Welcome back to ringside everyone. I just got back from work, I’m tired, and there’s hockey on but I am typing for The Rock, I am typing for The People.
Impact! Recap
Check out my Live Coverage or Mark’s NeelDown
The First Episode
So I gave you all a quick bottom line after each match but that doesn’t really tell how I feel about the show. So let me break it down for everyone:
AJ Styles Showcase: AJ hit all his normal spots in this one. They let AJ go out there and put on a one man show and he did just that. It was the perfect way to open the season on SpikeTV. TNA also established that Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles just don’t like each other. They did it quickly but they at least laid down the ground work for the feud.
Monty Brown Interview: I read somewhere that Monty Brown came off looking like a retard in this interview. I disagree, Monty Brown came off looking like Monty Brown in this interview. He established the Serengeti and I bet the POOOOOUUUUUUUUNCE……PERIOD! Will catch on.
Raven Backstage: Ok, Raven is pissed that he lost the World Title so he takes it out on jobbers, that’s fine. I just wish they did something with Raven at the end of the show and give him a rematch. Instead, he gets cheated out of the titles, beats up jobbers, and Kevin Nash gets the World Title Shot.
Monty Brown Squash: TNA established that Monty Brown is a dominant worker in the company. Nothing wrong with that.
X Division Match: Everyone was hitting on all cylinders in this one. They each hit a cool spot and they showed what TNA has in the X Division. They let Petey Williams hit the Canadian Destroyer after the match and lets face it, without the Destroyer on the Debut, it wouldn’t have been a debut.
Monsters Ball Build: I didn’t really have a problem with Hardy vs. Rhino. Sure the match sucked but the point of it was not to put on a good match. It was to catch the channel flippers and set up the Monsters Ball Match. I thought that was a good idea by TNA.
Main Event Interview: TNA set up a new stable (Jarrett, AMW, D’Amore), caught channel flippers (3LK), introduced a new tag team (Team 3-D) and re-introduced a main event player (Kevin Nash). All of that in about 15 minutes and it came off very well. Personally, I marked out when Team 3-D came out. I’ve always been a fan and hated to see them rot in WWE. They made a quick impact in TNA. I found new respect for Kevin Nash after seeing him act in The Longest Yard, so him coming back gets no beef from me. I hope everything comes off this smooth from here on out for TNA.
Campbell Is Back
Yay, Andy Campbell is back and he’s once again got some comments for me. I like Andy so it’s a friendly thing between me and him. Lets take a look at what he had to say:
A casual wrestling fan that followed the Big 3 in the 90s will also remember Raven. I don’t think putting the title on the most well-known person on the roster is the best move anyway. Say someone knows who Jarrett is, but doesn’t know who Raven is. They tune in to TNA and see Jarrett, and then see Raven with the title. They’re going to think to themselves, “I don’t know that guy, but he must be good if he’s the champ.” Seriously. It’s hard for us smarks to think like that, since we know all these guys, but that’s how casual fans think. I remember when I first watched IWA: Puerto Rico. Aside from Savio Vega and Vampiro, I didn’t know any of the guys that wrestled for them. However, when a guy named Shane came out with the title, I instinctively payed more attention to him and held him in higher regard than the other previously-unknown wrestlers I had seen.
I have to agree with him to a certain point here. Sure, if you’re the champion then something is special about you most of the time, but that’s not always the case. The Big Show for example. Who in the red hell thought it was a good idea to put the title on him more than once? Fans will see that the man can’t wrestle and can’t talk on the mic very quickly. I’m not saying this about Raven because he is a good storyteller in and out of the ring. But really, if you can’t wrestle and you are the champion then the fans will think the promotion is dumb as hell for putting the title on that man. Still, as a smark, I guess it is easier for me to point out things like this compared to a new wrestling fan.
The E-Mail Bag
Hey Lambert. Great column, as usual. I do have to correct you on something. It wasn’t Liger who had all those belts in WCW (he eventually won the Octuple crown, he won it much later on, not in the states) but it was Ultimo Dragon ho had that championship. It wasn’t ten belts, it was 8. It was the Octuple Crown, which was first won by The Great Sasuke in the 1996 J-Crown (only J*Crown ever. Don’t confuse with Super J Cup) when he beat Dragon in the finals. Then Dragon beat him some time later. Here’s an interesting fact, the WWF Lightheavyweight title was one of the eight belts. El Samurai was the WWF Lightheavy champ going into that tournament. It was defunt a short time afterwards. Ultimo Dragon won the WCW TV title, making it nine belts. Just wanted to clarify that. Take care!
-Chuck Betress
Thanks for the e-mail and clear up. Campbell also point this out so thanks to him as well. It seemed like every masked Japan worker in WCW had 10 titles at once so sorry for the confusion.
I’m glad on USA Network they have a wrestling company on it that knows how to tell a story in their matches…they actually use psychology and don’t rely on contrived spots or 14 flips in a match…
I’m glad they have a company that doesn’t comp. people tickets to events or ride the coat tails of another company…
I’m glad WWE doesn’t use the Canadien Destroyer…that move is almost as fake looking as Pamela Anderson’s tits…
I’m glad WWE isn’t a place where rejects and that that can’t cut it anymore go…
I’m glad WWE isn’t desperate for attention like TNA is…
I’m glad that if you add up the ages of the people main eventing the next TNA PPV, it’s nearly 90 years old…
Yes TNA truly is the alternative for wrestling fans…a place where you can watch gymnastics for free…and it’s only on Spike TV…
-Mark
Wow Mark, you make some good points. Too bad you either watched the Impact! show or read the report thus making all your points a bunch of bullshit because you paid attention to TNA and the show. Thanks for playing though. As a parting gift, my buddy Vic Jericho has some kind words for you…..
JWFVJericho: stfu
By the way, sure the Destroyer looks as fake as Pam Andersons tits, but you’re not complaining about them now are you?
The C Cup
BFG Ultimate Match: Make a match that TNA could realistically pull off at Bound For Glory. That means no Angle vs. Styles but Angle is under WWE contract. Get creative though.
The End
That’s is for this week. Nothing special to close just drop me a line at AMPLine4Life@aol.com and join me next time At Ringside.
