Trash Talking: State of the Knockouts

written by Rob Poulloin

On the previous episode of Impact Wrestling (20/06), Knockouts official Brooke Hogan addressed the current state of the division, she praised and hyped the division but somehow failed to notice that by the end of the segment there were only four wrestlers in the ring. 

The Knockouts suffer similar to the Tag Team and X Division and is often considered an after thought to the main event scene and with all focus on the BFG series it is unlikely much else will get a look in this summer. The segment was placed to highlight the division especially on the back of the well received match at Slammiversary between Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell and hype what will be on offer this summer, but beyond the aforementioned being booked in a Ladder Match to continue their feud and Velvet Sky getting her rematch for the title against Mickie James the division looks light on the ground missing a number of names such as Brooke Tessmacher, Tara; who announced that she would be off Impact for a few months and the pregnant Madison Rayne. 

Champion Mickie James
has a lack of competion
image by Impact Wrestling

The segment started off with six wrestlers in the ring, but these included KO tag team champion and current referee ODB and her husband Eric Young who haven't defended the belts in over a year, thankfully they vacated the belts with EY admitting he wasn't a woman and hopefully these belts won't be seen for the foreseeable future until the division has the number of competitors to make it worth while having them around. 

With the lack of wrestlers around it surprised me that TNA didn't make an effort to put Gut Check contestant Taeler Hendrix in the ring, especially as she had a match a few weeks ago and will provide a much needed opponent once we have seen the rematches announced and no doubt tag team match pitting the heels against the faces. 

Besides announcing two future matches this segment didn't really add much to the show and could have easily taken place backstage and have been shorter. Without Mickie James entertaining new heel role this segment would have fallen flat on its face, Brooke Hogan stumbled through her lines whilst Terrell blended into the background with her win over Gail Kim was over looked completely. If TNA want the Knockouts to excite through the summer then more effort and bodies are going to be needed than this showing.  

 

Review: Impact Wrestling 16/05/2013

Following last week's surprise return of the long lost Abyss, the Aces & Eights suffered their first real defeat and were out for the Monster's blood. But when their target couldn't be found, they had to settle for the next best thing - Abyss' brother - Joseph Park!

Opening this week's show with a standard Hulk Hogan promo, Impact Wrestling got off to a slow start and struggled to pick up the pace. At first, the Hulkster's focus was squarely on the indecision of AJ Styles. He ran down the Phenomenal One's recent actions in a snarky tone and quicky denounced them with a particularly brutal "who cares". Frankly, with the way the supposed faces are treating AJ, it's no wonder he doesn't want to work with any of them. Both Hogan and Angle have taken such a confrontational attitude, they'd struggle to win their number one fans over.

Attention soon turned to the return of Abyss and just how happy Hogan was to see the Monster once again. Trying to coax him out from the back, his music played, but the General Manager was greeted by none other than Abyss' brother, Joseph Park. The fact these guys are legitimately treating Abyss and Park as separate entities is laughable and just as we think we're back to the gimmick that's worth a damn, TNA sticks us with the tame lawyer with impulse control issues. I could've happily seen the back of Park at this point and welcomed Abyss with open arms. But that'll have to wait for another day, as the promo is quickly interrupted by Devon and D'Lo Brown from Aces & Eights looking for a measure of revenge. Both Park and Devon want to lay into one another, but due to a timely comment from D'Lo, we find ourselves with a main event of Park vs D'Lo instead, with the promise of another match at a later date. I don't understand why Park has to jump through hoops to get what he wants when he has the face General Manager on his side. Surely Hogan could've just made the match both men wanted.

Our first match (of many) came in the form of 'The It Factor' Bobby Roode facing off against Tag Team Champion Chavo Guerrero. It began with a substantial amount of offense on Roode's part, but everything he threw at the Mexican superstar found itself reversed in kind. The leader of the Selfish Generation finally made  some traction once the action spilled outside of the ring, taking advantage of the harsh surroundings. Unfortunately, the match never really clicked or came alive, as the pair seemed oddly mismatched. Roode worked a much slower methodical pace, while Guerrero would spring to life and bounce around the ring with as many high-flying moves as he could muster. The finish came after 'The Cowboy' James Storm entered the ring and spat beer in the face of his former tag team partner, giving Roode the win, but only via disqualification. An unsatisfying ending to an unsatisfying match.

The Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle, continued the Styles-bashing for the evening with a brief in-ring promo. Speaking about how his former friend's indifference and penchant for walking away from confrontations has seriously pissed him off, Angle has arranged a one on one contest between the pair at Slammiversary. This is another one of those unfortunate situations whereby the top face of the company wants to start a fight with someone, but they don't really have a good reason. Styles hasn't actually done anything wrong up until now and even then, most of his actions can be construed as self-defense. I can't exactly blame AJ for wanting to kick Angle in the head. The man was badmouthing him on national television and picking a fight, who wouldn't want to put him in his place. With the late addition of Ken Anderson to the segment, the prospect of Styles being "patched-in" to Aces & Eights was teased for next week, making for a wonderful cliffhanger. I don't for a second believe AJ will end up in the Job Squad that is A&E, but I have to admit it's a brilliant way to build tension between he and his true opponent, Kurt Angle.

Several former Gut Check winners reared their heads this week, returning after numerous months training down in Ohio Valley Wrestling.The lucky winner of Christian York vs Jay Bradley would advance in a four man tournament to determine who gets a spot in this year's Bound for Glory Series. Both men were pushed hard in the first hour of Impact with several video packages hyping their appearance and reminding us just who the hell they are. York has clearly had the better start with the company, boasting matches with Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam, whereas Bradley was forced to rely upon the usual platitudes and cliches of an aspiring wrestler, looking pig ugly whilst doing it. Given their respective momentum of late, I truly expected York to take the spotlight, but Bradley's superior size and devastating array of power moves left the golden boy wanting. The match was nothing to write home about, ending abruptly, with Bradley landing a Boomstick clothesline out of nowhere.

The Knockouts Division suffered some strange editing this week, with ring introductions taking place before five minutes worth of adverts and several more featuring a backstage segment. Thank god the show was taped last week, because there's no way in hell even pretty girls like these can entertain a crowd by doing absolutely nothing for ten minutes at a time. Once Gail Kim and Velvet Sky were allowed to continue, the focus of the match became the Champion's recently injured knee. Sky hit all her signature moves early on, allowing Gail the rest of the match to work on the Beautiful Person's ailing leg. Huge credit goes to Gail for the inventive submission maneuvers she implemented against Sky. Of particular note was a Texas Cloverleaf, which is rare at the best of times, let alone in the Knockouts Division. Equal applause must go to Sky, who sold the worsening injury like a pro. When she tried to run the ropes and collapsed in pain, she crumpled to the floor like she'd just lost the knee entirely. The Champion held on by the skin of her teeth with a last minute surprise roll-up giving her the pinfall. I'll be extremely interested to see where Velvet's injury angle is meant to lead, sure to have been hastened by Gail's usual post-match beating.

The X Division Championship was once again on the line as Kenny King defended his Title against the combined might of Petey Williams and Chris Sabin. In doing so, he often took a backseat to his challengers, allowing them to duke it out in the ring, while he skulked around outside, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Williams once again justified his return to TNA with a stunning performance. His moves having lost none of their pace and are as crisp as the day he began. He's clearly been relegated to being the third wheel of the X Division matches, but with displays such as these, he'll quickly deserve a spotlight of his own. Similarly, Chris Sabin kept up his side of things, offering an insanely quick offense, giving no hint as to his formerly torn ACLs. The only downside was the finish, which saw Kenny King sneak another victory from the jaws of defeat. These triple threat matches, while always entertaining, are falling into a set pattern and becoming a little too predictable for my taste. The format has it's own in-built limitations and the competitors will have to work harder to innovate in the future.

