Reviewing the 9/1/11 episode of IMPACT WRESTLING…
1. While it does look like Kurt Angle is a bit of a Hulk Hogan lackey now, which I don’t entirely dig, it could be worse if they tried to find a way to shoehorn him into the black hole that is Immortal. Seriously, could there be a group with less chemistry and life sucking power than Immortal? All they are are a bunch of Hogan stooges thrown together in a mish-mosh of garbage. Please keep Kurt Angle as far away from them as possible as not to suck the life out of him as well. Just seeing Kurt retreat at the end of the show flanked by Immortal is bad enough. Shouldn’t Kurt hate any group the Jarretts are with more than Dixie Carter? The logic here is astoundingly stupid. If someone steals my shit or let’s just say a wife and I find out my friendly neighbor helped cover it up because it was her friend, sure I’d be pissed at her for not telling me, but I’m still going to be pissed at the stupid ass thieves to begin with. It’s not like Dixie perpetrated the affair and encouraged Jeff to hook up with Karen. Even if Kurt buys the bullshit Hogan sells him, for heaven only knows what reason, why would he hate the Jarretts/Immortal(who screwed him over in matches with Jeff) any less now?
2. I actually was really enjoying the Mickie James vs. Winter match up until the end. Mickie busted her tail as usual, Winter was trying, but that finish was terrible. Winter tried to choke Mickie with a scarf, referee Earl Hebner, who earlier had caught Angelina Love cheating and sent her to the back, grabbed it. Before Winter could hit her crimson mist with Earl’s back turned, she turns around super slow so Mickie hit her with a weak “Chick Kick” for the anti-climatic finish. I think had they allowed Winter to turn, this time a bit quicker in order to spew her mist, Mickie could have kicked her in the gut, thus spewing the mist in the air, then hit her jumping DDT finisher, that would have played out and looked much better. Great to see Mickie back with the belt, but very disappointing finish, especially for a big match on TV.
3. Karen Jarrett is now the new Knockout Law or VP of the Knockout Division as Eric Bischoff dubbed her basically snubbing Traci Brooks even though it was her idea. They actually turned Jeff Jarrett’s theme into a remixed Knockout theme for Karen, which hilariously sounds better than Jarrett’s theme itself. As a heel, I don’t think TNA is going to find a more despised woman on their roster. The problem is this is assuredly means more Karen on your TV screen every week. So love to hate her or just plain out and out go away hate her, this story with her and having Traci Brooks as her slave…er assistant is going to probably be a Knockout focal point every week.
4. It looks like TNA might be turning the TV Title from a title that would have made a great secondary title with it being defended every week into a joke title featuring “comedy” characters. I suppose with the X-Division title basically regaining it’s spot as the little man exciting wrestler’s wrestler title, the World title being the best in the company or sometimes pushed down your throat guy, the Knockout title getting it’s due and both tag titles represented in both division, that does make the TV title a bit of an odd man out of a federation with probably one too many belts. Next week Eric Young defends against Robbie E. more than likely with Big Rob Terry joining him. Regardless of how you want to define the term, there probably isn’t three bigger jokes/jokers on the roster save for the actual Joker impersonator himself, Sting, no offense to anything else Sting does. Speaking of impersonators, I still miss Cookie. They couldn’t have put the cookie in a different package? Perhaps with Eric Young to make a match/feud with Robbie mean more? At least give the girl a chance to wrestle.
5. Seemingly it looks like TNA has forgotten the “don’t let people wrestle injured/concussion” storyline Matt Morgan was a part of quite a while back. It’s funny because now Morgan would be the one wrestling injured and nothing is remotely done to make sense of it. Why would TNA officials allow Matt Morgan, who couldn’t have been cleared to wrestle, to come out, demand a referee and Samoa Joe to come out to face him? They even seemingly sanctioned it by sending the ref out. At least have Morgan address it or make some unsanctioned fight challenge while officials protest. Seriously, that was lame. Seeing Morgan try to sell two injuries at one time was funny, too as he laid out on the ringside mat selling a nut shot by Joe as well as being hit by a chair. Joe and Morgan got into it earlier when Morgan prevented Joe from ruining the RVD vs. Gunner match leading to this confrontation. Joe continued his rampage blasting Morgan in his shoulder on the post with a chair. If there is one positive in all this, it’s at least they are handling Joe right and allowing him to be himself and dig back deep into the badass nature of his character..
6. Â Move of the Night:
X-Division stars’ Tower of Doom. A Double was going to superplex Jesse Sorensen from the top rope until X-Division Champion Brian Kendrick came in to put A-Double on his shoulders trying to give him an electric chair drop from the second rope and then Kid Kash came under him to power bomb Kendrick from mat level. Leaving the superplex to still occur and Kash to powerbomb Kendrick. There have been better versions of this, but seeing it attempted/busted out lets the fans know that when there is an X-Division match they are going to pull out all the stops.
7. Line of the Night:
a. Samoa Joe to the camera referencing Matt Morgan after he gained the upper hand on him
Samoa Joe– “His hands are too small to box with a god.”
