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From TheSmartMarks.com TNA SmackDown from JHawk's Beak (6/10/2004) COMMERCIAL BREAK So there's your abbreviated first half of the show. My thoughts: I've only seen Kenzo Suzuki once and didn't see this match at all, so I'll hold off judgment. The format for the Cena match seems awfully reminiscent of the Deadly Draw that TNA did a few weeks ago, but if the format is for individual singles matches then it could be interesting. What I saw of Chavo vs. Rey was really good, although I can't say I was watching too closely since I thought I was taping it and would look closely at it later. *sigh* Yesterday was not a good day. Anyway, let's watch what I can of the show here. Segment 6 Earlier tonight, Eddy told Bradshaw they were going to have more fun than at Disneyland, and moments ago the parking garage represented the bumper cars at Six Flags. And Eddy Guerrero drives the limo into the arena, and there is a lot of damage to that car. One of the longhorns has fallen off the thing. Eddy opens the door for Bradshaw, and we see John Bradshaw Layfield knocked out in the back. I'd like to know how the camera isn't damaged...or why it was in the limo in the first place. Eddy's got the stick, and he's not worried about getting banged up. He asks Bradshaw if he had a rough night. Bradshaw wakes up and sees the damage to his car. Eddy says the car looks a little banged up, just like Bradshaw will be at The Great American Bash. Bradshaw tries in vain to put his limo back together as Eddy laughs at him. The Undertaker has to make his decision tonight: Join Paul Heyman or never see Paul Bearer again. But next, the triple play challenge! COMMERCIAL BREAK They went a long way for that metaphor. No wonder Vince McMahon has lost like half a billion dollars over two or three years; on top of flops like the XFL, they destroy a good car about once a month on average, and usually for no apparent reason. Does anybody want to see this rematch because a limo got destroyed? Segment 7 Last week, the superstars of SmackDown went to Italy and Germany. No footage of Bradshaw doing his Adolf Hitler impression. My Olympic Hero takes his spot at the top of the stage, and it's time for John Cena to take part in the triple play challenge. Triple Play Challenge Match #1 with a 5:00 time limit: John Cena (United States Champion) vs. Booker T Knee to the midsection by Booker T, and he starts pounding away at him. Bodyslam. Kicks to the midsection. Snap mare for 2. Cena comes back with some elbows. Corner whip, clothesline for 2. Four minutes left as Cena gets a vertical suplex for 2. Booker catches Cena and takes him down with a Hotshot. Leg lariat for 2. Cena with a small package for 2, and Booker is quickly back in control. 3:00 left. Leg lariat for 2. Reverse chinlock with a half nelson, and Angle yells that Booker should watch the clock. Brian Hebner checks the arm, and it only drops twice. Fists and knees to the midsection, and Cena coming back with right hands...but he runs into a flapjack. Flying leg lariat for 2 with 1:00 to go. Booker goes for the Scissor Kick, but Cena levels him with a clothesline for 2. Suplex by Booker for 2 with 20 seconds left. Ten seconds. Booker goes for the Scissors Kick, but time runs out as Cena avoids it. Triple Play Challenge Match #2 with a 5:00 time limit: John Cena (United States Champion) vs. Rob Van Dam COMMERCIAL BREAK Nothing offensive with this format so far, although I never got the sense of urgency out of Booker T that has to be there in this type of match. You've only got five minutes to earn a title shot if you want it. Why waste like 20 seconds before going to the Scissors Kick? If you don't cover the man with at least four seconds left, you can't win. Segment 8 RVD with a small package for 2 ten seconds in, then another quick near fall. Side headlock by Cena. Shoulderblock for 2. Huracanrana for 2. Kick for 2. 4:00 remain. RVD goes for the rolling monkey flip, Cena moves out of the way, and RVD flies off the second rope into a Cena clothesline that earns Cena a near fall. That was sweet looking. Shoulderblock for 2. 3:00 remain. RVD with an elbow. Bodyscissors rollup for 2. Running knee by Cena, then into a vertical suplex for 2. Cena goes for the F-U, but RVD avoids it and takes Cena down with a spin kick for 2. 2:00 remain. A series of forearms, and right into RVD's kick. Front slam, split-legged moonsault for 2. RVD up top, and Booker crotches him off the top rope...and Angle is PISSED and orders Booker T from the arena. Under 1:00 left. Cena goes for a superplex, but RVD shoves him off the turnbuckle. 