I can’t praise TNA’s Knockouts enough. Brooke Hogan gets a lot of crap from the internet, but for what it’s worth she got a great reaction in Peoria (I was surprised). Taryn Terrell is realy coming along as a performer, not to mention she’s stunning to behold in real life, as are all of the ladies of TNA. It’s great to see them running two simultaneous programs with the Knockouts; one between Gail Kim and Taryn, and the other for the title. ODB was over bigtime, and we got to see a lot of her and EY, which is always a treat. If I had a criticism, it’d be the actual depth of the women’s roster. When you host a “state of the division” address, and only have four active competitors in the ring, you might need more talent. Tara is there, but she’s become relegated to manager duty. I’ll say it again – SOMEBODY IN TNA NEEDS TO HIRE SERENA DEEB!
My other BIG disappointment was the lack of Matt Morgan. He’s been the one guy in recent years that TNA has consistently dropped the ball with. If I hear another smarky internet fan tell me “creative has nothing for him”, I’m going to go off on somebody. The man is a 7-foot-tall monster in the prime of his life; if creative really has nothing for him, I suggest they go watch some tape, or find employment elsewhere. If you need some ideas, I know a guy that’s been playing pretend booker since grade school… Morgan is only 36, and he’s been around the business a long time. Use him before it’s too late.
Apart from the Blueprint, we got to see just about everyone I had hoped to see from an Impact Wrestling television event. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of Kurt Angle wrestling, as I’ve never seen him wrestle live before, but the way he was used in Main Event Mafia was quite preferable. Speaking of which, their group was by far one of the best parts of the night. Everyone loves the MEM, and adding (SPOILERS ALERT) Samoa Joe was a great touch. We got to see a TON of Joe throughout the night, wrestling in two very good matches, picking up back-to-back BFG series wins, and of course joining up with his old running mates for round two of the Mafia incarnation. I’m happy for the guy; he deserves to be on top.
And speaking of guys on top of the wrestling world right now… Austin Aries. This is another major spoiler from next week’s show, so be warned. Booking Aries to take out Suicide and scheme his way into another World title shot is brilliant. One of the best decisions TNA has made in a long time. Not only will it be a fun story, that will likely produce great television, but it’s actually a logical creative move that plays perfectly into Aries natural character. As has always been the issue with him though, TNA is going to have one helluva time getting fans to hate him.
