Another ‘shocking’ ending to TNA Impact
For the second week in a row, the final segment on TNA Impact Thursday night featured a “swerve” that couldn’t possibly have been more obvious.
As Scott Hall and Syxx-Pac were beating down Kurt Angle, a smug Hulk Hogan entered the ring and did the too-sweet finger-touching thing with his former nWo mates. Taz and Mike Tenay were going on and on about how Hogan had pulled “the ultimate con job,” as “The Hulkster” prepared to punch Angle in the face with brass knuckles while Hall and Syxx-Pac held him.
Hogan teased doing the punch forever, and then finally nailed Hall and Syxx-Pac instead. Surprise!
The telegraphed climax notwithstanding, I thought the show was better than it had been in recent weeks, but it still was an uneven effort.
The prevailing problem is that the frequent face/heel turns and characters with shades of gray make it nearly impossible for viewers to have a rooting interest. Take Eric Young for example. He had been playing the role of a cunning, anti-American heel, a guy the fans had been conditioned to love to hate. But on this episode he was a total babyface looking to avenge the attack by Hall and Syxx-Pac on his BFF Kevin Nash last week. Of course it wasn’t all that long ago that Nash and Young were adversaries, so Young’s undying loyalty to someone he has no real history with is a stretch.
I also can’t figure out Jeff Jarrett. Last month he was acting like a full-fledged heel, hiding behind his lawyer and bad-mouthing the young talent in TNA, and then he suddenly had a change of heart and is a babyface again.
For story lines to resonate with viewers, it’s imperative that the characters be more clearly defined.
Other thoughts on Thursday’s show:
After being totally dismissed last week by Eric Bischoff, Young got a rub by doing a promo with Hogan in the opening segment – and Hogan actually knew who he was. By the end of the show, however, I thought Young was made to look weak. He vowed to Hogan that he was going to take care of Hall and Syxx-Pac out on the street. The problem is that he never followed up on his threat. In fact, he allowed Angle to basically order him to stay away from Hall and Syxx-Pac. It came across as Angle saying that he’d take care of it because Young was in over his head. I have a feeling that Young is going to end up looking even sillier, as I’m betting that Nash attacks him and joins back up with Hall and Syxx-Pac. No one outsmarts Nash. …
I have to reiterate just how good Bischoff is in his role. Say what you want about his ability – or lack thereof – to run a wrestling company, but he is a tremendous on-air talent. …
The best segment on the show was the confrontation between A.J. Styles (with Ric Flair) and Samoa Joe. Styles came off as a believable cocky heel rather than a goofy “Nature Boy” wannabe. Styles brought up all the times that Joe has turned in the recent past, and I was glad he did, because to ignore it would insult people’s intelligence. Joe acknowledged it and tried to put a little spin on it before moving on, which was the best way to address the wishy-washy booking. …
Right after I wrote in my notes that I liked how Styles was playing his character this week, TNA cut to a backstage segment between Styles and Bischoff that totally negated his earlier performance. Styles reverted back to doing an exaggerated and totally unconvincing Flair imitation. It was so campy that it reminded me of Little Petey Pump and Scott Steiner. It would be better for Styles’ character if he was influenced by Flair without trying to become Flair. Styles just can’t pull it off, nor should he be asked to try. When I was watching wrestling as a kid in the ’70s, Freddie Blassie often managed the turncoats in the WWWF. After aligning with Blassie, their personalities drastically changed, but they didn’t start wearing pink sequined jackets, carrying a cane and calling everyone a “pencil-neck geek” in a gravelly voice. …
The lineup is set for the Eight-Card Stud tournament, which takes place at Sunday’s Against All Odds pay-per-view, and it looks promising. In the first round, it’s Pope D’Angelo Dinero vs. Desmond Wolfe, Hernandez vs. Matt Morgan, Angle vs. Mr. Anderson, and Mick Foley vs. Abyss. …
The tag team match in which Angle and Mr. Anderson defeated Wolfe and Hernandez was entertaining. Pairing a face with a heel on both teams made the match more interesting. It worked because all four competitors’ personas have been firmly established. …
Hogan just can’t get through a show without mentioning “the brothers up North.” He also said that he was “cool again” because of being in TNA. Perhaps if he says it enough times people will actually start to believe it. …
I still don’t understand what the benefit is of having Hall on the roster. He has yet to wrestle a match, and I can see why, as he looked horrible taking bumps during the final segment. …
It was nice to see Dinero get his win back over Orlando Jordan. I also was happy that Morgan scored a decisive victory over Suicide. Dinero and Morgan are way over with the Impact Zone crowd. …
Speaking of the fans in Orlando, they again made it clear how they feel about TNA Originals as opposed to cronies that Hogan brought in. They chanted “under-rated” when Young was in the ring with Hogan, while Jordan was hit with a “you still suck” chant after he executed a swinging backbreaker on Dinero. …
Wolfe cut a good promo when being interviewed by Christy Hemme, but I thought her laughing during parts of it was distracting. …
X Division champion Doug Williams and Amazing Red are always fun to watch. …
Lacey Von Erich did something I have never seen her do before. No, I’m not talking about walking and chewing gum at the same time. During the handicap tag match between The Beautiful People and the team of Tara and Angelina Love, Von Erich did a moonsault, landed on her feet and then dropped an elbow. “That was a lot of work for an elbow,” Taz said. I was just shocked that she actually pulled off a moonsault without injuring herself. …
Good news: Bubba The Love Sponge and The Nasty Boys were not on the show. Bad news: Neither was Beer Money – again.
