Booking Review for TNA Impact 09-16-10

Chris Wilson here guys, been gone for a while due to the move back to California. Now I had been watching wrestling throughout the move, just could not find time to write about it. So my first booking review in almost a month begins here at the 09/16/10 Impact. As most may know there was no TNA Impact last week(I thought it was largely due to the Saints/Vikings game). TNA....even from a booking stand point should have known that the ever so “venomous” IWC would be wide-awake at work on spoilers. And they just came off of a pay-per-view so I don’t see why they could have just shown Impact anyway. Well enough about there being no show last week; by my booking review, you might be able to understand what I’m getting at. If you don’t remember how I rate here it is for you:


I'm rating from 1 to 5, 1 being boring , 2 being lackluster, 3 being average, 4 entertaining, and 5 being must watch.










(Angle/Hardy/Bischoff/ Dixie Carter Segment)

Alrighty, Mike Tenay and Taz welcome us to the show, and you can see Jeff Hardy and Kurt Angle are already standing in the ring.(I’m actually starting to dislike the show starting off this way, it seems rushed) Eric Bischoff and Miss Tessmacher come out. Bischoff congratulated Mr. Anderson for advancing . Eric congratulated both Angle and Hardy for their match at No Surrender. Bischoff said we would have a new TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Bound for Glory. Bischoff booked Anderson vs. Angle vs. Hardy in a three way dance.Dixie Carter came out to the stage and gave props to Angle and Hardy. Dixie then overturned Bischoff’s decision and booked Angle vs. Hardy with no time limit and the winner going onto Bound for Glory to face Mr. Anderson for the title. Interesting that Dixie come out and overrides Bischoff’s decision, that might have been a shot at the IWC and alot of others that thought Hogan overriding Dixie’s suspension of Ric Flair was stupid. It’s funny that TNA spent time putting over two guys WHO ARE ALREADY OVER. Decent segment, good to hear the BFG main event wasn’t a triple threat YET. I give the booking of this segment a 3 out of 5.

(Pope Backstage)

The Pope said he wanted to talk to Bischoff. He exchanged greetings with Kevin Nash and Sting along the way. Hmmm wonder what this is about, looks like the new WolfPac needs a third man. We will see where this goes in the coming weeks. Pope backstage segment gets a 3 out of 5.

(Tommy Dreamer getting gas)



Tommy Dreamer was getting gas when approached by a cameraman, who asked him where EV2.0 goes from here. Dreamer said they might just go home. Another thing I’ve noticed, these You-Tube style segments, I have kind of coined it as a Real-TV style. Although I’m a fan of Real-TV i’m not interested in seeing Tommy Dreamer get gas. This stuff honestly needs to be on ReAction or something. I give this a 1 out of 5.


(Samoa Joe (with Jeff Jarrett) vs. Kevin Nash (with Sting)

Joe overcame some early offense by Nash with a series of kicks. Things spilled to the floor. Sting and Joe paired off, as did Jarrett and Nash. The referee reached the count of ten but the brawl continued.The brawl continued and security tried, but pretty much failed, to break it up. Interesting booking here, It seems that Kevin Nash and Sting are the key to what I’m now calling the “Deception” storyline. The match seems un-entertaining on paper, but once they get to the brawl I start to see something. It seems like Jeff Jarrett is just using Samoa Joe as a soldier, you know because Nash and Sting know something that we all don’t know. I give the booking of this match a 3 out of 5.

(Lacey Von Erich/ Madison Rayne/Tara Backstage Segment)

Lacey Von Erich was in a towel backstage. Madison Rayne and Tara approached her, saying they (Madison and Lacey) had a tag team title shot tonight. Lacey said she wasn’t sure if she was going with Velvet or Madison. They told her not to hurt herself by thinking. Are we going to see the completing the reformation of the BP’s? When did Madison Rayne and Lacey qualify for a Knockouts Tag-Title Match? And speaking of the Knockouts Tag Team Champions(Taylor Wilde and Hamada), been anyway? All this(not all of it) will be answered later. But I give the booking of this segment a 3 out of 5.

(Kevin Nash and Sting Backstage Segment)

Nash and Sting said Jarrett and Joe would not even make it to “10-10-10.” Sting said the gloves were off and he was having fun now. I don’t know why but I can’t wait until we find out what is going on with these two. And what’s REALLY going on in TNA. I give this segment a 3 out of 5.

(Jay Lethal vs Douglas Williams(c) (X-Division Title Match)

Williams outwrestled Lethal early on and scored several two counts. Williams continued to school Lethal, working on the lower back.Williams went to the top rope, but Lethal countered with a dropkick. Williams came back and tried the rolling chaos, but Lethal countered with the lethal combination for a nearfall. Jay missed the Randy Savage elbow from the top. He was able to come back and hit the lethal injection for the win…Okay I don’t watch Xplosion so I had no idea where this match came from. I’m just going to assume that Williams dropped the belt to become more involved in the EV2.0/Fortune feud at BFG. Okay booking here, but another case of TNA not building up title matches credibly. I’ll give the booking of this match a 3 out of 5.
Lethal celebrated with confetti and in the crowd with the fans. I found this to be overkill.

(Abyss Backstage)

Abyss was backstage breathing really hard and loudly. He was also dragging someone around. Who was it???? I give this a 4 out of 5. I will tell you why later

(Kurt Angle Backstage Promo)

Angle cut a promo backstage saying Hardy was a great wrestler, but he was not a champion. Kurt is the champion. He is the best. He is TNA. He will win the World Heavyweight Championship at Bound for Glory. That is real. It is damn real. Angle is definitely one of the greatest ever, I like Hardy....but from a bookers standpoint everything Angle said is true. I give this promo a 4 out of 5.

(Taylor & Hamada(c) vs Madison Rayne and Lacey Von Erich)(Knockouts Tag Titles)

Madison Rayne, Tara, and Lacey Von Erich made their entrance. Tara slapped Madison on the ass and then they kissed. Tenay and Taz were quite pleased with that.elbow more effective.Taz talked about the primal screams of Madison and asked what it must be like to wake up next to her in the morning. He then took Lacey to task for not selling a jawbreaker. “You could see that was not going to work… For Lacey.” Lacey was promptly pinned.Madison jumped into the ring and screamed her head off at Lacey. Lacey pushed Madison down and received a beat down for her troubles. Velvet Sky and Angelina Love made the save. Lacey hugged Velvet as the heels took off. Decent match by and by, I knew Lacey would get pinned and Madison would turn on her. Looks like the Beautiful People has become full-fledged faces. Good to see Taylor Wilde and Hamada back and defending the belts. Good booking. a 3 out of 5.

