Rasha's Official Impact Wrestling Running Diaries

[Malenko316]

This proves what Jim Cornette and possibly everyone in the IWC who is not a TNA mark on the basis it's not WWE - that Bitchoff and Hogan are so f***ing useless at booking, sorry I mean 'writing' a wrestling show, that anyone chosen at random from the IWC or general populous (excluding Kevin Dunn, Michael Hayes, Dusty Rhodes, Steff ML or Paul Levesque), could do a better job.

I feel sorry for Ric, Sting and even Anderson that they have to work with these f***wits. I also wonder if there is a secret competition between Vince and Eric to remove wrestling from a wrestling show. Although considering the mess Eric made of a company which atleast accepted it was a wrestling show, perhaps there's wisdom in this. - No, not even I believe that lol.

 

[Rasha]

Chyna can use the name, regardless of WWE originally giving it to her or trademarking it, because she went through the process to have it made her legal name. Technically speaking, now it's no different than Jeff Jarrett, Mick Foley or any other professional wrestler who goes by his or her birth name.

I didn't realize that. I just remember all the talk through the years about how she had to appear as "China" or "China Doll" or even just "Joanie Laurer" because of the WWE trademark. I'm actually kind of surprised that the "legal name change" strategy actually works. If the name change is found to be a direct attempt to bypass an existing legal agreement between the WWE and Chynia, a court should be able to still award the WWE damages.

While I did not see the show in its entirety, I've watched the last several episodes, and I thought the overall quality was greatly improved from the last time I watched. Though I do think some of the banter runs too long, WWE is just as guilty. I'm optimistic the new "wrestling matters" schtick further increases in-ring efforts rather than verbal back-and-forth.

I totally agree with you that the last few weeks have been much better. I know this week's diary made me sound like kind of a hater, but if you go back through the others I'm usually more positive. I was especially hard on this episode because it's the go-home show for Sacrifice and I really didn't like what TNA did with it. Even if I was a PPV-buying kind of fan, I don't think I'd bother with this one.

All that aside, man, hilarious commentary. Enjoyed it!

Thanks a lot for the feedback!

 

[closet_fan]

someone who was at the impact taping reported that they had to do the foley segment more than once because the first time, fans just weren't into it. which isn't surprising.

i'm sort of shocked that foley opted to stay in tna. did he re-sign a new deal? or is he still working on what's left of the old one?

matt hardy seemed like he was on something, which i guess shouldn't be a surprise.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Even though I didn't agree with 90% of the commentary, I do appreciate excellent sense of humor and you got that, I laughed my ass off. Great job!

 

[Rasha]

someone who was at the impact taping reported that they had to do the foley segment more than once because the first time, fans just weren't into it. which isn't surprising.

I did notice how just Hogan, Bischoff, and Flair came out in the beginning and then suddenly when they came back from commercial Jeff and Karen were out there. Did they film the first segment without the Jarrett's and then realize, "hey, why the hell don't we have Karen and Jeff out there to react to Chyna's debut?"

I also saw a report where the re-taping of the segment was because Foley screwed up the whole "this isn't TNA... this is Impact Wrestling" line.

 

[Rasha]

Even though I didn't agree with 90% of the commentary, I do appreciate excellent sense of humor and you got that, I laughed my ass off. Great job!

That's cool, man. I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinions, but as long you're entertained then that's all that matters with something like this. Thanks for the props.

Just for the sake of intelligent discussion, what were some things you didn't agree with? I respect you as a lot as a fellow TNA fan and would like to see where we differ.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

That's cool, man. I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinions, but as long you're entertained then that's all that matters with something like this. Thanks for the props.

Just for the sake of intelligent discussion, what were some things you didn't agree with? I respect you as a lot as a fellow TNA fan and would like to see where we differ.

Well, for one I thought the show wasn't crappy at all. Plenty of things going on, nice surprises, cool moments and for some reason the iMPACT Zone didn't seem frozen in time which added for the excitement. Thought it's a nice continuation of the last few great iMPACTs. Wasn't a C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER by any stretch of the imagination.

Karen and Jeff is never a bad thing for me. It's just a personal taste sort of thing. I love Jeff Jarrett, he's very enjoyable to watch, such a great heel. Karen on the other hand has the voice of a demon but she does her job well. The segment was necessary in a way, because it preluded to the network executive coming AND revealing Angle's mistress, so it was either an Angle/Double J segment or a Bischoff/Hogan segment, and it wasn't bad at all. I like that feud.

My time wasn't wasted by Hardy's little rant, I'm really impressed with the guy and he made me eat my words. I was very vocal about how shitty Hardy is when he came to TNA, but the guy proved me wrong, I'll give him that. I've heard a lot about Hardy having a mind for the business, and as unbelievable as that sounds to me, he does know what he's doing on the mic and in the ring when he's given the chance. Good segment.

Sangriento and Suicide was interesting for me. I like how they kind of polished Sangriento this week. New entrance and stuff. I just felt bad for poor Suicide, it was like kicking Elmo's ass, but it was necessary to put Sangriento over. The X-Division needs more people in it and Sangriento is perfect. Plus, the crowd was into him for whatever reason. I enjoyed last week's match and I was looking forward to this one. What I didn't like is Sangriento getting too fired up and using his Amazing Red moves. He even lifted his mask up. That was silly, but overall a good match. I cared about it because I care for the X-Division.

Foley was predictable, kind of a buzz-kill but the guy is far from boring or not interesting. He's perfect for that role. It would be REAL bad if it was Dixie or some shit.

The "Crimson" name might catch on. I have nothing against it, but Tommy Mercer is by FAR a better option. "No Mercy" Tommy Mercer? Come on, it's great. But if he sticks with Crimson then so be it.

Dreamer was attacking Double J and the faces, and that might seem weird at first but remember that Dreamer's not really a heel. He seems like he's being forced into this and a battle royal is every man for himself, so he's kind of justified.

Bully Ray eliminated a guy that could've helped him because .. well he's a Bully. He uses people and then fucks them over. Thought it was good for his character, asshole move and all. Someone helps you and you screw him over? That's a prick if I've ever seen one.

That's pretty much it. It's all subjective in the end.

 

[Rasha]

Well, for one I thought the show wasn't crappy at all. Plenty of things going on, nice surprises, cool moments and for some reason the iMPACT Zone didn't seem frozen in time which added for the excitement. Thought it's a nice continuation of the last few great iMPACTs. Wasn't a C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER by any stretch of the imagination.

I agree that the show wasn't crappy on its own merit. I guess my problem was that it seemed a like a really bad go-home show for the PPV. All we got from Sting and RVD were a couple of backstage scenes? No mention at all of the Kazarian/Max Buck match for the X-Division title? Just didn't do anything to hype Sacrifice for me, and I have to look at that as a failure based on the circumstances.

Karen and Jeff is never a bad thing for me. It's just a personal taste sort of thing. I love Jeff Jarrett, he's very enjoyable to watch, such a great heel. Karen on the other hand has the voice of a demon but she does her job well. The segment was necessary in a way, because it preluded to the network executive coming AND revealing Angle's mistress, so it was either an Angle/Double J segment or a Bischoff/Hogan segment, and it wasn't bad at all. I like that feud.

