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The Katz Files – Arnie Katz
My Sacrifice>/I> Preview & Predictions!
The Kingfish Arnie Katz breaks out the crystal ball to get you ready for TNA’s May pay per view event, Sacrifice, from Orlando, FL.

In TNA’s overall Grand Design, the May pay per view has not been considered a major show. The promotion is trying to upgrade some of its weaker events so that fewer of them look like throwaways.

The greater degree of advance planning now in force at TNA has helped the company elevate Sacrifice with the introduction of the Sacrifice Fourway Championship Match.

Let’s look at Sacrifice match by match to see what’s in store – and what may happen.

Kevin Nash vs. Samoa Joe
The Story: Once they were friends. Once they were mentor and protégé. That relationship dissolved in a mass of charges and counter-claims. Now all that remains is hate and a grudge. TNA has tried to bring these two men to the ring to settle it the old-fashioned way – and it looks like it will finally happen.

My Prediction: A lot depends on whether TNA has believes that the chances are good that Big Sexxy wall be able to fight a rematch. That’s not a frivolous question when the match involves someone who has been hurt as often as Kevin Nash.

Since a Nash-Joe rematch would not be make-or-break for a pay per view as big and important as Slammiversary, they will probably roll the dice and bet on Nash’s continued good health. In that light, the best way to book the match would be a DQ victory for Nash when Joe goes into his berserker act.

Predicted Grade: C+

Booker T vs. AJ Styles
TNA Legends Championship
I Quit Match
The Story: This is a rematch, but things have gotten more complicated than that, thanks to the feud between Sharmell and Jenna Maraca. Booker T wants his belt back, but there’s some potent distraction that could derail his victory train. His wife Sharmell has become involved in a smoldering feud with Jenna Marasca that has the potential to rip apart the Main Event Mafia.

My Prediction: The title will return to Booker, but the real question is: When? My colleague Jay Shannon, in his HeadLocker column about Sacrifice, ,made a really clever prediction. You should really go read it. It would be great booking if they did it the way Jay suggests, but I don’t think the actual match will be nearly as clever.

In this case, the simplest booking may be the most likely. That is, Booker T will win the title back from AJ Styles with enough help from Sharmell to create excitement about a rubber match.

If TNA does want to get trickier, they could book the two women to get into a ringside argument. Booker T goes over to be peacemaker and Styles finishes him off to retain the belt. That, too, would lead to a rematch, since Booker would be able to claim that The Phenomenal One only kept the belt because of luck.

Predicted Grade: B+

Taylor Wilde vs. Daffney
Knockouts Monster’s Ball
The Story: Daffney came into TNA as “The Governor,” and put Mi Pi Sexi through Hell. It seemed like she got the best of the glamour girls, but the effort took something out of her. She reverted to the name Daffney and turned like a snake against her former friend Taylor Wilde. Her unbridled hatred has led to this very extreme, and potentially bloody, confrontation.

My Prediction: Daffney is probably best when standing next to the ring than when she is wrestling inside of it. That means she can take a loss more easily than Taylor Wilde, who is still more or less the lead female babyface. If Daffney looked or wrestled better, I’d have expected her to win this to set her up to challenge Awesome Kong, but I predict that this match will go into Taylor’s “win” column.

Predicted Grade: C+

Suicide vs. Daniels
X-Division Championship
The Story: Whose face is beneath the mask of TNA’s most enigmatic superstar. Suicide has teamed with Daniels and the Fallen Angel obviously knows something about Suicide’s secret identity.

This match results from Daniels saving Suicide from having his real identity exposed. Daniels asked for, and is receiving, a title match. There’s a lot of mutual respect, but that won’t keep either man from going all out to get the X Division title.

My Prediction: When two popular wrestlers who appear to be friends and have no personal grudge between them have a match, the possibility that the match will not go to completion rears its head. I foresee Daniels and Suicide wearing out each other with great moves and aggressive action. When they are flat on the canvas, The Motor Cit Machine Guns and Lethal Consequences will hit the ring in an attempt to unmask Suicide. Daniels will immediately come to the Mystery Man’s defense. The referee will throw out the match due to all the interference. A tag team threeway is the likely result.

Predicted Grade:

Angelina Love vs. Awesome Kong
Knockout Championship
The Story: Awesome Kong wants revenge and she wants her Knockout Championship back, too. Angelina Love will try to prove that her title-winning victory was no accident or lucky stroke.

My Prediction: The whole point of lifting the tile from Awesome Kong is to set up some fresh match-ups. Giving the belt back to Kong makes no sense in that context.. Therefore, I expect Angelina Love to keep the title, but Awesome Kong will have to look good in defeat or risk denting her status.

Outside interference by Mi Pi Sexi could well be the mechanism. Awesome Kong could be about to win when a mass invasion earns Love a belt-saving DQ loss. Then Awesome Kong could destroy everything in her path to preserve her aura of power.

Predicted Grade: B

Beer Money vs. The British Invasion
The Finals of the Team 3D Tag Team Invitational Tag Team Tournament
The Story: It all comes down to these two teams. The winners will go on to meet Team 3D, while the losers will have to go home and lick their wounds.

My Prediction: The British Invasion is new and Beer Money has recently faced Team 3D. That adds up to a victory for the UK contingent. If YMA runs true-to-form, Beer Money will lose when one of them tries to spit beer at someone and nails his partner instead. We might see the winners go on to defeat Team 3D and then face Beer Money in a title-passing match.

Predicted Grade: B+

Mick Foley vs. Sting vs. Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Sacrifice Stipulations:

The Story: Each participant must risk something they value in exchange for a chance to dethrone Mick Foley. Kurt Angle would lose his leadership of the Main Event Mafia, Sting would have to retire and Jeff Jarrett would have to surrender his TNA voting shares if they are the ones pinned.

High risk – and high reward!

My Prediction: This is a terrific idea, but the implementation is off the beam. The structure of the match should be that all those who don’t win must sacrifice. The way it’s set up now, a Foley loss saves everyone else – and who doesn’t expect Mick to lose the title in a fairly short time?

Instead, only one participant will take a penalty. Sting is not going to retire on this kind of match, so he won’t be on the wrong end of a pin. If Foley got pinned, the match would be a tremendous letdown.

If there can be only one, the goat will be Kurt Angle. Sting could pin to regain the title and assume leadership of the Main Event Mafia. This sets up a title match between Sting and Angle with leadership of the MEM also at stake.

At the same time, Jeff Jarrett will make good on his promise to keep Foley from leaving Sacrifice as champion. That will cause Foley to challenge The King of the Mountain with both men’s voting shares at stake.

Predicted Grade: A-

Predicted grade for Sacrifice: B

That’s all for today! I’ll be back with my recap and analysis of Sacrifice on Monday. Hope you’lljoin me then – and, please, bring your friends.

— Arnie Katz
Executive Editor
[email protected]
(5/23/09)