RedJed

I dunno, I thought the first hour was pretty brutal. But the second hour was pretty good all around with Sabu-Abyss being ok with Raven's run-in, the tag match w/ Lynn and Co. was alright for sure, the Hardy/Brown/Jarrett angle kind of was "eh" with the typical Jarrett guitar shot, but still a worthy angle - TNA doesnt do enough angles that are memorable and this was an exception. I have to totally take task on calling this a bad show in relation to the main event though. They went 15 minutes and with that (somewhat) limited time, they really delivered strong and turned it into a TNA MOTY candidate for sure. 9 out of 10 times those two teams have solid matches with each other and in this case, they really went balls out on that one to have a really awesome match. I'd have no problem giving it ****, more if they would have just had 5-10 more minutes. Next week sounds interesting with Ultimate X 4 and I'm intriuged in Hardy v. Brown for some odd reason too. BTW Dynamite.......still wanting to do a trade soon, but still havent found time to get my site updated, UGH

Mixed bag this week, but overal another solid effort for Impact. Decent lead-in to Wednesdays show. GOOD Opener was definately decent enough. Hope Shelley sticks around (I wonder now that the ROH thing is squared that we might see more ROH guys here and vice versa?) as he's a solid X division guy to add to the mix. Tag w/ Sabin/Red v. Kazarian/Shane was not too bad...could have certainly been better but putting 5 matches into an hour and also having all of the commercial spots, they did the best they could do with the limited time. Generally, everything was built good enough leading into the ppv on Weds. Just about everyone on the show for Weds was showcased one way or another. Angles were short and to the point, even stuff like the Jeff Hardy deal, etc. Ending with Shamrock and Jarrett was well done. Also, Shamrock did a good interview, hope he's in long term. EH (MIDDLE GROUND) Six man could have been better......D-Lo seems to be running in slow motion these days. David Young under a mask.....pretty obvious. Could be a really lame idea or good idea depending on what they do with it. Whats with the Team Canada megapush continuing? I dont think they're that bad, but I think its getting to be a little too much at times. Seems like they've been the Impact main event more times than not. On that same note, the main event was a nothing match but served its purpose. Truth seems out in the cold here with the promotion though, and it seems more focused on just Jarrett and Shamrock. I dont understand why they dont play up the history more.....as Truth was the one who beat Shamrock for the belt back in 2002 also. Maybe that will come down the road hopefully. Very "eh" about the ppv main event this week too......if they continue a Shamrock-Jarrett-Truth feud going beyond it, its not a bad idea, as it builds to singles matches between the three and even a three way dance. But all of the other people in the gauntlet match just makes it seems less important really. Hoping that Truth wins and that leads to him feuding with either D-Lo or Monty Brown, and then Jarrett and Shamrock fight for the next title shot after that......which ideally would lead into Shamrock, Truth, and Jarrett still feuding in the long term. BAD They overdo the promos for the X division DVD as well as the lineup for the ppv. Gets to the point where we "get it" clearly...it doesnt need to be said over and over. then they also have seperate vignettes talking about each main match on the ppv too. In addition, Tenay and West do the rundown in a segment......all in all its overload and one could argue that it might turn someone off from either getting the show or they might even decide to turn the channel here when it gets to be too much. Monty Brown squash matches is getting old. No point in bringing in Rodman at all. I dont necessarily blame TNA here since they expected him to do someting more than that, but if it was going to be that pointless, they shouldnt have even bothered with him. If a new viewer tuned in to see him how that was, I doubt they would bother watching this show again.

Havent messaged around for a trade in some time, but I am looking to get my ROH collection complete. This is what I am looking for (a somewhat extensive list, I know) 2003 -Revenge on the Prophecy -Wrath of the Racket -Bitter Friends, Stiffer Enemies -Beating the Odds -Glory by Honor II -Tradition Continues -Empire State Showdown -The Conclusion -Final Battle 2003 2004 -The Last Stand -2nd Year Show -At Our Best -Both Reborn Shows Basically, at this stage I have alot more stuff than is on my site (check link below)....just havent had time in months to update it, much less do any trades. So if you are looking for something yourself, I may have it (especially if it is WWE or TNA and other random stuff from the US and Japan). What I would like would be to find someone who could do these (at least some) and also gets the new ROH tapes when they come out as well, so I could consistently trade with them. Throw me a PM or email ([email protected]) if there is any interest. Thanks!

Hey man, just letting you know I've been emailing you but you might be not getting all of mine for one reason or another. But I am interested! Let me know if you dont get my proposal of sorts by tomorrow morning and if not, I'll try resending.

Show looks strong this week for sure. Top to bottom not bad at all, hell, even the "gut check" match might be alright. One thing I would like to see them continue is a max of 5 matches a week if at all possible. That (in theory) allows each match to have a decent amount of time, and allows enough time to do angles, interviews, etc as well. The more 5-10 minute matches can be saved for Impact and Explosion.

