News: TNA Television Title to be retired?

It's been reported that TNA plan to retire their Television Championship, much like the Knockouts Tag Team Championships were last week.

With the added focus on Aces & Eights, the Main Event Mafia and the X-Division, there has been little airtime for the once weekly-defended title.

Starting out as the Legends Championship back in October 2008, the title then became the Global Championship exactly one year later, before finally settling upon the Television Championship in July 2010.

The current Television Champion is Abyss, who won the title from Aces & Eights' Devon at Slammiversary XI on June 2. Much like the honor itself, the character of Abyss has been seen infrequently for the past several years. Neither the Champion, nor the belt, have graced Impact Wrestling with their presence since the victory in question.

Clem's Take - This genuinely disappoints me. The Television Title could've been an invaluable stepping stone to the main event scene (much like WWE's Intercontinental) and I've been a strong supporter of the concept since it's debut.

Unfortunately, TNA do not feel the same way, frequently ignoring the Championship for months at a time, before throwing a random defense on pay-per-view with no build-up. I fear it's constant rebranding permanently damaged the title's credibility and it's struggled to recover throughout the entirety of it's existence. What little promise the concept did show, was quickly squandered by also-ran Champions such as Robbie E and Devon.

With a new belt design and a respectable Champion, this title could've easily been the envy of the wrestling world. For instance, a neglected talent such as James Storm, who had his own problems with booking this past year, could've spent the best part of 2013 making the division a staple of TNA programming. They attempted something similar with Samoa Joe, but the Submission Machine's disappointing lack of momentum and Devon's surprise rehiring led to the title disappearing into the depths of the Aces & Eights angle.

There does appear to be a glimmer of hope for the Championship in the future, with every news item noting that TNA are open to pulling the title out of mothballs, should they ever need it. I just hope they're serious about using it when they finally do and not regarding it simply as an overgrown prop for lesser talents.

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 

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 Impact Wrestling DVD Wish List

Recently, I have been on a major wrestling DVD kick, watching compilations and documentaries from all the big companies, whether it be WWE, TNA or ROH. To name but a few, I highly enjoyed 'CM Punk: Best in the World', 'Stone Cold Steve Austin: The Bottom Line', 'The Epic Journey of Dwayne The Rock Johnson' and so on. Some recent, some from years gone by.

Anyway, this got me thinking (a dangerous notion but give me a chance). Last year, TNA pulled off a nifty little trifecta with 'Immortal Forever?', 'Mick Foley: Hardcore Legend' and 'Enigma: The Best of Jeff Hardy Volume 2'. But then...nothing. In the entirety of 2012, TNA have failed to release a single DVD outside of bog standard pay-per-views.

With the market leader, WWE, releasing new DVD sets seemingly every other week, it strikes me that TNA are missing a trick here. Admittedly, it's extremely likely that this lack of new material is down to financial constraints. It's a tough economy and TNA's finances have long been fuel for the rumour mill. But with even a relative small fry like Ring of Honor (no offense) regularly releasing sets to capitalise on their popular stars, TNA could do with pulling their thumb out of their arse and getting a move on.

In this spirit, I thought I'd create a bit of a wish list for TNA. Someone may notice it, someone may not, either way it's all in good fun. First, I'll start with the big obvious proven concepts that'd be sure to sell DVDs like gangbusters. After that, we'll have a bit of a play with the format and name a few nightmarish potentials that'd have you running for the remote. It's Halloween after all, you all deserve a bit of a fright!

Let us begin...

THE WISH LIST

THE GREATEST MAN THAT EVER LIVED: THE BEST OF AUSTIN ARIES

You have to admit, Austin Aries has had an undeniably spectacular past couple of years. Originally on the brink of retirement from professional wrestling, Aries received a call from TNA on the eve of their first spotlight Destination X pay-per-view. They needed recognisable names to bolster their X-Division-only show and who better than A Double. Quickly winning himself a contract, Aries took a hold of the X Division like no other before him and refused to let go. He dominated for a year straight, remaining the undefeated Champion all the way up til this year's Destination X. After a string of impressive David and Goliath contests against larger opponents, Aries had earned the respect of management and the fans alike. Making the decision to have him win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship all the easier. This rags to riches story would be downright inspirational to the common fan, not to mention a wonderful excuse to collect Aries' classic matches against Bully Ray, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, etc. Giving him such a set would also elevate him no end in the eyes of the Impact Wrestling audience. Compilation sets such as this are saved for the heavy hitters, so listing Aries among them not only feels right, but is a huge compliment.

BEER VS MONEY: JAMES STORM VS BOBBY ROODE

Just over a year ago, the most elaborate and thoughtful feud in TNA's decade long history began. Whatever your opinion of the two men in question, they have been the backbone of Impact Wrestling for as long as I can remember. Frankly, it's hard to imagine there was a time before them. As the tag team, Beer Money, they were always entertaining and wouldn't you just know it, so was their breakup. At the time, I would've advised caution, fearing the loss of the hottest tag team in professional wrestling, but knowing how it turned out, I'm glad they pulled the trigger, as the business is better off for it. Out of the ruins of a tag team came the birth of 'The Cowboy', 'The IT Factor' and two legitimate main event talents. Stretching from one Bound for Glory to another, what better story to have immortalised to represent your company than this one. Special mention goes to their epic confrontations at this year's Lockdown and BFG, two classic bouts that hit all the right notes.

