Hard Justice (2005) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), which took place on May 15, 2005 at the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the first event under the Hard Justice chronology and the fifth event in the 2005 TNA PPV schedule. Eight matches and one pre-show match were featured on the event's card.
The main event was for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship between then-champion Jeff Jarrett and the challenger A.J. Styles with Tito Ortiz as Special Guest Referee. Styles ended up winning the bout, thus winning the championship for the third time. TNA held a twenty-man Gauntlet for the Gold to determine the number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The match came down to Abyss and Ron Killings, with Abyss coming out as the victor. The TNA X Division Championship defense by Christopher Daniels against Shocker was another highly promoted match for the event. Daniels won the bout, successfully retaining the title. The Naturals (Andy Douglas & Chase Stevens) defended the NWA World Tag Team Championship against America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris & James Storm) on the card. The Naturals ended up retaining the tag team championship over AMW.
The event is marked for Styles' winning the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the third time and for opening with a memorial for Chris Candido, who died prior to the show.
Results[]
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1P | Shark Boy defeated David Young | Singles match for entry in the Gauntlet for the Gold | 06:28 |
| 2 | Team Canada (Eric Young & Petey Williams) (w/ Coach D'Amore) defeated Apolo & Sonny Siaki | Tag team match | 08:06 |
| 3 | Michael Shane & Trinity defeated Chris Sabin & Traci | Mixed Tag Team match | 10:19 |
| 4 | Raven defeated Sean Waltman | Clockwork Orange House of Fun match | 13:00 |
| 5 | Monty Brown & The Outlaw defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Ron Killings | Tag team match | 08:55 |
| 6 | The Naturals (Andy Douglas & Chase Stevens) (c) defeated America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris & James Storm) | Tag team match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship | 14:10 |
| 7 | Christopher Daniels (c) defeated Shocker | Singles match for the TNA X Division Championship | 11:58 |
| 8 | Abyss won by last eliminating Ron Killings | Gauntlet for the Gold to become #1 contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship | 26:45 |
| 9 | A.J. Styles defeated Jeff Jarrett (c) | Singles match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship with Tito Ortiz as special guest referee | 19:30 |
| |||
Gauntlet for the Gold[]
| Entry order | Entrant | Elimination order | Eliminated by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Roode | 13 | Lance Hoyt |
| 2 | Zach Gowen | 1 | Shark Boy |
| 3 | Eric Young | 5 | Lance Hoyt |
| 4 | Cassidy Riley | 3 | Eric Young |
| 5 | Elix Skipper | 4 | Bobby Roode |
| 6 | Shark Boy | 2 | A-1 |
| 7 | A-1 | 16 | B.G. James and The Outlaw |
| 8 | Chris Sabin | 7 | Himself |
| 9 | Petey Williams | 15 | B.G. James and The Outlaw |
| 10 | Sonny Siaki | 8 | A-1, Bobby Roode and Petey Williams |
| 11 | Lance Hoyt | 14 | A-1 and Bobby Roode |
| 12 | Michael Shane | 6 | Chris Sabin |
| 13 | Jerrelle Clarke | 9 | Petey Williams |
| 14 | Mikey Batts | 10 | The Outlaw |
| 15 | The Outlaw | 17 | Abyss |
| 16 | Trytan | 11 | A-1, Bobby Roode and Petey Williams |
| 17 | Ron Killings | 19 | Abyss by Pinfall |
| 18 | Apolo | 12 | Himself and The Outlaw |
| 19 | B.G. James | 18 | Abyss |
| 20 | Abyss | Winner | N/A |