Originally posted earlier this week on TheWrestlingBlog…
The Anderson Breakdown
Hello friends, what’s good in da hood? In case you missed my uber-late review of Bound for Glory last week, I mentioned that I was going to attempt to review the five consecutive wrestling PPV’s between now and the end of December. I also mentioned that I was going to attempt to have each week’s review up by Wednesday afternoon. Needless to say, I forgot to factor Thanksgiving into that equation. I guess I could try to have this fine review ready and posted by Wednesday afternoon, but considering the record travel forecast for Thanksgiving this year, I think the lengthy effort on my behalf would ultimately fall on deaf ears. Seriously, who’s going to be scrolling through this review with one hand, and sucking a delicious turkey drumstick down to the bone with the other?
Instead, I’m going to milk this one for a few extra days, and probably aim to have it up by next Tuesday morning. Regardless, it’s 5:30 AM on a bitterly cold Jacksonville morning, and I’m already up so that I can get this review done for you, fine reader. Tomorrow’s looking busy, Wednesday even busier, and I scored tickets at the last minute to the Jags/Giants game tonight, so I figured I’d get an early jump on things.
Quick thoughts on the TNA Thursday Night Impact Primetime Debut that will undoubtedly be outdated by the time this review goes to press: I liked it. I don’t know if it was necessarily the kind of show that’s going to draw in new wrestling fans, but it certainly was strong enough to siphon a few disgruntled WWE fans away from Vince. In fact, Christian/Rhyno and Angle/Abyss were two of the better free TV matches this year.
The only downside — and this is a big downside — is that TNA, for reasons that escape me, practically gave away Joe/Angle for free on the special. Sure, there wasn’t an officially sanctioned match, but the “keep the wrestlers from physically wrestling until the PPV in order to keep it special” rule didn’t seem to be in TNA’s playbook on Thursday night.
Angle and Joe literally wrestled, in full gear, for four or five minutes before being broken up. It was just entirely too much, and sadly, it really damaged my anticipation for the match between them at this PPV. Hell, they practically hit all their big spots already on Impact.
The thing that I find so ironic about pro wrestling these days is the following: They’ve literally got an 80 year head start ahead of everyone else when it comes to experience in building big matches with big match atmospheres. They’ve got nearly a century of history to draw from. Yet no one in mainstream American wrestling seems to have any clue how to promote anymore.
This really hit home for me when I was watching — of all things — the Food Network, several nights ago. I kid you not when I say that the Iron Chef showdown between Rachel Ray (with Mario Batali) vs. Giada De Laurentiis (with Bobby Flay) was better built, and had more buzz going in, than any wrestling match in the last year. The battle might have taken place in Kitchen Stadium instead of Madison Square Garden, but in all seriousness, it was pro wrestling.
You take two clashing personalities (the adorable, quirky, everywoman Ray vs. the prissy, polarizing, somewhat pretentious Giada), keep them apart long enough for each one to develop a distinct personality and a passionate fan base, and then you force them to collide. Ray/Giada 1 had more buzz around my office water cooler than any wrestling match in the last five years — easily.
It’s not just the Food Network that seems to get it though. Show’s like Hell’s Kitchen, The Ultimate Fighter, Survivor, and even Beauty and the Geek are building better head-to-head rivalries and battles than anyone in wrestling — almost on a whim — and no one in wrestling seems to be making any changes to fix that.
Go figure…
I know I sound like a broken record when I say this, but Dave Sahadi is literally the most incredible man in the world at putting together sports video packages. Dave opens the show with a straight-up breathtaking montage mixing rock-driven classical music, TNA footage, and clips from the Apollo moon landing. On paper, it shouldn’t necessarily work — but to see it with your own eyes is to believe. Just amazing stuff.
Johnny Devine & Kazarian & Matt Bentley vs. The Voodoo Kin Mafia
Ah, the Voodoo Kin Mafia. Where do I begin? Should I say that they are too inside for their own good? Should I perhaps say their “Declaration of War” is sOoOoO 1997? Or should I say that their desperate pleas for attention — any attention — are totally pathetic?
No friends, I shan’t.
Instead, I’ll tell the truth.