WRESTLING MATTERS HERE: THE VERY BEST OF IMPACT WRESTLING

Rather than focus on one or two particular wrestlers, this set would take advantage of the very best matches the Impact Wrestling video library has to offer. Pour in all the love and attention TNA can muster, as this would be a wonderful promotional tool and a travelling billboard to preach the virtues of this product over any other. Going forward from the re-branding of the show in May 2011, there have to be plenty of five star pay-per-view quality TV main events ripe for the picking. Frequently whilst watching an average episode of Impact Wrestling, I'm taken aback by their willingness to give away such a high standard of match on free television instead of spending several weeks or months building up to it. Typically, this attitude springs from their business model being geared towards popping a TV rating over selling the pay-per-view, so to be able to re-use a number of these matches and make some extra coin, I can't see how anyone would argue.

TNA IN THE UK

Over the years, I've seen WWE capitalise on recent UK tours more times than I can count. Such a DVD takes minimal effort on everyone's part, as it's basically repackaging episodes of a show that's already aired in it's completed form. However, I'm not suggesting TNA be quite so lazy with it. The United Kingdom is arguably the most rabid fanbase for TNA Wrestling the world over, America included. No offense to their home country, but how come it's always struggling in the ratings over there and succeeding over here (just saying). This year alone, they had a sellout tour of the UK, in some of the biggest arenas we have to offer. For a product that is usually relegated to a piddly little sound stage in Florida, it never looked grander than in a packed house at Wembley Arena. They taped two episodes of Impact Wrestling at that show and it was by and far the most impressive TNA have ever looked in their ten year history. Following on from such overwhelming success, they'll be repeating the feat in 2013. Only this time, it won't just be the London show that's taped, but the Manchester show as well! Put the four resulting episodes of Impact on a disc and you'll have a professional looking product that could draw even the most cynical viewer in. Here's hoping the content lives up to the surroundings!

THE 'WHEN PIGS FLY' NIGHTMARE LIST

THE CLARE LYNCH STORY: EVERY SORDID DETAIL - Remember this little gem? Yeah, we wish we didn't either! Oh the memories. Where Kaz and Daniels sought to use poor defenseless drug-addled Clare to frame AJ Styles for having an affair with TNA President, Dixie Carter. In a plot so elaborate, it should've been nominated for an Emmy. Just who was this angle designed to get over? It couldn't have been AJ, as it made him look like scum at every opportunity. It couldn't have been Dixie, as she ducked out at first  chance. It couldn't have been Clare, as it damn near ruined her genuine modelling career due to TNA fans' hatemail. Yep, that's right, it put no one over. We spent months watching for nothing.

BROTHERLY LOVE: JOSEPH PARK & THE QUEST FOR ABYSS - Randomly one week, a rather familiar looking individual, albeit more sharply dressed than usual, turned up at the gates to the Impact Zone, demanding to see the person in charge. Who was this fellow, you ask? None other than Abyss himself with a haircut and a new suit. Only he'd clearly gone insane from one too many blows to the head. Instead of 'The Monster' we'd come to know and love, he identified himself as one Joseph Park, a relative of Abyss, looking for his brother, who had mysteriously gone missing months earlier. Ever since then, we've barely had a match out of either persona. They took a man known for taking the sickest bumps and made him...a non-wrestler? Of course, there's the matter of that Black Hole Slam he pulled out of nowhere on Bully Ray, but sssssshhhhhhhhh, we're not supposed to mention that.

BAM! - ODB & ERIC YOUNG IN 'WHERE'S MY CHICKEN?' - Several months ago, 'Showtime' Eric Young finally lived up to his moniker and moved out to Hollywood, where he fronted his own successful nature show. In doing so, he left his Knockout Tag Team Champion partner and Wife, high and dry. Worse still, he said he was coming back with a tub of Chicken any minute now. For weeks, this poor insanely large breasted woman would wait for a different kind of breast and be left wanting. Weeks would pass and no word from EY. Not even a phone call. I can't even imagine the number of voicemails that must've involved on ODB's part. It was a hilarious running joke across the summer, but what the hell does it say about the state of their marriage!

Written by Mark Clements

Follow Canned Heat on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Canned-Heat/225595667504614

The Top Five Suspects Behind Aces & Eights

5. Abyss/Joseph Park

What are the hallmarks of the Aces & Eights? Masks, hoods, brutality. All of which could be easily used to describe our favourite Monster. Abyss, as a character, has been M.I.A. for months now, sparking the arrival of his "brother" Joseph Park. At the tail end of a feud with Bully Ray, Park miraculously performed a Black Hole Slam, the signature move of Abyss, and despite multiple parties asking what happened, the mystery remains unsolved. In recent weeks, Park has re-emerged on Impact Wrestling, investigating the Aces & Eights group at the behest of authority figures, Hulk Hogan and Sting. But, it was Park himself that wanted such a role. Who's to say he's not holding up the investigation to delay the truth getting out about his "brother".

4. Hulk Hogan

While the Immortal One may seem to be the least likely suspect, after having endured a severe beating at their hands, something about his actions since returning have felt off. Even back at the beginning, we never actually saw the beating that left Hogan on the shelf for the next couple of months. In recent weeks, he's been sporting his trademark NWO beard, taking frequent phone calls from Aces & Eights and outright defending captured members from a legitimately pissed off World Champion. It'd be pretty lame for TNA to fall back on ANOTHER Hogan heel turn, but I don't see that stopping them. Over the years, Hogan has made grabs for power in every way, shape and form. Even with the title of General Manager on his desk, are we sure that's enough for the Hulkster?

