PWTORCH.COM
VIP SIGN-UP JUMP TO VIP
CONTACT US VISIT MMA TORCH




Select Next Article by Category



WE ARE A PROUD UGO AFFILIATE SINCE 1999

 




Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Support Our Sponsor: PWI!

===========================

CHECK OUT OUR AFFILIATE WRESTLING NEWS SITE - THE FASTEST GROWING PRO WRESTLING SITE IN 2008! (click on logo)

prowrestling.NET




The Specialists
TNA Sacrifice Preview by Wilkenfeld: 39 wrestlers, and no signs of any clunkers
May 10, 2008 - 10:32:04 PM


Email This Article- Contact Us - VIP Sign-Up - Back to Home Page

| subscribe to this feed

By: Daniel Wilkenfeld, PWTorch Contributor

I, for one, am excited for Sacrifice. For one thing, I just really like tournaments (there's a reason the NCAA became the college basketball championship to watch). The three non-tournament matches, while chaotic, all have the potential to be really great. Unless Matt Morgan & Kip James get stuck with opponents too weak to carry them, there really shouldn't be a bad match on the card. Rachael just pointed out that with 39 wrestlers scheduled to appear on the show, the fact that nothing looks dreadful on paper already speaks to the depth of the roster.

Daniel's YTD = 44/65 = .677
Rachael's YTD = 32/48 = .667

Samoa Joe (c) vs. Kurt Angle vs. Scott Steiner
TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match

Where We've Been:
Before Lockdown, Scott Steiner announced that he was planning to cash in his Feast or Fired title shot at Sacrifice. Originally he seemed happy to have the strongest competition possible, though for the last couple weeks he's shown a certain amount of disdain for Samoa Joe. Anyhow, Joe won a brilliant battle at Lockdown and the title. Angle, focused on his rematch with Samoa Joe, accidentally disrespected Steiner. Big Poppa Pump retaliated by costing Angle his rematch, and Jim Cornette re-retaliated by putting Angle in the match at Sacrifice.

Where We're Going:
The Angle-Joe feud has been incredible, but needs a breather. Though it occurs to me that regardless of who wins this match, next month is Slammiversary and all three will likely be back for King of the Mountain. There really doesn't seem much point in taking the title off Joe now, when it's his first title reign and no one has ever retained in the King of the Mountain anyway.

Both Picks: Samoa Joe.

Gail Kim vs. ODB vs. Rhaka Khan vs. Roxxi Leveux vs. Angelina Love vs. Velvet Sky vs. Traci Brooks vs. Christy Hemme vs. Salinas vs. Jacqueline
Makoeover Battle Royal

Where We've Been:
The women have consistently proven to be one of TNA's biggest draws, so this month they're getting a gauntlet culminating in a ladder match. The loser of the ladder match will have her head shaved, unless that loser is Gail Kim (who won immunity on this past week's Impact), in which case the runner-up will have her head shaved. Part of the story here is that Jim Cornette is going crazy, and part is that the women's title is one of the more coveted belts in professional wrestling right now—the winner will get a shot at it.

Where We're Going:
At some point, in some future, someone has to be able to put up a competitive fight against Awesome Kong. Gail Kim has a couple wins against her, but that's about it. ODB is massively over, and Roxxi has been picking up crowd support over the last couple of months. We haven't seen much out of Rhaka Khan yet, and she is large enough that they could try to bill her vs. Kong as a battle of monsters.

Daniel's Pick: Gail Kim. They'd be crazy to let this get to a ladder match without her in it, and presumably the runner-up will have motivation to help her win.

Rachael's Pick: ODB.

Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley vs. Curry Man vs. Consequences Creed vs. Jimmy Rave vs. "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal vs. Kaz vs. Johnny Devine vs. Shark Boy vs. Sonjay Dutt
TerrorDome Match

Where We've Been:
This match is supposed to be the pinnacle of Cornette's craziness: it's a dome with a hole on the top, such that the only way to win is to escape. The winner will get a shot at the X Division Championship. Petey Williams claimed that title a few weeks back with an Edge-esque use of Steiner's other Feast or Fired title shot. There's no real back-story to any of these feuds, unless someone remembers that Sonjay Dutt has been awkwardly interfering with Jay Lethal's relationship with SoCal Val.