Comments
Hogan looked like he could barely walk to the ring. I know he had hip replacement surgery but the fact he had to come to Angle's rescue after being beaten down by the dynamic duo of Hall and Waltman makes Angle look weak.
RESPONSE FROM KE: At least Hall and Waltman had to use brass knux to take down Angle, so I wouldn't say he looked that weak.
Posted by: Aaron Goldstein | February 13, 2010 3:00 PM
I was gonna post my comment o TNA but i left my notes at Home seriously though this was a decent impact it was good to see Dinero get his win back but you know that Wolfe is gonna get his back 2 and his interview was great. I wonder why TNA has titles for their shows it pretty much tells you whats gonna happen so who really cares because you know the ending the World title match is gonna be interesting because even though EB doesn't seem to like AJ when has he had any interaction with Joe. what I don't understand is though why EY is considered the global champion but on the website they say it is Big Rob. the Matches were good and I was glad to see TBP actually win a match for once even though it was at the expense of Love and finally what is the status of Kong the website has her on it still but she hasn't been on in weeks.
Posted by: frank from dundalk | February 13, 2010 3:14 PM
Kevin,
you sound frustrated by the constant turning face/heel by the wrestlers. You should at least jump on the bandwagon of the NWO/Band. Yes, it's predictable, but you are already complaining about the unpredictable.
Hogan coming in meant bringing Hogan's buddies. The Nasty Boys are horriffic. But the NWO makes sense.
Posted by: Frank | February 13, 2010 3:35 PM
So glad to see Red out there rippin it up on National TV. I first saw him live at Michael's 8th AVE five years ago when he was with MCW. His high spots are so sick. Red and Generation Me are trully AWESOME.
Posted by: Ballz Mahoney | February 13, 2010 3:41 PM
As predictable as the ending was, especially with how Tenay and Tazz overplayed it the other way, it was the ending it should have been and for that I'm pleased.
For the most part the show does look like it's getting closer to what I was hoping it'd be but they'll need to keep it up.
Posted by: James | February 13, 2010 3:59 PM
What's your take on Mr. Anderson's mic ridiculously appearing out of nowhere?
On a side note: I dislike him. And Wolfe did a funny promo IMO.
RESPONSE FROM KE: The mic thing was silly, but it didn't really bother me.
Posted by: Edward | February 13, 2010 4:05 PM
what I don't understand is though why EY is considered the global champion but on the website they say it is Big Rob?
rob terry won the title from eric young during the overseas tour and was kicked out of british invasion. this past thursday's impact was taped before the tour
Posted by: paul | February 13, 2010 5:36 PM
Once again, I thought it was a solid show up until the last 15 mins. I thought AJ nailed his promo against Joe. Joe did a great job too. And, I like Flair's crazy old man routine. But the Styling and Profiling AJ segment sucked. If they could just keep him as the cocky heel it would be great.
Secondly, I have to say, I knew Hogan would have to put himself over on someone. He would have to find a way to get in the ring. At Least, he's putting himself over on Hall and Pac and not Beer Money or another TNA original.
I like Desmond Wolfe, DeAngelo Dinero, and Matt Morgan more and more. If they some how don't find a way to get a second single's title on the show other than the X-Division, I think they are going to waste some of these guys.
