4/9 TNA Impact TV Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (7.0): Best: 3D Rough Cuts; Sting interview. Worst: Joe vs. Booker; Mick Foley. While it was far from perfect, this edition was better than most recent weeks. I wish I could say that it was TNA capitalizing on WWE's trip-ups, but the same sea of Suicide t-shirts from last week are there. 3D was treated to two very nice Rough Cuts that hint at potential retirement or, at the very least, a passing of the torch. Beer Money is coming off much less heelish as the story progresses. Not sure if that's intended or not for a future babyface run, but they're easily being accepted as faces. Another face turn in the works is for Awesome Kong. Not sure this was wise, because what needs freshening up more is the title put on another person and not Kong herself. Two weeks in a row of kidnapping - this time Kiyoshi by Suicide. What's with the felonies all over wrestling TV? Rhino meant well with his promo with Petty Officer Neal, but it came across as smarmy and unbelievable. Could simply be bad acting, though. With the Lauren-Abyss promo, could there be a possibility that Stevie Richards becomes replacement for James Mitchell? Abyss's Achilles heel is he is easily influenced, and that's what made Mitchell so effective for him. With Daffney as Stevie's other patient, something new could be coming. MEM continues its honey treatment of Jarrett to persuade him to switch, right down to Sting's politeness. Between Jeff's frustration, Mick's snapping, Joe's violent tendencies, and the closed-door conversation between Jarrett and Scott, the turning waters are pretty cloudy but very active. While I'm guessing the main event was meant to elevate Sabin and Shelley, they were chumped by dumb booking. You win a First Blood match, but stop the match from having the decision. It still would have made no sense if the tag titles were not part of the match. Shelley had more of an axe to grind than Foley, which further screwed this up. What were they thinking? Or were they thinking?

***

4/2 TNA Impact TV Reax

Terrie Neilson, Las Vegas, Nev. (7.0): Best: Steiner promo; Daffney promo. Worst: Mick Foley. Some questions were answered; some were asked. If Joe didn't want to be the team captain so bad then why did he enlist himself in a match where the goal is to become team captain? What exactly did A.J. and the Originals do to let down Jeff Jarrett anyway? Who will be Jarrett's team member #4, since it's the only mystery left to solve? Daniels, maybe (if he can get out of the Suicide gig long enough)? What happened to Steiner? He gave a coherent, well-stated promo. It's all part of the MEM grand plan, we found out, but Steiner's honey to Angle's vinegar does show some shifts in strategy and motivation. The "divide and conquer" approach is further evident by Angle's "apology" to Sting, Nash wining and dining Jenna, and Booker...well...being Booker. What's the two-faced deal with Dr. Stevie? He doesn't want Abyss to resort to violence yet uses violence as part of his "rehab?" Okay... Beer Money is taking the oft-used "mess with my/our opponent's heads by watching their backs" tack with 3D. Crowd bought what looked like a face turn, which could be a teaser to a real and believable turn down the road. Can the Beautiful People come up with another derogatory word or two about the fans to substitute for "marks?" At least Chris Jericho uses two: "hypocrites" and "parasites." The transformation from The Governor to the new gimmick for Daffney was nicely explained. The look could use a tweak or two, in my opinion. I gladly take my heat for continuing to point out Edge's knee injury, and tonight raise three more whose health TNA should be concerned about. Rocco took an awfully long time to catch his breath before climbing to the top rope. Steiner struggled to position himself for his in-ring pose. And Angelina needs some food, period! One of TNA's top babyfaces (I guess Samoa Joe is a face) resorts to kidnapping as part of his end goal regarding MEM.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "TNA TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Impact, click here.

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