Welcome back to ringside everyone. I am up late to deliver you the fall out of TNA’s first prime time special, talk about a top WWE talent quitting the company, and a bunch of other stuff. So let us get started
iMPACT! Recaps
Click here for my report on Saturday’s Impact or click here for Neely’s NeelDown.
You can also click here for my report on the Prime Time Special
CHRISTIAN!!!!!!!!!!!
So there’s two really big stories out of WWE this week. First off, Jerry Jarrett was at WWE Headquarters with the Russian that was in Rocky (I don’t know if he was in Rocky, it was a joke) and then Jay “Christian” Reso decided to say “Is this my WWE contract? Fuck my WWE contract” (InsideJoke).
I’ll start with Jerry Jarrett being at WWE Headquarters. Do I really care about this news item? In all honesty, no. As a matter of fact, I’m glad he is at WWE Headquarters. I hope he quits TNA. Why? Because then TNA Management has no real reason to give Jeff Jarrett the World Title 9 months a year. I’m also glad that he brought some Russian prospect with him. Chances are that this Russian guy is all looks and no wrestling. He will be pushed to the moon because he has a nice look but wrestling fans will get sick of him because he can’t ummm what’s that word I’m looking for? You know what you’re supposed to do in wrestling. Oh yeah, he can’t wrestle. It’s not like Jeff Jarrett is going to WWE with his father, because Vince McMahon hates Jeff Jarrett. So let Jerry go to WWE. We will keep Jeff and he will continue to give promos and wrestle over booked matches. The only difference is that his promos will be shorter and his over booked matches won’t be for the World Title.
Next up, Christian (Christian at last your on your owwwwnnnnn). This could be the big break that TNA was looking for. A top WWE talent got tired of management and decided to quit. This is bigger than Rhino or The Dudleyz because they were fired. Christian, Quit. Getting fired means that you 1. Fucked Up (Rhino) or 2. They Had No Place For You (Dudleyz). Quitting means that you got sick and tired of the way things were going so you said f*ck it and left. Now it’s not a 100% given that Christian is going to TNA but it is about 90% given. TNA can’t offer Christian the money that WWE can but they can offer him the one thing WWE has yet to offer him…a push. We all know that TNA has no problem pushing former WWE cast offs to the moon. Hell, they put the World Title on Rhino at their biggest PPV of the year. Rhino, who will never be more over than Christian and who can not produce a 5 star match like Christian, was the TNA World Champion. Christian should win the World Title on his debut show.
If TNA signs Christian, then WWE needs to take TNA serious. Because if Christian shows up in TNA, it would look just like Hall and Nash showing up in WCW. To quote Eric Bischoff from the Monday Night Wars DVD “Hey, it’s like these guys used to be in WWE and now they’re in WCW. I think I’ll watch” or something along those lines. And Christian may be the first of many to leave. Chris Jericho for example may realize that Christian is right and that WWE is nothing but the McMahon’s pulling things out of former announcers asses. He may realize that TNA gives him a lighter work schedule and that he can wrestle and rock out at the same time.
With Christian leaving, WWE not only losses a great worker but a respected and loyal worker. Sure, you can say that quitting was not loyal but the fact that Christian stuck around for Raw and Taboo Tuesday shows that he has respect for the business. He could have jus said “f*ck it” and left WWE in a tough situation regarding Taboo Tuesday. Christian will enter TNA with tons of respect from the guys in the back and as a new worker, that’s the one thing you want the most.
Oh yeah, this goes without saying but I’m going to say it anyway. Christian vs. AJ Styles
As I continue to type more people are deciding to leave WWE as Steve Austin and Torrie Wilson said “see ya.” With Austin, I don’t blame him. He was asked to job to the Coach with the help of Mark Henry. I don’t care if the entire locker room helped the Coach, you just can’t job to that man if you’re one of the biggest draws ever. The way WWE has handled the whole Jim Ross situation is beyond retarded. They fire him, don’t sign the replacement, bring in Austin as a cover up, ask him to job, he quits, now Batista comes in with no real reason. Not only does Batista come in but he gets beat down by Vader who looks in worse shape than ever and can’t even get out of the ring properly. As a huge Austin mark, I wouldn’t mind seeing TNA bring him in. He can still draw and is good on the mic. Just don’t give him a match and ask him to job and everything should go smoothly. Also, TNA has no blonde divas so Traci and Company are safe.
Torrie Wilson leaving was the most expected unexpected thing of the night to me. Sure she has been reduced to nothing but a Paris Hilton role on Raw but she was in the Taboo Tuesday match. I would have never guessed that they would just fire her right before Taboo Tuesday with no mention of it on Raw. It just makes no f*cking sense. It’s not like we didn’t expect though. Once her husband Kidman was gone, it wasn’t long before she was gone. I wouldn’t mind TNA bringing in Torrie and Kidman. It’s an automatic pairing and Kidman, if healthy, would be another X Division addition.
Well with that said, it seems as if Torrie has not been fired/released/quit, she’s just taking time off. I’m sure WWE will extend her vacation by releasing but that’s another story in the short future.
As I continue to type, Jackie Gayda has signed with TNA. It’s good to see TNA focusing on managers a bit more and Gayda is pretty good at that. Because lets face it; guys watch wrestling, women are normally managers, guys to want to see women look sexy and “pop out”, Gayda is good at that. Hence, Gayda is a good manager. Also the signing of Jackie Gayda could lead to the signing of Charlie Haas, something I’m sure no TNA fan would complain about. Also Gayda may be “The Girl” that Riley and Rhino are talking about in reference to Raven.
With all that said, I advise everyone to read The Crucifix, Opinion, Ect. by Dan Hevia as he goes into way more detail than I do one why Titan is a sinking ship.
TNA The Video Game
Finally, I don’t have to create AJ Styles in SVR. TNA signing a video game deal with Midway is big news for gamers who spend their waking hours trying to win the Super Bowl in Madden. I fall into that category.
I think I own just about every wrestling video produced in the U.S. (Yes, even WCW vs. The World). Some of them are very good with good gameplay and features (WWF No Mercy) others just outright suck (WCW Backstage Brawl). I have compiled the following things that I think Midway can do to make TNA: The Game in the level of WWF No Mercy. I know that some of them are out there but as an avid sports gamer, I want perfection.
*A Good Story Mode: This is really the most essential thing to any good wrestling game. A repetitive story mode just ruins the game for me. That’s why I’m growing stale of the Smackdown series. If you play one story mode, then you’ve played it 1,000 times. Nothing ever changes as long as you keep winning. Hell, sometimes losing is the best thing for the story. If Midway delivers a solid story mode than I can enjoy over and over again, I’ll be happy.
*Proper Moves: There’s nothing I hate more than seeing the Big Show pull off a flying elbow in SVR. Listen, if their moveset is limited in real life, limit it in the game. I don’t care if that means that Jeff Jarrett can only kick, punch, DDT, neckbreaker, stroke, and guitar shot. That’s all he does in his matches, that’s all I want to see in the game. Wouldn’t it be cool to see a wrestling game based on carrying? That would be awesome in my mind. If you have two shitty wrestlers, then a shitty match should happen. If you have AJ Styles and a shitty wrestler than a decent match should happen because AJ could carry him. Sadly, that whole process is easier said than done.
*Good Matches: It’s already been said that Ultimate X and Monster’s Ball will be in the game, cool. As long as they stick true to the match, I’ll be happy. As long as I can springboard dropkick AJ Styles inside out with Chris Sabin in Ultimate X, I’ll be happy. If I can climb to the top of the stage and hit the Swanton Bomb with Jeff Hardy on Abyss through 3 tables, I’ll be happy. Make these matches difficult. In SVR I was able to grab the ladder, hit my opponent with it, climb the ladder, hang on the item, and I won the match while my opponent was still down or standing there looking stupid. Make the AI good and stay true to the matches.
*Realism: We all know that Midway created WWF Wrestlemania The Arcade Game. Sure that game was fun to play in the arcades but I don’t want that from a console game. I don’t want Christopher Daniels to hit the Angel’s Wings and Angels actually come out and beat the opponent with wings. Midways reputation is creating good but fake games. Blitz: The League is their latest example. I personally love the new Blitz but when I want realism, I play Madden. I want realism from a wrestling game.
