Around the Ring: TNA PPV a real letdown for fans

You know, I've been pretty harsh on the WWE since September, especially when they drop the ball on PPVs. Well, this week's column starts off with a sincere thrashing of TNA for two reasons: their Against All Odds PPV and the “This is TNA” special on Spike.

The PPV started off really bad. LAX vs. The Dudley Boys (I mean, Team 3D) sounded like an exciting match and to have it kick off the PPV was a good call…until the match began. It has been a long time since I've seen wrestlers work this stiff and botch simple spots. The match was horrible to watch even though it was a street fight. LAX got the win here and I have no reason why, especially after what LAX has done to Team 3D and their family.

Austin Starr (lil' Macho Man as I like to call him) vs. Senshi didn't help out the PPV either. Usually the X-Division matches are good and full of breathtaking spots, but this one fell dead. I don't even remember who won. From there Christy Hemme wrestled (or had to take off all of the clothes off of) Big Fat Oily Guy. I was disgusted because I expect this crap on WWE programming.

To make matters worse, there was some match between some TNA guy and some MLB guy. The match was horrible and I think I actually dozed off during this garbage.

There were a few other so-so matches but once Abyss vs. Sting came on, I was hoping to at least get my money's worth. The match was decent and the spot where Sting powerbombed Abyss through a table covered with barbed wire was awesome.

The main event, featuring Christian Cage vs. Kurt Angle was ok, too, but I don't think they built it up as much as they could have. The mediocre to terrible matches before this one really didn't help because by 10:40, I was uninterested. At least TNA gave us a PPV that ran past 10:30. That's a good thing, right? I hope that this PPV isn't the first one that TNA virgins (man, does that sound bad together) purchased because I don't think those people would be buying another one.

As for the Monday night TNA Special, “This is TNA,” goes, I have to say I was disappointed because all the matches that they showed were matches I had already seen. The matches were high caliber and worth the PPV money that I spent on them, but the matches were all ruined by constant commentary about when “TNA: Impact” is on Spike, how innovative the product is and the same dribble over and over again. The program sounded like an infomercial and the original commentary from the PPV matches were completely removed. I guess I shouldn't be too harsh seeing how this special was intended for those who really haven't watched too much TNA Wrestling and they did show good stuff.

There you have it: my first negative TNA Wrestling article. Did anyone who saw TNA for the first time have any impressions? Were TNA loyalists disappointed with the PPV? Email me and let your voice be heard!