My thoughts on TNA Impact for the month of June 2012

I used screen capture for this post

I just caught up with the three episodes of TNA Impact that I've been avoiding.  So, episodes for June 7th, 14th and 21st.

Shall I start by saying I hope Chris Sabin has a smooth recovery from his latest injury.  Dude, it totally sucks what happened, and I speak from experience when I say it's never easy getting over something like that.  And I don't just mean the injury itself but the irony of the situation.



Gut Check... I still think it's a bad idea so moving on... No wait, I have to say, after seeing that one splash of package on the removal of Joey Ryan, I can't help but wonder if my comments were heard?  I still think the whole Gut Check idea is only a band-aid and not a solution.

The X-Division title.  Austin Aries,  I do love that wrestler and what he's able to do in the ring and on the mic.  I love the fact that he's getting the chance to prove that he's just as wicked as some of the other hefty-bags that are in line for the TNA title, but I don't like the idea that he's willing to give up the X-title that easily.
Even with this new condition he spoke about, giving whomever is holding the X-belt to be able to get an instant pass at the TNA title every year at the Destination X ppv... it just doesn't vibe out for me.
I just can't help but think bad negative on that, my zombie eaten brain just seems to be screaming at me that the most important title in the industry right now will be phased off.  I can't get out the bad negative thoughts that the higher ups are doing their damnedest to phase off and out the whole division.  
I do hope for once my paranoia and general dislike of the world is just messing with me, and all will be fine for TNA and the X-Division.  So, prove me wrong on this please.

With my rant said,  it also makes sense at the moment to fit Mr. Aries into the heavy weight division, as there seems to be not much competition at the moment for him in the X-Division, with Alex Shelley having parted from TNA (I'm still digesting that information and it doesn't go with my coffee) and Chris Sabin having injured himself again... again get well soon dude!

The Bound For Glory series.  It was a good idea, and still is.  Anderson calling out Daniels, very nice, love it when a man comes to the ring with his cocktail in hand... I mean that literally this time, as he had a martini in hand.
The Bound For Glory series is something that puts many of the guys on even ground.  This I like.  It lets some of the guys get a leg up who might not otherwise.

The A.J. Styles and Dixie Carter affair... hate it. Just really hate it. And I'm guessing that the fans just didn't want to buy it.  I think the idea of Styles as anything other then perfect white knight right now is asking a bit much from the fans.
Had this storyline been introduced back when Styles was part of Angle's group few years back along with Karen, yeah it would have been easier to sit through.  But, there are just a few wrestlers that no matter what, just seem better off suited to being the "teen idol" and A. J. Styles is that. 
I don't know, when I hear the name A.J. Styles, I just think Prince Charming in a fairy tale sweetness. I get that's a very tall image to hold up to, but dude, that's the price for being the "Face" of the company for so many years.

I would love to see Robbie E change his style.  Get rid of the gimmick, loose the tan and just wrestle.

Magnus, shut him up please.  Just slap some duct tape on him please.

Have I mentioned how NOT a fan of the Hogans I am in this post?  In case you've missed it,  I have never been a fan of Hogan, and now his daughter is crapping up my screen.  How long will that fly before she dunks the KnockOuts division into the crap?
I've never been very quiet with what I think about women divisions in wrestling in general, but I have to say that when TNA really brought the women's division to the front; few years ago, it was a strong division. And compared to the other company it is still head and shoulders above; but I think in the last year and a half, even TNA's women's division has gotten a bit plugged.  Before they bring in anyone else, they should rethink what they have already.
And as much as I have always adored Eric Young and ODB, I really dislike the idea of them being the KnockOut Champs.  It's just foolish.

Love your Professionally Outraged Wrestling Fan,  Ardeth Blood.

Is Gut Check in TNA a good idea?

So the last few weeks TNA Impact has had a segment called Gut Check  where a new wrestler has a chance to audition live for the crowd and then is judged.   Sounds much like what the other company has been doing in the last few years doesn't it...

