I like TNA, you should too.

Yes, Virginia, there IS actual women's WRESTLING in major American promotions.

Sure, If you want the best of the ladies in the squared circle you should check out ROH's little sister, SHIMMER. But, if you're not into tape trading (who really is anymore) and you need a fix of Women's wrestling that is more than just gratuitous TnA then you need only tune in to, well, TNA actually. Ironic, I know.
Ever since TNA introduced the Knockout division (yea, I know the name sucks) they have consistently impressed with the in ring product. This should come as a surprise to no one given the talent they've imported, much of it alumni of the aforementioned SHIMMER promotion. Gail Kim is an impressive in ring talent with a gift for ring psychology. This is an especially impressive feat as I doubt the majority of the WWE ladies can spell psychology, let alone put it to practice. Roxie Leveoux is former SHIMMER champion Nikki Roxx under an awful gimmick she was saddled with by virtue of her teaming with the Voodoo Kin Mafia (you may remember them as the New Age Outlaws who neither practice Voodoo nor are a part of any organized crime family). But the centerpiece of the division is the 6 foot monster, Awesome Kong. Kong is a monster talent in Japan in the same vain as Monster Ripper and Aja Kong. This is simply put, a woman who can easily wrestle with the men. TNA put her over the top for me at the Turning Point PPV when I realized they book her better than WWE books Umaga. At the core they are the same character, a wild animal bent on destroying everything in their path en route to a title run. The difference is that TNA actually allows Kong to be an animal. She shrieks and roars while decimating the champ, the run in assistance and the officials. You believe in her as a dangerous beast that will not be stopped. She may be the best booked gimmick on cable television.

The only thing better than a worked shoot is a shoot shoot.

The other big highlight from the TNA PPV come courtesy of the Samoan Submission Machine, but for once, it isn't his in-ring performance that grabbed my attention. Instead, Joe grabbed a live mic and cut a sharp swath of hatred and respect through the TNA roster. As of this writing (its 1:30am) I'm not 100% sure what the story is. The crux of the angle is that Scott Hall no showed the event on the night he was scheduled to main event. This is somewhere in the area of 800% believable. I think I would have been more surprised had Scott actually showed up and performed clean and sober. Joe's promo was biting and unprofessional, even going so far as to dare an off screen agent to fire him. But this IS still wrestling and the cynic in me has to examine a few facts of the evening.

FACT: Moments before the match there was a backstage angle featuring Joe and Nash arguing over the possibility of a Hall no-show. Were this legit, I can't imagine TNA creative being quick enough to work out the details and shoot the angle.

FACT: Early in the night, Team Angle hatched a plan to break down Team Joe by planting a seed of doubt in the ole SSM's ear. Basically, Kurt explained how The Outsiders have screwed everyone they've ever worked with etc.

FACT: This is the big one. Joe's mic stayed live throughout his rant. Lets face it. If the guys in the truck are seriously worried about a shoot on live TV, they'd simply cut the audio feed. Instead Joe was allowed to complete his passionate tirade against the "Superstars" who come to TNA and reap the benefits of the hard work done by the REAL TNA lifers. It should also be noted that Joe neglected to mention AJ Styles in his list of TNA lifers that built the company even though AJ was standing only feet away from him. Obviously, this could be because Joe is feuding with Team Angle and wouldn't, in the context of the story, put over his sworn enemies.

The true facts of the angle will likely be out there by the time you read this but, I'm really into the story and need to vent about it while the ink is still wet. As I said before though, I love a good worked shoot almost as much as a real one. Either way, this is entertaining. Tune in to Impact on Thursday and, like me, check out the fallout from Turning Point.

(I am not an employee of TNA or any of its subsidiaries and am in no way obligated to put over the product, I'm just a fan of it.)

"HKB"