If Don West brings out the "new" Diesel and "new" Razor Ramon, next week on IMPACT then WE RIOT! Or maybe we'll start calling him Don "Oklahoma" West.

Kevin
About foley mentioning randy orton. After his less than impressive booking against shane o'mac. do you think maybe he might be making a move to tna.
The more I type th emore absurd this seems. but why would foley mention orton on tna?

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: There is a better chance of hitting the lottery and getting struck by lightning on the same day than there is of Orton going to TNA.

Kevin,
Considering that Alex Shelley and Chris Saban are two of the best young talents in TNA, you think there's any chance that they give them better music? I know there's more to wrestling than entrance music, but they have to have the lamest entrance I've heard in a long time.

My kids get a kick out of it when Suicide enters the ring. Is that supposed to be Christoper Daniels?

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I have said before that their music is horrible. Daniels has been under the mask since Kaz got hurt.

Madison Rayne has actually been with TNA since January. It's just her TV appearances didn't become consistent until a couple of weeks ago. I think it makes more sense for her to be a heel and with her look she would make an ideal new member of The Beautiful People. I'm not sure how she is on the mike but she definitely has the look. Of course, if she does join TBP what will happen is that one of the original members will be pushed out and turn face. My bet would be on Angelina Love.

It sounds to me like Rhaka Khan has some experience as a slam poet. The match between Khan-Sojourner Bolt against Kong and Raisha Saed was sloppy. Did Bolt pin Raisha with a backslide? It's almost like submitting to an abdominal stretch. The Knockouts Division, which was once the best part of the show, isn't the same without Gail Kim.

What I would like to see is that silly Raisha character dropped and Cheerleader Melissa unveiled. Is Jarrett just not enthusiastic about that character? I remember CM getting an enthusiastic response in her sole appearance in the Impact Zone. Yes, the fans like ODB but the Knockouts Division needs at least one other strong face.

I didn't see the West-Tenay showdown coming. But then I didn't realize there was a similar showdown between Tenay and Schiavone. Still, I thought West's promo was the best mic work he's ever done.

Now that I think about it I remember when Jim Ross turned "heel" and feuded with Michael Cole after his bout with Bells Palsy. Remember when JR and Dr. Death Steve Williams set up an announce table in front of Cole? Of course, this was the height of The Attitude Era and I remember the fans wildly cheering JR. At one point, Ross actually said out loud, and I'm paraphrasing here, "You guys aren't supposed to be cheering me." The angle was dropped soon after.

Kevin,

I disagree with you that nobody will buy a PPV to hear feuding announcers. Well, maybe not a serious feud where the two don't like each other, but a really good comedic heel commentator (i.e. Dave Prazak on ROH) can add tons to a show.

Feuding announcers don't do much for me, either. I quickly grew tired of Schiavone and Tenay bickering in WCW, and prior to that, the Jim Ross-Vince McMahon feud at the announce table soon wore thin in WWE.

Russo sure does like those real-life incidents. If he still wrote for WWE, Chris Jericho would be punching a woman, every week, instead of confronting hall-of-famers.

Next week on IMPACT: Don West brings back "the new" Diesel and Razor Ramon.

I think this was one of TNA's worst shows ever and a decent ending couldn't make up for the rest of it.

Thanks to repeated short segments, breaks, interviews, backstage stuff and so on, at one stretch they went a good 45 minutes or more between matches. I understand advancing storylines, but this is ridiculous.

What did they have last night, five matches in two hours? And two of them were Knockouts matches? It was like I was transported back about ten years to an episode of Nitro or Thunder (yeah, aside from Russo being involved). Come on, TNA. That's not going to cut it. ECW can give four matches AND fit a few promos in as well in half the time.

I can't imagine how boring it must have been in the Impact Zone during yet another break or backstage promo. I hope they at least gave the fans a dark match or two in the midst of all that. The matches themselves were pretty entertaining, so why do they have fewer of them?

The Don West thing was good for a bit of a chuckle but like you said, it came completely out of nowhere. All the same, I'd love to see West gone so if this helps bring that about then I'm okay with it. He needs to go back to selling sports cards on Shop At Home.

The conundrum that is TNA . I recently read that Dixie Cater made a big deal out of TNA's recently "highly" rated show . She also is said to not be too happy with Jeff Jarrett . How's that as a catch-22 , as he was a founding father of TNA . She also says Vince Russo is not in danger of losing his job ...... I don't get it .
Re: heel announcers , I kinda liked following the Eric Bischoff heel turn several years ago when he aligned himself with the NWO .
One final thing about Joe holding that blade against Steiner's throat . Isn't it supposed to be the other way around ? I thought it was the pig that got its throat cut .

There are things in this life I will never get, and Russo booking is on the top of that list. At this rate Russo will write in Black Snow as Don West's replacement.

...and then ratings will begin to skyrocket.

