#August1warning: We Were Warned

If you're a loyal TNA fan you may be aware of their latest attempt to grab new viewers. I'm taking of course about their #August1warning videos. They're a series of videos that first appeared last week on the promotion's YouTube accounts.

The videos show a shadowy figure and are of deliberately poor quality, although they’re made in such a way that even the deliberately poor production is a letdown. The figure appears to be bald and is either a man or the most unfortunately masculine woman I've ever come across. Speaking via a voice modulator he has addressed his impending Impact Wrestling appearance (on August 1^st, obvs) and assured us he's a name known to TNA fans.

The videos have succeeded in getting people talking. Whether they'll get people tuning in remains to be seen. I have my doubts but I'd love to be wrong.

Even this moderate success is blunted by TNA's standard issue inefficiency. The videos have had less than a week to take effect. Had they started earlier they could have been seen by more people, which obviously would have increased the chances of higher viewing figures. As it is they've not even been seen on TV.

I understand TNA wanting to present them as real but that shouldn't be done at the cost of potential success. They could have been played on TV with an announcement that management don’t endorse the content, which is what’s happened on YouTube. Even the old “the airwaves were hijacked” routine would have been better than making them online exclusives.

The identity of the silhouette is a genuine mystery, partly because there are no big names unaffiliated with a wrestling company who could realistically be expected to join TNA. The "favourite" seems to be ‘Scrap Iron’ Adam Pearce, in large part because he's bald like the mystery man. Apparently it's occurred to very few people that a voice actor could be providing the voice for the video, and an actor could have been hired (in kayfabe terms) to portray the figure.

You may recall Pearce appeared as a Gut Check contestant a while back. While he failed to get a contract he was written out in such a way as to make a return possible. For various reasons I hope it's not him behind the vids. For one thing he's not a big enough name to qualify as a non-disappointment in the role come the reveal. For another while he's a solid wrestler and a decent enough promo he doesn't possess those undefinable star qualities that make me think he could turn into a reliable headline star. He has a generic, mid-card look and at 35 it's unlikely that he's yet to peak. I wouldn't be averse to TNA bringing him in. I just don't think he's right for this particular route to the roster.

 

TNA's next star?

 

Another name suggested is Low Ki, although he used the name Senshi during his 2011 run in TNA. And WWE fans will know him as Kaval. Personally I feel he's a bigger name than Pearce but he's still not well known enough to justify such a (by TNA standards) much hyped (re)introduction. He could be of great benefit to the X Division but that's a moot point because TNA don't seem to care about that at the moment.

Sticking with bald wrestlers it could be Sonjay Dutt. Alright so he was on Impact last week, but that's not the sort of thing to stop TNA. He's not under contract and nobody's expecting him to be on tonight's show, that's about all the motivation they'd need to put Dutt in this role.

Anyone who thinks it could be Batista is kidding themselves. He's beginning to make headway with his acting career. He wouldn't jeopardise that by flying to a 3,000 seat arena once a fortnight to feud with Bubba Ray Dudley. It's just a completely unrealistic suggestion. If and when he returns to rasslin' it'll be with WWE.

The former MVP is yet another longshot. When he left WWE he negotiated a deal that would allow him to use the MVP name anywhere except TNA. That's reason enough to make me think it’s not going to be him. There are other reasons available too. He's talked publicly about having left WWE on good terms, which indicates that he's got a mid-card spot waiting for him should he want it. Also discussed publicly is his non-wrestling project with a US TV network. Right now the guy doesn't need wrestling. He's achieved his dream of wrestling in Japan and if he wants to return to the business in a meaningful role it will be with WWE.

John Morrison is in pretty much the same position. He seems satisfied working indies, taking minor acting roles and doing a bit of standup comedy. I expect to see him back in WWE at some point, not joining TNA. And on a side note the standup should help to improve Morrison's stilted promo style. That's the one area that's consistently let him down over the years and if he can fix it he could get the WWE success many feel he's entitled to.

