Powell's TNA Impact Wrestling Hit List: Gunner vs. James Storm, TNA's HR Department, The Hunt for Willow, The Beautiful People finally stop talking, Wreck-It Knux
Mar 28, 2014 - 12:35 PM |
By Jason Powell
TNA Impact Wrestling Hits
Gunner vs. James Storm: They had an intense match at Lockdown, and then put real heat on Storm by having him attack Poppa Gunner last week. They set up the need for a big blowout match on this show and both men delivered. Storm would not have been my first choice to turn heel, but he seems to have embraced the role and now looks the part. The best TNA television main events in recent memory.
Samoa Joe vs. Eric Young: Let's just ignore the referee thing for a moment. I like the idea of trying to establish Young as more of a fighter. Sure, I said recently that I missed some of his comedy antics, but at least the character is evolving. The right guy won the match and Joe sold it nicely by showing via his facial expressions that he gained some respect for Young in the process. Granted, it doesn't make anyone view Young as a threat to win the TNA Title in the four-way, but that wasn't going to happen no matter what they did in this match. Now for the referees. After every f— finish we've seen in TNA, this is the one that inspired Earl Hebner to tell his son that he made the wrong call?
TNA's HR Department: You can break into the women's locker room, back a terrified woman up against a mirror, and then cut off a piece of her hair and you only get a one week suspension? And then the next segment of the show opened with a recap of James Storm slamming a beer bottle of the head of Gunner's father in the crowd. Storm received no punishment. In a PC world, the TNA HR department is a breath of fresh air! I think you could no-call, no-show three straight days and never even hear about it from your supervisor. I'd love to see the employee handbook breakdown of the punishments for various infractions. "Drinking on the job: A firm talking to, mister. Drug use: We reserve the right to drug test again when our financial situation improves and/or the issue starts to make headlines again. Murdering A Fellow Employee On The Job: Four-week suspension, no pay (though you will receive all holiday pay and continue to accrue vacation time)."
The Hunt For Willow: These segments became an instant hit with me when I saw Rockstar Spud in his grass-like camouflage outfit. It brought back fond memories of the classic "To Catch A Predator" scene where one of the cops waiting outside a house dressed up like a bush for no reason. He didn't hide behind a bush while waiting for perverts. He never even tried to blend in with bushes. He simply stood with the rest of the police officers who were in their normal gear and then ambushed each suspect at the same time as everyone else. Okay, since I clearly can't put my love of shrub cop aside, let's have Chris Hansen decide. "The Hunt for Willow, why don't you go ahead and take a seat right over there (in the Miss section)?"
TNA Impact Wrestling Misses
Opening segment: Why doesn't MVP just book Samoa Joe in a title match against Magnus, ban everyone from ringside, and vow to fire anyone who interferes? Do we need Abyss getting a Triple Threat? Do we need Eric Young turning it into a Four-Way while stating that his goal is to make sure Abyss doesn't interfere? If MVP is angry with Abyss for interfering, why would he reward him with a title shot? MVP, Joe, and Young delivered their lines well, but I just can't get past the awkward logic.
Bully Ray and Bobby Roode: The Miss really belongs to Roode. The fans love Ray and I have no doubt that he will be the most popular babyface in the company in no time if he's not there already. And I actually love Roode's in-ring work and feel that he's one of the most consistently strong performers in TNA. The problem is that Roode's act is repetitive. We see him have big brawls on what feels like a weekly basis, and I can't think of the last time I heard something new and unique in one of his promos. What's different about this feud than his last feud with Kurt Angle? I was hopeful that Roode was on the verge of a babyface turn because it feels like the character needed such a change. Hopefully a hot program with Ray will breathe some new life into the Roode act because he really is one of the MVPs of the company.
Angelina Love and Velvet Sky: The acting was better and the segment didn't overstay its welcome. Still, I just sat there asking myself why their characters wouldn't just talk backstage rather than doing all of this in front of television viewers. Velvet was opposed to Chris Sabin's heel antics, but now she's reunited weeks later in a heel tag team.
Knux video: So Knux is a troubled arcade owner who has a mystery dad and a hot girlfriend? That's nice, but it's once again one of those moments where I find myself asking why in the blue hell this character would want to air all of his dirty laundry on television. I would be fearful that this is somehow leading to a character named Wreck-It Knux, but that's too modern for TNA creative to be inspired by (see Sam "American Psycho" Shaw). I'm giving this another week to see what "the old man" is all about, but the videos feel really forced and out of place.
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