Last Thursday, TNA Wrestling decided to respond to Wrestlemania 29 by running a pay per view quality card for free on Thursday night. It wasn’t the same as Clash of the Champions, a calculated effort to draw viewers away from Wrestlemania (which the NWA actually did because the WWF ran Royal Rumble on USA in 1988 the same time as the Bunkhouse Stampede on pay per view) but a way to fill the void for less scheduled PPV cards. To alleviate the wait and progress storylines from now until June’s Slammiversary, April 11 was about giving us a PPV quality card.
It scored the lowest rating for TNA Impact in 2013.
The night kicked off with Bobby Roode and Austin Aries (Dirty Heels as they have been calling themselves) facing Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez in a two out of three falls match for the TNA World Tag Team Titles. The match was solid with the two first falls quick and dirty before stretching out the third fall. It popped the Corpus Christi crowd with a title change and started the crowd out hot.
Maybe people are tired of good tag team wrestling?
Next was Joey Ryan proving TNA does mainstream wrestling comedy far better than the WWE. I can see people being turned off by Brooke Hogan but Ryan is hilarious as a sleeze bag.
Joseph Park was out next, which unfortunate it was clear the crowd wasn’t buying the gimmick like the Impact Zone used to. I have a feeling audiences who don’t know his character just see a fat middle aged guy in a suit and don’t understand the character. It might be around that time to bring back Abyss (even though I personally love his lawyer character). Devon interrupts, yells at him and then sucker shots Park in the stomach with a chain.
Maybe people are tired of factions?
Next we have Taryn Terrell taking on Gail Kim with ODB as the Knockout referee. Gail Kim is one of the best women’s wrestlers out there, especially compared to the two mainstream promotions. Terell is alright. Great on the eyes, lots of intensity, decent enough selling. ODB’s hair is fantastic. Not a bad match with ODB “screwing out” Gail Kim and allowing Terell to get the win.
Maybe people don’t like seeing a good women’s wrestling match?
Next is the Gut Check segment. Scrap Iron Adam Pearce is well known on the independents while Magno is a heavyweight sized lucha wrestle. They ended up eliminating Pearce which confused the hell out of the crowd and everyone watching. The first real error of the episode thus far.
Did people stop watching because Gut Check once again made the wrong decision?
Hulk Hogan comes out and calls out AJ Styles. Styles comes out looking rough with an Aces and Eights jacket in his hand. Styles is playing neutral much like Sting did in the mid 90s. Would you be surprised if I told you Eric Bischoff is an executive producer of TNA? James Storm cuts him off to challenge him but then Bad Influence arrives. Daniels and Kazarian are phenomenal heat seekers. Styles walks away again deep in thought. Every time he does, the boos get louder. Hulk decides to set up a Storm vs. Styles match for next week.
Maybe people don’t like long term storylines?
Joey Ryan gets forced to take on Magnus, which is a job match. Disappointing. Morgan finally goes back to needling and verbally abusing Hulk Hogan, who actually shows a bit of fear for once. We then have up next Magno finding out whether he has a job in TNA or not. Magno gets on the microphone and you just wish it was Pearce instead. The crowd is shitting all over it because they wanted Scrap Iron. Magno gets two no’s. Al Snow doesn’t even have to speak. Why did they skip out on Scrap Iron? Makes no sense unless this is another example of a heel like Joey Ryan creeping in.
Out with Aces and Eights, Bully Ray cuts a passionate promo about ensuring he gets to face Jeff Hardy alone. Garrett Bischoff gets far too much camera time in a group of people.
Maybe people switched off because of Garrett Bischoff? I know I want to every time I see him…
Finally we have the main event between Jeff Hardy and Bully Ray in Full Metal Mayhem, known by WWE fans as a TLC match. It might be familiar and these two have been doing this since 2000 in tag teams but it’s also perfected chaos for the two. Bully and Hardy make the spots hard and dangerous. They even do something new with Jeff Hardy being suplexed through an upside down ladder. Some bad Brooke acting. Hardy then gets on the top with Bully on the outside on a table and unlike the Punk/Taker match, the table breaks! With both on the top of a ladder, Hardy seems closer to the title but Bully sledges him with a hammer, Hardy dropping onto a table. Bully Ray retains in brutal fashion.
Maybe people don’t like great main events?
I don’t know why it scored a paltry 0.93. Maybe Wrestlemania weekend exhausted people of wrestling. Maybe people want less wrestling and more promos? Seriously folks, TNA is putting out a strong product. Vince Russo is gone. Bully Ray is a great World Champion. Aces and Eights is better than it was. The wrestling is solid. The product is better on the road. Give it a chance before they start panicking and give us BAD wrestling shows thinking we want it.
Maybe people just don’t like TNA?
Guess that’s it.
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