Shining a Spotlight 9.27.12: TNA’s Glory Road

It’s not a secret that the wrestling scene today is in a pretty bad low period. WWE has seemed to be in a creative rut for some time, despite the power of Punk as champion but in a “just throw what we have out and see what sticks” mentality. Meanwhile, ROH is in serious trouble, as proven by not only their debacle with their iPPVs but also their attitude toward the fans, refusing to acknowledge the problem and even brushing off those complaints as just Internet trolls bitching. It’s a poor time for wrestling fans and thus more of a surprise that if you want to see a company doing pretty well, you look to TNA.

Contrary to what some in the comments section believe, I have never hated this company. I’ve been frustrated at their constant missteps and creative bungling that’s kept them from really rising as well as they could have. But in the last several months (and I don’t think it’s a coincidence it’s occurred since Russo left), TNA has stepped up their game big time, embracing some new edge and excitement, going out of their way to build wrestling back up and backed by some great workers. They’ve also managed some good storytelling and angles that make their shows more watchable than ROH or WWE. It’s amazing how well the company has been doing and how they look to keep that momentum up for “Bound For Glory,” a name that also fits the company’s direction pretty well.

Aces & Eights

I had my doubts in the Aces & Eights angle at first (the name threw me off, sounding too comic book like). However, TNA has managed to find a balance to it. A&E are presented as tough guys able to break in and out of the Impact Zone at will and do beat-downs of workers. But TNA is smart enough not to let them dominate, let the TNA guys fight back but Aces & Eights still able to use the numbers game against them. I’m always a sucker for the idea of guys who can’t stand each other uniting against a common foe and TNA has used that well as you see Bully Ray and Jeff Hardy fighting side by side, a cool dynamic. So TNA is able to fight back but A&E are still able to make bold strikes to sell them as a major danger and keep fans worried about them hitting at any time. It’s a balance very few companies are able to make work (see the Invasion) and it’s why the entire angle has clicked so well and pushed the company more than expected.

The mystery of the group was well laid-out with it looking like Bobby Roode might be behind it until they beat on him then the doubts on Storm’s loyalty teased for weeks until he made his side clear. The idea of Aries taking charge made perfect sense with him as the champ and showed a great new drive for him, already good in promos but now adding fire to him as a fighter. This led to the wonderful structure of “No Surrender,” another strong PPV for the company as the guys fought it out with Aces & Eights through the night and the tension of Hogan ordering cops brought in to shut the place down while still the threat of the gang breaking in to interfere. The heat was crazy for the Impact Zone, showing how the fans were drawn into this big-time, something you rarely see in wrestling nowadays. This is really one of the best major angles TNA has done in their history and has led them to major success and goodwill with fans and critics alike.

The payoff is the key to it all, of course. By now, the rumors are circulating that the leader of Aces & Eights will be revealed as Jeff Jarrett. If that’s the case, I’m behind it completely as it makes total sense. He’s been gone so long that a return will be a big deal and after the way he was “fired,” it’s natural he’d want revenge on everyone and destroy TNA. The biker gang motif may be a bit much but it’s still the logical conclusion, far more than say, Bully or Hardy suddenly turning out to be the one behind it and taking lumps to throw people off. So far, TNA has been doing great with it and hopefully they’re smart enough not to make the same mistake WCW made with the NWO and keep dragging it out longer than its shelf life. However, TNA has proven to make it good so far and I actually have faith the payoff will be worth it as befits one of the best angles we’ve seen in a while.

Feuds

There have been people upset over Aries beating Roode for the belt as the long-range plan seemed to be Storm vs Roode at BFG. However, TNA has made that work, first thanks to how awesome Aries is as the champion. But it’s also been amazing to see how well they’ve worked Roode’s character as the man was shown totally lost without the title, literally unable to act normally without being champion. That first post-loss promo, with him frothing at the mouth and unable to get any words out, was brilliant for the character and carried him through the rematch with the stipulation he would get no title shots afterward when he lost. When he did, we expected more freaking out but instead Roode seemed calm about it. So we should have expected it when he attacked Storm to cost him the BFG series. The promo he cut was wonderful as he said if he couldn’t get another shot at the title, neither could Storm, a simple but effective idea that totally fits the character. So now we have a blood feud going between the two that promises to provide more excitement even without the title. Compare this to a year ago when they were just a tag team with Roode slightly cocky, Storm a beer-drinking clown and now both guys have real personalities and drive that’s helping the feud stand out. It’s a great thing for TNA to give two veterans of the company the major spotlight after so long and can’t wait to see it play out.

