TNA Bound For Glory 2008 Highlights

Let us think about what happened at Bound for Glory 2008. The first match was that Huge X Division match with the weird cage and escape through a hole at the top. Jay Lethal won it and although this match was really interesting it was not really that much special, I would have expected a whole lot more.

Then we had the one wrestling match that probably not a lot of people wanted to see in the Beautiful People and Cute Kip taking on that former Scott Steiner freak, ODB (which has a great gimmick) and Rhino. It was known from the start who would win. A simple gore and nothing really special with this match unfortunately.

After this a match for the X Division Championship. Sheik Abdul Bashir is not that great as an X division wrestler and the entire America versus Middle Eastern storyline is simply too much. The match was not bad but it was also not that entertaining. You would think that TNA would learn from the fact that they lost ratings during this type of matches. The addition of a sergeant introuducing Creed was also too much. As expected, Sheik won the match with a pin and a little cheating. Once again, nothing really special in this wrestling match. Next was the TNA Knockouts title match, a three way dance which was simply better than most women's matches but still something that the people did not really want to see. Unfortunately the women wrestling momentum is going down in TNA and the company does miss Gail Kim. Still, these women in the TNA knockout division can wrestle, as a difference from WWE's divas.

Now the Monster's Ball wrestling match for the Tag Team Titles was really impressive. I really thought that the inclusion of Steve McMichael will not be that great but it was a nice factor. We got to see a lot of "violence" and some pretty impressive moves. LAX was probably the team that was the most impressive and nobody really expected Hernandez to end up towards a table filled with tacs. Getting the pin on this wrestler is something that we would have not expected. Matt Morgan was also pretty interesting and Team 3D was, of course, entertaining. The highlight of the Monster's Ball was the fact that Abyss was put through a flaming table by Team 3D.

The wrestling match between AJ Styles, Christian Cage and Booker T looked like a filler from the start. The feud was not that well built and on the whole I do not think anyone except fans of these three thought they would see something interesting. Unfortunately my pick (AJ Styles) did not get to win and we saw an interesting end to this wrestling match. Probably the most impressive moments were when AJ Styles was flying and the end with the Christian finisher from the top rope and then Booker's axe kick from the top rope.

The Kurt Angle versus Jeff Jarrett match was very good. Jeff Jarrett looks like he is in a very good shape and he did perform some very interesting wrestling moves. Mick Foley got involved of course and we did see Mr. Socko again, although it might be that TNA is not allowed to say that so that copyright would not be infringed. Kurt Angle went for that huge moonsault he does, missed but that does not matter. This wrestling match was very good. We saw the guitar involved, Mick Foley acting as the special enforcer and on the whole a great match.

The main event was Sting vs Samoa Joe for the main title in TNA. The feud was not really that well built but we all thought that something special will happen. The match was not bad but the Monster's Ball and the Kurt Angle versus Jeff Jarrett matches were better. From the start we all thought that Sting was going to win and he won his past two Bound for Glory matches. After each wrestler hit the other's finisher we saw Kevin Nash appearing and he took the side of Sting. This was unexpected and it was a good enough ending. The one good move was Samoa Joe's move in the crowd as he jumped and landed on the stairs, it was pretty impressive and risky at the same time.

TNA Bound for Glory 2008 was a very good event but the truth is that it could have been a lot better. If it wasn't for those highlights that were incredible. We saw that Sting can still wrestle, no matter what others are saying and that Jeff Jarrett is in a great wrestling shape. Let us hope the next year will be better for TNA.

Sting Vs Ric Flair in TNA?

A lot of people are hinting on the Internet that Flair will end up having a feud with Sting in TNA next year. As far as real information goes, Sting has a verbal agreement with TNA and nobody knows if he had signed a contract or if he will. Sting will surely not go to the WWE and this is safe enough for TNA management. Now Ric Flair does have a no compete contract with the WWE. This means he will not be able to compete until August 2009. Now you do realize that the chances of Ric Flair going to TNA are small, right? First off, we are talking about a WWE Hall of Famer. If he would compete in TNA it would be a major blow against WWE and this is well known. That would be exactly why they would try to bring in the wrestler with the biggest offer they could probably afford. Now I do not know if Flair has any interest in wrestling again. There is a big chance that he will not want this to happen. On the other hand we all remember the big matches against Sting and few people know that this one of the last matches in WCW was Flair vs Sting, a huge way to finish it all. We would all love to see such a feud in TNA but it will probably never happen and we need to be aware of this!

