Hey, I made another milestone! #350! Woo Woo Woo!
Few things to talk about today, but let’s get the business out of the way first. Although I have boycotted TNA Wrestling due to the signing of Hulk “The Blank” Hogan, I will still take the liberty of making picks for the Turning Point Pay Per View.
Why?
Cause that’s what I do. 🙂
Ok.. let’s go to work.
Taylor Wilde, Sarita & ODB retain the Knockouts gold over Lacey Von Erich, Velvet Sky & Madison Rayne. I can’t see the atrocity that could happen in this match with Lacey Von Erich as a possible knockouts champion. I know with the men in creative, it’s entirely possible, but I am praying to the Good people who take care of this business to make sure this does not happen. HOPEFULLY, we’ll get lucky. But, this is TNA, and I doubt it. I’m gonna pick the faces, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were title changes here.
Tara over Awesome Kong inside the six sides of steel. This has the potential to be really good, or really bad. I don’t suspect there will be a middle ground here. I think both women are evenly matched, even with Kong’s obvious size advantage. I think whomever wins the match will be #1 contender for the knockout gold, and that makes me think Tara is going to get the dupe, because I sense Kong’s major league push is diminishing drastically with the loss of her Kong-tour-age, most recently, Raisha (Alissa Flash) Saeed.
Team 3D & Rhino over Matt Morgan, Hernandez & D’Angelo Dinero. Oh, wow, does this match suck. First, who else here realizes that two of the three men on the opposing team against the ECW Alumnae were just within the last two months in the world heavyweight championship picture. Now, they’re relegated to six men matches that mean nothing. And here’s another question. Is the Pope X Division or heavyweights? The man jumps around from division to division like a bouncing jumping bean from Harlem, New York. And let’s also ask this question, when the match starts, is Rhino and 3D going to flip and turn face again? They’ve had more heel and face turns than the amount of words in this column up to this point. What is the long term effect going to be out of this match? Matt Morgan and Hernandez’s stock have plunged to nothing. 3D & Rhino are lost without a program, and the Pope hasn’t seen hide nor hair of his push since his brief program with Suicide. It’s a cluster . of a match if I ever saw one. I would’ve preferred to see the IWGP tag straps defended here than this match.
Bobby Lashley over Scott Steiner. Wow, this match is going to be awful. Lashley is in the prime of his fighting career, and has the potential to kill Steiner, literally, with how badly Steiner’s health has become. Scott Steiner 2009 has zero shot of winning this match based on physicality alone. If creative writes it the way that Steiner wins, it’ll be a bigger atrocity than the Jenna Morasca/Sharmell match. What worries me here is potential long term injury for Steiner. And, also, Bobby Lashley losing interest in this product, really quick. Cause, like I said in the other match, explain to me here what will happen, what is the positive long term effect from Lashley beating Scott Steiner. Answer, not much.
The Motor City Machine Guns win the TNA World Tag Team Championship over Beer Money and the champions The British Invasion. I think it’s time for the Guns to be solidifed as a tag team. Let’s face it. Beer Money is the best tag team in TNA, and potentially, the entire world, right now. The Invasion, while promising, have not done much with the tag team gold, at this moment. Sabin and Shelley have been stalwarts in TNA since the beginning, and lately, have not done much except play X – Box and do commentary. I think it’s time to give these men, the originals from TNA, a shot with the main tag straps, and see what bounces against the wall. Again, I wouldn’t be surprised if this goes the way of the Invasion, but I’m still going to pick the Guns. Why not Beer Money? Because I think Storm & Roode are better suited right now to be hunters, rather than the hunted.
The Amazing Red retains the TNA X Division Championship over Homicide. I really believe Homicide wants out of TNA really badly. I think he’s being stifled in World Elite, and he is not happy, at all. I don’t think creative is going to give him a shot to run with the X title again. Red’s win over Joe, while tainted, has given the X Division the gymnastic style champion that TNA wants. Homicide’s being buried because of his desire to leave the company which probably was the beginning catalyst of this so called speech/meeting/pep talk from Dixie Carter. It’s a shame, because Homicide is one of my favorites, but I really think there’s no chance in hell of him taking the strap.
Nigel McGuinness over Kurt Angle. First, I refuse to call Nigel by his TNA “nickname.” Second, I like how TNA put Nigel in a feud with Kurt right off the bat, and it appears Kurt is going to let Nigel go over here, to give him some stature in the company, but Nigel has to be livid pissed right now because his debut and program here has been completely overshadowed by a man who won’t see the inside of the Impact Zone for at least another four weeks.
Am I beating down a dead horse yet?
