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Jeff Hardy: New TNA Champion
Bound for Glory '12
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents |
By
Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter
After
the experiences on Saturday at the Fan Fest and Hall of Fame dinner, I was
eagerly anticipating Bound For Glory. I thought the card was a decent line up.
Granted I would have preferred to see a Knockout 4-Way with Madison Rayne and
Gail Kim added to the match instead of a straight rematch from No Surrender
with Tara vs. Miss Tessmacher, That match notwithstanding, there wasn’t any
match I saw as a “bathroom break” match. My biggest concern, as I wrote about
last week, was whether or not there would be any significant story development
with the Aces and Eights angle.
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Inside the arena
By My 1-2-3 Cents |
I
got into the Arena around 4:30. I was somewhat disappointed there was no dark
match or anything to hype up the live crowd prior to the show. Around 4:50,
Jeremy Borash and Hulk Hogan appeared on the video screen and talked about Aces
and Eights. Shortly after that Austin Aries came out to cut a heel-esque promo
on the crowd saying he knew his name so he didn’t need the crowd to chant. I
don’t know if TNA expected such a vocal supportive crowd for A Double and his
promo was done to try and get them to cheer Jeff Hardy or not, but even with
Aries heeling the crowd, the majority of the crowd stayed supportive of the TNA
World Champion.
I’m
not going to do a match-by-match review as there are enough of those floating
around the web and since this review is getting posted two days after the fact,
I doubt anyone reading doesn’t know what happened. Instead I’m going to offer
up my personal Pros and Cons about the show.
CONS
Since
I have more positive to say and want to end the blog on a high note, I’ll start
with the things I didn’t like.
When
I got to my seat, I had fourth row on the floor, three seats from the ramp. As
I took my seat this guy came over and stood in front of me. At first I was thinking
maybe he was a my123cents fan and I was going to have my first fan interaction.
Instead he said his girlfriend was sitting next to me. They had bought their
tickets separately and he was in the same row eight seats down. He asked if I
would be willing to change seats so he and his girl could be together. I was
hesitant to switch due to how good the seat was but decided it wasn’t like he
was sitting in the cheap seats. I was only moving about 10 feet. It wouldn’t be
that big of a move so I agreed. While the new seat was still a great view there
were two issues I had to deal with throughout the show that I wouldn’t have had
to deal with in my original seat.
First
up was the group of four guys sitting in the third row. They were the type of fans who got
excited over every little move and would stand for the slightest punch or kick
and would remain standing for a good 30-45 seconds. That wouldn’t have been so
bad except for the fact the guy directly in front of me was about 6’4” and 350
pounds. Definitely made a better
door than window. I hate to nit pick on their standing because I’m all for fans
enjoying themselves and having excitable fans makes for good television.
However, I also think fans should be aware of their surrounding and realize
when no one else is standing, be courteous try to not obscure other’s
view. Plus, they were in the third
row. It isn’t like they were getting a better view by standing than they were
by sitting.
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Samoa Joe wins!
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents |
The
second nit pick is the loud female fan behind him. Again, I’m all for cheering
and expressing your support or who you want to win the match. I only ask that
if you’re going to be yelling throughout the entire match, please have more
than one cheer. This girl would
just repeat the name of whomever she was cheering for. Hearing, “lets go Joe”
at the beginning of a match is fine. Hearing “lets go Joe” every 15 seconds for
10 minutes straight is torture. Maybe I’m getting old and cranky. Or maybe I’m
used to Chikara crowds who are creative with their cheers and taunts.
Speaking
of Chikara, one of the events of the night reminded why I enjoy Chikara (and
Chikara fans) as much as I do. During the Aces and Eights match, one of the
masked wrestlers maybe perhaps was Luke Gallows. Because he has been rumored to
be part of the group and the crowd was a “smart” crowd, the fans around me were
chanting “Luke Gallows” and “Festus” over and over. Contrast that with Chikara
where Archibald Peck has resurfaced under a mask as the Mysterious and Handsome
Stranger. When the M&HS comes to the ring the fans don’t chant for Archie,
instead they play into the story and chant “we don’t know you,” or “who are
you.” Again, a small thing that
means nothing in the grand scheme of things but at the same time helps to sell
the story being told in the ring. OK, that’s it for small complaints. Onto the
actual things I think could have been done differently.
My
biggest complaint of the show is how underused the video screen was used. There
were several times when I turned to look at the screen to get a better visual
of what was happening in the ring and would be greeted with the Bound For Glory
graphic. Only during selects moments when the action spilled out onto the floor
did the director feel obligated to put the action up on the screen. Yes it was
a small venue and there weren’t any “bad” seats so the crowd didn’t need to
watch the action on a giant monitor for 95% of the show. It still would have
been nice to have the monitor available to see what the audience at home was
seeing.
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New tag team champions
Hernandez & Chavo Guerrero
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents |
The
outcome of half of the matches were outcomes I mentioned on From the Rafter’s
Radio as being the least productive outcomes for future stories. Rob Van Dam, Chavo/Hernandez, Tara and
Jeff Hardy all winning not only cut the legs out from rising TNA stars. With
the exception of Hernandez, all are former WWE talents and their wins, to the
cynical fan, re-enforces the belief TNA wrestlers are inferior to anyone who’s
wrestled in WWE.
