TNA Bound for Glory thoughts
"They" are here. And Jeff Hardy is one of them.
“They” – the mysterious entity that Abyss has been referring to and taking orders from – finally were revealed at TNA’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view Sunday night.
As expected, Hulk Hogan (who miraculously was able to appear at the show despite supposedly being incapacitated after multiple back surgeries), Eric Bischoff and Jeff Jarrett are all part of “They.” The only question going into the show was which main-event-level guy was going to join them in the group.
I thought Mr. Anderson made the most sense from a business standpoint. Hardy – who was rumored to be the guy to do the turn, and if you were paying close attention to Impact there were several hints – made the least sense business-wise. So of course Hardy is the one that TNA decided to go with.
The big reveal occurred during the three-way main event for the vacant TNA world title between Hardy, Anderson and Kurt Angle. After a ref bump and with all three guys down, Bischoff came to the ring wielding a chair. Suddenly, Hogan’s music hit and he hobbled to the ring on crutches.
Hogan and Bischoff acted like they were going to go at it, but Hardy then got to his feet and stood between them. Hogan gave Hardy one of his crutches, and Hardy proceeded to whack both Angle and Anderson with it. Hardy then hit the Twist of Fate on Anderson to win the match and the title.
Hogan, Bischoff and Hardy were joined by Abyss and Jarrett in the ring to celebrate, as the fans pelted the ring with trash.
My reaction to the whole scene was more of a groan than a gasp.
While I’m sure Hogan, Bischoff and Vince Russo are convinced that they have re-created Hogan’s heel turn at WCW’s Bash at the Beach in 1996 – which took that company to unprecedented heights – it came off more to me like the Goldberg heel turn at WCW’s The Great American Bash in 2000 – which was ill-advised, poorly-received and quickly aborted.
Sure, turning Hardy – one of the best babyfaces in the business – is something different, but different doesn’t necessarily translate into good business. I think it’s unlikely that fans will accept Hardy as a heel, so why even go there? I’m also not convinced that Hardy can pull off playing a heel.
Beyond that, the whole “They” story line dragged out too long, and by the time we got to the payoff, everyone had figured out that “They” were Hogan, Bischoff and Jarrett, and that Sting had been right all along. All of the cryptic talk and insider stuff about things that had happened behind the scenes in WCW more than a decade ago has been more annoying than compelling.
Plus, an nWo-like heel faction attempting a hostile takeover of the company has been done to death by Bischoff and Russo over the years. Talk about a couple of one-trick ponies.
Overall, Bound for Glory, was a mixed bag. The matches were mostly good – and in the case of the tag team match between The Motor City Machine Guns and Generation Me – great, but in addition to the climax of the show falling flat, there were a few matches that didn’t do much for me, and the booking for the Lethal Lockdown match between EV 2.0 and Fortune was highly questionable.
Here is a match-by-match look at the show:
Jeff Hardy defeated Mr. Anderson and Kurt Angle to win the vacant TNA world title (18:40): Angle and Anderson had both talked about this potentially being the Match of the Year, and while it was really good, it fell short of that even before the over-booked, predictable finish. The match was laid out well and all three guys worked hard and demonstrated terrific timing. At the 8:50 mark, Angle had both Anderson and Hardy in ankle locks, but they broke free. About a minute later, Anderson hit an impressive Rolling Senton off the top on Angle for a near fall that was broken up by Hardy’s Swanton Bomb. At the 11:20 mark, Angle delivered an Angle Slam off the top onto Anderson, who was covered by Hardy for a two count. About a minute and a half later, Hardy spun out of Angle’s ankle lock, sending Angle right into the grasp of Anderson, who landed the Mic Check for the nearest of near falls. A couple minutes later, Anderson ducked Angle’s clothesline attempt, and Angle inadvertently took out the referee.
At that point, Bischoff came to the ring with a chair and Hogan followed moments later to set up the finish. It came off a bit silly that all three wrestlers had to sell like they were dead while Bischoff and Hogan took their sweet time pretending to argue. After the match, RVD came down to confront Hardy, who clobbered him with the title belt. Angle had vowed that he would retire if he didn’t win the title, but we all know that’s not happening. His out came be that he was double-crossed and also that it was Anderson who technically got beat.
