The 3-Count Review: TNA Impact Wrestling 21/06/12

               

# 1

 

So Austin Aries gets a World Heavyweight Championship (WHC) match with Bobby Roode at Destination X? Personally, i am VERY excited about this match and i hope these two have at least 2-3 bouts over the strap. Both guys are qualified and highly entertaining and my hope is that when they get into the ring, there is instant chemistry. Time will obviously tell on that one. But the good thing in this situation is that Aries/Roode is a FRESH main event: something we haven't seen before. That, combined with the skill of both guys makes Destination X a worth wild purchase if one is setting on the fence about it.

Ever since Aries arrived in TNA, i have been waiting for him to start competing on the main event stage. If you have only seen this man on TNA, you NEED to see his matches against guys like Samoa Joe in Ring of Honor . THEN you will understand why Joe and Aries' match at Slamiversary was so damn GOOD and why Aries is "the greatest man who ever lived." What's even better in this situation is that Aries is getting a WHC program that involves just himself and Roode fighting over the belt. No 3rd/4th party to water down the focus on Aries. No overwhelming drama involving Soap Opera themes. Just Aries, Roode, the WHC, and story about a man trying to prove to everyone that he deserves his spot at the top of TNA. Simple, effective and GREAT!

Although, i'm not too sure about Aries reasoning for vacating the championship. So...the X-title holder gets a chance to vacate the title in order to get a WHC match...but ONLY at Destination X next year?? I'm confused. How does that ensure that Aries leaves a "legacy" on the championship belt? Its not like the X title automatically grants the title holder a shot at the championship when ever he wants. I think this decision promotes the title as not prestigious in its own. Instead, it becomes a strap that you only have to hold around Destination X, so u can vacate it for a WHC. The fact that a hardcore fan like myself is thinking about to this degree means that the stipulation is too complicated. Unfortunately, this is something that TNA is known for.

In the meantime, Aries is getting a title shot and that is a good thing!

#2

This was the first Open Fight Night i've watched that actually made sense of it's concept...and i have the Bound For Glory Series (BFGS) to thank for it.

On this show, all matches (except for Gut Check and the Knockouts Championship) were determined by 1 guy coming out and challenging another for a match. By the rules of Open Fight Night, they had to accept. GREAT! The reasoning behind each choice was logical and generally well delivered. Robbie E was his geek/arrogant self and did an "open challenge" where Angle accepted and killed him. Magnus wanted AJ because he thought he was disgusting in regards to his "affair" with Dixie and thought he was distracted because of it. But the stand out this week was Samoa Joe. This guy was pissed off about Storm eliminating him last week in that gauntlet match and he wanted to make him tap out....GOLD! Joe's intensity made it hard for me to not be immediately drawn to this contest. Joe followed this promo with a logical wrestling match (which was the match of the night) that focused on hard strikes (that emphasized his pissed off attitude towards last week's loss) AND continual application of submissions (showing that Joe realized he was down 20pts and needed that 10 submission victory).

Although these matches were short, i didn't mind one bit. I think the 10-minute time limit for BFGS matches makes the action succinct and conveys the "unpredictable/urgent nature" of the contest. That is, what will each wrestler do to get the most points? will he go for a quick count out? will he need to get a submission due to the fact he is behind X amount of points? All in all, thumbs up for the BFGS this week!!!

#3

This was the week where "the big secret" involving AJ and Dixie was to be revealed. But unfortunately, after all the weeks of build up,  i don't think the pay off was as hot as it should of been.

On the plus side, TNA did a very good job building to the main event angle all show . The video package/segments were almost WWE-like quality in the story they told. If i was a casual fan I'm sure that i would of got the jist of the stoy and understood it immediately. This is a distant cry from the video packages of TNA's past where video packages went for 10 mins and you had NO IDEA what was going on by the end of them. Hell, they have done a tremendous job nearly every week concerning this storyline and TNA should be commended for this.

