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

[A Mod's Best Friend (aka Bitch)]

I won't judge the show segment by segment. It's been done by most but Impact i thought was excellent. Crimson looks like the real deal and he could be something massive in the business. Has an a look of intensity ala Randy Orton and thought he was made to look like a beast. As someone said, i'll hold my judgement for when he actually wrestles but for the time being, TNA is utilizing him in a fantastic way.

The whole Kurt Angle-Jarrett feud i think is interesting as fuck. I love the way they are SLOWLY building this and no doubt Karen will air her feelings about everything in the very near future. Anything that gets Angle on camera for the majority is fine by me because the guy is a phenomenon in the business.

Match of the night was probably the Tag Team bout. Was happy Beer Money got the win as i'd have found it hard to believe that Anderson and RVD are capable of beating th Hardy Boyz and Beer Money in the space of two week.

Overall, the ending to Impact was awesome and am eagerly anticipating the February 3rd Impact to catch who the new they is.

Rating: ***/5

 

[MisterRob]

Some Thoughts:

The opening to TNA Impact, to me, was boring as hell. I turned it before security had even escorted Kurt Angle out. He comes down to the ring, rattles on with emotion I didn't even believe and a story I could care less about, and then Bischoff and Flair appear and have security escort him out. How many times have we seen the security routine done? In WCW, in WWE, and in TNA.. its so overdone and overused now. Boring.
Mickie James always looks hot, even more when she's in the attire she wrestles in now compared to what she did in the WWE. But, that being said, that Knockouts tag team match was so sloppy and bad. The ending was a mess.

The matches throughout the night were average, nothing overly good but certainly nothing overly bad. Nothing interesting really happened at all. I hear people praising the ending of Impact, but I found it just as boring as the beginning of the show. It was the same routine done over again, nothing new and certainly nothing interesting. Mr. Anderson is finally the TNA World Heavyweight champion and I still feel he's not even being given the ball fully, but instead he and any story he's involved in is now overshadowed by this whole Immortal storyline, and definitely the Angle/Jarrett storyline, which I could care two shits about.

How many times have we seen Immortal gang rape someone in the ring? And it looked entirely ridiculous with like fifteen people crammed in the ring on ONE person. Is Immortal that weak? And why did no one else come out to help, if Immortal's such a huge threat and should have so many enemies in terms of the faces of the company who they've screwed over?

Instead we have Abyss come out, fall over, and he's got JANICE STICKING OUT HIS BACK. Are you serious? Crimson comes out and does a horrible job of shouting a promo on how "They" are coming, with facial expressions that just looked silly. I'm sorry, but people seem to constantly criticize WWE for being PG and cartoony... but TNA comes across far more cartoony and comic booky then WWE does. Is Abyss dead now? No one did anything but stand around while Abyss is laying there with huge nails sticking through his back? I'm suppose to believe all of this? It was as bad as the Janice attack on RVD some time ago. Just silly, and it really missed the ball if you ask me and came across poorly.

I did love the fan who shouted out when Crimson appeared, "Who are you?"

Bad Impact, and I just have no reason at all to look forward to Feburary 3rd or the revelation of who "They" are. Ugh.

 

[MarkoMan]

Usually, when people say that TNA sucks, I defend it by saying that the wrestling here in TNA is better than the wrestling in WWE. However, there hasn't been much wrestling going on for the past few weeks. One episode that's heavy on storyline is cool about once a month or so, but when you are compromising wrestling for storyline on a regular basis... I dunno, I don't like it.

And I'm totally blaming the Immortal angle. Before, it was "ok" (I use that word in the loosest, most non ok sense possible), because main events that involved Immortal sucked, while the rest of show was fine, since Fortune could wrestle. But now that Immortal is getting too deep into the storyline, even affecting Fortune's in ring action, it's almost like Immortal is this disease in TNA, fucking the entire product up.

Additionally, the whole Karen Jarrett Angle (sorry for trying to be clever) is no better. I totally prefer MMA JJ. At least I found that mildly entertaining. This is straight out of "The Young and the Restless." And I know that wrestling is its own soap opera, but this is getting ridiculous.

All I know is that at this point, I feel like an idiot watching TNA week after week, as the only reason I'm sticking around is hope. I want Immortal to die already so that I get back to legitimately defending TNA as the superior product, because as it stands, it's not. It's really not.

 

[Dogfingers]

Is it just me or does nothing actually happen in TNA? I feel like I have been watching exactly the same episode for three weeks running. Every show consists of several immortal beat downs, where the faces are overwhelmed. When is this going to stop? There is absolutely no sign that the faces are going to get their act together and stop this supergroup. Instead they are forced

There is just never any payoff with TNA, just a muddled cluster of people fighting people for no reason. Why not use some of the great roster they've got...Lethal, Joe, Pope, The Guns, Gen Me, Doug Williams, Desmond Wolfe, to bring this charade to a halt?

Anyway the show was the usual muddy speil of beatdowns, swearing, Tommy Dreamer stating "He always gets the job done"....hahahhaah. Job indeed. Matt Hardy looked like a fucking tramp. The Joe/Pope storyline is ridiculous.

This show is awful, it's run by people who don't understand television, pro-wrestling or the concept of basic story telling.

 

[MisterRob]

Is it just me or does nothing actually happen in TNA? I feel like I have been watching exactly the same episode for three weeks running. Every show consists of several immortal beat downs, where the faces are overwhelmed. When is this going to stop? There is absolutely no sign that the faces are going to get their act together and stop this supergroup.

Strange, while I was reading this I suddenly thought of the Main Event Mafia angle and how the TNA Frontline were during it. In fact, didn't the Main Event Mafia merge with the World Elite to form a super convoluted group to control the company while all the faces were doing their own thing and never coming together to stop them? Hmmm, sounds familiar..