Anyways, is this really a good concept?

And I've been questioning this on my personal blog a bit, as I have with many of the items that has been introduced in the last two months.
If you look at it from the idea that now they are a live show for the time being, everything is well LIVE. There is no chance for the editors to package up anyone to make them look better or worse. What you see is fairly well what you will be getting.

So in the plus side.

But it's also an audition.  How many of these guys are too nervous for their own good?  Maybe their gimmicks were rock solid in the  indie companies they came from but how does it stack up against the long standing gimmicks of guys like the grade of TNA?

So in the minus side.

I understand that this is contract time for many of the guys to begin with. And as some of the wrestlers are ending their contracts TNA might also be in a small scramble to replace them.  The pressure might be on and a snap decision also might be made.

So in the minus side.

Then there is Twitter.  By all means, the fans should have a say in who they would like to see. But take it from me {a self titled Professionally Outraged Wrestling Fan, or POWF for short} sometimes we need a second look.  Or third for that matter.   With the whole world on instant now now now mode, is taking a round of tweets for gospel really a good thing?  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

So in the minus side.

At the time of this posting, there have been two wrestlers given a pass or ticket with Gut Check, Alex Sliva and Joey Ryan.
Alex Sliva got in,  Joey Ryan did not.

When I watched those episodes, I wasn't very impressed by either men but for very different reasons.

Alex Silva just fell short as far as the match went.  They had him go up against Robbie E and Silva lost.  Look at it from this point of view, Robbie E might have one of the silliest gimmicks going right now, but he's one frealing hell of a wrestler.  He might not be #1 on anyone's list but he's damn sure in the top 7. 
But yet, TNA ended up giving Alex Silva a contract in the end.  I would not have.

Joey Ryan has a gimmick that makes you wonder what the hell the boy was thinking.  But I thought he held up a bit better in the match. And given he was up against Austin Aries, the deck was stacked against him in every corner.  But the judges felt that Joey Ryan wasn't there yet, and might not ever be.
Dude, anyone who can get into the ring with Austin Aries and survive, let alone put in even one or two good moves should have been signed. To quote myself "had this Joey Ryan gone up against someone  a bit less then Aries,  he might have looked impressive."
But yet TNA passed on Joey Ryan.   I would have given him a contract.

So far, the concept of Gut Check hasn't been a positive one from where I am sitting.

Last year however, when there was the X-Division tournament to see who would win the contract, we got to see many of the wrestlers in more then one match.  Of course that worked out to everyone's advantage as it was indeed Austin Aries who came up on top. But then again, there really wasn't a doubt on that one.

-love Ardeth Blood. 

Highlights for WWE Raw for May 28th 2012

We open with Big Show coming to the ring. It's official, he's gone Heel.
He ranted for the whole time he was out there about Cena and how he's got him in his view finder.
 
First match was between Albert Del Rio and Santino.  This has more to do with getting the ring announcer out of that role and into the role of an active wrestler.   This was over in thirty seconds, with Del Rio slapping on his arm breaker.

We then went backstage and saw Alex Riley for the first time in months. Too bad he got shoved into the brick wall by Big Show.

The second match of the night was a tag team match for the belts.  Kofi/R-Truth vs Swagger/Ziggler.  This wasn't much of a match either, R-Truth got the pin over Swagger and got the win, keeping the belts.
Could this be the long awaited end of Ziggler and Swagger?

Then more of Big Show beating up the guys in the back...

Then Laranutis Lauranitus Larunatis John what's his face was trying to say he has become the most popular wrestler in the company now.  CM Punk then came out to inform the crowd he's the new face of the WWE 13 videogame.
Punk had a match against Daniel Byran. and in the middle of it, Daniels' ex girlfriend came out to the ring dressed in Punk's gear... oh god do they really need to write that storyline?  Bryan got the win sort of with a bit of a cheat because he used the exposed turnbuckle.  Then Kane came down and used a steel chair on Bryan. Then Punk got his hands on a chair and used it on Kane.

