TNA Against All Odds predictions

[Guest MikeSC]

You've got to admit that having Jarrett get around the "no guitar" stip (although I thought the use of a guitar was always a DQ if he was caught, anyway) by going for the cello was sheer brilliance.

I'm sorry, but "cute" finishes like that do nothing for me.

-=Mike

...Why TNA even has JJ use a guitar AT ALL is beyond me. The man hasn't had a reason to even carry a guitar in 5 years.

[evilhomer 0]

So what name will Billy Gunn use in TNA, will it be BG Ass or Montgunmery Stomp?

Judging by his shirt (NIN no introduction needed... you already know my name), they're going to go the route WCW went when Hall and Nash first entered. No name, you know who he is, then when they can't come up with anything, just use the real name. But seeing how bad Monty Sopp is, he'll probably be BG.

[Jericholic82 0]

How about calling him Billy G? wwf tried this in late 2000 for about 5 mintues, then realized that was too gay so they called him the one billy gunn

 

 

and what happened to scott hall did I miss something here?

 

 

as for hammonds big win: why do NASCAR announcers exist. to quote stephen randle at 411mania/wrestling

 

"Allegedly a "celebrity" match, though I've never heard of the guy. Apparently he's a NASCAR announcer. They need people to announce cars going left for three hours?"

 

 

cant wait for that syxxpac/nash-jarrett/james match itll be like 1995 revisted

[Precious Roy 0]

and what happened to scott hall did I miss something here?

 

There was an NWA Mid-Atlantic show in Seoul, Korea that Hall was supposed to work, but he showed up "in no condition to perform" so TNA took him off the PPV as punishment.

[Matt Young 0]

TNA has referred to Billy Gunn as "Kip Sopp" on their website, but I really hope they don't use that as his ring name.

 

Monty "Kip" Sopp... That guy has the worst name ever.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Wow, surprise surprise, alot of posters return to the TNA folder to bash on the show that they havent even seen - even though it admittedly wasnt nearly as good as the last two other ppvs they put on. It pisses me off though that you guys only comment when TNA does bad shit but when they put on good stuff, we hear a small amount of talk from both of you (ie stuff from the last ppv, etc). Whats up with that?

Since Impact is boring to a good chunk of us, we don't order the PPVs, especially when the most pushed matches involve pieces of shit like Nash and Jarrett. It also doesn't help that we know Dusty Rhodes has the book, since he's notorious for terrible shows that could have been so much better than they turned out to be.

I tend to agree with alot of stuff both of you are saying right now, but I just think its fucked up that you guys only post about TNA negatively all the time and when they do something good, you dont even really comment, or moreless its just that it just couldnt be true that *gasp* TNA did something right.

TNA does do a few things right. The 3 TNA DVDs I own (Best of Title matches, Best of X-Division, and Best of AJ Styles) are probably my 3 favorite wrestling DVDs I own, both because of their presentation and the usual match quality (when they say "best of," they mean it, as they skip the mounds of shit and go right to the gold). The overall presentation of Impact is more sports-like, seperating it drastically from WWE, which is good. The fact that most of TNA's talent is former indy darlings (Daniels, Styles) and workers that the WWF/WWE either didn't pick up from ECW's/WCW's demise or didn't use properly (Raven, Kid Kash, D'Lo Brown, Truth, Jerry Lynn, Elix Skipper) is what actually made me order the shows in the first place.

It's the exact same thing as these people you say that praise TNA all the time as far as the bias goes. You wont allow to even accept ANYTHING positive that the company did in the past, current does or the potential for some in the future.

If you didn't notice, I loved TNA for its entire first year. From December 2002 until around August 2003, there was no promotion that I had easy access to that could top TNA in terms of overall quality. WWE had some solid shows here and there, but each brand had its major faults (Raw being the HHH Show more so than it is now, and SmackDown having terrible angles galore despite the awesome wrestling). RoH required me to either go to live events in Massachusetts or buy their tapes, and it's a lot easier for me to spend $40 for 8 hours of professional wrestling a month than $40 for 2 tapes (if that).

 

Again, I blame Jeff Jarrett (remember my avatar?) and Dutch Mantel for ruining my enjoyment of TNA, as they took everything TNA had going for itself and shit on it entirely, changing the product from NONSTOP ACTION (pardon the pun) to CRAWLING PIGSHIT.

 

Right now, TNA needs to elevate a new main eventer, somebody that either hasn't been tested much or hasn't been given the ball for the right amount of time, and push them over Jarrett, Nash, Hall, and co. The Truth and Monte Brown are ideal candidates, as Brown is OVER AS FUCK with the TNA fanbase, and Truth can be one of the best all-around packages in the industry when he's motivated (I can't even think of a single match he's had in TNA where he didn't shine like a motherfucker for one reason or another).

[Guest MikeSC]

At this point, my capacity to give two shits what TNA does is pretty much dead. I view them in a similar light as I did the AWA.

 

Nothing will ever change.

 

Even a "great" show will lead to the same damned thing --- JJ as World Champ, AMW as tag champs.

 

Whoopee!

 

Besides, TNA fans have an ECW scale of grading matches --- namely, adding in at least 1 star more than any of the matches deserve.

-=Mike

[RedJed 0]

At this point, my capacity to give two shits what TNA does is pretty much dead. I view them in a similar light as I did the AWA.

 

Nothing will ever change.

 

Even a "great" show will lead to the same damned thing --- JJ as World Champ, AMW as tag champs.

 

Whoopee!

 

Besides, TNA fans have an ECW scale of grading matches --- namely, adding in at least 1 star more than any of the matches deserve.

      -=Mike

Dude, get over it - TNA has some decent matches. While their booking may admittedly be piss poor at times, the workers actually, ya know, WORK in more cases than not possibly because of the lacking direction of the company, booking, etc.

