Post by Talon Thorne on May 27, 2009 15:39:48 GMT -5
Obviously you have noticed that this column is no longer titled TNA 101. It has a new logo and new name. This column is for all the Adrenaline Junkies who love Total Nonstop Action, who I have referred to as the TNAddicts. This isn’t your traditional column bashing TNA but rather one that enjoys what the TNA Product is and what it could be. This isn’t TNA 101, it isn’t WWE, this is my new column “This is TNA…”
I do want to explain why I changed the name. I am so sick of TNA Critics judging TNA and the product by what other companies do or by what has been done in the past. Little to fans know that a lot of what TNA does is meant to be like that. This column is by a fan of TNA, and unlike fans of WWE who have little knowledge of anything TNA, I can be more unbiased in my conclusions.
Sacrifice 2009 Report Card
Things started out rough when it was revealed that Sacrifice would be running on Memorial Day. This PPV was for the TNAddicts. The build was solid and the lineup was interesting.
Let me note my criteria for the grading. Matches are based off of a mix of Action, Drama and Booking. Anyone can flip, brawl and hit someone with a weapon but it is true art when you tell a solid story doing so. At the same time you have a match with so much drama but very little action (WWE I’m looking at you). Booking can make or break a match and unfortunately it isn’t TNA’s strong point.
SIX-MAN TAG TEAM MATCH
Lethal Consequences and Eric Young defeated Motor City Machine Guns and Sheik Abdul Bashir
I personally thought that this match didn’t need to be added to the lineup but even though it did, it was very good. At times the match felt very choreographed but the slow points helps that from being too bad. It was a nice opening match that set the tone for the show but won’t be remembered 3 months from now.
Match Grade: B-
KNOCKOUTS MONSTER’S BALL MATCH
Taylor Wilde defeated Daffney
This match tarnished the Monster’s Ball Match. There are levels of hardcore matches with Monster’s Ball being in the higher levels. This match felt like a WWF Attitude Hardcore Match with flimsy weapon shots. Finally the match was too short with about 2 minutes of actual wrestling. The wrestling wasn’t horrible but things would have been that much better if they gave the match more time and called it a Weapons Match or Knockouts Street Fight.
I did enjoy the aftermath of the match with Dr. Stevie wanting Abyss to Chokeslam Taylor Wilde into the tacks. The fans were itching for Abyss to attack Dr. Stevie and that’s exactly what happened. I wish the relationship went longer before Abyss snapped. I think they could have gotten more mileage out of this storyline. Maybe it’s not over but who knows.
Match Grade: D+
X DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP
Daniels and Suicide fought to a Draw
I have heard tons of criticism for this match and I don’t understand it. This match was entertaining to me. We see Daniels (a main eventer) vs. Suicide (a well built X Division character) in a back and forth technical competition. I would have been angry if it ended following the interference of Alex Shelley. I liked the match restarting but I would have preferred Daniels requesting the match being restarted instead of asking for five more minutes. Daniels could have done more to put the X Division over by saying it’s about athleticism/competition and he didn’t want to win it like that. If the match was restarted I would have liked to see Suicide pick up the clean win and have the two have a rematch at Slammiversary.
By the way I felt it should have been Daniels/Suicide vs Motor City Machine Guns tonight with Daniels vs Suicide at Slammiversary.
Match Grade: B-
KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP
Angelina Love defeated Awesome Kong to retain the Knockouts Title
I did enjoy Love playing the cowardly heel but I just couldn’t get that into the match. I thought the finish was done okay but I believe the match could have been told better. How about Awesome Kong going ballistic and getting disqualified for excessive force such as attacking the referee? You build towards a match at Slammiversary in a No DQ Match. The match had a bigger time feel and I hope to see more of this feud.
Match Grade: C
GRUDGE MATCH
Samoa Joe defeated Kevin Nash
The thing about this match was that this match had horrible buildup. In the beginning they had built the feud all throughout the year of 2008. There was no follow-up after the first match and there was little hype up to this match. They could have done MUCH more to build this match. This match could have been a main event caliber match but was an afterthought for the show.
The match was solid but not great. It established Samoa Joe as a bad ass and allowed the Samoan Submission Machine to get his revenge on Nash. I liked the story that Joe couldn’t beat Nash with his old character but Joe destroyed Nash with his new persona. I thought the finish with Nash tapping to the Tazzmission was good and the post match beat down was better. Their match at Turning Point was better but this match has more impact. Unfortunately the hype didn’t live up to the match.
Match Grade: C
Team 3D TAG TEAM INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT FINALS
Beer Money Inc defeated British Invasion
Very entertaining match that proved Beer Money could play babyface. It was an entertaining match that saw a few nearfalls. Either team could have won and I actually liked that Beer Money (who are still heels) cheated to win, and the fans cheered it. I look forward to the rematch between Team 3D and Beer Money at Slammiversary. Also, I thought tonight was Brutus Magnus’ best match to date and the quality of tonight’s match made it by a lot.
Match Grade: B
I QUIT MATCH FOR THE LEGENDS CHAMPIONSHIP
AJ Styles defeated Booker T to retain the Legends Championship
Best Booker T TNA Match to date. I thought both did very well in the match and they created an entertaining showcase. I didn’t think it felt heated enough and I didn’t think they got hardcore enough for this match. This is another Main Event caliber match that should have been highlighted more but wasn’t. The bad thing about the match was the finish. Instead of having a blow-off finish where Booker Quits to the AJ armbar, they have Jenna Morasca run in and throw in a towel. The priority should have been AJ vs. Booker and not Jenna vs. Sharmell. It should have finished with AJ trying to break Booker’s arm. Look at the Hardy vs Hardy Backlash Match and you have a solid and memorable I Quit Match.
Match Grade: B-
ULTIMATE SACRIFICE MATCH
-If Mick Foley is pinned he loses the World Title
-If Sting is pinned he has to retire
-If Kurt Angle is pinned he gives up leadership of the Main Event Mafia
-If Jeff Jarrett is pinned he gives up his voting shares in TNA
Sting defeated Kurt Angle to become leader of the Main Event Mafia
Great main event but not a match of the year candidate! This was unpredictable and never at one time did I know who was going to pin who and what would be sacrificed. Going into the match I didn’t expect much at all but this definitely exceeded my expectations. There were some high point and some nice brawling. There were some nice spots that I enjoyed as well. The finish was entertaining as Sting picked up the quick victory from Jeff Jarrett’s move. While the Kurt Angle stipulation getting the loss from Sting, was the least exciting result, it will still be interesting to see where Sting as the leader of MEM goes.
Match Grade: B
PPV Thoughts: Very solid TNA show. TNA has definitely not had the greatest past few years when PPV is concerned but this was not a perfect example of that. There were a few booking decisions that hurt the show but like Lockdown, there were no major weaknesses to the show. Daniels vs Suicide, the Opener, the Ultimate Sacrifice Match, Tag Team Match and the I Quit Match were all solid. A match of the year candidate could have brought this over the top but unfortunately this show didn’t have one.
PPV Grade: B-
Thanks you for joining me. This is TNA…Nuff Said