After 60 minutes, this past week’s TNA Impact was fantastic.
Not only did Angelina Love and Sarita have an entertaining match, but Ric Flair announced Beer Money, James Storm and Robert Roode, as the final two members of his new group “Fortune.†As well, AJ Styles announced that the Global Title will now be called the Television Title and he’ll defend it starting next week on every TNA telecast.
It’s about damn time.
It makes sense that TNA has a TV title, especially considering it’s linkage to the old NWA and WCW. Styles makes a great first champ as well, as he’s the company’s best in-ring performer. Nothing against the Global Title or Rob Terry, but TNA needs to establish itself on American soil before it goes abroad.
While that action was great, seeing Beer Money take on Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley was a blast. Easily the best match on cable TV in years, these four tore the house down in a match that the WWE should look at when trying to revive their tag team division.
With all that happening in the first hour, in spite of a boring match with Orlando Jordan and Eric Young vs. Ink Inc, it would have taken something huge to top it all, and unfortunately TNA dropped the ball big time on the final half of the show.
After witnessing someone like Frank Kazarian job for a brute Terry, watching a wasted match with Mr. Anderson and Jeff Hardy against two TNA security guards, [yes, two security guards] and a horrible main event between Abyss and Tommy Dreamer,[where Dreamer was slower than a turtle on downers] with Raven making an unsurprising heel turn for the finish, the overall taste was a middling one.
Things got extra salty at the end as well, with Raven licking, Dreamer’s face and berating him, obviously setting up what could be a match at Hardcore Justice in a few weeks.
Too little too late.
It’s understandable why TNA wants to give the former ECW stars one more night in the limelight, but seeing them in action leading into the Pay Per View has been a mixed bag. The promos are getting repetitive and flaccid and if Dreamer’s performance on Impact was an indication of what fans could expect for Hardcore Justice, fans are better off watching these guys on DVD.
As far as the rest of the company is concerned, between seeing a great rivalry between two amazing tag teams, a cool new clique and a brand new title, defended by their brightest star, TNA may not even need help from last decade’s hardcore stars.
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