Magus

This I like, with a few exceptions. Lynn/Waltman needs to be another singles match, which can lead to a ladder match at BFG. I don't know if they're ready to pull the trigger on AMW/Naturals quite yet. I really like Kip/Team Canada vs. 3LK and Abyss/Brown vs. Hoyt/Sabu. I'd rather see AJ win a #1 Contendership in a four-way with Shelley, Aries, and maybe Sabin. But of course, that's just me. Raven needs to go over Rhino CLEAN (no Jarrett run-in) in a good brutal match. Jarrett can go over Hardy, and that'd set up Raven/Jarrett II where Raven can finally rid us of the poison at BFG.

That's a big NO to bringing in Sid. TNA has literally a dozen guys they could bring in to contribute, so why waste time with a washed up hoss who can't work and won't put anyone over? It's bad enough that TNA has to deal with the ego shit from JJ, so why get another name wrestler who's gonna give them the same problem? Fuck Sid. TNA should focus more on getting the Dudleyz, Kidman, Moore, Haas, Kanyon, and maybe one more run out of Terry Motherfucking Funk.

If that proposed "national company" the guy from NWA Ohio actually takes off, I could see JJ going there, though. But it's highly doubtful that company even will ever exist. There's always a pipe dream of a chance the Jarretts may still try to pull a power play and leave TNA and start their own organization (as was rumored to be suggested to some if it came down to the Jarretts getting completely out of power in TNA), but with the Spike deal now in tact, who knows. They probably now want to stay and are trying to make friends within the company again. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What he said. I think that Jeff and Jerry leaving is possible, whether they go to this supposed new Ohio fed, or just start up another of their own. The point here is, if they're going to go with a "loser leaves" angle, one of the two--Raven or Jarrett--is going to have to leave, even if its just for several months. Ideally, this is where TNA finally sheds the stigma of JJ, but even if he isn't jumping ship, maybe TNA can get him off TV for about six months or so.

Good to hear. I kinda figured that Waltman vs. Lynn would get some sort of backstage build-up, and what you described here sounds really good. But what I'm REALLY interested in now is Raven/JJ. I'm glad that Raven is making some sort of stand, as the taping spoilers didn't make him out to look very strong against Jarrett. Adding a "Loser Leaves TNA" stip to their fued would be a HUGE shot in the arm, and I'm fuckin' thrilled to see if/when Jarrett leaves. Also, someone mentioned having BG James as the ref to the next Kip/Brown vs. 3LK match, which I think is a good idea.

I have a few thoughts... -Nice to see that JJ is the dominant force in the ME again. Yes, that was sarcasm. I realize that Rhino needs to look strong, but for fuck's sake, do they have to get the drop on Raven at every turn????? He's the NWA CHAMP! He's RAVEN! He's not supposed to need Sabu to protect him from this kinda bullshit. Its just so obvious that JJ is getting the dominant role here while Raven is just coming out to the ring to get his ass kicked. -Nice to see Abyss lost in the shuffle once again. TNA has pretty much ruined Abyss, since they do this to him every time. Its directionless shit like this that killed WCW. -I agree that something must be done about Monty. I mean, he's spoiled goods as well (thank's, Jeff), but maybe if they start over from scratch again with another push, he could be something again. I'm just sick of potential stars for TNA being given bullshit to do because Jeffy or some other "known" star has to have the spotlight. -Its also a big mistake to not have two out of three titles not defended at the PPV. -Also, pull the fucking trigger on the NAO reunion. I for one am tired as fuck of all the waiting. I know that the longer its dragged out, the bigger the payoff is supposedly going to be, but this is ridiculous. Rant over, but needless to say, TNA is still in its same old rut.

I've learned from past experience to NEVER expect JJ to "do the right thing". Ideally, he would have a quick run in the ME where he puts over Raven, Rhino, and finally Monty Brown as legit guys before going to the midcard or leaving TV altogether. I guess I'm just far to skeptical to believe that right now. But since everyone's making predictions of what SHOULD happen, I'll say this (if I've got the order right on the PPVs): Sacrifice: Jarrett/Rhino vs. Raven/Brown, where Rhino gets the pin over Raven Next PPV: Rhino vs. Raven, Raven wins clean; Jarrett vs. Brown, Jarrett gets by when Rhino Gores Brown. Bound for Glory: Jarrett finally loses clean to Raven, Rhino loses to Brown Then move Jarrett outta the spotlight, and move toward Raven losing the title to Brown at Victory Road.

