Mick Foley On The Move To TNA

 

For a man that has applied his craft all over the world and for all major organizations within the professional wrestling industry, it should come as no surprise that Mick Foley is making his way to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. With his short tenure as a Smackdown! announcer over and Foley a self-proclaimed “free agent,” he has decided to pursue other endeavors. One of those endeavors is a trip to Orlando as a member of the TNA roster.

There are numerous reasons why Foley may have come to the decision to end this run with the WWE. Maybe the travel schedule was just to much for him at this juncture of his life. Perhaps the sour relationship with Vince McMahon, which only got worse as Foley was scolded for his commentary, was just too much for Foley to hang around. Maybe he felt trapped, like Ric Flair did, as a WWE employee that couldn’t partake in other activities like indepedent appearances and TV work of his own choosing.

Whatever his rationale, Foley made the move he felt was necessary. And good for him. After what he’s offered this profession, Foley more than deserves that right. The WWE may have helped him become a huge star in the business, but his talents certainly brought him a long way. He owes the WWE nothing at this point.

Two problems exist with this move, though. For starters, TNA has now employed yet another former WWE star that will overshadow its own homegrown talent. Also, where does Foley really fit in with the company? Will he wrestle at all? Will he simply be a spokesperson? Is he going to play an active role in this new Millionaires Club vs. New Blood feud that TNA has gotten the ball rolling on? Exactly what is TNA going to do with the hardcore legend?

I don’t think anybody but TNA officials and Foley really know the answers to those questions. And I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. But the way I see it – things can go really well for Foley and TNA, or really bad. I don’t think there’s any ‘in-the-middle’ here. He comes out a valuable asset or a complete waste of roster space and money. I’m hoping for the former, but fear the latter might come out triumphant based on TNA’s track record.

However it works out, a new chapter is beginning in the career of Mick Foley. And I’m interested to see how it turns out.

1wrestling.com- The Good, The Bad, The In-The-Middle: WWE Monday Night RAW 09.01.08

Back on its normal station, the USA Network, the WWE presented the last edition of Monday Night RAW before Unforgiven on Sunday. Among the highlights were two battle royals involving Championship Scramble participants, an appearance from a currently injured former WWE Champion, and a contract signing between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels for their Unsanctioned Match scheduled for this Sunday.

THE GOOD

• Randy Orton shows his face: I can’t say I really respect Randy Orton and his actions outside of the ring very much. But, I will happily admit that his appearance on RAW definitely lifted the level of the show several notches. He’s been out of action since suffering a broken collarbone in his match against Triple H at One Night Stand in June. And while he had been working toward his comeback, Orton re-injured himself courtesy of a motorcycle accident that added three months to his time on the disabled list, according to WWE.com. So, a special appearance by the former champion was not only a surprise, but it gave the company an ability to showcase one of its top guys and best heels.

Orton opened up the program with a rant against the brand’s current crop of champions. He claimed that a brand’s status is defined by its champions, and that the group of title holders on RAW was giving a bad representation. He was especially hard on C.M. Punk not only for the manner in which he obtained the World Heavyweight Championship, but also for his “no-name” status before entering the WWE.

This didn’t sit well with Punk, who came to the ring to respond face-to-face with “The Legend Killer.” He knocked Orton’s road to the WWE being paved by his family lineage and mocked Orton re-injuring himself. He also considered Orton jealous of his title reign, as Punk made no bones about the fact that he was champion regardless of how the title was won. They both agreed that the conversation needed to continue at a later time, since Punk had a battle royal to prepare for and Orton was still unable to go after the World Heavyweight Title because of his injury.

1wrestling.com- The Good, The Bad, The In-The-Middle: WWE Monday Night RAW 08.25.08

The WWE may have had to move the original run of this week’s Monday Night RAW over the Sci-Fi thanks to the USA Network airing some U.S. Open tennis. But that didn’t put a single hitch in what I consider to be one of the better RAWs to come across the airwaves in quite some time. This past Monday, the WWE provided a great mix of in-ring action, promo work and build toward the Unforgiven Pay-Per-View two weeks away.

