Welcome back to ringside folks. Thanks for the feedback on the birthday column, glad to see it went appreciated.
Before I Start
Before I start and get into the No Surrender Preview, let me clear up some statements I made last week.
First off, I am becoming less and less of a wrestling fan. How can I be a fan of something that I can predict with my eyes closed? It’s not just predicting winners and losers any more; it’s predicting spot after spot in a match. Now most members of the IWC have been able to do this for a long time now but to me, it’s never been this easy. There’s no more shock value in wrestling to me. If Scott Hall shows up on Raw in the coming weeks, I won’t be shocked because DX vs. NWO has been rumored for months now. Everything you see on TV is reported on the internet weeks before it happens. It’s just not very fun to watch anymore.
Everything is so dated as well. DX, they were cool in 1997/1998, they are now 40 year old men with families make jokes about cocks, spanking, farts, and any other high school joke you can think of. I can’t wait until they start doing “Yo Momma” jokes. Wait, didn’t TNA already go that route? There’s nothing new in wrestling. Every storyline seems recycled and while WWE and TNA think we’ve forgotten about them, we haven’t. We remember that Austin/Rock battled on the bridge and went into the water long before Edge/Cena pulled it off. And if the storyline isn’t recycled, it’s boring and drawn out.
Now I always thought of my column as one of the more optimistic columns here on IP. I’ve always tried to find the good in whatever TNA does but as of late, they haven’t done many things very good. Aside from LAX vs. Styles & Daniels and Rhino vs. Christian, there’s nothing that I care for right now in TNA. Now I’m not going to go fully against TNA because I know that if they somehow start to compete with WWE, I’ll be looked at as the kid who stuck with TNA through good and bad until they finally reached global status (EWR reference). I’m sticking with this company because no matter what they put on my TV screen, I still find it more entertaining that WWE. I just wish they would get their shit together and provide a true alternative to WWE.
I still prefer UFC over wrestling though. It’s unpredictable although the fights may only last 30 seconds, I find myself buying into the hype. You don’t see Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz every week on free TV and then you’re expected to pay 40 dollars for their final fight. UFC hypes fights and makes you care even though they may only last 30 seconds. I know WWE can’t take this same approach but it’s like Ken Anderson stated in his SummerSlam Breakdown:
“Remember even a few years back when guys like Steve Austin, the Rock, and The Undertaker would only actually wrestle on RAW once or twice a month? I know some changes had to be made during the Monday Night Wars in order to draw ratings, but those days are over. Dead. Gone. It’s 2006, and it just doesn’t make an ounce of freakin’ sense to have John Cena, Batista, DX, Rey Mysterio, and all the other top names wrestlling long matches on free TV every single week. It’s insane. Not only does it give viewers no incentive to order PPV’s, but it also effectively destroys the freshness of seeing these guys wrestle.”
Why should I pay 40 dollars to see Cena vs. Edge for the 500th time when I’ve seen them wrestling 499 times on free tv? If I want to see Liddell vs. Ortiz, I’ve got to spend 40 dollars because you damn sure won’t see UFC putting that fight on free TV unless it’s under special circumstances (ex. Ortiz vs. Shamrock 3).
Don’t get it twisted, I still watch wrestling and it’s still fun for me at times but it’s not what it used to be and I guess I have to face reality and accept that.
News & Shit
*Retard hacks TNA website
Here’s another reason why the sport appeals less and less to me every week, retarded fans. Does this kid not have a life? Honestly, there’s got to be something better to do in the world than sit at his computer all day and figuring out how to hack a website. Why doesn’t this kid get a job or something? My local McDonalds is hiring, I’ll gladly tell him to make me a fresh batch of fries every weekend. Go outside, play sports, play video games, look at porn sites, do drugs, do anything you want but don’t be a f*ckin retard.
This kid is no better than the dumbass who called into Byte This claiming TNA is better or the faggots who do stupid shoot videos on YouTube. Get a damn life people and quit spending time trying to create something that doesn’t exist. Get it straight people, WWE vs. TNA doesn’t exist. We all want it to exist because maybe it will spice things up but in our hearts, we know it doesn’t. Now if you want to create WWE vs. TNA and present your argument in a respectable manner and not be a blind mark/blind hater about everything, be my guest. But don’t act like a retard and hack into a website or shoot over the internet because you think one company is better than the other when we all know TNA is miles behind WWE.
