By Will Pruett
- I thought Kurt Angle and Devon were already going to fight this week. Why did Kurt Angle have to throw down the challenge?
- If only a referee had been around when Aces and Eights were attacking everyone without consequences. Said referee could have just sent them back to the clubhouse like the referee in this match did.
- Angle vs. Devon was probably as great of a match as Devon can have. It was fairly entertaining, but if that's the best he can do, I'm not a fan. I have seen nothing from Devon that proves to me he belongs in this role.
- If you thought acting was questionable on wrestling shows before, you probably shouldn't watch Brooke Hogan in these backstage segments. She takes things from questionable to downright bad.
- Why wasn't Rob Van Dam initially upset with Kenny King cheating to beat him last week? I like what TNA did to forward the story, but they quickly ignored the story they had established from the beginning. Consistency can't be as hard as wrestling makes it look.
- Matt Morgan and Joey Ryan just aren't clicking as a tag team for me. They seem like acts from two different universes colliding. Ryan is a cartoon and Morgan is a monster.
- Fan voting for TNA wrestler of the year will probably provide us with as much entertainment as 1/8th of the Slammy Awards. Luckily, it will also provide us with only 1/8th of the badness. It's a fun honor to bestow upon a wrestler and an easy way to give a guy bragging rights. I wonder if TNA will gimmick the voting like WWE tends to.
- Devon said that Aces and Eights began in 2012, but he also said that they go "way back" when he joined the group. Once again, consistency should be a priority.
- Hulk Hogan won't shake Bully Ray's hand for some reason. This is only slightly illogical. I understand the conflicted father thing that Hogan has going on. I wonder if it is the best story for a newly turned Bully Ray. It is actually interesting to see him attempting to prove himself to Hogan, the same way a new babyface has to prove themselves to fans.
- Jeff Hardy has gone from thinking to himself to merely talking to himself. Is that better?
- I loved the Santa Claus, Christopher Daniels, and Kazarian segment. Santa is always used on wrestling shows at this time of year and this was one of my favorites in recent memory.
- James Storm also did a nice job interacting with the obviously fake Santa Claus. He was able to turn the crowd on the man in red and also cut a down home babyface promo like only he can. It was silly entertainment, but it was really great silly entertainment.
- TNA is having their wrestlers mock Jeff Hardy's internal monologue. Does this mean we will no longer hear his thoughts? Is TNA going to explain how that actually worked?
- Velvet Sky is as good of an actress as she is a wrestler. This is not a positive statement.
- Sting is coming back on 1-3-13. Why build up the mystery video packages and then reveal them early? Is Sting returning actually important to TNA fans at this point?
- Mickie James has to be the worst dressed wrestler in wrestling today. She can be an immensely entertaining act as an athlete (as we saw a couple weeks ago in a backstage promo), but she looks like a farm girl, not a great athlete.
- Joseph Park training to be a wrestler is thus far uninspiring. I like Park as a backstage comedy figure and occasionally as an unskilled wrestler. I worry that wrestling school may kill everything I love about him.
- Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries is one of the biggest matches TNA can put on TV and they did a lot to give this match a big match feel. It also delivered some high quality action. This was a great TV main event.
- I enjoyed the storytelling with Bobby Roode costing Austin Aries his World Championship shot. I assume that TNA is building towards a three-way between Roode, Aries, and Hardy. They've been disciplined and have managed to make an organic case for why a three way should occur.
- Brooke Hogan was making out with Bully Ray while Hulk Hogan watched, but did not interrupt, to close the show. Not only is that a little weird, it's also just not a compelling story. Romance angles are rarely done well in wrestling, and without a ton of acting ability, this one is suffering.
This show was saved by a very funny Santa Claus statement and a quality main event. This wasn't TNA bringing their A-game and that seems to be because it was a taped show. There is a noticeable dip in quality when TNA is taping a show instead of broadcasting live and I have to wonder why that is. The production process shouldn't be that different. The writing should be consistent. Is there just a different energy to the live show?
This will wrap up this year of TNA pausing. Thanks for reading and for all of the feedback you guys provide. I love doing this and am extremely lucky to have the ability to do so.
Did you enjoy TNA this week? Am I way off? Feel free to email me at itswilltime@gmail.com or to follow me and chat me up on twitter at twitter.com/itswilltime.
From PROWRESTLING.NET
Pruett's Pause: TNA Impact Wrestling - Jeff Hardy defends against Austin Aries, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian chill with Santa, Brooke kisses Bully, and more!
Posted in: Pruett Editorials,
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Dec 21, 2012 - 12:22 PM
Dec 21, 2012 - 12:22 PM
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