THE ONE ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE
JCool:Welcome back to our TNA wrestling analysis class. It’s been a few weeks since we last met. You’ve been busy with your various assignments and projects, I know, and I’ve been very pleased with your efforts. As a bit of a reward, we have a special week of classes planned today, two of which will feature one of the top experts in TNA today. He’s also one of my favourite writers and has plenty of sharp analysis and thought-provoking material to share. He is the host of Impact: The Revolution. Mizfan, welcome to the One Room Schoolhouse.
Mizfan: Thank you Mr. Cool, always a pleasure to be here.
JCool: Thank you, Mizfan. In my view, TNA Sacrifice has been effective in changing gears for TNA and redirecting their efforts towards Slammiversary. This is a much different chapter than Lockdown and the winter of 2014, and I will explain that further as we go. Let’s get started!
WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
No DQ Handicap (3 on 2) Tag Match
The Wolves defeat BroMans (champions) & DJ Z
JCool: Miz, this is the only feud happening in the TNA Tag Team Division at present. How have they done so far in carrying the load?
Mizfan: You know, it’s extremely unfortunate that the BroMans have been forced to follow an act as mind blowingly excellent as Bad Influence as the main heel force in the tag team division. The fact of the matter is that all three men who are part of the stable are currently hitting doubles and triples every single time they show up, but because they “replaced” the undeniable home run that was Bad Influence I feel they never really get the credit they deserve. Except from me, of course! The BroMans are week in, week out, one of the very best things in TNA, and their showing at the PPV was no exception. Robbie E and the former(?) Zema Ion have long been underappreciated talents, and Jessie G has blown away his image as a Z-list celebrity looking to prolong his fame and is currently no less than one of the best bumpers in the industry, bar none.
JCool: The BroMans annoy me and that makes it difficult, at times, to appreciate their efforts. Over the last few months, though, I’ve been annoyed less and entertained more often. They are the funniest guys on the roster.
Mizfan: To be annoyed by the BroMans is to be annoyed by life! Which is to take nothing away from the Wolves of course, who have impressively adapted the controversial style they employed previously, most notably in Ring of Honor, to include a reasonable amount of selling mixed in with stiff offense and incredible athletic ability. Their overall reputation may still be in question to some, but purely in terms of their TNA run they’ve performed more than admirably, and this was the perfect time to transition the belts to them for a good run.
This whole feud has had a very 80s feel to it, with the inferior heel champions retaining their titles over and over by one trick or another, always dodging a fair fight before finally being forced to put up or shut up. An interesting twist on the convention is to still give the man advantage to the heel champions to keep the playing field uneven, but in this case it worked excellently, both in terms of the quality of the match and in giving the Wolves the maximum rub. On that note, the BroMans are to be even more commended for being incredibly generous heels. In a day and age when many wrestlers are highly protective of their spot and are obsessed, even on the heel side, with appearing cool and strong at all times, all three of these guys are literally falling over themselves at times to make their opponents look as good as possible. They don’t mind looking weak or foolish as long as it tells the story and entertains the fans. It’s a bit of a lost art in modern heels, and I love seeing it practiced with such vigor, even if it’s not always fully appreciated.
JCool: I like that you used the word, generous, Miz. They are very generous in how much of their characters they show and how much of a beating they take! The PPV match was no exception. They get taken out with hurricanranas and enziguris, and get right back up again for more punishment! It was about time that the Wolves took the belts though. The BroMans had survived too many matches where they should’ve lost and the Wolves are too good not to be champions right now.
Mizfan: The feud has been incredibly enjoyable from beginning to end, and I’ll be sad to see when it has finally ended, especially considering the fairly shallow pool that is the current tag scene outside of these two excellent groups. What a mistake to let go of Bad Influence before they had a chance to run with the Wolves!
Looking past the PPV, these two teams have put an excellent ribbon on their feud with a ladder match that was even better than this opener, and will sadly probably be even less remembered. With the feud presumably done, who do the Wolves move on to next? A team like EC3 & Rockstar Spud may be incredibly entertaining, but they seem even less threating to a hard hitting duo like the Wolves than the Bro Mans were, and it’s unclear if the newly debuted Menagerie will even field an actual tag team from their bizarre ranks. Something in the back of my mind says Gunner’s long forgotten Tag Team Championship title shot may come into play at some point, hopefully not with Anderson at his side because good god what a mess that team would be, but don’t count it out as a possibility. Or did he gift it to James Storm before their breakup was finalized? Time will tell if that card is still in play. All I know for sure is it will be hard to follow up this feud in the tag division.