I totally agree with you about Jeff and Karen. My problem was not the segment in itself, but just making it the show opener. I'd have rather they opened with the Joe/Abyss/Crimson match just to get a little energy going, then had the Jarrett's come out for the next segment. Just a personal preference.

My time wasn't wasted by Hardy's little rant, I'm really impressed with the guy and he made me eat my words. I was very vocal about how shitty Hardy is when he came to TNA, but the guy proved me wrong, I'll give him that. I've heard a lot about Hardy having a mind for the business, and as unbelievable as that sounds to me, he does know what he's doing on the mic and in the ring when he's given the chance. Good segment.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. I don't like Hardy's mic work. He's not god-awful but his delivery is really flat. I'm with you on his actual wrestling; I've really enjoyed his strategy and focused attacks on opponent's weak spots in recent matches against Kazarian and Sting. But that promo was just too long-winded for my taste.

Sangriento and Suicide was interesting for me. I like how they kind of polished Sangriento this week. New entrance and stuff. I just felt bad for poor Suicide, it was like kicking Elmo's ass, but it was necessary to put Sangriento over. The X-Division needs more people in it and Sangriento is perfect. Plus, the crowd was into him for whatever reason. I enjoyed last week's match and I was looking forward to this one. What I didn't like is Sangriento getting too fired up and using his Amazing Red moves. He even lifted his mask up. That was silly, but overall a good match. I cared about it because I care for the X-Division.

Personally, I wish they'd just leave him as Amazing Red. I find him more interesting and unique as the undersized Red then just another small luchador. I care about the X-Division too and Red is part of that history. If guys like Styles and Daniels are going to be more involved in the upper card, it'd be nice to have a few legacy guys involved in the division.

Plus, instead of repeating the Sangriento/Suicide match that we all saw a week before, why didn't they use this time to somehow hype the X-Division Title match at the PPV? Even if Kaz had to be saved for the battle royal, couldn't you have had Max Buck versus Kendrick or even his brother? He's the number one contender and he's wrestling this Sunday, yet didn't make ONE appearance on the show. It just doesn't make sense.

Foley was predictable, kind of a buzz-kill but the guy is far from boring or not interesting. He's perfect for that role. It would be REAL bad if it was Dixie or some shit.

We agree on this. I just hope Foley doesn't get overused because for some reason I can't take him in large doses. I love him to death as a heel but as a face it just gets kind of redundant for me.

The "Crimson" name might catch on. I have nothing against it, but Tommy Mercer is by FAR a better option. "No Mercy" Tommy Mercer? Come on, it's great. But if he sticks with Crimson then so be it.

Totally agree with you here!

Dreamer was attacking Double J and the faces, and that might seem weird at first but remember that Dreamer's not really a heel. He seems like he's being forced into this and a battle royal is every man for himself, so he's kind of justified.

Bully Ray eliminated a guy that could've helped him because .. well he's a Bully. He uses people and then fucks them over. Thought it was good for his character, asshole move and all. Someone helps you and you screw him over? That's a prick if I've ever seen one.

You're right about it being good for Ray's character, but the timing just seemed off. Why eliminate him with guys like Angle and Anderson still in the ring? I get that every move doesn't need to be calculated, but they could have actually done more to help push the story by narrowing the field and clearly showing Dreamer was subservient to Ray with reluctant double-teams.

Ultimately, most of this is nitpicky stuff. But if I didn't nitpick, I probably wouldn't have enough material to even do the diary. lol

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I agree that the show wasn't crappy on its own merit. I guess my problem was that it seemed a like a really bad go-home show for the PPV. All we got from Sting and RVD were a couple of backstage scenes? No mention at all of the Kazarian/Max Buck match for the X-Division title? Just didn't do anything to hype Sacrifice for me, and I have to look at that as a failure based on the circumstances.

A bad go-home show it was, you're right about that one. Wasn't any different, hype wise, than the first show after the last PPV. The only hint was that long-ass promo run down of the card. Other than that it really didn't hype the PPV like it should've.

I totally agree with you about Jeff and Karen. My problem was not the segment in itself, but just making it the show opener. I'd have rather they opened with the Joe/Abyss/Crimson match just to get a little energy going, then had the Jarrett's come out for the next segment. Just a personal preference.

True, opening with a match would be nice, but I guess as sarcastic as you were about that whole "they wanted to show us what a show without wrestling being the focal point is like so we feel the difference" was closer to the truth than we think. We'll see if they'll do it next week.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. I don't like Hardy's mic work. He's not god-awful but his delivery is really flat. I'm with you on his actual wrestling; I've really enjoyed his strategy and focused attacks on opponent's weak spots in recent matches against Kazarian and Sting. But that promo was just too long-winded for my taste.

To each his own. Hardy is difficult to get used to and like. I mean, it's Matt Hardy, who thought he'd be something without Jeff anyhow.

Personally, I wish they'd just leave him as Amazing Red. I find him more interesting and unique as the undersized Red then just another small luchador. I care about the X-Division too and Red is part of that history. If guys like Styles and Daniels are going to be more involved in the upper card, it'd be nice to have a few legacy guys involved in the division.

I'm passive on this one. I like Red, I like his style, but he just looks like a child. Having a mask on kind of helps. He's more animated too. He covered his face and his confidence grew. Can't blame the guy. If I looked like Michael Cera I'd want to cover that mug too.

Plus, instead of repeating the Sangriento/Suicide match that we all saw a week before, why didn't they use this time to somehow hype the X-Division Title match at the PPV? Even if Kaz had to be saved for the battle royal, couldn't you have had Max Buck versus Kendrick or even his brother? He's the number one contender and he's wrestling this Sunday, yet didn't make ONE appearance on the show. It just doesn't make sense.

Maybe they REALLY want to bury Suicide so they have a reason to trash him. Such a horrible character. But true, having Sangriento face someone else would be nice, but at the same time I wouldn't want someone like Kendrick losing to him. Usually the X-Division jobber was Amazing Red ... and clearly he can't job to himself.

We agree on this. I just hope Foley doesn't get overused because for some reason I can't take him in large doses. I love him to death as a heel but as a face it just gets kind of redundant for me.

If I didn't get tired of Hogan or Bischoff I'm sure I won't be tired of Foley. It depends on how he handles himself on the mic.

You're right about it being good for Ray's character, but the timing just seemed off. Why eliminate him with guys like Angle and Anderson still in the ring? I get that every move doesn't need to be calculated, but they could have actually done more to help push the story by narrowing the field and clearly showing Dreamer was subservient to Ray with reluctant double-teams.

It was his call. That Battle Royal was a clusterfuck anyhow. Really didn't matter, better kick him out soon he didn't deserve to stay in the ring any longer.

Ultimately, most of this is nitpicky stuff. But if I didn't nitpick, I probably wouldn't have enough material to even do the diary. lol

Humorous nit-picking is what I can stomach, at least it's fun to read. "DA REFZ DIDAN'T SEE RUDE GET ELIMINATEDZ AND DEY ELIMINATEDZ HIM WAZ STOOPID! TNA SUCKZZZZZZ!" is what I can't stand.