A more credible name than the former WWE performers is Tito Ortiz. A former UFC stalwart, Ortiz has recently come out of retirement to sign with Bellator. That's the same Bellator that has contracts with TNA performers King Mo and Rampage Jackson.

Ortiz is one of the bigger names I've mentioned here and strikes me as a very real possibility. He's got the name value and crossover potential TNA seem hell bent on attaining at the moment and could, theoretically, have been in training for a wrestling career for a while now.

Bringing in Ortiz would be a dreadful move. I've noted before that Mo and Rampage are good tools for TNA to tap into the MMA market for new fans. Two MMA guys in a wrestling promotion is ample. It allows for them to do an inter-promotional feud with one another. In an ideal world that would consist of a trio of matches: a straight MMA match (going first to ensure that whoever wins can lose the second match to necessitate a third), a straight wrestling match, and then a gimmick wrestling match.

A third MMA competitor wouldn’t make that scenario impossible but would detract from its unique appeal. It would also take some of the shine away from Mo and Rampage, neither of whom have done anything significant yet. Three MMA guys in one wrestling promotion risks harming the promotion's image. That’s not something TNA should be risking at the best of times.

Of course none of this means TNA aren't bringing Ortiz in. It would be a mistake but at least he has sufficient cache to meet the hype. I'm of the opinion it's either going to be him or Pearce. They strike me as names TNA would want to use, Ortiz because the company seems keen to try to take wrestling in the MMA direction and Pearce because he’s a competent wrestler whose lack of mainstream exposure would ensure at least six months’ worth of fresh matches.

It could be anyone. It could be Jeff Jarrett returning to take back the company he created from ineffective champions and rogue biker gangs. It could be Perry Saturn searching for Moppy. It could be Sean Morley looking for that world title win that eluded him during his porn star days. It could be Monty Brown making the return to wrestling that precisely no one has been crying out for. It could be Briley Pierce looking to outshine his brother. It could be Percy Watson looking to show WWE what they missed out on. It could be the Iron Sheikh looking to humble someone. It could be Shelton Benjamin. It could be Hardcore Holly. It could be Bob Backlund. It could be Viscera. It could be Mideon. It could be Kevin Nash. It could, in the sort of twist found exclusively in wrestling, be Shane McMahon.

There's no way of knowing who’s behind the videos until they’re revealed. Thankfully we’ll be put out of our misery tonight.

Destination X 2013 review

Until last year Destination X was one of TNA’s twelve annual pay-per-views. The move to four annual pay-per-views this year has resulted in the event being demoted to the status of TV special. As the name suggests it traditionally focused on the X Division and its competitors. In practice that had been something of a problem for TNA for a few years, thanks to the general inability of the company to keep the X roster sufficiently stocked.

The answer to this, as far as TNA’s concerned, is to bring in outsiders for Destination X. If the sole aim is to put on a decent show featuring X Division matches then that’s a fine answer. But in actually it’s a course of action that overlooks the fact that TNA has to attract an audience for their weekly television show and market pay-per-views.

Bringing in outside talent does not help in these areas. Very few people are going to buy a pay-per-view or tune in to a television special to watch a bunch of guys that they don’t know. The ones that do tune in are going to be disappointed when they watch the next episode of Impact and discover that most of the X Division guys will be appearing.

The answer is obvious: sign new talent to be a part of a rejuvenated X Division. That’s easier said than done, of course. TNA is going through some pretty public financial difficulties right now, which makes signing new talent unlikely.

TNA management have nobody to blame but themselves. Instead of concentrating on big names like Sting and Hogan they should have spent their money on enlarging the roster, allowing them to create their own names. It’s now reached the point where the TNA roster is comprised almost exclusively of men and women who have been with the promotion for years, making fresh matches impossible to come by, which in turn leads to an uninspiring product that uncontracted wrestlers don’t want to be associated with, which means TNA can’t bring in sufficient new talent and so the problem becomes worse.

It’s a vicious circle. Right now it looks like the problems are too far gone to be fixed. TNA should have acted years ago. I hope they survive and can become a worthwhile number two promotion but I can’t see it happening.