Join a side in a rivalry that does exist. Duke vs. UNC, Red Sox vs. Yankees, Cowboys vs. Redskins, Avalanche vs. Red Wings. Those are rivalries that do exist because each team is on the same level 9/10 years and each team truly hate each other just as much as their fans hate each other. WWE vs. TNA does no exist because WWE does not acknowledge TNA on live TV. You can make all the comments you want about “Oh, WWE signed Charlie Haas because they were afraid he would go to TNA” but unless you heard Vince McMahon say “TNA is going to take Charlie Haas and make something of him” then you don’t know if that’s the truth or not.
It just pisses me off to see the hard work of Hevia, Eric, Vinny, Murray, Neeley, Bambi, Double M, Botter, Iain, and everyone else here at IP Wrestling go un-noticed yet stupid kids record “shoot” videos on something they know nothing about, post them on YouTube, and the whole world is talking. Maybe we should start recording our columns, turn them into videos/podcasts and post them.
More proof that wrestling fans are indeed the retards that the world makes us out to be.
No Surrender PPV
So aside from the UFC PPV this Saturday, there is a TNA PPV this Sunday. I will be spending my money on UFC because I think it is the better buy and I’m more interested in it. I think No Surrender will be a decent PPV that could be put over the top by the Ultimate X match but if that match falls flat, the whole PPV will fall flat.
*Ultimate X For The Tag Team Titles: Latin American Xchange vs. AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels
If this match doesn’t go on last, TNA has no idea what they’re doing. Right now, there is no number 1 consensus Match of The Yea in WWE or TNA. This match right here has the chance to steal the show and the year. Let them match be AMW vs. Triple X. Let this match be Styles vs. Joe vs. Daniels. Let this match go on last and let these guys do what they do best. TNA seems to do it once a year. They let a match that shouldn’t go on last, have the main event slot in order to show how much they appreciate the effort of the guys and how hard they have worked. This right here is a match that deserves to go on last because over the past few months, these guys have worked harder than anyone in the company. While everyone in the company has seemed to slack off, these four have picked up the pace and have made for the most exciting tag team feud of the year (although that’s not saying much considering their competition). If this match doesn’t go on last, TNA can blow me and they should apologize to Homicide, Hernandez, AJ Styles, and Christopher Daniels for screwing them out of the main event slot.
We all know that this match is going to be awesome if they are given enough time. Styles and Daniels are no strangers to Ultimate X, Homicide fits the style of the match perfectly, and Hernandez is the wild card who will look credible enough given the talent around him. I’ve got to think LAX will retain the belts in this match because The Naturals are most likely going to win the Tag Team Battle Royal thus setting up Faces vs. Heels at BFG. As for Styles and Daniels, I don’t know where they go from here. They’ve already done a feud with AMW so scratch that from the list and aside from Team 3-D, there’s really no tag team at the level of Styles and Daniels. I guess they could do a respect match of sorts between Team 3-D but I honestly don’t care about that match. I still think the best route to go in this situation is Styles/Daniels/Joe 4. BFG is the biggest TNA PPV of the year, why not have these guys settle their feud on that night? It can’t be any worse than the previous two matches they had this year (not that they were horrible, just way below expectations). If they don’t face Team 3-D or go the route of Styles/Daniels/Joe 4, I honestly don’t have a clue to what Styles and Daniels can do.
*Non-Title Fan Lumberjack Match: Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Jarrett
You won’t hear many people say this but in this case, it’s the truth. Samoa Joe is nothing more than a pon in this match. This match has nothing to do with Samoa Joe unless it leads to TNA adding him to Sting vs. Jarrett at BFG (something I can’t see happening). Samoa Joe has no history with Jeff Jarrett aside from his forgotten win at Sacrifice. Samoa Joe is in this match because TNA has nothing better to do with him at the moment and that’s a damn shame. The fans love Samoa Joe and since this match is about nothing more than the fans, Samoa Joe is the obvious choice to beat the shit out of Jarrett for no real reason. It would be nice if TNA management realized that after this match Samoa Joe will have two wins over Jeff Jarrett, thus forcing them to add Joe into the match at BFG.
