Gail Kim and Mickie James in Main Event: A Step in the Right Direction?

It happened again. For the second time in just over a year, The Knockouts division was featured in the main event slot of Impact Wrestling. At the top of the program, “The Icon” Sting relieved Madison Rayne of her non-existent role as head of the Knockouts, and ordered the champion Gail Kim to defend the Knockouts title against Mickie James.

Though Mickie James was unsuccessful in her second encounter with Gail Kim, the match in terms of athleticism and wrestling ability was top-notch. Mickie James was so dead set on regaining the Knockouts title that she executed some high risk maneuvers including the Arm Trap Neckbreaker on the outside, and a Thesz Press (to the outside). Also, Gail Kim reminded fans why she was the famed Knockouts Champion of 2008 with two Flying Dragons (Iron Octopus) submission holds. But just when you think Impact Wrestling will do the unthinkable – allow for a competitive match to be just that – Madison Rayne rushed in, disguised in a mask, and dropped Mickie with the Rayne Drop inverted Overdrive for the dirty finish.

But don’t worry, after the broadcast, it was announced that Sting ordered for a rematch of tonight’s main event to be contested at Genesis. Will there be a new Knockouts champion to christen the new year? Perhaps. But how amazing would it have been for Mickie to ring in the new year as the champion, if only Madison hadn’t interfered?

Impact Wrestling may not have had the Knockouts best interest in mind when Eric Bischoff named Karen Jarrett as Knockouts Law. Or when Karen forced the Knockouts to wrestle in their underwear for a Thanksgiving Thunder Tong match. Or when Karen forced the Knockouts to wash the men’s cars in their underwear. Or when they decided to just stack the Knockout titles on a returning Gail Kim, but have her act as Karen’s lackey rather than the famed Knockout of 2008. All in all, Impact Wrestling took a step in the right direction by having Sting relieve both Karen and Madison from the position of Knockouts Law, and to shine the spotlight on Impact’s two top Knockouts – Mickie James and Gail Kim.

Hopefully tonight was a sign of a better, stronger Knockouts division where they place the focus on their athleticism more so than their T and A’s.

That’s it for this post, feel free to check us out on YouTube – WTX Video Podcast. My buddies and I perform a wrestling video podcast where we talk wrestling, which then leads us into crazy comedy sketches. Support us on YouTube, like us on Facebook at WTXVideoPodcast, and follow me on the twitter @WrestlingTimesX.

Kurt Angle’s Heel Turn: Down with Immortal?

This past Sunday at Hardcore Justice, Kurt Angle became the TNA World champion for the record fifth time. On the way to becoming the champ, Kurt used a steel chair on Sting because he wanted his integrity back.

Usually the line between fan favorite and villain in TNA varies from week to week. Prime example: Mr. Anderson. Was he a face this week? But Kurt’s heel turn actually has a back story, dating back to when Jeff Jarrett started seeing Kurt’s former wife Karen.

Dixie Carter assured Kurt that nothing was going on. We all know how that all turned out – Mr. & Mrs. Jarrett, while Kurt was left with the promise that he would be the face of the company, and the task of helping the development of younger talents.

Then came Hulk Hogan. On Sunday, Hogan inadvertently offered Angle the golden opportunity to regain his integrity by stripping Dixie’s white knight, Sting, of the TNA World title. Why? Because Hulk Hogan informed Kurt that Dixie was aware of Jarrett’s advances to Karen, and never did anything about it.

Even though Kurt has since come out on top in from 6-month feud with Jeff Jarrett, has remarried, has a new baby girl, and is currently training for the 2012 Olympics in London, the light of this new information has provoked Kurt Angle.

It wasn’t anything personal with Sting, he’s just been attempting to get Dixie’s company back. Kurt no longer wants that to happen. Under Hulk’s leadership, Kurt Angle will be the face of the company. As for the young talents, Kurt vowed to take them out one by one until there is only Kurt Angle left.

As such, Kurt attacked Crimson at the end of Impact Wrestling Thursday night, exposed the injured right knee, and proceeded to twist his ankle in between the ring ropes. The undefeated Crimson may have been taken out of the Bound for Glory Series Tournament. If so, Angle just avoided the biggest threat to his TNA World Title.

Does this mean that Kurt Angle is a part of Immortal? All signs point to that conclusion, especially after embracing Hulk Hogan following the physical assault on Sting. This being the case, doesn’t Angle realize that if he sides with Immortal, he will be in direct alliance with his sworn enemy and his ex-wife? Isn’t this the reason why he turned on Dixie in the first place?

Since Immortal officially ousted Mr. Anderson out of the group, a spot has opened for Angle.

Soon enough, Abyss may also be ousted from Immortal since he has yet been forgiven, by Eric Bischoff, for failing to destroy the X Division. Bischoff forced “The Monster” to stand in to listen as he informed the X wrestlers about the importance now being placed in the division.

Among the wrestlers, Austin Aries requested a moment of Bischoff’s time. “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” may perhaps provide his services to Immortal in the not so distant future, since he also shares the same dislike for the X Division guys, who will now all be cruiserweights. Bischoff still not understanding the concept of wrestling renewed, (read story here), has ordered a weight limit of 220-or less. Yes, the days of Abyss, Samoa Joe, and Kurt Angle in the X Division are over.