Anyway, last Thursday’s Impact was this year’s Destination X. It featured the return of Homicide, Sonjay Dutt, Petey Williams, and Rubix, as well as Boot Camp victor Rockstar Spud. The former Trent Barreta also made his first TNA appearance, wrestling under his real name of Greg Marasciulo.

I’m sure all or most of these wrestlers combined would work for the same amount of money as Sting or Hulk Hogan. They’d be better for the product too. But TNA would rather have the former WCW names, doing the same things they’ve been doing for years and being incapable of offering anything to the future of the company.

The show opened with a shot of the men who would be wrestling in triple threat X Division matches during the night. Chris Sabin was then shown preparing for his main event match with Bully Ray (more on that below) in what appeared to be a bathroom. That’s how you make talent look like stars!

TNA champion Bully Ray kicked the night off with an in-ring promo. It was standard stuff. ‘Calfzilla’ belittled Chris Sabin, said he’d leave with the title, and assured us that Aces and Eights would be destroying the reformed Main Event Mafia very soon. He also referred to himself as the most hated man in wrestling. He’s not at the top of the list but I’d say he’s pretty close.

Bully called out Brooke. She came tottering out and told him that she’s moving on with her life. She brandished the ring she was given by NFL hunk Phil Costa to drive her point home. For those unaware Brooke and Bully are married in TNA storylines and Brooke is engaged in real life to the aforementioned NFL player. This uneasy marring of storyline and real life is a standard move from TNA.

Hogan came out and told Bully that he’d raped and pillaged TNA and his family for long enough. I thought the use of rape was a little strong but it came from the same guy who called Aces and Eights terrorists and pussies at Slammiversary. ‘The Hulkster’ is not the sort of man to tone things down.

Anyway, Hogan said the raping and pillaging is over because enough is enough. Someone needed to remind him that’s not how pro wrestling works: things get sorted in matches, dammit! Luckily Kurt Angle and the MEM were watching things from backstage and took this moment to pipe up. Appearing on the big screen ‘The Cyborg’ told Bully he’d lose the TNA title in a fair fight and there was nothing he could do about it. Powerful stuff, right?

Mike Tenay and JB (who was on commentary because nobody knew where Taz was, which could be a shoot or work considering how chaotic TNA is) hyped the Bully Ray v Chris Sabin main event and then showed Austin Aries victory over Bobby Roode from last year’s show. From there we saw Roode walking down a corridor saying he was going to get his first few points in the BFG series later in the evening.

Gail Kim was shown watching a TV and playing around on her phone. She was live tweeting the show apparently. I’m sure that was a barrel of laughs.

Roode v Aries was the first match of the night. At first I wasn’t keen on Roode, a guy with no ties to the X Division, appearing on the show. But then I remembered two things. First of all, this is TNA and there are for bigger things wrong. Secondly, it was a rematch from the previous year’s show so it made sense.

Yep, he's a good guy again

‘A Double’ played face in a fast, intense bout. They crammed in a bundle of pinfall attempts, signature moves and finishers. It made for a lively match. Aries eventually went over clean with a brainbuster. The crowd were very into him.

Afterwards ‘The It Factor’ lobbed a few chairs about to illustrate his frustration. I think that could be a great gimmick for Roode: the man who takes his losses out on chairs.

Backstage Hernandez and Homicide caught up. Chavo showed up and the conversation stopped. It was super-awks. Homicide wandered off and Chavo told ‘SuperMex’ that they’d face off at next year’s DX as the X and world champions. I think that’s a bit optimistic, and not just because the chances of either man winning a singles belt are slim: there’s every chance TNA won’t be around to promote a Destination X show next year.

Mr Anderson rallied the Aces and Eights troops, asking if everyone knew what they had to do. They did. That’s hardly surprising when Aces’ plan was basically to wander to ringside and watch the main event. This segment existed simply to let viewers know that DOC’s left A&E and TNA.

The first X match of the night was Petey Williams v Homicide v Sonjay Dutt. Because none of the men are regulars on TV Tenay had to resort to referring to an online feud between Dutt and Williams. Had they been under contract that dispute could have been built up with some high quality wrestling matches. I thought that was supposed to “matter” in TNA. Has that slogan outlived its usefulness now?

