I will say that TNA made all the right calls going into Bound for Glory, keeping in mind that Aries was the Champion and Hardy was the most logical mainstream challenger to take the belt off him. That said, I have lost a great deal of interest in the World Title picture since Roode dropped the belt at Destination X. It almost reminds me of how I got really excited for WWE’s push for Chris Benoit going towards WrestleMania 20. But once Triple H wasn’t the Champion anymore, and Benoit ended up dropping the belt a few months later, I became very disenchanted with his character.
Austin Aries made a fantastic X-Division Champion. But taking that immediate step from X-Division to World Champion, in my opinion, ruined him for me for the foreseeable future. Now all I can think is “CM Punk does the snarky tweener role better” or “CM Punk would have wrestled that match better”. I realize how annoying that can be for Aries’ fans, and I even catch myself and try to see him as his own character. But it doesn’t help that he makes fun of Punk’s catchphrases. And it doesn’t help that he’s wrestling one of CM Punk’s greatest rivals in Jeff Hardy. And it really, really doesn’t help that whoever faces Hardy has to pretty much carry the entire program…
My Prediction: Hardy/Aries is a suitable title match, and the ladder being involved will make things a bit more interesting. I expect Hardy to take a big risk, and probably make an unnecessary Swanton off the top of the ladder, instead of taking down the belt. And I do expect him to win and retain the title. It works, and with Aces & Eights taking up a large part of the Impact focus on a weekly basis, it’s easy to forget that the World Title picture isn’t what it was just six months ago.
Final Thoughts
TNA Turning Point has a lot of potential. The match card isn’t great, but there’s enough on paper to put on a good show. The two main event quality matches are enough to sell me, but I also think the under-card could show up and surprise us with a few treats here and there. I’d like to see at least one news worthy reveal come out of tonight’s pay-per-view to keep me interested in all the Aces & Eights chaos, but I’m not holding my breath.
I’ll be watching, as should you. TNA hasn’t lost me yet, and I will say easily with no reservations that they are in a better place now than they were at Turning Point 2011. But they need – and I truly emphasize “need” – to pull a few tricks from their creative hat tonight. I’m getting bored, and WWE is doing very little to compete for my attention these days. Quality matches aren’t enough, or I’d be watching New Japan Pro Wrestling exclusively.
It’s a crime that Bully Ray isn’t on this card, by the way.
Thanks to the almost 1,500 people who sent in responses to the survey! With all 8 polls combined there was easily over 10,000 buttons clicked and opinions calculated. For a TNA show that’s pretty good, and I appreciate the effort just one day before a pay-per-view. Follow me on the Twit Box @MikeKillam, and keep a look out for my review this Monday at some point before WWE Raw. I love and appreciate every last one of you; even the haters, and the guy who gets all upset when I call him “Joseph Parks”.