30 seconds. Flying side kick. 15 seconds. Five Star Frog Splash, but RVD can't cover before the end of the time limit. COMMERCIAL BREAK And that was a bit better as far as the sense of urgency goes (although not by much), but why is Cena trying so hard to get falls instead of milking the time limits? OK, if he gets a pin he has to wrestle less, but he's not getting the pins. So the one time a chinlock might be the way to go, and he doesn't do it? Segment 9 Triple Play Challenge Match #3 with a 5:00 time limit: John Cena vs. Rene Dupree Cena takes Dupree down with a double leg takedown. Dupree works into a quick series of pin attempts, and Cena keeps kicking out. Dupree with a series of shoulderblocks to the midsection. 4:00 left. Abdominal stretch. Cena finally counters with a hiptoss. Double leg takedown by Dupree, and a near fall after a series of body shots. 3:00 remain as Cena tries in vain to make a comeback, but he gets a sunset flip for 2. Dupree with a backbreaker for 2. Cena tries to fight back again. Boot to the face, and a mid-ring collision knocks both men down. 2:00 left. Cena with a series of right hands. Clotheslines. Cena favoring the hip, and a Five Knuckle Shuffle for 2. Pump up the shoes with 1:00 left, but Dupree avoids the F-U and gets the spinebuster for 2. Another cover for 2 with 30 seconds left. And it's Dupree just going for cover after cover until the 10 second mark. He goes for a power bomb out of desperation, but time runs out. Dupree says he's got him beat and wants five more minutes...and Angle agrees. Cena with some right hands, but Dupree takes him straight down. French Tickler. Cena counters a clothesline and hits the F-U...and he gets the pin 44 seconds into overtime. Angle immediately says the win isn't official because it came after the five minutes, and out comes Booker T to pound away at him. Rob Van Dam runs out to make the save and get some revenge for Booker costing him his shot earlier. A clothesline sends Booker over the top rope, and Angle says that since no one man beat him, he'll simply face all three of them in a fatal four way at the Great American Bash. RVD makes the "I want the belt" pantomime, and Cena's all "It's mine bitch", so RVD kicks him in the head to Kurt Angle's approval. COMMERCIAL BREAK Now that was the best match of the entire segment there. Dupree desperately wanted to get the pin, and he went for it and went for it and continued to go for it. That is the sense of urgency I didn't get out of the first two matches of the sequence. Add the teasing of a potential heel turn for Rob Van Dam, and you've actually got a match at the Great American Bash that I'm interested in seeing. The best part? All three guys basically had the match won at the time limit, so even though Cena got the win, it looks as though any of the three men can get the win at the Bash. Good stuff from match three, and let's call the whole thing **1/2 overall. TNA Impact gets local ad time on the Cleveland UPN affiliate. Cool. Segment 10 We recap the Dudley Boys-Paul Heyman-Undertaker storyline. Members of the New York Jets are in attendance. Paul E. Heyman makes his way to the ring. Heyman tells us to hit the record button because history is being made. But I thought bootleggers were evil and stuff. But history is about to change forever, because this is the moment that Paul Heyman becomes the most powerful man in WWE by taking control of The Undertaker. Either that, or we get to see Paul Heyman rest in peace. Either way, we're going to have a great time, right? Heyman admits it's been a hell of a ride. "The course of history demands your answer now." The Undertaker comes out and stares Heyman down, and Heyman pulls the urn out of his gym bag. Taker takes a few steps toward him....stares him down...and drops to one knee. Taker has apparently joined Paul Heyman! END OF SHOW I didn't care when Taker was forced to rejoin Paul Bearer in 1997, and I don't care now. But at least in 1997 it was a fresh idea. The only difference is a person is the bait rather than a secret. Besides, how long is this really going to last? Either we get Paul Bearer back and Taker gets the urn back, or he never sees Bearer again anyway and turns back to the "good" side because he was lied to. Call me when you add some sort of original element to this storyline. Overall, this show was a little too sports entertainment heavy, but I liked what I did see out of the show from an in-ring standpoint. Chavo Jr. and Rey got enough time to put on an actual match, and the triple play challenge established three guys as viable challengers for the title. Now if they would only capitalize off the momentum of the first JBL-Eddy match to make the buildup interesting instead of thinking "Destroying cars is kewl", maybe we'd have something here. I'll be at Ring of Honor's show in Dayton this week, so expect that report sometime Sunday. Until then, feedback is welcome and encouraged. © Copyright by TheSmartMarks.com |