What a way to celebrate your highest rating ever the week before. Just put out a very very lame show where the plot is either incredibly predictable or just incredibly random. Was there anyone, anywhere that didn't know that Sting and Angle would end up opponants at the next PPV? Was there anyone that cared about Don West's gripe? And who exactly are the dudes that ended up in the match with Beer Money and why should I care if they get tossed out of TNA? I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Russo's swerves of the week aren't chosen via spin the bottle. Some weeks, TNA actually shows some promise, then it deteriorates into the pro wrestling edition of the board game Clue, where you find out if Madison Rayne will swerve Taylor Wilde in the parlor with the candle stick!

Very disappointing!

"I love hearing Foley tell stories about his career, but it seems strange for him to be putting over Randy Orton as one of the best in the business on a TNA show. ..."

Personally, I think it's refreshing to hear someone acknowledge a wrestler from a different promotion and even confess admiration. What I think of WWE and TNA aside, something I can't stand is the whole, "we're the only wrestling promotion on the face of the earth," thing. You know the other promotion is over there, you know there are at least a few people in each that deserve some respect for what they've done in the business, and most of your fans know it too. I think it's just arrogant to act like that's not true. I'd hate to think about what would happen to someone like Evan Bourne if he confessed admiration for someone like AJ Styles in a out of character interview, not to mention what would happen if he did it on a WWE show. He'd be jobbed out for the remainder of his contract then let go, and for what? Having an open respect for one of his peers? That just seems ridiculous to me.

Hey Eck, how long were the 4 Horsemen together? West was very entertaining coming down on geek Tenay. The moment I saw Taylor and Madison as tag team partners I knew Madison would turn on Taylor it was obvious as the match went on. I'd love to watch Taylor and Madison go at it in a tapped fist match in a steel cage wearing bikini's and barefooted. WOOOOO

I agree there has been too much time between matches on TNA of late.

Its had me turning the channel more often recently as a result.

I'm just saying......

Anything that might get either one of these announcers off TV is fine by me although I'd prefer it to be Tenay that leaves.

I saw Sting on an episode of Walker Texas Ranger (insomnia is hell) and he was more believable as a meth dealing biker than as a heel in TNA.

I do miss the heel announcer though. I always thought Lawler should go back to it, but I guess it helps him sell tickets in Memphis this way. That being said, I think Tazz would be PERFECT to go heel. No need to cut a promo, just start rooting for Matt Hardy and just let it transition over from there. I always miss Heenan though, like when they showed that WM IX clip of him riding the donkey backwards. Classic. That and I feel like there aren't enough "ham and egger" references.

"He'd be jobbed out for the remainder of his contract then let go, and for what? Having an open respect for one of his peers? That just seems ridiculous to me."

That would even more ridiculous when you consider that wwe.com has TNA information in its industry news section. For some reason, that small corner of the WWE universe isn't bound by the usual "the competion doesn't exist" policy.

Hey Lee,
"where you find out if Madison Rayne will swerve Taylor Wilde in the parlor with the candle stick!"

Easy dude, kids could be reading this blog. Haha. jk.

Steiner stating "She was 19" when the police came is was classic! Any chance of another Steiner interview for Ring Posts?

I think TNA needs to realize their audience is mostly pure wrestling fans. They cannot compete with the WWE at this time for the casual fan. They should focus more on the wrestling aspect and keep the comedy to a minimum until they can find a hot angle/character to garner larger interest.

I can't believe they still say shelley and sabin are frontline members. They jave recently teamed up with MEM members in an 8 man tag. How stupid.

I think the announcing on TNA is the worst I have ever heard, bar none. I don't know who's worse, West or Tenay. (ok, it's West). Maybe they could have a tag match with Beer Money and have a double pin, and thereby get some better announcers.

PS I'd rather listen to fingernails on a chalkboard then either one of those guys.

I loved your comments Aaron Goldstein. I have to say though I do like seeing matches won with backslides, abdominal stretches, sleeper holds and other old school moves, otherwise wrestlers look ridiculous for ever using them.

Considering the signs in the Impact Zone it certainly looks as though Cheerleader Melissa may show up soon. TNA will probably do an angle where Saed has a personality disorder (enter Dr. Stevie!) and as a response to her strict Muslim upbringing creates the alternate personality of Melissa. Hey, at this point, we should just be glad she and Bashir haven't formed a faction called the Bomb Squad.

As always, Kevin, keep up the good work. Here's hoping your real life is getting better.

You have to admit the best move of the night was when Kong-zilla powerbombed slo-jo on top of khan. TNA definitely needs to step up its own game and set its own standards. First, get rid of Vince "let's see if I can rehash this again" Russo. Get original.

Kevin,
Will you be posting a special on March 20, for Sting's 50th birthday?

RESPONSE FROM KE: Honestly, I haven't given it any thought.

Knowing TNA, West and Tenay will be back together this week like nothing ever happened.