For what its worth, I hope they dont have the six sided ring on the ppvs, at least for now. The ppvs will need to be much more streamlined though, as even though they have been strong as of late, the shows format has been very stale and predictable. They'll need to change that up now, and in due time, maybe do the six sided ring. Impact should stand out a tad for now in that respect. Overall it was a very well done show. TNA has become much more of a good show on the ppvs in the last few months too, and last weeks main event (while it sounded fucked up on paper) turned out very good as well. Opener and main event did just what they should have done.....showcased a true alternative to WWE. There has never been a WWE CW match before with that kind of action from either match. Styles back in the X division is a great idea as well, since he was NWA champ, probably will be again down the road (or better yet, maybe X division and world champ at the same time?), but for now needs a new angle on things and this is just right. Feuding with Jarrett has run its course as well as even chasing again for that title. If guys like Daniels, Lo-Ki, etc can make a solid return to the X division as well, its going to be a really strong facet of TNA once again. Tag title picture is also much stronger now with AMW leading the pack again, and I would assume that brings out more challengers out of the woodwork in the weeks and months to come. Harris unfortunately just couldnt cut the mustard in the ME scene in my opinion and this is a deserved step down but two steps up for him and Storm. As far as the world title, its a toss up what the future holds there but I like that Killings is going to clearly be kept as a main event world title contender. Also with Konnan rumored to be leaving soon, I would assume 3LK becomes more of a past thought and Killings as a singles star is more the focal point. It's still a toss up on who Jarrett will or should feud with as a top program for the title. I'm wondering if they have visions of bringing in Savage for real this time, since his ex valet showed up last Weds (and for what reason they havent explained yet). I still think they should maybe consider Hogan, and right now would be the best time to do so. Otherwise, I would jump the gun and turn Raven back babyface, and have him feud with Jarrett NOW. Anyway I kind of got ahead of myself....the show itself was hella impressive and certainly was better than I expected going into it. The production was top notch, they paced out the show well, everything had purpose (wondering if they are going to have Rhodes v. Jarrett next week), and most importantly they did things that made them stand out as something different than WWE.

I've said it before and I'll say it again......there is always replays all week long if people are either pissed they missed this, or still want to see it. So its different than just a usual weekly TV show, which can be a disadvantage since if people hear the show sucked, they wont get the replay, but if something happens, replays can generate more revenue. The whole "it should have been built up better" thing has nothing to do with thir ability to be able to draw money or not. Who's to say if they built this match up for 3-4 weeks, that it would have drew anymore interest? All of these guys have already been feuding for many weeks now over the title. What else is there to build? I think the reality of TNA currently is that they are catering only to the hardcores who get these shows each and every week...so additionally, there really doesnt need to be long drawn out builds to a particular match, or at least they dont have to announce it x weeks in advance. These people are going to order these shows anyway, especially since they really havent dropped the ball too much on this small group who are all vying for the belt. To keep it going, you can't just all of a sudden stop doing these title matches for x number of weeks if you want to keep the momentum going right now going into the FSN deal. There is a point here as well that they are trying for the unpredictability factor more (I'm sure this is Russo's influence) in that the world title picture is so full of contenders (It's unfortunate Abyss has been lost in the shuffle by the way) that all bets are off who's the champ the next week. Sure, they could have built all of the world title matches lately up more long term, but that would taken the steam out the main event scene currently. I can't even imagine what some of the main events would have been otherwise. It's making each show more important in theory this way leading up to June with the world title being the main focus clearly (as it should be). It will be interesting to see how they transition after the FSN show starts. ------ Shit, I havent even commented on the show yet. One of the better shows TNA has done in months, IMO. Everything just seemed to gel alot better than usual, not a whole hell of a lot of dead spots in the night, and I havent seen this in a long time....the crowd seemed into the action all night long. Opener was pretty good....they need to use Lynn more on the ppv matches (hopefully in a hot singles program post-X cup with someone) as he can usually pull a decent match out of anyone. Overall I thought the post match was very well written too, as Lynn still got some revenge but not the whole thing...good lead-in to next weeks show. David Young and whoever that was....all it seems is that it will lead to a face turn for Young and some push. Whatever works I guess....at least they've been drawing this out. Six man tag was ok, nothing to call home about though. Mexico is WAY over with the fans. The All Japan team sure didnt impress the hell out of me, but still interested to see how they work next week. Dutt/Red was very good, best of the three, rightfully so. Kazarian/Red is a match that was decent enough a few months ago when they did it, so a rematch should be solid. This Goldilocks-Watts-Abyss stuff is just not good or interesting, hopefully they end it before the FSN show starts. I'll admit though that Watts (for some reason) is over with the crowd. I'm starting to not mind the NYC-Pat Kenny stuff though, and intertwining that with whatever is up with Desire/Siaki also. Rhodes/Storm v. Kash/Dallas....another match with good heat. Nothing that made me go WOW but it was good enough for what it was. Main event was all kinds of good to me. Havent seen a TNA main event gone 20 minutes for awhile, so that was a good thing. I liked this concept of the match in that it built up very nice to the finish. Styles had to get finished by everyone plus a Jarrett guitarshot to lose, so they were certainly protecting him. The near finishes at the end were well done and for once, no real ref bump. I marked out when Killings won as I dont think anyone saw that coming at all. Will Jarrett win in two weeks? I hope not but I fear thats the case. They gotta be careful not to switch the belt too much though.....so with that said, it would be best to see Killings keep the title instead of anything with Jarrett for more reasons than one. Killings turning heel and feuding with Styles would be a top notch feud on top for the world title IMO. Another interesting point is that they had blood on ppv for the first time on TNA in awhile with Styles juicing. Cool. TNA NEEDED to put on a show last night that really made the 2 hours truly solid. Although alot of the shows lately had been good enough, there always was something that was missing, kind of a defined spark to the crowd and the workrate. Everyone for the most part worked real hard to put together a super show tonight from the writers to the wrestlers. Could have come at a perfect time. Next week should be good, and if they can get a kick ass show right before the FSN debut, they will have tremendous momentum going into the new show.