Despite there probably being a fair amount of truth in everything I just said, I actually really enjoyed their bizarre rant on the TNA primetime special. Don’t get me wrong, they don’t have a prayer of actually backing it up in the ring, and they’re probably not the best guys to be doing this, but if you’ve got the Road Dogg and Billy Gunn under contract and you have to use them to justify the expense, I’ll by all means take the DX-hating, inside VKM (horrible name notwithstanding) over what these two have been doing for the last year. At least it gives me SOME reason to tune in.
As for the match itself, VKM make incredibly short work of their three opponents, and then give another MEGA inside interview, again referencing Triple H and Shawn Michaels by their real names and promising to wage further war on Thursday night. It goes without saying that TNA isn’t going to lure in many new wrestling fans with such hardcore web nonsense, but as a certified, grade-A, angus-approved intraweb rasslin’ geek, I’ll take the bait. CANCEL ALL PLANS FOR THURSDAY, KEN!
The only real thing of note from this short squash match is the fact that Matt Bentley is apparently now a transsexual. According to Mike Tenay, Matt Bentley has joined a “new movement.” From the looks of it, the movement Bentley has joined is, of course, the women’s movement.
*
Don West and Mike Tenay are at ringside, and they are a SCREAMINnNnN. Needless to say, they are mismatched as ever, with Don West wearing a perfectly acceptable shirt and tie, and Mike Tenay wearing his patented undersized PPV tuxedo.
After walking all the way to the back, the three cruisers from the opening match turn around and walk all the way back to the ring. Not sure why they didn’t just stay in the ring to begin with. Johnny Devine has a hood over his head, and Kazarian and Mrs. Bentley force him to his knees. Before we can fully register what’s going on, Raven comes sauntering out to the ring. He’s wearing a white pinstripe suit and a mask that covers his face from the nose down. In fact, it would be perfectly fair to suggest that he looks a lot like one of the Mortal Kombat palette swap ninjas, if they were to suddenly gain roughly one metric ton.
In Raven’s hand lies a weapon so cutting edge, and so refreshingly new, that I feel I must address it by name: The Singapore Cane.
ECCCCCCCCFUDGINNNNNNNDOUBLEUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!
Raven canes Johnny Devine across the back about 10 times, drawing some blood in the process. Despite the undoubtedly real impact on the cane shots, angles like this remind me why wrestling has become so dead to me in the last year or two.
Nobody even attempts to make anything appear legit anymore. Not promoters. Not announcers. Not wrestlers. Nobody.
Anyway, if Diamond Dallas Page were involved in this angle, I’d probably reference it as PoSiTivEly GooFY.
From what I gather, the point of this was to establish Raven, in the words of Mike Tenay, as “cold and emotionless.” This opposed to the warm, huggable Teddy Bear that Raven previously was?
The scene ends with Raven dramatically walking away with his Singapore cane in hand. Though Raven isn’t shown returning to backstage, I think it’s probably fair to guess that he returned to his locker room, latched the door, and gave birth to a 400 pound, 16 year old child.
Shane Douglas is in the back. He’s blabbering about something, which needless to say, doesn’t involve the tag team standing behind him. Instead, Douglas is all, “YOUUUU’VE DISRESPECTED THE FRANCHIIIISE.”
According to Douglas, somebody or something (my tape skipped) has “flown the coup.”
Team 3D!
Team 3D has flown the coup!
You know, I normally find the gay humor to be pretty stupid. You know, “Gosh, LORAINE is SO GHEY.” Or “Gosh, you’re gayer than a three pound fruitcake!” It’s just stupid humor. Not even that I find it horribly offensive — just horribly tired.
With that being said, Shane Douglas is SUCH a queer.
SRSLY.
Not in a gay sense, but in a self-important, failed-everywhere except Philadelphia yet still thinks he’s better than Ric Flair kind of way.
I ignored the rest of Shane Douglas’ promo, and instead lit up my fine smelling Christmas Wreath Yankee Candle.
The Naturals vs. Jay Lethal & Sonjay Dutt
I don’t think many people are dying for a move-by-move description of this match, but I will say this: Dutt and Lethal are so good here that they actually make the match watchable in parts. Sadly, they don’t make it watchable enough for the match to be anywhere near “good.”