TNA Hard Justice 2008 - My Review

As always, people might or might not agree with what I or anyone else is writing when talking about professional wrestling as there are TNA fans and WWE fans and the fight is on. I must say that I never made a secret of the fact that I enjoy TNA wrestlers more but the WWE does seem to be growing in storyline material and on the whole the competition between the two companies is interesting although WWE is far ahead of TNA at the moment. Leaving that aside I just saw Hard Justice some time ago and wanted to talk about it a little.

First match saw Creed versus Petey Williams for the X Division title. It was a pretty interesting match but the ending did not really satisfy me as Daivari interfereed and caused Petey Williams to retain the title. As expected, this being an X division wrestling match, it was quite entertaining and did make for a good pay per view start. Then we had the knockouts tag team match, one that should have been highly entertaining as the women's wrestling division in TNA is definitely of high quality. Traci Brooks was the special referee, something that I do not remember seeing before until TNA: a woman's wrestling referee. The start of the match was something that wanted to be funny, it was not for me, and then we had the actual wrestling match starting. It was not bad and the TNA Knockouts champion got the pin.

The next was a highly expected tag team match between Robert Roode and James Storm versus LAX for the tag titles. A lot of hype was around this match and Beer Money Inc. is quite catchy. On the other hand I really like LAX and I wanted them to win. This match looked pretty violent and intense and it did keep fans entertained. We did see the Three Amigos, a punch probably towards the Guerrero family and then Roode tried a frog splash that missed. This was the turning point as Hernandez got in and started laying out Beer Money Inc. Then all broke loose as a lot of near falls happened. This wrestling match had an incredibly intense ending, one that was so unexpected. We saw Hernandez execute the Border Toss on Homicide but landing outside the six sided ring on Beer Money Inc. This was not the end as the women got involved as well, together with Hector Guerrero but Beer Money Inc got the win after the beer bottle was broken on Homice as he was going for the Gringo Killer. An incredible tag team wrestling match and new tag team champions.

Next was Sonjay Dutt versus Jay Lethal, all accompanied by a feud story line that was very well built. The wrestling match had special stipulations as the two wrestlers were chained together and wearing a tuxedo. The win should come via pin fall or when one wrestler takes the costume off the other one. Jay Lethal won it via pin fall, quite a good match but without those chains I think it would have been a lot more spectacular. Next came the Jersey Street Fight that saw Team 3D lose the match with Christian Cage and Rhino. It was quite a good match with a frog splash finish. Abyss also appeared and saved Cage and Rhino after the match. Then we had the last man standing wrestling match but with TNA rules, which means that first you have to pin or submit your opponent prior to the referee starting the ten count. AJ won the match but Sting attacked AJ. This was definitely unexpected. The main event saw Samoa Joe defeat Booker T thanks to a guitar hit. It is becoming quite strange but for me it seems that faces use the guitar and heels Sting's baseball bat. This is quite worth a watch. Hard Justice 2008 was a pretty good pay per view in terms of wrestling but I do think it could have been better. Be sure to watch SummerSlam and Edge versus the Undertaker in Hell in a Cell this weekend.

Why Sting did not go to WWE

A lot of people keep speculating even now in connection to why Sting did not go to the WWE. He was definitely one of the best wrestlers that WCW had to offer but we all know that Sting was not into WWE and their storylines. Here is a little clip of Sting talking about why he did not go to the WWE. I thought you might want to watch it:

The Icon Sting

Sting is by far one of my favorite professional wrestlers in history and I did get to see him ever since the early days, with his colored costumes and face paint. His real name is Steve James Borden and was born on the 20th of March 1959. Sting is one of the only two wrestlers that have been world champions and never wrestled for World Wrestling Entertainment, together with Abyss. He is a 12 time world heavyweight champion in wrestling organizations like National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling, World Wrestling All-Stars and Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling. It is needless to say that Sting is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. He never did wrestle for the WWE and when he appeared in TNA the shock was incredible. A lot of old WCW fans started watching TNA just because of this man.