Rob Van Dam defeated Abyss in a Monster’s Ball Match (12:58): This was a good hardcore match. RVD and Abyss took turns taking sick bumps onto a board that was wrapped in barbed wire. At one point, RVD was getting ready to come off the top rope, but Abyss tossed a chair from across the ring that smashed RVD in the head, and he went crashing through the barbed wire board outside the ring. RVD eventually got the win after hitting Abyss in the gut with the board of nails and then landing the Five Star Frog Splash. Abyss was spitting out blood after the match, selling internal injuries.
EV2 (Tommy Dreamer, Raven, Rhino, Stevie Richards and Sabu) defeated Fortune (A.J. Styles, Kazarian, Matt Morgan, Robert Roode and James Storm) (24:44): Team captains Mick Foley and Ric Flair started brawling on the floor before the match, and Flair almost immediately sliced his forehead open in an obvious manner. So Flair, who wasn’t even in the match, was bleeding before the opening bell. He also fought with Foley later during the match and again did a blatant blade job. “The Nature Boy” has some serious issues. As for the match itself, I thought it was entertaining for what it was. It was certainly not something that you’re going to see in WWE, as just about everyone was bleeding at some point. I didn’t care much for the finish, however.
While Kazarian and Richards were battling on the roof of the cage, Brian Kendrick – who had been hiding up there unbeknownst to everyone – suddenly popped out and prevented Kazarian from diving off a ladder onto Richards, who was lying on a table. So the babyfaces needed help from someone who wasn’t in the match. Back inside the cage, Dreamer hit a Dreamer Driver off the middle rope on Styles and pinned him for the victory. Dreamer beating Styles is a complete joke and it’s beyond me why TNA would book their franchise guy to job to a guy whose prime was more than a decade ago and was never even the biggest fish in a small pond. I also don’t see the benefit of having a group of in-their-prime studs such as Fortune losing to a bunch of former ECW guys. I suppose one could make the case that it made sense for EV 2.0 to win since it was a weapons match and that’s their specialty, but I still think the wrong team one.
I also couldn’t help thinking as I watched the match how badly TNA has dropped the ball with Morgan. At last year’s BFG, he had what should have been a career-making match against Angle in the second-biggest match on the show. Angle versus Morgan was billed as “Wrestling’s Best versus Wrestling’s Future.” Apparently, the future isn’t now. By the way, someone in TNA figured out that Fortune has more than four members, as the spelling has been changing from Fourtune.
“The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero, Kevin Nash and Sting defeated Samoa Joe and Jeff Jarrett in a handicap match (7:41): Joe started the match and did not attempt to tag Jarrett until just after the six-minute mark. Jarrett refused to tag him and walked to the back. Nash, Sting and Dinero tried to say “I told you so” to Joe, but an incensed Joe went after Nash. Joe was out-numbered, however, and Nash quickly finished him off with a Jackknife Powerbomb. And once again Joe is made to look like the most naïve babyface of all time.
TNA world tag team champions The Motor City Machine Guns defeated Generation Me (12:53): This was a fantastic opener that was hard-hitting and had a rapid pace. All four guys were flying all over the place, as there was one spectacular high spot and near fall after another. One spot that stood out saw Jeremy Buck hit a 450 Splash onto Chris Sabin, who was hanging across the middle rope. Another one was Sabin running across the ring and jumping up to the top rope to deliver a Release German Suplex on Max Buck. Sabin and Alex Shelley got the win after hitting their Skull and Bones finisher on Jeremy.
TNA X Division champion Jay Lethal defeated Douglas Williams (8:16): Lethal picked up the victory after turning Williams’ top rope huracanrana into a sunset flip in a solid match. After it was over, The Shore hit the ring, and Robbie E. laid out Lethal. Once again, a promo by The Shore was greeted with a “boring” chant. What’s the over/under on when the TNA creative team realizes this isn’t going to get over?
Tara defeated TNA Knockouts champion Angelina Love, Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky to win the title (5:54): Mickie James was the special referee, which was about the only thing that was special about this match. The finish saw Sky go for a roll-up on Tara – knocking Rayne off the apron in the process – but Tara rolled through and grabbed the tights for the win. It wasn’t executed smoothly and Tara barely had any of Sky’s tights. Rayne was upset at Tara after the match and she also wasn’t happy with James. Rayne slapped James, who responded by KO’ing her.
