[Official] TNA TV Shows Aftermath, Review & Ratings Thread

[Crazyblade]

On the subject of the whole Dixie Carter looking "pissed", I took it during the show that she looked more nervous than anything else. In fact, the whole TNA roster looked nervous imo, and with good reason. Going live, for 3 hours, on a Monday night was a BIG deal for TNA and, whilst it was nowhere near perfect, they did a good job imo.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I finally got round to watching the show in its entirety. My feelings are... mixed.

The Steel Asylum was an appalling opening. I've always thought this match type was a shit concept with even worse execution, and this match was no exception. Eight guys trying their best to go from scripted spot to scripted spot was just painful to watch. The amount of actual talent in that ring was completely pissed away. Atrocious editing - i.e. cutting to a guy climbing the cage instead of focusing on what was actually going on in the ring - and an awful ending. I'm not sure if Homicide physically couldn't get out or he was meant to drop back down (doubtful) but it was just pathetic. If I was a WWE fan and I tuned into this shit, I'd quickly turn over.

Then, oh my God, Jeff Hardy's theme music plays and he comes through the crowd. Why was this? Well, um... It was... um... nope, no fucking logic to it. He has a brawl with Homicide and gives him an impressive chair shot before sitting on the top of the cage, symbolising how he's shitting down onto TNA's X Division. And I like Jeff Hardy.

Then we have a woman's title match. Two words: fast forward. Sorry ladies.

Then Ric Flair gets out of a limo. It was very courteous for him to allow Beer Money and Eric Young in the same shot as him. I've never cared for Flair so I met this with moderate surprise but no excitement.

They pepper the show with interviews of the complete social rejects that attend TNA shows. The edges are rough and TNA is determined to roughen them up even further, the crazy fuckers.

I'll give credit to Mick Foley though. The storyline of him being the victim of some kind of political coup and makes it entertaining. The man has mad skills, dat's all I'm saying. Aged and fatter than ever, the man's still better on the stick than anyone bar The Rock.

Lashley comes out and gets emasculated on live television by his wife. THIS IS WRESTLING.

Then we have more women, this time playing strip poker. I'm a bit interested until I remember I can see breasts whenever I want - I can just turn Google SafeSearch off. Now if, say, Val Venis were in these segments, maybe it'd be watchable.

Hall and Waltman turn up, actively looking like shit. Scott Hall's managed to disprove the myth that being a drug addict helps you lose weight. Still, he's not as fat as when I last saw him. Oh, and Sean Waltman - who gives a shit? Your career high was being European Champion you worthless cunt. I mean, I know Mark Madden thinks that you're some great unknown that should go on a European tour with Ric Flair (possibly because you were European champion?) but, y'know, he's mental.

Then we have another shot of Hogan's motorcade. Here's a tip Hulk - leave before the show and you might arrive on time. I despise tardiness.

Then, inevitably, Hogan turns up. A little part of me inside marks out, another part dies when it's announced that the pair of tits that is Brooke Hogan is in attendance as if it means something. He talks a bit, Fatty Hall and Triple H's little friend talk back - Nash comes out, goes a bit mental. Everyone's stepping on everybody's lines and it's a real possibility that X-Pac might cry until Easy E, Eric Bischoff comes out and saves the segment. And then, HOLY SHIT, Sting is in the rafters:

Hold the phone and shut the front door - Sting appeared in the rafters? Sting - white guy, longish hair, black and white face paint - was hiding in the rafters?

TNA has not only taken a bold leap into daring territory; it's now detonated itself and gone supernova. I mean, last night of all nights I would have never expected Sting to be there. Not in the rafters of all places. I mean, what the fuck? Total swerve ball. Has anybody done an angle where someone hides in the rafters before? Maybe next week they'll turn the lights and then turn them back on again, only to reveal someone has been attacked. That would blow my mind.

M. Night Shyamalan guest writer confirmed. The best thing is, I'm sure he'll put on some tremendous matches as soon as he gets down from the rafters. It will be 1997 all over again.

Women's tag championship. I must again employ my tag team of the words fast and forward. I'm sure it was a perfectly good match though. You should watch it.

Then Val Venis comes in, making TBP worth watching. Where have you been all these years, Val? I missed you. No, seriously; I mark out for Val Venis. Hello ladies. Remember your feud with Goldust, Val? I do. I do.

Nasty Boys turn up. I presume someone was actively trying to wreck the show at this point. So sure am I of this that I refuse to ever mention the Nasty Boys again. Ever.

Matt Morgan & Hernandez squash Stevie Richards and Raven. I appreciate that Richards must be used to this sort of thing but Raven? He must really need the money.

The Pope cuts a surprisingly good promo. I'm not going to lie, I wasn't sure whether he was Elijah Burke or Orlando Jordan so when Orlando Jordon actually turned up, I was confused. That's racist, isn't it? I know one of them's gay. Oh, and Jordon killed the promo, by the way. Shame, it was quite good until he showed up.

My notes (yeah, notes) read: "Pope/Wolfe wasn't bad". I remember thinking "Wow Desmond Wolfe is shit" though. Mostly because if he did any of his moves to me I'd simply hit him with my free arm. Wrestlers lack such simple logic. All his moves seem to be arm locks by the way - did I neglect to mention that?

Bischoff and Styles do something but I have an encoding problem and am stuck looking at a picture of Hulk Hogan. Scintillating.

Jeff Hardy does some painting while Shannon Moore tries to contain his lust for him. "I want to make sweet love to you against that easel" he says in so many words. I have a C in GCSE Art by the way and I'm much better than Jeff Hardy. "Ooh, look at my painting - it's abstract so it doesn't matter if it's complete shit". When I'm not reviewing wrestling, I'm reviewing modern art.

You might think that Samoa Joe was from the Isle of Samoa - the name's a bit of a give away. But no, he's now from THE NATION OF VIOLENCE. Dun dun dunnn! He has a pretty good match with Abyss and chokes dat bitch out after a chair shot. It kept me entertained. Joe's also lost some weight - he no longer makes me ill when he moves about. Bravo, Joe. Bravo.

Jeff Hardy has the weakest segment of all-time as he has his (shit) painting mugged of him by little girls. Shannon Moore clearly improvises with the lines "Hey Jeff... can you believe that... WHAT WE CAME FOR... is in... THESE ENVELOPES? Once again, can you believe that... WHAT WE CAME FOR... is in... THESE ENVELOPES?" Give that man an Oscar. Fuck you, Colonel Hans Landa - Shannon Moore doesn't need French or German, he speaks in the language of the heart.

Then we get to the main event featuring two of my very favourite wrestlers - Kurt Angle and AJ Styles. I think it was KB that said the commentators completely no-sold the finishers and he was fucking right on the money. Any other time, you could hear Taz audibly shitting his pants over the match. It really was a very good match though, even if there were about fifty finishers. AJ Styles was relentlessly sick (relentlessly sick) in it as well. "This is ep-ic!" has apparently taking over as the chant of choice and I think I actually saw a guy crying in the audience. Intense.

Mike Tenay promises at one point that "Eric Bischoff has made it so we can stay with this to the end" and then we go to an ad break. Wait, what?

And then a terrible, terrible abortion of an ending. Nice close-up of Hogan's nostrils though.

Overall, I give it four and sixteen point three twentieths out of seventeen - such is my completely sensible scoring system, inspired by that of Xfearbefore.

 

[MisterRob]

Why? Seriously, the shows impact can only be accurately measured while watching it. When you go back over it, you lose all the "Holy Shit moments" and just sound like another smark trying to hate on a product because it's the cool thing to do.