Where We're Going:
Ignoring the obscenely stupid name, this gimmick actually has a lot of potential. First, all ten athletes who will be in the ring are very good to great, and I really wouldn't mind any of them winning. I'm a bit worried that it sometimes takes TNA a couple of tries to get their wackier gimmicks off the ground—Ultimate X got off to a rocky start, and Elevation X still hasn't found its groove (though that concept might be fundamentally flawed anyway). With proper storytelling during and after the match, this could be used to stress how much all these people want just a shot at the X Division Championship.

Daniel's Pick: Curry Man. He's over and awesome.
Rachael's Pick: Chris Sabin. It's pretty similar logic actually.

Deuces Wild
TNA Tag Team Championship Tournament

Where We've Been:
A few weeks ago, Kaz and Eric Young won the tag team titles when Eric Young came out dressed as Super Eric. AJ Styles complained that that constituted outside interference, and when Eric Young refused to admit that he actually is Super Eric Cornette became so infuriated that he vacated the titles. He announced a tournament to determine the new champions. Established teams Team 3D and LAX qualified along with old friends Rhino & Christian. Tomko was mysteriously "injured" in Japan, and so AJ Styles, desperate to find a partner, struck up an unlikely alliance with Super Eric—those two also qualified. Finally, eight singles wrestlers will be "randomly" paired off to form the remaining four teams. Sting has already been paired with "Cowboy" James Storm, and Matt Morgan with Kip James. Still awaiting partners are Booker T, Robert Roode, BG James, and Awesome Kong.

Where We're Going:
This could play out a whole host of ways, which makes for lots of fun. Putting Awesome Kong in the tournament was a bold step—her winning it would be even bolder, though given TNA's stance on violence against women I don't see how she could ever defend the title on Spike TV. LAX have aligned with Hector Guerrero, and hopefully he's a good enough mouthpiece that the best tag team in the world can finally get back the support of TNA management. AJ Styles & Super Eric have been at the center of this picture since the start, so it would be logical to finish with them as well. And of course, it's rarely wise to bet against the Stinger. In short, the field is wide open, and most of the possibilities look good.

The only announced match so far is James Storm & Sting vs. Team 3D, for which I pick James Storm & Sting. I have no idea who'll win the whole thing, so I'll just pick LAX cause I think they should. Just for kicks, here's how I would let the brackets play out:

Quarterfinals:
"Cowboy" James Storm & Sting defeat Team 3D
BG James & Awesome Kong defeat Christian Cage & Rhino
Super Eric & AJ Styles defeat Booker T & Robert Roode
LAX defeat Matt Morgan & Kip James

Semifinals:
BG James & Awesome Kong defeat "Cowboy" James Storm & Sting (possibly with help from a heel-turning Booker T)
LAX defeat Super Eric & AJ Styles (possibly with help from Kaz and/or Tomko)

Finals:
LAX defeat BG James & Awesome Kong

For more BREAKING NEWS on WWE, TNA, ROH
visit our co-affiliate: JASON POWELL'S PROWRESTLING.NET

REACT TO THIS STORY IN OUR FREE PWTORCH FORUM

PWTORCH VIP SIGN-UP INFO - NO ADS, EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

