Im not really sure where to begin with this one, so I think I’ll start in the middle. It makes about as much sense as some of the things on this ppv so bare with me.
There was a lot of good things about this show in the beginning. From the amazing tag team match (and it was incredible) to the surprisingly intriguing womens title bout to the very good performance from both men for the X Division championship. Add to that a really heat generating performance from that Jersey Shore look alike Robbie G and you have the making for a quality ppv. (That fist pump btw is just the tits)
In any case, it had the atmosphere of a really big pay per view and things were going well, then some strange things started to happen. My first real complaint of the evening (other than the strange Jeff Hardy promo with the creepy yelp at the end) was the promo Abyss cut prior to his match with RVD.
Now for starters he shouldn’t have come down first but my main issue was that he cut a promo at all. I mean we’re all already watching the ppv. So anyone who knows anything about TNA, is familiar with the “They” storyline. It was overkill on their part promoting a storyline that is supposed to happen during this match. Side Note: nice job ending the promo with the words 10- 10 -10. Really Abyss? It’s Tonight. We get it, you don’t have to promote the pay per view any more TNA.
All that aside the match itself was pretty solid. Not a great start but there were some incredible spots, including when RVD had Abyss lying on a table that was resting on the apron and guard rail and proceeded to execute a Rolling Thunder over the top rope and crashing through the table. So the match had a really good back and forth of weapon use but then almost out of nowhere, RVD lays out Abyss and then hits the frog splash for the win without the appearance of anyone else.
Now to me this was strange as I think we were all expecting “they” to reveal themselves during the match. At this point Abyss looked into the camera (not at all distraught over his loss btw) and informed us that “they” were coming and again stated 10- 10 -10.(seriously) I thought this meant 10:10 Pm on 10/10/10 which woulda been cool, but even that didn’t happen.
Aside from Jeff Jarrett turning his back on Samoa Joe and an overcrowded Lockdown match happening after this. There wasn’t much noteworthy on the show between the end of Abyss RVD and the main event. I actually like the idea for Lethal Lockdown. If they just cut the first part of the match in half and widen their mini sized ring, then you really have something.
This is where the show heads towards its strange conclusion. I don’t like the fact that since “they” haven’t been revealed yet, this storyline is going to overshadow the TNA championship match. Now rather than focusing on the match itself everyone is just waiting for who “they” will be. Despite a good effort from each man, with this added distraction, this match did not come off the greatest, especially considering the talent of all three men involved.
At this point I wanna show an article I came across while mid-way through watching the title match. (It didn’t show so copy and paste if you have to)
http://www.wrestling-edge.com/tna-news/rvd-or-jeff-hardy-turning-heel-possible-post-bfg-plans-more.html
I find this very disturbing, not the fact that I found and read what turned out to be spoilers but more so the actual contents of the article. It basically stated we’re getting a heel RVD or Hardy and Hogan and Bischoff will head that group. Seeing as Hardy was the only one of the two in the main event, you could pretty much figure out the rest from there. Back to the match..
At the very end of the title match all three men are down including the ref (nice touch btw) and out comes Eric Bischoff with a chair. Then out comes Hulk Hogan, on crutches no less, to prevent him from interfering in the match.It is at this point when Hardy awakes and he Bischoff and Hogan begin to beat down Angle and Anderson with Hulks walking sticks. After a twist of fate, Hardy makes the cover and is your new TNA champ. Then outcome Abyss and Jarrett to celebrate (with a really awkward embrace) showing that Jarrett, Bischoff and Hogan were “They”.
Now this bothers me for a couple of reasons. For starters it left me in complete shock as the ppv went off the air, wondering what just happened and why. Secondly is the fact this report was so accurate. Either TNA is not very secretive about their plans, or it is just entirely too easy to predict what they are going to do (maybe both). Either way it isn’t good for business. But thats not my real issue. As much as those two things do bother me as a wrestling fan there is something of much greater concern and that is Hulk Hogan and his “Creative” vision.
I understand that it takes an extraordinary amount of talent, effort and creativity to come up with new programming on a week to week basis year after year. I also realize that certain aspects of wrestling, despite changing with the times, will ultimately remain the same. My issue however, is with the fact that Hulk decided to take an angle that helped make his character and wrestling more famous almost 15 years ago and just absolutely shove it right back down our throats as if it was an original idea.
I have no issue with heel turns and stable formations as they create some of the most exciting and entertaining tv on a given wrestling show. My problem is the fact that if for no other reason than lack of vision or originality perhaps, Hogan is so caught up on the success of the NWO, he figures that either enough new wrestling fans are out there, or the ones who still watch won’t care enough about the story line, that it is okay to repackage that idea all together and pass it off as something new.
As if watching the mashing together of the Abyss storyline with the Bischoff/Wolfpack angle weren’t evidence enough, this article just further proves that Hogan is absolutely one dimensional when it comes to being creative. (okay his daughters tits weren’t bad when they were real so maybe 2 dimensional)
Wanting a group full of talented performer top heels that people can hate, wait a second that sounds familiar? Umm…..oh wait FORTUNE. What in the hell is the point of having what TNA constantly refer to as the BEST and the FUTURE of the business be a stable for, if the owners are just going to align themselves with a monster, the champion and the founder of the company and create their own group.
This to me just reeks of a lack of vision, creativity and any type of long term planning. For claiming to not want to be like WCW, they sure are doing a heck of a job at impersonating them, aside from the ratings. I really hope that I am wrong and maybe this angle catches on or the long term vision changes but all evidence points to the contrary.
I think pretty soon we’re likely to hear Taz say, OH MY GOSH the Ultimate Warrior is back! You think I’m kidding, just wait.