TNA Slammiversary IX: Kurt Angle vs Jeff Jarrett; Sting vs Mr. Anderson

Slammiversary IX featured The Final Battle between Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett in a No. 1 contender’s Match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship with Angle’s Olympic Gold Medal on the line, Sting vs. Mr. Anderson for the TNA World Title, Gun Money (James Storm and Alex Shelley) vs. The British Invasion (Brutus Magnus and Douglas Williams) for the World Tag Team Titles, Abyss vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Kazarian for the X-Division Title, Mickie James vs. Angelina Love w/Winter for the Knockouts Title, Bully Ray vs. AJ Styles in a Last Man Standing Match, & more…

With another PPV come and gone, let’s steam roll through with a new segment called “What worked, and What didn’t?”

Mr. Anderson the New TNA World Champion:

With weeks and weeks of Mr. Anderson mocking Sting’s old school ring attire, and calling Stinger a joke, I expected some vindication. The match started out great with Anderson talking on the microphone and Sting coming up from behind and shouting out “Anderson” before starting the onslaught there. I didn’t even mind them fighting through the audience (even though Sting already did this same spot during his match last month with Rob Van Dam). The point of the match that didn’t work was Eric Bischoff showing face.

Can we just get through one show without seeing Bischoff?

Just before Bischoff showed up, Jackson James replaced Brian Hebner who took a bump. If there was a Tough Enough for referees, Jackson James would have been in the Bottom Three. He’s the main reason why this match didn’t work. When Mr. Anderson went for the low blow, James was in clear view of the incident and instead of disqualifying Anderson, he grants him the 3-count.

In the words of Bill DeMott: This guy is geener than goose s–t!

On another note: Can Mr. Anderson win the title without outside interference?

Kurt Angle the No. 1 Contender for the TNA World Title:

With Karen Jarrett out of the picture, Angle and Jarrett finally had their one-on-one wrestling match. Was this encounter better than Angle’s battles with Desmond Wolfe, AJ Styles, Mr. Anderson, or even Jeff Hardy? No, it wasn’t and that’s the bad thing about it. The importance of becoming the no. 1 contender, or even the possibility of relinquishing the Olympic gold medal was never emphasized, it was treated like a grudge match.

The wrestling was great with Kurt executing the three-Germans and Jarrett connecting with The Stroke from off the middle ropes. Even the final moments of the match when Jarrett grape-vined the Ankle Lock, Kurt was only seconds of tapping out. Angle managing to find a counter to his own submission proved that he is a master of the hold (let’s not boost his ego too much, or else he’ll start Twitter-hacking). Then the finality of it all, Jarrett tapping out with both hands as Angle locked in the grape-vine Ankle Lock.

Let’s just hope that Angle and Anderson can rekindle their magic storytelling.

Bully Ray steals Styles’s Momentous Night:

This match — more than anything — should have centered the spotlight on AJ Styles as the company’s way of saying “Here’s our guy.” Instead, Bully Ray kicks Styles through a set to earn the victory. Even the audience had to call that “bull s–t.”

The match had a great build up, Bully Ray is probably one of the best talkers they have on the roster, and when he emphasized that this would be a last MAN standing, I was ready to see Ray make Styles look like a million bucks. On the contrary, he made Styles look like a chump.

The match was building towards a satisfying victory for Styles, but turned into another match where the ending didn’t correlate with the match.

Mickie James retains the Knockouts Title:

What the heck was with that finish? Mickie went for her standing tornado DDT, and Angelina fell sideways. Even Taz commented on the failed connection of the finisher. Mickie was wise to pick up the victory any which way she could.

Earl Hebner — I commend him — did a great job of keeping Winter from interfering for the majority of the match.

And Still World Tag Team Champions:

There was nothing surprising about this match, since we already got to see James Storm and Alex Shelley team up in a match against Mexican America for free on Impact Wrestling. Sure, there was the moment when Storm accidentally sprayed Shelley with beer where The British Invasion looked to win their second Tag Titles, but Magnus and Williams couldn’t get the job done. Rather than looking like a seasoned tag team, The British Invasion made a lot of rookie mistakes.

With Robert Roode injured and unable to defend the belts with his partner, The British Invasion should have gone over as the new champs since they can actually defend them.

Has Abyss won the war?

Channeling Sun Tzu’s Art of War, Abyss divided and conquered in order to retain the X-Division Title. Didn’t have much expectations for the revival of the X-Division, especially with the Destination X PPV scheduled for next month.

A no. 1 contender’s bout between Brian Kendrick and Kazarian would prove to be a great match, if only Bischoff is smart enough to book it. Since Kendrick is the leader (or mouthpiece) of the short-lived X-Division Revolt or Riot act, he would do well with the role of X Title holder because he also embodies the spirit of the X-Division.

Crimson earns respect:

Whether Crimson could be the next Samoa Joe is up for debate. Frankly, this feud would have been better if 1) Samoa Joe hadn’t already been on a losing streak, and 2) Crimson and Joe had been featured in higher profile segments on Impact Wrestling.

The code of honor being reached at the conclusion of the match was a nice touch, definitely a decent bout, but where do they go from here?

