Fro

They switched them because it lined up a lot more potential feuds. There was nobody left for Batista to feud with on Raw and Cena had destroyed everyone on Smackdown. The big problem is they haven't booked a great feud for either guy yet. I think someone's trying to bury Cena for sure by making him wrestle so much instead of talking.

It's sad because the Tolands are a pretty good team (despite being WAY too short for WWE's tastes). And I don't know why they're basically reusing the Heart Throbs' male stripper gimmick for them. The Kennedy promo explaining the name change talked about how he met Vince McMahon and how Vince was his biggest fan, but he said that Ken needed a better name. So he took Vince's middle name in his honor, blah blah blah.

I think TNA did a poor job of hyping it on the previous week's Impact, of course they only had half of one show to do that with how it was booked. It's really far from "OMG, TNA is DOOMED" though. Just shows that there's a limited audience of people with Nielsen boxes that show up for pure wrestling (there certainly were a TON more people online watching it) when they don't know the characters. It was too much to expect for TNA to come on Spike for four weeks, get a Primetime Special, pop a huge rating and go all the way to a weekly primetime show. Blaming superfical crap like the ring, the size of the wrestlers, and the name of the promotion is just ignorance.

The whole TNA/Japan thing would be perfect for Benoit... Orlando is a very short plane ride away from Atlanta. Plus he could work less dates and be with his kids. People who think TNA can't pay him are forgetting TNA had enough money to sign Nash, Savage, and other expensive folks to deals (and have gotten far with Foley and Hogan).

They just showed a drop-in of Rhino cutting a promo backstage and Jarrett and he yelling at each other. By the way, once again we're doing a live chat during the show on EFNet #tna, or you can click the link below... http://webchat.xs4all.nl/cgi-bin/efnet/irc...v=1&chan=%23tna

They really need more time for angle development and building characters. They don't have time right now to flesh out the storylines even beyond the top couple feuds. I really the extra hour would give them room to breathe, even if it would create a more WWE-style paced show. Not to mention it'd allow for some longer matches. They at least need 30 more minutes.

WWE is doomed for a decline due to Vince slacking off due to no competition, and the lack of an alternative for upper card talent to go to. In other words, there's a whole ton of politics with HHH (well, he's a lock in the main event), Michaels, Angle, Taker, Big Show, Taker etc. trying to keep their spots, and thusly WWE has been very ineffective with Cena and Batista due to them getting sabotaged and looking like 2nd tier stars on the shows. You add guys like Foley coming back, people like Hogan, Piper, and Austin showing up and beating up guys and not returning jobs and you have a big problem. There's only so long of a shelf life for guys in the same company. Things won't get any better until guys retire for good en masse (which could be years), or TNA becomes big enough competition to pay some of the main event guys what they think they're worth. If WWE was smart, they'd be praying for TNA or another promotion to become mildly successful. Vince just sees it at competition that'll drive up the prices of his talent though instead of taking the long-term picture.

This weeks wrestlecrap has it as one of the inductions. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The worst thing is they 1) Built it up for weeks with "mysterious laughing" coming over the PA, and 2) The Nitro announcers ACTED LIKE CHUCKY WAS REAL!

Thumbs up because of the last two matches... Flair/HHH was literally Flair's best match in ten years... I thought it was ****+. They didn't do a lot that was expectional but it was absolutely perfectly worked. Not slow, not boring, exciting, and Flair looked young. It wouldn't have been out of place on the Flair DVD set. Angle/Cena/Michaels was chugging along like a MOTYC before the very abrupt ending. Still a good main event even if it didn't get to great because of the time. Styles was great after a somewhat akward first few minutes. He and Lawler worked great together and were very funny.

It'll do at least around what the replay + regular airing do. Late nights on Saturday isn't a good timeslot (you *do* know a lot of people do stuff on Saturday nights?)

No huge loss... although it's odd they'd pick this time to get rid of her. Torrie isn't ridiclously hot anymore like she was in WCW

RE: you still being able to vote for Christian on WWE.com

PWInsider adds... Dustin Rhodes will return tonight Christian has agreed work Raw tonight and the PPV (if he is voted in)... he's gone after tommorrow though.

I expect Vader will job to Conway. This was Meltzer's earlier, very cryptic update.

More detailed spoilers, ripped from Wrestling Observer:

Dutt has been really good lately so I can understand why he's getting a push. Plus he's done with college I believe so he can focus full-time on wrestling. That's been the big thing holding him back. He was incredible in that four-way in the "free" portion of Bound for Glory. Not to mention he's a key guy in TNA's international strategy.

Man... it's been like this since Heyman took over in July... not always great wrestling like tonight but great angles and a fun show every week. And now he's got some horses to build around in Jeter, Albright, and Punk who can go.

