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

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Jeff Hardy by a quite a distance I imagine.

[PunkStep]

"I'm Aled Jones, it's all gone wrong for me"

With a splice of Harold Bishop, too.

[ClassicsGuy]

It's highly unlikely the numbers will improve when they move to Fridays. If anything, they will be lower. Bad night, on a bad channel, with a badly booked product. No U.S. house shows (because they don't draw) and no ppvs in the near future either.

 

ROH has more going for it than TNA at this point. At least ROH has its ppvs to build to, and its cross-promotion events with New Japan to look forward to.

 

TNA has nothing, apart from the U.K. tour that is the highlight of their year. And the attendances for that have been dropping year on year for the past few years too, so it's not like they're mega hot over here either. The average weekly rating for Impact on Challenge in 2014 was down 30% on the previous year.

 

TNA is such a dumb company though. Just something as simple as them not running shows on in the Wrestlemania location over Wrestlemania weekend the last few years, to take advantage of the thousands of wrestling fans in town. They just seem incapable of doing obvious, positive business moves, on and off screen. 

Edited January 11, 2015 by ClassicsGuy

[Chris Brooker]

 

Man it's strangely hypnotic 

http://youtu.be/Yg03q100E4g

[CTXRussomark]

Just caught the last half hour of this on Challenge.  Can't decide whether it was more depressing or embarrassing.  So dark it looked like it was playing out in front of 50 people, and the complete lack of atmosphere or noise of any kind didn't help that feeling.  Nothing in the main event made any sense.  Why show MVP and the guys getting past security and then take at least 10 minutes to actually appear?  Why put Joe and Low Ki under masks to get past security when they are already members of the roster and would have no issue being there in the first place?  Why even bother getting past security if Eric Young was already there to cost Roode the match?  Why have the challenger's stablemate drag the referee out of the ring and assault him and still not be disqualified?

 

But hey, another TNA Superfaction.  Amazing.  I honestly don't think someone could actively run a promotion so poorly if they tried.

 

*EDIT*

 

One positive note though - Bobby Lashley is 100 times better than he was in WWE.  This is the first time I've really seen any of his TNA run.  He's still not great, but at least he now looks the part (rather than constantly looking like a startled baby) and carries himself well as a heel.

Edited January 11, 2015 by CTXRussomark

[JNLister]

Read a million complaints and criticisms about the show beforehand, so was surprised to see a new one: a camera operator shown dead centre of the picture on the hard cam, turning away from the ring and setting his camera in position to shoot down the aisle, then sitting waiting for a couple of minutes until the run-in happened.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

My favourite is when James Storm and Confused Tenay are doing the interview in the balcony, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe and MVP and just walking around near the ring and MVP is chatting away doing the whole "wrestler discusses moves" arm movements. Totally bush league. Nothing should be distracting from the promo, let alone a bunch of blokes who just wrestled knocking about in the background.

Edited January 12, 2015 by IANdrewDiceClay

[Buzz Lightyear]

My favourite is when James Storm and Confused Tenay are doing the interview in the balcony, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe and MVP and just walking around near the ring and MVP is chatting away doing the whole "wrestler discusses moves" arm movements. Totally bush league. Nothing should be distracting from the promo, let alone a bunch of blokes who just wrestled knocking about in the background.

 

It's all part of Dixie's plan and idea of what we wrestling/entertainment fans want. It's worth checking out PWTorch's interview with her on Friday, she's completely out of touch with what wrestling fans want from her product, and how they view the company and anytime somebody tells her why they no longer watch her product she ignores it. 

[chardcire]

I am confused, I know wrestling is predetermined, that it is to a certain extent choreographed and that these men and women do not genuinely hate each other but I want to believe and suspend my disbelief that this is a fight or contest fought over something tangible whether it be a title or a ranking or perhaps a fight for the sake of vengeance of a slight  etc. What I do not want is for it to be thrust into my face that this is just a stunt show with interchangeable actors who don't mean anything and nothing matters. Why the hell should I watch if that is the case?

 

Do I watch a Peter Jackson movie and see Bilbo talking to an Orc behind some tall ass Ent gesturing that the Orc is going to throttle him but at the last second he will elbow the Orc in the ribs and scarper? No. What would be the point?

 

Then again I enjoy going to Premier where there are a minimum of storylines, just rivalries and good old school action that keeps people coming to the theatre to see local wrestling as they have done in halls all around this country for 50+ years. However what do I and thousands of other paying wrestling fans know?

 

Also if TNA are despondent about their numbers then they have guano for brains, downsizing networks was always going to destroy their numbers. Bunch of morons.

[HeavyT]

Jeff Hardy by a quite a distance I imagine.

kurt angle is the other i could see being at least higher paid than Lashley.

[ryan1888]

kurt angle confirmed for the UK tour. 

[pgi86]

Via TNA's website. The full roster for the UK tour:

 

 

Bobby Lashley, Kurt Angle, Bobby Roode, James Storm, Sanada, Manik, Mahabali Shera, Abyss, EC3, Tyrus, Rockstar Spud, Magnus, Bram, Madison Rayne, Low-Ki, Brooke, Gunner, Chris Melendez, Austin Aries, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Gail Kim, MVP, Awesome Kong, Eric Young, Matt Hardy, Robbie E, Jessie Godderz, Zema Ion, Mr Anderson, Kenny King, Angelina Love, Samoa Joe, Sam Shaw, Crazzy Steve, Rebel, Taryn Terrell, Al Snow, Grado, Noam Dar, Kay Lee Ray, Mark Andrews, Dave Mastiff and Rampage Brown.

 

All events are double TV tapings and include a free pre-show meet and greet with the six British Boot Camp 2 finalists.

Edited January 14, 2015 by pgi86

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Christ, I have no idea who half of them are? Either I'm shockingly out of touch with wrestling or they just employ anyone these days. Or both. Who the fuck are those two in the middle? Why has Al Snow made the poster? Why does Angelina Love look like Bret Michaels these days? Is the character of Abyss currently played by Gary Mabbutt?

Edited January 14, 2015 by IANdrewDiceClay

[Syl]

Ian, you seem to watch and follow everything TNA related, and you are by far the most frequent poster in this thread, so I somehow doubt that....

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I follow the hilarity, not the shit wrestling. Who would follow TNA in 2015 outside of the nostalgia of remember when WCW was going under and wanting to feel young again. And I've had my wisdom teeth taken out since TNA last ran a show. Even taking all that in, I have no idea who those bunch of clowns are.

 

Also, you're wrong. I haven't watched a TNA show (outside of last week) in ages and ages.

Edited January 14, 2015 by IANdrewDiceClay