Ink Inc. defeated Orlando Jordan and Eric Young (6:37): I had zero interest in this match, but the crowd certainly seemed entertained by Young, so it served its purpose. The gimmick is that Young is so goofy that he spends half the match battling his own partner. Ink Inc. got the win after hitting a combination top rope neckbreaker/Samoan Drop on Jordan.
Team 3D’s announcement: Brother Ray had promised on Impact that this announcement would “change tag team wrestling” forever. It ended up being Team 3D saying that they had nothing left to accomplish and were going to retire. Yeah, and Angle’s also retiring and Abyss is fired. Before Brother Ray and Brother Devon hang up the tights, however, they said they want one last match for the TNA world tag team title against The Motor City Machine Guns.
Comments
TNA basically lays out the premise that outsiders are coming in, and in the end they were already there. Big let down. Since Bischoff and Hogan don't wrestle (although Hogan may on occassion) the next question is who will be joining them. My guess is 3D and Anderson.
TNA needs Heyman in the worst way.
I agree about Fourtune. If they are supposed to be a big-time heel group, they need to quit jobbing on a regular basis; especially against EV2.0.
Posted by: Flair | October 11, 2010 2:27 PM
I assume you don't know who she is ... but Jersey Shore's JWowww is going to be on Impact this week.
Vinny (another Jersey Shore-er) described her chest as "defying physics"
Enjoy
Posted by: Shore Nuff | October 11, 2010 2:32 PM
I wanted to order "Bound for Glory," and to completely buy into the 10-10-10 hype that TNA has spent weeks building up. I really did. I am a wrestling fan and I genuinely want to see a big, impressive angle like they promised.
But I didn't order the show because experience has taught me that I can't trust TNA to deliver on their hype. And it seems, from reading reports about BFG, that TNA has fallen short once again. That sucks and is sad.
The reason fans got so excited about TNA ten months ago...it isn't because we love Hulk Hogan. It was because we love wrestling, and it would be really cool to have a second successful wrestling promotion. We want more original, different programming. And when TNA advertised that it was "reinventing" itself in January, we were excited to watch that new, original, different content.
Personally, I am done waiting. I am giving up on TNA. I won't be watching anymore. Let me know when Russo steps aside, or when at least half the once-WWE performers are fired. Until then, TNA has disappointed me for the last time. Good luck to Styles and Morgan and the guys who deserve better.
Posted by: Stephen | October 11, 2010 2:45 PM
PWI 500 ranked A.J. #1 in rankings, and he loses to Dreamer?!
And another PPV main event with no TNA original's fighting for the championship belt?
Jim Cornette said last year that stuff like this would happen when Hogan and Eric started running TNA.
Posted by: William | October 11, 2010 2:47 PM
It is just me or my local PPV provider give me Bash at the Beach instead of Bound For Glory which I ordered?
Posted by: AIRA | October 11, 2010 2:56 PM
I really want TNA to succeed. I really do.
However, they keep pushing all the wrong buttons.
Last night, however, they pushed the worst one possible, as they put their #1 title on a man facing felony drug charges.
That makes back-to-back champions with notable drug histories.
Have fun with that, TNA, when your World Heavyweight Champion is in court about charges you knew about before you signed him!
Posted by: Mike Schaffer | October 11, 2010 3:21 PM
When I read that "They" were Hogan, Bischoff, Abyss, Hardy, and Jarrett, I rolled my eyes and thought, here we go again. But then I began thinking of how they could put an interesting spin on this. Hopefully, they will not botch this up. I would be more inclined to go along with this angle if Hogan and company come out Thursday and say something to the effect of they were brought into this company to help build it but they are in fact out to destroy it. Dixie Carter is out of her league as an owner of a wrestling company (which would be true) and they are here to topple it and force her to sell it to them...or she's already signed it over to them (Abyss's contract from this past Thursday).
And then say that the crap they've been producing from January was to destroy the company and put the young guys down. Cue Russo to back it up by saying nothing has been his idea and that Bischoff and Hogan have shot down everything he's done.
