TNA Reaction Report
December 16, 2010
Aired on Spike TV - Official episode #18 (pilot aired 4/12)
By James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

For "one time only," as Mike Tenay said at the end of Impact, tonight's half-hour Reaction show followed a half-hour crank call show on Spike TV. We'll see if a 30-minute version of Reaction gets over the stories without being redundant, which the full-hour version has a tendency to do.

Reaction opened with discussion of Immortal trying to hold the top spot in every division in TNA. Jeff Hardy and A.J. Styles talked a bit to set the stage. Mr. Anderson said Immortal disgusts him and they're ruining TNA. Next week on a "holiday Impact," it's Styles vs. Williams in an Iron Man Rules match for the TV Title. Also, an eight-man tag match with the Machineguns's TNA Tag Titles on the line.

Backstage, Robert Roode said the belts are coming home. Also next week, Beautiful People vs. Madison Rayne & Tara for the vacant Knockouts Tag Titles. Also, a four-way #1 contender match for the X Division Title with Robbie E vs. Kazarian vs. both members of Generation Me. So, a big line-up for next week's show.

Morgan-Anderson hype: Mr. Anderson talked about how he's going to counteract Immortal. They cut to training footage with Matt Morgan training for the #1 contender match against Anderson. (Good start with hopefully training video to come hyping the match.) Jeff Hardy, backstage at Impact, said they've screwed with Morgan and Anderson's minds. Morgan, backstage, said he keeps a picture of the TNA World Title belt nearby to remind of his goal - it's a visual, he said. Morgan said he won't stop until he gets the belt. He said it's the first thing and last thing on his mind during the day. He said he will become World champion.

Anderson talked about his head injury. He said everyone is making a big deal about the concussion, but this is pro wrestling where injuries happen. Anderson said he remembers a certain individual (Mick Foley) taking nine chair shots to the head and that guy didn't take time off. Anderson said the "yeah, but" from Foley is that he suffers from that every day since then. Thank goodness they included that. They cut to Morgan who said he can't weigh the potential health risks for Anderson in the title match because he has no choice but to try to win.

[Commercial Break]

Backstage: Styles said if you're a fan of pro wrestling, you want to see A.J. Styles. Period. Ever since Doug Williams captured the X Title at Final Resolution, Styles has been determined to take back the TV Title. Styles to be TV champion again in 2011. They cut to Williams in the Impact Zone saying it's an exciting time for his career. He's calm on the outside, but there's a celebration internally. Back to Styles, who said he's the best at what he does. He can adapt. Williams said it's a great achievement for him and if he were honest, there were a few doubts going into the match. The voice-over man re-plugged Williams vs. Styles in the Iron Man match next week. Styles said he'll find a way to win. He said he's phenomenal and not just because of the moves he does, but because of the preparation he goes through beforehand.

Williams said Styles has to clear his mind to take the pressure off himself. Back to Styles kicking back in a chair in the locker room saying he's going to beat Doug Williams, get his title back, and get an apology from "Mr. Bischoff" for doubting him. Williams gave a final hard sell for the Iron Man match. Is it seriously only 15 minutes? Give them 30, at least. Styles said his cardio is off the charts and Williams has to keep up with him. "He got me, he beat me," Styles forced himself to admit. He qualified it that Williams took the belt, but the fact of the matter is he will take the belt back.

Reax: Excellent segment with both men going back-and-forth hyping their match next week. That's exactly what this show should aim to accomplish each week.

[Commercial Break]

Genesis PPV plug: Morgan. Anderson. Who will become new #1 contender to the TNA World Title? Who will earn a title shot against Jeff Hardy?

Machineguns feature: Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley talked tough about fighting off challengers for the TNA Tag Titles. Shelley said they're the most clever team in TNA. The voice-over man talked up the Guns vs. Beer Money series earlier this year. Shelley said they worked very hard to get to the point of holding major tag titles in a high-profile tag division. They cut to Robert Roode, who said the belts are coming home to Beer Money. Storm said they're not looking to have a five-star match (good), but to win the titles and take the belts home. Storm said it's time for them to re-climb the mountain. He said holding the tag titles is a must-have. They cut to the Guns, where Sabin said this is just the beginning of their journey.

Next week, Guns & RVD & Morgan vs. Beer Money & Hardy & Abyss with the tag titles on the line. Sabin said it's the best damn wrestling anyone has seen between the Guns and Beer Money. It sounded like he was talking about their tag title match at Genesis, but the footage was edited to sound like they were talking about the eight-man tag match with the belts on the line.

[Commercial Break. The live WWE Smackdown on USA this Tuesday will have tough competition for the male 18-49 demographic against the season finale of "Auction Hunters" on Spike TV.]

KO Tag title focus: Angelina Love vowed to capture the TNA KO Tag Titles next week, which she said she has not held with Velvet Sky. They cut to Madison Rayne saying they're working with a disadvantage since Tara is injured, but the Beautiful People have one brain to share, so it evens out. Back to Angelina, who called the BPs the "ratings girls" because everyone wants to see what they're going to do each week. She said they're going to beat Madison and Tara to capture the KO Tag Titles next week.

X Title focus: They showed Jay Lethal celebrating his X Division Title victory over Robbie E. on Impact. Kazarian was shown leaning on the ropes in the ring saying he needs the X Title. Back in the locker room, Generation Me said Kazarian is old enough to be their father and when it comes down to either one of them, they don't care which one wins the #1 contender spot. Back to Kazarian, who did the "Founding Father of the X Division" speech. Styles, Jerry Lynn, and Christopher Daniels were name-dropped. Kazarian said he's a former three-time X champion who helped build the X Division. He guaranteed he'll become new #1 contender. They cut to Jay Lethal in the hallway with Christy Hemme saying he'll take on all-comers and he might even get a closer look at the action next week.

Next week: the TV Title, Tag Titles, KO Tag Titles, and #1 contender spot for the X Division Title are all up for grabs on Impact.

Wrap-up: They cut to Morgan saying he's the one-man army, but he can't do this by himself trying to take down Immortal. He said Joe couldn't and Anderson couldn't, but they can collectively. Morgan said they need to stop the in-fighting and start kicking some ass, especially taking out Jeff Hardy. They cut to a final shot of Jeff Hardy heelishly saying it's a revolution and he will lead this company into the future.

FINAL THOUGHTS: That was hands-down the best episode of Reaction yet. They were in and out focusing on each of the key matches next week while putting the matches in a broader context of key storylines going in TNA. As I've written before, a half-hour show eliminates redundancy, quickens the pace organically, and tells the viewer what they need to know without taking too long to explain the story. It's a much better format for Reaction. The very focused promos from TNA wrestlers selling match-ups and their characters were well done.

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. To contribute your thoughts on Reaction, click here.

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