Impact Wrestling Discussion **UK SPOILERS**

[Philjax]

Gunner sacrificed to D'Von in 2 minutes. Ugh. That aside show came off better than the report as usual. Nice 8 woman tag match. Brooke is a good choice for next champ. That ass should be doing 1.5's alone.

 

Something I forgot before, Matt Morgan is the most useless and pointless pro wrestler ever no? I can't remember a single move or thing he's ever done that has elicited anything but apathy from me. I hear his contract is almost up. Please god let it not be renewed.....

[IANdrewDiceClay]

That aside show came off better than the report as usual.

Says the bloke who just bitched about the show on the grounds of spoilers on the last page.

[Philjax]

Exactly and i acknowledged it came off better, thank god, but it wasn't great by any means and my concerns remain.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Wrestling isn't normally great, though. In 2012, the formula for every show from ROH to New Japan to TNA to WWE is usually half shite and a few good bits. Its just that TNA doesnt get the same benefit of the doubt, because people have been burned so many times by it. TNA's been far better than its been in years recently. The PPVs are usually terrible, but that's down to awful road agents giving awful finishes to the matches and the crowd being dead. But the TV has had some really good moments - Garrett Bischoff and Morgan and Crimson's feuds not withstanding.

 

TNA is a dead promotion at the minute. There is no trust from the audience. You are an example of this. That isn't even slagging you off. I'm the same. TNA can do a million things right, but one thing done wrong and people will go "SHITE, ABYSMAL, HIRE RUSSO!!!" Thats why the shows are better, yet they have no new viewers. The damage has been done to TNA, after years of the way they did business. People have been burned. Its going to take more than a few shows to grow and audience.

 

Its strange with TNA. I remember in 2010, when they were throwing shit at the wall and none of it was working, like bringing Scott Hall back, sticking Flair with AJ Styles, starting Immortal, bringing an ECW group together and all that, I couldnt stop watching. Things seemed to be happening all the time at a mad pace. Now the shows are quite good, I can take it or leave it. Odd that.

[ColinBollocks]

I know how you feel. I think with them throwing everything at us in 2010 and it not growing the business, we've all come to the conclusion that TNA are probably never going to grow to the level we all hope. From the fans, to the announcers, to the wrestlers; everybody appears to have just accepted that this is their lot.

 

It's why I hoped the Hogoff/Spike screwjob was true. TNA dissolves and something new and fresh takes over, without a Dixie Carter.

[air_raid]

I watched a couple hours of the PPV last night and the first thing that screamed out at me during the Lethal Lockdown match is, if you are going to show the wrestlers making their way down the aisle coming from the back/Gorilla, then make sure the opposition are not in view warming up, oiling up etc.

 

Yeah, but it just wouldn't be TNA without some cack-handed production error to make themselves look minor league. It's part of that quirky, minor league charm that keeps us tuning in week in and week out, unless there's something better on or we go to the pub and forget to set the Sky+.

 

I wish actual AIDS death upon Hulk Hogan for what he's been responsible for over the last two years.

 

One of the things Hulk Hogan has been responsible for is inserting himself into a TNA live tour of this fair aisle, allowing me to see him wrestle live for the first (and at this point I assume only) time in my life. Hence, for your sentiment, I wish actual AIDS death upon you, sir.

[Romford N Reem Express]

Did anybody else get the impression that Ric Flair was genuinely pissed off during his promo on the last Impact directed at Garrett?

 

The only reason I say that is he said a few things that seemed quite close to home and or seemed a bit needless. Things like saying Garrett was "stumbling all over his words" was the first thing that stood out and he also seemed genuinely annoyed that AJ was being asked to put over Garrett.

 

I dunno maybe I was just high. I get he's a heel and i also get that he's pretty fucking good at it, but a few times in that promo it seemed like he was shooting. The part about RVD, Anderson and AJ looking like punks for having to all be in the ring just so Garrett (who is beyond fucking awful i might add) gets a reaction from the fans (even though he didn't say this word for word, it was pretty much implied)also seemed like another shoot comment. I also got the impression that Anderson though the whole thing was beneath him too with his sarcastic excitement hands before Garrett spoke.

 

Maybe i'm reading way too much into it but it honestly wouldn't surprise me. Anybody else pick up on the snide comments?

[Magnum]

I know how you feel. I think with them throwing everything at us in 2010 and it not growing the business, we've all come to the conclusion that TNA are probably never going to grow to the level we all hope. From the fans, to the announcers, to the wrestlers; everybody appears to have just accepted that this is their lot.

 

It's why I hoped the Hogoff/Spike screwjob was true. TNA dissolves and something new and fresh takes over, without a Dixie Carter.

 

No offence, but I really hope you're wrong.