The subplot of the match is as follows: Shane Douglas is animated!
He’s yelling!
He’s screaming!
The Franchise is such a great coach!
In fact, I’d venture to guess that the cameraman might have some kind of a secret crush on the Franchise, because he’s in frame ten times more than the — you know — grapplers in the ring. Every three to four seconds, we’re treated to a close-up of Shane Douglas deep in thought. Kind of like the treatment Phil Jackson gets from the production crew when the Lakers play. Of course, Phil Jackson has won 9 NBA championships and Shane Douglas couldn’t even draw the 100 fans necessary to keep the Hardcore Homecoming tour alive, but really, who’s keeping score?
The Naturals win the match, but much more importantly, Shane Douglas is responsible for the win!!!!!
Hooray.
**
JB is in the back with LAX, the “realest” act left in wrestling. According to Konnan, LAX is going to burn the American flag tonight. Not because they hate America, but because they are exercising their Constitutional right to call bullshit on foreign policy. LAX doesn’t want to be associated with a country that “doesn’t answer to its people, but rather to big business, corporate interests, and the military-industrial complex.” LAX doesn’t want to be associated with a country that “sends its troops to be slaughtered under false pretense.”
Really, how do you argue that?
LAX can’t stay heel very long, because – like it not — they’re pretty much speaking the truth, and from the looks of nearly every major poll, they’re also voicing the popular opinion in America these days. Not necessarily that GRINGOS ARE TAKING OVER, but rather that something is terribly, terribly broken.
Christopher Daniels cuts a promo that’s every bit as bad as his promo at the last PPV was awesome. I mentioned the complete lack of realism in wrestling earlier, but nowhere is this more evident than in promos. I’m so sick of hearing wrestlers go out and give these corny, pre-scripted, by-the-numbers promos where they just read the lines, inject none of their own personality, and move along. It seems like the same bad writer is scripting promos for the WWE and TNA.
It’s so frustrating to listen to shoot interviews from some of these guys, because it’s obvious that they have GREAT personalities that are being completely, totally cast aside in favor of whatever cardboard character the writers want to provide for them.
Chris Sabin vs. Christopher Daniels
From what I gather, the subplot of the X-Division tonight is as follows: The “legendary” Jerry Lynn has grown tired of Chris Sabin’s newfound arrogance. He prefers the respectful attitude of Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal. Thus, he has given his endorsement to them, and given none to Chris Sabin.
Yet another example of TNA living in this fantasy world where each and every one of their viewers has either a) watched Jerry Lynn come up in the Global Wrestling Federation, b) watched Jerry Lynn in the old ECW, c) watched Jerry Lynn play the occasional jobber on WWE Sunday Night Heat, or D) watched Jerry Lynn in the early days of TNA.
Of course, who Jerry Lynn is, and why he is an important “legend” is never fully (or even partially) explained to the fans at home, so instead it just plays like a bunch of a talented X-Division wrestlers sucking up to a quasi-crippled man with a horrible perm.
The match itself wasn’t bad — in fact it was quite good — but Chris Sabin didn’t look as good in this match as he did against Low-Ki at the last PPV. The crowd wasn’t into him, and as hard as Don West and Mike Tenay try to mask it, the guy just isn’t over. The push and storyline he’s been given in the last month hasn’t even been bad, Sabin’s just the wrong man for the job.
The match went about 15:00, and though it wasn’t quite the match that Senshi/Sabin was last month, it was still pretty damn good wrestling. Christopher Daniels won after a few rollup attempts, and the streak of TNA PPV’s having an above average 15 minute X-Division match now stands at 2.
With a few more matches like this, people might actually start taking the X Division seriously again.
***
The Jerry Lynn stuff continues post match, with Sabin acting all obnoxious and Lynn coming out to the ring to correct him. Jerry Lynn throws down his TNA badge, as if to signify “I AM NO LONGER AN AGENT, I AM A WRESTLER!”
Can’t say that TNA doesn’t have a million other (younger) guys who desperately need whatever push Jerry Lynn is getting.
Kevin Nash, Austin Starr and Alex Shelley are in the back, and I can personally guarantee that whatever is about to happen will be both a) so inside that no new wrestling found could possibly understand it and b) hilarious beyond belief.
