The Ghost of bps21

They say new server in two weeks. I'm readying the fallout shelter.

Well...thank you. At least now they give me something to preview. Back in the day I'd sometimes be sitting there with...like...one match announced heading into the show. Those were some really hard previews to write. I'm working on a proper one for the Lockdown thread that'll go up after Impact, when there are no more spoilers to worry about. Back to the topic... Because they chose to focus so much more time to the lower feuds (and also the Lethal Lockdown) and the other matches (Angle/Joe, Kong/Kim/ODB, Booker/Roode) already have so much history... Lockdown has to have the most buildup from top to bottom of any show TNA has ever put on. There's a story to every match and in some cases (Rough Cut, the unique Joe/Angle build) some damned intriguing ones at that. They always work hard at the ppvs...and with some decent material to work with for a change...I think Lockdown is going to be something else...

Definitely watch the Umaga match. That match f'n rocked. Hard. I still haven't watched the Michaels/Cena match from RAW. It's on my HBK dvd...I just haven't fealt like sitting and watching an hour match recently.

I, personally, agree with you about Styles. From the start of TNA until they started adding in bigger name talent (like Christian and Sting) AJ was kind of THE guy. And that was based solely on his ring work. It was well deserved...but he HAD to add another dimension or he was just going to be outclassed by the rest of the guys. I think the early emergence of Joe is really what made that obvious. Joe had that something on top of his work that made him stand out...AJ didn't. He's played his bufoon role really really well...and now when he does move up to the next level again (obviously when his character matures to the point)...I think people will be more apt to buy into it. It looks like there going to do it with Angle...and that's really good because Angle's the guy at the top. To bring it back to Christian...before AJ joined with Christian I remember the two had a ppv match and I remember watching it and thinking...AJ doesn't LOOK like he's on that level. I'm glad they took steps to refresh him...cause the workrate is always there.

That rip off music is actually a rip off his wwe theme...that was from a band ripping of Evanescence. It's twice removed at this point...

It's that time. We'll move up the card a bit this week. Before Angle...before Sting...TNA made a different "major acquisition". Christian Cage Name: Christian Cage Height: 6'1'' Weight: 240 Age: 34 TNA Debut: November 13, 2005 Accomplishments: 2x NWA World Heavyweight Champion, 3x WWE IC Champion, 9X WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE European Champion, WWE Light Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion Background: Arguably the first person to choose to leave WWE and make TNA his home, Christian debuted as a face and unseated Jeff Jarrett for his first World title. Cage has said all along he made the decision to come to TNA because he fealt he was never going to get the chance to be at the top of the card in WWE. He would eventually turn heel (where he's more natural) and capture a second NWA title. He's back to the face side now after memorable feuds with Rhino, Joe and Angle. Points for Discussion: Well...he wanted to be a top guy and he has been for 2 and a half years now...what are your thoughts on his TNA tenure thus far? Thoughts on the Christian Coalition that saw the debut of Tomko and the new character start for AJ Styles? Best matches (regardless of what Truthiness will no doubt be telling us in this thead)? His near 2 year streak of being unpinned and unsubmitted? How would you compare his ring work now from before he left WWE? His promos now that he is a focus of a company?

It really was a great match. I'll always remember that my only complaint about it was that Sabin pinned him out of nowhere. But...it was with his finisher and it was clean... How Fd up is it that it irked me that Sabin got a clean win with his finisher? They had just built and built and built and this fealt like one of those matches that needed the spots where they kick out of fhinishers. Add that last 2 minutes on and look out. ... Off topic...but that's exaclty what Sabin and Senshit did at BFG in 06...which is actually my favorite Sabin singles match.

I don't think you could have matched up 2 people that I could care less about in the company. I've been thinking about it and I really can't decide who to vote for. I don't think either one offers that much to be quite honest. Chavo always strikes me as the guy who's going to have decent matches with guys who have better matches with everyone else. He's bland. Kendrick would be great as a highflying tag guy...if that mattered at all to the company. I'm flipping a coin: It came up heads...but I forgot to asign heads to anything... I'll just vote for Kendrick because if I never saw another Chavo match...it wouldn't bother me in the least.

I watched Bound For Glory 07 on DVD last night and didn't have any problem with the commentary at all. I really don't think there's a single thing wrong with the way they call matches. They ruin other segments...but the matches I like. I like their enthusiasm. When Homicide hit his tope and banged on the announce table and high fived Don West? Yeah...I liked that too.

I agree. I've never seen a Cena match and thought "Well...that was terrible" even if it wasn't that good...it's at least entertaining.

I wanted to take the drive from Buffalo like I did when Bound For Glory was in Detroit...but it wasn't to be. They really need to get around here at some point. Buffalo was good for ECW and we still draw people to the ballpark brawl shows and that's indy guys with a few old timers and a random TNA guy thrown in. Damn them for not getting here yet.

Crowd couldn't care less about this match if they were getting paid to try and care less.

Where is Raw in 2 weeks?

