Pro Wrestling Chronicle

There is a lesson to be learned by TNA from last night’s pay per view. Really it’s a lesson that guys like Jeff Jarrett and Dutch Mantel should already know. For all his faults as a booker Vince Russo has been around long enough in the business that he should know it also. You can book all the gimmicky matches you want. You can build intricate storylines, or ones that have the layered depth of “See Spot Run.” In the end though- you need to just let the performers do what they do best- Wrestle.

Austin Starr and Senshi wrestled in a match where you had to force your opponent to submit to the crossface chicken wing. Neither of these wrestlers are known for using this hold so it kind of handcuffs them in what they are able to do. However these two guys put together a believable match where they each worked over the other person’s neck and shoulder trying to soften up for the hold. In the end Senshi slapped on the move and got Starr to tap out. Afterwards Starr put the hold on Bob Backlund, probably setting up a match between the two.

Now as good as this match was it was nowhere close to what these two guys are capable of. The gimmick hampered their ability to a degree but the natural talent of the two rose above the stipulation. If these guys had been turned loose for the same amount of time in a regular match who knows how good it could have been. As it was, it was turned into a wholly average match.

In the main event Christian and Samoa Joe put on one helluva match for the NWA title that almost saved this show completely. It was a great match for TNA in a couple respects. First, this should be the match that elevates Christian in peoples minds from mid-carder for life to a legitimate main eventer. It was probably a **** match and it wasn’t Joe carrying Christian. The former Captain Charisma held up his end of the bargain nicely and did a great job beforehand in interviews setting up the fact that he was scared of Joe.

Secondly, a lot of people are going to be upset Joe lost the match, but it was the right booking decision. Money is made in wrestling in the chase. Fans get invested in a challenger and rally behind him until he finally takes the belt off the champion. This wasn’t a momentum killing loss for Joe. He kicked out of the Unprettier, and in the end Christian used leverage to pin the challenger falling backwards while in the Kokina Clutch and putting his feet on the ropes. Christian had the deck stacked against him in some regard because none of his helpers were there but he did what he needed to for a win. Joe looks like a man who was cheated out of a victory.

The only problem TNA might run into though, is a huge one. As I said, the money is in the chase but at some point you need to pull the trigger. The crowd in Orlando, and a lot of the paying audience want to see Joe win the belt and carry the promotion. Something he is very capable of doing. At some point they are going to get tired of being jerked around and give up on Joe ever winning the belt. It’s a delicate balance you need to walk as a company between doing what’s right for business and appealing to your fans. I think they should try and hold off until Slammiversary for Joe’s big title win because it will be in a fresh arena and will get a huge reaction helping them look major league. Also it helps build up Christian’s credibility as a champion. I think if they wait any longer than June to switch the title to Joe they are skating on thin ice.

Couple other thoughts:

- The Heartbreakers vs VKM match was beyond embarassing and looked like the worst match you could see on a local indy card. The crowd was totally against it, and it’s clear that The Heartbreakers get by on their look alone.

- Angle vs Steiner was a disappointment. The match was awkwardly laid out and Steiner didn’t seem to have the same fire he did in his last run. Maybe he was still getting his running legs under him but he wasn’t there yet. Angle did his best to carry him, but even he looked like he was going half speed.

- The Last Rites match was an interesting spectacle if nothing else. Sting had a pretty nasty cut on his head that bled heavily throughout. During the middle of the match a casket descended from the ceiling complete with a light and smoke show which led to the crowd chanting, “Fire Russo,” very audibly. There was also a less passionate “This is Boring” chant during the bout. By the end though Abyss chokeslammed Sting on the casket and that brought the crowd back into the match a little bit. The big thing here though is the Orlando crowd is again telling TNA what they want. Will TNA listen?

- Lastly, Elevation X proved once again why scaffold matches are boring. There isn’t enough room to do anything although AJ Styles found ways to be creative with the structure. They sold the gimmick well once they were up there but doing this match too often kills the effectiveness of it all. Styles ended up taking the bump while hanging from the bottom of the structure and it was a relatively safe back bump. The fall he took off Ultimate X where he somersaulted in the air was far more dangerous.

In the end it was a show of some really good stuff which was heavily outweighed by the bad. TNA needs to find a better way to balance those two sides again. Not everything is going to click on a show but you need to have enough that does to make a show worthwhile.