October 28, 2010
"Chained to Fate"
With Rob Van Dam focused on EV2, Pope on Abyss, and Kurt Angle doing his thing, there wasn't anyone on the face side to really sub for Mr. Anderson when he went down to injury. The injury I am referring to is a concussion he suffered at the hands of a Jeff Hardy chairshot "last week."
This show was really about that concussion and Matt Morgan, and unlikely hero in all of this standing up for the severity of the injury. This show really added another face to the side of the outnumbered good guys. TNA could have gone to Hernandez or to Rob Terry but both their statuses are up in the air. Matt Morgan has been featured constantly for the past year whereas the other two haven't.
I enjoyed the Morgan transition as he spoke with Flair, Bischoff and even Jarrett. I believe the fans really got behind him at the end when he replaced Mr. Anderson in his Chain Match against Jeff Jarrett. Even though he lost, it didn't matter as he got over as a big time good guy. There are times when wins and losses don't matter and tonight was a good example of it.
I find it strange that TNA is focusing on a concussion angle when they have Eric Young running around beating the crap out of people when he definitely suffered head trauma and has been acting like a goof since. He has been wrestling constantly. I don't have a problem with Young but TNA needs consistency when developing storylines.
As for Morgan, he has turned sides and is out of Fortune. Fortune was showing alot of tension tonight as you saw what happened with Morgan but also the infighting between Douglas Williams and the other members of Fortune. While Vince Russo's style of writing is definitely deep and much faster paced than what you would see elsewhere, I do think they are already rushing to dissension in the ranks. You don't want to have what happened to the Main Event Mafia happen here.
-There was an interesting focus on the Knockouts tonight as the show opened with a big ass brawl between the Beautiful People, Mickie James, Sarita, Madison Rayne and Tara. The brawl was solid as there was some solid shots. Ric Flair's involvement was really entertaining after Tara hit him and then his yelling at Mickie James. I would have liked to see him freak out more dealing with the girls.
The other two Knockouts segments were the Six Woman Tag where Sarita got the win with a TIGER BOMB (not a Butterfly Suplex). I like the featuring of Sarita as she has sat in the shadows for the better part of the year.
The other Knockouts segment was the Angelina and Winter segment. Winter is a creepy yet intriguing character. These segments remind me of when Hogan and Warrior were doing it back in 1998. People shat all over it then. The mysticism reminds me of the Undertaker.
Two quick notes, Velvet Sky mentioned "Chris" which is likely Chris Sabin. I guess they are playing into their relationship. The other note was that Lacey Von Erich is training Miss Tessmacher, which is such a jab at Lacey's wrestling skill which is often criticized by her pundits.
-The Pope and Abyss promo felt flat to me. I assume the involvement of the Casket meant that TNA is going for the Last Rites Match but who knows. We see so many brawls that it is hard to make them feel special.
-The Street Fight was okay but nothing much. Robbie E is hated by many but I kind of enjoy his segments. He is a ratings killer (just ask Mr. Eric x2) so it might have been smarter to save this confrontation for PPV where the same loyal buyers will get it. Also, I prefer the Cutter that Robbie E has been using to the Neckbreaker he used tonight. There are likely whiners who claimed he was stealing the RKO or something.
-I am not much into the RVD and EV2 stuff. EV2 seems like extra bodies that will be fodder to immortal. I don't really care about Dreamer, Rhino, Raven, Sabu or Stevie. They are each good in their own element but I am getting tired of the history act. I don't know if someone is a traitor but the RVD paranoid stuff keeps him busy.
-I thought the Tag Team segment was very interesting. Its good to give both Generation Me and Ink Inc mic time to establish their characters. The actual match felt short but was good while it lasted. TNA is playing up the fact that Ink Inc would have been tag team champions if Gen Me hadn't pulled the referee out. I guess they are setting up for Generation Me vs Ink Inc at Turning Point.
I look forward to Team 3D vs The Machine Guns as well. If I was booking, I would actually have Team 3D retire (even though that won't happen yet) and have them put the Machine Guns over. It would be a nice final moment for the duo. I am assuming that either Team 3D wins the tag team titles (Worst Case Scenario) or that Ray turns on Devon.
-Overall a solid show but I think the past two weeks have been better. Again, I think the flow is better to the show and that the characters have a role and stand out more. I like that there is a clear big storyline going on with all these little feuds going on in the forefront.
IMPACT PLAYER OF THE WEEK...
Matt Morgan- He was the clear winner this week as he will likely replace Anderson at the next PPV. He was launched into a main event hero role tonight. I also advocate his position on concussions even if other analysts go overboard with it. If Morgan does well in the role, he could be a big time player.
NEXT WEEK...ON IMPACT
The final showdown before Turning Point as we get the aftermath of the Matt Morgan role change. What other matches will be made for Turning Point? Find out Next Week...On Impact!
What did you think of Impact? Discuss the show below!
