Did TNA iMPACT! Have a Different Feel to it?

[givemetoro]

I felt refreshed watching TNA tonight, and it had nothing to do with the storylines, the matches or the (way too obvious) return.

It was the stage/set up. The giant video boards and ramp... was hot!

It was so much better then the set up at the Impact Zone in my opinion... and the look of being in an actual stadium just made it a more saleable product to me... it wasn't the same "football teams" and "regulars" with the same boring and senseless chants...

Yes, the reactions might have been duller then usual, but that can be expected...

Am I the only one that thinks the "Road set" was refreshing and that the Impact Zone is killing the overall product TNA is making?

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Of course it's killing the product. It's making average shows look even more average, and excellent shows feel/look average. Why do you think WWE is considered "the better product", when clearly, quality wise, they're the same? It looks great, it sounds great. Are the storylines splendid? Fuck no. Is the wrestling amazing? Absolutely not. Are the wrestlers top notch? Not at all. But seeing is believing. The crowds are generally hot, they cheer and boo appropriately and the show is watchable. Nothing kills a wrestling show like shitty crowds and setting.

Tonight was awesome and I believe gave us a glimpse at the future. That's how it felt to me. TNA felt like a grown up company tonight. Big arena (for TNA) hot crowd. Definitely much better than the iMPACT Zone.

Oh, and to all the people who hate on the "veterans", the Hogans, Hardy's, Stings, Steiners - who got some of the best pops of the night? People want to see those guys, old or not, and they'll pay to do it.

The road set is awesome. Hasn't been done like THAT before, so it's a good start. They'll most likely improve on it and change it up as the year progresses. It costs a lot of money and if TNA finds taking their product on the road to be not only a good change but also a profitable move, they should invest in upgrading their cosmetics.

Can't wait to see next week's show, it's also in Fayetteville.

 

[itssoeasy123]

I liked the setting and I hope they can do more of these kind of shows so they can, you know, grow.

But than agian, their probably on a low bugdet, so I ca'nt see them doing it often unless they can get sponsor's and/or advertise for more veiwership, fanfare, or merchadise sales. Hell, they should charge money for ticket's in the Impact Zone.

They should try to make these thing's live, and do it more often. Even though the show wasn't good, it was cool to see them trying to evolve.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I liked the setting and I hope they can do more of these kind of shows so they can, you know, grow.

But than agian, their probably on a low bugdet, so I ca'nt see them doing it often unless they can get sponsor's and/or advertise for more veiwership, fanfare, or merchadise sales. Hell, they should charge money for ticket's in the Impact Zone.

They should try to make these thing's live, and do it more often. Even though the show wasn't good, it was cool to see them trying to evolve.

Well, for now at least, the plan is to have I believe 2 shows on the road every month and more PPVs as well. I know next week's show is in Fayetteville and I think they're going to KC or KY next month, the last two shows before the PPV will be on the road which is a smart move.

As far as the sponsors, advertising, fanfare, merch. sales - I would love it fans stopped talking about it. Both negatively and positively. You don't know if they're doing it enough or if they're not doing it enough. It could be off the charts, it could be below the bottom of the barrel. Assumptions don't mean squat.

If they can afford this after being in the iMPACT Zone for a few years and plan on having more shows, obviously earning some cash from this, they could probably do it more. They just need some fans in that arena and tonight proved that they can pull off a medium sized arena (3.500) without a problem. Go on the road more, explore, see which areas attend your product more, drop the ones that are not that good and basically grow your damn product. Slowly the attendance figures will increase and so will the viewership. TNA is doing it right, tonight's hot crowd proved that, all they need is a few adjustments and going out of Orlando as much as they can.

 

[mowogo]

This is the episode that really had all of the energy, as it was the early taping in Fayetteville. Everybody was pretty much spent from the drain of everything building up to the Sting return and victory. You really notice this when you compare the second part of the wedding crowd wise to the title match (the second part of the wedding was the last thing of the night taped, as Karen had to clean up). If they continue to actively take Impact on the road, then they are going to have to be very careful in how they map the episodes out, as taping two episodes at once where the first one has major events can backfire very easily.

