OK, so I've been in absolute awe of the TNA product. The Hulk Hogan promos (especially dealing with Abyss) lately have done things like 1) move me to burly tears 2) enliven my senses as I ride on the wave of Hulka/Abyssomania 3) give me faith that wrestling can satisfy narratological, emotional needs. There's no more truth in television than when you hear Hogan admit to mind-numbing pain waking his muscular ass up every morning because he's given his soul (seriously, Mark Calaway) to the business of entertaining chumps like me.
And now TNA, this coming Monday, will go head to head with the colossal E. How will they fare? Who knows, but I'm sure they won't overtake them in one week. But comparing the two products right now, I know who I'd be watching if I weren't screening a film for my freshmen writing seminar students. I'm even seriously considering restructuring my syllabus around Mondays so that I can be there for the Monday Night Wars, v2.
As for the E, I've been pretty bored as of late. The Shawn Michaels/Undertaker match seems more interesting now that there are stipulations for HBK, but what kind of booking does this mean? Will Taker's streak come to an end? Probably, unless this is HBK's retirement match, which makes enough sense, though would still be abrupt. I think it is a bad move to end the Streak, ever, as it makes Taker a mere mortal, which is not what we are paying to see. Or stealing to see as the case, etc.
Big match for Bret Hart, huh? I wonder what the match will be like considering the Loyd's payout Bret received years ago. I just hope he gets in good enough shape to don the black and pink and look good. There's nothing worse than an old-guy wrestler performing in a big t-shirt. Buff-up Bret! Bring back the Canadian hero. And be sure to use the Sharpshooter. If not, I'll demand my sixty dollars back.
Friday Night Smackdown tonight, but I'm not even sure what's happening on the B show (as I don't even know that much about the A show right now). I'll definitely DVR it, but who knows what I'll do while watching it--grading papers, ironing clothes, cleaning the oven, organizing the My Documents folder, ordering from campusfood.com, or maybe having a social life.
Showing posts with label TNA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TNA. Show all posts
Friday, March 5, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
TNA's nWo PPV & lackluster routine
TNA's first pay-per-view since the dawning of the Hogan-Bischoff era aired last night. The most salient difference from previous TNA incarnations, of course, was the imposition of a traditional four-sided ring (a topic for an upcoming post). And unfortunately did not quite live up to the last Thursday's impact, but still provided a solid two and three quarters hours of show.
The most interesting thing is that the new WWE and nostalgia acquisitions were mainly embarrassed by the hungry, talented, younger TNA roster. While the night seemed rough on Brian Kendrick, he'll likely be a solid entertainer in the company. Kennedy, however, was sloppy and unentertaining, which is somewhat of a surprise given the hype around him. Perhaps he was ill-suited to fighting with Abyss, whose brawling-style didn't necessarily go with Kennedy's more traditional move-set. I don't know, but the match was a low point.
An equal low-point, and I really really hate to say it, was the Kliq versus Beer Money Incorporated. And it wasn't because of Beer Money. Kevin Nash, TNA staple and most responsible member of the Kliq aside from Triple H, looked tired. In fact, he looked aggravated that he had to compete with the 1-2-3 Kid, Sean Waltman, whose in-ring moniker is either X-Pac or 6-Pac (?) according to the commentators. Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon bowed out of the match, which was a change in advertisement and leads one to wonder if there is some problem with the Bad Guy. This and a shoot-style assault on a fan that was ill-addressed (so could possibly be unscripted?) gives one the impression that either Hall is high or management is still trying to sell a stoned Ramon. Either situation sucks.
The highlights of the event were Daniels, The Pope, Desmond Wolfe, and the main event. The three young guys seem to have a legitimate chance at longevity and character depth and in-ring prowess. Wolfe's explosive speed and bizarre habit of throwing his opponents into the bottom ropes gave him the border-line edge that Randy Orton has been trying to do for years. And the Pope might be the most entertaining man in wrestling. And I love Daniels' character of being a vicious if prudish man. I don't even need to mention Kurt Angle and A. J. Styles, except to say that I like Kurt as a face, and turning Styles heel will probably turn out to be a good decision.
