By James Caldwell, Torch Team Contributor

TNA Impact Review
May 6, 2005
Taped April 26, 2005 in Orlando, FL at Universal Studios
Aired on Fox Sports Net
Report by James Caldwell, Torch Team Contributor

- We opened with a video recap of last week's show where Dusty Rhodes announced that Tito Ortiz would be the special referee for the Jeff Jarrett vs. A.J. Styles match at Hard Justice. We saw Jarrett deny any impact Ortiz would have on the match.

- From the Impact Zone, Mike Tenay and Don West welcomed us to the show where Tenay said he was going to have a sit-down interview with both "Champion and challenger" regarding the NWA Title match at Hard Justice. Tenay said next week's broadcast will set the line up for the 20-man "Gauntlet for the Gold" match at Hard Justice. West talked about Ortiz's presence as special referee for the NWA Title Match and described Ortiz as Styles's support in case Jarrett got out of line, hinting that if Styles wins the match, it will be because of Ortiz, not because of anything Styles is capable of doing. That seems to be the route they want to take if Styles is going to be chosen to win the NWA Title.

(1) Abyss defeated Cassidy Riley at 2:04. Abyss charged Riley immediately after the bell rang, causing Riley to quickly duck under the ring ropes to the floor. Abyss chased after him until both men ended up back in the ring where Riley was sent to the ropes. Riley held onto the ropes and slid to the outside once again. Abyss caught him the second time and threw him headfirst into the guardrail ringside. Abyss threw Riley into the ring apron then sent him into the guardrail once again. Abyss laid into Riley with a hard chop to the chest then took him to his knees with a hard elbow smash to the back of the head. Once again, Abyss sent Riley back-first into the guardrail then took him back into the ring. Riley tried to hit Abyss with a clothesline, but Riley ducked and Abyss caught him with the Black Hole Slam. Abyss made the academic cover for the pin and the win.

Match Purpose: The match was nothing more than a way for Tenay and West to put over Abyss as the front runner to win the "Gauntlet for the Gold" match, while showing that the TNA roster fears him so much that everyone is a little hesitant to get in the ring with him.

Nuggets from Tenay & West: Tenay indicated that Abyss will be participating in the 20-man "Gauntlet for the Gold" #1 Contender's match at Hard Justice, meaning he has another opportunity to earn an NWA Title shot – the same NWA Title shot that he won at "Against All Odds" in a match against Jeff Hardy. West hinted that Abyss might be cheering for Styles to win the NWA Title from Jarrett so he can have a re-match with Styles if he wins the #1 Contender's match.

Match View: Poor Abyss. No matter how many times he thinks he's actually going to receive his NWA Title shot, TNA always throws a curveball at him, preventing him from actually realizing that opportunity. Yet, at the same time, there's still something undefined or very raw about Abyss's character that doesn't allow for fans to truly connect with him in a way that they are willing to pay to see him in an NWA Title match. He truly has not separated himself from other TNA talent to where people are just lining up to see him wrestle Styles or Jarrett or another main event player. Therefore, I don't see why they need to continue putting him in these "#1 Contender" slots when they know he won't draw like an established star would. Give him some character definition, maybe give him a mouthpiece, and then try to run with him as a marketable main event player. As for Riley, the guy can't catch a break. Dustin Rhodes certainly seemed to be putting him under his wing to bring him to prominence, but with Dustin too busy dealing with domestic violence issues, Riley is stuck doing jobs to Abyss as his only avenue for TV exposure. The guy has potential, but TNA hasn't done enough to capitalize on the potential. He would certainly be the prime candidate for a Television Title run if and when TNA were to debut a third singles title.

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[Commercial Break]

- A promo video for Hard Justice showed Tito Ortiz shadow boxing. Ortiz said, "You want Hard Justice? You'll get Hard Justice. Join me, Tito Ortiz, on Total Non-Stop Action PPV."

- Christopher Daniels came out sporting a suit (when did Dusty Rhodes implement a dress code policy in TNA?) while carrying his X Division Title belt. Daniels sat in on commentary with Tenay and West for the upcoming X Division match. Tenay indicated that Prime Time was very close to capturing the X Division Title at Lockdown. Daniels said, "This close (short distance between thumb and index finger) is the difference between Champion and challenger."