 

Just because you hate how TNA is booked doesnt mean the in-ring always blows. You even said it in your post - even if a show is solid in the ring, there is still the fact of the same ole champs. Those are two completely different beasts at this point. Saying everyone who watches TNA rates the matches higher than they should be is ridiculous when everyone has a different way of rating matches. It's all just opinion and there is never a "standard" to these things. I swear sometimes you say ignorant statements like that just to get a rise out of people.

 

It's statements like that which make alot of what you say come off as biased bashing (ironically the same thing you whine about - that anyone who even remotely likes TNA is unbiasely rating everything better than it is) compared to how, for example, a guy like Corey actually uses alot of sense in explaining himself and why he isnt into TNA currently.

[Guest LooneyTune]

The star argument is... HOW THE HELL is Nash/Jarrett almost ***? Nash couldn't have that good of a match with Triple H (his good friend), Chris Jericho (who usually works around bigger sacks of shit), or anyone else he faced.

 

Jarrett, who I would rank as maybe lower than Orlando Jordan in terms of in ring talent, suddenly has a magic broomstick to carry Nash... in a match where BILLY GUNN, B.G. James, and Syxx-Pac all run in...

 

My computerized scoring of the match based on the wrestlers (shit), there most recent matches, the match type (regular), and the finish (too many fucking run ins) would make this around *-*1/2 tops.

[Guest MikeSC]

Dude, get over it - TNA has some decent matches. While their booking may admittedly be piss poor at times, the workers actually, ya know, WORK in more cases than not possibly because of the lacking direction of the company, booking, etc.

Much of the stuff does approximately squat for me. I've never once been entertained by an Ultimate X match. Not once. They ALL suck. And TNA marks go NUTS for those matches.

 

Yeah, they've had decent matches --- but when it NEVER means a thing, it's borderline useless.

Just because you hate how TNA is booked doesnt mean the in-ring always blows

Never said it always blows. It actually tends to be mediocre, most of the time.

You even said it in your post - even if a show is solid in the ring, there is still the fact of the same ole champs. Those are two completely different beasts at this point.

The matches, by and large, aren't that good. Spotfests devoid of any sense.

Saying everyone who watches TNA rates the matches higher than they should be is ridiculous when everyone has a different way of rating matches.

ECW marks said the exact same thing.

 

Do I even need to mention how many TNA marks referred to Harris v JJ last year as a MOTYC and an all-around great match? A match that one can GENEROUSLY describe as "meh".

It's all just opinion and there is never a "standard" to these things. I swear sometimes you say ignorant statements like that just to get a rise out of people.

No, I state it how I see it. If it pisses you off, so be it. You're looking for people to just blindly praise TNA.

 

Not going to happen.

It's statements like that which make alot of what you say come off as biased bashing (ironically the same thing you whine about - that anyone who even remotely likes TNA is unbiasely rating everything better than it is) compared to how, for example, a guy like Corey actually uses alot of sense in explaining himself and why he isnt into TNA currently.

I actually have MANY times in the past clearly expressed my problems.

 

The TNA marks simply bitched and whined that I'm "too negative".

 

So, please, tell me why the hell I should go into detail AGAIN when I've done so many, many times in the past?

-=Mike

[RedJed 0]

The fact that you think I just want people to "blindly praise TNA" doesnt even warrant me to continue to reply back and forth to you on this since you aren't getting what I'm saying at all. You completly missed the point - I'm not saying to completely praise TNA - lord knows I have given them a lot of shit in the past, present, and about the future. But the difference between me and you is I do give them credit when a decent match comes through the fences or I am just generally entertained by something. Now if you honestly dont ever see anything good thats your perogative but I'm just saying to rip of them for EVERY FUCKING THING is ridiculous and no matter how bad something is, there is 99 percent of time something decent to comment on. Again I go to the fact that when the last two ppvs have gotten high praise, you were nowhere to be found with your comments ironically enough.

 

I've seen some posts on yours that offer some validity but it always comes back to blinded statements such as the "everyone who follows TNA rates matches higher than they really are" like you are the benchmark for match quality. Its ridiculous and hurts your overall acceptance to alot of people to even follow what you are saying, much less see where you are coming from at all.

 

Harris v. Jarrett was described as a MOTYC contender? Huh? Thats the first I've heard of that nonsense and agree that it was nothing near such.

[Guest MikeSC]

The fact that you think I just want people to "blindly praise TNA" doesnt even warrant me to continue to reply back and forth to you on this since you aren't getting what I'm saying at all. You completly missed the point - I'm not saying to completely praise TNA at all, lord knows I have given them a lot of shit in the past, present, and about the future. I'm just saying to rip of them for EVERY FUCKING THING is ridiculous.

Who rips them all of the time? Hell, how often have I even BEEN here for the past few months?

I've seen some posts on yours that offer some validity but it always comes back to blinded statements such as the "everyone who follows TNA rates matches higher than they really are" like you are the benchmark for match quality.

When I see anybody refer to the finish of JJ v Nash as anything besides a cliched clusterfrick, then yes, they have a problem with overrating things.

Harris v. Jarrett was described as a MOTYC contender? Huh? Thats the first I've heard of that nonsense and agree that it was nothing near such.

Laz can back me up on that one. It was referred to as the second friggin' coming at the time.

-=Mike

[Guest WordLife]

I see this match happening. Whitch I have to say is a guilty dream match of mine...

 

Outsiders vs Outlaws

 

Or maybe they will do this.....

Outsiders vs Outlaws vs AMW-Tag Titles

 

Either way my guily dream match would happen. Oh and TNA should make this match.....

 

KING OF THE MOUNTAIN for NWA Championship

Jarrett vs Abyss vs Hardy vs Brown vs DDP vs Killings

And they can have Brown be the new King of the Mountain.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Red, you forget that Mike and I are the only TSM'ers that survived the old TotalNonStop board. So when Mike speaks of TNA marks that overrate EVERYTHING TNA does, he's most likely talking about TNS. Save for quite a few of you that overrated the fuck out of every Ultimate X match (besides the 2nd one, which I love because EVERYBODY busted ass in it, and the right man finally went over in a big X-Division match).

