Welcome back to ringside everyone. No real intro this week just straight into the Impact results…
5/27 Impact! Recap
For full results on the final Imact! On FSN click here for Hollyric’s recap.
Last week I gave you the top 5 reasons TNA needed the Spike TV timeslot. Well, instead of getting the Spike TV timeslot, it would seem as if TNA got the WGN timeslot. Now WGN is not seen in all of the U.S. so TNA still will not pull the ratings that WWE does, but hey, it’s in prime time, and it’s a start. Let’s hope that everything works out well for TNA and they make a run at the WWE.
This week I was torn on what Top 5 I wanted to do. I was thinking “Top 5 Workers”, “Top 5 Mark Out Moments”, and “Top 5 Matches.” But workers seemed too basic and there are more than 5 moments and matches worthy or the list. So what did I decide on? I decided on…
Top 10…Nouns In TNA
Now unless you failed 1st grade English, you know that a Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing. That’s the English definition. The Wrestling definition is the same but different (that’s an oxy-moron you dropouts.) A Noun is a Person (wrestler), Place (match), or Thing (moment.) See, it’s the same but a tad different. Anyway, on to the list:
10. 1st Ever TNA PPV: Honestly, this PPV wasn’t that great in my opinion. It made the list because without it, TNA wouldn’t be here today. The only thing I remember from this PPV is Ken Shamrock winning the World Title. The 2nd PPV was more memorable because AJ vs Lynn vs Low-Ki vs Psicosis was f*cking awesome.
9. Abyss Returns: Final Resolution was the event. Jeff Hardy just defeated Scott Hall is a horrible match (what did you except?) The whole wrestling world thought that Abyss was WWE bound but they were wrong. Out of nowhere Abyss attacked Hardy and I marked out like crazy. I always thought Abyss moved well for a big man so losing him to WWE would have been a huge blow for TNA. He however returned and currently in the World Title picture while the WWE is pushing a stuttering big man, a steroid freak with one move, and the next Barry White. I bet they wish they would have locked up Abyss.
8. AJ Wins World Title at Hard Justice: The night of Hard Justice, I was a fan once again. I was actually cheering for AJ Styles to win. Did I think he was going to win? I was 85% sure. I mean Ortiz might have turned on AJ or they wanted to wait until Slamiversery to put the title on him. At Hard Justice though, I cheered every move AJ hit and I argued with the TV for AJ to fight back. I got out of my seat and did the little AJ Style pose when he hit the Spiral Tap and got the win. The match itself wasn’t great, but I blame that on TNA for making Ortiz a guest ref.
7. AJ Styles vs Low Ki vs Jerry Lynn: I’m talking about the triple threat ladder match. This match was all kinds of fun in my opinion. The spots in this match ruled. I don’t have a copy of this match so I’m trying to remember it from watching it when it first aired. Whatever I say won’t do it justice anyway, go download it, now. Jerry Lynn won. DOWNLOAD IT NOW!
6. Canadian Destroyer: The first time I saw this move I was like “what in the hell was that?” I found it was the Canadian Destroyer done well by Petey Williams. This move is currently the coolest move in TNA and WWE. I haven’t seen ROH, if there is a better finisher there, please let me know. Petey reeling them in is also a cool set up.
5. Triple X: Low Ki, Christopher Daniels, and Elix Skipper made one of the coolest stables to watch in the ring. Really, who doesn’t want to watch these 3 for hours no matter who the opponent is? After Low Ki left, Daniels and Skipper formed one of the best tag teams in TNA history. It would be nice if TNA could bring Low Ki back and re-form this awesome stable.
4. Turning Point Cage Match: I rated this a 5 star match in my review because I liked it that match. Seeing the Skipper cage walk was worth 3 stars in itself, throw in the rest of the match, it makes it 5 stars in my book. This match had so much more meaning because they losing team had to split and shockingly, TNA has up hold that ruling and Triple X has yet to team again. Very good bloody brawl.