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Is it just me or does nothing actually happen in TNA? I feel like I have been watching exactly the same episode for three weeks running. Every show consists of several immortal beat downs, where the faces are overwhelmed. When is this going to stop? There is absolutely no sign that the faces are going to get their act together and stop this supergroup.

If you think there's no sign of the faces getting their act together and stopping the super-group, that just means TNA did an awesome job. That's usually how babyface(s) vs heel(s) storylines work. The babyfaces are overhwhelmed by numbers and cheap tricks, it seems like noone can take down the stable, finally someone does, they slay the dragon and everyone goes "yay".

It's basically what Cena's been doing for the last... geez 5-6 months? I said basically because he singlehandedly destroyed them in a night, but still, the challenge was there.

 

[SpecialFNK]

there has been signs of a change coming. 2 weeks now Crimson has said, they are coming for Immortal.

when Immortal first came together, hard to imagine it being something quick. it hasn't been that long. if the faces all got together within the first say 2 months and taken out Immortal people would have said it was too fast.

Anderson was able to overcome and win the title at the most recent PPV.

I thought Impact has been entertaining, but then I'm not watching it for the actual in ring wrestling.

there are still things in TNA that I don't agree with. the Bubba/Devon thing to me is a waste. the time given to them could be given to the younger talent that has a future. how long can Bubba/Devon feud? and then what? can either of them really feud with other wrestlers and not be included with each other?

the ending to Impact last night I thought was epic! Crimson is so fierce! he looks like a major factor for the future.

 

[Dogfingers]

If you think there's no sign of the faces getting their act together and stopping the super-group, that just means TNA did an awesome job. That's usually how babyface(s) vs heel(s) storylines work. The babyfaces are overhwhelmed by numbers and cheap tricks, it seems like noone can take down the stable, finally someone does, they slay the dragon and everyone goes "yay".

That's how it's supposed to work but if you recall the fall of the MEM was due to inner turmoil within the stable. Nobody actually stopped that group. Bischoff and Hogan turned up and it just ended.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

That's how it's supposed to work but if you recall the fall of the MEM was due to inner turmoil within the stable. Nobody actually stopped that group. Bischoff and Hogan turned up and it just ended.

That's when I started watching TNA, actually. The first thing I remember about M.E.M was Steiner still thinking they're together? It's all a blur but it did seem pretty stupid, and if THAT'S how they ended it, then that's pretty freaking dumb.

 

[UltimateHitman]

Holy shit. I can't believe it, but Impact kept me entertained from beginning to end and I was even pumped (pun intended) as it went off the air instead of disappointed. Usually I'll like the beginning, sometimes the whole first hour, but then it sours on me. But tonight was different.

I can't explain it, but it seemed as though the talent showed some "emotion" or "personality" or maybe the word I'm looking for is "energy" tonight compared to what we've been accustomed to. I mean, it seemed more fluid, the run-ins and effort from each individual seemed to be stepped up a notch. Maybe it was the threat of the attention the "outsiders" (not Nash and Hall, but the Bengals guys) were getting, maybe they just decided to streamline and realize the old stuff wasn't working, but I was even impressed w/the Hardys tonight.

There was emotion in the promos, the in-ring work, and the facial expressions. It's almost like they brought in a performance coach. I'm writing this for two reasons: one, I was legitimately impressed this evening. Two, I'm using this to wind down so I can get to bed and get my son up for school tomorrow without being half asleep from staying up all night.

I had heard the rumors of Steiner coming back, but let me tell you, I still marked the fuck out. I couldn't help it. And I think that the evening leading up to it helped by keeping my attention.

There were some really good comedic parts, too, that made me laugh out loud. Kazarian on commentary was good, and his "ham sandwiches, balls have to drop before getting the X-Division title" line was excellent. I hate to admit it, but Jarrett (whom I despise) made me chuckle too with the line referencing Angle foods and being able to get a cut of the action. Taz had a couple, even Tenay with one or two zingers. And, as always, Eric Young's comedy bit was great as well as Anderson's promo toward Jeff. We still had to hear that obnoxious "Let the pigeons loose" line but it was soon forgotten. But it still sucks.

All in all I was initially dismayed to hear the rumors of a "certain faction" returning. But if tonight was any indication of how well it will become, then I'm all for it. As long as they keep this formula, and keep the ball rolling and don't drop it, I'm going to start looking forward greatly to Thursday nights again.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Kurt Angle

Angle enters the Impact Zone without his music. Hmm, this must be serious. Angle talks about wanting to put the past behind him. Angle talks about wrestling one more time. He says he wants to beat the shit out of Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett and Karen come out. They’re with Immortal. Bischoff says Angle’s wrestling days are over. Bischoff sends Immortal to the ring for a beat down. Angle tries to fight, but Kurt is vastly outnumbered. Crimson comes to the rescue with a baseball bat. Flair gets pissed off. Flair says he’s going to stick “They” up Crimson’s ass. Flair says Angle will wrestle Jarrett, but wait, there’s more………Flair now says it will be Angle and Crimson VS Immortal. Apparently, Kurt Angle has been reinstated. This was an okay opening segment. Flair was the most entertaining person on the mic here. He had one of his famous tirades here, and I never get tired of seeing Flair lose his mind. Not too sure what to think about the main event just yet.

