2013 NoDQ.com Awards – My Vote For… Worst Storyline Of The Year

Hey guys! Tom Robinson here. Yeah, made a little mistake in the last post. I stated that the last 3 categories I did were the last awards in the NoDQ.com awards. But as it turns out, there’s one more left! The worst storyline of the year!

The nominations are….

Dixie Carter as the heel boss – After AJ Styles berated TNA Owner Dixie Carter for ruining TNA, Dixie lost her cool and made AJ public enemy number one in her eyes. Dixie tried to go to all lengths to make sure AJ never won the TNA World Championship. She put in roadblocks, tried to get Hulk Hogan on her side, offered him incentives and even aligning herself with the Aces And Eights. After AJ won the title and walked out on her, Dixie began the hunt for HER champion that would take TNA to new heights. In a tournament to crown a champion, she found the champion that would join Team Dixie – Magnus.

Ryback the bully – After losing his feud with John Cena, Ryback began taking his anger out on these considerable smaller than him. Taking advantage of his size, he bullied around members of staff, interviewers and wrestlers all over WWE. This led to Ryback joining Paul Heyman in his feud with CM Punk saying that Punk had bullied Heyman and that he hated bullies.

Big Show taking orders from The Authority – With the new regime arriving, Big Show talked out against their actions in screwing Daniel Bryan out of the WWE Championship. In response, Big Show was made to pay. Firstly, the Authority booked him in a three on one handicap match with The Shield and forced Big Show to do nothing as Bryan was constantly on the receiving of beatings. It turned out that Big Show’s “ironclad” contract which was signed in 2012 by John Laurinaitis had many problems with it that made it not ironclad anymore, which may have been the dumbest attempt at tying up loose ends the WWE has ever done. Big Show eventually became Stephanie McMahon’s hitman and knocked out the likes of Daniel Bryan, The Miz and Dusty Rhodes at her command. At Battleground, Big Show had enough of the bossing around and got himself fired with KOs to Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton.

Bully Ray revealed as Aces and Eights president/Bully Ray’s marriage to Brooke Hogan – At the end of 2012, Austin Aries revealed that Bully Ray had started to date the daughter of Hulk Hogan, Brooke. This peeved off the Hulkster who didn’t trust Bully even after he saved him multiple times. This led to Bully being suspended and eventually to Bully proposing to Brooke. At the wedding in January, Hogan finally accepted Bully as a member of his finally and walked his daughter down the aisle. This led to Bully Ray being named number one contender for the TNA World Title at Lockdown. It was then that the bombshell was dropped that Bully Ray had been the leader of Aces And Eights all along.

Tito Ortiz and Rampage Jackson feuding in TNA – In June, Quinton “RAMPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGE” Jackson was introduced in TNA as part of TNA’s deal with the MMA organisation Bellator (a MMA company which they constantly plugged over and over again on Impact). Rampage had high ambitions in TNA and even joined up with the Main Event Mafia in the battle against Aces And Eights. What followed up was the August 1st reveal that Tito Ortiz had returned to TNA. Tito’s intention were unknown until the Steel Cage TNA World Title match between Bully Ray and Chris Sabin where Tito took out Rampage to prevent him from helping out Sabin.

Oh god. So many bad storylines. The thing I don’t get is why is the Bully Ray Reveal As Aces And Eights Leader storyline in this? I thought it was awesome. Especially when Bully Ray talked over the plan for Aces And Eights. Here it is below…

The Big Show storyline wasn’t that bad either. Stephanie McMahon was really good in this storyline “encouraging” Big Show to play ball. It was just when Big Show suddenly was overshadowing Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton that it became bad and was becoming too much to bear. I think this award is going to go to the “Ryback The Bully” storyline because it was just shocking having to watch these promos of him bullying people. From a business standpoint, you get why WWE did this. But after Ryback had just been feuding for the WWE Championship and against Chris Jericho, this made him look like a complete joke. Not to mention the execution of these segments were shocking.

Winner: Ryback The Bully

 

So there you have it. On the 1st of December 2013, I started the first of these posts going through the NoDQ.com awards and declaring my votes for each of them. And now on the 20th, all of these posts are done. Every vote of mine has been cast. But it’s up to you guys as to who wins these prestigious or not so prestigious awards like the one I just wrote about! To vote on these awards all you have to do is click on the link below and all of the awards for 2013 are up. Click on the links, cast your votes, and in early 2014 the results are revealed.

http://nodq.com/polls/

Here’s the link to all of my posts for the NoDQ.com awards…

Superstar Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-superstar-of-the-year/

Tag Team Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-tag-team-of-the-year/

Finisher Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-finisher-of-the-year/

Announcer Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-announcer-of-the-year/

Match Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/08/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-match-of-the-year/

PPV Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-ppv-of-the-year/

Breakout Star Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/10/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-breakout-star-of-the-year/

Catchphrase Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-catchphrase-of-the-year/

Faction Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-faction-of-the-year/

Comeback Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-comeback-of-the-year/

Headline Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/14/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-headline-of-the-year/

Female Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-female-of-the-year/

Theme Song Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-theme-song-of-the-year/

Babyface Of The Year/Heel Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/16/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-2013-babyfaceheel-of-the-year/

Feud Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-feud-of-the-year/

Worst Wrestler Of The Year/Worst Match Of The Year/Worst PPV Of The Year https://thearmbarexpress.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/2013-nodq-com-awards-my-vote-for-the-worst-of-the-worst/

 

13/06/2013 TNA Impact Wrestling Review: The New Main Event Mafia, Trouble In Aces And Eights’ Paradise and The Bound For Glory Series Particpants Decided

Evening wrestling fans, I am Tommy ” The Fucking Animal” Robinson. XD OK, seriously, TNA review. Last night we had the last of the Bound For Glory series qualifiers and the road to Bound To Glory  is about to begin. Who qualified for the series? Who’s got a chance for glory? Also, what’s next for Sting after losing to Bully Ray at Slammiversary, It’s time to TALK TNA!

Up until last night, only 3 participants were announced to be a part of the Bound For Glory series…

• Jay Bradley, who earned his spot by defeating Sam Shaw at Slammiversary.
• Hernandez, who earned his spot by defeating partner Chavo Guerrero last week.
• And Samoa Joe, who earned his spot by defeating Robbie E last week also

So, 3 wrestlers were already in the series and at the top of the show, Hulk Hogan awarded spots to the last two winners of the Bound For Glory Series, Bobby Roode and Jeff Hardy. In the opening segment, Roode declared that he would call out Jeff Hardy next week on Open Fight Night. Hogan responded by allowing the fans to decide who out of Roode and Hardy would be the first person to call someone out next week!

In the first Bound For Glory series qualifier of the night, “Bad Influence” Christopher Daniels and Kazarian defeated the new tag championship James Storm and Gunner in a sound non-title tag match, which resulted in both Daniels and Kazarian earning spots in the series. Bad break for Storm, who twice has came close to winning the series, but hopefully Daniels or Kazarian can gain high positions by the end of the series. If any of these two were to win the series, I would not complain.

In the second Bound For Glory series qualifier and in one of the most disappointing upsets ever, Joseph Park earned a spot in the series by beating the once 470 days defeated and returning Crimson. Crimson looked alright here and him not being in the series is a little bummer for Crimson has he tries to rebuild himself after being gone a year or so. Someone commented in a YouTube video suggesting that Crimson should be a member of Aces And Eights and you know… why not? He’d make a lot of sense as muscle for the group.

In a little break from the BFG series qualifiers, Velvet Sky gave new Knockouts Champion Mickie James a present… a document saying that Velvet was cleared to compete after her “ankle” injury. However, Mickie made sure that Velvet wasn’t ready by assaulting Velvet and turning heel in the process. She locked on a submission hold which looked painful as hell. Starting to like these new developments in the Knockouts Division with Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell stealing the show at Slammiversary, Taeler Hendrix coming back last week and Mickie James turning heel.

Back to the BFG series qualifiers, and we had Magnus earn a spot by winning the most random fatal four way I’ve ever seen. I mean it was a slow OK four way, but we had 4 guys in the match that looked so badly matched-up. Magnus, Rob Terry, Matt Morgan and Kenny King. It’s like TNA got a bowl of wrestlers names and picked out four at random and said, “OK, lets put these guys in a fatal four way”. With Rob Terry and Matt Morgan in the match the pace of the match slowed right down but there were some slick exchanges between Magnus and Kenny King and in the end , the Englishman walked away with the spot in the Bound For Glory series. Magnus – Representing good old England in the BFG series! Come on England!

