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Against All Odds Preview by Wilkenfeld
Feb 10, 2008 - 1:55:23 AM |
By Daniel Wilkenfeld: PWTorch Contributor
As we look forward to another TNA PPV the major story is, of course, that TNA's wacky booking last month let my wife takeover in the overall stats. The story since then has been a month of solid booking by TNA, with AJ Styles growing into his role in the Angle Alliance and Tomko growing into his role as an up-and-coming main eventer, all of which came to a crashing halt with a show this past Thursday that was little more than a trumped up infomercial. So it goes. Anyway, the card this month looks moderately solid.
Daniel YTD Average: 26/41 .634
Rachael's YTD Average: 17/26 .654
Christian Cage vs. Kurt Angle
World Heavyweight Championship Match w/Special Guest Referee Samoa Joe
Where We've Been: Christian Cage seemed to have the title won last month when The Phenomenal AJ Styles nailed him from behind and delivered the win to Angle. Since then AJ has become the "Prince" of the Angle Alliance, and has overcome any hesitancy he had about attacking his former boss. Meanwhile, AJ's tag team partner Tomko originally broke off relations with pretty much everyone, but got progressively more annoyed at Angle for continually bothering him. This past week he tentatively realigned with Christian Cage, if only out of mutual distaste for Angle. Samoa Joe, angry that he didn't receive a title shot, was somehow mollified by being made the special guest referee. Angle tried to sound Joe out this past Thursday, and was put through a table for his troubles.
Where We're Going: Whoever wins this, Joe seems to be on deck. He's special guest referee here, and was at least implicitly promised a title shot by Jim Cornette. Of course, it's also possible that Joe will cost someone the match and go on to feud with the loser, but it seems like it's his turn. He's had extended programs with both these men—Angle's was longer, but Christian's was more recent, so I don't know which they'd rather rekindle. My guess is that we're looking at some sort of three-way match next month anyway, so that won't give us any useful information.
Rachael's Pick: Christian.
Daniel's Pick: Angle. I'd certainly like to be wrong here, but it seems like it might finally be Joe's turn to carry the company, and I'm guessing they'd rather have him take the strap from Angle than Cage.
Awesome Kong vs. ODB
Knockouts' Championship Match
Where We've Been: Pretty much from the first time the new batch of women appeared in TNA ODB has distinguished herself as the most distinct of the crop. The crowd has taken a real shining to her, largely due to the fact that she has an eminently chant-able name and a personality relatively distinct from the cookie-cutter women we normally see. Kong, meanwhile, had been feuding with Gail Kim since the inception of the women's division, and with Kim out to an injury Kong went looking for fresh meat. ODB stepped up, and in so doing became the first woman to voluntarily seek out a conflict with Awesome Kong. Kong also has a Muslim-looking interpreter who talks about how Kong comes in peace, but I'd rather not touch that one yet.
Where We're Going: As long as Kim's out we can expect TNA to treat these two as the headliners of the women's division, so I'm guessing we've got at least a couple months of this feud to look forward to. I'd like to see Angelina Love get into the mix as well, but it doesn't seem to be her time yet.
Rachael's Pick: ODB. Kong's been in the title picture since they first created a women's title, and it's time for her to move over.
Daniel's Pick: Awesome Kong. The monster doesn't look especially impressive if she loses to her first real challenger.
AJ Styles & Tomko vs. BG James & Bullet Bob Armstrong
Tag Team Championship Match
Where We've Been: Kip James tossed BG James a briefcase in the Feast or Fired match a couple of months ago that resulted in BG getting a title shot with a partner of his choice. Kip assumed that it should be him, but BG admitted that he was considering someone else. Eventually BG revealed that he wanted to wrestle with his father, and Kip immediately signed on to the idea. Since then Bullet Bob has been putting his son through training, and the two of them are flaunting their unity and marine discipline in the face of Styles & Tomko's soap-opera drama. People have been highly critical of this storyline, but I find it oddly sweet.
Where We're Going: AJ and Tomko have been cruising towards a collision for a while now, but if Bullet Bob and BG win I really have no idea what comes next. The real question I suppose is whether VKM are breaking up as well, as Kip has been suspiciously understanding of late. The even more pressing question is whether anyone will care if they do, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Both Picks: Styles & Tomko. I doubt the real fireworks will start between them till the main event, and I'm thinking a heel turn by Kip is as likely as not.
Black Machismo Jay Lethal & The Motor City Machine Guns vs. Team 3D & Johnny Devine
Six-Person Hardcore Street Fight Featuring Assorted Prizes
Where We've Been: While trying to terrorize their way to a title shot, Team 3D started beating up random smallish people. Sadly for them, two such people were Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, who had the audacity to strike back. They cost Team 3D their payoff match against the Steiners, and then upset them in a tag match a month later. So Team 3D went on a tear, declaring war against the X Division and stealing the X Division Title. They've since enlisted the help of Johnny Devine, who didn't really have anything better to do, and who has in turn won the title outright. So after months of feuding they've challenged The Motor City Machine Guns and erstwhile champion Jay Lethal to a match with everything on the line. If the Guns win, Brother Ray and Brother Devon both have to drop and stay below 275 lbs. If Team 3D win, the X Division is abolished. Also, it's possible that the winner of the fall gets the X Division Title, but they only said that once and haven't mentioned it since.