This would be a slightly different angle to this that could be more interesting than the direction I'm sure they'll go in and create another NWO. Please TNA...we are begging for something new and different! A viable TNA competing with WWE would bring back wrestling fans that have since been lost due to stale storylines and formulaic booking. I'm just afraid that in reality, Hogan and Bischoff can't bring themselves to get themselves out of the way and let TNA grow. Once again, they are the center of the primary angle...this time, it's TNA and not WCW. When you build a company around a one-shot story and not develop any other characters, the company will eventually crumble when those characters leave or the story dies out.
Posted by: Nathan | October 11, 2010 3:33 PM
ANOTHER recycled plot line...and poorly telegraphed.
Leave it to TNA to prove that they're not even a second-rate promotion.
Posted by: Pete | October 11, 2010 3:34 PM
I give TNA less than 6 months before it folds .. I cant wait to hear or read - not see I will NOT watch TNA ever again but will wait to read on your blog what crappy name they come up with for this newest version of the NWO .. I am a huge Kevin Nash fan but I just cant follow his wishes to continue to support TNA if they are going to shove this Russo/Bischoff crap down our throats yet again ..
The other issue with TNA is they cant put on a live TV show that is worth anything .. they have to do 3-4 weeks worth of TV taping and by that time the spoilers are already out so why watch something that you know is already going to happen .. the only thing I would have turned in to watch even after reading the spoilers is the Flar/Foley segment from last week ..
wonder if Dixie is begging Daddy please just give us one more chance Vince and Eric and Hulk promise this time it will work ..
RIP TNA - your ratings will never get above a 1.1 ever again
Posted by: Brian | October 11, 2010 3:46 PM
Well, that's the last time I get hoodwinked into buying a PPV. "They" just lost a fan.
Posted by: Major Mel Funkshun | October 11, 2010 3:52 PM
Hardy turning heel to align with "Them" just doesn't make any sense. He is and has always been a fan favorite and it comes off like turning him like this is just doing it for the sake of doing it.
I don't know, maybe he wanted to try being a major heel once in his career, and if this gave him the opportunity to do it then so be it, but it still comes off like "Um, okay" than anything else.
Anderson or Angle would have both fit much better - Anderson's a great heel and Angle's proven numerous times he can be an extremely effective heel as well, and it probably would have even fit in with him trying to "win it for Hogan" or whatever. But, here we are.
Posted by: James V. | October 11, 2010 4:06 PM
Sounds like a new DVD to come out The Rise and Fall of TNA its a good thing we WWE classics on demand so we can relive the glory days of wrestling todays wrestling is a joke .
Posted by: ryan | October 11, 2010 4:09 PM
I have to say it was one of the worst pay per views I have seen in years. All the hype and buildup led to something that most fans already knew. Besides the MCMG/ Gen me match, most of the matches were very predictable and bad. The new Jersey Shore wanna be guy jumping Jay Lethal was one of the lowest points next to the Hogan heel turn. But as I have mentioned before, TNA's days are numbered now because Hogan and Russo have completely screwed it up.
Posted by: Peter | October 11, 2010 4:31 PM
Question:
So I'm thinking about this cluster F of a PPV and their "swerve" and it reminded me of something. At a house show, the matches technically don't count (unless it's the obligatory 10 year IC Title change to prove anything can happen). Orton can wrestle Wade Barrett for 2 months on the road, but their "first singles match ever" is when it's on PPV after the kinks are worked out.
My question becomes, can they just scrap this whole thing and fix all the errors at once on Thursday? Treat this thing as a giant dark match that never happened based on the premise that no one really saw it anyway.
Hell, I'd settle for Impact starting with the BFG recap when all of the sudden wavy lines start coming across the screen and they do a Scooby Doo ending to reveal that a strong tweener Samoa Joe has apparently been Heavyweight Champ for the last 8 months straight. There were no ECW reunions, the only blades Ric Flair uses are to shave, storyline Hulk Hogan didn't survive his surgeries, turns out Bischoff really was crushed to death in the Raw garbage truck, RVD and AJ Styles have just been tearing the house down in one of the best feuds of all time, the X Division was still relevant, and Matt Morgan actially was the dominant heel Sheamus only dreams about.
