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Welcome.
And hello to you all. This my first column since January of this year, had things to do and so on, and only recently had the chance to watch some good amounts of wrestling. So lets get on with this.
The first thing I’d like to say is that I don’t watch WWE these days. I simply can’t get into their shows, if I were to watch RAW, I’d be confused and constantly asking questions. Now you’d all likely say “Well sure you would, you haven’t been watching it have you?” But the thing is, even before I tuned out I was confused, storylines made no sense, good storylines were seemingly scuttled before they reached their apex while all the ones that gave caused us ire were… well you know. WWE just seemed to have no direction, for me there are too many shows, too many belts and when we get to a PPV the big Heavyweight titles get the spots but the rest are left to the weekday shows. I mean, where is WWE going? Do they have a plan or is their ship being steered without a captain or a helmsman? Here’s an old complaint “What’s going on with the Tag Team divisions?” I’m not in anyway going to start bashing WWE for the sake of bashing them but really, where’s this ship going?
Chris Harris has been given the pink slip. Honestly why do WWE sign wrestlers then send them on their way minutes later? I’m not going to go on a rant of how Harris should have stuck with TNA because I felt that he wasn’t getting much TV time either, but why sign the guy in the first place? Personally, I’d like to have him back in TNA, I think he fits the company’s style better than WWE.
TNA, is beyond doubt, this is a gem of a company. I don’t know where to start talking about them. How about we start with what I think are the issues.
The X Division is TNA’s crown jewel, or at least it should be, but right now the title just doesn’t seem to be getting the same pushes that the other 3 divisions are getting. Yeah Jay Lethal and an assortment of other members of the division are involved in feuds but the X Championship just doesn’t seem to be at the centre of any of them. You have Awesome Kong and Tyler Wilde for the Knockouts, Beer Money Inc and LAX for the Tag Team and Samoa Joe and Booker T for the World Heavyweight. But right now the X title seems to be wandering with no one making a grab at it despite having one of the best and most entertaining wrestlers – Petey Williams – as its current title holder. The start of this year saw the X Championship at the centre of a massive feud between Team 3D and the rest of the X Division after the former stole the title. That was one of the best feuds I have seen yet in TNA, so why is this title not been fought over like other belt?
There are so many good quality wrestlers that should be out wrestling for this belt.
While I like the whole thing of Joe taking things into his own hands, I’m hoping that he doesn’t turn into a ‘whiner’. Right now the focus seems more on Joe storming around shouting and complaining, and whilst I like how TNA have turned criticisms of their signing of ex-WWE talent and not using their own home grown into an angle, I just hope that Joe doesn’t come of it looking like a curmudgeon.
Okay, here’s what I’m enjoying.
James Storm and Robert Roode are the best heels in TNA – period. There’s a good old school style to them, one’s the rich brat, the other’s the uncultured loudmouth, together they are a pair of thugs. Giving them the Tag Team titles was a smart move, because while TNA has a far more active tag team division than WWE, it did need a little extra momentum where the titles themselves concerned. In fact, the tag team division itself is something I’m really enjoying, there’s just so much life to it, you’ve got Team 3D constantly antagonizing everyone, Christian and Rhino are now active players, MMG give us some of the best action in TNA, and hey I’d even be in favor of brining in the Beautiful People as an active force in the division. Anyone looking for some good tag team action need look no further than TNA.
The Knockouts are spectacular, and I love how TNA has enough faith in the division to give it a place in the main events. I do hope that Traci Brooks gets back into the ring as a wrestler though, she’s too good a character to not be used as a wrestler. But honestly, this division is amazing, the characters are engaging and the wealth of action overshadows some of the stuff that the other divisions showcase.
It’s great to have Sting and I think what they are doing with him no fits his character better than more recent angles. Sting is at his best when you don’t know what he’s going to do. Is he turning heel? Is he on some sort of quest to be the law in TNA? What’s going on? Personally I hope that they don’t turn him heel, Sting’s great as a baby face but as a heel, it doesn’t suit him.
Team 3D are better today than they were at any point during their tenure with WWE. This the Dudley Boys as they should be, vile, crude and vicious. They really bring such quality to TNA that I really hope they stay with the company. They are the sort of heels that seem more life-like, in fact most of TNA’s heels seem more honest and genuine.
Also, its great to have A.J. Styles as a foe to Kurt Angle, after having play the role of right-hand-man to now have him stand as a rival to Angle has given us one of the best feuds in TNA today. It has such a rush of energy to it and I think its one of the best angles that either man has ever been involved with. This is a proper feud, it has a strong story, a good history, and lots of energy both vocally and physically to carry it forward. I’d call it the best feud in TNA today, but given how you’ve got Sting and Joe, everything in the Knockouts division, Christian, Rhino and Team 3D, the Lethal-Dutt-Val triangle, Beer Money Inc and LAX, it’s tricky picking one as your favorite. Which is great.
One more thing before I say good bye, I attended the TNA Liverpool show a couple of months ago and all I can say is that it was superb. Everyone in attendance was pretty much on their feet all the time and was really into they show. My personal favorite was Styles, Lethal and newcomer Douglas, and everyone was really appreciative that Kurt Angle showed at the arena and gave a pretty good speech. I’ll spend some more time talking about the show in my next column, suffice to say though, it was great.
So until then, take care.
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