While You Weren’t Watching for 4/20

The purpose of this column is to examine through opinion pieces, TV and PPV recaps and upcoming show previews what is happening in the world of TNA Impact Wrestling…which, let’s be honest, you probably didn’t watch this week.

 

Check Yourself

TNA’s Gut Check dates all the way back to 2004.  They would hold seminars to get a look at indy talent that wanted to show they were ready for a shot.  Crimson and Jesse Sorenson were found this way.  TNA didn’t have a developmental affiliate until partnering with OVW in late 2011…so if you passed the Gut Check…you had to be ready for primetime.

Gaining OVW changed all that.  They could now do things in a more traditional way by discovering raw talent and developing them to come in when they were ready.  Crimson clearly wasn’t ready when they brought him in and pushed him…but he undeniably had a potential worth investing in.  There simply was nowhere to send him other than the main roster when they signed him in 2010.  Sorenson was a fine fit for the X division partly because he was a more solid worker and partly because the X division standards are much lower than they used to be.

The perfect example of this (since we don’t know what Crimson, currently in OVW, will develop into) actually comes from someone they discovered outside of Gut Check:  Magnus.  TNA signed Magnus, then freshly 22, in 2008.  They debuted him in a modern day gladiator gimmick (playing off of his stint on the UK version of American Gladiators).  When the gimmick failed to get over they quickly placed him in a tag team with veteran Doug Williams, The British Invasion.  This allowed Magnus to get quality ring time without having to shoulder the bulk of performing to a level every night that exceeded his experience.  We were able to watch him overcome his early struggles and develop over time into someone worthy of their roster position (and frankly more).  But Magnus was a special talent.  He had some can’t miss things in his pocket already. He looked, talked and carried himself like a star…so having patience on his in ring development was easy.  Not everyone has that luxury.

Seeing the need to fill OVW with their own prospects (OVW was still functioning as a training ground for wrestlers on their own dime) TNA decided to expand Gut Check.  In 2012 they began running a segment on Impact that saw a prospect compete against a TNA wrestler for a chance at a TNA contract.  The week following their match, three judges would vote on whether they were ready and if they received two yes votes they won the contract.  Now…the contract was a developmental deal and you were sent to OVW…but TNA never made this clear on TV so it looked like people were winning Gut Check and then falling off the face of the earth.  This was problem number one for a concept plagued with problems.

First up was 22 year old Alex Silva.  Silva was already in OVW but he wasn’t getting paid under a TNA contract to be there (this was the case with a couple of the early contestants they brought in for try out).  He lost to Robbie E in his match and didn’t look impressive doing so.  Wanting to push Gut Check as a type of mini reality show within a show producers told the judges to treat the judging portion as a shoot.  Of course problem number two is that they are making people judge this kid based on one short match and an even shorter introductory video package.  Ric Flair voted no. Al Snow voted yes based on believing he had potential…based on things he knew of him from OVW that had nothing to do with his crap match the week before.  When the first two votes split the contestant is given the chance to cut a promo on the fly to try and save themselves and get a yes from the last judge.  Silva started a generic promo and was distracted by fans booing.  Flair grabbed his mic and told him to start over, cut the promo to the judges and he had 30 seconds to save himself. Silva took a step back, paused and delivered a great off the cuff emotional promo.  Flair, having been told to base his judging on what he really believed, changed his vote to yes.  Bruce Prichard was going to vote no…but once Flair changed his vote it no longer mattered.  Silva owed his victory to Flair being genuinely impressed by what he came up with on the spot.

So we had our first Gut Check, and our first winner of a developmental contract.  Fans watching saw a guy that lost a bad short match make the cut.  Yet another problem.

The next month it was Joey Ryan, who had worked in Jeff Jarrett’s side project Ring Ka King in India, who faced the Gut Check.  He lost a decent match to Austin Aries and looked far more entertaining and impressive than Silva had the month before.  87 percent of people voting in the TNA web-poll believed he should get a contract.  And why wouldn’t they think that?  He was certainly more impressive than Silva had been…and that was now the bar that had been set.  Prichard voted no because he didn’t like his attitude.  Snow voted yes even though he didn’t like him because he admitted he had the potential to be a roster member.  Taz (replacing Flair who left the company) voted no after disliking his promo to save himself. Ryan stepped up to Taz and chewed him out to his face and Taz fired back.  It was an effective reality TV segment…but the guy who fans thought was good didn’t win a contest that a guy they thought was bad did.  Problem.

