"Hot diggity damn Hulk I'm glad you set it off (set if off)
Used to be hard Hulk now ya done turned soft
Doin' telephone commercials I seen ya
Dancin' in tights as a ballerina
I knew all along you had those tendencies
Cuz you've been runnin' from Macho like I got a disease
Dude please your pay per view event was a joke
You're avoidin' Randy Savage cuz you know you'll get smoked
Come on that phony fight the Rock spanked you fast
But when I challenged Hogan to a real fight he passed
I called him out but the punk was scared to go
It was a charity event but the Hulk didn't show
Hollywood Hulkster you're at the end of your rope
And I'm a kick ya in the butt and wash your mouth out with soap
Cuz like Rodney Dangerfield you gets' no respect
So come on Hulk let's wreck so I can put you in check"

I loved the "Be a Man" reference. Song was a chart topper son! Kev, great article.

A good color commentator knows when to just keep quiet, but Taz never stops yapping.

Amen to that. One of the major reasons why watching TNA is more *fun* than watching WWE is that the live crowd gets so much more into it. And it's often hard to make out what they're chanting, because Taz will...not...shut...up.

And yes, Scott Hall's "selling" was nearly as bad as watching the Divas try to "sell" hits from Mae Young. He is a disgrace. Sean Waltman is a disgrace. The disc jockey doesn't even deserve mention. It escapes me what Dixie thinks they accomplish.

Taz is trying to get his jokes over so he can open for Foley at the next comedy stop. He is preparing for his next job after TNA goes belly up

I'm pretty sure Russo has not yet come up with a reason for Sting's heel turn, hence the lack of reveal
It has been his goal since he had control over Sting's character to make him heel

Anyone catch where Bubba called Sean Waltman X-Pac instead of 6-Pac? He's had so many names that no one can keep track.

I'm predicting Angelina Love turns on Tara at Lockdown and re-joins The Beautiful People. Does it make any sense? In Russo's world it does.

With the Knock Out lock box segment closing last week's live show and Sky-Love going up against the start of Raw, is it possible that Dixie Carter & Hogan are too dumb to realize that Vince Russo is trying to get fired?

Otherwise, one of TNA's better shows. But still, cue the "OMG Hogan is destroying this, only a matter of time till Vince buys it! I am never watching TNA again until next week" comments

That's an ironic subject header for this episode since I realized on Monday that I only watch TNA to see it fail. TNA is the only heel in wrestling today that I want to see lose. No person qualifies, but the whole promotion has managed to capture some aspect of that old-school "heel" quality.

Granted, I don't watch more than a few minutes at a time, but it always puts a smile on my face to watch them scrape around for new 'hardcore' ground WWE didn't cover from 2002-2008. It's as boring as WWE has been for the past several years.

Meanwhile, now that WWE has lightened up their angles, the shows are much more entertaining and the storylines are way easier to digest. TNA is trying to create the image of unpredictable chaos where "anything can happen," but it just comes off as if they have no clue what they're doing.

Ummm, who used to say, “There are two things you can do about it: Nothing and like it”, Kev?

RESPONSE FROM KE: Who?

Overall I thought the show was pretty solid, especially compared to last weeks show. As much as I've hated the Sting angle I thought it was very cool hearing the crowd chant "why Sting why". Double J did a great job of telling the story and communicating his need for an answer. I sure wish they would bring back the 6-sided ring. I thought it made TNA look very unique. The ring they have now is too small for some of the action they have (ladder match, 6-man tag). Where did they get that thing anyway, the TBS studio in Atlanta?

"The Hardy-Roode match – which was won by Hardy – was good. I’m holding out hope that one of these days Roode will get a major singles push in TNA. ..."

It bothers me a little bit that Jeff and RVD are undefeated since arriving in TNA, including Jeff getting a win over Styles. It kind of sends the message that the TNA originals just aren't as good as former WWE stars. It'd be nice to see Jeff and Roode trade victories over one another.

One recapper made a good point about the fireball: if you get a faceful of fire, isn't the way to sell that to writhe around on the mat in agony instead of just lying there like you got hit by a blunt object?

So Hernandez is going to be off TV for the next few months selling a kick to the head, but Abyss will be wrestling this week at the PPV even though he was hit by a car?

Kevin, what is the 'FTW 13' label under Taz's name when they put the graphic up showing his and Tenay's names?

RESPONSE FROM KE: Back in ECW, Taz created a title for himself that he called the FTW title, which stood for "F" the world title.I'm not sure of the significance of the 13, but it is something that Taz has used as a logo for years.

'As Lacey was running out of the ring after Tara threw a punch at her chest, she could be overheard saying, “She hit my boob!” Well, they are big enough targets. ..."

Thank god there is still non PG rated wrestling out there!

It seems to me Scott Hall is mocking his own livelihood when he sells like that. If so, I'd give him the boot ASAP regardless of anything else.

"As Lacey was running out of the ring after Tara threw a punch at her chest, she could be overheard saying, 'She hit my boob!' Well, they are big enough targets. ..."

I heard that too, and it seemed to be genuine reaction. I got a pretty good laugh out of that. Lacey may be a terrible worker, but she definitely contributes more to the show than just her looks. She can be pretty funny at times.

All around a pretty good show. I didn't think they overdid it on the beat-downs until Jay Lethal. All the other ones made sense as they added heat for Lockdown. But Lethal isn't even involved in Lockdown and it was redundant with other things that had already happened on the same show. I might be biased because I'm a Jay Lethal mark and I was excited for him being in the main event.

Also, I don't really care about the car running over Abyss angle. It turned silly when WWF did years ago with Stone Cold and Rikishi and I don't think TNA is going to do it any better. They probably won't stretch it out nearly as long though either. I'm expecting "The Monster" to make an inhuman recovery and wrestle at Lockdown this Sunday. I'm excited for Joe to be back if it was him, but IMO Joe is a convincing enough bad ass in the ring that they don't need to do this kind of crap with him.

Sadly enough, my disappointment in TNA of late over-ruled my enjoyment of wrestling Monday, so I didn't even bother watching Impact. After reading here that Chubba was on, I made the right decision.
Too bad, I think I would have enjoyed seeing the Motor City Machine Guns v Morgan/Red, Kazarian v Shannon Moore, Hardy v Roode, and anything involving the Beautiful People.
Abyss hit and run? Lame.
Hulk as a face? Boring.
Sting turncoat angle? My guess is Russo and company wrote the turn with absolutely no clue where they would go with it.
Styles as a heel? Not working.
Chubba? Hope the sponsors know he is causing wrestling fans to miss their commercial ads.

Also, the fans won't be going over in the Nash/Young steel cage PPV match.

I used to love ol' Razor Ramone. Hey Chico!
Now watching Hall in the ring is like jabbing tooth pics into my eyes.

TNA should just release him and the disc jabroni. TNA really needs to start trimming the fat (no pun intended) if they want to stay in business.

I'm going to go ahead and play Devil's Advocate here but understand I hate Chubba as well:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is not the point of a heel to be someone the fans hate? In that respect, BTLS and by association "The Band" are probably the most hated group out there. And I don't just mean normal wrestling fan heel hate, I mean "Mick Foley just laid him out, WOOOO!!!!" jump out of your seat heat (Which I totally did).

If that's what he's there for, I don't see how Dixie couldn't think he was doing a good job. Because I honestly can't think of anyone I've hated more.

RESPONSE FROM KE: There is a difference between legit heel heat and "go-away" heat. When a heel has the right kind of heat, fans want enjoy watching him (just like a good movie villain) and want to see him get his comeuppance. With Chubba, people resent his presence on the show because they know the only reason he is on there is because he is Hogan's crony. Plus, he adds nothing to the show and I have yet to figure out what his "talent" is.

Awesome first comment by Mike. lyrics to "Be a Man" I give Hogan credit for even bringing it up. Lets not forget about the moving tribute to Mr. Perfect. "Perfect Friend" Ah......they just don't make them like they used to.

