First off…the A1wrestling portal, which has had my PWBTS.com site as one of its wrestling news sites for several years has a new owner and has now relocated addresses to A1-wrestling.com. Check it out at its new address.
Sunset Flip Presents TNA LIVE in NJ
By Jim Boy Star
This past Saturday, both World Wrestling Entertainment and TNA Wrestling ran shows that were fairly close to each other. Or at least easy to get from one place to another, via train.
WWE ran the joke that is “Bret Hart Appreciation Night”, while TNA ran a regular house show in the Rahway Rec Center. I attended the TNA event and after reading the WWE MSG report, I know I made the right move. To be fair, I knew I was making the right move even before either event happened.
The Katz Files – Arnie Katz
My Weekly TNA Notebook
The Kingfish Arnie Katz provides insight and analysis based on the 7/21 episode of iMPACT.
Dixie Carter’s announcement about Foley, Dreamer and friends, supposedly the centerpiece of the episode, didn’t come off very well, but a good but an appealing state of matches produced a fairly good, action-oriented program.
The last few TNA cards, including both iMPACT and the July PPV, have been unusually enjoyable. Part of the reason is the (temporarily) reduced roles of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff.
The ratings have inched up slightly, o a little more than 1/1 during this period. That’s encouraging news for a promotion that seldom gets closer to “the next level” than talking about it incessantly. If TNA can add strong booking and exciting mic-work to the in-ring excitement, he company might really see some significant upward movement.
Let’s look at some of the things that happened on the7/21 episode….
The Katz Files – Arnie Katz
My Weekly (7/19) TNA Notebook
The Kingfish Arnie Katz provides insight and analysis based on the 7/16 episode of iMPACT</20.
The 7/16 edition of iMPACT built nicely from the action-packed excitement of Victory Road with two hours of sports entertainment excitement. The booking is still ragged, but iMPACT scored big if “fun” is the measuring stick.
And isn’t it an intriguing paradox that TNA has presented its two most compelling shows so far this year with Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff absent from the cameras.
Not having them there 8nvigorated the shows, improved pace and put the emphasis on the people who matter, the wrestlers. Things went so well, in fact, that Dixie Carter ought to encourage Hogan and Bischoff to develop lots more outside interests and to take as many vacations as possible, If they were gone often and long enough, TNA might actually come within hailing distance of that “next” level that obsesses TNA.
Let’s look at some of the things that happened on the7/16 episode…
The Katz Files
Slammiversary Results & Analysis
Slammiversary was a very good-to-excellent card from top to bottom, though the booking did undercut a couple of the contests, especially Hernandez versus Morgan.
Let’s examine what happened in the matches. I’m reprinting my predictions, verbatim, so you can see how my prognostications and suggestions stack up against what actually happened.
HeadLocker — Jay Shannon
The Impact Insight Returns!
Our resident philosopher, Jay Shannon, resurrects his old TNA Recap/Analysis column for TNA. The show is now back on Thursdays.
TNA is rushing towards the annual Slammiversary mega-show. The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place, this week. Plus, an old favorite returned to the Knockout division. TNA also announced the Top 10 contenders to the TNA World Title.
The show opened with a look at Sacrifice. Tara was gone after the show. Jeff Jarrett was taken to the hospital, a beaten and bloody mess. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall somehow retained the World Tag Team titles. RVD got past A.J. Styles, thanks to Jay Lethal neutralizing Ric Flair.
.The Katz Files – Arnie Katz
Nobody Asked Me about TNA, But…
The Kingfish Arnie Katz continues a “Katz Files” tradition with hard-hitting answers to some ticklish questions inspired watching the 5/13 iMPACT
TNA presented its first in is new series of Thursday night iMPACTs and the familiar surroundings had a revivifying effect on the show. Despite some flaws and a bad audio glitch, iMPACT proved to be a strong two hours and a very good lead-in to Sacrifice.
A number of questions occurred to me while I watched the program. Rather than wait for someone else to ask them, too, I’ll share them with you and give you my answers as well.
The Katz Files
The War Is Not Over
The Kingfish Arnie Katz believes that the battle between TNA and WWE is not over. He takes advantage of what he terms “a pause” to reflect on the struggle so far and where it could go next.
Pro wrestling journalists, including my esteemed colleague Jay Shannon right here at Online World of Wrestling, have written columns about the end of the war between WWE and TNA.
I understand the thinking, but I reject it. The war between WWE ad TNA will not end until either Bischoff and Hogan drink Vince McMahon’s blood in a victory toast at WWE headquarters or Vince gets the chance to bungle both the ”TNA Invasion” and “Promotion Unification” angles.
HeadLocker — Jay Shannon
The Monday Night War Ends
Our resident philosopher, Jay Shannon, looks at the final round of Monday Night battles.
Opening Segment:
TNA: Jay Lethal came out to do a fantastic Ric Flair imitation. Flair came out, ticked off, and beat the daylights out of him. This led to a multi-segment gang war between Team Hogan and Team Flair.
RAW: Batista came out and grumbled about John Cena doing him over with the whole Duct Tape thing. Miz then came out and said he was so injured from Big Show’s shot to the jaw that he needed a proxy to battle for him. Out comes Daniel Bryan. Bryan works a great match but ended up losing.
Winner: RAW
The Katz Files
TNA in Retreat
The Kingfish Arnie Katz analyzes TNA after the retreat to Thursday he predicted on Monday morning came true by Monday night.
Bubba the Love Sponge, it was widely reported, attacked TNA’s Dixie Carter. Among his complaints is that she listens to Internet journalists instead of Hulk Hogan.
How I wish that were true! Still, perhaps Dixie likes to read “The Katz Files.” If so, the best advice I could give her would be to do as Bubba the Love Sponge said and listen to Hulk Hogan.
Specifically, listen to the show-closing segment with Sting from the 5/3 iMPACT. that featured the confrontation between Sting and Hulk Hogan. So much of what is wrong with TNA is encapsulated in that segment that I don’t see how TNA (and Spike TV) executives could watch it and not immediately start to develop an exit strategy.
Let’s review the ways in which that segment represents a wrong-headed approach and a failure to reach TV’s standards for The professional entertainment.
