The ongoing push of Taryn Terrell
I like to think of myself as a fairly good judge of character and that includes the awful Diva Search contests WWE used to run. Back in 2004, I singled out Christy Hemme as the worthy winner of the contest at an early stage just based solely on the fact that she had personality and to quote Sam Jackson in Pulp Fiction, "Personality goes a long way." Lo and behold, Christy won the first Diva Search. The following year, I developed a soft spot for Ashley Massaro and figured she would win. Again, for me it was all about personality. Like Christy, Ashley had it and ended up bagging the contract.
The following year, I put my money on Layla winning the Diva Search. Although she didn't have a strong personality like the previous winners, she still had more than her competitors and that's exactly what happened. By 2007, I figured I was some sort of genius and whomever I backed would undoubtedly be the winner.... Then Eve Torres won. Did I pick Eve? No, I did not. I had stuck to my tried and tested method of picking the girl who showed the most personality throughout the contest, and that year it was a bubbly young blonde named Taryn Terrell.
I’ll admit the decision to hire Taryn perplexed me at first, but I was willing to give her time to see what she had to offer before dismissing her. What I found was that Taryn was more than competent in her role as a referee and rarely made mistakes or detracted from the matches. It was only a matter of time, however, before she grew out of that role because TNA obviously had plans for her as a wrestler, which brings us to today. I’m still waiting to gauge just what Taryn can offer between the ropes, but she seems dedicated and has the right attitude and personality to make this work. Taryn's match with Gail Kim at Slammiversary will undoubtedly be the biggest match in the career of the former Diva Search contestant. Here’s hoping she brings her 'A' game.
Crotch Gate
I'm not going to dwell too much on the incident between Austin Aries and Christy Hemme. Needless to say, it was a bad situation all around and one that should be best forgotten. Christy made a mess out of the introductions, which in turn made TNA look like amateurs. It shouldn't have happened. That being said, A-Double's actions were totally uncalled for so all in all, the whole thing made everyone look bad. Apparently Aries was reprimanded for his actions, but this is one best forgotten and I don't think it would have become such a big deal if people like Mark Madden and other websites hadn’t stirred this crap publicly. Let's move on.
Mickie James is champ again and that's just fine with me. I have a real soft spot for Mickie so I'm happy to see her as the Knockouts Champion for the third time. Better yet though was the manner in which she regained the gold. This time there was more than just a hint of that bad girl that we've seen a glimmer of lately. Mickie attacked Velvet's injured knee at the opportune moment and then finished her off with a DDT for the victory. I know a lot of people, myself included, can't wait for Mickie to turn heel so here's hoping TNA go all out and make this Knockout a real Hardcore Country Bitch (in a good way of course).
