Leon Slater was featured in action this week, which stood out as one of the more promising highlights, especially since, in my view, he is the top wrestler currently on the TNA roster. With Slater set to challenge for the World title at Bound for Glory, this match was a key chance for him to build momentum. Nic Nemeth joined on commentary, and everything was seemingly lined up to develop a compelling storyline heading into the big event.
However, the match never really got off on the right foot, as it was scheduled against Joe Alonzo—a choice that proved problematic. For those unfamiliar with Alonzo, imagine taking the worst qualities of wrestlers like Sammy Guevara and Max Caster, mixing them together, and you get Joe Alonzo. Before the bell even rang or either wrestler entered the ring, Alonzo spent several minutes delivering one of the most painful promos ever witnessed. The crowd’s reaction wasn’t the usual “love to hate the villain” cheer but rather a chorus of boos begging him to stop. It was genuinely awful.
His delivery was riddled with stumbles, and as he tried to speak louder to compensate, his basic heel lines—seemingly scripted by AI—became increasingly irritating. This kind of performance is exactly what non-wrestling fans might cite when dismissing the entire sport. Watching and listening to Alonzo was comparable to torturous experiences like flossing with barbed wire, diving into a pool of needles, or running a box grater over your brain.
TNA has a reputation for being consistently bad, but this matched new lows and quickly became unwatchable. The match itself ended with Slater swiftly defeating Alonzo and then chasing off Nemeth—something that could have been done cleanly without involving Alonzo at all. Clearly, Alonzo’s intent was to come across as an obnoxious heel and set up a satisfying squash, but while he succeeded in being a jerk, he failed miserably at generating any real heat or excitement. Instead, it felt like an utter waste of time from a promotion that seems to lack faith in itself and fails to utilize its best talent properly.
Written by Max Everett
Fan Take: This example highlights why the quality of storytelling and booking in wrestling matters so much to fans. When top talent like Leon Slater is undermined by poor creative decisions, it not only hurts the individual wrestler’s momentum but also diminishes the overall appeal and credibility of the sport.
Source: www.wrestlinginc.com
