TNA Impact Wrestling Review - October 29, 2014

Could Bobby Roode win the TNA title from Lashley?

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

X-Division Champion Samoa Joe and Low Ki def. MVP and Kenny King in a Tag Team Tournament Semifinal Match

All four competitors in this match are excellent athletes, so I was happy to see them get as much time as they did. It was a very well-wrestled matchup with everyone involved looking good by the end of it. However, it was hard to get excited about anything they did because the tournament was made a week ago and it doesn't have much meaning behind it. I like the pairing of Joe and Low Ki, but I'm sure this setting up another one-on-one match between the two for the X-Division title.


Devon and Tommy Dreamer Brawled with Bram and Magnus

Both Bram and Magnus are above-average on the mic and they cut good promos here. The only issue is that I couldn't care less about their apparent feud with Devon. I never cared for Devon when he broke away from Bully Ray a few years ago and I don't care about him now that Ray is seemingly gone from the company. I know he's found a partner in Dreamer, but Dreamer is another guy who shouldn't have a regular role on TV at this point. The brawl was fine, but I'm grown tired of all the hardcore matches at this point.

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James Storm gets into the head of Davey Richards.

The Beautiful People def. Tayrn Terrell and Madison Rayne

Rayne's heel turn, like Mark Henry's on Monday's Raw, was extremely predictable and could be seen coming from a mile away. That essentially made the match an afterthought, but I didn't have any problem with it. Rayne works better as a heel anyway and it's another story for the Knockouts division that isn't over the title. What happened to the tension teased between Angelina Love and Velvet Sky a few weeks ago?


The Hardys def. Ethan Carter III and Tyrus in a Tag Team Tournament Semifinal Match

Similar to the other semifinal match, it was a decent matchup, but there wasn't much incentive to care about it. EC3 and Tyrus can be a fun act, but it debuted two weeks ago. Why have Tyrus lose so soon? They booked themselves into a corner since EC3 couldn't lose, either. I'm excited for the matchup between the two teams that qualified for the finals since it has the potential to be great, but this tournament so far hasn't packed a punch.


James Storm def. TNA World Tag Team Champion Eddie Edwards

I may be in the minority here, but I've actually enjoyed Storm and his cult-like character in recent months. Yes, it's a direct rip-off of The Wyatt Family, but with The Wyatt Family seemingly being no more, does it really matter? I'm intrigued by Storm attempting to persuade Davey Richards to join them, but it's hard to buy into the possibility of The Wolves splitting up since they're doomed on their own. The match was fine for what it was and Edwards had a nice showing, but it wasn't anything memorable.


Bobby Roode def. Lashley to Win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship (Kurt Angle as Special Guest Referee)

This was a different match than their first encounter last month, as that was more wrestling-oriented and this was more focused on interference and shenanigans. Normally, I'd hate it if the heel champion resorted to dirty tactics to retain his title, but at the end of the day, that's what heels are all about. Plus, Lashley won all of his title matches up to this point in clean fashion, so I was fine with all the overbooking here since it made for many close nearfalls. Roode winning back the belt made for one hell of a moment and as I've said time and time again, it actually meant something because Lashley had been built up for a credible champion. I was also glad to Roode's title win be given a chance to sink in instead of closing out the show right away like TNA is known to do at times.


Overall Show

The only thing worth watching about this show was undoubtedly the main event. There was some solid wrestling, but all of it will be forgotten a week from now. The stuff with Storm and The Wolves was mildly interesting, but the tag tourney matches fell flat and Rayne's heel turn was what it was. Honestly, Roode as champion is the only thing keeping me watching right now because nothing else about the product is exciting.

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