Sarita, Madison Rayne, & Tara VS Mickie James, Angelina Love, & Velvet- Knockouts Tag Team Elimination Match

Before the match, Winter and Angelina argue. Winter isn’t happy about Angelina teaming with Velvet. Winter throws a tantrum. Angelina hits the Botox Injection on Tara for an elimination. She gets a roll up on Sarita for the win. This match was pretty decent. This started out kind of messy, but things got a little better as the match progressed, but I do think they gave this one way too much time. If the match was good, then I would have no problem with the extended time period, but this was this was just an average Knockouts tag team match. Nothing special happened here. On a side note, Velvet was shown backstage holding her head. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. This had to be an attack, and there’s only one person who would’ve had a motive to do this……

Amazing Red VS Max Buck/With Jeremy Buck VS Chris Sabin- X-Division Title #1 Contender’s Qualifying Match

Kaz joins Tenay and Tazz for commentary. Jeremy gets involved towards the very end. He causes Red to land on the turnbuckle crotch first. Max Buck hits a DDT on Amazing Red for the win. I thought this match was solid. This one had a nice pace to it, there were some high spots in this one, and there was a good amount of action in this one. Max picked up the win here, but I don’t see him winning the X-Division Title or facing Kaz.

Jeff Hardy & Mr. Anderson

Hardy says he’s troubled by the fans. He says the fans are nothing more than marks and internet junkies. He says he’s happy about the heel turn at Bound For Glory. Hardy says he will take back the TNA World Title next week. He says he will shove his moment up the fan’s asses. Anderson interrupts. Anderson gloats about winning the TNA World Title. He says the fans still love Hardy. Anderson says he will not lose the Title next week. Jeff Hardy’s tirade seemed kind of weird to me tonight. It sounded like the same type of promos he cut shortly after his heel turn at Bound For Glory. It seemed like he wanted the fans to hate him, but I didn’t feel that. It felt like he wanted them to feel sorry for him. I enjoy Hardy’s evil and dark promos a lot more. He just seemed to be rambling on about of bunch stuff we’ve heard already here. Anderson was pretty solid on the mic, and the crowd was behind him. It’ll be interesting to see what happens during the World Title match next week.

Velvet Calls Out Winter

Velvet says Winter is responsible for the attack earlier. She trashes Winter, and then she calls her out. Velvet starts the attack on Winter. Velvet has the upper hand, but Winter screams at Velvet. She takes control of the fight. Angelina comes down for the save. Winter leaves the ring with a sinister look on her face. Angelina tries to comfort Velvet, but she doesn’t accept her help. Ugh, I couldn’t get into this at all. I just don’t care for this test of friendship and loyalty storyline between these three. I like Winter, but she hasn’t been overly impressive so far. Nothing has really stood out about her, but I hope she can get into some sort of a rhythm pretty soon.

The Pope

Pope says he’s going to confessssssss. Yeah, he said it just like that. Pope gets on one knee. He says he doesn’t like Joe. He says there no hope for Joe. He says he will change the world one smile at a time. Pope says a member from his congregation will confess their faults next week. I wish Joe could’ve been here, because he can always add some extra intensity to any segment. Pope’s mic work was okay here, and I am enjoying this feud so far. TNA seems to be putting some thought behind this one, and the build has been pretty good so far.

Dixie Carter

Carter does a telephone interview with Tenay and Taz. Dixie says she’s confident about gaining control about the company again. Bischoff says Carter doesn’t know the difference between Kool-Aid and an 18 year old Scotch. He says Immortal will regain control. Bischoff isn’t worried about the second coming of “They“. Yeah, I’m not too thrilled about all of this court stuff. I think there’s going to be some kind of swerve coming, or there’s going to be some weird and ridiculous outcome in the courtroom. I just don’t see a clean decision coming, and there’s a chance this could be dragged out even longer.

Matt Hardy VS Mr. Anderson

Anderson gets the win by reversing Hardy‘s pin attempt. Anderson doesn’t get a chance to celebrate, because Jeff attacks from behind. The brothers try to soften up Anderson for next week, but RVD comes down for the save. Meh, this match was okay. Anderson and Hardy never got into a rhythm here, but there were a couple of nice counters towards the end. I also don’t know what Matt was trying to accomplish here by using the Attitude Adjustment. I guess this was his way of taking a shot at WWE and Cena. I’m still not buying Matt as a big name guy. I know he has a new look, and he’s supposed to be darker, but I just see the same old bland and VERY average Matt Hardy.

Kurt Angle & Crimson VS Immortal- Handicap Tag Team Match

Jeff Jarrett isn’t with Immortal. James Storm hits Brian Hebner with a super kick. The ref is out, so this means Immortal gets to gang attack Kurt. Jarrett and Karen make their way to the ring. Jarrett tries to get his cheap shot in on Angle, but Kurt strikes fast. Immortal jumps on him again. Jarrett hits The Stroke. Jackson James come out. Jarrett gets the three count and the win for Team Immortal. The beat down on Angle continues. Matt Morgan tries to help, but he’s overwhelmed by the numbers game. The lights go out, and when they come back on……SCOTT STENIER IS IN THE RING WITH A LED PIPE!!!!!!!!!! He chases away Immortal. Well, the match here was nothing special. It was a contest for a couple of minutes, but then it turned into an Immortal beat down pretty quickly. As far as Scott Steiner returning goes, I don’t think I’m too excited about it just yet. It’s obvious where the union between Steiner, Angle, Morgan, and Crimson is going. It seems as if this force will combat Immortal, but what does that mean for the TNA World Title Picture? Will it take a backseat for a while? It’ll be interesting to see how all of this develops in the coming weeks.

