"TNA iMPACT!" 12-13-07 Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

This Thursday On "iMPACT!"

PREVIEW FOR THURSDAY'S TNA WRESTLING "iMPACT!" ON SPIKE TV AT 9PM
Will the Angle Alliance have hell to pay at the hands of Christian Cage?
By Bill Banks

This Thursday night, TNA Wrestling returns to SpikeTV with two hours of Total Nonstop Action as we head towards the January 6 "Final Resolution" Pay-per-View event!

The following a preview of what is scheduled to take place on the broadcast:

- Will The Angle Alliance have hell to pay at the hands of "The Instant Classic" Christian Cage after what Kurt Angle and Robert Roode did to him this past week? Both Cage and the Alliance are all scheduled to appear on the program, so who knows what hell could break loose! Will Cage avenge the beating? How will Kurt Angle and Robert Roode react? Will AJ Styles and Tomko become a part of the violent situation? Tune in and find out!

- Which TNA Superstar will be fired this Thursday night? TNA Management Director Jim Cornette has promised that the contents of the "Feast Or Fired" cases will be opened this Thursday, revealing which superstars get title shots - and which unlucky superstar will be out of a job! The superstars who will have their cases opened this Thursday are Scott Steiner, BG James, The Fallen Angel and Petey Williams!

- Also on the broadcast, there will be an X Division Lumberjack Strap Match as "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal will face off against Johnny Devine! The members of the TNA's X Division will serve as the lumberjacks. Will the X Division take this opportunity to exact some payback on Devine for turning his back on them to join Team 3D?

- In addition, TNA's latest acquisition Booker T will be in action on "iMPACT!"

- The lovely ladies of TNA's women's division will be in tag team action as Angelina Love and Velvet Sky will battle Ms. Brooks and Jackie Moore!

- Plus, an in-ring showdown will take place between maniacal manager James Mitchell and his former protege Abyss! Will we find out more about this new mystery that Mitchell has talked about? How will Abyss react to being face-to-face in the same ring with his former manager?

All this and much more this Thursday night on "iMPACT!" on SpikeTV, plus news and updates on the upcoming "Final Resolution" Pay-Per-View on Sunday, January 6!

[hobbyfan]

When I read the spoilers for this show, I wondered why Scott Steiner was getting an X division title shot. He's been in and out of TNA since arriving a couple of years ago. Williams has been with TNA 4 years at least, and has a couple of X titles to his credit. Nice to see him bust out the Canadian Destroyer in a losing effort, though.

And his new gimmick comes with a decent Ahhh-nold impression. What's next? Eric Young channeling Hulk Hogan?

I guess we'll get Williams vs. Steiner to reverse the title shots at Final Resolution. Williams vs. Angle might be on the level of Angle-Kaz, but Williams vs. Steiner? We got a taste of that tonight, and it looks good, as long as Russo & Mantel don't screw it up.

Yes, I'm lumping those two out-of-touch scribblers together. Get rid of them, and give the book to Cornette!!

The problem with open alter-egos is that it leaves you open to reprisals. Case in point--Dustin Rhodes pays the price for what Black Reign did to Kaz. That angle has Russo's fingerprints all over it.

Did someone give Jeremy Borash the location of William Regal's stylist?

Cheap shot at WWE when Borash gave Christopher Daniels the "future endeavors" line. Daniels will be back in about 6 months, tops.

I picked Samoa Joe as my face of the year, and what happens? He goes all Austin on me with a venom-filled, expletive laced diatribe against Christian Cage. Joe & Chris Harris are on the same track, but will they end up partners?

To prove once again how TNA Uncreative is so insensitive to common sense, we offer this week's exhibit A--the women's tag match, including the pre-match garbage from Jackie Moore & James Storm. Takes their gimmick a wee bit too far.

And you wonder why I wanted to wash my hands of TNA.......

[The Penguin]

Christian Cage certainly reaped what he sowed with his rejections from Kaz, Nash, Booker and Samoa Joe. This was a throughout the show storyline that I liked because some of the segments were interviews for the other guy which forwarded that part of the show as well, rather than “selfish” segments like the Angle Thanksgiving meal.

The muscle-bound gimmick has been dead for a long time; Lex Luger barely did it well when he was fully renamed “The Total Package” and Palumbo mocking him didn’t work either. Petey Williams will experience no more success with it.

Having the four guys with the cases compete with the stipulation of getting out or taking a case was a good concept that made me feel better about having to wait another week.

Grouping it all together with the match, the case reveal was more fun that I thought it would be. Petey was really upset to lose his case, but it worked out pretty well for him! I think it’s stupid to give him the World Title shot, but Steiner finding out he gave it away from fun to watch. BG was so nervous about his case it wasn’t even funny (well it was). Kip seemed perfectly happy to let his partner take the risk, but now he may not share in the reward. With the X Division Title shot remaining, I thought for sure Steiner would be the one to go. I find it hard to believe they are actually ‘firing’ Christopher Daniels. I await the storyline…

“Has the success like screwed with you mentally at all?” The great Crystal questions continue.

The whole ‘rat in the bag’ thing is certainly not at the level of the snake of Jake Roberts or even the worms of the Boogeyman. It’s just sick and not in a “awesome, this is sick” kind of way either. Kaz certainly deserves better than to be fodder for Black Reign and Rellik.

Now that is what we needed to see! Velvet Sky & Angelina Love doing an actual interview! In that short period of time, we got a feel for their personalities, experience and their relationship with each other. Was that so hard, TNA?

The match was pretty good too (despite the cartoon of Jackie being drunk). Now that I actually know who Angelina and Sky are and can even tell them apart, I actually cared about this match. You can’t cheer for someone when you don’t give a damn.

There was a brief moment there where Traci though Robert Roode was apologizing to her, but that didn’t last long. Sharmell coming to her aid was odd. Of course then it brought out Booker T.

“You’re laughing at an 11-year-old with gray hair.”

It was so chopped up, I didn’t even comment on Mitchell’s interview last week. It should have been one segment and that’s it. Of course between that and the segment this week, it was just to reintroduce Judas Mesias. I guess now we know why the same stuff was being drug up again.

I’m sure Chris Harris will whine about Booker T beating him on top of everything else. Thinking about most of what he’s done since the end of AMW, I’m sure what he thinks he has been denied. Another loss to someone in the main event?

Dustin Rhodes occasionally showing up and talking about how evil Black Reign is makes this angle dumber in my opinion. I don’t care for Black Reign anyway, but Dustin acting like he can’t control him makes me like him even less.

Okay, so if Senshi quit, how many more shows is going to appear on? I was surprised to see him as a lumberjack. Of course I was even more surprised to see the X wrestlers dressed in those ridiculous flannel shirts. Of course, WWE did that… in 1993.

Christian fought hard against Angle and Roode despite his disadvantage. I was surprised he wasn’t a face tonight, perhaps he is on his way to that now.

Cheap shot at WWE when Borash gave Christopher Daniels the "future endeavors" line. Daniels will be back in about 6 months, tops.

I wasn't aware WWE had trademarked wishing people luck.