Continuing James Storm's one man mission to be the buzzkill of the entire card, 'The Cowboy' made another appearance at the close of Daniels vs Hernandez. Having an obvious bee in his bonnet about heels being allowed to interfere and cheat, whilst he finds himself reprimanded, Storm distracted 'The Fallen Angel' just as he was about to hit his finishing maneuver, allowing Hernandez to sneak the pinfall. No offense to Storm, as I'm sure he has a point, but this whiny behaviour was extremely unbecoming and left me craving honest to god clean finishes. The match was immediately followed by a promo setting up a four way Tag Team Championship match at Slammiversary. The real intrigue being who Storm will team with to take on Chavo/Hernandez, Daniels/Kazarian and Aries/Roode. Which faces are floundering on the card and are in need of something to do on pay-per-view? I'm stumped. This is probably really obvious and it's going to bug me all the way up until June 2nd.

In our wrestling main event of the evening, we had Dumb vs Dumber, as Aces & Eights' whipping boy D'Lo Brown took on the forever sweating buckets Joseph Park. To D'Lo's credit, he dominated a fair portion of the match, demonstrating a rare agility in the otherwise stocky backstage agent. However, he made a key mistake when he busted Park open in the corner of the ring. Thus the usual process of Park losing his mind kicked in, as the Lawyer jabbed and clotheslined his opponent into oblivion before finally hitting "his brother's" Black Hole Slam for the win. Surprisingly, there was absolutely no interference from the Aces & Eights tonight. They all stayed backstage and refused to come to the aid of their prospective member. D'Lo's losing streak would be funny, if it wasn't so sad.

Last but not least, we had the contract signing for the World Heavyweight Championship match at Slammiversary between Bully Ray and Sting. The supposed press conference was initially hosted by Jeremy Borash, but his presence was deemed unnecessary by the World Champ, who ran him out of the ring like a rat out a door. Little mannerisms such as this, really go a long way towards Bully earning his name. He goes on to boast about having beaten Jeff Hardy in his own specialty match and promises to do much the same to Sting come Slammiversary. One after the other, both Sting and Hogan come out from the back to confront their nemesis. Hogan was there mostly to worry about his make-up laden best friend, however, Sting cut a truly inventive promo offering up suggestions to his opponent as to where they should injure him. The tactic was more than a little terrifying and freaked the hell out of the Bully. This naturally led to the suggestion of the Slammiversary match being changed to a No Holds Barred contest, a Sting staple due to his ever-decreasing move set. But in return, the Bully wanted a stipulation of his own. Should Sting lose, he'd never be able to compete for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship ever again. In a fantastic twist of the proverbial knife, Bully reiterated this was nothing to do with retiring the Icon, this is simply a way to make him suffer. To have him wrestling to the end of his days, knowing he'll never hold the top prize in professional wrestling once more. Pretty ingenious if you ask me. And a fantastic way to exclude Sting from any future main event matches. Because, let's face it, he's ridiculously old at this point and should've been shuffled off long ago. The episode ends with Sting and Bully exchanging blows, each landing their fair share, with no true victor coming out on top. A fitting, if indecisive, close to the show.

This week's Impact Wrestling was packed to the rafters with content and yet never showcased a damn thing. There were six matches in total, each suffering from a short runtime and competitors going through the motions, showing us the same old shtick we had last week and the week before that. Wrestling will always feature a degree of repetition, but I felt as though it was particularly acute in this instance, with most stars running on autopilot. Also, the show failed to adequately follow up on the promise of Abyss from last week's cliffhanger, making proceedings feel hollow at best, time wasted at worst. The high points were the X Division match for pure athleticism and the closing exchange between Sting and Bully Ray for a clear display of passion and intensity. Not a bad episode necessarily, but not a good one either.

6 out of 10

Review: Impact Wrestling 09/05/2013

Since General Manager Hulk Hogan granted Sting a six man tag match against three of Aces & Eights' best, the race has been on to find the Icon his ideal partners. The Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle, made the first decision easy by volunteering. The second spot seemed destined for the recently returned AJ Styles, but the Phenomenal One is out for one person only - himself.

Addressing the issue right off the bat, we arrived in Tupelo to find Sting and Angle making their way to the ring. Cutting impassioned promos about the evil of Aces & Eights, the pair effectively push both the main event tonight and the centerpiece of Slammiversary. Sting was his usual dependable self, while Angle came across as borderline irrational. In calling out AJ Styles once again and forcing the issue, Angle's rash behaviour made the situation ten times worse, leading to the pair exchanging vicious blows on the walkway. Frankly, I don't blame Styles for not wanting to team with Angle if this is the treatment he'd receive. While this is going on, the three members of Aces & Eights scheduled for the main event (Bully Ray, Devon and Mr Anderson) pull off a perfectly timed sneak attack on Sting, planting a rare 3D on the Icon.

Acting almost as a breather after the frantic opener, the Knockouts tag team match of Velvet Sky & Mickie James vs Gail Kim & Tara was a complete change of pace. Literally. No sooner had the four ladies made their way to the ring and the bell had rung, the match was over. It's impossibly short bouts such as this which lead to outbursts in the media *cough*MickieJames*cough*. The country singer found herself dominated by the heel team for the majority of the match, only to make a hot tag to Champion Velvet, who rushed the ring and had the match wrapped up in a matter of seconds. The only redeeming feature of the segment was Gail's post-match beatdown of partner Tara. Seeing the first lady of the Knockouts division snap and try to end the careers of her competitors is hugely intriguing and almost worth sacrificing the match time for. But not entirely.

Finally getting around to the matter of Aces & Eights' D-Lo Brown submitting to Kurt Angle "last week", the band of outlaws are led to the ring by World Heavyweight Champion, Bully Ray. Continuing his impressive body of work on the mic, Bully strips the Vice President of his colours, leaving little chance of redemption for his former right hand man. Neatly leading into D.O.C. vs Magnus, D-Lo must ensure his brother's victory over the British titan. The match itself was treated as entirely throwaway, the first half not even making it to air in favour of commercials. Both men were a few paces off their game and it made for several sloppy maneuvers. The finish came as a visually-impaired Brown cost his own man the match in a refreshing change to the usual Aces & Eights M.O. Sufficed to say, this didn't go down well with the rest of the club, who promptly held D-Lo down for a beating. Bully swore he simply wanted to cave the man's skull in, but the whole thing took on a creepy prison rape vibe. I really don't want to know what happened after they cut away.

Now, in what I would refer to as the TRUE main event of the evening, we have Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian taking on Austin Aries & Bobby Roode for the number one contendership to the Tag Team Championships. I make this very clear, as announcer Christy Hemme didn't have the slightest clue what she was talking about, announcing one team as the other and forgetting another man entirely. Thank god for Austin Aries' covering by bullying her into doing it correctly or I'd say fire her on the spot. As it transpires, the key feature to the match was James Storm acting as referee. Having been bribed with alcohol by both teams and each cheating to their heart's content during the bout, the Cowboy was forever at a loss as to what to do, wanting neither of them to win. The body of the match was fast paced and fun, with equal focus on wowing us and making us laugh. The opening salvo of flips and reversals by Austin Aries and Frankie Kazarian were of particular note. Only to be topped by their double eye-rake, leading to both men retreating to the opposition's corners and tagging the wrong men in. The conflict quickly devolved into a sequence of power moves, until Aries was left the victor. However, not wanting to count the pinfall due to so many despicable tactics, it's superkicks all around, courtesy of James Storm. While I can understand the hero not wanting to make the count for the villain, simply having him leave to his music, with no clear end to the match was confusing and frustrating. Taking into account the resulting backstage assault later in the night, I would hope Storm is itching to find a tag team partner and inject himself into this reinvigorated division.