Next up was the Stinger, who was kind of pissed off about no one in the back helping him during his match with Bully Ray at Slammiversary. His loss to him meant he was out the title picture… FOREVER!

Sting mentioned that Aces And Eights are like family having each others back and believed it was time for another family to return to TNA – THE MAIN EVENT MAFIA! Sting is assembling a NEW Main Event Mafia to battle the Aces And Eights! I’m loving this war – The Main Event Mafia vs Aces And Eights! This could be a great faction rivalry… the important word being “could”. We’ve seen how TNA’s faction vs faction rivalries have went down before. And well most of them kinda sucked. Fortune vs Immortal. Fortune vs EV 2.0. Main Event Mafia vs TNA Frontline. Main Event Mafia vs World Elite. Most of them have been rather terrible. But given how well the Aces And Eights storyline has done ever since it started a year ago, this could be an exciting part of the storyline. And if Scott Steiner returns to TNA and joins the Mafia, I will mark out. I know the odds of this happening a very slim like! The chances of this happening are like the chances of Samoa Joe retaining the TNA World Title at Sacrifice 2008. What were the chances of that happening? Well, I’m glad you asked! Take it away Scott!

Anyway, back to the Bound For Glory series qualifiers. Austin Aires vs Eric Young, Two very charismatic superstars who put on a great show, A seriously entertaining match between the two. Loved it when they started mimicking one another. Very slick match. But in the end, only one could advance to the Bound For Glory Series, and that one was Austin Aires, who defeated Eric Young off the Brain-buster for the win. Aires has never been in the BFG series, so its nice to see some new faces on the scene.

Next up was a 6 man battle royal with all the entrants being members of Aces And Eights. So we had DOC, Knux, Devon, Mr Anderson, Wes Brisco and Garrett Bischoff competing for the right to be in the BFG series. However, Aces And Eights didn’t take things too seriously….

Yeah, tension is boiling over in the club with DOC refusing to eliminate himself in the battle royal – but got eliminated anyway. Mr Anderson earned the spot in the BFG series. I’m just wondering why TNA would have DOC attack Anderson if he was going to get eliminated by Anderson anyway? If I was booking it, it would be down to DOC and Anderson and they’d have this intense argument in the match which leads to DOC reluctantly eliminating himself. And afterwards, have DOC go in a wild frenzy and possibly have him strike members of Aces And Eights. That’s the way I see it. Personally, I don’t like the thought of DOC possibly turning face. I think if there was anyone that had any excuse to quit the club/turn face, it’d be Knux considering he’s done jack shit since he was revealed as a member. But TNA have there plans and hopefully, something good will come out of this.

So far we’ve had 11 of the best TNA has to offer earn a spot in the BFG series. And we have only ONE spot remaining. Who was it going to go to… the Olympic Gold Medallist and TNA Hall Of Famer Kurt Angle or the new dark and phenomenal lone wolf AJ Styles? And the winner was…….. AJ Styles! He won a good TV match off Aces And Eights distraction and a roll up to earn his spot in the BFG series! Afterwards Aces And Eights beatdown Angle, until Quinton “Rampage” Jackson came in swinging a chain and coming to Angle’s aid! Very interesting end to Impact Wrestling.

And the final list of entrants in this year’s Bound For Glory Series IS:

• Jay Bradley
• Hernandez
• Samoa Joe
• Bobby Roode
• Jeff Hardy
• Christopher Daniels
• Kazarian
• Joseph Park
• Magnus
• Austin Aires
• Mr Anderson
• and…. AJ Styles

Anyway, thanks for reading the Armbar Express. I’m Tom Robinson! And for a random video, I’m going to leave you with this epic scene from last week’s episode of Imapct Wrestling! (Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter, following the username @TomRobinson5199)

TNA Slammiversary 2013 Review – Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell Steal The Show In The Best PPV Of The Year

GAIL KIM AND TARYN TERRELL: What happens when you put Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell in a Last Knockouts Standing match? You get insanity!

Evening wrestling fans, I’m The “King Of The Mountain” Tom Robinson here with a quick recap/review of Slammiversary last Sunday before Impact airs tonight.

I got to admit, it was a hell of a PPV. If all TNA PPVs delivered are going to be this good than this new four-PPV-per-year strategy may be a stroke of genius.

The show kicked off with the high-flying X-Division Championship Ultimate X match with Kenny King defending against Suicide and Chris Sabin. As usual, a quality Ultimate X Match with all 3 guys given plenty of time to showcase their skills. 15 minutes of high-impact, wham and bang stuff from the X-Division with Chris Sabin getting the Win. Hulk Hogan came out and re-assured Sabin that he’d get a chance to cash-in the X-Division title for a World title shot in the summer. It’s good to hear that the Destination-X Stipulation is still in tact despite Destination X not being around again. I think with that stipulation plus with the returning X-Division guys like Sabin, Suicide and Petey Williams, the X-Division is certainty on the right tracks and it can be a force to be reckoned with again.

We then got a segment with Hulk Hogan being confronted by Mr Anderson, Wes Brisco and Garrett Bischoff of the Aces And Eights which led to their match against Samoa Joe, Magnus and the returning Jeff Hardy. I loved Hogan’s segment with Aces And Eights, and him calling Garrett and his father Eric a bitch. Definitely giving the middle finger to any parental TV ratings that get in their way. XD Anyway, Team TNA won in an OK 6-Man Tag. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from it anyway but at least this got Jeff back in the ball game and into the fight with Aces And Eights. I just hope TNA don’t have Jeff dominate them like Kurt Angle did for a period after they got full access at Bound For Glory.

Incredibly short and not that special match between Jay Bradley and Sam Shaw followed which saw Bradley pick up the victory with his BOOMSTICK clothesline, which provoked me to shout at the top of my lungs….

Anyway, this victory meant tha#t Jay Bradley is now in the Bound For Glory series. It’ll be nice to see Bradley having more TV time with his Bound For Glory participation.

Up next was supposed to be Devon defending the TV Title against Joseph Park. However after Joseph was taken out by Aces And Eights backstage beforehand, Devon was awarded the victory. However, Devon was then given a 2nd opponent for the night…. THE MONSTER ABYSS! And typically enough, Abyss won the title without breaking a sweat! What a badass! I really hope this is the end for the Joseph Park thing. Just let Abyss come back full-time and defend his title like he should. Anyway, great that Abyss is the TV champion. Not a great night for Aces And Eights so far…

And in a pretty good 16 MINUTE fatal four way elimination tag team match we crowned NEW TNA Tag Team Champions! Yes, Chavo and Hernandez were eliminated shortly after Christopher Daniels and Kazarian were eliminated for getting DQ’d. Then it came down to the team of Austin Aires and Bobby Roode and team of Gunner and “The Cowboy” James Storm. In a really back and forth finish to the match, Gunner made Aires tap to the torture rack to win the titles for him and Storm. I loved the ending to this match. It kept you in suspense thinking which team would win, and it was a great exchange between all 4 teams to be honest. A great elimination 4 way tag match. Honestly shocked by the result of this. I figured this team was just booked in the match just to make the numbers. However, it appears that these two are getting a run at the tag titles, and it’ll be interesting to see how they are utilized. At least it gets James Storm doing something. XD

Now we get on to the match of the night… Taryn Terrell vs Gail Kim in a Last Knockout Standing match. If you haven’t watched the match yet, here’s a YouTube link (Sorry that it’s flipped horizontally. I’m assuming this guy uploaded it this way to prevent it being taken down for copyright)….

UNBELIEVABLE! 10 minutes of f’ing insanity! When was the last time you saw women wrestlers do these sorts of things and take them sorts of bumps? It was so… brutal! Chairs were involved! Gail Kim ran head first into a chair which got me marking out. The fans were so into this match. HOLY SHIT chants and THIS IS AWESOME chants just erupted in Boston. This crowd was amazing through-out the night! But they loved this match. Taryn’s little diamond cutter of the stage onto the floor was insane. I bet you about 75% of internet wrestling fans that was giving Taryn beef over her wrestling have changed their mind over her now. That was a gutsy performance from both of them. TMZ uploaded some of the photos of Taryn’s bruises after the match. Click here for the link. If one of your women’s matches gets covered by TMZ, you know you’re doing something right. That’s probably the greatest women’s match I’ve ever seen. And I’m not overselling it either. Crowd were great, the women were great. It was just incredible what I was watching thinking “OH MY GOD!” Insane!