 

[Rasha]

IT'S TIME! IT'S TIME! IT'S... DIARY... TIME!!!

9:01 - Tonight's episode is titled "Back From the Dead." I assume this means the X-Division. I just hope it's not EV 3.0.

9:02 - Interesting note from the new intro video (which was pretty solid)... Jeff Hardy was shown doing a Swanton Bomb.

9:04 - No sign of Rob Terry with the rest of Immortal. What a huge disappointment to start the night.

9:05 - If Hogan's the one always going to have meetings with The Network, it's no wonder Immortal keeps getting screwed. I doubt he can even order lunch, let alone hold his own at a negotiating table.

Network - "What can we do for you, Mister Hogan?"

Hogan - "Well let me tell ya, brothers... I've got a bone to pick. I've been sitting here listening to your CRAP, and I'm sick of it. I'm the one calling the shots in TNA, brother, and now you're going to listen to me."

Network - "Yes Mister Hogan. Please go on."

Hogan - "I don't think you're seeing the big picture here, DUDE! This is about Immortal. We're going to be here forever. We've got the Monster... the weapon of mass destruction... the big man Abyss, brother. We've got the Cold-Blooded One, Matt Hardy. He's not taking any crap from any--"

Network - "We know who is in your faction, Mister Hogan. Please tell us what you want from this meeting."

Hogan - "This meeting is just a pile of crap. Immortal is the future of this business, brother!"

Network - "No offense to you sir, but perhaps it would be better if we dealt with Mister Bischoff?"

Hogan - "Easy E is back at the Impact Zone making sure those punks feel the pain of a double-fisted kangaroo JACK!"

9:07 - While it's cool to see Kendrick getting used, wouldn't it make sense for the X-DIVISION CHAMPION to be leading the charge here?

9:08 - "Mildly Moderate Red" sounds like a type of sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings.

9:10 - Eric Bischoff in the ring once again! I know that may sound awful to some of you, but it always makes me happy. It reminds me of playing "WCW/NWO Revenge" on my N64 and always using Bischoff's kicks to knock people out. I think I kicked the shit out of Larry Zbysko a couple thousand times.

9:11 - This huge melee makes it even more strange that Terry wasn't out there. I wonder if he's just been dropped from the group.

9:13 - Flair singling Roode out is interesting. I wonder if he's going to try and turn him.

9:14 - So we show Sting's pants leg but not the rest of him. Hmmmm. Me thinks Anderson's playing dress-up.

9:19 - Five female wrestlers and Miss Tessmacher compete in our next match.

9:22 - Tara's sporting a vintage Stone Cold knee brace for this match.

9:25 - Man, that spinning slam Tara just hit was nice. She's always impressive

9:26 - The Knockouts Champion and Tag Team Champions were all involved and the only storyline in the match was Madison versus Tara. This company really hates its championships, huh?

9:30 - Abyss and Bischoff discussing literature should be a weekly backstage segment. Let's get some tea and a John Steinbeck novel involved next week.

9:34 - Pretty good match here. And while it certainly isn't the "X-Division" action you were hoping for, it's a logical story with Bischoff trying to kill the division.

9:37 - Abyss' new nickname is "The Mutant Possum."

9:43 - Gunner can talk! HOLY SHIT!!!

9:45 - Nice way to combine the X-Division story with the Joe/Crimson feud. That's how you keep your storylines moving despite limited TV time.

9:51 - Dreamer's wearing a button-up shirt, sportcoat, and sunglasses from the "Look, I'm A Heel Now" Collection.

9:56 - Wow... I'm sorta' liking this. If they'd kept going with the "Dreamer is the unwilling slave" angle I'd be bored, but a full heel turn is a nice move. Good work!

9:58 - I said in a recent "How Would You Book Things?" thread that I'd set up Styles/Daniels vs. Ray/Dreamer for Slammiversary. I think I might have hit one on the head!

10:03 - "How can Sting be in two places at one time?" Come on, Tenay! You were in WCW. Remember when a whole army of Sting's attacked the NWO?

10:04 - In the same "How Would You Book" thread, I said Angle should come out and announce the end of his feud with Jarrett and then get attacked by some other heel (hopefully The Pope) looking to make a statement. Could I be getting this one right, too?

10:05 - I didn't see the match, Kurt. I only buy things that are priced reasonably.

10:06 - Angle vs. Jarrett at Slammiversary. Guess I was wrong. But at least making it a number-one contender match should mean that Angle gets the win and ends the feud once and for all.

10:10 - How many times has Kurt's gold medal been on the line in a match? Doesn't anyone have the answer? I'm guessing at least three times in the WWE.

10:12 - Nice little moment with Velvet and the wheelchair. Plus, it cracked me up because it reminded me of this classic clip from "Walker, Texas Ranger."

[YOUTUBE]wqEAjaa0uQs[/YOUTUBE]

10:14 - Hey, wait a sec. Bischoff's breaking out the old karate gi. Could "Back From the Dead" have been referring to his old mentor, Ernest "The Cat Miller?!" Somebody call my momma!!

10:20 - Seeing that black karate gi makes me think of the Cobra Kai. Sweep the leg, Eric!

10:22 - Nice little interactions between Bischoff and Hardy. Good heel work.

10:23 - I think I heard Jackson James just yell "Stay in your corner, Dad!"

10:25 - Man, I really love that "Ice Pick" submission move.

10:26 - What was accomplished by having Bischoff and Hardy win that match? First Kaz loses his belt, then Red gets squashed, and now this. Unless the Undertaker is making a shocking debut in the next 30 minutes, that "Back From the Dead" title is looking kind of stupid.

10:27 - Whoever's writing this stuff for Winter/Angelina is kind of a freak. I'll bet he/she doesn't get told about the after-work bar trips.

10:33 - Christy announcing, "And their opponent, at a DISADVANTAGE," made me laugh out loud.

10:38 - This is actually a pretty decent match. Velvet's doing a good job of selling and hitting her moves when given the chance.

10:39 - ODB?! How many freakin' feuds is Velvet going to be involved in? Couldn't one of these bitches actually go after the Knockouts Title?

10:45 - I know some people want him gome, but Eric Young cracks me up. Hopefully they're breaking him away from Jordan.

10:47 - Could this be an actual Television Title feud in the making? It really is a new era!

10:49 - Flair does have a point. Beating up senior citizens isn't cool.

10:51 - Awesome to see Roode getting solo work here. Another step in the right direction.

10:53 - For all the people who've been complaining that Immortal didn't look very threatening, has this night changed your minds at all? I think the path of destruction has been pretty believable.

10:58 - Only two minutes left and out comes Sting? We must be headed for overtime, aka "DVR Hell."

11:01 - Anderson in the classic Sting attire was too cool for just a quick two minute thing. I hope it shows up again next week. Nice way to kick off the build-up for their match.

And that does it! I have to say, this was a nice showing from Impact Wrestling in its new era. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as i did, and I especially hope you liked the diary.

 

[Mr_Ratings]

dude your diaries are quite entertaining lol

 

[UnBEARaBULLfan]

Firstoff I still have my N64 with WCW/NWO revenge and take it out and do a title run or two on it every now and then, it's a fun game and still one of the best wrestling games ever made.