 

[givemetoro]

Personally, I felt like it totally had a WCW 1997 feel to it, not a diss either, it felt like competition, it felt spontanious...

I didn't even feel the need to harp on Taz and Tenay... they fit the part tonight, I don't hate on the older talent, the only thing I feel that TNA is screwing up on is have "Gunner and Murphy" stick around. They have the feeling of being NWO lackeys that bring nothing to the product...

TNA needs to leave the Impact Zone more often, live shows would be a definate plus... even though I don't read spoilers it feels like I know what's coming, and that hurts their product....

TNA impressed me tonight, and I can't say I've felt that way in a long, long time...

 

[iwinulose]

i liked it, i was glad to see sting return, (even though it was obvious). some good matches, hardy get tossed around, an overall good tna

 

[Tugboat77]

This is the episode that really had all of the energy, as it was the early taping in Fayetteville. Everybody was pretty much spent from the drain of everything building up to the Sting return and victory. You really notice this when you compare the second part of the wedding crowd wise to the title match (the second part of the wedding was the last thing of the night taped, as Karen had to clean up). If they continue to actively take Impact on the road, then they are going to have to be very careful in how they map the episodes out, as taping two episodes at once where the first one has major events can backfire very easily.

Just to add to your comment about the difference in crowd reaction when it came down to the title match and the wedding segment; according to a spoiler report posted on the main Wrestlezone site from someone in attendance when the show was taped, nearly half of the live audience left during the wedding segment. I'm sure that had a LOT to do with the crowd reaction. That should speak volumes to creative about how stupid that storyline is. They could hold the show in MSG every week but if you offer the fans crap like that, they are gonna stop coming and are gonna stop tuning in. Hopefully this garbage storyline will be over soon.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Just to add to your comment about the difference in crowd reaction when it came down to the title match and the wedding segment; according to a spoiler report posted on the main Wrestlezone site from someone in attendance when the show was taped, nearly half of the live audience left during the wedding segment. I'm sure that had a LOT to do with the crowd reaction. That should speak volumes to creative about how stupid that storyline is. They could hold the show in MSG every week but if you offer the fans crap like that, they are gonna stop coming and are gonna stop tuning in. Hopefully this garbage storyline will be over soon.

Yeah, those same type of spoilers also reported that Sting had an "old school look". IF the report was true and half the audience (1700) people left during that particular segment, why did the crowd look the same as it did after and before the wedding? I think you'd notice half the audience missing. From what I read here, the wedding segment was taped last so Karren could clean herself up, and the crowd was the same as it was before.

Perhaps it was an over-exaggeration (that never happens on the Internet), and SOME people left simply because there was nothing left for them to see. TNA taped two shows that night, the wedding segment was last, let's be honest - it was dragging. I'd leave too if I were them. That's four hours of tapings, some reports claim the crowd was exhausted by that point. Can't blame 'em.

 

[itssoeasy123]

Yeah, those same type of spoilers also reported that Sting had an "old school look". IF the report was true and half the audience (1700) people left during that particular segment, why did the crowd look the same as it did after and before the wedding? I think you'd notice half the audience missing. From what I read here, the wedding segment was taped last so Karren could clean herself up, and the crowd was the same as it was before.

Perhaps it was an over-exaggeration (that never happens on the Internet), and SOME people left simply because there was nothing left for them to see. TNA taped two shows that night, the wedding segment was last, let's be honest - it was dragging. I'd leave too if I were them. That's four hours of tapings, some reports claim the crowd was exhausted by that point. Can't blame 'em.

That is true. Somebody on Wrestleview woh was at the show said that alot of people left at one point during the show. Don't really recall when, but he was there and he said on a radioshow that many people left.

 

[mowogo]

I would say about a quarter of the audience left during the second wedding, but there was a noticeable difference in the crowd energy between the first and second tapings. I'll admit I was completely exhausted from the first taping (that tends to happen when you have a big show), and there was no intermission between tapings beyond a "commercial break". If they provided a chance to let everyone rest during the tapings, they could possibly do two in a night, but rest is key. There was actually a point during the second taping where they had to re-tape the return from break because the crowd was dying down.

 

[GameOver]

think everyone who is not blind and or is a hardcore TNA lover would say that being stuck in the Impact Zone for Impact and PPV's was hurting the product, the area is tiny and looks very amatuer.

1 Change that is actually good i would say, and i haven't even seen impact yet as it airs at 11pm on a saturday night in Australia

 

[TUFFY54]

I watched Impact for the first time in 2 months tonight and thought it looked great! The set was amazing and the large crowd made it look very good. TNA looked like a first rate wrestling company tonight. I'll say that the only thing holding TNA back right now is that damned Impact Zone. It's pathetic. It will be such a step backward when they have Impact in it again.

However, there was one thing I hated about the show. Dixie starting the show by comming out and crying nearly made me turn the channel. It was a very stupid thing to do. It took all the energy out the show for me, and most casual fans probably had no idea what she was talking about. All they needed to do was have Immortal come out first then ask for Dixie to come out and cut the same promo on her. A woman getting teary eyed in the middle of the ring isn't the way to get everyone pumped up for a show they have hyped for weeks.

 

[cpac4]

It was incredible tonight. WOW. Thats all I can say. TNA is the better product if you give them the crowd and arena. Hands DOWN! I dont give two shits what anyone says, and I love WWE.

Better wrestlers, better storylines. If you dont agree with me...you can suck my fuckin' dick. Your an idiot.

 

[sjdigitall]

It was really good but the thing that i was most pleased was the reaction to Beer Money, they had some of the biggest pops of the night. That is very heartening to see that a TNA homegrown talent getting over with a new crowd. TNA Stay on the road!!

 

[Agent J]

Impact not being in the Impact Zone makes a very big difference in the overall quality of the show. The show comes off 1000 times better in an upgraded crowd and arena. It also helps not having the same people in the crowd week in and out.

 

[UltimateHitman]

It was incredible tonight. WOW. Thats all I can say. TNA is the better product if you give them the crowd and arena. Hands DOWN! I dont give two shits what anyone says, and I love WWE.

Better wrestlers, better storylines. If you dont agree with me...you can suck my fuckin' dick. Your an idiot.

Quit being a troll.

You're referring to the same storylines that give us football players (non-intimidating, frumpy ones at that) as "enforcers" taking on a guy w/an ax then being put into an ankle lock, Ink Inc. popping up out of nowhere for a title shot, Anderson going back and forth between face and heel so much nobody knows what he is week to week, Pope and Joe twisted around like a pretzel just to disappear, another Team 3D inner "feud", etc. etc.? Oh, and before I forget, "the Network", which is a blatant rip-off of the Raw anonymous GM?

Got it.

(TNA fans, take note. This is the type of guy that gives you a bad name. Name calling, profanity laced, ignorant hate... yep. Discuss, don't berate, ridicule, and troll.)

P.S. I didn't hate Impact this week (besides the horrendous Angle/Jarrett shit nobody cares about. Definitely needed some Crimson tv time though). It did have a nice feel to it as opposed to other shows. I do think that being out of the Impact Zone helped give it that fresh feel. EY and OJ are funny as hell and were the only saving grace in the wedding angle. I really wish they would can that garbage and move on already.

I don't get why people are praising the old guys still taking the spotlight, though. I personally didn't think they got as much of a legendary, monstrous, roof-shattering pop as everybody claims they did. Crowd reaction, sure, but humongous pop? Methinks that's a bit of a stretch.

All in all, minus the horribly large amount of tv time allotted for Angle/Jarrett (come on, that much time isn't needed. Couple of short segs w/no Jarrett make out sessions and one pay-off. None would be optimal) the show wasn't unbearable like it's been in the past. They still need some coherency and structure but getting out of the IZ was a plus.