| subscribe to this feed

The Specialists
Latest Articles by Category
ECW Storylines and Feuds - More on Mark Henry's and Tony Atlas's characters, plus the Chavo-Bourne feud
Raw Storylines and Feuds - Complete overview of the feuds including Punk-Batista, Cena-JBL, and Y2J-HBK
PARKER'S PENNY THOUGHTS: FRIDAY: 7/18: Is Ric Flair the Savior of wwe.com?
7/17 TNA Impact Hits & Misses: Joe-Booker, Beer Money, Kaz, Treatment of Women, Stretcher Match
7/15 WWE ECW Hits & Misses: Opening, Bourne, Main Event, Cena-JBL Replay
PARKER'S PENNY THOUGHTS: WEDNESDAY- 7/16: Live observations from last night’s Smackdown/ECW Tapings
Smackdown Storylines and Feuds - The Edge-Vickie storyline with a "Fatal Attraction" twist
7/14 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: HBK - Y2J, Kane, Cena's Promo, Main Event, JBL Tries to Kill Cena
Nostalgia Review: Beach Blast 1993: Sting/British Bulldog vs. Vader/Vicious; Flair vs. Windham;Horsemen vs. Blonds; Rude vs. Rhodes
Victory Road Review by Wilkenfeld: Even if you didn't see it, you probably understand the ending as well as I do
Victory Road Preview by Wilkenfeld: TNA goes old-school with a pointless, if potentially amusing, card
ECW Storylines and Feuds - Analyzing Mark Henry, Braden Walker, and Evan Bourne

(c) 1999-2008 TDH Communications Inc. - All rights reserved.

Latest Free Podcasts
PWTorch Free Podcast
FREE PODCAST: Excerpt of "The Audio Experience" with Dusty & Eric (07-17-08)
FREE PWTORCH PODCAST: TNA Victory Road PPV Audio Roundtable with Keller, Mitchell, McNeill
FREE PODCAST: UFC PPV Analysis (Rampage vs. Forrest) in-depth with MMATorch's Shawn Ennis and John Taylor
FREE PODCAST: PWTorch editor Wade Keller's in-depth reaction to the June 30 Raw, Punk's win, New Faces Pushed
FREE PODCAST: Keller and Mitchell analyze the monumental WWE Draft on Monday (6-25-08)
FREE PODCAST: Daily Keller Hotline with in-depth analysis and reaction to Raw (6-16-08)



LATEST PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER #1033 - JULY 12, 2008

This issue includes a Cover Story and Keller BBL editorial on WWE Raw falling right back into a pre-draft mode with some odd booking and scripting choices, with a particular focus in the Cover Story on John Cena's oddball performance on Raw with use of the word "poopy" and references to his own toilet visits... Jason Powell's "Page 2 Buzz" provides a special insider commentary on Vince McMahon acting like a bully toward his announcers... Sean Radican reviews the Sixth Anniversary Show taped May 23 in Manhattan, N.Y... James Caldwell's feature column reviews the new Ted DiBiase book... Pat McNeill's feature column takes a look at the C.M. Punk-Vince McMahon "Odd Couple" relationship... Bruce Mitchell's "Memo" breaks down the brilliance of the Shawn Michaels-Chris Jericho promo from Raw... Also detailed coverage of Raw, Smackdown, and Impact, plus the Torch Newswire, Raw Reader Reax, and a WWE Arena Spotlight...

INFO ON SUBSCRIPTION TO NEWSLETTER AND AD-FREE VIP SITE

DOWNLOAD RECENT (5-10-08) SAMPLE OF PWTORCH NEWSLETTER (PDF)


PWTORCH READER POLL

JBL attempting to crush John Cena with a car at the end of Raw was...
A totally off the charts great idea!
A cool idea, depending on the follow-up.
Eh. Just one of those over-the-top WWE angles.
Bad idea. Groan inducing, actually.
One of the worst finishes to Raw ever.
  


