Welcome back to ringside everyone. Before I start I’ll state that I am trying to no longer read spoilers for Impact. I figure that way if I actually watch the show, I’ll be surprised. Now, plenty to get to this week so lets waste no time.
It’s Damn Real
No news this week as most of the important news is covered in other parts of this column.
So as I mentioned last week, I did not order this PPV. I instead went with UFC 63 and at the end of that PPV, I felt the 40 dollars was well worth with (Hughes vs. Penn 2 was awesome). I even avoided results to this PPV until I could download it. Unfortunately PWTorrents didn’t have the XVid version up until Tuesday (which could be saying something). So to get my results, I went to my main man Ken Anderson. Memo to everyone, if you don’t go to Ken Anderson for your PPV recaps, something is wrong with you. After seeing Ken shitting all over this PPV and Eric not even bothering with it, I had low hopes when I decided to sit down and watch this PPV on Wednesday.
*Eric Young over A-1
I now see why Ron Killings wants to quit TNA. I was critical of Killings for wanting to leave the company because he was forced to job to A-1. I thought jobbing to A-1 was a good thing as it would put A-1 over a bit and give Killings something to do. Well scratch that theory as A-1 is completely ruined now after jobbing to Eric Young on the PPV. Ron Killings, you have every right to be upset at TNA for how they have handled you over the past month or so.
As for this match, it was exactly what I said it would be, a comedy match. Hell, anything with Eric Young is a comedy match and while that’s fine for now, it will get old. Eric Young is nothing but Eugene except he’s not actually playing a retard, he’s acting like one. Eric Young, much like Eugene, will begin to get old and the crowd will stop caring. If they’re going to do nothing but put Eric Young over former Team Canada members then they might as well fire him. Look out Petey Williams because you’re next.
*Jay Lethal over Petey Williams
Hell, after watching this match, it looks like Petey is ready to do a comedy match with Young. When I compared Wrestling to Jackass a few weeks ago, never did I say mix the two because they don’t go hand in hand. Ok guys, you’ve done your job, Jackass 2 was #1 at the box office this past week, call the gimmick a success and move on. I will admit that I thought the Jackass gimmick wasn’t so bad at first. While it never seemed like a great idea, it did give the X Division guys some sort of personality.
After watching this match though, I’m begging TNA to drop this gimmick and go back to actually try and book the X Division. The match it self wasn’t horrible but when you throw in the stupid antics, it almost reaches negative star territory. Why couldn’t TNA allow these two to actually go out there and wrestle? Fuck it, I’m done with this match because sadly, the Jackass antics didn’t end here.
*Abyss over Raven & Spike
At least this match was No DQ because if it wasn’t it would have reached negative star territory. When this feud was announced, I knew the match would be hardcore but I figured Raven and Mitchell would carry the feud on the mic to the point where the match didn’t matter. Well shot that theory down very quickly. Someone explain to me how Jeff Jarrett is allowed to take up 20 minutes of Impact yet Raven nor Mitchell are allowed 5 minutes on the mic. If I was booking TNA, I would allow Mitchell and Raven to debate anything and everything for an entire episode of Impact. That’s right, 40 minutes of Raven and Mitchell discussing everything from politics to sports. I don’t give a damn what the rating is because I sure as hell would be entertained and that’s all I give a damn about.
As for this match, it was your typical TNA hardcore match and it was nothing that we haven’t seen before. Tables, check. Chains, check. Spike f*cking up and completely missing the table, check. I was actually shocked that tacks didn’t come into play. I was happy they didn’t come into play considering TNA just gave away a 10,000 tack match on free TV so having tacks on the PPV wouldn’t be so special. If this feud does continue, I pray that Raven and Mitchell get some more mic time because that’s about the only thing that’s going to save this thing.
*The Naturals win the Triple Chance Battle Royal
It came down to The Naturals and AMW and The Naturals won. Color me shocked. At least AMW didn’t split up (yet). Every other team in this match was a pon. Sure the James Gang had their little moment and transition into a feud with AMW but that’s nothing we haven’t seen and that’s something I don’t want to see again. I’m sure Team 3-D will return and be thrown into this feud because TNA has nothing else to do with these teams. As for the rest of this match, I didn’t pay attention. I have never been a fan of battle royals. Until it gets down to the obvious workers, it’s one big clusterf*ck.
