Brooklyn Brawlin' 10.29.08: Taking a Stab at booking TNA... Can't be Worse Than Russo!

Posted by Dan Torkel on 10.29.2008

Since I am feeling out of touch with the WWE, Lets take a peak at TNA for once.

Greetings to all from a confused wrestling fan. Lots of wrestling stuff to get to as we are coming off the live TNA Impact, Cyber Sunday and Raw. In other news we are one week away from the biggest Presidential Election in US history and I for one am already having anxiety. I teach social studies at the high school level and it is so difficult to be objective, but I simply fear for everyone if Sarah Palin is given any type of executive command. And with John McCain being a multiple time cancer survivor who is 72, the threat is real of Palin becoming president should McCain win. What frightens me most is that her ultra conservativeness and desire to ban certain types of literature could lead to her doing a Fahrenheit 451 style excavation of libraries and video stores banning anything that goes against her brand of values. And most certainly, wrestling, especially Vince and the WWE would have some serious issues with that. Either way it is going to be a tough week as we head forward to Election Day, but I continue to smell what Barack is cooking!

Enough politics, time for wrestling. We start with Impact last week. I liked the show overall, although I question giving away two potential ppv title matches (X, and Knockout) live on TV. I also was a bit confused by the tag team Gauntlet I guess that comes with the territory of watching TBNA in the first place. Booker's Legends Title is glorious and the Main Event Mafia is a cool way to use a WCW storyline in a fresh new way. The Old vs. New in WCW was literally old vs. young. Here in TNA, AJ makes the point that he and Joe were building TNA before Angle, Booker, and Sting were there. It makes this a more interesting storyline. The problem was, as usual with TNA, too much talk not enough wrestling but the main event scene is keeping me hooked. More on TNA later.

WWE presented Cyber Sunday this past weekend and this was another strong ppv overall with better match quality but again, some big problems in booking and time management for me.
- Shelton vs. R-Truth was a blah little 5-minute match that should continue the feud as long as there is some big SD Survivor Series match.
- Rey/Kane was boooorrrrrriiiiinnnnggggg. For a No Holds Barred match, this was totally tame and the ending was perfectly clean and made Kane look like a huge jobber. I mean Kane could sneeze Rey off him, so a 619 and Splash just didn't fit as an ending. I am not saying Kane should have won, but I thought they go with a crazy spot or something like that.
- Cryme Tyme/Miz & Morrison was an extended Raw match. And a very sarcastic kudos to you WWE fans for denying us a title match on ppv by electing to vote for a match that has been televised several time over the last few months.
- Santino/Honky should NOT have been on ppv. Another 1:00 minute BS match that ended as an extended Raw angle. I hate this shit!
- Hardy/Bourne was fantastic and Evan is slowly becoming a star in this company. Matt made him look great and believable as a contender and the finish was quick and cool. Good stuff here.
- Show/Taker was okay but incredibly predictable. I have seen these two have virtually the same match sporadically over the past years and quite frankly I am bored already. Lets get the casket match out of the way so we can move on.
- Triple H/Hardy was not as good as last month and notice Triple H using almost a Pepsi Plunge type Pedigree while CM Punk was not on the card. I really don't know where they can go with Jeff at this point. He was the spirited underdog the past few months, now he is simply the lovable loser. Congrats Triple H. I would have had Kozlov beat down Jeff on the stage as Jeff came out and then Jeff tough through the match before losing to the Pedigree. Then Triple H can fight Kozlov and Jeff would still be strong fighting back to one more match. Here, he is in trouble of the fans just quitting on him.
- Batista/Jericho...OK, I liked the overbooking, and I predicted an Orton/Austin showdown. But this was totally the wrong time to dethrone Jericho. Jericho was pure gold as champion and could have easily held on to it for the rest of the year. I think the booking is obvious now with Cena returning at Survivor Series to build to Cena/Batista for Mania 25.

RAW -

Raw started well, but a few questions. What in the hell did Punk and Kofi do to earn a title shot? Last week on Raw they lost to Miz and Morrison. Then the fans did not even pick them at Cyber Sunday. So logically, they are #1 contenders. I know the WWE tries to maintain some semblance of kayfabe, but couldn't we get a logical M&M vs. Priceless tag title match before we switched the straps. Oh anyone taking bets on the absolute burial of Miz and Morrison next week when they face DX? And how about this lapse in booking logic: Randy Orton screws Punk out of the World Title, so Punk goes after the tag team titles? Triple H loses the world title, he goes ballistic. Shawn, Batista, Jeff Hardy; they lose big matches, they keep on coming. Punk lost his one rematch and fades quietly from the main event scene. Some have said, that this is good for the tag titles, but they could've extended the feud till after Survivor Series. Speaking of Survivor Series, I am lost. Are they having elimination matches? I hope so. They have room to book huge matches and I am curious to see what we get.

To the crux of this week's column... TNA. Coming off Bound For Glory I was shocked to see Sting walk off with the TNA Title. But I was glad to see the beginning of the Main Event Mafia especially Booker's Legends Title at live Impact last week. With the battle lines drawn between Joe/AJ/Jarrett and the Main Event Mafia, it could lead to some really fun stuff in TNA in the months to come. Here's how it should go...

