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Foley/Originals Segment

[Reaction: I really don’t know why I hate TNA "Office" interview segments so much. Maybe it’s because everyone is facing the camera. Just seems more fake than it should be. Foley’s in ring promo was good as always although now he is beginning to sound more and more like a boss. I could possibly see him turn heel to play opposite a face Jarrett. My question is why do the Motor City Machine Guns keep coming down to the ring when they really don’t want to? Also what is with AJ always looking like a sad puppy? And Joe, looking like you’re going to an audition for a Gap commercial. If the Main Event Mafia are rocking the $1000 suits, don’t you think you shouldn’t look like you’re trying to be one of them? Stick with the t-shirts and jeans.]

ODB says she’s getting an interview segment next week

[Reaction: Could be great or could get old real fast. Anything’s better than Karen Angle.]

1. Awesome Kong and Rhaka Khan (w/Raisha Saeed) defeated Roxxi and Taylor Wilde in 3:25.

[Reaction: How did Taylor Wilde become the face of the Knockouts? She exudes absolutely no charisma. I can see why the WWE dropped her.]

MMG Interview

[Reaction: So the Guns want to be the leaders of the Originals. Ok as the saying goes "what have you done for me lately?"]

Awesome Kong Interview

[Reaction: Kong needs new opponents. Kong going to beat up civilians. Kong needs a new storyline.]

2. Eric Young beat Prince Abdul Bashir to win X Division Title in 3:40.

[Reaction: I like Eric Young and am glad he’s getting a solo title run but what a HORRIBLE place for the Bashir/Referee angle! Not only did this match make EY look weak needing a referee’s help to win the belt, it also showed that the Originals don’t really care how they win the match! A fact that is entirely rescinded later on in the show. TNA needs to invest in a continuity editor.]

Jay Lethal/Petey Williams Segment

[Reaction: The joke isn’t funny anymore, Jay. I think you or the writers are the only ones who don’t realize it. I’d like to see Foley get entirely fed up and slap the Machismo out of him.]

3. Scott Steiner pinned Rhino in 3:55.

[Reaction: I honestly don’t know how Scott Steiner ever got over. Especially in an organization that prides itself on its inring action. Oh and does anyone even remember that Rhino is a former NWA World champion?]

4. Sting defeated Jay Lethal to retain the TNA Title in 10:00.

[Reaction: Pretty good match letting the champion look good, if not very strong. It was a good way to further the storyline as well as the Guns’ previous interview even if it looked stupid that Lethal would decline a win by cheating even though he celebrated a Eric Young tainted victory.]

Petey Williams Ass-Kicking Segment

[Reaction: One joke down, one to go.]

Beer Money Interview

[Reaction: They have their act DOWN! There’s not a better tag team interview in the game today. Roode reminds me of a young Triple H…and that’s a very good thing.]

5. Beer Money (w/Jacqueline) fought Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles to an apparent no-contest in 11:20.

[Reaction: He was a true showcase of 4 TNA originals and a good example of how TNA got to the stage where they are now. I would love to some more of these four but unfortunately I believe this was just a match to get AJ and Joe on the show. On a side note, do you think there would be a "Welcome Back" chant if Chris Harris should show up?]

MEM Interview w/Christian Cage

[Reaction: All anyone is remembering from this promo is Angle’s mention of the WWE. It was almost as if he said "Yea, they have more money and more prestige, but we like it here dammit!" We get it Kurt, you’re a team player but I’m not sure he’ll be singing the same tune when his contract comes up. And why is Sting never in involved with any of the Mafia’s beatings? I hope this is addressed soon because something just seems wrong.]

Final Thoughts: TNA definitely delivered a solid show but I could have done without the WWE mention. WCW used to do that all the time and look where they ended up. That being said, overall they developed all their storylines very well but there was no mention of something to look forward to. What makes me want to watch next week?

- MEM introduction of Scott Steiner.

