Jan 31 2009
How About That Sojourner Bolt?
A few months ago, I commented on Lance Storm’s “rant” on Sojourner Bolt’s heel turn, focusing on how a certain wrestling news site was defending the heel turn and TNA Knockouts as major draws. I defended Lance Storm’s view, stating that if TNA failed to make this heel turn interesting, it would not draw ratings in the long run. Enough of the recap, where are we now?
Sojourner joined The Kongtourage. She aligned herself with Awesome Kong. I was not that surprised. That was lazy on TNA’s part, but it does not seem like they really wanted to give her a real push anyway. They were just feeling for a place to put her. How can you say Lance Storm was wrong now? The heel turn failed to draw in the long run. That match in which she turned heel, taking on Christy Hemme, may have been the highest rated segment then, but last time I read a report, a match involving the Main Event Mafia topped the ratings. The TNA Knockouts used to do that consistently, but things may be changing. TNA is fishing for a top face after Gail Kim left for WWE and Christy Hemme got injured. Can ODB take the spot? Fact is, Sojourner’s heel turn did not lead into any big matches or segments. No one is talking about it that much anymore. She is heel, done. It makes me wonder, like Lance Storm said, why they gave that Hemme vs. Bolt match so much time on that night, while giving some of the guys mere minutes. TNA did not follow through on something that could have grabbed the viewers’ attention.
I just want to note on last thing about this heel turn. I am sure there were many fans who may have wanted Sojourner Bolt to turn heel, feeling she was being wasted as a face and getting boring. I have heard this rhetoric for so many women, but what do these fans say now? She is a heel, yet she is nothing but a lackey. How about turn her face? Have her feud with Kong for the title? Can the hypocrites realize that face/heel distinctions mean very little? What matters is how much of the spotlight the promotion is willing to actually give you in relation to the other women. This is a classic example of that, and I may return to this case again when talking about other heel/face changes. Lance Storm was not exactly just a raving, ranting lunatic.