Next match, Christian vs Miz.  Cody Rhodes was on commentary for this. Christian got the win.
Miz was still standing in the ring nearly five minutes later after the commercial break, ranting about how he's been dumbed down from A-Card to D-Card, but was interrupted by Orton who took him out with one hit.

Then to Dolph Ziggler and Vickie in the backstage area watching Orton on the monitor saying he wants out of the tag division.

The next match was Otunga vs Sheamus. You know, I've said more then once over the last three and a half years, that Sheamus has a great smile that just brightens up the room. Sheamus got the win.

The main event was Brodus Clay vs Big Show.  Now, I would have thought that either Sheamus or Punk whom are the two title holders would have been the main event, but that would make sense. Big Show made the comments about how Clay's gimmick being crap then speared Clay outside of the ring. I don't think the bell even rang, as they never got into the ring.  R-Truth and Kofi came to the ring to help Clay but Big Show just swatted them away like flys before destroying the announce booth. He used the side of the booth as a weapon then.

Week of May 12 2012 - Highlights and Thoughts

This is a bit of a quickie for the two  major companies for the week.

Start with WWE Raw-  The return of Paul Heyman was cool, but the fact he was there to represent Lesnar, not a happy.  I think I know where they are heading with this storyline and it gets a major thumbs down from me.

 CM Punk and Laurinaitis... they work well off each other. This is a feud that has many more months of promise for it.  Not too sure why they decided to thrown in Cena?

Smackdown-  The whole Sheamus vs Orton vs Del Rio vs Jericho... what do I think about that?  I think that there are too many players in this game.  Jericho and Orton should be off in another round and let Sheamus vs Del Rio hold the hour.   But that didn't happen, instead all the ingredients were tossed into the pot together.  Now, at their next ppv it's going to be a big 4 way match.   Dude, that is just too predictable and not necessary.   You all know this means that Orton will get the win over someone and take the belt.  And no I don't think that it would lead to a very interesting feud between Orton and Sheamus down the line, I think it would be a mistake.


Now, on to TNA Impact...  Where do I start?  I've been covering TNA on my personal blog most the time, but felt I would add just a snapshot of thought on it here...  I feel like they are grasping at straws right now.   Teasing the fans for the last 4 and a half months with a major life altering issue with A. J. Styles only to have it be what they showed this past week; too much like a bad soap opera and I know bad soap operas...

I really hate the fact that the main events are being given to RVD and Hardy over and over and over.  It's just old news on a deja vu loop.

I am loving the push that Austin Aries has had.  He's a lighthouse in the fog.  I was a big fan of his few years back when he made his other runs in TNA, and think that now he's finally getting the respect he deserves.

I just wish that this Zema Ion character would go away.  That or upgrade his gimmick, cause he's doing nothing to keep my attention.

And that's the view from my sofa this week.
Love Ardeth Blood

Highlights for WWE Raw 4/30/2012

This is the night after Extreme Rules

Seems that they are going to humour Lesnar with the "changing" of the title of Raw to include "starring Brock Lesnar"    that's just bogus man.
Then Triple H came out and set the record straight that this demanding crap is just that, total crap. 

Lesnar then attacked Triple H and it looks like he broke his arm.   Bye Bye Lesnar!
That was difficult to watch and WWE would be wise not to replay that too much.

They announced a beat the clock match for the number 1 contenders for CM Punk's belt.
It started off with the Miz vs Santino. Miz got it with a 4 minutes and 18 seconds.

Diva's title match, triple threat- Layla, Brie and Nikki Bella.  Layla dropkicked the twins and rolled one up to keep the title.

Next beat the clock match - Jericho vs Big Show.  The clock ran out with Big Show out of the ring and Jericho sliding in as it was running out.  No one won this. 

Next up was Brodus Clay vs JTG.   Clay won this without much effort.

Next beat the clock match - Randy Orton vs  Swagger.  Orton got the win with 2 seconds on the clock. He set the new time to beat at 4minutes 16 seconds.

