By Ryan Kester

Aces and Eights

Like I said in my report, Aces and Eights have jumped the shark. The reason for that is simple, I'm fine with TNA taking the group to the level of cartoonish violence that they have, but that violence is happening in a creative vacuum. You cannot get someone to invest in a man being kidnapped, beaten with a hammer, and electrocuted, if the very next thing shown on that same program is a promotional plug for the next PPV. If the announce team, or, hell anyone, actually gave the reaction to the violence that the violence warrants, then viewers could have their suspension of disbelief intact. As it stands, it just makes for bad television.

On top of that bugbear, all signs point to this being the vehicle for Eric Bischoff's reintroduction. If that is the case, I would not blame anyone who throws their hands up and gives up on TNA for another round of creative retread with the same few stories we've had over the past four years.

Austin Aries and Jeff Hardy

If TNA isn't attempting to turn Aries, then they are doing considerable damage to his character at this point. I believe a full turn will take place at Bound For Glory, so I remain somewhat optimistic about what we are seeing from Aries. He really is doing a good job in this role, and it has the benefit of not needing Hardy to speak much to further the story.

Now, I continue to receive emails from readers expressing a distaste of this angle mirroring the one with CM Punk in WWE. I understand where those readers are coming from, but this instance of similarity between WWE and TNA creative doesn't bother me much. I do think it is in TNA's best interests to further themselves as much as possible from WWE's storylines, but the work we've been receiving from Aries is enough to make me overlook this instance of creative parallel.

James Storm Bobby Roode

There are times when a one year feud can be a good thing. Given the proper attention, a year's build could be a huge money maker for a company. That, unfortunately, isn't what happened with Storm and Rode. This feud has been marred by crap finishes, questionable departures, and tacked on ancillary characters to the point that my entire desire to see the conclusion to this story has evaporated. This may have been somewhat salvageable if the feud still evolved around the TNA Title or was just the two men feuding, but sadly that is not the case.

The biggest problem with this feud at this point is that I don't feel like it is really about the two men involved. This feels more like a vehicle for King Mo to get noticed by the TNA crowd than it does a conclusion to the year-long feud between Storm and Roode. This shoehorning of a separate act has plagued this feud from the get-go and it detracts from its appeal considerably.

Overall Show

Last night's show was a success on a general level but a failure on a personal one. TNA is doing what it needs to do to sell the matches it has on the card, but the card they have for this year's Bound For Glory just does not appeal to me. Some of that has to do with a sinking feeling that we're about to retread the same creative ground that we did in 2010 and 2008, but a lot of it has to do with feuds I've already seen or matches that just do nothing for me. This is the first time that I am not hyped for a promotion's biggest show less than two weeks out. Let's hope that TNA can do something to win over me and anyone that shares similar feelings.

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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