Just when we thought we were outta the woods. Having Rhino debut as Jarrett's crony was the first sign, but THIS? Jarrett doesn't just have no business in the ME, he has no business in TNA at all anymore. At this point, Jarrett would have to leave TNA for them to truly get anywhere. As long as he's around, he's dragging the company down out of deluded ego.

I like the idea for Lynn/Styles. As for Team Canada, yeah, they could get involved in Petey's match. That could make the title match more hard-fought, but I still see Daniels walking away the winner. Here's an idea for the AMW match. Maybe the Team Canada members are Young and Roode. They start to cheat, of course, which would lead Hoyt to come out and powerbomb Roode (or something, since he hates Roode) to help give AMW the win. After the match, Hoyt sticks around as Team Canada leave, thinking he's safe, but AMW get on the mic and yell at him that AMW doesn't need help getting a win. Hoyt gets beatdown and AMW leaves him lying. Attacking a beloved face like Hoyt is a good start at a heel turn, and could be a good fued for them.

Thoughts/Predictions: Raven vs. Abyss: This should be an excellent textbook brawl, better than any World Title match JJ could've pumped out. Raven wins, but only barely. Styles vs. Waltman: This should be interesting to see if Styles can carry Waltman again. Jerry Lynn's return is cool. I'd like to see him screw AJ out of the win, setting up a Lynn vs. Styles fued for old time's sake. Daniels vs. Petey: Solid X Division match, Daniels goes over clean. AMW vs. Shane/Shelley: Should be a good match, but I'm wondering how this will help turn AMW heel. Joe vs. Sabin: This will be better than Dutt/Joe. It'll probably be more evenly matched, but in the end Joe will come out on top. Perhaps a handshake afterwards. Naturals vs. Team Canada: Naturals retain, although I expect D'Amore to do his normal routine. Outlaw/Brown vs. Killings/Konnan: Well, this is the best opportunity to get-r-done. James come out, feigns helping 2LK, then KOs them to reunite with Outlaw. I see them fueding with Killings/Konnan for awhile, but where does Brown go from here? Skipper vs. Shark-Boy vs. Dutt vs. Batts: This should be a good opener. Good to see Batts is still working for TNA. Expect Skipper to get the win. I'd also like to see Jarrett come out to the ring at some point and start on another tirade about TNA being Planet Jarrett and how he needs the title back, only to have Rhino appear and GORE! him across the ring.

Rhino is indeed 100x better as a heel, but when he first gets in, you're not gonna be able to stop people from cheering him. At least, that's my prediction. I don't see JJ vs. Rhino happening, as I'm hearing that Matt Hardy is almost a lock to show up at the PPV. With JJ fighting the Hardy Boys, Rhino will probably come out and Gore the hell out of Monty Brown, leading to a fued where Monty can turn face while Rhino goes heel.

The board's been dead as hell lately, so with this peice of news, maybe some discussion could get started again: WWE.com has just announced that Spike Dudley and Kevin Fertig, formerly Mordechai have also been released. This makes eight stars that have been released today, as Mark Jindrak, Akio, Shannon Moore, Gangrel, Maven and Billy Kidman were released earlier tonight. Credit: WWE.com My thoughts: This is all assuming that these guys aren't too scared to sign with TNA and piss off Vince. I think Shannon Moore, Kidman, and Akio would be excellent additions to TNA, obviously in the X Division. Everything should be done on TNA's part to pick them up. I think Spike could be cool, assuming he's allowed to do crazy shit again. Maven is a possibility, as he's had hella exposure and he's good for what he is. Gangrel, Mordecai, and Jindrak all suck, so I could care less what happens to them.