Leaving all that aside, Sting is a guy that started wrestling as a bodybuilder. He made his professional wrestling debut in November 1985 as Flash Borden. During his career he was also known as Blade Runner Flash, Flash, The Crow and, of course, Sting. His biggest wrestling successes came in WCW, where he had so many memorable feuds and his transformation in the "Crow" Sting was something that was tremendous and done in the era of the New World Order, something that eventually did backfire although my favorite face paint of Steve Borden is the red and black Sting of the NWO wolfpack. Sting even fought in the last match of the WCW ever against Ric Flair, something that every WCW fan will remember.

Now Sting is still in TNA, wrestling, with a huge career behind him. We all remember his wrestling finishing and signature moves: The Scorpion Deathlock (a sharpshooter), The Scorpion Death Drop (a Reverse DDT), the Stinger Splash, the Spinebuster, the belly to back suplex, the snap DDT, the dropkick, the diving crossbody, one-handed bulldog and the way he punches. He also has that black baseball bat as a signature foreign object and on the whole we all remember and will keep on remembering his face paint patterns. You might be interested in visiting Sting's official web site: The Real Sting. And to finish this post, here is a small tribute vid that I liked, one that pictures Sting's WCW days:

TNA Genesis 2007 Kurt Angle and Kevin Nash vs Sting and Booker T

I did say it before, it was obvious that Booker T was going to be Sting's mistery partner in the main event wrestling match at the TNA Genesis pay per view. On the other hand, we had a nice setting here that saw anybody up for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. We were bound to see an interesting match with a lot of finishers. Actually, we got to see one finisher from each of the wrestlers involved. The TNA audience welcomed Booker T with a standing ovation and we have to see how his career was going to go on here in TNA. That really was a stupid gimmick with King Booker in the WWE. So, the match was nice, I am still wondering if Kevin Nash can still wrestle properly and I think he can although he does look like moving slow and stuff. The wrestling moves he executed were done pretty well. OK, we saw the Jacknife Powerbomb on Booker T, the axe kick by Booker T on Kurt Angle and the Scorpion Death Drop by Sting on Kevin Nash.

Karen Angle kept saying in the entire pay per view that she had everything under control and we got to see what it was all about at the end of the match. The tag team champions, AJ Styles and Tomko came in and Tomko took out Sting while AJ Styles created the diversion. Then Styles gave Angle the belt and he hit Nash with it and then the Olympic Slam on Sting. Sharmell and Karen Angle were involved in a battle outside but this was the end. Kurt Angle is still TNA World Heavyweight Champion and the end of the pay per view saw him celebrate in the middle of the ring with his wife, AJ Styles and Tomko. Christian Cage appeared in the ramp way and look stunned, not understanding what was happening. It will be interesting to see what happens next. We might get to see a stable of Cage, Sting and Booker T (maybe with a surprise join by Nash and a reformation of the NWO Wolfpack - that would be priceless and I am dreaming here of course) or of Kurt Angle, AJ Styles and Tomko. Well, we will see next, good job TNA for a highly entertaining Genesis pay per view main event.

TNA is turning into WCW

I think everyone is noticing this and I am not the only one watching wrestling that is old enough to remember World Championship Wrestling. I mean, the main at TNA Genesis 2007 saw 3 wrestlers that were high on the ladder of popularity in WCW: Sting, Kevin Nash and Booker T. Everybody I think realized that Booker T was Sting's mistery partner so I am not going to discuss that. TNA told enough to let everybody know who he was but without actually mentioning the name Booker T. Kurt Angle is the only one that is true WWE in TNA and this says a lot. WWE managed to get Jeff Hardy but that is about it. I can not think of any other wrestler that WWE got from TNA while the other way around is much more obvious. It is enough to mention Dustin Rhodes, now transformed into Black Reign. He will probably never get inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame for this move. We also have Kurt Angle, the wrestler that is probably the best in the world one it comes to how technical he is. I mean he almost delivered a perfect 450 degrees splash on the last pay per view and that says a lot. Then Christian Cage came to TNA, another blow to WWE and at Genesis he was in a ladder match. We all know the Edge and Christian ladder matches. We see Kevin Nash, good old Diesel, looking a little old but I still think he can wrestle and this is just a gimmick.

