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LOOKING AT THE REALLY FUN TNA VICTORY ROAD PPV LAST NIGHT

The question I most get asked the day after a PPV is, "Should I order the replay?"  In the case of last night's Victory Road PPV, I would absolutely say yes just based on the in-ring wrestling.  From top to bottom, there was a lot of good on the PPV.  There was no "must see, greatest match of all time" moment but the entire TNA roster was working its rear end off, creating a string of good and fun matches.  The Ultimate X, Sting & Abyss vs. Tomko & Styles, Rhino vs. Storm, Joe & Angle vs. 3D and the mixed tag match were all fun matches.  

The Ultimate X saw some of the most insane spots I can ever recall.  I remember a time when Chris Benoit powerbombing Rocco Rock through Sabu on a table was considered the most extreme spot ever.  That moment was blown away forever last night as I watched Christopher Daniels hanging upside down from the Elevation X by his feet, only to be snapped off into an Ace Crusher by Kaz, who was coming off the top rope. Senshi, Homicide, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt and the rest of the crew had a great match and I hope TNA utilizes these guys more on a regular basis. I also thought the XXX reunion was well received by the crowd and seemed like much more of a bigger deal than I personally expected it to be.  

The mixed tag was the perfect mesh of good wrestling and comedy.  Robert Roode is really coming into his own.  Eric Young is such a great character as he's basically the company mascot.  WWE squandered the same type of character in Eugene, but TNA finds a way to make him seem funny 

James Storm is simply the man and probably my favorite heel in the business outside of Edge at the moment.  He had a great brawl with Rhino, got the win via nefarious means that looked badass, not contrived, then continued to prove what slime he was in the post-match attack.  That's how a true heel should be and I hope TNA follows up on it.  As long as its presented as important and not undercard filler, TNA can make money with this feud.  I'd love to see an angle where Storm "purchases space" on the TNA website to print the photos he and Jackie Moore took of Rhino to mock him, or maybe bring in someone he claims is "Rhino's wife and daughter" to play off Rhino's comments on losing his family..

The Sting tag match saw Sting looking more fired up than I've seen in a long time and he seemed to be relishing working with the three younger talents.  Who would have thought Tomko would be a top candidate for most improved wrestler of 2007?  AJ Styles and Abyss continued their string of fun performances while working together.  The main event was perfectly booked.  TNA needed Samoa Joe to finally look like he was on the same level as the other top players and they accomplished that last night.  He went toe to toe with the Tag champions and outsmarted the World champion that made him look like a goof the previous month.  All the work was good and the crowd ate up the sequence where Team 3D teased breaking up.  Wow, does Orlando hate Brother Ray or what?  They were behind Devon immediately, which was wild to watch.  I thought this was the best Angle and 3D have looked in some time on PPV.

Although I wouldn't have used Jay Lethal in the role of getting punked out, I thought the Kurt Angle segments backstage where he looked for someone to "back him up" were priceless, particularly the one with Sonjay Dutt.  Dutt's delivery telling Angle that he loved him was so perfect, it was hysterical, as was Angle screaming as he beat Dutt down.  I also thought it was great how Serotonin, who haven't won a big match in forever, blew off the World champion, only to get decimated.  Angle was doing his best Ric Flair in terms of wardrobe last night in the suit and tie and it worked.  I also guess Angle is a big "Talladega Nights" fan since his new catch phrase is "Shake and Break."  As always, Jeremy Borash's reaction and delivery added to everything he was involved in.  Leticia Cline was fine last night, but I always get this feeling that she's just a girl holding the mic, not someone who "gets" the business and is a part of it.

Christian Cage vs. Chris Harris was OK but never really got into that third gear of a match where you get the hot sequences and near falls.  The storyline was that Harris needed that big win to get to the next level and when he didn't get it, I was a little let down but in TNA's defense, they put Joe and Storm over established names so it wasn't like they buried their in-house guys.  I'd love to see Harris and Cage get a longer rematch in the future.  Dustin Rhodes' interference seemed a little contrived as was the announcers putting over Rhodes as an old partner of Harris and James Storm.  They probably had a few matches on Impact but they were long-forgotten.  Rhodes vs. Harris could be a good feud as long as we get the Dustin with working boots showing up.  I hope we do.

The Old School vs. New School match was OK but needed to be longer.  Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin are just amazing as a team.  Jim Cornette should just christen them the Midnight Express because to me, they are the 2007 incarnation of Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane.  Jerry Lynn looked good as always and it's amazing he's as good and as crisp as ever.  Backlund was Backlund.

The VKM vs. Basham and Damaja match was the only match that really didn't click.  I feel for Basham and Damaja.  They are both great performers and if you've seen their stuff in OVW, you know they can go, but it never translates well on national TV.  It's time for the team to break up and let them feud with each other while they find themselves.  Hell, let them recreate the entire OVW feud.  It would be more entertaining than how they are currently utilized.  VKM are limited in what they do for sure, but this entire feud just hasn't clicked.  We have Lance Hoyt turn but there's no real follow-up to establish why fans should be disgusted with Hoyt and Hemme.  Nikki Roxx's debut was just awful.  I think it was a case of the company trying to be too creative and it fell flar on its face.  The character just didn't work last night and the crowd knew it immediately.  Hopefully she gets a chance as she can work in the ring and doesn't go the way of Stomper the mascot.  

If there was one thing the company needed to improve on last night was production.  There were a number of missed moments, particularly Dustin Rhodes' interference.  TNA was quick to use replays for big moves, which I love because it pushes how important the moves were but that was tempered by production issues at times.  They need to improve that.  They also need to take whoever was responsible for the initials "NWA" being used on their graphics and beat them behind a woodshed.  There was no excuse for that and whoever was responsible should be held accountable.  

Still, the positives far outweighed the negatives last night.  This wasn't the blow away show of the year but if you wanted a fun show to enjoy professional wrestling and see some hard work, Victory Road is where you want to park for a few hours.

Mike Johnson can be reached at Mike@PWInsider.com.

 

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