In somewhat of an unusual move for them, TNA decided to give the X-Division a little bit more attention than usual this week. Not only were there video packages promoting the returns of both Suicide and Chris Sabin, but Kenny King was allowed to walk to the ring and cut an honest to god promo. I can't for the life of me remember the last time this division's competitors were allowed to speak in front of an audience. To the Champion's credit, his promo was downright entertaining. It turns out that not only can these men perform crazy videogame-like moves, but they can talk as well! The bait and switch with King flipping from respectful to snide was predictable, but hard-hitting. The sheer sincerity with which he greeted his challenger Chris Sabin had to have been genuine, otherwise King is a far better actor than I gave him credit for. After the killer insult that was "Frail Sabin", I can't wait to see these two lock-up next week. Poor Petey Williams is nothing but an afterthought.

During the build-up towards the main event, the commentators hyped that in the coming weeks, four lucky former Gut Check winners will be competing in a tournament to win a spot in this year's Bound for Glory Series. While I like the idea on paper of giving these four developmental talents some much needed TV time, everything I have seen of the winners in question has been worryingly weak. Devoting three entire matches of an Impact Wrestling episode to these no-name wannabes is a surefire way to make viewers change the channel. Even worse, it's a dead-cert that the botch-happy Christian York will be the one to take the spot and torture us with many more matches in the near future. Here's an idea, try cutting the dreadlocks off, maybe losing that extra weight will speed you up and let you hit moves when you're supposed to.

As we reached the main event of the evening, the mysterious third man for Team TNA had yet to be named. This left Sting and Angle walking to the ring, with only the vague hope Hulk Hogan would come through backstage, pulling the proverbial rabbit out of a hat. The majority of the bout was fought as a Handicap match. Not that it mattered, as Sting and Angle effectively held their own for the longest time, without any need of a third man. Unfortunately, the numbers game soon worked against them, allowing Aces & Eights to isolate Angle until the final few minutes. Finally making the hot tag to Sting, the Icon looked worryingly old, tired and haggard. His thinning hairline looking outright comical by the time he was going nose to nose with his Slammiversary opponent. When all looked lost and Team 3D were setting up their trademark table in the corner, the third man was finally revealed. It was none other than the Monster, Abyss! Truly shocking me that they'd bring back the gimmick so soon (Joseph Park RIP), Abyss decimated the heels, sending Anderson crashing through the table and hitting a devastating Black Hole Slam on Devon, making the cover soon after. If TNA can maintain the momentum from this return, they may finally light the fire under the character of Abyss that they've always hoped for.

7 out of 10 

Ringside Report: TNA Wrestling: Road To Lockdown Tour: Nottingham (24/01/12)

Written by @Robbie_G_CH
Full set of pictures can be seen on Facebook

'TNA in the UK' has taken over Challenge TV this February with four Impact's recorded in Manchester and London as well as a few specials entitled 'Backstage Pass' which will feature backstage footage and matches from the other non televised dates of the January UK tour, so this seems the right time to give my views on the Nottingham leg of the tour.

The show was held in the same venue as last year, Nottingham's Capital FM Arena, with the layout being identical to the point where it felt like I had walked in the next day rather than a whole year later. The arena was unfortunately little over half full; likely a victim of the two dates that are hosting the Impact recordings; with many completely empty blocks around the upper tiers.

Jeremy Borash was the host of the evening, taking over ring announcing duties from the absent Christy Hemme and worked the crowd well with his ever-present enthusiasm. There were a few local independent wrestlers around the ring side area such as Stixx and LCW Champion L.J. Heron, in which I later found out that Nottingham based promotion 'House of Pain' had helped with all of the ring setup.

In the first match of the evening the TNA Tag Team champions Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez beat Bad Influence (Daniels & Kazarian) to retain the Tag Titles. The crowd was very vocal in support for Chavo, who rubbed this in Daniels's face with a 'Who can get the loudest cheer?' contest to start the match. Bad Influence quickly gained the upper hand with Daniels dominating the in-ring action as Kaz showboated to the crowd with his back to the action. Daniels repeatedly gave Chavo's arm to his partner until Guerrero reversed, allowing Kaz to put Daniels in an armbar, only realising his error when the champions appeared in front of him. The action continued back and forth until the heels took control again until the eventual hot tag. One highlighted spot was Hernandez holding Kazarian in a suplex while Chavo bounced Daniels's head off all four turnbuckles. Chavo picked up the victory after hitting the frogsplash. The match did it's job as it got the crowd going ready for the rest of the evenings matches, it's just a shame that the masses view Chavo as a big deal due to his involvement in WWE.

Earl Hebner was introduced to the crowd and there were only a few "You screwed Bret" chants heard. JB then talked up British Boot Camp and brought out the winner of the show, Rockstar Spud, and his fellow competitor, "Party" Marty. Both got good reactions, but Spud took the role of heel as they locked up once again to take each other on.

After a minute of action, Spud got into an argument with Hebner that instigated the "Bret" chant they were looking for. Marty slapped Hebner's hand in a "naughty child" manor and then Hebner revealed his "Yes I Did" t-shirt which is his staple at house shows. The match was very similar to the one they had on the last episode of Bootcamp, but without Marty's dive to the outside and with Spud picking up the pinfall by hooking Marty's trunks.

To carry on the 'Bootcamp' theme the next match featured the Blossom Twin's taking on the tandem of Gail Kim and Tara, but out first was the special guest referee Velvet Sky who 'let the pigeons loose' in Nottingham. The match was fairly back and forth with some impressive spots such as Tara putting one of the Blossoms in the tarantula. The heels soon started to dominate the match with Tara being very vocal making some hilarious taunts at the twins. The Blossoms picked up the victory after switching places behind Sky's back as Tara and Gail had a falling out. After the match, the Blossoms felt the anger of the defeated heels until Velvet stepped in and took both of them out. 

The arena erupted when Rob Van Dam's music hit to bring him out for a defence of the X Division Championship against Zema Ion who got a less favourable "who are ya" chant.  After a back and forth, Zema went to use his hairspray to "straighten up," but the can was taken from him by RVD, who proceeded to do Hebner's "hair" and then random crowd members. RVD hit his signature moves to please the crowd and picked up the victory after hitting the Five-Star Frogsplash leaping over Earl Hebner in the process. RVD seemed fresh in this match which is something that hasn't been said for a number of years but unfortunately that was short lived when it was brought to my attention the two had an identical match the night before. As the two made there way to the back it was announced that it was time for the intermission. 

After the break Austin Aries made his way to the ring to a good crowd reaction while Bobby Roode came to the ring to his old music ("Off The Chain" with lyrics) and accompanied by darts player Paul Nicholson, it may seem like a random pairing but the two met last summer and shared some PR dates. James Storm then came to the ring to a huge reaction and took to the mic, he said the next match should have been a three-way, but after the heels double teamed him last night he wanted it changed to a tag match. Magnus was then introduced with new intro music and video to another loud hometown reaction. 

