By Ryan Kester

Bobby Roode and James Storm

Despite the fact that I am underwhelmed by the direction the Bobby Roode character has gone, TNA is doing a good job of selling him as a cheap heel that will do anything to keep his title and is lucky to be still carrying the belt. TNA is attempting to sell this match on Storm fans seeing their guy go over, and they've convincing booked Roode to look like he won't be able to stand up to his former partner.

Storm, on the other hand, could not be getting a better push. I may gripe about how this story is playing second fiddle to Hogan, but TNA has been giving him the full babyface treatment by getting over his last Call superkick and airing videos of his family discussing how much the match at Lockdown means to him. I hope to see this feud get the main focus during next week's go home show.

Jeff Hardy and Kurt Angle

I enjoyed the majority of the match that these two put on but I was left frustrated with the ending. Not because there was a cheap finish, but because the process was so drawn out that it took the air out of any heat Angle could have garnered. Cheap finishes are good because they can rob the audience of a climax, but when the finish is dragged out over the course of a couple of minutes, it quickly loses its impact and fails to produce that guttural reaction that a heel uses to get their heat.

That being said, I am looking forward to seeing how these two men can work together in a caged environment. I am certain they will produce an entertaining match and I hope Kurt Angle airs on the side of caution and doesn’t do something that could seriously injure him or Hardy.

Austin Aries and Bully Ray

I have no issue with Bully Ray mocking Aries for his size because that's perfectly within the confines of Ray's character. The brief battle between these two men gave Aries a chance to show he is fighting for the fans now and then produced sympathy for him after he took a massive powerbomb.

Mt y optimism with this storyline will end if Ray ends up going over, however. It's one thing to call a guy small and imply he can't hang if he's going to be the one going over, but if Aries were to lose after Ray's comments, then they will be simply burying an act that was doing a great job of getting over with an already jaded Impact Zone audience.

Velvet Sky and Gail Kim

As I pit in my report last night, the Knockouts Challenge felt like a waste of time because TNA had already spent time establishing a feud between Gail Kim and Velvet Sky in the week prior. It made no sense for Sky to be using a rematch clause and then having to earn number one contendership.

That being said, the match itself was entertaining and focused primarily on the women who can work well. What gave me pause from the spectacle was how little Velvet Sky did in the match. When she was in her limited spots the camera cut almost every time she went to connect with a move, so one has to wonder if she is still green and the production and editing teams are having to make her look better than she actually is. If that's the case, I worry about the quality of match we will be getting from Kim and Sky come time for a live PPV.

Motor City Machine Guns

It's good to see the Motor City machine Guns back in action. Sabin appeared to be extremely hesitant in the match which is understandable considering a blown spot with Anarquia, one of his opponents last night, was what led to him being on the shelf in the first place. Still, the Guns were back and produced an exciting squash of Mexican America that allowed them to remind viewers what they are capable of producing without giving away everything in one go.

I am curious to see where the tag team division goes from here. MCMG and Samoa Joe & Magnus will likely produce some very fun matches in the coming months, but after that feud ends, TNA is pretty much out of tag talent. Sure, Mexican America can be added to that mix here and there, but they are not capable of producing the same quality of match as MCMG and the tag champions. TNA needs to find a way of beefing up the division if they hope to continue to use the tag titles as a draw.

Overall Show

Last night's show featured some great wrestling and some good storyline progression that was overshadowed by TNA's almost obsessive focus on Hulk Hogan. I really hope they can manage to pull back on that a bit in the coming weeks as The good the company is doing is getting lost in the shuffle.

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.

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