???TNA???

I have read a lot of negative things lately about TNA wrestling.  A lot of fans seem to not like their product and it does seem like they are having some problems.  However, I really do enjoy TNA programming.  They have a lot of talent on their roster and with a few slight changes I think they could make things a lot better for themselves.  There are a lot of places they can go with the AJ Styles and Dixie Carter angle.  I can't help but see the similarities between this and what WWE did with CM Punk though.  However, wrestling story-lines are always going to have some similarities.  I do think that TNA has some work to do in order to get some of the fans that they have lost back.  They need to bring focus back to the X-Division which they seem to be trying to do with the match between Jeff Hardy and Manic.  They need to eliminate or drastically change the Aces and Eights angle.  This could be something great but it needs to go in a new direction and without Bully Ray.  What made the NWO so great was that after a while fans started to like them and this simply isn't happening with the Aces and Eights, but it could with an overhaul.  As much as I hate to say it they should also eliminate or change the Main Event Mafia.  It just sort of seems like they are kinda just trying to find something for them to do now.  I think the Styles and Carter angle is a great direction and it will overshadow any other big story-lines so why not make some changes while the focus is on that story-line.  They should also bring back some guys that will bring them back some fans.  Guys like Abyss ( yes I know that we have the man but we need him in this character), and some of the others especially guys from the X Division.  They should do away with MMA Talent unless they are going to make the transition from MMA to TNA fully not just be around for a little while.  They should also start putting more marketing on their "free pay-per-view events."  They need to make fans feel like they are getting something special without paying for it and with the way they are doing it now it does not feel that way.  They should also look at their roster and find some ways to get wrestlers that the fans want to see in some sort of story-line.  Someone that comes to mind is Austin Aries.  He is a good talent and they seem to just be doing nothing with him.  Once again I am a wrestling fan and I watch both WWE and TNA.  Let's face it WWE does not do everything right either and there are always going to be things that as fans we would rather see, but I think with some work that TNA could really go to the next level and be something special.  These are just my thoughts.

RAW REVIEW

This past weeks episode of Raw was filled with some interesting things.  First, Triple H gave Randy Orton a car, only to have it later vandalized by Daniel Bryan.  Side-note...I remember the WWE used to always do something with vehicles getting vandalized and or smashed...I thought it was always interesting.  Anyway, later in the night Bryan would pay for his crime by having to take on The Shield in a gauntlet match.  Triple H would bring all the superstars out to the stage to watch Bryan's destruction.  There were several points where it really looked like the Big Show was actually angry.  The Orton vs. Bryan match at Night of Champions has all the makings of a classic.  Let's not forget that Orton and Bryan had a string of good matches several months ago.  CM Punk went one on one with Curtis Axel.  If Punk won the match then Paul Heyman would have to get in the ring with Punk.  Punk did indeed win and Heyman was forced in the ring with Punk.  However, Axel interfered and then Heyman and Axel proceeded to destroy Punk.  I am hoping this gets some sort of a culmination at Night of Champions.  However, I do have to admit that one of the highlights of the night came from the WWE Diva's division. That's right the WWE Divas finally had a mention-able moment on RAW.  Well really only one Diva did...the Diva's Champ AJ Lee.  AJ came out on stage after a Diva's match that had in it diva's from the show Total Diva's.  AJ did a shoot promo where she literally went off on the other Diva's saying that the other diva's were not even good enough to lace up her Chuck Taylor's.  This was one of the best promo's I have seen from the WWE diva's division.  I hope that the WWE takes this and does something with it.  Until next week.

IMPACT 8/22/2013

You will note that in the heading I said Impact and not Hardcore Justice.  Before reviewing the action from the show, let me go ahead and say this.  I am all for TNA putting on a special kind of impact and they can call it whatever they want.  However, first you have to do something to the show to make me the audience feel as though something is different...TNA is not doing this.  Also, an event is just that it is one event.  Do not try to extend it to two weeks worth of programming.  Now that I have that out of the way...last night's impact was filled with some good stuff.  The highlight is of course the five on five match where the loser of the fall leaves TNA.  The match was between MEM and Aces & Eights.  MEM looked like they were going to be going into the match a man down; then when out of nowhere here comes AJ Styles.  The match itself was pretty good  and in the end saw Styles pin Devon.  This means that Devon must leave TNA if all holds true.  Now I am not sure if this means that Styles is going to join MEM or if he was just out there to help.  I would like to briefly say a way that I thought would have been better for this to go down.  I wish they would have started the match and at some point chaos ensued and then a midst the chaos all of the sudden Styles music hits.  Styles comes to ring and comes face to face with Devon.  Everyone else is fighting on the outside and then Styles hits Devon with the Styles Clash and gets the pin.  MEM gets in the ring and looks at Styles, who just simply turns around and walks back up the ramp...then the show ends.  This would have been to me a better ending than the one we got, but we have to settle for what we have.  The ending we got provided us with questions:  Is the old AJ Styles back or was this a one time thing?  Is Styles part of MEM or not?  How will Aces & Eights respond to losing Devon?  I am sure we will get some answers next week.  Until then we will just have to speculate. 

