Anyone that reads this blog on the reg knows I don't pull any punches. Now's the time for me to tell the world how TNA fucked up their big ppv of the year. I was there and only went back after a 2 month boycott to see Steiner v. Samoa Joe. I'll just say this. The show was 30% good and 70% crap. I calculated these figures from the fact that only 2 of the 7 matches were good. So when more than half of your show is bullshit, something's wrong.
First of all, Me and Melvin got in the VIP line and got first entrance after waiting only 5 minutes. We bypassed everyone who knew us and was waiting forever and of course they were talking shit. Fuck 'em. Reparations, baby. Reparations.
Then they caught up to us in the back line and I saw that TNA got a little smarter by putting up some curtains so people can't see anything backstage which is definitely the right thing to do. Problem is that they probably got the curtains from fucking Family Dollar cuz you could move 'em to the fucking side and take a wide open peek to the back. Nice job, numbskulls. If you're gonna spend the money, spend it right. Fucking idiots. So we stood there, talked shit, and waited and waited. Shoulda brought my chair to sit in. If I ever go back there (which is highly doubtful at this point), then I'm gonna do that for sure.
They opened the doors and we were in our usual spot in the pit. Some of us sat up top in the bleachers, some at the bottom bleachers, some in the pit. We were in the pit. And it was literally the fucking pits cuz, again, TNA got smart and instead of leaving people out in the cold who were waiting for hours on end, they let everyone inside. And I mean every fucking one. It was so fucking crowded in that bitch you couldn't walk through the fuckers to get to the bathroom without shitting yourself before getting there. I didn't mind that cuz I'm an old school ECW fan. I'm used to it.
I have my rep along with my peeps. We cuss a lot. Some short guy who works for TNA who was giving his kids sitting next to us some food and drink got on Andy's case and asked him not to cuss around his kids. Andy played the race card and asked the guy why he didn't say nothin' to me cuz I cuss more than anyone. Andy said it's cuz I'm black and the guy didn't respond to it. He left and then his wife sitting next to us started arguing with Andy about his mouth. It ain't like we never saw her or sat next to her before. She called him an asshole and she wasn't lying about it cuz that's what Andy is and he'll be the first to admit it, the fucking prick asshole motherfucker sonovabitch. Thing is, he has to right to say whatever the fuck he wants, whereever, and whenever. And he told her that. So she stooped down to his level by cussing him out.
Then she got on my case but I went a different route. I made her feel like shit for setting a bad example to her kids by arguing and cussing in front of them, the dumb bitch. Later on during the first match, she would apologize to me. But not Andy. Ha ha. I guess I struck a chord. I didn't necessarily accept the apology, but I told her everything's okay. Shit was cool again after that. And we kept on cussing as usual.
The preshow begins with tons of video packages that would air multiple times again during the live show. Shit like this would fuck up the last 2 matches. I caught my first glimpse of Christy Hemme. Not even close to being impressed. She's just another WWE bitch who can't wrestle and her fucking forehead is bigger than my whole bald ass head. Monty Brown cut a long, boring promo. A total waste of time considering he's not in any angles with anyone. He used to be the one guy that could've been the star that defined TNA. He was world champion material and he cut good promos and had good matches. But TNA dropped the ball and now he can't be taken seriously cuz of his spotty win/loss record. Courtesy of TNA.
Then there was a forgetful match that The Naturals lost. Shane Douglas' out-of-shape ass came down and lectured them on how they made him look bad and how he'd mold them into a great tag team and bullshit. What the fuck was that shit all about? The only thing The Naturals need is to get the fuck out of TNA cuz they're being severely held back. I've seen these guys wrestle in their usual style and lemme tell ya, these fucking guys are great. They got all the tools to be a superstar tag team someday if they stick together and get the proper push from a promoter that knows how to use them. The way things are now, it ain't gonna happen in TNA.
Penzer does his usual bit trying to hype the crowd, telling us what matches will take place, and about the new director of authority that everyone already knew who it was. Or they didn't care. So 30 minutes was wasted. 30 minutes that's supposed to be used to convince people to shell out some bucks to get the ppv. I think they failed miserably.