Overall Show Rating 4/10: Impact got off to an okay start tonight, but things went downhill pretty fast. The second half of tonight’s show just seemed to drag along, and everything just seemed kind of dull. The wrestling on tonight’s show wasn’t too spectacular. Nothing wowed me, and a lot of the matches had this lackluster feel. Steiner’s return was a nice little surprise, and it’ll be interesting to see how part two of the “They” storyline will develop. I’m looking forward to the Anderson/Hardy title match, and I might be dreading the big court decision next week, but I still want to see how things will turn out.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

TNA Impact!-January 27th, 2011

Kurt Angle/Immortal

The Good: Kurt Angle is one of the most underrated mic workers in the history of the business. I think he's been so great inside of the ring that his promo skills have been largely ignored. No matter how shitty the story, Angle always seems to come through.

Crimson making the save is a nice touch, and shows he's feared before he's even had a match. They are making this guy look pretty strong early on, and as I said earlier, he hasn't even had a match yet.

Flair brought it, as usual. His energy is contagious, and while he's a bit out of control week to week, the fire is still there. Great mouthpiece, and he's earning his money.

Also, I enjoyed the follow-up segment in Bischoff's office with Flair. But, I fear Nat'ch is going to have a heart-attack if he doesn't calm down... kinda scary, actually.

The Bad: Besides the Immortal angle being complete shit, nothing to really complain about here. Solid mic work, and Crimson looked strong.

The segment in Eric's office was entertaining, but is Bischoff really going to act like he manipulated Kurt into putting his career on the line? Gimme a freakin' break.


Angelina/Velvet/Mickie James AND Her Ass vs. Sarita/Tara/Madison

The Good: Yeah, I have no idea what in the hell was going on. Besides the obvious hotness, this really had nothing going for it.

The Bad: While watching the Knockouts, who are twice as entertaining as the "Diva's," I can't help but want to reach through the screen and choke Taz. For the love of Christ, SHUT UP TAZ! Do not talk while Velvet is raping the ring-rope. Stop talking about "pigeons" and "racoons" or whatever he was yappin' about. Seriously, Taz comes close to ruining that segment each week. Find someone who can actually do his job. He's not a smart man, and it shows through his commentary. He's a meathead, and doesn't belong in the booth...sorry, had to get that off of my chest.

Also, this Winter shit is just weird. It's not entertaining, it serves no purpose, and she isn't hot. Hey, then again, at least she isn't going all incest-style with her Pirate brother anymore


Chris Sabin vs. Amazing Red vs. Max Buck

The Good: WOW, was this a breath of fresh air, or what? It is really nice to see some serious action on Impact!, and I'm sure the X-Division marks went nuts. Amazing Red is best at what he does since Rey Mysterio in the late 90's. He may not be able to work a storyline like Rey did, but he is one entertaining son of a bitch inside the ring. I hope this is the start of more and more emphasis on the X-Division. Funny thing is, I hate spot-monkeys, but love these guys.

The Bad: There was nothing about this match that was "bad." However, I really hate this whole, "Hey! Let's have like 3 matches that build to a #1 Contenders Match on the NEXT PPV!" It's just stupid. Have those matches on Impact!, and give us a title match on the PPV. There is no defense for this, it's Bischoff-style Booking 101, and it sucks....yes, I'm blaming this on Bischoff, and not Russo, because this same kind of crap took place on Nitro long before Russo came to WCW.


Velvet/Angelina Backstage- Not rating this, but a special comment is in order. Why do Angelina and Velvet have so much to say? Honestly, if they were coached, even a little bit, on how to speak in a public forum, we wouldn't get so much rambling. They constantly talk about twice as long as needed, and it makes them look second-rate, and dumb. And yes, I figure they are both rather stupid in real life, so it isn't much of a stretch.


Jeff Hardy/Mr. Anderson

The Good: Anderson is golden on the mic, even if he sometimes rambles and says too much (kind of like The Beautiful People..and the rest of the TNA roster). He's convincing, and shows a good deal of emotion.

As a gothic, demonic heel, Hardy works. I hate Immortal, and I'll get to his mic skills in a minute, but his look and mannerisms are perfect. I wish he were a bit more stoic, or unemotional, and didn't say as much. As odd as this sounds, I would almost like him to be more Zombie-like (God, I wish I could think of a better way to word that). I understand his in-ring style doesn't really fit a heel, but if his character were strong enough, he could move past that problem. I wish WWE had thought of this years ago.

The Bad: Both Hardy Boys are shit on the mic, always have been. Neither Jeff or Matt have any natural acting ability, and it hurts them.

This whole Immortal thing is hurting Hardy's character, I fully believe that. He would be much better off by himself, or with something similar to Raven's Flock (but much more sinister). When it comes to promo's featuring Jeff Hardy, less is more, and I hope TNA understands that eventually.


Winter/Velvet- I refuse to rate something this stupid and pointless. This was an absolute waste of time, and could have been taken care of during one of the two segments these women already had. Plus, Angelina looks like a strung-out, 45 year-old hooker...just sayin'.


The Pope's Confession

The Good: Nothing.

The Bad: Everything. Why did Pope turn heel??? This has been a rushed turn, seeing as how only weeks ago his mission was to save TNA from Immortal. I just don't get this angle, or it's purpose, and that's why I cannot enjoy any of it.

Also, what was with that "I wear all white" comment? The idiot was wearing BLACK PANTS! TNA really needs to tighten up the promo's, seeing most of these guys are meatheads who cannot be trusted with such freedom. Sorry to say, but small mistakes like this make TNA look second-rate.


Flair/Immortal Motivational Speech..and Eric Young

The Good: Call me crazy, but I found this very entertaining. The whole time, I was just waiting for Flair to notice EY and go nuts. When he finally did, I lost it. This was hilarious. Totally pointless, but hilarious.

The Bad: Not important enough to be "bad."


Mike Tenay interviews Dixie Carter, and then Eric Bischoff

The Good: This was the absolute opposite of quality entertainment.

