Has Anyone Given TNA a Chance Recently?

[dwith]

My question is to the so many people who have stopped ,or just hated TNA for whatever reason, have you decided to give it another try.

The last 2 month's of IMPACT have been great writing, and making sense and everyone that should be getting pushed is getting pushed. TNA no matter what the haters say is writing some good tv, and the action is great.

So have any of you went back to it to try it again, and like it now, and if not - why not?

Please only respond if you have actually have watched IMPACT in the last few months, and not lie and say that you have, just so you can say they still suck etc....

 

[dx4life]

I went to their live event in Worcester MA a couple weeks ago with Jeff Hardy headlining against Christopher Daniels. The show was very fan friendly but felt like an indy show. I havent watched the show since Storm beat Angle because I read the spoiler for Roode winning the title and quick heel turn. Since then I lost hope....Maybe I will start watching since WWE doesnt do much for me either.

 

[prush80]

I have not watched recently. Last time I really watched TNA was when they were on Sports Time Ohio, before they were on Spike (maybe some when they first got on Spike.) Then I watched it on and off. Then when they started making the show an anti-WWE show I quit all together. WCW was anti WCW and where are they now? Learn from the past. TNA became a very confusing show to watch, with things just not making any sense. When I turn it on now, it brings back those memories and I just don't want to watch. They did it to themselves.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I've watched it a hand full of times. Not a consistent week to week basis but enough to have a general idea of whats going on.

I do like that Flair and Bishoff aren't being forced down our throats as the final segments as often as they used to. I used to joke that the Impact Zone was actually a time machine that took you back to the dying days of WCW.

Another positive is that that have taken guys who were solid mid and upper micard guys like Rhoode and Storm and turned them into legit main eventers. Rhoode is one of the better heels in wrestling today, as is Bully Ray and Storm has developed into a competent main event face. They still have the typical players like Hardy and Angle.

They still have some things I dislike. They have Styles who is all over the roster. One night he opens the show and basically jobs, the next he main events in a solid match. They have Mr. Anderson who they can't write anything for. He as well as some others seem to jump from heel to face with no warning then jump right back. They still can't write an undefeated streak as evident with Crimson.

They have made strides but at the same time they are still plagued by some of the same issues that have held them back in the past.

 

[dman1373]

ive been hearing good things. I am not one of those that said"i gave up" or anything, but i kinda just stopped watching. I thought that the product at that time was horse shit. And i would not complain but just only watched like 5 mins here or their and maybe if they had a good match or promo id watch a little longer, but then i kinda just didn't tune in for like 3 monthes, and now i keep hearing that its getting pretty good. And i also heard they had their largest crowd in england. So i think i might just watch this thursday.

Oh yeah, could someone fill me in on what has happend these last 3 monthes.

 

[LegendKiller716]

I never stopped watching, but I'll come in to agree with OP that it is better. I was pretty upset about how quick the Fortune split came, but the outcome has been really good so far. Hardy, Roode, Storm, and Ray look like stars right now. Sting plays the authority role very well. A lot better than Immortal or Dixie.

The X-Division is getting better. A-Double makes anything better, but he's putting the division on his back. Once Alex Shelly and Kendrick are featured more, and maybe put Daniels back in there, The division will be real solid. It's the best it's been under the Hogan era.

They're trying to get the tag division back, but they did just loose 4 of their top teams. The division is in a rebuilding stage to say the least.

The knockouts have always been good, but scrap the tag titles. Their more meaningless than Hornswaggle.

My only major complaint is the mid-card division. The TV title is worthless, I seriously have no clue who the champ is. They need to scrap that belt. That thing goes through names like Booker T goes through accents. Scrap that belt and make a new mid card belt. Give it to a guy like Magnus and let him run with it. Give him a big push, just shy of the main event, and him and the belt will gain credibility.

So that was a bit of a rant, but TNA is getting better. They aren't quite there yet, but I think in year they'll have their shit together and be a great show. Coincidence that the show got better when Russo was removed as head writer? I think not.

If that's not enough to convince you to watch. Take a look at Impacts newest tag team:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knm9lCo1S9M&feature=youtu.be

 

[Pedigree1]

NO i havent watched TNA in quite awhile!! I gave up after Victory road and came back after Roode won the title!! After that no i havent watched any of it or read any spoilers!! Im waiting for them to move out of the impact zone and start doing house shows all over then ill start watching them!!