THE GOOD

• Opening the show with a great match: For as much as I hate to admit it, John Bradshaw Layfield was actually part of something productive this past week on RAW. As opposed to being that annoying heel that thinks he’s good when he’s really not, JBL opened the show in a match with the World Heavyweight Champion, C.M. Punk, to provide some build going into the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven. Together, JBL and Punk actually put on a really solid match that the WWE gave a good 17-18 minutes to at the top of the program.

Both wrestlers looked good in accordance with their styles during the match. When Punk was in charge, which accounts for a large portion of the beginning of the match, he was fast-paced and all over the place. When JBL took control right before the lone commercial break taken during the contest, he turned the pace down a bit and was more deliberate.

1Wrestling.com- The Good, The Bad, The In-The-Middle: WWE Monday Night RAW 08.18.08

A lot went down this Sunday at SummerSlam. CM Punk managed to retain the World Heavyweight Championship against John Bradshaw Layfield, new Intercontinental and Women’s Champions were crowned after Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix defeated Kofi Kingston and Mickie James in an inter-gender tag team match, the epic battle between John Cena and Batista ended with The Animal having his hand raised in victory and an encounter between Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho left Michaels’ wife battered in the middle of the ring. The fallout of all this, including the announcement of the brand’s main event at Unforgiven, was handled this past Monday on RAW.

THE GOOD

• Jericho/Michaels feud being given some incredible build: It’s pretty unbelievable that with all that went on at SummerSlam, including CM Punk retaining the World Heavyweight Championship and Cena vs. Batista for the first time ever, the vendetta between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels was highlight enough to lead off RAW.

Jericho came to the ring on Monday’s opening segment to address what happened the night before at SummerSlam. At SummerSlam, Shawn Michaels came down to the ring in what appeared to be a retirement announcement. With his wife, Rebecca, by his side, “The Heartbreak Kid” was finally going to listen to doctors and hang up the wrestling gear. Jericho didn’t want Michaels to go out like that, though. He wanted to Michaels to let it be known that the reason Michaels was leaving was because Jericho forced him into retirement. Michaels retorted by saying Jericho would never be Shawn Michaels. It was then that Rebecca pulled for Michaels to walk away. As he did, Jericho unloaded with a punch that missed a ducking HBK and landed right on the face of his wife.

1wrestling.com- The Good, The Bad, The In-The-Middle: WWE Monday Night RAW 08.11.08

Just under one week remains before “The Biggest Blockbuster of the Summer,” and the WWE had one last opportunity on Monday to build toward the matches being promoted by the RAW brand. What would take place between the two men that managed to win the World Tag Team Championships last week but still have a first-time-ever, one-on-one battle scheduled for SummerSlam, John Cena and Batista? What would World Heavyweight Championship No. 1 Contender John Bradshaw Layfield have in store to try and psych out the man with the strap, CM Punk? What would unfold in the “Adamle Original” scenario pinning Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and Women’s Champion Mickie James against the duo of Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix? All of this and much more was answered in last night’s final RAW before this Sunday’s SummerSlam.

THE GOOD

• DiBiase and Rhodes quickly regain the World Tag Team Titles: In my opinion, it was a poor decision for John Cena and Batista to be teamed together and take the World Tag Team Championships away from a talented young tag team on the upswing in Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. For too long, the tag team division in the WWE has been an utter joke and the belts have been used as a tool to hype bigger singles feuds that simply don’t need that kind of extra build. When it happened last Monday, it came off as a pointless and completely unnecessary move for an already much anticipated battle between Cena and Batista at the expense of a team on the rise.

The Good, The Bad, The In-The-Middle: Live Reaction To TNA Hard Justice 2008

 

 

TNA Hard Justice 2008 hailed from Trenton, NJ on August 10

Total Nonstop Action Wrestling made its first stop in New Jersey this past weekend, with Asbury Park hosting a house show on August 8 and the Hard Justice Pay-Per-View taking place inside the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton. As someone who likes to go to the bigger, more important shows, I didn’t hesitate to purchase tickets for Hard Justice. And last night, I wasn’t disappointed, despite some minor bumps in the road.