Storm spent the majority of the match in the ring. Aries and Roode were their usual excellent selfs and to keep up with their recent comedy moments. There was a spot where the heels crashed into one another out of the corner, Roode fell first arse-up with Aries falling on him, and then both exited the ring sharply looking disgusted at one another. The match spilled to the outside on one occasion. Storm brought about the end of the match by hitting the Last Call Superkick on Aries - after a previous failed attempt - and then tagged in Magnus, who hit the elbow of the top rope for the pinfall.

Spot the Wrestler - Storm and Magnus in the crowd

After the match, Storm took to the mic again, working the crowd with "Beer" chants. He then proceeded to run into the crowd while the cage started to be put in place for the main event. After posing with fans in various parts of the crowd and spraying lots of beer, Storm and Magnus then made their way to the back with JB taking over microphone duties. Working the crowd, Borash announced that the show was being recorded for 'Backstage Pass' although not much of the footage actually made it to the show. After doing a couple of laps of the crowd, announcing random 'famous' people in the crowd and asking people who their favourite football teams are, showing that JB has a better grasp of British culture than many Americans, the cage was finally in place for the "Main Event of the Evening." 

The steel cage match was oddly announced as being No DQ. I wasn't sure if you could get disqualified in a cage? Aces & Eights made their way to the ring down the entrance ramp for a change; a fair amount of heat for the pair of Devon and DOC. The arena was then plunged into darkness and exploded for Kurt Angle's entrance with Sting receiving an even bigger pop, clearly the loudest of the night.

Tables and Cages

Mike Knox took out Angle from behind as Sting took to the ring two-on-one, which is where the logic in booking comes undone, as the same happened the night before and Kurt didn't learn unlike Storm earlier in the night. Aces soon overpowered Sting as Angle struggled to get into the ring as Knox kept taking him out. Angle eventually made his way into the ring, but after hitting the Angle Slam another masked member of the biker gang hit the ring with hammer in hand to take Angle out. The Olympian kicked out of a pin attempt and after the introduction of a table, Bully Ray hit the ring to a massive reaction to make the save. DOC was eventually put through a table by Sting and Angle who picked up the pin.

Post-match, the heels soon left as the faces stayed in the ring to close the show, Bully took the mic and hailed both Angle and Sting as legends. After working the crowd into a frenzy, they pulled a kid into the ring and gave him a piece of the table, which they all signed. They left the crowd to go home happy.

Overall, the show was solid, but didn't quite match up to last year with a focus on the British stars at the expense of other roster members, the most notable name missing beside Hardy was Samoa Joe. The Aries/Roode vs. Storm/Magnus match was the match of the night, with Marty vs. Spud claiming second place for me. 

The merchandise being sold didn't make much sense, with numerous t shirts available for wrestlers not at the event such as Jeff Hardy, Hogan,  Mr Anderson and A.J. Styles, I know they are fan favourites but when they edge out any merchandise of wrestlers working the show it seems a bit unfair. 

TNA will return to these shores again the same time next year, but the rows of empty seats are on obvious reason why TNA won't be returning to Nottingham, favoring Birmingham instead.

Preview: TNA Genesis 2013

X Division #1 Contender Match

Kenny King vs Christian York

For the past two weeks, TNA have held what can loosely be called a tournament to decide the new number one contender to Rob Van Dam's X Division Championship. Christian York advanced first by defeating Kid Kash two weeks ago on Impact. I wasn't at all impressed by York's performance, which was blighted by a series of noticeable botches. For the most part, it seemed as though Kid Kash was leading him through the match, even when he wasn't on the offense. But, being the latest Gut Check winner, with a series of matches against high profile opponents no less, York was clearly building momentum. In the other tournament bracket, Kenny King decisively defeated former Champion, Zema Ion, in an impressive bout on this past week's Impact. The Ring of Honor import has been turning alot of heads in recent weeks and with a heel turn on the X Division Champion himself, looks to be the surer bet for the title shot later in the night.

Prediction - Kenny King defeats Christian York via pinfall to become the X Division #1 Contender.

TNA Tag Team Championships

Matt Morgan & Joey Ryan vs Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez (c)

In a rematch from Final Resolution last month, Joey Ryan and Matt Morgan take another run at TNA's Tag Team Champions, Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez. Nothing much has changed since their last encounter, with the challengers far more concerned with sticking it to Impact General Manager, Hulk Hogan, than seriously competing for the belts. As a slight improvement, the two teams have had an increased level of interaction in recent weeks, as opposed to last month, where they barely saw each other at all. I'm still not impressed with the partnership of Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez, as it's always struck me as lazy booking "Hey, I know, let's put the two Mexican guys together!". It's not that they don't click together, as they've had some satisfactory displays against multiple tag teams. It's that they're another incarnation of Mexican America, who were a copy of the Latin American Xchange. Frankly, Hernandez must be sick of being teamed with a random Mexican and playing up racial stereotypes over and over again. So far, as Tag Team Champions, we've watched Chavo and Hernandez defeat the likes of AJ Styles & Kurt Angle, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian and the current challengers, Matt Morgan & Joey Ryan. While these are impressive victories on paper, our enjoyment of the team has been paper thin. They've had the belts for months upon months and it's not as though the division is catching fire as a result. Maybe it's time for a change.

Prediction - Matt Morgan & Joey Ryan defeat Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez to become the NEW TNA Tag Team Champions.

Knockouts Gauntlet #1 Contender Match

Gail Kim vs ODB vs Miss Tessmacher vs Mickie James vs Velvet Sky

In a rare exception, the Knockouts Champion, Tara, appears to have been given the night off. Instead of a title defense, five of the biggest names in women's wrestling battle it out for the opportunity to become number one contender. All involved have held the title at one time or another and have frequently jockeyed for fresh opportunities. Unfortunately, none of them stand out from the pack at the moment, with poor booking have sunk their previous assaults. It's quite literally a toss up as to who will win the next title shot. Mickie James and Velvet Sky have the most momentum, having come off simultaneous returns. As Mickie took the spotlight for the past couple of months, I say it's Velvet's turn at bat. She's the hottest act in the division (both metaphorically and literally) and it's about time she rose to the prominence she deserves.

Prediction - Velvet Sky wins the Gauntlet to become the new Knockouts Championship #1 Contender.

Joseph Park vs Devon

While this match could literally have been made with any member of Aces & Eights in mind, Joseph Park's journey towards becoming a professional wrestler has been months in the making. Beginning in the run up to Bound for Glory, Joseph Park claimed to have vital information about the biker group, necessitating his immediate capture and month long imprisonment. Since his release, Joseph has been petitioning Impact General Manager, Hulk Hogan, for matches at every opportunity. Wishing to put his "legal career" to one side, he has business to take care of in the Impact Zone and he's not leaving until it's done. To this end, he's been training at TNA's developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, eventually coming to impress head trainer Danny Davis. The one wildcard in the match will be Joseph's tendency of going wild at the sight of his own blood. Should Devon push things one step too far and bust the giant open, he may as well be jumping into the nearest Abyss! With several Aces & Eights matches on the card tonight, I see one victory and one loss, to keep the scales even and the faces chasing the heels. Both Sting and Joseph Park are freshly returned to the Impact Wrestling roster, but where Sting can take the loss, we're still teasing the evolution of Park. It'd be far more entertaining to see the lawyer snap once again and defeat Devon whilst "blacked out".

Prediction - Joseph Park defeats Devon via pinfall.

