Granted from the title of this entry one may think it's a knock on of our beloved wrestling promotions. The truth is, I wanted to list despite my general dislike for the product, why I happen to tune into TNA every week even if just on my channel switches from good ol' Monday Night RAW. It wasn't perfect this week by the way, yet I thought it was a strong show. TNA this week was like the last, pretty bad in my humble opinion.
Reason #1- AJ Styles. One of the best pound for pound wrestlers in the world.
Reason #2- Sting as a heel, it's different, and something we really haven't seen much of in the past.
Reason #3- X-Division wrestling when time is given to showcase the athleticism of each performer. I do miss Austin Starr but there is the ROH version still, heh.
Reason #4- Some of the mid-card guys such as Samoa Joe (Sorry, in my eyes now he's a mid-carder until shown otherwise, and that's if he's ever returned from his "kidnappers"), Beer Money, Desmond Wolfe, Kurt Angle, and at times Ken Anderson.
On another note, looking back at my two lists last week, here's what I took from Week 2 of this new generation of professional wrestling "competition";
Impact:
*Another X-Division Match? Didn't happen, although I can't complain with the mic time for the 'Guns. I just wish they can go one week without stuffing everyone on the screen at once in the division. It's about the character development at this point in the game, not about how many can be on one show every week.
*Styles and Hardy goes ten minutes? This was the case, even if it didn't go over. Not a bad match at all with some good action and decent end to the show.
*Over or under two shots of Brooke Hogan? Definitely over. I counted 4, one being from last week. Ugh. I get how they're trying to book Hogan but... Just, ugh.
*Will we be force-fed more Hogan? Yes, I think we were mainly by that horrible cut away from RVD jumping Sting to Hogan throwing out the RVD sign. Seriously, WHY do we have to see him do that? I think the man's ego is just that big. One of the biggest in the business, easy.
Raw:
*Kofi's role going into 'Mainia? Well, certainly still undecided as of now. It really blows my mind how he's been booked lately.
*Where will the Legacy/Orton angle go? A triple threat match was announced tonight. Hmm, interesting way to go about it. But either way I'm hoping for a good match if given the time.
*Where does Hart/Vince go from here? Yay! I got my wish on this one with the cast being removed. Great way to take the angle even if a bit predictable. The No-Holds Barred was a fun surprise too.
*Divas get more than 3 minutes of match time? Nope. Not tonight at least. I hope they're just left off the WM26 card. While I was hoping for a Beth/McCool match, it seems to be going towards, if anything, just a multiple tag match that will mean absolutely nothing.
Now, I want to bring up something my surprisingly wrestling-smart grandmother brought up about TNA. They seem to simple do this; Put themselves over before the product. Where was the promotion for the PPV besides a few select segments? Granted again, I won't turn this into a rant against TNA, because I did enjoy certain aspects of the show. In fact, here's a few things I enjoyed about each show;
Impact:
> Angelina Love promo/Beer Money/Motor City Machine Gun promos. Both weren't bad, as Love is one of the better Knockouts and more entertaining at that, and Beer Money is finally solidified, even if they've turned like, 4 times in the last month or two. Motor City Machine Guns should be thankful they actually have TV time to speak. Kudos there.
> Tag team match between Wolfe/Anderson and Pope/Angle... At least for while it lasted. Pope sold the leg injury like a true pro. Well done despite being way to short.
> Hardy vs. Styles. Good main event (As stated above), and a breath of fresh air to an otherwise dull show.
> Abyss destruction of Flair to end the show.
Raw:
> Ending Hart/Vince angle. This was desperately needed for a storyline that was struggling for a time. Great stuff here and the No Holds Barred gives a lot of options for the match so it stays together.
> Triple H vs. Orton. This was a good match with a good finish to put more heat on the heels for their matches with both faces heading into the last week before Wrestlemania.
> Sheamus promo. I dug this a lot. I think it brought more of a reason for his attack on Triple H. Great job, and I really hope he gets the win at the big show. What else is there for Hunter to prove? Give Hunter the upperhand next week and Sheamus the win at 'Mainia I say.
> Austin/Jericho/HBK interaction. While this may not have had a huge point, all these guys are golden on the stick, and it showed in that segment.
> Edge/Y2J brawl. This threw me by surprise a bit, but after angle picked up on Friday, this I thought was a fun bit that adds more to their match. Maybe not much, but at least it's something.
So color me a WWE fan, but I just overall felt their product provided better build for the biggest show of the year in this business. The trick however, is sustaining that for 365 days, which is next to impossible. I understand TNA hasn't been around that long but it's common sense to hype your PPV, not to mention it's practically Marketing 101. They'll hopefully will find that out eventually... Won't they? But one thing is for sure, their fast-paced show is certainly different, and that alone will bring in some fans. I just can't call myself one of them yet. >.<
However both show had aspects that didn't make sense. What is WWE doing with Kofi Kingston? Will he get another spot in MITB? Is he in the dog house? He put on a decent showing against the WWE Champion Batista (With blood no less), but I just feel a bit bad for the guy. And with TNA, again, it just comes down to the scattershot booking. Horrible matches for the most part and too much time wasted with pointless segments/matches such as Team 3D vs. Nasty Boys and anything with Brooke Hogan. Sometimes I really ask myself, why do I watch this stuff? I sometimes don't have an answer, except that I just do. Until next time, to borrow from Freddie Blassie and Ron Burgandy; stay classy pencil-neck, keyboard using geeks.
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