TNA Impact Wrestling Hitlist: Did the show succeed as a go-home show for Bound For Glory? Bully Ray and Sting vs. Christopher Daniels and Kazarian, Austin Aries vs. James Storm, Jeff Hardy vs. Bobby Roode

By Jason Powell

TNA Impact Wrestling Hits

Bully Ray and Sting vs. Christopher Daniels and Kazarian: This was the highlight of the night. The lively crowd was especially hot for this match. The highlight was Sting stealing Ray's line from his Dudleys/Team 3D days by telling Ray to get the tables. They told a good story with Ray and Sting developing trust and chemistry, and I liked that the tag champs technically won the match by DQ because of the table spot. The match was also set up nicely via the verbal segment that preceded it.

Austin Aries vs. James Storm: A good high energy opener. TNA didn't waste much time getting right to this match. The intros were quick and it seemed like the goal was to start off the show with an in-ring bang rather than a long promo segment. I would have preferred to see Aries beat someone decisively heading into BFG, especially after his recent loss to Bully Ray. Once the decision was made to go with this match, the cheap finish was necessary because both wrestlers have top matches at the pay-per-view. However, I didn't like the way the finish was executed. I assumed the idea was that Aries saw Bobby Roode attack Storm and took advantage of that, but the announcers didn't tell that story, so I'm not even sure if that's what we were supposed to take away from the finish.

Zema Ion and Rob Van Dam: Ion is one of the most entertaining young stars in the company and they have to get him more television time and in a meaningful program after the pay-per-view. That said, I'm happy they found a way to get him on the BFG card even though the X Division Title isn't on the line. This is a strong candidate for the free preview show because of RVD's popularity and because they should deliver the type of energetic match that could help sell the show to viewers on the fence.

TNA Impact Wrestling Misses

Overall show: I have mixed feelings on this edition of Impact. On one hand, I was entertained by the actual two hour show. The live crowd was hot for the important go-home show and there was a real energy to it. On the other hand, this didn't click with me as a go-home show. In fact, it left me wondering if the focus was more on delivering a rating than delivering a strong go-home edition. So while I enjoyed the show itself, the only pay-per-view match it left me more excited about is Sting and Bully Ray vs. Aces & 8s.


Austin Aries and Jeff Hardy promo: The final segment involving the TNA Champion and his challenger at the company's biggest show of the year felt rushed. It seemed like Aries was racing to deliver his promo because the main event went on way longer than it needed to. The promo Aries delivered felt like something he should have said as soon as they decided to give him more of a heelish edge for this match and not something he threw out there at the last minute. Was Hardy really talking about how his nuts hurt right before delivering his big final line heading into the pay-per-view? The attack by Aries also felt rushed and too late. The main event of the company's biggest show of the year should be entertaining once it starts because of the talents involved, but TNA failed when it came to making the match feel special and important going in.

Jeff Hardy vs. Bobby Roode: This is an example of why the show missed as far as being a go-home show. The match certainly held my interest, yet it felt like it would have been better for the pay-per-view if Jeff Hardy had worked a showcase match that allowed him to go over strong rather than working an opponent that had to be protected via the cheap finish. TNA failed to build up momentum for Hardy heading into Bound For Glory. Hardy is a popular figure and I'm sure the Phoenix crowd will rally behind him on Sunday, but I don't think they built this up in a way that made the average viewer feel a strong desire to see Hardy win the title.

Hernandez vs. A.J. Styles: It wasn't a good night for Styles. He seemed whinier and more gullible than usual when he got mad at Kurt Angle, and then his decision to tell Angle to stay backstage backfired when he was distracted by Chavo Guerrero to set up the finish. By the way, the shoulder block was the finish? I can't blame anyone for not taking one of Hernandez's reckless Border Tosses, but the finish felt flat because no one seemed to recognize that move as a finisher.

Miss Tessmacher vs. Gail Kim: I've been very disappointed by Tessmacher's run as champion. The charisma she showed as the challenger seemed to have disappeared once she won the title. I really thought TNA found the likable athletic lead babyface of the division that's been missing since Kim played that role early on, but it just hasn't clicked the way I thought it would. The match started strong enough with Kim showing good intensity in her attack, but the champion sold for so long that I lost interest in the match and her clunky comeback.