(2) Shocker defeated Sonjay Dutt at 8:07. Dutt and Shocker locked up early on with Dutt and Shocker exchanging hammer locks and arm drag take twists. Dutt and Shocker locked hands and flipped through on counters and reversals until Dutt scored an arm drag, which Shocker countered with a leg trip and spinning elbow smash, resulting in a two count after a cover. Shocker landed a hard chop then missed with a clothesline and Dutt took Shocker down to the mat with a head scissors after several revolutions. Shocker hopped up to his feet and took a drop kick to the chest. Shocker ducked a second drop kick and landed a big boot to the face. Shocker clotheslined Dutt over the top rope to the outside then missed with a clothesline. Dutt ran back into the ring then flew over the top rope with a somersault splash, sending Shocker crashing to the mat. Both men caught their breath on the outside as we went to commercial break.

[Commercial Break]

We came back to find Shocker working over Dutt with forearms to the back. Shocker sent Dutt to the ropes and missed with a clothesline before Dutt flipped over Shocker with a nicely executed sunset flip into pin attempt, resulting in a two count. Dutt went for a huricanrana, but Shocker rolled through and went for a cover, but could only score a nearfall. Both men recovered to their mat with Shocker taking Dutt down to the mat with a Mahistral Cradle for a two count. Shocker went for a suplex, but Dutt slipped out and landed on his feet. Shocker quickly recovered and drop kicked Dutt to the mat. Shocker made a cover, but scored a two count only as the crowd failed to show any sense of life during the match. Shocker picked up Dutt and delivered hard right hands to the face. Shocker went for a roll up off the ropes, but Dutt reversed it into a roll through into drop kick to the chest. Dutt took Shocker to the corner and delivered shoulder thrusts to the stomach before taking Shocker up top for a high-risk move. Dutt spun his legs onto Shocker's chest then took him down to the mat with a textbook huricanrana. Dutt made a cover, but scored a two count only. Dutt called for the crowd's support then picked up Shocker and sent him headfirst into the corner turnbuckle. Dutt shot Shocker to the opposite corner and landed a clothesline before taking Shocker up top once again. This time, Shocker scouted the huricanrana attempt and countered with a nicely executed powerbomb. Shocker made the cover for the win.

- After the match, Christopher Daniels bolted from the broadcast table to the ring apron and got in Shocker's face. After stripping off his suit jacket and sunglasses, Daniels heelishly hopped off the apron and laughed in Shocker's direction before leaving.

Match Purpose: Just like last week, this was another match to legitimize Shocker as a pertinent #1 Contender to the X Division Title, while giving him some ring work to prepare for his match against Daniels at Hard Justice. The match also served the purpose of giving Daniels and Shocker some interaction for the first time, with Daniels building up the X Division and his understanding of what Shocker brings to the table.

Nuggets from Tenay & West & Daniels: Tenay and West built up Shocker as an "International superstar," who has credibility across the globe. Tenay described Shocker as a legendary Lucha Libre superstar, who won't be intimated by Daniels at Hard Justice. West pointed out that Shocker could pose a much more difficult challenge than Prime Time, solely because Daniels knew Prime Time much more – in terms of what he was going to do in the ring – whereas he has never faced Shocker in the ring, which could present an element of the unknown that could throw Daniels off. Daniels countered by saying he may not have any in-ring experience with Shocker, but he's studied Shocker's career enough to eliminate the "unknown" factor.

Match View: Shocker seemed a step slow throughout the early portion of the match, especially on some spots where quickness was required to make sure the moves came off clean. For instance, Shocker was a little slow during a series of counters and reversals early in the match, effectively throwing off the timing and execution of certain spots. In addition, Shocker just doesn't seem to have that "it" factor that allows him to connect with the fans as does the standard-bearer, A.J. Styles. If you look at his facial expression during the match, he just doesn't seem to be selling the match, as he should be. Instead of having a look of pain and anguish as Sonjay Dutt was setting him up for a huricanrana, Shocker had a certain look as if he was waiting for the move to be executed, not really playing into the emotion of the match. Little intricacies such as the emotional reactions and lack of selling are some of the things that just don't endear him to fans as he has the potential to do.