I was just as amazed that the E couldn't use Rhyno to his fullest. But their loss is TNA's gain, as long as their alive enough to get him. As much as we talk about different guys that would be cool in TNA, Rhyno is one of the 3 or 4 who MUST be brought in now that they're free. This guy could be a fuckin' star for TNA, and personally, I'd kill to see Rhyno go at it with Raven.

I still hold that Jindrak, Gangrel, and Fertig should not be in TNA. Not sure I want to see Spike anymore, either, unless it was a one-time surprise where he got squashed. I'm not sure about Matt Morgan. Isn't he the guy who was on TE and was doing the stuttering gimmick? I also don't really care to see Janetty, either, but that's just my opinion. I never saw any of his work since his return. Here's my thoughts on the rest of the Mass Exodus.... Kidman: If, and only if, Kidman could get back to his WCW shape, he'd be recognizable name to put over X Division workers, much like Jerry Lynn used to be. If not that, maybe something in the midcard. I've just always liked Kidman. Shannon Moore: I like the idea of teaming him with Jeff Hardy, if Matt isn't signing with TNA, that is. Jeff needs to be in a team, and Moore fits the mold well. Jimmy Yang: Along with Moore, he'll probably work a lot of ROH, which is great since he can still work TNA. A top contender for the X Title in the future, and I'm hoping to see James Gibson in TNA soon as well. Maven: Has the potential to be a good midcard heel, I think. But he'll need more mat skills to fit in. Charlie Haas: Very good, from what I've seen of him. He could be awesome if allowed to go in TNA, but he might be more comfortable with a tag partner. Jackie could be his valet. Dawn Marie: Team her up with Simon and Tryton, nuff said. Dudleyz: I'd like to see them up against TNA's tag teams in a few one-time dream matches, but nothing permanent. I think that guy in Ohio is salivating to get Bubba and D-Von in his new promotion.

As over as 3LK has been in the past, BG James is going to defect so that he can reform an even MORE over team. Instead of dragging 3LK out, just end it gracefully and let Killings and Konnan do other things. Just about everyone seems to want Truth back in singles competition anyway. 3LK has held him back from fully doing that, so set the man free. There's lots of stuff for Konnan to do. Teaming with Garza wouldn't be bad. Besides what I said earlier about possibly teaming him up with Waltman or Shark-Boy, I think Konnan could form an entertaining trio with Sonny Siaki and Apolo. All three guys would benefit from that, I think.

Eh, I'm not too high on 3LK staying together much longer. After the NAO reform (which they MUST), I don't think its in Killings' best interest to stick with Konnan as a tag team. Truth needs to get back into singles wrestling, maybe even returning to the World Title picture. IMO he's best utilized there. Konnan could be better used in a team with Shark-Boy or Waltman. Konnan/Sharky could be an excellent comedy duo, while Konnan/Waltman would be a decent face team.

The Naturals, the New Age Outlaws, AMW, and Team Canada. To my mind, that looks like one face team, two heel teams, and one tweener team. That's only what TNA has going right now, but with the new bookers, I expect the tag situation to get stronger and stay that way. The problem they had before was hooking up teams and just throwing them away or not using them. I think it'll be a bit more stable now, and these four teams will be the centerpieces of the division. There's a few other possible teams, of course, but I'd really like to see Collyer and Onyx brought back to compete. I've heard lots of good things about them.

This just in, bitches... The real reason JJ missed the main event... According to Various Sources (Figure Four Weekly and PWTorch Newsletters) the reason Jeff Jarrett pulled out of the Slammiversary main event is simple, he wasn’t booked to win. Jarrett was upset that he wasn't being booked by the new writing committee in TNA to win back the NWA World Title on Sunday and thought it would be “damaging to his character to not win the match after putting himself over as the "King of the Mountain" all year.” Dixie Carter apparently refused to let Jarrett get his way, so Jarrett was removed from the match and Raven was inserted into the main event. Raven was informed a few hours before the show, and apparently was very emotional, to the point that he broke down and cried. Raven realizes the history of the title and was honored to become champion. Credit: Figure Four Weekly and PWTorch Newsletters Well, I guess we can lay that arguement to rest. Fuck Jeff Jarrett and his colossal ego, but God bless Raven's twisted black heart for respecting the NWA title so much.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT. RAVEN IS NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION. MY LIFE IS NOW WORTH A DAMN AGAIN. I'm gonna go get drunk and celebrate.