AJ Styles FINALLY got a new theme song as he made his down the ring to face Kurt Angle (who got inducted into the TNA Hall Of Fame. Good inductee, but a little bit early for him. I was hoping it’d be Jeff Jarrett). It was a really badass theme song too. I’ll post it down below. These two put on a good match. I’m not sure I agree with the decision to give Angle the victory. I think AJ needed to win if he was being built up to defeat Bully Ray and save TNA. A loss like this is not going to do AJ any good. Ended a little abruptly too, but it was still good. There was one really good sequence where Angle tried a top rope German Suplex on AJ, which saw AJ flipped and he ended up landing on his feet which I thought was incredible. It was a good match, but AJ should have won.

And finally, the TNA World Title match. Sting vs Bully Ray for the TNA World Title. It was a brutal no holds barred match. There was freaking piledrivers for gods sake. One of the most dangerous moves in wrestling which even Bully said wrestlers weren’t supposed to do. As you’d expect Aces And Eights got involved. And as you’d expect, they helped Bully win. Mr Anderson gave Bully the hammer, who smashed Sting in the head with it to retain the title. That means Sting is now out of the TNA World title picture… FOREVER! Muahahahahaha! Unless they pull out some bogus ruling that overturns the decision or something like that. And if they do that, TNA are a bunch of knobheads. XD Still a great match, to end a phenomenal PPV.

No doubt my favourite PPV of the year. There’s was a lot of action and some insane matches at Slammiversary. Really looking forward to what happens next in TNA. It’s a great way to begin the Road to Bound For Glory for TNA.

Oh and before I leave…. here’s AJ Styles’ new theme song. Pretty badass don’t you think?

TNA Slammiversary 2013 Predictions – Will Aces And Eights Steal The Show?

Evening wrestling fans, I am “The Alpha Male” Tom Robinson here with the Armbar Express. TNA Slammiversary predictions! Tonight’s the night. The 11th annual Slammiversary. Big matches, big announcements and big things expected for tonight’s Slammiversary. Lets run down the card…

Bound For Glory Series Qualifier – Jay Bradley vs Sam Shaw

Background: About a month ago, TNA made the announcement that 4 former Gut-Check winners would compete in a mini tournament to determine who the first confirmed entrant in the Bound For Glory Series would be. Gut Check Winner Christian York battled Gut Check Winner and Chiacgo-born Jay Bradley in a close encounter. However, it was Bradley’s Boomstick Clothesline that got him the victory that advanced him to the finals of the tournament at Slammiversary. The 2nd semi-final of the series was scheduled to be Alex Silva vs Sam Shaw. However, Aces And Eights took it upon themselves to take out Alex Silva backstage. This meant that Sam Shaw automatically advanced to the finals at Slammiversary. So it’s Bradley vs Shaw for the right to be in the Bound For Glory series. Will Double S Sam Shaw slide his way into the series, or will Bradley’s Boomstick put down Sam Shaw?

What Should Happen?: I’m honestly not bothered who wins. I’m happy already that one of these guys will finally get some spotlight now in TNA. Since winning Gut-Check, neither of these guys have done much in TNA. Being in the Bound For Glory series and picking up a couple of wins along the way can get them utilized a lot more in TNA. But if I had to pick someone, I’d pick Bradley, purely because I want to see his Boomstick clothesline and shout at the top of my voice….

What Will Happen?: It’s hard to call… errrmmm… Again, I think I’ll go with Bradley because I think with his “Boomstick” Bradley has got something marketable about it, and I think TNA would want to go with him because he’s only one out of the two competitors in this match that actually won a match to get to the qualifier. I don’t know. It’s hard to call this match, but I’m going with Bradley.

TNA Television Championship – Devon (c) vs (sighs) Joseph Park -.-

Background: Joseph Park’s feud with Aces And Eights began in the build up to Bound For Glory with Park being taken hostage by the group.  Park broke free from his captivity during The Aces And Eights match at Bound For Glory and assaulted members of the group. Joseph then competed against Aces And Eights member DOC at Turning Point, but lost. Park then attended wrestling school at OVW for a grand total of TWO WEEKS in order to get better prepared for Aces And Eights. He was then given the chance to fight Devon at Genesis, but was once again defeated. After Bully Ray betrayed TNA and Brooke Hogan at Lockdown, Park stepped in again trying to implement “Justice” by drawing up divorce papers. This didn’t sit too well with Bully Ray and Devon, who attacked Park. A couple of weeks later, Aces And Eights faced the wrath of Park’s brother Abyss who returned and whooped all kinds of Aces And Eights ass. After Abyss’ return, Devon promised to “take a piece out of his (Abyss) ass”. This angered Abyss’ brother Joseph who challenged Devon to a match. Devon told Park he had to earn his shot at him, and had him fight D’Lo Brown for his chance. Park won the match and a TV Title match at Slammiversary was set.

What Should Happen?: Park gets taken out backstage beforehand by Aces And Eights. Abyss replaces his brother in the TV Title match. Wins The TV Title.

What Will Happen?: Devon wins. If TNA have Joseph Park beat Devon for the TV Title, I will do this to my table…

TNA Tag Team Championship – Chavo Guerrero (c) and Hernandez (c) vs Bobby Roode and Austin Aires vs Christopher Daniels and Kazarian vs James Storm and Gunner in a Fatal Four Way Elimination Tag Team Match

Background: In April, Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez defeated Bobby Roode and Austin Aires to become Tag Team Champions for a 2nd time. Aires and Roode then began a squabble with “Bad Influence” Christopher Daniels and Kazarian over who should have a crack at the new champions. A Number One Contendership Match took place between the two teams with James Storm serving as special referee (because apparently, Storm doesn’t have anything better to do). After both teams were getting under the ref’s skin, Storm delievered Last Call Super Kicks to Daniels and Aires, ending the match in a no contest. The next week, a fatal four way elimination match was made between 4 teams for the PPV – Daniels/Kazarian, Aires/Roode, Chavo/Hernandez and James Storm and a partner of his choosing. After the likes of Shark Boy and Robbie E offered their help to James, the returning Gunner was picked as his partner.

What should happen?: Not exactly a fan of Chavo and Hernandez as tag team champions to be honest. Then again, I don’t want the tag titles changing hands every couple of months. It’d damage the prestige if it kept swapping between the same teams over and over again. So, I want Chavo and Hernandez to win and hopefully feud with some other teams.

What will Happen?: Chavo and Hernandez win. The way I see it, I think TNA want a face tag team to hold the titles for now… so they can serve as transitional champions until Aces And Eights get the belts. I think Aces And Eights will get their hands on the belts. It’s just a matter of when and which two members. Tazz mentioned the possibility of Wes Brisco and Garrett Bischoff winning the titles, but I personally want DOC and Knux to get the gold.

TNA X-Division Championship – Kenny King (c) vs Suicide vs Chris Sabin in an Ultimate X Match

Background: The X-Division has seen a number of returns from a number of former champions. Petey Williams and his CANADIAN DESTROYER came back in April, Chris Sabin came back from two torn ACLs in May, and Suicide returned 2 weeks ago. Everyone has been gunning after the X-Division Champion Kenny King. Sabin was involved in a triple threat for the title about a month ago involving champ King as well Petey Williams. However, Sabin was unsuccessful in winning, but stayed in contention as Petey was the one who got pinned. Suicide won a X-Division title qualifier in his return match, defeating Joey Ryan and Petey to earn a chance for the title at Slammiversary. With the new format in the X-Division, Kenny is set defend the title at the PPV against Suicide and Chris Sabin but things have gotten cranked up… because they will all compete… in an Ultimate X Match!

What should happen?: I’d mark out if Suicide won the title. I’m not saying I’d be pissed if Sabin or King won, but I loved the Suicide character back in the day and the new guy (T.J. Perkins) donning the mask impresses me. Sure Sabin winning would make sense, and King winning would bring a lot of credibility to him as champion. However, Suicide was just a character that captivated me when he was around, and I loved the fact that everyone wanted a piece of them. Him winning the title would be a great way to rebuild his character.

What will happen?: I sense a new champion being crowned tonight. Either Suicide or Sabin will win the title I think. If I had to pick I’d say Sabin because it would be the sort of triumphant-return-from-injury and I think they want to reward Sabin for coming back from all of injuries and stuff.

