TNA Power Poll (12-9-10)

[Rasha]

I thought I'd post another edition of my TNA rankings in the aftermath of Final Resolution. The last rankings came out in mid-November.

1. Kurt Angle (LR 1) - I maintain that Angle is still TNA's premiere talent and you can tell just by the energy and pop when he shows up for these run-in attacks. You can assume his role will increase starting tonight.
   
2. Jeff Hardy (LR 2) - I've liked the heel turn, but I still wish the title was with someone with a more impressive personality. Hardy just feels to detached for a guy who's supposed to be the World Champion and crown jewel of the company's dominant faction.
   
3. Mr. Anderson (LR 3) - Honestly, I didn't think Anderson would do that well as a face but so far it's been successful. I think the "Asshole" line is kind of stupid but otherwise he's doing a good job and the crowd is with him. He's set up well for a battle against Immortal.
   
4. Matt Morgan (LR 5) - Even if Anderson's injury triggered Morgan's push sooner than planned, it's worked out well. My only concern is that, once Anderson takes over the lead spot in going after Hardy, Morgan will get dumped into some waste-of-time feud with Abyss. They're going to have to get creative now as Abyss and Kazarian are the only heels left in in Immortal/Fortune.
   
5. AJ Styles (LR 4) - Props to AJ for putting Williams over in a fantastic PPV match. While it's hard to see AJ forgetting about the title and not continuing this tonight on Impact, I hope he dropped the belt so that he could get involved more in the Main Event scene.
   
6. Motor City Machine Guns (LR 10) - I'm moving the MCMG up more due to the drop-offs from other singles wrestlers than anything they really accomplished. I hope their next program with Beer Money puts some juice back into what's become a repetitive tag division.
   
7. D'Angelo Dinero (LR 6) - I wonder if Pope needed time off. That's the only rational explanation for why he jobbed to Abyss at the PPV. This feud's been a colossal waste of Pope's talent. I kind of like his heel potential now that he's less gimmick and more himself. I could see a great TV Title feud between he and Williams.
   
8. Jeff Jarrett (LR 8) - Another example of TNA's backwards booking; they've got Angle popping up leading to the PPV but then Jarrett screws Joe for a win with no sign of Kurt? Who the hell is he really feuding with?
   
9. Samoa Joe (LR 9) - Again, what's the deal? If Angle is coming back for Jarrett's hide, shouldn't Joe have gotten the win at the PPV so that he could move on to something else while Kurt and Jeff go at it?
   
10. Abyss (LR 11) - The Black Hole Slam is a fitting name for Abyss' finisher, because he's becoming a black hole for whatever face is stuck feuding with him. Bischoff or Hogan really need to step in and do more of the talking to try and keep Abyss' storylines worth watching.
    
11. Rob Van Dam (LR 7) - Wasn't this guy World Champion a few months ago? After being stuck in these worthless angles with EV2 guys Rob deserves something decent. How about RVD vs. Joe at the next PPV?
    
12. Doug Williams (LR 15) - Nice few weeks for Dougie-Dub. He's got some serious momentum coming out of the PPV and could be exactly what the TV Title needs.
    
13. Beer Money (LR 14) - Was it just me, or did Roode taking the mic and leading the beatdown on that referee seem like a preview of things to come in Fortune? With AJ losing the title cleanly, I'd say a power shift is on the horizon.
    
14. Brother Devon (LR 13) - Great promo on the last Impact, but still a worthless feud that we've already seen once before.
    
15. Brother Ray (LR 12) - At least he's better as a heel.
    
16. Generation Me (LR 17) - Imagine if these guys actually had a decent look and didn't suck on the mic?
    
17. Kazarian (LR 19) - Ummm... at least you get to stand next to Flair sometimes? I don't know. Why this guy isn't involved with the X-Division title is a mystery wrapped in shitty booking.
    
18. Robbie E (LR 18) - This guy sucks so much that now Lethal is sucking just by having to share time with him. I thought maybe he was turning the corner, but then we had the fist-pump challenge.
    
19. Jay Lethal (LR 16) - He's not good enough to carry this awful feud with Shore. I know he can't go back to Black Machismo without looking like a total failure, but they need to come up with something fast.
    
20. Rhyno (LR 20) - Between Pope/Abyss, Joe/Jarrett, and RVD/Rhyno, only one heel should have won their match. Instead, TNA continued two stupid angles by having Abyss and Jarrett win while they jobbed Rhyno out just when he had a chance to become interesting again. Nice work!
    
21. Ink Inc (LR 21) - I'm torn on these guys. On one hand I think they should stay a team because the division is getting thin. On the other hand I really think Moore needs to get away Neal and go X-Division. I just can't ever see these guys realistically competing against the likes of Beer Money, MCMG, or even London Brawling when they return.
    
22. Tommy Dreamer (LR 22) - Blah blah blah, ECW... blah blah blah... history lesson... blah blah blah emotional stuff.
    
23. Stevie Richards (LR 23) - Stevie had a fantastic match against AJ a few weeks ago and has since vanished. I'd love to see him get a run at Williams and the TV Title, but I'm sure he'll just follow Dreamer around some more until he's undeservedly released.
    
