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TNA Impact Reax #3: "The build for the PPV matches somehow featured Hulk Hogan despite him yet to show up on TV" Nov 7, 2009 - 10:27:19 AM
We are looking for Reax to last night's edition of WWE Smackdown. Send your Reax and 0-10 score to pwtorch@gmail.com.
-- 11/5 TNA Impact Reax
Terrie Neilson of Las Vgeas, Nev. (3.0): Best: Styles vs. Daniels. Worst: Hogan importance. While the Hulk Hogan involvement wasn't nearly as hot as it was last week, Hulk Hogan overrode the PPV development for Turning Point. That opening promo/speech by Dixie Carter was all the wrong thing to do. She basically said "love it or leave it." Personally, I would love to see a mass exodus by the homegrown TNA roster right now, taking Wolfe with them. In the moment that everyone was in the arena - faces and heels sitting together - they were treated as lowly employees, not athletes and competitors. After the speech, and in the Impact Zone, when Styles paused and said the words "...positive changes," you could hear how much they were dripping in sarcasm. The build for the PPV matches somehow still had Hulk Hogan in them when he has yet to show his face. Later in the show, Mick Foley gave a good after-the-fact explanation for his actions on Abyss, although this has Hogan written on it. Think back to 2005 and Shawn Michaels: Shawn turned on Hogan for the before-the-fact reason of wanting to know if his opponent's reputation met his standard. In effect: "I needed to know...and I found out." Hopefully this is the last of Abyss vs. Dr. Stevie, but somehow TNA has a way of drawing out what doesn't need to be. I'm concerned too much was given away in the Styles vs. Daniels match. I would have rather had Joe mess with the match more as referee to further along his mind games.
Anyone else feeling the possibility that the only one of the three who's not seen the Big Gold is the one going over? It's the one Daniels hasn't won, and it might be an appeasement to the TNA-grown roster when their TV main event was taken up by three WWE rejects and one of their own on this show. Rhino isn't paranoid about his spot as much as his promo may say so. But he's
telling a cautionary tale about Hogan even before he shows up.
Jarel Barnes of Virginia Beach, Va., College Student (5.0): Best Match: A.J. Styles vs. Daniels. Worst Match: Cody Deaner vs. Desmond Wolfe. TNA Impact has a lot of issues. Before looking at whether Hulk Hogan or Eric Bischoff are coming back, before looking to the "young stars," who are close to thirty-years-old, by the way, TNA needs to look at its image. For example, the arena setup is horrible. How does it look for someone like Sting or Hogan to come out of something that belongs in a laser tag arena? Another huge issue is booking. The thing with TNA is that they try to take a character and make the person fit for comedy, which is not a strong point in today's wrestling. Cody Deaner belongs on the independent circuit and banned from TV. The World Elite is set up with a bunch of uninteresting wrestlers put together for the sake of a "hip" new group. In actuality, if these same wrestlers were in WWE, they would be in developmental until they get called up for something stupid (ala Eric Escobar). Also, TNA needs to stop booking so many matches with big wrestlers vs. little wrestlers. A match with Kevin Nash vs. A.J. Styles will not sell because Nash can't keep up with A.J. So, why in the world would you book a feud with A.J. and Tomko (if he's under the mask)? The thing they are doing with Rhino is stupid. Who cares if he has a mid-life crisis back and forth with Team 3D? This is how they should book things in TNA. Stop getting guys who didn't sell in WWE and go after quality talent. First, Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan should "take over" TNA from Dixie Carter, who is now the evil boss lady. Second, change the show visually. Remember, the biggest reason a lot of people like JBL say no to TNA is because of the corny product. So with a new image, new people, fresh storylines, revitalized wrestling, and no discrimination of any kind, TNA can become better.
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.
Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
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