8. Notable Matches of the Night
AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels
They hyped it up with a solid video package earlier in the show. Very good match up here and well on it’s way to being a great match. Of course as TV matches probably should, it sets the backdrop of a bigger story with the match cut short in favor of a AJ Styles botched springboard leading to a Daniels surprise pin. Daniels at the first opportunity spurned AJ’s handshake and left the ring over-celebrating seemingly a cheap victory. They could have gone the Daniels cheating route, tights or legs on the ropes, but he was shown to get the win here with none of that. So it is a bit different. The Daniels quick to disrespect AJ seemed a bit rushed, tho. But again, they also avoided a predictable shake his hand, hug then beatdown turn. Either way, Daniels looks to have turned heel and will leave Fortune back to four members. A rematch should definitely be a PPV worthy match because both AJ and Daniels are easily capable of putting on an awesome high caliber match every time out and it realistically should not be on free TV.
X-Divsion Tag MatchÂ
Jesse Sorensen and X-Division Champion Brian Kendrick vs. A-Double Austin Aries and Kid Kash
Very entertaining X-match that was used to help put over the young rising superstar Jesse Sorensen. Sorensen is working hard and they are giving him a push with some stellar X-Athletes. Will he get over how they want? That is going to depend on his personality and his ability to improve in the ring. While holding his own in the match, Sorensen isn’t standing out as much as the other youngsters TNA either signed or showcased in recent months. It’s really a shame TNA couldn’t get a hold of Jack Evans. And if they could and dropped the ball? Shame on them.
TNA WORLD TITLE MatchÂ
Kurt Angle (ch.) vs. StingÂ
Special Enforcer: Hulk Hogan
Hogan before the match told Immortal to keep on guard which teased their expected and predictable interference later in the match. And that’s what really ruined it for me. If they could just once have a Sting vs. Kurt Angle match with a solid winner that could please both men, that would be nice. It’s doubtful that will ever happen, tho. Much like the Mickie vs. Winter match, the finish came off sloppy to me(the gimmick, in this case the chair was still in the ring when Earl turned around and Kurt tried to kick it out of the way into him) and unsatisfying, which again, while this is not PPV, it also should be treated like a catalyst to acquire those buys. So while the conclusions may not be what we want, there should always be enough quality in there to expect a decisively good rematch. Especially on a show charging more and expected paying event subscribers. I’d imagine Sting would have Kurt’s number in a cage and that would make total sense to book that or for Sting to make that request.
9. Final Show Thoughts:
While Gunner shouldn’t beat RVD and to me, isn’t in his league, it was caused due to the heel turning interference of Jerry Lynn as Lynn smirked after costing RVD his spot in the Bound For Glory finals at No Surrender. RVD vs. Jerry Lynn in TNA Part II is a smart move by TNA. RVD can get the best out of Jerry Lynn and Lynn can still go for a man in his late 40’s. There should be no discrimination if the man is still in great shape and can outwork a lot of the guys on the roster. Mr. Anderson also predictably made the save for his once rival Sting because of course he wants to kill immortal. Why anyone would trust or take this guy seriously on the roster, I don’t know. I guess following in Stone Cold’s footsteps his Immortal turn should be considered the equivalent of Austin’s brief Corporate turn. Only far less entertaining even if it made for strange bedfellows and even stranger scenarios. Jeff Hardy was hyped throughout the show directly and indirectly by the announcers and superstars alike. Now I understand this guy was huge. He was a big deal in WWE and treated as such in TNA. However, this does seem like rushing him back in the midst of controversy with both himself as well as his brother, which if we want to be fair, let him wash his hands of since Matt’s shit is his own. Quite frankly besides the obvious disservice to the locker room if Jeff f’es up one more time, this really is a slap in the face to the fans. Think about it. If Dixie feels people really want to cheer and get behind Jeff Hardy once again, that’s fine, but there has been no clear cut resolution to his legal situation as well as no reason for any of us fans to trust him to not fall on his face yet again. It really was an embarrassment for TNA and the fans to have to witness the debacle that was his last match in TNA. Regardless of him asking for forgiveness and one last chance, rightfully so the fanbase should be leery. There was a major investment in his character before and he let everyone down. I don’t know why they feel the need to rush him back to TV now. If anyone wants to believe in giving him one last chance, then they should also all be united in believing this is it. There are too many, too many hard workers in that locker room that have busted their ass and have earned the spot and opportunity Jeff will be taking as well as many that have lost it. They deserve that opportunity especially if they have did all the right things to get there. Jeff spits on everyone if he fucks up one more time and especially those guys that are clawing for that same position.
10. IMPACT PLAYERs of the WEEK:Â
Samoa Joe, Jerry Lynn, Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, Mickie James, Kurt Angle, Sting
Joe still on a rampage, Jerry Lynn and Daniels turn, the latter after he had a solid match with AJ, Mickie recaptured Knockout gold, Kurt and Sting had a solid showing until the cluster filled show ending.
That is all.
M.C. Brown
You can find me on Twitter as
ShocXwavE
