The Aftermath from "Sacrifice"
Well, being new to the whole review world, and being that this is my blog and I can pretty much do whatever I want. Heck, for my own entertainment I'm going to start reviewing the "Aftermath" Shows following Pay-Per-Views (plan on reviewing those too) and if you get a kick out of it then WhooHoo! Then I'm bringing a little ray of sunshine into someone else's day! I did catch the second half of the "Sacrifice" PPV event but not enough to comment on let alone review. I am admittedly a TNA "mark" or at least I was. My nostalgic memories of TNA Impact! and the six sided ring all but gone, and taken away for "IMPACT WRESTLING" that is as it stands, either really HOT... or just Eh? Right now it's been more of the latter. Now, I'm not a giant fan of the current product but they are in the slums right now and then they really usually seem to hit their groove come "Slammiversary" Now, seeing as how this the first show going into Slammiversary I have high hopes... Will TNA inevitably let me down? I've grown sorry to say more often as of late. But here's hoping for brighter skies with Eric Young as the World Champion! I love that bearded goof! Anyway... Lets do a review... and Here... we... Go!
Ever since I was a little boy I always loved the "still frame" images with the audio cometary from the previous nights Pay Per Views, oh those were the good old days. WWF Raw... WCW Nitro... Try as they might, and they always strive to be, TNA is not and will never be WCW. It's just something they will have to accept eventually. But it's been eleven years of them trying to be WCW reincarnate so Who's to say they cant keep beating a dead horse? The show starts with Bully Ray spray painting a table, nothing huge there, but you have to love Mike Tenay "Bully Ray using spray pain??? What's this all about???" Way to go Mike you all just made us care a little bit less. I was less than enthused when I heard that MVP was coming to TNA... but I have to admit that I have been very impressed with him since he debuted.
The Opening Segment
Anderson, the ever overrated Gunner, and the best heel in the business Bobby Rude are drawing cards to see who will get to face EY for the belt TONIGHT because that's how EY rolls yo. Big money says no title change tonight, or for a while for that matter. TNA is looking to cross promote with EY's TV fishing show on Animal Planet "Extreme Catches". (Only took them three years to figure out how to do that. But I've been to Bound For Glory, I know that a trained monkey could run their marketing department better than whoever does it right now. Anyway, Anderson and Gunner have to face each other and then the winner of that match faces Bobby Roode (cuz it pays to be Roode thats why) The winner of that match faces Eric Young for the belt in the main event. Opening segment says this is gonna be a great show, Buuuuuut I have been let down a time or two (or ten) by TNA in the past by shows that looked good on paper.
Seg Rating: 2 out of 5
Opening (in ring) Segment
Magnus' music hits and I can only assume he is out here to complain about getting screwed... since he didnt win at Sacrifice. Being the second best Heel in the game behind Bobby Roode this should be fun. Magnus is probably one of the best stars in TNA right now, and he is money on the mic. And right when things look like they are going to get good... Abyss shows up and ruins the whole thing, stupid mask and all. I really wouldn't Abyss so much, but ever since changing his mask, he just looks stupid and makes me think... *sigh* Abyss. The crowd chants that they want "Janice" (Which for those of you dont know, is the loving name that Abyss gave to his favorite weapon, a two by four with nails in it, that has never actually been used, for obvious reasons). Before we can even get past Janice, Bully Ray's music hits, and now we have seen three guys in one segment doing three different things. Something says there is a pacing problem going on here. Magnus came out to speak, then Abyss showed up with Janice, and then Bully Ray ended up talking... You keeping up? Yeah me neither. Bully Ray who has a well deserved top spot in the company uses his mic time to threaten a woman, Dixie Carter, and plans to put her through a table. If there is one thing you can always count on with TNA its great Man on Woman Violence. After the commercial break we are still in segment number one... *sigh* And TNA did what TNA always does, brought Dixie Carter back to TV. After she was supposed to have been written off TV after Lockdown, it only took them about three weeks to bring her back. Because lets face it, we all tune into TNA to see Dixie Carter. Spud steals every scene he is with Dixie, even though she was supposed to have been written off TV, and is now yet again a regular on TV. Did I mention THEY HAD WRITTEN HER OFF TV?!?! Way to Spud, you're money pal.