Gail Kim vs “The Hot Mess” Taryn Terrell – Last Knockout Standing

Background: At Lockdown, Gail Kim wrestled Velvet Sky for the Knockouts Championship with Taryn Terrell as referee. However, when Gail got physical with Taryn, Taryn attacked Gail costing her the title. Due to her actions, Taryn was fired as the Knockouts Referee. However, Taryn was signed onto the Knockouts roster meaning she could get physical with anyone she wants. And on Open Fight Night, she wanted to… hehe get “physical” with Gail Kim…

Gail Kim go out of the match with Taryn by having Tara come out and help her, hehehe, double-team Taryn. Taryn retaliated by attacking Gail Kim backstage. The next week, Gail Kim regained the advantage over Taryn when she defeated Taryn in a tag team match. In their first singles match against one another, Taryn would gain an upset victory over Gail. This led to Gail Kim attacking Taryn post-match, applying the figure four leg lock on the ring-post. After it was announced that Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell would compete in a Last Knockout Standing match at the PPV, Taryn got revenge. She attacked Gail backstage 2 weeks ago. And in their final encounter before the PPV, Taryn teamed up with Chris Sabin to defeat Gail Kim and Kenny King, getting the crucial advantagebefore Slammiversary.

What Should Happen?: I just want to say, I’ve really gotten into this feud so far. We barely see a decent diva feud any more. The Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell anger story is seriously intriguing, as the animosity between the two has been building for months, and all that intensity will just blow up in the Last Knockout Standing match. Since Taryn won their match a month or two ago, I think Gail should get the victory here and level things up at 1-1.

What Will Happen?: I think Gail will win to even up the score. I don’t think they’d have Taryn beat Gail again, especially in a match like the “Last Knockout Standing” match.

 

Magnus, Samoa Joe and Jeff Hardy vs The Aces And Eights (Wes Brisco, Garrett Bischoff and Mr Anderson)

Background: Jeff Hardy faced Bully Ray in a rematch from their World Title match on Lockdown in April. The match was Full Metal Mayhem, and was won Bully after he hit Jeff in the HEAD with a HAMMER and fell threw the table. Last week on Impact, it was announced by the newly-reunited Samoa Joe and Magnus that the Aces And Eights would take on Joe, Magnus and the returning Jeff Hardy in a 6 man tag team match.

What Should Happen?: As much as I hate to admit, Jeff Hardy’s team should win. While this would be a huge boost for Aces And Eights, it’d make zero sense for Jeff to make his return and lose in his return match. Then again, it doesn’t make sense to have Jeff fully recover from getting hit in the head with a hammer in less than 2 months. Surely a shot like that would at least paralyse Jeff or even kill him. And people call John Cena “Super Cena”.

What will happen?: Jeff Hardy’s team wins.

 

Kurt Angle vs AJ Styles

Background: AJ Styles returned to TNA in March, right after Lockdown. On his return, he decked James Storm with a clothesline. AJ became a man of few words, taking a more darker approach than before. AJ acted as a lone wolf rather than joining any team. This would include AJ watching superstars like James Storm and Kurt Angle getting beatdown by Aces And Eights. AJ refused declare what side he was on in TNA’s war with Aces And Eights, which irritated Kurt Angle, who brawled with AJ about 4 weeks ago. This led to people believing that AJ would joining Aces And Eights, and Mr Anderson even announced that AJ would be patched in to Aces And Eights. It was also announced that Kurt and AJ would settle their differences at Slammiversary 1 on 1. 2 Weeks ago, AJ attacked Kurt Angle as well as members of Aces And Eights with a hammer, making it clear that he wasn’t affiliated with anyone. He was going to be doing his own thing.

What should happen?: AJ Styles wins. You have NO IDEA how much I’d rage if Angle won.

What will happen?: AJ Styles wins. If TNA has any common sense.

 

TNA World Heavyweight Championship – Bully Ray (c) vs Sting in a No Holds Barred match. If Bully Ray wins, Sting can never compete for the TNA World Title again

Background: At Lockdown, Bully Ray shocked the world by winning the World Title and announcing that he was the President of Aces And Eights. General Manager Hulk Hogan blamed Sting for convincing Hulk to pick Bully Ray as the number one contender for the World Title in the first place. The two traded words for weeks, and this led to Hulk Hogan telling Sting to “get the hell out of my ring”. After a couple of weeks, Sting came back two aid Hogan in the fight with Aces And Eights. Hogan booked a number one contendership match between Sting and Matt Morgan, not wanting to make the same mistake of picking a number one conteder. Sting won the match and the match was set for Slammiversary. During a contract signing between the two, Sting asked Bully for a No Holds Barred match at the PPV. Bully agreed, on the condition that Sting promised never to wrestle for the TNA World Title again if he lost. Sting agreed to the stipulation and the stage is set for the showdown at Slammiversary. Will Sting take away a great deal of power from Aces And Eights, or is this the last time we see Sting compete for the World Title?

What Should happen?: Bully Ray wins.

What Will happen?: Bully Ray wins. I don’t think they’ll have Bully drop the title this early.

 

And finally….

Who Will Be The 2nd Inductee Into The TNA Hall Of Fame?

Who It Should Be?: Jeff Jarrett. Come on… he FOUNDED the god-damn company.

Who It Will Be?: I’m going to say Jeff Jarrett, but I would not be surprised if TNA pulled off the Dick Move of having Hulk Hogan be the 2nd inductee.

 

That’s it. The stage is set. Predictions done! Enjoy Slammiversary. I know I will.

16/05/2013 TNA Impact Wrestling Review: Big Matches And Stipulations Added, As The Road To Slammiversary Takes A New Direction

BULLY RAY AND STING: Face To Face ahead of their encounter at Slammiversary

Evening Wrestling fans, I am the “Phenomenal” Tom Robinson with another TNA Impact review for you as Slammiversary draws near.

We started off the show with Hulk Hogan announcing Kurt Angle vs AJ Styles for Slammiversary and wanting to say thanks to “The Monster” Abyss. And we got a Park alright. Unfortunately…

Joseph Park showed up instead. Urrrrgghhh. Really TNA? REALLY? Surely the Joseph Park character has surely had its day by now. Just please get him off TV and have Abyss back full-time. Anyway, Hogan’s had enough of Park’s crap and demands to know where Abyss is. This draws out the “Sergeant Of Arms” of Aces And Eights Devon and fellow member D-Lo Brown who was demoted to “prospect” level last week, which is the lowest of the low if you’re a part of Aces And Eights. Devon said he wanted to, and I quote, “take a piece out off his ass”. LOL. I might actually incorporate that line into my daily vocabulary. What a line. I’m really starting to like Devon on the mic. Anyway, Joseph got mad at Devon, and challenged him to a match. However, Devon said Joseph had to prove himself and D’Lo stepped up to the plate. So Hogan set up the match between Joseph Park and D’Lo Brown, and if Joseph wins, he gets a match with Devon. And if D’Lo loses, well… he’s in the shit.

Meanwhile, in the tag team division, the tag team champions Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez going up against Bobby Roode and Christopher Daniels respectably. In Chavo vs Roode, Chavo got disqualified because James Storm came out and spit beer in Roode’s face. And in Daniels vs Hernandez, Hernandez defeated Daniels off a James Storm distraction. After the Daniels vs Hernandez match, James Storm announced that it would be a fatal four way match for the TNA Tag Team Titles at Slammiversary. Chavo and Hernandez will be defending the gold against Daniels and Kaz, Roode and Aires, and James Storm, who will pick his own partner for Slammiversary. As much as I don’t like seeing the same old teams competing for the gold, James Storm being brought into play is a good way to mix it up. I’d mark out if James Storm chose “The Wildcat” Chris Harris for his partner at Slammiversary! America’s Most Wanted reunited would be a legendary moment that I’m sure true TNA fans will love.

Kurt Angle called out his Slammiversary opponent AJ Styles. However, he gets everyone’s favourite asshole… MISTEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR ANDERSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!

Anyway, Mr Anderson cuts a decent promo and basically says that next week will be the “patching-in” of AJ Styles as a member of Aces And Eights, and dares Angle to come. However, Angle doesn’t want to wait and takes down Anderson. This brings out AJ, who takes down Angle with a kick. Nice segment. I really wonder what’s gonna go down next week with the “Patching-in”. And I’m looking forward to AJ vs Angle at the PPV.

Also, 4 former Gut-Check winners started off a mini-tournament to determine who gets a spot in the Bound For Glory series. In a match between two former Gut Check winners, Jay Bradley defeated Christian York in a quick match to earn the right to go to Slammiversary to try and earn a spot in the Bound For Glory series. Personally, I think Christian York should really be the one getting a spot in the Bound For Glory series. I’m not saying Jay Bradley isn’t worthy enough or isn’t talented enough. It would just make a lot more sense if the guy that’s actually been active in TNA since getting his contract would be rewarded for his work over guys like Jay Bradley who have only showed up once in a blue moon. HOWEVER, competing in the Bound For Glory series can give whoever wins the mini-tournament some much needed exposure and can give him a lot more air-time post BFG-Series. Who knows? For all we know, TNA may have them win it!

