PWTORCH.COM
VIP SIGN-UP JUMP TO VIP
CONTACT US VISIT MMA TORCH




Select Next Article by Category

LATEST PWTORCH NEWSLETTER
#1023 - May 3, 2008



Join our family of subscribers
Find out what you're missing...
Click on image for details!




WE ARE A PROUD UGO AFFILIATE SINCE 1999


CHECK OUT OUR AFFILIATE WRESTLING NEWS SITE - THE FASTEST GROWING SITE IN PRO WRESTLING OF 2008 (click on logo)
prowrestling.NET


PWTORCH INSTANT POLL
Which Smackdown wrestler would you most like to see be moved to Raw?
Batista
MVP
Matt Hardy
Undertaker
Big Show
Chuck Palumbo
Edge
Finlay
Jamie Noble
Rey Mysterio
The Great Khali
  

The Specialists
5/8 TNA Impact Hits & Misses: LAX, Nash, DX, Main Event
May 9, 2008 - 4:09:35 PM


Email This Article- Contact Us - VIP Sign-Up - Back to Home Page

| subscribe to this feed

By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

IMPACT HITS

No Title: I always hated the ridiculous titles that TNA has been using for Impact for the last several months, so I am pleased to say that this week’s Impact was title-free. I said a number of times about how cheesy the titles were, specifically how they often gave away plot by referencing something that was to happen on the show. The titles were a mistake, reinforcing the scripted and pre-taped nature of Impact. I was glad to see TNA correct that mistake.

6-Man X-Division Match: This was your standard multi-man X-Division spot fest, but it had one slight improvement over the typical formula. That improvement was that it was only two men in the ring at the same time. Eventually, that broke down and we got the typical every man in the ring crazy action, but it was nice that for a good amount of time, the action was more controlled. It was also nice to see an 8 minute match not interrupted by a commercial. There was plenty of fun action during the match. I would rather see a few X-Division feuds built and focused on, than seeing the entire division constantly thrust together in these types of matches, but the match was entertaining enough to get a Hit.

LAX: It was nice to see LAX featured on Impact two weeks in a row. I am not a fan of their paring with Hector Guerrero, but it is good to see them getting a push. Impact featured a good video on the history of LAX, touting their skill and accomplishments in the ring. They also made a statement when Christian Cage & Rhino were brawling with Team 3D. It was good to see LAX get the better of both teams and declare themselves the favorites to win Deuces Wild. Homicide sounded good in that declaration, begging the question of why they need a mouthpiece?

Nash’s Scheming: I forgot to mention last week that I liked the subtle hints that TNA dropped about Kevin Nash wanting to go after Samoa Joe’s World Championship. That continued this week after a strong promo from Joe. Nash talked about the intangible factor that Joe is now bringing to his matches, and that it would take more than strength to defeat him. Then, he pointed to his head, indicating that it will take brains as well. The inference is that he is the one with the brains to do it. I like these subtle teases. I hope it lasts for at least a few months, and that TNA doesn’t have Nash turn on Joe too soon to set up their match. A slow build with hints and teases can be very fun for us wrestling fans to watch.

Closing Sacrifice Video: Impact ended with a good video package hyping Sacrifice. The video was well produced to build anticipation for all the matches at the PPV. I liked the sound bites from some of the wrestlers involved in those matches. That gave a few like AJ Styles and Chris Sabin who hadn’t been on the show a chance to talk about their involvement at the PPV. It was well done and something they could do on the last Impact before each PPV.

IMPACT MISSES

Egotistical 8 Pairings: My problem here is that so far, TNA is going the very traditional route of having rivals as teammates for Deuces Wild. The first pairing was Sting and James Storm who have been feuding the last month. The second pairing was Matt Morgan and Kip James who have been feuding for no apparent reason other than the babyface Morgan randomly beat up the heel James a few weeks back. So far, the two known pairing just happen to be two sets of rivals. What were the chances? I fear that the pattern will continue on Sunday and we will get Robert Roode teaming with Booker T, but I hope I am wrong.