I wouldn't expect a title switch. Dixie wants to really make AJ's reign a long and legitimate one. Not that that's bad. Hell, Raven finally getting honest main event treatment? Jarrett OUT of the picture (at least for now)? Seems like TNA is finally getting their shit together.

Oh yeah. I was thinking of it as an elimination match. My bad.

KOTM: AJ vs. Jarrett vs. Monty vs. Abyss vs. Waltman: It's obvious that AJ needs to retain here to start building a credible reign. I think this'll be great if they allow him to overcome the odds in strong fashion. Just for kicks, I'll call the order: Jarrett (by Abyss), Monty (by Waltman and AJ), Waltman (by Abyss, after Raven comes out and chairshots him), then AJ pins Abyss to retain. Daniels vs. Sabin vs. Shane: This is just going to rock. TNA should ride Daniels' reign the way ECW rode RVD's TV Title reign. He should retain here, just so we can continue to see his kick ass defenses. Naturals vs. Team Canada: Soon we're going to have AMW as heels, the NAO reforming, and the Hardyz invading. The tag straps will be floating between those guys soon, so why switch now? This will be a good tag match, as I like both teams. I'd like to see them prosper with the big changes coming to the tag division. AMW vs. 3LK: I agree that the trigger needs to be pulled now. This is probably the weakest match on the card, but it'll still be a decent punch/kick-fest. AMW could turn heel at the next PPV, and the NAO could reunite here. Maybe BG leaves the ring but AMW gives a beatdown to Konnan, leading to... Truth vs. Outlaw: BG comes out, turns on Truth, reunites Outlaws, boo yah. Okay, fan-booking aside, I think this would be decent, as Truth is fantastic, and Gunn isn't terrible if protected. The faster they pull the trigger on these angles, the better. Hoyt vs. Roode: Should be a good power match, as I think Roode is awesome, and I've heard good things about Hoyt (doesn't he do a moonsault?) If they keep it relatively short, it could rule. I'm not sure where they want to go with this angle-wise, but since Roode is D'Amore's guy, I'm sure he has a plan. SAMOA JOE vs. Sonjay: Joe in TNA. Wow. I think Sonjay will get in some decent offense, but Joe will beat the hell out of him and win. From here, I'd put Joe in a fued with Siaki (who is best as a heel). It would move Joe up the ladder over the next few months, as well as give TNA another good midcard act in Siaki. Shocker vs. Shelley: Great to see Shelley return, and even better to think that he won't be misused this time. This should be a good X match since Shocker is pure lucha, and Shelley is competent enough in the ring to keep up with him. Elix vs. Red vs. Delirious vs. Sharkboy vs. Gowen vs. Clark: Red will win this, and if he's returned to his former glory, maybe he can challenge Daniels at the next PPV. At the next PPV: AJ vs. Abyss, Raven vs. Waltman, AMW vs. Naturals (gimmick match, heel turn), NAO vs. Konnan/Truth, Samoa Joe vs. Apolo w/ Siaki, Daniels vs. Red, Jarrett/Monty vs. Hardy Boyz, and one or two good X Division bouts.

And the good news just keeps rolling in. Seriously, the "Authority Figure" gimmick has been done to death, and if TNA truly wants to be different, they won't bother with it after this. I'm all for a Championship Committee, but I'm just so tired of having the DOA/GM/whatever coming out and getting involved all the time. That, and Dusty was a shitty booker.

Joe's going to be a main eventer in TNA? Doubtful. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Main eventing right off the bat? Hell no. But TNA is (can't believe I'm saying this) doing the right thing with Joe here. If they take their time and show him off to the crowd in good matches, he'll become a HUGE face. If they do this, the fans will be begging to see Joe challenge for the title in just a few short months.

Bringing D'Lo back would definitely be a good idea.

HELL YEAH for Samoa Joe in TNA. TNA gets a new rock-solid main eventer, and ROH doesn't lose their icon. Assuming TNA survives and keeps D'Amore with the book, Joe will be a HUGE shot in the arm. Less Jarrett, more Joe!