Home OtherPro Wrestling Notes from the Squared Circle: Has TNA Drawn me in?

Notes from the Squared Circle: Has TNA Drawn me in?

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Forgive me for the late recap but I recently watched my first ever TNA Impact that seemed from the outside looking in that it was going to be the culmination of feuds that were building. A pseudo PPV if you will. With a subtitle like “Bell to Bell” I was excited that this was going to be my first Impact viewing. Now full disclosure, the only names I really recognize are the ones that came from WWE. I know, I have been living in a WWE bubble for the last seventeen years or so but I have yet to meet a wrestling fan who does not follow WWE.

The man that starts the show is a someone I have heard of around the IWC so it was nice to put a name to the face. (Although something I noticed as the show went on is that most of these guys are copy and pasted from each other. I mean, sure Young has the beard but if he shaved, he would look just like Bobby Roode.) Young starts off the show with a promo; of course with a this being called Bell to Bell how else would you start the wrestling show? I kid. This is a wrestling promotion, if they didn’t start off with a promo they would be trying too hard. It is a tried and true formula for a reason. The promo is pretty basic and I can’t think of anything that made it stand out in a good way. I was unfortunately drawn to the audience as they didn’t seem to be that into it either. Some fans were not even facing the ring and seemed to be having their own conversation. And I swear a guy in the front row even yawned. Pretty embarrassing. Bobby Roode interrupts and says “I won’t tap, but I will make you tap”. Almost seemed kind of childish.

The match itself was nothing that blew me away. For a submission match I wish they would have focused on the submissions themselves to really create that story in the ring. There was a lot of exits to the outside which I thought was odd. The match ended with a ref bump and I took note of this because I cannot tell you the last time I saw a ref bump. It was actually kind of refreshing and led to Eric Young getting the victory.

Next we get an interview with the TNA tag team champions, The Wolves, in the ring. Eddie Edwards is to hurt for the team to continue holding onto the titles so they are now vacated. These two seem to be more over than any tag team in WWE so I am kind of upset I won’t get to see them wrestle on this show. Davy Richards has some pretty decent chops on the mic and I was really drawn into his promo about how he guarantees the Wolves will be back on top. During the promo I also heard one guy try a “CM Punk” chant. I hate that is a thing even in TNA.

Next we get a Lashley interview which is bland and “I want my title back”ish. Nothing new here moving along.

There is a commercial for Sting’s greatest TNA matches. The timing of this release has not been lost on me.

Next we have a knockouts match. Oh yea! Gail Kim! I really liked her stint in WWE and in fact Just heard some audio of her talking about how she quit the WWE. It was during a battle Royal and she literally just rolled out of the ring and nobody noticed. hilarious, go find the video.

Anyway, her opponent, Angelina Love comes out and there is a shot of the crowd showing two kids; one is clearly wearing a John Cena shirt. This feels like such an armature shot because there is no way WWE shows anyone wearing anything but a WWE shirt on a close up.

Love grabs a mic and it is here I must point out twenty minutes have passed since the first match. Seriously, Bell to Bell?

The match is pretty good, if anything because I really like Kim. And Love plays the role of a heel perfectly in the ring. Vicious attacks, constant beatings, this is the story I wish I got from Roode and Young earlier. Kim gets the win.

There is a video package shown to help me understand the history of Magnus and Bram. There seems to have been some dispute over a briefcase which is ripped off of WWE’s Money in the Bank briefcase, however after doing some research I learn this is actually a concept called a “Feast or Fired briefcase”. A unique concept that sees four briefcases up for grabs and you do not know whether or not you will receive a title match or a pink slip.

I really enjoyed the match between Magnus and Bram for it being a hardcore match that does not seem to happen too often on WWE television which is a shame. There was some really hard hits and the chemistry between these two is very apparent. A sub plot surrounds former WWE diva Mickie James. Interesting that I have seen three Knockouts and two of them came from WWE.

The only real problem I had with this match was at one point in time, Bram wraps a steel chair around Maguns’ neck and rams him into the post. I have seen similar moves take guys “out of action” for months so the fact this is just another move seems a bit silly. But this is wrestling. all of it is a bit silly. The good guy Magnus gets the win and I enjoyed what I have seen from everyone in the ring thus far. Seems everyone knew exactly how to play the role given to them and it paid off here.

The main event of the night is Lashley against TNA Champion Kurt Angle who won the title two weeks prior. This is something else I miss from WWE. The last time the WWE title changed hands was in 2011 when Cena beat Rey Mysterio. I wish there would be more championship matches on Raw to really build the moniker of a fighting champion. How hard is it to defend a championship twelve times year instead of maybe twenty?

I am probably a bit biased but I think this is easily the best match of the night and it may be because both guys are formerly from WWE, even if it has been awhile. It is just a style I am used to and maybe even subconsciously drawn to. The match has high energy, huge power moves and plenty of false finishes to give any PPV match a run for their money. Angle gets the win with  a rollup and there is a bit of a controversial finish.

Four matches on an event called “Bell to Bell” seems like an odd choice. Given they must have been pay off matches and  I am guessing were allotted more time than usual. If anything really drew me in, it is the main event. I really enjoyed seeing Angle in the ring again and Lashley seems to have improved his in ring ability since leaving WWE. I found my feelings on TNA quite interesting considering how similar of a feel to the Monday Night Wars I had. I feel TNA has a better Main Event crew right now while WWE has a better undercard. I can only watch Orton and Cena wrestle for the title for so long.

Did TNA draw me in? Maybe. The thing is I don’t have cable so I have to pick and choose what shows I watch. I think if I had the choice I might give it a better look but right now, I have to stay loyal to the WWE. For one, their content is easier to take in and find. And you honestly can’t go wrong with the network.

Next week in sticking with the “Try something new theme” I will review an episode of Lucha Underground.

Card subject to change.

 

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