Tonight we celebrate (or bemoan for some) the ninth anniversary of the founding of TNA. Yes, it's a week away from the actual anniversary, but maybe they didn't want to do a PPV on Father's Day? Anyway, read on for how I'd book the show. Note that this aren't necessarily in the order I'd put them on.
Abyss vs. Brian Kendrick vs. Kazarian: This is one of those times where they've booked themselves into an odd place. Is it the X-Division Title? Is it the Xtreme Title? TNA (rightfully) gets criticized for BS finishes to matches. In this case, I feel like they should take a step back in order to take steps forward in the months to come. The ends justify the means.
Anyway, these three fight it out: Abyss is the big man who tries to overpower his adversaries and they try to dazzle him with their athleticism. They eventually have the advantage over him, so much so that you can tell the title's in peril. Then, Eric Bischoff comes out and orders the bell rung for a "time limit draw" to protect Immortal's title. On Impact Wrestling, after gloating over this, he gets another message from the Network, telling him that although they eliminated Mick Foley's position, it's because they have a new one. Someone came to them recently and made them an offer they couldn't turn down. It came from someone who's been a loyal TNA employee since day one; a hard worker who puts the fans first and has his finger on the pulse of what they want. So, the next week they send out the new Network Executive:
Don West. That's babyface Don West, mind you. He cuts a big promo putting over the fans based on his experiences with them over the past 9 years and says that he's going to give them what they want. And that starts with the X-Division. Abyss is stripped of the title due to the shenanigans pulled at the PPV, and a new champion will be crowned at Destination X. Kazarian, Brian Kendrick, Amazing Red, and Generation Me will compete in Ultimate X for the championship.
Also note that West doesn't "answer to" the network; they trust him enough to have him make decisions on his own. So no "Hogan and Bischoff talk the network out of it" BS. We finally get someone to counter the two of them and make things more even.
Moving on... Mickie James gives it her all in the match with Angelina, but whatever Winter's been doing to her has made her powerful enough to get a win. It's not a squash and Angelina's not unstoppable, but she has the advantage and wins the title. From here we get more mind games with Winter and Angelina trying to keep the title from Mickie. Ms. Tessmacher's also involved. I'm just booking 1 month out for now, because I haven't decided which way to take the story after that. I'll save those ideas for the future if the story continues.
Storm and Shelley retain over the British Invasion. The Brits give them some trouble, but they're able to overcome the troubles they had on Thursday. No miscues or break-ups here. At least not yet. As Roode feuds with Flair, Storm and Shelley face Rob Terry and Murphy, who will complain to Don West that they never got a chance with Bischoff and Hogan in-charge. What about Mexican America? They're made to face Ink, Inc. again before they get their title shot (West doesn't take too kindly to their attitudes). The point is to build Storm and Shelley vs. Mexican America down the line, as I think it'll mean more after the two teams have had more times to establish themselves.
Crimson vs. Samoa Joe will be a fun one. They basically brawl all over the Impact Wrestling Zone. Save most of the weapons stuff for Bully Ray vs. AJ, who it looks like I'm going to have to start calling by his last name. Anyway, it doesn't take too long for this to descend into chaos. After a war that the commentators put over pretty highly (these two should be booked as eventually approaching the main event level), Crimson gets Joe back in the ring and beats him with whatever his finisher is. This feud's not over. Joe gets a rematch next month in a Monster's Ball match, a.k.a. these two beat the hell out of each other again, this time with a bunch of weapons. They also need to bring back the (kayfabe) "both men have been locked in a room for 24 hours without light, food or water beforehand" idea to make it sound even more animalistic. As for the weeks between the shows, they're kept in 2 separate locker rooms and watched at all times (even outside the Impact Wrestling Zone), so they don't go at it in a number of fights beforehand.
Bully Ray and AJ Styles should be spaced away from Crimson/Joe so there isn't much overlap. Styles uses his speed and finesse to get (and keep) the upper hand on Bully Ray. Whereas Crimson and Joe are unscientific, Styles uses the environment for elevation and the like. Both men get bloody (Crimson and Joe don't use weapons in their match, so no juice there), and Styles comes out on top after Spiral Tap through a table off the side of the stage (similar to Ray's powerbomb spot). This puts Bully Ray on the shelf for a while. When he does come back, he's in a cast and neck brace. He complains that the fans are cheering his injury, and he didn't get any "get well" cards, even from his own brother. West makes him wrestle anyway. But that's not until after Destination X. For the next PPV Styles faces off with Daniels where they vow to show the world what competition should be like, etc.. Don West is enthusiastically behind this as an X-Division/old school TNA fan (If you haven't caught it yet, West is being used as the embodiment of the fans who want the company to do different things/be a better alternative/not focus on the older guys as much).
Matt Morgan beats Scott Steiner in somewhat of a "passing of the torch" moment. The younger, fitter athlete goes over the guy who's not as good as he once was. Steiner refuses to believe he lost to Morgan and attacks him on Impact Wrestling. "There's no way you're better than me" type thing. Steiner tries to prove he can still "go" in the weeks to come, leading to a rematch at Destination X (not an X-Division match by any stretch, but you've already got Ultimate X and Styles/Daniels to fill that quota). That rematch will either end in another Morgan win or Steiner cheating to set up the blow-off 3rd match (presumably with some kind of gimmick).
Angle beats Jarrett to end the feud. They put on a great match, no weapons or cages or anything necessary. Jarrett takes some time off to be with Karen and "re-evaluate his life" after the loss. When he does come back, he's offered help by an old rival, Sting. He doesn't want his sympathy, and they start (well, re-start) a feud. Yes, they've faced off quite a few times in the past, but they're both being pushed as top stars in the promotion so it makes sense for them to face off again. While the ultimate goal is to cut down on some of the older names, it should be a somewhat gradual process and they should be used while they're there. As long as most of the show isn't rehashing old business and names, some "blasts from the pasts" here and there are acceptable (see Taker/HHH and Taker/HBK). Obviously TNA uses them more than WWE, but that would be cut down over time.
Anderson goes over Sting. Young lion overcomes old guard, etc.. His title win is treated as a big deal, getting confetti and all that jazz and a celebration on Thursday. Obviously he shouldn't be made too face-like, but he shouldn't be totally heel either. Anderson vs. Angle is the TNA World Title feud going forward. Anderson needs to be treated as a serious main event wrestler in the months to come. They have a chance to make a star here.
That's all for my fantasy booking. I'll be back later for my thoughts on the actual show.
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