By Dot Net Staff

TNA Genesis 2011 – One Shot Reactions

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Ryan Kester (Twitter - @TheRyanKester):

Show Grade: D

• The X-Division match was the best match on the card, but it would have been better without all of the overbooking. If anything, this match reminded me that Austin Aries deserves more air time on Impact Wrestling.


• I'm glad TNA elected to blow off the Pope and Devon feud tonight. It had long overstayed its welcome.


• Kurt Angle and James Storm did not live up to my expectations. Granted, those expectations may have been a bit high, but it never felt like they went into high gear. I hope that they find a way to amp up the action in their blow off match.


• Bobby Roode and Jeff Hardy had a great match with yet another cheap finish. If Roode continues to get cheap finishes then people will just stop taking him seriously.


• Five of the eight matches on the card ended with some form of fluky or cheap finish. This constant overbooking numbs the audience and makes it difficult for heels to get genuine heat when they employ such tactics.

• If you love non-clean finishes involving superfluous ref bumps and tons of interference, this is the show for you. If you like actual wrestling content with satisfying conclusions and solid action throughout, then you probably don't want to watch this show.


• The only match on this show that did not end with interference or some kind of screwiness was the Monster's Ball match, which made up for it's lack of interference with all sorts of silly weapon spots that were instantly no-sold and made to mean absolutely nothing.


• This company believes that their fans actually paying money to see them means so little that the wrestlers, the writers and everyone in-between all phone it in when it comes time to deliver.


• Even the decent matches, which include James Storm vs. Kurt Angle and the main event of Jeff Hardy vs. Robert Roode delivered unsatisfying screw-job finishes.


• If TNA ever wants Roode to get over, he needs to actually win some matches in a clean way. Why do major wrestling companies in the United States either refuse to allow heels to win clean (WWE and TNA) or just not have definable heels (ROH)?

• The opening X-Division match was exactly what you want out of an opener. I enjoyed the elimination aspect of the match greatly. The crowd hates Aries and is starting to buy into Jesse Sorenson, which is good to hear. The match was cleanly and at a pleasing pace, and the right guy got the win. Hard to really complain about this one.


• Most of tonight's matches ended in some kind of screw job. This is really unacceptable, especially considering this is a show that people pay for, and they deserve a show that feels more important than your average episode of Impact. TNA already has enough problems attracting paid customers, so it boggles the mind why you would risk pushing those people away by failing to deliver satisfying conclusions to matches. In some cases it's warranted, but this has become a trademark of the TNA brand that they desperately need to shake off.


• Let the speculation begin about RVD heading to WWE. His TNA run has been pretty unremarkable, so if the rumors come true I hope a bigger stage motivates him. He has been a wallflower in TNA, and I've never felt like he belonged. This match with Gunner was more of the same. Nothing terrible about it, but nothing really spectacular either. The neck brace debacle at the end was your unintentionally hilarious moment of the night.


• James Storm and Kurt Angle didn't really impress me tonight, and I badly wanted them to. Neither guy has really connected with me during this feud, because neither guy has really conveyed the intensity you would expect from a grudge feud. Their matches are like exhibitions, with neither guy really playing to the crowd or conveying much personality. That and the screw job finish really left a bad taste in my mouth. This feud continues to suffer because expectations have outpaced delivery every step of the way.


• The Main Event was a TNA microcosm. Hardy is a popular former WWE Superstar who has given TNA every reason to fire him. Roode is a home grown talent who is finally getting a chance to run with the belt and deliver on the promises of his talent. He doesn't appear to be getting a chance to build any momentum, however, as another PPV goes off the air with him taking shortcuts or conveying weakness. This one was even worse than the last, as he exited the show on the receiving end of a beating after the bell. If TNA doesn't have any confidence in Roode, why put the belt on him?

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