Well, this board has clearly been brought down by some, and regardless if they explain themselves or not, its still hurting. And this goes for both extreme negativity AND positivity. vicvenom jr/rhynoreturns/whatever his name is next/ explained himself in detail ALOT....does that mean that his glowing and unadulterated positivity helped create unbiased and interesting conversation here? Nope I can understand a viewpoint of MikeSC....to a degree. I don't really think there are many here in this TNA folder who are completely oblivious to any mistakes TNA was/is doing though as he has claimed. How its becoming across lately, its more than some of the more blatantly negative posters can't get a grip on their own opinions to me....almost like they let them spiral out of control to the point where you can expect what they will say next. As much as they would like to not admit it too, I think there is a handful of people here who are the ROH fans who just come in here to be negative and will only comment negativity on this, that, and another thing. No matter how positive a thing may be in either theory or execution, they can always find fault with it, else they just dont comment. Just my two cents And before anyone accuses me of being too pro-TNA, check my posts....I'm just as critical as the next when it comes to shit they really need their head examined on. All I would like to see is some maturity around here, as well as the bias(ie consistent negativity or positivity) to stop. I dont see the point of anything when someone is either negative all the time on a company OR positive about everything they do OR even worse, just is glaring negative or positive JUST BECAUSE they feel that "everyone else can't see the obvious flaws or great things that this company does." That realistically creates nothing short of irrelevant discussion around here and subsequentally gives that person zero credibility since they can't form their own biased opinions since there is a alterior motives of sorts in their comments. Bottom line......is it that hard to just speak like grown adults around here?

6 sided ring......word is that they will have this up shortly in the Universal lot and the workers will likely be sent down there for a few days to get a feel for it before the shows begin. I still think their best option is to get Hogan in for a feud with Jarrett. If Hogan would allow Russo to stay on camera, that would make the most sense as well to build more heat to that feud. Fantasy booking here......it seems apparent that Jarrett will be regaining the title either right before the first FSN show or maybe on it. An idea would be to have Russo turn heel in this match on AJ, and give Jarrett the win. They would then reveal even since Jeff lost to AJ, that Jarrett went to Russo and they got on the same page....then planned to ware Styles out with all of the world title matches week after week (Even though Styles made some of them himself, the storyline is that Russo could have been talking to him in private that he needs to "prove himself" more by being a fighting champ.) in leading to Jarrett challenging him when he was wore out. Anyway so Russo and Jarrett are on the same side, and immediately following, Hogan finally appears to confront them both and they go from there. Would be a good start to the TV deal. As far as other big names, I dont see why they dont sign up Sting to a long term deal at least.