3. Bully Ray

This is clearly the most obvious choice of the entire roster. Bully is the best damn heel in the business at the moment and yet something about the situation with Aces & Eights inspires him to be heroic? It just doesn't add up. He's always first to point fingers, he's always the first to chase them off (yet never actually lay a finger on them) and don't think we didn't notice how they've never targeted him. If that wasn't enough, how obnoxious was his forced fist bump with Austin Aries. The only reason I'm not outright condemning Bully is because he's TOO obvious a choice. Maybe I'm giving the TNA booking committee too much credit, but right now a blind man could point to Bully Ray being the mastermind, so I trust they realise this and he's not.

2. Eric Bischoff

Ever since being "fired" from TNA, losing the right to the Bischoff name and his son Garrett being granted a contract on the Impact Wrestling roster, you have to imagine Eric is off biding his time somewhere, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and regain all the power he lost. Why did Aces & Eights target Sting and Hogan first? Because they were instrumental in his downfall. Also consider that this is the man notorious for having organised WCW Road Wild, the pay-per-view event where the crowd was exclusively made up of bikers. It can't simply be a coincidence that a gang of bikers have struck up base in the heart of the Impact Zone.

1. Jeff Jarrett

Think back to the very first attack by the Aces & Eights group and tell me, who did they assault? Sting. Right in the middle of his acceptance speech for his spot in the TNA Hall of Fame. Before Slammiversary, absolutely everyone thought the first inductee to this new Hall of Fame had to be Jeff Jarrett, it HAD to be. The man founded the company and is a multiple time World Heavyweight Champion. Without Jeff Jarrett, there would be no TNA, no Impact, no Xplosion, no nothing. So can we really trust a notoriously proud man to sit back and do nothing as that first spot goes to...Sting? As far as we know, Jeff Jarrett is doing approximately nothing at the moment. It's quiet on the TNA front, it's quiet on the Ring Ka King front, just what exactly is Jeff Jarrett doing with his time? This is not a man to sit idly by and watch as Hulk Hogan runs HIS wrestling promotion.

Trash Talking: 03/07/12

Going into July and the Destination X event TNA can hold there head up high, despite ratings not showing it the quality of product has been top notch most of the time with some great matches, promos and invasions. 

TNA has done a great job transforming the product in recent months, mainly since Vince Russo has parted ways with the company, for the most part the product feels fresh, this may just be down to the Bound for Glory Series and the X Division Championship tournaments but at the minute the stupid angles seem to have been cut down.

Claire Lynch clogging up TV time 

Unfortunately the amount of good on show highlights the bad, the main culprit being the 'affair' angle between AJ and Dixie Carter, which has been just awful from the start. Daniels and AJ have enough between them to make us want to watch their matches, even if we have seen the pair match up on numerous occasions, but this has been a big fail and a reminder that soap opera remains within the wrestling business.

Another reminder of this is Madison Rayne crushing on a mystery wrestler which is just dragging the Knockouts back into Diva territory by taking away the strong independence the division is known for, there is nothing wrong with pairing wrestlers up, just look at EY and ODB, but don't reduce a former KO Champion to a giggling teenager. 

Joseph Park's character still remains to entertain, but we all know he is Abyss and the sooner this reveal is made the better, hopefully the challenge laid down to Bully Ray on Impact (28/06) will bring about the end of this angle and match where Park's reveals the secret we all know. As much as Abyss has done in TNA the business seems to be at a point where supernatural situations and parts unknown are not needed any more, with more realistic characters such as Aries and Roode taking president which leaves the Abyss character looking dated and more of a throwback to the early TNA years, hopefully the coming weeks will blur old and new although has the damage been done with two separate characters already?

Security? 

Sting remains off air since his beat down on Impact (14/06) by three masked men, although just a tool to take The Icon off TV for a while and get him out of the feud with Roode we are still left with the fact three guys jumped the barriers and no one came to the rescue, no security stopped these men and not one of the wrestlers praising Sting for being the first inductee to the HOF cared that he was being taken out!

The Bound For Glory series is under way and is more structured than last year, whilst annoying that some of the matches have been over in a matter of minutes in typical television matches its good to see random matches that actually matter. Samoa Joe is making up for his poor outing last year with a number of submission victories with the crowd behind, a match with Kurt Angle taking us back to 2007 is on the Destination X card which is making the event a must watch.

Ryan gets in Taz's face

Gut Check continues and is very hit and miss, it is a good way of getting new talent on TV but seen as Alex Silva hasn't actually appeared on Impact since is it worth while? Silva and Taeler Hendrix have both wrestled previously in OVW so were likely on there way to having a shot on Impact at some point anyway.

The highlight of Gut Check so far has been Joey Ryan, since getting turned down in May he has started posting videos on YouTube against TNA and on Impact (28/06) invaded the Gut Check segment holding up a sign saying '87% of people can't be wrong' in reference to the percentage of people who voted for him to get a contract. This work has been the biggest talking point so far and hopefully will launch Ryan who could be this years Austin Aries.

high flying X Division action

With Aries trading in his X Division title for a shot at the Heavyweight Championship the mad scramble to become his replacement has started with independent wrestlers taking part to qualify for a tournament taking place at Destination X. Doug Williams, Kid Kash and Zema Ion get automatic spots in the first round as they are the only people left in the X Division following last years reboot and hopefully Mark Haskins may make an appearance as he to is still on the books. 'The original playa from the Himalaya' Sanjay Dutt returned after three years to book his spot at the ppv as did Rashad Cameron (Sabian). The matches on display on Impact showed the X Division style off and the crowd were lapping it up, it's just a shame that most of these wrestlers such as the losing pair of Rubix (Jigsaw) and Mason Andrews (Scorpio Sky) will likely not be seen in the division again, much like last years fan favourite Jack Evans; if TNA wants the X Division to be a weekly talking point again then these high flyers are the way to go! This week's Impact has some more qualifying matches to look forward to, although no one has been announced it's exciting to see who will come down to the ring!