The Bad: This "court ruling" crap is just plain idiotic. Just drop this crap, right now. No one cares about your fake court date, or who is in "control" of TNA. Just give us some solid wrestling, and stop trying to repeat something that was done to death in the late 90's. This Immortal shit is pathetic.


Matt Hardy vs. Mr. Anderson

The Good: I guess you could say this furthers the feud between Jeff and Anderson. Also, Anderson seems to be in top form right now.

The Bad: Matt Hardy looked as bad as ever. He's breathing heavy, he's fat, he's basically worthless. I feel bad for Anderson needing a roll-up to "surprise" the crowd in beating Fatt Hardy. What a joke.


Kurt Angle/Crimson vs. Immortal

The Good: Solid ring work, while it was still under some sort of control. Angle looks fresh, and Crimson..wow, this guy can move. He's not as big as I thought I remembered him being, but he's still a beast. I have really high hopes for this guy moving forward.

The Bad: Where should I start? Excessive beatdown of Angle, that went on far too long? Crimson having a totally underwhelming opening match? Too much Immortal? Why is Scott Steiner still active?

As far as Crimson's debut goes, don't get me wrong, I'm liking the guy thus far. However, this was a terrible way to have him debut in an actual match (not an "exhibition" with Jarrett). If they want this guy to be a big deal (they do, right?), he needed to make a HUGE debut. Maybe on PPV, or at least a big one-on-one match with a big-name guy on Impact!

But of course not, because that would MAKE SENSE! And TNA isn't in the business of making sense. Instead, we got to see him make the hot tag to Angle about 10 seconds into his in-ring debut, and then he was beaten down badly by Immortal. His debut should have been much more epic, and this was a piss-poor way to do it. Way to start the guy off right, Russo/Bischoff!!

I like Scott Steiner, but ever since his match with HHH at the Royal Rumble in 2003, I cannot look at him the same way. We actually grew up in the same city (Bay City, MI, although we went to different high schools), so I will always like both Steiner brothers. But it's 2011, and I just don't care to see him anymore. He's not going to put on any decent matches, and in some super-group like the MEM, I doubt he'll be given the chance to tear it up on the mic. But then again, with Russo around, you never know when Steiner is going to go nuts on him. If Steiner goes shoot-crazy on Impact, it could get interesting.


OVERALL: C-

The show had a decent amount of action, so I can't really bag on it as much as I normally would. But, Immortal isn't just stale, it's stupid, and it's hurting the product. And with the Main Event Mafia coming back, I fear it's only going to get worse.

Everything was done to an excessive point; too much Immortal, too much of the women bumping their gums, too much brawling which went on way too long, etc. Just not a very solid show, and no, I'm not surprised.

 

[Superstar77]

My thoughts / review on Impact 1-27-11

Kurt Angle cuts a good promo. Immortal comes out and attacks him and Crimson makes the save setting up the main event for the night. Kurt Angle & Crimson vs all of Immortal.

I think I have mentioned this before but if I haven't there are just way too many people in Immortal.

Mickie James, Angelina Love & Velvet Sky vs. Madison Rayne, Sarita & Tara - Elimination Tag Match
Before the match Winter is mad because Angelina is teaming with Velvet and not her. Velvet gets eliminated by Sarita. Mickie eliminates Madison. Sarita then eliminates Mickie. Angelina eliminates Sarita and Tara to win the match. During the last few minutes of the match Velvet is attacked backstage I wonder who did it. I'm shocked they let Angelina be the sole survivor I thought for sure Mickie or Sarita would win since they are being pushed hard right now.

OK Velvet has lost to Sarita 5 times now there is no reason for their "feud" to continue. It's been so one sided and it and proves what Sarita said about Velvet is true that she can't beat her. Which shouldn't happen because Sarita is the heel. Also why is Madison allowed to wear that glove to the ring? Since its obviously loaded.

Amazing Red vs. Max Buck vs. Chris Sabin
Kazarian is on commentary for this match. About his shot at Sabin about Velvet I still don't get why they wrote their relationship into the show. Whenever she gets attacked or something bad happens to her Sabin doesn't seem to give a s*** so I don't get the point of making them a couple on screen but whatever. Also I don't get Taz is suppose to be a face or heel because everytime a heel is on commentary he kisses their ass.Max Buck pins Red to win the match after Jeremy interferes. Surprised about Max Buck getting the win here.

We get a segment with Karen and Jeff Jarrett. I admit his line about "Angle Foods do we get a cut of that?" was funny.

Then backstage Velvet tells Angelina that Winter attacked her. I thought it was silly when Angelina said maybe it was Sarita. How could it be Sarita if she was in the ring with her?

The Pope comes out to the ring and cuts a promo. I thought it was funny how he said "Joe I don't like you." So at least now we now the Pope is a heel. Even though I prefer him to be a face and fight the good fight against Immortal.

Jeff Hardy / Mr. Anderson promo. Jeff wants the title back and Mr. Anderson tells him his bitches to much. What I don't get is if Immortal wants the world title back so badly why wait until February 3rd. Eric Bischoff could have just made a rematch on the Impact after Genesis.

Then Velvet Sky comes out and calls out Winter. Winter then comes out and they fight before Winter takes control of the fight. Angelina comes out and breaks them up. Velvet gets mad about it. I guess this is going to lead TBP breaking up. I necessarily mind this because I would love to see Velvet achieve some success on her own without Angelina or being part of TBP. However, I don't think TNA is going to allow her to do that just based on how she's been booked lately. So I kind of concerned about what happens to Velvet in this angle. I'm still not to impressed by Winter.

Matt Hardy cuts a promo. Seriously with his new hairstyle he reminds me of Tyler Reks.

