Spoilers - End of the line for Hulk Hogan in TNA?

Photo Courtesy IMPACTWrestling.com / Lee South Photography

Just wanted to comment on a news/rumour piece that is currently being reported on the various new sites and add my two cents:

In an update on Hulk Hogan’s announcement at the final set of iMPACT! Wrestling tapings this week (the show will air on 9/29 in the USA), it was being portrayed as the end of the road for Hulk Hogan in TNA. This would obviously change all plans involving a Sting vs. Hogan match at Bound for Glory that they have spent months building up. Hogan being able to physically do a match has been questionable for some time following his recent set of back surgeries. Hogan was told he “absolutely can’t take any falls.” This comes the same week of news that Hogan and Eric Bischoff’s deals with TNA will be expiring in a few weeks in October.

From what I've heard though, Knoxville will NOT in fact be Hogan's last appearance. The latest is that in order to lighten the load on Hogan, his bout with Sting will be changed to a Tag-Team match, the other participants have yet to be confirmed but Jeff Hardy is one of the names that's been thrown out there. I've also been told that Hogan's TNA contract does expire in the fall but rather next July, so I don't see any of these changes affecting the Bound For Glory match - IT'S A WORK FOLKS!! Personally I see Hogan bowing out at Bound For Glory and sitting out his contract until July but in saying that, Hogan is being advertised for the post-Bound For Glory TV Taping in Macon, Ga:

Thoughts on IMPACT Wrestling: Aired Sep 1st (USA) / Sep 4th (UK) 2011

Photo Courtesy ImpactWrestling.com

What a difference a live crowd makes huh? Credit to the Huntsville crowd who were loud all night. The show, the very impressive set and the crowd moise made TNA look big time. It was also interesting to gauge the crowd reactions for many of the roster in comparison with the IMPACT Zone. By and large the crowd reactions were as desired by creative, with Hogan and Angle getting roundly booed as opposed to the mixture of boo's and cheer's in the IMPACT Zone where some fans let their respect for Kurt Angle's abilities get in the way of booing him, which as a Heel at the moment is what I'm assuming he'd like to be hearing.

Thoughts on IMPACT Wrestling: August 18th 2011

Photo Courtesy IMPACTWrestling.com

I thought I would give my two cents regarding the events on this weeks episode of IMPACT Wrestling. Going into the show we were promised a main event calibre match-up between A.J. Styles and Rob Van Dam, a response from Crimson regarding his attack at the hands of Kurt Angle last week, an X-Division Gauntlet, a Tag-Team Title bout between Beer Money and Mexican America and a surprise return. All in all the show was one I couldn't wait to see which was exactly why I caught the Spike TV airing rather than wait for the UK broadcast on Challenge this Tuesday. So a word of warning for my readers in the UK and Ireland, this will be full of spoilers so if you haven't seen the show yet, I'd recommend giving this article a miss until Tuesday night after Impact.

TNA Bound For Glory 2011 Poster Revealed

TNA have released the promotional poster for Bound For Glory to the various pay-per view carriers in the United States. The poster features Hulk Hogan, Sting, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, Bobby Roode and James Storm and can be seen above.

TNA's flagship PPV "Bound For Glory" takes place Sunday, October 16th at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is available on Pay-Per View nationwide across the states as well as via TNAOnDemand.com. The PPV airs free of charge to all UK and Ireland viewers on Challenge TV on Wednesday 19th October at 10pm.

Thoughts on IMPACT Wrestling: August 11th 2011

Photo Courtesy ImpactWrestling.com

With Hardcore Justice in the books, many questions remained unanswered regarding the motives of new TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle. This week on IMPACT Wrestling, we found out exactly why Kurt did it and just what's in store for TNA going forward. For my UK & Ireland based readers, this review covers the episode of IMPACT Wrestling that aired in the United States on Thursday but is not set to air on Challenge TV until Tuesday 16th August, so if you wish to avoid any spoilers look away now, otherwise read on!

Vince Russo and Hulk Hogan involved in heated argument

Photo Courtesy IMPACTWrestling.com

According to ProWrestling.net, TNA Head Writer Vince Russo and Hulk Hogan engaged in a heated argument last Sunday at Hardcore Justice regarding the finish to the World Heavyweight Championship Match between Sting and Kurt Angle. Hogan later grumbled to colleagues that Russo doesn’t know anything because he was never a wrestler.

The two former World Heavyweight Champions made up at the following day’s iMPACT! Wrestling tapings. There was, however, noticeable tension among the organization’s high ranking officials in the days that followed. Several employees feel it did more damage to a locker room already low in morale.

There has also been internal complaints regarding Eric Bischoff as many wrestlers feel he’s arrogant and snobbish. His criticisms over in-ring performances fall on deaf ears because some wrestlers don’t respect his opinion regarding their craft. An Eight-Man X Division Gauntlet Match that was originally taped on Tuesday was re-shot the following day because Bischoff didn’t like it.

Thoughts on TNA Hardcore Justice 2011

Photo Courtesy of ImpactWrestling.com

Now that the much-anticipated Kurt Angle-Sting match at TNA's Hardcore Justice pay-per-view is history, there are more questions than answers regarding Kurt Angle, but at least one thing is certain - On Sunday night, Kurt Angle became "the man" once again in TNA Wrestling.

Here's a match by match look at the show:

Kurt Angle defeated Sting to become World Heavyweight Champion
I doubt there were many that saw this ending coming. Sure, we all figured on Hogan's potential involvement in the bout given it's importance to his position of power, but boy we didn't bank on Angle using a chair to gain the title, especially after his insistence on beating Sting cleanly.

Given the staredown at the show's close, it certainly didn't appear that Kurt Angle has joined the ranks of Immortal. Was this simply Kurt's "win at all costs" mentality? Or are there ulterior motives at play? I guess we'll have to wait until this weeks edition of IMPACT Wrestling to find out.

[Spoilers] IMPACT Wrestling Television Taping Results - 8th, 9th & 10th August 2011

IMPACT Wrestling taped the next three episodes of IMPACT Wrestling and Xplosion on the 8th, 9th and 10th August 2011 at the IMPACT Wrestling Zone in Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. These are the post-Hardcore Justice episodes set to air on Thursday 11th, 18th & 25th August on Spike in the United States and Tuesday 16th, 23rd and 30th August on Challenge TV in the UK and Ireland. The Xplosion episodes taped are set to air on Wednesday 17th, 24th and 31st August on Challenge.

Should you not wish to spoil any upcoming surprises then I recommend you give this article a miss, otherwise if you just can't wait to see what's about to happen then click "Read More" to proceed.

Thoughts on IMPACT Wrestling: August 2nd 2011

Photo: IMPACTWrestling.com

This week on IMPACT Wrestling:

• Kurt Angle reminded Hogan that he cannot be bought, wanted no part of Immortal and told him if he wanted Sting taken out so badly he should do it himself.
• Rob Van Dam def. Gunner to earn 7pts in the Bound For Glory Series
• Sting announced he was the new Network Executive and booked Anderson/Sting in a Cage Match with Fortune as the ring enforcers, as well as Abyss vs. Kendrick in an Ultimate X match, much to the annoyance of Immortal.
• Crimson def. Bully Ray in a Bound For Glory Series match
• Winter def. Tara
• Brian Kendrick def. Abyss in an Ultimate X Match
• Velvet Sky & Traci Brooks asked ODB & Jackie to put up or shut up.
• The Network confirmed with Eric Bischoff that Sting was not in fact the Network Executive. Sting confirmed it had been a ruse and proceeded to lock Bischoff in his office with an angry looking Crow.
• Kurt Angle d. Mr. Anderson in a Steel Cage match following interference from Bully Ray

I don’t often say this about any tv show, but last night's IMPACT Wrestling on Challenge was PERFECT. I loved this show, start to finish and it was easily my favourite episode of 2011. IMPACT Wrestling got the tone of the show right and Sting was tremendously entertaining throughout the night.

I must admit I did sigh a little at the thought of yet another person in the “Network Executive” role, not to mention that I have memories of Sting in an authority role in WCW in the summer of 1999 which wasn’t exactly his greatest moment. However I was pleasantly surprised by the swerve and it totally fit the unpredictable nature of the Sting character. I know some people just haven’t warmed to Sting’s new “joker” like persona but I’m sure there would be very few of you who did not enjoy his performance on this episode. He toned down the character a little and got the perfect blend of comedy and seriousness. 

Hulk Hogan's new Tattoo!

Those eagle eyed viewers watching IMPACT Wrestling on Challenge last night may have noticed a tattoo peeking out from under the shirt of Hulk Hogan during his promo with Kurt Angle at the beginning of the show. Well the Hulkster has tweeted a picture of the entire tattoo via his official twitter page:

As you can see the tattoo reads "Immortal" and is expected to be in preparation for a rumoured "one last match" at this years Bound For Glory...

Thoughts on WWE RAW: July 25th 2011

Photo Courtesy The Bleacher Report

THIS WEEK ON WWE RAW:

• Rey Mysterio d. The Miz in the title tournament final to become WWE Champion
• Alberto Del Rio tried to attack Mysterio post match and cash in his MITB briefcase. Mysterio fought of Del Rio who then decided against cashing in his shot.
• Dolph Ziggler d. Evan Bourne via submission
• Eve Torres & Kelly Kelly d. Melina & Maryse
• Triple H made his first address as COO. Announced the return of Jim Ross and booked Mysterio vs. Cena for the title in the Main Event.
• Triple H was interrupted by R-Truth, who was subsequently taken out by a returning John Morrison.
• Zach Ryder d. Michael Cole via Rough Ryder
• Alberto Del Rio d. Kofi Kingston via Cross Arm Breaker
• John Cena d. Rey Mysterio via Attitude Adjustment to win the WWE Title
• CM Punk made his return as he and Cena held their titles aloft as the show closed.