10.29.05 Straight to action this week I believe. Elijah Burke v.s. "Superstar of Superstars" Doug Basham (w/ Miles Greene aka Mo Greene aka Maurice aka Morris aka Lamont) Doug's new gimmick is starting to rule. Miles has a Walk of Fame star with Doug's name on it he puts on the floor for Doug's entrance. Doug signs polaroids for the crowd. This was a good, Velocity-style opener. OVW Doug Basham rules so much. I think this gimmick has potential of making it with a little more tweaking. Anyway, Burke wins with a facebuster off the 2nd rope! Can't remember Backstage, Maria and Sosay are dressed nearly alike, leading to a CATFIGHT, CATFIGHT in the ring. Man, this was just punching and rolling around, but Maria has potential and punches real well. Maria is about to win when Ken Doane runs out to save his valet. Bobby Lasheley runs out and spears Doane. Next week.. the showdown between these two men. CM Punk v.s. Brent Albright *Jizzes*. Man, for a 30 minute match between these guys. Albright is basically a poor man's Benoit as I've mentioned so imagine Benoit v.s. Punk and that's this match, pretty much. This had the psychology of a 30 minute match in 12 minutes or whatever they had. Punk's angle is he hasn't shaken anyone's hand since arriving in OVW since he doesn't respect anyone. Anyway, Albright offers him a handshake and Punk refuses. They do about 4-5 extended wrestling sequences here and Albright ends up getting the better of the mat wrestling and offers Punk a handshake each time. Anyway, the final time Punk slaps the shit out of Albright when Albright goes for the handshake and starts striking him to death in a super dickish fashion. Albright comes back with his standard offense, working on the arm, belly to belly suplex, armbreaker, and goes for the crowbar but Punk reverses it in a crowbar of his own! Albright finally makes it to the ropes after nearly tapping and not being able to roll out of his. After a bit more back and forth, Punk goes to finish off Albright and after the crowd chants it, teases the Pepsi Plunge. Albright throws him off and misses a diving headbutt. Albright finally comes back with rolling germans and then hits a half-nelson suplex and HEADDROPS punk for the 1-2-3! I'd give this about *** 1/2. These guys better get their 20-30 minute match in OVW! Swank promo for Jeter/Cappotelli OVW Heavyweight Champion Johnny Jeter v.s. Matt Cappotelli Dean Hill tells us they've already taken all their commerical breaks so this match will be commerical free (it's 32 after the hour!). There's "security" forming a wall in the middle of the ring to seperate these two. Crowd is jacked, definitely has a big-match feel. These two just brawl to start out and anytime Matt gets the edge, Jeter goes after the Cappotelli's injured leg. Punching wasn't particularly good or anything but it was intense still. Offense on the leg with Jeter busting out some swank submissions, leg to the ringpost. Matt comes back for a bit and then Jeter takes over on the leg again. Neat spot where Jeter has a boston crab on Matt cappotelli on the 2nd rope (after Cappotelli hit his shoulder into the ringpost). Jeter ends up begging off and Cappotelli teases like he'll forgive Jeter, then lariats him! Cappotelli ends up going nuts on Cappotelli. Jeter hits a superkick, Cappotelli kicks out. Jeter gets a whisper in the wind on Cappotelli which Cappotelli reverses into a pin, a decent amount of near falls. Matt hits a big plancha on Jeter after about 20 minutes getting a big OVW chant. Neat sequence where Jeter goes for a powerbomb, Matt reverses and goes for a rana, Jeter blocks it and has Matt in a Styles Clash position and turns it into a Texas Cloverleaf. Matt finally pulls himself to the ropes. Some of this is out of order since it was sort of there, but the overarching hatred and Matt selling the knee held up. Anyway, there's another double ko and Jeter nips up... then Matt nips up on the bad leg, hits a jumping spin kick and then superkicks jeter. Ken Kennedy runs down and pulls the ref out of the ring! Matt planchas on Kennedy and the ref who's trying to get him out of there! Kennedy throws the OVW title to Jeter. Jumping superkick to Kennedy. Back in the ring, Jeter tries to hit Matt with the title, Matt ducks, goes for a superkick on Jeter which is blocked, low blow, belt shot to Matt, 1-2-3! Winner: Jeter in about 28 minutes Man, I'm really mixed on how to rate this... techinically it was only about a *** 1/4 or so match, not a lot of innovative spots, never got into a great flow with a bunch of nearfalls or false finishes in a row (although there were some really good ones), storywise it was *really* good and hate-filled. I'll say it's ****, judging for OVW bias.

1) Ken Doane 2) Ken Kennedy (not a stretch since he's almost there and it is Smackdown) 3) Harry Smith Lasheley isn't going to make it because 1) He's African American and 2) He can't talk worth a lick. I'm not very high on their being guys in OVW right now that WWE will push to main event level for various reasons. There are guys that project out to future main eventers skillwise but they're not big enough for WWE to push. Guys like Punk, Albright, and Jeter could have a great feud over the IC/US belt and move up to main event level eventually but there's no roster space. There's also a glut of guys at the top who aren't going anywhere.

This really depends on who's developing the game. Midway is capable of putting out a very good game or one that is complete garbage. Will they license out an engine from a Japanese wrestling game? Will it be an internal Midway team or a development house?

You won't even notice it... they didn't want to put up and tear down the Ultimate X structure and kill momentum in the tapings. WWE splices in stuff all the time. There's no way you'll be able to tell when in the night it was taped.

Honestly, this was the right move to do. Puts us back on track for Jarrett/Brown probably at the next PPV after Genesis, where Jarrett gets destroyed once and for all.

The big quandry with the belt on Rhino is the biggest matches TNA can do right now all involve Jarrett as heel champ defending against Raven, Brown, or Samoa Joe. What can you do with Rhino? Raven/Rhino? I know some people won't like this, but Jarrett has to get the belt back ASAP. This would be one time I'd advocate doing a Dusty finish (i.e. Tito Oritz turns heel and says Jarrett should have been DQed so he's reversing his decision, etc).

Well, the center of the storm has moved past Florida now. A guy I know in Orlando still has power and is talking to me online. Should be no problem with the Impact Tapings.

As screwed up as a couple things were... it builds perfectly to the primetime special. Ultimate X rematch... Jarrett/Rhino rematch. I'm interested to see where this goes and if they bounce the title back to Jarrett or not. The other big story is the crowd was dying for Samoa Joe to win the gauntlet and kick the crap out of Jarrett. If they build it up slowly enough the guy could be money. I was surprised at how well he stood up to Abyss and how he didn't look small. I was also surprised that everyone in the match took his offense fine except for Kip James who he obviously took it easy on.