This match is about Jeff Jarrett vs. The Fans. I just wish actual fans would get a shot at Jarrett and not a bunch of plants. I’m sure the TNA smark fans would give Jarrett a couple of bruises when the match is all said and done. In all honesty, I don’t care one bit about this match. I’m a huge Samoa Joe mark but this match means nothing to me as this is a transitional match at a transitional PPV.
Samoa is going to win this match unless TNA really wants to cause a shit storm and possibly lose a lot of viewers (including myself). They can’t be that stupid”¦can they?
*Christian Cage vs. Rhino
Aside from Tag Ultimate X, this is the only other match that interests me. The build has been there with Christian bringing up the history of he and Rhino and most of us knowing the history between he and Rhino. Both men seem hungry after their recent events (Shoot promo by Rhino and Heel turn by Christian) and both men seem out to prove something. This match could easily be runner up for MOTY as both men know each other well.
I still think TNA has booked themselves into a corner with this match though. Christian is the hot heel and IMO, Rhino might be the hottest face in TNA at the moment. Both guys are seemingly getting a push and in this match, it could kill the push of one of them. I’m going to say that Christian will be going over because you can’t have your new/top heel lose in his first PPV match. I figure he’ll go over with a heel type win, allowing Rhino to save face and further establishing Christian as a heel in the company.
After this PPV, Rhino is rumored to move into a feud Scott Steiner setting up Michigan vs. Michigan in Michigan. As for Christian, I don’t know where he goes from here. Logic tells you Sting but TNA booking tells you that Sting will be taking on Jeff Jarrett. Samoa Joe vs. Christian makes since but again, that would be booking into a corner as Christian can’t be the man to end the streak of Joe and they can’t ruin the momentum of Christian this early. But other than Samoa Joe, I really don’t see anyone on the roster that is in the league of Christian right now. Maybe they could do a feud with AJ Styles vs. Christian but that seems like a long term feud and not something that should blow off at BFG. I think they’ve really screwed up their booking and I don’t know what they can do to save it at this point. Maybe”¦.
*Major Announcement
Vince Russo can save them. According to various websites, TNA is planning to make a major announcement this Sunday at No Surrender. Now some of those websites report that Vince Russo is that major announcement but other sites claim that while TNA has signed Vince Russo, he is not the major announcement that they will make. Either way, it seems as if Vince Russo is now part of the TNA booking committee.
I don’t know whether this is a good thing or not. On one hand, I like the fact that they’re moving away from the booking by committee idea and moving towards the one man booking team committee. On the other hand, this is Vince Russo. Russo did great things with WWF but his track record with WCW was horrible and his track record with TNA was just average. Still, the problem in TNA is booking and Vince Russo is apparently being brought in to solve this problem. The thing is, he could make it worse. I really hope he comes in and fixes the problems in TNA but I think we all agree that the booking in TNA is not something that can be fixed over-night.
So if Vince Russo is not the major announcement, what is it? The current rumors going around is that it have something to do with a TV deal. If this is indeed the case, I really hope that it is two hours. While a better timeslot would help, the show will remain one hour and the booking will pretty much be in the same clusterf*ck situation. With two hours, things can be spaced out a bit better and you won’t have a 10 man brawl on every show. Now if the timeslot does get better, hopefully TNA proves that they can pull solid ratings on their own, thus leading to the two hours that they desperately need.
If this major announcement has nothing to do with their deal with SpikeTV, it’s not at big as Dixie Carter or all the marks are making it out to be. Goldberg, Jericho, Rock, Lesnar, ect”¦ don’t improve a damn thing in TNA. If anything, it only screws up the booking that much more. While any of those men would be a nice addition to the roster and instant rating draws, that aren’t “earth shattering moves that change the history of a company” like Dixie Carter claims. Then again, TNA is known for promising something huge and then delivering with something nice, but not huge. Lets not forget that Sting was brought in to “change the face of TNA forever”.
*X Division Title: Low Ki vs. Chris Sabin
Talk about a match that I really should care about but due to the horrible booking, I really don’t care about. TNA is known for throwing matches together the second before the PPV goes live. This match feels that way, but that shouldn’t be the case. The booking of this match just goes to show how far the X Division has fallen over the past few months. If this was Styles vs. Daniels, you better believe both men would be on Impact every week cutting promos, trying to fight, having squash matches, video packages galore, ect”¦ But this isn’t Styles and Daniels so Sabin and Low Ki are stuck with pretty much a meaningless match. The only thing that would make this more meaningless is if TNA actually puts Chris Sabin over.
Don’t get me wrong, I actually want Chris Sabin to win, but not like this. Not in a match that has had no build and no meaning whatsoever. Have Low Ki cheat to win and next month at BFG (in Michigan mind you) have Chris Sabin get the hometown welcome and the hometown victory. That gives TNA an extra month to actually make this match important and it properly blows this feud off.
*Triple Chance Tag Team Battle Royal
Only two teams in this match matter: The Naturals and America’s Most Wanted. Only one of those teams matter for the right reason: The Naturals. Every other team in this match are nothing but filler and I really don’t care about this match considering the obvious is going to happen.
The Naturals are going to win, there’s no question about it. It will be The Naturals vs. LAX at BFG thus culminating the training of The Naturals. If The Naturals don’t win then the booking of TNA continues to puzzle me and the one division they are booking right, will go completely to hell.
America’s Most Wanted will split up in the match. How do I know this? Because I’m better than you. That along with the fact that BFG is the biggest PPV in TNA history and we all know how much Former Partners Collide sells. If they don’t split at this PPV then TNA has no reason to split the team (hell, they have no reason now aside from lazy booking).
*Abyss vs. Raven vs. Spike
Does this match have a hardcore environment or will TNA job us out like they did last month with Abyss vs. Spike. It doesn’t matter really because this match only leads to a Monsters Ball re-match at BFG. Thus showing that I don’t have to care about this match or this feud until next month where it actually means something.
I’ll roll the dice and say that Spike wins this match just for the simple fact that he has been made out to look like Abyss’ Bitch over the past few months. If he doesn’t win though, it won’t shock me.
*Jay Lethal vs. Petey Williams
Here’s another one of those “What the hell are you booking?” situations. Mere months ago, Jay Lethal was seemingly in line for a huge push, possibly an X Division title win. Now, months later he’s facing Petey Williams in a match that means nothing to me as a fan. TNA needs to realize that Jay Lethal is over and he is loaded with talent. His mic skills don’t show that he’s ready for the belt but that never meant a thing in the X Division.
Petey Williams is on the same boat as Lethal. He won the contenders match for a shot at Low only to have Lethal added to the match and actually lose the match for him. Certainly that means Petey Williams should get a rematch, correct? In my mind yes, but I guess that’s why I type the material to be booked instead of actually booking the material.
It doesn’t matter who wins this match because one of these men has to lose and to me, neither man deserves to lose. I’ll say Petey Williams wins this match thus setting up Sabin vs. Williams: The Final Conflict at BFG (if they chose to go that route).
*Eric Young vs. A-1
Eric Young isn’t Ron Killings, thus Eric Young wins this match. Simple as that.
Overall, it’s really not a bad PPV. Tag Ultimate X should be a MOTYC, Rhino vs. Christian should be a solid match that really draws the crowd into it, Jarrett vs. Joe could be good if it doesn’t turn into an over-booked cluster with the fans, Low Ki vs. Sabin and Lethal vs. Williams will be good despite a lack of story, and there’s a huge announcement. I would buy this PPV but unfortunately for TNA, UFC is on the day before and because I’m a greedy bastard who wants shit right now, I must have UFC first. As long as the building doesn’t catch on fire again, this could turn out to be a very good transitional PPV.
Plugs
Eric delivers the ECW Short Forum and nothing else. The man recaps every show on TV, he’s allowed to skip a show or two. At this point, I don’t blame him.
Big Andy drops some ROH knowledge. I wish I was able to keep up with it like he does but I guess I don’t have the desire to do it. More power to him and the others than can stay up with the company.
Brashear reminds Bill Gunn why he should stay in TNA.
PWI looks to spark debate by listing John Cena as number 1 in their annual Top 50 list. I’m going to go ahead and say that Edge or Samoa Joe will top the annual InsidePulse list at the end of the year.
The End
That’s all for this week my friends. Enjoy UFC 63 if you decide to order that or enjoy TNA No Surrender if you order that instead. If you decide to save your money, enjoy your weekend. I’ll be back next week with a recap of No Surrender (downloaded of course) and the build for BFG. Drop me a line at AMPline4Life@aol.com and join me next time, At Ringside.