July 9th 2000, the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. Jeff Jarrett, WCW World Champion at the time, marched to the ring before promptly laying down allowing his opponent, Hulk Hogan to score the pinfall victory by placing his foot upon the chest of Double J. Hogan promptly left the arena, and WCW, with the title. Of course we all know what followed in what became known as the "Bash at the Beach" incident. However there's a reason I bring this situation up.

TNA iMPACT! Review: "The Network is Coming" - 10/05/2011

Photo: TNAWrestling.com

TNA iMPACT! – “THE NETWORK IS COMING”
Tuesday 10th May 2011 – 10pm on Challenge

THIS WEEK ON IMPACT!:
Kurt Angle & Velvet Sky d. Jeff Jarrett, Winter & Angelina
Hogan & Bischoff speculate on the identity of the Network Representative
The X-Division wrestlers deliver a message to Eric Bischoff
TNA Knockouts Champion Mickie James d. Miss Tessmacher
Crimson lets Samoa Joe know how he feels about his “Help” last week
Rob Terry d. Murphy in a Loser Leaves Immortal match
AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels d. Bully Ray & Gunner via DQ as Tommy Dreamer attacked AJ
Mexican America Celebrate Cinco De Mayo
Sangriento d. Suicide
Bobby Roode has a message for Hulk Hogan

For the second consecutive week TNA delivers a show that looks and feels completely different. For a start the majority of Main Event players are given the night off, No Mr. Anderson and Sting and Rob Van Dam are on screen for no more than a cup of coffee.

Instead the spotlight this week was focused on the Jarretts who focus their attention on who they believed to be Kurt Angle’s hired “Mistress” – Velvet Sky. Velvet sure held her own in the confrontation with Karen Jarrett, their exchange was fluid and realistic and the addition of Winter and Angelina into the mix, furthering that storyline was a nice touch. Of course we all knew Kurt would eventually intervene and setup a main event that seemed hotly anticipated from the crowd.

The DVD Ray-View: TNA Bound For Glory 2010

TNA’s flagship pay-per-view Bound For Glory promised a lot—a new world champion, RVD’s revenge on Abyss, the culmination of the EV2 and Fortune battle in Lethal Lockdown, Mickie James’ first PPV appearance and, of course, Abyss would finally reveal who “They” were.

I must admit i was quite excited to review this double-disc set from the moment it arrived. This was certainly TNA’s best PPV offering of 2010.

The event itself opens with a bang as Generation Me take on Motor City Machineguns for the Guns in a fast paced, high-flying bout for the World Tag Team Belts.

Up next, a four-way battle between Knockouts champion Angelina Love, her Beautiful People partner Velvet Sky, Tara and Madison Rayne. TNA’s newest, Knockout Mickie James, is also featured prominently and does well in the guest referee role.

A comedy Tag-Match follows next as the Oddball team of Orlando Jordan and Eric Young took on Ink Inc. Not the best of matches to be honest, but it is what it is, both teams did their jobs well in a fun bout.

Douglas Williams then represented Fortune in his quest to recapture the X Division Title; current champion Jay Lethal had other ideas, of course. Both men used their particular talents to their own ends—Williams utilising his mat based style while Lethal tried his best to fly and use his speed.

Up next, the match many were waiting on—Rob Van Dam finally got his hands on Abyss, seeking revenge for the brutal and bloody beat down that forced him to vacate TNA World Heavyweight Title. Their monsters ball match was a weapons filled brawl that was a great watch.

Handicap rules were to the force as Samoa Joe and Jeff Jarrett faced off against the trio of Kevin Nash, Sting and The Pope, a decent match with a shock ending that saw Jarrett turn his back on Joe. The match left many fans asking, why?

Team 3D then made a special appearance to announce its retirement. The 23-time former tag team champs asked for one more match with the Motor City Machineguns before hanging up their boots. This was a fantastically well done angle that had many (myself included) truly believing this was the end of Team 3D.

Lethal Lockdown was everything it should be—a full throttle cage match where all hell breaks loose and the opposing teams finally get the chance to work through their differences with the cage and weapons as added extras. Whilst i did feel then (and still do) that Fortune should have went over convincingly, nonetheless this match was impressive.

Mick Foley and Ric Flair had a brief ringside brawl before the EV 2/Fortune team stepped inside, Fortune having the man advantage throughout the first portion of the 10-man event.