The Good

Jersey Street Fight delivers:

It was tough to imagine exactly how Team 3D and the team of Christian Cage and Rhino could top what they’ve done over the past couple of weeks between some heavy duty brawls and even the introduction of the glass table. What could these duos possible offer in the Jersey Street Fight at Hard Justice that could even compare or do better than what we’ve seen before? Well, how about taking the fight into the crowd and mixing some hardcore beatdowns with comedy when inside the ring for one of the best matches of the night? As four veterans of the game, these competitors know how to make things exciting an elicit a genuine crowd reaction. And from a personal perspective, it was great seeing Cage and Brother Ray brawl literally right in front of me in good ’ol section 106. They made sure to accentuate the hardcore element of the match and added in some good wrestling moves to keep it a little more than just a brawl. In the end, they really delivered something different and didn’t need a glass table for show, which I think is something we all kind of expected to see.

AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle a hot match:

This was one of TNA’s highlight feuds going into Hard Justice and perhaps one of the only promising exhibitions of wrestling going into an event filled with gimmick matches focused on being hardcore. In this Last Man Standing Match, a lot of great wrestling took place with both wrestlers playing their roles to perfection. Angle was the saavy veteran looking to outsmart AJ at every turn. Styles, on the other hand, had vengeance in his heart and was eager to take it to Angle regardless of the cost. Both wrestlers had their time to shine in the match and it was even cool to see Angle tap out to his own Ankle Lock and Styles foil Angle’s plans on delivering his own Styles Clash to him. Angle took a sick bump as he landed on his neck following a suplex off the ropes at the hands of Styles. It was enough for a pin and a referee 10-count for the win. Following the match, Styles attacked Angle while he was being placed on a stretcher board just for good measure (or to put over an injury to Angle so he can take some much needed time off). Overall, this was a terrific match to lead into the main event and finally, Styles gets the last laugh. Well, sort of …

Sting attacks … AJ Styles:

It seemed apparent that when Sting made his presence felt at Hard Justice, it would be in the main event. That wasn’t the case, though, when the lights went out as AJ Styles walked up the ramp following his beating on Kurt Angle. When the lights went on, there was Sting with Styles hooked in for a Scorpion Death Drop. I’m not sure where TNA is going with this exactly. But, being able to see the legend that is Sting live had me excited. Plus, getting him out of the main event allowed for another top TNA star to make an impact, even if he wasn’t in the building …

Guitar shot signals return of Jeff Jarrett:

Samoa Joe retaining the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Hard Justice wasn’t a surprise. He faced Booker T. in a Six Sides of Steel Match with weapons inside, and walked out with his title in hand. But with interference from Sting very much expected, it wasn’t Steve Borden who made an impact when the lights went out and subsequently returned in the Sovereign Bank Arena. Instead, Samoa Joe had a guitar in hand and delivered a shot to Booker T.’s head that lead to a win for the champ. This wasn’t just any guitar. It was a silver and black guitar, which is a trademark of Mr. Jeff Jarrett. With Bound For Glory just two months away, I’m sure we’ll building up for the return of Jarrett at some point in the near future. The only question now is who will TNA match him against for their version of WrestleMania. Based on the events of last night, I’d think we’re going to get Jarrett vs. Booker T. at BFG. It’s a little too WCW-ish, but it is new to TNA and can be dealt with in a different fashion. Regardless of how that turns out, it’s safe to say Jarrett is making his triumphant return and the swerve used by TNA to make that happen was very nicely done.

 The Bad

Beer Money as new TNA Tag champs:

I unfortunately feel as if I’m in the minority when it comes to hating Beer Money, but I was none too pleased when they managed to take the TNA Tag Team Titles away from perhaps the best tag team in all of wrestling right now, LAX. Bobby Roode is an overrated wrestlers and James Storm is getting pretty stale these days. As a relatively new team with those individual flaws, placing the straps around their waists just kind of irks me. I think the match between LAX and Beer Money was good, but that was mostly thanks to LAX (and to narrow it down even further – Hernandez.) I realize that TNA was determined to make Beer Money champs. But LAX should have scored at least one big victory over them because Beer Money doesn’t even remotely deserve that to just move right past TNA’s legitimate No. 1 tag team.

