TNA Bound for Glory IV 2008 Review

Bound for Glory is TNA’s version of WrestleMania and has been hyped as such by TNA over the last few weeks so I was expecting the best event of the year.

Good Points

Jarrett back on top form

Jeff Jarrett made an awesome in ring return after nearly two years out of action against Angle. The match was well paced told a great story and although predictable at times Foley’s involvement as Special Enforcer added to a great match. Foley helped Jarrett to the win but it was stressed by the commentators that this was Foley’s only contractual obligation which is obviously just part of the storyline so it will be interesting to see where this goes.

Sting wins the gold

After being pushed to the side in recent months it was great to see Sting win the TNA heavyweight title. In recent weeks TNA have been circulating news that Kevin Nash is out of contract with TNA but that didn’t stop him from costing Samoa Joe the title which makes me think this news is just part of the storyline and now Nash and Sting are going to be the leaders of the established stars vs. the TNA originals.

Great Monsters Ball match

The four way tag team title match was great. Although the ending was weak there were some very memorable moments. We had Abyss going through the flaming tables and then unlike what normally happens when the fire dies on impact Abyss was left rolling around afterward still engulfed in flames, I think something went wrong there but it was memorable to watch. Then we had Hernandez going through a table covered in thumbtacks chest first instead of back first which is how wrestlers normally take that bump.

Bad Points

No Wrestlemania

I thought that the second half of the show was awesome but the first half was quite hard to sit through and no Wrestlemania by any means. When WWE do Wrestlemania it has a distinctly different feel to all other PPV’s whereas although this had some good moments felt no different to any other TNA PPV.

Main Event Booking

When you book a show with such a strong under main event match I think you are asking for trouble. With Jarrett’s return against Angle and with Foley as special enforcer it took the shine off which should have been a night we went home remembering Sting. When you have such a strong match which isn’t for the title you need to put it last or book that match so that it is for the Heavyweight Title.

Overall

Although I didn’t finish the show thinking I had seen the most special event of the year I did think it was a really good event. Lots of scope for storyline development and some memorable matches.

TNA Hard Justice 2008 Review

If you have been reading my blog for some time now you will know that I haven’t enjoyed many TNA PPV’s. So I wasn’t expecting too much from this one but I was hoping there would be a few standout moments.

Good Points

Angle vs AJ Styles match of the year candidate

This was one of my favourite matches of the year so far. As you already know I’m a huge AJ Styles fan and have loved the storyline between him and Angle. However I haven’t been a fan of their recent bouts but this one really showcased both at their best. The only problem I have is with Angle’s history of neck problems I cringe hen I see some of the moves and some of the risks he takes especially where they do endings when a stretcher comes out because with Kurt’s history there is always a chance it could be real.

Great effort put in to the Knockouts Division

The six woman tag was brilliant one of the best women’s tag matches I have seen in some time. The promos and videos before hand were brilliant as they labelled The Beautiful People as the step sisters from the Cinderella story. I like videos like this which are made to feel more like short films than wrestling promos.

Bad Points

LAX lose titles to Beer Money

This had the potential to be a great feuds but I feel that the longevity in this was to keep LAX as champs for a bit longer to build them and make it mean more when Beer Money finally got the belts off them. I feel this results weakened LAX and didn’t enhance Beer Money.

More could have been done with Sting

To have Sting come out and attack AJ Styles was the wrong thing to do. AJ had just been built as a heel for going back and attacking Angle whilst on a stretcher and that heat was then ruined by Sting. For all the build up they did with Sting they should have done more with him. It started off well with him being filmed coming in to the arena but after that it soon went downhill.

Team 3D losing their way

Their feud with Cage and Rhino isn’t really helping develop either team at the moment. The inappropriateness of their characters behaviour round women doesn’t fit in the current climate and to top this off they are suppose to be pushed as believable heels but then have comedy moments like getting them to go in the rafters and say they are scared of heights. You can have comedy heels but they need to be built as such and not just try and change between comedy and bad ass heels.

Booker T killed off

After having him beaten to a pulp at Victory Road in his home town and to have him lose clean well at least clean for a weapons match is stupid. You now have Angle who can’t wrestle a full programme, AJ and Sting put in a feud together and the other main eventers like Christian Cage pushed so far down the card they aren’t seen as main eventers any more. The only thing I can think of is that this leaves the way clean for Jeff Jarrett to come back.