Hats off to you an another entertaining diary, keep it up.

I thought that Impact was pretty good lastnight, loved the opening segment with the brawl.

I hope Abyss drops the x division title to Crimson sometime during their fued, dude could use a title on him to help with his push.

I really enjoyed the AJ/Dreamer segment for some reason, it was well done. I cant believe I actually like Dreamer as a heel.

Eric Young = entertainment. I love EY he cracks me up, "he's my best friend".

How good did Anderson look as the oldschool Sting WOW, that look brought back lots of memories for me, and I have often wished Sting would go back to that look as well cause the crow look just doesn't fit anymore, and I would really like to see the oldschool Stinger look.

It was an entertaining show and I hope they keep up the good work.

 

[Rasha]

Firstoff I still have my N64 with WCW/NWO revenge and take it out and do a title run or two on it every now and then, it's a fun game and still one of the best wrestling games ever made.

Man, I wish I still had mine. I think it was, hands down, THE BEST wrestling game ever. The controls were incredibly fluid. They do so much shit trying to make the graphics and entrances look good now but they can't get the gameplay right. I played someone's copy of RAW vs. Smackdown 2010 a while back and it just didn't feel right.

Hats off to you an another entertaining diary, keep it up.

Thanks bro. I think you're officially my number-one fan now. I appreciate the support!

I thought that Impact was pretty good lastnight, loved the opening segment with the brawl.

Yeah, that was an excellent show-opener. It seems like they've figured that out lately with the majority of the segments that opened shows during the weeks before Sacrifice (Styles/Ray in the cage, Roode's promo on Hogan, etc.) Hopefully they stick to it.

I hope Abyss drops the x division title to Crimson sometime during their fued, dude could use a title on him to help with his push.

I don't think those two are really feuding at this point. Looks like it's all Crimson versus Samoa Joe now. I'd rather see Crimson take the Television Title off Gunner so that the X-Division belt can eventually go back to someone who truly fits the style. I imagine Kendrick, Kazarian, or maybe Shelley will be the next champ.

I really enjoyed the AJ/Dreamer segment for some reason, it was well done. I cant believe I actually like Dreamer as a heel.

I felt the same way. I was shocked by how much I liked that segment. Dreamer was so freakin' believable and he and Bully Ray make a fantastic pair. That feud should make for a really strong PPV match.

Eric Young = entertainment. I love EY he cracks me up, "he's my best friend".

I totally agree. He'll be even more useful as comic relief if the product continues its move toward more wrestling content. I just hope seeing him without Jordan last night was a sign of things to come and not a fluke.

How good did Anderson look as the oldschool Sting WOW, that look brought back lots of memories for me, and I have often wished Sting would go back to that look as well cause the crow look just doesn't fit anymore, and I would really like to see the oldschool Stinger look.

I have to disagree with you about Sting going back to the old look. I think it would be strange to see a 52-year-old with bleach-blonde hair. I like his look now because it's a fusion of the two styles; the darkness of the Crow look but with more color and even some glitz in the scorpion logo. I think it fits who he is now and reflects his entire career.

 

[Brian in Austin]

IT'S TIME! IT'S TIME! IT'S... DIARY... TIME!!!

9:01 - Tonight's episode is titled "Back From the Dead." I assume this means the X-Division. I just hope it's not EV 3.0.

9:02 - Interesting note from the new intro video (which was pretty solid)... Jeff Hardy was shown doing a Swanton Bomb.

9:04 - No sign of Rob Terry with the rest of Immortal. What a huge disappointment to start the night.

9:05 - If Hogan's the one always going to have meetings with The Network, it's no wonder Immortal keeps getting screwed. I doubt he can even order lunch, let alone hold his own at a negotiating table.



9:07 - While it's cool to see Kendrick getting used, wouldn't it make sense for the X-DIVISION CHAMPION to be leading the charge here?

9:08 - "Mildly Moderate Red" sounds like a type of sauce at Buffalo Wild Wings.

9:10 - Eric Bischoff in the ring once again! I know that may sound awful to some of you, but it always makes me happy. It reminds me of playing "WCW/NWO Revenge" on my N64 and always using Bischoff's kicks to knock people out. I think I kicked the shit out of Larry Zbysko a couple thousand times.

9:11 - This huge melee makes it even more strange that Terry wasn't out there. I wonder if he's just been dropped from the group.

9:13 - Flair singling Roode out is interesting. I wonder if he's going to try and turn him.

9:14 - So we show Sting's pants leg but not the rest of him. Hmmmm. Me thinks Anderson's playing dress-up.

9:19 - Five female wrestlers and Miss Tessmacher compete in our next match.

9:22 - Tara's sporting a vintage Stone Cold knee brace for this match.

9:25 - Man, that spinning slam Tara just hit was nice. She's always impressive

9:26 - The Knockouts Champion and Tag Team Champions were all involved and the only storyline in the match was Madison versus Tara. This company really hates its championships, huh?

9:30 - Abyss and Bischoff discussing literature should be a weekly backstage segment. Let's get some tea and a John Steinbeck novel involved next week.

9:34 - Pretty good match here. And while it certainly isn't the "X-Division" action you were hoping for, it's a logical story with Bischoff trying to kill the division.

9:37 - Abyss' new nickname is "The Mutant Possum."

9:43 - Gunner can talk! HOLY SHIT!!!

9:45 - Nice way to combine the X-Division story with the Joe/Crimson feud. That's how you keep your storylines moving despite limited TV time.

9:51 - Dreamer's wearing a button-up shirt, sportcoat, and sunglasses from the "Look, I'm A Heel Now" Collection.

9:56 - Wow... I'm sorta' liking this. If they'd kept going with the "Dreamer is the unwilling slave" angle I'd be bored, but a full heel turn is a nice move. Good work!

9:58 - I said in a recent "How Would You Book Things?" thread that I'd set up Styles/Daniels vs. Ray/Dreamer for Slammiversary. I think I might have hit one on the head!

10:03 - "How can Sting be in two places at one time?" Come on, Tenay! You were in WCW. Remember when a whole army of Sting's attacked the NWO?

10:04 - In the same "How Would You Book" thread, I said Angle should come out and announce the end of his feud with Jarrett and then get attacked by some other heel (hopefully The Pope) looking to make a statement. Could I be getting this one right, too?

10:05 - I didn't see the match, Kurt. I only buy things that are priced reasonably.

10:06 - Angle vs. Jarrett at Slammiversary. Guess I was wrong. But at least making it a number-one contender match should mean that Angle gets the win and ends the feud once and for all.

10:10 - How many times has Kurt's gold medal been on the line in a match? Doesn't anyone have the answer? I'm guessing at least three times in the WWE.

10:12 - Nice little moment with Velvet and the wheelchair. Plus, it cracked me up because it reminded me of this classic clip from "Walker, Texas Ranger."

[YOUTUBE]wqEAjaa0uQs[/YOUTUBE]

10:14 - Hey, wait a sec. Bischoff's breaking out the old karate gi. Could "Back From the Dead" have been referring to his old mentor, Ernest "The Cat Miller?!" Somebody call my momma!!