 

[Headman]

If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all, so I guess Ive got nothing to say. lol screw that, that's an infraction around here.

The people who say it's getting better are the same people who claimed to like it when it was bad. I give it a chance about once a month these days. I'm still annoyed by the booking decisions and what matches get to go long and which ones don't get enough time. I'm tired of their stylized backstage segments and the (for the lack of a better term) Memphis cheese. While I like Roode and Storm to an extent and it pleases me to see them succeed if I'm being honest with myself neither of them are stars. Neither man would be a world champion in the WWE or old WCW. TNA has a feel that can only be described as a pro-wrestling dirt mall. While I may tune in every once in a while to see what's going on, I will not be tricked by TNA's small but vocal fan base into raising my expectations.

 

[M3420]

I give it plenty of chances--on those nights that I'm out of tylenol pm

In all fairness, I keep trying but only really find myself paying attention to the knockout division. It's strange because a lot of wrestlers I really like are on that roster but they just can't hang. Somedays I wish that Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe could come over to WWE, since TNA just can't seem to do anything with what seems like countless world-title caliber additions to their roster. It's really the overall production value that's sorely lacking in TNA. The purists out there will bellyache that they hate promos and all that stuff, but it's really what separates WWE from the rest of the bottom feeders. WWE has been brilliant over the years at working their way into the fans by whatever means necessary; catchy theme songs, cool looking sets, the first and last 15 minutes of the show...etc.

1/4/10 really had me hoping we could see TNA make a serious run at relevance, but they pulled out way too early--WAY TOO EARLY. I don't think it was more than a month of having their show on Monday

I'm really no grand producer of theories, but aside from 97-99 or whatever it was, it seems as if Vince has to be involved for anything pro wrestling/sports entertainment/male soap opera to be successful--and yeah I know that's a bit bold and undercuts the talent that bust their asses, but the WWE 'machine' or whatever you want to call it has at least assured that the industry that we love stays afloat no matter what.

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

Lol I remember when I first heard about TNA when they got Flair and Hogan. Me and my dad used to call it OFW Old Fart Wrestling lol but then we saw Abyss and started watching consistently from week to week for a little over a year now. I have to say TNA is like good whiskey it gets better with age lol. I've really enjoyed their storylines. The only thing i hate about them is lately every time they have a big match for either the title or number one contender it ends in a no contest. Which is ******ed.

 

[entertainer101]

I stopped watching impact for about a year after the immortal storyline began. When I saw Hogan, Bischoff, Abyss, and Hardy standing in the ring at bound for glory trying to relive Hogan's heel turn, that was absolutely the last straw for me. It was completely unwatchable.

I didn't watch it again until the end of this past summer when I decided to turn it on and see how bad it is so I could bash them for all their horrendous booking. But to my surprise the impact zone looked completely different. The blue lighting and new symbol made it look much more legit (still nowhere close to WWE, but much better than it used to). And I saw a new slogan: "Wrestling Matters." That gave me incentive to at least give them a chance to prove to me that their walk matches their talk.

Then I saw what I would never see on Raw besides maybe on the road to wrestlemania every now and then... a solid wrestling match. Then I saw it again. Another solid wrestling match. They won me back the following week. Since Roode has become champ, impact is undoubtedly the better wrestling program for me. WWE has been unwatchable to me and even made me change the channel when there was nothing else on (very rare for me to do that since I usually see the glass half full when it comes to wrestling as long as I'm being somewhat entertained). TNA on the other hand has been solid from beginning to end of every impact. The pay-per-views do need to start delivering more though as a lot of the endings of the matches leave you disappointed.

 

[Uproar]

Never liked the octagon style ring, always been a downfall for my viewing. I did see recently on a preview they are in a square ring, but still not enough for me to view it like i do WWE. However if it was in my area i'd go to the event as i enjoy Wrestling of this Nature .