Kevin Nash tells Shelley and Starr that if they follow his lead, they will be remembered among the all time greats. Then, for no discernable reason, Kevin Nash, Alex Shelley, and Austin Starr start rattling off names of legendary jobbers and semi-jobbers in rapid succession for about a minute straight. The Italian Stallion, George South, Lasertron, and Hector Garza were all mentioned by name.
I cannot hate on this stuff at ALL because it has constantly been one of the most entertaining aspects of TNA television for months, but let’s face it, NOBODY without extensive, decades-long knowledge of professional wrestling is going to get this.
GREAT for what it was though.
Ron Killings & Lance Hoyt vs Alex Shelley and Austin Starr
Man, this is certainly is a bizarre choice for a PPV match. Lance Hoyt is already doing a goofy dance, so I can’t complain too much, but if Joe/Angle ends up going like 6 minutes in light of some of the other stuff on this show tonight, I’m not going to be too happy.
Kevin Nash is on commentary and he is f*cking gold. Nash’s arm is in a sling — a condition Nash claims was the result of a missed “flying 320 tornado twist” from several nights earlier in Japan when he was defending his X Division title in Budokan Hall.
Mike Tenay looks genuinely un-amused by Nash’s antics.
Though the match doesn’t offer much in the way of wrestling, and even though the crowd doesn’t seem into it at all, some of the diversionary stuff is actually pretty damn entertaining. The silly dancing. The jumping pectorals. Big Kev’s commentary. I must admit, it was pretty silly stuff.
After approximately 10:00 of nuttiness, Lance Hoyt surprises Alex Shelley from behind for a puzzling 3-count.
Huh?
Kevin isn’t happy.
**
Jeremy Borash is in the back with Christian. Borash calls Christian out on his recent heeldom, and Cage proceeds to cut one of the best promos of his career. Cage is gunning for AJ Styles tonight, and if Jeremy Borash DARES roll his eyes at him again, he’s going to “rip his face off, and use it to wipe his ass.”
I like Christian’s new focus.
AJ Styles vs. Christian Cage
I’m looking forward to this match more than anything else on the card. Even moreso than Joe-Angle (after the Thursday Night Impact Special). It’s an absolutely fresh matchup between two of the more underutilized wrestlers of the last few years.
I haven’t been that big on Christian’s matches in TNA thus far, but I really do think that this match has the potential to steal the show tonight.
AJ and Christian tie-up to start and struggle around the ring for control. Some nice back-and-forth chain wrestling follows, with Christian eventually getting the early upper hand.
Both men lose their tempers though and exchange open-hand slaps to the face, followed by fisticuffs.
Things continue to go back and forth, and the action winds up outside of the ring. AJ Styles takes a few blatantly heelish cheapshots at Cage before throwing him back in the ring.
Christian continues to get beat down so he retreats to the outside for a breather. Before he can really do much of the breathing though, AJ Styles comes barreling over the top rope with a somersault plancha. AJ lands right on top of Christian, but unfortunately he also lands legs-first on the guardrail.
Ouch.
Christian is dazed on the outside and Styles tries to continue the aerial attack with an Asai moonsault to the outside. In a great spot, Cage literally yanks Styles out of the air by the leg, sending him crashing back-first to the ring apron.
AJ Styles is pretty hurt, and Christian doesn’t waste any opportunity taking advantage of the situation. Christian works over Styles with headlocks, submissions, and kicks to the back. In fact, in the words of Mike Tenay, Christian flat-out “embarrasses” AJ Styles for several minutes.
AJ Styles mounts a comeback though, hitting a sick backbreaker on Cage followed by a top-rope rana.
In a freakin AWESOME spot, both men exhaustedly trade punches on their knees. They struggle back to their feet, exchange for blows, and slowly get a second wind from the punches.
Christian begs off, but trips up Styles for the catapult. Styles lands on the second rope though and springs back off with the backflip/inverted DDT for a 2 count.
AJ Styles goes up top, but Christian manages to run out of the way of his attack. When AJ Styles turns around, Christian just LEVELS him with the spear for another close two-count.