"The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels vs "The Cowboy" James Storm

Both of these men are in the prime of their careers and well within their rights to be focused upon the World Heavyweight Championship. But due to an inflated roster of main event stars, the Cowboy and the Fallen Angel have been mired in somewhat of a holding pattern of late. They're giving 100% and having the best matches of their lives, yet because it's off in mid-card obscurity, it's almost as if it's not happening at all. Since losing his last title shot to Bobby Roode in an unfortunate gamble several months ago, James Storm has stepped into AJ Styles' shoes somewhat and picked up where he left off with Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian's Bad Influence. Taking exception to the former World Tag Team Champions of the World (not redundant) and their flagrant disrespect, Storm has spent the best part of a month whupping their asses at every opportunity, all the while producing top notch matches that happen to fall just below the Impact Wrestling radar. Both are primed and ready for the main event, but with Jeff Hardy, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode and no end of legends ready to step into that slot, time is running out. This will undoubtedly be the stealth match of the night, pleasantly surprising everyone, yet nobody will remember it in the morning. I hold these men in the highest regard and it's time TNA pulled the trigger. As for who will win this particular match, I see James Storm getting the feel good win. He has star power, time to shine it up.

Prediction - James Storm defeats Christopher Daniels via pinfall.

Director of Chaos vs Sting

Having been the recipient of beatings from Aces & Eights countless times, even putting him on the shelf twice, Sting is more than due a little dose of revenge. The Director of Chaos was directly responsible for the last injury the Icon sustained, using his hammer to put the Stinger out for a couple of months, minimum. Hints of his return began in late 2012, when a promo video began to run teasing the downfall of an unknown party. These videos were a lovely bit of intrigue, which kept the wrestling community on the edge of it's seat. However, by the time the reveal came, there was a distinct feeling of "oh...it's JUST Sting", TNA having run angles centering around his return once too often. Even the return itself turned out to be somewhat of a damp squib. After all the hints and teases, it was literally just a matter of Sting stomping down to the cage in the centre of the Impact Zone and taking out the entire biker gang single-handed. Being able to take down so many of Aces & Eights in one go, it's no surprise that this past week on Impact, the Icon thoroughly embarrassed the newly unmasked Mike Knox and sent him running for the safety of the pack. While I don't personally view D.O.C. as much of a threat, the group itself is majorly in need of credibility. Having been about as effective as the three stooges, they could do with getting a victory, no matter how tainted, over a legend such as Sting.  I suspect much underhanded behaviour and for Sting to be floored by a foreign object when the referee's back is turned. This conflict is far from over, so it doesn't pay to see the hero triumph just yet. Maybe at Lockdown in March.

Prediction - D.O.C. defeats Sting via pinfall.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship

Austin Aries vs Jeff Hardy (c) vs Bobby Roode

What to do with an enigma like Jeff Hardy? That's the question I'm sure the bookers of Impact Wrestling have asked for the past several months, ever since he won the World Heavyweight Championship at Bound for Glory. He can't cut promos worth a damn, he's so beaten up his ring style is suffering, just how do they convincingly sell a Jeff Hardy World Title reign? The answers are Austin Aries and Bobby Roode. Wherever the Charisma Enigma lacks, Aries and Roode excel. Take the past few weeks for instance. First came the presentation of the Impact Wrestler of the Year, which because of being a fan vote, you could automatically assume Jeff Hardy was going to win. Aries and Roode, being the savvy gameplayers that they are, saw this coming a mile away and knew the real meat of the segment wasn't in Jeff accepting the award, but in the pair of them bickering over who deserved it more (because let's face, they both deserved it more). Similarly, this week on Impact, the pair cut an absolutely hilarious backstage skit whilst walking to the ring, about whether they should wear their new t-shirts or not. This went on for a fair few minutes and the bickering was pure gold, even continuing during their tag team contest against Hardy and James Storm. They may not be the Champion (yet), but they have cleverly drawn the focus away and back onto themselves. Unfortunately, this strategy has only been somewhat successful, as there isn't a single doubt in my mind as to who will walk out of Genesis as the World Heavyweight Champion and that man is Jeff Hardy. The walking personality vacuum is just too popular. No matter his obvious flaws, the crowd loves him. He's the TNA Champion for a reason. That was why he won the belt at Bound for Glory. That was why he retained it at Turning Point. That was why he retained it at Final Resolution. Genesis is no different. 

Prediction - Jeff Hardy defeats Austin Aries and Bobby Roode to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

TNA Final Resolution 2012 Preview & Predictions

Aces & Eights vs Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Garett Bischoff & Wes Brisco

This has the honour of possibly being the most random and yet the most foreshadowed match on the card. For months now, Aces & Eights have been targeting Kurt Angle and tonight is no different. However, while some may be fooled by the overt beatdowns on the Olympic Gold Medalist, the group's plan is actually far more sinister. For whatever reason, they've spent an inordinate amount of time positioning the rookies, Garett Bischoff and Wes Brisco, by his side. Absolutely anyone with a pair of eyes can see that the pair are actually members of the rogue biker gang. Bischoff's tattoos, Brisco's hair, the fact neither of them seem to be able to make it down to the ring in time to fight off the heels. It's Wrestling 101 and as plain as the caveman brow on Brisco's ugly mug.

An interesting little hiccup to their plans is the addition of Samoa Joe to the posse calling for Aces & Eights' heads. This past week on Impact, A&E's Sergeant at Arms, Devon, used underhanded methods to rob the Samoan Submission Machine of his Television Title. It gives Joe every reason to be on the frontlines of this match and as such, the biggest wildcard of the bunch.

The obvious outcome to the match has Bischoff and Brisco turning on Angle, revealing themselves to be Aces & Eights members from the beginning. However, there's something a little TOO obvious about these events. Would it be out of the realm of possibility that Kurt Angle himself was in on it all along as well? He's been complicit with the pushes of both men from the get-go. Everyone assumes he's the sap and his kindness will result in betrayal, but what if he's the VP they've all been answering to? As the group stands now, the majority of members are cloaked in shadow, with the only recognisable faces being clapped out vets and green as grass rookies. They're in desperate need of a figurehead and sorry, but that man isn't Devon.

Whatever happens, this won't remain a wrestling match for long. Look for multiple swerves, some obvious, some not and I wouldn't be surprised to see the night end badly for Samoa Joe, as the latest victim of Aces and Eights' inexplicable vendetta against the Impact Wrestling roster.

Prediction - Aces & Eights defeat Angle, Joe, Bischoff & Brisco via Pinfall.

TNA X Division Championship

Kenny King vs Rob Van Dam (c)

Continuing the trend of never quite knowing what to do with the X Division (beyond the Destination X pay-per-view every year), TNA have thrown together this impromptu title match to get their marque name, Rob Van Dam, on the card. To facilitate this, they arranged a surprisingly impressive triple threat on this week's Impact Wrestling between former champions Zema Ion, Kid Kash and newcomer, Kenny King. After a dazzling display of dominance, the recent acquisition from Ring of Honor prevailed and will meet Mr Pay-Per-View one on one this Sunday.

After the quality of the qualifying match last Thursday, dare I say that the challenger may well embody what the X Division stands for, far more so than the wayward main-eventer, Rob Van Dam. Don't get me wrong, for the past several months, RVD is exactly what's been called for. It's been mutually beneficial, keeping both he and the title in the spotlight, when either could easily drift from thought. However, that triple threat really highlighted the potential of the division and given only a few minutes, those neglected cruiserweights can shine.

Unfortunately for Kenny King, we're STILL very much in that same quagmire as to what to do with the X Division and Rob Van Dam. TNA need the title on a respected veteran and RVD needs the spot on the card. I don't see them budging and trying their luck with a new guy anytime soon. Rather than focus on the task of winning, this match should be a spotlight on King. Introduce him to the Impact audience in a big way. He may not walk away champion, but if he comes THIS close and keeps the chase going for a couple more months, he could eventually earn that top spot.

