Feb 11

[Talon Thorne]

TNA 101
Against All Odds and iMPACT! Report Cards, Wrestling Spectrum
By Talon Thorne

This column won’t be as long as first two I have done. I will pretty much be breaking down this past week’s iMPACT and the Against All Odds PPV. Finally I will respond to some of the great feedback I got. Let’s get cooking, here is TNA 101.

A few Side Notes:
On Bobby Knight coming to TNA- If it indeed does happen, I think it would be pretty good. TNA is more prone to using celebrities and sports figures in its show and this is no different. To me his role as a “Head Coach” in TNA is to move the company to a more serious one by giving pep talks and motivating the wrestlers. As long as it isn’t as much as Pacman Jones was, I would say good move TNA.

On the AAO Roundtable Results- Congratulations go out to Professor Newton Gimmick who got 77% of his picks right for Against All Odds. He got 7 out of 9 Matches right. He was seconded by Wez Pollard who got 5 for 9 (55%) followed by yours truly who answered 4 for 8 (50%). The anchor of our group who got a dismal 2 for 7 right was the critic of TNA, Zach Fenell. That is 27% percent. I guess all the bashing and hating on TNA has clouded Zach’s mind. Nobody said forecasting a PPV was going to be easy.

On the return of World’s X Cup- For anyone who said TNA doesn’t listen to its fans, this is proof that in fact they do. A specialty of the X Division will be returning to TNA this year. I have loved past World’s X Cup Tournaments and look forward to this year’s as well. Way to go TNA.

I am a Renaissance Fan- Ever heard of a Renaissance Man? I am the wrestling fan equivalent of it. A renaissance fan is one who loves all parts of the sport of wrestling whether it be WWE or TNA. They are open to new ideas and are accepting of those ideas. Most fans of TNA happen to be Renaissance Fans since TNA is known for breaking customs. Most critics of TNA are those traditional ones who are set in their ways. Are you a renaissance fan?

“Crossing the Line”- Many of you have seen the recent crossing the line video which aired at the end of Against All Odds and is currently being shown on the TNA Website. I enjoyed the video but what does it mean? Is it promoting and upcoming tournament or PPV (World’s X Cup, Destination X)? Is it an answer to the current booking style of TNA? Is it a new direction or slogan in which TNA is headed? I am really curious about why this video aired and what it means. Please give me your feedback on this. (More on the video below)

Feedback from the Fans

Mr. Sutter says,
Hey, I was just emailing you to give you a little correction to your last column. Judas Mesias was referred to as the son of James Mitchell in one of the the first promos Mitchell shot before his debut. And he's been referred to as such several other times after his debut. Just thought I would clear that up for you.

Thank you for the feedback. When Mitchell called Mesias his son, I didn’t quite literally think he was his “son”. Before this past Thursday’s episode of iMPACT, no mention was made that he was his actual son. The word son can be indicative of a family member or calling somebody “son” can also just me a name replacement such as “buddy” or “pal”. Thank you for the correction Mr. Sutter.

great sasuke says,
thank you sir for some of your comments. i am sorry that i mentioned "get your head examined" because you see tna has many potentials to bring new 'life' of professional wrestling like that of their old slogan, 'new face of professional wrestling', but many people say that the reason why tna sucks(please maybe not to be insultive) is because they bring old, retired, used, and pushed-up stars, just like scott hall. to talk of scott hall, did you know that sctt hall made many tna fans to be ashamed by his 'no-show event'. think also of kevin nash he did the same thing in 2005, which put tna in jeopardy. also with jeff hardy, while he was with tna. some of this indy stars i mentioned are commited wrestlers to their company. thinking of tna bringing bobby lashly(or rather big-booby lashly), many have critised it, because he sucks: no good mic skills, he is just a hulk, goldberg copy. to me he should sleep in wwe.
now talking of opinion in tna bringing new championships, thanking you for your comments. if you have opinions of any championships to introduced, please reply me back.

