Now down to just four live pay-per-view events a year, I have to agree with the criticism by some that TNA needs to do a bit better of a job delivering a truly super car for these now-rare events. I think the card for Slammiversary looks very good but not great. Still, it is an event I am sure to order and that I will anticipate eagerly.
Gut Check Tournament Final: Jay Bradley vs. Sam Shaw. Not watching OVW, I have not had many chances to see much of either guy, but Bradley impressed me the most of any Gut Check contestant since the competition began. I thought then that he was ready to step right in to TNA. I think Bradley wins here, although something about Sam Shaw reminds me of John Cena, and I mean that as a compliment. These guys both have bright futures.
Last Knockout Standing: Gail Kim vs. Taryn Terrell. Solid match and I like what they’ve done with Taryn since she entered the wrestling ranks. But is anyone else annoyed that TNA basically stated this week on Impact that there can be only one Knockouts match on a pay-per-view? Why? I’d rather see the Mickie James/Velvet Sky rematch in this spot, with Mickie retaining and completing a full-fledged heel-turn. Gail and Taryn could be worked into the match as late run-ins, setting up their big match as a headliner for the next live Impact. In any event, I think they have a lot invested in Taryn and she wins here.
X Division title: Champion Kenny King vs. Chris Sabin vs. Suicide. So much I don’t like here. I hate the new stipulation that X-division matches must be three-ways. I hate the Suicide character, both the name and the idea that this is a masked wrestler but we’re never given any reason to care who is under the mask or why. Why should we care about this wrestler. The good thing here, of course, is that Sabin vs. King could be electrifying, even if I find King’s heel act a little unconvincing. I want Sabin to go over, but I think King retains.
Six-Man Tag match: Aces and Eights (Wes Brisco, Garret Bischoff and Ken Anderson) vs. Samoa Joe, Magnus and Jeff Hardy. This is a late-announced match to fill out the card and yet I think it could be a show-stealer, especially considering the weakness higher up on the card. Unlike some, I am totally buying the elevation of Bischoff and Brisco as members the new dominant heel faction and I hope they’ll both show some noticeable ring improvement in this match. The three faces are all over and the main question is, what exactly is the hold-up with Magnus? He should be higher up on the card. Oh well, at least he’s on the card, unlike Matt Morgan. The faces win.
Four-way Tag Team title match: Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian) vs. champions Los Stereotypicos (Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez) vs. Bobby Roode and Austin Aries vs. new team, James Storm and Gunner. As far as I am concerned this is the main attraction, if not the main event. Five of the eight guys in this match are among the main reasons I watch Impact every week, and I’m willing to see Gunner elevated as well. And props to Hernandez, who has stepped up his game a bit lately, as they book him to shine with power moves. I flat-out hate Chavo and the current champions, and there is no great love for them overall, even among casual fans who generally root for the faces. With Storm hobbled by injury, I think that throws out the original plan to put the belts on him and Gunner. I think the best move is returning the belts to the World Tag Team Champions of the World, but I won’t hold my breath. Champions retain (darn it).
And now we get to the problem – the top three matches include a tired, overplayed match-up (albeit one helped mightily by a hot storyline) and two match-ups unlikely to produce wrestling classics. What is this, WCW circa 1998?
Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles: For reasons outline in the first part of this column, I’m not as into this match as I should be. To me, Angle is beat up and played out. I haven’t cared about him as a face, heel or tweener in a while now. I am very interested in the AJ Styles story and hope for some clarification as to whether he is supposed to be a heel now or a face. He certainly gets the heelish role in this match. Styles wins, right? No other outcome makes sense to me.
Television title: Champion DeVon vs. Joseph Park. I love Joseph Park, and have from day one. I still do, even though I sense just a bit of staleness creeping into the character. He can still be a hysterically funny character, but how will he do as a long-term wrestler? TNA got the shock value out of DeVon joining Aces and Eights and he’s held the TV title for too long, without defending it much. Park should win here, and maybe go on to defend against other Aces and Eights members, such as DOC. (And I hope for a run-in by “Abyss” as I still think the best outcome to this long story would be that “Joseph Park is not Abyss.”)
World Title: Champion Bully Ray vs. Sting. Stipulation: If Sting loses, he can never challenge for the world title again. That alone gives me reason to root for Bully Ray, since 54-year-old Steve Borden should be nothing more than a special attraction at this point. (And may we all look and move like Borden when we reach our mid-50s.) As with the last pay-per-view, I think many of the smart fans have an idea what will happen, here it’s just a question of how it will be executed. Brooke Hogan comes to ringside, cheers on Sting, then “accidentally” helps Bully Ray retain the title.
As always feedback is welcome … Heed the … oh, you know what to do.