What does this mean for WWE, who's still no-selling TNA? After watching four hours of WWE programming last week, there's little to say. The Raw skits are lame. The women's wrestling is below mediocre and the feuds nonexistant. The characters overly static and one-dimensional. As for young talent, there is Kofi Kingston, who's learning WWE vets' habit of sticking to a limited moveset; Dolph Ziggler, who looks good, unpredictable, but needs to fight people in his weight class and develop his in-ring character more; Evan Bourne, who needs to switch to TNA where there is actually a cruiserweight division; and the new monster heels Drew McIntyre and Sheamus, who are both mean and boring but who unfettered could have serious potential.
This is the time of year when WWE storylines should congeal, become epic, and lean toward Wrestlemania. The only reason to watch the Royal Rumble this year is to see if any surprises take place during the rumble. The Bret Hart issue could be exciting, but may not be, we'll have to see. Maybe the guest host concept is what is killing Raw? All I can tell is that the variety show layout is making the show less and less tolerable, which is truly a shame.
Rambly post, I know. I'm trying to get in the habit of posting so that I don't kill this blog before it starts. I'll post tonight during Raw for some in depth coverage.
The most interesting thing is that the new WWE and nostalgia acquisitions were mainly embarrassed by the hungry, talented, younger TNA roster. While the night seemed rough on Brian Kendrick, he'll likely be a solid entertainer in the company. Kennedy, however, was sloppy and unentertaining, which is somewhat of a surprise given the hype around him. Perhaps he was ill-suited to fighting with Abyss, whose brawling-style didn't necessarily go with Kennedy's more traditional move-set. I don't know, but the match was a low point.
An equal low-point, and I really really hate to say it, was the Kliq versus Beer Money Incorporated. And it wasn't because of Beer Money. Kevin Nash, TNA staple and most responsible member of the Kliq aside from Triple H, looked tired. In fact, he looked aggravated that he had to compete with the 1-2-3 Kid, Sean Waltman, whose in-ring moniker is either X-Pac or 6-Pac (?) according to the commentators. Scott Hall aka Razor Ramon bowed out of the match, which was a change in advertisement and leads one to wonder if there is some problem with the Bad Guy. This and a shoot-style assault on a fan that was ill-addressed (so could possibly be unscripted?) gives one the impression that either Hall is high or management is still trying to sell a stoned Ramon. Either situation sucks.
The highlights of the event were Daniels, The Pope, Desmond Wolfe, and the main event. The three young guys seem to have a legitimate chance at longevity and character depth and in-ring prowess. Wolfe's explosive speed and bizarre habit of throwing his opponents into the bottom ropes gave him the border-line edge that Randy Orton has been trying to do for years. And the Pope might be the most entertaining man in wrestling. And I love Daniels' character of being a vicious if prudish man. I don't even need to mention Kurt Angle and A. J. Styles, except to say that I like Kurt as a face, and turning Styles heel will probably turn out to be a good decision.
What does this mean for WWE, who's still no-selling TNA? After watching four hours of WWE programming last week, there's little to say. The Raw skits are lame. The women's wrestling is below mediocre and the feuds nonexistant. The characters overly static and one-dimensional. As for young talent, there is Kofi Kingston, who's learning WWE vets' habit of sticking to a limited moveset; Dolph Ziggler, who looks good, unpredictable, but needs to fight people in his weight class and develop his in-ring character more; Evan Bourne, who needs to switch to TNA where there is actually a cruiserweight division; and the new monster heels Drew McIntyre and Sheamus, who are both mean and boring but who unfettered could have serious potential.
This is the time of year when WWE storylines should congeal, become epic, and lean toward Wrestlemania. The only reason to watch the Royal Rumble this year is to see if any surprises take place during the rumble. The Bret Hart issue could be exciting, but may not be, we'll have to see. Maybe the guest host concept is what is killing Raw? All I can tell is that the variety show layout is making the show less and less tolerable, which is truly a shame.
Rambly post, I know. I'm trying to get in the habit of posting so that I don't kill this blog before it starts. I'll post tonight during Raw for some in depth coverage.
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