The NWA TNA week 23 Preview

[Guest TSMAdmin]

Quite the week this week. Since no one will really care…feel free to skip down to the fist sign of bold text for the TNA preview.

 

Monday’s “dream match” between RVD and HBK was an official disaster. Ending saw HHH standing over both the champion and the #1 contender much to the delight of no one. Then the ratings came out and the match was the lowest rated segment of the show. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: maybe making the most popular wrestler on the show completely unbelievable as a challenger (what with his 0-6 record) wasn’t the best idea. How hard would it have been for the WWE to take RVD (since they have never had any intention of giving him a serious shot thus far) and giving him a slow push instead of constantly hotshotting him due to his popularity? Someone that popular getting a slow push that finally pays off at a big event is how you send fans home happy with the product and put some money in your pocket. Those two things seem to have nothing to do with the WWE’s motives.

 

Syxx-Pac quit TNA this week because he felt deceived by Vince Russo’s role with the company. I’ll miss Pac since he seemed very willing to work hard with the promotion. I certainly understand his position, and don’t think anyone has any ill will towards his decision. I do, however, feel a little odd having a member of the Kliq lecturing about “respecting the business”. This likely means that Hall won’t be back either, which is also a shame due to his popularity. On the plus side, we’ll never have to see Chyna show up.

 

The TNA show on Wednesday (week 22) had its ups and downs. A full review is available from Dames http://thesmartmarks.com/artman/publish/ar...e_523.shtml> right here.

 

My quick thoughts on the show:

 

Briscoe Bros. Vs. Divine Storm was a fun little match. I’d like to see the Briscoes become regulars in the TNA tag division, or even as singles in the X division.

 

AMW vs. the HotShots wasn’t bad. It was basically there to further the AMW vs. New Church angle, and it did so effectively.

 

Slash and Lee vs. Hennig and James was slow and boring. I don’t know whose fault that was as everybody worked hard. Hennig looked the best he has since he returned.

 

EZ Money squashed Alex Winters in a match I enjoyed. Winters has something. Decent look, good bumping, smooth transitions. You give this kid some good offensive moves and a slow slow push in the X division and fans WILL get behind him.

 

Sonny Siaki vs. Crimson Dragon was OK. Dragon has some great kicks going for him. Siaki is starting to irritate me. He just doesn’t seem to care in between moves. I’m willing to forgive that if it was all a subtle part of his “I want better competition” gimmick…but if he does it this week I’m going to lose all interest in him.

 

Styles vs. Lynn was more of a brawl than their other matches, so it was somehow still different than the many other matches they’ve had. Lynn kind of dominated though. Styles showed no ability to adapt to Lynn’s counters.

 

Truth vs. JJ was good once again. Unlike Styles, Truth did adapt his offense to Jarrett’s ability to counter all of his big moves. A very worthy sequel.

 

Vince Russo cut a promo, which I found effective but most people pissed over because it’s Vince Russo. I call this angle 2/2 so far.

 

 

Thursday was Thanksgiving, and I hope everyone had a happy one. Unless you’re in Canada, in which case it was just Thursday. Didn’t watch Smackdown this week. Forgot it was even on.

 

Friday I went up to Toronto for the Guns N’ Roses concert. The band can play. That’s all I ask. I stayed a block away from the Air Canada Center in the Fairmont Royal York. Apparently…while I was at the concert the fire alarm went off at the hotel and everyone had to be relocated. Well…by the time I got back from the show everything was back to normal and I didn’t know anything had even happened. The next morning there was a letter under my door explaining that the room for last night would be free due to the inconvenience. That was sweet.

 

Saturday I slept all day.

 

Sunday I watched the Bills smoke the Dolphins for the second time this year.

 

And that brings us to today. Tonight is guaranteed to be chock full of HHH on RAW. In fact he’ll be facing RVD in a #1 contenders match. RVD gets to prove once again that NO ACTIVE WRESTLER CAN DEFEAT HHH. So what better time for me to turn my attention to Wednesday night with the:

 

NWA TNA week 23 Preview

 

Vince Russo promises that there will be changes this week on TNA. Jeff Jarrett still has to give his answer to whether or not he will be on Russo’s side. It seems obvious that JJ is going to be against him…but Russo loves to swerve. What exactly Russo has planned…nobody knows.

 

SATs vs. Divine Storm

 

These guys have worked a lot of matches together. That alone should make this fun. This is one of those math-ups that could go a couple ways, but will ultimately mean nothing. With the SATs involved it could be real sloppy…but if they are on that night it could be a real fast paced exciting contest. I figure on the match getting around ten minutes for everyone to hit their “holy shit” spots and get the crowd pumped.

 

I would hope that this would be the opening match on the show, as it is tailor made for it. I don’t know which team they’ll put over (unlike last week’s Briscoes vs. Divine Storm match…all 4 of these guys have TNA contracts) but the match will be laid out evenly. The difference maker could be Divine Storm’s valet Trinity who is a little spot machine of her own. Should be a fun use of ten minutes.

