TNA Impact Hits

Sting and Kurt Angle: Good intensity from Sting during the backstage spat with Kurt Angle. The idea of Angle booking Sting on the wrong side of a handicap match was well done and helps build the tension between the two heading into the four-way match at the pay-per-view.

Booker T and Kevin Nash for the first 20 minutes: Booker's Wolfman Jack routine was hilarious early on, and Nash is always good for a few great lines. Viewers who tuned in a few minutes late had to be wondering what the hell was going on, which presumably made them stick around long enough to find out. Booker got laughs out of his buddies in WCW by calling matches as they aired on a backstage monitor, so he's had some practice at this routine.

Booker T vs. the referees: I have no idea why the referees would go along with this from a storyline standoint, but I got a kick out of Booker beating them up. Kudos to the referees for having some fun with it. The Jack Dempsey pose rocked. That said, I laughed harder for all the wrong reasons over the buildup they gave for Jim Cornette announcing that Shane Sewell will face Booker at the pay-per-view.

Scott Steiner: Funny bit with him as the ring announcer. I don't understand why he was censored for saying the Knockouts handicap match was "four bitches on one" and then he went uncensored when he said "bitch" twice later in the show. I also got a kick out of hearing him use his normal voice on commentary. It caught me off guard because I haven't heard him speak in his normal voice in years.

TNA Impact Misses

TNA babyfaces: The ongoing problem with the Mafia storyline is that the babyface wrestlers look weak. They looked downright pathetic this week. Booker T calling his own attack on Consequences Creed was too much. Funny? Sure. Damaging to Creed? Absolutely. It's one thing to do that to a jobber, but Creed just held one of the tag titles and is challenging for the tag belts again at the pay-per-view. The Mafia were cool heels last night, just like the NWO. Why would anyone like the TNA babyfaces when the Mafia members make people laugh and dominate in the ring? How do the young wrestlers in TNA benefit from this again?

Kurt Angle vs. LAX: Are you kidding me? This wasn't as atrocious as Shane McMahon beating up Legacy on Monday, but it was frustrating to watch one of the company's top tag teams lose clean to one wrestler. Who did Homicide piss off this time? Kurt is a badass and I want to see him win clean more often, but this made LAX look bush league.

Main Event Mafia take over the show: There were times when this was a fun change of pace, but I didn't like the way you had to turn your brain off to enjoy it. There's no storyline explanation for why the babyfaces would agree to work such one sided matches. Futhremore, there are only five Mafia members, so what's stopping the babyfaces from jumping them and ending the feud? The Mafia antics had me laughing and it was fun for one night, but I still believe it did more damage than good.

Suicide: At the rate Suicide is shrinking, I expect to see him unmask and reveal himself to be Hornswoggle three weeks from. Lame jokes aside, the costume looks low budget and I thought we were on the verge of a Spinal Tap moment when the masked man nearly crashed into the turnbuckle in the corner while rappelling to the ring.

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