 

And yeah, Harris/JJ from last year was called a MOTYC by a good chunk of the people here. While I'll admit the match was laid out very good, with Harris actually looking as though he had a shot against AJ, and the build-up was pretty solid, the actual work in the match (psychology, selling, etc.) was mediocre, mostly because Harris is vanilla in the ring and hides it through an expansive moveset and a chiseled physique, and Jarrett...well...sucks. There's no other way I can explain it. He just plain ol' sucks.

 

And yes, much of the acclaimed matches over the past 6 months or so have been very bland. The X-Division has gone from being actually innovative, where no two matches were alike (mainly because while every wrestler in it had similar styles, no two wrestlers were alike, whereas the X-Division now is filled with wrestlers that have no discernable traits outside of their physical appearance), to being just a generic spotfest. Only the HUGE X-Division matches seem to incorporate any sense of psychology or pacing, which is outright wrong. I understand the need to make the upper-carders look better than the lower-carders, because it's the upper-carders and main eventers that sell the show to the fans, but at least put SOME effort into the undercard.

 

Here's what, I feel, TNA needs to do (and some of these are obvious to everybody):

• Get the title off of Jeff Jarrett, and get him out of the main event picture for a while. JJ no longer has any real power outside of who his friends are, so there's no reason to keep the belt on him.
• Push former World Heavyweight champions (AJ Styles, Ron "The Truth" Killings) and former contenders (D'Lo Brown {should he ever return}, Raven) back to the main event picture, adding depth to the situation.
• Take the leash off of the X-Division wrestlers, and let them do whatever they want to do in their allotted time for their matches.
• Redefine what exactly is "X-Division style." It was originally about innovative work, but since all they do is have a shitload of cruiserweights in it, call it the Junior Heavyweight/Cruiserweight division. Hell, make up new rules for the X-Division (like no DQ, falls only count in the ring, no count-out's, whatever) so that it truly DOES have the chance to be innovative again.
• Give me a reason to care for America's Most Wanted. I did during the feud with The New Church back in '02, and I did during the first feud with XXX in '03. I even did during the feud with The Hotshots in '02. Why should I care if they keep the belts or not during their defenses when I know that they'll get them back in a month or two, if that? If they dog it in the ring because they're booked to lose, dock their pay. If they whine about in the back, fine them. If they continue to do so, job them (preferably to tag teams whose members can legitimately beat the shit out of Harris and Storm, so as to prevent them from trying to shoot on them should they choose to do so). Continue? Fire them and/or sue them for breach of contract.
• Hire somebody that knows how to fucking WRITE to edit Dusty's stuff. That way, angles will make sense, main event finishes won't involve interference out the ass, and nonsensical pushes of his son will stop.
• STOP BRINGING IN FORMER WWE WORKERS THAT DIDN'T DO JACK SHIT THERE. Billy Gunn does NOT have a fucking fanbase. There is not ONE person that will buy a show to see Billy Gunn win a match.
• And finally, make your PPVs worth their price. Newcomers to TNA are not going to order the PPVs if they are not properly built up in the four hours of Impact leading up to them, and especially aren't due to the $30 price tag. If you're going to charge $30 to see it, make sure it's worth every penny, either with great matches or genius booking.

[Michrome 0]

For the most part, I really don't like TNA. Most of the pimped matches are little more than glorified spotfests, but I have to say, Styles vs. Daniels was easily the best match in company history. AJ had a slip-up early, but beyond that Daniels put on the performance of his career, and AJ kept up for the most part. It was really tight, they didn't blow through finishers, and they really put on a match better than anything on WWE PPV in a couple of years.

[Styles 0]

Finally saw the show, and I'm honored that I'm "called out" to defend TNA. You know what? I don't feel like it. You all can hate on TNA all you want, you're not going to buy the shows or support them, so why should I argue at a brick wall? The Torch and Observer both gave the show above average reviews. I think they're a better authority then you or I for any bystanders looking for an honest non-biased review.

 

In short, it wasn't as good as Turning Point or Final Resolution (which I'd give 8.0 and 9.0 respectively on the 10 point scale) but not as bad as Victory Road (which I probabl;y had as a 5.0). I'd rank it a solid 6.0 and YES it was still better then Armageddon or New Years Revolution and right around the same level as Royal Rumble. And it will be better then No Way Out. You can't have a homerun every month but this was still solid.

 

The main event was better then it had any right to be. I can not and will not defend putting Nash vs. Jarrett as the main event, it's asinine, BUT I will give credit where it's due and say Nash was working as hard as I've ever seen him work. The Cello spot was actually really clever (well, until the handle fell off) and Gunn and Waltman showing up give TNA back that "suprise edge" (Waltman got a BIG pop and he looked like he's ready to prove himself again). They even had several good false near falls at the finish. **1/2

 

Styles vs. Daniels was there expected **** match that built logically and kept interest for 30+ I shouldn't have to defend them since if you've worked for ROH before you get a pass on the criticism.

 

Abyss vs. Hardy was exactly what it should have been, a spot fest. The dive off the stage got a big pop and the end spot through the tables (but overshooting most of them) was a sick finish. I'd give it *** on the spotfest scale.

 

AMW had yet another solid tag team title defense, both Kash and even Hoyt were working hard with them for a solid *** match that might not have been as spectacular as the last 2, but you can't always be.

 

Otherwise, DDP and Brown got in their signature spots against a good bumping Team Canada and Skipper and Williams had a solid opener.

 

Raven/Dustin sucked and having Hammond pin Kazarian was a joke but otherwise nothing wasn't at least decent.

 

Hate TNA, I don't care. The majority of wrestling reviewers and journalists share my opinion that it wasn't another PPV of the year but it was still a good show with a suprisingly decent main event and 2 or 3 above average matches...

[Styles 0]

I can't fathom how you could give AMW/Kash & Hoyt ***. Is that below average or do you overrate everything?

Ratings are subjective, to each his own. To me DUD is worthless, * is below average, ** is average, *** is good, **** is great and ***** is perfect.