Prediction - Rob Van Dam defeats Kenny King via Pinfall to retain the X Division Championship.

TNA World Tag Team Championship

Matt Morgan & Joey Ryan vs Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez (c)

Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez have been Tag Team champions for a couple of months now, after winning the titles at Bound for Glory. Ideally, a new title holder will ignite a fire in the heart of the division and inspire others to do the same. Something I haven't seen in the current champions. Their run so far has always struck me as a small gesture to keep Chavo interested and happy, as we all know TNA loves having a Guerrero on the roster. He's a solid cruiserweight wrestler, don't get me wrong. He's even had a string of impressive singles matches. But he's no Eddie.

The real staples of the division continue to be Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian aka the former World Tag Team Champions of the World aka the newly christened 'Bad Influence'. Despite not challenging for the titles, and one of the pair even going back into singles competition, they continue to innovate on a weekly basis. When you aren't the champions and consistently steal the spotlight, you know you're doing something right.

As for tonight's challengers, their assault on the Tag Team division has been more about sticking it to Hulk Hogan than being a serious threat to Guerrero or Hernandez. Just like last month, when Joey Ryan challenged Rob Van Dam for the X Division Championship, it isn't so much about the match itself, simply what will best piss off the General Manager. However, unlike last month's unsuccessful bid for gold, the Tag Team Championships would make for the perfect vehicle to encapsulate both 'Hollywood's Own' and 'The Blueprint' at the same time.

However, TNA have proven in recent months, they're not in the habit of hot-shotting titles from one talent to another, simply based on who has more momentum. They're taking the long form approach and sticking with one set of champions for a healthy amount of time. As such, I can see them happily sticking with Guerrero & Hernandez for the next several months at least. After all, Joey Ryan and Matt Morgan will be getting airtime regardless, but take the Tag Team titles off of the new Mexican America, they could easily fade away into obscurity.

Prediction - Guerrero & Hernandez defeat Morgan & Ryan via Pinfall to retain the World Tag Team Championship.

One Final Time

Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles

It's one final time for one final time, the billing that never gets old. Until we see both men pinky swear in the middle of the ring on Impact, let's just assume it's something they say to each other any given day. Like "I'll drive to the arena with you ONE. FINAL. TIME. but I get control of the stereo" or "I'll pick up the cheque ONE. FINAL. TIME. because you only had that salad". On the dying days of planet Earth, as the continents shatter around them, Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles will still be wrestling each other, locked in an immortal contest that neither of them can truly win. They should just get a hotel room and sleep together because the sexual tension must be killing them.

In this latest go-around, which has about as much depth as "you looked at me funny", Christopher Daniels decided to cut a promo mocking AJ Styles for his recent loss and banishment from the World Title picture for an entire year. This, of course, did not sit well with 'The Phenomenal One', who promptly came out and confronted his long-time nemesis, challenging him to one final match (right after their one final hug, one final beer and one final French kiss with oodles of tommy-tongue).

The running theme of all Styles' recent matches seems to have been just how bad he is at the moment. He'll botch moves, he'll miss entirely, he doesn't know when to tag, etc. So we should probably ignore the fact he's still winning these matches. Victory is a tough thing to be pissed about. But to Styles' credit, he's taking the gimmick and running with it like a trooper. Just like when he was a Ric Flair wannabe heel and it was the most awkward fit in the history of wrestling. I can never fault the man for his effort. However, you have to assume this is building to yet another ill-advised heel turn and if there were wrestling gods, I would implore them to never let AJ Styles turn heel ever again.

The funny thing is, even with this frustrated screw-up gimmick they've foisted upon Styles, I still think he'll walk out of Final Resolution the victor. His matches with Daniels have almost unanimously ended with a Styles victory, whether he's on his game or off it. Daniels is like his personal jobber. Twenty minutes of making AJ look like solid gold, he'll lie down on the canvas like a good little helper monkey.

Prediction - AJ Styles defeats Christopher Daniels via Pinfall.

TNA Knockouts Championship

Mickie James vs Tara (c)

I'm a big fan of both these ladies, dating back to their time in WWE fighting over the Women's Title. Just like Styles vs Daniels elsewhere on the card, it's a tried and tested match-up that everyone has seen a hundred times over. Why? Because we know it works. If ever there were two combatants to build a Knockouts division around, it's Mickie James and Tara. The highlight of their battles would have to be a couple of years ago on Impact, when they faced each other in the main event of the show inside of a steel cage. Never has women's wrestling been so impressive. If they can bring even an inkling of that intensity to this pay-per-view contest, they'll have no complaints from me.

An interesting element that's been thrown into the mix at the last moment is Velvet Sky's return to Impact Wrestling. The former Knockouts Champion has been missing in action since July and as far as anyone knew, would continue to be so. However, right in the middle of Mickie and Tara's big moment, wouldn't you just know it - let the pigeon's loose!

Now, rather than keeping attention on the coming match, we're looking forward, anticipating just what Velvet's promise of 2013 being "her year" entails. Typically, I would've said save Velvet's re-debut until AFTER Final Resolution, when the program can truly focus on her. But with them giving it away unannounced BEFORE the pay-per-view, I wouldn't be surprised if this Beautiful Person played a significant role in the climax of the match. Whether it be costing Tara the Title or costing Mickie her opportunity. It really depends upon whether she'll be a heel or face and who is the best opponent going forward.

Prediction - Tara defeats Mickie James via Pinfall to retain the Knockouts Championship.

Bully Ray vs Austin Aries

In a rematch of their Sacrifice classic, Bully Ray gets another shot at 'The Greatest Man That Ever Lived' Austin Aries. Arguably the two hottest acts in TNA today, it's surprising to see their dynamic completely flipped from mere months ago. Where once Aries was the heroic cruiserweight taking on the impassable might of the locker room bully, he's now the despicable villain looking to get between a warrior and his lady love. The object of affection being Hulk Hogan's own daughter, Brooke.

While Aries has effortlessly transitioned back to his natural heel state, taking great relish in attacking the reputations of the General Manager and his opponent, Ray's journey towards fan favourite has been an odd one to say the least. They've taken an act that was getting over being the worst of the worst...and softened him. First through aiding Sting in the Icon's battle against Aces & Eights and now by making him the dough-eyed lover/Hogan in waiting.

I fully expect Brooke herself to get involved in the match towards the end. Most likely costing her favourite Bully the match by accidentally distracting him at an inopportune moment. Aries has proven more than happy to take advantage of any sudden openings in an opponent's defenses and he'll do so here without shame or repentance.

Prediction - Austin Aries defeats Bully Ray via Pinfall.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship

Bobby Roode vs Jeff Hardy (c)

And so, we come to our main event of the evening! After an extended absence from the World Title scene, due to getting on the wrong side of the General Manager (seems to be a habit when dealing with Hulk Hogan), we have the long awaited return of Bobby Roode, the self-proclaimed 'IT Factor of Professional Wrestling'. His opponent being the current TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Jeff Hardy. Fresh off of defending his title for the first time against the former Champion, Austin Aries, at last month's Turning Point pay-per-view.