However, the pay off, as stated before, was weak and ineffective. It made sense, but i wasn't drawn to it the way i should of been. Firstly, the actor they had for the role of the 'victim' was TERRIBLE. There was no way i could believe this woman was addicted to alcohol and pills. She was so fake in her delivery that i was laughing at how bad it was. If i'm laughing, you can be sure that the casual fan base is laughing as well which is BAD! Main event storylines (or any stroylines) need to maintain your disbelief throughout, not encourage you to return to reality and judge the product. Secondly, where does this storyline go from here? Is that it? considering we have a Tag title match involving AJ, Daniels and Kaz, it seems as if it will continue. But i have no idea what there is to fight for now. Does AJ want to beat Daniels and Kaz up more for getting their facts wrong? If that's the case, it didn't help that AJ beat up Daniels and Kaz single handily after the secret was revealed. I just saw AJ easily destroy the former tag champs on his own. Ive seen justice being served. I don't need to see it again and i have less desire to see the Tag title match next week. 

For a second here, it seemed as though  TNA went back to its roots in this storyline continuation. But the last few weeks have instilled a new faith in the TNA product. So i will be a good wrestling fan and "wait and see" what happens.

Match Results:

Match No 1:

 Mr. Anderson

def

Daniels via pinfall for 7 BFGS pts

Rating: **

Comments:

This was the first of many solid to great wrestling matches on the show. Furthermore, the Open Fight Night element saw the show become wrestling heavy which is never a bad thing! With 9 matches on the show, maybe there was TOO much wrestling, but that's up for argument.

Anderson was a man renewed in this one. As most know, I think Anderson is man past his prime. He may have a lot of things he is dealing with backstage, but i can only judge what i see on TV. On the plus side, however, he provided a MUCH BETTER outing than last week. It may have been due to the fact that he was wrestling Daniels, one of the best grapplers of the 21st century. The match had a good pace to it, maybe attributed to the time limit and had a few interesting spots (such as Anderson's roll up on Daniels as he attempted the "Best Moonsault Ever"). A really fun match to start the show.

Match No. 2:

Kurt Angle

def

Robbie E via submission for 10 BFGS pts

Rating: SQUASH

Comments:

Not much to write about here. Both guys were acceptable in their role and Angle is a machine, even in a squash match with a jobber. I guess matches like this make me wish someone like Kaz was in the BFGS, but he is not and what we got here was predictable, but logical.

Match No. 3:

Magnus

def

AJ Styles via pinfall for 7 BFGS pts

Rating: ** 1/4

Comments:

Even though Magnus delivered a very average promo pre-match, the contest between himself and AJ was another solid wrestling battle. I like the look of Magnus and thinks he has 'it'. But as stated before, the promo did nothing to me which is odd as he has delivered many better promos than this (his UK promo is one of them). AJ was tremendous as usual but the match wasn't a spot fest involving the Phenomenal One. It actually highlighted Magnus a great deal, which is CRUCIAL in the BFGS. Guys such as Magnus, who have just come off a tag title run for example, need that extra push/rub from the established stars so they can be seen as credible in the eyes of fans. In winning, Magnus got some great, innovated offense in (that Fall-away slam into a Verticle Suplex was outstanding!) and sold AJ's offense just as good. Thumbs up all round here! 

Match No. 4 (Gut Check Challenge):

Tara

def

Taeler Hendrix via pinfall

Rating: - *

Comments:  

Matches such as this one make me think that TNA purposely go out on the indy circuit and look for the most green wrestlers out there. This was HORRIBLE! Even with Tara, a multi-year pro, in there.Where do i start? Her selling was atrocious. I felt as though she was avoiding running the ropes because she didn't know how. She performed the WORST gut-rench take down in North American professional wrestling history.  AND he facials were non-existent. If TNA expect fans to get behind her because in real life she battled cancer, you are DEAD WRONG. I don't want to see TNA hire a 'wrestler' like this woman because she defied the odds in real life. As great as that is, it is meaningless in the ring. I want to see TNA hire a new wrestler because he/she is capable in that ring, can deliver captivating promos and have an aura about them that is unique and identifiable. Unfortunately, this woman had NONE of these qualities. TNA, PLEASE give me some real wrestlers to judge, not a female wannabes. 

Match No. 5:

James Storm

def

Samoa Joe via pinfall for 7 BFGS pts

*Match of the Night*

Rating: **3/4

Comments:

What a great 8-10 mins of wrestling! If someone was to ask me to show them, using 1 segment of television, what wrestling was all about, i would be hard pressed to find another example such as this.