Now if they would fine tune the programming before going gung-ho on marketing it would be a glorious thing.

P.S. Did I mention more Crimson? Stop dropping the ball w/this guy, TNA. And if you don't think they are, then answer the question as to why Gunnar and Murphy (greener than Crimson.) are getting 10x more tv time. Oh, I know. Because they're part of Immortal/Team Hogan i.e. spotlight hogs. And again, if you don't think they're spotlight hogs, who was the focus of 95% of the show, much like any week?

 

[WWE_Colonel]

Uhh I don't know where you guys got 3,500 fans from, but the Cumberland Crown Coliseum which is where Impact took place for this weeks taping seats 8,500. And it looked like a legit sellout, plus had a few hundred people standing. They easily had 9,000+ fans attending the event. This is awesome imo, and as someone mentioned before it really had a 1997 WCW feeling to the set, which was really nice. I really wish they wouldn't do 2 tapings because as others have mentioned the crowd loses steam after 4 hours. It was awesome and hopefully they can build on it.

 

[FightOwensFight]

Uhh I don't know where you guys got 3,500 fans from, but the Cumberland Crown Coliseum which is where Impact took place for this weeks taping seats 8,500. And it looked like a legit sellout, plus had a few hundred people standing. They easily had 9,000+ fans attending the event. This is awesome imo, and as someone mentioned before it really had a 1997 WCW feeling to the set, which was really nice. I really wish they wouldn't do 2 tapings because as others have mentioned the crowd loses steam after 4 hours. It was awesome and hopefully they can build on it.

Those are the numbers being reported by a newspaper in Fayetteville. Yes, the arena likely holds 8,500; but you do realize that for a wrestling show, almost 1/4 of the arena is useless as it is used for the entrance area, right?

Anyway, I only saw the clip of the Sting-Hardy match on IDR's post about Sting coming back. I will say though, that it did look a lot more impressive than usual. They also did a good job (at least during the segment I saw) using camera angles from pretty far back to capitilize on the larger size.

Based on the reviews of the actual show and reports of the segments I can't say it seemed much different than a normal show, but that goes to show what the larger venue can do. Like Zion said ealier one of the biggest differences between TNA and WWE (and I prefer WWE to TNA) is the production values. Since the influx of Hogan and Bischoff I definately think the wrestling on TNA has taken a step back (whereas they used to be able to say they were clearly the better product in that regard, I don't think that is true at the moment) but with better production values and a larger venue a lot of that can be compensated for.

All in all, it looks promising and I will certaily try and catch some more clips and will make a point to watch next Thursday. So that is good thing.

 

[Souls On Fire]

Uhh I don't know where you guys got 3,500 fans from, but the Cumberland Crown Coliseum which is where Impact took place for this weeks taping seats 8,500. And it looked like a legit sellout, plus had a few hundred people standing. They easily had 9,000+ fans attending the event. This is awesome imo, and as someone mentioned before it really had a 1997 WCW feeling to the set, which was really nice. I really wish they wouldn't do 2 tapings because as others have mentioned the crowd loses steam after 4 hours. It was awesome and hopefully they can build on it.

They only used half the arena for the taping as opposed to a WWE taping which usually uses about 3/4's of an arena. When i had looked tickets up online a few weeks ago i was actually disappointed that only have the arena would be used. However, all things considered the stage setup and camera angles made it near impossible to even realize the difference. It was a wise setup as they wouldn't of sold out and probably would of looked pretty empty if they used the whole thing. Still the crowd was at least double the Impact Zone size.

All in all I thought the show came across much better in front of the new crowd. There was much more energy and even those on the show seemed to put more into the efforts in the ring considering they were in front of a larger audience. With hope this will become a more regular setting and hopefully eventually lead to live shows as opposed to tapings. Nonetheless two thumbs up for TNA for doing something different. Keep it up and you may get that rise in the rankings.........JUST DON"T EXPECT THEM OVERNIGHT DIXIE!!!!