Petey got hit with a Gringo Killer but Dutt made the save and nailed ‘cide with his moonsault into a double stomp for the victory. The match was pretty cool but nothing special.

After a break Kenny King and Chavo Guerrero were both in the ring awaiting the third man in their match. That was Manik. Formerly Suicide. Formerly TJ Perkins. The Suicide name has been consigned to history and TJP is now wrestling in the same suit under the Manik name. The point of this is known to no one. Perkins would be far more likely to get over if he wasn’t hampered by absurd gimmicks.

This match wasn’t quite as good as the one before it but it did feature a nice spot: Manik applied an Indian death lock on King and hit a Northern Lights suplex on Chavo. After that the commentary team started putting Chavo over as a singles guy, referencing his cruiserweight title wins in WCW and WWE, the last of which occurred in 2007. If TNA did what I suggested and concentrated on building up their own name talent they wouldn’t need to stoop to embarrassingly referencing accomplishments achieved in other companies.

Manik went over with a double underhook into a gutbuster. It was an impressive move. Definitely believable as a finisher.

In the back the MEM had a pep talk. Rampage said he was going to knock somebody out. That’s to show how manly and unpredictable he is, kids.

That was followed by another pep talk, this one being delivered by Hulk Hogan to Chris Sabin. ‘The Hulkster’ said he’d had no idea that the injuries and the setbacks suffered by Sabin had been setups for greatness. Sabin was told to make the fans remember him and bring the world championship back to TNA. Sabin’s one line in this segment was “Thank you.” That told us all we needed to know about who the star was.

The Main Event Mafia came to the ring. Four of them were wearing sunglasses, indoors and at night. They looked like idiots. Rampage Jackson (he of MMA fame) was wearing a T-shirt, army fatigues and a big chain, so he looked out of place. I appreciate what TNA are trying to do resurrecting MEM but they’ve made a mistake by having two headline guys in the group. The focus should be on boosting younger talent. At this point they should embrace the inanity of the faction and bring Scott Steiner back to cut all the promos.

The gang talked about how they’re going to rid TNA of Aces and Eights. I find it hard to care about this programme anymore. It’s been going for a year and hasn’t made a single new star or given us any truly excellent matches. I just want it to end and for a new lead storyline to be thought up.

Mr Anderson appeared on the big screen to say Aces were conserving their energy for a party later in the night. Joe took the mic to say that he and the Mafia were going to head to the back and drink the heels’ beer. And that’s what they did.

The segment ended after all the Mafia members bar Angle were locked in a room with Aces and Eights. Bully and Devon threw Angle into the back of a track and he was driven out of the arena.

The final triple threat match saw Greg Marasciulo beat Rubix and Rockstar Spud. It was a decent enough match, but again it was nothing amazing. Triple threats are hard to pull off for wrestlers. They’re equally hard for audiences to watch when there’s no legitimate reason for them to happen.

 

A rare appearance for Rockstar Spud. Why they don't use him every week I've no idea

 

We got a shot of Bully Ray chatting to someone on the phone. He put over how great his plan was and told the mystery person on the other end of the line that Angle was being taken to the location discussed to be made an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Hilariously, the next shot was of Angle driving back into the arena without any explanation as to how he’d escaped his predicament. We didn’t see him again until the main event and no mention was made of MEM having been stuck in a room backstage. Presumably Angle let them out. But it is possible they escaped by magic.

Out in the ring knockouts champion Mickie James talked about the great Knockouts division moment she'd had the week before. The footage she had played revealed that she was talking about her singing at a bar and being part of a parade. Until that footage played the fans had been cheering her. They booed her after that.

Mickie talked herself up until Gail Kim came striding out. She told Mickie the only thing people were talking about was her win in a ladder match the week before. Mickie tried to slap Gail but Gail ducked and struck first. They tussled but referees broke them up. Mickie's great as a self-absorbed heel. Gail's promising as a babyface who doesn’t back down.