Now all this is much easier said than done. To create a good game, with good graphics, good loading times, and good AI is nearly impossible. The closest thing to a real wrestling game out there is TEW 2005 and that’s not a graphic game, it’s fantasy booking at it’s best. I’m pumped for the new TNA game but I know it will be at least another year before it’s released. That’s fine though, SVR2005 comes out in about a week, that will hold me over until then.
TNA Prime Time
So just a few a minutes ago (as of this typing) TNA went off the air with their first ever Prime Time special on SpikeTV. Honestly, I thought they put together a nice little show. Sure their infatuation with 6 Man Tag Matches is getting a bit out of hand but it showcases a lot of talent in little time so it’s not that big of a deal I guess.
Why is the title back on Jarrett? I know that they put the title on Rhino at Bound For Glory because Nash got injured, Ultimate X f*cked up, and Liger/Joe was way too short. So to make up for that, TNA shocked us all by putting the title on Rhino. At the next PPV, (Sega) Genesis, Rhino will team with Team 3-D to take on AMW and Jarrett. Did it really matter that Jeff Jarrett had to be the World Champion for that match? Honestly, they could have used that match to build a Rhino/Jarrett feud. Jarrett beats Rhino with the help of his guitar, that forces Larry to give Jarrett a title shot because he pinned the Champ, they build a feud into Turning Point, Jarrett wins the title at Turning Point. They would have given Rhino a decent 2 month reign and Jarrett would have still been in the World Title picture. But no, Rhino goes 1 episode of Impact with the title and then he loses it. Pretty f*cked up booking to me.
On the positive side of things, that X Division 6 man tag was the shit. TNA went all out and put their best X Division performers (AJ, Daniels, Joe) and mixed in their newer X Division performers (Shelley, Dutt, Aries). I hope they continue to push Shelley, Dutt and Aries because I think that they have a lot to offer to the company. Shelley brings a nice all around style to the X Division. Dutt brings entertainment mixed with actual X Division wrestling. I have been very impressed with Aries in his few matches with TNA and TNA really needs to give him a win to establish him more as of a threat.
Well The Diamonds In The Rough didn’t last very long. I think TNA should have really established them as a hot new Tag Team in a division that’s filled with the same teams we’ve seen since the monthly PPVs. I hate the miss use of Elix Skipper right now by TNA. He’s on a team that’s going nowhere and he shouldn’t be reduced to that role. Skipper could be huge in the X Division. Did TNA already forget that it was Skipper who pulled off one of the biggest moves in TNA history? Elix, much like Shelton Benjamin, is a great talent that for reasons beyond my explanation is being held down. Maybe Jarrett thinks that Skipper, much like Ron Killings, is another “uppity Negro.”
I loved that TNA rewarded the fans with the Ultimate X match. The match f*cked up at Bound For Glory and TNA gave back to the fans by having a rematch on regular television. The match it self was probably shorter than what it would have been at a PPV but maybe the commercial break made it seem that way. There was some really nice spots in the match as well. The Bentley helping Williams hurricanrana on Sabin was a pretty sweet spot. Boy did my heart skip some beats when half of the X fell down during the match. I was thinking “great, here we go again.” But thankfully thanks to the chain, the X held long enough for Petey to grab it and get the win.
All in all, TNA put on a very good show. They put together 5 solid matches and a squash. They advanced the storylines. I thought it was a very good prime time show for TNA and hopefully the ratings will show that. I hope TNA continues to get these specials and I hope they lead to a better more secure slot for them.
The E-Mail Bag
The booking seems quite clear to me: Konnan is a moron
who doesn’t want Kip James around because he knows Kip
James would do more for 3LK then Konnan and his stupid
shoe throwing ever could. Not wanting to be
overshadowed, Konnan thus tries to freeze Kip James
out.
Bearing in mind, I’m not a Konnan fan so my view on
the matter could be biased.
-Craig
I never looked at it that way honestly. They just need to pull the trigger on the New Age Outlaws and make us happy. Thanks
The C-Cup
*Next Prime Time Special: What would be a good time for TNA to have another prime time special?
The End
It’s late, I’m tired, I want to see the rest of the Avalanche game. Drop me a line at AMPLine4Life@aol.com and join me next time At Ringside.
