By Jason Powell

TNA Impact Wrestling Hits

James Storm, Kurt Angle, and Bobby Roode: James Storm had a stellar night on the mic. I'm fine with Roode getting the big push heading into Bound For Glory and I enjoy his work, but I still see Storm as the more charismatic and multi-dimensional of the two. This was an excellent segment with Storm acknowledging that everyone expected him to be in cahoots with Immortal out of jealousy, and instead challenging Angle to a match. Roode was also very good in this segment, but Storm really stepped up and made the most of this opportunity.

Christopher Daniels and A.J. Styles: This was Daniels at his finest in TNA. I'm not left scratching my head over what the Fallen Angel gimmick is all about, and he's not just an extra wheel in the Fortune faction. He's a cocky heel who is gloating over his fluky victory over Styles, who did a great job of showing frustration in his longtime friend's new attitude.

Matt Morgan and Jeff Hardy: Morgan laid into Hardy in a believable manner that came from reality, as Morgan revealed that he's a prescription pill addict. I loved the touch of Morgan stating how long he's been clean right down to the day.

Karen Jarrett: Her over the top antics are a riot. She's scolding the Knockouts over how much T&A they show, and is already a great heel authority figure in the Knockouts Division.

Sting and Hulk Hogan opening segment: As I mentioned last night, I'm in no way endorsing the idea of a Hogan vs. Sting match in 2011 being the centerpiece of TNA's biggest pay-per-view of the year. I also believe TNA is making a mistake by booking Hogan a heel in his return match. That said, what's done is done. I can still acknowledge that they did a good job in the opening segment by having Hogan trying to duck out of the match only to have Sting insist that it's going to happen.

Overall show: TNA has eliminated a lot of the nonsense as they build toward Bound For Glory. They're taking themselves seriously and showing strong focus on the BFG matches. This was one of the better Impact Wrestling episodes of the year. There are still plenty of issues with the match finishes (see below) and they need to show this type of focus through the year rather than just once a year, but at least it's a start.

TNA Impact Wrestling Misses

Kurt Angle vs. James Storm: TNA's bizarre phobia of having babyfaces lose clean to heels was on display for the world to see again last night. Rather than simply have Storm lose a good competitive match to the TNA Champion, creative had to go with the usual f--- finish approach. In this case, there wasn't even a finish. The match just ended without any acknowledgement of who won or lost. The in-ring action was strong and the wrestling end of it certainly gets a hit, but creative ended the show on a sour note by going to extreme measures to avoid having Angle get the pin. There is no shame in a babyface wrestler losing the TNA Champion, and TNA would be so much better off if the directive came down from Dixie Carter that creative must stop relying on cheap outs to avoid coming up with decisive finishes.

Austin Aries vs. Jesse Sorensen: The match itself was once again hit-worthy, but I was very frustrated by the lack of hype for the match. It occurred early in the show and wasn't treated as special in any way. There absolutely no reason why the rookie Sorensen couldn't have come up just short in a competitive match against the more experienced X Division Champion. There's no shame in losing to the champion. Notice the theme here?


Kazarian defends his whorish wife: No, I'm not saying Traci Brooks the person is a whore. Rather, that's exactly how she's been portrayed in the storylines. It's bad enough that we're actually supposed to feel pity for Traci's character because she whored herself out to Bischoff three times and didn't get what she wanted in return, but now we're supposed to believe that her real life husband is rushing to her defense? Really?

Ink Inc. and Mexican America brawl: The brawl that wouldn't end. There's only so much enthusiasm I can muster up for anything involving Mexican America, but setup for the brawl was fine. Then the brawl just kept going and going and going. Hell, it might still be going.

Bully Ray and Jerry Lynn vs. Mr. Anderson: Even in a handicap match, TNA creative couldn't allow a babyface to lose clean without the heels cheating. Oddly enough, I had less of a problem with this than I did the two title matches, but creative has to get over this fear of having their babyfaces lose clean. Lynn seemed out of place since he isn't part of Immortal, nor does he have storyline issues with Anderson. I still believe Lynn would be a great Randy Couture-like elder statesman of the X Division, or even a bitter veteran who targets the rookie Jesse Sorensen. If TNA has big plans for Sorensen, then Lynn would be the perfect guy for him to work with on a nightly basis, as he can only improve in the ring from a long series of matches with Lynn.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: