http://youtu.be/-qdCDJqe3Ns
Sting vs. Bobby Roode (c)
Non-Title Match, No Holds Barred
CB: Sting has really taken to using FACEPAINT OF DOOM as his foreign object of choice, and with the way Impact ended on Thursday I think Roode HAS to win here to get his credibility back. I really hate authority figure vs. reigning champion matches, but since Victory Road is merely a placeholder PPV for LockDown in April, I guess that’s why we’re getting this as the main event. Oh well…
Winner: Roode
Kyle Fitta: I watched 20 minutes of Impact the other night and saw Sting talking to himself in the mirror segment. I must say it was one of the lowest points in TNA, which is saying a lot. Their promo the other night was awfully written. Roode, who comes off just like Triple H circa 2005, cuts a long promo on how Sting isn’t what he used to be and is washed up. Sting then painted up and kicked the shit out of Roode after he said all these things that made Sting look like nothing but a joke. The only thing it proved was Roode got his ass kicked by someone he said sucked. If Roode doesn’t go over in this match, TNA has officially become completely inept. Even TNA, despite how dumb they are, cannot put Sting over here.
Winner: Bobby Roode
M.C. Brown: While it would be cool to see Sting win, I don’t know what purpose it serves especially if hypothetically we see James Storm win next month. Seeing Roode lose a month before would be like taking the wind out of the sails.
Winner: Bobby Roode.
Steven Gepp: You know, I see Aries’ point about Sting putting himself in this situation. But if he does “the right thing” and the champ wins, it will help Roode. I hope a motivated Sting turns up. I like Roode as champ. His promos might be a little dull, but I believe he is world champion material. That’s all I want from a champ – believability.
Winner: Roode
Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy
CB: Can we stop having storylines where Kurt Angle references his kids? At this point, I feel awful for them being thrown around in angles and now being slandered as Jeff Hardy fans. This is simply a case of a horribly constructed arc to give two “names” something to do, but there is no juice to this contest other than what happens to be flowing through Kurt and Jeff’s veins at the time the bell rings.
Winner: Kurt Angle, as Hardy gets “screwed” again
Kyle Fitta: I heard the winner of this match gets a reduced sentenced. All kidding aside, I heard they had an incredible match last year (or was it two years) ago. Although from what I hear, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy quickly fallen in the past year. If they bring it, this could be really good. If they don’t, well, it still could be decent. All and all, if I watch this PPV (which I might because I don’t have much to write about Monday), I’m looking forward to this match the most.
Winner: Jeff Hardy
M.C. Brown: Kurt Angle’s reputation needs to be built up here and they also need to prolong this feud
Winner: Kurt Angle
Steven Gepp: Don’t care. But at least the druggie and the drunk are beating each other up and not some poor young guy. Angle, what happened to you? Time off to go to London in 2012 might be just what he needs.
Winner: Angle
James Storm vs. Bully Ray
CB: My favorite match on the card between two guys who get it. Ray is hilarious lately with the “best calves in wrestling” gimmick, and Storm gives us someone kickass to root for who is more grounded in reality than Ray. Since Storm has a title match at LockDown…
Winner: James Storm
Kyle Fitta: From what I’ve heard and saw, Bully Ray is a breath of fresh air in the dump called TNA. I am also a big fan of Storm as well. If Ray has improved in the ring, this could be a good match. Although a match like this usually doesn’t do well in TNA because they put it together like speds. Well, actually, most matches in TNA don’t do well. Who am I kidding?
Winner: James Storm MUST go over
M.C. Brown: James Storm needs the momentum on his way to defeating Bobby Roode in a cage at Lockdown.
Winner: Cowboy James Storm
Steven Gepp: I have the horrible feeling this match is just setting up for Bully Ray to be inserted into the Lockdown main event, ruining what would be a potentially great clash between Beer Money. Look, Ray’s promos are gold at the moment, but his in-ring work is not a match for Storm and Roode, and he would just bring calves to the battle and little else.
Winner: No Result or DCOR
Mr. Anderson and AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels and Kazarian
CB: Anderson being thrown into this kinda sucks. I’d have preferred a Triple Threat and *gasp* an actual resolution on a TNA PPV to the whole Daniels-Kaz-Styles mystery angle. Alas…
Winner: Kaz and Daniels with help from Anderson
Kyle Fitta: This could be really good. Styles and Daniels have so much chemistry together and Kaz isn’t that bad. As long as Mr. Anderson does nothing more than be serviceable, this match has a chance of being good. Booked well and given time, this could be the best match on the show.
Winner: AJ Styles and Mr. Anderson
M.C. Brown: Sincere lack of babyfaces or true babies on the card by default makes this match AJ and Anderson’s win.
Winner: AJ Styles and Neo
Steven Gepp: What was looking like an intriguing feud has now had… Mr Anderson added. Why? To give him something to do? Because TNA originals can’t do anything without a WWE reject? Or is it to try and teach Anderson finally how to work? Nah, that last one would mean something. This has completely wiped out my enthusiasm for the match. I expect Anderson to turn on AJ (because he’s an asshole, after all) in another nonsensical occurrence.
Winner: Kazarian and Daniels
Samoa Joe and Magnus (c) vs. Matt Morgan and Crimson
TNA Tag Titles
CB: Joe and Magnus are now being booked as faces because the crowd is simply more behind them than Morgan and Crimson. Jeez, ya think? This will be the spot where Morgan takes the pin, Crimson turns on him, and their tag team mercifully breaks up.