The spot was Chase Stevens was cool, intentional or not. I honestly hope it wasn’t intentional because that makes it that much better. Aside from that one spot, nothing special happened in this one.
*Low Ki over Sabin
The match? Very good. The ending? Very stupid. Once again, TNA screws up by having stupid antics ruin a perfectly good match. Hopefully TNA takes note of the “This is stupid” chants by the crowd once the doll was brought out.
I really hope these two hook up again because they showed good chemistry with each other. If they do hook up again, hopefully the Jackass antics are cut out and these two are allowed to go out there and show everyone that they are great workers. You know what, if you’re going to rip off Jackass, rip off Jackass. Have they truly seen the movie? If they have then they know that blow up dolls aren’t really the main focus. If you’re going to rip off the movie, I want to see Petey Williams drink horse semen or when Low Ki goes for a kick, catch his leg with a bear trap. If you’re going to rip off something, do it properly.
I have nothing more to say about the stupid antics or the current state of the X Division. Because right now they both suck.
*Christian Cage over Rhino
Before I go into this match, let me state that Dave Sahadi does some great video packages. The opening video of the PPV and the video for this match were both awesome in my mind.
The match on the other hand, was not awesome. Then again, I didn’t expect it to be awesome. I expected it to be a solid match between two men who know each other very well and it was just that. I really don’t like how the match ended but we all knew it was going to end like that as well. As I mentioned last week, TNA booked the company into a corner with this match. They had to keep Christian strong as a heel but they also needed to keep Rhino strong as a face. That is why it took an Unprettier on the chair for Christian to put Rhino away. So what happens now? Well the rumor is Scott Steiner will be returning to face Rhino at Bound For Glory but I just can’t see that happening. I think there will be a rematch between the two instead. I don’t know why TNA would possibly do that but they’ve screwed up the main event scene so bad at this point that I don’t see what else they can do right now.
*AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels over LAX
Why this match didn’t go on last is beyond me. It’s got to rank up there as a MOTYC as there seems to be no clear cut choice at this point.
From what I could tell, everyone was on point and if a spot was blown, they covered it up nicely. The ace cutter from the wires, the 3 jumps by Styles/Daniels, and the Styles Clash through the table were all hit perfectly. That was all capped off by Daniels leaping from the tower to the middle of the wires and grabbing the belt. That finish was something we had not seen before and whoever came up with that idea deserves a raise. I also liked the idea of LAX trying to use a ladder to win the belts instead of the wires. I honestly can’t believe that idea had not been used before now.
The only thing I wish TNA would do is allow other workers to use the wires. You can’t tell me that Chris Sabin or Petey Williams didn’t want to climb those wires in their respective matches. Then again, they were too busy being Jackasses to try that.
After watching this match and seeing The Naturals win the Triple Chance Battle Royal, I think this feud will continue into BFG. Of course, it’s got to be a gimmick match and it’s got to be the blow off of the feud.
*Samoa Joe over Jeff Jarrett
This match is exactly what you would expect it to be: The fans hit Jarrett, Jarrett did his usual act, and Joe carried the match. Sadly, I had no reason to care about this match. It wasn’t for the title and it was more about the fans than it was Joe. On top of that, Jarrett hardly put Joe over. He didn’t tap to the choke and the entire match seemed to be dominated by Jarrett. The only time Joe really had an advantage is when he had the strap, something he doesn’t need.
The only thing that interested me is when the match ended and Joe took the belt. Although, that just furthers to complicate the already complicated main event scene. I can’t see them adding Joe to the Sting vs. Jarrett match but at the same time, I can’t see what else they could do with Joe at this point. Maybe Vince Russo is a blessing in disguise.
*Major Announcement
So I stated that anything short of 2 hours would be a let down. Well they didn’t get two hours but they didn’t get a couple of specials from time to time. They also bettered the timeslot going from 11 to 9.
The major announcement was neither of those two things though. It was the signing of Kurt Angle. That’s right, arguably the greatest wrestler in the world when he’s healthy is in TNA. An Olympic gold medalist is in TNA. Kurt Angle is in TNA.
