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RADICAN'S TAKE
TALES FROM THE PULPIT 9/12 Another month, another PPV, and more of the same from TNA Sep 12, 2008 - 7:12:56 PM
One of the most frustrating things about TNA the past few months is that the storylines and angles on television for the most part haven't been geared towards selling the PPVs. Samoa Joe has been the TNA Champion since April, yet he hasn't had a single title defense where there were no gimmicks, outside interference, or anything else hindering the match.
Joe's storylines haven't been about a one on one confrontation in the ring with top challengers from month to month, but instead they've been about his rocky relationship with Kevin Nash. TNA creative seemingly has a very difficult time making any angle about Joe going against a top rival in the ring with no gimmicks.
Joe's time as Champion looks to have been used to serve as a launching point for the return of Jeff Jarrett. The go home edition of Impact last night focused not on Joe taking on four top challengers, but instead was a muddled mess focused on Joe's relationship with Nash, his feud with Sting, and his apparently budding relationship with Jeff Jarrett. With these factors in play, is it any wonder that it's hard to forget he's defending the title in a multi-man match against three challengers?
TNA creative has no idea how to properly tell a story. Christian got a small segment on Impact about wrestling in his home country and how much it means to him, but with three other guys in the ring, that means almost nothing. We've seen Christian in multi-man matches before. Sure, he might pull off a dangerous stunt once or twice during the match, but ultimately he tends to fade to the background when involved in multi-man main events on PPV.
We've already seen Joe's feuds run their course against Booker T and Kurt Angle; they're hardly fresh contenders to the title. Joe's match this Sunday feels like it was thrown together, which is to be expected given that most of his time in-ring as champion has been about outside factors. Ultimately that doesn't sell PPVs.
TNA going to Canada to run a PPV for the first time should be a huge story, but instead they've followed the same creative formula for three months now and have managed to make the show seem inconsequential. I've said for months that Dixie Carter needs to step in and make the necessary changes. The talent is there, but the creative holds them back and with good ol' Double J back in the fold, things could actually get much worse.
Let your voice be heard!: Next week, I'll present my second "The Taint" of the week award. You can email me your nominations up until Tuesday night at PWTorchSean@gmail.com. Vote early and often if you see something worthy of "The Taint." Make sure you put "The Taint" in the subject line for your nominations.
Sean Radican and Derek Burgan deliver state-of-the-art wrestling audio each and every weekend exclusively at PWTorch.com/members. When not writing his obnoxiously successful “Tales from the Pulpit,” Sean compulsively whistles while he works. Contact him at PWTorchSean@gmail.com.
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