What Holy shit moments? Everyone knew Hogan and Bischoff were going to be there. No one was surprised that Hall, Waltman or even the Nasty Boys were going to be there because there was rumors about Hall and Waltman and the Nasty Boys are good pals with Hogan and people had been assuming they'd be coming the moment Hogan came to TNA. Not overly surprising, and certainly not holy shit moments. I doubt anyone was saying, "Holy shit its the Nasty Boyz!" They may have been saying, "Holy shit, Scott Hall looks fat and totally drunk!" I'll give you that one.

Were people saying holy shit when Sting showed up in the rafters? Not likely, they were probably wondering if they were watching a replay of WCW by then. You know, the nWo in the ring and Sting staring down from the rafters. The only thing that would've proven it wasn't 1997 was that they're all old men now. Shooock-ing!

A true Holy shit moment I would've marked out for would've been the Shockmaster falling through a wall. Nothing could've topped that.

So, I'm wondering where all these holy shit moments were. Holy shit, the production looks worse then old ECW? Holy shit, Val Venis (who we can't call Val venis) just walked into a game of strip poker and had to go take a shower? I guess he showers FIRST. Or holy shit, the crowd is chanting "this is bullshit" five minutes into the program? Ouch.

The only "holy shit" moment that could be claimed as one was Jeff Hardy debuting, because no one thought he'd be such a two-faced bastard. But, he is a drug addict, so people shouldn't really be that surprised. I really wasn't excited or interested at all in it, but maybe I'm just not as big of a Hardy mark to really care that he showed up? Certainly wasn't very well done.

Now, the main event between AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle may have been filled with holy shit moments. I really don't know, I only watched the first hour and was so disappointed and couldn't believe what I was seeing (I was literally laughing at the screen at how terrible it was!) that I turned it off, so I missed the main event. But, it was done a few weeks ago, and it's been done on PPV, so I'm not overly disappointed about missing something that's been done before. Maybe the holy shit moment, though, was.. "holy shit, they put this on free television? Morons!"

 

[BladeRunner]

Now, the main event between AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle may have been filled with holy shit moments. I really don't know, I only watched the first hour and was so disappointed and couldn't believe what I was seeing (I was literally laughing at the screen at how terrible it was!) that I turned it off, so I missed the main event. But, it was done a few weeks ago, and it's been done on PPV, so I'm not overly disappointed about missing something that's been done before. Maybe the holy shit moment, though, was.. "holy shit, they put this on free television? Morons!"

So you didn't watch the whole thing, only 1/3rd of it.

You do nothing but hate on it for days on end, even tho you haven't even watched the whole thing to make a fair judgement. Every single part of the whole program you've done nothing but bitch about even tho you haven't even seen most of it yet.

My advice is if you hate it so much, don't watch it. You haven't said one good thing about TNA the entire time you've been posting in the TNA area of the forums. You're just here to hate everything.

You don't even seem to like WWE that much either. So why are you coming to a wrestling message board if you hate what all the wrestling federations are doing?

 

[HHHmu]

I watched the most of TNA than I have since it's inception this Monday night.

So for a non-viewer they grabbed my attention for one night. And it'll remain just that...one night.

I read the Tapings and they looked weak and ridiculous compared to what occured Monday.


It was 'cool' to see Nash, Hall, Waltman and Hogan--but it was cooler 10 years ago.

It was 'cool' to see Jeff Hardy on tv, but it just pissed me off.

Ric Flair--how many times is he gonna come and go?


I mean faces on tv won't be enough to keep viewers. There guys can't wrestle matches like they did 10-15 years ago. Mike Foley won't be taking 25 foot falls. Hogan can barely walk. Hall is always drunk no matter how cool "Hey, yo" is---it was cooler 10 years ago.


Realistically, these people can't sustain as faces on tv without doing anything. After all, it's TNA (Total Nonstop Action). The only thing they did Monday was increase their average wrestler age from 22-28 to 35-50. They get more action taking a pisses 2 times in the middle of the night than they will on TNA.

 

[MisterRob]

So you didn't watch the whole thing, only 1/3rd of it.

You do nothing but hate on it for days on end, even tho you haven't even watched the whole thing to make a fair judgement. Every single part of the whole program you've done nothing but bitch about even tho you haven't even seen most of it yet.

My advice is if you hate it so much, don't watch it. You haven't said one good thing about TNA the entire time you've been posting in the TNA area of the forums. You're just here to hate everything.

You don't even seem to like WWE that much either. So why are you coming to a wrestling message board if you hate what all the wrestling federations are doing?

I think you kind of made the point yourself, for me. I wanted to watch TNA and see a difference, see a change, see something I could enjoy. Just like I wanted to do the same with WWE and RAW. I tried to watch TNA Impact, I watched the entire first hour, and it was so bad I stopped watching. So you telling me not to watch the program if I don't like it is exactly what I DID! Hello! And I am fully entitled to voice my opinion on how bad TNA was, and how bad it's product has consistently been for a long time now, just like you're entitled to voice your praise for it. All my arguments have been valid. All my criticism has been justified in my eyes. So go ahead and try to counter my arguments, try to debate what I've said in other threads, that's the point of these forums.

And just because I hate the product both companies are putting out, which is why I watch neither consistently, doesn't mean I'm not a fan of wrestling or have a love for WRESTLING. So I'm hoping the day will eventually come where one of the companies starts doing things right and starts making entertaining shows that I want to watch and actually enjoy, and until then I'm entitled to voice my opinions on how both companies are failing at it. But TNA, in my eyes, is clearly much worse then WWE.

I'd love to see TNA start building momentum and start changing direction and making a good product, but I really don't see that happening after this past Monday's Impact. In fact, I see the rating dropping right back down to what it's always been and nothing changing. People watched to experience that old school feeling, to relive a glimpse of the past they loved, but that won't last for more then one night.. one show. That was clear by the decline in the ratings for the final hours of Impact when it went right back to a 1.2. I'd love for TNA to prove me wrong; but they won't.

 

[Kenny Powers]

What Holy shit moments? Everyone knew Hogan and Bischoff were going to be there. No one was surprised that Hall, Waltman or even the Nasty Boys were going to be there because there was rumors about Hall and Waltman and the Nasty Boys are good pals with Hogan and people had been assuming they'd be coming the moment Hogan came to TNA. Not overly surprising, and certainly not holy shit moments. I doubt anyone was saying, "Holy shit its the Nasty Boyz!" They may have been saying, "Holy shit, Scott Hall looks fat and totally drunk!" I'll give you that one.

Maybe they were also saying Holy Shit, a wrestling organization is actually competing with WWE and giving fans an alternative! What an outrage someone would go against WWE! I guess Jeff Hardy and Ric Flair wasn't exciting either.

Were people saying holy shit when Sting showed up in the rafters? Not likely, they were probably wondering if they were watching a replay of WCW by then. You know, the nWo in the ring and Sting staring down from the rafters. The only thing that would've proven it wasn't 1997 was that they're all old men now. Shooock-ing!

Probably because the Impact audience had no idea Sting was there. Yeah it's funny you mention the old NWO members in the ring and Sting like its 1997. Didn't Raw look like it was 1997? with the show focused around Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Vince? Nothing wrong with that, but you can't bash TNA for trying to create something from the past, when WWE did the exact same thing. Come to think of it, there was nothing shocking about Raw in the least. Even you were shocked that Flair and Hardy were on TNA Impact.

A true Holy shit moment I would've marked out for would've been the Shockmaster falling through a wall. Nothing could've topped that.