RAW 8-19-2013

Last night's RAW was one that saw many things happen and also didn't answer that many questions for us from SummerSlam.  The show began with John Cena coming out and telling us that he would be out for 4 to 6 months. (saw that coming)  After this Daniel Bryan had a confrontation with Stephanie McMahon which ended in Bryan being thrown out of the building.  The CM Punk and Paul Heyman story-line looks as if it will continue, but I am unsure if it will continue with Lesnar.  Last night Curits Axel was the one that attempted to put Punk in his place, but was unsuccessful.  This brings us to the new WWE Champion Randy Orton.  ORton had coronation ceremony that involved both Stephanie and Vince McMahon and of course Triple H.  It is still unclear if this was a plot by Orton and Triple H or if it was just best for business.  Bryan was invited to the party only to be beat down by The Shield and then RKO'd by Orton.  If Orton has aligned himself with Triple H and the McMahon's then this could present us the audience with some good television.  We will have to wait to see what will be to come for both Orton and Bryan.

SUMMERSLAM 2013 RESULTS

Summerslam 2013 had its share of great moments and matches.  Punk vs. Lesnar was indeed right at the top of the list.  Both men brought everything they had.  In the end, Heyman's repeated interference proved more than The Best could overcome and Lesnar got the win.  While Lesnar won the match, I hope the WWE does not just let this be the end of that feud.  The match was great and I think that Punk and Lesnar could potentially continue and still prove to be great matches.  Del Rio vs. Christian was actually a great match.  They seemed to have good chemistry in the ring together.  It is just a shame that this match was kind of just on the card and wasn't really a match that was marketed.  Del Rio ended up winning the match, straight up I might add.  Del Rio pinned Christian in the center of the ring.  Kane vs. Brae Wyatt in the ring of fire match was honestly not that good.  The fire just seemed to be put there as a distraction from the fact that the match wasn't that good.  The ending was also very uneventful, but it did leave us with one question...What are the Wyatt's doing with Kane?  The highlight of the night was of course John Cena vs Daniel Bryan.  This was an excellent match.  Both superstars brought their "A" game and they gelled well together in the ring.  In the end Bryan got the win and the title.  However, the show doesn't end there.  I thought for a minute the WWE was going to miss an opportunity and just not have Triple H get involved at all which would have been weird.  However, Randy Orton comes to the ring and then Triple H hits Bryan with pedigree and Orton cashes in Money in the Bank to become the Champion.  The way it went down makes me believe that Orton and Triple H had this planned and this sets us up nicely for another Orton and Bryan feud.  They had what would end up being three great matches a few months ago and I can only imagine what is in store if the title is on the line.  On a side note, I do not look to see John Cena until at least Survivor Series.  There have been rumors that he was going to have surgery after Summerslam on his elbow and will probably be off for a while to rest the elbow.  However, if Cena has to take time off this would be the best time to do it because there is not another major pay-per-view until Survivor Series and we as an audience will have the Orton and Bryan feud to keep us occupied as well as where Triple H and Mr. McMahon fit into this whole thing.  Tonight's Raw should be filled with at least some of these answers.  Overall I thought Summerslam was well worth the money spent to buy it on pay-per-view.

TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE

Well we had another free quote, un-quote pay-per-view from TNA last night.  Once again the only thing that changed was the big screen.  Show was still two hours, and still did not make me feel like I was getting anything special.  However, there were some interesting things that happened at the show.  The 4 way ladder match was pretty good and the table match was also pretty good.  In the main event Bully Ray took back the TNA Heavyweight Title from Chris Sabin with the help of Tito Ortiz.  That's right Ortiz helped out Bully.  Honestly I don't care how it happened as long as they took the title from Sabin.  I take nothing away from him, but he just does not work as the champion.  I do not feel like I have to tune in to see him, and he is not that good on the mic.  So I am happy that Bully has the title again.  Bully is such a great bad guy that people will watch just to see someone beat him.  I am looking forward to where this Ortiz angle might go.  As we all know Ortiz is scheduled to do a MMA fight against Rampage Jackson which is who he stabbed in the back last night.  This leads me to another issue I believe TNA has;  their partnership with Bellator.  I understand the need to partner with another company and possibly use their talent.  However, I hope that Bellator is not just simply using TNA to try and boost the ratings for the fight between Ortiz and Jackson.  I have said this before and I will say it again...TNA has a good product.  I think their creative department is pretty good and they have a talented roster.  The only ones that can get in their way are themselves.  If we are going to go down this "free pay-per-view" road then please make the show different.  Take that show to 3 hours or put it on without commercial interruptions.  Something, anything...I still feel like I am simply watching a regular version of Impact and if I feel that way I am certain that most everyone else does.  If you are telling us that it is supposed to be something different then you have to make it something different.

BIG SHOW RETURN

This past week on Raw the Big Show returned.  I like a lot of people thought this was going to happen like two weeks ago, but anyway the Big Show is back.  However, now what to do him????  He showed up Monday in street clothes and came to the ring to prevent an attack by the shield on RVD and Mark Henry.  RVD is already in a match at Summerslam against one member of The Shield.  Could the WWE be thinking of teaming Show and Henry together to possibly take a run at the titles against The Shield???  That would be a good pairing and would make sense to have The Shield drop the titles to them.  However, the WWE has been sort of giving the Uso's a push recently.  So maybe we could end up in a three way tag for the titles.  I am happy to see the Big Show return, but I just hope that the WWE doesn't just waste him away.  Show is a great superstar and has the ability to be entertaining if the WWE will allow him.  Before he left, he was just kind of like ahhhh...ME GIANT....ME ANGRY...  They should let him go out there and entertain the crowd.  He has shown he can do it and he has also shown that he deserves to be in some title picture.  I know this sounds like I am the world's biggest Show fan.  ( pun intended)  However, I am not really, I just hope he is used better this time than he was last time.