Then it all became an angle (or maybe it was all along).  Talk about the segment was that Ryan impressed people in the company by stepping up to Taz as he did…but after giving a yes vote to Silva the month prior…I think whoever was up next was destined to get a no vote.  Ryan would show up in the crowd with signs about being screwed and bad mouth the company on social media for being fools.  He eventually earned a contract by beating Al Snow at Bound For Glory 2012.  Unlike Silva or most of the winners of Gut Check…Ryan stuck to the main roster.  Yes a guy who FAILED Gut Check is on TV while the people that WIN Gut Check are in OVW.  Problem.

Right around this time TNA was building to their all X-Division ppv, Destination X.  Since the X-Division was comprised of about 4 people they needed to bring in a lot of talent to fill out the show.  Viewers were watching a host of unknown talent appear every week to try and qualify for the event.  Mason Andrews (Scorpio Sky/Harold), Rashad Cameron (Sabian), Rubix (Jigsaw), Flip Cassanova, Dakota Darsow and a few whose names I’ve forgotten since they didn’t make it to the ppv were popping up show after show.  This raised some questions like…why don’t these people have to go through Gut Check?  Why are they on TV when Silva isn’t and he has a contract?  Why can’t these guys, some of whom are quite good, compete for a contract?  All good question.  All the answers are:  Problems.

In June we had out first female Gut Check competition.  Taeler Hendrix lost to Tara in her match.  She looked alright. Taz and Prichard voted yes and she got in.  There wasn’t a huge problem with this one other than Joey Ryan was still the most impressive of the prospects and he lost.

July brought Sam Shaw.  Shaw was actually looked at by TNA in 2010 and did a dark match for them.  Before he had his tryout match he was attacked by the Aces and 8’s, the first time the Gut Check was used in another angle…so the reality bloom was off the rose at this point.  The next week Shaw lost to Doug Williams but looked very good in the match.  Of all the people they’ve brought in for Gut Check…Shaw is the one with the most raw potential to work with.  He’s very athletic and has a good look.  Taz and Prichard voted yes and he was rightfully awarded a contract.  No problem!

At some point someone realized they were letting everyone in.  4 competitions, 3 winners and the one loser was on TV all the time.  They needed some easy nos.  They brought in a stiff named Kris Lewie who lost to Gunner in a bad match.  He got 2 quick no votes and was tossed.

Then we had Evan Markopoulos.  Evan was 18 years old and more than held his own in his tryout match with Doug Williams.  This was another easy yes…for a kid to look that good in his first TV match at age 18, be a perfect fit for the X-Division that needed guys, and get the crowd solidly behind him after walking in completely unknown.  A no brainer.  So of course they voted no.  Well, Taz voted yes.  Prichard and Snow thought he was too young.  Think about that for a second.  You’re giving away developmental contracts based on potential and you think an impressive looking 18 year old is not what you’re looking for?  Huge problem.  After they voted him down, behind the scenes, they offered to pay him to train in OVW because they were interested in seeing how he develops.  But no contract because that would break the rules of their fake Gut Check segment on their fake TV show.  He hasn’t gone to OVW yet so I don’t know where things stand with that.  He’s probably still gobsmacked at being told he was too young to get a contract to go to the same place they want to pay him to go.  Welcome to TNA, Evan.

The next two Gut Checks were special cases.  First they used it as a storyline way to debut Christian York.  It was a decent storyline of a veteran looking to finally get his break.  He won and has been on TV as much as any X-Division guy should expect to be (READ: Not that often).  Then they did the Wes Brisco angle with him beating Garrett Bischoff with rigged judging.  It was what it was.  I don’t know why Aces and 8’s guys need TNA contracts.  Half of them don’t have one in storyline.