You're right, but its too late because Raw already had The Shockmaster come through the wall last summer. Not to mention the awesome Hornswoggle/Chavo matches and a fake rabbi giving a circumcision to a plastic baby doll. Keep the TNA bashing rants coming.

So, I'm wondering where all these holy shit moments were. Holy shit, the production looks worse then old ECW? Holy shit, Val Venis (who we can't call Val venis) just walked into a game of strip poker and had to go take a shower? I guess he showers FIRST. Or holy shit, the crowd is chanting "this is bullshit" five minutes into the program? Ouch.

How about holy shit the fans get a chance and are entertained again for the first time in over 10 years. Apparently even WWE fans enjoyed TNA Impact more than Raw last night. It doesn't matter how many people enjoyed it though, because you will dissect everything on the show that isn't perfect. While the majority of wrestling fans were entertained by both shows on Monday.

Oh no! a No Contest in a cage and Val Venis is playing a poker game with TBP! Let's get out our torches! I guess you didn't listen to the other chants the crowd had which they practically tore the rough off the Impact Zone. Raw's was dead except for Bret Hart coming to the ring.

The only "holy shit" moment that could be claimed as one was Jeff Hardy debuting, because no one thought he'd be such a two-faced bastard. But, he is a drug addict, so people shouldn't really be that surprised. I really wasn't excited or interested at all in it, but maybe I'm just not as big of a Hardy mark to really care that he showed up? Certainly wasn't very well done.

At least you were surprised by it. Was there anything surprising on Raw last Monday that we haven't seen every week besides a new guest host? I'm not a Hardy mark either but it was a huge surprise for the company. Then again, even if TNA brought out Steve Austin or The Rock you would shit on it because they "betrayed" WWE. Why does every wrestler have to only be loyal to WWE? Vince could care less. He isn't loyal to wrestlers or fans, he is loyal to his piggy bank.

Now, the main event between AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle may have been filled with holy shit moments. I really don't know, I only watched the first hour and was so disappointed and couldn't believe what I was seeing (I was literally laughing at the screen at how terrible it was!) that I turned it off, so I missed the main event. But, it was done a few weeks ago, and it's been done on PPV, so I'm not overly disappointed about missing something that's been done before. Maybe the holy shit moment, though, was.. "holy shit, they put this on free television? Morons!"

Maybe if you watched the main event or the rest of the show with an open mind, you wouldn't be shitting all over it because it's the "cool" thing to do. The only match Angle and Styles had recently was over 2 months ago on Impact, and it was praised as the best match of the year. What else are they going to do for a main event? Have another tag match or X Division match? Why not put two of the best wrestlers on at the main event for a 20 minute 5 star match?

If it is a good match, why not show it on the biggest television show of the year, even if its before the PPV. I guess Sheamus going against John Cena on Raw last week for the championship was a bad idea too? Are they morons as well? I'm sick of these double standards. If Raw does something bad its OK because WWE is better then anyone mentality. God forbid TNA has one bad match or skit, let's be negative about everything, even the good stuff.

I'm a WWE and TNA fan. I haven't even enjoyed the last few Impacts before last Monday that much. They weren't pretty but anything was better then having to sit through The Slammys with a horrible guest host and The Little People's court a week after that. If you like that then that's fine, I think I'm along with the majority of people on here that want to see old school wrestling.

TNA has to bring in the old stars to get attention. It doesn't mean they are going to wrestle or take over. Why is it wrong for Hogan to be in TNA but right for Bret Hart and celebrities to take over Raw? It's double standards. Why don't we cut out the negativity bullshit and say that both shows came out the winner on Monday night. Raw was a good show and Impact was a good show. You don't have to agree, but there is no reason to piss on TNA just to piss on it.

Basically you're right that both products have been stale, but lets give them a chance to see where it goes. 1.5 rating may not be big in your eyes, but Spike TV and TNA are thrilled. They are even thinking about making it a regular show. It sounds like WWE were pissed that they got a 3.6, even though it was the highest viewing audience since Summerslam.

TNA isn't perfect, but at least they are trying to compete. It's not like ROH or any other wrestling organization is going to compete with WWE. People are excited about wrestling again which isn't bad. I know you hope they do well too, but lets give them a chance before we bash every segment on Impact.

 

[MisterRob]

Maybe they were also saying Holy Shit, a wrestling organization is actually competing with WWE and giving fans an alternative! What an outrage someone would go against WWE! I guess Jeff Hardy and Ric Flair wasn't exciting either.

That's what I'm saying!

Probably because the Impact audience had no idea Sting was there. Yeah it's funny you mention the old NWO members in the ring and Sting like its 1997. Didn't Raw look like it was 1997? with the show focused around Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Vince? Nothing wrong with that, but you can't bash TNA for trying to create something from the past, when WWE did the exact same thing. Come to think of it, there was nothing shocking about Raw in the least. Even you were shocked that Flair and Hardy were on TNA Impact.

I'm pretty sure that Monday Night RAW was hyped, promoted and built around what happened in the past. That was the entire purpose of the show! You know, what happened in Montreal.. between Bret and Vince. Did you miss that? While, TNA on the other hand, talked about a NEW era. They talked about change. Hulk Hogan talked about the young guys and blah, blah.. while giving the fans old stars, old storylines, and nothing but the same thing! I see your point entirely.

And no I wasn't shocked to see Flair there, since it was rumored all along and I expected him to show up. I'll give you Hardy, but I still wasn't "shocked", I really was far more indifferent and didn't care. No offense to Hardy, of course!

You're right, but its too late because Raw already had The Shockmaster come through the wall last summer. Not to mention the awesome Hornswoggle/Chavo matches and a fake rabbi giving a circumcision to a plastic baby doll. Keep the TNA bashing rants coming.

You're talking as if I'm a WWE fan who loved RAW. I'm not a WWE fan, I don't watch their product regularly either. I'm not a fan of either company's product.. so your WWE references are a bit lost on me.

How about holy shit the fans get a chance and are entertained again for the first time in over 10 years. Apparently even WWE fans enjoyed TNA Impact more than Raw last night. It doesn't matter how many people enjoyed it though, because you will dissect everything on the show that isn't perfect. While the majority of wrestling fans were entertained by both shows on Monday.

10 years? Really? Not exaggerating just a little, are you? No, of course not.

Oh no! a No Contest in a cage and Val Venis is playing a poker game with TBP! Let's get out our torches! I guess you didn't listen to the other chants the crowd had which they practically tore the rough off the Impact Zone. Raw's was dead except for Bret Hart coming to the ring.

Clearly sarcasm and humor are lost on you and you take everything I say as entirely factual and serious, which it isn't. But yes, a no contest in a cage match is ridiculous and makes absolutely no sense. But I'm fine with Val Venis. I've always enjoyed Sean Morley, always thought he was highly underrated and underused, and I'd love to see him get a chance to shine and actually become a star to his full potential in TNA. He deserves it.

And the crowd comment is entirely a biased remark from a TNA fan, so I'm not going to assume it's actually credible, because I watched RAW and the crowd wasnt dead at all.

At least you were surprised by it. Was there anything surprising on Raw last Monday that we haven't seen every week besides a new guest host? I'm not a Hardy mark either but it was a huge surprise for the company. Then again, even if TNA brought out Steve Austin or The Rock you would shit on it because they "betrayed" WWE. Why does every wrestler have to only be loyal to WWE? Vince could care less. He isn't loyal to wrestlers or fans, he is loyal to his piggy bank.

