By Will Pruett

- This episode featured some really solid build to the Victory Road main event. I loved the video packages and short interviews with Bobby Roode and Sting throughout the night. TNA made this contract signing feel like a major happening, which is rare for this overused gimmick.

- Isn't it mildly irresponsible that TNA would wait until the week before the pay-per-view to sign the contract for the main event?

- James Storm finally had the chance to cut a promo and demonstrate his amazing connection with the crowd. While it was not his best work on the mic, it was pretty good. I enjoyed his focus on Lockdown, which made that major event eel important. Did it help to sell me on the pay-per-view this Sunday? Not at all.

- Bully Ray and James Storm is a mic work dream feud for me in TNA. I enjoyed their short work on this show and it should continue down the road to Lockdown. Bully Ray is a great heel gatekeeper.

- After the first couple segments, TNA suddenly shifted their focus on building up heel vs. heel rivalries. At a time when they are trying to get fans to support their product, they need to give fans stars to get behind. Zema Ion and Austin Aries do not accomplish that, nor do Madison Rayne and Gail Kim. I'd love to see TNA move away from these feuds and push real babyfaces.

- Velvet Sky just doesn't have what it takes in the ring. She's been in TNA since the inception of the Knockout's Division and she constantly fails to impress. Perhaps I'm being too hard on her, but I do not see her value as an in-ring competitor.

- Crimson as a heel could be a good act. His cocky presentation of his winning streak is more appealing than his earnest attempt at being Goldberg. I just wonder when the turn happened? Did I miss a month of Impact that featured the Joe/Magnus and Morgan/Crimson double turn?

- Samoa Joe could be revitalized by his pairing with Magnus. We're seeing more out of him now than we have seen in early 2009. This act is somehow clicking beyond all explanation.

- Austin Aries had a great promo and video package. I love presenting him this way. They have made him the centerpiece of the X Division with great results. I'm still waiting for them to begin building someone to be his equal, but I plan to enjoy the ride that Aries is on.

- Zema Ion was too over the top for the presentation that Aries was bringing. I know the character is partially about broad strokes, but his smile and promo delivery are just too much. If he were to reign it in just a little bit, he could be pretty special in the X Division.

- The best part of Ion boasting about putting Jesse Sorensen out is going to be the pop that Sorensen gets in his return and feud with Ion.

- The Joseph Park character actually interests me in a way I never thought Abyss could. I'm curious as to the payoff and am actively anticipating it.

- While I don't care to see another wedding in a wrestling ring on TV, I do appreciate Eric Young and ODB for what it is and that is a parody of the standard wrestling wedding. It should be fun to see how they let this angle play out.

- Garett Bischoff has been paired with Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Sting and Jeff Hardy in the last month. These are easily the most popular and recognizable figures in TNA. How is it that he fails to get over? Oh yeah, because he is not good, looks nothing like a wrestler and his push rubs fans the wrong way. I'll wait for angry heel Garett Bischoff to debut in a few months, but I doubt that will be much better.

- How obvious was what the spot for the finish of Mickie James vs. Gail Kim was? The referee had to do too much work to get into position to not see the belt shot. Everyone in the ring should have been better than that.

- Mr. Anderson is back and playing the exact same character he debuted in WWE in 2006 with. It is 2012. Anderson/Kennedy has been the same act since 2006 and has been stale since 2008. While it was novel at first, it is now tired.

- Adding Anderson into the mix with A.J. Styles, Christopher Daniels and Kazarian may not be my favorite choice, but it does even the feud up nicely. TNA has done worse in the random tag team partner department. Remember Chyna.

- TNA knows that when people chant "You suck" in an Angle vs. Bischoff match, they are chanting it at the babyface, right?

- I'm not usually a fan of snarky chants, but if anyone wanted to chant "You don't got it" at Bischoff, I'd support you in that endeavor.

- James Storm getting a win over Gunner is logical and follows the line that TNA should be on. His win over Bully Ray at the pay-per-view will do the same. TNA has a lot of work to do in heating up Roode vs. Storm, but I believe that with the right angle, they can do so.

- Bobby Roode's final promo was the best of his career. He was intense. He seemed confident. He really felt like a World Champion tearing down a contender. This was some great work by him. He carried this segment and was pretty awesome in doing so.

- Sting also did a nice job with the intensity required from him at the end of the segment. Sting is hit or miss in these situations, but this was a hit. His demolition of Roode should mean that Roode will stand tall on pay-per-view. Then again, this is TNA and logic tends to elude them, even without Russo.

Did this episode make me want to buy Victory Road? Not really. Aside from the last segment it didn't seem to pay much attention to the show. Why should I ay attention to Sunday's show when TNA didn't? From James Storm's Lockdown-centric promo to right before the final moments of the show, there was not a focus on Sunday.

That said, this was not an unenjoyable episode. It's propped up the Roode and Sting segment. With Bischoff everything feels forced and unexciting. I cannot believe that there is so much focus on an act the fans are clearly rejecting with apathy instead of passion.

Let's do some good old fashioned talking about this show! Feel free to email me at itswilltime@gmail.com or to follow me on twitter at twitter.com/itswilltime.

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