Hulk Hogan said the TV Title was to be defended every week on Impact, Devon said he was a fighting champion, so where is it?

Finally, this week sees Angelina Love and Shannon Moore leave TNA, both have had great moments in their careers but have recently been given little opportunity to shine, we wish them best in their future endeavours.

Writer: @Robbie_G_CH
Photos by: Lee South and Impact Wrestling (@LeeSouthPhoto) (http://www.facebook.com/ImpactWrestling/photos)

Random Thoughts: Slammiversary X

A week ago TNA celebrated their 10th Anniversary in the wrestling business with the annual Slammiversary pay-per view, an event which announced the first inductee to the TNA Hall of Fame, saw a current WWE Champion make an appearance and the return of the Cowboy along with some solid wrestling matches.  

Hot Crowd

The show was held in Texas and was the biggest ever TNA event which gave the PPV a big time feel and unlike Lockdown the crowd were really hot for the product on offer. From Hulk Hogan's entrance to open the show to Sting's Scorpion Death Drop off the stage to close the show, the crowd were vocal, showing support to their favourite wrestlers and making this event worthy of the 10th Anniversary. 

The action on show also matched up with the scale of the event, in our preview blog we bemoaned the lack of build up to such an important event but that didn't seem to matter too much. The opening bout between Austin Aries and Samoa Joe was a very good, hard hitting match which saw Aries retain his X Division Championship, the title being added to the match in Hogan's opening promo, it was good seeing Joe back in singles competition, especially in such a good match where a rematch is more than likely, but it is now unclear whether the weight limit has been removed from the division or whether it's just a 'NO ABYSS ALLOWED' area. Speaking of Abyss he appeared during his "brothers" match with Bully Ray and provided a big assist to allow Joseph to gain the victory after he erm... hid under the ring for a while, maybe he should look under there for his brother as we are led to believe Abyss was living under there along with all the trash cans, ladders and tables. 

The main event was a typical TNA bag of tricks which ended with Roode smashing a beer bottle over Sting's head while the Brian Hebner was removing another bottle from the ring, besides the ending the match was entertaining but it's time for Roode to regain some credibility and pick up some wins as he did in last years Bound For Glory series as when he does eventually lose the title so far he hasn't won a lot of matches without assistance. 

Crimson - "Sorry About Your Damn Luck" 

Crimson's undefeated streak came crashing to an end after James Storm made his return answering the open challenge offered by the then 'undefeated one', it was great to see the cowboy back and equally to see Crimson's streak come to an end, but after going over a year without losing it felt a like it was thrown away without any build up, I don't know what Crimson will do now without the streak as it was his whole gimmick but hopefully we can all move on as we all know the only streaks worth anything in the industry recently were Goldberg and Samoa Joe.

Another in need of a new gimmick is Garett Bischoff who just isn't clicking with the fans even when pairing up with an surprisingly over Devon, especially if he continues to dance the way he did after his team picked up the victory over the Robbie's.

Hernandez bested Kid Kash in a random match that had no build up although it was a solid match that reminded the audience that both still existed, Tessmacher won the Knockouts championship ending Gail Kim's extended title reign although their match wasn't as good as their Sacrifice lock up whilst Mr Anderson defeated RVD and Jeff Hardy to gain a shot at the champ on Impact which is just another round of pass the number one contendership. 

Phenomenal Tag Teaming 

Vying with the X Division bout for match of the night was the battle for the Tag Team gold which isn't surprising as pointed out in our preview due to the wrestlers involved. The match crowned new champions with Angle making Kazarian tap out to the ankle lock, leading up to this the match mixed typical tag team action with action more likely to be seen in a four way including multiple different supplex's dished out by Angle, including a German on both Kaz and Daniels. 

It's a shame that the ex champions only held the belts for a month but hopefully this is the start of singles wrestlers pairing up ROH style and everybody having a partner to be able to go for singles and tag gold. 

Intercontinental 

Peeps in the house! Current WWE and former TNA star Christian Cage made an appearance to conclude the countdown of best moments in the company.  

Despite a rousing 'welcome back' and 'yes' chant this segment felt a little empty, with Christian given a few lines including a mention of the six sided ring and once the clip he presented had finished he was gone with only Taz mentioning that it was a surprise to see him despite everyone else knowing that he was going to be there. 

The video Christian announced as the number one moment was of Stings return to TNA in 2006 which ties into the moment earlier in the night when the same man was announced as the first inductee to the HOF. Sting going into the HOF is something of a given especially as he doesn't stand much chance of entering the WWE HOF unless they go on his WCW career. It's a nice reward for the Stinger who has resisted temptation of a big pay off to stick around with TNA to help build the company and it's also nice not to see Jeff Jarrett put himself as the first to enter. 

Slammiversary X was a good PPV which was TNA's second decent showing in a row after a strong Sacrifice event last month. There was plenty of talking points, a vocal crowd and two very strong matches, the only thing that caused a downer was the ending of the main event, but all signs point to TNA building on their past and moving the company forward setting their sights on the next big event - Bound For Glory. 

Writer: @Robbie_G_CH

Pictures from Impact Wrestling (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/et=a.10150917959201026.426048.31695961025&type=3) 

Tweet This

Twitter is bigger in Pro Wrestling now than ever before with the social networking site being used by companies as kayfabe to enhance the feuds, to promote the product and sometimes just used by the wrestlers as Twitter was intended to by putting over their points.