Storm is looking more and more like a star every week. His weight loss might have something to do with it but tonight, his entrance definitely had a 'superstar' feel to it. He sold well in regards to Joe's aggressive offense and Joe absolutely came off better than he entered. I especially liked how Joe kept trying for his reverse naked choke so that he could secure 10 valuable points. The finish came out of nowhere, but  this was fine as it added a Shawn Michael's "can happen at any time" aura to Storm's Last Call. However, I would like to see Storm establish another finishing move in this series. All the greats (Rock, Undertaker, Angle, Jericho etc) have more than one method of putting people away. The more moments a wrestler has in establishing possible finishes , there will exist more ways of building drama and anticipation in their matches. Bobby Roode developed the Crossface last year, and Storm shld work establishing something similar.

Match No. 7:

 

The Pope

def

Bully Ray via pinfall for 7 BFGS pts

Rating: *1/2

Comments: 

I found it hard to draw myself to this match. I used to be a big fan of The Pope when he was in WWE but ever since coming to TNA, i find hard to engage in anything he does. The exception was the Devon storyline in 2011, but that was VERY brief. Bully Ray's promo pre-match was good and logical as always, the in-ring work was just there and the finish was predictable having Abyss come out and distract Bully. I am getting to the point now where i need more to get into the Abyss/Bully storyline. Maybe another twist. Also, i wouldn't mind seeing Bully get a win under his belt. Isn't this amazing wrestler meant to be one of TNA's best heels? If so, lets have him be able to back his credibility!

Match No. 8:

    

TNA Knockouts Championship:

TNA Knockouts Champion Miss Tessmacher

def

Mickie James via pinfall to retain the Championship

Rating: **

Comments:

I never thought i'd say this but there was A LOT to like about this match. 

Even though i liked this match. I certainly didn't care for Brooke Hogan's segments leading up to the match. There is just something about her that's fake and unlikeable which is NOT GOOD when she is meant to be a full fledged babyface.

Although the segments stunk, the in-ring action told a great story and put over Tessmacher as champion. If i'm honest, i think most of this had to do with the greatness that is Mickie James. As Dave Meltzer pointed out a few weeks ago on www.wrestlingobserver.com , Mickie James has been slowly and subtly turning heel. The slower the turn, the more effective the heel run will be and Mickie ramped it up this week with her facials and in-ring aggressiveness. I especially loved the cheap forearms to the back of the head as Tessmacher was in the ropes. This, coupled with Earl Hebner's reaction to this was just great! To her credit, Tessmacher kept up with James and the clean win against the former Knockouts champion can do only good things for her brief career. I am interested to see where this goes next week.

Match No. 9:

Jeff Hardy

def

Rob Van Dam via pinfall for 7 BFGS pts

Rating: ** 1/4

Comments:

  

The wrestling portion of the show concluded with a very solid bout between two wrestlers that know each other so well. It's crazy to think that it was just the other day that watched RVD defeat Jeff Hardy for the WWE Hardcore Championship match at Invasion 2001. Now, 11 years later, these two are still delivering solid and fresh bouts to the fans. Even though RVD is getting slower in his old age, he and Jeff kept up a really good pace and kept the live crowd into the match. I  especially appreciated RVD's 450 as i don't think i've ever seen him attempt that move in his career. I wasn't completely excited when this match was announced, but by the end of it, i was glad i saw it so thumbs up!

Bound for Glory Leaderboard:

1st) James Storm    = 27pts

2nd) Kurt Angle       = 10pts

3rd) Mr. Anderson = 7pts

                 Magnus = 7pts

             Jeff Hardy = 7pts

              The Pope = 7pts

4th)           Daniels = 0pts

           Samoa Joe = 0pts

              AJ Styles = 0pts

              Robbie E = 0pts

       Rob Van Dam = 0pts

              Bully Ray = 0pts

 As always, be sure to follow me on Twitter ( @JoelysWrestling ) this coming Tuesday  for a live tweet-review of WWE RAW (Tuesday Morning: US and Tuesday Afternoon: Aust) After a disappointing week last week, can RAW rebound with a stellar show with only a few weeks untill WWE Money in the Bank? Here's hoping!