AJ Styles retains the TNA World Heavyweight Championship over Samoa Joe and Daniels. Ok. Here’s a few things right off the bat. First, this match when it was done the first time, could have been, and still can be considered the best TNA match in its history. So, why wait almost 4 years to re-kindle this? I think the ball was dropped in a big way by not having these men continue to face off with each other in some way, shape, or form for an extended period of time. Second, what in the blue hell has Daniels done to deserve even a shot at the world title? Answer, ZIP. ZERO. NADA. BUPKUS. Third, I’d like to see creative have the decency to give Styles a lengthy run with the world title, and perhaps continue to have Joe nipping at AJ’s heels. Joe is an excellent hunter for the prize, but I’m not sure if his abilities as the hunted are as prime as they were when he was ROH Champion. The thing that worries me here is the fact that I read a report that creative had a falling out with Styles, and I hope that this ‘factoid’ doesn’t come back to bite Styles in the behind, and cost him the title. I could see it happening. I’m not going to pick it, but damnit, I will be pissed off if it happens.
Ok, now that I’ve spent this long talking about a product I won’t watch, and I’m sure pissed off a few hundred people, let me talk about some stuff I am going to watch.
I believe whole heartedly that the Undertaker is working on borrowed time. He seems so much slower and deliberate than at any other time in his career. I know after the length of time he has been in the ring that the skills are going to deteriorate just from normal wear and tear, but the diminishing skills of the World Heavyweight Champion are frightening. I am also in firm belief that this is why that the Undertaker has been booked in multi man matches at the last two pay per views. To avoid significant bumps and bruises during these defenses. It worries me, and it’s almost painful to watch.
With all that being said, it was a hell of a swerve bringing Kane out last night to help Taker after the champs were beating on him. I wonder what that’s going to do to the match at Survivor Series. Kane was floundering as a heel, and from my own personal point of view, a rekindling of the Brothers of Destruction is never a bad thing, even with Taker as slow as he has been.
As I look at the card for Survivor Series, I wonder where the swerve will be. I am enjoying seeing the tag teams go after the singles gold on both brands, with DX challenging Cena, and Jerishow challenging the Undertaker. I wonder what that is going to do to the unified tag straps when the smoke clears. I’m not too sure I am in to the idea of Rey and Batista going for a feud, because I believe when that smoke clears, Rey is going to end up on the injured list, because I don’t know if Big Dave can handle the skills with Mysterio over the long haul. Truth be told, I’m not too excited for that match in any way, shape, or form. Big Dave as a heel on his own is going to be a tough sell. He hasn’t gone heel since his days in Evolution, and back then, he had some major league help. Now, he’s out there solo, and can be exploited with his lousy mic skills. It’s a gamble, and one I think WWE is going to lose.
Looking at the traditional matches, and I am still trying to figure out why the Bragging Rights match couldn’t have happened here during this PPV, but let’s digress. Orton’s team vs. Kingston’s team is very intriguing. One thing that bothers me with that match is simple. Why the hell isn’t the ECW Championship being defended on a pay per view? I can understand completely putting Regal and Christian on separate sides in this match, because their rivalry has been very enjoyable to watch, but the championship has not been defended on a pay per view in several months, and that’s a bone of contention with me. Just something to ponder. The remainder of this match is very intriguing. MVP, Mark Henry, R – Truth, ECW Champ Christian & Kofi Kingston vs. CM Punk, William Regal, and Legacy. What truly does surprise me here more than anything is how Kofi is captain for the faces instead of Christian. That’s gotta be eating at the ECW Champ, because he has light years more of a resume than Kingston does, but Kingston’s getting the nod because of the notoriety in his feud with Orton.
Morrison’s team vs. Miz’s team is definitely one match I am very interested in. In the match itself, there is every aspect of the sport all wrapped in one big package. On one side, you have athleticism, speed, brawn, and technical skills, and on the other side, it’s the same thing, all wrapped up in one team. It’s a tremendous matchup from start to finish.
Shelton Benjamin, Evan Bourne, Matt Hardy, Finlay & John Morrison vs.
The Miz, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, Jack Swagger & Dolph Ziggler.
This could possibly be the match of the PPV, and has a deifnite potential to be one of the best matches in WWE for the entire year. I love this match. I want to see how Sheamus handles Bourne, how Finlay handles Miz, how Miz’s ego will affect the match, whether or not McIntyre is going to play nicely with others, this whole match has all the tools to be epic.
The divas match is unique because the Divas Champion is not captaining her team. The focus seems to be on the Smackdown rivalry around the women’s championship. This match is definitely not a technician’s dream by any sense, but the possibilities are intriguing.
Eve, Kelly, Divas Champ Melina, Gail Kim & Mickie James vs.
Jillian, Beth, Layla, Alicia Fox & Michelle McCool.
Ok, one thing really quick. How badly does Gail Kim must feel after she has been buried for months since returning to WWE. In TNA, she was the queen of the knockouts division and one of the women responsible for that title being as prestigious as it is. Now, she’s been basically relegated to being a jobber to women who couldn’t out wrestle her if Kim was wearing a paper bag on her head.