Backstage Austin Aries told Chris Sabin he was the reason Chris is getting a title shot. Not because of the cash-in clause (more on that below) but because Aries tested him and drove him to improve in their recent match. Acting like a true babyface Austin said he'd be rooting for Sabin. Sabin didn’t say anything. He did not come across as a star.

Borash did the in-ring introductions for the main event. If TNA want to save themselves some dosh they should release JB. Don't feel sorry for him. He could get work on a shopping channel, no trouble.

So… this match came about because Chris Sabin was the X Division champion. A ruling was introduced last year that allows X Division champions to turn in their title for a shot at the world championship. This process has been referred to several times as “cashing in”, which makes the obvious Money in the Bank rip-off even more obvious.

Nabbing the MITB concept is not, in and of itself, a bad idea. The trouble is that it’s just one of many instances of TNA emulating WWE as opposed to trying to forge their own identity and creating fresh ideas. It also serves to devalue the X Division championship. The belt now comes across as trinket that’s traded throughout the year in order to get a more important prize come July. As the X Division is the one thing that sets TNA apart from WWE that’s a real problem.

For the first several minutes of the match champion and challenger exchanged strikes, kicks and chops. Sabin pelted Bully’s ribs while Bully targeted Sabin’s knees, which had been the cause of him missing two years of action. It was a sensible story to tell.

Sabin rolled out on to the entrance ramp after a particularly vicious elbow was driven into his knee. Aces and Eight sauntered out on to the ramp which predictably brought out the Main Event Mafia. The two gangs surrounded the ring as Sabin was chucked back in by Bully.

Bully continued focusing on Sabin's knees, stopping occasionally to shout at the MEM. Bully tugged down Sabin's knee pad for extra damage (whadda heel!). The crowd started a "Bully sucks!" chant as the champ mocked Hulk Hogan's ear cupping pose but it quickly petered out when Sabin showed no signs of making a valiant comeback. He’d tried a few times but got put down every time with an attack on his knees.

Bully hit a suplex from the middle rope. Sabin kicked out. The champ pulled the challenger up and went for a Bully bomb but Sabin escaped and kicked him in the head. The challenger made it to the top rope and scored with a missile drop kick. Unfortunately the referee was caught by that too, so the subsequent cover didn't get counted.

A brawl between the factions kicked off when Anderson passed the trusty rubber hammer to Bully. A&E and MEM all headed backstage, leaving Bully and Sabin in the ring. Bully tried to use the hammer, which has put down such names as Sting and Jeff Hardy, but Sabin saved himself by kicking him in the gut.

Bully responded with a low blow and went for a power bomb but Sabin managed to reverse into a pin for the three count. Yep, just like that Chris Sabin won the TNA world heavyweight championship. The crowd reaction was not as animated as I’d expected. It could be that that result came from nowhere (a swift exchange of big moves and near falls would have been a good idea) or it could have been shock that Sabin had actually won. Maybe a combination of the two.

 

I don't think many people predicted this outcome

 

Bully feigned unconsciousness as Sabin celebrated, even though he hadn't been struck with anything that would knock him out. Perhaps the result had stunned him into fainting?

I don’t think the result is a good idea. Sabin does not have the star power to get over as a headliner in TNA. The way he won the title won’t help him there either, his victory was presented as a fluke. He’s going to be overshadowed by the Main Event Mafia and the storyline with Bully. It also seems pretty clear that the title change occurred in order to keep Bully busy until Bound For Glory. He’ll regain the gold and work against the BFG series winner in October. Sabin will have a short reign and be bumped back down into the X Division. It will look like he was out of his depth at the top.

I’m all for TNA trying new things and giving guys that deserve it a run on top. But the trouble is that Sabin didn’t deserve it. He was fine as an X Division guy. There was no call from anyone for him to become a world champion. It could work out. I’d love to be wrong and for this to be something that helps TNA turn things around. But it’s not going to happen.

Overall, Destination X was a decent show. It was an above average episode of Impact but it paled in comparison to previous instalments. That’s about what I’d expected, to be honest.