 

In my opinion it was a good match. Simple as that.

[Guest LooneyTune]

I can easily say the Rumble PPV was better (the first PPV I've been able to see since September thanks to a friend sending me a copy). The only match that wasn't good was the Casket Match, and that wasn't too bad either. Definitely one of the better WWE PPV's in a long time, and by comparing some of the ratings, the Rumble show was better.

 

I thought it was...

 

DUD - Crap/Worthless

* - Poor/Below average

** - Good

*** - Very Good

**** - Great

***** - Excellent

[Styles 0]

Ratings are a matter of opinion and therefore subjective, to each his own. To simplify matters I'll just say I thought the tag title match was good. For comparisons sake, the match against Team Canada at Final Resolution was great...

[Michrome 0]

And Styles/Daniels was not ****. I love both wrestlers but they just don't click. There was nothing wrong with the match I just don't think it was that great. Well I hated the finish but that's because it's so overdone. Tie score at the end of the clock and face wins it in overtime. *yawn* Saw it coming a mile away. They should have tried from something new but then again it's Dusty......

 

Not going to argue star ratings because everyone has different standards. However this match was easily better than anything else in TNA history. Both guys came in with the story of having something to prove, and Styles actually outwrestling Daniels early until the cheapshot was a good story. Daniels worked a better control segment than anyone in TNA history, it went nearly 11 minutes with only one substantial comeback. There are very few men in wrestling that can work an 11 minute heel heat segment, and do it this well. The finishing minutes were great too, as Daniels loses it because he got pinned after totally dominating. The finish to regulation keeps Daniels strong, and they built to a fever pitch without blowing through any finishers. The only flaw was that they should have paid off the BME in the overtime for a great nearfall.

 

Still, this was so much better than anything on the first 2 TNA PPVs. Instead of chanting "best match ever" DURING the match, or something equally stupid, the crowd actually cared about who won based on the character work and story. That's as big a compliment as any crowd can actually give 2 workers. Besides a couple stupid bits from AJ, Daniels really reigned him in and he didn't do anything too idiotic. This could be the feud that really draws people to TNA, Daniels is a great character and Styles is an awesome athelete. It's sure as hell better than highwire dances or steel cage spotfests.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

The Torch and Observer both gave the show above average reviews. I think they're a better authority then you or I for any bystanders looking for an honest non-biased review.

But the problem is that they're opinions don't count for shit when WE are the ones that TNA are attempting to get to buy the shows. It's a wrestling journalist's job to see as much pro wrestling as they can so that they can deliver varied news and varied reviews. I was going to buy a replay of the show this time, honestly, if it got good reviews here from people that I think of as "on-the-border" fans: the ones that don't HATE TNA, but don't LOVE it either. They all gave negative reviews and, to me? Those people are the easiest ways to get a good, unbiased review of a show.

Hate TNA, I don't care. The majority of wrestling reviewers and journalists share my opinion that it wasn't another PPV of the year but it was still a good show with a suprisingly decent main event and 2 or 3 above average matches...

And the majority of wrestling reviewers and critics don't share the hatred for Jeff Jarrett that nearly half of the fanbase does. The majority of the wrestling reviewers and journalists don't remember how great TNA was for the major part of 2003. The majority of the wrestling reviewers and journalistics tend to forget how terrible the product has been since JJ and Dutch took control in late '03, and how it's only gotten slightly better since.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

And Styles/Daniels was not ****. I love both wrestlers but they just don't click. There was nothing wrong with the match I just don't think it was that great. Well I hated the finish but that's because it's so overdone. Tie score at the end of the clock and face wins it in overtime. *yawn* Saw it coming a mile away. They should have tried from something new but then again it's Dusty......

IMO, AJ clicks best with opponents that can't work his exact style. His best matches, in my eyes anyway, have been with Jerry Lynn, LowKi, D'Lo Brown, and Abyss. Lynn is more of the old-school high flyer, with the majority of his "X-Division" offense being various high-impact grapples and a few lesser-used submissions. LowKi is just fucking sick, as when he and Styles get into kicking contests, I mark out (this is also, of course, because I mark for Ki). D'Lo and Styles have tremendous chemistry, and have since they first were in the same match together in '03 when they won the Tag belts off of XXX. And, of course, his feud with Abyss was marvelous for what it was (despite the terrible overbooking of each match), because Abyss played the monster heel superbly, and Styles timed his comebacks perfectly.

 

I've yet to see any Styles matches without one of those four that has truly amazed me. Those 4 would be the "top tier" of opponents for Styles. Second tier, IMO, is Amazing Red, Ron Killings, Sean Waltman, and Elix Skipper. Everybody else just produces average-to-pretty good matches with Styles, with his worst bouts being against Jeff Hardy (though that goes with just near everybody).

 

Something just irks me about Daniels in his TNA work, and I don't know what. His RoH body of work is fantastic, because he does just about every style he can do in each and every match, and sells like a mother, but in TNA...he seems to adopt KAS (Kurt Angle Syndrome).

[Styles 0]

Oh well, not every show is going to be a homerun. You took a risk going in ordering a card headlined by Kevin Nash vs. Jeff Jarrett (a match from the start I neither endorsed nor condoned).

 

We've established that they've put on 2 excellent PPVs and 2 average PPVs. That's not a bad ratio and sure better then WWE.

 

I mean, this is ridiculous, it's like saying "I ordered WWE Aramagddeon and it sucked, but then Royal Rumble got great reviews so I ordered No Way Out and that sucked! What gives? Im not ordering Wrestlemania!"

 

Check out the card for Destination X when it becomes more clear, if it seems worth your purchase, go for it, if it doesn't skip it. It's your own choice. Not every card is going to be PPV of the year.

 

It was impossible to live up to the standard the last 2 set. Judged on its own this was a good show with some suprisingly decent matches. I'm sorry your were dissapointed. If you want to give up on TNA because of it, fine that's your peragotive. Just don't bitch if the next one is good...