Mr. Anderson vs. Matt Hardy
Anderson pins Hardy for the win. They need to give Mr. Anderson the real world title back because it's hard to take him seriously as a champion with the Jeff Hardy custom title.

Main Event: Kurt Angle & Crimson vs. Immortal
Basically Immortal beat down Angle and Crimson but they get in some offense. Then Jeff Jarrett comes out and pins Angle for the win. The beatdown continues and Matt Morgan comes out and he gets beat down as well. Then the lights go out and when they come back on Scott Steiner with a lead pipe is the ring. He chases off Immortal and the show ends. So I guess we know who "They" will be now.

OK Impact.

 

[MB1025]

The Bad: There was nothing about this match that was "bad." However, I really hate this whole, "Hey! Let's have like 3 matches that build to a #1 Contenders Match on the NEXT PPV!" It's just stupid. Have those matches on Impact!, and give us a title match on the PPV. There is no defense for this, it's Bischoff-style Booking 101, and it sucks....yes, I'm blaming this on Bischoff, and not Russo, because this same kind of crap took place on Nitro long before Russo came to WCW.

Nick just to give you the heads up about this because it was confusing at first. What TNA is doing is having 3 number 1 contender matches and then at Against All Odds it will be Kazarian against the 3 winners in a 4 way match. So as of right now it will be......

Kazarian vs. Max Buck vs. Feb. 3rd winner vs. Feb 10th winner

 

[Jack-Hammer]

TNA iMPACT! - January 27, 2010

Opening Segment - I'm a little mixed on the opening of the show last night. Angle was solid on the mic, nothing really stood out but Angle did a good job. Practically all of Immortal came out, as expected, and all eventually jumped Kurt Angle until Crimson runs out swinging a bat. I know that some people are entertained whenever Ric Flair goes off on one of these rambling, incoherant screaming promos of his but they just annoy me to the point that I almost feel sorry for him. It just conjures up images of some poor old man in a rest home that's lost a few of his marbles ranting and raving about this and that. I'm sure that's not the intention, but that's what I get out of those. I can't make myself get excited about this guy Crimson yet. I'm not gonna dog him without giving him a chance but I can't say that I'm exactly hanging on to see what they do with him. Overall, I thought the segment was pretty passable but far from great. Thumbs Up

Angelina Love, Velvet Sky & Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne, Tara & Sarita - This match just seemed to drag on forever. It lasted about 10 minutes, which is a rarity for a women's match but, as I said, it just dragged from beginning to end. Most of the match was a little on the sloppy side, choppy & awkward at times and just downright uninteresting for me. I will give TNA credit for putting out a gimmick match that actually lasted longer than 3 minutes, which is also something of a rarity on iMPACT!. I think one problem I have is that I'm just burned out in the Knockouts. With the exception of Mickie James, every other woman in this match is heavily overexposed. Throughout most of 2010, the Knockout Division was made up almost entirely of TBP and Madison & Tara out there each week doing something. The crowd was also asleep for much of this match, I kept expecting to hear crickets start chirping. Pretty much more of the same from the Knockouts only about twice as long this time around. Thumbs Down

Chris Sabin vs. Amazing Red vs. Max Buck - This match was a 5 minute spotfest mostly, but I've got no real problem with that because I've been pretty bored with iMPACT! up to this point. They packed a lot of action into the match and thought all three did a good job. None of these three really has any sort of presence about them and I just thought that was obvious from the little pop up promos they cut as they were on their way to the ring. Still, this was a nice change of pace for the X Division in the sense that it might have actually meant a little something. Max Buck got the win, which was a bit of a surprise to me since GenMe has been pretty much MIA since their feud with the Guns ended. The match was about 5 minutes, had lots of spots and wasn't dragged out. If you're gonna do a spotfest without the involvement of a ladder or cage or something along those lines, this is the way to do it in my view. Thumbs Up

Jeff Hardy & Mr. Anderson - I thought this was a solid segment with good verbal exchange between the two. I thought that Anderson pretty much carried the segment. Hardy, in my view, is better on the mic than he used to be but he still needs a lot of work. Maybe it's just his character or something because I just have trouble taking him seriously at times. He just doesn't come across as this charismatic heel to me. At any rate, this served as a good build up for their title match on next week's iMPACT!. Thumbs Up

Velvet Sky calls out Winter - Before their match, Angelina & Velvet had a controntation with Winter in which Winter went apeshit after the girls went out to the ring. Then Velvet is attacked backstage after she's eliminated from the match and goes onto tell Angelina that Winter is responsible. Now, she heads out to the ring with no music and calls her out. They get into it with Winter eventually getting the upper hand before Angelina comes down to get between the two. This will eventually lead to TBP breaking up and it's probably time it should happen. They're far too overexposed and they're just not nearly as interesting as they were. Velvet gets her ass kicked yet again here, the girl just can't seem to win a fight to save her life, and I'm just don't see what some people see in Winter at all. Throughout the entire time she's been in TNA, I've seen NOTHING even remotely special about her. Meh. Thumbs Down

The Pope & Samoa Joe - More of the same here from these two. I can't exactly say what it is but I'm just not even remotely interested in this feud. It just has meaningless written all over it in my opinion. Pope just annoys me mostly when he's on the mic and Joe is as one dimensional as ever. Thumbs Down

Dixie Carter Phone Interview - The whole "court" aspect of this power struggle angle has been pure nonsense and has so many holes in it that it looks like a piece of swiss cheese. Since TNA decided to go through with this, I feel that they dropped the ball yet again with trying to assign some importance to it. These interviews that they conduct over the phone now and again on iMPACT! make the angles that those being interviewed are involved in seem petty and second rate. If TNA hopes that they serve as some sort of teaser, they're very much mistaken. An interview with Dixie Carter should be something of a big deal, particularly considering this whole power struggle thing that's going on. She should've shown up at the Impact Zone and been inside the ring to give an interview on what's happening. Of course, Immortal would come out and interfere and a great teaser would be set up for next week. The whole thing just came across as a generic aspect of a generic storyline. Thumbs Down