Gail Kim lost a non-title match to Knockouts Champion Velvet Sky via a roll-up (is it me or is too many women’s matches in TNA ending in roll ups?). It was a decent TV Women’s match, which included Gail attacking Velvet post-match in similar fashion to how she attacked Tara and Taryn Terrell in the last couple of weeks – figure four leg lock on the ring-post. Anyway, Mickie James was also given a Knockouts Tag Title match with Velvet next week so I hope to hell this match was much better than their match about a month ago.

Kenny King retained the X-Division Championship in a sound triple threat title match also involving Chris Sabin and Petey Williams. Petey got the wrong end of the stick and was the one that got pinned. This means that Petey is out of the title picture for a while and has to earn his way back in under the new X-Division rules. It’s a shame because I’m a big fan of Petey. It was also announced that at Slammiversary, Kenny King will defend the X-Division Title against Chris Sabin and the returning Suicide… in the Ultimate X Match. That will be an enjoyable match if TNA give them a lot of time at Slammiversary. I’m sure Sabin, King and whoever takes on the mantle of Suicide (likely Kiyoshi) can pull a terrific match together if given enough time.

Joseph Park defeated D’Lo Brown… unfortunately. Same old stuff with Joseph Park. D’Lo Brown kicks his ass for a bit. Makes him bleed. Park turns into Abyss. Blackhole Slam. And got the win. -.- However, I will admit. D’Lo looked very slick in the ring for someone who has barely wrestled in the last couple of years. I’m surprised how well he could move for someone his size and age. But because Joseph Park won, D’Lo will likely be in the shittest of shit with Aces And Eights. Nice seeing you D’Lo.

Contract Signing for the TNA World Title match between Sting and champion Bully Ray at Slammiversary. Jeremy Borash introduces Bully Ray who comes out and pushes Jeremy out the ring and calls out Sting and Hulk Hogan (Bully wanted Hogan to watch the contract singing go down). Sting proposes a stipulation for their match at the PPV… NO HOLDS BARRED! Oooooooooooooooooooooo. Bully Ray agrees to Sting’s stipulation as long as Sting agrees to Bully’s stipulation. If Bully Ray wins at Slammiversary… Sting can NEVER compete for the TNA World Title again!

Sting agrees to the match and a brawl between Bully and Sting breaks out to end the show.

A very interesting night indeed. It’s nice that some PPV matches are getting announced and the card is starting to take shape. Next week with the “patching-in” of AJ Styles at Aces And Eights, D’Lo Brown facing the fury of Bully Ray, the return of Suicide and the Knockouts Title match is going to be a hell of a show to build on the foundations set on this one. Anyway, that’s my TNA weekly review done. And I’ll see you with the Extreme Rules predictions later on today!

09/05/2013 TNA Impact Wrestling Review: “The Monster” Abyss Returns To Battle The Aces And Eights!

HE’S BACK!

Hey wrestling fans. I am the “Shockmaster” himself, Thomas Robinson and I’m here to talk to you about a shocking return on Thursday at the end of TNA IMPACT WRESTLING! Also, we have new developments in the AJ Styles storyline to talk about as well as everything else which includes 5 Hour Energy plugs, D-Lo Brown being treated like a bitch and tag team matches galore on Impact Wrestling!

First things first. Sting and Kurt Angle came down to the ring and called out AJ Styles, who they hoped would team with them in the 6 man tag team main event against the Aces And Eights that night. Angle demanded an answer from AJ, but as with his usual MO as of late, AJ remained silent. Sting then cut a promo about how AJ helped built TNA and talked about his accomplishment, but AJ was STILL silent and left the ring. Pissed off at AJ being “disrespectful” towards them, Angle angrily approached Styles on the ramp and the two scrapped in a good-old pull apart brawl. I love these sorts of segments. Pull-apart brawls are a great way to have the tension building up for weeks pour out, and it gets AJ doing something different from his old usual “silent treatment” as we’ve seen for a couple of months. However, this scrap leaves the Stinger in the ring by himself, wide open for an attack by the Aces And Eights. Mr Anderson, Devon and Bully Ray come out to attack Sting, with Devon and Ray dropping Sting with the 3D. A great way to start the show and build up the main event.

“Hardcore Country” Mickie James and the TNA Knockouts Champion Velvet Sky defeated Tara and Gail Kim in a knockouts tag team match. A very short tag team match that wasn’t really anything special to be frank. However, Gail Kim did attack her partner Tara after the match, continuing the “Gail Kim needs Anger Management” storyline. You’ve got to believe that something’s going to come out of this. At least I hope something does. Gail is quality in the ring, and I for one would not mind her getting another Knockouts title reign.

Next, Aces And Eights took to the ring to take care of “Club business” as Bully Ray put it. The TNA World Champion Bully Ray was pissed off at D’Lo Brown for losing an I Quit match to Kurt Angle last week. This was basically a segment to confirm that D’Lo Brown is in the “doghouse” right now with Aces And Eights, and Bully told D’Lo to give up his vest and accompany DOC at ringside for his match with Magnus. However, that match saw D’Lo inadvertently cost DOC the match. After this, a backstage segment which saw Bully threaten D’Lo with a hammer saw D’Lo downgraded to a “prospect” in Aces And Eights. In other words… D’Lo Brown has become the official bitch of the Aces And Eights. This was a great segment to show off tension within Aces And Eights, and to show off Bully Ray’s “tough love” towards his Aces And Eights members. It’ll be interesting to see if they replace D’Lo after a while or whether they’ll just have Bully makes examples out of everyone in the group.

Speaking of tough examples, group members DOC, Knux, Wes Brisco and Garrett Bischoff assaulted Magnus backstage in a brutal beatdown to the Englishman so he would not be able to team with Kurt Angle and Sting in the main event. Running out of time, Hulk Hogan said he had someone on the phone who’s ready to step up and get there to help them in the main event. I wonder who it could be?

Austin Aires and Bobby Roode had a hell of a tag team match with Christopher Daniels and Kazarian. I seriously enjoyed that tag match, and the 4 were really effective in the ring together. There was just one problem… the special referee James Storm. Urghhh. Really TNA? You just couldn’t let these two teams have a legit match? Storm delivered a Super Kick to both Daniels and Aires and walked out on the match he was supposed to officiate. A legitimately good tag team match ended because the referee decided to walk out. But of a disappointing ending if you ask me. Mind you, justice was served when James Storm was attacked backstage by what I’d assume was Daniels, Kazarian, Roode and Aires’ doing. Good. However, that does beg the question as to who the number one contenders will be. I hope it’s someone different. Hell, I’d take Robbie E and Jesse as the number one contenders. Brisco and Bischoff from the Aces And Eights going after the titles would be something new. Anyone other than the same old teams from the last couple of months.

Kenny King and Chris Sabin did a segment hyping up the triple threat match also involving Petey Williams for the TNA X Division title next week. Not exactly a great promo from either man, but the match next week speaks for itself. Chris Sabin, Petey Williams and Kenny King could produce something special next week, and it’s a match I’m very much looking forward to.

MAIN EVENT. Since Hulk Hogan’s mystery partner for Kurt Angle and Sting never showed up, it appeared to be a 2 on 3 handicap match with Angle and Sting facing Devon, Bully Ray and Mr Anderson. A decent main event with a cool but confusing ending. Aces And Eights got the advantage and it looked like Bully and Devon were gonna put Sting away with the 3D. However, we saw the return of “The Monster” ABYSS, who marched down to the ring to take on the Aces And Eights. Chokeslamming Anderson, dropping Bully Ray and hitting the Black Hole Slam on Devon, Abyss was whooping all kinds of ass. And Abyss would go on to… pin Devon to win the match. Wait. So it was a 6 man tag all along? I don’t get that ending. The match started off as a 2 on 3 handicap match and it for some reason changed into a 6 man tag mid-match? Talk about confusing.

But anyway, Abyss returning to TNA is brilliant. It’s been nearly a year since the Abyss character was last in TNA and him feuding with Aces And Eights will be a great sight to see. Personally, I think Abyss should really be the one challenging Bully Ray for the TNA title at Slammiversery and not Sting. However, I still think Abyss will get to Bully Ray eventually. Abyss has always been a favourite of mine, and I’m glad Joseph Park is out the way for now. Abyss coming back adds a little bit of spice to the TNA vs Aces And Eights war! I can’t wait to see next week’s developments.