(Jeff Hardy Backstage Promo)

Jeff Hardy said he was happy when it was a three way, but will do what he has to do to beat Angle tonight to move onto Bound for Glory. I was surprised by that since Angle didn’t look happy at the pay-per-view or on Impact about there not being a winner or the possibility of a three way dance. I give this promo a 3 out of 5.

(Tommy Dreamer/ Fourtune/ Brian Kendrick segment)(Warning really long as it was on TV)


Tommy Dreamer came out to the ring in a suit as footage of A.J. Styles sticking a fork in his eye at No Surrender. He said he was alone without EV2.0 and asked Fortune to come to the ring. All of them, except for Williams, came to the ring. Dreamer said he was sick of his friends being hurt and was calling a truce. “This is over.” Dreamer called Fortune the future of TNA, but he was just looking for a place to call home. He put over America’s Most Wanted and Beer Money. He said James Storm had more talent in one finger than Sandman did, and Sandman was one of his best friend. He continued to compare TNA to ECW when talking to Kazarian. He said he got Kaz a job in WWE, but Kaz left because he wasn’t happy. Dreamer said Kazarian would not have had a career or met his wife had he not come back to TNA.

He said Matt Morgan was supposed to be the next Undertaker or Kane in WWE. Now, the next big guy in WWE will be called “the next Matt Morgan.” He said he offered Robert Roode a contract in the WWE, but Roode turned it down to stay in TNA. Roode is truly a mixture of Curt Hennig and Rick Rude.He moved onto to Flair and began to tear up. He said “thank you” to Flair. He said Flair wasn’t into hardcore wrestling, but he was the most hardcore of all wrestlers. He called Flair the dirtiest player in the business but corrected himself and said Flair was the business. He said when Flair called it quits, it would be the saddest day.Dreamer said Styles made Dreamer say something he had never said before, because he was the best in ring performer in the business today. He wanted to shake A.J.’s hand. Styles asked for the mic instead. He said it was commendable for Dreamer to come out and say the things he said about Fortune.

Styles called Dreamer “all heart.” The crowd agreed and chanted for Dreamer. He put over ECW without mentioning it by name. He said Dreamer never asked for respect but always seemed to get it. Styles then shook Dreamer’s hand and said Dreamer earned his respect.Styles reminded Dreamer he was the only one to make him say “I quit.” He then said he did not need Dreamer’s respect or praise. He then attacked Dreamer. The rest of Fortune did not want to attack Dreamer, but they did when A.J. yelled at them to.Brian Kendrick came out to protect Dreamer, but he took a beating as well. He was disposed of to the floor and Styles continued the attack on Dreamer. Security came down but did not want to enter the ring. Styles then said Dreamer had his truce.Kendrick took the mic and challenged one member of Fortune to fight him right now. This segment was so long, I had no idea what Brian Kendrick was saying and Dreamer constantly mentioned the WWE and ECW. But he did a good job of putting Fourtune over, that’s all that matters.... a 4 out of 5.

(Matt Morgan vs. Brian Kendrick)

Back from the commercial, The match was already in progress. Morgan wrestled in his suit. Yes, that is a purple shirt. Morgan destroyed Kendrick and got cocky. He turned his back and Kendrick hit a kick for the surprise win. Afterward, Morgan said he wasn’t ready and wrestled in a $7,500 suit. He said he wanted the loss removed from the record books. He kept saying, “Kendrick.” He then put his head in his hands. I like the Fourtune/EV2.0 feud, but Brian Kendrick really?? I definitely dub this bad booking and having Morgan lose is even worse. I give the booking of this match a 1 out of 5.

(Pope Backstage 2)

Backstage, Pope finally made it Bischoff’s office. What, did he stop and take a nap on the way there? Bischoff wasn’t there but Miss Tessmacher was. True to form, Pope sexually harassed her.
Looks like the Pope’s going to turn heel again. I’m all for it.... a 3 out of 5.

(Abyss Backstage 2)

Abyss had two people hanging around in what looked like a dungeon. He had Janice, and introduced Bob, a branding iron with “10-10-10.” He branded one of the two guys. Oh god another weapon made by Abyss....hes gone totally monster heel for sure. For Abyss’s sake “THEY” better be someone meaningful.....I give the booking of this segment a 3 out of 5.

(Rob Van Dam Speaks Segment)

Tenay and Taz interviewed Rob Van Dam on the phone. RVD said he would be back and better than ever.RVD said he still considered himself the World Champion as did the fans of the “TNA Universe.” RVD said he would be in the Impact Zone next week. Umm.... so now RVD is going to be back before BFG....booooooo!!!!! a 3 out of 5.

(Generation ME Promo)

Generation Me came to the ring. They put over how they put Alex Shelley out of action. They were not there to pay dues. They called out Chris Sabin to hand over the TNA Tag Team Championships. Sabin beat the crap out of G-Me, but the two on one advantage was too much. They double DDTed Sabin while he was hanging from the top rope. Sabin held his neck. I’ve got to say Gen ME are pretty bad heels, they just aren’t edgy enough. Just because you attack people every week doesn’t make you a good heel....Those to are terrible on the mic. I give this promo a 2 out of 5.

(Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy/ Post Match Segment)

Slow pacing early on. Hardy had half of his face painted earlier in the show and all of it now. Taz said, “You don’t want Kurt Angle behind you because he will suplex the crap out of you.” Hardy’s focus was the right shoulder of Angle. He slammed it into the ring post. Angle also had dislocated ribs from the PPV. Angle whipped Hardy to the floor and then hit a slingshot high cross body. Mr. Anderson came out and headed to the announce table. Huge double closeline immediately coming back from the break. Angle scored a nearfall with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Hardy hit the Twist of Fate (sort of) for a two count. Angle came back and hit what can only be described as a moonsault high cross body for a two count.


Angle applied the ankle lock. Hardy missed a mule kick but ended up spinning onto his back to kick out of it.Hardy went for the Twist of Fate and it looked like Angle got his knees up, but Hardy still covered him for a two count. Hardy hit the Whisper in the Wind on the referee.
Angle hit an Angle slam and another referee counted to two. He hit a second one and Hardy kicked out again. The show went off the air, but picked up immediately on Reaction, which starts right now…Hardy scored a long two count with the delayed dropkick in the corner. Hardy beat on Angle on the floor for awhile. Angle got it back in the ring and hit many German suplexes. Hardy kicked out. Angle tried and missed a frog splash.Angle applied an ankle lock. We now have two referees. They locked in dueling ankle locks and laid on their backs. Both referees counted to three.Eric Bischoff headed out to the ring as Dixie Carter looked on from her ringside seat.