Stephen well put, TAZ has always been a self promoting kiss up,---well not always,but since he had his run in ECW(& a good run it was) he has been close to worthless,Kevin nice to see you at least partially stop your double standard (WWE v TNA) where TNA is not allowed any crap outs while WWE is has an unlimited amount of mulligan's. Now onto the Lethal/Hogan interactions, this could be really good, and a way for TNA & Hogan to find a way to use him in a really good angle with limited ring or interference time. I really like the possibilities here unless of course it ends up with Hogan getting back in the ring,limping around to beat on Lethal in some "Macho Man" pay back angle. If they take this the right way hopefully the worst thing that could happen would be Savage coming back and Lethal saving the day, best case they just keep it up,let Lethal do what he does, beat up big guys in upsets and get pounded from time to time but let the man speak. Lastly for adam(your spelling not mine little "a') very coy your Foley comedy reference,your such an "insider", but seriously no matter how you feel about TNA if you are a fan of professional wrestling the worst possible thing would be to want TNA to go "belly up"we've all seen what Vince gives us with no push or competition, it doesn't matter how small either, VKM wants to OWN the wrestling world, his unending paranoia will make any show on TV a threat no matter the ratings,sure in public he won't even acknowledge them, the same way the politician's did Obama for awhile. How well did that work for those guy's?Ask Rudy,Hilary,& that Mormon guy how well that strategy worked. It doesn't because in VK's backroom he fumes over any ground gained by another company once they have TV, it is in all of the fan's best interests to have a TNA on board, maybe you don't like it,that's fine but the same old sorry comments time after time about how DEAD TNA is or will be, weak and not productive, besides are you really trying to tell us that all of the WWE shows are THAT good? I've seen better NWA TV from FLA back in the 80's than I have lately from WWE, I'll take more as more,not more as less, throw it up against the wall and if it sticks---well Kev you know the rest. RIP Mr.Kiniski

I agree, Morgan turning on Red was predictable but you have to like that they are booking him as a strong heel. Red and the Guns really work well together. As somebody who loved Ric Flair in his NWA/WCW days more than his WWE stints, I wish he would not be so active in this angle. I wish he just channeled the understated James Dillon character back in Georgia on TBS.

I've always loved the Outsiders and remember when they Waltman was the "3rd Wheel". But this tag match the other night was horrible. I mean, it was just dissapointing! Hall was horrendous and was acting like a clown and he is much more capable of selling (remember the Stone Cold Stunner he took at Wrestlemania?). Nash was just laying there the whole time hoping he wouldn't tear a quad. Waltman was the only worker and he now carries the group. I don't know if its just Russo or what, but they should have let the Band do a little more offense. It makes them weak and innefective to get kicked around the way they did this past Monday and in the cage 2 weeks back.

Dixie needs to figure out a way to get the best out of Hall. His mic work is the best, but this past Monday was an embarrasment.

Kevin, what is the 'FTW 13' label under Taz's name when they put the graphic up showing his and Tenay's names?

RESPONSE FROM KE: Back in ECW, Taz created a title for himself that he called the FTW title, which stood for "F" the world title.I'm not sure of the significance of the 13, but it is something that Taz has used as a logo for years.

Also, this was years before "FTW" came to mean "for the win"--which you'll probably find as the definition if you google it. But yeah, there was a "F*** The World Title" in ECW, which was held by Taz and Sabu and finally by Taz again before being retired.

I don't know the significance of the 13 either, but it's got something to do with gangs I think. There's a line in the Offspring song "Pretty Fly For A White Guy"--which is about a guy trying to act gangsta--that goes like this:

"Now he's getting a tattoo yeah, he's getting ink done / He asks for a 13, but they drew a 31 "

"Sting turncoat angle? My guess is Russo and company wrote the turn with absolutely no clue where they would go with it."

Everybody who's saying this could very well be right, and it's surprising to me how bookers don't learn from the mistakes of the past. Their own mistakes, or other people's.