VOTE IN OR SEE RESULTS OF PREVIOUS POLLS

UPCOMING EVENTS LISTING

Articles Grouped by Category
Torch Today
TORCH NEWS TICKER 7/18: SD preview, Flair farewell video, Ross on Brody anniversary, Morgan debut on Gladiators, WWE video game news
New Volunteer Contributors Wanted: Apply this week to be part of PWTorch.com!
TORCH NEWS TICKER 7/12: TNA PPV preview and notes for tonight, Mark Henry interview, Keibler at Comic-Con
WWE News
Interview Highlights: Ted DiBiase talks about his book, business philosophy, trainers, JBL comparisons, Ultimate Warrior
7/15 WWE in Charlotte, N.C.: Complete Smackdown taping report including tag partners facing off
Ratings News: ECW ratings hold steady, headlined with the Hardys, up against Major League Baseball All-Star Game (w/Keller's Analysis)
TNA News
7/15 TNA Impact tapings in Orlando, Fla.: Victory Road follow-up, Cornette addresses Booker-Joe controversy
TNA Impact Ratings: Final Impact before Victory Road draws strong final 30 minute rating for final PPV hype (w/Keller Analysis)
Interview Highlights: Booker T discusses his time in TNA, Sunday's PPV main event, retirement thoughts, more
ROH News
ROH News: Lance Storm interview on working with ROH wrestlers and injuries in pro wrestling
ROH News: ROH to continue on PPV, Lance Storm returns to ROH, KOCH DVD update
Torch Indy Weekend Report: Balls vs. Abyss, Lynn, Strong & Evans in PWG, Danny Havoc in CZW
Other News
Interview Highlights: Jesse Ventura announces whether he will run for Senate this year on CNN's Larry King Live tonight (w/Keller Analysis)
Torch Indy Weekend Report: Black over Lynn in AAW, Castagnoli, Delirious in Chikara, Basham, ODB
Torch Indy Weekend Report: Hero wins PWG title, Moose breaks leg, Shimmer taping, Briscoe fired
PPV Reports
KELLER'S TNA VICTORY ROAD PPV REPORT 7/13: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live event from Houston
CALDWELL'S TNA VICTORY ROAD PPV REPORT 7/13: Live on-site coverage from Houston
KELLER'S WWE NIGHT OF THE CHAMPIONS PPV REPORT 6/29: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of event
TV Reports
KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 7/18: Edge and Vickie get married, then Triple H presents them with a devastating surprise video
7/18 WWE SMACKDOWN: Parks's Ongoing "Real-Time" Coverage of the Edge-Vickie Wedding Show
7/17 Impact Review by Wilkenfeld: A fairly dull Impact tells us to look forward to a rerun of Victory Road next month
Arena Reports
7/19 TNA in Monroe: Machismo vs. Dutt, Petey vs. Kaz, LAX vs. Guns, Styles vs. Angle, Tomko vs. Christian
7/14 WWE Smackdown in Ashville, N.C.: Michelle McCool & Cherry vs. Victoria & Maryse, Jeff Hardy vs. Edge, Khali vs. Bourne
7/15 TNA Impact tapings in Orlando, Fla.: Victory Road follow-up, Cornette addresses Booker-Joe controversy
MMA / UFC Coverage
Torch MMA Rankings, California's MMA Rules, Vera Makes Claim, Victor Belford, Machida, UFC PPV
Torch coverage of Rampage Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin, plus Brandon Vera Exclusive Interview, more!
UFC News: Dana White reveals major announcement regarding UFC - full story and analysis
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER: An overhaul is in order for Raw before ratings drop further - several specific suggestions
KELLER: McMahon Returns for That? Nothing Funnier than a DUI! Let Me Shift So You Can Hit Me!
A KELLER SHORT: Should Mr. Kennedy be a babyface; coffee shop eavesdropping
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL'S MEMO: A Prayer For The Business - Michaels delivers profound message during Jericho promo
A MITCHELL SHORT: More Important Info Regarding The WWE McMahon Million Dollar Giveaway
MITCHELL: TNA's Grass Roots Approach To House Shows
MCNEILL'S TAKE
Move To The Music: McNEILL previews WWE's Great American Bash!
Fans' Revenge: McNEILL previews TNA Victory Road!
Paul, I Can't Feel My Legs: McNEILL previews Night of Champions!
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CORNER CUBE THURSDAY 7/17 - "Bigger, Stronger, Faster*" review: Most-important movie you'll see this year