Sweet Sixteen

On July 3^rd Ring of Honor announced that their world title had been vacated. The reason given was that champion Jay Briscoe was too banged up to compete. I wrote at length on the subject at the time. The short form of what I said is that vacating the belt for anything other than a serious injury would harm its lineage and credibility.

The championship had been built up over the course of eleven years as something that the holder would fight to retain at all costs. That's part of what makes it such a respected title. That Jay Briscoe was stripped of the gold portrays him as a lesser champion and damages the title's, and the company's, credibility.

ROH will be holding a sixteen man tournament to crown a new champion. They announced one or two competitors a day over the course of a fortnight. The first round bouts will be held at the July 27^th TV taping in Providence and the August 3^rd All Star Extravaganza V show in Toronto.

I have mixed feelings on the field of entrants, which is to be expected with a tournament like this. The first eight names revealed got my hopes up and made me think we were going to see a memorable series. In order they were Michael Elgin, Brian 'Spanky' Kendrick, Karl Anderson, Kevin Steen, Paul London, Roderick Strong, Adam Cole and Sonjay Dutt. Those eight include the favourite to win the whole thing (Elgin), the promotion's top heel (Cole), and surprise returning stars (Kendrick and Dutt). The order in which they were revealed seemed to hint that ROH was taking the approach of entering one current member of the roster followed by an outsider. Had they stuck with that approach I think they could have put together a fantastic tournament.

Sadly they didn't. The announcement of Dutt's involvement was followed by BJ Whitmer's name. That’s the same BJ Whitmer who has been synonymous with the term "space holder" throughout his Ring of Honor career. His being awarded a spot in the tournament was as unsurprising as it was uninspiring. Tommaso Ciampa, Jay Lethal, Mike Bennett, the winner of a match between Silas Young and Adam Page, Matt Taven, ACH and Mark Briscoe were the final seven. It was, in my opinion, a pretty weak second half.

 

Under different circumstances Mike Bennett would have made a fine ROH world champion

 

Ciampa, Lethal and Bennett were all obvious entrants. I was hoping ACH would be entered as a sort of wild card so I'm pleased he's got a spot. (which he won by fan vote, seeing off competition from Caprice Coleman, Cedric Alexander, Tadarius Thomas and QT Masrshall). Matt Taven, as good as he is, is a mid-card champion. He's in that role for a reason, specifically that he's not yet ready to be a top guy. Not only that but ROH isn't going to put both of their singles straps on one wrestler, so his involvement serves to give away one guy who's definitely not going to win.

I've nothing against Silas Young and Adam Page. I've actually been hoping ROH would use both men more for a while, mainly because they need to start prepping their next batch of stars for the talent exodus I feel is going to hit them soon. But so far they've been used mostly as lower mid-card guys. Whoever progresses to the tournament doesn’t stand a chance of winning.

I should probably address my desire for every entrant to be perceived as a potential winner. It's fine for companies like WWE and TNA to load up tournaments with no-hopers. Those companies will always have the winner be a John Cena or a CM Punk, a Kurt Angle or an AJ Styles. Storylines take priority over work rate in sports entertainment, and so tournaments and series can involve some guys who are obviously there to make up the numbers.

ROH is supposed to be different. It's supposed to be the wrestling company that puts the sport of wrestling above everything else. With that in mind wouldn't it make sense for the league to only want to feature their best names and have everyone involved be seen as a candidate to win?

It's hard to see the inclusion of guys like Young, Page, Whitmer and Taven as anything other than a cost saving measure no matter how proficiently the "giving an opportunity to a younger talent" line is trotted out. This was a perfect opportunity for ROH to bring in outsiders and put together a special and memorable summer event. I was hoping they'd bring in one or two Japanese stars (it’s been announced that New Japan’s KUSHIDA will be All Star Extravaganza, could he not have been put in the tournament?) and perhaps even a Brit or two, but no. Instead we have SBG saving money and the possibility of a final involving BJ Whitmer.