Now yes, the whole “AJ got a girl pregnant” plot is a bit too much. What salvages it is how Daniels and Kaz act the jerk heels, overconfident with sipping champagne and boasting of their greatness as tag champions. It helps that Styles and Daniels couldn’t put on a bad match if they tried and their bouts have new energy to them. The feud is good with Angle added to it and gives the tag titles a bit more credence then they’d have alone. Meanwhile, Bully Ray and Jeff Hardy have been doing well with their own feud which paid off nicely at BFG and Zema Ion has been dominating as X Division champion. The guy is a natural jerk heel and that comes off wonderfully in his work, helped by a fresh round of challengers to give the X Division more attention.

So we now move onto Bound For Glory as Aries is ready to face Hardy for the title. I admit, I had hoped Joe would win the BFG series as Joe vs Aries would be a great match but I understand TNA going for the guy who brings in more money. Now the question is how it’ll play out. Now, I have concerns over Hardy’s stability still as the guy’s proven a risk as a main event champion in the past. That it seems TNA is giving him the title just to keep him from leaving smacks as a desperate move when the company is in good condition for a change. Maybe having him run with the X Division belt first might be good to show he can handle it before pushing him back to the main title once more. However, it does seem TNA is building up Aries for a possible heel turn which can also make sense. He’s said he’s jealous of the attention Hardy gets while Aries has been busting his ass as champion, which fans can relate to. Heels are automatically insecure people so even as World champ himself, Aries can be upset about Hardy being pushed like this. That’s a nice mix of real stuff to make the storyline better. So we could get a repeat of Punk in WWE, Aries striking out as a heel (which he’s terrific as) in order to prove himself the best. I still have doubts in a title change as Aries has been on fire as champion, proven himself well and going over Hardy, clean or not, can help him majorly. Either way, TNA has done a good job building this up and looking forward to how it turns out as BFG promises to be a good main event.

Drawbacks

It’s not all perfect and a major part of that is the Knockouts division. Brooke is just totally wrong as the boss, coming off too flat and the division itself is suffering. They spend weeks building up the Earl Hebner-Madison Rayne bit with the logical turn of Hebner letting Rayne win the belt but then have Tessmacher regain it in less than a week and drop the whole thing. Taryn Terrell is fun to look at but more of a distraction and while I love Tara, you saw her heel turn coming and the fact it’s her and Tessmacher for the belt shows how low on talent the division has gotten. They just got Taeler Hendrix but how much TV time has she received since? When news broke of Beth Phoenix leaving WWE, there was hope she’d fire things up but it appears she’s staying so if TNA wants the Knockouts to continue, they need to inject new blood in there fast.

Also, while I liked the Joseph Parks—Bully Ray feud, do think Parks showing up to “help” find info on Aces & Eights is poor as we all know where this is going. The character was a fun lark for a while but time for Abyss to put the mask back on and give us some real matches again. The “Gut Check” thing seems to have fallen by the wayside with the Joey Ryan bit the only notable part of it and that’s not getting a lot of air time. And the ODB/Eric Young antics make Santino and Hornswoggle look the height of comedic brilliance. And while his debut was a big deal, be a shame if Chavo just falls to the background so soon and just the “Mexican guy” used by the company. Speaking of in the background, Devon’s sudden exit seems to leave the TV title for dead and be nice if TNA could find a way to make that belt a bit more meaningful as the mid-card can use something to spice things up more.

However, that the strengths in TNA outweigh the minuses is a great change of pace. Okay, so they’re not making major money and that’s still an issue. However, the fact is that after a decade, TNA has truly been clicking this year with an amazing creative drive to push the company far, winning over many critics and proving how great they can be when they get the chance. Given how poor WWE and ROH are creatively (and in business terms as well), wrestling fans need something good to latch onto and so far, TNA has been providing that. With their big show of the year coming, the company is ready to keep their rise going and more good word of mouth can lead to more ratings and buys. Their PPVs for the last several months have been fantastic, far better than WWE’s and the talent really are busting themselves to make the company shine to its fullest. It’s great to see them finally pay off on the promise, not making the massive missteps that have marred them in the past. I’m hoping BFG makes it all worth waiting for and I’d be more than happy to see TNA reach glory in wrestling at long last.

For this week, the spotlight is off.