Seg Rating: 3 outa 5
Mr. Anderson vs Gunner
Anderson, who has probably become the most entertaining yet most underutalized talent they have, remember when he was Champion? Yeah you probably don't cuz he was only champ for like two weeks. But he rocked that two weeks like nobodies business and everyone has since forgotten about it, and with a dwindling talent pool you think TNA would go to a guy who keeps getting better since he came to them, a guy like Anderson. But no they put him up against Gunner... Yup... Gunner they guy they have been pushing to the moon to try to get him over. I mean they are really jamming him down everyone's throat. My money is Gunner wins this whole thing but then loses to EY for the strap. Yeah... That will get Gunner over... That'll do pig, that'll do. Anderson gets a big pop, the crowd makes almost no noise for Gunner... cuz he sucks. Gunner points out into the crowd, probably at the one person in the crowd who was cheering for him. Let me just say so I've said it, and I'll never have to say it again... Mike Tenay and Tazz are the absolute worst announce team in the history of pro wrestling. Yet another black eye that TNA seems to be unaware of. Anderson and Gunner put on a nice little five minutes before Storm (who has spent the last three PPV cycles putting Gunner over) comes out play. Storm ends up nailing Anderson... by mistake? I guess... it looked pretty intentional but Mikey Tenay makes sure we all know that Storm was going for Gunner and hit Anderson BY MISTAKE! This then leads to Anderson running right into Gunner's finisher, and now Anderson has put over the big dumb oaf... (and Storm coincidentally yet again as well)
Match Rating: 2 out of 5
Segment number 2
Magnus is back in the locker room mumbling to himself about how much life sucks now, when some guy shows up. Yup, some guy, who knows Magnus and needs to talk to him. He is apparently here to talk some sense into our number 2 heel in business, and this cant end well. And why does TNA seem to be growing in population of people with monstrous huge beards? Is this the beard wars or something? Oh how I do love how the British talk, I think I should move over to the UK and become and Englishman! Oh those would be the days, anyway this guy seems like he is here to stay, and is going to make Magnus "Shape up!" and by shape up I'm sure he means ditch the fancy suits and wear dirty t shirts and jeans and grow his beard out like a REAL ENGLISHMAN! Then he can come out to the theme "I am a real Englishman". Moving on, EC3 is in the ring, and over the past few months of seeing him, I cant decide if he is an utter and complete failure, or maybe there is something worth working with. Either way they tied him to Dixie so he is here to stay, so... way to go TNA you tied yourself down to a guy, who may or may not be a complete and total bust. EC3 goes on to talk about how he hurt Kurt Angle and how he is going to face him next week... which he will no doubt try to get out of. Who is EC3 going to get to prepare for Kurt Angle? The man who is probably the most entertaining little guy out there, Spud has a deep commitment to his character. You can't help but be entertained. But before playtime can get started the man Kurt Angle comes out to make things Real. Out of all the people TNA have lost... Hulk Hogan, Sting, Aj Styles, Daniels, Kaz, ect,,,, The one guy I would really try to make sure they dont lose is Kurt Angle. He instantly makes any match a classic and can keep TNA's head above water during this transition period. Angle is money... oh its real... Its DAMN real.
