Breaking the fourth wall in pro wrestling?
Eh.
TNA is desperately trying to be cool. The closed-door meeting to start the show was anything but as authentic as it tried to be.
But hey, at least they’re admitting the show doesn’t work anymore.
This nonsense reality show garbage doesn’t work either though.
From the ticking soundtrack and camera shots, those segments felt more like “Celebrity Apprentice†than TNA.
Aside from that, the actual wrestling was decent and the few storyline developments, mainly Bully Ray and Joseph Park’s segment, were just as average.
The news of Hulk Hogan’s “guest†spiced up the show a bit, but when it was revealed to be Sting, it felt like the wait was unjustified. Once again TNA fails to captivate through storyline. At this point, they’d be better off just having matches and as little story as possible. Showcase those great athletes and go shopping for a creative team that can change the dynamic of the show completely. Right now, the show still feels like it’s missing something.
Matches:
TNA Knockout Champion Gail Kim & Madison Rayne vs. TNA Knockout Champions Eric Young and ODB: Early on, this match was all OBD, but when the show came back from the commercial break, Kim hit a slew of clotheslines and tagged in Rayne. The two worked well together until ODB hit a spear and tagged in Young. Once EY’s pants came off, the hip tosses and scoop slams were a plenty. But Kim ultimately got the pin on ODB, who was the victim of a double team after EY was too busy getting the crowd into the match.
Rob Van Dam vs. Gunner: Good back and forth contest. Gunner made the mistake of bringing a chair into the ring and after RVD hit the Vandaminator on the former TV champ, he hit the Five-Star Frog Splash for the win.
Television Champion Devon vs. Garret Bischoff: The challenger seemed more focused on keeping his hair out of his eyes than wrestling. Once the match got going, Robbie E. and Rob Terry interrupted the match and made it a no-contest. By the end of it, Bischoff and Devon were working as a team.
Gut Check: TNA X-Division Champion Austin Aries vs. Joey Ryan: He did better than Alex Silva, but the Ben Stiller a-la “Dodgeball†look-a-like did more selling than anything else. He’s got good ring psychology and his pump-handle variation was solid in-spite of a minor hiccup in his delivery. Aries’ Brainbuster was too much for him though and led to his defeat.
TNA Heavyweight Champion Robert Roode vs. A.J. Styles: Trademark Styles early on with a stellar dropkick, but Roode fought back hard. The champion worked on Styles’ arm for a while, but “The Phenomenal One†continued to run at Roode headfirst. Roode always appeared a step ahead. In a two-minute span, Roode hit a massive spear, applied his crossface and followed it up with a spinebuster and then the fisherman suplex. But Styles won’t stay down. But after Roode countered Styles’ 450 and delivered another fisherman suplex, Roode earned the win to become the longest-reigning heavyweight champion in TNA history
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