[Michrome 0]

IMO, AJ clicks best with opponents that can't work his exact style. His best matches, in my eyes anyway, have been with Jerry Lynn, LowKi, D'Lo Brown, and Abyss. Lynn is more of the old-school high flyer, with the majority of his "X-Division" offense being various high-impact grapples and a few lesser-used submissions. LowKi is just fucking sick, as when he and Styles get into kicking contests, I mark out (this is also, of course, because I mark for Ki). D'Lo and Styles have tremendous chemistry, and have since they first were in the same match together in '03 when they won the Tag belts off of XXX. And, of course, his feud with Abyss was marvelous for what it was (despite the terrible overbooking of each match), because Abyss played the monster heel superbly, and Styles timed his comebacks perfectly.

 

I've yet to see any Styles matches without one of those four that has truly amazed me. Those 4 would be the "top tier" of opponents for Styles. Second tier, IMO, is Amazing Red, Ron Killings, Sean Waltman, and Elix Skipper. Everybody else just produces average-to-pretty good matches with Styles, with his worst bouts being against Jeff Hardy (though that goes with just near everybody).

 

Something just irks me about Daniels in his TNA work, and I don't know what. His RoH body of work is fantastic, because he does just about every style he can do in each and every match, and sells like a mother, but in TNA...he seems to adopt KAS (Kurt Angle Syndrome).

 

Styles has had much better matches with the likes of Paul London and Bryan Danielson than with the guys you mentioned above. And the match with Daniels on this PPV was leagues better than any of the matches he has had with those guys. What you say about Daniels applies to Styles just as much, he can work a bunch of different kinds of matches too, and when he wants to bust ass on the indies he can be amazing.

 

The interesting thing about Daniels/Styles ironman is it's clearly unlike any major TNA match ever. Watching it, it felt like an ROH match taking place in Orlando, which may explain why the crowd wasn't as nuts for it as they've been for past things. Daniels was doing his thing, he was on fire, and he was trying his ASS off to get heel heat.

[Guest Frank_Nabbit]

Before last weeks Against All Odds PPV, Dusty Rhodes gathered all the staff, crew and wrestlers and basically told them that the office has it's stuff together, and now it's time to get things together in the ring. This is remarkable because the in ring work for TNA has been pretty good, and if there has been a major flaw, it has been the booking.

 

It was also reported that Dusty was unhappy about the botched finish with Prime Time and Petey Williams.

 

 

Credit: PW Torch Newsletter.

[RedJed 0]

lol GOD, what the fuck is Rhodes' problem? If anything the in ring from those previous two ppvs were kick ass - he should have been applauding the roster's efforts in busting their ass in the ring. Instead he demeans them? No wonder the workrate wasnt as top notch on this last show than the others - they now got the workers to not give a fuck less.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Rhodes is one of those people who ignores the positives and turns his focus on everything with the slightest negative.

 

"Oh the matches were good? OK"

"You botched the fucking finish! You fuckers are lucky to be fucking working here!"

[RedJed 0]

Wrestling Observer's review of the show - with some surprising thoughts on some of those matches and news from the backstage....thought it was worth posting.....

 

 

While TNA continues to produce well received PPV shows, and the

2/13 Against All Odds show made four in a row, the clock is clearly still

ticking.

 

Early estimates are this show did at least as well as the first three on

PPV, and perhaps even slightly better. When Dusty Rhodes booked this

show, the whole idea behind the Jeff Jarrett vs. Kevin Nash main event is

that was the biggest "star power" match the company could put on, and he

felt it was necessary, despite it on paper not being a good match, to

increase buys. It may have worked, or it may have been word of mouth of

the past two great shows. This show wasn't at the level of the previous

two, but still had one blow-away match and several other good ones.

However, live, a lot of the turnaway crowd of 775 at Universal Studios in

Orlando, left before the main event.

 

Rhodes is now a couple of months into his six-month timetable to turn

things around. He's going back to Ultimate X on 3/13, the next show,

which would be the third time since November the company has put on its

signature match. Styles will be there defending, and I don't see how they

can keep Daniels away from him after his performance. Ron Killings is

going to be tested in the X division, leaving one slot open, likely for

either Petey Williams, Elix Skipper or Chris Sabin. This is reminiscent

of Rhodes booking cage match after cage match in the late 80s was

business was falling, because there was a time when a cage match was the

one gimmick match that would greatly increase the house. He even managed

to up the ante, with War Games, which for the first few years was a

tremendous drawing concept on the road. But history shows running the

same gimmick too often destroys the gimmick, and both Rhodes, and later

WCW as it was falling apart, burned out cage match gimmicks. But they

also have no money matches. One would expect DDP to beat Jeff Jarrett for

the title on the next show, if only because like with Nash, Rhodes sees

DDP as a name wrestler, as opposed to an X Division wrestler who are seen

as having great matches, but not ticket sellers. It's clearly obvious

Jarrett has to lose. Live, fans were furious when Nash didn't beat him,

but in reality, that would have only made a bad situation worse. DDP

isn't the answer, and the problem is there is no real answer, but Jarrett

has to lose, and somebody has to hold the title. Ultimately, Rhodes has

always liked to book heel champions with faces chasing. Other matches

official are two rematches, Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy in a falls count

anywhere at Universal Studios match, and Dustin Rhodes vs. Raven in a

bullrope match.

 

Against All Odds was carried by what I considered the best non-gimmicked

wrestling match in company history, the Christopher Daniels vs. A.J.