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- We saw Raven seated on the floor in a dark corner of the backstage area. Raven said, "Jeff Hardy, I want to like you; I really do." Raven quoted the former leader of France, Napoleon, and said, "Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever." Raven proceeded to "explain" the statement by saying, "Glory is in my future, but extinction is in yours." Raven said he started hurting people at the age of twelve and he really wants to care about people, but he's done so much to hurt others that he just can't bring himself to care about others. Raven said, "There is no salvation for me. Where I'm going, the only way to advance is to cause more pain, inflict more damage, and cause more suffering." Raven said he knows who he is because he lives life without illusion, while others choose to life with illusions and not know who they truly are. Raven said, "I am the most ruthless and unforgiving person on the planet." Raven called himself a human cancer and the killer of souls to where, "God, Allah, and Buddha are having a hard time keeping score." Raven said he's sorry, but he has a legacy to fulfill with Jeff Hardy standing in his way. Raven indicated he was going to hurt Jeff, but it was going to be more painful for himself than for Jeff. Raven told Jeff to prepare for termination, because it will happen.

Impact Note: You can call Raven crazy, insane, and very indecipherable with his words, but you can't say he doesn't know how to portray his character. This was the sheer embodiment of his character, and a perfect example of what he is trying to do with the character. He's drawing on personal emotions, while walking that line between a shoot and worked promo, all the while doing his best to put over his match against Jeff. Sure, he might not make a lick of sense, but through his parsed words and disconnected statements, you understand the type of non-linear thinking that goes in within the character. His character is centered around disconnected thoughts, ideas, and emotions – stemming from personal and physical abuse – while effectively expounding on those factors to give off a completely disengaged vibe that is perfect for his character.

- The Impact voice-over man indicated that we would hear from Tito Ortiz on next week's broadcast regarding the current state of the UFC. Great, where are my pins and needles to sit on?

[Commercial Break]

(3) The Outlaw and Konnan wrestled to a No Contest at 1:33. Konnan came to the ring without B.G. James or Ron Killings, making this a one-on-one battle that has been brewing for months. Konnan went right at Outlaw with right hands to the face followed by a clothesline and hip toss. Konnan whipped Outlaw to the corner then took off his shoe and threw the shoe into Outlaw's stomach and back. Konnan clotheslined Outlaw to the mat – using the shoe – causing Outlaw to scramble to the floor outside of the ring. The camera captured shots of all the Impact zone fans taking off their shoes to salute Konnan. Outside of the ring, Konnan punched Outlaw in the face then slammed him into the ring steps. Konnan grabbed a shoe from a fan ringside and punched Outlaw in the face with the shoe. Konnan landed right hands to the head then sent Outlaw back into the ring steps. Konnan sent Outlaw headfirst into the guardrail then slammed him onto the broadcast table. The referee distracted Konnan, allowing Outlaw to pick up a chair and smash Konnan across the face with the chair once he turned around. The referee called for the bell, with the official decision being a No Contest.

- After the match, Outlaw stood over Konnan's fallen body until Ron Killings and B.G. James ran to the ringside area to clear Outlaw away from Konnan. Outlaw took the chair with him up the entrance ramp and smiled in the direction of Killings and James as security and officials checked on Konnan. For emphasis, we saw several replays of Konnan taking the chair shot from Outlaw. James and Killings carried Konnan up the entrance ramp to the back as the crowd sat in stunned silence.

Match Purpose: The match was designed to settle the feud between Konnan and the Outlaw, which has been brewing for several months. It was also an opportunity to see whether the other members of 3 Live Kru would come to Konnan's aid or align with the Outlaw after several months of Konnan doubting B.G. James and Ron Killing's alliance for or against the Outlaw.

Nuggets from Tenay & West: Based on the fact that Konnan dominated the entire match until the match was thrown out, Tenay and West indicated that Outlaw may have gotten himself into something he wasn't prepared to handle when he agreed to face Konnan. In addition, Tenay and West brought up the point that B.G. James had the opportunity to flatten Outlaw with a chair at the Lockdown PPV, but chose not to use any physical action against Outlaw, putting a message in Konnan's head that he needed to care of Outlaw if no one else in 3 Live Kru was going to. After the chair shot from Outlaw, Tenay and West effectively put over the severity of the potential injury, building up a revenge factor for Konnan to chase after. West pointed out that the Kru appeared to be a collective unit for the first time in awhile, as indicated by James and Killings supporting Konnan following the knockout chair shot.

