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The Katz Files – Arnie Katz
My iMPACT (5/28) Notebook
The Kingfish Arnie Katz highlights the major developments and discusses what they mean.

A Note from the Kingfish
Trying new things is part of the fun of doing a column like that. As an experiment, I am overhauling the format of the Notebooks to highlight the key points instead of embedding them in a recap.

There are lots of recaps, including one right here on OWW by Jay Shannon, so no one who wants one will go without,. On the other hand, there’s very little intelligent analysis; that’s the aspect I’ll stress in the Notebook series.

<Ultimate Sacrifice Fall-out
YNA trumpeted Sacrifice, especially the “Ultimate Sacrifice” main event, as something that would “change the landscape” of TNA.” You can’t have a wrestling promotion without hyperbole, but it made me wonder how the May pay per view could alter the promotion.

As was obvious on the 5/28 iMPACT, TNA is doing a very smart thing by utilizing the outcome of the Ultimate Sacrifice four-way to restructure ad revive some elements of the show.

The most important is that Sting’s pin of Kurt Angle gave TNA the golden opportunity to re-launch the Main Event Mafia and, very likely, the TNA Frontline. On iMPACT, Sting got rid of MEM’s excess baggage when he dumped the security team and the two women. At the same time, Samoa Joe declared war on four MEM members, noticeably avoiding conflict with Sting, and made up with AJ Styles.

In one shot, TNA has restored the MEM and its opposition. Nicely done.

I’d expect a civil war within the Main Event Mafia in the wake of Sting’s drastic actions. The security guys will probably return before too long, though they may have fresh characters.

Sharmell & Morasca
This has got to be one of the least interesting feuds of the decade, never mind the current year. Neither woman can work in the ring, so the whole conflict is pointless, except as a way to springboard Booker T and Kevin Nash into some kind of program against each other.

Sharmell’s “ghetto girl” impression is no more convincing than her husband’s attempt to portray himself as African royalty. She just doesn’t come across as a “girl in the hood.” And what can be said about the acting talents of Jenna Morasca> Nothing; she doesn’t have any.

Wasteful Windows?
The use of an inset window to show the arrival of the Main Event Mafia during a match fell flat. Watching the Main Event Mafia get out of their limo and walk to the arena is not all that compelling – and it sure detracted from the match.

Resort to two small windows, in place of the standard full-screen picture, is something that should only be done when there is a compelling need, For example, reviewing a great sequence while the match continues is acceptable, as is using windows to spotlight action going on simultaneously in two different parts of the arena during a tag match. Arrival scenes can wait for the dead space between the matches.

The Turning of Eric Young
Like most fans, I would like to see Eric Young get a sustained push, a real opportunity. This heel turn looks like more of the same for TNA’s jack-of-all-trades, a bad idea carried on long enough to exhaust the minimal interest it generated at its beginning.

Fans love Eric Young and have spent the last five years cheering him through his adventures in and out of the ring. I don’t think anyone is comfortable with EY being a heel, most especially not Young himself.

It doesn’t help that Jeff Jarrett’s motivation is so inconsistent. Being a tweener doesn’t mean flip-flopping on everything every time you speak into a mic.

That’s all for now. I’ll be back tomorrow with a fresh installment of the Internet’s fastest-rising pro wrestling column. I hope you’ll join me then and, please, bring your friends.

— Arnie Katz
Executive Editor
[email protected]
(6/2/09)