Ring Entrances: When Jim Cornette called the Egotistical 8 to the ring in the opening segment, it was the start of a night when TNA would have way too many ring entrances taking up too much air time. Eight wrestlers came out at that point with separate ring entrances. There were six more for the X-Division match, eight more for the Immunity on a Pole Knockouts match, six more for the second Deuces Wild pairing (at least they hurried this one a bit), and then four more for the Main Event. Add on Sting vs. Storm, and you get a total of 34 ring entrances on one show, which is just too many.

Cornette and the Knockouts: I cringe at every backstage segment featuring multiple Knockouts. They are all so screechy when they get together. It reinforces the notion that none of them are individuals. And in this case, you get the obligatory stripper joke. Actually, you get that joke pretty much in every case. As I keep saying, the division has enough talent that they don’t have to make it sleazy with stripper jokes. I also don’t care to see one of them shaved bald. Cornette claimed that TNA fans were going to pay to see it, but I’m not one of those fans. I don’t care about this match, or the build to it. Scenes like this don’t make me care any more.

Unprotected Chair Shot: I hate to sound like a broken record, but until TNA and WWE get their acts together and totally ban unprotected chair shots to the heads of their wrestlers, I will continue to harp on it. They are not needed in professional wrestling, and the long term health of the wrestlers should be more important to both organizations, and the stupid wrestlers themselves who participate in these spots.

DX References: I thought with the end of the Voodoo Kin Mafia, the stupid DX references would also come to an end. Apparently I was wrong as Kip James cut a long promo claiming he made DX (come on Monty, nobody is buying that), then later, Matt Morgan gave him a crotch chop and used DX’s “suck it” catch phrase. Please stop it! Stop bringing up the glories of your competition. Stop with WWE and WCW and ECW references. Be relevant by blazing your own trail, not by riding the coat tails of a group that hasn’t been relevant in years.

Main Event: This was a disappointing Main Event. What really didn’t work was that Kurt Angle and Scott Steiner had talked in two previous segments about their plan for the match. They were going to do whatever it took to double team Joe to eliminate him from the triple threat match at Sacrifice. Then, they had the match and didn’t do anything to actually follow up on that plan. They double teamed Kevin Nash instead. Don West, in one of his few great points ever on a telecast, pointed out that they needed to get Joe in the ring instead of Nash to execute their plan. But they didn’t. They kept Joe out of the ring by distracting the ref when Nash tried to tag Joe in. How stupid are these guys? The match had a lot of star power, but only went 5 minutes, and most of that was a redundant two on one beating of Nash. It wasn’t a very good match, and it made no sense given the context of the show.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and TNA Impact each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting prowrestling.NET's "Hitlist" section here.

For more BREAKING NEWS on WWE, TNA, ROH
visit our co-affiliate: JASON POWELL'S PROWRESTLING.NET

REACT TO THIS STORY IN OUR FREE PWTORCH FORUM

PWTORCH VIP SIGN-UP INFO - NO ADS, EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

| subscribe to this feed

The Specialists
Latest Articles by Category
TNA Sacrifice Preview by Wilkenfeld: 39 wrestlers, and no signs of any clunkers
5/9 WWE Smackdown Hits & Misses: MVP vs. Finlay, Morrison vs. Batista, Edge Wins
5/8 TNA Impact Hits & Misses: LAX, Nash, DX, Main Event
5/6 WWE ECW Hits & Misses: Kofi, Guest Commentary, Ademle, Kelly's Expose
Nostalgia News: What Pro Wrestling Could Learn from UFC
PARKS'S BLOG: Many hurdles to clear before Warrior sets foot in WWE
ECW Storylines and Feuds - A look at a very full list of ECW feuds
5/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Opening, Piper, In Ring Action, Main Event
Raw Storylines and Feuds - Do the Regal blackouts help or hurt the show?
Smackdown Storylines and Feuds - What is making the Batista-Michaels-Jericho storyline more intriguing?
Nostalgia News: Readers list of top announcers; Monsoon, Ross and more
Nostalgia Review: AWA Super Clash II; Bockwinkel vs Hennig; Blackwell vs. Zhukov; Midnight Rockers and more

(c) 1999-2008 TDH Communications Inc. - All rights reserved.