1. Team 3d b. The James Gang.
Predictable and the usual TNA “hardcore” match. Nothing new or innovative. Here's where TNA dropped and is still dropping the ball with this program. These are 2 of the biggest tag teams on the planet. Or at least they used to be. Team 3d became stars in ECW as the Dudley Boys. The James Gang got over in WWE as the New Age Outlaws. They both got big around the same era over a decade ago. No one can deny the popularity and importance of either of these teams. But did TNA make any reference to their past accomplishments and historical importance to the industry? No.
Was the match good? Hell yeah. I loved it. They wrestled all over the place. But as I said before, it was nothing new. It was simply a formula that's been proven to work. TNA fucked up by putting security in certain spots in the audience; practically telling us fans that the action is gonna spill into the crowd. I got my tv time in with the chair and I've come to find out I'm even more recognizalbe now because of that. Seems I'm the only one who's got balls to get involved that much. Me and Leo the chop king. See, there's a section across from us that just sits there and watches rather than participates. Bubba was holding one of his opponents for one of them to chop and nobody stepped up. Finally someone did and it was a pussy chop. Punk ass bitches. If that was us, man, we woulda chopped that motherfucker so hard it'd look like he was a fresh burn victim. This was a great match in person but TNA needs to learn how to do storylines.
2. Rhino b. Bobby Roode w/Scott D'Amore.
What a stinker of a match. Why this was on the ppv, I have no idea. There was no build up, no story, no reason to care about it, nothing on the line, no reason for this to occur on a big show other than for TNA to give their talent equal time. This was an Xplosion quality match, not ppv. Absolutely pointless. And it was over 10 minutes. They coulda scrapped this shit and gave that time to the last 2 matches.
3. Low Ki b. Sonjay Dut, Shark Boy, Petey Williams, Jay Lethal, and Alex Shelley.
Andy liked this match cuz he loves Low Ki, Senshi, whatever he wants to call himself these days. But I thought it was kinda slow for the amount of talent in that ring. I predicted the winner and the order of elimination. Beat that. Lax's Homicide and Hot Stuff Hernandez were in the spanish announce area struggling to stay awake during the match. I can see why cuz I wanted to do the same thing. Melvin almost did for a later match. It was a good finish but I didn't like the setup. This match shoulda been longer and better.
Melvin has a mad hate-on for Shark Boy who was out of place and didn't belong in this match. Melvin said if Shark Boy won, he'd jump in the ring. Let's just say he's a lucky little spic.
4. Kevin Nash b. Chris Sabin.
I don't know why Nash won this. He has nothing to gain. Maybe later he'll put Sabin over. Maybe. This is Nash we're talking about here. The match sucked, btw.
5. AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels b. AMW to win the NWA tag belts.
I was in the food line waiting to get some grub while this match was going on. It was nigger customer service so you know we had a long wait and fucked up orders. When we got back, we were told we didn't miss anything and I really don't think we did. AJ did a spiral tap and the fucking idiots in the crowd called it a spinal tap during a chant. Same crowd that's mostly tourists and about 40% new wrestling fans as determined by the amount of hands raised when Pinhead…I mean Penzer asked the crowd if the show was their first ever attended live. For shame. It's nice that TNA is bringing new fans to the biz but they don't know their history and that was a big discussion among us. they think the crap they see now is the good stuff. If only they were around 13 years ago.
AJ and Chris won the belts. Why? They were feuding a few months ago when Chris was a heel. Then he turned face. Then they started teaming up. TNA doesn't have any notable face tag teams that weren't in the first match so they didn't earn a shot in my opinion. They've never beaten anyone worthwhile. They're not a permanent tag team. They're 2 singles guys slapped together for lack of locker room talent in the tag division. They needed a face team for AMW and since TNA has other plans for the X-division that didn't include them, they gave them the belts. And in a couple months they'll lose the belts and won't even be a tag team anymore. How fucking stupid.
