Five Thoughts on TNA Impact for 11/19/09
I don’t really have time to write full Impact reviews on top of everything else that I write, so I was thinking I could spend 5-10 minutes writing about Impact. I use the DVR to watch Impact. I watch Survivor and The Office on Thursdays as well as the NFL if there’s a game on or the NBA game. Then I usually go through Impact on the DVR in about 45 minutes because if I don’t do it at that time I’ll forget about it on the weekend. I still haven’t seen Turning Point either, which pisses me off. I need to get a hold of those last two matches at least. With that said, five thoughts on Impact…
1. When I read about the Angle/Styles vs. Daniels/Wolfe main event I was excited. What we got was just a decent match that should have got about 20 minutes, but instead got about 7 minutes. I want more, damnit! Still, I like that they put Daniels over and made him a serious threat to AJ’s title. Will he win the belt? Not likely, but at least now you think he could. And that’s what matters.
2. I really miss Angelina Love in the Beautiful People. I love Velvet Sky (probably my second favorite woman in wrestling to Mickie James right now) and Madison Rayne’s pretty good, but Lacey Von Erich just doesn’t do it for me. She’s too, what’s the word, amateurish? Yeah, that works. Throw in the fact that Angelina has more credibility as a wreslter and it made the group work better. Madison’s a pretty good wrestler, but she doesn’t have the charisma that Angelina or Velvet does.
3. After Chris Jericho, Eric Young might be my favorite promo guy in the business. I don’t know what it is, but when that guy talks I listen. The raspy voice is perfect for a heel too. It makes fans want to knock him out. His heel run has been tremendous. Those promos he did against Jarrett when he initially turned were probably the best in the business this year…other than Jericho. I’m such a biased Canadian, aren’t I?
4. The two areas where TNA destroys WWE are the tag division and the women’s divisions. I like how they have actual teams that actually give a shit about winning matches every week. They really do a good job of putting the belts over. My only real gripe is that there are almost too many teams in the division, which forces to do these convoluted multiple team matches that just don’t work. A simple two on two match would suffice. I like the women’s division because they don’t really hire the 100 pound models that look terribly fake at doing pro wrestling. They hire women that are trained wrestlers before they work for TNA (for the most part). WWE has it backwards. My favorite in-ring female? Sarita. She’s very entertaining to watch.
5. I’m sick of the Hogan talk already and he’s not debuting for another couple of months. I really think I’ve had my fill of that man on a wrestling show. I promise when he debuts I’ll write a full length column about it. Let’s just say I’m not crazy about a guy that had a major part in killing WCW because of his selfish attitude and inability to think towards the future. I understand why TNA signed him. It doesn’t mean I have to like it.
That was painless. Took about 10 minutes to write. I think I can handle that weekly.
TJRWrestling 
John isn’t Eric Young Canadian??? lol…biased over your own brethren, don’t blame ya, Jericho is the shit, EY is coming up fast though…
I want to know why the Sting interview didn’t happen- it was scheduled to take place at HIS house, yet he no-showed- WTF?!! If that make’s sense to you, then please explain it to me…because I am dumbfounded
ok good….i thought i missed it for some reason????
i even rewound the entire episode on my pvr to see where i missed it
#4. #4 a thousand times.
The two Knockouts matches from Thursday were better than anything the WWE Divas have put on in a long time. The moves were interesting (read: not a DDT as a finisher) and, while there were some hesitations, no standout botches.
Man you wasted 10 minutes on a pointless show
@Ed..I am sure it was just an angle.
And it is amazing to me how TNA can book two decent woman’s matches on the show while the WWE just doesn’t get it. I want to find the last two matches of Turning Point as well, Desmond Wolfe is intriguing, glad he made the switch to TNA. Hopefully Danielson doesn’t get suckered into a bad deal and wastes away on RAW.
John, while I’d love to agree with you in that the Tag Division is better, I don’t think that they’re better wrestlers, they’re just better … spotters? Just seems like Tag Matches are so scripted, that it’s just spot after spot. (and if I get a reply saying that wrestling is scripted, I’ll say see Al Snow’s shoot on how wrestling needs to adjust to the fans). That’s my huge gripe with the TNA Tag Division. While WWE is deflated of talent in the tag divisions, minus 3-4 teams, TNA has yet to establish a concrete team that can win me over. Beer Money, 3D, Motor City Machineguns, those teams need to play more to the crowd rather than just hit spots.
And I love the Knockouts division in TNA, but I whole-heartedly hate the whole “Fat Woman beats up other women” thing of Awesome Kong. If you wanted to do a Chyna-like attempt at a tertiary title like tag or X division, go for it. It’s just something that I’ve seen done WAY too many times, and the problem with getting booked as a Superhuman Unstoppable Force, is that once you have somebody stop you, there’s not a whole lot left to your character (see Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, etc). I could be way off base here, but that’s why I liked the direction they were heading with women like Beth Phoenix in WWE when they paired her with Santino, trying to open up her character.
I gotta say, TNA, to me has really been stepping it up. Everyone argues that TNA hires washed up has-beens. I disagree. For the most part, TNA does an excellent job using older talent to put over new guys. For instance, look at Wolfe, Hernandez, Morgan, etc. All of them have worked programs with “big” names, and in turn are skyrocketing. Good job TNA. Keep it up…
It’s always nice to see what you write. I’m glad you took some time to talk about TNA. I agree, Lacey von Erich is rather worthless..I can pray for an Angelina return, right?
The Modern Native: Agreed that is the best part about TNA. I honestly feel that a lot of fans from the past are still hesitant in giving TNA a shot because they all remember WCWs dying days & immediately feel that WWE will be nothing more than the be all and end all of wrestling promotions. When they began to push Matt Mogran, you know he was going to be big. I’m still a little hesitant on Hernandez, but Desmond Wolfe is an instant superstar hands down (look at his ROH matches…..need I say more?). Guys like Eric Young, & even D’Angelo Dinero are worth a second glance. TNA is officially putting everybody on notice…..
Bryan, I’m definitely biased towards Young for being Canadian. I have seen him in some indies around here when I went to indies. He’s a really good guy.
Ed, the Sting angle was done to put the idea out there that he hates Hogan and wants nothing to do with him.
David, you’re right about TNA’s tag matches being spotfests. At least they have teams, though. That’s what I like. Giving a shit about a tag division is big to me.
TMN, I think they’re stepping it up too. I love the Wolfe/Angle story because it’s fresh. That’s why I’m not excited about Hogan. He is the opposite of fresh. That would be stale.
Britt, thanks for the kind words. I want Angelina back too. She’s a favorite of mine…especially the ring entrance.
John, you really need to watch all of turning point, not just the last 2 matches. For my money, best ppv of the year from either major company. Angle v Wolfe was fantastic, Styles v Joe v Daniels was exactly what you could want from everyone in the match, Tara v Kong might have been the single best womens match ever, and there wasn’t a single bad match on the show. I’d pay money to see a full review of that show from you…if I had a job.
TNA has become too repetetive, it seems every signle match is basically the same each week, and every atch ends in a brall.
I also personally don’t think Morgan should be getting the push he has recieved, he justdosen’t seem like a main evented, i just don’t see any personallity.
Also i’m wondering what happened to the main event mafia, i can tell the quietly dispanded, but where’s booker T.
it didn’t really dispand quietly. booker got kayfabe injured and really just wasn’t resigned. He’s probably on his way back to WWE. The boss, Kurt Angle, turned face and gained respect for the younger generation, Nash was sort of doing his own thing, and Scott is dumb and still doesn’t realize the group is over, so he still wears the sweat suit and skull cap which makes me lol.