Where We're Going: Hopefully once Team 3D are vanquished we can finally begin the long road to rebuilding the X Division into the trademark of TNA. You can stop laughing whenever you want.
Daniel's Pick: The Machismo Guns. Getting rid of the X Division forever would induce rioting. Getting rid of it briefly and then lamely bringing it back would induce groans. Neither option seems good. Lethal probably scores the pin here.
Abyss vs. Judas Mesias
Barbed Wire Massacre 2
Where We've Been: So Abyss and James Mitchell have been feuding since roughly the Paleolithic Era, and recently Mitchell brought in his son Judas Mesias to fight for him. It has since been revealed that Mitchell is the father Abyss might or might not have shot in the back, which I have this nagging feeling contradicts some earlier piece of information that I can't remember. Anyway, no one cares about this feud, despite Mitchell's best efforts to sell it on the mic and Abyss's best efforts to sell it in a pile of thumbtacks. They fought last month, when Mesias somehow pulled out the win.
Where We're Going: They've implied that this will be the end of this feud, but I doubt we'll be so lucky. If it is, we can count on Abyss moving ever so slowly back up towards the top of the card, and Mesias moving away. My guess is we have another month of this to look forward to though, assuming they don't stretch it all the way to Lockdown.
Both Picks: Abyss. They let Mesias win last month, which already seems like one win more than he should have gotten in this feud.
Booker T. vs. Robert Roode
Where We've Been: At roughly the same time Christian convinced Roode that Booker was taking his spot, and Sharmell became incensed at the way Roode was treating his then-valet Ms. Brooks. So they had a mixed tag match at Final Resolution, which Booker and Sharmell won. After the match, however, Roode got in Ms. Brooks's face, and Sharmell came up behind him to pull him off. Roode, apparently thinking Booker had come back, turned around swinging, and got Sharmell with a mean looking shot to the jaw. Sharmell has been out since selling a broken jaw, and Booker has been selling the concerned and angry husband like mad. Roode has since fired Ms. Brooks, and his job was only saved because Cornette wanted to see Booker rip him limb from limb.
Where We're Going: This feud seems to have run its course, but I can't see what else they have coming on the horizon. I bet they keep it going till Sharmell returns, at any rate.
Both Picks: Booker T. On the one hand, the most logical way to continue the feud would be to have Roode pick up the win. On the other hand, he's Robert Roode and his opponent is Booker T.
Traci Brooks vs. Peyton Banks
Where We've Been: After Roode was finished with Ms. Brooks, his long-time stalker jumped over the barricade and attacked her. She was introduced as Peyton Banks, and hired as Ms. Brooks's replacement. Since then Peyton has been slowly altering her look to make herself look more and more like Ms. Brooks.
Where We're Going: I honestly have no idea. Thankfully I don't especially care.
Both Picks: Traci Brooks. I think?
Eric Young vs. James Storm
Drinking Contest
Where We've Been: This feud grew out of the Fight for the Right Tournament in October. After Storm eliminated Young they shared a beer, which led to a friendly rivalry. Storm showed up at Genesis with a custom spinning Drinking World Title, which Young claimed after Storm foolishly tried to drink whiskey from a funnel. Since then things have alternated between being violent and joking, and on Sunday they finally determine the Undisputed Drinking Heavyweight Champion of the world.
Where We're Going: Just a couple months ago Eric Young seemed to be in line for a main event push. This month he's theoretically in a match that they haven't even mentioned for the last two weeks. This feud has about run its course, so hopefully they'll find some productive use for two of their most underutilized talents.
Both Picks: Eric Young.
Petey Williams vs. Scott Steiner
Briefcase vs. Briefcase Match
Where We've Been: Scott Steiner and Petey Williams each won briefcases at the Feast or Fired match a couple of months ago. Petey was convinced he had the World Title shot, and so when Steiner won the right to trade cases he took Petey at his word and traded with him. It was later revealed that Scott's original case, which now belonged to Petey, held the World Title shot, and Petey's original case held a shot at the X Division Title. Steiner blamed Petey for lying to him, and tried to reclaim his original briefcase. Cornette briefly had him accept his fate of having an X Division title shot till Crystal informed him that the X Division might not even exist anymore after this Sunday. Steiner got annoyed again, and Cornette booked this match with both cases on the line.
Where We're Going: At first it seemed obvious that Steiner could never cash in an X Division Championship match, but they actually did a fairly good job selling the fact that the X Division is about competition rather than weight limits. It might actually be fun to see Scott go after some X Division gold, even if no one would want to see him win it. Neither of these guys is likely to be World Champion anytime soon, so the X Division title shot is really the one on which to focus.
Both Picks: Petey Williams. If you want someone to help kick start the X Division, Petey certainly has all the qualifications.
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