Christian for the Unprettier!
AJ reverses into the Pele kick!!!
ONE!
TWO!
THREEENOOOOOOOO!!!!
TWO COUNT!
AJ comes flying off the top rope and attempts a rana.
CHRISTIAN WITH THE POWER BOMB!
TWO COUNT!
Christian grabs a chair, but when he attempts to use it, Christopher Daniels runs out, jumps up on the apron, and grabs hold of the chair. AJ goes for a roll-up, but Cage still has hold of the chair!!!
CAGE DROPS DOWN FOR THE THREE COUNT!!
CHRISTIAN WINS!
AJ Styles is pissed off at Christopher Daniels, they exchange shoves, and suddenly half the TNA locker room is out to get between them. Rhyno comes out to cool things down a notch, and he gives some goofy promo about “friends.”
Seriously, what is Rhyno doing out here ruining the moment?
Styles tells Rhyno off, and unless I’m misreading this, Styles MIGHT be going heel?
Anyway, an INCREDIBLE match between these two, and easily Christian’s best match since coming to TNA.
****
AMW are in the back with Gail Kim. AMW are pissed at LAX, and Gail Kim is the hottest woman in mainstream wrestling. No joke. WHOA.
Says Storm:
“We haven’t always been America’s favorite, but we’ll always be… America’s most wanted.”
AMW vs. LAX
The pre-match video package really does a nice job selling the importance of this match. Man, even after fifty viewings, that attack Gail Kim took at the hands of LAX still makes me cringe. Poor woman was folded in HALF.
LAX = the best entrance in wrestling.
It should be noted that the awesome Christian/Styles match has totally gotten me back into this show.
Konnan is angry at Jim Cornette, and absolutely nobody is going to prevent Konnan from burning the American flag tonight.
Though we’ve got several interesting subplots running through this feud, the crowd immediately kicks in with the cliche, forced, tired “USA! USA! USA!” chant.
Things are just NUTS to start, with fists and bodies flying everywhere.
LAX hit a crazy awesome spot where Homicide throws James Storm into the ropes and then drops down. When Storm is forced to jump over Homicide, Hernandez comes out of nowhere and just LEVELS him, in mid-air, with a shoulderblock.
I really wish I had the time and energy to describe each and every move, but this match is just all action. In a way, it actually reminds me of a much more athletic Eliminators vs. Gangsters match from 1996 ECW. MUCH more athletic.
AMW appear to have Hernandez pinned, but Konnan distracts the referee, allowing Homicide to run in, hit James Storm over the head with a blowtorch, and get the 3 count to retain the titles.
KONNAN IS READY TO BURN THE AMERICAN FLAG!
HOMICIDE HAS GAIL KIM UP FOR THE GRINGO KILLAH!
And Petey Williams runs to the ring and saves the day.
Petey Willams.
Another TNA example of the right push going to the wrong guy.
BUT WAIT!
Jim Cornette is out to strip LAX of the NWA World Tag Team Titles! Not because they’re cheaters, but because they don’t “properly represent TNA.”
The live crowd is PISSED, and the “Bullshit” chants are thunderous in the Impact Zone.
Don West cheesily screams “I LOVE IT!!”
Stupid overbooked finish to what was otherwise an awesome match.
***
Jim Mitchell cuts a wicked promo on Sting. He asks Sting why he’s so afraid of the dark when the pinnacle of his career came when he embraced the darkness. Sting, says Mitchell, sees his own inner darkness reflected back at him when he looks at Abyss. In Sting’s defeat will come the freedom to once again embrace the darkness.
Incidentally, Jim Mitchell’s shoot interview is quite possibly the greatest thing I’ve ever heard. If you are in the market for one shoot and one shoot only, I’d fully suggest Mitchell’s. You haven’t lived life until you’ve been in the gym and dropped 200 pounds right on your chest from laughter after hearing the story of Kanyon pulling a gun on Mitchell in a hotel room for videotaping himself screwing a girl in the Mortis costume, or the story of half the ECW locker room gathered in a hotel room watching Mitchell drunkenly get off a hooker with a Tommy Dreamer action figure.
