Doog Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Decent enough show, was interested in the rebrand etc so checked it out. Will stick with a couple of impacts and see how it goes. Dana Brooke seemingly ripping off Toni Storm with her new character is a proper miss though like, what are they thinking. Toni Storm is one of the best things in wrestling, to try and cosplay it will be shit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gaffer Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 (edited) I really wish TNA had a roster that I actually liked, because everything else is in place. Decent production, good commentary, solid booking, knows its place and is shining in it. But I never stick with it week to week, and it took me ages to realise why until I finished watching this show and then just saw the elephant in the room. Moose, Cedric Alexander, Alex Shelly, Sabin, Eric Young (especially Eric Young)...none of them do anything for me. They're all...decent. Fine. But I just couldn't give a fuck about anything they're involved with. They're guys I can quite confidently say I'll never look forward to enjoying watching. Edited January 14 by Gay as FOOK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 24 minutes ago, Doog said: Dana Brooke seemingly ripping off Toni Storm with her new character is a proper miss though like, what are they thinking. Toni Storm is one of the best things in wrestling, to try and cosplay it will be shit She was on the screen for seconds - how can you possibly deduce that’s what the gimmick is? It didn’t cross my mind for a second that this was what she was looking to replicate, I’m guessing she’s going for a wealthy socialite; something along those lines. But we’ll see. I’ve never rated her, but I’d never have expected Steve Maclin to become what he has either, so good luck to her. And Trinity far surpassed my expectations in TNA, she’s a much better wrestler than I ever have her credit for. 8 minutes ago, Gay as FOOK said: I really wish TNA had a roster that I actually liked, because everything else is in place. Decent production, good commentary, solid booking, knows its place and is shining in it. It’s an ensemble cast. There are very few people that I’d feel excited about in another environment (although there are some), but they thrive in this environment and put on one of the most consistently enjoyable weekly wrestling TV shows around today. I’m not even worried about Nemeth joining TNA, I suspect he’ll fit in just fine. I’m not excited about him either, I guess I’m just accepting of his signing? They consistently make the most of what they have, and I’m sure they will in this case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted January 14 Paid Members Share Posted January 14 (edited) I’d be willing to give them a try but having skim read the results just now there’s still a terrible aftertaste of “will hire anyone ex E” to them. Kozlov shouldn’t be getting on telly in 2024. Edited January 14 by air_raid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 (edited) 52 minutes ago, air_raid said: “will hire anyone ex E” That's an enormous pool though, they'd be really pushed to build a roster who HAVEN'T been through WWE at some point. And this has always been true for TNA and AEW latterly. As @RedRooster said, many times the "ex-WWE" talent have a complete career resurgence in TNA, being frankly better value there than New York. Totally agree about Koslov, but most of the other WWE faces I recognised on this show put in a worthwhile shift. And Nemeth is a great signing for them - he's not popular here but is generally regarded as a top-drawer wrestler and will put on some good matches. Edited January 14 by Loki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 TNA is the best place for ex-WWE people because they're actually given a decent shot. Either to improve and become something better or at least get a more consistent spot. Sometimes they don't get any higher up the ranks but they can solidify themselves as decent at their level. And sometimes they'll find something special and break through. This happens far more than in AEW because TNA tend to be able to nurture and focus better rather than the teeny tiny attention span Tony has for his new signings generally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members garynysmon Posted January 14 Author Paid Members Share Posted January 14 I can‘t say that Hard to Kill blew my socks off or anything, and there were much stronger Impact PPVs in 2023. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to have loved seeing them perform on a platform closer to the one they deserve really. There have been some genuinely strong shows/tapings in D’amore-led Impact which were massively let down by a poor looking venue/sparse crowd and/or no one really watching or talking about it. I can’t emphasise enough how pleased I was to see them holding a show in a “proper arena” in front of a well attended and loud crowd. The Pearl wouldn’t have looked out of place for an AEW Dynamite taping. The wrestlers fucking deserve it tbh. So while aspects of the show were clunky/messy and segments didn’t always run as smoothly as I’d have liked, I don’t mind that too much. The general response, from what I can see, has been positive. It may not have been the best show they’ve ever done but getting more people talking about/paying attention to TNA and not completely shitting the bed at their big chance to make a first/second impression was crucial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdh85 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Very, very, nearly bought Hard to Kill to watch after the fact this evening as I'm bored laid up in bed with Covid and there seemed to be a bit of a buzz about the event...was a big TNA fan from around 2006 until Hogoff ushered in the false dawn, and thought it might be fun to dip back in. But £20 on Triller is a bit rich for my blood for the C promotion. Anyone dip back in with this show and really enjoy it? I'd be happy to be swayed tbh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUM Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 (edited) Enjoyed it for what it was. I’m also in the camp of not really caring about a lot of the people involved, and I probably have a dislike of Moose far more than the others - he’s always bored me to death. That’s a personal opinion though and I get he’s over. I’ll probably do my usual and watch the next Impact or two before forgetting all about it. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it either - they’re a very forgettable watch at times in a world with so much professional wrestling. That new Dana Brooke name is dreadful. Commentary had already got it wrong by the second time they read it. Edited January 15 by FUM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members air_raid Posted January 15 Paid Members Share Posted January 15 10 hours ago, Loki said: That's an enormous pool though, they'd be really pushed to build a roster who HAVEN'T been through WWE at some point. I’m not saying it’s an issue to sign ex WWE, I’m saying it feels like they’ll sign anyone just because they’ve been there. Kozlov I mentioned, but what the hell did Dana Brooke show in her tenure to suggest she’d be an asset compared to anyone TNA already have access to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members garynysmon Posted January 15 Author Paid Members Share Posted January 15 (edited) 2 hours ago, air_raid said: I’m not saying it’s an issue to sign ex WWE, I’m saying it feels like they’ll sign anyone just because they’ve been there. Kozlov I mentioned, but what the hell did Dana Brooke show in her tenure to suggest she’d be an asset compared to anyone TNA already have access to? I don’t think its fair to say they’ll sign ‘anyone’ ex-WWE, although some have certainly been more successful than others. Some have made it clear they don’t want to be there and floundered while others have made the most of the creative freedom to reinvent themselves. We live in a world where even the talent now know that AEW has more wrestlers than Tony Khan knows what to do with. After that initial debut pop there’s at least a decent chance they’ll drop like a stone and potentially off tv. Probably an even easier, and certainly better paid gig than TNA. Just as many on the TNA roster have come up straight from the indies/smaller promotions, although I suppose if you don’t follow Impact closely it may sound like they only sign ex-WWE as those are the signings that will gain more attention online. While there have been some ex-WWE wrestlers who have cruised in without any intention of freshening up their act (I’m thinking Heath Slater for one), others have reinvented themselves for the better. There are some who view working anywhere outside of WWE as beneath them. So they either brush a company like Impact away altogether, or are usually flushed out soon enough after a few tapings (such as the Iiconics/inspiration). Others, such as Trinity, will come in and have a good, albeit short, run while waiting to go back to where they really want to be. You can argue if this is to the benefit or detriment of TNA really. (In fairness to Trinity she never once acted like she was ‘above’ TNA and was always hard working and did everything asked of her). But someone like Fandango, who I’ve initially seen as a bit shit/pointless, went on to totally revamping their act. Dirty Dango’s “I’m better than you sad workrate bastards” schtick is now one of my favourite midcard acts. Kozlov looking cool as fuck can do anything in my book. Steve Maclin is another who’s totally reinvented himself. Steve Cutler? Question marks remain over Nic Nemeth. Apparently he was asking for his release long before being let go, so who knows? A Dolph Ziggler, a veteran x2 WWE champion with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove could be a heck of a signing for TNA/New Japan. I suppose that I’m in a very minority/strange position of hardly watching any WWE at all though, so anyone who started there post, say, 2012 will almost always be new to my eyes. I don’t think I’ve seen a Dana Brook match in my life, so everyone starts with a clean slate. (Yes, her name is shit). Edited January 15 by garynysmon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browser Brady Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Is there much violence in TNA over the last while ? I have to say it puts me right off AEW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted January 15 Paid Members Share Posted January 15 2 hours ago, air_raid said: what the hell did Dana Brooke show in her tenure to suggest she’d be an asset That cartwheel thing she does is pretty cool. Can't think of anything other than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Personally I've never seen anything in Dana Brooke but I've heard she's got a good work ethic and she's always wanted to improve, so from that viewpoint I can see how she's someone you might want around. Maybe TNA can magically find something in her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted January 15 Paid Members Share Posted January 15 As much as I was tempted to watch this, it just puts me off an entire card when I see Tommy Dreamer on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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