Matt Morgan wins:

Scott Steiner was recently interviewed for the “Wrestling Matters” segments on Impact Wrestling, and he metaphorically describes being there as the handcuffs being off in terms of being able to say what he wants. Believe me, that is not a good thing. There is a reason why other promotions would minimize his mic time, he cannot piece together a sentence if a protein bar depended on it. We’ve all heard him botch up a promo and then cover it up by flexing. Matt Morgan picking up the victory is not a surprise, it’s how Steiner still wrestles that proves to be the phenomenon.

That’s it for this post. If you feel that some things worked or didn’t work that wasn’t mentioned please jot them down in the comment box, or send me a line on twitter. My twitter handler is WrestlingTimesX. There are also some nifty share buttons on the bottom: Spread the word!

TNA Slammiversary IX: What to Expect?

Did anyone else know that there was an Impact Wrestling pay-per-view tonight? It seems to be the case every month. Is it lack of promotion? Or lack of fans? Tonight is not only the ninth anniversary for TNA Entertainment LLC, (Yup, Wrestling Matters, my ass) but the first PPV under the Impact Wrestling banner. The significance of “Slammiversary” (only in professional wrestling…) has heavily decreased since The Hogan-Bischoff Regime. And it seems lately that everyone points the blame at these guys, but there’s a reason why we do it. Not only has the six-sided ring since been eliminated, but Slammiversary has since ceased hosting the King of the Mountain Match. With both Jeff Jarrett and Kurt Angle each holding two victories as King of the Mountain, wouldn’t it have made sense for them to compete in another KoM match to determine the True King of the Mountain? Just saying.

With that said, do you even know who’s on the card? Well, you came to the right place because Wrestling Times X proudly presents: “What to Expect?” — Rants and listings for tonight’s Impact Wrestling Slammiversary IX.

Mr. Anderson finally has his one-on-one shot for the TNA World Championship against Sting. Having lost the belt back at Against All Odds, Mr. Anderson has been demanding his rematch. Can Mr. Anderson once again realize his dreams and become the new TNA World Heavyweight Champion? Or will Sting sneak by with another under-ten-minute title defense? The Bottom Line: Sting may be the Icon, but at 52, it is time for Sting to pass the torch. But what about his promise to eliminate the cancer that is the Hogan-Bischoff Regime? He doesn’t need to be the World Champion to do what he does best: lie in wait in the rafters above, and strike them down with his trusty baseball bat.

Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett, after six months, will finally end their feud tonight. Finally, the two will square off in the ring one-on-one without the distractions from the titillating Karen Jarrett. Jarrett has taken Kurt’s ex-wife, his kids, he’s taken pretty much everything except for Kurt’s prized possession – his Olympic Gold Medal. Angle won his gold medal in the heavyweight (90–100 kg; 198–220 lb) weight class despite his neck injury, defeating the Iranian Abbas Jadidi. He is the only Olympic Gold Medalist is all of professional wrestling. It is what has sparked and defined his professional wrestling career. Tonight, will Jeff Jarrett earn possession of the gold, or will Kurt Angle finally score the long-awaited pinfall victory?

Eric Bischoff has been on a vendetta to destroy the X-Division, which he started by forcing Kazarian to defend the X-Division belt against “The Monster” Abyss. Now in possession of the title, Abyss has renamed it the X-treme Championship instead of destroying the belt. Now a student of The Art of War, Abyss believes that it is better to hold on to the title as a reminder to the X-Division of what they lost. Brian Kendrick has been on a journey to reignite the passion that was once the X-Division. Tonight, Abyss has allowed for both Kazarian and Kendrick to challenge for the belt in a Triple-Threat Match.

The British Invasion (Brutus Magnus and Douglas Williams) look to become two-time TNA World Tag Team Champions as they face the team of Beer Money’s James Storm and Motor City Machine Guns’ Alex Shelley for the belts. With Robert Roode sidelined with a shoulder injury, and Alex Shelley without his partner Chris Sabin (also sidelined) the pact between former enemies were made out of respect for each other and for the honor of defending the TNA World Tag Team Titles. But from what was showcased in their match against Mexican America, “Gun Money” lack the continuity that is shared between tag team partners. Can Gun Money manage to retain the gold for Beer Money, or will British Invasion take their regal spot in Impact Wrestling?

Angelina Love w/Winter will challenge Mickie James for the Knockouts Championship. Love, holding a pinfall victory over Mickie James in tag team action, could possibly be Mickie’s greatest opponent to date because of her zombie-like lack of emotions. Love cannot feel pain, sorrow, or remorse, which means that Mickie will be unable to psych-out her opponent. Unless… Winter does seem to have a mystical sense of control over Angelina’s mind, much like Paul Bearer had on The Undertaker. Now, if Mickie were to eliminate Winter from ringside, would that mean that Angelina would weaken? This could very well be Mickie’s ticket towards retaining her title.

Bully Ray and AJ Styles meet in a Last Man Standing Match. When it comes to brute strength, and an undeniable Extreme background from the Bingo Halls of ECW, Bully Ray has the utmost advantage when it comes to these type of matches. But let’s not forget that AJ Styles holds a hardcore victory over Tommy Dreamer with a fork in the eye, and retains a year of experience under the tutelage of “The Dirtiest Player in the Game” Ric Flair. Can Styles find redemption for Bully Ray powerbombing him off the entrance ramp, or will Ray continue dominating the Impact Wrestling Zone?