6. Jim Cornette introduced as the new director of authority.
Talk about getting a pop. He didn't. As I said before, TNA fans don't know their history. Therefore, they sure as fucking shit ain't gonna know who Cornette is and his place in the biz. He came limping down cuz he just had knee surgery and talked his shit like only he can. Woulda been a worthy promo if I didn't already know it was him that was the surprise. And he has no actual power. He's just another name TNA brought in for their lack of ability to create their own and have faith in their own stars. I also think this was misplaced. What took close to 10 minutes shoulda took no more than 5. Those extra minutes coulda went towards the next 2 matches.
7. Samoa Joe b. Scott Steiner.
They showed a video package god knows how many times to set up this match rather than create a storyline. Scott Steiner has proven yet again why he's a legend. It was clear when they showed the video package who knew how to talk and who didn't. Then they interviewed them both and that clarity was there again. I fucking love Steiner. Always have. This match is the reason I came and I wasn't disappointed with the match quality. But because of all the stupid shit TNA pulled earlier on, they had to cut it short and Steiner lost with a lame powerslam.
I thought at first it was just typical TNA booking. They don't know how to have good finishes to their matches. Now I know the match is just a victim of bad TNA timing. This match clearly could've, and should've, gone another 3 to 7 minutes. Steiner showed his star power throughout. This match and the first is the only match where the crowd was totally into it from beginning to end. Steiner was just as much over as Joe, of not more so, but he let us know he didn't want our support by cussing and spitting. Like a heel is supposed to do.
Steiner always takes time to work the crowd and get himself over. Just like Kid Kash did. I love those guys.
After the match, he threw Rudy Charles up against the rail as a work. Classic Scott Steiner. The idiots I run with got on my case about how Scott lost and how I like him so much that I jack off to him and shit, the fucking bastards. I already knew he was gonna lose, but not like that. He has nothing to gain by winning. He's dominated in singles and tag teams. Won every belt. He has nothing left to prove and nothing more to do except put over the younger talent which is what I hope Nash eventually plans on doing.
8. Jeff Jarrett b. Ron Killings, Christian Cage, Abyss, and Sting to win the NWA world title.
One of the worst matches I've ever seen. And with all that talent in the ring, that makes the disappointment that much worse. First off, a good 3 to 5 minutes was wasted with dead air and over-long intros. At one point, the wrestlers were just waiting in their respective spots waiting to get the action going. The way they worked Killings, I thought he was gonna win since he wasn't really used to setup the match that much. Again, Melvin said if Killings won he'd give me a hundred smackers on the spot. As the night progressed, his little spic ass was gettin' nervous.
Quite a few things were wrong here. First, Zbyszko and Hebner's turns were unwarranted and completely out of left field. So much so that it came across as stupid and pointless. Why? And Impact the next night proved the idiocy of that angle. They tried to copy the Bischoff/Russo angle in WCW where they stripped everyone of their titles and started everything over again cuz the company was in turmoil. I think TNA is purposely trying to get into turmoil for ratings rather than get out of it, the morons. Look what happened to WCW. Don't go that route if you people have brains.
Another fuckup is the Abyss spot where he went crashing through the tables from the ladder. This was the worst spot in wrestling history. The objective is to hang the belt up to win and you gotta be in the middle of the ring to do that. Abyss set up the ladder on the corner closest to the tables and started climbing it. Huh? It was so goddamn obvious wha was gonna happen, we all just looked at each other when it did and shook our heads. No pop here, thank you very much. Don't play us for suckers, TNA. We know what's what. That spot was horrible.
I will give the fans some credit though. They know bullshit when they see it. For TNA to even have the thought of giving Jarrett back that belt was ludicrous. If it wasn't obvious during his previous wins, reigns, and promos that the fans absolutely don't want him to have that strap, then TNA is truly blind. But here's the deal. Jarrett looks good and has a consistent work rate. He can cut great promos. He's a superstar for a reason. But the fact that he's one of the top dogs in TNA and he keeps putting that belt on himself doesn't sit well with anyone. He's doing what Nash did in WCW and we all know how well that went. He's always got to be in the main event and in the spotlight. Stop it, Jarrett. Just stop that shit, man. Give us a break from you. I totally respect your ability, but enough is enough, man.