3. Sting: That’s right, Sting. I’m sure not many people have this moment rated high in their book but being a life long Sting fan, it’s number 3 for me. Sting was my favorite wrestler as a kid and when WCW was bought out and Sting didn’t go to WWE I wasn’t sure if I would see him again. When I found out he was going to appear in TNA, I was quick to buy that weeks PPV. He had of course lost a step in the ring but as a life long fan, watching the Stinger Splash, hearing the Stinger Yell, and seeing the Scorpion Deathlock/Deathdrop, made it all worth it.
2. AJ Styles vs Petey Williams vs Chris Sabin: Probably my favorite TNA match of all time. AJ vs Petey vs Sabin in a Ultimate X match at Final Resolution was just 100 kinds of awesome to me. The most memorable spot to me was AJ flipping inside out when Sabin hit the springboard dropkick while AJ was hanging on the X Ropes. I’m one of the few that actually liked the ending of this match, I would have hated to see the double champion thing again.
1. X-Division: The X-Division is the greatest thing in wrestling today. Old X Division stars like Lynn, Low Ki, D’Lo, Kash, ect… put TNA on the map. Guys like Sabin, Styles, Petey, Daniels, Skipper, ect… keep TNA on the map. You can always guarantee a good X-Division match on a TNA PPV. TNA needs to make sure to showcase these stars on the first WGN show, that should attract the channel flipping viewers. X-Division 4 Life.
These 10 things are all one mans opinion. I know people have different opinions. Some people like the first Ultimate X match more than the others. That’s what makes sports in general so great. Nobody has the same opinion on every topic. Hit me with some of your favorite TNA Nouns.
The E-Mail Bag
Before we get into the bag, I will say that Andy Campbell did e-mail me back. A joint column is in the works people. Now onto the bag:
hey can you post this up?…..ok i see you took up for the stroke, well the clothesline and pedigree are better and heres why. While the pedigree may kill someone dead, it is never botced(unless kane takes it) and the clothesline from hell is a clothesline but it hits! Ive seen NUMEROUS!!!! times when Jarrett does the stroke and the guys head isnt even close to hitting, while it may not be jarrets fualt (ala Hall since hes the worst at taking it) he still needs to tell them before hand to make it look real or change the finisher! when there head
isnt even CLOSE to hitting, the clothesline and pedigree are way better!
-Justin
I will once again take up for The Stroke. It’s not Jarrett’s fault that the move doesn’t hit it’s whoever’s taking it. Jarrett also uses the Figure Four, which is still better than a clothesline. As far as the Clothesline and Pedigree hitting better, of course they hit better. How can you f*ck up a clothesline? And workers know they have to take the Pedigree well or else HHH will bitch about it backstage. Thanks for the e-mail.
Dear Jeremy;
Just a rebuttal. Incase I get too pig headed etc, I must say, I’m going off what the IWC indicates to me. The only times I saw TNA is when they were doing the weekly pay per views, which, by the way, were poorly advertised – we got one per month, and were ripped off in the price, WWE PPVs were the same price. I’m in Australia, just so that makes sense.
1; TNA / Spike TV. Yeah, and you could say the same thing about ECW and TNN, right? See, unlike WWE, TNA lacks any form of major company backing (I.e. Ted Turner and WCW) and any form of major establishment for Prime Time. IF TNA is to compete with WWE on any scale, then Monday and Thursday nights are off limits for the moment. So are Sunday nights. Friday and Saturdays forget about it; do you know how many fans actually MIGHT want to go out? Which leaves Tuesday and Wednesday. But, some fans, and some executives might think it’s a good idea to, basically, “CHARGE!” against the WWE Ratings. That’d just destroy TNA. But, who can forget about ECW?
2; Athletes. Okay, so, the bulk of the X Division is SUPPOSED to be good. Okay, but, the only two major ones I know to have main evented a PPV is Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles. Elix Skipper’s main evented a pay per view, but he hardly seems major. That doesn’t show too much faith in the division’s participants. Take WWE’s athletes . . . Benoit, Angle, Eddie, Jericho, Michaels, and one cannot forget the ever continuing speculation of a possible Lesnar return, but let’s ignore that. Each and every one of those five athletes have main evented a prime event for the WWE AND held the major Championship. What use is the hype for the X Division, if so little of them have yet to make such an impact such as Daniels or Styles?
