One of two potential matches of the night, and the only one I’m genuinely willing to shill out money to see. On the plus side, one of these men is going to be the brand new contender to the TNA World Heavyweight title. Bobby Roode makes the most sense, as the heel to face Jeff Hardy, who will almost certainly retain his belt. We’ll get to that. But AJ Styles also makes a lot of sense, as he’s still perceived as an “original” who could easily find fault in the new, questionable “face of TNA”. James Storm makes the least sense to me given the title picture, but that leads me to the unavoidable downside to this match…
I don’t want anybody to lose. AJ Styles hasn’t been a title contender in quite some time; keeping him out of it for another year just seems unfair. But James Storm is on his path to redemption much like Hardy, and having him lose a shot just strikes an impossibility. So sadly, given that he held the title for longer than anybody before him not to long ago, Bobby Roode seems poised to take that fall. Which genuinely sucks, because he’s one of the best things TNA has in its utility belt.
This is just one of those Hulk Hogan decisions I don’t understand, and I appreciate even less. It’s obviously meant to garner more views for Turning Point – which it probably won’t – and make the match more interesting. Instead I feel like it’s turning what could be a match of the year candidate into something that will inevitably end on a bittersweet note.
My Prediction: James Storm wins the match, Bobby Roode gets pinned and loses his shot at the TNA World title until Bound for Glory 2013. It is worth noting that with a change in management (which happens three or four times annually, on average), the whole decision could potentially be overturned. More than likely, the stipulation on this match won’t be upheld. In fact, I’m almost positive that TNA hasn’t thought far enough in advance to know what they’ll do with any of these guys from now until late 2013.