PWTORCH'S UPCOMING KEY DATES

Articles Grouped by Category
Torch Today
TORCH NEWS TICKER 5/10: Smackdown ratings, Nick Hogan top five search, Kennedy tries to explain suspension, WWE stock analysis
TORCH NEWS TICKER 5/4: WWE Results Wanted, Latest on Ashley, Hogan wrestling show, Khali everywhere in India
FEATURE ALERT: PWTorch Wrestling Schedule Updated Through SummerSlam
WWE News
Ratings News: ECW ratings are in for the 100th Episode, and it's newsworthy
Ratings News: Raw rating ties the lowest first-week-of-May rating of last 12 years
WWE News: WWE reports first quarter earnings with $31 million generated from WrestleMania 24
TNA News
TNA Impact Ratings: Ouch! Lowest rating in a long time for stacked show (w/Keller Reax)
TNA Impact Ratings: The pattern continues, biggest ratings drop for big main event tag (w/Keller Reax)
TNA Impact Ratings: Ratings for Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle rematch are in (w/Keller Reax)
ROH News
4/19 ROH in Chicago Ridge, Ill.: Nigel vs. Steen, Machine Guns vs. Briscoes, Dempsey vs. Delirious, Age of Fall vs. Vulture Squad
4/18 ROH in Detroit, Mich.: Jigsaw vs. Joey Matthews, Necro vs. Delirious, Albright & Hero vs. Evans & Ruckus
4/12 ROH in Edison, N.J.: Briscoes vs. Richards & Romero for ROh Tag Titles, Nigel vs. Steen
Other News
Torch Indy Weekend Preview: ROH debuts in Va., J.Lynn, Jake Roberts, Dr. Death, Jarrett, F1rst show in MN
Nick Hogan News: Tomorrow is big day for Nick as he enters a plea, update on his intent
Torch Indy Weekend Report: New IWA champ, Samoa Joe, ref Patera, Jacobs, women's shows
PPV Reports
CALDWELL'S TNA SACRIFICE PPV REPORT 5/11: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV
KELLER'S WWE BACKLASH PPV REPORT 4/27: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV event
CALDWELL'S WWE BACKLASH REPORT 4/27: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of PPV
TV Reports
5/9 WWE SMACKDOWN: Parks's Ongoing "Real-Time" Coverage of the show, including what happens with the World Title
KELLER'S TNA IMPACT REPORT 5/8: Joe & Nash vs. Steiner & Angle, Several Stips Established in Final Sacrifice PPV Hype
5/8 Impact Review by Wilkenfeld: Competant buildup towards all 10 matches at Sacrifice + 34 entrances!
Arena Reports
5/2 WWE Raw in Montreal: Triple H vs. Orton in a cage, Jericho vs. Snitsky, Regal vs. Crazy
4/22 WWE in Greensboro: Detailed complete report from SD taping, ECW taping, Dark Matches
4/22 WWE in Greensboro: Mitchell's Smackdown taping report including what Mike Adamle brought to the ring
MMA / UFC Coverage
MMA UPDATES: Fedor a free agent - who cares? MMA a racist sports? Nine ways for EliteXC to be success?
UFC and MMA News: Big twist in next Ultimate Fighter casting, new Liddell opponent, new podcast
UFC 82 COVERAGE: Check out the redesigned MMATorch.com tonight for live fight coverage, plus Brock Lesnar's opponent named during PPV
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER: McMahon Returns for That? Nothing Funnier than a DUI! Let Me Shift So You Can Hit Me!
A KELLER SHORT: Should Mr. Kennedy be a babyface; coffee shop eavesdropping
A KELLER SHORT: A look ahead to tonight's Raw - Random thoughts on Triple H, King of Ring, JBL, Vince, Kennedy, Michaels
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL: WWE, Bush, Barack, Hillrod, and Big John McCain
A MITCHELL SHORT: Samoa Joe's Contract and TNA's Big Title Match
MITCHELL: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair - The Echoes
MCNEILL'S TAKE
Cross The Line: McNEILL previews TNA Sacrifice!
VIP - MCNEILL FACTOR: Stripped: Russo's rich history of vacating titles (#1024)
McNEILL's "Who's Hot, Who's Not" for Week of 5/6: Orton, Coachman, Ashley, MachineGuns
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CORNER CUBE FRIDAY 5/9 - The significance of June 24 - WWE and Benoit