Mark Briscoe's involvement is a bad call for a different reason. Had the belt been vacated for another reason his inclusion would make sense. He has the star power to warrant a position in any such tournament in Ring of Honor. But the ROH title was vacated specifically because Mark and his brother Jay were unable to compete. If Mark can wrestle it raises the question of why Jay can't, which in turn raises the question of why Jay was stripped of the title and why this series is happening to begin with. Mark's inclusion seems like a scheme designed to convince us that the Briscoes aren't headed to WWE. It's a bad call from ROH. I'd rather have had Jushin Liger or Dave Mastiff than him.

 

KUSHIDA should have had Mark Briscoe's spot

 

If the Briscoes are sticking around they should have been held off events until after a new champion is crowned. If this is a way of giving the team, or just Mark a send-off it should have been skipped. I’d rather the integrity of the belt be retained than a tag team wrestler be given a going away party in front of the fans.

My final complaint is the omission of the American Wolves. After the first eight names were announced I was convinced Richards and Edwards would be amongst the latter batch of entrants. The kayfabe reason for them not getting included is that they asked to stay out to focus on the tag team titles. Which, y'know, is as stupid as it sounds. I kayfabe terms what wrestler in their right mind would turn down the chance to become the world champion in favour of wrestling some tag matches? Tag team titles can be challenged for at any time. A vacant title only rocks up once every eleven years.

This seems like another diversionary tactic. The Wolves' contracts apparently expire in early August. Should either or both leave (and that's not impossible) that would make them unavailable for the second round of the tournament. So if both were entered and decided to head on over to WWE it would create a situation where ROH would have to eliminate two favourites in the first round. There would be ways around that looking strange, such as booking the Wolves against a favourite like Elgin or a guy who could benefit from a boost like Ciampa, but both going out so early would stretch credibility just a little too far, even by the elastic standards of pro wrestling.

Of the men entered I don't think there are many potential winners. I was keen for Lethal and London to be a part of proceedings but I don't think they'll win. They deserve spots based on their work and standing within the company. Only Adam Cole and Michael Elgin seem like they could leave Philadelphia on September 20^th as the new champion. While there's nothing wrong with that it does mean that the final seems predictable. The tournament is structured so as to allow a Cole v Elgin match to cap things off.

A predictable final doesn't need to be a bad thing. Tournaments in wrestling work best when they involve some upsets and surprising outcomes. ROH can still give us some of those and the final of Cole v Elgin, they'll just have to have the upsets come earlier on in the brackets.

 

The first round brackets

 

The trouble there is that ROH have left themselves precious few ways of doing that with the first round matches they've announced. The TV tapings in Providence will play host to Adam Cole v Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal v Sonjay Dutt and Karl Anderson v ACH. Cole, as a favourite for the finals, is unlikely to lose and Anderson is a strong favourite in his match. Only Lethal v Dutt could give us a surprise outcome: Dutt is well respected enough to convincingly beat Jay without infuriating fans. Having him go through to the quarter finals to face Cole or Briscoe would be a good move.

I suppose ACH could beat Karl Anderson. He has his status as an ROH regular in his favour: it means ROH can guarantee they won't have trouble booking him for later matches. Anderson's career in New Japan could make him tough to get for later matches in the tournament. That said Anderson winning would see him go through to a match with the winner of Elgin v London. That's almost certainly going to be Elgin. That would allow Elgin to get his win back from his previous encounter with Anderson.

All Star Extravaganza V will see five first round matches. They are Bennett v Whitmer, Steen v Kendrick, Elgin v London, Strong v Taven, and Ciampa against the winner of Young v Page.

Again here are few opportunities for surprise. 'The Sicilian Psychopath' will clearly go over whoever he ends up facing because he's being presented as a rising star and Young and Page are not. For the record my money's on 'The Last Real Man in Wrestling' Silas Young to progress. Not that it matters.

The winner of Whitmer v Bennett is almost as inconsequential as Young v Page. The winner will just be losing to Ciampa in the following round. Neither can be considered an obvious winner so there can be no upset.

