TNA
Stop me if you've heard this before but TNA are doing that thing where some things, the majority in many ways, are good and then they go and do something stupid.
The Anderson vs Sam Shaw thing, with Gunnar standing around going "why can't you two just get along?". The character stuff works, the promo stuff works, Gunnar is coming across as the most adorable person on the planet.
The Gail Kim vs Angelina Love (with aiding and abetting by Velvet Sky). The Beautiful People get to look like the mean girls we know and love to loathe, Gail Kim is the brave defender of all that is good in the Knockouts Division, and I don't have to watch Velvet Sky wrestle. There's also pleasant and plausible hints of disention between the Beautiful People.
Samoa Joe vs Low-Ki. With good promoing, all about the awesomeness that is the X-Division and how important it is to TNA. I wish they were using this to build up some of the new talent (hi, their names are TJ Perkins and Zeema Ion) but, you know, the X-Division getting some respect, I'm not complaining.
EC3 and Spud. That segment made intrigued to see what will happen next re: EC3 vs Rhyno.
The plans for the tag team ring-a-rosey. (It does have a proper name, but I have forgotten it.) I may laugh bitterly at TNA pretending they have an actual tag division but, hey, the matches could be good.
I know what has happened to Little Wolf since these tapings so I know the full pay-off might never happen properly, but this was definitely the right direction to go in.
The MVP, Bobby Lashley and Kenny King vs Roode, Young and Aries thing. Could it do with more time - yes. Could it do with being more of the focus - yes. Have I given up on this ever happening - yes. But the thing itself is good.
The thing where I'm sure I'm the one with the problem: The Storm and Sanada thing. Mostly because it's switched from evil mentor and pupil to cult leader and pupil and I DNW. This is not the fault of Sanada who is doing a bang up job of making me want to rescue him from whatever lunatical thing Storm has planned for him because he's just a little lost X-Divisioner, and it's not the fault of Storm who has evil cult leader down pat (of the fire and brimstone variety rather than the slinky evil Daniels variety). It's just ... TNA, if you don't want people comparing you to WWE, don't suddenly write an evil hillbilly bearded cult leader when the 'E have one. I don't get to watch WWE and even I know they have that covered.
The continued lack of acknowledgement that Knockouts who are not Gail Kim, Angelina Love, Velvet Sky and Tarryn Terrell, and X-Divisioners that are not Low-Ki, Joe, Homicide and Zeema Ion are getting.
Exactly how little time and prominence the heavyweight title is getting.
My bitter laughter at TNA pretending they have a tag division.
Dear TNA, I don't care if you stick to kayfabe or not. Just choose one and stick to it.
Either Dixie is all that is evil and deserved to go through a table (which is what the interview ended on) or we have to accept that wrestling is the kind of thing where 50 year olds who are not prepared for it are put through tables.
Unfortunately if we accept the second thing, we also have to accept that she volunteered for it and then didn't do her best to make herself ready for it. BTW I'm not being mean, but being able to breakfall properly is 1) relatively straight-forward, 2) reasonably easy to learn and 3) helps increase your chances of not injuring yourself in a spot.
Also, if we accept the second thing, she's also the owner of a company that is okay with it's staff taking those risks for no good storyline reason and even if you've got the training adding something like a table increases the risks that something could go wrong (it's like machinery, each extra part adds a possible component that could fail) (see also the horrible table bump Daniels took at Hardcore Justice 2011) so I feel I lack a certain sympathy for her, which makes me feel bad because she's got a fractured back.
Also, also, this is Dixie Carter who sacked a man with a broken neck (Jesse Sorensen) so yeah, my sympathy is again lacking.
The Anderson vs Sam Shaw thing, with Gunnar standing around going "why can't you two just get along?". The character stuff works, the promo stuff works, Gunnar is coming across as the most adorable person on the planet.
The Gail Kim vs Angelina Love (with aiding and abetting by Velvet Sky). The Beautiful People get to look like the mean girls we know and love to loathe, Gail Kim is the brave defender of all that is good in the Knockouts Division, and I don't have to watch Velvet Sky wrestle. There's also pleasant and plausible hints of disention between the Beautiful People.
Samoa Joe vs Low-Ki. With good promoing, all about the awesomeness that is the X-Division and how important it is to TNA. I wish they were using this to build up some of the new talent (hi, their names are TJ Perkins and Zeema Ion) but, you know, the X-Division getting some respect, I'm not complaining.
EC3 and Spud. That segment made intrigued to see what will happen next re: EC3 vs Rhyno.
The plans for the tag team ring-a-rosey. (It does have a proper name, but I have forgotten it.) I may laugh bitterly at TNA pretending they have an actual tag division but, hey, the matches could be good.
I know what has happened to Little Wolf since these tapings so I know the full pay-off might never happen properly, but this was definitely the right direction to go in.
The MVP, Bobby Lashley and Kenny King vs Roode, Young and Aries thing. Could it do with more time - yes. Could it do with being more of the focus - yes. Have I given up on this ever happening - yes. But the thing itself is good.
The thing where I'm sure I'm the one with the problem: The Storm and Sanada thing. Mostly because it's switched from evil mentor and pupil to cult leader and pupil and I DNW. This is not the fault of Sanada who is doing a bang up job of making me want to rescue him from whatever lunatical thing Storm has planned for him because he's just a little lost X-Divisioner, and it's not the fault of Storm who has evil cult leader down pat (of the fire and brimstone variety rather than the slinky evil Daniels variety). It's just ... TNA, if you don't want people comparing you to WWE, don't suddenly write an evil hillbilly bearded cult leader when the 'E have one. I don't get to watch WWE and even I know they have that covered.
The continued lack of acknowledgement that Knockouts who are not Gail Kim, Angelina Love, Velvet Sky and Tarryn Terrell, and X-Divisioners that are not Low-Ki, Joe, Homicide and Zeema Ion are getting.
Exactly how little time and prominence the heavyweight title is getting.
My bitter laughter at TNA pretending they have a tag division.
Dear TNA, I don't care if you stick to kayfabe or not. Just choose one and stick to it.
Either Dixie is all that is evil and deserved to go through a table (which is what the interview ended on) or we have to accept that wrestling is the kind of thing where 50 year olds who are not prepared for it are put through tables.
Unfortunately if we accept the second thing, we also have to accept that she volunteered for it and then didn't do her best to make herself ready for it. BTW I'm not being mean, but being able to breakfall properly is 1) relatively straight-forward, 2) reasonably easy to learn and 3) helps increase your chances of not injuring yourself in a spot.
Also, if we accept the second thing, she's also the owner of a company that is okay with it's staff taking those risks for no good storyline reason and even if you've got the training adding something like a table increases the risks that something could go wrong (it's like machinery, each extra part adds a possible component that could fail) (see also the horrible table bump Daniels took at Hardcore Justice 2011) so I feel I lack a certain sympathy for her, which makes me feel bad because she's got a fractured back.
Also, also, this is Dixie Carter who sacked a man with a broken neck (Jesse Sorensen) so yeah, my sympathy is again lacking.