TNA Victory Road Preview

Posted by Seth Roy on 07.12.2008

Joe vs. Booker and the World X Cup headline what looks to be a stellar TNA Pay-Per-View

TNA KNOCKOUTS MATCH:
Gail Kim vs. Angelina Love

Background: This dispute really started during May's Sacrifice PPV when Angelina Love interfered to take Roxxi Love out of the ladder match, which Gail Kim then won. During Gail's Knockouts Title shot, Love interfered to cost Gail the title. They have wrestled on opposing sides recently, and have been talking trash back and forth during sit-down interview sessions.

Match: This should be a decent-to-good match, as both women can go in the ring. Hopefully they'll go into the match with the intensity that they have been pushing for.

Will win: I'm a bit torn here, but I'm going to say Angelina gets the win here after some shenanigans, which should continue the feud for another month. (Or, until the next Impact, since that's what they tend to do.)

Should win: Angelina Love. If done right, this match could make Angelina a real star within the division, and could eventually set her up for a shot against new champion Taylor Wilde, assuming Taylor is still champion. Even if she isn't, the division really needs another top heel, and Angelina is as close as anyone else.

TNA KNOCKOUT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Taylor Wilde (c) vs. Awesome Kong

Background: Awesome Kong had been running the $25,000 challenges for a while, during which she pretty much dismantled any fans she faced. Eventually, female wrestlers started challenging her, and Taylor Wild was the first to really give Kong a run for her money. Three weeks ago, Taylor ran in after a match and started attacking Kong, but Jim Cornette took her away and offered her a title shot and roster spot if she could beat Raesha Saaeed, which she did the following week. Then, this past Thursday, Taylor beat Kong for the title with a roll-up.

Match: I expect Kong to be super pissed off that she lost, and she will literally try to kill Taylor Wilde. This will be pretty similar to their recent Impact match, with Kong pounding on her and Taylor being resilient.

Will win: Awesome Kong. She will be pissed that she lost the title, and will go nuts on Taylor. It should end with a thundering powerbomb.

Should win: Awesome Kong. Yes, Taylor Wilde is a great story. But Awesome Kong needs to maintain her monster status, and Taylor is already established as a player in the Knockouts Division. Kong should go on a tear now, and be as dominant as ever. (Note: I would not be at all surprised or disappointed if Taylor Wilde wins here, maybe even because Kong lets her rage get the best of her, similar to her early days in TNA against Gail Kim.)

THE FINALS OF THE WORLD X CUP TOURNAMENT
Featuring the return of TNA's innovative Ultimate X Match
Team TNA vs. Team Japan vs. Team Mexico vs. Team International

Background: The tournament officially began on the June 19 edition of iMPACT!, with the first match of Round One, Team TNA's The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelly) versus Team International's Tyson Dux and Daivari. The Machine Guns would come out of the match the victors. Because they won the match, the Machine Guns gained a point for Team TNA. On the June 26 edition of iMPACT!, Team Mexico's Rey Bucanero and Ultimo Guerrero defeated Team Japan's Speed Muscle (Masato Yoshino and Naruki Doi) in the second tournament match. Because of their win, Bucanero and Guerrero earned their team a point. Doug Williams won a match for Team International on July 13, and Kaz won a match for Team TNA. Current standings see TNA and Mexico with 3 points, and International and Japan with 2 points. Which leaves the tournament open for any team to win. (Thank you Wikipedia.)

Match: Well, I'm not entirely sure how this is working. I know there is an elimination match before this. And the winning team gets three points in that match. So, I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, or how many people will be in the ring at one time. (How's that for a TNA previewer?) But there will be multiple high-flying risk takers in an Ultimate X match, and it will be awesome.

Will win: Team TNA. The defending champs will win again, and a lot of that will have to do with Kaz.

Should win: Team TNA. Hmmmm...It's a TNA tournament. Hosted by TNA. With TNA wrestlers in it. And TNA is calling the shots. And none of the other wrestlers will be around after this. So, Team TNA should win. That said, they'll probably have Daivari win. The only way this would make me happy would be if it brought around the return of Muhammad Hassan.