Since when was RAW TRYING to be surprising? Your point is entirely moot because you're saying the WWE wasn't something that they never tried to even be. So yes, OF COURSE they weren't surprising. They weren't trying to shock people, they weren't trying to swerve people, they were giving people exactly what they wanted to see.

And I disaggree entirely. I would be entirely shocked and surprised if Austin or the Rock came out on TNA television and I would give TNA all the praise in the world for pulling something like that off. And I called Hardy a two faced bastard, not because I expect him to be loyal to the WWE like so many other people have said on this forum... but because he gave his word and gave a verbal contract to the WWE. I don't care whether he did that to WWE, to TNA, to WCW.. he'd still be a two faced bastard for pulling a Lex Luger. Or did people forget they slammed Luger for the same thing? Probably.

Maybe if you watched the main event or the rest of the show with an open mind, you wouldn't be shitting all over it because it's the "cool" thing to do. The only match Angle and Styles had recently was over 2 months ago on Impact, and it was praised as the best match of the year. What else are they going to do for a main event? Have another tag match or X Division match? Why not put two of the best wrestlers on at the main event for a 20 minute 5 star match?

I couldn't care less if it's the cool thing to do or the shitty thing to do. I'm voicing my opinion because that's how I feel, I don't care if it matches other peoples views or entirely differs from it (as it does with you). I do find it funny that a TNA fan will entirely justify putting their top two stars in a match, doing what's best for business in terms of their best main event, and showcasing that match.. even though it's been done repeatedly and countless times in the past.. while so many TNA fans slam the WWE for doing the exact same thing, which they call stale.. the same old shit.. we've seen this already! Perspective is everything, right? I never slammed the main event, I never had an opinion on the match itself. Although, by the ratings, it seems like only the regular TNA fans remained to even see a match they'd already seen before!

TNA has to bring in the old stars to get attention. It doesn't mean they are going to wrestle or take over. Why is it wrong for Hogan to be in TNA but right for Bret Hart and celebrities to take over Raw? It's double standards. Why don't we cut out the negativity bullshit and say that both shows came out the winner on Monday night. Raw was a good show and Impact was a good show. You don't have to agree, but there is no reason to piss on TNA just to piss on it.

Since when is Bret Hart taking over? Since when is Bret Hart in the WWE long term? I don't really see this double standard because the two being compared are entirely opposite things. Hogan's in TNA for the long term, he's booking the shows, and he'll be taking the spotlight, you can count on that. So your comparison isn't even valid.

And I'm not pissing on TNA just for the sake of pissing on it. I'm pissing on TNA because I think their product's garbage. And just as you have the right to praise them and frolic in green meadows of TNA propoganda, I have the right to voice my dislike with a product that is lacking.

People are excited about wrestling again which isn't bad. I know you hope they do well too, but lets give them a chance before we bash every segment on Impact.

This is Impact aftermath & Review thread, right?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Once you got past the smokescreen of all the various well known wrestlers popping up, 95% of iMPACT Monday night was the same old clusterfuck, disorganized filler full of wrestlers that TNA, for the most part, has done little to nothing to make me care about.

With the exception of Jeff Hardy appearing and the Styles/Angle match, nothing that went on during iMPACT really interested me in the least. Mostly what I saw was a clusterfuck of an X Division title match that had a shitty ending, yet again a kick in the X Division's collective balls, Abyss, Raven, Dr. Stevie, a women's division that's lost a lot of its edge and more filler on top of filler.

I'm sorry but nothing really happened on iMPACT to get me excited about TNA's product. The biggest thing that happened was all the older, bigger named wrestlers showing up and that are somehow going to be part of the roster. Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Eric Bischoff, Sting, Ric Flair and the Nasty Boys were out there running around doing their thing. Sean Morley, Orlando Jordan or Jones or whatever his name is and Shannon Moore also made appearances.

I'm sorry but it's going to take more than a gaggle of senior citizens and a handful of neverwases to get me excited about TNA once again.

 

[X]

Christ you guys are negative. Nevermind that we got a PPV caliber classic between Styles and Angle on FREE TV, no, the show sucked because a cage match ended in a no contest! Seriously, does anything please you guys anymore?

The show was fun, and that's all I was expecting out of it, and SHOCKING I know, but that's all any of the casual fans tuning in was looking for. You think your casual wrestling fan gives a flying fuck about how the X-Division is being booked? Let me assure you, they do not. At all. They care alot more about Mr. Fat and Out of Shape Hogan or Scott Hall then they ever will about Amazing Red or Homicide, and that's just plain fact guys.

Was the show perfect? No, absolutely not. But we saw some GREAT wrestling, some legends, some surprise appearances and cameos, a bit of T&A, and a bit of humor. What the fuck else do you people want? You want the perfect show? Guess what, it's never going to happen.

Call the booking shit all you want, call it a clusterfuck all you want, but tell me this: who was it that was being put over on national television as the greatest wrestler on the planet Earth? Yep, that was AJ Styles. He has no less than Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair singing his praises. Is it even possible to put over the young talent more than that?

And what about Desmond Wolfe? Yeah he lost to the Pope this week but the guy comes into TNA and the FIRST thing he does is feud with Angle. You can't tell me they haven't handled him right.

And who has a title shot? Oh that's right, Samoa Joe. Who just had a title shot? Daniels. You people want to keep telling me about how it's business as usual at TNA and they aren't pushing the young talent? Because if you've actually watched TNA for the last few months you'd see that they are building the stars of tomorrow today. WHO GIVES A FUCK IF THE FUCKING NASTY BOYS HAVE A TWO MINUTE SEGMENT! Christ you people are picky and needy.

 

[K Bro 30]

I felt that bringing back Waltman and Hall was a bad idea. What can they really bring to the company (especially Hall)?

The X-Division match had a bad ending, I would have loved to have seen someone actually win the match (preferably with some high spots), and then Jeff Hardy comes and takes out the winner. Hell when Jeff climbed the cage, he could have made his first mark by jumping in the gap and leg dropping someone from 15 feet up or however high it is.

The Hogan and Bischoff segment was done completely horribly, too many flaws in the script. Hogan was in a motor-cade, but wasn't coming alone? Then we find out he was alone, and his limo has to stop to pick someone else up? Then Hogan, who's limo just arrived, had been in the back all day? Then his mystery person who he picked up, Scott Hall reveals right away (Easy-E)? They all botched that segment.

I think the Nasty Boyz have absolutely nothing to bring to the table. It was embarassing seeing them.

Another fun fact: Hall and Waltman can get through security, but Foley can't?

And Ric Flair: He shows up, does not say a word, and all we have is an image of him in a suit?

All of that being said, I feel that the Abyss/Samoa Joe match, and the Styles/Angle main event were great matches. And what Hogans appearance did was attract viewers, and these new viewers now know of Samoa Joe and AJ Styles. I felt like they overplayed the old guys way too much, but it added a new set of viewers. I am really curious to see what this impact rating would have been if it was not head to head with WWE. I think the show they put on was decent. I'd give it a B-.

And as much as I bashed the old-timers, I want to make a point I bashed them for messing up the lines on their debut. Say what you want about Hogan, Nash, Sting and Flair, but wrestling has not been the same since they all left for periods of time. No one else has proven they know how to shake the wrestling world and challenge the WWE. Now, they all are back in one spot, with Eric Bischoff. I think the addition of an RVD, Mr. Kennedy, and Paul Heyman could seriously put TNA in contention. It won't happen over night though. They need to build their Thursday night shows, get some groove with that, and then when they have moved themselves to the mid 2's-lower 3's in the ratings, come back to Monday.

