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LOOKING AT A FRUSTRATING 'DON'T FORGET THE PORN' EDITION OF TNA IMPACT

First, I apologize for the lateness of this report, but my DVR didn't record Impact as it aired on Thursday, so I wanted to tape the replay on Saturday and be able to refer back to the episode as I wrote my thoughts. 

That said, a week ago, I was in Atlanta for what was easily the best top to bottom in-ring presentation that Total Nonstop Action Wrestling has ever produced.  It was a show the company needed to have.  It wasn't perfect but from an in-ring standpoint, it was tremendously entertaining and was the best show the company has put together since their great string of PPVs in 2005.

Watching the follow-up 10/18/07 episode Impact, I wanted to just put my head in my hands at times and wondered why the company was seemingly unable to follow up the momentum.  Some of the in-ring wrestling was good but the matches were short, something TNA distinctly stated would change with the expanded episodes.  There was yet another great main event in Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe but, still, at the end of the day, Christian Cage's first clean loss in the company is avenged in under a week.  Think about that.  Before all the PPV replays have aired, the finish of one of Samoa Joe's biggest win's has already been nullified....at the hands of Robert Roode, no less. Talk about coming out of nowhere.

Then, we get the schizophrenic nature of Kurt Angle, who goes from the former World champion to comedy heel to serious heel to comedy heel looking to use porn to smooth over his issues with Kevin Nash in the course of the first 15 minutes of the show.  While the line was funny, should the top heel in the company be portrayed this way?  The silliness continues through the remainder of the episode.  Now that Angle has been seen as some goofball puss, we are supposed to want to see him wrestle Sting again?

The 3D vs. X-Division feud has me scared for the well being of the X-Division.   I can only hope this storyline won't be yet another way of taking the one aspect of TNA that really stands out as something special and alternative and diluting it instead of improving it's presentation.  I personally really like the idea of 3D as the bullies of the division because it can create some really unique in-ring scenarios, but if this is going to be the 2007 version of the storyline TNA did with Kevin Nash and Chris Sabin, "Danger Will Robinson, Danger!"

This was a week where the in-ring wrestling and a good "Parade of Champions" segment weren't able to overcome the booking and creative direction of the episode.  We start off an important tournament with a non-finish, we have different groups teasing problems in the same show and with the exception of the main event, nothing was really that long from an in-ring standpoint.  We have time for Black Reign and Disco Inferno and never-ending vaudeveille comedy stylings of Kurt Angle, but the talents that stole the Bound for Glory PPV, such as LAX, Senshi, Christopher Daniels, etc. are not only not wrestling, but are nowhere to be found. Their contributions to the PPV aren't even mentioned when they were a HUGE part of why the PPV was so great.  TNA completely dropped the ball on following up on those great performances at the PPV and there is no excuse for that, at all.

Impact was a show that was frustrating to watch, especially when compared to how good TNA's product was live and in person in Atlanta just several days before.  Impact doesn't need to be this way, but it is.

Segment Thoughts:

Impact opened with a backstage vignette where Kurt Angle said he was going to challenge Sting tonight, blaming Kevin Nash for his loss.  The entire backstage deal came off really forced.  I'm not sure what it was but it just seemed like a throwback to the silly promos Angle used to do in WWE and I don't really buy that presentation works for what's supposed to be the top heel in the company.  Karen Angle was looking smoking though and really, her outfit was the best thing in the promo.  Mike Tenay and Don West welcomed everyone to the show and Kurt Angle comes to the ring...with Karen Angle, who he just threw out of his locker room.  Um, continuity?  Angle went from the silly comedy heel to the serious heel.  Huh?  Kevin Nash comes out and goes from being the washed up former champion has-been to the guy who lays out Kurt Angle.  When they come back from commercial, Angle is writhing on a couch whining about his neck and back in a comedic fashion and the 11 time World champion's defense against future attacks is sending his hot wife to go buy porn for Kevin Nash.  Really? Maybe, it's me, but couldn't we have done all this in one segment?  Or not done this at all?  What's so wrong with having a pissed off former World champion wanting the belt back?

Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin was tons of fun for the 90 seconds they got to actually wrestle and the crowd loved it.  Of course, it turns into a setting for Team 3D to get their heat back after losing to the Steiners.  While Brother Ray's intensity was good, unless this storyline of 3D vs. The X-Division is designed to show that the X talents can hang with and convincingly defeat anyone, I don't see the upside.  Of course, the Machineguns got huge reactions during all three of their appearances at the biggest PPV of the year and were laid out at the first TV episode following Bound for Glory.  In that aspect, it was frustrating to watch, but this is only the "first chapter" so we do have to see where it goes.  Still, I was having flashbacks to the lack of follow-up to Jay Lethal beating Kurt Angle here and TNA doesn't always do well creatively with some of the younger talents under the current regime.  I have to hope TNA  learned the Lethal lesson - you want to accentuate the positives of everyone, not create a pecking order.  Every talent can mean something and add to the overall depth of TNA, but that only happens if you book them to mean that.  If 3D are laying out every X talent for the next six weeks, it's not a good road to travel in my opinion.

