By Garrett Kidney
August 30, 2012
Orlando, FL
Note: Apologies for the delay, as there were apparently some miscommunication issues between Talon and Garrett Kidney.
- Alright opening segment which was pretty much a carbon copy of most of the opening segments for the last few weeks. Somebody calls out Aces and 8s and they say they won't be there until later. Aces and 8s could've debuted last week in that segment and they'd probably be much better off without the months of tedious nothingness.
- The focus that was put on the Bound For Glory Series last night is the kind of stuff I would've liked to see for the whole tournament. If they devoted the time that went into the Aces and 8s black hole to the kind of videos and promos that they did last night which gave an added layer of context to the BFG Series match (which they actually did rather well last year along with showing the house show finishes and interviews about the importance of the TNA title and the BFG PPV) for the summer then the tournament (and the show overall) would've been much better off. That's not to say it hasn't been a good tournament because it has, especially the match quality over the last three months.
- I like the changes made to No Surrender with them bringing in finals. There's too much going on if you're still going over points permutations for the finals and doing two semis is a much more fluid and effective format (and also more effective if you're not going to have a title match on the show). And they also gave incentive to finish first with the guy picking his semis opponent. RVD and Storm had a good match and they have pretty good chemistry once they worked through a little clumsiness. That DDT looked nasty, and the promo afterwards was a nice touch after Storm guaranteed his spot in the top four.
- Madison Rayne really seemed to ramble with that promo segment, I'm not really sure what they were trying to achieve other than to get EY and ODB in the ring. The EY bit was harmless and the idea that it took him weeks to get chicken and beer was worth a chuckle.
- I don't usually mention short backstage segments but Daniels and Kaz's interaction with Hogan and Sting was great. Kaz calling Sting Heath, Daniels being made spill his appletini, and Sting and Hogan doing an impression of Willis and Arnie from The Expendables by stealing each others catchphrases made for a pretty great segment. Both pairs have good chemistry together, and Daniels and Kaz were great on the post show and during the breaks aswell.
- Styles and Joe had a very good match, once again with the added story with Styles fighting for his life in the BFG Series by going for submissions. The BFG Series has done a really good job of rebuilding Joe after years of neglect and he's had his best year since 2007. Interesting to see Styles and Angle ruled out of the BFG Series, which hopefully opens the way for the Styles and Angle vs. Daniels and Kaz rematch.
- It kind of sucked that they had his wife and young kid in the front row (and it did make me think they were going to say yes for a minute), but thankfully they said no to Lewie. I hope we see some proper movement of the Ryan/Snow angle as they've essentially done the same angle month after month. I assume they'll do the match at BFG, and I'd be rather interested in a proper face off between Ryan and Snow/Taz.
- The Angle/Hardy match was great on a number of levels. Tenay and Taz went into overdrive to put it (and the BFG Series as a whole) over as a huge deal, the crowd were red hot, Hardy and Angle had a really great match, and Angle did a hell of a job selling the dejection and disappointment of not making the final four. This segment did more for the Bound For Glory Series than any other. Bringing out the five still left in contention was a good idea as the hype for No Surrender has been non-existent outside of the BFG Series finals so it was a good idea to remind people of who's left (along with hyping the last two matches set for next week).
- Another week, another flat, rushed, muddled Aces and 8s brawl. I have no idea what they were trying to get across with that final segment. The guy came from the other side and then covered his face, but I have no idea what that means. I'd like if they eventually reveal that Aces and 8s have infiltrated TNA security to explain why they can always get in with ease.
Closing Thoughts
They hung the show on the three Bound For Glory Series matches and they delivered in a big way so this was a thumbs up show. Aces and 8s is still flat and muddled but until they start doing some reveals of identities and motives it'll probably stay that way, as it's stuck in a holding pattern at the moment. Certainly try and see the BFG Series matches on this show.