[Reaction: Steiner has always had the presence and look of a star but that’s about it. The man is lucky if he can bend down to pick something up and his promos make about sense as my cat when she’s in a talkative mood. Hopefully he’ll remain the "Hitman" of the Mafia and not the mouthpiece. What also bothered me were his and the Mafia’s attempts at interjecting humor and insults into their promos. The MEM should be dead serious and leave the wise-cracking, one-liners to the younger talent. It almost seems as if the members of the MEM want to be over as the cool heels but it just doesn’t work when there are supposed to be cool heels and cool faces.]

- Booker T (with Sharmell) and Beer Money Inc. (with Jacqueline) defeated Christian Cage and The Motor City Machine Guns in 5:18.

[Reaction: Nice old school tag team match where the heels involved in different feuds team up to take on the faces who oppose them. I feel like this is a great way to save some TV time without blowing the PPV match. I particularly enjoyed the use of the belt in the finish and thought it was a solid go home match for Turning Point.]

- Kurt Angle came into Jarrett’s office. Foley stood next to Jarrett. Angle told Jarrett he would never forget Bound for Glory and after he takes care of him, Foley was next on his hitlist. Angle mentioned what he might do to Jarrett’s daughters and Jarrett went off.

[Reaction: Ok this is getting a little much. This is not Kurt Angle’s character and nor should it be. This is one storyline that I would mind if it was just dropped.]

- Matt Morgan and Abyss defeated Team 3D, LAX, and Tanahashi and Volador in a ladder match to earn a future shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship in 7:54.

[Reaction: A four team ladder match with no hype whatsoever…smart move.]

- AJ Styles/Mick Foley/Sting Segment.

[Reaction: Very strong segment with Foley giving AJ the rub for all the new TNA fans who really don’t know who he is Sting FINALLY got some of the heat he has been searching for in the past year and both came off really intense and ready for a title match. We won’t see a change this early in the feud but I’m excited to see it. Open suggestion to Spike TV and TNA: Air a special featuring the DVD of AJ and Joe. Your new fans have no clue who these guys are and when they turn on the TV, they’re automatically going to gravitate to the MEM.]

- Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed defeated Taylor Wilde and Rhaka Khan in 3:23.

[Reaction: For a women’s division that is so deep and talented, they need to be utilized a bit better if they want to stand apart from the WWE. I feel they took a few steps backward with this match.]

- Kevin Nash Interview.

[Reaction: There’s a reason why Nash is still in high demand and Hall isn’t. Do yourself a favor and find a clip of this interview.]

- Mike Tenay conducted a sit down interview with Sheik Abdul Bashir

[Reaction: So Mike Tenay is now getting involved with storylines? With Jarrett, Cornette and Foley, there are far too many people in charge and Tenay will only hurt they’re position.]

- Sting, Kurt Angle, and Kevin Nash defeated Jay Lethal, Eric Young, and Consequences Creed in 4:06.

[Reaction: Very forgetful match that appeared to be on the card only to allow the MEM more screen time. No one came out looking good and the only member of the Originals that should’ve been involved was Eric Young. My rundown for the Originals group: AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Eric Young, Matt Morgan and Christopher Daniels. Lose the rest.]

- Scott Steiner defeated Samoa Joe in 8:11

[Reaction: I really am enjoying Kevin Nash in this feud with Joe. And although I am a fan of Joe’s, he has come off far to whiny in the past year and now people would rather see Nash knock him straight back into the killing machine he once was. Can you tell me the last time you heard a genuine "Joe’s gonna kill you" chant?]

There has been much criticism lately about the current storylines and how they seem to be “out of touch” with today’s culture. In my previous article, I took a brief look at some of the more prominent stories headlining the shows in pro wrestling. Now I intend to take a look at some of the major shows in the business today and what direction their respective companies might be sending them.