 

 

James Storm vs. Slash

 

Chris Harris vs. Brian Lee

 

Two singles matches that will put a new spin on the AMW vs. New Church blood feud. As an added stipulation…the winners of both matches will have a match with Jim Mitchell (the manager of the New Church) in a three-way bullrope match. The story is that Mitchell is so confident that his disciples will win, that he figures he won’t really have to have that match.

 

This means that either one or both of America’s Most Wanted is winning. If both win we’ll see them finally get to destroy Mitchell. I think that only one guy will win, leading to an interesting little match where the disciple tries to stop either Harris or Storm from beating on Mitchell. Either way the Mitchell match is just filler.

 

As for the actual matches…well they could be pretty good on their own. Storm vs. Slash has a chance to be a pretty good singles match. If those two bring the intensity of the rest of the feud to the ring it should be interesting. Harris vs. Lee will have a harder chance because Lee is the weak link of the four. Both matches should get some time and it could all be fun to watch. I’ll predict that the disciple will win the first match that comes on…and an AMW will win the second match. I don’t know the order they’ll air…so that’s the most detail I can give.

 

 

X Title match

Jerry Lynn vs. Sonny Siaki

 

They had two pretty good matches a few weeks back, so this shouldn’t be a bad one either. I did some digging (OK…actually I only thought about it for a few seconds) and came to the discovery that this is Siaki’s first title shot of any kind in TNA. I know what you’re thinking…The Elvises had a tag team title shot against Lynn and Styles way back. Well…they did, but Jimmy Yang and Jorge Estrada worked that match.

 

Siaki has been upset with his opponent quality as of late (last week he faced Crimson Dragon, the week before he teamed with EZ Money for no reason to beat Divine Storm, who were making their TNA ppv debut, and the week before that he beat a jobber) and demanded title shots and main events. This week he gets a shot at the X title.

 

He might win too. I’ve had a hard time predicting title changes lately (with the exception of JJ/Truth). Eventually I want Lynn to lose and move up to the heavyweight division. I don’t know that I want him to lose it to Sonny Siaki…but he’s been built up pretty good as a viable option to take it. I’ll say that Lynn retains this time…but drops it to the winner of the next match. Should get time, should be good.

 

 

Double elimination match for a shot at the X title

AJ Styles vs. Kid Kash vs. Red vs. EZ Money

 

They have fooled me before…but I am almost certain that this match will be played by the same rules as the infamous week 2 match that crowned AJ Styles the first ever X division champion.

 

I’ve been saying for a while now that Kash, Red and Money are the next tier of the X division…so I hope that one of them will win. In a perfect booking world, Red would beat Styles in the final fall (since Styles won the only other one of these matches and is the biggest name in this match, beating him in the final would mean a lot). As with many TNA matches, I wouldn’t be surprised to see any of these people win.

 

The rules are that two people start off, and when one of them loses someone replaces him immediately. If you lose two falls you are eliminated. Last man standing wins the match. The first match MADE the X division. This one could firmly establish Red, Kash or Money as a top player. Red is the most ready after two great matches for the X title under his belt.

 

The style of the match dictates that it will get some good time to work (the last one went damn near a half hour). I don’t think this one will go THAT long…and it will be quite difficult to top the last one…but this should be awesome. This is the match that the X division needs right now. People have to start thinking of Red, Money and Kash as top contenders. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that Styles winning would be a wrong decision of epic proportions.

 

This match should be booked more evenly than the first double elimination 4-way, which was basically a showcase match for Styles and Lynn. No need for that here. That’s something that this match could have over the first one.

 

 

 

People who are not on the card as of yet:

 

Most notably, NWA champion Jeff Jarrett. He’ll obviously be there to further the Russo angle. I don’t think he’ll be in a match as that’s something you advertise.

 

Ron Killings isn’t on the card either. I’d expect to see him either in some kind of a match he can win to put him back on track, or starting his next feud. He’s still got a big future in TNA as Russo really likes him, and Jerry Jarrett must too…since they put the strap on him.

 

B.G. James and Curt Hennig aren’t listed yet…but James is always around to do something. Hennig is around less often, but he pops up pretty often.

 

Brian Lawler “retired” last week…so he’ll either be on vacation or just doing promo/angle duty.

 

Alan Funk thankfully dropped the Bruce gimmick. Now I want to see him wrestle…but he’s not on the card. He probably will end up on it…or doing some kind of promo.

 

Malice wasn’t around last week, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him this week. I hope they don’t just put him in another jobber match. Have him beat James or at least someone like Jorge Estrada.

 

Alex Winters isn’t listed. I know the odds are that we won’t see him anymore…but I for one will be pushing for Alex Winters to become a full time part of TNA. So the Winters watch in this column begins this week.

 

 

More matches will find their way onto the card. I’d like to see Truth beat someone and start a feud of some kind (maybe Truth vs. Malice for the #1 contender could work). Alan Funk earns a place on my card now that he’s not Bruce anymore. Alan Funk vs. Alex Winters anyone??? Anyone?

 

 

Everything they have advertised thus far has my interest. Heavy emphasis on the X division and the AMW/New Church feud is a good thing. The intrigue of the Russo angle is just icing on the cake at this point. I for one am very curious to see where this angle goes.

 

Card is subject to change.

 

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