Also taking place at Slammiversary: Samoa Joe sets out to end the winning streak of Crimson, and Matt Morgan takes on Scott Steiner.

And that my friends is a crash course of what to expect from tonight’s Impact Wrestling Slammiversary IX pay-per-view. Whether or not you decide to drop this week’s paycheck, or skip it, come back tomorrow (or the day after that) for The Final Thoughts Post with all the rants of the event.

Until next time: Remember to subscribe, tell a friend, phone a friend, add Wrestling Times X to your web browsers’ favorites on your computer and your mobile devices. Also, please Share this and all posts. Follow me on Twitter @WrestlingTimesX for quick rants, which I will be too lazy to post on this site. Oh, and RT everything I say because it’s golden!

Oops! … Chyna did it Again: All Thanks to TNA Wrestling

Welcome back to The Wrestling Times. The news is out, Chyna’s manager Michelle Roberts is a liar liar, and her pants are on fire. ~ More than can be said of her client. Roberts publicly denied rumors, to alivingwonder.com, of Chyna making a return to the adult film industry. According to Vivid President Steve Hirsch, he told TMZ that he was approached by Chyna “months ago” to create an X-rated film as part of her re-entry into the business. The film is called Backdoor into Chyna, and it’s set for a DVD release at some point in time. Man… The Hogan-Bischoff Regime really do know how to pick ’em? Let’s discuss Chyna and Impact Wrestling.

Chyna originally made her return to professional wrestling several weeks ago, back when it was called TNA Wrestling, as Kurt Angle’s mistress. She competed in a mix-gendered tag team match at TNA’s “Sacrifice” PPV, where she submitted Karen with an Ankle Lock. It was a feel good moment, if anything, for the old school fans. The same fans that still hold onto the days when Chyna was considered “The Ninth Wonder of the World.”

Chyna, 40, is a former shell of what she used to be. She obviously lost her bodybuilder physique, and accumulated a lot of ring rust since unofficially retiring in 2004. And yet, not much thought was put into coming back in wrestling shape, especially with the offer coming from Impact Wrestling. With Impact’s reputation of hiring based on name value alone, e.g., Scott Hall, her ex-boyfriend Sean Waltman, and The Nasty Boys, why bother putting in the effort, especially when you are guaranteed a pay-day?

But Chyna didn’t get paid. According to TMZ’s sources, she worked based on a “good faith” deal, meaning just a handshake and hoped that she stuck around. At “Sacrifice,” Chyna attempted to scoop slam Jeff Jarrett, but almost dropped him on his head. With almost zero effort in preparation for an in-ring return, Chyna had no business lifting anyone over her head. Chyna’s brief return into the world of professional wrestling wasn’t about the wrestling, it was about the exposure.

Before “Sacrifice,” no one had really seen Chyna since 2004, except for the occasional reality show. She went to Steve Hirsch about returning to adult films, and wanting to have the top male porn star on the project. Steve did her one better and gave her two of adult film’s top porn stars (go find out their names somewhere else). TNA, being the pro wrestling company that it is, provided the perfect platform to reintroduce her back into the main-stream media.

When the news surfaced of Chyna’s Backdoor, Eric Bischoff avoided commenting on her status with Impact Wrestling when asked during an interview with “Monday Night Mayhem.”

Bischoff replied, “That’s a really good question and I’m not going to answer it because it would be inappropriate. So, let’s leave it at that.”

With a revolving door of talents, either having drug or alcohol addictions, wrestling in TNA, a porn star really tops the list. And yet, independent promotions like Dragon Gate USA and Evolve Wrestling embrace the name recognition that porn stars bring to their shows. Maybe TNA should too, since their Knockouts aren’t too far from it.

Will Hogan and Bischoff ever enforce at least some remedial background checks? Maybe a couple of drug tests? They are so gun ho about promoting these major names onto their program that they f–k up more often than actually elevate any long-term ratings.

Though many wrestling fans have spouted off some hilarious jokes of Chyna’s return to the Adult Film Industry, she’s smart for using TNA’s SpikeTV platform to promote herself, which in turn will spike huge sales for her movie, whether we like it or not.

That’s it for this post. Got a hilarious Chyna-Porn joke? Feel free to jot them down in the comment box, or send me a line on twitter. My twitter handler is WrestlingTimesX. There are also some nifty share buttons on the bottom: Spread the word!

I Want Wrestling, Too: Wrestling Matters Slogan, Kharma, NWA Hollywood, X Division

Welcome back to The Wrestling Times! Last night’s edition of Impact Wrestling took its next step towards a more wrestling based promotion by asking the fans and the wrestlers why it matters to them; along with a few talking segments here and there. Let’s discuss “Wrestling Matters” Slogan, and other news.

The transformation from TNA to Impact Wrestling has not, and will not, occur over night. Last week was purely cosmetic, and this week was about changing the fans’ mentality of its core product. However, the fans interviewed had nothing profound to say, and why should they? The majority of them show up every week for a free show. Take that microphone to New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia to see what wrestling fans there have to say.