Mr. Anderson vs. Matt Hardy - Extremely forgettable match up here. Matt Hardy might be trying to channel his darkside to some degree but he's as mediocre in TNA as he was in WWE. Even though he's a mediocre talent, he's still a Hardy but the sad fact is that he already just feels like another name on the roster. This match did serve as something of a bridge between Anderson & Jeff Hardy next week overall but there's just nothing to be said here. It wasn't a good match, it wasn't a horrible match, it was basically a Matt Hardy match. Thumbs Down

Kurt Angle & Crimson vs. Immortal - For the most part, the match was a beatdown. Angle & Crimson got some offense in but, expectedly, things went downhill for them when the ref took the usual bump. Everyone started beating up on them, including Jeff Jarrett as he came down. Eventually, Jackson James comes down to make the count. Thumbs Down

Scott Steiner Returns - Scott Steiner made his return to iMPACT! last night wearing the classic garb of the Main Event Mafia. Based on this, it's reasonable to assume that the MEM will be making a return next week and will probably be fighting under Dixie Carter's banner. But, there's always a chance that it might not be the Mafia as it's still a little early. I'm just not excited about this because...well Scott Steiner is a shell of what he used to be. I've zero interest in watching the man try to wrestle because it's so difficult for him to do so. If Steiner was going to be a mouthpiece for someone, I might be ok with it but that's not going to happen I don't think. I have a feeling that we're about to get back to business as usual in TNA: the young talent acting as supporting characters while the 40-60+ veterans are in the spotlight. Thumbs Down

Overall Show - I thought iMPACT! was pretty mediocre last night. From top to bottom, I was either bored or found myself with an overwhemling sense of "I just don't give a shit". I thought the show was a step down from the last couple of weeks and, maybe it's just me, it just seemed that there was a real shift in the energy. The X Division match was probably the overall highlight of the night for me along with the Anderson/Jeff Hardy promo segment. Everything else just seemed to be one big pile of meh.

Grade: D+

 

[snoopy]

Holy shit. I can't believe it, but Impact kept me entertained from beginning to end and I was even pumped (pun intended) as it went off the air instead of disappointed. Usually I'll like the beginning, sometimes the whole first hour, but then it sours on me. But tonight was different.

I can't explain it, but it seemed as though the talent showed some "emotion" or "personality" or maybe the word I'm looking for is "energy" tonight compared to what we've been accustomed to. I mean, it seemed more fluid, the run-ins and effort from each individual seemed to be stepped up a notch. Maybe it was the threat of the attention the "outsiders" (not Nash and Hall, but the Bengals guys) were getting, maybe they just decided to streamline and realize the old stuff wasn't working, but I was even impressed w/the Hardys tonight.

There was emotion in the promos, the in-ring work, and the facial expressions. It's almost like they brought in a performance coach. I'm writing this for two reasons: one, I was legitimately impressed this evening. Two, I'm using this to wind down so I can get to bed and get my son up for school tomorrow without being half asleep from staying up all night.

I had heard the rumors of Steiner coming back, but let me tell you, I still marked the fuck out. I couldn't help it. And I think that the evening leading up to it helped by keeping my attention.

There were some really good comedic parts, too, that made me laugh out loud. Kazarian on commentary was good, and his "ham sandwiches, balls have to drop before getting the X-Division title" line was excellent. I hate to admit it, but Jarrett (whom I despise) made me chuckle too with the line referencing Angle foods and being able to get a cut of the action. Taz had a couple, even Tenay with one or two zingers. And, as always, Eric Young's comedy bit was great as well as Anderson's promo toward Jeff. We still had to hear that obnoxious "Let the pigeons loose" line but it was soon forgotten. But it still sucks.

All in all I was initially dismayed to hear the rumors of a "certain faction" returning. But if tonight was any indication of how well it will become, then I'm all for it. As long as they keep this formula, and keep the ball rolling and don't drop it, I'm going to start looking forward greatly to Thursday nights again.

I totally agree ! The intensity was coming off the screen ! The facials and the promos were great ! This was very entertaining to watch . the little things that tna never seem to get right are now being done correctly and it's making the show look more realistic ! B+ from me ! alot these guys could be a little jaded by the return of something they might not like (MEM) and that might be the reason some didn't like the show! And also the IZ crowds doesn't help certain segments!

 

[Kidd]

I got a question. I was in the kitchen while Crimson was cutting a Promo and I coulda swore I heard him say "They made me an offer I couldn't refuse!"

Did he actually say this? Because if he did, I think that comment, along with the suits and all hint more and more to the Main Event Mafia.

Now I never got to see these guys in action because I didn't tune into TNA until around the time they went to a four-sided ring. So I'm a little excited to see what they're all about.

 

[Kitten Cutter]

The possible return of the Main Event Mafia to face the Immortals doesn't bother me as well. It's a Russo thing to love factions and stables so I can play along and see how it goes.

My issue goes with the heel turns of The Pope and Brother Ray. A few months ago these were teased like crazy, then stopped, then out of nowhere they happen again. It seemed like the ECW thing halted Ray's turn, then Hardy's and Jarrett's heel turn stopped Pope because of his alliance with Sting and Nash, who were heels but became faces by default. I don't where either of these are going but it seems very untimely for both since their feuds are practically back-burner material. It's a shame because Pope was making great strides and this heel turn and being separate from the Immortals just makes him a heel that will have to wait even longer to get his first title. It's a damn shame that Pope has never held a single title in any company, and that may not change anytime soon because of this.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

TNA draws it's third highest rating ever last night with a 1.28 (1.3). Good sign heading into a hugely hyped 2/3 show.