 

[Souls On Fire]

Uhh I don't know where you guys got 3,500 fans from, but the Cumberland Crown Coliseum which is where Impact took place for this weeks taping seats 8,500. And it looked like a legit sellout, plus had a few hundred people standing. They easily had 9,000+ fans attending the event. This is awesome imo, and as someone mentioned before it really had a 1997 WCW feeling to the set, which was really nice. I really wish they wouldn't do 2 tapings because as others have mentioned the crowd loses steam after 4 hours. It was awesome and hopefully they can build on it.

This is the reason why there was only about 3500 fans instead of the numbers your thinking. Still the crowd looked impressive compared to IZ...

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The set and the live crowd did look great. It did make TNA look big league but let's not go nuts here. Underneath all the cosmetic and visual enhancements that made up the set of iMPACT! and the audience last night was still the same shitty wrestling product that TNA has been for a very long time.

If you're not a fan of what TNA has been doing for so long now: boring, lame and repetitive power struggle storylines and subpar television wrestling, then nothing that took place last night will change your mind. The cosmetic effect means little to me in wrestling, it always has. I don't necessarily care about the big sound system or the bright lights and any of that. All that stuff is just window dressing that can possibly add a little something extra but TNA is still a ham sandwich without the ham for me.

 

[Tugboat77]

The set and the live crowd did look great. It did make TNA look big league but let's not go nuts here. Underneath all the cosmetic and visual enhancements that made up the set of iMPACT! and the audience last night was still the same shitty wrestling product that TNA has been for a very long time.

If you're not a fan of what TNA has been doing for so long now: boring, lame and repetitive power struggle storylines and subpar television wrestling, then nothing that took place last night will change your mind. The cosmetic effect means little to me in wrestling, it always has. I don't necessarily care about the big sound system or the bright lights and any of that. All that stuff is just window dressing that can possibly add a little something extra but TNA is still a ham sandwich without the ham for me.

I have to agree for the most part. I ended up fast forwarding through most of the program to get to main event only to have my DVR cut off right before Sting's entrance which made me pretty angry. If the DVR cut it off even before both wrestlers made it to the ring, how long did the main even even last? I hate Jeff Hardy but at least make it a decent match before handing the title to someone having their first match after being gone for months. I was irritated back in 1997 when WCW did the same thing with Sting. He was gone for literally months and his first match back was the world title match with Hogan at Starrcade....in which he won.

 

[Souls On Fire]

I have to agree for the most part. I ended up fast forwarding through most of the program to get to main event only to have my DVR cut off right before Sting's entrance which made me pretty angry. If the DVR cut it off even before both wrestlers made it to the ring, how long did the main even even last? I hate Jeff Hardy but at least make it a decent match before handing the title to someone having their first match after being gone for months. I was irritated back in 1997 when WCW did the same thing with Sting. He was gone for literally months and his first match back was the world title match with Hogan at Starrcade....in which he won.

The match went about 8 minutes or so. Dixie Carter apparently tweeted to run DVRs an extra 10 minutes last night. I've had mine run for an extra hour cause i use to record Reaction before it was canned and never changed my settings back. The match wasn't horrible but i think there could of been more to it.

 

[He's Phenomenal]

I'm going to agree with everyone else, in that the set looked great last night. I thought the way the wrestlers entered, with the screen lifting up, looked pretty cool too. I don't think there's any doubting there's a market out there for TNA. It looked to me aswell as if most of the audience were adult men. Most probably guys that have 'grown out' of WWE's product.

And to back up the great looking set and hit crowd, we also got a very good show to go with it. I see a lot of criticism regarding the Jarrett/Angle feud, but I find it pretty damn funny. You cannot say you did not burst out laughing when Karen got pushed face first into the cake. And the way Jarrett is such a pompous twat is hillarious to me. Personal feuds are usually serious but this one seems to be more about comedy to me. My one gripe from last night, was that I was hoping Gunner and Murphy would be made to look like credible challengers for Beer Moneys Tag Titles. But clearly they weren't. IMO, these guys could become credible in an instance, if allowed.