Kurt Angle’s and Rob Van Dam’s vignette focused on Impact’s talent roster consisting of the best wrestlers in the world. And for the most part, they’re right. These two are the top wrestlers in their promotion by means of drawing power, but as for the best people in terms of growth of the company, not so much.

For the past two years, Angle has feuded with Mr. Anderson and Jeff Jarrett, along with his ex-wife Karen. RVD has been in four-way dances with TNA World Champion Sting, and fellow former champions Anderson and Jeff Hardy. All these men have been established names for X-amount of years. What they should all be doing is elevating the younger talents because in order for any wrestling promotion to succeed it needs to have a healthy diverse pool of talents able to play any role when necessary, e.g., Chris Jericho competed in main events, mid-level matches, and in the tag team division without losing any momentum.

Take nothing away from last night’s edition of Impact Wrestling, it delivered on a solid main event between Angle and RVD with a clean finish. Now, just start adding guys like AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe back into the main event circle to reintroduce the trio responsible for producing the only 5-star matches in the company’s history.

Interesting twist in the Knockouts Division as ODB has singled out Velvet Sky, and former WWE Divas Mickie James and Winter (f.k.a. Katie Lea) competed in a non-title bout. Once again, Velvet Sky’s body type and femme fatale attitude has landed her into trouble. First it was Karen assuming she was Kurt’s mistress, and now ODB making assumptions that she slept her way to the top. To the top of what? She has yet to earn a Knockouts Title match. Should be interesting to see where this goes, except for ODB’s simulation of rape. For anyone that saw the segment, can attest to the undertones.

How about Angelina Love’s post-match hostility towards Mickie James? Also interested to see that unfold. Now, if only Love wasn’t currently a lesbian zombie?

Mick Foley educated Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff with an obvious history lesson, the X-Division is what set TNA apart from the competition. In July’s “Destination X” pay-per-view, Foley has promised to collect the best X-Division wrestlers in the world to compete in an Ultimate-X Match. Though Brian Kendrick was unable to unseat Abyss for the X-Title, his day may come in July.

The wrestling community is a twitter and a blogging about what transpired on Monday Night Raw. What happened to Kharma? Is she injured? Why did she break down in a fit of tears? How long will she be out for?

The only definite piece of fact that we have at our disposal is what happened on Raw. The scene was Creative’s way of writing Kharma off of television. It’s been reported elsewhere that she will be out for nine months or so, just about the stretch of time that concurs with the rumor that she’s expecting. Is it true? It’s a possibility. But I would rather hear it from her. So when the time comes, with the Lord by her side, and she posts a photo of baby Kong, then that’s when I’ll believe it. Or if she just flat out announces it on Twitter.

This Monday on Raw, WWE.com has reported that Kharma will speak out on her emotional breakdown. So there’s still some hope that WWE hasn’t completely killed her gimmick.

Finally checked out the first episode of NWA Championship Wrestling from Hollywood via NWAHollywood.com. NWA Hollywood is currently an ongoing weekly television series originating from KDOC-TV Los Angeles. The series premiered on September 17, 2010. This episode was about National Wrestling Alliance’s history, and showcased several matches from its past. It was incredible to see Carlos Colon (Primo really does emulate his father’s theatrics), Rey Mysterio, Sr. (Rey Mysterio, Jr.’s Uncle), Dory Funk, Jr., and a young Ric Flair in action.

That’s it for this post. Does Wrestling really matter to TNA? Or is it just some sad attempt to get one over on WWE? Does Wrestling Matter to you? Please jot down your responses in the comment box, or send me a line on twitter. My twitter handler is WrestlingTimesX. There are also some nifty share buttons on the bottom: Spread the word!

I Want Wrestling, Too: Impact Wrestling vs. WWE SmackDown

Wrestling Matters? After enduring a year and a half of The Hogan-Bischoff Regime plaguing the Impact Zone, stealing hours of on-air time, and diminishing everything that was Total Nonstop Action, now wrestling matters?

Welcome back to The Wrestling Times. Impact Wrestling officially arrived in the Impact Zone in the form of new sets. No longer black, red, and green, instead, Impact Wrestling is now blue and white. Considering that TNA’s rebranding to Impact Wrestling was a move to distinguish itself from WWE, it seems a bit silly to choose SmackDown’s colors. Let’s discuss Wrestling, I Want.

Has the Angle-Jarrett feud gone on too long? Frankly, yes. Because when a feud lasts long enough to have incoherent plot twists, gimmick changes, and several ultimatums, it’s considered too long.

At one point, Kurt Angle was fighting for custody of his kids. When that didn’t pan out, Kurt placed his wrestling boots in the center of the ring to signify that he had retired. Then Jeff Jarrett and Angle locked horns in an MMA exhibition (this was MMA Jeff Jarrett), then an Ultra Male’s Rules match, and now in a number one contender’s match to the TNA World Title with Angle’s Olympic gold medal on the line. Out of all the things that were important, how does it all come down to Angle’s Olympic gold medal?

For this to have been successful, the Angle-Jarrett feud should have started immediately when the world found out about Jarrett’s involvement with Karen. Dixie Carter and Co. should not have suspended him, to then pick up the obvious money-maker storyline a year later when no one cares anymore. So much time has elapsed from when the story was relevant to this present moment that Kurt has already fathered a child with his current girlfriend (not Chyna).