Overall

Well worth the watch for the two matches I have mentioned. As an event as a whole again it didn’t work for me. They need to try and stop having too many matches which are overhyped and instead have a double main event which is hyped and an undercard which isn’t hyped that much but develops the talent involved well and is a talking point after the event.

TNA iMPACT Review - Thursday 12th June 2008

After a mediocre at best Slammiversary it was time to see if TNA could deliver with a strong iMPACT.

Good Points

Great build for tag team feud

TNA did a great job of building a feud between the team or Roode & Storm and LAX. First Storm and Roode cheated to get the win and the belts then the ref reversed the decision and started the match over. Then LAX picked up the win but it was after that when Roode and Storm got LAX handcuffed to the ring posts and started strapping them mercilessly which has put the real fuel on this fire.

Good develop of the Karen / Kurt storyline

Karen was confirmed as a signed talent to TNA meaning Kurt Angle could no longer hit her. This meant that Kurt was going to get a female wrestler to do his dirty work for him. It wasn’t until the end of the show that with surprise Awesome Kong cam down to knock Karen out. Wonder what’s going to happen next?

Abyss is back on iMPACT

Great to see Abyss back on iMPACT and after beating on Scott Steiner at the PPV I assumed he would stuck in a feud with Scott but Abyss made his presence felt on the main event scene as he cleared house after the AJ vs Angle main event.

Bad Points

Build up for World Cup

There was a big too much time given to the upcoming X-Division tournament with many wrestlers featuring in preview matches for the tournament that the crowd had never seen. This as a viewer took you out of the action for lengthy spots during the two hour show. I know they have to build it but should build more steadily over a longer period.

Dropping the ball with Kaz

After having Kazz win in the best match on iMPACT last week to secure a shot at the champion on iMPACT this week I was disappointed to se this match out first. They should have main evented this match an made it something special so they could push Kaz. With so much going on in TNA right now I think Kaz just got lost in the shuffle.

Overall

A superb show. I love the pace of TNA shows they always have me feverishly scribbling notes in order to keep up. They’ve got some good feuds already set for the next PPV so am looking forward to see how they develop.

TNA Slammiversary 2008 Review

After some very entertaining editions of impact I was looking forward to TNA’s biggest show of the year Slammiversary. I was looking forward to Angle vs. Styles and the King of the Mountain match especially. TNA have invested a lot of time in promoting these two matches but hopefully the rest of the card could provide some good entertainment.

Good Points

The Return of Abyss

After many weeks of Abyss promos being run on impact Abyss finally made his return to the TNA ring by attacking Scott Steiner, Petey Williams and Raka Khan leaving them all laying in the middle of the ring. Abyss was sporting a new outfit and a new attitude. Looks like TNA are just slowly putting him back in the mix with the Steiner feud but hopefully he will make his way back up the ranks shortly.

Two brilliant matches

The two best matches of the night weren’t the two main events. These honours went to Petey Williams vs Kaz and team 3D vs. LAX. As good to see a great tag team match as we rarely get one these days on WWE programming and Petey Williams underlined why he is one of my favourite wrestlers in TNA.

Push for Samoa Joe

Although the match was a shocker it was good to see Samoa Joe’s push continued as he won the honour of being the first champion to step in to a King of the Mountain match as champion and walk out with the belt. It was very obvious that Samoa Joe was going to win but it needed to happen.

Bad Points

Terrible use of Moose

The new muscle for the Beautiful People debuted on Thursday’s edition of impact knocking down everyone in her path and then three days later she is getting beaten up and losing in her match teaming with the Beautiful People against ODB, Gail Kim and Roxy.

Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles

After some of the most heated segments ever on impact in recent weeks this match fell in to the Booker T / Robert Roode trap of have no intensity in the match. TNA are doing well at building intense storylines on impact but it just seems recently that these intense storylines have been ruined by less than intense pay paer view matches. When this happens it undoes all the good work that has been one before it.

King of the Mountain

The match had nothing we hadn’t seen before and did little to keep the viewer hooked. If you are not going to do anything new in the match then you need to have an excellently worked out match in the ring which didn’t happen.

