The Official Weekly LIVE iMPACT Wrestling Thread!

Machismo Fan

You missed the most important part!


But yeah it's a strong card on paper. They've done a really solid job with the Kong/Havok feud.

rovert

The broadcast version of Jeff's scary bump:

Thought the Spud/Mandews vs Tyrus was the best thing on the show and it was just ok. I liked Havok/Kong as it worked around Kong's physical limitations pretty well. I DIED at them showing the Robbie E/Brooke Amazing Race match in clip form after spending forever on it during the actual tapings. Lethal Lockdown started with 20 minutes left in the show was built around Lashley making his big entrance into the Cage but with this being TNA he gets cut off by the heels within 15 seconds and Team Angle only barely eek out the win.

Machismo Fan

'Twas largely a dull show.

Machismo Fan

TNA are back in Orlando tonight taping stuff for ONO's and Xplosion. The show themes:

Thursday (7PM): TNA Xplosion featuring the roster of IMPACT WRESTLING
Friday (1PM) - ONE NIGHT ONLY: Global IMPACT: USA vs The World
Friday (7PM) - ONE NIGHT ONLY: Hardcore Justice
Saturday (1PM) - ONE NIGHT ONLY: Jokers Wild
Saturday (7PM) - ONE NIGHT ONLY: Knockouts Knockdown 3
Sunday (1PM) - ONE NIGHT ONLY: Xtravaganza
Sunday (7PM) - ONE NIGHT ONLY: World Cup of Wrestling (Featuring JEFF HARDY)
Monday (1PM) - ONE NIGHT ONLY: The TNA Classic
Monday (7PM): ONE NIGHT ONLY: Gutcheck

Ross and Marshall Von Erich will be working a bunch of the shows and The Great Muta will be appearing on the Monday night show.

rovert

Maybe James Storm is quoting a song lyric or working the dirtsheets but still:
https://twitter.com/JamesStormBrand/status/568275487773949954

gnfnrhead

TNA are doing a great job making the World title out to be the important thing in the world. Lashley, Roode, Angle, Aries, MVP, even Gunner and Eric Young are all looking for it. Makes a nice change from people forgetting about the title until it's their turn again. Shame they can't do the same for the other titles.

rovert

REALLY liked the Mickie-Bram segment and Snow-Grado was what it should have been. Otherwise a dowsy show. I can't believe the feuds they continue to give EC3 too.

Machismo Fan

The Anderson/EC3 stuff is little else but a placeholder to extend Spud/EC3 out to London. That main event Gauntlet was rubbish though.

gnfnrhead

Was so worried they were going to have Angle overcome the odds and blow the Lashley match next week. MVP was the right call. Shame about some of the crap eliminations like Aries and EC3. They deserved better.

The six man opener was very good. Young vs Dreamer was quite enjoyable too. The gauntlet was a big let down but otherwise I enjoyed most of it. Would have rathered Spud shaved Tyrus' redicilous beard rather than the four hairs on his head though.

rovert

Grado really got over in his first TNA US match

Machismo Fan

There's a Spud/EC3 face to face on Impact on Friday that I thought was tremendous.

Machismo Fan

Enjoyable little match this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QTGEwsh7Xw

Machismo Fan

TNA are doing their latest attempt to brand themselves as the wrestling fans friend (the last time was the abomination that was the "Wrestling Matters" campaign in 2011) and it would appear they're doing some market research under it's guise: http://connect.tnawrestling.com/Portal/content/TNAWrestling/FormPages/StandUpForWrestling.aspx?id=9964

rovert

Shame non-manager and authority figures aren't cutting promos like this on each other in WWE and especially during the Wrestlemania build:

A pretty good IMPACT this week.

Machismo Fan

Yeah very enjoyable show. Most of what happened actually felt like it mattered, felt like it was going somewhere. Magnus' promo was very good too but Spud and EC3 were the real highlight of the show. Their feud has been the best part of TNA TV for months now, hopefully the blow off next week delivers.

gnfnrhead

I'm really torn on what I want to happen next week. I want Spud to win, but also don't want EC3 to lose just yet. A good problem to have I guess. Great segment between the duo anyway. Wouldn't mind it main eventing next week but I'm guessing Young and Roode will get that.

The only real negative for me was the Knockouts match. It wasn't needed and the finish made it a waste of time. Should have done a tag match instead. Kong and someone against Taryn and Gail. Save the title match for another few weeks. Make Taryn look like she actually has a chance to retain.

Who's the X-Division Champion? I want to say it's still Low Ki but can't remember the last time it's actually been used, or even seen. Enjoyed Galloway's promo too, but wish they would stop starting shows with talking segments. Start with a match then do the talking segment.

ricero

Just wondering what the general concenceus is on here of the rebooted TNA on destination America ? Has it gotten better or worse ? Whats different now ?

Was thinking of perhaps giving it a watch but wana see what people think first. Stopped watching TNA during aces and eights angle

rovert

ricero wrote: »

Just wondering what the general concenceus is on here of the rebooted TNA on destination America ? Has it gotten better or worse ? Whats different now ?