Interesting Question: Now that TNA is known as Impact Wrestling, do the names of the championships change as well? i.e. – TNA’s World Championship now Impact Wrestling’s World Championship? Or maybe shorten it to the IW World Championship?

IW’s Knockouts managed to get some much deserved air time, though not sure how flooding the division with former WWE Divas will help. Six-women Tag Team match featured three former WWE Divas in Knockout’s Champion Mickie James, Tara, and Ms. Tessmacher (Brooke), while the handicap match featured Winter (Katie Lea).

But the overall storyline throughout Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling, which was most intriguing, was Eric Bischoff’s vendetta against the X-Division. The division that truly set TNA apart from WWE because of the fast-paced, high-flying, high risk action may have been officially destroyed. Fortune’s Kazarian lost the X-Division Title to Abyss, Samoa Joe made short work out of Amazing Red, and Matt Hardy, mostly single-handedly, defeated Max and Jeremy Buck. Brian Kendrick, the voice of the X-Division, was not in action, but instead received a beat down at the start of the show.

Impact Wrestling recently revealed a poster for its “Destination X” pay-per-view, usually highlighting the X-Division, featuring the six-sided ring. Could the X-Division truly be gone, or is this simply the beginning on their road to Destination X?

Over on Friday Night SmackDown, considered by most to be WWE’s wrestling-based brand, the road to “Over the Limit” met its final pit stop.

Last week’s match between Sin Cara and Daniel Bryan was one of the best matches WWE has had to offer since Triple-H and Undertaker’s match at WrestleMania. This week, Chavo Guerrero attempted to put away Daniel Bryan with five-minutes on the clock. Great to see this concept implemented once in a while because it’s not about winning or losing, it’s simply a strict wrestling/grappling match.

At “Over the Limit” Chavo Guerrero will face Sin Cara, and if news of their house show bouts are any indication, this will be a great match.

From the six-man tag match pitting The Corre against Ezekiel Jackson and the WWE Tag Team Champions, the final scene of Jackson submitting Justin Gabriel with a Torture Rack was truly impressive. Because how often do you get to see someone tap out six-feet off the mat?

At “Over the Limit” Wade Barrett defends the Intercontinental Championship against Ezekiel Jackson. This could be a great opportunity for Ezekiel to work as the mid-level champion, while Barrett moves on to challenge for the World Heavyweight Title.

Important Podcast: If you’re tweeting, part of the Twitter Universe, then you’ve probably have come across this hash tag, #IWantWrestling. You can thank former WWE Head Creative writer Dave Lagana for rallying fans to let the world know that we want wrestling. Lagana recently conducted an amazing two-part interview with former WWE Superstar MVP. MVP, who now wrestles in Japan under the same name, talks about his time in prison, joining the WWE, his gimmick, his friendship with Chris Benoit, the face-turn, his departure, and joining New Japan Pro Wrestling.

That’s it for this post. If there are other parallels not discussed, please jot them down in the comment box, or send me a line on twitter. My twitter handler is WrestlingTimesX. There are also some nifty share buttons on the bottom: Spread the word!

I Want Wrestling, Too: Impact Wrestling?

Jeff and Karen Jarrett were wrong, it wasn’t Velvet Sky. James Storm and Robert Roode were wrong, it wasn’t Jeff Hardy. And Hulk Hogan was damn wrong, it wasn’t Ric Flair.

Welcome back to The Wrestling Times. If you’re tweeting, part of the Twitter Universe, then you’ve probably have come across this hash tag, #IWantWrestling. You can thank former WWE Head Creative writer Dave Lagana for rallying fans to let the world know that we want wrestling. In the spirit of #IWantWrestling, I wanted to touch upon a few things that occurred on last night’s episode of TNA Impact!. So let’s discuss Wrestling, I Want!

TNA’s “Night of Reveals” was definitely a surprise for wrestling fans that wanted to be surprised. The news delivered by Mick Foley, revealed as The Network’s representative, is still being talked about.

The Network have notoriously gotten under the skins of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff by undermining their authority. March 8th marked the night Hulk Hogan gained full control over TNA, but The Network set into motion a series of attacks starting with the removal of Immortal’s Jeff Hardy from the TNA World Title picture. Their influence resulted in Sting winning the championship, and the authority to pick and choose his opponents.

From Ric Flair to Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan exhausted all the possible suspects on who could have been “smarting” up The Network. Looks as if Bischoff’s etiquette classes paid off (remember those segments?) because Mick Foley, finally donning a suit, proclaimed to Hogan, Bischoff, and Flair that TNA would no longer be about them, but about wrestling.

TNA’s movement to rebrand its core product to a strictly wrestling program is due in large to WWE’s recent move to take the “wrestling” out of World Wrestling Entertainment. Though TNA will be changing its name to Impact Wrestling, how is it evolving the wrestling business?

Kurt Angle’s mistress (or business associate) was revealed as Chyna. Joan Laurer returned to the wrestling scene with a smile on her face and an abnormally large bust line. (That’s right, she’s no longer a bodybuilder.) As long as she’s no longer on the drugs, it’s great to see her back. But everyone knows that she won’t be the same Chyna from the late 90’s, right?

