The difference between WWE and TNA for me right now is that WWE can put on a great show and I think "it doesn't matter, they'll fuck it up." TNA can put on a weak show and because they have some momentum, I still have some hope for next week.
The matches were rushed, but at least they said there was a 10-minute time limit on BFG Series matches to explain the faster pace. I don't care for the outcome but I appreciate the attempt at logic.
The AJ/Dixie thing was god-awful. If nothing else, the big reveal was such that it made sense that AJ and Dixie didn't explain it all right away once everything started happening with Daniels and Kazarian. One minor positive. But that doesn't explain why I should care about this woman I have never seen before, or what Daniels was trying to accomplish if he knew about this woman all along, or why Kazarian (who was initially blackmailed by Daniels) went along with Daniels if there was never any affair, or why Dixie never told SURRRRRGE about this lady, or whatever.
People I would fire if I was running things: Brooke Hogan; Mr. Anderson. A much shorter list than I'd have for WWE.
I gave TNA a shot last night after a long hiatus (like Hogan and Bischoff showing up more than a year ago long hiatus), I have to say I really liked the amount of matches they gave us and the BFG series. I miss Tournament style angles like BFG and King of the Ring. Also promo work between everyone not named Hogan or Dixie was solid and engaging enough.
Holy shit snacks! When did saggy orange bulldog-face Brooke Hogan start working in TNA? Tribal Prophet is right about this feeling of contempt she has for the job her daddy gave her. I liked ODB's reaction during the segments. Her apathy toward this elimination style screening segemnt had the same air of apathy I felt watching it.
Miss Teschmacher is TNA's Kelly Kelly.
The fans shit all over the end segment rightfully so. I'm all for a soap opera drama done right in wrestling. I ate up the Tommy Dreamer/Beulah/Raven story when I was a kid as did many others. I think the reason this story between Styles/Dixie/Kazarian/Daniels is so wrestlecrap is an example of not knowing your audience very well and what they will and won't tolerate. The bad acting with Dixie and the woman the angle is now centered on could also be a major factor to why the segment failed also.
Impact #415, Spike Production Number 738: "Revealed"
I rate this show as a B. It was consistently good, but it didn't leave me pumped up to see next week's show.
Montgomery Gentry continues to do an excellent job at getting me excited about TNA wrestlers. His video painted a new vision of Velvet Sky (as an exhausted mother who deeply cares for her child, but takes on the burden of separation in order to compete for the Knockouts' title) that makes me much more interested in rooting for her in the future. It made me feel quite bad for her when Brooke H arbitrarily denied Velvet her deserved rematch.
Pope won a match! Magnus won a match! It was good for Calfzilla to point out how much Pope has sucked for the past couple of years. Magnus came across as intelligent by going after a guy on a losing streak. (I expected him to go after the other losing streak guy, Joe, though.)
Downplaying the masked men attack was smart. It makes their appearances feel more special.
I hardly ever remember Hardy beating Van Dam. Way to go Hardy for finally beating your archnemesis!
Samoa Joe being nice to his opponents after their matches is a sensible course of action for his character, considering all his DQ losses in last year's BFG series. It was interesting how Storm had the support of the female fans while Joe maintained support from the male fans.
Aries agreeing to vacate the X title in exchange for giving it a value upgrade worked for me as a justification. That resolidifies the X title's place as TNA's #2 title. Take that, Devon!
During the BrookeTess versus Mickie James match, I appreciated how much of a southern vibe TNA tries to give off. Dixie C, Captain Texas Tess, Hardcore Country Mickie, Gentry Velvet, and Cowboy Storm. Its a great way for them to differentiate themselves, and I continue to love it. Speaking of which, I liked Storm doing the sign of the cross right after beating Joe. It shows that he's not some carbon copy of Steve Austin.
AJ and Dixie weren't throwing Serg a surprise birthday party afterall! They were... helping a recovering drug addict...? I wonder who she will be revealed to be. She looked kind of like the girl Velvet left her kid with in her So Called Life video. I first guessed it was AJ's wife, then Dixie's daughter, then Daniels' wife. Yeah, I think it will be Daniels' wife.
Thread ahead: Captioning RAW 6/25/12 Next thread: The Adventures of Stansky & Rosenberg 2 Previous thread: Interesting Article about AJ and women in WWE