Overall good show. It had a good opening and a great ending and it was a very enjoyable show overall with a great tag match with Daniels and Kaz vs Roode and Aires and other things. Great show.

21/03/2013 TNA Impact Wrestling Review – Bully Ray Tells The Tale Of Aces And Eights

 

Hey there, TNA fans. I’m Tom Robinson. And it’s time to talk… TNA.

On Thursday, a taping of Impact Wrestling was aired. And to be honest, I’m not that much of a fan of tapings. But, this one was a very unique show, with about a 1/4 of it or so given to Bully Ray to give us a story about his plan to become the TNA World Champion with Aces And Eights. Bully Ray is a very good story-teller, and TNA did a really good job tying up some loose ends, like how Aces And Eights D’Lo Brown stepped into the voting of Gut-Check to vote in fellow Aces And Eights member, Wes Brisco. Also, the way Bully Ray justified getting his ass kicked by fellow members of Aces And Eights by simply stating, “He was taking one for the team” was really well done. it makes it clear that this group does not run as dictatorship, like the Nexus did. Also, this story made it clear that TNA actually had a long-term plan for this storyline which is always good to see. Unlike WWE, which hardly ever has long-term plans nowadays, TNA sat down and said, “Right this is what’s going to happen in the next year with this story”, and they did it without worrying about whether online fans worked out what was going to happen. It was really well done. It makes the stable unique. Although it was a shame the group were not actually part of the taping itself (other than Bully Ray confronting his wife Brooke), they are still probably the best thing going in wrestling right now. With a live Open Fight Night next week, the next developments in the storyline should be interesting.

On the show, AJ Styles was set to be interviewed by Mike Tenay, who wanted to know why AJ attacked James Storm last week. But, as Mike was asking a question, Tazz interrupted and offered a spot in Aces And Eights for AJ (which was a really ballsy move from Tazz, who dissed AJ’s motorbike and told him he had to work his way up). I thought the interruption was kinda funny. Then James Storm confronted AJ and wanted to know why. However, AJ was still speechless and left the ring. I really do like this new attitude AJ’s got about him, and his storyline will no doubt be a phenomenal one… hehehe.

Also, Taryn Terrell was added to the Knockouts Division. Bobby Roode and Austin Aires retained the tag team titles in a fair match against Chavo and Hernandez but were beaten down by Daniels and Kazarian. Kenny King defeated Sonjay Dutt and Zema Ion in a triple threat to retain the X-Division Championship in a short match, which wasn’t really helped by Sonjay’s botches. But it’s always nice to see the X-Division in action. Matt Morgan defeated Joseph Park. And Hulk Hogan and Sting had another heated argument. Hogan told Sting to “hang out in the rafters and go disappear for a couple of years” which I thought was kind of funny.

Also, Jeff Hardy became the number one contender for the TNA World Champion, by defeating Samoa Joe, Magnus and Kurt Angle in a fatal four way. This match was made at the start of the show by Hulk Hogan in order to thank the leaders of the fight against Aces And Eights. But if Hulk Hogan wanted to win the war against Aces And Eights so badly, why put the 4 leaders of TNA against each other? Why have them beat the hell out of each other so Aces And Eights can pick up the scraps? Doesn’t really make sense in my eyes. But anyway, the match was not bad actually. Especially at the beginning of the match. It was really fast-paced, really entertaining and a really good display of talent by the 4 individuals. However, there were some sloppy parts of the match, especially the ending. It just looked really rushed, and the match ended so abruptly. Jeff hit the Swanton Bomb on Samoa Joe after knocking Magnus into Kurt Angle. He went for the cover on Joe, and got the win – EVEN THOUGH Angle broke it up before the ref made the 3 count. What the hell? It just looked so sloppy. At least, Bully Ray will defeat Jeff to retain the title, and Jeff can hopefully got RIGHT down the card.

To be honest, it wasn’t that great of a show in my opinion. I really enjoyed Bully Ray’s story of how he rose to the top of TNA. I loved his story-telling. But other than that, this episode was kind of a disappointment. BUT, we’ve got open fight night next week, which should be very a good show!

14/03/13 TNA Impact Wrestling Review – Aces And Eights Dominate/AJ Styles Returns

What up guys? Tom Robinson here, with TNA blogging for you guys. We had the fall-out of Lockdown on the 14th of March, and what were the implications from the shocking events in the Lockdown main event?

 

Aces And Eights Opening Segment

Yeah, Chavo and Hernandez came out for a TNA Tag Title match when Aces And Eights came out of nowhere and attacked the tag team, much to the delight of the Chicago crowd. Once Aces And Eights took out the trash, Devon cut a promo to basically introduce the president of the Aces and Eights and… NEW TNA World Heavyweight Champion… Bully Ray. He came out to a great reaction at the top of the show, and I’ve got to say, I love the new Aces And Eights theme song, with lyrics added on. It’s a cool addition. 🙂

Anyway, Bully Ray, who turned heel at Lockdown, and revealed himself as the President of Aces And Eights, basically did an extended edition of the speech he delivered at the end of Lockdown. He got loud “BULLY” chants too. He dared Hulk Hogan to fire the group (who are apparently under contract in TNA). He wanted Hogan to fire them before the end of the night. It was a solid heel promo from Bully (which is funny because the Chicago fans were cheering everything Bully said). A good start to the show. I also noticed two look-alikes in the audience. I saw a guy who looked like Jay Lethal, and a guy who looked like Gandalf. XD

 

Gail Kim and Tara vs Velvet Sky and Mickie James

Anyway, we get the action starting with a tag team knockouts match, with Mickie James and Velvet Sky taking on Tara and Gail Kim. While Mickie James and Velvet Sky (and her ass! XD) got great pops, they didn’t come close to the pop Chicago’s own Tara got. Such a great appreciation of the knockouts in the windy city! And it was a great showing by the women, with some good tag team moves on display, a slightly messed up japanese arm drag by Velvet Sky, and even a tarantula by Tara! That got a great pop from the fans. You can tell the difference between a TNA women’s match and a WWE women’s match. These knockouts are always great to see. Referee Taryn Terrell, who’s on probation for attacking Gail Kim at Lockdown, gave Gail Kim a HELL of a slap en route to Velvet’s victory. I’ve seen an awful lot of slaps in wrestling, but that has to go up there as one of the best. So it appears that Taryn Terrell will likely get fired as a ref, which will lead to her been given a wrestling contract instead, and the Gail Kim/Taryn Terrell feud will result in a match some time down the road. I hope if that’s the case, that Terrell is actually good in the ring. She’s spent time in OVW, so she should be preapred.

 

Aces And Eights Backstage Segments: Bully Ray calls his Wife, threatens his dad-in-law and attacks Kurt Angle

Anyway, segments were aired backstage with the group celebrating Bully’s win and included Bully ringing up his “wife” Brooke Hogan on the phone. To be honest, it was funny when D’Lo said “Mama’s on the phone”. XD Funny segment there, and you could tell something was gonna happen with the group later on in the show. They also attacked Kurt Angle, sending out a statement to the TNA roster.

 

Rob Terry vs Robbie E

Yep, it appears “Robbie T” has changed his name back to Rob Terry. But there’s something that bothers me. Christy Hemme introduced Terry as from “the New Jersey Shore”, but during his match, Tazz said he was from Wales (which is where he is actually from). WTF? Make up your mind, TNA!

Anyway, Rob Terry destroyed Robbie T in about a minute for the win in their rematch from Lockdown. Rob Terry got “Feed Me More” chants from the fans, which I thought was hilarious. I don’t think he’s that much like Ryback to be honest. XD Maybe Batista. But if Terry squashes his next opponent similarly to how he beat Robbie E, then them chants maybe justified. XD By the way, Rob Terry has horrible dance moves. His dancing this week was really below par. I guess it beats my dances moves, I guess. XD

 

Sting Backstage Segments – Tension with Hulk Hogan

Sting was INCREDIBLY pissed on Impact. He was raging ALL over the place after what Bully did at Lockdown. And looked like he was about to hurt someone. He went too see GM Hulk Hogan, who was just as pissed as Stinger. But it seemed as though he was more pissed at Sting than Bully, because it was Sting that kept convincing Hulk that Bully Ray was a good guy. He said that their partnership was done, and told Sting get out his office, saying that Sting made me sick. A really heated segment from Sting and Hulk. After that confrontation, Sting was confronted by the tag team champions Austin Aires and Bobby Roode, who mocked Sting and had a go at him for allowing Bully Ray to become the TNA World Champion. This eventually led to Sting picking a fight with Austin Aires (since Bobby Roode sneaked away XD).

