Back to the Front

On October 30th, AJ Styles challenged the younger stars in the TNA locker room to cross the line and stand side-by-side with him and Samoa Joe to take on the Main Event Mafia.  Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, Petey Williams, Eric Young, ODB and the Motorcity Machine Guns took them up on the offer.  Within a month of the group forming, a few grizzled veterans in the form of Rhino and Team 3D were added to the mix to help mentor the young talent and the Front Line was born.

The flipside of this group is the Main Event Mafia, which consists of Kurt Angle, Sting, Booker T, Scott Steiner, and Kevin Nash.  Together, this super-group has held over 30 world championships in various promotions and they have been in the upper echelon of wrestling for quite some time.  Their star power and experience have run havoc on the younger Front Line faction, to the point where they have rarely seen defeat.

As of late, there has been some internal struggles and dissention within the Main Event Mafia and two of them will be facing off at Destination X for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.  Even with all of the problems they are having, it is nothing compared to the Front Line, which has nearly been non-existent aside from when they are getting the crap kicked out of them.

Seeing Jeff Jarrett, Mick Foley, and Team 3D celebrate in the ring after a brawl between Jarrett and Angle on Impact this past week got me thinking that this feud with the Main Event Mafia against the Front Line has really turned into the Main Event Mafia against TNA and its management.  As for the Front Line, well, let’s just see what they have been up to lately…

Rhino
After being beaten down by the MEM, Rhino offered his services to the young group to help them fight the same fight.  Rhino used experience, wisdom, and leadership to help guide the faction and even came up with the name of the Front Line.  Rhino then fought his way back up to the main event scene and took on Sting for a chance at the title at Genesis.

Since the title match, Rhino has been removed from the main event picture once again and has only been in two matches over the past six weeks – one against Matt Morgan that went to a no-contest and one teamed up with Abyss to challenge Beer Money, Inc. for the TNA Tag Team Championship.  Neither of which have anything to do with the Front Line/MEM feud.  The closest he came to that was speaking his mind on the empty arena brawl that Sting and Kurt Angle fought in.

Last television appearance: Locker room interview with Lauren and Team 3D on upcoming Sting/Angle empty arena brawl (2/19 Impact).
Last television match: Lost tag team match with Abyss against Beer Money (2/12 Impact).

Team 3D
Both the Front Line and the Main Event Mafia went after Team 3D to try to get them to join their factions.  In the end, Team 3D chose the Front Line as they liked how the young guys were full of fight, guts, and balls.  Shortly after joining the Front Line, though, Brother Ray found himself on the receiving end of a mafia hit that took him out for a month while Brother Devon stayed and helped the rest of the group out.

Upon Ray’s return, he challenged Sting to a match for the World Championship while Devon challenged Kurt Angle to a one-on-one match.  Jim Cornette wouldn’t let either challenge fly and decided to book a 4-way match for the TNA World Championship.  With the idea of Angle possibly taking the title away from his partner, the match focus turned solely on how Sting and Angle would co-exist as opposed to taking on the rival group, thus Team 3D and the Front Line were pushed to the sidelines.

As one could imagine, both members of Team 3D came up short in their quest to capture the World Championship.  Just like Rhino before them, Team 3D hasn’t really done much of anything since losing the title match.  They have only competed in one match and have decided to take Beer Money’s “Off the Wagon” challenge at Destination X, which also has nothing to do with the MEM/Front Line feud.  Other than that, Team 3D stood side-by-side with Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley after Jarrett tossed Kurt Angle out of the Impact Zone this past week.

Last television appearance: Standing side by side with Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley at the end of Impact (3/5 Impact).
Last television match: Won tag team match against Kurt Angle & Sting that was used to further the tension between the two (2/12 Impact).

AJ Styles
Styles, along with Samoa Joe, brought the call to action to the TNA locker room and got the ball rolling for the Front Line.  Since Styles has been in TNA since day one and has held the NWA World Championship, he made for an obvious leader in the group.  Styles was the first person in the Front Line to challenge Sting for the gold and came up short on two separate occasions – once in single competition and another in an 8-man tag match where if his team won, he alone would become World Champion.

Styles would battle in another pay-per-view main event at Genesis before being taken out of action by Kurt Angle in a tables match.  Due to the post-match attack, AJ Styles wasn’t scheduled to appear at Against All Odds, making it the first time Styles wasn’t booked to compete on a 3-hour TNA pay-per-view.  Although he wasn’t scheduled to compete, he still made an appearance and stole Booker T’s Legends Championship.

Since then, Styles would brutally assault Booker T backstage and in the parking lot for no apparent reason except for that he is with the Main Event Mafia.  Styles has been calling himself a legend and was last seen being carried away by police officers for theft and assault.  In light of that, Jim Cornette has booked the two to compete in a match at Destination X for the Legends Championship.

Last television appearance: Being carried away by police in riot gear. (3/5 Impact).
Last television match: Lost to Kurt Angle in a tables match (1/22 Impact).

Samoa Joe
Along with AJ Styles, Samoa Joe had a hand in recruiting members for the Front Line.  Since he was not contractually able to face Sting for the TNA World Championship, Joe sort of meandered around and took on Booker T and Beer Money in title matches and came up short on both attempts.

In the middle of December, Joe and AJ Styles took on Sting and Kevin Nash in a Six Sides of Steel match.  They were able to win the match but the rest of the Main Event Mafia entered the cage and Scott Steiner locked the door from the inside, allowing the rest of the Mafia to beat down a helpless Joe.  A chair was brought into play and Joe’s arm was repeatedly smashed with the chair and took him out of action for over a month.

