Reviewing the 2/3/11 episode of TNA.
10 Thoughts on TNA Impact
1. Give credit to TNA for addressing THEY right away and making sure they make it known it’s obviously not the Main Event Mafia. This is nothing but a good thing in my opinion. Booker T, Kevin Nash and possibly Sting don’t have a place on the TNA TV show right now. I’d much rather see TNA call this audible and run with the young guys. Not to mention I’m right on board with most of the wrestling fans hoping Sting vs. Undertaker becomes a reality.
Line(s) of the Night LON:Â To Eric Bischoff
Scott Steiner-“And the first time I met you I said to myself, ‘Damn you’re a real piece of shit(bleeped)’.”
Steiner again with his curse laden unpredictable rants
Scott Steiner-“Hell, I’m more of a man than all of these pussies(bleeped) you got here in this ring with you. Combined.”
2. Taz was channeling his inner Jim Ross during the Gunner/Murphy vs. Brohawks(Ink, Inc.) match. He was almost like Jim Ross on caffeine with his rundown on the backgrounds of Gunner and Murphy.
LON: Taz talking to Eric Young on THEY as he was hysterical at the announce desk
Taz-“You saw They? You saw who it was? Who is it?”
EY-“I can’t tell you, Taz. Cuz then you’re gonna tell somebody. I gotta kill them. I gotta kill you. Then I gotta kill myself. That’s a lot of extra work.”
Funny stuff as EY was supposed to think Taz and Mike Tenay were off the air when he was telling them “secret” things.
3. Is Okada supposed to be the Kato to Samoa Joe’s Green Hornet? And some thought Seth Rogen was a little big to play the Green Hornet. Not sure why Samoa Joe would need a sidekick at this point in his feud with The Pope.
4. I’m hoping Against All Odds will see the end of the Bully Ray vs. Devon feud. What had been a compelling feud in the early goings has quickly fizzled out. Having Brian Kendrick interact with Bully Ray was fresh and that’s more of what they need to do with that character. Devon’s sons were spit on(presumably beer) by Bully Ray at ringside to end the brawling and to make things even more personal between the two former partners leading to the PPV.
5. It wasn’t long ago that Douglas Williams was in on the Main Event scene with Fortune or on the TNA frontline versus Immortal. Not that the X-Division is a step down, but in terms of TV time, if he’s back in the X-Division not sure he’ll get the same focus he was getting. That’s a bit of a shame because with Abyss off TV, he could be giving focus back to the TV title. I hope they resolve that soon. Not smart to take someone off TV when they hold the TV title. Hell, even explain that he lost it in a quick match at a house show due to the injuries suffered at the hands of Crimson last week.
6. X-Division 3-way Qualifying Match between Jay Lethal vs.Jeremy Buck w/ Max Buck vs. Douglas Williams had “Crazy Offense” as Taz said. Fast paced action and innovative moves from all three. I loved the finish, too. Jeremy Buck steals the win when Max distracts the referee during the Rolling Chaos Theory finisher by Douglas Williams and then Jeremy kicks Douglas in the gonads in what looked very nasty and then pinned Jay himself. At the PPV the Young Bucks will be all about “Me First” when going for the X-Division title. Max explained it very well during his time on commentary. I believe there is one spot left to go with Kazarian defending the belt.
LON: When Eric Bischoff was asking Fortune where Ric Flair was…
James Storm-“Hey, Eric, last time I saw him me and him were drinking some club in London.”
Sounds like that was more truth than we know.
7. I like the Fortune ruse in Bischoff’s office when they were giving him a false sense of security about “They”. It set the swerve up very nicely and helped put over Fortune as their own entity and cool, calm and collected. Same with the AJ and Bischoff exchange. He had it coming and TNA set it up over the course of the last couple months if you have been following the program.
LON: On Sarita’s salsa dancing during the match
Taz-“Shaking around there…like she got dairy queen or something…those crazy hips…”
Mike Tenay-“Swivel Hips.”
That was great.
8. I’d love to see more of Sarita vs. Mickie James maybe without the taped fist match stipulation. There were flashes of entertaining action during the match, but not sure if these two combatants were the ones to use for this type of match. It’d be much better suited for the brawling Madison Rayne or Tara vs. Mickie. I will say that nobody looks better in a TNA hoodie than Madison Rayne, following her attack from behind on Mickie after the match.
9. Match of the Night:
TNA World Heavyweight Title Match
Ken Anderson (c ) vs. Jeff Hardy
Both the in ring promo earlier in the show and the Main Event title match between Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson had great crowd heat and interaction between the two superstars and the crowd. The match was solid, made bigger by the hype and crowd reaction. Anderson and Hardy both have the presence and charisma to connect with the crowd and draw the needed emotional investment to give the feud/match the much needed fuel to keep things going and maintain interest. Having no interference normally helps elevate the match as well, but the Fortune swerve and turn on Immortal actually was the shock of the night and injected the punch to the match to put it over the top just a notch due to length and sustained crowd heat over the X-Division match for my taste. Now give Ken back the TNA title belt or get a new one around his waste. ASAP.
10. Final Show Thoughts
The Jarretts reveal they will renew their vows on Impact. The scenes with “Daddy Jeff” were disturbing and I’m sure meant to get under Kurt Angle’s skin. Jeff has an ass whooping coming. With the surprise reveal of Fortune as THEY, what side will Ric Flair be on? Will Ric Flair even be returning? It’d be a shame as I feel Flair has been a bigger on air asset to the company than Bischoff and Hogan. With Fortune siding with the Mafia and Anderson in the ring it really leaves a gapping hole in Immortal. And it showed at the end of the program. I mean, really, the Hardys, Rob Terry, Bischoff and the security guards Gunner and Murphy? Even if you add Abyss and Jeff Jarrett back in, that’s still a really lame faction now. The problem with the opening segment is TNA took all that time establishing Scott Steiner as not joining Immortal that they probably need him and Crimson on their side since Kurt Angle is better off on his own now that Fortune is subtracted from Immortal. Of course a 6-man between Jarrett/Gunner/Murphy vs. The New Mafia should be on the horizon. It also leaves a stacked babyface side of the equation and sudden lack of top tier heels. Bully Ray and The Pope aren’t the answers either. Not to mention you have RVD, Matt Morgan and Samoa Joe lacking in TV time(this week) as next tier faces. Might be time to turn Ink, Inc. and have them join Omega…er Immortal. And it would have been nice to add a heel Shane Helms to the group. Or maybe a World’s Greatest Tag Team signing might be good to feud with Kurt when his feud with Jarrett is done. It certainly makes spending money on Sting look like a waste since heel Sting in TNA just doesn’t work and there are too many faces for him to take center stage either. Let him go, Dixie, sign some talented free agents(WGTT/Paul Burchill) and bring back Desmond Wolfe maybe to lead British Fortune(Douglas seemed to have more of a problem with Fortune anyways and Magnus can roll with the flow) along with Rob, Ric Flair and Chelsea.
That is all.
M.C. Brown
You can find me on Twitter as
ShocXwavE
