Joe vs. Angle V

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Alright...I was meaning to do this last week...but shit happens.

 

 

Lockdown is still a few weeks away and TNA has already put more thought and build into their Main Event than they generally ever do.

 

There's been some scattered talk in the general discussion thread about the approach that TNA is taking with this match (doing more of an MMA style build with training features and hype videos as opposed to generic runins and pull aparts) and I think it's actually working out pretty well for them. The Angle segments seem to be pretty well recieved at least.

 

I said in the byline that we should try to ignore that this match his happened 4 other times...but we really can't. Angle is 3-1 in the matches. They were all pretty decent (Angle/Joe II being the best...and not just because Joe won that one), but they haven't had a match in a while and well I always trust Joe to bring it...Angle has been looking much crisper and ready to go in the ring (His series with Christian being the most recent example (including good house show notices)...but even including Global Impact vs. Nagata and I'll throw in BFG vs. Sting). So I have no real doubt that the match won't make for a really good main event...

 

But it's the build to the match that has been most intriguing to me.

 

Some bullet points:

 

1. They finally took Angle back from comedy BS to serious ass kicker He's much better this way. With the goofy Karen stuff on the backburner Angle is able to come accross the way you want your champion to look...unbeatable. When he was on Pros vs. Joes he looked like an absolute monster...and I kept thinking...why don't they just do that on TV? When they did Global Impact his interviews were all about how he was the best and he took his match seriously...and I kept thinking...why don't they just do that on TV? Well...they've been doing both.

 

2. Samoa Joe leaves the Impact Zone I didn't know how I fealt about this when I heard it...but now I'm on board. Mostly because it forced TNA to come up with another way to build the match without having Joe and Angle interact with each other. When the company took their 2 biggest stars and main evented them on their biggest ppv...that should have been enough. Instead they had Kurt Angle attacking Sting's son and Kevin Nash playing his psychiatrist. Change is GOOD.

 

3. Karen Angle APPEARS to be out of the picture I'm taking this one on faith. I don't know where TNA managed to dig up enough for me to have faith in them...but they'll get one last (again) chance to do the right thing here. Anyway...it seems like they've been making it as obvious as they can without actually saying it that Karen won't play into the Lockdown match. She's obviously going to be the catalyst for Angle/Styles post Lockdown...but the way they've been going she wouldn't fit into what's going on in the Joe match. They've duped me into trusting them before...but they've surprised me by sticking to this more serious approach to the Joe/Angle match...so I'd HOPE they won't blow it with a sports entertainment finish. It would make less sense than ever.

 

So we've got Angle preparing to prove that he is the better wrestler one on one against Joe. We've got Joe preparing for his do or die chance at the title. We've got a cage that I think actually will allow them to just have a straight match. And we've got TNA taking an approach to the match that they should have take the FIRST TIME they faced each other.

 

Better late than never? Too little to late?

 

Does the build (so far) for Angle/Joe V make you more interested in the match...or are you pretty sure that they'll either blow it in the next few weeks...or worse...at Lockdown?

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

I'm actually tempted to try to find a papered ticket and travel the hour up to Lowell to see the show, work the next morning from 7:30am-5pm be damned. Not for any other match but this one. However, due to my lack of faith in TNA ever since Destiny (it's been nearly 5 years and I'm STILL not over it, dammit) and, more importantly, Mantel's initial run, not to mention the shit from the SpikeTV deal through Destination X (just unwatchable rubbish), I don't want to experience another huge letdown live. Hopefully they do the right thing. Hopefully, even if there's interference, Joe wins clean by making Angle tap to the Kokina Clutch. Hopefully, even if Karen figures into it, Joe gets the clean win and the TNA World title. It's the only way they can go without pissing the MA fanbase off to the point where most of us wouldn't bother even watching Impact.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

They REALLY have to be careful not to piss of the crowd that night. They're reportedly set to draw their biggest house ever.

[Just call me Dan 0]

This is a last ditch effort from me to really care and take TNA seriously. My only problem is this is seeming all too much like the Benoit title reign where it is all fan service and the big bad HHH is finally going to get beat clean. BUT, TNA has built on AJ/Angle so long, it will now be the goofy storyline to take up all the TV time while the champ, Joe has mediocre opponents and little TV time. This is just like the Summer 2004 bullshit with Eugene/HHH. Am I way off here?

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

There's definitely a quetion of what Joe does if he wins the title.

 

But...if AJ's going with Angle...I'll say Tomko's a good bet for a run with Joe. Based on the short hardhitting match they had on Impact a few weeks back...I'd be all for it.

