Matt Morgan vs Samoa Joe
A good match, but not great. I praised Morgan and Joe this past week in my "Stars in Progress" column for the physicality of their recent program and I think they lost a bit of it with this match. I expected it to be an all out brawl and it fell short of that. Samoa Joe has had a very "up and down" career in TNA and I felt pairing him with Matt Morgan was going to help both of them elevate the other. It has to an extent and still can if last night's match wasn't the end of the program, but my hand would have gone to Joe getting the victory in either case. TNA has really showcased Samoa Joe's strengths lately having him attack those taking part in the BFG Series and Morgan's injury would have protected his credibility with the loss. I understand the decision to have Morgan go over last night if it's the payoff, but as much as I've enjoyed their work together, it would be a disappointment if it is.
BFG Series
The two semi-final matches weren't anything to write home about, but as I stated in the opening statement, Bully Ray was great last night all the way around. The match between him and Roode was very entertaining and the crowd was very into it. Give men both credit for helping the other look good. Roode needs all the help he can get right now leading into his title match at Bound For Glory. Overall, I enjoyed this tournament for the most part. TNA seemed to take it very serious and I think they may have found an annual concept that can help put over the "stars of tomorrow", much like WWE has in MITB. Bully Ray would have been my choice to win this simply due to the fact that he is established himself more as a singles competitor than Roode, but I'm 100% fine with Roode winning. I'm sure this is going to lead to the ultimate demise of Beer Money and if it does, I hope both men are given a true chance at stardom. Roode deserves it for all the typical reasons, but a guy like James Storm can go one of two ways…and quick. Storm is unique and what he might lack in mic skills, he makes up for in charisma and a true "bad ass" demeanor. Here's to hoping the time and energy TNA put into this series isn't wasted. Good luck to Bobby Roode!
Kurt Angle vs Sting vs Mr. Anderson
I didn't love or hate the match – it was good for what it was. I did hate the finish. I don't understand why Hogan has to be attached to the hip of every major heel in the company. Hardy, Anderson, now Kurt – those are three guys that do NOT need a rub from Hogan to get over. Cross paths every once in a while, sure, but to have Hogan involved in everything is overkill. I have really enjoyed the recent work between Hogan and Sting though and even look forward to them locking up one more time. Kurt Angle as Champion started by him working with the young stars in TNA and I thought was leading to him putting over some of the young talent like crimson. All of that got derailed fast when they threw him into the mix with Hogan and Sting. Logically, it all makes sense, but Kurt is one of the true stars in TNA that can stand alone. Let him. The match was par for the course in terms of a TNA main event, but the finish ruined it for me. It took away from the match and it took away from the pay per view as a whole since it was the last thing we saw. Two sprays to the eyes too many for me.
Impact Wrestling on Thursday nights have been good in recent weeks. This pay per view had plenty on paper to deliver a solid show and instead, it was lackluster and mediocre due to lame finishes and interferences. When half or more of your matches are ending with some sort of gimmick, it's hard to get any type of resolve and leaves fans disappointed on the whole. Heels can go over clean! It makes them more credible and gives fans even more reason to care the next time they wrestle. I almost wish there was some sort of code or rule book in TNA that states "a main event match of a pay per view MUST end clean without interference". You can add "with very few exceptions" to that if it's ONLY going to be "very few", but TNA can't seem to find ways to make that happen.
Their pay per views suffer in most cases as a result. I'm still hopeful that Bound for Glory will be a great show with that "big time" feel. It will never be WrestleMania, but it can be close. They have the talent and exposure to make it happen. Whether they will or not still remains to be seen. No Surrender certainly didn't lend much to the cause.
Chris Cash can be reached via email at wzchriscash@yahoo.com and on Twitter @RealityofChris. Listen to him live every Monday night from 7-8 EST on the Voice of Wrestling radio show, exclusively on WrestleZone.com.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
