For Foley, the gloves are off and the sock is on
Mick Foley’s return to the ring – at the Genesis pay-per-view on Jan. 11 – was announced on last night’s episode of TNA Impact. It wasn’t exactly a secret – the show was taped last week and Foley is featured on the banner ad for Genesis – but it’s big news for TNA nonetheless. Foley will team with A.J. Styles and Brother Devon against Booker T., Kevin Nash and Scott Steiner.
It will be interesting to see whether Foley’s TNA wrestling debut increases the buy rate for the show. There has been a slight increase in Impact’s ratings recently, but I would attribute that more to the Main Event Mafia story line than Foley.
I’m also curious how much Foley will be able to do in the ring at this point. Not surprisingly, he didn’t move well when running down the ramp last night.
Other thoughts on last night’s show:
I’m a Foley fan, so I always enjoy watching him, but I’m not wild about how his return to the ring was set up. I think the booking made Foley look gullible. Just as Brother Ray did two weeks ago, Foley took the MEM at their word, and then looked silly when they didn’t keep it. I’m surprised Foley didn’t veto that angle. Think about it: Would Triple H or “Stone Cold” Steve Austin ever allow their characters to look so foolish? ...
I also didn’t like how Foley went from having a physical confrontation with Kurt Angle at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view a couple months ago, to suddenly palling around and joking with him. Did he forget that Angle said that if Foley got in his business again that he would cripple him and have him breathing through a respirator? ...
Foley’s run-in during MEM’s latest “hit” made him look like Superman, but it buried four members of The Frontline in the process. First of all, what took Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed and Eric Young so long to come out and try to make the save when A.J. Styles was getting attacked? I said “try to make the save” because they didn’t – they quickly got beaten down. Is it any wonder the fans don’t buy these guys as any kind of threat? Next, Rhino came to save the day, but he was beaten down, too. At least he could use the excuse that he was outnumbered, but that was actually his fault for not coming out with the other members of The Frontline.
Being outnumbered couldn’t stop Foley, though, as he tried to run down the ramp – again, I said “tried” – and single-handedly took out all four members of the MEM, nearly putting Mr. Socko down Angle’s throat. It was completely unrealistic that Angle, Booker, Nash and Steiner were no match for Foley’s flurry of punches. I would have bought it had Foley brought a chair or something in the ring with him. It reminded me of the NWA in the ’80s when all of the members of the Four Horsemen would bump all over the ring for Dusty Rhodes’ elbows to the head. ...
During a pull-apart between Angle and Jeff Jarrett in the final segment, Angle KO’d B.G. James. The announcers played it up as if it were a big deal. Uh, why, just because he is Jarrett’s “longtime friend?” James has been wrestling for years and he’s had a lot worse done to him in the ring than just taking a punch. I kind of thought James deserved it anyway for talking trash to Angle. Knowing Vince Russo, James will probably end up turning on Jarrett. ...
Brother Devon cut a really good, intense promo. Styles tried to do the same, but it came off as overacting. By the way, why did Mike Tenay refer to Brother Ray as Brother Devon’s “longtime tag-team partner?” Isn’t he more than that? Aren’t they supposed to be half-brothers? ...
Chris Sabin and Kiyoshi had the best match of the show. Speaking of Sabin, what’s up with him and Alex Shelley cutting heel promos and acting like heels backstage, but then wrestling a total babyface style? As for Kiyoshi, he paints his face and does the Great Muta’s moves, but he doesn’t have Muta’s presence. ...
I like the chemistry between Sheik Abdul Bashir and Shane Sewell, but the angle doesn’t make sense to me. Let me get this straight: If Sewell defends himself against Bashir, he’s fired, but Bashir can put his hands on Sewell and there are no repercussions. Sucks to be a referee in TNA. ...
The backstage interview between the female babyfaces was one of the most annoying segments I have seen on a wrestling show this year. ...
Speaking of annoying, somebody should tell Russo that using insider terms like “marks” and “jobbers” within the context of the show is so 1997. Then again, so is everything that Russo comes up with.
Comments
Kevin , I sincerely hope you recorded this , and did not watch this crap x-mas night . If you did tune in then , your'e a better man than I , and your wife is truly a saint .
I channel surfed as I vowed I would now do in that time slot , but by chance came across Mick Foley "cleaning house" . Let's get real .