Sting vs. Abyss – NWA World Heavyweight Title Match
Sting is looking incredible again tonight. Dude is thin and ripped. I said it in the last review, but he’s looking better than he has in years. He’s in even better shape than at the last PPV.
Both men brawl into the crowd to start, with crazy weapons shots and stiff punches a-plenty.
Sting misses a CRAZY Stinger Splash and splats on the guardrail. Abyss takes advantage of the situation by grabbing a few tables (several of which are covered with barbed wire).
Abyss tries to powerbomb Sting through the tables, but Jim Mitchell and the referee stop Abyss from getting disqualified.
In direct contrast with Sting’s recent match with Jeff Jarrett, the live crowd is actually red-hot for this match.
Sting with THREE STRAIGHT STINGER SPLASHES IN THE CORNER!
Four!
Sting only gets a one count, so he ascends to the top rope. Abyss meets him there though and attempts a superplex. Sting pushes Abyss off and then comes SOARING across the ring with a splash.
Sting has somehow turned the clock back to 1990.
No f*cking joke.
Look at this guy GO.
Sting locks on the Scorpion Deathlock, but Abyss won’t tap.
Sting grabs his NWA Title belt, pushes the ref out of the way, and attempts to take off Abyss’ head with the belt. Abyss reverses into a Black Hole Slam and throws Sting into the corner.
The ref gets taken out by mistake!
Abyss grabs the bag of thumbtacks but Sting has his bat!
He clobbers Abyss!
Sting takes a look at the bag of tacks, considers throwing them outside the ring, and then slowly pours them out in the middle of the ring.
The crowd is going CRAZY!
Abyss REVERSES and THROWS STING RIGHT INTO THE FUCKING TACKS.
HOLY CRAP.
STING NO-SELLS!
HE’S GOT HUNDREDS OF TACKS STICKING OUT OF HIS BACK!
SCORPION DEATHLOCK!
But the ref is distracted by Jim Mitchell. Sting is pissed and goes after Mitchell.
Abyss flees to the outside, but Sting “waffles him” with a chair and then ties him up in the pulley system he used to lower himself to the ring.
Sting HANGS Abyss from the ceiling!
As Abyss swings back and forth, Sting just LEVELS him with the chair like he’s a massive pinata (I don’t know how in Word, but feel free to go back and add your own enne’ with pen or pencil).
Stings back is looking pretty sick.
Sting pulls Abyss up the ramp towards the barbed wire tables.
The ref is doing everything in his power to stop Sting, but Sting is pushing the referee off repeatedly. Sting pie-faces the referee, and then nearly clotheslines his head off.
STING THROWS ABYSS OFF THE RAMP INTO THE BARBED WIRE TABLES!
But wait…
Sting has been disqualified.
And apparently, though it’s news to me, the world title can switch hands as the result of a DQ?
Again, I say:
Huh?
Abyss is the new champion, and the live crowd (along with Sting) is confused as all hell.
Weird finish, AWESOME match.
***1/2
Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle
As we get under way, it occurs to me that no match in TNA history has ever had the level of big match feel that this match has. As both men stand across the ring from each other and are announced to the crowd, you can cut the anticipation with a f*cking knife.
Mike Tenay: “Quite simply, the most anticipated match in the 5 year history of TNA.”
Both men go back and forth to start, looking for any advantage they can find. Joe gets the early edge with some snug strikes.
Angle comes back though with some strikes of his own, and then surprises Joe with a release belly-to-belly.
Joe retreats to the outside, but when Angle comes to follow him out, Joe grabs Angle by the legs and SWINGS him headfirst right into the guardrail.
Well, there’s a broken neck waiting to happen there.
Angle regains some momentum with a few European uppercuts, but then blows it by charging Joe, missing, and going shoulder first right into the ringpost.
Joe follows up with a nasty tope suicida through the middle ropes, and then grabs Angle by the head, runs him a full 360 around the ring, and then slams his head right into the steps.
Angle comes up BLEEDING red.
Joe grabs Angle’s face and forcibly attempts to open the cut further.
Angle can’t see too well with the blood in his eyes, but he attempts to charge Joe anyway. Joe patiently waits for Angle, and just buries him with a powerslam. Joe then hits a nasty tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.
