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TNA Impact Reax #2: "I don't know what happened to the writing team, but for once it worked."
Feb 22, 2008 - 9:54:41 PM |
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Ken Kettler of Chicago, Ill. (7.0): Best Match: ODB/Gail vs. Roxxi/Jackie. Worst Match: Kaz vs. Rellik. While I'm getting tired of the constant interference and swerve endings in TNA just like everyone else, I don't horribly mind if it is relevant toward a PPV build (i.e., Roode interfering with Booker) or in continuing an angle (i.e., Steiner helping Petey). Apart from non-clean finishes, I thought this was an entertaining show, especially with the A.J./Karen/JB segments bringing some much-needed progress to the Karen/Kurt feuding spouses storyline. I loved how Kurt didn't seem to care that his wife was on a honeymoon with another man, as he was only focused on wresting - this is what Angle should be, wrestling first, everything else second. I'm glad they're doing something with Rellik and actually kept some continuity with him being aligned with Black Reign; too bad Kaz has no one else to feud with. The Lethal segment was very well done and I was glad a "congratulations"-esque segment actually went down without anyone rushing down to the ring to brawl. Tenay and West dropped the ball bigtime, however, with not making any mention of Sonjay's obvious scowl, although Sonjay himself dropped it too by coming back out for his match minutes later and being his happy Guru self. I'm looking forward to seeing where this angle goes. The women put on a nice match for what it was, although I hope they find something relevant for Roxxi to do. VKM are done, and I couldn't be happier... except for when the upcoming nine-month feud between them is over. Team 3D's weigh-ins are perhaps the best thing to happen to them in a while, although I do wonder what happens if they both are too heavy? Overall, nothing turned me away from the show this week, which is always good, and A.J. was gold throughout.
Len Raleigh (8.0): Best Match: Girls Knockout tag match with Kim/ODB vs. Roxie/Jackie. Angle/Booker/Bubba's weigh-in and Karen and AJ's honeymoon (interesting TV). Worst: The announcers. I tuned in late, but this is what I thought. I thought the show had its moments. Good promotion for Destination X. Best match was the Knockouts tag match and they continued the logical story of Gail Kim and ODB. Ms. Jackie looks like she's lost some weight. Last week Gail and ODB had a problem; tonight they patched it up and then it fell apart again. When they started pulling them apart with Gail coming off the top rope onto ODB was a good touch of believability, I thought. Now each one of them have an issue with Kong and with each other. Whenever I see a KnockOut match coming up, I'm hanging around to see it. TNA also fooled me in the continuing saga of A.J. and Karen after the renewal wedding went awry last week. The A.J./Karen thing had all the earmarks of a mess, but TNA went the other way with it and in a way that was funny - logical in that A.J. acknowledged the seriousness of what they were doing and ended in a sweet way with the kiss by A.J. WTF? Now when has that ever happened in TNA? I was expecting Karen to enter the room. I mean, that's the whole premise of a "honeymoon" isn't it? When that didn't happen, I was half expecting Tomko to come running down the hall and attack A.J. or Eric Young to pop out of the room or 23 run-ins to take place. And when none of that happened, that totally caught me off guard. That moment was totally so unlike TNA but to tell the truth, it was the best moment of the show. It did what it was supposed to do and that was to keep me tuned in. I stayed and for once was rewarded with a logical conclusion. I don't know what happened to the writing team, but for once it worked. Did they read Compelling Storytelling 101? For a nanosecond, I kinda felt something for both A.J. and Karen. I liked the show tonight. Curry Man and Shark Boy are funny together. Bubba made me laugh when he called Devon a fat bastard. Funny stuff. I really like the episodic way that the show has been unfolding lately. Lethal-Val...could be interesting. Angle-Booker was a way to continue Booker/Roode and they're handling that pretty good. TNA needs to address one glaring problem. The announcing. Don West is awful. Tenay and West think they need to tell you how to think. Tenay is okay by himself, but West is simply counter productive. West is not funny. He's just turn the channel irritating. When you compare TNA to WWE, TNA can at least be rated somewhat comparable in all departments but when it comes to announcing, TNA loses out big time to WWE.
We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here.
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