JCool: The ladder match proved that these two aren’t done battling and that there are more matches yet to come. I suppose TNA is content with this though since they aren’t introducing other teams into the mix. Could we be witness to one of TNA’s greatest tag team feuds in their 12 year history? There are those who would snicker, but I could see this escalating towards Slammiversary. Why not do an Ironman match? 30 minutes. Most pinfalls/submissions wins. It’s never been done in TNA, but these two teams would get it done right.
COMMITTED MATCH
Mr. Anderson defeats Samuel Shaw
Mizfan: From one of the best matches on the card to what is pretty inarguably the worst, I will say that this match didn’t bomb as completely as their excruciating “Straight Jacket Match” from several weeks ago on Impact. Then again, using a screwdriver to remove my contact lenses isn’t as excruciating as watching that match! The somewhat interesting character of Samuel Shaw has been handicapped from the start, partially by Shaw’s relative inexperience but predominantly by being paired with the ever unfortunate Mr Anderson as his sole dance partner. Shaw’s attempts to come off as creepy are actually pretty effective, but it’s all too easily undercut by the noxious blare of Anderson’s bellowing lack of volume control and his inability to temper his reactions in order to suit the storyline.
JCool: Anderson may be loud, but the crowd is behind him. Then again, maybe it wouldn’t matter too much who was against Shaw right now, so long as Shaw was getting the beatdown. You’re right on the button about how effective Shaw has been in being creepy. Although he takes regular offense to the crowd’s labelling of his character, those audible complaints only incite the crowd to chant louder. The “creepy bastard” makes it easy to dislike him and, as a result, a “Committed Match” was a fantastic idea. There could be no better end result to this match than Shaw getting sent away and, thankfully, that’s exactly what Anderson did. Is this feud over?
Mizfan:It certainly seems to be, which is a mercy in my book. Coming off of a Norman Bates-esque revelation on the previous Impact that shed some light on the origins of Shaw’s disturbing character, I had some minor hope that the feud would take an interesting direction before finishing up, but sadly nothing much came of it. The match itself offered very little that was memorable, consisting of an even more awkward version of the Ambulance Match which forced the competitors to go backstage in order to finish the contest. I will say though that it was a relatively satisfying moment to see Christy Hemme, the victim of most of Shaw’s creepiness, appear at a key moment and smash Samuel’s nuts in as a last revenge for the actually fairly unsettling behavior he’d been exhibiting towards her. If there’s one thing this feud has proved to me, it’s that Shaw does have a genuine ability to get over with his character. If only his wrestling were nearly on par, he probably wouldn’t have to be written off TV!
On that last point, the result of the match does pose an interesting question. Just how long will it be before we see Shaw again? Turns out probably not all that long, since he’s already begun appearing in vignettes again on Impact. Still, it may be a while yet before we actually see him return to the ring. TNA does have tendency to rotate their roster, and Shaw could certainly benefit from gaining more experience without national audience picking at his weaknesses before he’s ready. I have the distinct feeling that we will see Shaw in the flesh, flaws and all, in a matter of weeks. Hopefully he’ll be paired with someone who can draw out the best in him, rather than someone who accentuates all the weaknesses around him and generally makes the universe a worse place.
JCool: Question: Indulge your inner fantasy booker and tell us how you would bring Samuel Shaw back into the fold? Would he return to seek revenge on Anderson or move on to a new feud?
TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH
Kurt Angle & Willow defeat Ethan Carter III & Rockstar Spud
JCool: Prior to Sacrifice, I had pegged this match to be closer to the main event. After watching the match, I’m glad it went on early. Ethan Carter III is probably my favourite rookie in pro wrestling today, but he still hasn’t had a match worth rewatching. The potential has been there a few times and, if it was 5 years ago, he’d be getting fantastic matches out of veterans like Angle, Hardy, and Sting. It’s not 2009 though, although I wish it was so I could enjoy watching episodes of Community without crying inside about the series getting cancelled. ECIII deserves better and Rockstar Spud, although entertaining as heck, limits EC’s opportunities for in-ring success at the expense of entertainment. Maybe that’s ok though...
Mizfan: I don’t think there’s a single person in the wrestling industry that I am enjoying more right now than Rockstar Spud. The man has inhumanly perfect comedic timing, is an amazing ad-libber, bumps like a machine, is incredibly generous with his opponents, and will go out of his way to make everyone else in the room look great. If he had lived 25-30 years ago he would be managing half the heels in the WWF. He’s an old school manager type in the best possible way, and he is my hero.
JCool: Miz, you are positively gushing! Students, I can only hope that you become as passionate about your wrestling analysis and fandom as Mizfan is of Rockstar Spud. This is a prime example of why we watch. Go on, good sir.
