1. I only did a quick catch up on last week’s Impact so this opening match is just a fantastic surprise. It’s absolutely a throwback to the X-Cup and all of the international talent TNA was able to bring in to not only freshen up the product but also put on some amazing matches. I’m looking forward to seeing more of this in-ring quality in the near future.
2. I can’t help but love this Samuel Shaw character. It’s different, yet obvious at the same time. Perfect for pro-wrestling. Patrick Bateman would be proud. And the submission finisher fits his character better than almost any other character in wrestling right now. WWE’s Christian must be fuming over the new “creepy bastard” nickname though.
3. Bobby Lashley returning to TNA now seems awfully suspicious. Brock Lesnar & Batista return to the WWE and suddenly TNA decides they need a guy of comparable size on their roster? I’m not saying it’s a bad call, just maybe bad timing.
4. Tigre Uno finally made his debut and while there were some spectacular spots, nothing that really lived up to the hype except for maybe the Sabertooth Splash. Hopefully his TV debut is a bit more exciting.
5. It’s a shame that James Storm’s push a few years ago stalled and then was killed before he was really able to show what he could do. Pro-wrestlers have such a short shelf life, especially when it comes to the prime of their careers, and it just feels like TNA missed the boat on Storm. That said, it was a pretty damn good match put on by Gunner and Storm. Now the question is whether or not (if Gunner is the future), can Gunner have matches like this with other wrestlers on the TNA roster.
6. That was a sick neckbreaker off of the top rope that probably should have been the finish. That match really highlighted how the Knockouts still have the edge over WWE in the women’s division, even though there’s not nearly as many woman in the TNA locker room.
7. The TNA World Heavyweight Championship match is up next? I know Lethal Lockdown has gone on last in the past but I would think that the issues between Samoa Joe and Magnus were enough to put them last on the card. Magnus must be retaining in order to send the fans home happy with a Team MVP win.
8. A physical, intense and good PPV title match… until TNA booking showed up. I’ve never seen a company that needed to get out of its own way as much as TNA has over the years. They have the talent. Let that talent work for you, don’t book against it.
9. Some incredible spots in Lethal Lockdown but nothing we haven’t seen before (except for maybe the double Coast-to-Coast). And then they had to pull a “swerve” with Bully Ray turning babyface and costing Team Dixie the match. The same Bully Ray that was considered the best heel in wrestling for a few years.
10. Overall, this show started out as an above average TNA show and then it just fell back into TNA’s old ways of overbooking & illogical booking. Abyss costing Samoa Joe the World Championship and Bully Ray helping MVP win Lethal Lockdown? Why? Any reason would do really. All I really have to say is that Impact better be pretty damn good.