Seg Rating: 3.5 outa 5
Knucks does stuff Seg
Seg Rating: 0
Gunner vs Bobby Roode
Everyone's favorite (Not favorite) Gunner... Gunner is back to face Bobby Roode quite possibly the best heel in the business. I'll be interested to see how Gunner manages to pull this one off, and he will... cuz Gunner. He'll have to get one over on the "It Factor" but I have no doubt he will... cuz Gunner. I really hate Gunner... Cuz Gunner. Bobby Roode has the ability to carry most people out there, so Gunner will look good either way. Probably should have used Roode to try to get Gunner over rather than James Storm. Nothing against James Storm, but he can't carry people like Gunner the way Bobby Roode can. This match already is better than any of the Gunner/Storm matches there have been and this will no doubt get very little time, due to the fact the world title match will have to get a considerable amount of time, and TNA needs to get in their hours worth of segments into the show. In total shock... I mean seriously... The It Factor goes over Mr. Over rated in a real shocker for me. But this is a good shock, this is the first time Bobby Roode has been close to the world title since losing the strap back to A Double around two years ago.
Match Rating: 3.5 outa 5
Seg-show number 3
The Beautiful People get a memo from the board of the directors that basically tells them that they dress too slutty and they need to clean up their act. Lets just forget the fact that TNA is a privately owned company and has no board of directors, but then again, MVP DID buy half the shares of the company when there were no shares to be bought because its a privately owned company. So just never mind. I digress, they are going to wear evening gowns to the ring, but then say on camera that no one knows what they will be wearing after they get into the ring, once they're out there. Well yeah we do... cuz you just told us, on live TV, with a camera in your face. It's like right there, THE FICTITIOUS BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS WATCHING YOU AS WE SPEAK! Cutting to inside the arena It's Dixie Land, when GRRRRRRR.... Dixie was written off TV! GRRRRRRR. So Dixie is out to gloat about putting Bully through a table. You know for as much as I hate the fact that they brought her back to TV after they wrote her off, I do have to admit she can play her part very well when she is really trying to cut to the bone. She did very well with Aj Styles before she left, and here and there she can really pull it off. In this seg, going after Bully, she really pulls it off. Bully comes out and does his thing, Do you know who he is? Then you know he's pretty awesome. Though... lets remember, this segment is based around male on female violence. Big Bad Bully Ray vs Dixie Carter, if they are looking for Austin vs Vince the man who crossed the boss. This isnt going to get over quite as well. Being that Bully Ray is probably in the best shape of his life, and his biggest rival now is a 40 year old woman. MVP comes out in just enough time to save Dixie, because he would held responsible. He then bans Dixie and Bully from the Impact Zone... Dixie who has been written off TV then brought back on, in her same I'm still the boss role... has been banned from the building. Seems legit.
Seg Rating: 4 outa 5
Jeff "I'm a Psycho" Hardy (Willow) vs "Sorry not Sorry" Evil Cowboy James Storm
At least Willow is wearing a "Willow" t shirt now, instead of a Jeff Hardy one. It's one thing to have different persona's while knowing the real identity ala Mick Foley as Mandkind, Dude Love, and Cactus Jack. But they all have to be completely different. Dude Love never came out wearing the Mankind mask. Storm is still doing his thing, I'm pretty sure that deep down inside he see's himself as HBK, seeing as how he patterns everything he does after him, from his "Last Call" Super kick all the way down to HBK's trademark boots. I dont particularly like how Tenay and Tazz feel the need to constantly say that Willow is the "Evil Alter Ego of Jeff Hardy" We all know it's Jeff Hardy, you dont have to tell us every five seconds. Just call him Willow. I was never a Jeff Hardy fan, and being that we all know that Willow is obviously Jeff Hardy, I'm surprised by how much I actually like Willow. I think it's because Willow gives Jeff Hardy something unique. Just keep the mic away from him, dont let him talk, let him laugh like a crazy man, just keep him away from the mic, because the Jeff Hardy in him messes it up. Storm loses by DQ for attacking the ref, he looks like he is gonna go all broken bottle on Willow when Willow raises him an umbrella and backs Storm up the ramp where he is met by Anderson. Who, if you remember "accidentally" cost him the match against Gunner earlier in the night. Storm walks right into a "Mic Check" from Anderson and thats all folks.