Gut Check went through a change following the Brisco angle.  They would now feature two hopefuls facing each other.  The next week one would be eliminated before the Gut Check segment and the other would face the traditional judging.

First up we had Brian Cage and Jay Bradley.  Bradley beat Cage in an unmemorable match and was chosen to get through the first cut and into the judging.  He won the contract with yes votes from Prichard and Snow.  Taz made it pretty clear he voted for Cage in the first cut so voted no here.  The funny part is that they liked Cage too but had set this up for Bradley to get picked…and fake rules are fake rules. You can’t just be handing out contracts to everyone.  Or at least not to the people you actually want to sign apparently.

Then came the most controversial Gut Check to date.  Ivelisse Vélez had been on WWE tough enough before an injury forced her elimination.  She signed with WWE after the show but was later released.  She blew off her MMA debut to take part in Gut Check.  Her opponent was the Barbarian’s niece Lei’D Tapa.  Tapa towered over Ivelisse and instantly provided something the Knockouts division hasn’t had since Awesome Kong was destroying people.  They had a great match.  Ivelisse looked fantastic and Tapa, who no one had ever seen before, looked really good.  They chose Tapa to go through to the judging and people were not pleased.  Tapa got the contract amid the boos and catcalls of the crowd.  For what it’s worth…given their ridiculous rules, I thought they made the right call.  Ivelisse is hot and good…and they have a number of women already who are exactly that.  Mickie James, Gail Kim, Tessmacher, Tara.  Tapa provides something so different that you couldn’t turn it away.  It’s funny that their most hated decision is one of the few I think they actually got right.  Of course they should have signed them both.  They may still.  Ivelisse came back for the One Night Only ppv tapings and worked as a member of the Aces and 8’s.  Those shows take place in an alternate reality where TV storylines don’t matter (because they were taped so far in advance) but Ivelisse could end up being brought in  in exactly that manner down the line.  I’d be surprised if she wasn’t actually.

That brings us to the last Gut Check on record thus far.  Former NWA Champion Adam Pearce vs. Magno.  Magno blew a bunch of spots in their match and Pearce managed to look decent despite this.  They chose Magno to go through to the judging despite looking worse and losing the match.   The reasoning was that they were looking for prospects and Pearce was a 17 year vet.   Good thing for Christian York they apparently weren’t looking for prospects that week.  The first problem here is that of all the people they’ve had in this segment, Pearce is among the most ready for primetime so seeing him not even get through round 1 is weird.  The other problem is that people saw Magno blow those spots and you just declared on TV that it’s good enough for you.  Thankfully the judges did vote him down in the finals.

What does this all add up to?  Honestly, it’s a mess.  Sam Shaw is a very good prospect.  Lei’D Tapa is too.  But so were Markopoulos and Ivelisse.  Alex Silva looks like he’s been improving in OVW, which is supposed to be the whole point.  Hendrix and Bradley you never hear anything about.  Joey Ryan is still on TV the most of any of the participants, as a comedy jobber.  They don’t book Christian York as much as they used to.  Generally at this point the segments just make people angry or annoyed when the person they want to win doesn’t.

If Sam Shaw comes out of developmental and becomes a star…then sure this whole exercise was worth it.  But with all the headaches Gut Check has caused…he better be one hell of a superstar.
Impact Recap 4/18

The wheels got stuck in the mud in Corpus Christi.  What was supposed to be their big taping limped to the finish line this week with a show that was on Aces and 8’s overload.

Kurt Angle lost a handicap match to Wes Brisco and Garrett Bischoff.  After a slow start this actually picked up a bit and turned into a decent match until the expected run in finish.  I don’t know where they’re going with Angle…but continuing to lose matches to the Aces and 8’s Z Squad isn’t doing him any favors…and the nature of their wins aren’t helping Brisco or Bischoff either.

Kenny King retained his X title against Petey Williams and Zema Ion.  Ion took the fall and has to re-qualify for a title match.  The match was fine…but the crowd did not care for these guys at all.  TNA debuted their new ref cam here providing cut-ins of first person shots from the ref.  It was awful and thankfully not used very much.  They must have known it was bad but had to use some of the footage to explain why the ref was wearing that ridiculous hat.