Then we are talking about the former Dudley Boys, who doesn't remember them? The Steiner Brothers. I still remember the feuds between the Steiners and the tag team of Sting and Lex Luger. What more is there to say? We are clearly witnessing a revival of World Championship Wrestling through TNA. We even had Scott Hall in (remember the Outsiders and the New World Order). It seems like good wrestlers are leaving the WWE and coming towards TNA. The wrestlers with more experience are coming to TNA. The main event at Genesis meant that the 4 fighters held over 40 belts in their careers. Only one thing would be more of a shock than Jericho possibly appearing in TNA and that would be somebody like Shawn Michaels or the Undertaker joining TNA, although that will never happen. Too bad for Jeff Hardy though, he might be a champ now but he is more suited for the TNA style. Well, as I said before, WCW is coming back to life through TNA and I am curious what will happen next.

Top 3 in DVDs for the WWE

Well, we just had a chance to take a look at the most sold Recreational Sports DVDs according to Billboard and here is the list:

1. WWE: Rey Mysterio: The Biggest Little Man (DEBUT)
2. WWE: Unforgiven 2007
3. WWE: SummerSlam 2007
4. 2001 FedEx Orange Bowl National Championship
5. TNA: Christian Cage: The Instant Classic
6. Ultimate Fighter: Season 1
7. UFC Presents: The Ultimate Fighter 2
8. WWE: The Ladder Match
9. WWE: Wrestlemania 23
10. UFC 70: Nations Collide

We basically have a lot of WWE DVDs and some Ultimate Fighting DVDs. Unfortunately for TNA it seems that only Christian Cage has a DVD that is popular enough. Well, TNA is still a lot smaller than the WWE even if they have wrestlers like Sting, Kurt Angle or Christian Cage on the roster.

Will Sting Retire?

There are a lot of reports going on saying that Sting wants to retire at the end of this year. On the other hand, we do know of negotiations between the wrestler and TNA in order to have Steve Borden sign a new contract and have him as Sting on TNA for one more year. Well, nobody really knows if Sting will still be on TNA for one more year but we do know that if he were to sign a new contract, it would mean that he would get $500,000 for working on pay per view and tv dates only. He is currently the TNA World Heavyweight Champion and the fans love him. Maybe he should stay in for another year. I would love to see Steve Borden wrestle as Sting for 12 more months on TNA's roster.

Sting Wins TNA Title

Well, this was the main event of Bound For Glory and should have been the best match. It was not, but it was still a dream match. We had Kurt Angle, probably the best technical wrestler in the business square off against a wrestling legend, "The Icon" Sting and it was bound to be big. We saw Sting win his second world title in TNA at their biggest pay-per-view, Bound for Glory, for two years in a row. Last year he won against Jeff Jarett and now against Kurt Angle, both being the top heels of TNA at the given points in time. It is also quite interesting since Kurt Angle was built by TNA management as an unstoppable force this year, even owning 4 championship belts at the same time. Now we need to see what will come next. Kurt Angle will probably get another title shot, I just hope it will be at a pay-per-view and it was also rumored that Kevin Nash will return to wrestling after signing a new contract with TNA. Samoa Joe's win over Christian Cage might also put him in contender spot. It has been rumored that at TNA Genesis we were going to see a fatal four way between Kevin Nash, Samoa Joe, Sting and Kurt Angle. It was also rumored that this will be the last year of Sting's legendry career in professional wrestling so we might just see him lose the title or retire as the champion. There are many possibilities here, even a possible feud between Kevin Nash and Kurt Angle but that would leave Sting with no real valuable contender for the world title. I can't wait to see what happens.