CORNER CUBE WEDNESDAY 5/7 - WWE recognizes problem with ECW, Travel schedule not getting lighter
CORNER CUBE TUESDAY 5/6 - Quick hits on WWE Financials: WM buys below expectations, International biz, Kids effect
RADICAN'S TAKE
Rapid-fire booking with Raven - Nash & Hall in ECW instead of WCW
RADICAN: FIP hits the reset button - Strong-Stevens tears down the house
RADICAN: Trapped inside the beast - Sullivan books WCW
The Specialists
TNA Sacrifice Preview by Wilkenfeld: 39 wrestlers, and no signs of any clunkers
5/9 WWE Smackdown Hits & Misses: MVP vs. Finlay, Morrison vs. Batista, Edge Wins
5/8 TNA Impact Hits & Misses: LAX, Nash, DX, Main Event
Guest Editorials
EDITORIAL: Why Raw helped the characters of Regal, Kennedy, and Orton, but fell just short for ECW wrestlers
EDITORIAL: Space-Time Continuum Spoiler Alert: Scott Steiner Solves for Pi. Off-air Notes From a Fictional, Future Impact!
EDITORIAL: Could new King of the Ring William Regal become WWE's breakout star in 2008?
Torch Feedback
ECW Reax #1: "The quality of ECW is taking a horrendous nosedive and WWE seems oblivious."
WWE Raw Reax #3: "Imagine watching your favorite sitcom and every time something meaningful is about to happen, it blacks out."
WWE Raw Reax #2: "I kept hoping that Triple H wouldn't bury an entire roster, but guess what..."
Ask the Editor
ASK THE EDITOR: Have the Michaels-Batista promos crossed a line with use of insider terms, references to "jobs"?
ASK THE EDITOR: Why do wrestlers in WWE refer to wrestling as "the business" and not "the sport"?
ASK THE EDITOR: Why didn't Curt Hennig get a run with the WWE World Title?
DVDs - VGames - Books
Rapid-fire booking with Raven - Nash & Hall in ECW instead of WCW
RADICAN: FIP hits the reset button - Strong-Stevens tears down the house
RADICAN'S DVD REVIEW: TNA Turning Point 2007
Torch Flashbacks
KELLER'S WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 5 YRS. AGO: Vince McMahon on Piper's Pit, Kendrick calls out Cena, Rhino, Benoit, Guerreros
KELLER'S TNA REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (4-30-08): West calls it "most anticipated night in TNA history."
KELLER: Compare today's WWE Smackdown roster to Torch annual Smackdown roster rankings from Fall of 2006
VIP Exclusive Features
Mitchell Audio Show, pt. 2: History of the Midnight Express, Ashley, Nick Hogan, Adamle, Shameless Hulk (74 min.)
Mitchell Audio Show, pt. 1: WrestleMania Buyrate, WWE Stock Perspective, TNA Sacrifice PPV Preview (46 min.)
The Real Deal with Pat McNeill (Audio): Listener Mail on Claudio, Hunter, Vince, ROH criticisms, News (34 min.)
Torch Trivia
Torch Trivia: How much do you know about power abusers?
Torch Trivia: How much do you know about wrestling's technical difficulties?
Torch Trivia: How much do you know about prior Kings Of The Ring?
Torch Instant Polls
POLL: What's your opinion of the controversial non-airing of the finish of the Raw main event on Apr. 28?
POLL: If you saw the Apr. 28 WWE Raw, pick the MVP of the program
POLL: If you didn't see the event, why? If you did, pick the best match and score it
PWTorch Free Podcast
NEW PWTORCH FREE PODCAST: Excerpt of post WWE Backlash PPV Roundtables with Keller, Mitchell, McNeill (13 min.)
New Free PWTorch Podcast: First new free audio show in months now available to all (40 min.)
PWTorch Free Podcast: Excerpt of "The Audio Experience" with Jeremy, Dusty, Eric (23 min.)
Annual Obituaries
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 1999 - Muchnick, Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Renegade...
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2000 - Solie, Albright, Duncum, Tsuruta, Blue Demon, Al Costello
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2001: Johnny Valentine, Terry Gordy, Chris Adams, Bertha Faye, Helen Hart