The crowd is all “ANGLE-JOE! ANGLE-JOE!”
Joe sets Angle up for the muscle-buster, but somehow Angle is able to reverse into a tornado DDT.
Both men trade bombs, but Angle gets Joe’s waist from behind for the Rolling Germans. On the third one, Angle drops Joe right on his head. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not.
Joe reverses the Angle slam!
Running knee into the corner!
MUSCLE-BUSTER BY JOE!
One! Two! Nooooo.
Angle’s a mess.
Joe goes for the clutch, but Angle reverses and hits the Angle slam for two.
Crowd is all “MAKE HIM TAP! MAKE HIM TAP!”
Angle drops the strap Lawler-style, and the place just goes NUTS.
ANKLE LOCK!
ANKLE LOCK!
JOE MIGHT TAP!
JOE REVERSES INTO THE KLUTCH!
AND ANGLE REVERSES BACK INTO THE ANKLE LOCK!
Joe escapes, but Angle throws him into the corner and Angle slams him to the mat.
ANKLE LOCK!
ANGLE DROP DOWN AND WRENCHES IT IN!
JOE TAPS! JOE TAPS! JOE TAPS!
The crowd is going NUTS.
After several minutes, Joe asks for the mic. The crowd is all “YOU TAPPED OUT,” and Joe is all, “I know I tapped out. I recognize that you were the better man tonight.”
Joe says that if Angle has any balls, he’ll give him one more shot.
Crowd is all “ONE MORE TIME!”
Joe extends his hand to Angle, the crowd goes nuts, and Angle totally snubs Joe and walks away.
KILLER match.
The only downside, of course, is that it could have easily gone another 10 minutes, minimum. If TNA chose to keep the match around 12:00 — knowing a rematch was on the horizon — I can totally understand that. If this was all the time they could possibly find to give the match though, that’s pretty foolish.
Still though, a hot, intense, incredible match.
****
Closing thoughts:
Man, does Jeff Jarrett’s absence ever make a difference or what? Sure, there were a few sketchy things on the show, but overall, I haven’t had this much fun watching a TNA PPV in a long, long time.
The old saying goes, “All’s well that ends well.” For the last year, maybe more, TNA has been putting on decent PPV’s that were closed out by absolutely ridiculous/horrible Jeff Jarrett matches that absolutely nobody wanted to see. These “main events” were usually bad enough — both in execution and in over-booking — to completely and utterly ruin any goodwill I previously had for the show. It was like having a decent dinner with a horrible dessert. You leave with such a bad taste in your mouth that the first three courses seem much worse than they actually were.
Genesis ended so strongly though that I’m perfectly willing to overlook some of the show’s shortcomings (which were actually few and far between).
Daniels/Sabin was really solid, Sting/Abyss and AMW/LAX were intense and fun, and Christian/Styles was all kinds of awesome. Throw in a KILLER main event, and this might be the best all-around TNA PPV in the last year and a half.
If — and this is a massive if that could realistically determine the fate of this entire company — TNA is able to put business first and Jeff Jarrett second (read: keep him off TV or in the bottom third of the card for as long as humanely possible (sub read: forever)), they really could build something special. Maybe not a massive empire akin to what WCW created in the 90’s, but certainly viable Monday Night competition for Vince McMahon and the WWE.
Few odd booking choices aside, this show was a massive thumbs up for me. It felt fresh, the wrestling was great, and (praise the Lord) it got me excited for Impact on Thursday Night.
Good work TNA.
NOW KEEP IT UP!
I hope you guys had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving, free of ham-based food poisoning and devoid of Playstation 3 gunshot wounds. I ate about a pound of the turkey myself (an LB, for those of you partial to abbreviation), and I think I’d rather suffer the gunshot wound than pay $600 for a PS3 right now. A year down the road, we’ll see, but for now, I’m happy to sit on the sidelines. I flirted with the idea of getting a Wii for Christmas, but I don’t have that much free time these day, so I think I’m going to go for a DS to play on the go. Feel free to hit me up with game suggestions, as I haven’t been following the system that closely in the last year or so.
Coming soon: my review of the Survivor Series.
Take care friends!
Ken Anderson
KenAnderson242@aol.com