10:20 - Seeing that black karate gi makes me think of the Cobra Kai. Sweep the leg, Eric!

10:22 - Nice little interactions between Bischoff and Hardy. Good heel work.

10:23 - I think I heard Jackson James just yell "Stay in your corner, Dad!"

10:25 - Man, I really love that "Ice Pick" submission move.

10:26 - What was accomplished by having Bischoff and Hardy win that match? First Kaz loses his belt, then Red gets squashed, and now this. Unless the Undertaker is making a shocking debut in the next 30 minutes, that "Back From the Dead" title is looking kind of stupid.

10:27 - Whoever's writing this stuff for Winter/Angelina is kind of a freak. I'll bet he/she doesn't get told about the after-work bar trips.

10:33 - Christy announcing, "And their opponent, at a DISADVANTAGE," made me laugh out loud.

10:38 - This is actually a pretty decent match. Velvet's doing a good job of selling and hitting her moves when given the chance.

10:39 - ODB?! How many freakin' feuds is Velvet going to be involved in? Couldn't one of these bitches actually go after the Knockouts Title?

10:45 - I know some people want him gome, but Eric Young cracks me up. Hopefully they're breaking him away from Jordan.

10:47 - Could this be an actual Television Title feud in the making? It really is a new era!

10:49 - Flair does have a point. Beating up senior citizens isn't cool.

10:51 - Awesome to see Roode getting solo work here. Another step in the right direction.

10:53 - For all the people who've been complaining that Immortal didn't look very threatening, has this night changed your minds at all? I think the path of destruction has been pretty believable.

10:58 - Only two minutes left and out comes Sting? We must be headed for overtime, aka "DVR Hell."

11:01 - Anderson in the classic Sting attire was too cool for just a quick two minute thing. I hope it shows up again next week. Nice way to kick off the build-up for their match.

And that does it! I have to say, this was a nice showing from Impact Wrestling in its new era. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as i did, and I especially hope you liked the diary.

Thanks for your wrap-ups. I love them as they are not only funny and entertaining, but also in some ways enlightening. So thanks. On the whole I pretty much agree with you and I caught that 'at a disadvantage' line also and got a huge laugh out of it.

Yep, Dreamer is once again a heel and now he's turned on the fans. My question is this. Since we know AJ is going to carry the matches in this feud (cause Dreamer is barely able to move in the ring anymore and "wrestling" isn't really his thing), how long does this go on? How many matches will he win in a row against AJ with AJ doing all the legwork? And if so, doesn't that actually hurt an AJ push? Why push Dreamer now? So conversly that would mean that AJ has to, at some point, destroy Dreamer. How is he to do with the Bully Ray continually interfering?

 

[UnBEARaBULLfan]

Thanks bro. I think you're officially my number-one fan now. I appreciate the support!

Not a problem your diaries are one of the first threads I look for after Impact is over.

I don't think those two are really feuding at this point. Looks like it's all Crimson versus Samoa Joe now. I'd rather see Crimson take the Television Title off Gunner so that the X-Division belt can eventually go back to someone who truly fits the style. I imagine Kendrick, Kazarian, or maybe Shelley will be the next champ.

That makes sence to, I just want to see them put a title on the guy.

I have to disagree with you about Sting going back to the old look. I think it would be strange to see a 52-year-old with bleach-blonde hair. I like his look now because it's a fusion of the two styles; the darkness of the Crow look but with more color and even some glitz in the scorpion logo. I think it fits who he is now and reflects his entire career.

I dont mean he needs to go full on surfer Sting with blond hair, just that he could wear the differant colored outfits and change his facepaint every week to match. I'm fine with how he looks now but I liked it back then when he would change his colors all the time, to me it helped keep him fresh, instead of seeing the same wrestler in the same thing everytime they come out.

 

[Rasha]

Thanks for your wrap-ups. I love them as they are not only funny and entertaining, but also in some ways enlightening. So thanks. On the whole I pretty much agree with you and I caught that 'at a disadvantage' line also and got a huge laugh out of it.

Thanks a lot, bro. Glad you're enjoying them. I've been really loving the process of making these and it actually has increased my enjoyment of the show. As long as I know guys like you, Larry, and others are faithfully reading then I have no intention of stopping.

And yeah, the "disadvantage" line was just too funny. Unintentional comedy is always the best!

Yep, Dreamer is once again a heel and now he's turned on the fans. My question is this. Since we know AJ is going to carry the matches in this feud (cause Dreamer is barely able to move in the ring anymore and "wrestling" isn't really his thing), how long does this go on? How many matches will he win in a row against AJ with AJ doing all the legwork? And if so, doesn't that actually hurt an AJ push? Why push Dreamer now? So conversly that would mean that AJ has to, at some point, destroy Dreamer. How is he to do with the Bully Ray continually interfering?

I wouldn't worry about this feud. Dreamer was useless as a face so turning him heel was the right move. You can easily build this one up for the next three weeks and then finish it at Slammiversary. The question is whether or not it ends with a singles match or a tag match. Styles has beef with both Ray and Dreamer and it would make sense to just have a tag match with Daniels involved. But I could also see Styles/Dreamer being a singles match at the PPV because it looks like Bully Ray might be fighting Robert Roode.

Either way, with how high Styles and Daniels both are in terms of respect and credibility, it doesn't hurt Ray or Dreamer if they ultimately lose the match. Heels lose the blow-off match often and aren't hurt by it. The key is how they bounce back from it in their next storyline.

 

[Rasha]

It's time for the May 26th edition of Impact Wrestling and another running diary. Hopefully the momentum will continue from what I thought was a very solid show last week.

9:00 - Seeing the Savage tribute graphic just made me think; how much does it suck that Lethal isn't around for this? I would have loved to see him bring back Black Machismo for one night in tribute to Savage. That could have been a great moment for TNA that probably would have gotten some good attention. Alas.

9:01 - I hate fake melodies made to sound like real songs. I guess Dreamer's theme should be called "Guy in the Crate."

9:03 - No! The theme says "Fortune four!" They have five members now! It burns my ears! Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!!!

(Yes, that's how stupid some of you sound. Get the fuck over it already.)

9:05 - Trash can lids really suck as weapons. That's a lesson for you kids out there. Stick to handguns.

9:06 - The Pele Kick is still one of my favorite moves to see. Always fun!

9:07 - What the hell is Dreamer is wearing? He looks like a fat Juventud Guerrera.

9:09 - So that's it? A clean win for Styles and Daniels? Hard to imagine this is really the end of the feud, but I wonder what the next step will be.

[COMMERCIALS]

9:14 - Who did Anderson actually "hoodwink," Taz? He just attacked Sting from behind wearing a costume. Come on now.

9:15 - Dammit. I was hoping for Alex Wright.

9:17 - Anderson flew Disco out from Vegas? Which casino was he working in? And who's cleaning the bathroom while he's gone?

9:18 - LOL at Anderson interrupting Disco with Sting's trademark howl.

9:19 - Um, Mr. Inferno? You're only ten years younger than Sting. I don't think you grew up a Sting fan.

9:20 - This is a big waste of a segment. If you're going to pay someone to cameo, why not get Lex Luger or Rick Steiner or someone who Sting actually had a relationship with? Or even better, why not get a heel like Flair or Scott Steiner to join in on the Sting bashing and make it something where Sting just comes out to end the mockery?