 

Christopher Daniels vs James Storm

This was supposed to be AJ Styles’ big return to Impact Wrestling. But instead, Christopher  Daniels and Kazarian imitated the Road Warriors (who were from Chicago).  Pretty funny segment, with Daniels ending on “WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…. tush!” XD

Interrupted by James Storm who started a match with Daniels, which he won… easily. After their great match at Genesis, this was a really disappointingly quick match.

 

AJ STYLES RETURNS

After the match, Daniels and Kazarian delivered a beatdown, until AJ Styles appeared (dressed up in a hoodie and sporting a beard) and took down Kazarian (which unhooded him) and saved the “Cowboy” from a beatdown… from them anyway. When Storm started to celebrate… BAMM! AJ nails Storm with a hard clothesline. That got a heck of a pop from the Chicago fans. That clothesline was powerful, he re-hooded himself from the draft off the clothesline. A really great way to return from AJ. And BEFORE you jump to conclusion that AJ Styles is now heel, I just want to state… he isn’t.

This may be exactly as I wanted to be. If you read my AJ Styles/Aces And Eights Tease post (which is here on this link if you haven’t read it) you’d know that I don’t think AJ will turn out as a full-blown heel. I think he’s an anti-hero. He’s got that kind of “I’m going to do whatever I want” attitude, where he don’t take no sh*t from anyone. As for the clothesline to Storm, I just think that’s just a personal score that he’s going to settle before he goes after the Aces And Eights. In fact….

BOLD PREDICTION TIME!

I think that AJ Styles will win the Bound For Glory series, and defeat Bully Ray to become the TNA World Champion at Bound For Glory. That’s what I think is going to happen.

 

Oh by the way, TNA kept saying that “TNA is coming to your hometown”. I sincerely doubt that TNA will come to the glitz and glamour of Middlesbrough like. XD Also, Matt Morgan did a segment with Joseph Park and said that he was “An abortion to the sport of wrestling” before laying him out. WTF? An abortion to the sport of wrestling? Really?

 

Austin Aires vs Sting

This was a great match between the two. While Sting took full advantadge, Aries got some edge back, before Sting locked in the Sharpshooter, before it was broken up by Aces And Eights. I’m amazed how well Sting is able to wrestle at his age. Aries is a good opponent for him, and it was funny too see Austin Aries failing at locking in the sharpshooter, because he didn’t know how it was supposed to be done. XD Sting was all over Roode on the outside, who kept interfering before being ejected from ringside. Funny Sting was all over Roode, considering how Bobby Roode was making Sting his bitch around this time last year. XD But seriously, a really good main event…

 

Aces And Eights Win The Battle

…interrupted by Aces And Eights, who were booed at the end. So the group got cheered at the start of the show, and booed at the end of the show. LOL I guess people really wanted to see a finish to the Aries/Sting match. Anyway Hulk Hogan came out and said “If you live by the sword, you die by the sword!” and rallied the troops from backstage to get a piece of Aces And Eights, setting up a big-ass brawl at the end… which had a finish. Normally, these sorts of brawls are still going as the show stops airing, but Aces And Eights ended up defeating Hogan’s calvary. A great way to make Aces And Eights seem powerful. They have the TNA World Championship, they have the TNA TV Championship (which hasn’t been defended in months), and they won this latest battle. They even took over the TNA website for brief period. Unfortunately, TNA “regained” control of the site, and it’s back to normal, but here’s a look at the memo that was on the site when it was under Aces And Eights control…

WEBSITE TAKEOVER: Aces And Eights Take Over The TNA Website

Aces And Eights trying to take over TNA will be a really good angle to see. I mean we’ve seen groups come in and cause havoc before, but we haven’t really seen a lot of groups recently try to take over their wrestling company. We’ve had the Alliance try to take over WWF, and nWo try to take over WCW, but they were more than 10 years ago. It’s nice to see these angles. Aces And Eights are now a threat to TNA. Put away any doubt, Aces And Eights are a legit threat to TNA. They may be the hottest thing  in wrestling right now… and this is during Wrestlemania season! WWE need a word with themselves here. This week was TNA’s week. The Chicago fans were amazing here! As always!

 

Anyway, it’s good to be back blogging guys! I’m off from University for a grand total of 3 WEEKS, so I’ve got a lot things planned. Not just with WordPress. Several accounts are going to be opened and several projects are going to be put in place. YouTube, that Instagram thing, Keek, I’m going to use Tumblr again. Seriously, all sorts planned. Stay tuned to the blog and stayed tuned to my Twitter @TomRobinson5199, for updates. I’ll be seeing you guys very soon. 🙂

 

 

 

TNA Lockdown 2013 Predictions – Who’s Gonna Survive Lethal Lockdown?

 

Good afternoon TNA fans, I’m Tom Robinson. Today, not only is it Mother’s Day, but it is Pay-Per-View Day, as TNA presents Lockdown live from Texas. This is the first proper PPV since the new PPV format was introduced a couple of months ago. And it’s Lockdown. What’s going to happen tonight as there is a lockdown in TNA.

The Battle Of The Robbies – Robbie E vs Robbie T

Match Background: A couple of months back on Open Fight Night, Robbie E challenged Jesse to a bro-off. And, no. It’s not like this bro-off…

All contestants must show what kind of bro they really are. And everything you did had to end in bro. In a rather entertaining segment, Robbie E danced in the most ridiculous way possible and Jesse delivered a pose or two. Jesse was disqualified by Robbie E for saying “dude” at the end of the posing and not “bro”. But before Robbie E declared himself the winner, Robbie T, Robbie E’s bodyguard, entered the bro-off. In his skit, Robbie T combined both Robbie E’s and Jesse’s segments, and did a crowd-pleasing segment which gained a good pop, and apparently winning the bro-off according to Bro-off judge Tazz. XD Anyway, Robbie T started to show off a more face attitude and was gaining more popularity than Robbie E. Robbie E, in a bit of jealous rage, turned on his bodyguard, which set up Robbie E vs Robbie T for Lockdown.

What I think should happen: Robbie T wins.

What I think will happen: Robbie T wins. Forgone conclusion here. NEXT.

 

The Battle Of The Josephs – Joey Ryan vs Joseph Park

Match Background: Screw it. I’m not doing this match. This match has no background, and honestly, it’s just a waste of PPV time. You put in Joseph Park against a guy like Joey Ryan, who’s by far the worst thing to come out TNA in a while. Seriously, you could have had much more deserving athletes compete in that match, and actually showcase a good match. Not these two. NEXT.

 

X-Division Championship – Kenny King (c) vs Christian York vs Zema Ion

Match Background: Kenny King had been vying for the X-Division title for months. He’d come close several times, but he was coming up short quite a lot until, finally, on February 28th, he became the X-Division champion by defeating Rob Van Dam. He’s now scheduled to defend the championship at Lockdown against former X-Division champion Zema Ion and a rising star in the X-Division, Christian York. Despite being the former X-Division champion, Rob Van Dam is apparently not in this match at Lockdown for reasons unexplained.

What I think should happen: Kenny King retains. He’s JUST became X-Division champion… finally. It’d be pretty insulting to have him lose it here after only like 10 days after he won it. XD

What I think will happen: Kenny King retains. Like Kenny King is going to lose the title this early. But, stranger things have happened in wrestling. So you never know!

 

TNA Tag Team Championship – Team Hell-N… I mean Bobby Roode (c) and Austin Aries (c) vs Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez vs Christopher Daniels and Kazarian

Match Background: Bobby Roode and Austin Aries had both tried and failed to dethrone Jeff Hardy as World Champion for several months after Bound For Glory, with Austin Aries losing at Turning Point, Bobby Roode losing at Final Resolution, and both of them losing at Genesis in a triple threat. Despite not exactly getting along, Roode and Aires put their differences aside to begin a quest to win all the TNA titles available, starting with the tag titles. Despite constant bickering, the dysfunctional duo would go on to win the tag team titles (well, why does that sound familiar?) by defeating Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez in England. A triple threat tag team match was made for Lockdown, as the new team of Bobby Roode and Austin Aries were booked to face the team of Chavo and Hernandez, as well as the team of Christopher Daniels and Kazarian, who were tag team champions twice before.