Mizfan: Another hero of mine is Ethan Carter III, who has exploded out of his shell in recent months after integrating a comedic side to his already entertaining privileged persona. Old Derrick Bateman fans will know how capable he is, but being given the chance to show his charisma on a bigger stage has only improved his impressive talent. The only complaint I have with this man is TNA’s curious inability to give him a major singles match to prove that he is as capable in the ring as he is anywhere else. Every time they seem to be willing to make it happen something goes wrong, like Kurt Angle’s knee exploding in every direction or Sting being like 150 years old. Regardless, EC3 remains one of the most entertaining men in the company and is typically must see.
JCool: Did you dislike the match as much as I did? It played off as a weak mid-card bout, but it ought to have been much more important given who was involved.
Mizfan: Unfortunately, this match did not particularly play to the strengths of either men, ending up as a rather middling affair that had a few good moments but essentially boiled down to an unnecessary handicap match for EC3, as Spud’s 130 lb frame did little to swing the tide in his favor. Pairing them in a team against the on paper juggernaut of Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy, with 18 world titles between them, made the outcome all too certain, and besides some nice comedic spots it did little except further postpone the actual blowoff to either of EC3’s current feuds.
That was a trend that is unfortunately still continuing, as EC3’s heavily hyped singles match with Kurt Angle would come to very little as well as Angle would show signs of injury and lose by sudden, random pinfall less than 4 minutes into the bout. As Angle heads for the shelf and possibly out of the company, it’s hard to say where EC3 or Jeff will go now, as they already seem to have parted ways.
JCool: Seeing Angle get injured again was tough. I really hope he can take a bunch of time off and not feel the need to rush back to wrestle until he is healthy enough to be the best he can be. A Hall of Famer, like him, should only have to wrestle a few times a year at this point. Willow, on the other hand, can still go quite well and, during the last few weeks, has reoriented himself towards Magnus, the man who defeated him in the Dixieland match at Final Resolution. I’m pleased to see this because it’s a sensible feud to restart. Willow has defeated ECIII and Rockstar Spud and there’s nothing left for him to prove there. Time will tell if the Magnus/Willow feud will deliver...actually, Slammiversary will probably tell. Anything else on this one, Miz?
Mizfan:One thing is for sure: Rockstar Spud will continue to be amazing.
X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Best of 3 series, tied at 1-1
Sanada (champion) defeats Tigre Uno
JCool: It’s this kind of match that demonstrates why TNA’s X-Division is comprised of some of the world’s top wrestlers. Sanada and Tigre Uno have been fresh and exciting faces for the division, without coming across as manufactured or scripted or designed. For some wrestling fans, this is as good as it gets. TNA has been smart in focusing on the importance of the athletic competition in these matches and the responsibility a champion has to represent his fans, or, in this case, his country of origin. It’s refreshing to have a match where the crowd is cheering both wrestlers for their efforts to win, where the crowd cheers because they are impressed with what they are seeing. TNA ought to pay attention to developing these series better in the future; it is something that makes their shows unique.
Mizfan: It’s hard for me to even properly express how much I love the fact that TNA will send out the call all across the world to give us a match this truly international. Nothing homogenized, nothing regulated, just two guys plucked straight out of their home countries and allowed to let loose. A highly enjoyable midcard event that featured several legitimately jaw dropping moments, I had a fantastic time watching this match. I will fully admit there were times where it bordered on sloppiness, but for my money the positive far outweighed the negative.
It can be a little hard to analyze the two competitors in this contest in terms of where they fit in with the company. Both have been kept mostly apart from the main roster so far, outside of a little tagging they did together (quite impressively, I might add). I will say, however, that I am loving the vignettes they have been doing with Sanada, who is a very impressive performer. It’s a shame that he is not in for the long haul, but his run in the US is far from over and he has a lot more to contribute before heading back to the home country. Tigre as well continues to impress in most respects, though it’s hard not to feel the sloppy moments tend to come from his corner. Either way, I very much look forward to seeing what else these two have in store.
JCool: Me, too, Mizfan. Sanada against anybody has got the potential to be a show-stealer.
Mizfan: Speaking of looking forward, what on earth has happened to the challenges of Kenny King? He was very present in the background of this series, promising to challenge the victor, but now seems nowhere to be found… here’s hoping he doesn’t disappear again, what a waste of a great and promising talent that would be. Again.
JCool: The King of the night last impressed us in early 2013 when he was making noise in the X-Division. He and Sanada could have quite an interesting feud, perhaps even based upon respectability, responsibility and pride. Kenny King would certainly provoke a reaction from the crowd and it would likely sway fans to cheer for Sanada.
My question to the students is: Does the X-Division deserve more time and attention or is it getting enough right now?
That's all we have time for today. You are fortunate, though, because this week, as I mentioned, we are running daily classes from Tuesday to Friday. We'll pick up with our Sacrifice and beyond review tomorrow.
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