[COMMERCIALS]

9:27 - Eric should suggest that he and his "best friend" start calling themselves the "Young Guns." He'll love that idea.

9:28 - Young and Gunner recreating the Fingerpoke of Doom will only be compete if Gillberg runs out to break up the party.

9:31 - Using the "eye candy" insult against Velvet is nothing new, but coming from ODB in this context is powerful. It plays on the complaint that many TNA fans have had about Velvet through the years, especially when people like ODB, Gail Kim, Kong, etc. have left the company.

9:33 - Nice little hype promo for the Angle/RVD match and the "Wrestling Matters" mantra. Cool touch. Let's hope the match actually lives up to it.

[COMMERCIALS]

9:39 - Did we really need another injury angle with a member of Fortune? First AJ's neck, and now Roode's arm.

9:41 - James Storm is NOT Jesus, people. Glad we finally got that question answered.

9:42 - "Sorry 'bout your damn papers." Hmmm, not quite as catchy.

9:43 - So Pope's more worried about Devon's kids than going after a title belt? That's not strange at all!

[COMMERCIALS]

9:49 - Why would Angle want Morgan to destroy Jarrett before they get a chance to fight? Seems a little strange for him.

9:51 - Hey, could we keep this "where is Karen going to sit" thing going a while longer? Ratings must be going through the roof!

9:53 - Elbows in the corner, big boot to the face, fall-away slam... Morgan whole moveset is a tribute to The Outsiders.

9:55 - Nothing like a kiss between two heels to get those fans booing. Maybe Hogan and Bischoff will try that in their next promo.

[COMMERCIALS]

10:01 - Wow, they didn't waste any time. That kiss is coming right up!

10:03 - Hogan just came from seeing "Kung Fu Panda 2" in 3D and forgot to change his glasses.

10:08 - Hmmm, I wonder who they'll bring in for the Ultimate X Match. I'll bet Lethal makes a comeback. Maybe Elix Skipper? Low Ki? Sonjay Dutt? Or will it be new faces from Mexico? Could be cool.

10:10 - Kendrick's mic work reminds me of Raven. But only if Raven had sucked.

10:12 - It's Kendrick's destiny to job to Abyss? Fate's a bitch.

10:13 - So the doctors won't clear Roode to wrestle, but they'll let Angelina go out there completely doped out of her mind? Sometimes I think my intelligence isn't being respected by wrestling writers.

[COMMERCIALS]

10:18 - I like Winter's "Evil Raccoon" veil.

10:21 - Winter's not on the level of Tara and Mickie in the ring, but she's not terrible either. I've seen much worse from the Divas.

10:24 - Hopefully Mickie will find a way to break the spell, otherwise this gimmick is going to start getting old quickly. It's just too ridiculous.

10:26 - Nice to see Kaz do something relevant for once. He was starting to get a serious "that other guy" feeling in Fortune.

[COMMERCIALS]

10:34 - I might have thought Kendrick could steal the title here if not for the Kazarian attack earlier. Pretty clear he'll be the one to finally taken Abyss down, especially since he did the job last week.

10:36 - I don't know if an Abyss who quotes Sun Tzu is as good as the old psychopath. I prefer that "caged monster" character because it's always cool when he snaps on the people who used him.

[COMMERCIALS]

10:43 - And now, making it's long-awaited return to television... the TELEVISION Championship!

10:44 - Wow, what jobberific music Gunner has.

10:46 - Hopefully this feud evolves into more than a joke. They've worked too hard to build up that title to make it a mockery.

[COMMERCIALS]

10:50 - Jeff picks RVD to wrestle. RVD points to Jeff as he enters. Could a heel turn be in the works?

10:52 - Now that McMahon/Savage is over, I guess it's fair to call Angle/Jarret "wrestling's most personal rivalry."

10:53 - Between "Queen of the Mountain" and "Queen of the Horse-Faces," Karen has a lot of responsibility.

10:57 - Taz really needs to pick an alignment and stick with it. If he's going to be Bobby Heenan then just run with it all the way. Don't spend 75% of the show talking like a face and then pull this crap.

10:59 - Nice DDT counter to the Angle Slam. Never seen that before.

11:01 - Angle wins cleanly. I really wasn't sure they'd go that route, but I'm glad they did for the match that got hyped up and down as reflecting "Wrestling Matters." A screwjob finish would have been very disappointing. That said, the match could have used a little stipulation to increase the interest level. If Angle and Jarrett got to pick the opponents, why not make these matches relevant to their eventual PPV showdown?

Well, that does it. Pretty decent action throughout the night, though never a big "WOW" moment. The Styles/Daniels vs. Ray/Dreamer match and the Angle vs. RVD match were nice bookends for a "Wrestling Matters" night.

One question, what the hell happened with Pope and Devon? They had Pope cut his promo and said "Still To Come," but then we never saw him or Devon. Did I miss something?

 

[rondiesel2005]

It's time for the May 26th edition of Impact Wrestling and another running diary. Hopefully the momentum will continue from what I thought was a very solid show last week.

9:00 - Seeing the Savage tribute graphic just made me think; how much does it suck that Lethal isn't around for this? I would have loved to see him bring back Black Machismo for one night in tribute to Savage. That could have been a great moment for TNA that probably would have gotten some good attention. Alas.

9:01 - I hate fake melodies made to sound like real songs. I guess Dreamer's theme should be called "Guy in the Crate."

9:03 - No! The theme says "Fortune four!" They have five members now! It burns my ears! Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP!!!

(Yes, that's how stupid some of you sound. Get the fuck over it already.)

9:05 - Trash can lids really suck as weapons. That's a lesson for you kids out there. Stick to handguns.

9:06 - The Pele Kick is still one of my favorite moves to see. Always fun!

9:07 - What the hell is Dreamer is wearing? He looks like a fat Juventud Guerrera.

9:09 - So that's it? A clean win for Styles and Daniels? Hard to imagine this is really the end of the feud, but I wonder what the next step will be.

[COMMERCIALS]

9:14 - Who did Anderson actually "hoodwink," Taz? He just attacked Sting from behind wearing a costume. Come on now.

9:15 - Dammit. I was hoping for Alex Wright.

9:17 - Anderson flew Disco out from Vegas? Which casino was he working in? And who's cleaning the bathroom while he's gone?

9:18 - LOL at Anderson interrupting Disco with Sting's trademark howl.

9:19 - Um, Mr. Inferno? You're only ten years younger than Sting. I don't think you grew up a Sting fan.

9:20 - This is a big waste of a segment. If you're going to pay someone to cameo, why not get Lex Luger or Rick Steiner or someone who Sting actually had a relationship with? Or even better, why not get a heel like Flair or Scott Steiner to join in on the Sting bashing and make it something where Sting just comes out to end the mockery?

[COMMERCIALS]

9:27 - Eric should suggest that he and his "best friend" start calling themselves the "Young Guns." He'll love that idea.

9:28 - Young and Gunner recreating the Fingerpoke of Doom will only be compete if Gillberg runs out to break up the party.

9:31 - Using the "eye candy" insult against Velvet is nothing new, but coming from ODB in this context is powerful. It plays on the complaint that many TNA fans have had about Velvet through the years, especially when people like ODB, Gail Kim, Kong, etc. have left the company.

9:33 - Nice little hype promo for the Angle/RVD match and the "Wrestling Matters" mantra. Cool touch. Let's hope the match actually lives up to it.

[COMMERCIALS]

9:39 - Did we really need another injury angle with a member of Fortune? First AJ's neck, and now Roode's arm.

9:41 - James Storm is NOT Jesus, people. Glad we finally got that question answered.

9:42 - "Sorry 'bout your damn papers." Hmmm, not quite as catchy.

9:43 - So Pope's more worried about Devon's kids than going after a title belt? That's not strange at all!

[COMMERCIALS]

9:49 - Why would Angle want Morgan to destroy Jarrett before they get a chance to fight? Seems a little strange for him.

9:51 - Hey, could we keep this "where is Karen going to sit" thing going a while longer? Ratings must be going through the roof!

9:53 - Elbows in the corner, big boot to the face, fall-away slam... Morgan whole moveset is a tribute to The Outsiders.

9:55 - Nothing like a kiss between two heels to get those fans booing. Maybe Hogan and Bischoff will try that in their next promo.

[COMMERCIALS]

10:01 - Wow, they didn't waste any time. That kiss is coming right up!

10:03 - Hogan just came from seeing "Kung Fu Panda 2" in 3D and forgot to change his glasses.

10:08 - Hmmm, I wonder who they'll bring in for the Ultimate X Match. I'll bet Lethal makes a comeback. Maybe Elix Skipper? Low Ki? Sonjay Dutt? Or will it be new faces from Mexico? Could be cool.

10:10 - Kendrick's mic work reminds me of Raven. But only if Raven had sucked.

10:12 - It's Kendrick's destiny to job to Abyss? Fate's a bitch.

10:13 - So the doctors won't clear Roode to wrestle, but they'll let Angelina go out there completely doped out of her mind? Sometimes I think my intelligence isn't being respected by wrestling writers.

[COMMERCIALS]

10:18 - I like Winter's "Evil Raccoon" veil.

10:21 - Winter's not on the level of Tara and Mickie in the ring, but she's not terrible either. I've seen much worse from the Divas.

10:24 - Hopefully Mickie will find a way to break the spell, otherwise this gimmick is going to start getting old quickly. It's just too ridiculous.

10:26 - Nice to see Kaz do something relevant for once. He was starting to get a serious "that other guy" feeling in Fortune.

[COMMERCIALS]

10:34 - I might have thought Kendrick could steal the title here if not for the Kazarian attack earlier. Pretty clear he'll be the one to finally taken Abyss down, especially since he did the job last week.

10:36 - I don't know if an Abyss who quotes Sun Tzu is as good as the old psychopath. I prefer that "caged monster" character because it's always cool when he snaps on the people who used him.

[COMMERCIALS]

10:43 - And now, making it's long-awaited return to television... the TELEVISION Championship!

10:44 - Wow, what jobberific music Gunner has.

10:46 - Hopefully this feud evolves into more than a joke. They've worked too hard to build up that title to make it a mockery.

[COMMERCIALS]

10:50 - Jeff picks RVD to wrestle. RVD points to Jeff as he enters. Could a heel turn be in the works?

10:52 - Now that McMahon/Savage is over, I guess it's fair to call Angle/Jarret "wrestling's most personal rivalry."

10:53 - Between "Queen of the Mountain" and "Queen of the Horse-Faces," Karen has a lot of responsibility.

10:57 - Taz really needs to pick an alignment and stick with it. If he's going to be Bobby Heenan then just run with it all the way. Don't spend 75% of the show talking like a face and then pull this crap.

10:59 - Nice DDT counter to the Angle Slam. Never seen that before.

11:01 - Angle wins cleanly. I really wasn't sure they'd go that route, but I'm glad they did for the match that got hyped up and down as reflecting "Wrestling Matters." A screwjob finish would have been very disappointing. That said, the match could have used a little stipulation to increase the interest level. If Angle and Jarrett got to pick the opponents, why not make these matches relevant to their eventual PPV showdown?

Well, that does it. Pretty decent action throughout the night, though never a big "WOW" moment. The Styles/Daniels vs. Ray/Dreamer match and the Angle vs. RVD match were nice bookends for a "Wrestling Matters" night.

One question, what the hell happened with Pope and Devon? They had Pope cut his promo and said "Still To Come," but then we never saw him or Devon. Did I miss something?

The pope and Devon segment took place on Xplosion, they are on a different show

 

[Rasha]

The pope and Devon segment took place on Xplosion, they are on a different show

That doesn't answer my question. They showed a promo about it on Impact and said "Still To Come" as if it was going to air later tonight. If it was an Xplosion segment, how does that make any sense?

And dude, why quote my entire post just to make that one response? Come on.

 

[sfury2005]

That doesn't answer my question. They showed a promo about it on Impact and said "Still To Come" as if it was going to air later tonight. If it was an Xplosion segment, how does that make any sense?

I just watched it and I went back to check it out and never heard the words still to come. Tenay said it was an incident that happened on Explosion and said lets get some recent words from the Pope. But that's all I heard.

Nice job on the review though.

 

[Brian in Austin]

Rasha:

Great review as always. I enjoyed the show for the most part and here's some of my takeaways.

1. Hogan REALLY needs new glasses.

2. They REALLY need to end the Love/Winter angle. It got old like 2 weeks ago for me. Pretty goofy now. You're right though, Winters pretty darn good in the ring. Better than most they have on their roster.

3. Sky either needs to go get some wrestling lessons or become eyecandy manager to someone. But she is mediocre at best in the ring but her mic work is pretty good. Obviously she's a looker so that's working to her advantage but long term I don't see much for her to do UNLESS she improves dramatically in the ring.

4. Pope v. Devon - Yawwwnnnnn. Underutilizing the talent of Pope and dragging Devon thru yet ANOTHER family-related storyline. How many times are they going to go to THAT well? Or is this a way to reunite he and Ray?

5. Angle/RVD - Good match. RVD needs a change. Jobbing now to Angle doesn't help his cause at all as the whole "f'n" show unless that means losing. In the end you can't sell him as a top guy if he loses big matches. We've got him of late getting blasted by Abyss, comes back, and more or less has Crimson take out Abyss for him. Then he starts feuding with Anderson, takes on Sting, and loses again, then takes on Angle and loses, while Anderson is now taking on Sting. Not sure how any of this is good for RVD but I guess he's happy playing second banana. Or third, or fourth.

5. Jarrett/Karen - So where does this go now? He's going to likely lose to Angle or if he wins then Angle will say he's going to take some time away to regroup. (i.e. train for the olympics.) Then what? Who does he go after next? Kendrick? Kaz? LoL I just don't see the point of all of this after his feud with Kurt is done. Karen is annoying to watch or listen to. (the marks will say that's the point but it's terrible television so no, that's not the point.)

