Torch Feedback Thursday Night TV Reax #1: "I'm baffled why the Breaking Point PPV lead-in wasn't as good as this week's Superstars"
Sep 18, 2009 - 3:16:19 PM
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-- 9/17 WWE Superstars Reax
Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (10.0): Best: Christian vs. Burchill (w/Ryder). Worst: Ask The Divas. I'm baffled why the PPV lead-in last week wasn't as good as this one. Santino mocks Chris Masters in the opening match, but in such a way that respects him more than belittles him. You hear that, Triple H? Santino gave me fond memories of Eugene in his start with the savant emulating his favorites. Like Ziggler and Morrison on Smackdown, Christian is on a major match roll for ECW. Burchill got a very nice showcase before losing. Zack did a mighty fine job on commentary. ECW would be a good place to do the promo work since more focus can be given on defining who the wrestlers are, where they come from, and their goals. With Zack's commentary a lot of the blanks are filled in. He came across cocky but smart, hungry with a very strong sense of goal. He seems to be visualizing the title as his already, which doesn't get portrayed very often. Do I see that translating to gold yet? That's a really tough call, and maybe that's a good thing here. I like the way Punk's video was done as a PSA. Felt akin to Edge's movie trailers, so it fit perfectly to Punk's current character. Orton's promo was consistent with past promos. In essence, he was saying his loss was part of the plan of self-preservation. He's not a complete loss yet, but he's losing ground fast...again. Dolph vs. Finlay was much better this time around. Ross may have brushed off Grisham equating the contrasting styles to coffee vs. cappuccino, but what was wrong with it? Nothing fancy vs. frothy and occasionally wild completely fits Finlay and Ziggler. Only one "Mr. Ziggles" sign was shown and not one chant was heard that I could tell, so I don't think that mockery caught on. At least not in Canada.
-- 9/17 TNA Impact Reax
Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (6.0): Best: ODB promo. Worst: Kevin vs. Mick. This episode had a lot of good intentions, but most of them blew up in TNA's face. What was the point of Mick bringing his kids if nothing more is said or heard of them? The Guns do pretty well with their offbeat commentary, but I would rather see them in a good action-packed match. At least I like their offbeat much more than whatever it was Kevin "Chet Lemon" Nash and Booker "Black Snow" T tried to do a while back. TNA couldn't help their situation, but who is/was booked into a worse corner going into their PPV: TNA with the departed Angelina, or WWE with the recently returned Undertaker? TNA probably has an easier fix with plugging Madison into the equation as it looked like she was trying to get back into their good graces. If the Visa situation is resolved by PPV, I see the BP being the first Knockouts tag match. If not, it would only make sense to christen the new straps with Taylor and Sarita. And ODB, even in character, put over the women's division in a way that was serious and giving the singles title a little shine back. Could the belt's lack of appearance mean a re-design? Dinero's promo seemed like a good corroboration of Suicide's promo last week about being a preacher of some kind. Dinero's delivery was one of a self-righteous Pharisee which also fits his ring gear. Now let me this straight: if Homicide considers World Elite his familia, and Eric Young considers Hernandez his brother, then how is Homicide not Hernandez's brother? Homicide part of that promo was a cluster. Rhino is going the Eric Young route and turning heel for his treatment by TNA. Both have solid explanations for what brings them to the moment they snapped, so why doesn't Rhino seem as convincing? Could it be because Devon threw in the word screw-up back in his face, where Eric Young didn't have that happen? Kevin vs. Mick was all kinds of ugly. Kevin looked terrible on his entrance alone. Maybe it's time to hang it up, babe, if it's taking that much effort to make it to the ring. The Abyss interference was handled badly (short and long-term) even for the psycho mess of a character Abyss is. The Kong/Saeed vs. Sarita/Taylor match featured an awkward moment that could have been a follow-up to the finish from their previous match. Saeed paused but didn't tag, but it wasn't focused on, leaving Saeed's and Kong's reaction from last week to stick out like a sore thumb. I just got this vibe that Sting takes the belt at No Surrender. If he really does hang it up at Bound For Glory, it would be the perfect place for the storyline hand-off to A.J. Styles. Matt Morgan just isn't over no matter what TNA tries, and they've tried way too hard. It's looking like Angle and Morgan will cancel each other out and continue at Bound For Glory, preferably without the title in the picture. It's probably not happening that way but it would make better sense.
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