James Caldwell, Torch Assistant Editor (3.0)

Sometimes I wonder about TNA. I don't know if it's a case of TNA relaxing with a taped show and feeling they can fill in the blanks during post-production to put together a competent show, but this was the work of a creative staff struggling to find its way. I fully support the idea of TNA completely scrapping any ties to a wrestling show and just writing a show using TNA wrestlers in some sort of different context or setting with a completely different narrative. It's reached the point of being a completely embarrassing two-hour venture passed off as a wrestling show.

The wrestling on the show is treated with disdain or disinterest. Nothing is ever settled in the ring, as the post-match happenings on this show always took precedent over the in-ring action. Some matches didn't even have conclusive finishes, such as Daffney vs. Tara and Nash vs. Hall. Meanwhile, TNA had four top stars in a tag match thrown out on TV with no hype or build-up and only gave them three minutes. That match of Angle & Pope vs. Wolfe & Anderson should have been a bigger deal and been a center piece of the first hour of the show.

Speaking of the center piece of the show, A.J. Styles vs. Jeff Hardy was given focus at the beginning of the show, but TNA did nothing to make it seem like the "dream match" TNA could have marketed it as later in the show. It should have been built up throughout the show catching the attention of viewers randomly tuning in throughout the show. If TNA is going to put the match on free TV, then they should have gotten as much possible out of the match. It was a good ten-minute match, but the ratings were dreadful, mainly due to TNA lacking the in-show build-up.

RVD was big-footed by Hulk Hogan and Sting (and this week Brooke Hogan) for the second straight week. But, that's not the biggest problem. As Greg Parks said in our weekly chat last week, TNA needs to introduce these new stars to the audience. It might seem like a small thing, especially when TNA assumes their audience knows who all of these new stars are, but they need to tell the audience why an acquisition like RVD is a big deal. TNA gave away Weeks 1-3 of RVD's debut last Monday, then should have saved it by airing a long-form video package introducing why RVD is a big deal, what he brings to the company, what his goals are, etc. That's severely missing while he's shoved to the background.

Greg Parks, Torch Columnist (5.0)

Not a great follow-up to last week's high-energy show. There were two good, albeit short, matches with the mid-show tag match featuring Kurt Angle, The Pope, Mr. Anderson and Desmond Wolfe, as well as the main event. There wasn't a lot that stood out here, except for the advancement of the Bischoff-Hogan power struggle. You had Hogan reprimand Bischoff backstage, then Bischoff try to talk Hogan out of getting physically involved in the ring. It looks like it's being built to Bischoff's faction vs. Hogan's faction.

The X Division and Knockouts got their weekly one segment on the show. TNA has to do better than that. I don't know if anyone is really into Mick Foley or Jeff Jarrett's struggles at this point. As for hyping Destination X, this show did nothing to make me want to buy the show. Styles and Abyss had a fine final segment, but that's about it. The lack of promotion for Styles vs. Hardy really was mind-boggling. And speaking of Hardy, his opening promo....wow. TNA sure is embracing the oddness that is Hardy's character.

Daniel Wilkenfeld, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.0)

I have a theory about how this show was booked, as presented in this never before released dialogue:

HH: Uh oh, we're going up against Austin in only our second episode. We need something big.

VR: How about giving away Jeff Hardy vs. A.J. Styles?

HH: Great idea! Now what do we do for the rest of the show?

At this point a meteor hits the booking room, and we somehow end up with The Nasty Boys and Jimmy Hart wrestling.

Fin

Seriously, you get the feeling that everything other than the main event and maybe the Guns' promo was completely phoned in. Those two things were all kinds of awesome, but lasted all of about 15 minutes in a two+ hour show. Throwing in the awesomeness that is Desmond Wolfe and The Pope we still only get to less than a quarter of the show. Thankfully, we had the Nasty Boys and an Eric Bischoff shaving to kill all that extraneous time. We've seen Bischoff shaved before, and I didn't care much then (if I recall correctly I voted for him having to be Eugene's servant if he lost).

I'm being needlessly hard on the rest of the show, which did also feature the always strong Beer Money, Hernandez, and the resurgent Daffney and Angelina Love, but also enough WCW retro-badness that I do honestly wonder what percentage of this show really is booked by what Hogan called throwing stuff against the wall — and I'm pretty sure he must have meant it literally. I love me a good main event, but nine minutes of good action is not enough to fully redeem a weak outing in TNA's second regular Monday night performance, and its first Monday night outing against a certain Texas rattlesnake.

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