 

Too many faces in TNA.

 

Of course...Nash could always turn on Joe. And he probably will.

[AlaskanHero 0]

I have to say, if TNA fucks this up we'll probably look back at either this or Destiny (or maybe both) as the biggest fuck ups the company ever made. More so than the stupid/pointless angles, "mainstream" celebrities brought in to bump ratings, and the countless hirings of Vince Russo. The match needs to end with Joe choking out Angle, indisputably clean, in the middle of the ring. At most, maybe have Angle pass out, fighting it, to keep him strong and maybe set up a rematch down the line with the roles switched.

 

Now, if Joe does win, it's not like you'd have to look far for challengers. Everyone in the Lethal Lockdown match, except Team 3D, could feasibly be positioned as challengers to Joe, either by turning Joe, turning the challenger, or by making them Face/Face "Respect" matches. Then you have a bunch of other guys not in the LL match that could be fed to Joe. Roode, Booker T, Steiner, all could be used as guys for Joe to get some wins to help get him some momentum as champ.

 

Personally, I want Joe/Tomko.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Samoa Joe HAS to win this time!

[Toxxic 0]

If Joe doesn't win, I think TNA Creative Control had better hide in that damn cage. I'll be throwing things at them, and I'm in England.

[TNABaddboi 0]

From the looks of things last night, Joe/Steiner is where we are headed after Lockdown, and like bps, I'm all for that. Joe/Steiner in 2006 kicked all kinds of ass, to my surprise and everyone else's too. I think that's a good first feud to establish Joe with the belt before an extended feud with Tomko. Hopefully they don't do a one and done deal and they don't make it take a backseat to Angle/Styles either. This month showed that you can promote to top feuds at the same time. Hopefully they do that going forward.

[cabbageboy 0]

No more bullshit. No more run ins. No more cheap booking. This match 100% has to be Joe beating the piss out of Kurt Angle. I've said it before, but I give Angle some hope spots here but largely he is getting beat down for 20 minutes.

 

How many people are they expecting to show for this PPV? Attendance wise?

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

No more bullshit. No more run ins. No more cheap booking. This match 100% has to be Joe beating the piss out of Kurt Angle. I've said it before, but I give Angle some hope spots here but largely he is getting beat down for 20 minutes.

 

How many people are they expecting to show for this PPV? Attendance wise?

 

Yes, you've said this a thousand times, and people have explained why this cannot happen a thousand times.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

All I know about attendance is that they've said it will be their largest crowd for a ppv yet. I've read that ticket sales were really good so they should do some good business.

 

I think this match is going to be something really good for TNA. The booking for it has been really good with no bullshit taking place and I think the crowd will respond to that at Lockdown.

[Timmy8271 0]

If Joe wins, does it even matter anymore? We know Angle is going to get the title back by the end of the year. However, I do like what they are doing building it up. Got rid of Karen, Put to goofs with Tomko and just focused on Joe/Angle. If they had waited instead of rushing the feud, it might feel more important.

 

I still wouldn't be shocked if Matt Morgan turned heel and help Angle retain.

[Toxxic 0]

Nah, if anything Morgan will help Joe win in a bid to do the 'right thing' for TNA and keep in Cornette's good books by guaranteeing they don't lose Joe. I don't want to see it, but...

[King Kamala 0]

All I know about attendance is that they've said it will be their largest crowd for a ppv yet. I've read that ticket sales were really good so they should do some good business.

 

I think this match is going to be something really good for TNA. The booking for it has been really good with no bullshit taking place and I think the crowd will respond to that at Lockdown.

 

 

FWIW, The Tsongas Arena holds about 7,000 people. What's TNA's attendance record? 6,000

 

Also FWIW, the best seats available are the $35 ones (second cheapest). I'm about two hours away from Lowell and I'm slightly tempted to go down to see this one but school and shit.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Well...then even if they don't sell another ticket they can paper a sell-out.

 

I really love when they get out of the Impact Zone for ppvs because it just "feels" like a bigger and better show.

 

TNA fans are always vocal no matter where they go...so I'm really looking forward to seeing 7000 people making the show that much better than it would be with a smaller crowd.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Can somebody give me detailed results of the last 4 Angle / Joe matches?

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

Angle made Joe tap clean the first meeting. (Joe's first loss)

 

Joe made Angle tap semiclean the second meeting (Angle hit himself with the chair off the ropes spot IIRC then got choked out...also their best match)

 

Angle beat Joe in a 30 minute Iron Man match when he didn't tap as the time expired.

 

Angle beat Joe to claim all the TNA titles when Karen turned on Joe.