TURNING POINT -

TNA does not have a problem with main eventing ppvs with multi-man matches. There I would book a 6-man Tag where AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Jeff Jarrett face Nash, Sting and Angle. Booker can defend his Legends Title against Christian Cage. The bonus stipulation for the main event is that if the New Generation win they get 3 one on one matches while if the M.E.M. wins the New Generation get no rematches. At the ppv, Booker gets help from Team 3D to beat Christian Cage, while Commissioner Foley helps the faces upset the MEM in the main event.

GENESIS -

The triple main event is AJ Styles challenging Sting for the TNA Title, Samoa Joe facing Kevin Nash, and Kurt Angle against Mick Foley. Jarrett deferred his match to Foley who fights his first TNA match against Kurt Angle. Team 3D faces Christian and Rhino in a Tag Match. First Joe goes absolutely nuts and destroys Nash going after his knee until he is disqualified. This draws out the rest of MEM who fight Joe off. Foley beats Angle after a JJ guitar shot and in the main event, AJ has Sting beat when the MEM charges down and does an NWO style beat down saving Sting's title.

FINAL RESOLUTION -

Nash seeks revenge on Joe for his beat down and draws Joe in a Last Man Standing match. Angle challenges Jarrett to a Submission match, and TNA Champ Sting teams with Booker and Team 3D to face Cage, Rhino, AJ Styles and a Mystery Partner.

At the ppv, Angle gets a huge win making Jarrett tap to the Ankle Lock. Joe takes the best of Kevin Nash including the Jackknife, but eventually comes back and again destroys the knees leading to him choking Nash down for the 10-count. In the main event, the Mafia dominates 4 on 3 for nearly 10 minutes before the mystery partner comes out and it's... CURRY MAN! He peels off the mask and of course it is the return of FALLEN ANGEL CHRISTOPHER DANIELS!!! Daniels evens it up and the faces turn the tide and end up winning when AJ hits Sting with Pele leading to the Angel's Wings and Daniels pins the Champion! The faces celebrate and at the end Joe comes down and hugs Daniels.

AGAINST ALL ODDS -

Sting is Champion coming off a loss. Joe call him out as a pussy for not giving him a rematch, and threatens to destroy all the MEM. Booker comes out with the Legend's Title and tells Joe to put his money where his mouth is since he never beat Booker cleanly last year. Booker mocks Joe and says he can't fight Sting and can't beat him. Joe accepts his challenge and the match is on. Mick Foley tells Sting that he will be against all odds when he defends his title against AJ Styles. Christopher Daniels pinned him at Final Resolution and thus earned a title shot against the winner at Destination X. Plus, if anyone interferes, they are FINED AND SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY!!! Nash begins serving as manager for the MEM with Joe having beaten his legs away. He leads Team 3D into a Full Metal Mayhem match against Cage & Rhino.

Cage and Rhino are screwed out of the their tag match when Nash interfered and Powerbombed Cage through a table. Joe destroys Booker and makes him bleed. He chokes him out and wins the Legends Title but is jumped by Kurt Angle who locks in the Ankle Lock and will not let go and Joe is forced to tap and be helped to the back by Foley and Jarrett. In the main event, after a ref bump, Sting goes for the bat but AJ hits Pele and goes for the Spiral Tap. Sting positions the bat in between and AJ hits it. Sting rolls over scores the pin.

DESTINATION X -

Sting vs. Christopher Daniels is the main event. On Impact the MEM come out and celebrate their victories at AAO while sending wishes to Booker who is injured. Angle says he broke Joe's ankle and stole the Legends Title because Joe didn't deserve it. Joe limps out. He challenges the manhood of Sting. He has gone through Nash, and Booker and he wants his World Title rematch. He will take it against Daniels when he beats Sting at the ppv. Foley and Jarrett guaranteed him that should he win his match at Destination X, he will get a title shot in the 6 Sides of Steel at Lockdown. His match will be against Kurt Angle in a Ladder Match for HIS Legends Titles. Christian Cage can get revenge on Nash in a No DQ match.

Cage and Nash brawl and get bloodied as Team 3D and Rhino and AJ get involved. Nash takes a chairs hot and an Unprettier on the chair for the Cage win. Joe and Angle have a vicious ladder match with Angle using the Ankle Lock to injure Joe. Joe fights back and hits the Muscle Buster off the ladder allowing him to crawl up and grab the Legends Title and head to Lockdown. His date is a rematch with Sting who gets past Christopher Daniels after a good 15-minute match where Sting again used the bat.

LOCKDOWN -

We see the return of the Lethal Lockdown as Jarrett, Daniels, AJ, Cage and Rhino go against Nash, Angle, Booker, and Team 3D. The main event is the rematch (FINALLY) of Joe/Sting as Joe drops him with the Muscle Buster and wins the title he should have never lost. The New Generation defeats the Main Event Mafia, ending the angle in victory for the new, young guys.

There we go with TNA booking, hope you enjoyed the change of pace from WWE. I'll see you next week, until then remember do the right thing or Dexter will get you... And have fun storming the castle.