Styles Iron Man match, where Styles retained his title by winning in

overtime at 31:37. But history has also shown Iron Man matches, which are

memorable because of their length, usually aren't strong at the box

office, and are difficult matches to work because the crowd knows there

is no finish coming until a set time. Still, this was the main event to

the live crowd. As noted, there was a lot of talk leading into the show

that this should be put on last in the main event slot. In the end,

Rhodes wouldn't consider the idea that an X Division title match should

be put ahead of an NWA title match. It almost worked, as even though you

could see the splotches of empty seats for the Jarrett-Nash match if you

were looking for them (they weren't obvious), they worked a great match

when you consider Nash's limitations. Still, the reason the crowd was so

hot was because they hate Jarrett so much, but in the wrong way, that

they badly wanted Nash to win. When he didn't, the mood of people leaving

was horrible. Time will tell what that means, but the reality is, they

needed to get the title off Jarrett, Jarrett vs. Nash wasn't a draw to

begin with, but it's not like DDP vs. anyone on the roster is going to

draw either. The funny thing is, based on the match with Nash and how he

carries himself and promos, that from a mental standpoint, Jarrett has

more of what it takes to be champion than anyone on the roster. The

problem is no matter what pluses he brings to the table, he doesn't have

the charisma, and he's been champ so long that fans resent it because

they know it's his show. He simply can't be champion right now.

Several hundred fans were turned away, and it's become big enough that

some who didn't get in that were in tears at the entrance. Many more hung

around the front (Nash and Jarrett brawled out of the building to give

those people something to see) for the duration of the show, perhaps

waiting for people to leave so they could maybe get let in, as happens

sometimes at the TV shoots. It may be time to start charging admission

for the PPVs, although I don't think that would work for TVs.

 

The show also had the debut of Monty Sopp, the former Billy Gunn, who now

has no name, and Sean Waltman, who both ran in during the main event.

Waltman had injured his back two nights earlier in Tijuana, taking a bump

in that hard ring, in his first match in months. He was hurting bad, to

the point the day of the show they didn't know if he'd even be able to

perform. He was actually in a wheelchair in the hotel the morning of the

show. Jarrett himself was really happy Waltman got the big crowd pop

(which may have been more because he helped Nash as opposed to Jarrett)

because Rhodes was not nearly as sold as Jarrett was on Waltman being

brought in. As things broke down, Sopp, called "the man formerly known as

Billy Gunn," interfered as a heel to help Jarrett. At TV, they were

calling Sopp "The New Age Outlaw," which is a name I don't see holding up

to a legal challenge. They were disappointed in Gunn's crowd reaction.

Waltman helped Nash after that. Waltman was dressed up like a raver or a

street corner drug dealer, and not in a babyface way but more in a heel

way. B.G. James also stopped his long-time tag team partner from using an

object. Perhaps they go with Jarrett & Gunn & someone against Waltman &

Nash & James as the main feud, although I don't know if anything is

definitive, as we've still heard talk of putting the old New Age Outlaws

back together and that has already been teased at the tapings. The

negative of this show was that, good or bad, when it was over, they

created no obvious matches you want to see for the next show. At this

point, it's imperative the booking leaves you with something to look

forward to.

 

There was one major incident backstage stemming from the planned Jeff

Hammond & B.G. James vs. Michael Shane & Frankie Kazarian match. Shane &

Kazarian were really upset about having to get pinned by Hammond. They

complained a lot. Management blamed a lot of it on Shane Douglas, who is

considered Shane's mentor, as they believe he made a bad situation worse

by telling them it was b.s. for either of them to get pinned by a

48-year-old race car announcer. It got mad enough that Jeff Jarrett was

considering firing Douglas and maybe even Shane & Kazarian. The feeling

is that Hammond is a major player at Fox Sports Net, knows the president

of the network and this is something to win brownie points with the

network in the quest to get that Monday night TV show which is their big

dream. Other wrestlers told them that in wrestling, this wasn't a big

deal and it's just part of the business. For what it's worth, because of

Hammond, they got a USA Today mention of the show and the company, a

mention on some of the Fox auto racing shows and will have a segment

covering this on The Speed Channel down the road. I don't think it sold

one buy, but nobody expected it would. I think the feeling is part of

building a brand is getting the brand name out there.

 

The other thing that is in danger of happening is more prevalent locker

room cliques. Basically, you have two groups of "stars," the ones who

were names from the Monday Night Wars era, who have the name recognition,

and the guys who can go, like A.J. Styles and AMW, but who most people

have never heard of. The company is trying to use both to their

advantage, as they have to, but there have been grumblings from those

"who have been there" that the company needs to play the money players

who know how to get over, and can't see why those with bigger names are

working underneath guys with no names.

 

A. Phi Delta Slam, as Team Trinity in the battle to find out which woman

can sleep with The Dream, beat Lex Lovett & Buck Quartermain. Phi Delta

Slam are two fat wrestlers who are well known on the local indie scene,

also as Bruno Sassi & Big Tilly. A lot of fans knew them and cheered them

heavily, even though they were supposed to be heels. Sassi gave

Quartermain a spinebuster and Tilly, who looks to be 350 pounds, got the

pin with a splash off the top.

 

B. Team Traci, Ron & Don Harris, who were referred to as The Disciples of

Destruction, Big R and Big D, destroyed Mikey Batts & Jerrelle Clark in

3:12. This was also a total squash to set up Traci's Team vs. Trinity's

team, originally scheduled for the dark match, to meet at some point in

the future. The twins looked very good here, as they were aggressive and

their offense looked great. That was even more amazing, considering how

bad they were looking when they were taken out of the ring by TNA, and

that both should have some ring rust.

 

1. Elix Skipper pinned Petey Williams in 7:58. This match started good

but fell apart toward the finish. Williams came over the top rope doing a

huracanrana on Skipper on the floor, which Skipper flying into the

barricades. The first botched spot was Williams was supposed to do the

high crossbody off the top, and Skipper would duck out doing the Trish

Stratus matrix deal. Skipper did his part fine, but Williams dove so far

to Skipper's left that it looked ridiculous. Skipper used a double arm

superplex. Skipper did his rope walk huracanrana, then fell to the mat by

himself. The idea was Scott D'Amore held onto Williams to keep him from

falling, but the camera missed that. Skipper put Williams on the top rope

and was supposed to hit a springboard dropkick, which missed by a mile.