A famous example of them starting a story without knowing how it was going to end was the Black Scorpion in WCW. This storyline was Ole Anderson's baby. For those who are unfamiliar with it, a guy in a mask showed up calling himself the Black Scorpion. His voice was distorted and he was stalking and taunting Sting, claiming to be somebody from Sting's past who had returned to make his life miserable. This would go on for a while, but Ole Anderson had no idea who he was going to reveal as the Black Scorpion. He had been hoping that the Ultimate Warrior would sign with WCW so he could have the Scorpion be Hellwig, but when that fell through he wasn't sure what he'd do. In the end, the Scorpion turned out to be Flair, even though Ole didn't like Flair and had banished him to the midcard. But Ole had booked himself into a corner; they needed somebody who wrestling fans would be familiar with and who also had some kind of history with Sting in order for the angle to make any sense at all, and Flair was the only guy on the WCW roster who fit the bill. Flair only agreed to be the Scorpion in exchange for a world title run, which Ole was forced to agree to. And as I understand it, even after Flair was revealed as the Scorpion the angle still seemed stupid and nonsensical to most fans. And it got Ole fired, since his boss Jim Herd didn't like Flair either and was angry that Ole had agreed to give him the championship.

"so-bad-it’s-good"

So-terrible-it's awesome is my view of that 2003 classic! When i saw the promo commercial the first time for that, I didn't believe it, but there it was on Napster! I LMAO listening to that whole album. For another laugh check this link out http://catalog.ebay.com/Man-Randy-Savage-CD-Oct-2003-Big3-Records-/3530162?_fifpts=1&_pcatid=3&_refkw=randy+savage+be+a+man&_trksid=p3286.c0.m505

In the rise and fall of ecw dvd tazz said that the number 13 means bad luck. that made sense coming from a guy paint the old TV title red and renamed it the FTW championship

I know it's a goofy storyline, but I like the Morgan talking in plural 3rd person and turning on his tag partners. It's the only original thing TNA has done in quite some time. Every week he gets a new tag partner, wins, then jumps his partner. The writers need to come up with clever lines that show suspicion that he will attack his partner again and surprise that he did it.

Also, I think Morgan would be better in Flairs stable than Wolf.

I am getting tired of the band. They have yet to look good on tv. Nash is the only one that looks halfway decent and he's sucking royally right now.
I'm also getting tired of Team Hogan vs Team Flair. These 2 are getting too old for this crap and their teams aren't all that interesting.
I love that TNA actually gives the Knockouts time to accomplish things. I find the Beautiful People to actually be pretty interesting. I have a hard time thinking that about any WWE diva.

"As somebody who loved Ric Flair in his NWA/WCW days more than his WWE stints, I wish he would not be so active in this angle. I wish he just channeled the understated James Dillon character back in Georgia on TBS."--I actually agree with this. If Flair can control himself, and AJ quit his bad Naitch impression, I can see AJ, Robert Roode and Desmond Wolfe in a pretty tough stable, with Flair as a Dillon type.

I think Scott Hall should be used as an enhancement talent. I mean he is still better than half of WWE's roster, even though he is old and lacking these days. He would be great in color commentating position, but contrary to the rumors that he is taking TNA seriously as he is trying to lose weight, let the guy wrestle. Chubba needs to be released, but more than anything if Russo leaves only good thing would come to TNA.

I was wondering, doesn't Nash still have his feast or fired tag title shot briefcase? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember his cashing it in. Also, I don't think Samoa Joe has cashed in his world title shot, either.

I'm glad I finally decided to watch this show. I only wanted to see Kazarian vs. Moore since it was give ten minutes, but the show was very good in general. It was probably the best Impact overall this year.

Kazarian vs Moore, MCMG vs Morgan/Red, and Hardy vs Roode were all good matches. There's also a good web match featuring Homicide/Okada (recently signed wrestler) vs Generation Me. Event the main event angle was neat.

TNA should show more of their matches without commercial interruptions in the future.

I was wondering, doesn't Nash still have his feast or fired tag title shot briefcase? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember his cashing it in.
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i wrote this before the lockdown ppv and lo and behold, i was right