Match View: I still refuse to accept a tennis shoe as an offensive move from Konnan. It's just plain cheap and deficient of any purpose other than to show that he needs to work on his in-ring skills. Yet, he may be at a stage where he knows he can't draw out a good match using his limited move set, so the only way he can make a match interesting is to use a shoe as a weapon. With that said, what makes a chair shot worthy of throwing a match out, while a shoe is considered as legal as a headlock or suplex? Is there some sort of chart that indicates a shoe is not worthy of leading to a DQ, while a chair is? Are there varying levels of severity for specific weapons that Director of Authority Dusty Rhodes has not declared? This may seem petty, but for a company that desperately needs consistency and continuity when there is a definite weakness in that area, something like this amounts to a big hole in logic that can be easily exposed. On a side note, I'm getting the feeling that Tatanka vs. Lex Luger is going to revisited with Konnan turning on the Kru and not B.G. James turning on the Kru.

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[Commercial Break]

- We went to video footage from earlier in the day when Mike Tenay sat down with NWA Champion Jeff Jarrett and the #1 Contender, A.J. Styles, for an interview concerning their upcoming NWA Title match at Hard Justice. After Tenay introduced the background behind the match, Tenay brought up Tito Ortiz and his role during the match. Concerning Ortiz, Tenay phrased a question to Jarrett that outlined Ortiz's involvement as being the "equalizer" against Jarrett, while working for Dusty Rhodes. Jarrett didn't appreciate the question and snapped, "It's another scheme; it's another chance to dethrone the King of the Mountain." Jarrett said he's earned the NWA Title by going through a whole list of challengers, while busting his butt to keep the top spot. Jarrett said A.J. Styles hasn't earned anything in the business and is "still wet behind the ears." Jarrett claimed that Styles is not ready for the big time and that's why Dusty Rhodes named Tito Ortiz as the special referee for the match. Jarrett said he fears no one in the wrestling business or any other business, and has no problem dealing with Ortiz. Jarrett said he will slap the teeth right down Ortiz's mouth and warned Styles, "You're going to get Stroked." Tenay turned to Styles and talked about the match being a battle between experience and amazing athleticism. Styles said winning the NWA Title has always been a goal of his since he started in TNA. Jarrett immediately interrupted and condescendingly told Styles that his goal is only going to be a goal, without ever being realized. Tenay cut off Jarrett and asked Styles about countering Jarrett's experience. Styles began to say that experience is a good thing, but Jarrett cut him off again and said experience is the only thing that matters. Tenay got in Jarrett's face causing Jarrett to snap back that Styles doesn't even deserve to be in the same ring as him. Tenay cut off Jarrett and asked Styles about using his athletic ability to over-take Jarrett's experience factor. Styles couldn't even get three words out before Jarrett interrupted for the third time and said athleticism is nothing because a wrestler has to have more than just athleticism to be World Champion. Styles said he was done talking and got in Jarrett's face. Security intervened and Styles closed by saying, "On May 15, just bring it."

Impact Note 2: Very disappointing segment because TNA built up A.J. Styles as the focal point of this sit-down interview for weeks, only to have Styles big footed worse than Batista by Triple H. Styles probably said a total of fifteen words during the entire segment, while Jarrett continued to blabber on about his experience factor. TNA has done a terrible job promoting this match for its core value – Jarrett vs. Styles, while being entirely too concerned with building up Tito Ortiz, who shouldn't even be the main factor in the match. Styles – once again – is coming into the PPV looking like a chump who can't get in two words against Jarrett. TNA really needs to give Styles something to work with on next week's broadcast, because there's absolutely zero intrigue for this match outside of the intrigue for fans of the UFC, who may or may not be interested in seeing Ortiz in a limited referee role. TNA should have turned Jarrett vs. Styles into something much more meaningful than what they've done so far, completely dropping the ball on building up Styles these past two weeks after an amazing performance at Lockdown.

[Commercial Break]

- I know TNA wanted to upgrade the program to a more Urban feel after the Kevin Nash Torch Talk, but I didn't expect them to turn Trinity into a Urban Cavewoman. Prior to the main event match of Michael Shane vs. Chris Sabin, Trinity came out looking like a mess as if she just woke up from a nap and didn't have enough time to brush her hair out. Sabin and Traci came to the ring holding hands and shared a kiss atop the entrance ramp. Apparently, TNA doesn't even care enough about Sabin's character to explain why Sabin has been paired with Traci. Tenay indicated that he had received a message from Dusty Rhodes that next week's broadcast will feature an interview with Tito Ortiz. Tenay also said there will be a ten-man gauntlet on next week's broadcast to determine who will be the first and last entrant in the Hard Justice gauntlet match.