In the end, the older guys are good because they carry a fan-base, and they attract viewers. These new viewers now see the likes of AJ Styles who you don't know if you've only watched WWE.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Christ you guys are negative. Nevermind that we got a PPV caliber classic between Styles and Angle on FREE TV, no, the show sucked because a cage match ended in a no contest! Seriously, does anything please you guys anymore?

The show was fun, and that's all I was expecting out of it, and SHOCKING I know, but that's all any of the casual fans tuning in was looking for. You think your casual wrestling fan gives a flying fuck about how the X-Division is being booked? Let me assure you, they do not. At all. They care alot more about Mr. Fat and Out of Shape Hogan or Scott Hall then they ever will about Amazing Red or Homicide, and that's just plain fact guys.

Was the show perfect? No, absolutely not. But we saw some GREAT wrestling, some legends, some surprise appearances and cameos, a bit of T&A, and a bit of humor. What the fuck else do you people want? You want the perfect show? Guess what, it's never going to happen.

Call the booking shit all you want, call it a clusterfuck all you want, but tell me this: who was it that was being put over on national television as the greatest wrestler on the planet Earth? Yep, that was AJ Styles. He has no less than Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair singing his praises. Is it even possible to put over the young talent more than that?

And what about Desmond Wolfe? Yeah he lost to the Pope this week but the guy comes into TNA and the FIRST thing he does is feud with Angle. You can't tell me they haven't handled him right.

And who has a title shot? Oh that's right, Samoa Joe. Who just had a title shot? Daniels. You people want to keep telling me about how it's business as usual at TNA and they aren't pushing the young talent? Because if you've actually watched TNA for the last few months you'd see that they are building the stars of tomorrow today. WHO GIVES A FUCK IF THE FUCKING NASTY BOYS HAVE A TWO MINUTE SEGMENT! Christ you people are picky and needy.

I don't think I'm being negative at all, just calling it like I see it. With the exception of Angle/Styles and Jeff Hardy showing up, nothing happened on iMPACT to make me give a damn. A bunch of geriactrics and a handful of guys that haven't done a damn thing doesn't impress me. I've got no interest in watching Hall & Nash dominate the tag title scene. I've no interest in watching them wrestle because they're awful. I've got no interest in watching an angle in which you've got Hogan and Carter on one side with Foley and Jarrett on the other fighting for control of TNA. I've got no interest in seeing a feud between the Nasty Boys and the Dudleys. I've got no interest in Sean Waltman, Sean Morley, Orlando Jordan or whatever his name is. That's not a bad thing, it's just the cold hart truth for me. If this is TNA's direction, I think it's shit and I'm not the only one.

 

[X]

I don't think I'm being negative at all, just calling it like I see it. With the exception of Angle/Styles and Jeff Hardy showing up, nothing happened on iMPACT to make me give a damn. A bunch of geriactrics and a handful of guys that haven't done a damn thing doesn't impress me. I've got no interest in watching Hall & Nash dominate the tag title scene. I've no interest in watching them wrestle because they're awful. I've got no interest in watching an angle in which you've got Hogan and Carter on one side with Foley and Jarrett on the other fighting for control of TNA. I've got no interest in seeing a feud between the Nasty Boys and the Dudleys. I've got no interest in Sean Waltman, Sean Morley, Orlando Jordan or whatever his name is. That's not a bad thing, it's just the cold hart truth for me. If this is TNA's direction, I think it's shit and I'm not the only one.

This is what I'm saying---do you actually fucking believe that the Nasty Boys are going to be wrestling every week? Do you actually think Scott Hall is going to be getting into the ring more than once at most? Hogan is not as stupid as you all seem to think he is. The entire point of the Nasty Boys showing up was to poke fun at the whole IWC (like me and you) who have been saying since Hogan signed with TNA that they'd be coming to ruin TNA! Don't you remember Nash's jokes about how he was leaving is Saggs showed up? Did that joke really fly over everyone's head but my own?

Most of the cameos you saw were just that---cameos. Val Venis isn't going to be the next X-Divison champion, I promise you. I don't remember everyone getting all pissed off when D'Lo Brown showed up for a backstage segment a few weeks ago.

Did you miss Hogan's promo? The entire point of that show was how the old guys like Nash and Hall aren't going to be given free rides, that they have to earn their spots and that their focusing on the young guys like AJ going forward. I mean, look at every wrestling match last night---the oldest person involved was Kurt Angle, and I hope you don't think he's past his prime. Desmond Wolfe is being groomed for the main event, Styles is dominating the competition, Matt Morgan and Hernandez beat two old guys in Stevie and Raven for a shot at the tag titles...I mean, do I need to continue?

I can't believe you guys ACTUALLY fucking think that Hogan is foolish enough to start booking the Nasty Boys as the world champs or something.

TNA's direction is the YOUTH and if you guys actually paid attention, you would see that. Hogan all but spelled that out in his debut promo. Every title in TNA right now is held by the youth movement. AJ Styles is THE golden boy of the company. But no you guys just seem to ignore that and call the end of times because the fuckng Nasty Boys had a segment poking fun at us!

 

[MisterRob]

This is what I'm saying---do you actually fucking believe that the Nasty Boys are going to be wrestling every week? Do you actually think Scott Hall is going to be getting into the ring more than once at most? Hogan is not as stupid as you all seem to think he is. The entire point of the Nasty Boys showing up was to poke fun at the whole IWC (like me and you) who have been saying since Hogan signed with TNA that they'd be coming to ruin TNA! Don't you remember Nash's jokes about how he was leaving is Saggs showed up? Did that joke really fly over everyone's head but my own?

Most of the cameos you saw were just that---cameos. Val Venis isn't going to be the next X-Divison champion, I promise you. I don't remember everyone getting all pissed off when D'Lo Brown showed up for a backstage segment a few weeks ago.

Did you miss Hogan's promo? The entire point of that show was how the old guys like Nash and Hall aren't going to be given free rides, that they have to earn their spots and that their focusing on the young guys like AJ going forward. I mean, look at every wrestling match last night---the oldest person involved was Kurt Angle, and I hope you don't think he's past his prime. Desmond Wolfe is being groomed for the main event, Styles is dominating the competition, Matt Morgan and Hernandez beat two old guys in Stevie and Raven for a shot at the tag titles...I mean, do I need to continue?

I can't believe you guys ACTUALLY fucking think that Hogan is foolish enough to start booking the Nasty Boys as the world champs or something.

TNA's direction is the YOUTH and if you guys actually paid attention, you would see that. Hogan all but spelled that out in his debut promo. Every title in TNA right now is held by the youth movement. AJ Styles is THE golden boy of the company. But no you guys just seem to ignore that and call the end of times because the fuckng Nasty Boys had a segment poking fun at us!

Clearly you didn't read the spoilers for tomorrow's Impact! Hall, Nash, Waltman, the Nasty Boys, Sean Morley.. they aren't going anywhere for a bit at least. So no, they're not just 'cameos' and the joke seems to be on you.

On a good note, though. Yes, TNA is attempting to push younger talent, or so it seems. But everything changes now with Hogan booking compared to the past several months, so it's going to take a few weeks, even a few months, to realize who Hogan's actually pushing and what talents actually prospering from his new direction. We can certainly hope he's going to use older, established stars for nothing but a rub for the younger stars. I'm definitely hoping that is the case, and I'm hoping AJ Styles isn't going to lose the championship at the PPV and we don't get Kurt Angle all over again.

