Monday, May 25, 2009

Recapping TNA Sacrifice

The pre-PPV match between Amazing Red and Kiyoshi was a nice fun match that was suited for any PPV. The crowd got into the match and it had a nice pace to it. It's too bad it was not part of the actual PPV.

The opening contest, Eric Young, Jay Lethal, & Consequences Creed vs. Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, & Sheik Abdul Bashir, was an outstanding match where the crowd could not have asked for any more than it received. It had an extremely fast pace from start to finish, and the array of tag team moves utilized in the match was first-rate. The number of false finishes or near falls in the match got the crowd even more amped up. A few "This is awesome!" chants certainly don't hurt.

The Knockouts Monster's Ball between Daffney and Taylor Wilde provided some use of weapons, which I liked, but was mainly there to further the storyline with Abyss and Stevie Richards. I expected the match to be toned down from the men's version of Monsters Ball matches. Richards taking the chokeslam on the tacks after the match was cool.

The X-Division Title match between Suicide and Daniels was also a decent match. It had a nice pace at times, but slow in spots. This was mainly used to simply further the "Daniels is Suicide" angle, and I found the "restart" annoying more than anything else. Also, I think some people were confused that Suicide retained the belt after losing the belt and then the match got restarted, but basically, this means Daniels' win never happened and the match continued as if no pin was made. Of course, this makes the MCMG's appearance just an annoyance in itself to further the storyline rather than make a meaningful difference in the outcome. And Don West's commentary, especially in this match, was absolutely horrid when trying to take the side that Daniels was Suicide. I'd rather have West be more playful in his heel commentary (like Heenan) rather than be too serious about it.

The Knockouts Title match was a forgettable match for the most part. While it was fine to me to spray Kong with whatever Love had in her hand, the match did not have a real nice flow to it, nor was it pretty. It did get one star for the storyline buildup and the early beatdown on the outside, but other than that, I didn't really care.

Joe vs. Nash was an average match that didn't really do much for me. Joe had the offense for most of the time, again showcasing that his Nation of Violence gimmick = being impervious to a lot of moves.

Beer Money vs. The British Invasion was a great match that shows tag team wrestling in TNA is indeed alive and thriving. The crowd was into it and the tag team moves were nice to see. I like that TNA is pushing Beer Money, but I can't help but think that The British Invasion needed the win more than Beer Money to solidify themselves as a legit threat. Perhaps the Brits will get their chance down the road.

The I Quit Match was another good showing. The nice array of submission moves would definitely make a MMA fan want to watch at least part of the match. Jenna Morasca's throwing in the towel against Sharmell's wishes was to further the dissention between Booker/Sharmell and Nash/Jenna. I also liked that because Booker has a legit argument to demand another match in the future (extending the storyline).

The Ultimate Sacrifice match was another excellent match. While I am sure not everyone will agree with my rating (people may think it should be lower), there is no mistaking that the great crowd reaction and the numerous near falls/false finishes got the crowd back into it after sitting through two and a half hours of other matches. While I don't necessarily agree with having Foley do commentary during the match, it was a decent coverup because Foley doesn't have the stamina to continually mix it up with the others for that long. Also, I have to gripe that the match doesn't make sense. It was treated as a Fatal Four-Way type of match, but that should actually mean that the title should change hands. Instead, Foley here is still the champion despite not being the winner or loser. This becomes an even greater problem because then the smart thing to do would be to get as far from the ring as possible to prevent losing what you are putting on the line.

Thus, there are two things (among others I can't think of right now) that could make this match better. First, the match should be limited to 2-3 people, and the winner takes everything the others sacrificed to get into the match. Second, as an alternative, the match could be a falls count anywhere match, with no DQs and no countouts, to prevent people getting away and trying to save what they are sacrificing.

In conclusion, TNA Sacrifice was a decent PPV, with two very nice matches, but the other matches didn't really stand out in any way because they were either forgettable, average, or just decent matches that a wrestling fan would expect at a PPV.

No comments: