I shared my thoughts on WWE's latest hot topics in yesterday's "Stars in Progress" column, so I figured I would creatively use this space this week to take a look at last night's Slammiversary pay per view. It isn't all negative. Rather, I'll swap back and forth between what bothered me and what did not about the event.
A review, if you will, my way. Let's get started:
What Did NOT Bother Me: Roode Over Sting
There was no other option, as I stated in one of my previous columns. Roode should have (and did) beat Sting in what I found to be a pretty good main event match. The finish was absolute crap, but I'll get to that later.
Sting's inclusion into the new TNA Hall of Fame was just a bonus for Roode. It's one thing to beat Sting, in general. It's another to beat him in a title match. Now he's a "Hall of Famer" — talk about heat!
Bobby Roode is one of the few things TNA is doing right. When you think back to before he won the title, it's a bit surprising he's made it this far as champion. I wonder if Hogan regrets saying Roode "wasn't ready". Probably not. Hell, Hogan may think Roode STILL isn't ready.
In either case, Roode has earned his spot on top and, through pure longevity as champion, can now help put the next champion over in a big way. Because of that, I really can't see the new number one contender being that guy. Mr. Anderson doesn't need that rub from Roode. On the flip side, however, does Roode need to be fed anymore credibility-building challengers?
At some point, TNA will decide Roode is "there". He's made it. He can be a viable superstar without the world title. If that time is the present, it's very possible Anderson could be their go-to guy. He really hasn't done much since joining the company and this could be TNA's attempt to fix their lackluster use of his character thus far.
My gut instinct tells me Ken Anderson will likely be the next World Heavyweight Champion for that very reason, but I hope TNA saves that spot for this next guy I'm about to talk about…(keep reading)