Bringing in Chyna, though a nice nostalgia for wrestling fans of the Attitude Era, is by no means evolving the wrestling business. TNA, or Impact Wrestling, has to stop relying on names made famous over a decade or two ago. As WWE has finally come to realize, this is a young man’s sport. And though creating new stars is a painful process, it has to be done.

A few years ago, TNA’s Knockouts division was the highest rated segment of the program because no one else was delivering women’s wrestling. The key was introducing the main stream audience to new talents, mostly from the independent circuit. Women like Awesome Kong, Alissa Flash, and Sojo Bolt were a delight to see simply because it hadn’t been done before. Bringing in Tara, Mickie James, and Chyna without adding new faces to the roster does nothing for the business. These ladies could be training the new generation of women wrestlers, instead of coasting on their laurels.

“You’re only as good as your best opponent.”

“Wild Cat” Chris Harris was revealed to be Matt Hardy’s surprise tag team partner for this Sunday at “Sacrifice,” where they will challenge Beer Money Inc. for the TNA World Tag Team Titles.

Bringing in Chris Harris made sense story wise because who better to gain a psychological advantage over Beer Money than James Storm’s former tag team partner? However, Matt Hardy should have shut his “cold-blooded” trap for five minutes to allow Chris Harris, the special attraction to this match, to cut a promo against Storm.

Mick Foley’s first official act as the visible representative of The Network was issue a 25-Man Battle Royal to determine the next No.1 Contender. (Won by Mr. Anderson.)  For a promotion that likes to call out WWE on its short comings, they sure do like to copy from them, whether it’s talents or matches.

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How TNA’s Second Coming of THEY is Panning Out

February 3rd was the day Crimson proclaimed that another THEY would arrive to TNA. The THEY that Crimson spoke of was in the figurative sense as THEY arrived in the form of a face turn of Ric Flair’s Fortune. Now currently lead by AJ Styles, how has TNA’s Second Coming been panning out?

The members of Fortune started out strong when they stormed the ring on February 3rd to turncoat on their Immortal brethren, followed by an impassioned speech from Styles over the nature of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff running TNA to the ground. But what as of late has Fortune done to cripple Hogan’s stable?

Bischoff once stated that those who hold the championships, hold the power. Fortune is still in possession of TNA’s X-Division and World Tag Team Championships, which they acquired while still in Immortal. Most recently, Robert Roode and James Storm successfully retained the tag belts against Gunner and Murphy, while Kazarian has turned away challenges from outside threats. Though Fortune is doing a splendid job of retaining the championships they already have, they have yet to formulate a plan to win the TNA World and Television titles.

TNA’s Television championship is currently held by “The Monster” Abyss, who Crimson brutally stabbed with Janice in late January. He hasn’t been seen since on TNA, and no mention of the future of the TV title has been made. The belt may have become so insignificant that Eric Bischoff has forgotten. Or he simply hopes that no one remembers so Immortal can attest to holding at least one championship belt; seeing as how the TNA World Championship is no longer with Hogan’s group.

By order of The Network (SpikeTV) (TNA making fun of WWE’s GM concept), “The AnitChrist of Professional Wrestling” Jeff Hardy was issued to defend the title against a mystery opponent, later revealed as the returning “Icon” Sting, who won the championship.

Will Sting join forces with Fortune in the fight against Immortal, or will he act alone as a symbol of vengeance?

With Abyss out of the picture, at least for now, and Sting the new World Champion, Immortal seems to be regrouping as they are not currently booked in any matches for this Sunday’s Victory Road pay-per-view.

As for Fortune, they has yet to bring the promised fight to Immortal that fans are craving for, or help out Kurt Angle (once rumored to be the leader of the new THEY) with his ongoing personal feud with Jeff Jarrett and his ex-wife Karen. And with Hogan back in the Impact Zone, it may only be a matter of time before Immortal strikes back.

So if Fortune wants to severely cripple Immortal, they will have to take out their messiah, the key player that solidified the faction, Jeff Hardy.

TNA Against All Odds 2011: Mr. Anderson vs Jeff Hardy

Ladder Match for TNA World Championship: [C] Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Hardy

Is Immortal truly forever? This was the tagline to this pay-per-view. And with Jeff Hardy regaining the TNA World title, it very well may be forever. The ladder match had all the spots that you would expect from a ladder match, including some nasty botches that had people in awe. Mr. Anderson failed to suplex Jeffro in between the inverted ladder, and the two took some hellacious bumps as the ladders fell from underneath their feet. No one from Fortune came to aid Anderson, nor did anyone from Immortal come to assist Hardy. The King of the Ladder matches lived up to the hype and became a two-time TNA World Champion.

New tagline: So much for Total Nonstop Champion…

TNA should not have taken the belt off of Anderson. His promos and his shining moment at Genesis were phenomenal. To take the belt off so soon makes the championship a joke.