Eh..Raw has been pretty solid in the past few months, and with their main events really kicking ass too, I have to say they are probably a tad better than TNA has been consistently lately. TNA though is head and shoulders better than Smackdown since the draft lottery. With that said, I still feel like I get my money's worth somehow every week during a TNA show, whether it be a particular match or at least some direction that I enjoy. Last nights show was good but theres still those things that make me want to see TNA do more with stuff, just a complete overhaul of in ring product treatment and generally, a more exciting direction. The formulas of the main events lately seem to be more and more full of run-ins, ref bumps, and general chaos and normal, which is diluting the title itself, and at the wrong time with this (assumed) short reign for Styles. It still is producing interesting matchups though, which are good up until the finish starts to form. BUT guys like Raven, Killings, Abyss, and others are being slowly groomed into some really potentially tremedous spots, so it will take time to see if it happens. Sabu v. Raven is a feud that was never done in ECW and might be something. Kash/Dallas v. AMW as well, and I would assume that after next week, Harris moves back to tag teams with Storm. I'd like to see Killings in a more prominant role though, turning heel and feuding with D-Lo. I think that could help both of the guys get over more. Also, the shows have consistently been much better than they were from about October 03 to January or Feb or this year. Mantel had such a bland vision of things, and with Russo seemingly in the fold more in writing (as well as some guys like Disco being taken out of the booking meetings) the shows have more of an important feel to them, and the directions formed are more coherant. There is still room for improvement (I miss the unpredictability factor, although the Styles title win helped that some) but they have made steps forward in the past few months. The rest of the show sans the main event was alright, up and down kind of. Storm and Kash was good, didnt expect Rhodes to come out, so that was a surprise. Didnt get all the 3LK-Russo stuff, but I would think that leads to Konnan probably leaving (WWE), and what I am thinking is that maybe Killings is the one who attacked both James and Konnan and destroying Russo's office (ie heel turn). Brown and James was a slow plodding match that didnt go much of anywhere. They tried hard though, which amounts to something. The Desire stuff was weird, a little too long, but I prefer stuff like this and the Irish Pat Kenney sketch better than their excessive recaps from the weeks before. Don West getting his ass kicked by Trinity was gold. I wonder if they are thinking of turning Siaki heel again? I'd question that, as I think his team with Kenney is ok and he might be able to get far as a face in this role. For once, I'm a Siaki fan, after all these months of hating him. Red and Dutt was better than last week to me, but it was sloppy at spots. Lots more action though, finish kind of came out of nowhere. Still MOTN to me. The battle of the Shanes was weak, I'm just not feeling this feud at all. Hope its over. The feud with Goldilocks and Watts is another weak part of the shows lately, she just bugs me when she talks. Very unconvincing in her role, akin to a porn actress as far as her verbal skills go. X division tag was solid enough, but didnt blow the house down much like it did last week. Lynn v. Rude next week should be interesting. Overall a solid enough show, but still waiting for a few incredibly kick ass shows leading into the TV deal.

I thought they were paying for the timeslot and could of paid for a better one. They could have paid for a better one (which I think they should have done) but essentially it would have costed them much more for that other slot, which I think was Sundays at 11am. It might still be something they can change over to though, I'm not sure. Maybe in due time if this timeslot fails horribly (which I'm fearing it might) they might have to pony up the extra dough in hoping it brings in more viewers on a weekend slot. 1 hour is going to be rough to base around every week, but it's still plausable depending on how its booked. I dont expect any long matches on the show, and if anything I could see a return of more of a "crash TV" style here, although hopefully its more structured than it used to be during some of the other Russo eras.

I tend to keep beating a dead horse, but can this shit about the ROH-TNA stuff just stop already? If the ROH fans can't seperate their love for that promotion for what is and isnt happening (be it right or wrong) in TNA, why are you here? And inversely, if TNA diehards can't seperate their love for the promotion from their bias against if ROH is better or not (and who really gives a shit? They're two clearly different styles.....WE GET IT)..well are we all here to discuss that or just TNA? It's f'n ridiculous. Also, to say that Dave Meltzer is bias against or for TNA, ROH, WWE, or f'n organization "x" is ridiculous. I've seen him be critical of as many things as TNA has done as I've seen him praise them. Same for WWE. His negativity isnt consistent every week on the TNA reports.....hell, he is going up and down about last week's 8 man as one of the best TNA matches this year, read his report last week, etc. To say he is unfairly biased against TNA is showing bias yourself. Also, whos to say what is and what isnt "a good overall wrestling show." That depends on the style you like, and nobody should say its in writing what a person is supposed to like and not like. Bottom line, can we just stop the shit with comparing ROH and TNA? It's a case neither side will win. ----- Anyway..... Point of this thread..... If they will have replays (even if they are in weird times) its better than nothing. Sounds good to me.

The show as a whole left me with a "eh it was alright" feel, as I just see so much potential with alot of the workers and ideas, but they are just not implimented to its full capacity. Most of this is the booking, as it just seems predictable and too formulmatic, and at times, very illogical. A real issue I have with the stuff as of late is that time seems limited on most matches. Plus the context of the matches arent going anywhere for the most part. I'm SO sick of the main events, and in particular the world title matches, having this formula that you can see coming a mile away. Ref bump, interference, screwjob finish. They still are trying to keep everyone in the title hunt though, which is good, but it just seems so stale in the way they are doing it. I'm also really tired of the recaps that take up a significant amount of time on ppv each week. I think most of the people who are checking these shows out do so each and every week, hence they dont need a reminder over and over about what happened the week before. Plus thats what the countdown show is for too. The opening stuff was alright if it will continue to be followed up on. I think someone at least realizes that Killings is talent and needs to be kept in the picture, not just duped down from last week's title loss. So TNA deserves credit here on that level, at least they just didnt blow him off now. Douglas-Shane was actually alright, but this is just a feud that hardly anyone can get into. The crowd was apathetic towards it all. Red-Dutt was alright....they seemed to be working towards a finale that will be likely really good. Very mat based which was weird to see out of these two. 8 man tag was GREAT, this match is worth getting a replay if anything. Was concerned about losing Hart and Evans on TC, but it seems like it shouldnt be a problem. I'm looking forward to this World X Cup for sure. Watts and Abyss sucked ass, I hope this Watts-Golidlocks thing is ended quick. Trinity-Desire was shitty too, worse than I thought it could be but at least it was fast. Trinity could be used so much better. I liked the angle after the match though with Kenney. Main event was ok but it just seemed to be there, and that finish really hurt it. I think the idea (and Meltzer mentioned this too in his report) is that they are doing these "big" matches (with little heat oddly enough) one after another so that Styles gets worn out, supposedly has gone through all of the top contenders, and then has to face Jarrett, who then beats him when he is less than at 100 percent. I dont like this idea at all (Jarrett winning it back, period) unless it is then shifted to someone else (even Styles) soon after the TV deal is up and running. I think that the best idea would have been for Raven to have the belt leading into the TV deal (I honestly think he's more of a draw than Jarrett) and then Styles could have regained the belt down the road. But whatever I guess. At least Styles is being treated alot better than he did his first reign, but the problem is that it's going to be so short lived. I dont know what it is exactly, maybe they need more talent to fill the holes.....maybe they need a better crowd that is into things more......or maybe its just that the booking is stale......but something needs a swift kick in the ass, I know that much. In preparation for the TV deal which is now a go, the company seems to need almost a complete restructural overhaul of changes to really make the impending new fanbase think this is a legitimate alternative to WWE.