 

I totally agree that TNA isn't going to grow past a certain level, but I don't think any wrestling company ever is with the strength of the monopoly WWE has these days. I enjoy TNA fine as it is - it may not ever have production values like the WWE or put on huge events like Wrestlemania, but it gives great performers like Bobby Roode and James Storm a platform to do their thing without having to spend a year 'paying their dues' on NXT or Smackdown putting over Yoshi Tatsu and Santino, and it's also a decent nostalgia trip for those of us who like watching stars of wrestling's last boom period like Kurt Angle and Eric Bischoff.

 

Most importantly for me, it's on free TV and it's a wrestling show I can actually watch without having to fanny about with torrents or youtube.

[Loki]

Amen.

 

Matt Morgan is the most useless and pointless pro wrestler ever no? I can't remember a single move or thing he's ever done that has elicited anything but apathy from me. I hear his contract is almost up.

 

You're not wrong. He's improved immensely in his time in TNA, having graduated from abhorrently, offputtingly bad at everything to merely unbelievably boring and skippable. He just lacks anything that I find in the least bit interesting or compelling and he sucks all the interest out of those he feuds with. I suspect Crimson might turn out to be not half bad, but making his first major singles feud with Morgan is desperately unfair.

[ColinBollocks]

I know how you feel. I think with them throwing everything at us in 2010 and it not growing the business, we've all come to the conclusion that TNA are probably never going to grow to the level we all hope. From the fans, to the announcers, to the wrestlers; everybody appears to have just accepted that this is their lot.

 

It's why I hoped the Hogoff/Spike screwjob was true. TNA dissolves and something new and fresh takes over, without a Dixie Carter.

 

No offence, but I really hope you're wrong.

 

I totally agree that TNA isn't going to grow past a certain level, but I don't think any wrestling company ever is with the strength of the monopoly WWE has these days. I enjoy TNA fine as it is - it may not ever have production values like the WWE or put on huge events like Wrestlemania, but it gives great performers like Bobby Roode and James Storm a platform to do their thing without having to spend a year 'paying their dues' on NXT or Smackdown putting over Yoshi Tatsu and Santino, and it's also a decent nostalgia trip for those of us who like watching stars of wrestling's last boom period like Kurt Angle and Eric Bischoff.

 

Most importantly for me, it's on free TV and it's a wrestling show I can actually watch without having to fanny about with torrents or youtube.

I accepted TNA are what you describe, a few months ago. As I said a page or so back, they're just there to keep the likes of Sting on my telly. The majority of people involved with TNA realise that too, hence why the promotion doesn't have any kind of momentum.

[Loki]

Late to the party, I know, but I really enjoyed the PPV, and thought the main event was really good. I didn't mind the ending at all, I thought it was creative and a neat way of protecting Storm a bit whilst keeping Roode as the champ. Both guys looked like players.

 

They need to sort out their sound whilst on the road though, you could hardly hear the crowd or what was going on in the ring. I reckon the crowd was fairly into a lot of stuff, but it didn't really come over. More mics!

[UK Kat Von D]

Just watched the Open Fight Night episode and I have to say it was brilliant. The best TV I feel they have produced in a long time. The booking was all so simple yet really effective. Strongly recommended watching

[Sexy Dad]

I'm echoing the love for Open Fight Night. The show felt like a game show which was hosted by Hulk Hogan but it was strangely brilliant. The crowd were hot for everything as it was unpredictable in a good way which is unfortunately not the case at times in TNA. Magnus and Joe defeated Anderson and Hardy which was a shocker but really helped present the team as a real threat. The Open Fight Night concept also validates the champions and by god, you realise how good TNA's champions are when they stand along side each other. I'm not including Devon....even if he had a cracking little opener with Bully.

[UK Kat Von D]

I'm echoing the love for Open Fight Night. The show felt like a game show which was hosted by Hulk Hogan but it was strangely brilliant. The crowd were hot for everything as it was unpredictable in a good way which is unfortunately not the case at times in TNA. Magnus and Joe defeated Anderson and Hardy which was a shocker but really helped present the team as a real threat. The Open Fight Night concept also validates the champions and by god, you realise how good TNA's champions are when they stand along side each other. I'm not including Devon....even if he had a cracking little opener with Bully.

 

My only issue with the Tag match was that I don't feel enough emphasis was put on the sequence where Magnus was about to kick Anderson's head in against the steel steps. The announcers should have raved about how brutal a move that would have been. Instead of Jeff going for the win he chose to sacrifice himself to save Anderson. It was so great yet the camera, Taz and Tenay totally missed it. It was called just like any other move and it just wasn't. Hopefully they make sure to big it up in a video package next week which I hope they will due to the nature of the finish.

 

Even the final segment was great. Wrestlecrap at its finest

[FLips]

TNA and Spike TV issued a press release today announcing that Impact Wrestling will begin airing 1 hour earlier each week, starting May 31st. They cited "more available viewers" and "less sports competition" in the earlier timeslot.

 

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