Lethal and Dutt handicapped by tuxedos and chains:

I was afraid it would happen, and it did. This dumb Black Tie Brawl and Chain Match between “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal and “The Guru” Sonjay Dutt was a disaster, and it had a lot to do with the stipulation getting in the way of things. There were some decent spots and the action picked up toward the end. But for most of the match, Lethal and Dutt tried to play too much to the tuxedo and chain rather than putting on a good wrestling match, which they would be more than capable of doing under different circumstances. Hopefully they will be given an opportunity to redeem themselves is a match that’s either straight one-on-one or more fitting for their style. This match didn’t work and it showed for most of the 13 minutes it took place.

Dark matches work better than cheap pop attemps:

For those who attended Hard Justice live, we had the wonderful pleasure of being bribed for our adoration of TNA rather than being given a match to start the hype for the forthcoming PPV. Prior to going live to the “millions” around the world, Jeremy Borash informed the crowd that the focus would be on us for the evening. And that throughout the night, agents of TNA would be handing out backstage passes to the fans that cheered the louded for their favorite stars and the TNA company. And just so we didn’t think it was a bluff, JB and a TNA worker in the crowd handed out some passes to psycho fans before Hard Justice, with each pass listing a certain time for the holder to actually go backstage. In my opinion, this was a ridiculously cheap way of garnering a crowd reaction. If you want to get fans pumped and ready to go before the event hits the airwaves, give them a nice dark match. TNA had plenty of wrestlers not on the card that could have put on a good 10-12 minute showcase to get the juices flowing. Three seconds with Kurt Angle in the back was not incentive enough for me to join in on this low attempt at audience participation.

If you promise Ice T, deliver:

Okay, I’m far from a big rap fan and really didn’t give a damn about F.I.L.T.H.E.E. and Grandmaster Caz opening the show with their little TNA diddy. However, when you promise what can be considered a music legend, and a star in the best version of Law and Order (SVU), makes sure you deliver on that promise. Now, I don’t know what happened to Ice T. and what the reason was for his absence. But, at the very least, inform the fans ahead of time that he couldn’t make instead of trying to pull a fast one on us. Some random dude posing his muscles isn’t going to make us forget that Ice isn’t there.

The In-The-Middle

Knockouts a nice blend of wrestling & humor:

The six-woman Knockouts match didn’t thrill to beyond belief, but it was a decent show for the second match on the card. The girls did a nice job of putting forth a good ladies wrestling showcase and giving the crowd a few laughs along the way. I’m not sure any scores were settled and I think we’ll see some clashing continue for many weeks to come. But to get the top women in TNA together in one match and have it come out decent is impressive.

Nice X-Division opener:

The X-Division had the tough task of being the opening match on the card, and Consequences Creed and the champ Petey Williams did a nice job. This bout wasn’t entirely enthralling, but there was some good back and forth action between the two wrestlers. Creed continues to grow before out very eyes and had some nice opportunities to put away the champ and take home the strap. In the end, we were blessed with a viewing of the Canadian Destroyer, thanks in large part of interference from Sheik Bashir. But overall, both wrestlers were strong in the opening contest. Now, Williams moves on to take on the next challenge in defending his title while Creed and Bashir do battle in what should be an interesting feud of nationalistic pride.

Closing Thoughts

TNA should be proud of its first New Jersey PPV. It did get off to a bit of a rocky start with cheap pop attemps prior to the show, an Ice T-less musical performance and some good, but not overwhelming action to open the event. However, things really heated up in the second half with the Jersey Street Fight coming off real strong, AJ Styles and Kurt Angle putting on a helluva show and Samoa Joe vs. Booker T. leading to the comeback of Jeff Jarrett. If TNA makes a return to Trenton, there’s a very good chance I’ll be right there to see them again.

TNA Hard Justice 2008 Predictions

 

TNA HARD JUSTICE 2008
AUGUST 10, 2008
TRENTON, NJ

The Beautiful People and Awesome Kong vs. Taylor Wilde, Gail Kim and ODB

I’ll admit that I’d rather see Taylor Wilde actually defend the Knockouts Title at Hard Justice, but I can deal with a six-woman tag match considering TNA wants to showcase more than just two of its assets in the Women’s Division. This match should help continue to get Wilde over, all while reinforcing that Awesome Kong is still a force to be reckoned with. In addition, the vendetta between The Beautiful People and Gail Kim and ODB proceeds forward.