What I think should happen: Roode and Aries win. As much as I joke about them being like Team Hell-No because of the constant bickering and stuff, I do like what TNA is doing with them. The difference between Team Hell-No and Aries and Roode, is that Roode and Aries have BIG egos, so the battle to claim superiority between the two is much better. And they’re a really good team, and they’ve delivered a lot of funny moments as a team. I think they should be tag champions for a while.

What I will happen: Roode and Aries win. There is no way that they’ll drop the belts after like a month.

 

TNA Knockouts Championship – Velvet Sky (c) vs Gail Kim

Match Background: At Genesis, Gail Kim was a dominant force in the Knockouts Gauntlet, defeating Miss Tessmacher, ODB and Mickie James in quick succession. When she faced off against Velvet Sky though, it was a different story, as referee Taryn Terrell failed to spot Gail Kim’s foot under the rope as Velvet Sky pinned Gail Kim for the victory, and the number one contendership for the knockouts championship. In England, Velvet Sky became the Knockouts Champion, after winning a fatal four way elimination match also featuring Gail Kim, Miss Tessmacher and Tara. However, controversy struck again as Kim and Terrell argued again over Kim’s cheating in the match, which led to Velvet Sky defeating Gail Kim last to win the match. This has led to Velvet Sky being booked to defend her title against Gail Kim at Lockdown.

What I think should happen: Again, I think the champion should retain. I don’t understand why TNA are having titles change hands just before the pay-per-views. It makes the PPV matches seem so predictable, and it really downgrades the card in my opinion. Velvet Sky wins.

What I think will happen: Velvet Sky retains. I think Taryn will inadvertently screw Gail again, which will continue the feud between them two.

 

Kurt Angle vs Wes Brisco… INSIDE A STEEL CAGE

Match Background: Kurt Angle took Wes Brisco and Garrett Bischoff under his wing during the battle with Aces And Eights. Angle convinced the judges of Gut-Check to have Wes Brisco as an entrant in the competition. Brisco earned a TNA contract, and continued to fight alongside Angle against Aces And Eights. On January 31st, Kurt Angle defeated Mr Anderson in a steel cage match. After the match, an Aces And Eights member got inside the cage and was about to attack Angle, when Wes Brisco made the save. The Aces And Eights member unmasked himself and revealed himself to be none other than Garrett Bischoff (I thought it was crucial for Aces And Eights members not to be unmasked. Suddenly it’s OK to unmask yourself?). Wes Brisco then clobbered Angle from behind and the duo kicked the crap out of Angle in the cage. This led to Kurt Angle vs Wes Brisco being made for Lockdown… INSIDE OF A STEEL CAGE.

What I think should happen: Wes Brisco wins. PLEASE don’t have Kurt Angle win for the thousandth time against Aces And Eights! PLEASE!

What I think will happen: Kurt Angle gets ANOTHER win over Aces And Eights. Urrghhhh.

 

Lethal Lockdown – Sting And Friends vs Aces And Eights

Match Background: Aces And Eights have been a forced to be reckoned with in TNA ever since attacking Sting on their debut in June. Aces And Eights decided it was time to have “a war to end all wars”… with Lethal Lockdown. 5 Aces And Eights members take on 5 TNA superstars in the Lethal Lockdown match. Of course the match was accepted and the two teams were all set. Aces And Eights members Devon, Mr Anderson, DOC, Mike Knox and Garrett Bischoff will take on “Team Captain” Sting, “The Cowboy”  James Storm, “The Samoan Submission Machine” Samoa Joe, “The Great Brit” Magnus and the returning “Showtime” Eric Young.

Rules: Two men from each team will start off the Lethal Lockdown match locked in the cage. Then, after every 5 minutes, each team will take turns in having a member enter the cage. This will continue until all 10 men have entered the cage. Once all 10 guys have entered, the first team to get a pinfall or submission wins. Aces And Eights will have the “man advantage”, meaning that they will gain an advantage on TNA by having their men enter the match before the TNA guys do. Basically, the entrant order will be – Aces And Eights, Team TNA, Aces And Eights, Team TNA, Aces And Eights, Team TNA, Aces And Eights, Team TNA.

What I think should happen: Aces And Eights wins. They need a big win like this, especially at Lethal Lockdown.

What I think will happen: Aces And Eights wins. I don’t think Team TNA will win, because there are a lot of twists and turns on the way with the Aces And Eights storyline. A Team TNA guy could help Aces And Eights win. The Higher Power may show up. AJ Styles may join Aces And Eights. I think Aces And Eights will be around for a while in TNA.

 

TNA World Heavyweight Championship – Jeff Hardy (c) vs Bully Ray

Match Background: In England, Hulk Hogan made a series of matches designed to determine the number one contender, giving 8 superstars a chance to impress him before he makes his decision. But a week later, Hulk Hogan chose his new son-in-law Bully Ray as the number one contender to Jeff Hardy’s World Title, despite Bully not competing in the series of matches.

What I think should happen: Bully Ray Wins. Jeff’s been champion long enough.

What I think will happen: Bully Ray Wins. I think this match could be a passing of the torch for Bully Ray. I think TNA started booked this match thinking that Jeff Hardy was gonna leave at the end of his contract, and they were planning to have Bully Ray become champion at Lockdown. I don’t think Jeff signing a new contract will have an effect with those plans. I think Bully will become champion.

 

Anyway, this could be the last blog post in possibly a week from me. I’ve got a pretty busy a week ahead at University and in all sorts, possibly the busiest week of my life actually. XD An exaggeration? Maybe. Look, the point is I think the Lockdown review will have to wait for more than a week I think. But after the week is over, I plan to hit you with post after post during my time off from uni after this week. I also want to improve my online status while I’m off. I’ll begin to utilize my YouTube account, and revamp the blog a bit. Start having a look into doing stuff on things like Flickr and stuff. So, look out for that. Anyway, thanks for reading this blog. Check me out on twitter @TomRobinson5199. And I’ll see you next time. 🙂

07/03/13 TNA Impact Wrestling – AJ Styles And Aces And Eights Tease

Good evening TNA Fans. I’m Tom Robinson.

And today, we talk TNA, and we talk AJ Styles, as TNA teased a potential alliance between AJ Styles and Aces And Eights with this video…

Yes, AJ Styles is seen talking to a guy with an Aces And Eights jacket on, until the cameramen approach AJ, which results in AJ getting all physical and badass on the camera crew.

Now before you jump to the conclusion that AJ Styles is joining Aces And Eights, just remember this is probably TNA just teasing the possibility of AJ joining Aces And Eights. It doesn’t mean for sure that he will. Hell, he may show up at Lockdown and end up saving TNA from The Aces And Eights. Maybe he was talking to a defector of Aces And Eights or something. Of course, there is an obvious mean-streak starting to develop with AJ, with him slamming the camera guy onto the car. It’s a good change in character for AJ, as we’ve never seen AJ in a role in which he has this anti-hero badass attitude about him. And guys like that are rare in wrestling, and seeing AJ take on the role would be something cool, and it would get people to back him again.

However, let’s say he is joining Aces And Eights? What good will that do him? Personally, I don’t think that should happen. I mean, take a look at Mr Anderson. Ever since he joined Aces And Eights, he’s been really watered down and has really lost relevancy in TNA. Anderson has not been able to show off his great mic skills while with the group, mostly do to Devon taking up the role as the group’s spokesman. What if the same thing happens to AJ? Once the group ends, he’ll be right back where he left off when he “left” TNA – in the mid-card spot going nowhere. However, AJ Styles may actually be a good asset if used correctly. Aces And Eights don’t have a group member that is actually a main-event player in TNA, and with the right backing, AJ can fight for the World Title on behalf of the group, and if he wins it, the group is suddenly a huge threat.

Personally, I’m all for the idea of AJ being an anti-hero FIGHTING Aces And Eights, rather than him joining the group. I think it makes sense as AJ said before he “left”, “I’m sick and tired of always doing the right thing. So from now on, I’ll be doing my own thing”. This is a lifestyle which all anti-heroes live by. They do what they want, when they want and however they want to do it. Hellboy, Spawn, The Punisher, Vegeta, they all still keep their badass sides but also fights for the greater good. That’s the direction I think TNA should go.

Anyway thanks for reading guys, I’ll see you again soon for the Lockdown predictions on Sunday. Stick around for that. Also, this blog is getting a new name. I think it needs a cool name, and it’s time to change up the blog a bit. I’ve been messing around with all sorts of ideas like RockTR Blogging and TR Frontline Blogging, but I’m still not that certain what to do. Anyway, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @TomRobinson5199 and I’ll see you on Sunday.