TNA: In The Zone for 7/13/06
Welcome back to In The Zone. I’m your host, Dougie, and I have to say that I am in a much better mood this week than I was last. I want to thank everyone for the really great feedback. I’d post some of it here, but I don’t feel like padding my column the way Monte Brown pads his winning streak…
Anyway…
This week we begin the show with an OUTRAGEOUS promo from Rhino. It’s a damn fine anti-ECW rant, and the crowd is solidly behind him. Burning the ECW Title had to have been cathartic for the young man from Detroit. If this doesn’t earn Rhino a major push, I don’t know what will.
I’d like to clarify the anti-ECW thing for a few people. I am not against the concept of ECW. I was, am, and always will be a fan of what those guys did. They took an obscure art form and brought it to the people. At the time that ECW began, wrestling hade become stale. It was all about the old men, and there was no torch to be passed. Then Paul Heyman came along, like Prometheus, and brought us fire. Who cares if the fire was in the form of burning tables? That son-of-a-bitch defied the odds, and made ECW soar.
ECW on Sci-Fi is not MY ECW. It’s not Paul E’s ECW. It’s Vince McMahon’s ECW. He owns it, and has the right to call it what he wants. Some guys (like Sabu) have gone over in what I think is a futile belief that there is some spark of the old ECW still alive. Some guys (like Jim Mitchell) have been nosing around Vince, hoping to get jobs at the big E. I am not anti-ECW, I am just anti-Entertainment Championship Wrestling.
Then there was Rhino. Vince McMahon can kiss his ass. Does all this mean that I think the new ECW is shit? Certainly not. They have a few of the world’s best wrestlers, and they are trying to make a go at it. I like watching some of those guys. I can’t wait to see what CM Punk is capable of. I just suggest one caveat if you watch the show. Don’t expect to find the lightning in a bottle that Heyman once had. So far, they have yet to catch it again.
Speaking of Jim Mitchell, he is out next with Abyss. They are here to squash Norman Smiley (no intro, by the way) Monte style. There is a strange dichotomy to the character of Abyss. First off, he is a major heel, and has Satan himself for a manager. Then, however, is the fact that he is WAAAYY over with the fans. People love this guy. He is possibly the best “monster” worker around. (And if you pay him $75, he will call you on your birthday. Check out www.monsterabyss.com ) What I don’t understand is why they have him becoming hired muscle for The James Gang. Abyss is worth more than that. He needs to get a wake-up call, dump the turncoat Mitchell (by finding out how Mitchell is using him to make a profit) and embrace the dark side that the fans really want to see from him. Hell, have him literary rip off Borash’s arm during an interview. JB wants to work in wrestling? Well, some sacrifices have to be made.
There is a funny chant from the crowd, though, calling the James Gang DX Rejects… I laughed till I hurt.
By the way, has anyone ever noticed the red phone at the announce table? Can Mike Tenay call Batman if things ever get out of hand in the impact Zone? What’s the deal with the red phone?
We finally have a name for AJ and Daniels’ amazon. Jaime D is officially called Sirelda now. You should check out her site (www.jaimed.net). I think she’ll prove to be an amazing competitor.
Oh hell, I’m supposed to be reviewing a show. Shit. Next up we have Senshi defending against Jarelle Clark. (who gets no intro) Surprisingly, Clark gets a good bit of offense in this match. It doesn’t matter, because Senshi is a freakin’ beast, but it was a good match anyway. Senshi ends it with the Warrior’s Way. What a move. Damn it. I really mark for Senshi. I’m a martial artist, and have been for the last six and a half years. Watching this guy move makes me want to work out harder. I bet he’d be even more brutal in a real fight. Also, I read recently that a lot of the guys (Senshi included) have changed their TNA names so that they can retain the rights to their original ones (Low Ki, for example) I think that this is a decent idea. A better one would be TNA just putting it in the contract that if the worker had a name before coming to TNA, he retained ownership. Too easy?
There was a Scott Steiner promo here somewhere. I didn’t watch it. Sorry…
I did, however, watch Eye Spy Paparazzi Productions. It seems that Alex Shelley needs a production assistant, and no one is better with a camera than Johnny Devine. It turns out that they have a non-title match against Daniels and Styles up next.
I don’t believe I have the ability to do this match justice. If you saw it, then you know. If you missed it, well then you missed it. AJ and Daniels have gelled to a point of perfection. They work well together, and there is no sign of ego between them. The Paparazzis are awesome, too. All in all, this was an awesome match. Sirelda comes in to stop Devine from brining the camera into the ring, though I have no idea why. He just wanted to get a close-up of the action.
AMW and Gail come in, and the beat-down ensues. At least the end of the match was clean. It was also really good. Did I mention that it was really good?
The dueling promos between Raven and Zbysco were really well done. It’s great to see Raven motivated this way. I know he’s hurting, but he’s working through it. That’s a man who loves his fans.
Someone at TNA must have read my column last week. For the first time we go to the back with Jeremy Borash. He’s with Coach D’Amore as he gives Team Canada a pep talk. Eric Young doesn’t seem too into it.
So we are set to decide the fate of Team Canada, as they take on Rhino, Jay Lethal, and Team 3D. The match itself is pretty decent. The story here is Eric Young refusing to let Bobby Roode cheat, costing Canada the match. Brother Runt keeps D’Amore from using the hockey stick, Rhino gores, Lethal flies, and Team Canada is disbanded. Awesome storytelling. Lethal gets the title shot of his choice next week, probably against Senshi.
A great show this week. However, with all the great outings, only one guy burned what may have been his most prized possession. For that, Rhino is In The Zone.
Later,
Dougie
icarusfallz@yahoo.com