Hope you had a good holiday !
Posted by: the artist formerly known as jack in hebron | December 26, 2008 8:25 PM
"It reminded me of the NWA in the ’80s when all of the members of the Four Horsemen would bump all over the ring for Dusty Rhodes’ elbows to the head. ..."
Hey, those aren't just ordinary elbows, they are bionic elbows! :) -- which apparently neither of his two sons have.
Posted by: Bob Buscaglia | December 26, 2008 8:57 PM
Kevin, I didn't watch Impact, but it's cool that you update the blog during Christmas time. Thanks for going the extra mile.
Posted by: Christopher | December 26, 2008 10:09 PM
You touched on some of my biggest problems with TNA. It seems as though they’re too comfortable with painting by the numbers. Of course Foley’s return to physical confrontation was a Superman event; he’s a star! Of course the Front Line was unable to intervene successfully; they were wrestling against big stars! Of course the fans cheer the MCMG (or 3D or even Petey Williams) when they’re told to do so; those are the good guys! As soon as they’re told to boo those guys, regardless of what the wrestlers actually do, the fans will start booing.
My contention is that TNA’s reliance on the two dimensional construction of good vs. bad continues because in the Impact Zone they can always get away with it. Ratings and buyrates are stagnant because there are still few reasons to get invested in the product. The company is on a treadmill but they seem content with that at the moment. Maybe the fans have to be content too. I hope not.
To be nice, I have to disagree with you and compliment TNA on refusing to play along with the Devon/Ray half-brother fiction. The Dudley storyline was funny in ECW but it’s never been referenced (to my knowledge) in TNA and there’s no reason to go beyond using the language of brother.
Let's just be grateful that no one in TNA has gone Hulkster and uses 'brother' at the end of every third sentence.
Keep up the great work, Kevin.
Posted by: TP | December 26, 2008 10:17 PM
For whatever reason, i think TNA are trying to ditch the 'half-brothers' aspect from the Dudleys.
A few weeks ago i noticed Bubba referred to D'Von as his partner, rather than his brother, so to me it's a concerted effort to rid themselves of the gimmicky aspect of their characters.
It's probably not even worth the effort, but i assume TNA is doing it to aide their new 'respected leader' roles.
Posted by: John | December 26, 2008 10:20 PM
Kev, did you get a chance to read Mick Foley's open letter to Sports Illustrated?
Needless to say, he wasn't too thrilled that one of the SI columnists (who happened to be sitting next to Foley at the media screening of "The Wrestler") wrote a column comparing him to Mickey Rourke's character in the movie. Foley especially took offense to descriptions such as "homeless-looking" and "not quite broke".
I have to agree that the columnist took some real cheap shots at Foley, and according to Foley the guy blamed his editor for changing a lot of the piece. Anyway, I just wanted to get your thoughts on this display of "journalism"...
RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I will check it out.
Posted by: RH | December 27, 2008 2:04 AM
The Foley angle is bad. Foley was an icon at what he did in the ring when he was in his prime. TEN YEARS AGO! Watching him wobble down the ramp ... I thought he may need a foot stool to get into the ring then watching the MEM job to him as he cleaned the ring and pull out his sock. The one thing I disliked Foley doing. It was really bad and SAD! TNA better start sharpening their pencils. WOOOOO!
Posted by: Ric in Baltimore | December 27, 2008 10:05 AM
Russo Loves You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Chrisris | December 27, 2008 10:26 AM
1.) You are 1000% correct on Vince Russo. He is an albatross around the neck of an organization chock full of talent and nothing to do with it
2.) I would take any combination of WWE announcers to either of the used car salesmen they have behind the mic in TNA..
Posted by: JGavin | December 27, 2008 3:30 PM
Foley certainly looked bad coming to the ring (and rusty when in the ring), but that's no real surprise.
It was great to see Sabin get a W.
He doesn't have the looks or charisma of Shelley, but i believe he's a significantly better worker.
I'd give so much to see a Sabin/Dutt feud over the X Division title.
The promo with the female faces was atrocious, but what can you expect when you have two of the most annoying characters in the business together (Hemme and ODB).
Spot on about AJ's promo too, Kevin.
He's great to watch, but his personality and southern drawl make it impossible for him to cut a truly intense, anger filled promo without coming across as corny.
Posted by: John | December 28, 2008 2:51 AM