By Jason Powell

TNA Impact Wrestling Hits

Gail Kim vs. Mickie James: It was a refreshing change to see the Knockouts featured in the main event segment. Here's hoping TNA will do the same with the X Division Title and the TNA Tag Titles (once the tag division is in a better place). This made the Knockouts Title seem more important, and the women responded with a quality match. Sure, it ended with interference by Madison Rayne. While that did nothing for me, it served as a setup for the pay-per-view rematch, which beats the hell out of seeing that finish on pay-per-view to set up a free TV rematch.

Sting: As ridiculous as the "General Menace" name for Sting's role is, he's doing a good job in his role. His mic work is solid and he's come across as more motivated this year than he has been in quite some time.

Bobby Roode and his friend: A solid segment. I wasn't blown away, but it never left me wanting to reach for the remote control. It continued to reinforce Roode's character shift. I realize that Jeff Hardy is challenging Roode at the pay-per-view, but it still felt like James Storm should have been the guy running out to stop his former tag partner. Speaking of which, we really could have used more of Storm on the show this week.

Samoa Joe and Magnus vs. ODB and Eric Young: A fun comedy match thanks to ODB, Young, and Joe's hilarious facial expression that he flashed after ODB had been rolling around on Magnus. Sure, the idea of revisiting the WCW Battle Bowl concept feels beneath Joe and doesn't seem to be helping anyone other than the writers fill television time, but this worked as comedy relief. The overall concept remains a huge miss because everyone involved comes across like someone that creative currently has no real plans for.

Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam: I enjoyed the setup for the match more than the match itself. Sting and Angle did a nice job in their backstage segment with the cocky Angle turning into a coward the moment that Sting indicated he'd be facing RVD. I stand by what I've written about the Van Dam character not evolving. He hasn't changed his look in years and we've learned nothing more about the character since the ECW days.

TNA Impact Wrestling Misses

Zema Ion vs. Anthony Neese: How in the hell could Bruce Prichard sign off on the Vince Russo "(fill in the blank) on a pole match" staple? I have no idea whether Russo is responsible for this match, but TNA officials have to know that it this was an awful way to conclude an otherwise entertaining best of three series. The gimmick did nothing to enhance the match. Rather, it was a hinderance to two young wrestlers who are more than capable of delivering a strong conclusion to their series without creative bogging them down with this crap.

Ric Flair and Gunner: As much as I like both guys, it's hard to get excited about the pairing when the focus has been on Gunner's feud with Garett Bischoff. That's not even meant to be a shot against the younger Bischoff character's push, but the whole thing feels like an undercard feud. Gunner and Flair haven't developed strong chemistry yet and I'd be more optimistic if Gunner was working his way up the card rather than feuding with Bischoff. By the way, I am not a fan of Doug Williams being used as a glorified jobber. Williams will never become the face of the company, but he's proven that he can be a strong heel in the X Division.

A.J. Styles and Kazarian vs. Scott Steiner and Abyss: The only team with a storyline friendship needed Abyss to turn on his partner to get the win. This is an example of how even the stars involved in the tournament feel dragged down by all of the mid-card talent. This whole thing feels beneath Styles, and I still wish TNA would go back to using Kazarian the way they were before they had him drop the X Division Title to Abyss. Speaking of the tired monster, I still say they should use him as a house show attraction and give viewers a break. It's sad that they have to use a strong heel like Bully Ray to prop him up at this point. Sure, it's helping Abyss, but it seems like a waste of Bully Ray.

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