Overall

I’m glad I don’t have to pay for TNA PPV’s. The problem with developing good storylines on impact is that you have to deliver them on PPV”s which they don’t seem able to do.

TNA iMPACT Review - Thursday 2nd May 2008

After WWE’s disastrous week I was hoping TNA provide me with some entertainment and light at the end of the tunnel.

Good Points

Finally a big push for LAX

After months and months of sitting round and not doing that much without being involved in any decent storylines since they last lost the tag titles LAX have finally got a new push. With a big win over Kaz and Eric in the Deuces Wild qualifier they got good mic time to call out none other than Hector Guerrero. The crowd were popping as LAX asked Hector to corner them for the tournament at Sacrifice. This is great to see them being built and having a new direction.

New Talent

In WWE normally if you are an up and coming talent you will have to wrestle for months on Heat or in Dark Matches before you are given a chance on a main show and then it would only be sparingly and as a jobber for a so called big star. However in TNA this isn’t the case as we were treated to a match featuring two brand new knockouts Cheerleader Melissa and Daisy Haze. They were given more than five minutes and put on an excellent match. I am a big fan of Cheerleader Melissa and have watched her work in the Indy’s for some time and I think she will have a big future in TNA.

Push for Scott Steiner

After a couple of bad weeks for Scott Steiner the creative finally decided to give him a push having him involved in the first segment of the show, some backstage stuff and then as the last man standing in the main event match which saw him and Petey Williams vs. Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle. They need to keep this up though as the only way we are going to believe he can win at Sacrifice is if they keep building him.

Bad Points

Too much emphasis on Deuces Wild

Now I know Deuces Wild will be a big part of the Sacrifice show but to push it as the main attraction is wrong giving it the last segment of the show to announce the egotistical eight. This should have been done in the second to last segment with the Steiner main event match as the final segment.

Matt Morgan needs matches

Since his turn from bodyguard to wrestler we have barely seen Matt in the ring. We need to see Matt in a one on one singles match before Sacrifice or at least a big tag match to really assess him. His feud with Kip James seems to be for no reason and just thrown together because nobody had any better ideas. They need to invest some time in this monster.

Overall

TNA put WWE in the shade this week a really strong show with major announcements for Sacrifice, the right people getting pushes and a lot happening. I’m still not sure how this Deuces Wild concept will work after having to sit through the old WCW Lethal Lottery shows and other tag tournaments but with WWE’s lack of good tag teams and time given to them it will be good to see an event with some good tag tem action.

TNA Impact Review - Thursday 20th March 2008

Here is my rundown of the good and bad points of this weeks TNA iMPACT.

Good Points

Great out of ring segments

TNA are really doing well with these parts of the show. I like the segments with Mike Tenay when he brings together two feuding wrestlers together to air there grievances. It’s different to what the WWE do and brings in a chat show type element to the show. I’m also loving the rough cuts series they are doing with Kip James and BG James. It’s like having a programme within a programme and bring a reality TV style element to the show.

Building Kurt Angle for Lockdown

TNA are showing how the WWE should be handling the Floyd Mayweather / Big Show build up. Kurt Angle got to showcase his phenomenal amateur wrestling skills with a public workout against some supposed mixed martial artists. They are doing well at trying to create a MMA / Wrestling cross over.

Finally a well worked ending

After weeks of complaining finally TNA booked a proper finish to a show. The show ended with Sting’s music and video hitting as the announcers announced his return and his involvement in team Cage for Lethal Lockdown.

Bad Points

What are they doing to LAX

With tag teams like Eric Young & Kaz, Black Rein & Rellik and Rock & Rave Infection getting pushes they are killing a great tag team in LAX. This week Homicide had to lose to Sonjay Dutt a guy that hardly ever gets a proper match on iMPACT and only segments these days are interrupting or tagging along with Jay Lethal and SoCal Val.

Slow down

After not appearing last week on iMPACT and without any build Booker T kicked off the show with an in ring segment on the mic. Within five minutes Robert Roode had come down to interrupt and James Cornette was down to make a tag team match for Lockdown pitting Booker and Sharmell against Roode and Banks. Then we had Rhino and Cage talking for the first time in months then Rhino telling Cage where he could go to Cage then rescuing him from Tomko and AJ to then Rhino joining team Cage. Fans need fast paced action and need to know what is happening at a PPV ahead of time but for storylines to mean something and for people to buy in to them you can’t build them in five minutes.