 

[He's Phenomenal]

I've not been following TNA as closely and as avidly recently as I used to. The time when people should've been giving TNA a chance has sadly come and gone. That time was 2010. That was when TNA was at its best, its most exciting, its most compelling, its most intriguing and its most anticipated. Nowadays it's pretty much just your standard, generic, wrestling show. TNA used to be an alternative to WWE and offer what the WWE didn't, things like excitement, anticipation, huge stars and violence. Now it seems like WWE on a lower budget, everthing's straight forward, predictable and they have a generic personality as World Champ. Nothing seems that exciting anymore. Nothing you didn't expect to happen hardly ever happens anymore and nothing/no one really stands out anymore.

The excitement and anticipation will return over the next couple of weeks (with the shows being filmed in London) but I'm sort of expecting the product to become flat again after. I hope I'm wrong. The last few months of iMPACT have just sort of been watched, by myself, and not looked forward to or anticipated like previously. I'm hoping this changes soon because I've got a feeling I'll just stop watching wrestling altogether if TNA continues to be as straight forward, generic and simple (like every other wrestling promotion - BE DIFFERENT) as it has since BFG.

 

[EdwardH1996]

I stopped watching iMPACT full time just after Hulk Hogan and Eric Bishoff arrived at Genesis 2010, at one point I watched iMPACT more than WWE because of UK Tele, but as soon as Hulk Hogan arrived it ruined it for me, it wasn't the unknown show anymore.. I Loved the MEM era and I couldnt wait for the next show

I follow Impact Wrestling lightly, I read the news ect, but when Immortal came along I was done even watching the show.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

I usually give TNA a chance when people begin talking about it a little more, but every time I do, I'm sorely disappointed. I think the matches are usually pretty good, as long as they don't feature Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, or any of the ECW guys, but I've always been a pretty strong advocate of story lines. Great matches alone just don't do it for me, which is probably why I'm more partial to the WWE.

A great match can't carry a story line, but a story line can carry a mediocre match.

 

[B.Ware]

All I've got to say is, besides Dolph Ziggler, Eric Young and ODB are the best things in wrestling at the moment. That alone is enough to make me tune in to Impact every week.

 

[kor420]

My question is to the so many people who have stopped ,or just hated TNA for whatever reason, have you decided to give it another try.

The last 2 month's of IMPACT have been great writing, and making sense and everyone that should be getting pushed is getting pushed. TNA no matter what the haters say is writing some good tv, and the action is great.

So have any of you went back to it to try it again, and like it now, and if not - why not?

Please only respond if you have actually have watched IMPACT in the last few months, and not lie and say that you have, just so you can say they still suck etc....

Haters gonna hate, they don't want to believe that TNA is getting better. The Story telling behind the feuds is better than i have seen, even better than the wwe. Production quality has gone up, pushing the right guys, giving us awesome feuds. Within the last 2 months TNA has been 100x better than the wwe.

 

[dencar84]

I love these people that say "well I watch every once in a while" or "I watch it about once a month", if you only tune in once in a blue moon how can honestly expect to like it.
of course your not going to know whats going on in storylines or whatever, I can say that I have watched it non-stop since I found it on fox sports net and while it did get kinda bad for a while it has definately gotten better in the last few months.
so until you watch it for a few weeks consistantly and try to follow the storylines you can't really justify a negative opinion of the product.

 

[kor420]

I love these people that say "well I watch every once in a while" or "I watch it about once a month", if you only tune in once in a blue moon how can honestly expect to like it.
of course your not going to know whats going on in storylines or whatever, I can say that I have watched it non-stop since I found it on fox sports net and while it did get kinda bad for a while it has definately gotten better in the last few months.
so until you watch it for a few weeks consistantly and try to follow the storylines you can't really justify a negative opinion of the product.

That's what i been saying. These people that say "well I watch every once in a while" or "I watch it about once a month" and even this "I Don't watch it, i read the spoilers and thats enough for me" These people don't deserve an opinion (even if its good or bad) and in my eyes their opinions are invalid. You have to watch it for a good 2 months every Thursday to have an opinion.

 

[deedeetee]

Great Impact show tonight (taped in London). If there's any time to give TNA a chance it's with this show.

Kiiiiind of afraid to see what the "Star Wars" episode is, though...

 

[multiverseman.com]

It seems to me as though some people, who shall remain nameless, can only get behind a product so much unless they're told by other people to like it for fear of standing out on their own.