3; Surprises. WHAT SURPRISES?! Oh, Abyss returning, that’s pretty much the only one which has gained a lot of attention. One of your e-mails noted how many “surprises” there had been on Pay Per View, but I’d hardly call some of them surprises. For starters, if I remember correctly, Savage was advertised? Waltman had already debuted in TNA, he just returned, and with Billy Gunn freshly on the market, one had to speculate that they’d try to reform DX in some way. It was just a question of whether it was Waltman or Chyna. The only real surprises that impress me from TNA is they’ve lasted this long, and they lasted this long with Jarret as Champion.
4; RAW SD. WCW and ECW going under was one of the main reasons for the draft split, I believe. See, everyone knows that they’re better with challenges. RAW and Smack Down have successfully become two totally different entities, totally different to what they were when they became brands, and totally different to what the WWE was like when the Draft Split was just a thought. If you think TNA can take on WWE, then think again, TNA, to some degree, has to compete with two separate yet conjoined companies. It’s as though, should TNA actually become a threat, we’ve got ECW finally on the big league against WCW and WWE. Now, that’s all fine and dandy, until you remember that RAW and Smack Down (these two different “companies”) not only advertise each other, but they hold their big events TOGETHER. How can TNA do that without a miracle?
Anyways, thats just my take on it. I like TNA, but after how crap they seemed to Australian Audiences (seriously, am I the only one who remembers that crap Austalian Character they had for one night? That was just embarrasing). Cya.
I’m Here, And Boy Howdy Am I Queer;
HOORAH! Austin’s Left!
Quick arguments once again. That’s what makes TNA a stronger company in my opinion. They’ve survived this long without major backing. It looks like TNA will be on Monday’s 8-10. So while TNA has their main event, WWE will have HHH talk for an hour. WWE will beat TNA in the ratings for a very long time, but WCW beat WWF in the ratings for a very long time, and look who’s still in existence. The X-Division is good. They aren’t Main Eventers because the X-Division isn’t the Main Event (although it should be.) It’s really that simple I think. One little thing to boost my ego, you named Angle, Benoit, Jericho, Michaels, and Eddie has the athletes for the WWE. What are they doing right now? Angle is raping a black chick, Benoit is in throw away “ECW Style” matches, Jericho is more concerned with Fozzy, Michaels is on the shelf, and Eddie is killing midgets (although that storyline is cool.) For TNA you named Styles and Daniels. What are they doing? AJ is the World Champ and Daniels is the X Division champ. Score that for TNA. As far the surprises we could go back 3 years ago when I was surprised Shamrock won the first World Title. What about the most recent “Shocker” in TNA? I’m of course talking about Shocker debuting. Well being the hockey fan that I am, anytime you need inspiration look no further than the 1980 Olympics. U.S.A. vs The Soviets. Anyway, as far as WWE being two separate companies, that’s true to an extent. Smackdown is just like WCW in its day. Everyone knows that Raw is the dominant brand. If TNA knocks out Raw (which I’m not saying is easy by any means) then Smackdown won’t be as hard. Thanks for the e-mail.
The division between WWE and TNA just increaesed immensely. TNA has always been a glorified indy fed, yet now it goes to show how much more of a better company WWE is. When WWE’s TV contract was up, they had back ups & negotiations going on to cover their ass. TNA, on the other hand, will now be in the dark for an unknown amount of time. I tjust goes to show that TNA was hanging onto a thread with their FSN TV deal and let it slip through their fingers.
WWE Top 5:
5. Better character development
Ask a casual wrestling fan, and they won’t be able to name nearly any of TNA’s “stars”. The same can’t be said about WWE’s stars. This is not due to WWE being bigger, it’s due to WWE being better at creating a character. Not all their characters are great, I can admit that, but a wrestler’s image and style are much more defined in WWE.