 

Tommaso Ciampa, practicing his Hardy Boyz impression

 

London defeating 'Unbreakable' seems unlikely. Elgin would benefit more form the win even if it weren’t a tournament match. London winning wouldn't be a huge, star-making moment if it occurred: he’s a star from the company's early years and is therefore seen as someone superior to the majority of the current roster by most fans (and they're not entirely wrong).

This leaves us with Steen v Kendrick and Strong v Taven to see surprise wins. Strong and Steen are the respective faves. Taven could conceivably win because he's been consistently presented as someone who defies the odds since winning the TV championship in February. Just last week he pinned Eddie Edwards, for example. Throw in some Truth Martini and Hoopla Hotty shenanigans and 'MTV' could beat 'Mr Ring of Honor'.

Kendrick has the same status as London amongst ROH fans. He could win. If this were not a tournament match I'd have no idea who to pick as a winner. The only trouble with Kendrick getting the surprise win is that it would leave 'Mr Wrestling', the regular with the company and former super-hot face (he's cooled, admit it) with nothing to do. I don't think Steen will win, but I can see him being booked in an incredibly competitive semi-final loss to Elgin.

However you look at it, that the biggest "shock" of the tournament would be seeing ACH or Sonjay Dutt progressing beyond the second round indicates that something, somewhere has gone wrong. As does the fact that ROH have failed to bring in any suitably big names or create brackets that make me think we may not see the Cole v Elgin final that seems so likely. Just because it's the match everyone expects to close the tournament doesn't make the lack of effort okay.

Nothing about the announced names and brackets has swayed me from my original pick of Michael Elgin. Only he and Adam Cole are in positions to be crowned champion and have the lengthy reign ROH desperately needs someone to have to restore credibility. Elgin is the favourite of the two because he's the face that’s been ready for a title reign for over a year. I can imagine a scenario in which Cole wins after interference from Steve Corino and-or Matt Hardy, setting up a Cole v Elgin feud culminating in a title change. But that would be harmful to the belt and the company's image. And ROH wouldn't risk that. Right?

X Additions

TNA needs to do something with its X Division. This is something I've written before (as recently as last week, in fact) but it's worth writing again.

This Thursday's Impact will apparently see new rules announced for the X boys. I'm not aware of what these rules will be but I can't imagine any that could bring about enough change to restore the league to its once lofty heights. Fans don't care too much about the rules governing wrestling. We're even less inclined to care about the rules of a division that's not currently entertaining on any meaningful level.

There's only one thing that I think could improve the X Division. It’s not a new rulebook. It’s new talent.

The X Division, much like the Knockouts division, is an area of the TNA roster that is ridiculously under stocked. The Knockouts at least have a variety of characters in their midst. Nobody's going to confuse a Gail Kim promo with an ODB promo. The same can't be said for the X Division. The heels and the faces all sound the same. Even Zema Ion, once someone who stood out from the pack, has regressed. He's now little more than spray and Dragon Ball Z hair.

Kame hame ha!

What's so frustrating is that when treated properly the X Division is TNA's greatest tool against WWE. Vince McMahon is notoriously reluctant to promote anything resembling the X Division in his company. Look at his half-hearted treatment of the cruiserweight and light heavyweight titles. He's not against promoting smaller guys, but when he does they wrestle a slower, more deliberate style than that seen in the average X bout.

The argument that TNA also has the Knockouts to set them apart from the competition is flimsy. While the KOs used to be great their matches and programmes have slipped in quality like the X Division. More to the point WWE has shown that they are willing to push female performers in the past. Just because they're not right now (mainly because they have about two female performers of note) doesn't mean they're incapable of doing so. The Knockouts are a less unique attribute to TNA than the X Division.

Matches involving Kenny King, Christian York, and Zema Ion can only be cycled through for so long. The reappearance of Sonjay Dutt was nice to see, not to mention welcome, and Rockstar Spud won’t hurt. But they alone can't save the X scene. If the league is to return to the spectacle associated with its heyday two or three other guys need to be brought in to provide fresh bouts.

Right now I can't foresee these new X Division rules being anything but a flimsy substitute for much needed new talent.