BRM Reviews the 11/8/2012 Impact

[Big Red Machine]

ACES & EIGHTS BACKSTAGE- one of the Aces & Eights head honchos reams out the Person Who Was Previously Luke Gallows in WWE for losing his mask because now everyone knows his identity. No we don't! We don't even know what his name is! Like I said at the end of last week's review, it would have been much, much, much better to actually NAME him last week when he was revealed. Also, if he isn't even a full member yet, why did they make him their "Director of Chaos?" That sounds like an important job- the kind of thing a biker gang would not leave to a non-member.

AJ STYLES vs. BOBBY ROODE- 7/10
Great opener! Hopefully the finish of this match means that the Northern Lariat is coming back.

STING,KURT, & WES BRISCOE BACKSTAGE- didn't like it. The whole segment was unnecessary and Sting was just plain annoying.

JOSEPH PARK, HULK HOGAN, & BULLY RAY SEGMENT- Joseph cuts a decent promo, then Hogan comes out and says that he can't let Joseph fight because "the liability is too great." Didn't Joseph give Hogan some papers a few weeks ago that waived all liability for TNA? Bully then convinces Hulk to give Joseph a match, and somehow the announcers just assume that this match will be at Turning Point.

AJ STYLES & JAMES STORM BACKSTAGE- the conflict here seemed very forced.

ODB vs. JESSIE GODDERZ & TARA- DUD!
So ODB destroys not only the Knockouts Champion but also her big muscular boyfriend at the same time? This really just totally buried Tara and Jessie.

ODB MAKES A PHONE CALL- Oh G-d. Now we have to see Tara & Jessie vs. ODB and EY at Turning Point? No thank you.

GUT CHECK JUDGES BACKSTAGE- just like usual, these guys come ridiculously close to saying dumb things that make themselves look like morons. Christian York's problem is that he was always with a tag team partner who took the spotlight? Joey Matthews was never particularly a singles stand-out... and with one or two exceptions, they haven't teamed together in ALMOST TEN YEARS!

KURT ANGLE & STING vs. DEVON &... WAIT! His name is actually Doc? I figured that was just a nickname that the Aces & Eights were calling him, like Bug's Bunny's "aaa... what's up Doc?" Or at worst that it was short for his rank, "Director of chaos... but now this big intimidating guy's name is just... "Doc?" (and if it isn't Doc, then he has lost his mask and we still have no idea who he is, killing the whole big deal that Aces & Eights need to keep their masks on to protect their identities).

Anyway the match itself wasn't as much a match as it was a segment, and it wasn't well booked. In his first match in TNA, Doc, the big deal that Tenay claimed he was last week... gets his ass kicked by Sting and needs to be saved first by Devon, then by some other Aces & Eights guys. Yeah, he beat Sting up with a hammer... but that was after someone else had put Sting down. It makes him look vicious... but not like a threat in a fair fight.
With a legend like Sting getting his ass kicked and the TNA locker room all being united against Aces & Eights, as we have constantly been told... it shouldn't surprise you that only three guys come out to make the save... and this being TNA, it should surprise you even less that these three unarmed guys send four mostly-armed members of Aces & Eights running with their tails between their legs.

DOES CHRISTIAN YORK GET A CONTRACT- Yes, further reinforcing the fact that all you need to get a contract through Gut Check is to be entirely generic and put on a mediocre showing in a three minute match.

HULK HOGAN, MATT MORGAN, & JOEY RYAN BACKSTAGE- good

MAGNUS, DANIEL, & KAZARIAN vs. SAMOA JOE, CHAVO GUERRERO JR. & HERNANDEZ- 6.25/10
Not good enough for a main event, but color me surprised that they put Magnus over Joe clean here.

BOBBY ROODE PROMO- okay

CLOSING SEGMENT- GREAT! Aries cut a great promo and the brawl was just perfect.

Overall, a decent episode of Impact.

[cero2k]

ACES & EIGHTS BACKSTAGE- one of the Aces & Eights head honchos reams out the Person Who Was Previously Luke Gallows in WWE for losing his mask because now everyone knows his identity. No we don't! We don't even know what his name is! Like I said at the end of last week's review, it would have been much, much, much better to actually NAME him last week when he was revealed. Also, if he isn't even a full member yet, why did they make him their "Director of Chaos?" That sounds like an important job- the kind of thing a biker gang would not leave to a non-member.

for what it's worth, none of the titles they give these guys are at all relevant to biker clubs, so i guess it makes no harm giving them names that mean nothing either way.

KURT ANGLE & STING vs. DEVON &... WAIT! His name is actually Doc? I figured that was just a nickname that the Aces & Eights were calling him, like Bug's Bunny's "aaa... what's up Doc?" Or at worst that it was short for his rank, "Director of chaos... but now this big intimidating guy's name is just... "Doc?" (and if it isn't Doc, then he has lost his mask and we still have no idea who he is, killing the whole big deal that Aces & Eights need to keep their masks on to protect their identities).

They've reference him being the enforcer for punk (they didn't say punk, but it was implied), so i'm guessing he is technically called Luke Gallows, with Doc being his nickname.

[Big Red Machine]

ACES & EIGHTS BACKSTAGE- one of the Aces & Eights head honchos reams out the Person Who Was Previously Luke Gallows in WWE for losing his mask because now everyone knows his identity. No we don't! We don't even know what his name is! Like I said at the end of last week's review, it would have been much, much, much better to actually NAME him last week when he was revealed. Also, if he isn't even a full member yet, why did they make him their "Director of Chaos?" That sounds like an important job- the kind of thing a biker gang would not leave to a non-member.

for what it's worth, none of the titles they give these guys are at all relevant to biker clubs, so i guess it makes no harm giving them names that mean nothing either way.

According to my Wikipedia research, Sergeant at Arms is relevant.
Either way, the thing that annoys me about it is that odds are the whole thing with him not being a member yet was probably just randomly thrown in this week by the writers for no reason other than to create some ridiculous attempt at suspense or to give these guys ore of a reason to yell at him, when, in reality, all it does is make things dumb.

KURT ANGLE & STING vs. DEVON &... WAIT! His name is actually Doc? I figured that was just a nickname that the Aces & Eights were calling him, like Bug's Bunny's "aaa... what's up Doc?" Or at worst that it was short for his rank, "Director of chaos... but now this big intimidating guy's name is just... "Doc?" (and if it isn't Doc, then he has lost his mask and we still have no idea who he is, killing the whole big deal that Aces & Eights need to keep their masks on to protect their identities).

They've reference him being the enforcer for punk (they didn't say punk, but it was implied), so i'm guessing he is technically called Luke Gallows, with Doc being his nickname.

If his name is Luke Gallows then call him that, and if you can't call him that, just call him "Luke." Calling him Doc makes me want to laugh. He doesn't seem scary when my mental picture is of Bugs Bunny eating a carrot while resting an elbow on his head.