Jason Powell travelled out of town for the holiday weekend and won't see this show until gets home on Sunday, so he asked me to fill in this week.

TNA Impact Hits

Booker T: I am not thrilled with the way TNA is booking him as his title opportunity is being overshadowed by the escalating tension between Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash. However, Booker has been absolutely perfect in his new role. He has Cristal in his locker room! If I was Jeremy Borash, I would hang out with Booker as opposed to following Kurt Angle around.

Knockouts Matches: On a night with subpar in-ring action, the women had two pretty solid matches. They were not great by any mean, but they were definitely good.

Brother Ray on the microphone: Ray’s work on the stick has transformed a stale, older tag team into a very interesting upper midcard act. I also like the six man tag announcement because everyone involved has a personal vendetta with each other. Additionally, it is a nice way to keep these guys occupied and away from the world title.

Sting returns: I have never been a huge fan of Sting and do not see him as the icon that many people do, but he does intrigue me. I am not sure where they are going with him, but until I know for sure, I will be curious to see his current run unfold.

TNA Impact Misses

TNA’s booking of Samoa Joe: Joe is supposed to be a smart, calculating badass. Kevin Nash is trying to teach him to use his head in conjunction with his physical gifts, but Joe is coming across as naive. I hope this ends up with Joe outsmarting and out manipulating Nash, but I have a feeling Nash will turn on Joe, allowing Booker T to win the title.

Kurt Angle goes on three blind dates: When Kurt is funny, he can be really funny. However, when he bombs, he does so in huge fashion. The skits tonight were desperate, predictable, and horribly unfunny. I laughed briefly when he talked about beating up parents when he was five years old, but even that was far too little to save these segments. Kurt is supposed to be in a heated personal feud with A.J. Styles, yet at the same time he is involved in these campy segments.

Beer Money: Robert Roode and James Storm are missing that “it” factor. I just do not see either of them as more than a midcard guy. So, for them to be wrestling twice, including in the main event, was ridiculous. Not only that, they are challenging for the tag straps and they lost twice tonight. That does not exactly scream momentum.

World X Cup: Jason Powell hit this right on the head last week and it merits repeating. Who are these guys? Ring psychology and having the crowd in the palm of your hand are more important than being a good worker. These guys can have great matches, but no one really cares. They should have these guys working matches many weeks before the X Cup to establish who they are and give the fans a reason to care.

Overall show: The show was just not all that good this week.

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