Impact wrestling thread - It's a Don West tribute thread now!

[Astro Hollywood]

When I was a lad, I was convinced Des Barnes was the non-albino twin brother of David Burrows. Same initials and everything!

 

[Jaffa]

Wow. There's trying to be current with pop culture and then there's having no creative inspiration whatsoever. Surprised they haven't done an angle where a black faction kidnap a load of schoolgirls.

I love you, Steak.

 

*****

[Astro Hollywood]

Wow. There's trying to be current with pop culture and then there's having no creative inspiration whatsoever. Surprised they haven't done an angle where a black faction kidnap a load of schoolgirls.

I love you, Steak.

 

*****

 

Signing up a WWE HOFer to lead Koko's Harem

[Loki]

His entrance music could be A Whiter Shade of Pale.

[Professor Paul's Bin]

Just flicked through the channels and checked out the last 15 minutes of IMPACT. It was really shit. There is nothing about TNA anymore. The only glimmer of hope is small part of the roster I like being Gunner, Aries, Roode and Young. Hopefully if any of them have sense they'll be in Jarretts new project by the end of the year.

[tiger_rick]

Just flicked through the channels and checked out the last 15 minutes of IMPACT. It was really shit. There is nothing about TNA anymore. The only glimmer of hope is small part of the roster I like being Gunner, Aries, Roode and Young. Hopefully if any of them have sense they'll be in Jarretts new project by the end of the year.

Not sure I get this. TNA is at it's lowest ebb, losing money and cutting talent. But they're still on TV and have some financial backing. As much as I want to get excited by the JJF, all they've got so far is a terrible website and some teasers that tailed off.

 

Until that goes anywhere, the sensible move is staying put. Unless you can get into NXT.

[Forrest]

TNA brings back Saturday morning wrestling.

 

News: Challenge to launch Saturday morning TNA Wrestling show

 

All-new TNA Xplosion will be the FIRST ever TNA programming designed for a family audience

 

Challenge and TNA Entertainment have joined forces for a historic announcement

[KillerTwist]

As much as I love the idea of a family show that brings back the tradition of getting up early to watch Wrestling while eating a load of cereal, if this replaces Robot Wars, I will be fucking livid.

 

Why can't Challenge just put some money behind a brand new series of Robot Wars? I'd shit happiness if they did that.

[Undefeated Steak]

As much as I love the idea of a family show that brings back the tradition of getting up early to watch Wrestling while eating a load of cereal, if this replaces Robot Wars, I will be fucking livid.

 

Why can't Challenge just put some money behind a brand new series of Robot Wars? I'd shit happiness if they did that.

 

Maybe they can co-promote each others' programming. Have 'house wrestlers' in each corner who come in and shunt the wrestlers if they stall or get put in a headlock for too long. You could even have parts of the ring that flipped wrestlers over if they stood on it.

[Big Bully Busick]

Its a decent idea

They still do ok over here ratings wise so i think Challenge will be happy with the results

 

Id rather they repeat the Chase tho

[5pints]

[The King Of Swing]

Only thing about TNA I am looking forward to these days is the eventual Ian's Indy Wank.

[iMPACt!]

Tuned into TNA for the first time in ages tonight. What a shadow of its former self it has become. There was a clip of a previous Slammiversary and it looked miles better than anything they now put out. Also whoever thought Willow is a good idea needs a good slap. TNA have always made Hardy less likeable than when he was in WWE due to them allowing him to act like a weirdo but this is on a whole new level.

 

oh and as I type there is now some boy in a straight jacket in a padded cell. No idea who he is but probably a result of watching TNA. Says it all.

[Psygnosis]

This just paints a very sad picture, from a show at a minor league baseball stadium yesterday.

 

http://111.imagebam.com/download/qU6KZG5fZ.../TNAMDCrowd.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BpgBvctIIAAfstf.jpg

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BpflfQ8IUAEET2d.jpg:large

 

I feel very sorry for the talent, this must be very demoralising.

 

Even Alvarez has given up...

 

"Fare thee well for the time being, Impact

by Bryan Alvarez

I was thinking about this, and I don't believe that in the 19 years I've been writing this newsletter I have ever boycotted a television program because it sucked so goddamned bad. That changed this week.

