By Chris Reed, Torch Specialist

-- 7/9 TNA IMPACT HITS & MISSES

(For an alternate Hits & Misses perspective, read Hubert O'Hearn's TNA Impact H&M column)

IMPACT HITS

Sting and Samoa Joe: This program between Sting and Samoa Joe was built up rather quickly, but it still proves that Sting can cut an interview with the best of them. I loved how Sting still brings up the mystery mentor of Joe's, and that Joe is keeping it in the dark until their match at Victory Road. All I can say is that I hope it's Taz (and that's with one "Z," not two). I also loved the segment later on with Sting lying in wait for Joe's mentor to arrive only to be choked out by Joe. Just please get rid of that ugly looking machete.

Booker T Commentary: The match between Motor City Machine Guns and Beer Money, Inc. was good already. But trying to keep up with Booker T's comments on the mic required a translator, a stenographer, and possibly even a few trips on the rewind button of your DVR/TiVo machine. And they were hilarious. Maybe that wasn't the way TNA was trying to go with this, but I so much prefer this style of Booker T than the inept African-king Booker that was on TNA just a few months previously.

Tara Wins TNA Knockouts Title: This is one of those few exceptions that I don't mind to a match not being announced on TV previously, because it fell into the storyline of Angelina Love wanting to not lose her friendship with Velvet Sky. And not only was the match good, the set-up excellent, but the timing in the show was near perfect. For a long time now, TNA has had a bad commercial break in the top of their second hour. This week, the Tara vs. Velvet Sky match was just wrapping up at the top of the second hour, including the set-up for this title match. I'm willing to bet that the excitement of a title match on free TV kept a few people watching at the top of the hour. Plus the fact that TNA stayed with the match for a while to focus on the effect of it, including the quick backstage segment with Tara and Lauren, was much needed and showed the emphasis that TNA seems to be giving their Knockouts division. Well played, TNA.

Eric Young As Special Ref, Foley Beatdown: Since the stipulations of the main event stated that no one of the Main Event Mafia or Matt Morgan could be the special referee, having Kurt Angle choose Eric Young as his referee made great sense. The tension between Young and Jeff Jarrett has still been on a slow burn, and having Young screw Jarrett out of a win kept their tension high. Then, once the cobwebs had cleared, the entire Main Event Mafia got together and left Mick Foley lying out cold in the middle of the ring wrapped in barbed wire. I stated last week that MEM should be dominating the faces more often simply due to their numbers, and this week they did just that, and in the meantime they kept up the build of the Foley vs. Angle match at Victory Road.

IMPACT MISSES

Mick Foley and Jeff Jarrett Get Along...For a While: For months now, Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley have been at odds with one another. There have been attacks backstage, attacks during interviews, attacks in the ring. These two guys have just simply not gotten along. And then, all of a sudden, Foley and Jarrett decided to kiss and make up to try and take out Kurt Angle together. Huh? Foley has done nothing to show that he's any less of a maniac than he has been in the past, and Jarrett has stated time and again that Foley needs to be out of TNA. In the end, Jarrett got his payback with The Stroke into the steel steps on Foley, but even having us try to buy the fact that these two were even cordial was ridiculous.

Another Ladder Match Giveaway: Let's face it, TNA seems to have decided that a gimmick match is no more important than a regular wrestling match. This week we got what may be the shortest ladder match in wrestling history with Homicide regaining his X-Division contract (which he never really lost) from Doug Williams. I'm just hoping that Hernandez's return is shortly following and we can get the LAX vs. British Invasion angle really rolling well. I won't hide the fact that I love both Homicide and Hernandez as wrestlers, and I'm hoping for good things with this angle.

Abyss Gets Doped, Lauren Shows No Effects: Having Dr. Stevie mysteriously drug Abyss made no sense at all. There was no sign of Abyss having drunk the water which supposedly led to his catatonic state, and the beat down was just strange to watch. And there was absolutely no follow-up whatsoever to Lauren's kidnapping from Dr. Stevie last week. In fact, Lauren seemed absolutely normal with no jitters or anything. I never thought I'd be saying this, but Raven needs to be brought back into this script to get that extra darkness that he somehow brings.

Chris Reed is a new PWTorch Specialist covering TNA Impact with a weekly Hits & Misses column, replacing John Mezzera who is shifting his Thursday duties to the new WWE Superstars program instead.

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