At the end of January, a video was aired in which Joe promised to bring a nation of violence with the real Samoa Joe, who now has a tribal symbol on his face.  Another video aired at Against All Odds where Joe called out Scott Steiner and warned him that he’d be the first of many sins that Joe would commit in TNA.  After the threat, Joe has been after Steiner while wielding a huge machete and holding it to his throat.  The two will meet at Destination X.

Last television appearance: Holding a knife to Scott Steiner’s throat in the ring. (3/5 Impact).
Last television match: Won a Six Sides of Steel match with AJ Styles against Sting and Kevin Nash (12/18 Impact).

Motorcity Machine Guns
The Motorcity Machine Guns were reluctant to join the Front Line and have held a laizzes-faire attitude during their time with the group.  With that said, being a part of the movement has greatly helped Sabin and Shelley’s careers, both in the tag team division and as singles competitors.  They have gotten a significant amount of television time, have won numerous tag team matches, and the two of them put on one of the best X Division matches in recent memory at Genesis with Shelley winning the X Division Title.

The one problem with all of this is the fact that several of their matches have been up against their Front Line brethren.  They have taken on AJ Styles & Samoa Joe in tag team competition and Alex Shelley has defended the X Division Title against Eric Young.  Most recently, they have been in a feud with Lethal Consequences.  There is no end in sight for this either, as it would appear that both the Machine Guns and Lethal Consequences will participate in the Ultimate X Match at Destination X.

For the record, the last time the MMG’s fought the MEM was on November 6th when the fought with Christian Cage to go up against Beer Money and Booker T.  They have had very prominent roles with the Front Line, though.

Last television appearance: Being beat down by Suicide in a post-match brawl (3/5 Impact).
Last television match: Shelley defeated Kiyoshi (3/5 Impact), Sabin lost to Shelley in a 4-way ladder match for X Division Title (2/26 Impact).

Lethal Consequences
Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed were the first two to take up AJ Styles and Samoa Joe’s offer to join the Front Line.  Lethal was awarded a World Title shot by Mick Foley but lost, however, he was able to snatch one of the Feast or Fired cases at Final Resolution, which awarded him a shot at the tag team titles.

Lethal chose Creed as his partner and the two were able to defeat an injured Beer Money for the tag team titles.  Their luck would run out, however, as they would lose the titles back to Beer Money just a few days later at Genesis.  Since losing the titles, they have been at war with the Motorcity Machine Guns as they were nowhere to be found when the rest of the group was being beat down by the Main Event Mafia.

Last television appearance: Being beat down by Kurt Angle for purchasing a suit with the money he lost for being suspended (3/5 Impact).
Last television match: Both lost to Alex Shelley in a 4-way ladder match for X Division Title (2/26 Impact).

Eric Young
Eric Young was the first member of the Front Line to win some gold, however, it was due to referee involvement and the decision was reversed.  Young would go on to defeat Sheik Abdul Bashir one more time for the X Division Title, but that too involved the referee and Jim Cornette decided it would be best to instead hold a tournament for the title.  Eric Young would make it to the semi-finals of the tournament but would lose to Alex Shelley, who would go on to win the title.

Eric Young would face Alex Shelley at Against All Odds but he would come up short in the match.  Most recently he had teamed up with Petey Williams to take on Beer Money in the Off the Wagon challenge.  They would lose the match and Williams was forced to leave TNA.  Aside from that, Young hasn’t been doing much of anything, aside from assisting the Front Line members who are in trouble.

Last television appearance: Being beat down by Kurt Angle for purchasing a suit with the money he lost for being suspended (3/5 Impact).
Last television match: Lost the “Off the Wagon” challenge from Beer Money along with Petey Williams (2/19 Impact).

Petey Williams
Although Petey Williams was a part of the Front Line, he still looked like Mafia member, Scott Steiner, and still wanted to have his relationship with him.  Steiner used this as a way to send the Front Line a message after they brutally assaulted Williams and left him a bloody mess.  Nearly two months would pass before we would see Williams again, and he came back just as he left, as Little Petey Pump.

Upon his return, Williams set his sights on Scott Steiner and the two began a short-lived feud, which cumulated with a Headdress on a Pole match.  After the match, Steiner’s attention was turned to Samoa Joe and Williams would go on to wrestle in his last match with TNA in a tag team match against Beer Money along side his former Team Canada partner, Eric Young.

Last television appearance: Getting the applause and thanks that he deserved after being forced to leave TNA (2/19 Impact).
Last television match: Lost the “Off the Wagon” challenge from Beer Money along with Eric Young (2/19 Impact).

ODB
In my opinion, ODB is an odd choice to have in the Front Line as there really is no MEM counterpart for her to go up against.  Sharmell is the only one that could fit into that role and she was shoved at ODB right from the get go.  Of course, as Sharmell isn’t an actual wrestler, their match was turned into a six-woman tag team match with ODB teaming with Roxxi and Taylor Wilde against Sharmell and the Beautiful People.

After that short-lived feud, ODB shuffled herself back into the Knockout Division and went up against Awesome Kong and the rest of the Kongtourage.  ODB would go on to win a shot at the Knockouts Championship but would come up short in the match against Kong at Against All Odds.  Since then, ODB has been promoting a video contest called “One Night with ODB,” where a lucky fan will be able to win a date with her, although, it appears it may be used to bring in a new wrestler.

Last television appearance: Video package promoting her “One Night with ODB” contest (3/5 Impact).
Last television match: Lost 9-Woman Gauntlet Match (2/12 Impact).