6. Beer Money - Slow burn to the breakup and I'm intrigued by who they will get to be the partner for Storm. (AMW anyone?) Would like to see Roode finally break out on his own for an extended period and chase the world title. Slow burn to an Anderson Roode feud for the title. (I'm guessing Anderson beats Sting at Slammiversary and Sting takes his usual sabbatical.)

 

[sfury2005]

2. They REALLY need to end the Love/Winter angle. It got old like 2 weeks ago for me. Pretty goofy now. You're right though, Winters pretty darn good in the ring. Better than most they have on their roster.

I keep seeing people saying this angle isn't a realistic. I wonder if the same people were saying that when Paul bearer was leading Taker around with the URN or when James Mitchell was controlling Abyss? Even farther back Kevin Sullivan used to play roles like that if I remember right. This is a gimmick that has been used over and over in my opinion but maybe for the first time it's being used with women.

Granted I don't know much about the Taker/Paul Bearer angle because I rarely watched WWE so you can correct me if I'm wrong and that angle was nothing like it. My understanding of it was he had a power over Taker that he used to make him destroy people.

 

[UnBEARaBULLfan]

Good Diary as usual Rasha!

Good match to start off the show, I like how this fued is going so far. I havent seen a spike piledriver in quite some time, I think that move alone shows how intense the fued is getting.

Sting/Anderson deffinately would have been better and made more sence if they had someone with a closer working relationship to Sting. It couldn't be Lugar cause he is supposedly working with WWE in some form, could have been R stiener or even Buff Bagwell that would have been cool. Nice promo from Disco at the end "DICK". (lmao)

I'm loving the whole EY/Gunner stuff they have a good mixture of comedy and seriousness between them, nice swerve by EY to take the title from Gunner. I'm interested to see where this will go.

Velvet/ODB to me was pointless and not done well.

I want the Jarretts off my tv, I'm Micheal Cole tired of them.

Abyss/Kendrick good little match, Abyss needs to go back to the silent monster, him quoting Sun Tzu is just not working for me. I thought Kendrick was supposed to the the philosophical one.

Morgan/Stiener they really need to start hyping the match, why are they even fueding?

Pope/Devon WTF is that about. Another fued involving Devons family, Really!

Angle/RVD solid match to end the show, they worked well together and it was fun to watch. Feel sorry for RVD lately since he has been everybodies whippin boy, but I guess it served a purpose.

I give the show 3.5 out of 5.
I think they are on the right track and steadily improving.

 

[Brian in Austin]

I keep seeing people saying this angle isn't a realistic. I wonder if the same people were saying that when Paul bearer was leading Taker around with the URN or when James Mitchell was controlling Abyss? Even farther back Kevin Sullivan used to play roles like that if I remember right. This is a gimmick that has been used over and over in my opinion but maybe for the first time it's being used with women.

Granted I don't know much about the Taker/Paul Bearer angle because I rarely watched WWE so you can correct me if I'm wrong and that angle was nothing like it. My understanding of it was he had a power over Taker that he used to make him destroy people.

Actually at the time, if memory serves, the urn contained the ashes of the dead parents of Undertaker and Kane and I'm struggling to remember the original part of this but I want to say that the division between Taker and Kane at the time was who was to blame for the fire that caused their deaths. Now, Taker was controlled by the urn BECAUSE it contained said ashes and so was willing to do the bidding of Paul Bearer because of that. Mystical in a sense, yes, so to your point, yes a bit like what we're seeing here with Winter and Angelina Love. However, what I'd say is that even if we look at it objectively, the ladies are doing a very poor job of selling this angle even though I like the work of Winter so far. My real disappointment is with Love in that she seems really warped and robotic here where Undertaker at the time could become extremely violent and seemed somehow demonic, be it his makeup or facial expressions.

In fact, I was noticing the makeup on Love for some reason last night and just felt like they were trying too hard to sell me on her look. For instance, with the effort being made on her makeup I'd definentily have her lose the lip ring for the time being. Just doesn't work. I'd also have her drop the gawdy necklaces as it doesn't sell me as a fan on her "situation". Again, as a fan, it's the execution piece that's not working for me which leads me to be critical of the overall product, i.e. storyline.

Now taking that a step further I'm left wondering where this will lead and how they get to a point of getting Love untangled from this web. Does MJ again "free" her from the grip of Winter as she did with Tara and Madison Rayne? If so, does that seem repetitive to us as fans or are they building Mickie James as a hero type of figure a la John Cena? If that is the case, is that worthy of criticism or would it seem somehow original because it was a woman doing it? To tell you the truth, I'm not sure how I'd feel about that.

 

[sfury2005]

Actually at the time, if memory serves, the urn contained the ashes of the dead parents of Undertaker and Kane and I'm struggling to remember the original part of this but I want to say that the division between Taker and Kane at the time was who was to blame for the fire that caused their deaths. Now, Taker was controlled by the urn BECAUSE it contained said ashes and so was willing to do the bidding of Paul Bearer because of that. Mystical in a sense, yes, so to your point, yes a bit like what we're seeing here with Winter and Angelina Love. However, what I'd say is that even if we look at it objectively, the ladies are doing a very poor job of selling this angle even though I like the work of Winter so far. My real disappointment is with Love in that she seems really warped and robotic here where Undertaker at the time could become extremely violent and seemed somehow demonic, be it his makeup or facial expressions.

In fact, I was noticing the makeup on Love for some reason last night and just felt like they were trying too hard to sell me on her look. For instance, with the effort being made on her makeup I'd definentily have her lose the lip ring for the time being. Just doesn't work. I'd also have her drop the gawdy necklaces as it doesn't sell me as a fan on her "situation". Again, as a fan, it's the execution piece that's not working for me which leads me to be critical of the overall product, i.e. storyline.



Now taking that a step further I'm left wondering where this will lead and how they get to a point of getting Love untangled from this web. Does MJ again "free" her from the grip of Winter as she did with Tara and Madison Rayne? If so, does that seem repetitive to us as fans or are they building Mickie James as a hero type of figure a la John Cena? If that is the case, is that worthy of criticism or would it seem somehow original because it was a woman doing it? To tell you the truth, I'm not sure how I'd feel about that.

The only control was the parents ashes? I think that it had to be a deeper control then that if it was to be realistic. I mean if I was a man the size of Taker and some little shrimp like Paul Bearer had my parents ashes and refused to give them to me he would be in a world of hurt. The whole angle suggests some deeper mind control type thing. IMO.

As to Angelina/Winter I agree that Angelina is acting maybe too mechanical in trying to help in selling the angle. I think maybe something else here is Winter just doesn't look as evil as Paul Bearer, James Mitchell or Kevin Sullivan. Maybe people have a hard time buying it because we just find it hard to see Winter in an evil light because of her looks. Maybe it's also a thing where we just really aren't invested emotionally with the character she's going after. Maybe we just don't care enough about Velvet sky to care about the angle. Sure she's nice eye-candy but is she really considered a character we care about and would hate to see betrayed like this.

As for Mickie James being made into a Hero type character I personally didn't like the way they did that for Tara. I don't know what a Cena Hero character is because I have not seen much of Cena and know very little about his character. All I remember is his Thug Life stuff back when he first started because I watched for a while after WCW was bought by Vince. But that didn't last long because I just didn't find the shows entertaining.