Now, I was at Bash and the Beach in '96 in Daytona when Hogan turned. To be there live was unlike anything that's ever happened in wrestling history. It was amazing and unforgettable. The fans were so pissed at TNA's decision to give Jarrett back that belt that they recreated that night, almost 10 years later exactly. How's that for history? My question is was it blatant? Did Dixie Carter and company plant some people in the audience to throw stuff like they did when Christian Cage won the belt and fans jumped the rail? Think about it.
Wrestling history changed forever when Hogan turned. That's undeniable and nonarguable. The reaction to Jarrett's win won't even come close to what happened then, but it is similar. They do it all the time in Mexico and it makes for great tv. Who's to say, as a nod to the event a decade ago, that TNA didn't plant people for the exact same reason? Great tv. PPV buys. If that's the case, I have to give them credit for a job well done. I can't hate on it cuz I threw shit too. Had a damn good time doin' it, too. And I'll do it a damn 'gain if the opportunity presents itself.
But if the fans legitimately reacted the way they did to the situation, I don't think they're wrong for it. Everyone's favorite wrestling writer Rich doesn't like what happened 10 years ago or what happened that night. He thinks the fans are idiots for endangering the wrestlers and other fans. Whatever. For reasons I stated before, it makes for great tv. If TNA didn't plan that, you better fucking believe behind the scenes they're thanking us fans for what we did. I know I would. I don't think that's gonna be a trend that'll continue on for American wrestling. Nothing historical happened to the point where it'll be copied. The only historical thing that did happen is TNA fucked up the heritage and respectability of their own belt.
Idiot fans in the crowd were chanting “ECW sucks” which is exaclty what Vince wants. He wants to bury the legacy like he did with WCW. More morons were chanting “Russo sucks” which proves their retardation. Russo helped the business evolve alongside the NWO. Without him, who knows how stale the biz would be. Granted his booking style was questionable and what he did with titles was the same, TNA doesn't need to follow that. Give the belt to someone, but not Jarrett. Not now. And not in that fashion. It's embarrassing to disgrace a title with so much lineage.
Although the overall card sucked, TNA got something they may or may not have asked for and it worked in their favor. One of the Harris brothers came looking for me after the throwing incident cuz I participated. But peep this: the fucking show was over. What're they gonna do, kick everybody out? Fucking lunkheads. They ain't gotta worry 'bout me noway cuz I ain't got no plans on goin' back notime in the future. Fuck TNA. They just can't seem to do things right. Till they do, count me out.
There was an almost-fight in the crowd cuz one guy I gave my standing spot to was blocking the people behind him. The place was seriously violating fire code so Universal employees cleared everyone from the stairs. It was truly standing room only. Later on, they got on his ass for blocking but they let him stay cuz he convinced them no one had a prob with where he was standing. Then someone behind him got smart, telling him he was blocking the view, and they started talking shit to each other. Some guy came to calm the shit down though. Woulda been nice to see another pit fight. Yes, it's happened before. It was Brian v. some ICP fuckwad fan during a Sonjay Dut match and I know it came out on tv cuz Dut stopped during the match to watch it. Brian won although he was half the guy's size. Fight, fight, fight!
Funniest fucking thing happened right at the end. We saw some jabroni wearing an old DX shirt before the show, right? The fucking arena was almost empty and some fucking retard, the same retard Dre clowned at the Ale House, throws a bottle towards the ring but it ended up almost hitting a guy in the pit instead. Him and his crew just looked up at the 'tard and were like, “What the fuck?” Shit was funny as hell. Fucking 'tard just got up and left like nothing happened. No wonder they call them retards. The fucking guy was about 5 minutes late throwing the bottle. Sheesh.