After a commercial, Bischoff and Dixie spoke at ringside. Eric took the mic in the center of the ring. He said neither man had anything more to prove. He booked Anderson vs. Angle vs. Hardy again. The match is set. Angle and Hardy hugged to end the show.. Okay the ending was pretty interesting, glad they found a way besides a double countout to have it end in a draw. Only problem that I have with the results is that the tournament that they hyped up seems useless now. Good booking...on another exciting match a 4 out of 5.
A decent Impact, for some reason I feel like TNA is rushing alot of things. We will see where all these Angles take us on the way to Bound For Glory.

TNA nonsense watch

TNA is now officially fucking retarded. This week’s Impact was possibly the worst Impact I have ever seen. This whole show deserves to be included in our latest TNA nonsense watch.

I’ve stopped reviewing TNA because I like Clown’s take so much, but damn it, I need to get this off my chest. I cannot believe how bad TNA has been this week. Remember that TNA is a taped show, it’s not live. TNA management chose to air this shit. Let’s see what went wrong:

Before the show kicked off, we had a package with Ric Flair talking about Fourtune – Ric Flair’s rehash of the Four Horsemen, only with six fucking members (surely it should be called Sixtune?) Indeed, the accompanying graphic package for a later match with Beer Money had lots of number fours bobbing around. It’s even spelt Fourtune. The Four Horsemen with six guys? Really? What the fuck? If you’re going to redo the Four Horsemen, have four of them.

The show opened with Dixie Carter coming to the ring, this is not a good sign. Why they’ve made her a character is beyond me. So, she calls Ric out, holding him “personally responsible” for Abyss attacking RVD. How this is so I have no fucking clue. She proceeds to suspend Ric for 90 days. As President of the company, it is perfectly within her power and right to do this. Flair tells Dixies that Fourtune are going to take over TNA (wow, it’s like that nWo/MEM/Nexus angle hasn’t been done before). Fourtune come out and look as though they are going to beat up Dixie. Luckily Serge dives into the ring to take a beating instead. I know what you’re saying: “No not Serge, you bastards, not Serge!”... of course you’re not saying that, and nobody is saying that because nobody knows who the fuck Serge is. Essentially they want to put over a group of guys as the new bad asses in town by, erm, attacking someone that no one has seen in TNA before. This guy could be anyone, and I am sure that the live audience who wouldn’t have had Taz telling us that he’s Dixie Carter’s husband were 50 times more confused than the people watching at home. Who knew there was a Serge? Who gives a fuck if he gets beaten? This is complete bullshit... But wait, it gets worse. By this point Dixie has made a swift exit, leaving her husband to get beat by Sixtune, and who should enter but Hulk Hogan (accompanied by Angle, Anderson, Pope and Hardy). “Thank God for Hulk Hogan” were the genuine words that left Tenay’s mouth at that point. He reminded me of the way Jerry Lawler creams his boxers every time John Cena turns up for work. I was expecting Hogan to rush in and take out each member of Fourtune with one punch, but luckily that didn’t happen. Instead, we were treated to Hogan “overriding” Dixie’s decision to suspend Flair. So what? Is Hogan the President now? What the fuck? Hogan explains: “I made a deal with Dixie Carter, dude, to run this company 50/50, brother” – so I’m paraphrasing, but that was the essence: a 50/50 relationship. 50 doesn’t have a majority over 50, 50% doesn’t give you more control that another 50%. WHAT THE FUCK? Either Dixie’s the President or she’s not. This is complete and utter nonsense. If that was not bad enough, with Flair declaring that Fourtune are going to take over the company, the Fatal Four (that’s Hardy, Angle, Anderson and Pope (four babyfaces who are currently in a tournament against each other for the World Championship, the most coveted title in sports entertainment, I might add)) are going to give “the keys of the company back to Dixie”. Now I hate to use logic on this, but lets look at what’s going on here: Dixie came out and took control of her company, Hogan overrode her, Hogan wants Dixie to take back control of the company. There’s a beautiful circularity in this which if considered for too long and by too many people could actually rip the very fabric of space and time.

Then it went stupider. Joe was put in a match with Orlando Jordan, a guy whose gimmick seems to have gone from “a bisexual” to a dirty fucking rapist sex offender. I’m not going to deconstruct how terrible the Jordan gimmick is here (Clown did that perfectly a few months back), but the match was just pointless. Jordan came to the ring with a Samoa Joe action figure, pretended to fellate it and molested SoCal “Butterface” Val – just like all bisexuals do... Anyway, at the end of the match Jeff Jarrett came out and started talking. A silence descended over the crowd like a bored mist. No one gets, or cares, about the squabbles between Sting/Nash and Jarrett. No one knows what is going on, or which side people should care about. Sting is too much of a face to be taken seriously as a heel, and Jarrett has been a heel in TNA for years. As far as I can make out, this seems to be another “the soul of TNA is at stake” angle, this time because of Kevin Nash, or Hulk Hogan’s politics, or Sting feeling deceived, or something. The “the soul of TNA is at stake” angle might be familiar to fans who remember things like the Kings of Wrestling... the Main Event Mafia... the Band... or, erm, the thing from the promo before, i.e. Fourtune... and, erm, EVWo 2.0... are all the major TNA angles the same at the moment? Let’s consider this angle for a moment and ask what would happen if Jarrett turned round to Nash and said “you win” and just walked away? Seriously, what is at stake? Is big granddad Nash going to slowly walk toward people and go through his vast move set? Maybe I’m missing something in the storyline, but as far as I can make out, it makes no fucking sense.

Later on in the show we had the revelation that Abyss must have multiple Janices. There is a brawl between him a Stevie Richard (he must have been struck off for malpractice because he no longer mentions his doctorate) in the car park. This segment is piss poor, but there is a point where Abyss manages to break Janice in two. After a commercial break, Rhino is waiting for Abyss in the ring and Abyss has either managed to do a miraculous repair job on Janice, or he simply has a whole collection of them. Living like some kind of Mormon with multiple women (except planks of wood rather than a genuine polygamist relationship). Clown will probably tell me that this is just a continuity error rather than nonsense, but I don’t care, this show had more holes in than, I dunno, something with a lot of holes in.

This is just a taste of how bad it was. Of late TNA’s story-telling and logic has took a complete nose-dive.

I’ve had enough now. I’m serious; TNA needs to get its shit together, because if there’s no improvement by Bound for Glory, I’m done (except for the live show in January I have tickets for already).