Williams at least didn't sell it. Skipper then got the pin with Nova's

Novocain, or Michael Modest's reality check. There was a lot of talk

after the show that this exposed what a lot of people knew, and that is

Skipper is best served as part of a tag team, and how much being with

Daniels had protected him. *1/2

 

2. Jeff Hammond & B.G. James beat Michael Shane & Frankie Kazarian in

5:33. Hammond wasn't over in the least, but I've seen a lot worse

celebrities in the ring. At one point fans were chanting "We hate NASCAR"

at him. NASCAR driver Brendan Vaughn came out with Hammond. The highlight

was Kazarian doing a running dive over the top on James. Fans booed when

Hammond did a hot tag in, and that's for a guy aligned with 3 Live Kru,

the promotion's most popular act. Finish saw Shane superkick Kazarian as

Hammond moved, and Hammond did this goofy "I'm a race car" run around he

ring and dropped an elbow for the pin. *1/4

 

With no Jonnny Fairplay, the goofy show long segment was a lawyer called

Mr. Daggett (played by office employee Tim Welch, but what's so goofy

about this is he's frequently done ring announcing so to the fans live

and even on TV, they would know who he is) who was trying to threaten

legal action against Dusty Rhodes on behalf of Jeff Jarrett for saying

that if he uses the guitar, he loses the title. Rhodes refused to back

down. I think it was a scene from a John Wayne movie, seriously.

 

3. Raven pinned Dustin Rhodes in 8:20. Raven worked the left leg to set

up the ankle lock. Since he's never finished anyone with it, it didn't

get the Kurt Angle response. Rhodes' agility is gone. He's not that old,

so he must be hurting bad, because he used to be a good worker, and now

he can't do a thing. Raven got the pin using the ropes in a bad match. It

was so bad that when Raven came to the back, Jerry Jarrett jumped him and

started screaming at him for ruining the show. Hey, it wasn't nearly that

bad. Raven attacked Rhodes after the match, and ended up putting him in a

straitjacket. He used a garbage can shot to the head when Cassidy Reilly

tried to make the save. Raven DDT'd him immediately. Raven started

whipping Rhodes when security hit the ring. He started whipping security,

but finally left. *1/4

 

They showed the latest Ryan Wilson video. His new name is Trytan. He's

dressed up like a 7-foot Green Lantern. Live, the crowd laughed when they

saw his name.

 

4. Chris Harris & James Storm retained the NWA tag titles over Kid Kash &

Lance Hoyt in 12:25. Fast moving match with great heat. Harris flipped

Storm over the top, where he landed on Kash & Hoyt. Kash leaped to the

top and came off with a perfect moonsault. He tried a frog splash on

Harris, who got his knees up. Kash did another spot where he climbed up

the ropes and came off with a huracanrana. Hoyt used a side slam off the

top rope on Storm. Storm did a top rope huracanrana on Hoyt, and Harris

followed with an elbow off the top for a near fall. Kash went on got both

tag belts for weapons. Harris got the belt from him and went to use it,

but ref Rudy Charles saw it and stopped him. With the ref arguing with

Harris, Kash hit Storm with a belt shot for a near fall. Harris ended up

handcuffing Kash to the ropes, and Harris & Storm did a double-team death

sentence on Hoyt leading to Storm getting the pin. This was real well

done, as Storm had his back worked on during the match, and at first was

unable to lift the big guy up. Harris screamed at him to gut it out, he

got Hoyt up and Harris came off with the guillotine legdrop. A lot better

match than I anticipated. Even though Hoyt is not in the league with the

other three, they worked some intense G&P type stuff with him, and Kash

was on his "A" game. Kash ended up breaking some toes during the match. I

really don't see this as the time to go heel with Harris & Storm, but

it's still in the plans. ***½

 

Shane Douglas was in the back when a limo pulled in. He wanted to find

out who was in. The least menacing looking security people in history,

all half Douglas' size, made him back off often they he said he was going

to interview who was in there. I guess it's no biggie since Douglas isn't

an active wrestler.

 

5. Abyss beat Jeff Hardy in a comedy of errors called Full Metal Mayhem

in 15:21. There were two envelopes held high above the ring that you

needed a ladder to get. One envelope was empty, while the other had a

contract for a title shot at the Jarrett-Nash winner, to be held on

Impact over the next few weeks. These guys put it on the line in a TLC

style match. Hardy did a Air Juvi like springboard off the chair into a

bodyblock on the floor. Hardy followed with a chair shot. Abyss came back

with a weak chair shot. Abyss stacked up two sets of tables on top of two

sets of tables on the floor, which they didn't use until the finish. At

one point, Hardy drove a ladder into Abyss' body at a 45-degree angle.

Hardy ran up the ladder carrying a chair, and dropkicked the chair into

Abyss' face. At one point, Abyss used an overhead belly-to-belly on Hardy

over the top rope and he was supposed to land and break another stack of

tables. As it turned out, he landed short of the tables. His feet went

through the table but the brunt of the punishment, his back in

particular, landed on the floor. He'll be feeling that one. They went to

the entrance ramp and Hardy set up a table, gave Abyss a twist of fate,

and then a stunner next to the table. He climbed to the top of the

entrance, which Don West said was 40 feet high (and if Hardy suddenly

grew to 27 feet tall, he'd be right). It was probably about nine feet up

and he did a swanton off the top through the table. Hardy got a 12 foot

ladder and well, he got the contract. The problem is, that was not

supposed to happen. He was supposed to get the envelope without the

contract. Abyss knew it and was going crazy, but couldn't stop him

because he had to sell the blow. The ref was screaming at Hardy to go for

the other envelope. When he got it, they sold like it was empty, and just

kept the match going. But in the panic, the match fell apart at that

point. The big spot in the match was they were supposed to both climb the

ladder, both grab the envelope, fight over it, tip over the ladder, and

both go flying through the four set up tables. Unfortunately, because

they had to pretend the new envelope had the contract, it was too far

away to take that bump. Instead, Abyss threw Hardy over the top rope and

he was supposed to go through all four tables. The tables didn't break,

and Hardy, rather than sell what should have been a debilitating injury,

got right up and went into a temper tantrum. He started kicking and

stomping the tables that didn't break. Worse, as he was attacking the

tables when he was supposed to be selling, the cameras were on him. While

this was going on, Abyss had nothing to do but climb up and grab the

empty envelope that was supposed to be the envelope with the contract,

and he was ruled the winner. Both Hardy and Abyss were really furious

backstage after the match. Hardy was mad about the bump earlier in the

match where he landed short and got banged up. Abyss was mad about the

problems due to Hardy forgetting which envelope to go for first, and made

a scene throwing and kicking things everywhere. **½

 