Hello Sasuke,
Once again I do NOT work for TNA Wrestling, so why would I be insulted about you expressing your opinions on the TNA Product? I have an open mind and love hearing feedback from the fans, hence why I have a feedback section in my column. TNA hasn’t referred to themselves as the “new face of professional wrestling” since early 2006. They also haven’t called themselves the “True Wrestling Alternative” in quite some time. The use of well established stars doesn’t hurt the TNA product. How they are used is what’s important. If they are used to develop younger stars and put homegrown stars over, then they are used properly. I have no hate for Scott Hall no-showing Turning Point. TNA is well-rounded enough to find a replacement on the fly, which they did. I agree that I don’t want to see Bobby Lashley come to TNA for the reason on how quickly he turned on the WWE after they made him what he is today. Bobby Lashley doesn’t have the leverage that someone like Kurt Angle, Christian Cage or Booker T has since he isn’t as big of a star. Plus his comments about going to TNA would be a last resort, infuriate me to the brink. Let Bobby Lashley go to the MMA so he and Brock Lesnar could beat each other up.

iMPACT! Report Card
“Friend or Foe”
February 7, 2008 Edition (Written on the 7th)
Action
 Good squash match between Awesome Kong and Traci Brooks. The Impact Buster move looked like it hurt.
 The Roode vs Dutt match never took place but I am anticipating the Roode vs Booker Match at Against All Odds
 The worst part of the show was the Capture Misty Match between Kaz and Black Reign. I hate to see such talent wasted on stupid concepts like this. The match meant little in the end because after Kaz won the match, Black Reign beat him down and took back his Arctic Fox.
 I enjoyed the X Division Championship Match even though the finish was botched. Technically Homicide should be X Champion had the referee done his job. The new championship DQ Rules come into play tonight.
 I loved the Curry Man/Shark Boy vs Rock N’ Rave Infection Tag Team Match. I don’t know how much longer the Stone Cold gimmick will go on since the crowd didn’t give him that good of a reaction tonight.
 The AJ Styles vs Tiger Mask match was pretty good. Styles busted out some pretty athletic moves in the match. In the end he played the heel and low blowed Tiger Mask followed by a big Styles Clash for the victory.
 The main event was good but nothing special. I really like Judas Mesias and Christian Cage.

Entertainment
 I thought the Contract Signing was good in building up the Against All Odds Main Event as well as a future World Championship Match between Joe and Angle. I feel so bad for Jim Cornette since everything seems to be going wrong with his job on the line. The only bad thing about this whole segment was it downplayed Christian Cage’s involvement in the main event for Against All Odds
 The Rock N Rave Infection Promo was okay but loud and a little annoying.
 The Bullet Bob and BG promo was okay. Apparently a group of marines will be present at Against All Odds and will lay the stripes onto BG and Bullet Bob. I will make a prediction that BG and Bullet Bob walk out of Against All Odds as Champions
 I like the dynamic for the main event at Against All Odds. AJ and Karen with Kurt Angle, Tomko with Christian Cage and Samoa Joe as the Enforcer.
 I liked the aftermath for the Main Event as we saw a preview for both Barbed Wire Massacre 2 and the main event. I just wished AJ didn’t show up to emphasize that the Angle Family was mad at him. There shouldn’t be tension between AJ and Tomko but Tomko and Angle.
Other
 What are the stipulations for the Street Fight at Against All Odds? I thought it was the Disbanding of the X Division vs a weight limit for the X Division but according to the announcers I am wrong.
 I am looking forward to the Petey Williams vs Scott Steiner. They did a good job of working around the Street Fight Match. Now two title shots are on the line for the winner. Most important non-title match on the show. Unfortunately the matches won’t be that long since they have to fit 9 matches on the card for Against All Odds
 Finally the Barbed Wire Massacre 2 Match needs to be advertised as Abyss vs Judas Mesias NOT Abyss vs Mesias and Mitchell
 There was really good build for the PPV tonight and I applaud them for that.
 Salinas is hot but she looks like a very *friendly* person. I hate her quick movements that make her look like she is having a seizure. She needs to slow down.
 I missed a bit because my satellite feed kept going down due to bad weather. To top it off, the power was out all day so I missed work. I hate snow!

Grade: C+
Overall Thoughts: Better than last week but nothing special. There was some good build to the PPV which is what the show was supposed to do. I didn’t clock the match times for the show but the wrestling was good, not great. The show gets docked for the horrible Kaz vs Black Reign match. Above average show leading into Against All Odds!
Show Rating: 1.1