TNA Booking Sliding Down Hill(Booking Review for Impact 7-29-2010)

I love TNA, its my favorite wrestling promotion as far as content and characters go. And I have been cheering for TNA to get to the top for so long. But this ECW thing(to) me seems to be pushing the "TNA" wrestlers aside for not only a whole pay-per-view but almost a whole show....But who's to say this isn't a good thing...Just check the ratings! Maybe if done right and somehow fused with whats ACTUALLY going on in TNA this thing might work.

(EV 2.0 Promo)
This weeks Impact opens up with Tommy Dreamer and the rest of the Hardcore Superstars(as well as Brother Devon of Team 3D). Dreamer says due to some confusion with "letters of the Alphabet" and of course legal issues, Tommy and his band of Extreme fans will now be known as EV 2.0. He thanks Devon for rejoining the family, and asks whats going on with Brother Ray. Devon says he doesn't know and procedes to call Brother Ray out to the ring.Ray comes out but does not get into the ring. Tommy Dreamer and Brother Ray go back and forth about how they are best friends, and Dreamer even compares the reunion to KISS putting on the makeup and getting together one more time. Mick Foley tries to convince him by saying that when he looks back on his career he will regret not doing this show(HARDCore Justice). Even TAZ from the announce table gets a mic and just tells Brother Ray to just get in the ring.Bubba goes to the ring and grabs a mic and asks Devon are they going to light somebody on fire? Devon nods yes as the crowd starts chanting EV 2.0, and Bubba says what the hell, he’s in, and Bubba and Devon embrace and then Bubba goes around and high fives everyone. But wait here comes Hulk Hogan(surprise, he's not dead) he gets a mic as well and says how cool it is that the ECW guys are going to ride again and he thanks them for doing so in TNA. Hogan says that since everyone is in a giving mood Eric Bischoff has a big annoucement later on. Here comes Abyss with Janice, and he hates to break up the extreme reunion, but he’s here to tell you that they are not happy, and they are downright pissed off because this reunion was never a part of their plan and wasn’t supposed to happen, and there’s one person they hold responsible, and it’s not Tommy Dreamer, it’s not Mick Foley, and it’s not any of the fans or even Hulk Hogan, the one person they hold responsible is Dixie Carter. Hogan says he could care less what they say, and as far as he’s concerned, Abyss should hit the road and get his head checked because right now, Tommy Dreamer is a guest of theirs at TNA and nothing’s going to go down until the PPV. Abyss says they have given him strict orders tonight to take Tommy Dreamer out, and therefore there will be no Hardcore Justice. Hogan repeats that Dreamer is their guest and he’s not going to step up until he’s good and ready…but wait, Dreamer says that he would love to fight Abyss tonight, so if Dixie and Hulk will allow it, he says let’s do it for everybody. Looks like we have our main event for tonight! Okay that was a pretty lengthy opening segment especially because MOST of it had nothing to do with "TNA"...good to see Abyss this week after him not being on the show last week. Didn't like that promo too much.... 2 out of 5.

(Beautiful People Backstage Segment)
Backstage Lacey Von Erich is telling Velvet Sky this has to stop right now and Velvet says it will never end, and then Madison Rayne comes in and says none of this will end unless they stay BFFs. Madison says they have all the Knockouts Titles and asks why they can’t stick together. Velvet comes up with several reasons, not the least of which is Madison hanging out with Dumpy Ass and Sarita. Madison tries to reason with them and Velvet isn’t having it, and says it’s going to take a lot more than sorry. Madison and Lacey keep apologizing and finally Velvet says they have a truce and they share a group hug. Still intrigued by whats going on with them, I guess we will see in the coming weeks. I give the booking of this segment a 3 out of 5.

(#1 Contender’s Match: Sarita vs Angelina Love )
I like this match already, and its good to see Sarita in a non-tag team match. Angelina with a shoulderblock right off the bat and they do a pinfall exchange sequence and do a standoff. Sarita hides behind the ref and nails Angelina, whipping her into the ropes but Angelina ducks a clothesline and gets a rollup for 2 Sarita drop toeholds Angelina into the ropes and kicks her in the gut. Sarita works Angelina over in the corner and snapmares her for 2. Sarita takes Angelina down and drops several elbows before getting a rear chinlock. Angelina fights out but Sarita with a full rotation back suplex for 2. Sarita tries another rollup with a handful of tights but the ref catches her and refuses to count. Angelina escapes another suplex attempt and spears Sarita, then gets a running elbow, spinkick, and a flying clothesline, and she gets the Botox Injection for 3. Angelina Wins!! Good booking, these two are obviously the two best singles knockouts besides Madison Rayne right now. Some may disagree but Sarita is just not ready for a title shot until her heel turn is complete. I give the booking of this match a 3 out of 5

(Eric Young/Orlando Jordan Backstage Segment)
Eric Young is backstage goofing around and Orlando Jordan, ORLANDO JORDAN, says he needs Young to be focused and stop goofing around. Eric says he’s not all there right now because of all the head trauma he’s suffered recently, and Orlando says “Yeah, and they say I have problems.” Okay the segment was quite funny and its taking me back to the old EY I remember from back in the day. Another pretty average...but funny backstage segment. I give it a 3 out of 5

(Ink Inc vs Orlando Jordan & Eric Young)
So apparently Eric Young took a bump off of the top rope during Xplosion and that made him go loopy...but anyway.Orlando Jordan comes to the ring and puts his gum in So Cal Val’s mouth, and he is followed by Eric Young carrying…a naked mannequin with a feather boa, whic he props up next to him in his corner, so I guess this is a handicap match. Jordan goes right to work on Jesse Neal and beats him down, then snapmares him and we HIT THE CHINLOCK! Jordan with a swinging neckbreaker as we see that both Young and the mannequin are reaching out for the tag. Jordan straddles Jesse, but Shannon Moore comes in and boots Jordan, and one chinbreaker later, Jesse has made the hot tag, and the mannequin is legal! Young tosses him off the top rope and he burts into pieces, so Ink Inc knocks Young off the top rope and Moore hits the Mooregasm for the win. Didn't really get why this match was even booked for Impact in the first place, Seems like TNA's booking isn't making sense again. So I give the booking of this match a 2 out of 5. BTW why is OJ still in TNA...Just a thought....

(Eric Young Post Match Segment)
Young crawls over to the destroyed mannequin and throws up the X to indicate that the mannequin is badly injured and needs a stretcher as we go to commercial. LOL at Eric Young he is truly back. I give this segment a 3 out of 5.

(Fortune Promo)
We’re back, and Ric Flair is in the ring with AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian, and Beer Money, and he says that we all know that Flair is a wrestling god and genius, so he always has a return match clause, and next week it’s going to be Jay Lethal and Ric Flair in a Street Fight with no rules. Flair is prepared to bleed and sweat, which is good because that’s all he can do anymore. Now, it’s time to introduce the final two members of Fortune: Beer Money. So basically, it’s the four guys we all knew it would be. Flair hands Bobby Roode the mic and he says it’s an honor, but they knew it was only a matter of time before they joined up with Flair since they’re the greatest team in the business today (not named Briscoes or Kings Of Wrestling…that’s my opinion, anyway), and tonight they’re going to beat the Motor City Machine Guns for the third time in a row, and will become four time (WOO), four time (WOO), four time (WOO), four time (WOO) TNA World Tag Team Champions. Now Flair introduces the new Global Champion AJ Styles and Frankie Kazarian, and Kazarian says they’re not a gang of angry rookies(lolz Nexus), they’re four seasoned vets who are the best in the TNA Galaxy. AJ takes the mic and says that they’re the best because Ric Flair deserves the best and deserves respect, and out of that respect, he’s going to restore credibility to the Global Title. He renames it the Television Title, and starting next week and every week and PPV after that, he will defend the title and it starts next week with Rob Terry…that is, if Terry can get past Kazarian tonight. Flair closes it by telling the girls that they’ll be at the hotel tonight and will be running all night long. Wait a minute…here comes Kurt Angle and he looks serious. Angle says he’s glad to hear that AJ will honor that title, but he should know that Angle needs to honor his commitment as well, which means climbing the ladder in TNA and regaining the TNA World Title. Unfortunately for AJ, he’s next in line, and that’s real…that’s damn real. Awesome promo I think the Television Title is a better name for it and it should be defended on TV every week but I doubt TNA will do that....Good to see Kurt Angle. I give the Fortune Promo a 4 out of 5.

(Best of 5 Series Match #3 Beer Money vs Motor City Machine Guns)
After commericial we move on to our next match and it's a cage match! Beer Money is up two to nothing in this best of five series. Beer Money is already in the cage, the Motor City Machine Guns music hits and they are climbing up the cage but Roode and Storm don't see them.......I have to say this is good booking, we have seen a variety of matches and these two teams have put on some good matches so far. The Guns dive off the cage onto Beer Money to start, then ram both members of Beer Money into the cage. Series of fast double team moves on Storm, and then a springboard dropkick on Roode sends him crashing into the cage and he’s busted open already. Shelley goes for Sliced Bread #2, but Storm escapes and gets a hanging neckbreaker off the second rope for 2. Storm rams Shelley into the turnbuckle and pounds him in the face as we see Roode bleeding, then tags in Roode, who comes in with a stiff kick to the guy of Shelley. Beer Money with a slam/elbowdrop/kneedrop combo for 2. Storm comes in and pops Shelley in the mouth then tags Roode back in and we HIT THE CHINLOCK! Shelley fights his way free, but Roode nails him and puts him up top and goes for a superplex, but Shelley rams Roode into the cage several times and hits a top rope Frankensteiner.Shelley makes the hot tag and Sabin comes in and cleans house, hitting a top rope dropkick on both men. Sabin puts Roode in the corner, hangs Storm upside down in front of him, hits a Yakuza Kick to Roode, a delayed baseball slide to Storm, and then Shelley tries Sliced Bread #2 on Roode but Roode escapes and kills Sabin with a lariat. Roode and Shelley go up top but Shelley rams Roode facefirst into the cage and hits a double stomp off the top onto Roode. MCMG with more double team moves on Beer Money but Sabin misses one and then Storm hits a Spinning slam on Shelley and powerbombs Sabin into the cage, and then Storm follows that with a lungblower for a very close 2. Beer Money tries to escape but Shelley goes up and tosses Roode off, then gives Storm a jawbreaker off the top. Sabin climbs to the top of the cage and hits a crossbody off the top on both men and all four are down. That should have been the finish. Storm goes for a shot with the beer bottle, but Sabin moves and Storm nails Roode, and the MCMG hit the doubler stomp/neckbreaker to pick up the win. This was a an excellently booked match these two tag-teams are obviously the best in the world right now....I give the booking of this match a 5 out of 5...Keep it up guys

(Matt Morgan/Mr.Anderson/Jeff Hardy segment)
After commercial, we are introduced to Mr Anderson…wait, it’s Matt Morgan coming out to Anderson’s music. I bet he’s going to impersonate him. He goes for the mic and the guy who controls the mic refuses to drop it, so Morgan yells at the guy and finally he drops it and Morgan can grab the mic. Yep, he impersonates Anderson and introduces himself. Now Anderson’s music hits again, and here he comes for real and when he puts his hand up, he gets a damn mic, and he demonstrates how easy it was by having it raise up, and then calling for it to drop again, and says he doesn’t know what Morgan’s problem is but he’s coming down to the ring to find out. Morgan asks if he finds it ironic that the mic in Morgan’s hand was what left Anderson in a pool of his own blood. Morgan says Anderson wants to hit him and take out the Big Bad Wolf, and Morgan offers to bend over and put his jaw out and Anderson can pop him in the jaw for free, but he knows that Anderson is too scared to do it. Morgan keeps egging Anderson on, so Anderson drops down and punches Morgan in the nuts instead. Anderson jumps on Morgan and rains rights down onto Morgan’s head and starts mocking him, but Morgan catches Anderson with a clawhold and starts choking him out, then puts the boots to him. Morgan takes the mic and uses the cord to choke Anderson out, but now Jeff Hardy comes out to make the save and he kicks the crap out of Morgan, and then Anderson recovers and he joins in. Security comes out and pulls Anderson and Hardy off, and Morgan uses the opening to cheapshot Anderson. Hardy and Anderson dive back on Morgan and security gets a little too physical trying to pull them back off, leading to the TNA agents coming out and breaking the brawl up and chewing security out. Kind of out there scenario, almost seemed like it was thrown together at the last minute, and I'm sure this isn't a part of the main storyline, I give this segment a 3 out of 5

(Mr. Anderson/Jeff Hardy Backstage Segment)

We are back from commercial and immediately brought backstage to an interview with Anderson and Hardy. Christy Hemme asks them about how they felt about TNA Security's overly physical invovement in their brawl just moments ago. Anderson says they’ve been trying to get into wrestling for the last ten years and they wanted to be seen, so tonight they get their wish because they get to face Anderson and Hardy, and Anderson wants them to bring Matt Morgan with them...Nice a match making interview pretty average 3 out of 5

(Kazarian vs Rob Terry)
Back in the Impact Zone we have ourselves another match. Kazarian vs Rob Terry.The ref kicks AJ out of ringside, and Kazarian dropkicks Terry from behind, but Terry shrugs Kazarian off and gives him a really ugly chokeslam for a disgustingly easy win. Good booking as far as the match up went since Kazarian cost Terry the Television Title just last week. Too short of a match though and it contradicts Fortunes good promo earlier but I give the booking of this match a 3 out of 5