The backstage vignette with Samoa Joe (who apparently was doing his homage to Fidel Castro with that outfit) and Christian Cage jockeying for the last position in the Fight for the Right was good for what it was.  Joe's intensity as a talker is always fun to watch, Cage is entertaining and while I wouldn't want to personally use Cornette this way if I was running a promotion, he's somewhat entertaining as the befuddled executive.  If TNA is doing a slow build to Joe vs. Matt Morgan, the little teases are good.

The sit-down interview with Disco Inferno was fine for what it was, since the punch line was that Scott Steiner spoke for everyone in saying "Give it up."  Before that, I am sure a lot of the viewers (like me) were thinking  just that as they watching a serious Disco talking himself up, wondering why TNA is making a big deal out of a low level former WCW talent.  Maybe Kwee-Wee is next, I don't know.  I just would rather see the company give their current roster a chance to work and grow instead of bringing in older names, but that's my preference.  It could just be they brought in Disco to use as the backdrop to plug the "Comebacks" film too, so we'll see.

Awesome Kong vs. Talia Madison was an entertaining squash for Kong.  Kong's poise, facial reactions and power moves are a big breath of fresh air for televised women's wrestling in the United States.  TNA can do something really special with Kong vs. Gail Kim down the line.  Madison did a good job here as well.

Backstage, Kevin Nash cut a decent promo saying that he has been comedy relief but that Angle crossed him and will find out there's still "a little Diesel left in this tank."  Karen Angle tried to smooth things over but Nash walked off.  Karen either does a good job or a terrible one, there's no in between.  She was good here.

Crystal interviewed Chris Harris and Rhino.  Harris had a really good showing on the mic, teasing issues with Rhino and teasing a heel attitude.   I'd love to see TNA take him into a tweener type role where he's for himself, as it doesn't make sense to go full-fledged heel and have him palling around with the likes of James Storm after the great way that feud ended (and since I'd personally love to see them reprise it at some point, since they have the type of chemistry in the ring that never gets old).  Obviously how Harris was used (or, well, not used) at the BFG PPV will play into Harris' new direction.  Harris & Rhino vs. Robert Roode and James Storm was fine for what it was, but probably too short given the level of talents in the ring.

The championship presentations was a good segment overall.  Gail Kim seemed to be legitimately choked up over winning the TNA Women's belt.  Tomko and AJ Styles were great in their roles.  Styles thanking Ivan Drago from Rocky IV and thanking Kip James for "keeping it real at 50" both cracked me up.  It's amazing how much more mileage TNA has gotten out of Tomko, who has to be considered one of the most improved performers in the last year.  Jim Cornette did a great job putting over Sting's TNA title win and all was well with the world, until Kurt Angle came out in a wheelchair selling injuries that took us right back into comedic parody again.  Beyond that flat ending, I liked the entire segment and would love to see TNA do a "championship presentation" regularly to give the company something of a traditional moment when they change champions, as long as they don't play hot potato with the belts.

We come back to Kurt Angle back in his locker room, now a blubbering scared heel.  Sigh.

Lance Hoyt vs. Kaz - Are we really teasing dissension with Hoyt, Christy Hemme and Jimmy Rave right after we teased problems between Chris Harris and Rhino?  Really? Kaz looked good and Hoyt looked fine but nothing memorable.

Crystal interviewed a professional eater.  Gotta love that SpikeTV corporate synergy.  Brings me back to the good old days of Rockin' Bowl and Rollerjam plugs on ECW on TNN!  Crystal is good in her role.  Then Junior Fatu came out and called Robert Roode "Rick Rude" and for some reason, TNA actually aired it.  Ugh.  If Fatu isn't going to take the time to know who the other performers are, that's not a good sign for his dedication to the company.  WWE, hell, Ring of Honor, never would have aired that promo.

Backstage, Kurt Angle made Karen Angle ask Black Reign if he had seen Kevin Nash.  Really bad comedy segment that wasn't funny.

Disco Inferno vs. Abyss - Well, the punch line for the comeback is that the new serious Disco gets creamed by Abyss.  Black Reign and Jim Mitchell attacked Abyss to keep that feud in placeholder position until Judas Mesias is ready to return.

Backstage, Kurt Angle fails to bring Nash back into the fold with porn.  Seriously.

Samoa Joe vs. Christian Cage was yet another really good meeting between the two.  Cage's best matches in the company, without a doubt in my mind, have been with Joe.  All of the work was good, but in the end, it's Robert Roode costing Joe the win?  I love Roode's work, but this was coming completely out of nowhere and if this is TNA's way of taking Roode to the next level, it's being done haphazardly and ass-backwards.  This took Joe down from whatever new plateau he reached at BFG and that's a shame.

Like I wrote, this was a frustrating show to watch.  The positives were far outweighed by the negatives.

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

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