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Tonight, for the first time ever, I purchased a TNA Pay-Per-View event. Disillusioned by substandard Raws and the post-mortem rape of ECW, I was attracted by the strong card, especially Angle/Joe III. After 3 hours, however, I'm left asking myself, is this it?
To call this PPV disjointed would be kind. Starting with the Last Man Standing match (which was basically just a Texas Death match) made about as much sense as starting with the cage match at NYR and the screwjob ending set the tone for the rest of the night. I guess we'll see AJ/Rhino II next month now.
The X Division title match was definitely match of the night, but even it seemed to lack something. Jerry Lynn stole the show and maybe taught some of these younger wrestlers a little bit about how to wrestle a real match. I still like Daniels and Sabin, but this wasn't their best effort.
I've finally realized that I actually enjoy Kevin Nash as long as he doesn't ever try to wrestle. Great to see Bob Backlund again, and his confused ramblings were hilarious to say the least. His bit with Eric Young had me rolling. Sadly, this was the highlight of the evening for me.
The Alex Shelly/Austin Starr match seemed to drag on, and I really didn't need the overtime. And did we really need a Big Dick Johnson wannabe (although the name Big Fat Oily Guy did get a pop from me).
Storm vs. Williams...did I somehow pay for an episode of Impact?
Oh, and Gail Kim...bless you.
Then came a HUGE problem for me. All I ever hear is how there's too much talking in WWE and how TNA is all about the wrestling...then they bust out a 20 MINUTE PROMO ON A PPV! What the hell??? About the only worthwhile thing about it was B.G. James wishing Triple-H well in his recovery, a true touch of class in the midst of two classless angles.
I still had hope going into the final three matches but again my joy was thwarted by more ridiculous crap. LAX/Team 3D didn't come close to the hype and the ending was worse than anything Dusty could have dreamt up. Why wouldn't Brother Ray have just stopped Runt from jumping? He was sure up there long enough!
Then Angle/Joe III lays an egg as well! I don't know why these two just can't mesh in the ring together as they're certainly skilled enough to do so. Angle seems like he's forgotten how to sell and the finish made Joe look weak. Oh, and anyone else notice how much smaller Angle is these days?
The main event, though not perfect, finally got something right. Abyss' reign should never have been long term and Sting really doesn't need another title win. Christian is probably the most consistent performer in TNA today and constantly proves why he deserves to have the NWA belt. It's just unfortunate that they had to book him in such a weak win that he'll almost certainly be fodder for Kurt Angle at the next PPV.
After this experience, it will certainly be some time before I order another TNA event again. As a matter of fact, I have no idea when any company is going to make me want to order any PPV again. I won't be ordering the Rumble for the first time in years, and WrestleMania isn't looking much better. What's a wrestling fan to do these days?
The King Chivas
Franklin Square, NY
This PPV was much better than what WWE has been throwing at us lately. I know many people out there always swear off wrestling, but come back...I am not at that point with WWE, but I haven't watched RAW in 2 weeks (and missed nothing) so TNA was refreshing.
Nash was really funny tonight, him and Bob Backland really put forth some great promos....The PCS was worth the laughs and it gave characters something to do when not used.
It was nice to see Jerry Lynn back in action, Sabin winning really surprised me.
The matches tonight weren't really as strong as previous efforts, but I was still entertained.
Christy Hemme (she is incredibly gorgeous) really got crapped on by the audience, but I am glad there is going to be a women's division and she got her point across.
Joe vs Angle was a really Slow match, it was obvious Joe was hurting. I liked the main event, it was good to see Sting vs Christian in the final match....Sting still has it and Christian needs the belt now...however, Abyss's character seems to be fading with the poor booking.
Overall it was better than WWE's ppvs and I order them all.
Long live WCW,
Steve, NJ
I have been a loyal TNA fan since the beginning and have ordered the majority of their pay per view events. I have always been satisfied with their shows and thought most have been excellent, until this one. Some of the in ring work was good this time, but not nearly as much as there usually is. When you add to that the amount of ridiculous out of ring segments (Bob Backlund, VKM, Christie Hemme, etc.), it was more than I could take. As if that wasn’t enough, the booking for the finishes was atrocious in all matches and overshadowed what little bit of good action there was during some of the matches. I was willing to give Vince Russo a shot, even though he destroyed WCW, but he has proven all over again that he is out of touch with what the TNA fan base wants. I think the “We want wrestling†chant during the VKK-Christie Hemme garbage said it loud and clear. I’m tired of Russo trying to simply copy what WWE is doing. I want my wrestling back.
Chris Pate
Fairfield, CA