I predict I will be fast forwarding the DVR

The NWA TNA Week 303 Preview This is the last Impact prior to their big Lockdown ppv. So far so good on the main event build...can they make it another week? Sting & Kevin Nash vs. Team 3D 3 weeks...3 Sting matches. Neat. The build for the Lethal Lockdown match continues here in a big way with the most decorated tag team of all time against a legend...and Kevin Nash. Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on Big Sexy...he hasn't been injured once since returning. Sting will have to do most of the work here...and that's a good thing. The Motor City Machineguns vs. Scott Steiner & Petey Williams I'm digging Steiner and Petey. The Guns are always good...but they never win. Are Steiner and Petey on the ppv? I don't think they are...which is strange considering Steiner will be main eventing next month...but whatever. Should be pretty decent. Consequences Creed vs. Jimmy Rave This is the final X division Xscape match qualifier for Lockdown...and Creed's return to the company after winning them over with his impromptu performace at Bound For Glory in October. I am all for guys that aren't WWE leftovers coming into TNA. We'll see how they use him and how he does. Rave is also in the match... Eric Young vs. Black Reign Whatever. I'm guessing it's a setup for a still unannounced tag match at Lockdown and nothing more. I get a kick out of Super Eric though. Roxxi vs. Angelina Love Velvet Sky is the hot one. Angelina Love is not Velvet Sky. Since the Queen of the Cage match was announced, it's good that they'll have a Knockouts match that doesn't feature the big 3... their matches sell themselves at this point. Other Stuff: Angle has demanded that Samoa Joe comes to the arena and signs a contract stating that he will retire if he doesn't win at Lockdown. I think that Jay Lethal is still dating So Cal Val and Sonjay is still doing run ins. Lethal is the definition of a fighting champion, folks. Side note...at this point he'll have been dating Val for like 5 weeks. He better be getting some. The final Rough Cut for Kip and BG should air as well. So good... soo much better than it should be... Plus they'll announce the last matches for the ppv... here's a hint... there are like 6 tag teams with nothing announced as of yet... This is the go home show so we'll probably see some backstage interviews with Booker, Roode, Kim and ODB to push their matches too. I might be alone in this...but I kind of like that they haven't been pushing those matches as hard as other stuff on TV (Young + Kaz vs. the monsters, the other knockouts, the XScape qualifiers) because those 2 feuds have been going for months and people are familiar with them. At some point you'll run out of things to do if you do it every week. Discuss...and such.

I was impressed with how much he brought to the table at BFG against Angle. He was busting ass in that match...and realistically all he has to do is hit his spots and work the crowd and they'll be happy. Angle always works hard (he's kindof a psycho) but Sting made that match keeping up step for step and having a different match than I expected. I'm a big Sting mark...

I don't think Sting ever wants to work the days he'd have to even with a limited WWE schedule. Hell...he cut down his already lesser TNA schedule this go around. But...yeah...I'd love to see that and him vs. Taker.

Just release it on him and deal with the lawsuits after I get my copy. ...and my Dr. Pepper

Sting has done 2 year long stints in TNA (not counting his token appearances in the early days) and they were both kind of similar in that he spent all of year 1 feuding with Jarrett...and most of year 2 feuding with Abyss. I've had my fill of Sting/Jarrett and Sting/Abyss...and I'm happy with what I got in the Sting/Angle match at BFG... What would be a good run for Sting this time? He's never really had a match with Christian that was worth anything...but their both faces now. You've got upper guys that he can have fresh stuff with like Styles, Rhino, Booker, Tomko...and of course Joe. I'd like to see them push a Sting/Styles match for a ppv while Styes is still heel. But really, I guess I don't care what they do with him month to month so much as I want to see him tap to Joe before he calls it a career. So...any thoughts on what direction they should take Sting in between now and...say...Bound For Glory in October? (In a perfect world I have joe win the title this weekend and hold it all the way through October and main event that show with Sting/Joe...with Sting tapping...but that's a lot to ask with 6 months to go)

I'll try some quick hitter things that I liked a lot from that era too: AMW vs. The New Church. I loved that feud. AMW had been portrayed as the clean cut undefeated tag team until The New Church (and Slash was AWEOME) came in and beat them. They had a nice brutal feud, and I look at it as the exact moment where AMW kind of became men and the big team that they were to be for the company. Amazing Red. Before he blew out his wheels...this kid was something else. His 2 matches with Styles were real good. XXX forms. Say what you want about S.E.X. (I kinda liked them) but it was really sweet to see Daniels, Skipper and LowKi return to the company. It worked so well because Daniels and Low Ki had different Japan commitments...but being in the 3 man group kept them in the mix whereas it was impossible before. Daniels would become a major player for TNA...and this is how he got his foot back in the door after not being booked for a long time. Also...they had tremendous stuff with AMW. Sting's first appearances. Now...none of the matches were that good...but I still remember thinking when he showed up for the 1 year anniversary how cool it was that Sting (who was way above everyone else on the roster at the time in name recognition) was wrestling on my TV again. Russo's exit. I may be the only person who ever liked this...but I REALLY liked it. Russo had been trying to destroy Jarrett for months...and Hogan was supposed to be coming in...so they needed to write Russo off of TV. Now...people (myself included) don't like that Russo's stuff doesn't make sense a lot of the time...but his exit from TV character made perfect sense. He finally just got fed up with it and tried to take JJ out himself with a chair. It ended with JJ beating the piss out of him...and I don't think he was ever put back on camera again IIRC. I loved it. Super X Cup. That show was the shit. Teddy Hart vs. Juvi, Sabin vs. Kaz, Sabin vs. Juvi. A really fun tournament that was their best show of that era...and it was a taped one... I'll add more later.

I could pretty much watch Sting wrestle any of the top guys in WWE. He's not great in the ring or anything...but he's got that "thing" that makes me like his matches. I don't know what that thing is...but I like watching him anyway...

They've managed to make me pull for Orton two ppvs in a row now Gotta love that main event scene

That was the fan text voting.

Well...then I'll take Use Your Illusion I...since the GNR is about to run out. I'm taking I over II because Coma is my favorite GNR song. Plus...I can listen to any of their albums straight through without skipping...so it really came down to just that one song difference for me. Plus...november rain is epic.

I thought about Styles...but he's so small. Whenever a WWE guy who isn't the biggest goes to TNA it's quite clear that WWE's guys are huge. Christian is taller than Joe for example. That being said...I think Styles and HBK could have a hell of a match if they let it be like HBK/Benjamin was, where they played up Styles outquicking Michaels and losing close.