CORNER CUBE WEDNESDAY 7/16 - ECW, Uggla, and Rampage make for an interesting night
CORNER CUBE MONDAY 7/14 - TNA booking way behind the rest of the company
RADICAN'S TAKE
WEEKEND DVD SPOTLIGHT: SHIMMER Vol. 18 (Kong-Busic,Del Rey-MsChif)
TALES FROM THE PULPIT 7/18: Passionate reader feedback on Victory Road, mainstream perception of pro wrestling, and more!
TALES FROM THE PULPIT 7/17: Randazzo’s “Ring of Hell” offers up all of the problems within wrestling, but ultimately offers no solutions
The Specialists
ECW Storylines and Feuds - More on Mark Henry's and Tony Atlas's characters, plus the Chavo-Bourne feud
Raw Storylines and Feuds - Complete overview of the feuds including Punk-Batista, Cena-JBL, and Y2J-HBK
PARKER'S PENNY THOUGHTS: FRIDAY: 7/18: Is Ric Flair the Savior of wwe.com?
Guest Editorials
EDITORIAL: The latest TNA PPV is probably a prime example of why I don't buy their PPVs
EDITORIAL: John Cena Needs to Turn Heel - A.S.A.P.
WWE Raw Reax #2: "Why wasn't Triple H a little upset for McMahon throwing Flair out the building?"
Torch Feedback
TNA Impact Reax #1: "TNA continues to shoot itself in the foot with the overemphasis on gimmick matches thus burning out the novelty."
WWE Raw Reax #5: "C.M. Punk is not being booked effectively. No World Champion should have to wrestle during the first hour."
WWE ECW Reax #1: "Philadelphia, I know ECW probably has disappointed you a lot this past year, but please give them a chance."
Ask the Editor
Ask the Editor: Wouldn't incorporating MMA-style holds into pro wrestling matches just be trying to be something it's not?
ASK THE EDITOR: Have the Michaels-Batista promos crossed a line with use of insider terms, references to "jobs"?
ASK THE EDITOR: Why do wrestlers in WWE refer to wrestling as "the business" and not "the sport"?
DVDs - VGames - Books
WEEKEND DVD SPOTLIGHT: SHIMMER Vol. 18 (Kong-Busic,Del Rey-MsChif)
RADICAN: Al Snow discusses his wrestling career, philosophy, time in OVW, and more in new interview
DVD Review: ROH "Glory By Honor VI, N2" with Kenta vs. Misawa, 110307
Torch Flashbacks
KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (7-17-08): Cena attacks Taker, plus Benoit, Angle, Eddie, Rhyno, Lesnar, Zach Gowen, Sable
FREE - PWTORCH NEWSLETTER BACK ISSUE (PDF Format): Foley Torch Talk, Kane mess, Cornette compliments, Bret on Montreal
KELLER'S TNA REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (7-16-03): Russo vs. D-Lo main events show, plus Raven, Sabin, Jarrett, Justin, Kaz, Sting
VIP Exclusive Features
Radican Audio Spectacular with Burgan: All-ROH - News, DVD Covers, Podcasts, More (65 min.)
Mitchell Audio Show, pt. 2: Listener questions on Dallas Page's Rep, Dark Journey-Dick Slater, Black Scorpion (45 min.)
Mitchell Audio Show, pt. 1: JBL tries to kill Cena on Raw, Samoa Joe-Booker, Bash PPV Preview (58 min.)
Torch Trivia
Torch Trivia: How much do you know about wrestling's vehicular assaults?
Torch Trivia: How much do you know about multiple-man matches?
Torch Trivia: How much do you know about short title reigns?
Torch Instant Polls
POLL: JBL attempting to crush John Cena with a car at the end of Raw was or was not a good idea?
PWTORCH POLL: Who was the MVP of the June 30 episode of WWE Raw? Punk? Batista? Edge? Ross? Jericho?...
POLL: Which person's career was likely hurt the most by being drafted?
PWTorch Free Podcast
FREE PODCAST: Excerpt of "The Audio Experience" with Dusty & Eric (07-17-08)
FREE PWTORCH PODCAST: TNA Victory Road PPV Audio Roundtable with Keller, Mitchell, McNeill
FREE PODCAST: UFC PPV Analysis (Rampage vs. Forrest) in-depth with MMATorch's Shawn Ennis and John Taylor
Annual Obituaries
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 1999 - Muchnick, Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Renegade...
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2000 - Solie, Albright, Duncum, Tsuruta, Blue Demon, Al Costello
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2001: Johnny Valentine, Terry Gordy, Chris Adams, Bertha Faye, Helen Hart