Seperating the bad from the good with this deal...... BAD: -The actual timeslot. Who exactly are they trying to target here? 3pm Eastern, even the east coast kiddies are just getting out of school then, and what is there to say about the rest of the country? Just seems like a time that is never going to amount to substantial ratings. They would have been better going with the Sunday slot (even if it was a little more) since at least more people would be guaranteed to be home then compared to this time. And forget about the 9 to 5ers as far as this goes with this slot. Saturday or Sunday at virtually anytime would have been better than this. -Being on an early timeslot and judging by the standards FOX Sports has told TNA to conform too, the general style might be less blood, extreme violence, etc. Akin to how WCW became in the mid 90s, very family friendly. That could be good or bad considering what style you prefer. -I question how the ppvs are going to be made more special in comparison to the actual shows on FSN. They are having erratic booking issues as is and now having a show that is supposed to attract viewers and then to lead into a weekly ppv every month is a stretch. An initial thought is that Russo maybe writes the TV (more angle based) and Mantell and Jarrett do the actual ppvs (hopefully will be more wrestling based than ever with longer matches than usual). -Not sure how an Orlando crowd is going to react to the promotion. Then again maybe thats the best thing for TNA....get away from the Nashville crowd, which has gotten rather stale. -Xplosion will likely just be recaps and nothing more, or it might be taken completely out and just replaced with the FSN show, which will be rebroadcast in syndication. -1 hour is rough to put together something suitable together. Matches will likely be kept very short. GOOD -Hey its a national TV clearance anyway you look at it. -If they can really make the 1 hour must see, then they would likely eliminate the 2 hour ppvs every week and move to a 3 hour show once a month. They may also possibly be able to move to a better time and maybe an extra hour if it really takes off. -More time means more opportunity for getting angles, characters, and feuds over. -Possibility of guys like Styles, Killings, etc really taking off on a national level. -Chance to make the ppvs more wrestling and less interviews, angles. I hope the main events on the ppv can be given more time soon. As it seems, there are more bad than good right now on the outset.

I had a feeling that was why that July date was in Wisconsin, figured that was originally supposed to be for St. Paul. GRRRRR Chances are that most of the people from MN will go to the WI show anyway, but I still think its an unfair move to completely say they wont give it another chance in St. Paul. With the WWE thing and also the TNA/ROH thing happening.....it's hard to say how many potential fans they lost with that. Now that they have proved themselves though and word of mouth of such would occur, I can almost guarantee that at least 200 more people would show up next time. I know that when/if they come back, 3 of my friends who didnt go to this one will be going to the next. Was Silken kind of old, balding, etc? I think I saw him roaming around ringside occasionally, etc. Thats funny that the chick who went back with DeVito was her.....everyone near me was commenting how she held up her CM Punk sign THE ENTIRE MATCH without putting it down at all. Was she the same chick who flashed even during the show? Wow, what a hooch. "Wrestling....yaaaay" Yes, got old very quick indeed!

Cool.......you must have been close to where I was sitting then too, although I dont think I was by either Mondo or Cannon. I was closer by the entrance way but in section C (where the loud drunks were) unfortunately a few seats by the two loudest ones of the crowd! Their act was funny at times but got old after awhile. These were the guys I was referring to in that I think the are almost ultimate ROH "fanboys," traveling all over the place. I heard them say that they always get free tickets and such if they go around here and there with them, etc. There was some guy a few rows in front of me (I was in third) who I thought looked like a wrestler too, but I couldnt grasp who it was. He ended up almost getting in a fight with a guy early in the show over a misnumbered ticket he had or something. He had a girl with him too and she had a kid (and boy, this chick was smokin hot). Alot of these people looked familiar though from probably seeing them at other wrestling shows around town. Anyway I read they probably wont be back for at least 6 months. Bah, wish they would just cancel the Wisconsin date and come back here.

