By Ryan Kester

Bobby Roode and James Storm

It was disappointing to see James Storm vs. Bully Ray have to send so quickly, but I completely understand considering Storm's ankle injury. At least TNA managed to find an out for Storm that made him look strong heading into the Lockdown PPV.

Bobby Roode vs. Sting was about the last thing that needed to happen. Roode continues to look weak and he grabbed another fluky victory in his title reign. I understand that TNA is pushing Roode as a chickenshit champion, but I can't help but feel there was more money in him as a more dominant and cocky champion. Roode has been, in my opinion, hampered by the creative shifts TNA is going through, and I worry about how much heat he will retain when he finally loses the TNA title.

Speaking of Bobby Roode's heat, the post-match attack on Sting and Dixie Carter was overdone. While I will always react unfavorably to seeing a woman get dragged around by a guy on my television set, the post-match assault went on so long that it lost its effectiveness, for this viewer. Yeah, Bobby Roode ended up looking like an ass, but if TNA was going to go down that road its best to do it quickly and end to let the basic reaction produce the heat. The segment was so long in the tooth that it made it difficult to care.

I know the above may come off as rather inimical, but I am not completely down on the Bobby Roode vs. James Storm feud. There is still time to build for Lockdown and Bobby Roode has really begun to find his groove with his heel character. TNA has several good segments to pull from, but my hope is that they start treating Bobby Roode like he is a threatening figure. If Storm is going to be the man to take the title off of Roode, then TNA needs to make that into a moment, and I am of the viewpoint that that is possible as long as Roode is given a chance to shine.

Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy

I was by no means excited by the build for this match, but I found myself immensely entertained by what we were given. While the match ended in a standard TNA cheap finish, they managed to execute the finish without the match feeling overbooked.

This match was also exciting because it showed how much life both men can still have in the ring. Kurt Angle needed a solid PPV match after his recent showings. I have been hesitantly cautious with Jeff Hardy since his return to TNA, as is my nature, but it was great to see him give such a solid performance a year after the incident that caused him to take a leave from the company. The Impact Zone crowd was absolutely enthralled with his performance and I hope to see great thing from him in the remainder of the year.

After Angle and Hardy's performance last night, I am looking forward to seeing their feud continue. I do hope that TNA comes up with a better storyline for the two men than Angle being a disgruntled dad out for blood, but if nothing else I look forward to a likely second match between the two at Lockdown.

AJ Styles and Mr. Anderson vs. Christopher Daniels and Kazarian

This was another very well-wrestled match, especially with Christopher Daniels' contributions, but Mr. Anderson's presence felt forced. There really wasn't any progression in the story involving Styles, Daniels, and Kazarian, and it even took a step back with Kazarian looking reluctant to work with Daniels.

That's my biggest issue with this feud. Where does the story go from here? If TNA follows with the storyline they've presented us with thus far, then Anderson will soon turn on Styles because they have become buddies, and we really do not need another turn from Mr. Anderson. This feud excited me at first, and I appreciate the good matches it has produced, but the storytelling has turned into a bit of a mess and it's quickly losing my interest.

Austin Aries vs. Zema Ion

I went into this match expecting some good action, and that's exactly what I got. Aries looked like an absolute star and Ion played his part well, but I felt the match was damaged by having a heel facing a heel.

It's good to see Aries retain and with the crowd reaction he received Aries may well be turned by the crowd. Personally, I hope TNA sticks with keeping him a heel because he has been phenomenal in that role, but I am sure he has the potential to work just as well as a babyface. Aries has returned a lot of prestige to the X-Division title, and I hope to see that continue.

Crimson

The Tag Team Championship match had some good action, but the entire focus of that match was on Crimson's turn. I can see the potential in Crimson being a cocky heel, but TNA is going to have to put in a lot of work to make me care about Crimson again. He has felt so hampered by his undefeated streak, especially when that streak involves several losses in tag team action. Yes I know they will bill him as undefeated in singles action, but it still feels incredibly lackluster. I will keep an open mind in the weeks ahead and see what TNA presents, but they certainly have their work cut out for them.

Overall Show

Last night's show was filled some solid action and some decent storyline progression, but the entire affair felt like a warm-up for the Lockdown PPV rather than an event in and of itself. On a side note, while I can appreciate TNA attempting to utilize social media, the level to which TNA focused on Twitter was downright obnoxious. By the end of the show I didn't regret my purchase, as I have with previous TNA PPVs, but I can't say I would recommend ordering the replay considering it felt like this show existed solely to set up the Lockdown PPV.

If you have any questions or comments or just wish to chat with a fellow wrestling fan about whatever, then feel free to email me at ryan.kester@gmail.com, or follow me on Twitter at @TheRyanKester.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: