Hey everyone – what did you think about tonight’s TNA Sacrifice pay-per-view?
For my part, I’m glad that the writing team chose to keep the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on Bobby Roode. Frankly, after the debacle that was the ending of last year’s Bound for Glory pay-per-view, I expect the team at iMPACT Wrestling to continually build Bobby Roode up as the biggest heel champion on the planet. They have to – there’s no other way to justify the summer-long babyface push that Roode received and then having him lose at the biggest pay-per-view of the year. I think what this month’s pay-per-view (and the last several pay-per-views) are proving is that Roode can wrestle with anyone – even in their specialty matches like a Ladder Match – and not just compete with them, but win.
I’m still puzzled as to why Devon has the TNA Television Championship, but like I noted in the staff predictions (which I did horribly on, by the way), I am beginning to dislike him less as the champion. That doesn’t mean that I think it’s smart to put the belt on him when guys like Bully Ray, Robbie E., Hernandez, AJ Styles, Mr. Anderson, Crimson, Matt Morgan, D’Angelo Dinero, and Abyss could all be battling it out for what is essentially the #2 championship in the promotion. However, it does mean that I can stomach his win tonight.
What I absolutely cannot stomach is the potential breakup of the Robbies (even if it’s just a joking breakup). This happens all too often in professional wrestling and it’s a complete disaster – two guys are paired up, they work well together, they get a few months (sometimes even a year) of playing off of one another, and then the writers split them up with one of them ultimately being dumped from the promotion. Granted, I think we know that neither of these guys are going to be dumped from the promotion, but why do the TNA writers feel the need to follow the same tried and generally unsuccessful path of pairing two guys up and then breaking them up without giving them a long-time partnership? It’s a useless, old, boring writing technique. I’d be more interested in having these two build out their Jersey Shore gimmick. In fact, Spike TV is part of the Viacom family as is MTV, so why not get these two on a special episode of the next season of Jersey Shore on MTV? Take advantage of the marketing opportunity while it’s available.
Like I’ve written on the site in the past – with the team at TNA telling Kurt Angle that he’s going to be the guy they build the promotion around in the next few years, I don’t expect him to be losing many pay-per-view matches (last month notwithstanding). I don’t understand taking the TNA World Tag Team championships off of Samoa Joe and Magnus and putting them on two guys who are deeply involved in a storyline with AJ Styles. Seems like a bit of storyline co-mingling to me – and not one that can possibly bear fruit. However, I’m willing to give it a shot. Overall, iMPACT Wrestling has been extremely entertaining lately (at least I think it has been), so I’m willing to give all of these outcomes a shot and see what happens on Thursday night!
Use the comments section below and remember to put your best foot forward and be respectful. The team at TNAStars.com and I can’t wait to hear from you about tonight’s show. Enjoy!
Is Earl Hebner up to his old tricks? Was that shifty three count on Hardy a work or a shoot? Did anyone else notice Anderson looked pissed immediately afterwards, and said some things to Hardy as soon as he could, and then Hardy had words with Hebner? Did Jeff know he was losing that match? Anyone else have thoughts on that one?
Joe, I know you love your Jersey wrestlers, and Robbie E. is a very talented individual, but if you don’t get why Devon is the TV champ, then you must not be listening to the huge pop he gets from the crowd in his promos, on his way to the ring, or throughout his matches. You may not love him, but a lot of fans do. And there are enough dominant heel champs right now without a heel TV champ winning a title bout every week. Devon is good for the title, and vice versa.
I liked this PPV better than Lockdown, and I didn’t think I was going to. in my view most of the matches were spectacular, and those that were less than spectacular were still quite good. Aries bs. Bully and Roode vs. RVD were both brutal to watch, but very entertaining.
I’m also confused by the the tags times changing hands, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Angle and AJ form a tag-team as a response to it.
Oh, and I do want to add that this is the very first of Roode’s title defenses in which he won purely on his own merit and talent–no short cuts, no loop holes, no dumb luck, no cheating. I thought that was a nice surprise, and pretty cool.
I hear the pop that Devon gets – I just don’t understand what the people see in him because I find him eternally boring. I think his character is stale (unlike Bully Ray who reinvented himself after Team 3D broke up), I think his catchphrases are awkward (yelling at the invisible cameraman: “OH MY BROTHER, TESTIFY!”), and I don’t think he has a bigger league future in the company (I don’t think we’ll ever see him seriously challenge for the World Title).
So I just don’t get why the fans are going nuts for Devon, but at the same time – like I wrote above – I’m beginning to dislike him as champion less and less each week.
Well, to each his own, I suppose : ) I like Devon’s intensity, and his honorable yet badass nature.
I think they took the tag titles of Joe & Mag just to make a statement saying “we have other good tag teams too & u should take Kaz & Daniels seriously” & now u can have motor city against Kaz & Daniels…expect more/new tag teams…D Von has the title just b/c they fill they’re obligated to, considering the push Bully Ray is receiving…If it was for Bully D Von probably wouldnt b there…Think they should give it to Gunner, Pope, or Douglas & bring in more mid card talent
I don’t think they feel obligated to give Devon anything, if wrestling history has anything to say about broken up tag-teams. Marty Jannety and Stevie Ray spring to mind.
Or to take an example from TNAs recent history, look at the Hardys. Jeff was on top of the world and remains one of the top faces in the company. His brother was released after a DUI, which seems in my opinion a much lesser offense than showing up to work under the influence and unable to wrestle properly when you are booked in the main event defending your title on PPV. And yet, Matt Hardy is long gone, and Jeff remains.
So I’m skeptical of the idea that the connection between Bully and Devon would influence their decisions.