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VIP EMAIL EXPRESS -- NWA-TNA PPV ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS

Bruce Mitchell, Torch columnist (4.0)

I have to say, for a bunch of guys who aren't over in the slightest, they did a decent job of recreating yesterday's stale seen it-all-before wrestling style. Abyss vs. A.J. Styles was a good ladder match, although shortening your career for so little in front of so few people isn't smart. A rough looking Double J carried Chris Harris through a decent match until Harris ruined it with that stupid spear of the referee. Then we were off to run in races. I liked how everyone wanted the title. Jonny Fairplay is going to turn into the NWO Ted DiBiase of TNA if things don't pick up.

So if DOA Vince Russo is so wise, how come there were two no. 1 contender's matches on the same show? I mean, you can have a no. 1 contender and a no. 2 contender but if you have two no. 1 contenders you really don't have a no. 1 contender. See?

Jason Powell, assistant editor (8.0)

One of the better TNA pay-per-view efforts to date. The first hour was very average, but I don't mind shows that hold matches in the order of their importance, especially when the last two matches are as solid as they were tonight. A.J. Styles and Abyss had another strong match, and the main event was some of Jeff Jarrett's best work in ages. The title match had me rooting for TNA not to screw it up with one several finishes they teased (Storm interfering, Russo throwing in the towel, a countout, etc.). The finish they used wasn't quite what I was hoping for, but everything that led up to it was entertaining. Still, it would be nice if the champion were to actually score a clean pinfall over one of his top contenders occasionally.

Notes: The Vince Russo and Raven verbal exchange was a bit long-winded and would never be mistaken for an Austin vs. McMahon bit, but TNA needs more wrestlers who can carry their end of a segment like this. Although I'd still like to see less of Vince Russo or anyone else who plays the Director of Authority, I do enjoy the laid back character that Russo is playing... Mike Tenay was clearly inspired and called a really good show. Don West still leaves something to be desired, but does a nice job of verbalizing the story that the wrestlers are trying to get across in the ring... TNA did a good job of working Ron Killings, A.J. Styles, and Abyss into the World Title picture. Dare I say that this was the best booked TNA show in history?... Replay Factor: Yes, order the replay and hope the two week streak of quality live shows continues next week...

Pat McNeill, Torch columnist (5.5)

While not as enamored of the main event as Wade Keller, I'll give this program a slight thumbs-up. It's hard to get excited about a show where every match has a run-in, or a postmatch beating, or some other ga-ga shenanigans going on. Styles and Abyss had another very good match. (Collect the whole set and trade them with your friends!) TNA did a good job of establishing a "big match" atmosphere for the Chris Harris vs. Jeff Jarrett main event. The match was fine. Tenay's call of the match made it seem better than it was.

Tenay and West certainly don't get off scott free. West was nice enough to mention how little wrestling the NWA World Champion had done recently, and actually used the words "ring rust." My favorite sequence was the promo for next week's episode, where Don West promised fans that they could get all the news on NWATNA.com by visiting... uh... NWATNA.com. Tenay jumped in to help West, announcing the wrong website address as the correct one flashed on the screen. Maybe the website ads should be pretaped?

There was something impressive about the sheer number of false finishes in the main event, and TNA deserves credit for all the cute little teases, like Chris Harris's family sitting in the front row, plus Russo walking to ringside at a pivotal point in the match while carrying a white towel. Normally that's a big giveaway.

Thumbs up also for the focus on the World Title. Now there are five serious contenders in the picture, all of whom can make a claim to being Jarrett's next challenger.

Wade Keller, editor (6.5)

As Jason said, this show built nicely with a feeling that each segment and match was more important than the next. This was the best overall package of a show TNA has promoted in a long time. Everything seemed a little bit better than it really was based on the context of everything being presented so well.

Had the main event been presented in a vacuum, with no pre-match hype, no set-up by the announcers, and no Harris family at ringside, the faults of the match would have stood out more. Instead, the strengths were accentuated. It felt dramatic from start to finish. It had that "big event" feel. The wrestlers played into that well, realizing that was the atmosphere being created around them. Jarrett looks really worn down, though. He looks like he's working double hours and still living life in the fastlane otherwise. He might have been able to handle that half of his life ago, but not as a guy in his late-mid-30s. Harris could use some speed and suddenness to replace some muscle mass. He seems more sluggish today than a year ago.

I liked the teases of the lame finishes, too. The white towel from Russo and the countout tease from Borash were clever red herrings. The whole show felt like a promotion booked by a team who finally figured out how to "do 1999 style right," but sadly not realizing how far things have advanced since then. Submission holds are over today, but TNA doesn't even attempt to capitalize on that. And no, the standard figure-four spot doesn't count.

Styles and Abyss are putting in an early big for TNA feud of the year. Another solid three-star-plus match from them.

TNA did a nice job setting up the heavyweight division. Even Monte Brown's push was really well done. I don't know if he will make it as a top star - he seems to be positioning himself in a Goldberg-type way with domination and intensity as his forte - but they're giving it a good shot. The gauntlet match was fun, too.

The absence of ICP is just fine. They added something to the show, but not enough to make up for their utter minor league backyard wrestling style.

The best booked TNA show in a while with the best heavyweight wrestling we've seen from them in a while. They're still a mile behind WWE in the ring, but this was a show that delivered viewers' money's worth and was a step in the right direction.


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