasn't been enough solid physical interaction between Harris and Storm to see who's got the better hand in this so called rivalry. It's a virtual pick em. Nobody here has shown any dominance. Personally, I am going to pick Storm, for one reason. He has managed to continue his career without pissing off TNA Brass. We can't say the same for the Wildcat.

WINNER: James Storm

X Division Championship
CHRIS SABIN vs. JAY LETHAL vs. SONJAY DUTT
It's nice to see TNA reward Lethal with an opportunity at the X Division gold, but since we're talking about rewards. Let's talk about a man who's been with the company from virtually day one, has done all that has been asked of him, continued to be a fan favorite throughout the Impact Zone, and yet, has not tasted X Division gold yet once. Jay Lethal is still a youngster. He's still a baby. He'll get his due. He's still working his dues in to place. Sonjay Dutt is so long overdue for a title shot, it's beyond funny. And let's call it as we see it. Jerry Lynn is a huge supporter of Sonjay Dutt, and if the four corners match is any pre-cursor, I'm going to go out on a limb, again, and say Sonjay Dutt wins the X title, and goes in to a program for his first title defense against fellow fan favorite Jerry Lynn. It would be different, creative, and damn interesting to watch, which means there isn't a chance in hell its going to happen, but hey, I'm crazy, I'll pick it.

WINNER: New X Division Champion: Sonjay Dutt

World Tag Team Championship
TEAM 3D vs. SCOTT STEINER & TOMKO vs. L.A.X.
I NEED SOMEONE TO TELL ME WHAT THE HELL SCOTT STEINER AND TRAVIS TOMKO DID TO DESERVE A SHOT AT THE WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP.

Now, with the onset of new titles, I could certainly see something to the effect of Team 3D retaining, and then getting on the mike, and saying something to the effect of, we won the NWA titles, and now we have to win the TNA titles... and then the belts are brought out and presented to the champions after the match, or something to that nature. Hell, it's just incredible speculation, and all I am interested in is how are these collars going to handle the split from the National Wrestling Alliance. Personally, it's a little damaging to TNA's reputation, but I think they'll survive, for now, at least.

I mean, I could certainly see Bubba and D'von doing something similar to the days where Shane Douglas threw the NWA title in the trash, and was christened the ECW champion. Is that going to happen? I doubt it, but hey, it'd be interesting to see.

Anyway, I expect this to be a no contest, because LAX will do what the Latino Nation does best, and take out the competition, meaning Steiner & Tomko. The only question is, does LAX have 3D's number? Now that the shoe is on the other foot, and 3D is the title holders, I think there will be some changes, but 3D will probably retain and be the first "TNA tag team champs." It adds another three letter fed to 3D's huge resume. If they can parade the belts they did before winning the NWA titles, they can do it again when they're christened the TNA tag titles.

WINNERS: Team 3D

World Heavyweight Championship
CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. STING vs. KURT ANGLE
Once again, the tend of walking away from the guys who have been with the company from day one is heir apparent, as two former WWE combatants and a former WCW main eventer compete for the championship. And why? How's it going to take TNA to the next level? Where's the youth? Where's the new faces? Where's the "ALTERNATIVE?" A viable, poignant, legitimate question, from where I sit.

If there's ever a time where I would like to see a major run in, this is it. I don't want any of these guys to win the belt. Why? Simple. I want to see guys like Abyss run with the belt for more than a couple of months of gimmicky matches. I want to see guys like AJ Styles get another shot at the title with the heel status he is working with now, and see where that leads, creatively. I wanna see guys like Samoa Joe get the shot he's sacrificed so much credibility for by severing ties with Ring of Honor before TNA did it in its own right. I also want to see a champion rest on his own laurels, and outside of Sting, it's probably not going to happen with Angle, and it damn sure isn't going that way with Cage, who for some reason has managed to keep the bulk of his team from Lockdown together as his flunkies that protect his back and his interests.

What happens next from this match is anyone's guess. I don't have a clue how they're going to do the title change and the elimination of the NWA title. All I can tell you is this, they've managed to absolutely kill what could've been a legendary feud between Sting and Kurt Angle, and in the process, continue to keep Christian Cage at the top of what has become a sinking ship. And that's how I think this will continue.

WINNER: Christian Cage

Sacrifice doesn't thrill me. But then again, TNA as a whole hasn't thrilled me much lately. Let's see what there is to see in the coming weeks.

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