4. In house champions/contenders
Look at TNA’s title situation. Outside of Styles winning, which was so obvious it was a shame people paid to see it, TNA’s title scene consisted primarily of WWE/WCW rejects. The moment a wrestler was signed from WWE, they were thrust high up their card, and sometimes, given title shots. For one, isn’t that a slap in the face to other TNA “stars”? Secondly, that hurts the promotion because in my, and others eyes, TNA has become a house for “stars” that can’t cut it in the big league anymore.
WWE, on the other hand, repackages a person signed form somewhere else (Austin, Triple H, Foley, Nash, etc.) or will give the title to an in-house wrestler (Angle, Rock, Lesnar, etc.).
I also can’t remember, outside of maybe Steiner, recently, when a major wrestler was signed from another company and were automatically thrust into the title scene. For the most part, in WWE you need to pay your dues…in TNA, you must have had paid your dues elesewhere, or be a friend of the booker.
3. More prestigious titles
Whichever way you view it, the X division title is the big one or the heavyweight one is, both titles have no legit prestige. The NWA heavyweight title was so damaged in the early nineties, it’s lineage is difficult to follow. On different nights, in different cities a wrestler could’ve been the NWA champ as well as the WCW champ. The next night, they may only have been billed as the WCW champ. This is the same title, different belt, that TNA touts around Styles’ waist. The X division title is essentially a cruiserweight championship. Many matches are just thrown together on PPV for this title.
The WWE title has a direct lineage, is well known, and “surprisingly” both of WWE’s heavyweight titles can be defended throughout the world. What I’m trying to say is, WWE’s RAW title is the World heavyweight championship and is actually (or has the potential) to be defended throughout the world. TNA claims to have a World title, yet it never leaves the Orlando area. Big difference.
2. Magical moments
The moments WWE can create in the viewers’ eyes are something TNA will never be able to achieve. When WWE is on the ball, TNA has no chance of competing. When Benoit won the title last year at WM, and he and Guerrero were in the middle of the ring, holding the titles together, that’s a moment that will be in the minds of many for quite some time. When Hogan made his comeback in 2002 or at the HoF this year, he got people talking (good or bad doesn’t matter).
When TNA gave the title to Styles, it was like a fart in a crowded room, you can smell it, but it doesn’t affect you that much. No one really cared. It was so obvious, so forced, that any emotion was taken out of it.
1. Story-telling ability
WWE wrestlers, not all, but many, have a much greater ability to tell a story in their matches than any TNA wrestler. For example, the X division. Styles has much difficulty in telling a story. Outside of the contrived spots, the 14 flips, and the ridiculous moves, the flow of his matches is shoddy at best. I wouldn’t pay to see TNA “stars” have a gymnastic competition in the ring. Kurt Angle, HBK, Eddie G., even Triple H, and others, have proven multiple times that they can create a wonderful, flowing story throughout a mtach. For example, HBK vs. Angle at this year’s WM (and current Match of the Year) was well crafted. Last year’s Eddie G. vs. Angle match at WM was also great. The agents WWE have also add more to the product and give the younger wrestlers a place to learn. I would take a logical, technical match anyday.
TNA relies on gimmicks too much as well. The matches WWE can put on don’t always require a gimmick. Name a great Styles match that didn’t require some form of a gimmick. TNA is running out of ideas for gimmicks as well. Making a match that takes ideas from American Gladiators (Ultimate X anyone?) is really not that creative or innovative. This only hurts the story telling ability because the wrestlers in those types of matches will rely on the spots that can be created, and pretty much nothing else.
WWE can even outdo TNA in the spots department if they wish. The Money in the Bank ladder match was far greater than any TNA gimmick match. Shelton’s ladder run generated more impact that Skipper’s cage walk, was more sudden, and better prepared.
People always claim how great TNA is and how they’re doing so much better than WWE in this and that, and the other, well where is the proof? Why is it that TNA won’t give out the ratings for their shows? Why is it that major websites sponsored in part by TNA won’t divulge the ratings and PPV buyrates of a TNA PPV, yet rip on WWE when their ratings aren’t as high or a buyrate is low? Why is it that when WWE ignores TNA and TNA whines about WWE, and tries desperately to get attention, the internet bandwagon joins with TNA to rip on WWE? It’s funny because it’s universally known that if TNA & WWE were to go head-to-head WWE would easily win the contest (ratings & buyrates).