I would say go, but just try to go with some friends. There may be a chance you sit by some drunks or something, which is always a possibility at any show you go to, but generally speaking, indy shows seem to be more prominant at times like that. So basically you're going to have that problem at any wrestling show you go to in most cases. But I wouldnt miss ROH if it came around to your area, despite all of the shit with Feinstein happening, they still have a solid product to check out live.

I ended up going to the show....second guessed it initally though after TNA pulled talent since there would be no Styles v. Lynn or Raven v. Credible - a match revisited from a hot Minneapolis ECW show from 2000. But then I heard of the new lineup, and while it was a little less stellar, it was still solid and there were rumblings of a bad potential turnout due to the WWE show just 4 blocks away. So with that said, I wasnt sure if ROH would end up returning and this might be the only chance I had to see it live. With that said, I'm glad I went as it was a pretty damn good show. Never been to any indy show like this before with the crowd being so into it and generally I thought this was a very well booked show and yearns for a return. I had issues with the finish of the main event (as I felt it was more a fodder for a rematch somewhere in a different part of the country) but I was glad to see them realize that they needed a big finish at the end and then they did what they did. The best thing of the show to me was the stuff with Steamboat. Sat in the same section as a really loud group of people, I think they were a core group of ROH fans who maybe travel wherever they have shows at. Meaning they likely came here from the east coast. I didnt ask them but just assumed as the wrestlers knew who they were, etc. If anything is to be said about ROH it's the loyal fanbase of people like this, who are ultimate fans to do such a thing. They did kind of get annoying though, as they distracted at times from the action. Opener was alright, I dont really care for Stryker though. Seems overrated by what I've seen. Definately not world title material. McGuiness has unlimited potential though. ** 1/4 Tag match was pretty good, everyone worked hard. ** Credible and John Walters (I think thats who it was) was just kind of "eh." They did the barracade slams into the signs though that the fans f'n loved to see all night. I hadnt seen any ROH in about 6 months so this was all new to me in seeing. I like the concept, brings in fan interaction more to an effect. * 1/2 By this point, I certainly wasnt impressed with the show, seemed typical indy stuff. Certainly picked up with the 6 man 4 corners match. Everyone worked hard and I think Evans should be full time here (or is he?) as he really stole the show to me. Either TNA or ROH needs to push the hell out of this guy. Everyone in this match are guys that ROH needs in full time, as they all impressed me, with maybe Shelley as the exception. Ironically I think thats the guy who ROH is most all about out of the 6. Finish kind of came out of nowhere though. *** 3/4 This was the first I also have seen of Cabana and BJ Whitmer. Very good match I wasnt expecting it to be. Lots of brawling including in the crowd (they tore up a bunch of chairs in my section). *** 1/4 Non-title tag match was tremendous. This is the kind of match that just works to me, as both teams worked really stiff and the intensity just got better and better by each minute. Havana Pitbulls are going to go somewhere in this company. **** with alot of stiff and sick bumps/moves. Am Dragon and CM Punk, thought it went too long without some really consistent action. Lots of promise spots though. *** Main event was very good and probably about *** 3/4. They did a false finish with the ref looking to count 3 and the bell even rang, but then it got clarified it wasnt 3. From that, there was stalling that seemed to be waiting for the lights going out, and then the fireball spot. One thing I didnt get.....why did the lights go out in the first place? That finish irked me for the reasons already stated, but they made up for it in the aftermath with the roster clearing brawl. Alot was served to lead into Chicago with the Briscos and SCS brawling, etc. The ending with Steamboat running out and cleaning house on the SCS was great stuff. The storyline played out with Steamboat all night from being posted by Punk during the Cabana-Whitmer match to being the ref later to then being beat down again by Cabana and Punk after that match to then running out to end the show.......just fun stuff, especially for Steamboat marks like me. "Please come back" chant started after the show, everyone pretty much gave the show a standing ovation. I know that they have another date in Chicago for July and then instead of coming back here the day before they are going somewhere in Wisconsin. Maybe they will change their mind about that one and just come back here instead.