Posted by: James C | October 11, 2010 4:48 PM
I think I'd have been fine with the Hardy turn, had it not been a screw-job end to the main event of TNA's "big" PPV. Also I can't wait to see if we get an actual explanation or a callback to Joe joining the MEM with some "if you're too dumb to get it, we don't care" promo. I also think I don't want an explanation because I don't want to hear what convoluted logic Russo came up with for why Hogan & Bischoff came to TNA last January with an elaborate plot to crown Jeff Hardy TNA champion in October, did Jeff have a rash that would have made wearing a belt too uncomfortable any earlier than October? Why did Sting violently confront Dixie Carter for bringing in Hogan? Did Hogan and Bischoff leave him taunting voice-mails about their plan to award Jeff Hardy the title in 8 months and told him no one would believe him?
No, me thinks Russo is absolutely sure he has finally come up with the faction angle that will justify him ever having had a job in this business. "I know this has failed the first 30 times I've tried it, but I think I've finally come up with the next nWo!"
Honestly the second I saw Jarrett walk away from Joe I prepared myself for "they" to suck hardcore. All that was missing was Scott Steiner to complete the Triad of Fail that doomed WCW. Jarrett & Russo shouldn't be allowed within 15 feet of a creative meeting.
Posted by: MechanicalBull | October 11, 2010 4:52 PM
The ending to me was a mixed bag. I don't think 'they' quite lived up, it was hyped too much and for way too long for it too be basically the same guys we see all along. And I 100% agree the build up was tiring and annoying a lot of the time and it's not over as we will still probably see major backlash when Dixie finds out they want to steal the company from her. Looking back it makes some sense that Abyss was always with Hogan as he was his boy, and he was used to get inside Dixie's head but at the same time with all the weird build up I don't buy that this was always the plan.
Then we have Jeff Hardy and here is where I strongly disagree, he's the perfect guy for this and really the only guy that makes this even remotely work, had it been Mr Anderson it would of been like 'who gives a crap' it had to be the guy, the babyface, the most popular guy who would make this heel turn come off as almost tragic, it's the only way this kinda twist has any shock factor.
From a business perspective it's the best possible move because Jeff Hardy is a huge star who really had fallen into the mix at TNA and really wasn't making the impact he should of been. To me he was boring, the same old colorful high flying hero we had seen for years and years, we had seen it all already. Now for better or worse this move puts Jeff Hardy in the spotlight, it puts him on the map for TNA in a major way and I'm totally intrigued by a different side of Jeff Hardy and I think other people are also, yes it's all too similar to Hogan's heel turn maybe too similar.
As far as Hogan and Bischoff they had become irrelevant in TNA and most critics saw them as heels who were ruining TNA anyway, so before they go and declare this experiment a failure I think they had to give this storyline a try, this is the role they are their best at if you ask me. This is all a mixed bag, there's some intrigue and some upside but there's also a major feeling of been there done that. This alone doesn't make or break TNA it's gonna depend on how it's executed going forward and how good Hardy is at heel or at any kind of promo for that matter, I have my doubts as well. But I'm not totally mad at TNA this is a lot better than Angle winning the title, that's for sure. But they have to find a way to make this different from the NWO, right now they are running a dangerous line of coming off as total copycats.
As far as the rest of the show, well JANIS WAS FINALLY USED!!!! Abyss took it to the gut. I thought you said it would never happen! Janis would never actually be used, well you were wrong again. What do you say about that?
Man the EV2 and Fourtune crap nearly put everyone to sleep, what a long boring match, it amost ruined the entire pay per view for me. Who cares about this crap.
TNA has completely dropped the ball on the Knockouts.
Posted by: Lorenzo | October 11, 2010 5:01 PM
Kevin,
I was going to watch the PPV last night but due to technical difficulties was not able. Then I saw the show was $49.99 for an HD broadcast. Since when does TNA think they are the WWE?
While I really like the wrestlers they have bought into the company in the last year, the booking with the trio of Vince Russo, Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff is terrible.
Dixie Carter needs to find some new blood in the booking department. TNA could be challenging WWE if Dixie could find some solid bookers who prefer to remain BEHIND the scenes.
Thanks for this blog. It's always entertaining.
Posted by: Dave in Glen Burnie | October 11, 2010 5:01 PM
Ugh. Jeff Hardy as a heel. Just.. ugh. He's about the last person in all of wrestling that I want to see as a heel. Hopefully it don't last long, and TNA can book a swerve for this swerve.. wouldn't be the first time they swerved a swerve lol.
