03/22/2010 TNA: Loser Leaves Town Match: Jeff Jarrett def. Mick Foley in 8:04.

This match was during the first few months of Hulk Hogan’s big arrival in TNA. Russo was still writing, so of course, this match is being forced on both men by the evil Eric Bischoff, because that’s what heels do instead of just firing someone they don’t want working for them. Both men did a joint interview before the match to get over how reluctant they were to fight each other with this stip. Ironically, they said they owed it to the fans not to take it easy, then went out there and had a fairly pedestrian match. Perhaps it was Bischoff doing heel-authority commentary, or Beer Money as the two heel referees, or the babyface vs. babyface dynamic, but this was really flat and had zero big-match feel given the stip. They even did some brawling at the top of the ramp that felt very paint-by-numbers. They worked in socko a lot, but Jarrett eventually won with a stroke on a chair. A smattering of fans chanted “Thank you, Foley,” while the truly smart fans knew this was Russo’s “story” bullshit. Beer Money attacked Jarrett after that match, only to be run off by Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam, to make the stip mean even less. *1/2