Skip to main content

An Emphatic, What Is This? TNA Victory Road A Dead End

DPTNAVictoryRoad
Hopefully, you did not spend $30 on this.
TNA Victory Road 2011, was one of the worst pay-per-views I have ever witnessed put on by a professional wrestling company. Yes, it is up there with the infamous ECW December to Dismembers of the world. Victory Road had very little build-up going in, bottomed out with lackluster performances up and down the card, including possibly, the worst main event I can remember on any show, house shows included, that I have seen.

However, despite the lack of build-up, there have been many shows that have been thrown together that produced quality entertainment for the night. And despite all of the drama that surrounds the issue of the  Sting vs. Jeff Hardy main event, the issue runs deeper than the unexplainable 90 second main event. 

Is it terrible to cap off an already terrible show with such controversy? Of course. The only match worth watching on this pay-per-view was AJ Styles (never has a bad match) and Matt Hardy. Yet, what Jeff Hardy pulled tonight was grounds for termination. Outright and complete termination. Regardless of his name, star power and/or fan base.

For a veteran and true professional like Sting, who is used to the old school mentality of trust and showing up to work, having to quickly dispose of a Jeff Hardy who was under the influence of only God knows how many drugs, is disrespectful to the business, the art form, the company, his peers, and most of all, us, the fans.

And as I write this, yes, I am disgusted by tonight’s show as well as Jeff Hardy, but most of all, in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Tonight, in my eyes, was the defining moment of where this company has been headed for the last couple of months. The night of Bound For Glory, yours truly stated that it could have marked a new beginning for TNA Wrestling (Bound For Glory Could Mark New Era in TNA Wrestling). Unfortunately, that era took a turn for the worst with illogical storylines, terrible pay-per-views, questionable decisions, and an overall lackluster product.

Ever since Bound For Glory, this fan has continually had the same question in regards to TNA Wrestling – What is this?

An emphatic, what is this?

Usually, March and April are good months for wrestling with Wrestlemania season, and TNA building toward Lockdown, one of their big pay-per-views. However, this year seems one-sided with WWE making Raw and Smackdown must-see television, and TNA continually leaving you with that same question – what is this?

Without getting into a long rant, which I am sure I will do one day, there are a few changes this original TNA fan would love to see the company make. Among them are focusing on growing and developing homegrown talent instead of established (most who are past their prime) stars, a refocus of the x-division, and more in-ring action. How ironic is it that a company that has made it’s reputation on in-ring action and being an alternative in the industry, suddenly has attempted to become a second-rate version of the WWE, rather than a first-rate version of itself.

Moving forward, TNA needs change, and in a bad way. And after last night, that could not be any more apparent.

Recently Read

Quick Ponder: Future Self

We always think,  what would we say  to our  younger self? However,  what would  our younger self say  if they met us, today?

Turning 40 - Grateful and Renewed

I became a forty-year-old individual yesterday.  The milestone is very significant for many and has its societal measures and benchmarks that carry some fear for those approaching its gates. Regardless of approach, turning 40 is filled with reflection, pondering (of course), and preparation for what should be a "new" stage of life. A life stage centered around "transitioning" into a stage seen as the "pre-senior" years.  Sure. Whatever.  I won't disagree that the new "4" digit that sits in front of your age feels encompassing even without understanding completely. Yet, as I stated last year when I turned 39 (going into my 40th year on this earth), I was ready for it. Ready for 40. Today, oddly enough, I am not filled with profound life lessons, ponderings, or reflections.  I sit here, punching the keys, filled with gratitude. I am 40, and I love it.   I carry my baggage of life and bear scars from it at 40. I am grateful for so many experien...

Knicks Trauma - Ugh Not Again

Well, that was a kick in the stomach.  Coming off a week where the word "catharsis" was used as the description for the euphoria and release of joy from two and a half decades of suffering, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers brought about another word - trauma.  Watching the Knicks collapse was the kind of moments that come with these deep runs and moments. NBA Playoff basketball will do that. Yet, this loss - this one - feels about as bad as the 2004 ALCS when the Yankees collapsed in the series to the Boston Red Sox.  That one carries some serious trauma. Luckily, the series isn't over.  Some other quick thoughts from this awful, awful night, New York Knicks Basketball.  - Not to conjure up hyperbole, or even contribute to "hot take" sports reaction culture - but this might have been the worst loss in Knicks franchise history. I cannot think of another in my lifetime, or historically.  - Tyrese Haliburton's "choke"...