 

[psykohurricane]

TNA had a golden opportunity last monday, to show to the world what we TNA fans knew for a long time, the TNA is the place to be for Professional Wrestling and that the future stars of the buisness are in TNA. Instead what to they do, absolutely nothing. The opening match was the Steel asylum match which was supposed to be for the x-division title but at the last minute they decided to make it a non title match. O.k so it was a decent way to open up to show but then they screw over the x-division guys by giving them a no-contest finish. Then if that wasn't bad enough they screw up the JEff hardy return by having him run-in after that match while the TNA fans where chanting Bullsh**t because of the ending. Then if that wasn't bad enough Ric Flair makes it'S debut in TNA and doesn't say a word. Sorry but when you got the best promo man in the buisness working for you, at less let him explain why he's here. After that you get the Knockout title match which wasn'T that great follow by a lot the return of Scott Hall And Sean Waltman who doesn't even deserve to be in TNA. Then a lot of commercial when on before Hogan finally came out but again the promo didn't make sense. If he was backstage all day why was he arriving 45 minutes late. Was the line at McDonald's to long. Then, if the fans didn'T care about the knockout before they sure as hell didn'T care about them after seeing the tag title match. While it was a pretty good contest, it came just after the lame hogan'S/NWo promo. Plus don'T get me started on all the young talents that got kick to the curb so that all of hogan's buddies get more air time. The MCMG, Hernandez, Matt Morgan, Beer Money and Daniels are just some of the guys that got kick to the curb last monday so that we get more air time for Hall, Nash, Waltman, Bischoff, Val Venis and The Nasty Boys. TNA was supposed to change and show people that they are the alternative to the WWE but after last monday's show, all they showed was that they are just as bad as THe WWE at recycling storyline from the past. While i not a huge fan of the Pg- rated WWE, at less they are trying to push the younger guys unlike TNA who seem to go back to pushing old guys the don'T really matters anymore. Dixie should be ashamed of herself.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Clearly you didn't read the spoilers for tomorrow's Impact! Hall, Nash, Waltman, the Nasty Boys, Sean Morley.. they aren't going anywhere for a bit at least. So no, they're not just 'cameos' and the joke seems to be on you.

I've read the spoilers too and none of those wrestlers even had a match. Maybe Sean Morley did, but he didn't come out the winner there. Not to mention how the show revolved around the young talent and matches. Honestly people think if The Outsiders or even The Nasty Boys are in one segment or in one PPV match it's business as usual in TNA. None of those guys even have long term contracts as far as we know.

Hall and Waltman are scheduled for a few appearances, that's it. Last time I checked, all the TNA champions and challengers for those titles are TNA originals. Anyways the last thing I'll say about Monday is that it was a 3 hour show to draw new viewers.

Most of the past Impact's have been nothing but the young guys. You can't have a 3 hour show plugging Hogan without some big names appearing. I'm going to wait to pass judgment next Thursday. No wrestling show is perfect no matter what criticisms people have. I guarantee you that the same young TNA talent we have as champs now, will be champs next month.

Do you guys honestly think Hogan is going to be champ or The Nasty Boys or Outsiders will be champs? I'll tell you what, if that happens then I will be more than happy to agree with you. It has happened yet though.

 

[deforty]

Answer me this? who would you rather have helping groom the younger wrestlers? How about proven over former champions? MOST of the new faces were former champions. Flair, Nash, Hall, even x-punk. With that said they have years of knowledge and charisma and know how to get into the crowd plus Vince. They can have a quick program with the young guys get some ratings show them some things and get their confidence up. Looks like a good idea to me. Mentoring is how some of the biggest names got where they are today. With out Flair and Hogan most of the biggest names we know now would not be there today. I for one see it as a plus

 

[psykohurricane]

Answer me this? who would you rather have helping groom the younger wrestlers? How about proven over former champions? MOST of the new faces were former champions. Flair, Nash, Hall, even x-punk. With that said they have years of knowledge and charisma and know how to get into the crowd plus Vince. They can have a quick program with the young guys get some ratings show them some things and get their confidence up. Looks like a good idea to me. Mentoring is how some of the biggest names got where they are today. With out Flair and Hogan most of the biggest names we know now would not be there today. I for one see it as a plus

For me personally, i have no problem with seeing these guys show up on IMPACT, my problem with these guys is except for Flair, everybody else were outshining the younger guys who deserved the push. I understand the need for these big name stars but when they main storyline is that they are feuding with each other, how does it help the younger stars? It doesn't.

The fact of the matter is that while i understand why Hogan, Flair, Hall, Nash and X-pac are there, the only one that i would trust with actually helping the younger guys is Flair. Don't think for a second that Hall & X-pac are not there solely for the money. What did Nash actually do for TNA since he started there, Sting did more for the younger talents then Nash ever did. I don't see Hogan or Bischoff bending over backward to help the younger guys either. The fact is, the people that drove WCW into the ground are running TNA right now, like it or not i don'T see them going out of there way to put over the younger guys that need the exposure. If i'm wrong, i'm will gadly admit that i was wrong but from what i saw last monday and what i read in the spoilers for next weeks show, it doesn't seem that the situation will change.

 

[MisterRob]

I've read the spoilers too and none of those wrestlers even had a match. Maybe Sean Morley did, but he didn't come out the winner there. Not to mention how the show revolved around the young talent and matches. Honestly people think if The Outsiders or even The Nasty Boys are in one segment or in one PPV match it's business as usual in TNA. None of those guys even have long term contracts as far as we know.

What does having a match have to do with anything? They're all a part of, in some form or another, angles. That tells you that they're clearly building feuds with all of those names and they'll at least be with the company until the PPV and it's likely they'll be around far longer then that by the angles they're being put into. How's a feud between Team 3D and the Nasty Boys going to elevate young talent or give anyone who needs it a rub from experienced veterans, for example? It's not. So, if the Nasty Boys are in TNA to give young talent a rub they're clearly going to have to be there longer then their feud with Team 3D, which is going to be them around for months at least. That's saying they're there for that reason, though.

Hall and Waltman are scheduled for a few appearances, that's it. Last time I checked, all the TNA champions and challengers for those titles are TNA originals. Anyways the last thing I'll say about Monday is that it was a 3 hour show to draw new viewers.

Hall and Nash are going to be wrestling at the PPV. And I never said TNA's younger talent wasn't the ones challenging for the TNA championships, I was saying that those older, established stars aren't in TNA for 'cameos' but are going to be there longer then a one night deal, but in fact are in angles and storylines.

Most of the past Impact's have been nothing but the young guys. You can't have a 3 hour show plugging Hogan without some big names appearing. I'm going to wait to pass judgment next Thursday. No wrestling show is perfect no matter what criticisms people have. I guarantee you that the same young TNA talent we have as champs now, will be champs next month.

Entirely right, you can't have a 3 hour show plugging Hogan without him and some big names appearing. Although, I will say this, after watching the entire Impact show on youtube, Hogan was clearly the center of attention, even stealing the spotlight from other talent.

You're right though, no wrestling show is perfect. Impact certainly had good things about it; the Pope's interview was great and he came across superbly to me. The match that followed with he and Desmond Wolfe was great too, I thought. The main event was clearly great too and gave AJ Styles the rub. Although I thought that rub lost some sparkle and the whole importance of the match was kind of pushed in the background when Hogan came out, only to run into the back and place more importance on his storyline.. his angle.. then the TNA championship and it's supposed best star. I didn't even mind the last segment, the whole Foley/Bischoff thing interested me and the nWo members attacking him to make it clear they were already there and hinting at them being with Bischoff. But Hogan charging in and then the extreme close up, that was horribly done. TNA Impact ended with me actually laughing, which is never a good sign. And probably not the result they'd want from a viewer at the end of the show. I know what they were doing, leaving a cliffhanger and trying to hook the audience for next week, but I don't think they succeeded in doing so. I would've preferred it to end on a high note wit AJ Styles finally proving he's the best, without any doubt, after his title defense. The spotlight doesn't need to be on Hogan.