FAN'S REVENGE MATCH FOR THE TNA TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Latin American Xchange (c) vs. Robert Roode & "Cowboy" James Storm

Background: Roode and Storm won a title match on June 12 by cheating. After Hector Guerrero pointed out the cheating to the ref, the match was restarted, and LAX won. After the match, Beer Money attacked LAX and whipped them with belts. This led the champs to challenge the challengers to this fan's revenge strap match.

Match: The deck looks to be stacked against Beer Money, as the fans will want to get at them with the straps. It's the power and speed combo of LAX against the power/cheatery of Beer Money. LAX is one of the best tag teams in wrestling, and both Roode and Storm can go in the ring. This should be pretty intense, and there will be some wrestlers with welts on their backs afterward.

Will win: LAX. They have the experience teaming with each other, and are just getting started on a long run with the belts.

Should win: LAX. For the reasons listed above.

GRUDGE MATCH
"Black Machismo" Jay Lethal w/ SoCal Val vs. "The Guru" Sonjay Dutt

Background: Lethal and Dutt were the best of friends, until Lethal began dating SoCal Val. Slowly, Dutt let that relationship get to him, as he liked Val, too. Dutt ruined Lethal's wedding with Val, which has since led to some pretty crappy "brawls" between the two, and a "Free Val" campaign. Now, we get the all-important GrUdGe MaTcH!!!

Match: Both guys want to beat the heck out of each other, and both can put on great matches. Sadly, the focus of the match will probably be on Val, and on whose side she is on. It is certainly feasible that she will trip up either Lethal or Dutt to help the other one win. But we should get a good 8 minutes of wrestling before that.

Will Win: Sonjay Dutt. Val will turn on Lethal and join Dutt, setting up a gimmick match next month. Predictable?

Should Win: Jay Lethal. And Val should stay out of it, and go on and get married to Lethal. Jay was on such a roll before he got involved with this crap, and a decisive victory over his former friend might just get him back on track.

FAN'S PICK THE STIP - SIX MAN TAG TEAM WAR:
AJ Styles, Christian Cage & Rhino vs. Kurt Angle & Team 3D
(Voting starts on the website when the PPV begins on July 13!)

Background: This is mainly about Kurt Angle and AJ Styles. Kurt thinks AJ is sleeping with Karen Angle, though AJ says they're just friends. AJ won at Slammiversary against Angle, and Angle and Team 3D have since laid the beatdown to AJ when possible. He also had The Beautiful People and Awesome Kong take out Karen Angle whenever possible, to make AJ angry. Everyone else got roped in because they're either good guys or bad guys. There is some heat between Cage and Rhino and Team 3D, after 3D injured Rhino and slammed Christian through a glass table. Rhino challenged 3D and Angle to a Full Metal Mayhem Match, though fans can pick between that, a Falls Count Anywhere Match and A Tables Match. One has to wonder what is the practical difference between those three matches. Any way, they pushed for Full Metal Mayhem so hard, that's what it will be.

Match: It will be bloody, most likely, and hopefully Kurt Angle will take it as easy as possible. There is a lot of hatred between the two teams, and this should be an all-out brawl. I predict some sort of multi-person suplex through a table.

Will Win: Angle. He gets the win back over AJ, by pinning Rhino.

Should Win: Angle.

TNA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
SAMOA JOE (c) vs. BOOKER T

Background: Booker T felt cheated out of the title at Slammiversary by Kevin Nash, and challenged Joe for the title because of that. Joe accepted the challenge, the changed into a feud with Kevin Nash about who could or could not beat Booker T. Joe cost Nash that match, which led to them hating each other. Then, Sting showed up the past couple weeks and his shadow is laying across the match. Wait. Why are Booker and Joe fighting?

Match: Both guys, obviously, can bring it. This should be a good heavyweight bout, except that Nash and Sting are hovering over it. As long as they stay out of this match, it could be a classic.

Will Win: Booker T. It's in Houston, and Booker may be due for a run with the belt as a heel.

Should Win: Samoa Joe. The money match for Bound for Glory is Samoa Joe vs. Sting. I'm good with giving Booker the belt at some point, but I think that cutting Joe's reign short here would be a mistake.

Thoughts: Oh, please, TNA, don't mess this up. There is a lot of uncertainty in the results, which is a good thing. Again, it may come down to the people outside the matches as to whether this is a good or bad show. As long as Nash and Sting stay out of the main event, and Val's interference makes sense, this will probably be the best TNA PPV of the year, in a pretty good year for PPVs, too.