The interaction between the two men has been sudden, but fierce, none the less. After winning the number one contendership from 'The Cowboy' James Storm several weeks ago, Roode has made his intentions crystal clear. Attacking the Champion after a grueling match against Gut Check contestant, Christian York, the leader of the Selfish Generation left him laying in a pool of his own charisma. Quickly following up on this, Roode cut a scathing promo on the Champion, mocking him for being so challenged by a supposed rookie. Hardy tried to take the challenger by surprise with a Twist of Fate, but he skulked away like the cowardly heel he is.

Having had several previous encounters during Bobby Roode's own reign as World Heavyweight Champion, I can say for certain the match will be a sight to see. Roode has come along in leaps and bounds this past year and if anyone can carry the admittedly difficult Hardy to an enjoyable match, it's the IT Factor, picking up effortlessly from the work Austin Aries had been doing the past several months. Any feud involving Jeff Hardy will suffer as a result of the Champion's inadequacies on the microphone and in the ring, but his popularity seems to mask that fact. Thankfully, any cracks in their program have been plastered over by Roode's exceptional mic work and in-ring talent. Keep the focus on Roode's strengths and away from Hardy's shortcomings and we'll be in for a treat.

As for the victor, I don't think TNA are in any rush to remove Jeff Hardy as their Champion. His contract runs until early next year at the worst, so to have him front and center, making the most of his popularity in that short time, it's win-win. The only downside being that's all he's good for. In the past two months, I can't remember any true benefit Jeff Hardy has gotten from being Champion. He still can't cut promos, his matches are still sloppy, etc. Be grateful for good PR, Jeff, or you'd be dead in the water with a shark like Roode.

Prediction - Jeff Hardy defeats Bobby Roode via Pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.

Viva La Resolution

With TNA’s Final Resolution PPV fast approaching, I thought I’d look back at 2011 and consider what could be improved upon for the coming year.

1. PUSH THE PEOPLE WHO DESERVE IT

Admittedly, who “deserves” a push is entirely subjective. But at times, Impact Wrestling can be rife with random monster pushes and blatant nepotism. Whether its Eric Bischoff’s son, Garret, spontaneously taking the main event slot for no good reason, Crimson’s Goldberg imitation or Jeff Hardy’s unchecked drug addiction still resulting in huge paydays and World Title reigns. Sometimes they back the wrong horse and bet the farm.

I don’t want to be entirely negative though, as in rare cases, TNA rewards those that genuinely deserve it. Bobby Roode and James Storm being the two most notable instances from the past year. As Beer Money, they were the backbone of the Tag Team division and have quickly proved themselves cornerstones of Singles competition. In all of wrestling, the only person who’s had a better push this year is CM Punk. The fact I can mention both Roode and Storm in the same breath as Punk says it all.

The lesson that should be learned from this is that TNA should take advantage of their loyal mainstays and not forget them in favour of WWE rejects, family loyalties or pet projects. I’m sure Kazarian wouldn’t mind the attention!

2. A DIVISION NEEDS MORE THAN TWO PEOPLE

I hate to generalise, but most Championship divisions in TNA are operating with minimal contenders, causing frequent repeats of combinations we’ve already seen. Frankly, everything except the Heavyweight division has grown stagnant.

The X Division has been plagued by endless recycling of matchups featuring some variation of Brian Kendrick, Jesse Sorensen and Kid Kash. I absolutely love Austin Aries as the X Division Champion, but he’s blown through feuds with all three men and the only other X Division competitor I’ve seen in the past six months was a random appearance from Zema Ion (where did all those Destination X guys go?!?!?). Similarly, the Television Title landscape is as barren as Kurt Angle’s hairline. Beyond Eric Young and Robbie E bickering over it, I can’t even remember the last person who showed an interest (who can blame them, that belt looks filthy). As for the Tag Team divisions, both male and female can barely even muster Champions, let alone contenders.

I’m not saying there have to be ten or more people per division, all angling for a title shot, but there should be a palpable sense of competition. Maybe speed up the turnover between contenders a little, so where one wrestler fails, there’s a discernible pecking order and someone else takes their place. Make it so a Champion can legitimately say “I’ve beaten the best”, instead of “I beat whoever could be bothered”.

3. KNOCKOUTS SHOULD GET BACK TO BASICS AKA WRESTLING

As much as I like to see beautiful women in lingerie and bikinis, we’re a little beyond that now, aren’t we? TNA have a solid foundation for a Knockouts division, even rivalling its own heyday. With the masterful Gail Kim back in the division where she belongs, and a killer rival in Mickie James, we should strap ourselves in for a series of epic matches. I’m not forgetting the rest of the division either, as it’s so much more than just two women. Velvet Sky really stepped up her game this year and was happily rewarded with a Knockouts Title reign for all her hard work. She could still use a little polishing on her in-ring work, but the basics are sound and you’d struggle to find a better character out there. Other viable contenders for the Championship are Tara, Angelina, ODB, Madison Rayne, Sarita, etc. So many of these women are showing up to work, only to be used in backstage segments or as valets. When in reality, they should be out in the ring, kicking each other’s asses just like the men. Give them another chance, they won’t disappoint. These aren’t Divas, they’re Knockouts!

4. GET OUT OF THE IMPACT ZONE ASAP

If Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff ever did one good thing for TNA, it’s pushing them to go out on the road and tape Impact at proper arenas. I wouldn’t dismiss the Impact Zone entirely, as it’s an important part of their heritage and always handy to fall back on. Regardless, the recent live tapings of Impact have looked fantastic and really upped the stakes going forward. The real question is when they should break out this party favour. I’d prefer them taping Impact at Universal Studios, with PPVs on the road, to take advantage of the larger crowd (for the climax of feuds). Unfortunately, TNA’s business model has always been back to front, with TV making them more money than PPV, putting them in the strange position of wanting the free product to look better and the paid product to look worse. Either way, more live tapings please. They work wonders for all involved.

5. EXPANSION/CONSOLIDATION

In the past six months, TNA have rightly been in the process of expanding their repertoire. They’ve grown closer than ever before with the Mexican promotion AAA (so much so, Jeff Jarrett has been their Heavyweight Champion for the better part of the year), struck a developmental deal with OVW (notorious for producing some of WWE’s biggest stars), filmed a pilot for an experimental new concept called All Wheels Wrestling and finally, they are on the verge of tapings for a new Indian brand. TNA’s reach has grown by leaps and bounds, putting them squarely on a global scale few others can compete with.

While continuing such monumental moves, I’d encourage them to also consolidate their existing output, namely the International-only show, Xplosion. In its current format, it typically features one exclusive match (of a lower card nature), Jeremy Borash’s Spin Cycle, Impact Wrestling recaps and a classic match from the archives. While an effective way to put out an hour of television with maximum gain and minimal effort, I’ve always looked upon the show as a missed opportunity. TNA should seriously petition their American network, Spike TV, to air the show and as a result, make it more relevant. The often packed card of Impact Wrestling can be eased as certain talents are moved over to Xplosion and everyone on both shows gets more airtime than they typically would otherwise. It doesn’t need to be stretched to two hours or even be a brand to itself, it merely has to be a legitimate show with its own unique content. Think about it.

CLEM

Bound For Glory: The Review

A week ago was TNA's biggest PPV of the year Bound For Glory, a lot has happened since then as you may or may not know (there may be some spoilers here) and having watched the event a few days ago and letting my thoughts sink in I am finally ready to unleash my views on the Canned Heat public.

First off watching it on UK TV on Challenge I didn't get to see the Tag Team match but I have been informed it wasn't a great tag match in which Mexican American retained the titles in a result that isn't surprising anyone although I hope Ink Inc get their shot again on a platform for all to see in hopefully a better match than what has been described to me.