6. Diamond Dallas Page & Monty Brown beat Eric Young & Bobby Roode in

9:43. They announced that D'Amore had bought Scott Hall's contract so he

could have a cohesive unit together. That was the only mention of Hall's

name. A fast paced good match with a lot of heat. Team Canada were

bumping machines out there, especially when Brown made a hot tag in.

Roode hit Brown with a hockey stiff and Young came off the top with an

elbow for a near fall. Finish saw Brown pounce period Roode, knocking him

out of the ring DDP used a diamond cutter on Young, who was sitting on

the top rope, for the pin. ***

 

7. A.J. Styles retained the X title beating Christopher Daniels in 31:37

of a 30:00 Iron Man match that went into overtime. Both men were

fantastic out there. Daniels was clearly the ring general, and was

aggressive from start-to-finish and never tired. Styles tried to do more

of a world title match than an X division style match, and was great at

it. This match really shut up critics of Styles who think what he doesn't

do in some matches because of the style of those matches revolving

themselves around high flying and flashy spots means that he can't do a

long-term, selling-based match. What was really strange here is that even

though the crowd was hot for the entire match, they piped in fake crowd

noise in the early minutes. I have no idea why they would do it, let

alone in this match, because it was clear the live crowd saw this as the

real main event. From the start they did the "Let's Go A.J., Let's Go

Daniels" stuff. Styles did a springboard plancha and a quebrada reverse

DDT. Finish of the first fall was at 14:07 when Styles went for a 450.

Daniels got his knees up, and then hit Angel's wings for the pin. Daniels

worked on Styles' stomach, using an abdominal stretch and later a gut

buster. They traded near falls with Styles using a superplex. Daniels

used Styles' trademark quebrada into a reverse DDT for a near fall, and

got a second near fall with a Blue Thunder driver. Styles won the second

fall in 23:58 after a cradle. In the third fall, Styles juiced after

being posted. Daniels kept head-butting him t open it up more. Daniels

did an STO for a near fall and more head-butts. Daniels locked Styles in

a Koji clutch, which was awesome because Styles was trapped in a triangle

like submission with his bloodied face and theoretically unable to

breath. He went out just as the time limit expired. Daniels started

screaming that it wasn't fair, since he had the match won. Rhodes came

out and ordered a sudden death. Daniels smeared his hand in Styles' blood

and painted his forehead with it. After a series of reversals, Styles hit

the Styles clash and got the pin early in overtime. This timing was

almost identical to the Hart-Michaels Wrestlemania match. There was a

huge standing ovation that lasted several minutes, and this was not a

somewhat contrived one like the ones for Chris Benoit in the Angle and

Lesnar matches, and lasted far longer. Ultimate X last month was more

spectacular, but I saw this as the best match I've seen so far this year.

****3/4

 

8. Jeff Jarrett retained the NWA title pinning Kevin Nash in 19:45. The

good part of this match, is they made the best of what appeared to be a

bad match with lots of run-ins, ref bumps and near falls. The bad part is

every Jarrett title match has them, so instead of camouflaging a bad

match, they just seemed so redundant. You could tell, with the people

walking out and those staying having the bad reaction to Jarrett that

people were sitting there ready to crap on the match. By the end, they

had super heat, with people on their feet rooting Nash on. They brawled

to the back where Nash threw Jarrett into a catering table, knocking food

over. They brawled outside where the fans who were turned away were

hanging out. Nash can't move because of his knees, but what he can do,

which are facials and punching, he did better than in any match he's had

in a long time. Jarrett juiced heavy. Jarrett finally stopped Nash's

onslaught with a low blow. In the stupid but funny part of the match,

Jarrett came out and what looked to be a giant guitar case. If Jarrett

used the guitar, he loses the title. Instead, he opened the case, and it

was a cello. That would have been funny if it had been someone other than

Jarrett, and been in the second match. Even worse, as he picked up the

cello, the handle broke off. I guess God woke up a couple of weeks ago

and decided it was time to humiliate owners of wrestling companies.

Jarrett used what was left of the cello to Nash's knee to set up a figure

four spot. Crowd was going nuts cheering for Nash. Nash got to the ropes,

and used some side slams. After a power bomb by Nash, the formerly known

as Billy Gunn ran in with his No Introductions Necessary and "You Know

who I am" on a t-shirt. He used a chair shot, but Nash kicked out. Sean

Waltman came out and went after Jarrett, giving him the X factor. Jarrett

kicked out. Gunn went for a title belt shot, but B.G. James ran in and

got the belt from him. So, we were having a"formerly known as

Degeneration X reunion." Jarrett went for a cello shot but Nash got it

from him. Nash went for another power bomb, and Jarrett's feet knocked

out ref Rudy Charles. Nash power bombed Jarrett on the cello, but no ref.

Jarrett used a belt shot for a near fall. Jarrett used a stroke for a

near fall. Jarrett then used a low blow and another stroke and got the

pin. **3/4

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Getting a Monday Night TV Show if TNA's big dream? Does this make any sense.

[Guest LooneyTune]

TNA vs. RAW...

 

It's not even an option (turns on the Triple H show). At least Hunter has drawn at least once in his career. Jeff Jarrett is a draw in his own mind. Plus Benoit and Batista are my favorites on RAW, and are both better IMO than Styles and Brown or Abyss. (Comparing the wrestler with wrestler and monster with monster).