Can the f'n shit just stop here already and can't we just post on stuff here in this folder without 1) complete bias towards or against a certain wrestler or company and 2) disrespecting each other? A handful of you guys have really turned this folder into complete and utter shit since last year. If you hate someone that a part of TNA or hate TNA so bad that you can't even be fair to him/her or the company as a whole, can't you just go do your trolling somewhere else? Fucks sake...... Anyway, the last two weeks I've seen a solid direction here in overall feel of the show. The world title thing was also very well put together. Alot of people aren't seeming to "get it" but the idea with switching up everything leading to the cage match last week was this: 1) You could figure and downright assume that someone was going to be beating Jarrett in that cage match, whoever it was. So they were building it up more and more, and in the past few months, Jarrett has been getting vulnerable enough to the point where you knew this was the time and place they were going to do the switch. So the idea is that everyone wants to see it off Jarrett, right? 2) The idea here as well with having a good handful of top tier guys vying for the world title shot in the cage is to still keep them all in the hunt. They even continued this last week after Harris got injured, with them all asking for the shot, etc. Whoever is writing is attempting to keep everyone in the hunt here (likely for months) and I dont get why people can't see that. Off of that......Harris is still going to be in the hunt by what happened. That was smart if you ask me, as it will keep him out for awhile, make for a strong return whenever that happens (seeking revenge on Raven and potentially has unfinished business with Jarrett) and in feuding with those two stong, will build him up slow and hopefully right. Truth is still a contender based on the raw potential they keep harboring on, and I'm sure they are not going to let this rest. Abyss seems to be the only one that I've seen take a small step back in the booking, but will be around as needed in a return to a Styles feud (which he would put him over strong I would assume). Raven continuously will be in the hunt and now this is the perfect setup to Styles-Raven in a potentially big title match next month or maybe in June. My feelings is this is THE feud to focus on for the time being, as these are the two best talents that people will likely take note of if/when a TV deal comes into the fold. Raven/Jarrett right now would be off since both are legit heels...give that time and I'm sure they will return to it sooner or later when Raven does another face turn. The Styles thing.......throughout this contenders deal leading to the cage and even before, he's consistently been screwed over for shots and opportunities (much like Raven was which lead to a heel turn in frustration) left and right. Last one was in the 4 way for the match against Harris. Before that was the stuff with Abyss. The idea here was that realistically, he was the one who truly deserved this the most if you look at the past 6 months, as he was screwed out of the title in the first place. Full circle. 3) The actual swerve on Wednesday was served to pull an unpredictabily factor into the show, something that has been missing for awhile. They knew ahead of time what they were doing, and it probably didnt hurt that Harris getting the title shot initially didnt wow most of anyone. I think a title shot for Harris in 3 or 4 months might though. So they might have lost a few viewers last week who didnt bother getting it not knowing it was going to be Styles-JJ, but when they pull a swerve like that, the idea in theory is the typical "don't miss any certain week because you never know what could happen." With that said I think they turned a potentially damaging move in giving the title to Harris OR having Jarrett keep the belt after all this buildup into something good in putting a complete surprise and having Styles regain the title - something I thought a lot of you here wanted to see in the first place, but now that it's happened just want to bitch about the logistics of it. Styles and Jarrett have already have more than a few singles matches that were hyped up weeks in advance, does it have to happen again.....what's so wrong with pulling a surprise once in awhile? If anyone is pissed that they missed it or something, just get the freaking replay before next week's show. Jeez As for the the show itself, the thing with the tag belts is lame. Between all the stripping of those titles that they do and stupid booking like this, they really seem to devalue those belts alot. I'm not sure what the answer is other than probably having a really solid team hold them. The tag scene itself is a big issue here, as there isnt any good teams, just singles guys they are pairing up. Desire returned, which should put some purpose of keeping Trinity around finally. Shane and Daniels had a surprisingly good match. Daniels on the Team NWA is fine by me. Interesting booking in that Shane Douglas looks to be tried as a face now. Opening deal was pretty good, as was the angle afterwards. Sabu and Raven will likely feud when the time is right......the fact that they are building that up longterm here will hopefully make the payoff decent enough. Main event itself was about a *** match, but I dont get where people are saying that was a nondesicive finish or not clean? Very interested to see what the weeks hold here going into May and June. If they can keep up the momentum on things and if this World X Cup works, we might see a clear shift in card quality down the road. I dont know whats being done differently other than maybe Russo being allowed to work more in writing, but still being controlled enough in that things still make sense and his ideas are implimented correctly.

Wow, heres a thought.....maybe they did the Harris/Styles switch to give the show a case of unpredictabilty IE people now looking back might think, "Hey I didnt expect that, I should have ordered after all" Etc etc What a radical concept......some people here just can't grasp that, instead it's that it's an illegal thing to do now in wrestling? WTF?!!