(4) Chris Sabin (w/Traci) defeated Michael Shane (w/Traci) at 15:06. Prior to the bell sounding for this thirty minute time limit match, Shane jumped Sabin and landed clubbing right hands to the face and back. Shane scored a side back drop and played to the crowd, trying to draw some heel heat. Shane mounted Sabin on the mat and slammed right hands to the head. Shane drove Sabin headfirst into the corner turnbuckle then pounded on his head with some more right hands. Sabin fought back with right hands and drove Shane to the opposite corner before running over Shane with a cross body splash. Shane rolled to the outside and ducked a baseball slide before walking right into a sweet reverse huricanrana from the side of the apron to the floor. Sabin delivered a hard chop to the chest then Trinity grabbed Sabin from behind and spun him around. That distraction allowed Shane to shove Sabin into the guardrail then toss him back into the ring. Trinity offered encouragement to Shane as he laid into Shane with stiff right hands. Shane shot Sabin off to the ropes and scored an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Shane locked in a neck wrench submission hold, while driving a knee into Sabin's back. The fans rallied behind Sabin as he drove hard elbows to the gut. Sabin ran off the ropes after breaking the hold, only to catch a knee to the gut, flipping him over to the mat. Shane made a cover, but scored a two count only.

Shane hung Sabin upside down in the corner then delivered a stiff drop kick to the chest. Shane made a cover, but scored a two count only. Shane picked up Sabin and dropped him to the mat with a stiff right hand. Shane locked in a sleeper hold that bordered on a chokehold, but Sabin fought to his feet and delivered hard elbows to the gut to break the hold. Sabin ran into a kick to the face after shooting Shane to the corner, leading to a cover for a nearfall. Sabin held his face in anguish as Shane delivered another knockdown right hand to the face. Shane shoved Sabin to the apron then slingshot himself over the top rope onto Sabin's neck with an elbow drop. Shane sent Sabin back into the ring and made a cover, but scored a two count only. Shane stalked Sabin's fallen body then scored a right hand to the face. This led to a battle of right hands before Shane flung Sabin to the outside. Traci taunted Shane as he stood on the apron before hopping down to the floor to send Sabin back into the ring.

[Commercial Break]

We came back to see Sabin locked in a back-wrench submission hold by Shane. Sabin broke the hold and knocked Shane to the ropes. Sabin ran towards Shane for an apparent offensive move, but Shane flipped him over the top rope to the apron. Sabin quickly countered by jumping over Shane with a sunset flip into a pin attempt, but only scored a nearfall. Shane quickly hopped to his feet and clotheslined Sabin to the mat, cutting off another attempted offensive outburst by Sabin. Shane covered Sabin, but only scored a nearfall. The fans rallied behind Sabin as Shane picked up Sabin for a suplex. Shane connected with the suplex, but could only score another nearfall. Shane picked up Sabin and placed him neck first across the middle rope. Shane drove a leg into Sabin's head, choking Sabin. After Trinity slapped Sabin while he laid on the middle rope, Shane made a cover, but could only garner another nearfall. Shane stopped another offensive outburst with a poke to the eye then missed with a clothesline, only to turn around and take a huricanrana from Sabin. Sabin made a quick cover, but only scored a two count. Shane quickly popped back up and clotheslined Sabin to the mat, effectively cutting off another offensive outburst.

Shane picked up Sabin and delivered a series of knockdown clotheslines then went for a running clothesline, but Sabin ducked and scored a release German Suplex. Sabin and Shane reached their feet simultaneously with Sabin coming at Shane with fiery right hands to the face. Sabin ducked a side kick and dropped Shane with a gut buster across his knee. Sabin pounced on Shane for a pin attempt, but could only score a two count. Sabin picked up Shane for the Cradle Shock, but Shane ducked and scored an atomic drop. Shane scored an STO then made a cover, but could only find another nearfall. Shane became frustrated and went for a powerbomb, but Sabin slipped out and bounced off the ropes for an attempted Tornado DDT, but Shane flung Sabin to the mat, blocking the attempted move. Shane set up for a super kick, but Sabin caught Shane's leg and rolled him up by the leg into a very quick pin attempt for the victory.

- After the match, Sabin celebrated the victory only to turn around and take a super kick to the face. Outside of the ring, Trinity laid out Traci before entering the ring to hold up Sabin for a series of side kicks to the face from Shane. Traci dragged herself into the ring then grabbed Trinity by the cavewoman hair and slammed her down to the mat. Traci checked on Sabin's fallen body as Shane menacingly warmed up for a super kick on Traci. Before Shane could attempt a super kick on Traci, we faded to black.