Finally, I still say that Eric Young is going to be the one to turn on Nash and run with Hall and Pac. If not, maybe just maybe, these three guys will put him over. After the storyline from Thursday, I could see Angle, Hogan, and Young facing The Band at the Next PPV.
Posted by: nate | February 13, 2010 6:49 PM
I like the idea of the eight card stud tournaments but I have a problem with one match up: Morgan-Hernandez. Why would they book a team to face each other, when they had only been the tag champs for less than a month. I don't get it. I think it brings the tag division down.
Doug Williams isn't always that fun to me to watch, but his German Suplex finisher was great.
And what the hell is going on with beer money? They need to be on the air soon before I stop watching TNA.
Posted by: MitZi | February 13, 2010 7:00 PM
TNA has more heel/face turns than i have hairs on my head. And no, i'm not bald.
Posted by: Legacy.1 | February 13, 2010 7:28 PM
D’Angelo Dinero (The Rock) and Desmond Wolfe (Stone Cold) are so awesome. You said "Dinero and Morgan are way over with the Impact Zone crowd" but Beer Money always get biggest pop but they hardly ever on. Is it coz they wanna give Roode singles push or is it coz Hulks an idiot?.
RESPONSE FROM KE: I'm hoping it's the former, but my fear is that it's the latter.
Posted by: daizan | February 13, 2010 7:54 PM
Did anyone elses eyebrows raise when Eric Young said, 'The first thing you'll learn about me is that i'm never afraid to get my hands dirty'?
Um EY, for the best part of five years your character was afraid of his own shadow, let alone anything else.
Also, i noticed that Matt Morgan's physique was a little below his usual standard.
Understandable given what he's been going through but interesting nonetheless.
Posted by: John | February 14, 2010 3:00 AM
I actucally thought IMPACT this week was by far the best of the 3 shows I watched..RAW,IMPACT and SMACKDOWN.No Bubba was really good.My thoughts have changed on Hall and Waltman..they are being used right and are pulling it off...loved the fact that Dinero,Morgan went over.AJ was his best this week and Angle is still the best worker in the business.Only bad vibes..EY looked strong,got face time then nothing..what?Where's Daniels,Beer Money and JB?Thanks Kevin and as always God Bless.
Posted by: David Baugus | February 14, 2010 8:49 AM
Nice to see Pope come through against Orlando Jordan - hopefully he can quietly leave now along with Morley.
No Nasty Boys was a positive, but worried for Beer Money.
Am in a constant state of confusion about who the good guys and bad guys are, but when the right guys are in the ring, the wrestling is fun to watch.
Now, just this ridiculous NWO rehash to get rid of....
Posted by: djy | February 14, 2010 12:49 PM
Beer Money may not have been on Impact this week, but fortunately TNA released a webmatch pitting them against the British Invasion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRR2NDBWpWQ
I was glad to see Pope win too, even though I knew it was coming because I saw some spoilers. I also felt that E.Y., while not totally buried or anything, could have been made to look better by actually going out and fighting Hall and Waltman (why not alongside Angle?).
I'm not always a fan of the whole face/heel thing. If there's one thing that Russo has done right, it's acknowledging that nobody is totally good or bad and that people are shades of grey. He hasn't always done a great job in illustrating this, but I feel it's realistic. That being said, it's no good if people don't act consistently, and I agree that wrestlers going from heel to face to heel again in a relatively short period of time isn't realistic at all.
RESPONSE FROM KE: WWE figured out during the Attitude Era that there is a way to have heels and faces and still have shades of gray within that framework. Steve Austin and The Rock come to mind as guys who had all the characteristics of a heel, but they were the "good guy." Triple H during most of his face run also did not have many redeeming qualities. As far as Russo's shades of gray characters, it may be more realistic, but good guys and bad guys sells more tickets and PPVs. MMA is real and they have heels and faces to some extent. Boxing has over the years, too.
Posted by: Rob Brown | February 14, 2010 1:01 PM
I've reached the point that I only READ the TNA results instead of going out of my way to watch it, but it's to the point I only skim your recaps.
The real letdown is the fact that the "changes" TNA was bringing to the business sounded very positive, especially with having the characters ad-lib their roles. Unfortunately, you cannot have great ad-libbing and improv without having good programs or solid angles.
I think it all just goes to show that, despite all WWE has done wrong, WWE still does the most important things right.
Posted by: Mr. Sarcasm | February 14, 2010 10:19 PM