(Matt Morgan, Gunner and Murphy vs. Mr. Anderson and Jeff Hardy)
HEY I THOUGHT BISCHOFFS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS NEXT??? AWWW MAN. So not only do we have security booked in a match vs. two of TNA's top stars, but THE KING OF WALKOUT Matt Morgan is on their team....I already don't like this.Morgan starts and he wants Anderson, so Anderson obliges. They circle one another…and Morgan tags Murphy in. Then Murphy tags Gunner in, and they finally tie up, Gunner fires Anderson off into the ropes and Anderson takes him down with a shoulderblock and a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Gunner tags to Murphy who comes in and starts pounding away on Anderson and rams some shoulders into Anderson’s midsection in the corner, but tries one time too many and Anderson moves and rolls Murphy up for 2. Hardy tags in and they go for Poetry In Motion but Murphy clotheslines Hardy out of midair and tags Gunner in, but Hardy catches him with the Whisper In The Wind for 2. Tag back out to Anderson and the Security double team Anderson but Hardy breaks it up. Morgan gets bored and decides to wander off and leave the jobbers all alone, so Anderson hits the Mic Check on Gunner, followed by a Swanton from Hardy for the win. I give the booking of this match a 2 out of 5

(Hulk Hogan Backstage interview)
Christy is backstage and wants to find out from Hulk Hogan what Eric Bischoff’s big announcement is going to be, but Hogan’s leaving for a big meeting in New York, presumably to try and leverage a better deal out of Vince, but he’ll be back next week and he’ll have a few things to say about Bischoff’s announcement then. No point for this interview since Hogan seemed to be in such a rush....c'mon TNA the shows not live try not to make things seem rushed....1 out of 5

(Eric Bischoff In-Ring Announcement)
We go to Eric Bischoff in the ring with Miss Tessmacher, and it’s time for his big announcement: on August 12th at 9pm EST, we’ll see something we’ve never seen before, because Dixie Carter inspired Eric Bischoff by announcing Hardcore Justice, and he was inspired because Dixie gave back to the fans, and Hogan and Bischoff can give back too, so they called up SpikeTV and arranged for a PPV quality show right here on Impact, so on August 12th, the main event will be…uh oh, here comes Abyss with Janice and Bischoff looks somewhat uncomfortable. Abyss grabs Bischoff’s mic and says that he just got done talking to Them and They want him to make the main event for August 12th, and that will be Abyss challenging Rob Van Dam in a Ladder Match with Janice hanging above the ring. Bischoff tries to protest, but Abyss says They have told him that Bischoff is the only one who can make it happen, so he asks if Bischoff will make it happen, or does he want to feel the wrath of Janice? Bischoff says all right, he’ll make the match, so Abyss tells him he chose wisely and Abyss starts to leave, but then stops and tells Bischoff that Abyss is okay with him, but Janice doesn’t appreciate when he bitchslapped Abyss recently, so she’s going to show him what a real bitch is. Suddenly, RVD’s music hits and here comes the champ with a chair, and he jumpkicks Abyss off the top rope and puts the boots to him. RVD beats Abyss down in the corner and baseball slides a chair into him, and Abyss bails to the floor, so RVD goes after him again and dives off the ropes, but Abyss moves and RVD crashes hard onto the guardrail. The TNA agents come out to back Abyss off, and here comes Tommy Dreamer, and Al Snow hands Janice to Tommy as he comes to the ring for the main event, which is NEXT. Great segment Abyss is running SHIT right now...glad they changed his character back...and the announcement well take what you want from it....But Abyss coming out and making Bischoff look like a bitch....PRICELESS...a 4 out of 5.

(Hardcore Rules Match: Abyss vs Tommy Dreamer)
Dreamer is creaming Abyss with a trashcan lid when we come back from commercial, but Abyss picks him up and crotches him on the guardrail. They head back in the ring, which is full of plunder, and Abyss wedges a chair in the corner, but turns around into a trashcan, but Abyss barely registers it before picking Dreamer up and giving him a side suplex onto another trashcan. Abyss whacks him with a cookie sheet, then follows that with a shot from a Singapore Cane. Abyss with a neck vice and Dreamer fights his way out, but Abyss throttles him for a chokeslam, Dreamer fights his way out and hits a crossbody and nails him with another…metal thing. Dreamer with a big clothesline lays Abyss out for 2, but eats elbow on a charge and gets rammed into the chair in the corner. Abyss goes up top, but Tommy knocks him off and crotches him, then hangs Abyss in the Tree of Woe and nails him in the nuts with the Singapore Cane, then puts the trash can in front of Abyss and baseball slides the can into his face. Dreamer goes under the ring and grabs a barbed wire board and tosses it in the ring, then gets back in and nails Abyss with the cane again. He sets up the board and goes to pick up Abyss, but his leg gives out and Abyss clotheslines him. Abyss goes out to ringside and grabs Janice and does “YOU!” and swings Janice, but Tommy moves and rolls Abyss up for 2. He sets Janice up in the corner and whips Abyss into her, but Abyss puts on the breaks and punches a trash can into Tommy’s face, then chokeslams him on the barbed wire board for the win. If Dreamer's hurt why is he in the ring? You know if it wasn't for Abyss, I would give this match a two....instead I'll give the booking of this match a 3 out of 5.

(Tommy Dreamer/Abyss Post-Match Segment)
Raven’s music hits and he comes running out with a chair and he and Abyss face off, but Raven turns around and nails Tommy, then gives him the DDT on a chair and with that, we’re off the air. Okay It's hard to tell if Raven is involved with Abyss or reigniting his ages old feud with Dreamer....I'll go with the latter... 2 out of 5

Okay so i've been really late on my booking reviews....I'm in the process of moving but I'll try to keep up. As i've said before I'm not a big fan of this ECW thing...and heck i'll be glad when it's over... Looking forward to August 12th though....

ECW Angle Overshadowing Great Progress in the Ring

Hey guys Chris Wilson here, I know it, I'm a few days late but I'm finally back with my booking/segments and promos review for the July 22nd Impact. For those of you who are not familiar with my ratings scheme from my previous review here it is again. TNA's show format is a little different compared to the WWE's so there may be some obvious differences from my first review but all in all it will be good fun.

I'm rating from 1 to 5, 1 being boring , 2 being lackluster, 3 being average, 4 entertaining, and 5 being must watch.


