Segment 4: Joseph Park vs. Jay Bradley
Positives: I never thought I would say this, but it was nice to watch a regular Joseph Park match – one where he doesn’t get busted open and do a Black Hole Slam. When the character was over, it was because of its goofball appeal, not because it was Abyss. An Eric Young injection may breath some new longevity into the character which seems to be stumbling toward the finish line.
Negatives: TNA are booking Jay Bradley like it’s “an honor for him to be there” in the Bound For Glory Series. He needs to get some points late in the game or he will have gained almost nothing from being part of the Series.
Segment Score: -1
Segment 5: Chris Sabin vs. Mannik
Positives: This was the right match for Chris Sabin to have: he showed his X Division roots but also displayed more main event restraint with his pace. Sabin going over cleanly with his finisher in the middle of the ring felt satisfying, considering his dirty title win.
Fighting back against Bully Ray after the match felt like a big moment for Sabin. He is getting the full-on Rey Mysterio smaller man push in that he isn’t afraid of the monster heels and he’s actually able to fight back against them.
Negatives: TNA put their World Heavyweight Champion on TV at the end of their first hour, then main evented two guys in a tournament to become number one contender. This is Hulk Hogan/Eric Bischoff logic at its finest: “Sabin isn’t as big a star as A.J. or Aries, so he shouldn’t follow them.” Of course, that logic is circular, because he’ll never become a top star if he isn’t allowed to main event TV shows.
In some ways, Mannik looked good in this match, but he never looked like or was treated as a threat to the title in any way. He was clearly being used to put on an exhibition with Sabin, not make the World Heavyweight Champion look vulnerable.
Segment Score: +1
Segment 6: Taz “reveals” the August 1 Mystery Person
Positives: Seeing Taz on TV helped me remember how much better I like the job Jeremy Borash is doing.
Negatives: This was absolutely moronic. In the age of TMZ, are wrestling fans really to believe that the camera wouldn’t have pointed into the limo the second Taz opened the door? Him cutting a promo on what he saw in the car while the camera just focused on his face felt like something out of early 90s WCW.
Segment Score: -1
Haha, internet nerd pointing out a wrestlers social inadequacies, hilarious…Btw, the spit factor line was awesome,nice nitpicking though..