Was thinking of perhaps giving it a watch but wana see what people think first. Stopped watching TNA during aces and eights angle

Machismo Fan will probably give a more considered answer than me but:
- The production values are a big downgrade from SPIKE TV especially those of 5 years ago.
- There's little to look forward to as there isn't a PPV or big event they build up to.
- Creatively it isn't very fresh or contemporary feeling despite attempting to be so.
- It is a solid roster and there's good matches but everything surrounding that undercuts that.

Machismo Fan

Yeah rovert covered most of the main points. The production stuff is just a really strange decision because they had three thousand people in Manchester (which typically they can make look like 10,000 on TV) but they're going for this dark, edgy kind of set up that looks rubbish. It just looks shot in an empty arena. It's bizarre.

If you gave up on it before, it's not markedly different now. The X-Division has disappeared again, the tag division has four teams, the women are still feeding off scraps and nobody is getting a chance to wrestle to even near their full potential. There's still piles of talent in the company (and loads more available to bring in) but none of them are being helped by booking.

There's no buzz around the product at all, no sense of momentum, no sense that anything or anybody is actually going anywhere. They didn't seem to approach the new channel as any sort of new beginning, if anything they regressed from where they were in the last four months of last year. They decided the big hook on Destination America would be this whole cameras everywhere, 'reality' driven show that's essentially already been forgotten about two months later. They were trying to change the sizzle instead of fixing the steak.

They're doing their latest attempt at rebranding by pushing Drew Galloway as the catalyst of change, polling for the changes people would make on Twitter but I'd be shocked if anything changed (there's a set of Impact tapings next week and I'd be very surprised if they are any different from usual). They've done all this many times before, promising big changes and nothing has ever come of it. So long as the same people remain in charge nothing will change.

rovert

Also on a minor/nerdy note. The agenting of matches is still really poor. As Brian Mann has been saying all of TNA's matches are corner attacks (clotheslines), reversals and brawls to the outside.

Obviously in fairness WWE's presentation has more holes than swiss cheese too. But WWE is WWE while TNA needs to be better than WWE but there's no real or gripping point of differentiation with TNA currently.

CastorTroy

Is the commentary added later? Just the way they seem to always be cut off from everyone else. Can't remember them interacting with the main show at all

gnfnrhead

I think they are still finding their feet and trying different things randomly to see what happens. I hate the fact that they feel the need to constantly show the commentators when they aren't even at the building. Don't have any issue with them not being there, just the showing them for no reason in the middle of matches and whatnot.

The dark crowd splits people. I personally like it as it puts the attention on the ring but can see why others don't like it.

Typically, they have at least one pretty good match a week at worst. They've had a fair share of good to very good matches but none have hit the great mark. Likewise, I don't think any have hit the awful mark either.

Overall, they aren't going anywhere fast, but are at least facing the right direction. They figured out how to start the car, they just can't figure out how to keep it running long enough to get going. The biggest issue is the lack of PPV's. Angle vs Lashley should be on PPV, but I'm pretty sure they don't have any until June. They can't really drag it out that long and expect people to still care. They need to convince Destination America to give them a three hour special once every two months. Not a PPV but still on a Sunday night. Give them something to build to as its impossible to justify PPV prices when WWE charge €13 and NJPW €7.50 for a months worth of content.

At worst, it's better than Raw nine times out of ten. Not that that is particularly difficult.

rovert

Happy about this as TNA really needs new talent as everyone has wrestled each other on the roster:

https://twitter.com/brydertna/status/575266797127135232

Shaun Ricker, Pepper Parks, Cherry Bomb, Camacho, Dalton Castle and Von Erichs are most likely it seems.

Machismo Fan

They've announced Matt Hardy has signed a contract (he'd previously been working only on a per appearance deal). He's been doing some very good work lately.

Machismo Fan

Angelina Love has signed a new deal.

Gavster1982

SPOILER ALERT


reading next weeks results I see Angle wins the TNA world title..... why???????????????????????????


Ego would be my guess...one last run? Does he turn heel and join the BDC as Joe is quitting..maybe forcing MVP to turn face again???

Furious-Red

Gavster1982 wrote: »

SPOILER ALERT


reading next weeks results I see Angle wins the TNA world title..... why???????????????????????????


Ego would be my guess...one last run? Does he turn heel and join the BDC as Joe is quitting..maybe forcing MVP to turn face again???

Ah come one use the Spoiler Tags FFS

Machismo Fan

Add Spud and Tyrus to the new contract pile. One earned a new deal much more than the other.

gnfnrhead

Machismo Fan wrote: »

Add Spud and Tyrus to the new contract pile. One earned a new deal much more than the other.

I was willing to give Tyrus a chance but the guy just doesn't fit the role he is being asked to play. He's clumsy, chunky and pretty damn boring with a dreadful look. Add in that he does a pretty awful job at keeping EC3 out of harms way, and he becomes completely pointless. Was hoping EC3 would fire him in the coming months but guessing that won't happen now.

Machismo Fan

He's done literally nothing of worth since he debuted.