 

After all these years, TNA Impact finally broke me. The show on Thursday night was up there with the worst pro-wrestling programs I've ever seen in my life. It might have been the worst. Maybe, top-to-bottom, objectively there has a worse show historically. But no show ever caused me to command a one-month (at the moment) boycott before, so I think the evidence is in that this was the worst pro-wrestling show I've ever seen.

 

I don't care if this is "my job," or if people want me to watch it and suffer through it so that they don't have to. I don't care. At the end of the day, while it is my job, it's also my company, so I can make my own decisions, and my decision is that I am not watching Impact for at least one full month.

 

I had considered watching the PPV next Sunday since a PPV is more important than television, but come on now. No one is buying this PPV, and the idea that I'm going to have to pay $34.95 for it is reason enough to skip it. I'll be 39 years old when that show airs. I don't need this in my life. There is plenty of actual pro-wrestling to watch.

The more I think about it, the less guilty I feel about not watching this product. Even if one were to argue that this is "my job," technically my job is to watch all the major pro-wrestling shows on US television, and you know what? At this point it is tough for me to classify Impact as a pro-wrestling television show. I don't know what the hell it even is. It's a variety show that features people fighting, only part of which actually takes place in a pro-wrestling ring, and none of which anyone could possibly care about because the majority of the characters are so completely unlikeable, and the **** they do makes no sense.

 

I read an article on why it's tough for the people writing Impact. It was written by Vince Russo. Yeah. So, as one would expect, it was filled with 9 million bull**** excuses. I liked the one about how the building at Universal Studios is not a good building for wrestling because so many tourists show up. I was unaware that pro-wrestling fans were restricted from attending. That's like saying the crowd at Full Sail University for NXT sucks because only college kids go. Except it appears plenty of wrestling fans manage to attend at Full Sail, plus the NXT crowds almost never suck. It is ironic, because Russo claimed that the crowd sucked because sometimes Impact had to tape one and a half shows per taping. Last time I checked NXT taped four shows per taping. They seem to be doing all right. Come to think of it, they're doing great.

Russo claimed it was tough because you had to balance everything out to make sure people weren't involved in too many segments on a particular show. I nearly pissed my pants reading that. I saw EIGHT STRAIGHT SEGMENTS involving talking on Thursday night. EIGHT. You can read Vinny's review, but I think I saw MVP in at least five different segments on one show. Maybe ten. I lost track.

 

Russo had his usual litany of excuses. At the end of the day, it all boils down to this: the show sucks. Everything about it sucks, with the exception of some talented people who actually try to have good matches. There is zero understanding of what pro-wrestling is or why people—live or on television—would want to watch the show. They have no idea how to build interest in any of the matches or feuds, they have no idea how to pace a show, they have no idea how to make characters likeable or dislikeable. Russo ranted about fact vs. opinion. This is not opinion. This is fact. The quarter-hour ratings plunging throughout the show is an embarrassment. The buyrates are an embarrassment even compared to THEIR OWN BUYRATES several years ago, and they are ONE-TENTH what they were getting during their peak (60,000 for two Joe vs. Angle matches). Their house show attendance is an embarrassment. This is not fact vs. opinion. What they're presenting is not what people want to see. And don't even get me into the MVP vs. Dixie Carter storyline. I'm pretty sure this is the only storyline I've ever seen in my entire life where there is no way more than one single solitary person (Dixie Carter) could possible care about it. To think this worst Impact ever went off the air with the tease that the Dixie vs. MVP war was going to escalate. Who gives a ****? As a viewer, I hate them both. Two heel factions, two completely unlikeable groups of people, WHO LARGELY DO NOTHING BUT TALK TO EACH OTHER INCESSANTLY ABOUT **** NOBODY CARES ABOUT, are going to war, and I'm supposed to care. LOL.

 

I have better things to do. You should too. It's summertime. Enjoy the cool Thursday night air. Read a good book. Chat with your loved ones, enjoy a light meal. But don't watch this show. "

Edited June 7, 2014 by Psygnosis

[LEGIT]

I don't like Alvarez that much, but he's right. It's woeful. And they attendance photos are even more woeful. I hope TNA fucks off and dies on it arse, the talent would be much better used elsewhere (hopefully.)