And what was with the Hogan/Jarrett segment? I'd really like to know how that segment was suppose to go, or how it was written to be, because something seemed really awkward about that segment. If that's how they actually planned it it was really bad.. Jarrett's portion was fine and good, gave some history and he praised TNA's night, and then Hogan comes on and comes across as a complete asshole in a way that entirely seemed unjustified.. I'm assuming Jarrett was suppose to cut more of a heel promo, but I don't know. It was quite awkward and the crowd seemed to feel that awkwardness, too.

Do you guys honestly think Hogan is going to be champ or The Nasty Boys or Outsiders will be champs? I'll tell you what, if that happens then I will be more than happy to agree with you. It has happened yet though.

Whoever said they were? But young guys can still hold all of the championships and the show still center around the older stars who are holding the spotlight in all of the actual angles. I'mnot saying that's the case, but it hasn't been proven not to be yet. The next month or two will definitely prove the direction of TNA in terms of that, and I certainly hope the young talent are actually given the spotlight. It's one thing to claim all of those things by the old guy whose still HOLDING the spotlight and putting all the attention on himself, it's a different thing to actually do it.

 

[kgb]

lol--You really think Dixie got nervous when Bischoff ripped up the script--Guarantee that was scripted just like Styles vs Angle was already pre planned--I hate to burst your bubble but there's also no Santa Claus or Tooth Fairy or easter Bunny

Yeah I do believe that Dixie was nervous because Bischoff was going unscripted. You can believe what you want, but when the posters on this forum talk about a low IQ for a wrestling fan just remember they are talking about you. You'd rather watch an old washed up Brett Hart than an awesome wrestling match featuring Kurt Angle and AJ Styles. No the terror dome match didn't go as well as originally planned, but thats live tv and that is a problem any company has to deal with if they go live.

 

[a0161613]

The Steel Asylum f***ed up because they chose the wrong person to try and escape. He clearly couldnt climb up so it is a booking error. If they wanted to go with the same effect then they should have booked a match which would have caused less problems for Homicide.

Live TV is not an excuse. It was just bad booking.

 

[gully side adidja]

It has taken a while but here is my review:


match 1:steel asylum:this was just another spot fest with no one apart from homicide,in a angle,fancy to watch but hard to root for a person,the obvious dq in a cage was pathetic,and hardy's return was very underwhelming.

match 2: odb vs tara knocouts title: pointless unintresting.


the hogan segment:interesting,hall looks bad but stll has the charisma better than most,x-pac was just......there,as usual,nash was solid,hogan,solid, did nothing of note apart from the 'been in the back' mess up,bischoff controlled the segment,decent.

match 3:morgan/hernandez vs dr stevie/raven:ended in under a minute,feel bad for raven.

match 4:tna womens tag titles:good match,sarita is the best womens wrestler since trish,kong and hamada win the belts though.


match 5:desmond wolfe vs the pope:nice short match,suprising victory for pope,wolfe demoted i presume.

match 6:samoa joe vs abyss:first ever meeting, good brawl,with joe the victor.


jarrett segment:he has done one of these type of promos already,so nothing new here,hogan comes out and puts down jarett saying he has messed the company up,gets boo's for that,ok segment.

match 7:tna heavyweight title kurt angle vs aj styles:very good match,too much finishers though,with styles getting the win.

foley beatdown segment:did not like that the showed ended with hall,nash and pac beating up foley,although the actual attack on him looked realistic,and hogan's expresion after was funny.

i give it a 6/10 two very good matches(knockouts tag,aj angle) ,a intresting segment(hogan,bischoff),a few suprises(hardy,flair,venis,hall),but very short matches,a confusing first match,pointless strip poker,and canceling two advertised matches(rhino vs abyss,barb wired,beer money vs british invasion,full metal mayhem,still entertaining show which had me interested.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The question tonight’s iMPACT was supposed to answer was if TNA managed to maintain momentum and keep things buzzing since the big show on the 4th.

Tonight’s episode of iMPACT was, for the most part, just par for the course. For me, that means a lot of situations filled with wrestlers that I mostly just don’t give a shit about and nothing’s being done to make me give a shit about them.

The opening match, Generation Me vs. the Motor City Machine Guns, was a pretty damn entertaining match. I’m a bit torn about it overall as far as outcome, but I enjoyed the match in and of itself. On one hand, having Generation Me go over the Guns certainly doesn’t do anything to raise the credibility of the Guns, and the Guns need some restored creds in my opinion. On the other hand, it was unexpected to see this young team win their first match against two guys that have done a lot and meant a lot to TNA over the years.

The TNA Knockout Tag Team Championship match I didn’t give a crap about. I knew how it was going to end before the announcements came. We saw the Beautiful People get beaten for the 100th time for those belts. The big story about this was Angelina Love sitting ringside and attacking the group after the match was over. Personally, I’m not really hot on this idea. I was looking forward to Angelina Love coming back to TNA, kicking Lacey Von Botch out of the group, and joining it. It was nice seeing her, but I don’t like where they’re going with her.

So we find out that Tomko is the one that’s been attacking AJ Styles and they’re going to have a match for the title. Nothing to get particularly excited about.

Lashley coming out and laying out Consequences Creed. Made them look weak as shit and is Lashley heel now or something? Doesn’t really matter. Nothing Lashley is into even remotely interests me.

A feud between the Dudleyz and the Nasty Boys huh? ‘Scuse me if I don’t jizz all over myself with excitement and anticipation. An overrated team of has-beens that haven’t been relevant in 15 years vs. a team whose schtick has gotten tired and stale.

Beer Money gets taken out by Hall, Nash and Waltman. Once more, I don’t give a damn. Beer Money is a team that I like, even though they are getting kind of stale. I’m sorry, but I’m just not getting some big thrill with all these has beens and neverwases running around TNA. I’ve got no real interest in seeing Beer Money either beat up or get beaten up by a couple of old men and Sean Waltman. The role that they’ve got Bischoff playing is just completely tired and stale. The whole thing about him being the *wink wink* straight as an arrow guy playing no favorites but is still part of “The Band” with Hall and Nash is just…it’s just a waste.

The Desmond Wolfe and Samoa Joe match was a decent match. It’s kind of nice to see Wolfe actually win a match, although I’ll be damned if I know what TNA is doing with him. Aside from his win over Cody Deaner, this was his first win since he came to TNA and they have him job clean to D’Angelo Dinero last Monday.

The whole power struggle with Jarrett and Hogan started. Jarrett started out with what sounded like a damn good promo and then started the whole “it’s all about me” shit. Bischoff is the one that made the whole segment work. He sounded great and, quite frankly, he actually said some stuff that a lot of fans have felt towards Jarrett for a long time. Of course, Hogan has to come off looking like the badass with Jarrett cowering behind his lawyer and all that. I’m mixed on this one.

As far as the Styles and Tomko match, I didn’t really care. Tomko is somebody that’s just never really stood out for me. He’s gotta great look but he’s just average in the ring and on the mic. I knew Styles would win because TNA wanted to have Styles and Angle to at it once more Flair’s involvement in Styles’ situation could be interesting and we could potentially be seeing Styles turn heel before too long. I kind of like the idea of Flair influencing the direction of a young champion, whispering in his ear about this and that.