Against All Odds 2008 Report Card
February 10, 2008
Action
 A theme for the show is solid matches, starting with the Tag Team Championship. I was wondering how Tomko and AJ would get along and we figured it out here. I didn’t like Tomko selling so much for Bullet Bob, but that’s just a small thing. At one point I wanted to see Bullet Bob and BG win for a feel-good moment (we got that later in the show). The match was okay. With the marines at the show I thought BG and Bullet Bob might win but I was proven wrong as AJ and Tomko won with the Tornadoplex. BG is playing the good guy in distress with a knee injury.
 The weakest match on the show to me but in no way a bad match was Payton Banks vs Traci Brooks. This match was pretty short. Both ladies looked amazing in the ring.
 I enjoyed the Petey Williams vs Scott Steiner Match. Petey got some pretty good offense for being an X Star against a Heavyweight. I wonder if Williams can win without the use of his Canadian Destroyer. Not tonight seemingly. Okay match which saw the debut of the gigantic woman (who just stood there). Steiner wins both cases and a new valet in BBW (Big Black Woman)
 The Young vs Storm match to me wasn’t a very serious encounter. It once again had decent wrestling but nothing special. Rhino surprised me by returning tonight and costing Storm the match. My question is if Rhino just wanted to make an impact in his return, why didn’t he just wait until after the match to do so? I hope Young and Storm move onto different things.
 I enjoyed the Women’s Championship Match. Boy is ODB ugly? I like her though and she played the good underdog. This match was above average but not great.
 Barbed Wire Massacre was a great match. To me the violence lived up to the hype. While it wasn’t as good as the first Barbed Wire Massacre Match, it still was very good. Will this feud go on after this PPV (Rhetorical Question)
 While some didn’t like the ending for the Robert Roode vs Booker T Match, I felt it was quite fitting. The one thing I didn’t like is that this match was not heated enough and there was more wrestling than I would imagine. The finish suited the feud and this thing will likely continue into a potential Falls Count Anywhere Match at Destination X.
 The match of the show was the Street Fight. I was completely into this match due to the stipulations of it. At one point I feared SoCal might come in and ask the referee to stop the match, which would have been a horrible decision. TNA gave the big push to Jay Lethal, who, like the PPV name says, overcame the odds, saved the X Division and won back his X Title. This is the feel-good moment I waited for. The X Division will live on! I also hope the Machineguns continue their feud with Team 3D in a possible Elevation X Match at Destination X.
 The Main Event was a solid TNA World Championship Match. It was pretty much the same as the Final Resolution Match with the same great action. I don’t care who you are, you didn’t see Tomko turning on Christian Cage. It was a crappy thing to do since Cage helped Tomko defeat Angle. I didn’t hate the finish for the match. Unfortunately this is the second year Samoa Joe has failed in his Enforcer duties.

Entertainment/Other
 The only entertainment thing I can think of is the interactions/segments between Kurt, JB and Karen. They were okay and had a few funny spots.
 It is good to see Scott Hudson back in TNA. I also liked how Team 3D and Christian Cage interacted with him. Team 3D reminding him not to speak during a 3D interview and Cage asking who Hudson was.

Grade: B-
Overall Thoughts: With a show filled with solid but decent matches this show missed a certain something. Barbed Wire Massacre 2, the X Division Street Fight and the Main Event were all above average contests that helped out the show. There wasn’t one horrible match which was nice. I would recommend getting the replay or buying the DVD when it comes out. I thought my 30$ was well spent at Against All Odds.


My thoughts on the “Cross the Line” Video

What is real, what is fantasy?
A thin line separates the two!
The same with good and bad, Pain and Pleasure, Right and Wrong!
And when that line is blurred, anything can happen.
Anything goes!
What awaits on the other side?
Find out!
TNA Wrestling,
Cross the Line!

When I originally saw this video at Against All Odds I thought it was readying the world for Destination X. After seeing it with no mention of the Norfolk PPV, I obviously realized it wasn’t for that. To me it was an omen of things to come for TNA. Just like a pastor reads from the bible, deciphering the “meaning” of the book, the same thing needs to happen for us fans. TNA is shrouded in shades of gray. It is a company that laughs in the face of tradition. From the booking to the match styles, while NWA-TNA was about tradition, TNA is about the New Breed of Wrestling. To me TNA is letting the fans know that TNA is continuing on their current road where reality TV booking and gray characters will stay in TNA. Fans who don’t read the internet will not know what TNA means by this, as this is likely shot at the fans on the internet. TNA is challenging the fans to cross that line and accept TNA. It is a video shot at the critics for TNA’s style of booking, reality TV and more. While I may be wrong about this, if I am right, it could be a very interesting few months for TNA. Find out and Cross that line!

If this is what the video is about, then I commend TNA for sending it out. TNA’s biggest enemy right now isn’t WWE but the TNA Critics. TNA can’t just call out the critics on their show on the website. They can make references but can’t really send a message. The thing is why send this video on PPV, rather than the TV show? If the smart marks are as smart as they claim to be, then maybe they will get the point. Cross that line, accept TNA for what it has become or don’t cross the line and walk away.