Impact starts off with a video package of Abyss's recent rampage over the weeks. This was a pretty cool looking video and a great way to remind people of imo a long overdue heel turn by him. Although I enjoyed the video package i'm going to give this segment a 3 out of 5. I would have given it a 4, and later on I'll tell you guys why I didn't.

Okay our first match of the night AJ Styles vs. Rob Terry(c) for the Global Championship. I love title matches guys, and when a show starts off with one it's even better. Styles and Kazarian come out together and I'm instantly intrigued. A recap of Styles pinning Terry at Victory Road quickly plays, So I go okay that must be the reason for the match. At first I thought to myself that a Styles vs Terry match would be weird, but once Rob Terry showcased his power game it was on. Then AJ began to display his althleticism as the match went on. Soon enough Terry catches Styles off a springboard with a military press. AJ counters a chokeslam with a right hand and hits an enzuigiri. AJ gets distracted and turns around into a huge spin kick. Terry goes for the cover but Kaz distracts the ref. Terry takes out Kaz, and that allows AJ to roll up Terry for a two count. Terry goes for a suplex, but Kaz trips the leg and AJ falls on him for the pin. The booking of this match gets a 3 out of 5.... Although I agree with Rob Terry dropping the Global Title(mainly because you see AJ more on TV) the match was too short. AJ deserves to have some gold on him but in the future TNA should try to build up such a match before putting it on at the beginning of the show.

What's going on with the Beautiful People??? IDK lets ask Madison Rayne....Madison Rayne and Sarita are in the back, Madison makes fun of Velvet, and Velvet and Lacey are standing right behind her. Velvet says if she's got something to say, say then she should say it to her face. Madison says she's not afraid to say anything. Madison is exicited because she's going to get her Knockout's Title back. Madison says she has a match to get ready for. Interesting BP segment I'm curious to see if things are headed for BREAKUP or ANOTHER REFORM. This backstage segment gets a 4 out of 5.

Next Dixie Carter is in the back arguing with some guys(who are road agents, and I think I saw Terry Taylor i'm not sure though), including Al Snow and D'Lo Brown. Dixie said Al punched a ref. Someone closes the door. Although I'm not digging the ECW angle, I'm giving this a 4 out of 5. Mainly because I believe TNA is breaking ground with some their segments....mainly making the backstage stuff seem more real.

Our next match is a Knockouts match... Taylor Wilde and Angelina Love vs. Madison Rayne and Sarita. Number one....EXECELLENT BOOKING, 4 of the best singles Knockouts in the ring at one time is always a good thing. If you have been watching TNA for the last two years, you'll know it's the case of two tag teams that switched partners. And not only that but Madison Rayne got her Knockouts Title back....the hard way. Earl Hebner has a mic. He says that the Board of Directors has instructed him that they have no proof that the person who attacked her was a member of the Beautiful People, so she must surrender the belt. Angelina hits Madison with a right and the match starts. These four ladies were very intense throughout the match..but in the end Angelina hits the Lights Out(my favorite womens finisher) on Madison Rayne as Angelina Love claims victory for herself and Taylor Wilde. The booking of this match gets a 4 out of 5

After the match our mystery biker shows up again.She comes up to ringside. Lacey and Velvet are on the entrance ramp. Sarita and Madison attack Angelina and Taylor. The mystery woman joins in on the action too. As they start to leave. Madison tells Lacey to come with them, and she doesn't know what to do. She leaves with Madison, and Velvet looks pissed. Angelina and Velvet make eye contact. oooh yes OG BP's meeting eyes at the end of this.....Who's the mystery biker?....and even further down the road will Velvet and Angelina reunite????How many good matches could we be treated to via a Taylor Wilde/Sarita feud?? Good post match segment way to inject some excitement in the Knockouts scene again... So many questions one answer 4 out of 5

Mike Tenay hypes up the next match as Dreamer, Raven, Rhino, Stevie and Foley are walking in the back. What is the next match you ask? Kurt Angle vs Hernandez...Kurt Angle (#8) vs Hernandez (#7) that is... They Tie up at the start, and Hernandez pushes Angle into the corner. Angle takes down Hernandez and locks in the front headlock. Hernandez drives Angle into the corner. European uppercuts by Kurt. Angle elevates Hernandez to the apron. This is followed by an explosive slingshot shoulderblock by the big man. Right hands by Kurt, but he runs right into a brick wall. Hernandez follows with a delayed over the shoulder backbreaker. Pin but only two. Right hands by Kurt. Clothesline in the corner connects. Hernandez lifts himself to the top. Angle follows him up but gets pushes down. Angle runs back up and gets the belly to belly suplex off the top. Pin but only two. Angle ducks a shot and hits a german. And another. Trifecta, but he's not done. Fourth one will finish it. Pin but Hernandez kicks out at two. Angle Slam countered. Inverted sitout side powerslam connects. Border Toss coming up, but Angle slides down the back and hits the Angle Slam but only gets a 2 count Angle goes to the top. Moonsault misses. Huge shoulder block connects. Delayed vertical suplex by Hernandez countered by Angle into the Ankle Lock. Hernandez taps and Angle wins! I liked this match Kurt Angle has been good with all of his opponents since he has declared his rise to the top of the top 10 rankings. Good Booking a 4 out of 5.

Post match, Angle celebrates his win, but here comes Kevin Nash. Angle shakes hands with Nash as he walks back up the ramp. Taz makes mention of mutual respect from the past of the Main Event Mafia. Nash says he's seen Jarrett in the back and would like to talk to him. We're heading to commercial. Out comes Jeff Jarrett. Nash says he's had a week to think about what went down, and something didn't feel right. Jarrett is amazing and really good at what he does, he almost had Nash convinced that it was Sting's fault. Nash isn't sure if it was Sting's fault or Jarrett's. Nash says he can deal with it, but there's a group of young guys who look up to Jeff and they are the victims. Jarrett says he has no idea what he's talking about. He's not buying it, and he's sure these people aren't buying. It was Kevin Nash that screwed Hulk and Eric when he did what he did to get Hall and Waltman jobs. He used his deceit to screw this company. Jeff knows him though, and these people know him. Nash says he's come to his conclusion, he gets it and can live with it. Those three young daughters of Jeff's though, when they grow up and they get it, and they realize that their father is nothing but a selfish prick, and tells Jarrett to juggle that in his sleep. Nash leaves the ring. Ummmm does this have anything to do with the ECW guys coming??? lol what is Nash talking about??? Honestly I didn't care and this kind of took away from the two good matches that were booked before this segment. a 2 out of 5.

