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

[Your Fight Site]

18 hours ago, Joe Blog said:

Freesports doesn't deserve wrestling.

How come?

[westlondonmist]

Didn't 5 Star Wrestling used to be on Freesport before disappearing with ticket money for shows that didn't happen 

[I Bent My Wookie]

On 29/01/2021 at 10:39 PM, IANdrewDiceClay said:

Mad how Swinger was never over or even remotely interesting in WCW, ECW, TNA or showed any promise in WWE. Yet in 2021, he's developed this character that has blown away the previous 25 years work he put in. Has anyone ever done that before? Shit for decades and suddenly really interesting.

PCO?

[LCJ]

23 hours ago, IANdrewDiceClay said:

It's great news for me, because it's just easier for me to just pop it on youtube and watch it, but crazy they used to get 8,000 people into the Wembley Arena and the MEN, and now they're on fucking youtube.

They were never the same after hiring Hogan and Bischoff. They were expensive signings that they didn’t need and couldn’t afford and for me, it’s been downhill ever since.

[unfitfinlay]

6 minutes ago, LCJ said:

They were never the same after hiring Hogan and Bischoff. They were expensive signings that they didn’t need and couldn’t afford and for me, it’s been downhill ever since.

TNA never paid for Hogan and Bischoff. Spike did.

That period was the start of the decline though. They brought them in at the same time as they left the Impact Zone (without notice) and went straight into big arenas that even WWE couldn't sell out. They also decided to go head to head with RAW, which was a disaster as well.

Basically they did everything that they could possibly do to get to that mythical "next level" and it didn't work. That's what led to Panda cutting their financial support and forcing them to be self-sufficient.

Losing the Spike deal was the ultimate killer though.

[LCJ]

Yep. Losing the Spike deal is something they’ve never recovered from. I wasn’t aware that Spike paid for Hogan and Bischoff (I’m guessing also Flair) but either way, it wasn’t money well spent. I get that they were big draws in their day but Flair and Hogan were over the hill at the time and didn’t add much value to the product. They also tried to go head to head with Raw when they didn’t stand a chance of gaining any advantage in a ratings war with WWE.

[wrestleuk]

impact is still on 5star its just the 2am first showing thats moving back to impact plus and the impact youtube channel the show will still air on 5star fridays at 10 and will be on my5 straight after  

[wrestleuk]

Doing some digging and it seems like impact has signed a new deal with premier sports 

 

Ppvs and impact will be moving to boxnation from next week so I'm guessing there will be an announcement imminent as boxnation already have it on the schedule 

 

Impact to air Thursdays at 8-10 and a replay on Friday 7-9 

 

Ppvs staying live in the UK on boxnation instead of premier sports 1 

 

Makes it even stranger that they still have the 5star deal as they will be airing impact 1hr after boxnation air it for the second time 

 

I would imagine the YouTube one will be a live stream and not available following it "live showing" 

Edited January 31, 2021 by wrestleuk

[garynysmon]

In typical TNA fashion, (I usually hate that phrase, but fucking hell lads...) it ends up that the entire show isn't actually on Youtube but is free on the Impact Plus app.

Although simple enough to set up really, it seriously deters any potential audience if they're having to faff around with apps just to watch.

Will probably just stick to Sky+'ing the 5Star showing at god knows when o'clock on Friday nights. I never usually get round to watching it until the weekend anyway.

 

Edited February 3, 2021 by garynysmon

[d-d-d-dAz]

It’s been free on the app all year anyway, that’s where I’ve been watching.

[Jazzy G]

Is it free on demand, or just live? 

[d-d-d-dAz]

I watch on demand. Stick it on Wednesday morning over breakfast.

If I try and chromecast it wants me to pay a subscription, but to stream it on my phone or laptop it’s fine. It just wants to charge for multi-device functionality.

[garynysmon]

27 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said:

If I try and chromecast it wants me to pay a subscription, but to stream it on my phone or laptop it’s fine. It just wants to charge for multi-device functionality.

I installed the Impact Plus app direct to my Smart TV and worked fine without asking for payment. Just tried casting from my phone and was also ok.

(Ironically I am an Impact Plus subscriber anyway, but through Fite TV instead of Impact's in house one).

[Syl]

Yeah, the whole YouTube thing is a disaster on their part. Advertise that the show will be available on YouTube for UK fans, then don't upload it, get questioned about it by fans online, and then almost deny that it was ever said. Not a great move.

Watched the show on the Impact app. Again, another very watchable show. It flows nicely, there are clear characters and storylines, and the commentary is so much better now. Rich Swann needs to drop the belt, though. He is decent in the ring and comes across as quite likeable, but he looks out of place in the main event scene.

[garynysmon]

21 minutes ago, Syl said:

Yeah, the whole YouTube thing is a disaster on their part. Advertise that the show will be available on YouTube for UK fans, then don't upload it, get questioned about it by fans online, and then almost deny that it was ever said. Not a great move.

That was my understanding too. 

Mind you, I have some sympathy for the social media people given that the typical Impact UK cohort on social media seem to be rather slow on the uptake and are probably still expecting it on Challenge TV on Sundays after Bullseye.

This Channel 5 deal doesn't half baffle me though. Surely Impact aren't being paid for that? A graveyard slot on 5Star and happy enough for Impact to show it on Showcase TV and then Freesports days earlier?

Edited February 4, 2021 by garynysmon