Reviewing the 2/24/11 episode of TNA…
1. TNA started off the show perfectly with the in ring face off between Rob Van Dam and Mr. Anderson. Definitely a money match that should be a top of the card match at the next PPV. Crazy that they added Kurt Angle to the mix and gave it away for free. There is bad blood between Anderson and RVD now and it makes for a nice feud.
2. Was Scott Steiner really supposed to be that mad that Eric Young interrupted his big interview time where Big Poppa Pump was actually endorsing James Storm’s 6 ounce curls? Really? The feud with Steiner and Rob Terry may seem like a logical one on paper, but Steiner isn’t known for carrying guys to stellar matches. Rob Terry needs more help than Steiner can provide in this “Feud of the Freaks”. As evident by the weak looking choke out of Steiner during their “Pose-down” segment.
3. Gunner and Murphy are morphing into formidable members of Immortal. It’s nice that TNA is now giving them the chance to break away from their security guard roles and challenge for the tag team titles. TNA needs to keep building up young talent and then keep them relevant as they build themselves up and raise their stock. I like the new look for the official tag team and Immortal’s hired guns.
4. It was good to see Magnus return to TNA and as a heel. Although he was quickly used as fodder for the rising star, Crimson. Crimson’s finisher, The Red Alert was an impressive feat of strength on a big guy like Magnus. Crimson definitely brings intensity to his game.
5. Another great exchange on this show when Ric Flair called out AJ Styles. After a nice explanation of why Flair and AJ each justified their actions, Styles got his licks in on Flair, but Flair had Super Mex, Hernandez watching his back continuously interfering in Styles beat down of Flair. It took a while for Fortune to come down, but when they did, so did The Blueprint Matt Morgan who delivered his own beat down on Hernandez as a receipt for costing him the World championship. The Flair vs. AJ match never happened, but they had a nice brawl.
6. Lines of the Night:
Ric Flair-“Once again, god here(points at self) and God there(points up). There’s two of us. In this ring, I’m god.”
&
Taz on the returning ODB
Taz-“Oh, God they’re bigger.”
7. ODB had a very nice surprise return to TNA Impact. She was full of intensity and the crowd was hot for her. Madison Rayne rightfully got the big win and looked good in doing so. It also started what should be a big storyline leading to Madison meeting a surprise opponent and losing. I would guess we haven’t seen the last of Mickie vs. Madison and that maybe she’ll sneak out with a masked gimmick to defeat Madison.
8. I think TNA can reduce the Jarretts segments down to one each week. We get the point. How many different ways are they going to tell us how they are going to stick it to Kurt Angle next week? And did Karen call herself the Queen? Careful, Karen, that’s Madison’s territory.
9. Match of the Night:
Three Way Match
Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam vs. Mr. Anderson
Three former TNA World Champions going at it make for a great TV main event. They kept up the pace nicely and pulled out some big spots to keep the level of excitement at a fever pitch. This is a dream match and a PPV quality match given away on free TV. The Jarretts came out for the umpteenth time in the broadcast to distract and cost Kurt the match as RVD foretold earlier in the show with his thoughts of not being “…the last guy laying on that mat when that match is over”. Mr. Anderson picked up the win with a Mic Check on the dazed and confused. No, not RVD and that dazed and confused, but a distracted Kurt Angle.
10. Final Show Thoughts.
Young talent is being pushed and there is a sense TNA is making an attempt by their efforts this week. Also some feuds are being built up and culminating in some upcoming pay off encounters. Morgan vs. Hernandez heated up as well as Velvet Sky officially answering Sarita’s challenge for her career on the line for one more chance against Sarita next week. The Team 3D feud added Tommy Dreamer to the mix this week. In a world of sparse TV time, a lot of TNA stars are missing some weeks. Even with the rapid fire nature of the show, too much talent is not on imPACT. There are also some feuds while the build is kept alive, they do need to give some big payoff matches to the feuds either that have been brewed or those that are brewing. The show is far from perfect, but to TNA’s credit, there is a bit more of a digesting point than there was say last year or two years ago. As much as they want to get everyone in on the show every week, realistically you can do more harm than good shoehorning as many segments as you can in, too. The one thing TNA continues to do right is the backstage candid comments and almost behind the scenes all access pass. The more they can incorporate elements of Reaction in, the better. TNA does a great job running down the card for next week’s big show, but the play off of 2-21-11 even tho it’s obvious was a bit much for me. Even tho the 3-3-11 return is a big return for TNA and it’s blatantly obvious who it is, a rip off in wrestling, especially in this case, is never a good idea.
That is all.
M.C. Brown
You can find me on Twitter as
ShocXwavE