Victory Road or is the #VICTORYROAD
(photo (c) TNA Impact Wrestling)

I have no issue with TNA using Twitter as it is the biggest free global advertising platform around currently and they don't want to fall behind WWE, the interaction can be fun and as with anything everybody wants to get closer to their 'heroes' but it would be nice to not be rammed with facts about trends and people's opinions during the shows, Twitter is there constantly where as we only get 2 hours of TV time a week. I don't want to rant on about how annoying it can be to be told who some random person thinks will win a match on a PPV, the only two people who's opinions matter are the two who are paid to be there to call a match whether it be Tenay, Taz, J.B or even Eric Bischoff.
Promotion is the way of getting TNA to move to the next level as it is unbelievable the amount of tweets I see to TNA wrestlers asking if they have retired as they are no longer in the WWE; but I draw the line of including a hash-tag in front of the name of the PPV actually during the event itself, as can be seen with Jeff Hardy posing in front of the #VICTORYROAD sign.

Aries tweeting mid match at Victory Road
(photo (c) TNA Impact Wrestling)

As mentioned before I think tweeting should be most utilised when TNA is not on air, the one time I have enjoyed a mention was during Austin Aries match with Zema Ion at Victory Road where A Double tweeted 'It's a #GREAT day to be #GREAT...and a #GREAT day to#LiveTweet! #TGMTEL > @ZemaTNA #VictoryRoad' but this fit with the rivalry and with Aries cocky character, even if it was just a tactic to get more people to flock to the Internet to see what was tweeted.

While most wrestlers use their twitter accounts to connect with the fans, usually answering questions, retweeting random requests or updating their followers on their daily activities, it is becoming more the use of  a worked shoot, especially following Scott Steiner's parting words with the company in which he accused creative of taking over or telling wrestlers what to write and when on their twitter pages. As much as it add's to the show to see trash talking from World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode to build up his Lockdown match with James Storm, the best put downs are those that go relatively unnoticed. Recently Eric Bischoff has been trashing his Xplosion co-host Jeremy Borash, I may be wrong in thinking this is a work but since the comment appeared the two have had more on screen run-ins, especially at Victory Road where Bischoff took over J.B's interview of Aries.

My current personal favourite use of Twitter at the minute is Joseph Park (@JOSEPHPARK_esq) who has taken to the site to further his search for his brother Chris 'Abyss'. I know they are the same person and the fact the story of Abyss being missing is slightly flawed as TNA would have been searching for him long before his brother turned up, along with the fact he wrestled in India for Ring Ka King, but there is a fun element to his page in the fact it is played so deadpan and in character. He has replied to many a message from people not playing along telling them he isn't Abyss, claiming to be looking for 'part's unknown' and claiming he doesn't know what a work is; these tweets are a bit of fun and are a throw back to times when fans did not know that 99% of things were worked and is completely opposite to those tweets previously mentioned which blur reality with kayfabe.

Whilst Twitter is being used in will be difficult to know what is real and what is worked but that is part of the fun in a industry that tends to thrive under controversy, after all it does tend to create cash! I would rather the references were cut down in show, especially during PPV's which distracts the commentators from calling the matches, if I want to see what people are saying I will log on and follow the trend myself, but for the most part there is no harm is using the site to boost your product for free.

#TWEETTHIS

@Robbie_G_CH

TNA Impact Wrestling 2012/03/08 Review

We open on a video from "earlier today", where-in Garret Bischoff arrives at Universal Studios in an open top jeep. The camera crew ask him about what happened last week with Ric Flair, to which he replies he appeciates the warning, but he's not going anywhere. Garret continues to mumble his way through promos, whether there's a crowd or not. There's no way such a green worker should be opening the show.

Entering the Impact Zone for the first time this evening, we find the trio of Ric Flair, Gunner and Eric Bischoff making their way to the ring. Eric starts off on the mic by appreciating Flair's music, saying it "warms the cockles of my heart" (a little odd, but okay). He goes on to say he's embarassed to have to confront his son in such a public forum and that he's disappointed it came to this. However, Garret has pushed them all too far and in an effort to put an end to hostilities, Eric has had a quiet word with Sting and arranged a tag team match for later tonight, putting an end to this issue once and for all (there's no way in hell this feud gets settled on a random episode of Impact a month shy of Lockdown). Just as he teases the mystery of who will be Gunner's tag team partner for the evening, Kurt Angle's music hits. Getting in the ring, Kurt hugs all three men, clearly in cahoots (because all heels are friends!). Eric postively jumps for joy as he hands the mic to the Olympic Gold Medalist. Kurt gladly offers his services for the evening in partnering with Gunner. He looks straight down the camera and says he hates Garret, riling up the crowd into a series of "Hardy" chants. Mirroring the beginning of last week's episode, he tells us why - because he doesn't respect his father! Rather hilariously, he adds that anyone who matters, hates someone with the last name Bischoff. Closing out the segment, Kurt promises to make Garret tap, tap, tap because it's real, it's damn real. The heels celebrate in the ring as we get glimpses of Garret backstage watching the in-ring events on monitor. He's visably flustered and storms out. This was a ridiculous way to open an episode, focussing on a petty familial feud with no true payoff. The segment would've tanked completely had Angle not come out and made it more about his personal issues with Jeff Hardy.

Cutting to a backstage bathroom, we find Sting looking in a mirror, applying his trademark facepaint. His frustrations with Bobby Roode boil over and he starts slipping into his Insane Icon persona. He's soon interrupted by Eric Young. For once, EY is the sane person in the room! He asks a favour of Sting. Wanting the best for his girl ODB, EY was hoping Sting might arrange something especially. Knowing how much women like gold, he offers them a shot at the Knockouts Tag Team Championships! I loved the quieter moments of this skit, such as Sting referring to absolutely everyone as Bobby and the way he psychotically painted EY's face, but ultimately Sting blew it by being too much of a goofball, channeling what can only be described as Jim Carey's The Mask.

Knockouts Tag Team Championships

Gail Kim & Madison Rayne (c) vs ODB & Eric Young

Before the match begins, Taz and Tenay recap the events of last week, replaying footage of Gail Kim making half-arsed attempts at aiding her partner Madison and eventually costing her the match. All of this building tension towards their upcoming Knockouts Championship match at Victory Road in ten days. As such, their future as Tag Team Champions doesn't look too rosey!

Kicking the match off, Eric Young locks up with referee Earl Hebner in one of his confused states. Finally figuring out it's Gail he's meant to be wrestling, the Knockouts Champion dares EY to land a punch on her jaw and pushes him around the ring. That is until he's backed into ODB's corner and she makes the tag. She works Gail over thoroughly, hitting a splash, followed by a bronco buster. Meanwhile, EY sneaks into the ring and willingly sets himself up for the same move in the opposite corner! Returning to the action, the two go back and forth until Gail is able to make a tag to Madison, who swiftly takes control. However, Madison's success is short-lived as she finds her head thrust into ODB's crotch over and over again. A press off the top rope leads to a nearfall. In the wake of this, the heels cheat to gain the advantage, as Madison distracts the referee and Gail chokes ODB. An impressive series of doubleteams by the Champions, giving away no signs of discontent in their partnership. ODB breaks away and makes the hot tag to Eric, who rather than rushing at his opponent Gail, locks up with the referee again! The miscommunication allows Eric to take the lead and get both the Tag Champs in an impromptu double airplane spin for a two count. The finish comes as Madison nails Eric with the Tag Title belt, causing him to collapse (mid-striptease) on top of Gail Kim. Failing to shift the unconscious EY, the referee counts the pinfall and we have new Knockouts Tag Team Champions!

An otherwise impressive Knockouts tag match, the only downside being Eric Young's involvement, as he was unable to play anything other than a comedy role for fear of striking a woman. While I enjoy the pairing of ODB and Young, I do question whether they can function as Champions, with one half being incapable of truly competing.

Winners - ODB & Eric Young to become the NEW Knockouts Tag Team Champions

After the match, EY gets down on one knee in the centre of the mat. Taking ODB's hand, he produces an engagement ring from his trunks (he wrestled with a ring in there? ouch!). Coming back from commercial, we find EY now has a mic and asks his trailer park lover to marry him. She thinks about it for a second and motions to leave. All of a sudden, she turns and proposes to him! EY happily accepts and does a victory lap around ringside in celebration. A really dopey angle, but I like the occasional cheesey segment.

Outside, at the main gate, a security guard checks the credentials of one Joseph Parks. It's clearly the Monster Abyss (aka Chris Parks), sans mask, wearing a goofy suit, looking ALOT like the magician Penn Jillette. It even looks as though they've cut his hair. I have absolutely no idea what to think of this development! Have they put the Abyss gimmick to rest or are they gearing up for a split personality angle (good luck booking the eventual match for that!)

We return to the studio to find Austin Aries checking his phone. Apparently, he's received an email from authority figure Sting. Aries takes a brilliant jab at Sting for only just discovering Twitter, now email and that it's about time he joined the 21st century. It turns out Sting has booked Aries to defend his X Division Championship tonight against Zema Ion. Voicing every smart mark's opinion, he correctly points out how stupid it is giving away such a money match on free TV, rather than wait ten days for the PPV. Rather than wait and give people a reason to buy the PPV, Sting has made yet another bad business decision. But this doesn't scare Aries, as once he successfully defends his Title tonight, he doesn't have to give Ion another shot at Victory Road! An absolutely wonderful performance from A Dub. It veered a little close to being an inside joke, but when CM Punk can reinvigorate the WWE with such terminology, I applaud Aries for being the one to try it in TNA.

X Division Championship

Austin Aries (c) vs Zema Ion

In our second title match of the night, Victory Road comes ten days early! Ion tries to get in a sneaky kick, but finds his leg caught by Aries and a swift forearm to the head. A Dub expertly runs Ion round the ring in a headlock and upon an attempt to escape, cunningly grabs his opponent's prized hair. After a particularly impressive sequence, Aries decides to take a victory lap around ringside and even bows in respect to the camera. The action finds it's way back inside the ring, with Aries dominating Ion at every turn. Ion has a brief surge where it looks as though he's winning, but a couple of nasty knife edge chops on the top rope send him crashing to the outside and prove he's clearly not. Aries attempts to follow, flying to the outside, but only finding exposed guard rail. This disorientation allows Ion a quick two count. Motioning for his finisher, Ion goes to the top rope and tries for a 450 splash, only to land flat on his face as Aries rolls away at the last second. A small moment of confusion allows Ion to grab his hairspray bottle, but is unsuccessful on attempting to use it, as Aries ducks out of the way. Grabbing the bottle from Ion, Aries retaliates and sprays his opponent in the face, only now the referee has recovered and seen everything. Despite valid protests, the referee calls for Aries to be disqualified!

A wonderful X Division match, with both men getting in several impressive moves. The clear victor being Austin Aries, as he dominated the match from start to finish and proved himself a champion like no other. If they're as interested in young talent as they say, TNA should take advantage of this and push Aries all the way into the World Title picture. Right now, no one deserves it more than him.

Winner - Zema Ion via disqualification (title doesn't change hands)

Backstage, the mysterious Joseph Parks enters the makeup room and finds Velvet Sky being tended to. Introducing himself, he asks if she might know where Abyss, HIS BROTHER, might be. He's been "missing" for several months (clearly someones not watching Ring Ka King!). She apologises to "Joseph", as she hasn't seen Abyss in a while either. He thanks her and leaves without incident. Not knowing Abyss had a brother in the first place, Velvet exclaims "you learn something new every day!". Two segments in and this angle is truly bizarre. I hope there's a point to all of this.

We return from commercial to find Bully Ray standing dead centre of the ring, ready to cut a promo. For the millions of Impact fans around the world, Calfzilla is here! As in a similar video package from earlier in the show, Bully harps on his success of having been the one to kick a chair into James Storm's head last week. As such, he feels he should be the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship, not Storm, and urges Sting to come out to the ring and declare him so. Never one to refuse an invite, the creepily half-painted Stinger obliges and makes his way out. Amidst chewing the scenery, Sting points out Bully can't make matches purely because he injured somebody. However, as Bully has the best damn calves in all the world, he can have Bobby Roode...right after the break!

Non-Title Match

World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode vs Bully Ray

Before coming out to the ring, we see Roode arguing with Sting over having to defend his title at such short notice. Sting, not wanting to ruin the Lockdown main event, never said that this would be a title match! Roode exits towards the stage, calling Sting all different kinds of crazy and the General Manager thanks him in return.

Roode walks down the ramp sheepishly, even jumping at his own pyro. Once he makes his way to ringside, he attempts to bargain with Bully Ray, offering his hand in friendship, but is cruelly denied by the former Dudley. As the bell is rung, the rowdy Impact Zone crowd begins a "kick his ass" chant. The pair lockup and Bully backs Roode into the corner. To his credit, Roode is able to outwrestle Ray, resulting in a headlock. Shoving Roode into the ropes, Ray comes back with a fierce shoulder block. The two of them exchange shoves, until Roode takes it one step too far and slaps Ray. Maintaining control, Roode works Ray over with a sustained period of kicks and punches, showing his first signs of true aggression. A particularly scary spot sends Bully flying back off the ropes, making the entire ring visibly shake! For all his cowardice, Roode dominates Ray consistantly, getting nearfall after nearfall. However, this causes him to get cocky and begin mocking the downed Bully, who shoots back with an audible sequence of slaps to the chest that HAD to hurt. Bully takes control with a power game, flooring Roode with clothesline after clothesline. He hits a stunning powerslam on Roode, which seemed to linger forever. The crowd actually begin to chant for Bully Ray! Roode, fearing imminent defeat, goes to the outside and grabs Ray's own chain. Before he can use it, he's met with a boot to the face. Seeing that his own chain was about to be used against him, Ray picks it up and motions that he's about to nail the Champion with it. Unfortunately for Bully, James Storm appears in the ring and chases him off. This leaves the leader of the Selfish Generation open to a swift superkick from his former Beer Money partner! Taking the World Heavyweight Championship from ringside, Storm lays it over the fallen body of Bobby Roode and leaves victorious (if it doesn't bother you that he wasn't a participant in the match).

A fantastic match for Bully Ray continuing his late blooming career revival. Despite several prolonged periods taking punishment from the Champion, he showed phenomenal conviction and it's no wonder the crowd got behind him. The only thing I'd pick fault with is that being a heel vs heel match, the crowd didn't have the slightest clue what they were meant to do. They eventually settled on supporting Bully, only at the end to find him chased off by the actual face, James Storm. With Bully inspiring such a fierce reaction from the audience, it was unwise to send the Cowboy in after him. If not for the superkick to Roode at the end, they might've accidently turned their biggest hero.

Winner - World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode via disqualification

We cut to the locker room area, where Garret Bischoff is getting ready. He's sat in his supposed ring gear, otherwise known as a vest and some tracksuit bottoms (I've done PE at school in more elaborate gear than he wears to the ring!). The camera crew try to coax the reveal of his mystery tag team partner, but he point blank refuses to spoil the surprise. Firstly, we know it'll be Jeff Hardy, purely due to the fact he's feuding with Kurt Angle, who's going to be Gunner's partner. Secondly, will somebody shave those damn mutton chops off his face, they're beginning to annoy me!

In what I can only assume is another locker room, Crimson and Matt Morgan are chatting when Joseph Parks enters. He repeats the same schtick from earlier, asking whether either of them have seen his brother Abyss, only to be told they haven't seen him in several months. After Parks leaves, Crimson turns to Morgan and attempts to rationalise them having lost the Tag Team Titles, much to Morgan's dismay. Given the opportunity to correct their mistake, they've been booked in a number one contender's match against Robbie E & Robbie T. Looks like they'll set aside their differences for another time. Yawn.

Number One Contenders Match

Crimson & Matt Morgan vs Robbie E & Robbie T

Rather curiously, E & T come out wearing matching pink cardigans. Is that meant to be in style? Because they look horrendous! (Rob Terry looks none too happy about it either)

The match begins with Robbie E getting in Crimson's face and attempting a fist pump, met by a stiff clothesline from the "undefeated" giant. He follows it up with a release suplex, sending the Jersey wannabe flying back into his own corner and the arms of bodyguard Robbie T. Fresh off the tag, the pair size each other up and lock arms, until Terry takes the lead and beats Crimson down. A few power moves later, Robbie E (still on the outside) nails Crimson with a clipboard. In a rare double team, Terry hits a sideslam positioning Crimson for a knee off the top rope from E. It proves ineffective though, only getting the Jersey posers a one count. Terry ends up losing the momentum for his team, as he stands flexing for the cameras for several seconds, allowing Crimson to recover and make the tag. Upon entering the ring, Morgan runs wild on both opponents, ploughing through them singlehanded. The finish comes as Morgan hits his finisher, the Carbon Footprint, on Robbie E. Unbeknownst, Crimson makes the blind tag and covers for the win, leaving Morgan shocked and appaulled. The referee raises their hands as the two of them bicker about what just happened.

