TNA PPV WAS MAKE IT OR BREAK IT....

...And TNA just saved their proverbial house.

TNA's Victory Road PPV, their first Sunday Night three hour PPV, didn't quite hit a grand slam home run.

But it was CLOSE. REAL CLOSE.

I freely admit going into the PPV this evening wondering if I was going to see TNA self-destruct in the usual senseless angles and incredibly bad booking they're known for, or if they were going to manage to pull it off.

With one or two exceptions, they gave themselves a bases-loaded triple this evening, and may just make Stamford sit up and take notice.

From the opening X Division 20 Man Gauntlet to the odds-defying ladder match that Jeff Jarrett could only defeat the true "King of the Ladder Match" Jeff Hardy with help from Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, the show delivered more punches than Rocky Balboa, and will live to keep swinging for another day.

TNA has pretty much been on life support waiting for someone to pull the plug since the demise of the Wednesday night PPV shows in September. They've been relying solely on IMPACT to deliver their audience. And IMPACT hasn't been making much of one.

But tonight, TNA soared like a phoenix rising from the ashes. The X Division Gauntlet, won in a stunner by Hector Garza, was awesome, and had more than the usual spot fest that these type of matches do. The AJ Styles/Petey Williams matchup was a match-of-the-year candidate. Although it suffered a bit from overkill, and from directly following the Styles/Williams match, the AMW/Triple X Last Team Standing match was great. And the Monster's Ball turned out to be a pretty good match as well, considering that the worst example of a greenhorn, desperately in need of acting lessons, speaking lessons, and wrestling lessons, Monty Brown, won....God help us all now...

The little things meant a lot too....Kid Kash being shunned by his fellow heels Michael Shane and Frankie Kazarian after cold-cocking Sonjay Dutt with a coconut meant to be used by Superfly Jimmy Snuka on the Rodster's head to make up for 20 years of anguish, was unexpected and hilarious. Something tells me Kash's days of bellyaching may grow short if he continues to get used in this way.

The little (and big) surprises were interesting as well. Miss Jacqueline showing up to take up Trinity's open challenge was awesome, and hopefully, TNA will let Jackie do what she does best - wrestle - and not be a cheap tawdry piece of (ahem) T and A like most of the WWE Diva's are these days. Randy Savage showing up at the end of the show to take up the "takeover" challenge was a bit stunning, since he appears to be totally out of shape and in much need of the South Beach diet. But nevertheless it will keep tongues wagging for a while longer.

Whatever formula TNA began using tonight, let's hope they KEEP using it. Because if they do, that Monday night slot they want so badly for IMPACT may come sooner than anyone things, and set off World Wrestling Wars II.

So why do I have this bad feeling that Jarrett, Mantel, and company are about to do what they always do...take a good show, and great publicity...and DROP THE BALL AGAIN....

But in any case, if you missed Victory Road, I HIGHLY recommend the replay.