Hey Eck you think those were plants in the crowd that started throwing stuff in the ring?
Posted by: cowboysmb3dw28 | October 11, 2010 5:35 PM
I preface what I'm about to say with the fact that I did not order/see BFG last night. Why would I? I was interested in seeing 1 1/2 matches (MCMG vs. GenMe; only slightly interested in the Fortune/EV2.0 match). A Tag Team match and clusterf**k cage match where everybody bleeds (including a more ridiculous by the day Ric Flair) are not enough to sell a PPV, certainly not TNA's "marquee" event. That main event screwjob finish was seen coming 40 miles away by everybody (only which of the 3 would turn heel) and TNA has yet again delivered a terrible PPV main event ending.
**BTW, when did Bound For Glory become their "Wrestlemania" as I was told for the past month. I'm not the most harcore TNA fan, but I always thought that was Slammiversary. When did that change and why? Just a question.
TNA's biggest problem is trusting Vince Russo to lead them to some sort of wrestling mainstream success "promised land." I know that's not earth-shattering, but yet again poor booking of a promising main event, as well as ridiculously poor booking decisions down the card (the old, crippled and outgoing Kevin Nash gets a clean win over Samoa Joe?? Tommy Dreamer clean over AJ? ugh...). Russo gets some (SOME) credit for the success of the WWF's Attitude era (the beginning at least). But Vince ultimately gets final say over every part of his company and it shouldn't have shocked anyone when Russo was the lead guy, it didn't work. I guess Dixie Carter either loved the old WCW or never saw it or doesn't care.
So now we have a rehash of the NWO. And a rehash of the 4 (now apparently 5) Horseman. And ECW. Instead of just forging their own identity (which they were starting to do a few years ago) and doing new things the TNA way, they are going down a path (the Russo path) that KILLED WCW. The irony of all irony is that it is now WWE and Vince who are building up young talent and trying to do things differently than they have in the past. While I don't like the PG era Vince has now, there's no arguing they are pushing more and different guys (ignoring the ridiculous Kane/'Taker angle). TNA should and could be doing the same. They've got talent, just no direction. Sad.
Posted by: Jeremy W | October 11, 2010 5:43 PM
I think Edge should target TNA creatives in his crusade against stupidity... You may say that's too much for one man...
Posted by: Tombstone | October 11, 2010 6:03 PM
I didnt see the show, so i wont be negative, This is just my thought.
The reason the Hogan/NWO heel turned worked so great in 96 was Hogan was starting to wane in popularity, the timing was perfect, he was already getting " mixed" reactions, Just like if Cena turned heel now, its would be " box office" to quote Bill Watts.
However, jeff Heady heel turn is reminding me of Stone Cold, or even the Undertaker heel turns where the crowd didnt care, kept cheering them and eventually they just reverted back anyway, i dont know how Hardy will play the heel he has never done it, minus briefly back in like 1998, even then he was cheered, Good luck with this one TNA, shock value wears off, remember that Russo
Posted by: Henry | October 11, 2010 7:07 PM
i predicted yet another spoiler by the wannabe WCW or shoiuld i say in the vein of "WWECW" "TNACW" and i was right yet again they are attempting to make TNA the new WCW but here's where that idea will fall on it;s face EVERYBODY who helped make that happen are OLD and EXTREMELY WASHED UP. why can't TNA come up with an original idea? everything and i do mean EVERYTHING they came up with the past 4 years has been something already done by either WCW, WWE, or ECW.. 1 innovative concept by TNA which is the X-Division-type matches THATS IT, and their not even utilizing them anymore just too p***y to put money behind their ONLY interesting aspect in favor of the WWE WCW, ECW has-beens who are just shadows of their former selves trying desperately to clinch to their fading spotlight ie hogan,flair,sting, nash,jerrett, EV. 2BORING,rvd,hardy,angle ect they just can't fall back and let the youngsters have some spotlight. well i guess i knew all along that TNA will never ever be in WWE's league, but i was naive to think that it was possible. Will WWE every have competition in the States? it;s obvious TNA will continue to follow everything WWE does while snatching up stars they drop to have them in some form mocking WWE. i predict Haas, Benjamin and Carlito coming to TNA soon. TNA Official SUX
Posted by: TNA The WANNABE WCW, PATHETIC | October 11, 2010 9:08 PM
I don't too many people are excited to see Team 3D as singles wrestlers.