No Samoa Joe

Last week Samoa Joe hinted that he wouldn’t be back in the iMPACT Zone until he won the belt from Kurt Angle. If this is true it is going to be very hard to build their match. No matter how good Angle continues to do in his segments in the build up he needs Samoa Joe there to build the feud. However saying this Kurt Angle recently did a podcast for my friends Simon and JK from The Sun Wrestlecast which he did out of character and said the belt needs to be put on Samoa Joe and soon. Yes I think it is good for wrestlers to come out of character for interviews like this with media companies but they shouldn’t be speaking like this about people they are about to go in a storyline with.

To listen to the Wrestlecast go to:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/article908680.ece

Overall

Much improved. TNA seem to be ironing out the little problems put need to keep their eyes on the big issues and storylines. I think TNA are doing well at building a varied entertainment show that would appeal to a wide range of demographics.

TNA Impact Review - Thursday 13th March 2008

After a disappointing Destination X TNA had their first iMPACT since the PPV and the first on the road to Lockdown on April 13th. I was interested to see if TNA would get my enthusiasm back for the product and get me excited about Lockdown.

Good Points

Solid Opening

Now as most you know only a fraction of the viewers who watch a weekly wrestling TV show will stump up the money to buy a PPV. Now because of this a lot of fans who tuned in to your product the week before the PPV may not know what happened so to make sense for your TV viewers you have to use your first show back to really convey to the fans what happened and how these happenings have affected the storylines and feuds. So TNA were sensible to use Jim Cornette in the ring to let the fans know what was happening. This lead to him announcing a Lethal Lockdown match for the next PPV and that Christian Cage and Tomko would be captains. This is one heck of a push for Tomko which I did expect but makes the booking team stupid for having him lose the six man match for his team at Destination X.

Karen Angle back

Was great to see Karen Angle back and prove why she is such an important part of the entertainment side of TNA shows. Again she had the most entertaining segment when she confronted Kurt in the ring. She is really helping not only build herself but Kurt’s character to.

Team 3D win promo of the night

Like I said wrestling fans have short memories when it comes to bad matches and Team 3D gave a hilarious backstage segment which seems to have washed away that terrible match at Destination X. Hopefully they can push on from here and leave that disaster behind them.

Bad Points

TNA Knockouts turning in to WWE Divas

Just when the Knockouts division is starting to get some credibility they ruin it by having a stupid segment with Roxy getting a makeover. After one of the worst Knockouts matches since the division started at Destination X followed by this stupid segment TNA really need to be careful no to lose its credibility and its uniqueness.

LAX first they push them now they don’t

After a great PPV win LAX were booked to lose against up and coming tag team the Rock and Rave Infection. TNA had been sensible with LAX with giving them some time away from the main tag team feuds after being pushed hard for some time and now just when you think they have got it right they go and do this.

Where are Booker T, Robert Roode and Sharmell?

After being the semi main event at Destination X and with the return of Sharmell whipping everyone why aren’t they on TV the next week. You had a made storyline there as we wait to see if TNA will take any action over Sharmell’s whipping spree but no they are nowhere to be seen.

Pushing Lethal Lockdown over Angle vs. Samoa Joe

At a PPV your main event should be the heavyweight world title match. There are a few exceptions to this rule like Wrestlemania 18 when Rock vs. Hogan should have been the last match. The main event should be pushed ahead of everything else but this week it was segments to do with the Lethal Lockdown match which kicked off the show and ended the show.

Worst mess of an ending to a TV show.

This one are where TNA need to improve on big time. This week you had a clear ending which should have been 3D interfering to beat on Cage and Nash in their match against Tomko and AJ Styles. This would let us know that 3D were to be Tomko and AJ Styles partners for Lethal Lockdown and that should have been the end shot. Instead we went off air with 3D beating on a reality TV star who was in the audience. The only way this would make one scrap of sense is if this reality TV star is going to be Cage and Nash’s side which I can only hope isn’t the case.