I dont know what this company is doing once again. Seemed like they were building a nice direction with the cage match thing next week (I was actually assuming they would have a 6 way match in the cage), and now its going to end up being a f'n rematch with Harris v. Jarrett? Although I admit Harris and Jarrett clicked in their title match weeks ago, since then Harris hasnt continued that momentum for one reason or another. They should have left that title match loss at that, and then just built him up much more into a feud with someone, and then maybe 6 plus months later come back to another rematch with whoever is champ. I really thought Jarrett should have costed Harris the match somewhat, set up Raven-Jarrett 2 next week, Raven wins the belt. Then you offload Harris-Jarrett as a feud (which Jarrett would help Harris get over more) and have Styles-Raven as a feud for the title. I'm fearing Harris wins next week, and thats really counterproductive since guys like Raven deserve to have a title run well before an unestablished guy like Harris at this point. The Raven-Harris match itself, well for 20 minutes it sure didnt click with me as it should have. It was alright but I actually thought the first two matches of the night were much better. Storm-Jarrett was surprisingly well done, and Kazarian-Dutt was good but lacked alot of crowd involvement. Kazarian is such a vanilla heel.....how lame was that promo he did after the match? The rest of the show was alright but lacked a punch at all. The Sabu-Brown match was ok. Diamond-Swinger, for the buildup it was dissapointing but I dont think that is nobody's fault but the bookers, as they both worked hard. They havent established any seperate interesting persona for either of these guys at all. The tag title match was a mess, Brown and Apolo as champs doesnt exactly interest me too much either. One more thing, can they just move on from this Douglas-Shane crap, nobody cares. Especially sad that apparently Shane is now a part of the Team NWA for the next X Cup, ugh. Basically alot of solid workrate, but bad decisions made tonight by the end of the show leading into the next. Harris clearly isnt ready for a rematch yet.

Basically reinterating my points from the other thread about this.... Arg, no Styles v. Lynn in St Paul, a show I was going to go to. Strongly considering not too now, there's a WWE show in St Paul the same night (coincidence?) that I might just go to instead. Before I get flamed for not supporting ROH just because of this, read below. I havent said shit about the Feinstein stuff until there seems to be some conclusive evidence one way or another. Now with that said....to me this says to a degree that someone in the ROH heiarchy (this co-owner guy who we hardly ever hear of)either expects RF to return at some point, or else would like him to, or else he still IS making money off of ROH and maybe this co-owner (and his lawyer) is playing the boys, even Gabe and Doug? Fucked up indeed. At this point I refuse to support ROH if this kind of shit is happening. Joe v. Homicide will still be a fine ROH main event for St Paul I'm sure, and I'm sure the rest of the roster will bust ass, but I just have too many questions on whats going on here to buy a ticket. As far as TNA goes, I dont see the problem other than it affects some of their roster with an extra payday various times during a month (doesnt ROH only have about 3 shows at most per month?). Chances are they will be able to find other bookings in replacement though. And as stated by someone else, IF they get the Fox deal, they will probably go ahead and need a full time contracted roster anyway, assuming they start doing house shows on top of the TV tapings, etc. I just dont see how TNA are any different than Bobby Heenan, Cornette, or others that have pulled out from anything to do with ROH.....it's as simple as having anything to do with the company is pretty dangerous when ROH can't even prove conclusively that RF is completely gone and will continue to be.

I agree to a degree but my feeling is that if it comes to it, they likely will be able to find work elsewhere in place of ROH dates, well hopefully at least. I dont see why TNA should get heat for this though, if I was AJ and Raven I would be angry at ROH ownership for not agreeing to sign a clause that said simply that RF isnt a part of the company or (I would assume is also part of the clause) wont be in the near future. It shouldnt be hard and would allow everything to be smooth, including their own companies morale!

Arg, no Styles v. Lynn in St Paul, a show I was going to go to. Strongly considering not too now, there's a WWE show in St Paul the same night (coincidence?) that I might just go to instead. Before I get flamed for not supporting ROH just because of this, read below. I havent said shit about the Feinstein stuff until there seems to be some conclusive evidence one way or another. Now with that said....to me this says to a degree that someone in the ROH heiarchy either expects RF to return at some point, or else would like them to, or else he still IS making money off of ROH and maybe this co-owner (and his lawyer) is playing the boys, even Gabe and Doug? Fucked up indeed. At this point I refuse to support ROH if this kind of shit is happening. Jow v. Homicide will still be a fine ROH main event for St Paul I'm sure, and I'm sure the rest of the roster will bust ass, but I just have too many questions on whats going on here to buy a ticket.

I felt that he didnt really care being out there last night during that interview. Seemed very lame in that he just wanted to kiss ass on this (and by that, I mean he didnt mean what he said), that and another thing. Certainly a pointless segment by ppv standards for sure. A friend of mine watching last night brought up the argument that at least Sting never went to WWE, and isnt just a WWE reject, etc. While that may be true, its clear that Sting doesnt think of TNA as a legitimate company by the way he pops in and out, tries to get Luger a job there, and generally doesnt take his appearances seriously. Sad that it seems that the only reason he's around lately is because of this movie thing too. If I was TNA I would honestly somewhat second guess their role with Sting in the future. He's only been in for matches against Jarrett in some capacity one way or another, which serves no purpose to me. If he was to put some of the talent over, I might be more for him even stopping in on occasion, but it just seems like a waste of $$$$ to have him in on HIS terms. Yes, he's a big name and yes, if he was in the company every week, I think he could be a strong influence on an upswing in public perception of TNA, not to mention interest. But these appearances here and there offer nothing long term. All he is going to be is a ref next week, unless they maybe add a Sting v. Jarrett match to the X Cup ppv. Nothing significant. I would love to see him in full time for sure though.