Match Rating: 3.5 outa 5
Bro Mans Short Seg
Seg Rating: 0
Six Man Tag: The Bro Man's vs The Wolves (Tag Team Champions) and Sanada (X Divsion Champion)
The Bro Man's are probably the dumbest thing I've seen in wrestling in a long time, somehow they are really over with the crowd though. But for as stupid as the Bro Mans are, The Wolves are awesome. The Wolves are probably the best tag team in the business right now, and a great signing for TNA. The Bro Mans do there normal shenanigans, but Dj Z can really go and the Wolves are money. Sanada is a great talent as well, they dominate the Bro Mans in a really short squash match. Dj Z takes most of the punishment when he is probably the best wrestler on their team. Alot of fun stuff in there. But it's still a squash with little value. Next week there is a Tag Team Title rematch between the Bro Mans and the Wolves and I assume thats when the real fun begins.
Match Rating: 1.5 outa 5
Beautiful People Celebration Segment
Any segment involving the beautiful people is typically going to get high scores from me, I will assume this will be no different. The entrance alone is usually worth 5 star mark. However because they are wearing evening gowns we dont get the typical entrance so I "Booo" that, so they lose a mark there. Well they just said they are going to disrobe, and if that is the case and we are going to get a strip tease, well then hell I'll give them their star back, but something tells me something will mess that up. Which it did, when they just stop and say they were behind the whole thing. For that tease of a tease they lose TWO stars! Shame on them! Gail Kim tries to finish the job for all of us, but she fails... but then Madison Rayne and Brittney come up from behind and strip them, but it happens so fast I just wish I could have seen ten seconds of their regular entrance instead. For Shame...
Seg Rating: 3 outa 5
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Bobby Roode vs (c) Eric Young
EY says he wants to defend the World Title every single week, and thats just good for ratings especially since they can cross promote it with his show on Animal Planet. You know that show he's had for three years now? This match gets a solid twenty minutes, which is nice since everything else on the show has been pretty quick. But when you stack your card so much in a two hour span with so many matches you hurt the quality of the product. If they coulda ditched the squash match, and a few of the meaningless segs they could have given the matches leading up to this the time they deserved. Coulda also ditched Storm and Willow. When you are planning on doing something like this, build the show around it, dont throw it into the middle of the show. So like I worried TNA overbooked the show and killed their chances at an amazing show. Hopefully this main event pulls the show up a little but with Roode out there, and EY who can really rock and roll, we should get a great main event.High expectations for a TV title match, when I have absolutely no belief that EY will lose the strap. Roode and EY put on quite the show for a TV Title match. Everything you would expect, with the limited time they have between commercial breaks in a match with zero build and no real expectations. Roode kicked out of EY's Piledriver, I still can't get over the fact that the piledriver is being brought back, not only into the game, but as a finisher. What's funny is the belly to belly pile driver (Tombstone Piledriver) is considered to be a far more effective finisher, maybe its just because the spike piledriver is somewhat anticlimactic. EY wins with the top rope Elbow, which he performs in his own unique way, which I think is a far better finisher for him. Great match between two guys who can really go in the main event.
Match Rating: 5 outa 5
Final Thoughts
This show was a bit of a disappointment, like TNA always has a sense to do, they book a great show only to find out that they have too many matches and too many segments on the show to give the important matches any real time. All the matches in the mini tournament should have given at least 15 minutes. Unfortunately they both got around five, they gave the World Title main event enough time to roll, but TNA has to figure out one of these days ESPECIALLY with their TV product that you cant just save the day with the main event. The show as a whole needs to be good, and when you have two other matches connected to and leading to the main event they need to be highlighted. This show felt like most of their shows, rushed, sloppy, and overbooked. Now again, being an admitted "mark" of the old days of TNA ala the Six Sides era I will admit this is how their TV shows have always been even back in the Six Sides era. Every now and then they get it right, and I've even seen a few where they really get it right and they can put together great show after great show after great show! Which is what you have to have in this business, unfortunately this one fell short of both a fall out show and a kick off show to Slammiversary. Not terrible thought.
Final Rating: 3 outa 5
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