Match Purpose: Seemingly, the match was put in the main event slot to give the X Division a great deal of exposure for an extended period of time. Specific to the match, Sabin and Shane have been involved in a feud that has not been capitalized on by TNA – mainly because the only interaction between the two wrestlers has been in the ring, during tag matches. TNA effectively addressed the issue of Sabin and Shane not having any true one-on-one interaction by putting the feud on camera for a solid 16-minute match.

Nuggets from Tenay & West: I certainly wish Tenay and/or West would have expanded on the history between Shane and Traci, especially since Traci used to manage Shane and Frankie Kazarian for an extended period of time. West mentioned the history in passing right before the mid-match commercial break, but did not give the history as much attention as should have been done. Alternatively, West did a nice job pointing out Shane's frustration with not being able to put away Sabin, which led to the ultimate victory for Sabin.

Match View: The booking of the match was very well done with plenty of psychology for all to behold. It was apparent Shane was becoming increasingly frustrated every time he appeared to cut off another offensive outburst from Sabin, only to find another nearfall. No matter how many times it appeared that Shane had Sabin down, there just didn't seem to be a way for Shane to score a victory until he set up for his trademark side kick, only to lose on the last ditch effort. Pertaining to Sabin, the psychology of the match focused on Sabin's drive to win, no matter how many times Shane countered a sure-fire offensive move into his own offensive move. Despite the presence of fundamentally sound ring psychology, the match just couldn't move into a higher level to create an "edge of your seat" match. That's not to say the match wasn't exciting at the end, but this match comes in a week where WWE's Shelton Benjamin set the world on fire with two amazing matches, effectively setting the bar so high that Shane vs. Sabin needed something extra to stand out as a solid match.

Looking at the match from a big picture perspective, this was a good move on TNA's part to put two solid workers in the main event slot, successfully focusing on the X Division for sixteen solid minutes. However, if TNA really wants to make the X Division work, it might be advisable to – at the very least – explain the background or history pertaining to individual X Division wrestlers so fans have some sort of character to identify with while watching an X Division match. Why is Traci all of a sudden with Chris Sabin? What is their relationship? On the flip side, TNA did a nice job laying out the pieces of the relationship between Shane and Trinity in previous weeks, but nothing was ever truly done to put all the pieces together. TNA needs to work on their presentation of the characters by explaining certain relationships, while identifying how those relationships lead into matches.

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Matches Announced on Impact for the May 15 Hard Justice PPV.
- NWA Title Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. A.J. Styles.
- X Division Title Match: Christopher Daniels vs. Shocker.
- NWA Tag Title Match: The Naturals vs. America's Most Wanted
- 20 Man Gauntlet For the Gold Match for the #1 Contender's Slot.
- Raven vs. Jeff Hardy in a House of Fun Match

Weekend Replay Factor: Two out of five hamburgers. Last week's show was can't miss, while this week's show wasn't nearly as good. The much-talked about A.J. Styles and Jeff Jarrett interview was a complete disappointment, while Sabin vs. Shane was too much "by the books" to be can't miss.

Closing Thoughts: The true disappointment of this show was the lack of follow up on The Naturals's tag team title victory on last week's show. Don West may have mentioned the victory briefly in passing while announcing AMW's re-match at Hard Justice, but an interview, or a special video package, or something needed to be thrown on this week's episode to capitalize on the momentum built up by the Naturals. It's not everyday a title change occurs on Impact – in fact, it's only the third title change in Impact history – so more should have been done to really make it seem like something special.

Playing into the previous comment about The Naturals, TNA has always had a problem focusing on specific wrestlers or groups of wrestlers from week to week on Impact. One week, one team might be featured extensively, only to be completely forgotten the next week, only to be focused on again during the third week as if the second week never happened. There needs to be a better effort made to focus on storylines and characters every single week, even if certain wrestlers aren't going to be used in the ring on a specific week. A brief video recap package or some sort of quick sound byte from Tenay and West during a "weekly recap" segment would effectively explain a storyline surrounding Team Canada, or Prime Time, or Jeff Hardy or, someone else who may have no role in the current week's broadcast. It would continue to remind viewers about current storylines which may or may not be important during the current week, but are important for the overall product.

James Caldwell welcomes any and all reader feedback and comments on this week's Impact Review at the usual address: revenge_nwo@yahoo.com. Caldwell will be back on Sunday night in the Lounge with his Sunday Brunch column to provide some more perspective on TNA as they draw closer to their next Sunday PPV offering.

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