24. Brian Kendrick (LR 24) - Hey Brian, the next time management comes to you and suggests that you align with a bunch of over-the-hill guys that couldn't get over anymore even if they skinned John Cena alive... just say no.
    
25. Young/Jordan (LR 25) - At least Jordan wasn't wearing the chaps.

Just two quick points about the rankings:

1. I don't rank the Knockouts because they work on a different plane. Not saying they don't do their part as wrestlers, but once The Beautiful People's entrance is over they suddenly become way less over. Hard to compare that to the men.

2. I don't rank guys like Flair, Foley, Hogan, etc because they're situational and not "full-time" wrestlers. I also don't rank AWOL guys like Wolfe, Sting, Nash, etc. unless they're still being referenced like Angle's been to keep his story going.

 

[LSN80]

You always do a great job with the rankings Rasha. My top ten list is as follows.

1. Jeff Hardy(1)- He's the World heavyweight Champion, and has been so for 2 months now. Hes twice turned back Matt Morgan, and is almost being revered as a God by his stablemates. The guy who holds the top title is always the top guy.

2. Matt Morgan(2)- Fresh off yet another cheap defeat, the "Blueprint" could still get yet another shot at Hardy come Genesis, if TNA goes that route. This is the best Morgan has ever been, whether it be in the ring or on the mic. Both of his losses were tainted, so he looked strong in defeat. Until a new number one contender is established, he stays number 2 for me.

3. The Motor City Machine Guns(5)-They solidified their place as the tag team of the year with their victory over Generation Me at Final Resolution. They've dominated the feud between the two teams, and I look forward to yet another great program with Beer Money.

4. Jeff Jarrett(9)- Tainted or not, hes had two submission victories on back to back PPV's over the man nicknamed the "Somoan Submission Machine." Sure, hes overbooked, and his MMA gimmick is rediculous, but with AJ dropping the TV Title, he's been solidified as the number two heel in the company right now.

5. Douglass Williams(10)- What a change of scenery can do for a guy, eh? He was in the background while part of Fourtune, and now he's the TV champion after defeating AJ freakin Styles clean on PPV. While its odd for a TV Title to be defended on PPV, this was the match of the night, and Williams may be the best wrestler TNA has outside of Angle and Styles.

6. AJ Styles(3)- Im sure that despite losing his title, AJ will do something to get his heat back, or a face turn may be in the works. He was the only heel apart of the Immortal/Fourtune group to LOSE at Final Resolution, and it cost him his title. You know that isn't going to sit well with Flair, and Styles will make up for it in a big way.

7. Mr. Anderson(4)- Lying in a pool of your own blood after being knocked out from behind wasn't exactly the best way to finish a PPV for Ken, but it was nice to see him clear house of Fourtune when they were beating down Matt Morgan. He was red hot before his injury, so hopefully he can sustain that momentum now that he's back.

8. Abyss(10)- I hate putting this guy on the list. An awful gimmick. Bad in the ring. But he has back to back victories over The Pope on PPV, and this one came clean in a casket match. He's Immortal's enforcer, so he needed the win over the much smaller Pope to remain credible in that role.

9. Rob Van Dam(6)- Another PPV, and another win for RVD. The problem is, these wins mean nothing for him. So he beat Rhino? Rhino couldnt be less relevant if he tried. The same could be said about his match last month with Dreamer at Turning Point. RVD is losing steam fast, and thats due to TNA creative giving him nothing worthwhile to do. Here's hoping they're going the slow build for an eventual showdown between he and Hardy.

10. The Pope D'angelo Dinero(7)- It hasn't been a good month for the Pope. He's turned on by his brother at Turning Point, and why can't he and Joe just get along and be friends? Anyway, despite his back to back losses to Abyss, he's one of the companies top babyfaces and one has to believe he'll stop going the "lone wolf" route now that he's seen it hasnt gotten him very far.

I left Joe off the list because he's coming off of back to back PPV losses to Jeff Jarrett, and his contract status in uncertain. Angle fell off the list as well because the only appearance he's made was inside a casket last week on Impact. Other then that, we've seen nothing from Angle. Beer Money is close to cracking the top ten for me as Number One Contenders for the tag titles, but they lose too frequently in other matches for me to rank them higher. I also left Robbie E, my dude, off the rankings because despite some improvement in the ring, he's done little to help the X Division title. If a feud with Shark Boy is where theyre headed, this devalues the title even more. Like you, I leave the KO's to a seperate playing field. Here's a quick rundown.

1. Madison Rayne- She didnt have to earn the title, but shes the champ, so shes the "queen bee".

2. Mickie James- She lost at Final Resolution, but she's still the No. 1 Contender to Madison's belt. I await them moving away from Tara/Mickie to Mickie/Madison.

3. Tara- She's still the muscle behind the KO champ, and she defeated Mickie at Final Resolution. It still seems as if Mickie wants to get to Madison, she needs to go through Tara, and thats been a hard road.

4. Sarita- She continues to win. She defeated Madison in a one on one match 2 weeks ago, and won a triple threat by once again pinning Madison last week. I like her tweener status, and shes the wildcard in the KO's division.

5. Angelina Love- She's a former 5 time KO's champion. She's been on quite the losing streak as of late, but she has a great storyline going right now with Winter that leaves me intrigued as to where they're headed.