Winners: The Beautiful People and Awesome Kong

Black Tie Brawl and Chain Match: Sonjay Dutt vs. “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal

This feud is getting rather tiring at this point and a ridiculous stipulation match between these two probably means we won’t even get a good match. Dutt and Lethal are two great wrestlers and should be allotted some time to just go. They don’t need a silly gimmick match. And they sure as all hell don’t need So Cal Val to fight over.

Winner: Sonjay Dutt

New Jersey Street Fight: Team 3D vs. Christian Cage and Rhino

I really like this match, but question TNA’s decision to offer so much between these two teams on recent weeks of iMPACT!. I mean, we just saw the glass table used – does it mean as much if used again on Sunday? I still anticipate a great brawl between four very capable wrestlers. I just think a lot has been given to us already that it’s going to take a lot to make this match exceptionally significant.

Winners: Christian Cage and Rhino

Last Man Standing: AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle

This is one of the best feuds going on in TNA right now. Both guys want to go at each other so bad and this match is the perfect playground for them to take each other to the limit. It’s about time AJ Styles grabbed a victory in this thing, so I fully expect him to score the win. But both wrestlers should look really good and give the fans some nice action, with some failed interference on the part of Frank Trigg, before The Phenomenal One gets his hand raised.

Winner: AJ Styles

TNA X-Division Title Match: Petey Williams (c) vs. Consequences Creed

I like Consequences Creed and think he has a ton of potential to be an impact player in TNA for some time. But I wouldn’t strap a belt around his waist right now. Petey Williams is a comfortable champion and I think Creed can start up a feud against Alex Shelley without the X-Division title being handed to him this early in his young career.

Winner and STILL X-Division Champion: Petey Williams

TNA Tag Team Title Match: LAX (c) vs. Beer Money

I might be in the minority on this, but I’m not even remotely a fan of Beer Money. I always believed Bobby Roode was entirely overrated and James Storm is mediocre at best. But, they are on such a roll right now and most fans seem to like them that I can see TNA giving them the tag titles. It sucks that LAX, the true No. 1 tag team in TNA, would have to drop the belts to a team based on hype I can’t for the life of me understand. But I can definitely see Beer Money taking the gold at Hard Justice.

Winners and NEW TNA Tag Team Champions: Beer Money

TNA World Title Six Sides of Steel Weapons Filled Cage Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Booker T.

This match is entirely dictated by Sting and who TNA wants him to face at Bound For Glory with the TNA World Heavyweight Title on the line. I’m sure we’ll see some great action once the bell rings between the match taking place in a cage and a whole bunch of weapons being at the competitors’ disposal. But what will matter storyline-wise will come in the closing moments when Sting gets involved. I think Joe vs. Sting would make a great match for Bound For Glory and side with Joe retaining thanks to Sting interfering on his part. However, I’d be far from shocked if Booker T. took this one considering Vince Russo’s influence.

Winner and STILL TNA World Champion: Samoa Joe

1wrestling.com – The Good, The Bad, The In-The-Middle: WWE Monday Night RAW 08.04.08

Shane McMahon’s announcement last week of Mike Adamle being named the new general manager on RAW sent shockwaves through the entire wrestling universe. The decision to make Adamle the head of RAW was questionable, at best. However, a strong possibility existed that viewers would tune in anyway despite skepticism just to see exactly how bad, or perhaps surprisingly good, Adamle would turn out in his new role.

 

THE GOOD

 

Intermingled Intercontinental and Women’s Championships picture: Plenty of development took place with both the Intercontinental Title and Women’s Championship picture on RAW. Kofi Kingston and Mickie James were scheduled to defend their respective belts against their current rivals, Paul Burchill and Katie Lea, in two singles matches.

 

Kingston defended the IC belt first against Burchill in a good match between the two wrestlers. There was some solid action and little interference on the part of Katie Lea. Kingston retained the title after hitting Trouble in Paradise on Burchill and covering for the 1-2-3. Following his win, Katie Lea entered the ring and got in Kofi’s face. She attempted to distract the IC champ, but he moved out of the way when Burchill, who went sailing out of the ring, charged at him.