Raw:

- “The New GM?”

o Can anyone remember when the role of General Manager added to the quality of the program instead of being just another segment that we have to sit through? I would have to actually go back to the very first set of general managers, Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon. Bischoff had already established his character in WCW and Stephanie is just simply a McMahon. Since that combination, the role of general manager has truly been hit or miss. Paul Heyman played the role well but Teddy Long has been brutal from the beginning and has yet to get better. Vickie Guerrero is just a joke and all the others were largely forgettable. But now it seems like we could be seeing a new spin on the authority figure with the sibling rivalry of Shane and Stephanie McMahon. We all know that the McMahons equal ratings and that’s exactly what the WWE desperately needs. A feud between Shane and Stephanie McMahon would be ratings gold. They were on screen a total of 10 minutes this past Raw and already people are drooling for more. Shane and Orton had immediate chemistry in the ring and Stephanie can instantly make any audience turn against her, or fall deeply in love with her. This just might be the storyline backbone that the entire company needs as a spark. The only problem with this scenario is Shane’s lack of desire for being on camera. He would much rather stay on the corporate side of things and be able to be home every night for dinner with his family. This will be the one factor that will make this angle sink or swim.

- “Randy Orton & Priceless”

o Ted DiBiase in Randy Orton’s Priceless will have the same fate as Orton in Evolution. The slooooooooow build for this whole angle has played out very well with the audience chomping on the bit for the 4 men to just join together and take over the Raw brand. Its about time that a dominant group of men ran roughshod over the WWE and all 4 of these men have the pedigree to reign on top for a long time. DiBiase will be the breakout star of this crew and a feud with Orton will headline at least 2 Pay Per Views in 2009.

Smackdown:

- “Battle of the Big Men”

o The Undertaker and the Big Show are once again embroiled in a feud. And surprisingly its no more exciting than the first 3 times they attempted it. The Big Show could have very well been on the same career resurgence as Chris Jericho but instead he ended up stuck in 1999. The Big Show would be more suited in a program with Edge as the heel and the Undertaker could be giving the rub to MVP or Ezekiel Jackson, both of who could move up the ladder extremely fast with the right program. Its time to move on from the “go-to” matchups between men who have worked numerous times before. Try something new. You never know when you’ll strike oil.

ECW:

- “New Talent Initiative”

o Evan Bourne. Jack Swagger. Ricky Ortiz. These are just 3 men who have done their damnest to make their mark with the opportunities they have been presented. Now with FCW having a weekly television slot, superstars like Joe Henning and Kizarny are being allowed to develop a fan base even before hitting the big time. ECW might not be the most exciting hour of television but being able to see these future major players on a smaller stage is definitely a treat.

TNA:

- “Main Event Mafia vs. TNA Originals”

o This angle was another slow build, beginning with Booker T and Sting probably before anyone really realized what was going on. TNA’s timing capitalized on constant “backstage reporting” on how the veterans were holding the younger talent down. The MEM have a nice dynamic of personalities and abilities and have just the right amount of accolades to make it believable. Sting was able to pull off a slow heel turn to relatively good results. Essentially, creative combined all the successful feuds from the past year and threw them all into one pot. I just wish they would focus on a few TNA Originals along with Joe and Styles instead of a rotating group of mid-carders. But yet I still feel that finally TNA was able to strike cord with a major angle that could develop into something huge.

- “Foley in Charge”

o As I stated in my last article, Foley at the top of the creative food chain could be the best thing to happen in the history of TNA. His creative mind is probably the most valuable resource they’ve acquired in the past year but now its up to them to realize this and capitalize on it. Only time will tell.

The potential for each of these shows is pretty high and it’s been awhile since anyone has been able to say that. But history is against them. As with the Orton/Punk program, the blow offs for some of the biggest angles in the past few years have been lackluster at best. Even the Ladder Match climax of the Shawn Michaels/Chris Jericho feud (while a classic), did not provide the closure that many angles need in order to feel complete. And this was widely considered to be one of the best storylines of the past 5 years. It just goes to show how the standards have fallen slightly across the board and that is the main dilemma that needs to be addressed before things can begin to improve.