X Division Championship:

Austin Aries vs. Brian Kendrick

I wasn't expecting this match to be the first on the card but something had to fill the spot and what I start to the evening it was. Aries had the crowd on side as soon as he hit the stage and thankfully Taz acknowledged this reaction and credited it to Aries history in Philadelphia which is a pleasant change of pace for a wrestling promotion to actually pay attention to the past, especially one outside of their own company.The action was back and forth and both raised their game to the big stage with a mix of high risk and crowd pleasing moments with Aries playing to the chants with a cocky swagger and picking up the clean victory.I was worried that being first was a sign that the X Division has become an after thought for the TNA management but these two put my mind to rest with a solid showing and a good start to the PPV with the crowd adding to the excitement.

Full Metal Mayhem: 

Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn 

The all ECW match in the ECW home town, this match was always going to be brutal with some crazy bumps and it delivered with 'ECW' and 'Holy Shit' chants ringing out around the arena. The match was a throwback to the previous decade and as a one off was acceptable but I wouldn't want to see these guys risking themselves week in week out with some of the dangerous bumps they took in this bout.

The two delivered exactly what I expected and again Lynn brought the best out of RVD who felt like he was back to his best, the match should signal the end of their mini feud and I would like RVD to move on to bigger and better things and Lynn to focus on either the X Division or try for the TV title.

Triple Threat:

Samoa Joe vs. Crimson vs. Matt Morgan

From my preview you all knew this was the contest I had the least interest in and sadly they didn't prove me wrong as Crimson retained his undefeated streak with a pin fall over Joe in what I felt was a typical triple threat match in which the face's double teamed Joe and then eventually turned against one another.

The result concluded the story of Crimson getting revenge on Joe for putting him on the shelf during the BFG series but in all honesty I couldn't care, Crimson doesn't excite me one bit and should be being built up knocking over jobbers if management want to run with his undefeated streak, he was clearly pulled from the BFG series as he isn't ready for the main event and watching the two together I thought Morgan and Crimson could be paired together to make a giant tag team as both are entertaining in parts but fail to carry that throughout a whole match.

Falls Count Anywhere: 

Mr. Anderson vs. Bully Ray 

Before this match Bully Ray cut a promo laying into the crowd in a promo 101 to draw heat and it was much needed as the crowd were ready the cheer him during this Philadelphia Street Fight. 

Like the Full Metal Mayhem match this match was booked purely for the location (the clue is in the name) and provided the hard hitting harder spot fest we expected from these two, although one or two had me worrying about the welfare of the two looking at the piledriver on the floor backstage. 

Sadly the botched ending of the match took away from the overall impact as Anderson; who had done well to win over the crowd; missed a flying senton off the top rope which made the finish flat as the following Mic Check through said table just didn't have the same impact. 

The result should allow both to move on from this storyline as Anderson proved himself to Bully Ray although I have no idea which direction either will go in.

TNA Knockout Championship: 

Winter vs. Velvet Sky vs. Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne

Once Karen Jarrett had named herself as guest referee the result of this match and even the finish were pretty predictable which is a shame as it took away from Velvet Sky winning her first championship. 

The match itself wasn't great and was a combination of moves we had seen in the build up to the event, annoyingly I found Madison Rayne screeching to be the most entertaining aspect of this match but the fact I could hear her just showed how dead the crowd was for this bout.

Although Velvet has started this reign with a cheap victory I hope she goes on to better bouts and can hold the title proudly.

I Quit Match: 

AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels 

The pre match video for this match was awesome showing the history between the two right from the early days of TNA right up to now, it's just a shame and a disappointment that the bout didn't match that awesomeness. What could have stole the show ended up as a promo disguised as a match and proved a point against me when I said that I Quit matches don't stick in the memory, but this will only for the fact Daniels said he was going to murder AJ in cold blood which instantly took me away from the match as it made me feel uncomfortable. 

The wrestling that was interwoven between microphones being shoved in each others faces was actually exciting stuff but there was not a lot on show especially for what is the biggest night of the TNA calendar and the end of the match deflated me even more as Daniels quit while running away.

This feud looks like it is far from over but please leave the screwdrivers and talk of murder out of the next bouts and just let two talented guys go at each other with what they do best. 

Jeff Jarrett vs. Jeff Hardy 

Not a match but a promo / brawl which had no place on this event, it would have worked on the pre show or on Impact but not taking up PPV time, this was obviously the reason the tag match was bumped and I can't really complain as I didn't pay for the event but for all those that did... they paid for wrestling and not a promo!They did the brawl / keep apart thing very well but it shouldn't have been here and my highlight was when the crowd started a D'Lo chant when D'Lo Brown hit the ring to help break the two up. 

Sting vs. Hulk Hogan

The 'match' for the company was all stacked in Hogan's favour with the referee being the son of Bischoff (as found out earlier in a off vignette), and Ric Flair coming down to be in his corner but despite all this Jackson James eventually declared Sting the winner after Hogan tapped out. 

The match was actually acceptable from the two and wasn't the giant mess I was expecting but it was the post match that grabbed all the headlines as Immortal beat down on Sting until Hogan Hulked Up and helped clear the ring of every one else. 

This was pure nostalgia with Hulkamania running wild, hopefully it will be Hogan's last run as a face and allow him to retire as a fan favourite as him using up screen time over younger athletes is starting the wear thin on me, especially with his comments aimed at Roode and Styles. At least Dixie Carter has control back and Immortal's choke hold on Impact has been loosened.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match:

Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode

What should have been the crowning event of the evening ended flat and in usual TNA manner with a screw-job ending with Angle cheating to win by holding onto the ropes while Bobby was in a ring position which would be usually classed as a rope break although he wasn't touching them.

The ending of the match was not the only problem with the match, it was over in 15 minutes and Bobby Roode seemed to only be allowed to apply the crossface from his arsenal of moves. The crowd was split for the two athletes and I have no doubt these two could have put on a 30 minute plus epic match, of course I don't know how much of the timing was down to Angle's injuries that he seems to be carrying but the title should have changed hands here to give the event some prestige and allowing the event to finish with Roode celebrating with James Storm in the middle of the ring.

Fans have been invested in Bobby Roode since he won the BFG series and that feels like it was all for nothing, yes he gained a massive push and was put over as credible threat by kicking out of three angle slams and controlling some of the match but the moment has been missed, not only does this deflate Roode but also the BFG series, the WWE did not build up the Royal Rumble by having the winner nearly win the title at Wrestlemania.

The result seems to be a direct effect of Hogan saying in the media days before the event that Roode isn't ready for the big time, not the next guy and backing Hardy and Roode's team mate James Storm (who as you all know by now is currently TNA World Heavyweight Champion.. but that's for another day) over him which is quite damning going into the biggest match of your career so far. 

I have to say kudos to the crowd in Philadelphia for giving this event character and the feeling of a big event, it was good to see TNA outside of the Impact Zone as PPV events tend to look less important in the same setting as Impact Wrestling every week.

Bound For Glory started of really strongly with the first half providing entertaining matches but the latter letting the event down which again in true TNA style is completely opposite to the industry standard, a promo which was pretty much repeated on the following Impact and two matches that could have been match of the year candidates being wasted.

The event may as well have been called Bound For Hulkamania as nothing was outshining Hogan's face turn, as news worthy as it is and a draw for those who do not usually follow or only have an interest in TNA he has buried a few names to do so and those names are athletes who can actually wrestle, logical booking has been thrown out of the window, if the BFG Series is ever used again it offers little hope of the eventual winner gaining the title and once again TNA have left me frustrated and let down!

Robbie G