No X Division matches, no X Division champ anywhere to be seen. Eric Young’s nowhere to be found so we can’t even see him carrying the “Global” championship on his shoulder. The TNA World Tag Team Champs are nowhere to be seen. The only representative of World Elite is Rob Terry and Matt Morgan kicks his ass through the back interrupting the match he and Hernandez were having with Beer Money. Where’s Jeff Hardy?? The one guy they brought out on iMPACT last Monday that I actually care about seeing isn’t even on the friggin’ show. Genesis is right around the corner and there’s been virtually no build up for most of the matches on the card. Overall, it seems like TNA is right back to business as usual. Has momentum from the Jan 4th show been sustained? I sure as hell don't see how.

 

[jokerjoe110]

ok so im watching tna to try and not be bias because i am wwe through and through and i want to know why the storylines contradict themselves so much? Like tonight tomko made his redebut but yet they had three pre taped promos of him talking about facing aj tonight for the championship, and then when they were doing the intro for the match they had that tomko weighed in earlier at such and such a weight but yet he was the masked man and they just found out so why would he have weighed in? i just dont understand whats going on? its very confusing to me and i think anyone who is not watching the product week in and week out.

 

[The Roid Rage]

I have to say, against anyones criticism, tonight TNA did a damn good job. I was impressed, even caught off guard. I noticed that this episode compared to the last had better camera work(still needs improvement), the matches were great, the way they continued the different feuds was great, the promos were great, dialog improved quite a bit, things seemed more organized, more planned out, more precise. I think the difference was obvious.

I have to mention the Motor City Machine Gunz match with the debuting "Generation Me". Apparently some of you are familiar with this team, but I am not. What I saw tonight between those two teams was nothing short of amazing. The tag team maneuvers we perfect, creative, and executed with precision. It was fast paced, high flying, non stop action for the time that match ran. The finish was great, or should I say the number of near finishes was great. That match was exactly what I think you really want to see when you see a tag teams. I know there is a thread about this already, but that topic went elsewhere. I am talking about it in a different way, that thread is concerned with the name "Generation Me". I don't give a shit what they call themselves. Put on matches like that and you can call me a motherfucker.

Moving on. I was satisfied with "The Band". Yeah, how about that? "The Band". What do ya think huh? Think that works? Works for me. Once again, put Scott Hall and Kevin Nash together, and I don't care what they call themselves. Shawn Waltman being there is optional, I could care less about him, but having a 3rd man helps. They seemed tonight, more like they knew what was going on, what they were supposed to do, and how they were supposed to do it. It didn't seem like a bunch of confused segments happening like last week. Everyone was on their shit, and it turned out nice.

The one complaint I have about them through the show was the little promo/interview with Bubba The Love Sponge. I thought he ruined that segment. He has seemingly no purpose, just pops in, asks a few dumb questions, and gets no answers. It makes the whole thing pointless. I thought Hall, Nash, and Waltman played their parts well, they did fine. I just thought he didn't accomplish anything, and looked dumb doing it. I've never listened to the guy, I have only heard his name loosely, don't know much about him, but I thought he was the weak link in that segment.


I liked the Beautiful Peoples part of the show, I thought it went well too. The match was good, and the ending was better. The return of Angelina Love was a success if you ask me, and I think she looked pretty strong in her comeback. Hamada and Awesome Kong delivered as well, and I think it is safe to say they are both highly talented womens wrestlers. Lacy Von Erich, Madison Rain, and Velvet Skye were well.... Beautiful. Can't argue that. It was entertaining enough just to see them out there let alone the kick ass match they put on. Gotta have that sex appeal though. Why? Because it sells.


Despite the criticisms against them, I thought the Nasty Boyz skits were alright. They trashed the locker room, locked them out, and taunted them in the process. It was unexpected and it worked well. They made sure that their objective or focus was verbalized, and intelligently laid the groundwork for a decent feud. Team 3-D or should I say Bubba Ray Dudley cut a good promo, it made sense, they fed the storyline, it was great. The people who booked all that obviously thought it all out rather well. Things played out with this storyline through the night, unexpected things happened, and a new feud was started. I'd say they aced that one.


As you could expect Desmond Wolfe and Samoa Joe put on a hell of a match. All I have to do is mention the two names together and you know it was a good match. Wolfe got the win, and I was pretty surprised he did. I figured it would be all Joe but Desmond Wolfe proved to be the better tonight. There was also "The Pope, D'Angelo Dinero on commentary. I thought he did really well, and once again TNA was adding depth to a storyline. All three of these guys in the segment helped make it a good part of the show, and was just one more piece of a puzzle put together very well tonight.


I really really liked the Bischoff, Hogan, Jarrett segment. I thought it went beautifully. Once again everyone played their parts very well, the helped develop and further the story, it was unpredictable in a lot of ways, and it really stirred up some heat. Hogan punking out Jarrett, Bischoff punking out Jarret, and Jarrett looking like a punk was all too great. I thought it was the funniest thing ever when both Hogan and Bischoff put him in his place, no one really saw that coming. I think if you payed attention you'd noticed the dialog was much better here too. It didn't seem so disingenuous or put on. It seemed like these guys were going at each other for real.


There was plenty more that happened on the show, but these were the things I wanted to really hit on. I thought those parts were the best of the show.

The A.J. Styles - Tomko match was alright. Solid performance from A.J. Styles, and you get the debut of another wrestler. Not bad. I liked the skit with Styles and Bischoff too, I thought that worked pretty good, Bischoff carried Styles through it and managed to make him look good so all goes well here too. Ric Flair on commentary was cool, it's always cool to see Naitch.. That sweetened the deal a a bit.

The Beer Money Inc. getting pounced by "The Band" was alright with me too. An ambush on them isn't burying them, it gives them another foe which heats up all the circumstances. It was vintage NWO tactic and they made it look good. It was another well done skit. I think they handled all of them very well tonight.


The weakest part of the show for me was Bobby Lashley. First of all, Lethal Consequences kicks ass. He could have beat up Amazing Red is he wanted to look like a bad guy. He didn't have to take out those two. This was the only part of the show I thought they didn't do well with. What are you supposed to do with Lashley? There seems to be no way to integrate this guy into the roster logically or something, or it seems like nothing they do with him works. It seems like there is nothing you can do, this guy just sucks. Sure he's a specimen, but what the hell else? Sure he's athletic, all of those guys are. What does he have that makes him great? Nothing. Great big muscles, that's it.

He has seemingly no personality. He either smiles or scowls. He can't talk on the mic, and TNA isn't even trying to hide it anymore. They just have his wife do all the smack talking. They wouldn't happen to be trying to do a Booker T/ Sharmell thing would they? That's using old material, tisk tisk. But still, what the fuck do you do with Lashley. I give TNA a pass on this one because on the nature of the beast on this one. They are doing what they can with this disaster until he decides to go back to MMA, that;s all I guess you can do.


Lashley aside, I thought it was a killer show. A big improvement from last week and a big improvement for TNA in general. They actually used their talent right for the most part this week. They really utilized their t.v. time and that of their talent on it. I thought the production was good, they shot the matches ok, and the backstage segments were ok too. I think they still need improvement but hey, Rome wasn't built in a day. If they keep improving I think they could really get peoples attention. I am not saying that they would necessarily be WWE competition but they could capture their own broad audience. I look forward to seeing the next Impact, I hope they progress even more. That is all I really have to say, so now it is your turn. What did you think of tonights TNA Impact?