Winners: Samoa Joe and Magnus
Kyle Fitta: Samoa Joe was one of the three people who helped put TNA on the map in 2005. He has done better buyrates than anyone on the roster when he’s on top of a PPV card. His reward was a shitty title run where they wouldn’t even allow him to beat “bigger” stars than him cleanly and then shuffled up and down the card. At least he’s doing SOMETHING now…even if it’s wrestling with 3 terrible wrestlers. Seriously, they don’t have any other tag teams who could be facing Magnus and Joe? For instance, a team that can actually put something on that won’t make me want to fall asleep. I don’t see any reason about why they would want to put the titles on Crimson and Morgan, but stranger things have happened. As for the match itself, unless Joe works his ass off, it will suck.
Winner: Samoa Joe and Magnus.
M.C. Brown: This match will complete the Crimson heel turn.
Winner: Samoa Joe and Magnus
Steven Gepp: I think Magnus/ Joe is a great tag team, and I hope they stay together for a long time before the inevitable break-up. I try not to think about Crimson/Morgan, and the break-up means that they’ll fight each other for a while, so we can fast forward through one match with them involved. I watched Lockdown 2009 recently – Morgan has not improved in all that time. And Crimson’s not as good as Morgan. I hope Joe/Magnus just kill the Goofs of Greenness, and this sparks a revitalisation of the tag team division.
Winner: Joe/Magnus
Austin Aries (c) vs. Zema Ion
X Division Title
CB: Aries keeps the longest ever TNA X Division title reign going easily in this one as Zema Ion is clearly / merely fodder here.
Winner: Aries
Kyle Fitta: I don’t know much about this Ion guy, but I know Aries is perfectly capable of putting on a fine match. I haven’t seen it yet but I heard Aries vs. Sabin (or was it Shelly?) put on a great match. I doubt this Ion guy is like Sabin or Shelly, but Aries is a good worker all around nonetheless.
Winner: Austin Aries (the longest running x-division champion in history)
M.C. Brown: There is still no one good enough imo, to unseat the longest reigning champion in TNA>
Winner: Austin Aries
Steven Gepp: Aries is one of the best in the ring anywhere today, his promos are gold and, well, he is awesome. Zema Ion is not. This match is, I believe, to test Aries’ “Flair-broomstick” abilities, and I am sure he will carry Ion to a very good match. And Ion is not a bad wrestler, not by a long stretch, I just think a bit more work in-ring is what is needed. Working with Aries can only be good for him.
Winner: Aries
Gail Kim (c) vs. Madison Rayne
TNA Knockouts Title
CB: I don’t get why this match needs to happen, ever. Madison just isn’t in Gail’s class, but at the same time, this is exactly the kind of match where TNA will flip the script just for the hell of it, so…
Winner: Madison Rayne in a Marchandise Madness upset, which gives us our only title change of the night.
Kyle Fitta: Do I even have to talk about this match? I don’t know what it’s about and frankly do not care. Gail is apparently the champion. I didn’t even know she was back in TNA. That’s how much I follow this company these days.
Winner: Gail Kim
M.C. Brown: Gail as she morphs into a babyface maybe
Winner: Gail Kim
Steven Gepp: I have just seen the best women’s match I have seen in at least 7 years, maybe longer, in Riot City Wrestling. Two women who made you believe in everything they were doing. Now, Gail Kim is a good wrestler as well, but I do not rate Madison Rayne. I am expecting something that will be watchable, but that is about it.
Winner: Kim
TNA TV champion Robbie E. with an Open Challenge
CB: Insert wrestler here.
Winner: Robbie E.
M.C. Brown: Not Robbie E.
Winner(and new Champion): Not Robbie E. Possibly John Morrison?
Steven Gepp:I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it’s actually one of those morons from Jersey Shore – as in a real one – who’ll come out. And be killed by Rob Terry.
Winner: Robbie E
Closing Statements:
CB: This really is a placeholder PPV for LockDown in April. I still contend TNA needs to have 4 to 6 PPVs max per year, and in the alternating months simply do live Impact Wrestling TV specials with PPV-quality feel. Also, there is no reason Sting needs to be in the main event here vs. Roode. I didn’t like COOHHH vs. CM Punk, and I don’t like this either. The Knockouts match would be better if Madison Rayne wasn’t opposite Gail Kim, and I’d have really preferred almost anyone else on the Knockouts roster. Bully Ray and Storm should be good, but ultimately nothing is must-see by any means whatsoever.
Kyle Fitta: The card has at least two, possibly 3, matches that could be good, which is more than what you could say of the recent TNA cards. If TNA books this PPV well, it could be good. But if TNA could book well in the first place, they wouldn’t be as terrible as they are. Plus, I don’t even think TNA cares about this PPV. It might be just a filler PPV since Lockdown is a month away. If you can watch it for free and just like watching wrestling, even if it sucks, go ahead and watch it. But please don’t order it. Save your money.
M.C. Brown: TNA needs a surprise here and it’s doing a couple risky heel vs. heel matches to spice things up. For some reason I’m not feeling a lot of anticipation for this one, but I hope I’m wrong and some matches surprise me. Kurt vs. Jeff has potential and Aries vs. Ion should be good as well as the Fortune + Anderson has some potential, but there seems to be a lot of filler on this card. A lot of the wind has sailed out of Sting vs. Roode already which in some ways reminds me a lot of the build ups they have done for previous Sting matches. I’m more disappointed that Sting never faced Undertaker than I ever could be excited for a Sting match in TNA at this point in his career. I’m hoping it can’t be any worse than Sting vs. Jeff Hardy or Sting vs. Hulk Hogan, though.
Steven Gepp: A placeholder PPV, getting ready for Lockdown. On paper, some matches look okay, but there is nothing here that screams out for me to buy the PPV. And, to make it worse, I have seen some great indy wrestling, and so this will actually be a step down. I will watch, but I am not excited for it.