High Stakes Match: Jeff Jarrett w/Karen Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle

Karen Jarrett played her part beautifully as she incited the hatred of wrestling fans around the world with her constant interferences and blatant shots to her ex-husband. Kurt Angle wretched in the Ankle lock and forced Jeff Jarrett to tap out, he even hit the Angle Slam to get more than a 3-count, but Karen kept distracting the referee. Despite low blows or a steel chair shot across the head, Kurt kept finding the will to kick out. Why? Because to gain custody of his kids means the world to Kurt. That’s why when he lost, he symbolically took off his boots and left them in the middle of the ring. This is a sign that the wrestler has wrestled their last match. Is Kurt truly retired, or will Fortune find a way to talk him out of it. Due to the stipulations of this match, Kurt still has to make an appearance on March 3rd to walk his ex down the aisle for her wedding renewal ceremony.

This was indeed a pay-per-view worthy match as it had all the near falls and swerves expected from a high stakes bout. But where was Fortune?

Street Fight: Bully Ray vs. Brother Devon & Sons

Bully Ray had no ace up his sleeve when he told Devon to bring his sons, he intentionally wanted a 3-on-1 handicap Street fight. Why? To prove just how weak Devon truly is. Devon specifically told his sons to stay out of the match because it was between him and Ray. But when Ray handcuffed their father to the turnbuckle, they couldn’t stand by the sidelines anymore. The result? One received a chair shot while the other was powerbombed through the table as Devon watched in agony.

This was an excellent second act to the Aftermath of Team 3D series.

Matt Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam

In the prematch interview, Matt Hardy claimed that he was 3-0 against Rob Van Dam. The first being at Genesis, and two times after that. Most likely during the non-televised European tour, which in all reality should not count. As far as the American fans were concerned, Matt was only 1-0 going into last night’s match. Matt Hardy got some good offense in with his signature Side-Effect, Randy Orton’s signature rope-hung DDT, and the submission hold that Taz and Mike Tenay were oblivious of Scar (double underhook with body scissors). And to answer Taz’s question, he used it at WrestleMania 25 against Jeff Hardy. But then again, it shows how much Taz and Tenay watched Matt’s matches. Rob Van Dam went for the Rolling Thunder, stopped himself to then connect with the standing moonsault. RVD then perched himself on the top turnbuckle and landed with the Five Star Frog Splash clear to the other side of the ring to get the pinfall.

The match was not as horrible as their Genesis encounter, as it was able to hold my attention during the duration of the bout.

Last Knockout Standing match for TNA Knockout Championship: [C] Madison Rayne vs. Mickie James

The start of this match felt like things were going to change in the Knockouts division. The match received its own video package, very rare for women to get, and the feel in the air that Mickie James would become the new Knockouts Champion. But a nasty spill on the side of the ring apron almost had Mickie down for the 10-count. Once Mickie made it back inside, she struck Madison Rayne with the spin kick and then took her loaded glove. But just as predicted in the Pregame, Tara came to the aid of Rayne while she was down, handed her brass knuckles, and took a knockout blow from Mickie James. The distraction allowed Rayne to capitalize and knocked Mickie out with the brass knucks for the 10-count victory.

This was not the high caliber match that I was anticipating.

Samoa Joe vs. D’Angelo Dinero

The Pope D’Angelo Dinero sported trunks with the words, “Pope’s Gunna Kill You.” Obviously an intimidation factor to offset the chants of Joe’s Gunna Kill You. However, after a few minutes into the match, Pope was ready to call it quits and accept a count-out loss. Inspired by Kato of the Green Hornet Series, Okato, Samoa Joe’s cameraman, prevented Pope from leaving the Impact Zone. Joe finally picked up a victory over Pope with the Rear Naked Choke. After losing the match, Pope attacked both Joe and Okato. With the way Pope busted Joe open against the exposed turnbuckle, Pope’s trunks will soon read, “Pope’s Dead.”

Six-Man Tag Team match: Beer Money Inc and Scott Steiner vs. Rob Terry and Gunner & Murphy

During the prematch interview, Scott Steiner was noticeably incoherent as he slurred his words and was unable to form complete sentences. Thanks to Beer Money, the interview segment was saved. But what does that say about how the TNA wrestlers feel about being on TNA pay-per-view?

TNA has to take a page out of WWE’s playbook on how to introduce and create stars. You cannot just have Jarrett’s goons compete in a tag team match against the TNA World Tag Team Champions and expect them to get noticed. AJ Styles assisted the broadcast table with commentary, and by the excessive split screens to AJ, TNA as well thought this match was a snooze fest. Robert Roode went for three consecutive Double-R Spinebusters to Gunner, Murphy, and Rob Terry. James Storm cleared the way for Scott Steiner to deliver the Frankensteiner to Gunner for the win.

X-Division Championship Match: [C] Kazarian vs. Robbie E

It was announced on TNAWrestling.com that Kazarian would defend his title at Against All Odds because of GenerationMe’s travel issues. Robbie E got a bye in the 3-Way contender’s match, and instead of going home with a cheap win, he received his championship match right away. Unlike Jay Lethal, Kazarian did not allow Cookie to distract him, stepping on her fingers and grabbing her by the hair. Perhaps, Kurt should have taken some pointers. Kazarian retained the X-Division title after connecting with Fade to Black (inverted piledriver).

Three-Way match for number one contendership to X-Division Title: Max Buck vs. Jeremy Buck vs. Robbie E

Due to travel issues from Max and Jeremy Buck, this match never took place. Robbie E was declared the winner through forfeit. Now, if only the same could have been said of Gunner, Murphy, Rob Terry, and Scott Steiner.