Fortune took control from the outset. Having a fired up Foley, Flair and the remaining team members at ringside helped keep the crowd pumped up as well. EV 2, however, quickly clawed back some leverage of its own with each fresh man who entered, the extreme team proving to be better at handling the brutal setting, with thanks to a little help from Brian Kendrick.

The main event promised a new TNA World Heavyweight Champion and the trio participating all seemed equally likely candidates. Added to the mix, Kurt Angle promised he would quit if he was beaten. Mr Anderson was the star on the rise, out to prove a point, and Jeff Hardy was atop a short list of men who deserve a long world title run—if they can keep their noses clean.

The finish was a shock for many reasons. After the many near falls, moonsaults, Angle Slams, swanton bomb’s, mic check’s and of course the usual ref bump, the title went to the unpredictable Hardy—but he had a bit of help.

Prior to his win, Eric Bischoff and an on-crutches Hulk Hogan appeared, and in a major swerve ala Bash at the Beach 1996 (which happened in the very same building interestingly enough!). Jeff turned heel to join them, blasting both opponents with the walking aids to gain an easy pin.

The crowd was obviously stunned, as we saw a newly heel Hardy deck best friend RVD, who had rushed to ask Jeff just what he thought he was doing. Hardy, Hogan & Bischoff were soon joined by Abyss and Jeff Jarrett, subsequently revealing them to be the mysterious “THEY” as the PPV went off the air.

A stellar PPV but there’s also more as a superb second disc adds to the value of the package greatly, with a full episode of the special “Before the Glory” TNA iMPACT! (featuring a superb Mick Foley vs Ric Flair clash), a nice documentary style feature on the event, interviews, fan interaction footage and photo galleries to peruse at your leisure.

All in all, this is one DVD you MUST purchase.Thanks for reading.

The Bound For Glory 2010 DVD is available from ShopTNA.com, AMerchandise and all good retailers.

Booking the Immortal Angle - Part 2

Photo: Lee South Photography / TNA Wrestling

Ok, thought I’d treat you today with the final part in my “TNA UK books the Immortal Angle”. If you haven't read Part 1 yet, I recommend you head on over and read it by clicking here.

So when i left off, RVD was reeling from losing cleanly to a seemingly unbeatable Hardy. Anderson despite injuries continued to be a thorn in the side of Immortal but eventually a returning Sting manages to get Joe, Pope, Anderson and RVD to join forces finally leading them into battle with Immortal.

Booking the Immortal Angle - Part 1

Photo: Lee South Photography / TNA Wrestling

Its been a slow newsweek with regards goings on at TNA Wrestling, likely due to this weeks show having been pre-taped last week, so i thought i’d fill the void by giving you my take as to how i would like to see the Immortal / Hardy Heel Turn angle go from here on it. It’s an angle that’s really captured the public’s attention and is certainly one of the most shocking and interesting developments in TNA history, but Hardy’s been turned heel – his cohorts in Immortal have also been joined by Fourtune, the question is who do they feud with and how is it all resolved? Here's what I think should happen...

Monday Night War 2.0 - A step backward for TNA Wrestling?

Photo: TNA Wrestling & Spike TV

The following article was originally published at Wrestle Zone UK, you can view the original piece here.

Today I want to give my two cents on a subject that many of you have been divided on – TNA’s move to and subsequent retreat from Monday Nights.

Many feel TNA has simply admitted defeat by retreating and that they should have stayed the course and tried to ride the momentum of the Hogan signing a little longer. Don’t get me wrong at the time i marked out big time when i heard that TNA would go Head-to-Head with RAW, i was excited but lets face it it never should have happened.

Think about it, what did TNA have to gain except perhaps a slight increase in viewership? In the short and long term what would that really have accomplished? In reality the whole idea of a move to monday nights was flawed from the get go, and here’s why – First and foremost by going head to head with RAW the ratings and not the product would be the focus of comparison week in and week out and lets face it – that was never going to look pretty. They only thing that accomplished was making TNA look inferior.

Secondly is it wise to incite a war with a billionaire atop a corporate wrestling machine? Vince is likely already annoyed by TNA’s persistancy. And by doing so would expose a number of marketable young talents like AJ, Samoa Joe,The Pope D’Angelo Dinero et al. And lets face it, if McMahon wanted he could raid the TNA talent roster out of spite.

All in all I think the TNA move to Monday nights was a foolish move that was never going to work, the fact that TNA management caught on so quickly and reverted back to Thursdays is testament to their smarts. Staying put would have been the best move but it’s easy to say that with the benefit of hindsight, TNA has took a hit and worse possibly squandered some of the momentum from the Hogan arrival but Impact is back where it belongs, Impact will do just fine on Thursdays, it allows TNA to proceed at their own pace and build methodically and theres absolutely no reason to believe they can’t grow as a company simply because they aren’t on Monday Nights.

As always any questions, comments or feedback feel free to contact me at raymullan@gmail.com.

Until next time,

Ray