Mickie James became the #1 contender to the knockouts title after beating Brooke Tessmacher.  This was really bad.  Surprisingly bad because Mickie is very good and Brooke has been good for a while.  They had WAY too much interplay with ODB (the new knockouts ref) and I’m not sure why.  We just had the “ref becomes the story and then wrestles” angle with Taryn Terell.  No need to do it again.

In the never ending saga of “Magnus deserves better”, the Aces and 8’s attacked him before his TV title match with Devon.  He actually managed to look good fighting them off for a minute until they ganged up on him.  Samoa Joe made the save and got the match, which he then lost due to more interference.

There was a tease that we’ll finally be getting the Bad Influence vs. Aries and Roode match we all want…but Chavo and Hernandez interrupted and a good segment turned into a Chavo segment.

In the main event, AJ Styles finally returned to the ring with his new harder edged persona.  It’s a work in progress.  He beat James Storm clean in the middle with a new ankle submission that doesn’t have a name yet.  The match was alright but the crowd had no idea what to make of Styles.  He looked good when he would explode into his offense…but he sold way too much for the first match back.  I’ve been one of the people saying they’ve been killing Storm with the way he loses every big match…but here Styles should have just hit a few big moves, locked in the submission and won easy.

There was actually a dark match main event on this taping.  They flew Sting in (in storyline Hogan doesn’t want him around) to win a 6 man with Storm and Joseph Park against Team 3D and DOC to send the crowd home happy.  This crowd didn’t deserve it.  They didn’t air this because they want Aces and 8’s to be booked strong right now (though not strong enough to actually…you know…win their matches without a million run ins).
Impact Preview 4/25

Next week Impact is live in Indiana, PA.  Hopefully they have a more interested crowd than they got in Corpus Christi.

Austin Aries and Bobby Roode get their rematch against Chavo and Hernandez for the TNA tag titles.  Hopefully they do a quick change back, but I don’t expect it.  I doubt there are many Dos Steriotypicos fans in Indiana, PA.

Mickie James get her title shot at Velvet Sky’s knockouts title.  They did a segment on Impact showing Velvet getting hurt during her last match and being checked on by trainers.  Either that’s an out and Mickie is winning…or Velvet will fluke a win and Mickie will finally turn heel.  They started a great subtle turn for her WAY back before Velvet left the company that they had to drop…so there was at least one on the books at some point.

Bully Ray will call out Hulk Hogan to mock him to his face about how all the babyfaces have been destroyed.  Jeff Hardy did the ambulance angle, Joe, Magnus and Angle were all laid out this week and Sting has been cast out by Hogan…so he isn’t really wrong.  This will probably be where we find out who the next challenger for Bully Ray will be.  I’d guess Sting’s return will be soon..and anyone who has to challenge Bully any time soon pretty much has to lose…so that’s a good spot for Sting at this stage.
Random Notes

There will be a new Knockouts website opening next Thursday.  I know.  Contain your excitement.

The list of upcoming TV/PPV tapings is as follows:
4/25- Indiana, PA (the live 4/25 show and the taped 5/2 show)
5/9- Tupelo, MS (the live 5/9 show and the taped 5/16 show)
5/23- Tampa, FL (the live 5/23 show and the taped 5/30 show)
6/2- Boston, MA – Slammiversary XI
6/6- Duluth, GA – (the live 6/6 show and the taped 6/13 show)
6/20- Peoria, IL (the live 6/20 show and the taped 6/27 show)
6/29- Las Vegas, NV (taped to avoid July 4th, the 7/4 show and the 7/11 show)
7/18- Louisville, KY (the live 7/18 show and the taped 7/25 show)
8/1- Wichita Falls, TX (the live 8/1 show and the taped 8/8 show)
8/15- Norfolk, VA (the live 8/15 show and the taped 8/22 show)
8/29- Cleveland, OH (the live 8/29 show and the taped 9/5 show)