A short, silly affair that didn't really do any of the four men much good. The only thing of note was the screwy ending, setting up a probable heel turn for Crimson. I don't want it to sound as though I'm picking on Crimson and Morgan, but the two of them have consistently failed to engage me for the past six months, whether it be in singles or tag team competition. If their feud wasn't working back then, why do the bookers think it'll work now? However, I am happy to see them steer Crimson towards the dark side, as he's failed to get over as a face and the fanbase are noticably resentful of his undeserved monster push. Maybe a run as a heel will freshen up his act. Until then, we have at least one more Tag Team Championship match at Victory Road between them and the new champions, Samoa Joe and Magnus.

Winners - Crimson & Matt Morgan via pinfall to become number one contenders to the Tag Team Championships

A new segment begins as AJ Styles music hits the Impact Zone and he makes his way to the ring. He enters to rousing fan support, which doesn't go unnoticed by the Phenomenal One, as he puts over how essential the fans have been in getting TNA to their ten year anniversary. Styles takes a walk down memory lane and reminices about various angles, including an odd mention of Bully Ray being a member of the Frontline standing against the Main Event Mafia. Before he can go any further, he's interrupted by Christopher Daniels and Kazarian. Mocking AJ's nostalgia, Daniels points out that he returned to TNA last year in support of AJ. Ultimately, in all the time they've been friends, Styles has soared and Daniels has been punished. That's why he's decided to put himself first for a change and encouraged Kazarian to do the same thing. Handing the mic off to Frankie, he calls AJ transparent and gullable. He builds up to the point that with all the friends who've turned their back on AJ, maybe the problem doesn't lie with them, but with himself. Responding to that, AJ swears off any future friends, but instead will associate with...Assholes! Mr Anderson's music hits and the four men erupt in violence. Eventually, Styles and Anderson clear the ring and celebrate their new alliance! A curious confrontation that tried to explain the continued hostilities between AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels, but the reasoning seemed too generic to have any real significance. Also, Styles calling in Mr Anderson for assistance seems totally random. Basically, they needed a way to get him back on television and he's been inserted into this placeholder of a feud until they can think of something better.

Kurt Angle & Gunner vs Garret Bischoff & TBA

Unsurprisingly, Garret's mystery partner turns out to be...Jeff Hardy! Even Angle's son Cody could've seen that one coming a mile away.

With the heels already in the ring, Garret shakes Jeff's hand on the ramp and follows the Charismatic Enigma down to the ring. Hardy plays to the crowd in a major way, while Garret just stands there looking like a moron. After the customary introductions by Jeremy Borash, the supposed-faces unwisely turn their backs on Angle and Gunner, who take the opportunity to jump them from behind. The referee restrains Garret as the opposing team double up on Jeff Hardy. Eventually order is restored and Gunner is forced out of the ring, leaving Angle to officially compete against Hardy. Following several submissions and suplexes, Angle unsuccessfully covers Hardy for a two count. Fighting back, Hardy comes off the ropes with a clothesline to Angle. Not waiting for the hot tag, Gunner enters the ring prematurely and attacks Garret, sending him crashing to the floor. While this is going on, Angle pulls Hardy back towards his corner and applies a submission hold to Hardy's leg, isolating him from Bischoff Junior's aid. Such games go on for quite a while, as Angle and Gunner whale on the ailing Hardy and occasionally make a play for Garret in the corner. There was a brief moment whereby Hardy had Angle in a rollup, but Garret's own protests distracted the referee from seeing the count. After a solid ten minutes of Hardy being the legal man, a free leg to Angle allows him the hot tag to Garret, who rushes into the ring, hitting several sloppy clotheslines on Angle and Gunner both. He hits what I assume was a botched jawbreaker on Angle and goes for the pin, but is broken up by Gunner. Both heels grab Garret and whip him into the ropes, but after an initial duck, are met with a piss poor double clothesline from their intended victim. Angle lands in just the right position and Hardy hits the Swanton Bomb for the win. We go off the air as the referee raises their hands in victory.

A ridiculous main event that was lob-sided at best. Jeff Hardy spent an insane amount of time as the legal man, which was almost the entire match, bar a last minute tag to Garret. It's clear the match had the duel purpose of putting Garret Bischoff over and yet hiding his inadequacies in the ring, of which there are many! It's ludicrous to think TNA wasted a television main event on putting over the producer's wannabe-wrestler son. The sooner someone tells the Bischoffs that what they're doing is shameless nepotism, the better.

Winners - Garret Bischoff & Jeff Hardy via pinfall

In conclusion, this was an extremely hit and miss episode of Impact Wrestling. For every brilliant match, there was a terrible one. For every wonderful promo, there was a disasterous one. It's rather easy to pinpoint what was wrong with this week's show, namely - TOO MUCH GARRET! Hell, even when he wasn't on-screen, they were still talking about him! He lacks ring presence, promo ability and botched the most basic of moves. That this green rookie can dominate the opening, the closing and a fair percentage of what came inbetween is insane. However, that's not to say this week was a complete loss, as I thoroughly enjoyed everything involving Austin Aries, marvelled at Bully Ray's progress and even had a chuckle at EY's expense. If TNA can get their priorities straight and remember the World Heavyweight Championship is the most important thing on the show, not the producer's son, they could improve in a heartbeat. But this week, it was not to be.

5/10

Clem