TNABaddboi

I have the Super X Cup downloaded as well (don't remember where I got it from though, but I'm buying the DVD because A) I want to support TNA B) Thus far, I think their DVDs have been extremely well produced and C) I haven't seen either Ultimate X match, and want to see what the hype is about, especially concerning the second one. I wish they would have picked a better bonus match to feature than Red's return though. I don't remember that match being all that spectular, but maybe I'm wrong. I haven't watched it since it originally aired.

That would be awesome, but most likely the challengers are going to be the NYC, just to feed to AMW to establish this reign. I'm sure Siaki and Kenney will get involved to allow them to further that feud, which has got to be headed for a blow off soon and Kash and Dallas will be around too, probably to set up a rematch either on the next PPV or Impact. I think if they had planned a rematch for this week, they would have announced already because IMO, AMW vs. Kash and Dallas is more marketable than AMW vs. NYC because we know it will be a good match after Friday's show. Besides, we all they aren't going to do AMW vs. XXX without hype. And you're right, the cage match was the last AMW/XXX match and it was Daniels and Skippper defending. I don't think Low-Ki was even there that night.

Looks like this a just a set up for a 3 Live Kru/Jarrett altercation while they save the match. I'm looking for Jarrett to have some back-up somewhere, though I don't know who yet (maybe Kash & Dallas?) and Gorgeous George to be involved somehow too. I'm not sure what's to happen here, but I'm sure it will be a fantastic match. I think they'll hold off on giving Styles the title to make the new fans want it more, so Kazarian will probably get a cheap win and then get to brag out how cool it is to have beaten the founder of the X Division. This win could legitimize his reign and as long as Styles is protected, they're could be money in a rematch. We all know this is gonna be a rematch, and I'm sure AMW will retain. I don't know how you protect Kash and Dallas though, who I think have some value as a team. Team Canada should go over here because I think they are in line for a push. Should be another fantastic match. Sabin should win here. Another good one. Dutt will most likely win here, although he shouldn't be in this match.

Awhile back, they had talked about doing Best ofs dedicated to AJ and AMW, with some behind the scenes stuff tossed in I believe, but I haven't heard anything else in a while. But I will definitely be purchasing this one. I brought the Best of Title Matches one and loved it, so they get the benefit of the doubt from me when it comes to DVDs. I wish they'd hurry up and find a way to get them into stores though. With the increased exposure of the show, now would be the perfect time. BTW...does anyone know when they are actually going to start shipping them, because I don't want to pay for it now if they are going to wait 4 weeks to ship them, because then it'll be 8 weeks before I get my DVD.

I think so. Originally, I was afraid only the X matches would good in it, but the tag match, and Abyss' match like you said, came off really well in it also.

The Naturals have been a Xplosion a few times in the last couple of weeks. I don't know if TNA has big plans for them right now, but they are still around.

This week would be as good a week as any to debut it with this X-heavy line-up. They could build it as the night the hexagon comes to PPV or something. I know they already have one in Nashville because the guys practiced in it before the show last week, so I think we'll eventually see it on PPV. I hope it's sooner rather than later though.

I was torn on this before, but after seeing Impact!, I think they should use the hexagon at the PPVs too. At this point, TNA needs anything to brand itself as different, and the ring definitely will help with that. They should make that the TNA ring so new fans don't feel like they are getting an "inferior" product when they buy a PPV.

Xplosion is an infomercial for the PPV and this was definitely not Xplosion. This is basically what Heat was originally supposed to be when it was first added in 98. Shorter mid-card (and in this case X-Division) matches and the appearance and angles by the main eventers to get you to want to watch the main show (RAW in 98, the TNA PPV in this case). It's the only way they can have a success doing both Impact! and the PPV every week and for one week at least, I think TNA passed with flying colors. I'm sure they will pop a decent buyrate from people who just discovered AJ Styles and want to see if he's going to win the belt. And even though I like the 3 Live Krew characters should have been established more to accomplish what they wanted to accomplish with that segment, people may tune in to see if they interrupt Jarrett's "coronation." They probably won't convert many casual viewers into weekly buyers, but they could conceivable convert non-buyers in casual buyers if they hook them with Impact!. The show has to feature enough action to be deemed an event in itself and not just an infomercial, but ultimately, it exists solely to make you want to order a Wednesday show. As I said, TNA towed that line perfectly today and they can continue to do it, they may have a shot.

According to PWInsider.com, the Baltimore/DC market will get Impact!, but at 4 am because Comcast there has already sold the 3 PM timeslot. PWI also says that the 4 am showing might get pre-empted alot by baseball replays, but at least it will be on.

It's different now because these potential new viewers won't have to spend $10 to sample an unfamilar product. Anyone would be more likely to try something that's free then something they have to pay for. So they can watch the FSN show and if they like it, can become PPV buyers. It's a world of difference.

The entire commentary at WM5 during Hogan/Savage, especially Ventura: And here comes the challenger....Chump Hogan Gorrilla: His name is Hulk. I always laughed at that. And more recently, at Summerslam 98, during the Rocky/HHH ladder match, as the crowd chanted "Rocky Sucks" Lawler: Tell these people that Rocky does not suck. JR: I'll get right on that.

In search for positives, I had this thought too. Just about the only way to make a positive of the horrible, horrible timeslot is to use the clearances they already have to run replays so that people who aren't home at 3 pm, which is almost everybody, can watch. Since they're paying for the slot, FOX isn't gonna care about ratings and I'm not sure TNA will either. I think at this point they're in it more for the exposure, so if they do it that way, people who want to see but don't get Xplosion can record it and people who get both can catch the replay at whatever time. But, I think they'd either have to change the name or stress that its new and improved, because Xplosion has pretty much been branded as a recap/jobber show. They'd have to make sure people watched both, so they'd have to run angles on the TV show and minimize the recaps, or else no one will buy the PPVs. I think the only way FSN will cancel them is content related, i.e if its not family-oriented, cuz since they're paying, they can really cancel them for ratings. If TNA can get any kind of decent rating in this horrible slot, they might be able to shop that to other stations in the hopes of getting picked-up. Kind of like saying, if we drew this # in the afternoon, imagine what we could do in a better slot on your network. I think it would have to be with another station though, because I doubt FSN will pick them up on a real deal because they'll want them to keep paying. But they if this is the best deal they can get, they almost have to take it, cuz they desperately need TV to survive. Sure it's a huge gamble, but the biggest success story in the business have been gamble. If the original Wrestlemania would have tanked, WWE probably wouldn't exist today and if WCW didn't take a risk and run against RAW, which everyone thought was crazy at the time, we wouldn't have had the Monday Night War.

While I know we keep hearing "rumored" timeslots and such, we should probably wait until we get an official word before we debate the pros and cons. Now with that said, I'm extremely glad that they aren't locked into the Friday afternoon slot yet as that would have been a killer. In fact, they should avoid Fridays like the plaque. Tuesday or Sunday would be best for them. And while I would prefer a Sunday night slot, I could deal with a 2 hour Sunday afternoon show. It's definitely an improvement over Friday afternoon...

While I think a No-DQ match would have lead to a better match, this makes just as much sense as that does because both the DQs were caused by someone using the stick.

This all goes back to the way Styles won the title in the first place. He never should have been booked as heel at that time. As TNA's biggest "homegrown" talent, his first time winning the gold should have been as a face. So his run was doomed from the start because the fans wanted to cheer him, so to try to stop that, they tried to stand Russo next to him at all times. He didn't really get any real heat as a heel until the end of the D'Lo feud, but that was more because D'Lo was over at the time too. Styles can work the heel style though, evidenced by the feud with Lynn and the first Jarrett match. I agree that this should main event the anniversary show and they should not meet in an one-on-one situations until then (maybe a tag encounter here and there to build anticipation, with Raven trying all kinds of despicable means to soften Styles up). They should announce it as the main at least a month out, like they did with Raven/Jarrett to give it an added sense of importance. BUT, I don't think Raven should win. I think Styles needs to hold the belt through the summer, so I'd have him go over here. Maybe Raven can win a rematch in say September, or if Abyss is ready, have him take the belt from Styles, but not in June.

I'm hoping those "special events" are the house shows. They should really consider running some of those ECW strongholds like Buffalo, which was always a hot crowd, the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, and Center Stage in Atlanta. I think they could draw well at places like that for starters.

I'm thinking they're going to use Raven/Styles as the top feud heading into the TV deal and blow that off around the anniversary show (which really needs a name to help it stand out as important, btw)....perhaps with Harris returning to cost Raven his title shot like Raven cost him his. And then from there, Raven and a partner feud with AMW and Styles goes over Jarrett again (to gain credibility in the new viewers eyes) and then finally Styles drops the belt to Abyss. After Abyss plows through everyone else, his run will probably be stopped by The Truth. At least that its vision for the rest of the year....

I see both sides of this debate, but while the X Title isn't restricted by weight, it is restricted by style. There are midcard guys who don't wrestle that style (i.e Sonny Siaki), who was crap as an X Champ, but probably would have gotten over as North American Champ. So eventually, I think they might need to add 1 more belt. I think 4 championships can co-exist in a promotion. Look at WWF in 1998. For a while, when D'Lo was champ, then even managed to make the European Title worth something. Just a though...

I haven't run across them anywhere. Anyone know who won the tag title finals and the X Cup matches?

Either one is definitely better than that dreadful Saturday Morning WGN slot they were talking about.

Anyone know what the purposed time slot is?

1) Add a mid-level title....I understand the logic behind limiting the number of titles, but I really think that a mid-level title would be great for guys who are quite ready to be main eventers yet, but don't work the X style (i.e Kid Kash, Sonny Siaki). I liked someone idea of bringing in the National Title. 2) Re-establish the X-Title and Division as something special, b/c that should definitely be something people identify with TNA. 3) Push the tag teams because right now, WWE doesn't seem to concerned with them. Make TNA the place to see high-level tag team titles. 4) Get Sting in full-time (I know, probably wishful thinking), or any other "name" person, give them a short run with the belt and then have them put over Styles huge at the first monthly PPV. 5) Bring back James Mitchell....he kept 3 guys over for a nice period of time based solely on his promo ability.

Obviously I don't normally post in this forum, but I definitely follow WWE too and of course, I'm in a Wrestlemania frame of mind. I have been download old school 'Mania matches (the first 1 I saw live was VI) and I'm looking for these matches in particular: Hogan/Savage from V, Savage/Warrior from VII, and Savage/Flair and Hart/Piper from VIII. Anybody got 'em? I can't find them anywhere on the net.

I just wanted to know if anyone had heard about TNA's plan for Xplosion once it starts on Sunshine Network. Will they continue to just do squash matches and recaps? I think they should try to have a least one "marquee" match to draw people to the show. Maybe a mid-card match or even a once-in-a-while X Division or Tag Title Match to main event the show. The rest could squashes, but I think they should use it to try to let people develop characters and shoot angles to build to the next PPV event. Then they could not have Jarrett talking for 30 mins to start every week. Just do a recap like "last week on Xplosion, Jarrett and Callis set up these matches." Might even make some regular PPV buyers check out Xplosion the next week.