Wrestling Matters.
This new slogan is supposed to personify Impact Wrestling. It is a lifestyle to the workers in this company and the reason they get up in the morning. Yes, it's a wonderful concept to preach, but talk is cheap.
In this world, actions speak louder than words, and more often than not, I don't believe that Impact Wrestling has lived up to its "Wrestling Matters" moniker. Still, in every storm there is an eye (and I'm not referring to James Storm's finisher) wherein light flows through the darkness. A couple of weeks ago, that light manifested itself in the form of Brian Kendrick and Kazarian. This week, through all the darkness of promos, brawls, and angles was a bright shining light to the past. Much like the eye of a hurricane, i know it won't last forever, but why not enjoy it why it lasts? That's why the shining light is this week's IMPACT player of the week.
If you haven't watched Impact yet, I'm referring to the "nostalgia" match between Kid Kash, Jimmy Rave, and Austin Aries. However, in a fast paced contest, one man was the Usain Bolt to the other men's Walter Dix. The match was for a spot at the Destination X Pay Per View, a show set up to highlight the fallen X Division, so tensions were high. All the men wanted that spot, but as Ace Ventura says, "in every contest, there must be.....a loser" (or in this case, two losers). Not only was one man more impressive than the rest but that man finished off a great showing with a victory and a spot in that match. That man was Austin Aries.
A former stalwart of the X-Division, Aries was apparently brought back like the other two men to relive their "glory days". While I didn't start watching TNA until about 2007, I hear stories about how wonderful the X Division matches were. In some cases, I've found them to be spotfests, but the men in them have never lacked in talent. Certainly Aries was someone who fit that description and he's someone that fans of his will say should have gotten more of a chance in this business. I haven't seen as much of him as others (seen some ROH matches and things, but I'm not a huge indy guy), but I like what I've seen.
About the only thing that didn't impress me about Aries tonight was his sideburns. Wrestling with passion and skill is one thing, but shave those suckers!
Ok, so that's just a humorous criticism, even if it does make him look more like Rico than The Rock, but Aries looked great out there. I usually don't like triple threat matches but this was quite solid. I really like the brainbuster finisher and I was a big fan of the suspended elbow drop. This is a guy fans want to see and I hope he has a great showing at Destination X.
Of course, I'd love to see him get a legimiate contract with TNA as he's easily more talented than most of their roster but hey, one step at a time right? Either way, great to see Aries out there and he might just entice me to watch Destination X.
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