Powell's TNA Genesis preview and predictions: Will Matt Morgan or Mr. Anderson become No. contender to the TNA Title? Who is Jeff Hardy's mystery opponent for Rob Van Dam? Will Immortal capture all the title belts?
Jan 9, 2011 - 11:18 AM |
By Jason Powell
Check back tonight at 7:00 p.m. CT for my live coverage review of the show. Plus, Dot Net Members will be listening to my audio review of the show later tonight to go along with roughly four hours of new audio they've been listening to since Friday. You can join them on the ad-free version of the site right now by signing up via the Dot Net Members' Signup Page. The following predictions are made with no inside information on the match results. In other words, I am guessing just like you are.
-Matt Morgan vs. Mr. Anderson to become No. 1 contender to the TNA Title: The show is really missing something without the TNA Title being on the line. This feels like a strong semi-main event, but not a show selling main event match. Of course, it would be an acceptable main event if one of these wrestlers were entering the match with the TNA Title.
The story has been all about Anderson's head trauma. It made for a few interesting weeks of television before it became repetitive during the last two weeks of television. I enjoy both characters and I'm optimistic that they can deliver a strong main event. I just hope we don't get some type of Immortal beatdown screwjob finish. We saw Hardy vs. Morgan recently, so I'll take Anderson to win the match and become No. 1 contender.
-Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett in an MMA exhibition: Angle is back and he's bringing hell with him...unless he left hell on ABC's Extreme Makeover, which he'll be appearing on tonight as well. Jarrett's MMA character is fun. Can TNA creative find a way to make the character go from comic relief to being a serious, money drawing character? I have my doubts. Angle and Jarrett have plenty of real life backstory they could tell at some point. I'll take Angle to win and then Jarrett goes ballistic afterward and roughs up Angle with the help of his MMA posse to keep the feud going.
-Rob Van Dam vs. an opponent of Jeff Hardy's choosing: Will Matt Hardy make his debut? I'd like to think TNA would have done more to create interest in this match if they had Matt Hardy slotted for this role. He mentioned in a Fanhouse interview that his WWE release actually went into effect two weeks before they announced his release on Oct. 15. Then he stated on his Twitter page that his 90-day noncompete expires on January 15. I guess his availability depends on which version of the story you want to believe.
The worst case scenario is that Jeff names Abyss as the mystery man. Been there and done that. How about Shane Helms since we all assume it's only a matter of time before his buddy Matt will debut, and Immortal needs more guys who can actually wrestle? It's hard to pick a winner when you don't know who the opponent is. RVD gets a title shot if he wins, yet Morgan or Anderson will become No. 1 contender. Something has to give or we're destined to see a lame three-way match. Heck, maybe Jeff will name himself as RVD's opponent.
-The Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money for the TNA Tag Titles: TNA takes pride in their tag division, yet not enough pride to establish the tag titles as more than a mid-card attraction. It's a shame that they haven't made these belts mean more because this match could help sell the show if the belts meant more. These teams work exceptionally well together and this has the potential to be the match of the night. I'll take Beer Money to win to give more gold to Immortal.
-Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James for the TNA Knockouts Title: Mickie's first TNA Knockouts Title match should mean so much more than it does. It just feels like another random Knockouts Title match that could be slotted anywhere on the card. Way to get the most out of that investment, TNA. Nevertheless, I am curious to see what type of match these two can put together. Logic says Madison finds a way to escape with the title to build up interest in Mickie via the chase. I'm going with that prediction even though there are countless examples of logic clearly not being a factor in TNA booking decisions.
-Bully Ray vs. Brother Devon: Another missed opportunity. The first singles match between the Team 3D members should mean so much more. They made the most of the limited face time they received on Impact, but this still doesn't feel like anything special going into the show. I'm not saying it's main event worthy, but it should feel like more than just another routine match on the show. Bully Ray cheats to win. The alternative is similar to my prediction for Angle vs. Jarrett in that the babyface wins, but the heel destroys him afterward to set up the rematch.
-Jay Lethal vs. Kazarian for the X Division Title: This match is officially slotted in the opening match slot per Dixie Carter's latest tweet announcement. No, that's not the big announcement regarding Impact, nor the big change that she teased months ago before she just stopped acknowledging it altogether. These two work well together and should get the show off to a good start. Here's hoping they don't give Kazarian any mic time. Lethal just won the title, but that doesn't seem to mean much in the X Division. Immortal wants all the title belts, and I predict they'll get this one.
-Douglas Williams vs. A.J. Styles for the TNA TV Title: The story is essentially that Styles has to win the title or he's out of Immortal. There's no such pressure on Beer Money or Kazarian for whatever reason. It would be comical if the lone title they didn't have in their possession was the worthless TNA TV Title belt. No, I won't go off on the pathetic history of a belt that has had more name changes than Sean Combs. Fortunately, these two have shown that they can put on a hell of a match. In fact, there this show has the potential to be very good if the wrestlers are given quality finishes. I'll take Williams to retain here to set up A.J. reverting to his babyface persona.
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