Rob
Van Dam is and will be super over with crowd based on his history. Zema Ion is
a rising star that hasn’t been featured on a regular basis since winning the
X-Division title. This match could have been used to give Ion a major victory
and some momentum in the X-Division. Speaking of the X-Division, where’s Kenny
King, Sonjay Dutt, Rubix or any other potential rising star?
Chavo
Guerrero has only been in TNA for about three months and is now one half of the
Tag-Team Champions. Much like when Gail Kim returned to TNA, after a couple
years of doing nothing in WWE, and quickly won both the Knockouts and Knockout
Tag-Team titles, the impression being sent is if a wrestler jumps ship to TNA
they will be rewarded with a championship. I like the team of Chavo and
Hernandez, I just don’t see a reason for switching the tag-titles at this point
in time.
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Tara & Mr. Pectacular
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents |
Tara
winning the title from Miss Tessmacher felt like less of a situation built
around a title and more about giving Tara a stage to introduce some ex-reality
star that most of the crowd didn’t know. I have been impressed by Miss
Tessmacher this year and believe she could be a cornerstone for the Knockout
division. Not discrediting Tara, as she’s a very talented wrestler in her own
right. Simply stating the title change felt overshadowed. A quick note about
Jessie (I think that’s his name), Tara’s Hollywood boyfriend, after he came
out, I texted a friend and asked if Tara called him her “boo” so when the crowd
booed him Mike Tenay and Taz could claim the crowd was actually cheering for
him. I was saying boo-urns.
Jeff
Hardy winning the World Title made sense from a storyline perspective. The year
of redemption paid off for the Charismatic Enigma. I’m guessing no one in TNA
expected Austin Aries to have the breakout year he’s had either. Otherwise why
put the title on Aries only to quickly move it to Hardy?
The
video screen and the results are really the only negatives I had with the show.
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Bonus Miss Tessmacher pic because Kevin's a fan...
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents |
PROS
During
the Fan Fest, I spoke with a TNA employee who expressed concern with the crowd
since Phoenix wasn’t a major television market for the company. At 5:05pm those
concerns were put to rest. This was probably one of the loudest, rowdiest
crowds I’ve witnessed live. They really didn’t get quiet for anything. Even the
cool down matches had a frenzied crowd cheering almost every move. I’m guessing
TNA wishes every crowd was like the Phoenix crowd.
Even
though I don’t agree with the outcomes of most of the matches, that didn’t stop
me from enjoying the show. As a wrestling fan first and sports entertainment
fan second, I was pleased with the action on the show. All the wrestlers went
out there and gave 100%. The matches weren’t cookie cutter matches going
through the motions working in the wrestler’s signature spots. On the biggest
show of the year, everyone delivered.
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Joey Ryan gets Head
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents |
The
stories being told were logical.
It’s a little thing, but in wrestling logic is seen about as often as
Billy Kidman actually getting power bombed. Yes, I just made a reference from
1998. At first I was disappointed in the Joey Ryan/Al Snow match because I felt
Joey should have came in and dominated Al proving Joey belonged in TNA. Then I
took a step back and looked at the story being told. Joey took a beating,
making Al believe Joey wasn’t that good of a wrestler. Then when Al figured he
had Joey ripe for the pickings, Joey had Matt Morgan ready to run in and
destroy Al. At least I hope that’s the story TNA was telling. I think the
pairing of Joey and Matt could be interesting and hope there’s a plan in place
for the duo.
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Devon revealed!
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents |
My
questions about Aces and Eights were answered in a way I didn’t expect. I don’t
know if it was because I was expecting Bully Ray to turn on Sting, or because of
all the names I’ve heard rumored to be a members of the gang, whatever the
reason, the reveal of Devon was a shocking surprise. Not only was it a
surprise, it made sense. Here’s one half of the most decorated tag team in
wrestling history who has watched his partner become one of the most popular
guys on the roster. A guy who was Television Champion when his contract expired
and who the company said “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” instead of
offering a raise. Why wouldn’t he want to cause havoc and seek revenge? The
reveal was a shot of energy into a story I felt was spinning its wheels for the
past month. I am curious to watch Impact this week and see what the fallout
will be from Devon’s involvement and how TNA handles Aces and Eights being
allowed access to the Impact Zone.
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Storm vs. Roode
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents
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What
can I say about the Bobby Roode/James Storm match that wouldn’t sound like
exaggerated hyperbole? The blow
off match to a yearlong feud was just as brutal and intense as one could have
hoped for. Two of TNA’s originals went out and bled for the company they helped
put on the map. One thing I really liked was how little King Mo was involved in
the match. Usually when there’s a special enforcer or referee the person ends
up having some effect on the outcome of the match. Other than protecting Earl
Hebner from Bobby Roode at one point in the match, King Mo was kept more as a
bystander. With Mo coming into wrestle in TNA, the match gave him a front row
seat to let him know if he expects to make it big he better be willing to bust
his ass.
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A Double vs. Jeff Hardy
Super Hurricarana
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents |
Overall,
I had a great time at Bound for Glory.
TNA has made some serious improvements over the past 4-5 months. It
seems like they have plans for the next 6-12 months. Hopefully they will stick
to the plan and continue to build on the entertaining and intriguing product
they have going. In doing so
hopefully they forge their own identity. Also, hopefully they will quickly get
the Knockout Tag Title off of Eric Young and put them on an actual Knockout Tag
Team or get rid of the titles all together. Thanks to everyone at TNA for a
great weekend of wrestling and for treating fans like they mean more than just
money in your pocket.
Do
you like the direction TNA is headed? What would you like to see them do
differently? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