Mark
God, another WWE Top 5. Of course a casual wrestling fan knows more WWE names. WWE has 2 prime time shows and a slew of recap shows. TNA had 1 show, later afternoon, on a Poker known network. I agree with TNA pushing the old stars but looking at the Main Event for Slammiversary, it’s AJ, Monty, Abyss, and Jarrett. Outside of Jarrett, the other 3 are home grown talents. I also think TNA does this so for those who are channel flipping they may stop, see a guy like DDP on the screen and say “Hey, I’ve seen him before, what’s he up to now?” (Honestly, that’s how I found out about Impact.) I don’t like to get into the whole “What’s the real World Title” thing. Of course the World Title leaves Orlando, haven’t you seen Impact? Jarrett defended the title all over the world. WWE is only on top of their game around Wrestlemania time. And I marked when AJ won the World Title, sue me. WWE has better Workers than TNA, which gives them better story-telling. TNA is a lot of Athletes, which gives them cooler spots. As far as Shelton vs Skipper goes, when the ladder was set how it was at WM I thought to myself “I bet someone scales that and hits a clothesline out of it.” Nobody thought Elix would cage walk. Shelton is still cool in my book though. Thanks for the e-mail.
Once again, I completely agree with everything you said. If TNA doesn’t get another TV deal, I WILL QUIT WATCHING PRO WRESTLING FOREVER. (I’m serious) It’s truly sad to see people who call themselves hardcore wrestling fans eating up all the soap opera crap that WWE puts on every week. Once again, KUDOS FOR ANOTHER AWESOME ARTICLE. Keep writing.
-Bently Toal
I’ll keep writing as long as TNA stays alive. Thanks for the praise
March 26, 2001, RAW IS WAR
Vince McMAHON quote
“Well now, here’s the WWF, and here’s WCW…why, there’s Jeff Jarrett…and here we have the owner of the World Wrestling Federation and now the owner of WCW. That’s right…I, Vince McMahon, I have purchased – I own my own competition. Huh! And tonight – tonight I have the ability to address WWF fans as to what this means – I have the ability to address WCW stars as to what this means, to them, and yes I have the ability to address WCW fans as to what this actually means to them as well – tonight, at the right time, there will be a special simulcast. And, let me just say that tonight, for sure, one man will make history…and that’s me. Vince McMahon. Now as far as the Jeff Jarretts of the world are concerned – you know how Jeff spells his name? ‘That’s J-E-double-F..’ well you know what? Mmm…I would suspect that we’d spell it a different way after tonight – that would be Capital G, double O, double N, double E – Goonnee.”
I’m sure Jeff Jarrett think about this everyday. Without Vince McMAHON, TNA would not exist. Vince fired the wrong guy and now that same guy will try to get revenge. Not only that, you got Matt Hardy to worry about. The shoot comments is going to be great starting June 20th. The ECW funeral segment was not really shoot comments because Vince control everything that was said, Vince can’t control what Jarrett and Matt will say about him and the WWE.
-Jackieellisworld
I hope Matt shoots on the WWE on live tv. I’m a huge Matt Hardy fan (NC Represent) but his online bitching is getting on my nerves. I kind of feel like the Edge/Lita interviews on Raw are all shoot comments. Thanks for the quote.
That’s all the e-mails I got this week, keep em coming.
The C-Cup
Same as the past two weeks because again, I want a good list to pick from:
*Slammiversary Special: Give me a Top 5 to do. Coolest one wins.
So far I have the following to pick from:
*Top 5 Overbooked Finishes Involving Jarrett Keeping The Title (Original)
*Top 5 Reasons WWE Is Better Than TNA (Enough fans have answered that one)
*Top 5 WWE vs TNA Dream Matches (Front Runner)
*Top 5 Workers In TNA (Already touched on today)
*Top 5 Wrestler Themes (Yes, I actually got this)
So don’t repeat. Keep them coming though you know you need something plugged.
That’s all for these week folks. As always, you can drop me a line at AMPLine4Life@aol.com and join me next time At Ringside.