Posted by: Jack Windham | October 11, 2010 9:30 PM
"Once again, a promo by The Shore was greeted with a “boring” chant. What’s the over/under on when the TNA creative team realizes this isn’t going to get over?"
Kev, they turned Hardy istead of Anderson and you think that Creative will realize that The Shore won't get over? I'm waiting to see when Russo become TNA Champion. They will think that will be the move to save the company. These guys are WCW wantabees. Goodby TNA. How long until Vince buys this mess?
Posted by: The Nature Boy | October 11, 2010 10:18 PM
What do you expect the buyrate to be at a 44.99 price?
Posted by: Lawrence W | October 11, 2010 10:30 PM
I would give ppv 2 1/2 out of 4 stars a lot of good matches the opening match was the best lethal lockdown was too long and dreamer over kazarian would have been better as far as the swerve it was unnecessary. i think that man for man TNA has better talent then wwe but i think tna should focus more on "rasslin" storyline than wwe entertainmet if they keep base happy others will come
Posted by: Dante Miles | October 12, 2010 12:37 AM
Seems like "Fourtune" would be a marketable t-shirt, since the "best wrestler in company history" is a member.....
BUT HE'S A JOBBER to guys retiring soon...
I guess that sounds right to Russo. Makes perfect sense for Nash to pin Joe in Nash's final match. PATHETIC.
It was a shame watching a BFG and realizing how buried the X-Division has become.
Whoever decided this with Matt Morgan is genius, deserves a raise...
A heel stable of Hogan(go away heat, Bischoff(go away heat), Jarrett(when he avoided Angle, TNA was better off), Abyss(shoved down our face heat), and Jeff Hardy (Can he play heel, and people will probably still like him anyway). Sounds like a brilliant idea! Why involve Matt Morgan in a Main Event spot when you can use legendary hip wrestlers such as Hollywood and Easy-E?
The industry needs someone new to offer ideas who respects the art of wrestling. This is absurd, both of them. While both stupify your brain in storytelling, TNA usually delivers better action. But the creativity is going backwards instead of forward.
Thank you MCMG/GEN ME. 13 minutes of "good stuff" before 2 hours 40 minutes of wasted cash. I try TNA, but you don't want to do better, I'm convinced.
Posted by: al | October 12, 2010 2:15 AM
I haven't watched TNA in months, but was interested enough in what I've read and the fact that this is their "Big One" to watch the PPV. First of all, I was blown away by the Guns' match and was upset with myself for not watching more of TNA. That match was incredible.
Then I watched the rest of the card and remembered why I don't watch. With the exception of the Abyss/RVD match, it was one disappointment after another. The Lethal Lockdown match was just plain awful. 10 guys in a ring at one time just doesn't work, I don't care how many kendo sticks they have. You can't really tell a story in the ring with that many performers and being confined to the ring doesn't allow for any big spots. The fact that guys like AJ, Morgan, and Beer Money were all stuck in that match is so sad. This is supposed to be a huge event and they're all stuck in this one match unable to really showcase their stuff.
Finally, the finish to the main event was an absolute disaster. First of all, the wrestlers all hit numerous finishers with countless near falls and the action kept going. It was great. Then all of a sudden they're going to be incapacitated by a couple of "go to commercial" spots for a good 5 minutes to let Bischoff waltz to the ring with a chair and then Hogan could hobble on down? Give me a break. The whole show was stopped so that the spotlight could be on Bischoff and Hogan. It's insane. How can you have your main event end with such a horrible finish? I gotta imagine all the heat they got at the end was sheer disgust at the way this all played out and not that Hardy turned.
Oh, and one more thing, I loved the ignorance of the production crew. Whenever the broadcast team talked about 10-10-10 they showed a set of signs in the crowd that read "TEN TEN TEN" with the "N" being the yellow and black Nexus symbol.