I like it to people who are told how good an indie movie is, but can't be bothered because it doesn't look quite flashy enough or isn't playing at the local cineplex or isn't popular. They won't even diss the quality, they'll simply call it cheap. Or "dirtball". Ahem.

 

[Arsenal]

I've been watching it off and on recently. As a 25+ year fan of the WWF/E, I'm constantly disappointed and looking for an alternative. TNA has been pretty decent the last few weeks. Robert Roode is a great champion and I like his pairing with Bully Ray, who's damn good as a main-event level singles heel. They're more entertaining to me than Daniel Bryan and the Miz that's for damn sure! I really hope they can become a legit competitor to WWE in a few more years. WWE needs a fire lit under their @ss to get out of the complacent rut they've steadily fallen into after the demise of WCW. They don't try because they don't need to try anymore.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

That's what i been saying. These people that say "well I watch every once in a while" or "I watch it about once a month" and even this "I Don't watch it, i read the spoilers and thats enough for me" These people don't deserve an opinion (even if its good or bad) and in my eyes their opinions are invalid. You have to watch it for a good 2 months every Thursday to have an opinion.

If you can watch a show without getting any kind of enjoyment out of it whatsoever, then it won't matter how long you watch it -- You're just not going to like the show, especially if you can pin-point exactly why you're not getting any enjoyment out of it.

Also, you don't really get to decide who is and isn't allowed an opinion, Yahweh. If you don't like it, tough.

Edit: Do you seriously think a show that takes a full two months to enjoy is what's considered a good show?

 

[AwesomeRko]

I'm a lifelong WWE fan and really have no history with TNA I had watched the odd episode over the years but ithad never done enough to grip me or make me want to tune in consistently.

In saying that I have watched the past few episodes upon hearing recommendations and realy enjoyed the product. Roode is an excellent champion, much better than Brya or Punk (just my opinion) whilst I think Bully Ray seems to be excelling in the upper mid card too.

I do enjoy the nostalgia factor in seeing old legends like Sting (not so much Hogan), RVD and Angle in TNA but what they seem to be doing effectively now is using them in order to put over exciting new talent which is totally the right way to go. The perception of TNA as a graveyard for ex WCW and WWE talent is at an end.

I think the X-Division is excellent I really miss the Cruiserweight division in WWE and this is like a more extreme version. The matches are fast paced, exciting, filled with spots and whilst at times not showcasing the best technical wrestling who cares it is extremely entertaining.

While the production and story building still do not quite match the WWE although on what I have seen I believe its getting there, it is beside the point. TNA is a good product in its own right and should be enjoyed by fans who want to see somethng different and more wrestling orientated.

Speaking as a WWE fan it has pleasantly surprised me over the past few weeks.

 

[Rayne]

That's what i been saying. These people that say "well I watch every once in a while" or "I watch it about once a month" and even this "I Don't watch it, i read the spoilers and thats enough for me" These people don't deserve an opinion (even if its good or bad) and in my eyes their opinions are invalid. You have to watch it for a good 2 months every Thursday to have an opinion.

The funny thing is, professional wrestling is the only kind of media where you wouldn't ask, "is this kid for real???", because you know, holy crap, he is.

In order to actually follow through on this insane logic. You sit down in front of your television, put something on, and are bored. By your logic, a man doesn't know if he's bored unless he's been staring at the same thing for sixteen hours of unmissed programming.

All this "good or bad opinions" crap notwithstanding, you're saying "you're only allowed to have an opinion if you like TNA/IW", which is the subtext behind so many complaints around here. No one with a whiff of sanity would spend sixteen hours watching something that they weren't entertained by. People have lives. I don't have two hours every week to spend watching television I'm not entertained by; I don't have enough time every week to watch the television I am entertained by. I give TNA/IW a chance every once in a while. The product is a lot more palatable then it was at this time last year. I still see nothing that interests me in tuning in regularly every week.

The fans do not have a responsibility to try and like the product. I don't know where that opinion came from, but it's becoming a more popular one on the boards. It is the responsibility of anyone who wants my money or time to convince me to give it. I am not required to spend two months trying to like a show before deciding I don't like it; it is the actual job- the one they get paid cash money for- to convince me that I should watch their show.