Pruett's Pause: TNA Impact Wrestling - Sting returns, Mike Knox unmasked, Rage in the Cage or something like it, Genesis main event is set, Bully Ray suspended, and more!

By Will Pruett

- The opening segment with TNA revealing their "wrestler of 2012" award was pretty perfectly constructed. I don't mind an award being used to further the story and I definitely didn't mind seeing the excellent build to Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy continue.

- Roode and Aries constant bickering is actually really fun to watch. It's a nice dose of comedy in wrestling that isn't childish or stupid. It's just funny. Delusional people are funny 70% of the time.

- Using the opening segment to establish the Genesis main event was smart. Using it to also spawn the first match of the evening with the backstage segment between James Storm and Bad Influence (Kazarian and Christopher Daniels) was smarter. TNA did some nice work with creating a natural flow of events here.

- The actual match between Storm and Kazarian was a nice little match. It wasn't great and it didn't have time to be, but it was entertaining and fun to watch while it happened. I would have loved to have seen them get 10 minutes instead of four.

- Is Kazarian merely the gatekeeper for Daniels now? He can definitely mean more than that, as his heel character has grown into a very entertaining act. Kazarian is fine in the gatekeeper role. But he could also be a top heel in his own right.

- So, did Mr. Anderson join the Aces and Eights? If yes, can they make him the leader of the group as quickly as possible? I'm bored of Bain and Devon trading off on promo duty. I'd rather watch Anderson (as much as I'm tired of his act).

- I could have done without that woman giving the bottle Anderson was holding a handy.

- Kenny King is becoming very entertaining in his loudmouth X Division role. I'm happy to see TNA actually developing a character for an X Division star that isn't the champion.

- DOC's segment with a baseball bat raining down from the sky was odd. It seemed like a setup for a Sting sneak attack, and it wasn't. It seemed like it would continue after the break, and it didn't. TNA moved on far too quickly from this moment.

- Imagine being a member of the Hogan family. There are only two hours per week where you can actually communicate with family members and you have to do so on television. It's amazing that they aren't more dysfunctional.

- Christian York vs. Kid Kash was an example of a match that never quite found its groove. They could have used a few more minutes to build and develop a flow. Sadly, the match was compressed into less than four minutes. TNA tried to do a little too much on this show and this match suffered.

- TNA is trying to build a solid tag team feud, but the teams leave a lot to be desired. Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez, while fine in the ring, seem to lack real chemistry outside of it. Matt Morgan and Joey Ryan still have no motivation for being friends.

- Kurt Angle believes that no one can interfere in cage match. Has he never watched a single edition of the Lockdown pay-per-view?

- The best thing to come out of this show was Hulk Hogan's Bro Code, which he referenced while suspending Bully Ray. Hulk Hogan's Bro Code says that a bro must always follow a distinct color scheme based on whether said bro is good or evil.

- It made little sense to see Hogan suspend Bully. I don't understand why he is allowed to do so when Bully did nothing wrong in TNA. He merely dates Hulk's daughter. Wy can't Hogan suspend all of the Aces and Eights for attacking people with hammers? Is dating Brooke worse than hammering the entire roster?

- The Joseph Park OVW video was fun until the trainer claimed that Park would change the wrestling business. Why is wrestling so focused on legacy instead of focusing on what is happening now? This is a problem across the board (even on the indie level).

- TNA gave a ton of time to a woman's match. This is a good thing. TNA didn't give the women enough story to justify the match and make it meaningful. This is a bad thing. One cannot simply give time to a match and leave it there. A 13 minute match on TV should have more story behind it.

- Why not cut five minutes from the Knockout's match and give two and a half to both the X Division match and Kazarian vs. Storm?

- An Aces and Eights member broke out a knife. Did you read that? A knife! Unrealistic weapons really have no place in wrestling. Does he plan to stab someone? Would another wrestler press charges? Are cops allowed in the Impact Zone, considering they follow orders from Hulk Hogan?

- ODB is updating us on the condition of Eric Young. I'm pretty chill with that.

- I'm quite excited about Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries vs. Jeff Hardy being an elimination match. It'll provide that main event at Genesis with a much better flow than a traditional one fall finish would.

- The Aces and Eights lost a cage match where they were able to isolate one guy outside the cage for most of it. Why doesn't TNA creative actually allow the Aces and Eights to win on occasion. There seemed to be no better moment for it to happen than now. Why not establish the major faction as a little more of a threat?

- Was I the only one expecting a little more from Sting's return? The lights didn't change. He didn't lower himself from the rafters (which was implied by the bat falling earlier). He just was sort of on the ramp suddenly and entering the cage. Did TNA blow their production budget somehow?

- Why not lower Sting into the cage while Angle is locked outside? That would have been fun, made sense, and could have allowed for the same finish with a little more production value and excitement.

- Mike Knox doesn't look like Mike Knox anymore. I have no idea how Mike Tenay recognized him.

- Why is the Smackdown roster circa 2009 invading TNA in the form of a biker gang?

This show was pretty good for the most part. The main event lacked anything close to decent storytelling, but the big angle at the top of the show worked for me. The in-ring action prior to the main event was mostly solid. The show passed by quickly and while the frantic storytelling in the second half left something to be desired, it didn't lack in entertainment.

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.