Now before I speak about what you’ve already read, let me give credit where credit is due and that is to TNA. No, not for signing Kurt Angle but for keeping it under wraps for as long as they did. In an era where EVERYTHING is reported by the internet, nobody knew Kurt Angle was coming to TNA. They went above and beyond keeping this thing hidden. They had the people who knew sign contracts, they had Angle’s agent issue a statement, they had this thing hidden from everyone, and for that, I applaud TNA. Kurt Angle going to TNA shows that truly anything can happen in wrestling.
So what exactly does Kurt Angle bring to the table? Well aside from just about everything, he brings a new drive to TNA, he brings a new look to the company, and a he brings a new look to the company. When you now look at TNA, you see Kurt Angle. It’s no longer about Joe, Styles, Jarrett, Sting, ect”¦ it’s about Angle. Now is this a good thing? Sure it is. Joe and Styles aren’t huge draws yet, the entire company hates Jarrett, and Sting is at the end of his run. Kurt Angle comes to TNA and breathes new life into a company that needs it right now.
So now the question becomes, how long does Angle last in TNA? People are calling for the death of Angle within a year and calling for the head of TNA for even signing him. I say, why? If Kurt Angle is booked properly, why should be die within a year? There is no travel with TNA, no house shows, and no weekly tapings. Angle just has to show up to the tapings, cut a promo, and be done. It goes back to what Ken said and I quoted: there is no point in have him wrestle on Impact. Don’t give away the wrestling ability of Kurt Angle on free tv. Make me spend 30 bucks to see Kurt Angle work his magic in the ring. Take my money and increase buy rates TNA. If Angle wrestles once a month (possibly less), where is the harm in that? If TNA is smart, they slowly build him in the ring. Turn his love for wrestling and your criticism for signing him into a storyline. Don’t allow him to wrestle for a bit and when you do allow him to wrestle, have him take out jobbers to start. It’s honestly not a hard thing to book in my mind. Of course, we are talking about TNA, so they will find a way to screw things over.
Now since it was announced that Angle signed a deal with TNA, the IWC has gone apeshit claiming that TNA is going to kill Angle and that TNA should be ashamed of themselves. It seems as if TNA is getting all the blame while we are quick to forget that Kurt Angle is the one who signed the deal. Unless there was a gun to his head, he didn’t have to sign the deal. Now you can say, “oh well, he’s Kurt Angle, you knew he was going to sign so it’s still the fault of TNA” and if you say that, I ask you, is Kurt Angle not an adult? Can Kurt Angle not make the decision on his own decision? If he loves to wrestle, who are we to take that away from him? We can sit here and speculate about the health of Kurt Angle all we want but that’s all we are doing, speculating. Only Kurt Angle knows his body so if he wants to go out there and wrestle, let him. Hell, I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s written somewhere that Kurt Angle wants to die while wrestling.
Look at it this way, if Kurt Angle dies while being currently active in wrestling, Shelton Benjamin will actually get a push.
It’s Goin’ Down
So I caught some of Impact this week but I had been drinking a bit, thus hindering my memory. That’s why recaps exist.
So Lance Hoyt gets some face time and of course he gets to job to Jarrett. Wait, what? Lance Hoyt won? Oh, it was by DQ, nevermind. Eric likes to refer to these as “Angle Advancement Matches”. I like to call them “Face Time Matches”. I’m glad to see that Jeff Jarrett wants his NWA World Title back, too bad possession is 9/10ths of the law and I’ll be damned if I’m going to debate Samoa Joe over that law. As for Hoyt, thanks for coming, collect your check on the way out.
Wow, Samoa Joe gets put in a Face Time Match. What the hell is going on with TNA? Stick Samoa Joe in a match with Raven, need Spike’s help to win, get slapped by Spike, and Joe becomes the after thought of the match? Get the f*ck out of here. I understand that Monsters Ball was booked for BFG but why in the hell is Samoa Joe in it. Scratch that, I have no problem adding Joe to the match, I have a problem with him carrying around the belt when he’s not in a match for the belt. Is the Monsters Ball match a number one contenders match? If not, then get the belt away from Joe. That’s not saying I don’t want Joe with the belt, that’s saying I want Joe with the belt when he is actually challenging for the belt. Sting vs. Jarrett is the “big money feud”, so treat it like the big money feud. Don’t treat the feud like an after thought because Joe has the belt. Again, I’m all for Joe having the belt but right now, Sting vs. Jarrett is the hard sell match at BFG, not Samoa Joe.
Wow, Team 3-D is back. I guess they’ll be stuck in a feud with AMW heading into Bound For Glory. Oh well, at least it’s not ICP. Unless Eminem was coming in to beat the hell out the clowns, I never want to see ICP on my TV screen.
So the Jackass antics continue and I continue”¦not to care. Until they drop the Jackass routine, I refuse to speak a word about the X Division.
I actually like the idea of the press conference to announce matches at the PPV. It allows the company to build the matches right now and limit the number of throw together matches that the company is known for. We already know what’s going to take place for the most part, might as well go ahead, announce it, and start building.
It looks like AJ Styles and Christopher will settle their feud with LAX in a Six Sides of Steel match. I’m not really a fan of the Six Sides Of Steel match on any PPV not named Lockdown just for the simple fact that Lockdown pretty much kills the gimmick but in this case, I’ll allow it. It plays perfectly off of Konnan whole gripe about being fenced in and all that bullshit so in that sense, it works. It also allows Homicide to become a man again. Remember the last time he was in the Six Sides Of Steel? If you don’t, consider yourself lucky. That match will most likely steal the show for the third straight PPV allowing AJ and Daniels to steal the show since they’ve started teaming together.
Seems like Christian and Rhino are going to continue their feud heading into Bound For Glory, no shock there. I figure they will have a gimmick match between the two that way Christian can win and Rhino can stay strong considering Christian will pull out all stops to beat him. The only thing that concerns me is that BFG is in Michigan, the hometown of Rhino. I hope TNA doesn’t screw up the heel run of Christian by jobbing him out to the hometown hero. That would just be stupid.
So we start the show the same way we end the show”¦Jeff Jarrett. Honestly, can this man please get off of my TV screen for like 5 minutes? And if you’re not going to take him off my TV screen, can you please give him better something to do than beat up “wrestling legends” Buff Bagwell and Lex Luger. At least Samoa Joe somewhat saved that segment in the end. While I’m not a fan of Joe keeping the belt right now, I am a fan of more Samoa Joe and if this is the way to do it, then by all means go for it.
It was also announced that Angle will be the special enforcer in the Sting vs. Jarrett match. I’m all for that as long as Angle does screw Sting out of the title, thus pissing off the entire world and prove that TNA has no clue how to book the man.
Overall, it was a decent episode I guess. The booking still seems a bit over the place but things are coming together heading into Bound For Glory and that’s all you can ask for I guess.
UFC 63 Review
So since I’m smarter than everyone, I decided to spend my money on UFC this past weekend. Not only was the event better than the TNA PPV, it was the best UFC event since 59.
Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn was a war. Penn dominated the first two rounds but his cardio was horrible and in the 3rd round, he gave out allowing Hughes to retain his belt. That’s why there’s always a fight before the fight in UFC. In this fight, Matt Hughes proved why he is the best welterweight in the world. A lesser man would have given it up when Penn has him in a submission, but not Matt Hughes. Matt Hughes held on for 40 seconds or so, made it to the bell, and lived to see another round. That other round was the 3rd and final round of the contest. Hughes picked apart Penn in the 3rd round and it was all over.
If you ever wanted proof that UFC is different from WWE or TNA, then watch the first fight of this event. Jens Pulver made his return to UFC and was up against a scrub so to speak. In wrestling, Pulver would have dominated this guy, thus making his return a success and begin a run to the belt. That wasn’t the case though. The scrub defeated Pulver in 48 seconds, thus ruining the comeback and possibly the UFC career of Pulver.
The rest of the card was solid and in the end, the money was well worth it. I’ll probably skip the next UFC PPV in order to save some cash but I am getting the December PPV come hell or high water. Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz, that’s all I need to know. The rest of the card could be scrub matches and I would still pay 40 bucks to see this one.
Plugs
Botter brings you news that you won’t find any where else.
Phil speaks on the additions of Russo and Angle to TNA.
Blatt takes on ECW like he does every week.
The End
Gone until next week folks. Drop me a line at AMPLine4Life@aol.com and join me next time, At Ringside.