Posted by: Bill H | October 12, 2010 4:20 AM
Just wondering what you would have done for BFG Kevin. I have been reading your blog forever so no disrespect meant. I watched the show with my 14 year old son and some moments I didnt care for but I judged it by the fact that he loved it. He was so convinced Kurt Angle had set it all up to get the belt from the beginning. I dont know maybe we all look at it from a harsh stance instead of just enjoying it and have fun with it. I would have probably written some of it different, but it is better than most of I have seen in say 8 or 9 years since wwe destroyed the competition so they didnt have to care anymore
Posted by: king parsons | October 12, 2010 8:30 AM
Even though everyone predicted it, the info for this weeks TNA also spoiled who "They" were. It says something along the lines of: Hogan and Bischoff fight to control TNA...
Posted by: Deetz | October 12, 2010 9:41 AM
My two cents: that was terrible. If I were employed by TNA in any capacity right now, I would be ashamed to be associated with this product.
Posted by: Rob Brown | October 12, 2010 1:02 PM
when will TNA realize The Shore can't get over? Apparently not soon enough as J-Woww was supposed to be at the taping last night. BTW it seems like the reveal of "They" was about as well done as the reveal of the Gobbledy Gooker at Survivor Series.
Posted by: clint | October 12, 2010 3:28 PM
TNA's success was with the 6 sided ring, the X division, the high flyers and the basic storylines.
Trying to become a big complicated company with big complicated storylines has done nothing but ruin what should be a fun alternative wrestling product.
It's really sad.
Posted by: Bob D | October 12, 2010 9:44 PM
Hogan and Easy Eric may better serve TNA now as heels since many look at them negatively now these days anyway for coming in and failing to deliver on any of the hype that accompanied them, perhaps even setting things backwards by bringing in useless cronies.
The funny thing about pro wrestling is that it is perhaps the only profession where you can totally screw up and then benefit from it by "turning heel".
Posted by: AMC | October 13, 2010 3:56 PM
Even though the outcomes of some of the matches were bad, you have to admit most of the matches were pretty good. MCMG-Generation Me definitely stole the show, Ink Inc.-OJ/EY was obviously the worst one, but c'mon, did anyone think it would be any more than it was? Hopefully, Young stays as a face and Jordan leaves TNA and pro wrestling forever. The Knockouts title match wasn't that bad, but after reading this week's spoilers for Impact, I'm starting to wonder if Russo is competing with WWE to see who can have a worse women's division. The handicap match was ok, but it was really only a part of the whole "they" storyline. I wouldn't be surprised if Joe asked to get pinned by Nash, knowing it was his last match. I know Joe has a lot of respect for Nash and is probably going to look back, remembering he was the last guy to fight Kevin Nash. I loved the X-Division match, but I could do without what happened after. Line of the night: Robbie D says "I'm bringing this title back to Jersey where it belongs" then Taz says "I thought it already was in Jersey." This gimmick might be as bad of a gimmick as 3 Count, probably worse. Maybe they can end up getting real heat, not boring chants. Is Rob Eckos a good wrestler? If so, maybe he can put on some good matches with Lethal. The RVD-Abyss was what I expected it to be, a very good harcore match. Those barbed-wire board moves really looked like they hurt. I wish Fortune would have went over in the Lethal Lockdown, but I enjoyed the match itself. The EV2 guys showed they can still wrestle hardcore, and I was impressed with Richards and Raven, the latter having only wrestled one other match this whole year. The triple threat match at the end wasn't an awesome match, but it wasn't terrible either. Can't wait to see tomorrow's Impact!
Posted by: paul | October 13, 2010 3:58 PM
And the NEW ERA begins Deja Kevin Nash style.
Posted by: bobby | October 14, 2010 9:54 PM
Interesting note on the PPV: every wrestler from Michigan went over in their matches. RVD, Rhino, Motor City Machine Guns, and Kevin Nash all won their matches. Also, TNA just got worse with the storylines. With Nash and Sting gone and Anderson injured, the only top faces are Joe, Pope, RVD, and maybe Lethal. The odds are against these guys with practically everyone else on the roster as heels. I'm not sure if I would call Young a face yet, and Ink Inc. aren't exactly top faces. Don't get me started about Rob Terry.
RESPONSE FROM KE: Tommy Dreamer and EV2 will save the day!
Posted by: paul | October 16, 2010 12:16 AM