Next up Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Hardy, FIRST TIME EVER!!!, i like that. This one's got a ten minute time limit. Jeff rolls to the outside and high fives the fans. Eric Bischoff is joining commentary via telephone(I found this a little weird judging the caliber of match being put on) This match went back and forth between these two. Joe seems to take the advantage as the match wears into crunch time. Joe flexes to the crowd. Both guys trade shots now. Samoan Drop countered into a Twist of Fate attempt, but Joe counters that into the Coquina Clutch. Hardy rams Joe into the corner. Whisper in the Wind connects. 30 seconds are left in the match. Both guys are trading shots now. 10 seconds, The bell rings and the match is declared a time limit draw. Great booking!!! once again I'm liking the booking people to face each other for the first time its a big breathe of fresh of air. All you IWC complaining about TNA giving these matches away, SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, and WATCH THIS ONE. I give the booking of this match a 5 out 5.....Maybe a future feud to come....fingers crossed!!! Joe is pissed. Hardy takes off his shirt and goes straight after Joe. The ref pulls Hardy off.

After the match Jarrett and Dixie are in the back. Dixie says everyone was disappointed last week. Dixie needs everyone to stop thinking that this isn't a good thing. Jarrett says he's got it. This segment didn't really interest me but I'm going to give it a 3 out of 5.... Lets find out what Dixie means....

The next match features Matt Morgan vs. The #3 Contender Mr. Anderson. Again this is good booking. Mr. Anderson is doing some of the best work in his career so far in TNA.Anderson goes for a roll up, but Morgan kicks out quick. Another roll up and another quick kick out. Headlock by Anderson. Morgan pushes Anderson into the corner and goes on the attack. Elbows in the corner by Morgan. Taz lets out a "vintage". Clothesline in the corner and a sidewalk slam follows. Pin but only two. Anderson fights back with the rights. Knee by Morgan to the gut. Anderson ducks a clothesline but gets caught on the crossbody attempt. Fallaway slam connects. Pin but only two. Morgan's now taunting Anderson. Short arm clothesline by Morgan. And another. Anderson counters a discuss clothesline with the Mic Check. Pins him and wins.
I give the booking of this match a 4 out of 5. After the match Anderson turns around and Morgan clocks him with the mic. He then drops it on Anderson and poses on top of him.

Our final match involves TNA World Tag Team Champions The Motor City Machine Guns vs Beer Money Inc.(Best of 5 Series/Beer Money leads 1-0) I have actually been waiting to see this, and even better off it's a street fight. Later in the match Beer Money goes for a double superplex, but Sabin runs in and knocks Storm to the outside. MADE IN DETROIT and the Pin but there's no ref. Storm nails Shelley with the beer bottle. Superkick to Sabin! Storm revives the ref as Roode pins Shelley for the win. I liked the match and the fact that the Guns pulled off some sick moves.....4 out of 5

Team 3D are in the back (Ray has a LAX shirt on). Devon asks where was Ray at the end of the show last week. He wants to know if Ray has their back. Ray asks why would he want to have their back? What do they have left to prove. They've done more than they've ever had. Now although Team 3D are former ECW guys they have been at odds lately..I just don't get what TNA is doing with them at the moment....3 out of 5

Our next backstage interview has Christy Hemme is in the back with RVD. Christy asks him how it felt last week to be with ECW. Rob says it was awesome. It was like being home. He's so proud of that part of his career. To have that here as he's world champion, he's very happy. He says he's very excited to hear what Dixie's news is, but he doesn't know. He's hoping it's got something to do with what he's thinking. He doesn't know what Dixie's gonna say and he doesn't want to miss out on it. He's got the belt, and Abyss wants it. He has to have eyes in the back of his head....3 out 5 To much talking about ECW hey Rob you're the TNA World Champion try talking more about that.

Finally at the end of the show Dixie Carter comes out and addresses the fans and soon enough invites Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, Stevie Richards, Raven and Mick Foley to the ring. Dixie says she invited them to come and tell the fans what they mean to them. Foley thanks Dixie for giving him another chance to make a last impression, and he congratulates Dixie on cutting her first promo and Dixie says she's just being real. Tommy Dreamer gets on the mic and says this isn't about an ECW Invasion its about the men and women who lost their jobs(but it sure didn't seem that way last week) For one night, give them one night to show them the world what they had and their legacy can live forever. He begs of her. Do you guys want one night? The crowd's going nuts. Dixie says you can't come out here and get emotional like that. She asks the fans if they want to do this. They agree. She has one stipulation. They plan it all. It has to be real and what they want. Nothing that has to do with TNA. Tommy Dreamer says "Impact Zone, we're going extreme". Dreamer hugs Dixie Carter and Impact ends. Tommy Dreamer did a good job, but this ECW thing has lost it's flavor...I felt that emotion in 05 when the WWE brought them back...NOT NOW...This promo gets a 3 out of 5

All in all a good show Great matches being booked ONE PROBLEM. This ECW thing is overshadowing the great matches in the ring. Where the hell was Abyss why show a video package about him and he not even appear. I have a bad feeling about this ECW thing.

Monday night wars, revisited.

In the mid-90s, WCW Nitro went head to head with Raw to creative one of the electrifying eras in mainstream wrestling history. With Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan coming to TNA, they thought that the business hadn't changed, they thought that they could take a large indy wrestling company and go head to head with Raw. On March 8th, TNA moved to Mondays. With poor ratings and the roster shuffling more than a terrorist in an airport, the revised Monday night wars went down with WWE barely breaking a sweat. It was like a well-liked kid in school, being told by some popular ex-students (who no one really gives a shit about anymore) that he could be the most popular. Instead of letting people warm to him slowly, he goes up to the most popular kid in school and taps him on the shoulder. The popular kid ignores him. The kid starts shouting and ranting at the most popular kid. The people who like him are confused, and people who didn't know him didn't get what people saw in him in the first place and everyone starts to ignore him.

I've said it before that TNA should think about making TNA a great company and strive to be the best it can as a unique product and not to try and compete with a rival when a lot of fans enjoy both products. By putting TNA on Mondays, Hogan et al shot themselves in the foot and have now got to run back to Thursdays with their tails between their legs. The fact is that America is obsessed with ratings, and it these ratings which directly affect advertising revenues and the willingness of a network to show them. So Raw is on the same time as TNA, fans will just download it, probably from a torrent site and not have to watch any adverts.

Anyway, announced on TNAwrestling.com is the news that on May 13th, TNA will be moving back to Thursday night. A decision which was made by Spike and is purely about ratings and revenue. Here's how it was spun on the site:

“Our fans made it clear that they preferred the Thursday night time period. By moving to Thursdays,” this is a win/win opportunity for both TNA and the fans. We are looking forward to delivering what the fans are asking for!" - Hmmm, I suppose it's not a good move for a company to admit that they did something stupid.

- Socko