Tag team match- Primo/Epico vs Kofi/R-Truth.   Kofi got the pin and the win for the tag team belts.  This should be an interesting new tag champs.  Let's see if they can keep the belts for awhile.

Another match in the beat the clock- Kane vs Khali.  No contest, both men failed to beat the clock. Kane did however deliver a choke slam after the time ran out.

Final beat the clock match- Daniel Bryan vs Lawler.   Bryan won by a tap out and beat the clock at 3minutes and 21seconds. {if I did my math right} there was 1minute and 55seconds left on the clock
This means that Daniel Bryan will go one to the next ppv to be the #1 contender.

The ending was Cena coming to the ring to discuss the ppv last night and the events of the show so far tonight.
Laurnitis then came out to make comments about everything as well. Then Tensai came out and they continued to break Cena's already injured arm.

That was just wrong, sick and wrong...

Open Fight Night for Impact

I used screen capture for this post

First off, I'm actually watching the show right now as I write this, and as I write the review for it over on my personal blog. {link here to the review on my personal blog}

What do I think about this new concept?

On one level it's a totally great idea.  Everyone is on an even playing field.   On another level, it's Farbots!

I pretty much mentioned last week on my personal blog, that I think it could possibly lower the value of the belts and some of the talent.
The fact that as of now, all the champions must put the titles up every week if they are called out means that there is a much higher chance of the title changing hands on a weekly bases.

Though, the mirror echo of this is that anyone can be a champion if they have a good night.  There are some wrestlers who really deserve the chance to be a number one contender and some who have had more then their fair share of chances.

So I see this as a double edged sword, and more with the dark side of it.

I know, you can't really put a limit on how many rematches a wrestler can ask for, but maybe there should be a limit to how many in a 40 day time frame?

The best thing TNA has done in the last year has been putting the belts on Robert Roode and Austin Aries.  Both men have held on to their titles for months giving them a boost in value.  Both men have given the audiences pay-per-views worthy of their time and money.

If the belts change hands more then twice each in the next six months, then all the value boost those men and their opponents gave in the last 6 months will have been for nothing.
The same can also be said for having it stay too long with some of the other wrestlers who've held that belt more then often in the past.

In other words,  I would hate to see those belts in the hands of guys like RVD or Hardy.  It would just be the same old same old and nothing good could come of that.

-Love Ardeth Blood

Highlights for WWE Raw for April 23 2012

This was a 3 hour show tonight.

We opened the show with Edge.  He came to the ring to rant at Cena.

The first match of the night then was between Jericho and Kofi.  Jericho put Kofi in a very harsh looking walls of Jericho for the win. He then went on to talk about CM Punk and their match at the next ppv.

Next up was R-Truth vs Tensai. This match was just to show Tensai as a monster. He won with no trouble.

After that, there was a tag match with Alberto Del Rio/ Cody Rhodes vs Khali/ Big Show.  This was mostly for a chance to stick it to Rhodes after what he did on Smackdown last week when he injured the knee of Khali.  At one point Rhodes went after Big Show's knee as well. Big Show got the win on Rhodes with a choke slam. This was after Del Rio left.

Next up a divas match. One of the Bella twins vs Beth Phoenix.  Nikki Bella became the new Diva champ after Beth fell breaking her ankle.

Then they brought CM Punk out to test if he'd been drinking... then gave Jericho a five minute beat down

Next up was Sheamus vs Mark Henry. Daniel Bryan was the guest ref.  Henry won by a quick count by Bryan.

Next was a tag match between Santino/Ryder vs Primo/Epico.  Santino got the win,

Then a match with Brodus Clay/Hornswaggle vs Dolph Ziggler/Swagger.  Ziggler messed up Hornswaggle for a few minutes before getting tossed across the ring.  Clay tagged in, as did Swagger but the match was called because Vickie got into the ring.

The end of the show was just Cena and Lesnar talking about the ppv on the weekend.