I have to be honest when I say this, it’s been difficult to come up with topics for the column since my joining the Wrestleview radio network as the co – host of the Pro Wrestling Rewind. I almost feel like I am repeating myself a bit, and that makes for some difficult writing to try and avoid saying the same thing you’re talking about in the same week.
With all that being said, I made picks for TNA Genesis on the show, which is up and ready for listening at the Rewind mini-site here at Wrestleview, facebook & iTunes. I’ll make picks here, and let’s see what there is to see.
Sean Morley vs. Daniels
Daniels was given a heel reaction after what he did to Morley, but in my opinion, Daniels is the face here. Sean Morley may be as good a mike worker as there is in the industry, but this whole Val Venis gimmick, even Val Venis version 2.0, is so old and so attitude era it makes me want to vomit. While I suspect that a lot of the new blood is going to get pushes because of who they are, I am going to have to believe, I am going to hope to believe, that there won’t be burials of all the TNA guys, the so called originals, and in this case, I pray that to be true. Daniels gets the dupe. He has more to lose than Morley does.
WINNER: Daniels
“The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero vs. Desmond Wolfe
Someone else explain to me how Wolfe going from Kurt Angle to D’Angelo Dinero in feuds is an upgrade. Because in my eyes, its not. Wolfe should’ve gone right for the title after going up against Angle, win, lose, or draw. Now, in this scenario, Wolfe has zero to gain, while the Pope has all the momentum in the world to gain from this win. I know I insulted Dinero’s status in the company when I said what I said about Wolfe’s feud choices, but the facts are the facts. I think the Pope wins this, because I see TNA doing something with the Pope in the X Division. If Wolfe went this route, I don’t see creative having anything substansial for him in the near future, hence, the degradation in opposition quality.
WINNER: D’Angelo Dinero
TNA is set to bring in another new acquisition to the company. While everyone in the IWC thinks its Ken Anderson, the choice of it possibly being Rob Van Dam has me intrigued. One thing is for certain, I am beginning to believe that none of these new signees have a long term future with the company, because bluntly, TNA just relaunched and remodeled their website, and none, I repeat, none of the new signees are listed on the roster page. Either which way, whether it be Anderson, Van Dam, or anyone else, I don’t see them making as big an impact as some of the ones who did come in January 4th.
Bobby Lashley vs. Abyss
Ok, explain this to me, because I don’t get it. Lashley signs with Strikeforce, TNA goes live, brings in all this new talent, and Lashley wants out? While I believe whole heartedly that Spike wanted Lashley to sign with UFC, because the cross promotion that could’ve been done with that is unlimited, the facts are still that until Lashley is fighting with Strikeforce full time, which is set to begin in a few months, he is still viable to TNA. So, why put him in a storyline where he is destroying people in order to get his meeting with Hogan to get out of the company? It makes no sense to me. It’s also pretty pathetic that a man, a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, a man who used to be indestructible in his own right, has turned in to a tomato can that is being fed to the wolves. Abyss gets killed in this match. Almost literally.
WINNER: Bobby Lashley
Beer Money, Inc. vs. “The Band”, Kevin Nash & Scott Hall
Who wants to be the one to put odds that Hall doesn’t show this pay per view? Or that Waltman shows up late? I believe those odds are pretty close to even money. It bothers me immensely that the best tag team on the planet, the Horsemen of the modern era, as my partner on the Rewind would say, the “Anderson & Blanchard’ of the modern era, are going to fall to two geriatric individuals whose time has long since passed, and who are basically riding Hogan’s coattails to paychecks all over the world. To borrow a line that Brother Ray said from last week’s Impact, “its a wonder that Hulk Hogan can walk forward with these fat asses on his coattails.”
I believe, also, that being on Hogan’s coattails will give the Band some special treatment, and I suspect that the former multi time TNA World Tag Team Champions are doomed tonight.
WINNERS: Scott Hall & Kevin Nash
2 out of 3 falls for the TNA Knockouts Championship
ODB vs. Tara
This feud will be fun to watch culminate in this match. I suspect it’ll go 3 falls. I suspect ODB will cheat to win the final fall, and I suspect that both women will move on to new opponents in the near future. But, a 2 out of 3 falls woman’s match is a match I am interested to see, as I don’t remember many of these ever being booked. I know Tara can go for the duration. Can ODB? I’m going to pick her, but it should be intriguing to see how it plays out.
WINNER: ODB
TNA X Division Championship
I hate the fact that TNA has not put up a challenger for the Amazing Red. I think it’ll either be Jeff Hardy or Homicide. While I suspect it will be Jeff Hardy, as he was nowhere to be found at the last Impact, I suspect that Homicide will make this a dirty match, and lead to Homicide vs. Jeff Hardy for the forseeable future, until Jeff is put behind bars. One way or the other, this mystery opponent thing does nothing to validate Red as X Division Champion. His reign has been severely underwhelming.
TNA World Tag Team Championship
The British Invasion vs. Matt Morgan & Hernandez
Here WWE is searching desperately for latin talent to bring to the table, and TNA had the perfect latin tag team, ready to poise to keep running at the titles for years to come. But what does the Russo-rific idea culminate in? Hernandez getting a world title shot robbed away from him, Homicide being buried inside Eric Young’s so called organization, and Hernandez being placed in a tag title match with a man who he has zero chemistry with. The Brits retain. I feel bad for both Morgan and Hernandez, they’ve both been screwed with recently in regard to their statuses within the company.
WINNERS: The British Invasion
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle
Can they do it again, two weeks after they did it once? I think they can, but I don’t know if its going to go to the level that I suspect they expect. One element here that may make this match much more intriguing is whether or not Ric Flair interjects himself in to the match in AJ Styles’ favor. My personal opinion on that, I would love it, Styles having Flair in the corner would be the life that can revitalize Styles as a character for the forseeable future. This is supposedly Angle’s last shot for the year, “as long as AJ is champion.” We all know that this will not be a year long stipulation, and Angle will be back in the title hunt quicker rather than later. Question is, does Kurt want to put AJ over one more time to benefit the company? I think he may. I’ll pick AJ, but it won’t surprise me in the least to see Angle walk out of Orlando as the title holder, one more time.
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