The pay per view has a lot more to offer than TNA’s attempt at a show tomorrow night. I’m looking forward to hear how Sunday Night Showdown rips Turning Point a new one.
I gotta talk some ROH and independent stuff before closing this out.
First, I don’t get the idea of ROH’s “Pick 6” Far as I am concerned, it’s another tournament attempt to make things unique in ROH, and it’s basically trying to trump DGUSA’s Open the Freedom Gate title tournament. What I have to say about this is simple. DGUSA’s format has been explained repeatedly on the website, while I have not seen much in the way of an explanation or a final result from what happens during the Pick 6. What I have seen, however, is ROH’s popularity begin to dwindle slightly in the weeks past. Seeing the amount of wrestlers who have signed on to DGUSA’s card in Phoenix during Wrestlemania weekend has to be a major bone of contention for Ring of Honor. I personally am concerned. I am a ROH fan, and the situation that has been occurring in the ROH empire has begun to erode ever since the Final Countdown tour ended.
Nobody has stepped up to take the reigns of ROH to the next level. Sure, we have had some incredible showings from Tyler Black, Roderick Strong, Austin Aries, & Davey Richards, but the fact remains, there’s been nobody to take the bull by the horns, and take ROH on its back and bring it to the level it needs to be in order to compete. When your tag team champion puts out the effort that he did in New York during Ladder War II, gets little to no recognition on the website from the ROH brass, and then when cleared to return, heads for Japan and Pro Wrestling NOAH, it’s got to be a concern. When Davey Richards, a man who can have a company built around him, has begun to build his own company alongside exiled former ROH kingpin Gabe Sapolsky, that’s got to be a point of concern for Ring of Honor. Overall, ROH’s talent pool has drastically been hit with the losses of McGuinness and Danielson, and I have not seen ROH be able to build up anybody properly to take the spots as the new aces of the promotion. Even the World Champion has not really taken his game up to the next level, when he had the opportunity to do so on many occasions during the Final Countdown tour, and even afterwards.
People who follow ROH are going to wonder what the hell I am talking about, and here’s the answer. ROH is competing with DGUSA on the same weekend in the same town for the same fans that don’t get in to Wrestlemania. 3 men have signed on to compete for DGUSA. The Young Bucks, rising ROH tag team specialists, and Davey Richards, who currently is one half of the ROH World Tag Team Champions. THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is a major problem.
Seeing the lack of headlining news and matches since Glory By Honor 8 is a major problem. Let’s face it, ladies and gentlemen, ROH has not gotten a lot of play, news wise, matches wise, or anything wise for some time now. And there really doesn’t appear to be anything on the horizon to suggest ROH is going to turn it around.
When your main event tonight in Canada for ROH is Aries defending the World title against Kenny Omega, and you put it against matches that DGUSA is going to put up in two weeks in Philly, the comparison is scarily in favor of DGUSA.
When you can have a match like Dragon Kid & Shingo vs. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino as a semi – main event match, and the best you can do in ROH for tonight is either Black vs. Strong, (which is good, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not on the level of the tag match, or Nakajima vs. Generico, which is a second choice match due to KENTA’s injury), the comparison is dangerously bad for ROH. I’m sorry, but from my own limited perspective, I have a tremendous amount of interest in what is going to transpire in two weeks in Philly for DGUSA rather than what’s been transpiring lately for ROH.
And I almost forgot the straw that breaks my back, the so called big announcements for Final Battle 2009. The return of Jack Evans, Alex Koslov, and gasp, Teddy Hart. Ok, what is so terrific about bringing Evans back to ROH? He’s been gone so long, and off the radar so long, it’ll take months before anyone thinks he’s relevant again. Koslov is a talented athlete, but his one match I saw of him in ROH, Danielson made him look really silly during Supercard of Honor IV. And Teddy Hart, wow. A man with endless potential and talent, with a 5 cent brain. I saw this guy live do a show nearby me, and he was tremendous, but I have heard such stories of his assinine behavior that bringing this guy in to a locker room is about as healthy as bringing in Milton Bradley in to a baseball dugout.
And if this is the best that ROH can do for Final Battle, the last show of the year, and a show that should be on par with Wrestlemania and/or Bound For Glory, well, frankly, ROH is falling very short of its expectations. Of my expectations, and if I had to guess, a lot of the ROH bots expectations.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is a point of concern that Cary Silkin better damn well look in to, soon.
Thanks for reading.
Be sure to check out the Rewind section of Wrestleview.com this weekend for this week’s edition of the Pro Wrestling Rewind, with host Andy Knowles, and special guest, me. I think you’ll enjoy it. Or you may hate it, it doesn’t matter, hell, if it gets your blood boiling, then I’ve done my job.
Till next time… here are some links.
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