I missed a lot of last night's impact, I was at a Knicks game, but the parts that I saw were a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed the return of the Freak, Scotty Steiner. GIVE THAT MAN A MICROPHONE RIGHT NOW! If Scotty gets significant mic time next week, it could be MONEY.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Bischoff & Steiner

Immortal is in the ring. Bischoff calls out Steiner. He says the Main Event Mafia will not return. He tries to get Steiner to join Immortal. Bischoff extends his hand, but Steiner gets a mic instead. Steiner runs down Immortal and Bischoff. He says he will snap Bischoff’s neck. Kurt Angle and Crimson come out. Angle says “They” are here. Bischoff doesn’t seem to happy about any of this. Bischoff took a couple of shots at Nash and Booker T for their returns to the WWE here. You had to know this was coming after the Rumble appearances. Still, I thought this was a nice way to kick off the show. Bischoff and Steiner had a heated exchange, and the anticipation for the unveiling of “They” continues to build. Bischoff said there will be a continuance in the court case, so Hogan won’t be around. I’m not a fan of this court stuff at all, and now it seems like this angle will be dragged out even longer.

Ink Inc. VS Gunner & Murphy

Ink Inc. hits a double team move, and Moore gets the pin for the win. I thought this was a solid match. This match had a steady pace, and there were some very physical moments in this one. The double team finisher put a nice touch on this match. It’ll be interesting to see if Ink Inc. will go further in the tag team division. I don’t think they’ll win the gold, but they could be pushed towards the titles again.

Devon & Samoa Joe VS Bully Ray & Pope

Pope and Bubba Ray are in the ring. Bubba gloats about the beat down on Devon. He says he was Team 3D. He says the Pope is bigger and badder than Devon. Pope says he will face Joe at Against All Odds. Pope says he will expose Joe for what he really is. He calls Pope a Sloppy Joe. The match is about to get underway, but Joe chases Pope up to the entrance ramp. Joe’s camera man gets in his way. Pope takes a detour, and Joe chases after him. Devon beats up Ray until security guards and refs break up the beat down. Ray spits water into the faces of Devon’s kids. Ugh, I couldn’t get into this. We didn't see a real match here. Pope ran from Joe, and Devon beat the shit out of Bubba for a while. That's all this was. I really, really don’t want to see the Bubba/Devon rivalry continue, because I have zero interest in seeing these two feud. I doubt either man will be pushed hard after this is over, and the whole thing just seems like a waste of air time if you ask me. As far as Joe/Pope goes, I’m mildly interested in this feud, but my desire to see these two wrestle kind of went down tonight. Pope’s promo before the match wasn’t able spark any interest in me. Since this feud has started, ALL of Pope’s promos have sounded exactly the same. He just rambled on as usual, and his lame insults towards Joe didn’t help this promo either.

Douglas Williams VS Jeremy Buck VS Jay Lethal- X Division #1 Contender’s Qualifying Match

Williams hits the Chaos Theory on Lethal. He has Lethal’s shoulders on the mat, but Max is distracting the ref. Jeremy hits a low blow on Williams, and he steals the pinfall on Lethal for the win. This was pretty solid, but this match looked and felt similar to last week’s qualifying match. There were some nice spots here, and this match had a decent amount of action.

Mr. Anderson & Jeff Hardy

Anderson talks about the dream to become World Champion. Anderson impersonates Vince McMahon, and he’s still whining about the chewing gum. WOW. Hardy says he doesn’t need help from anybody to beat Anderson. He says he will take the Title back tonight. Hardy is dedicating the match to his creatures of the night and Anderson’s Assholes. He extends his hand to Anderson. Anderson reluctantly shakes it. Ummm, did we really need this segment? It’s the night of the match, so I think a couple of backstage interviews would’ve been enough for tonight. This entire segment just seemed like a waste of time.

Mickie James VS Sarita- Taped Fist match

Mickie hits a left hook to KO Sarita for the win. After the match, Madison Rayne hits Mickie from behind with the loaded glove. I couldn’t get into this match. The pace was kind of sluggish here, and this one never got into a rhythm. There were some botches here, this entire match was awkward, and the taped fist gimmick wasn’t anything special. I was expecting to see a fierce brawl here, but I just saw a very weak Knockouts match. Also, Madison’s sneak attack was VERY lame.

Jeff & Karen Jarrett

Throughout the night, TNA showed a bunch of segments involving Jeff, Karen, and the kids. They took some shots at Kurt Angle and Dixie Carter, and Jarrett announced he and Karen will renew their vows on Impact. The Karen and Jeff stuff tonight felt very personal, and this angle seems to be getting deeper and deeper as the weeks go by. Jarrett looked like a real dick tonight, and I’m so happy the MMA Expert is gone, because I really couldn’t stand that gimmick. This storyline is getting more and more serious as time goes on, and it’ll be interesting to see how far TNA will go with this feud.

Jeff Hardy VS Mr. Anderson- TNA World Heavyweight Championship

Hardy attacks Anderson before he can reach the ring. They brawl on the outside of the ring for a while, but the eventually step inside the squared circle to get the match going. Hardy goes for the Twist Of hate, but Anderson shoves him into the referee. Jackson James gets knocked down AGAIN. Hardy hits the Twist Of hate the second time around. Hardy goes for the pin, but there’s no ref to make the count. Jeff signals for Immortal. They run down for the beat down. Fortune comes out. It looks as if they’re going to join in on the party, but AJ throws up the Fortune’s symbol. Fortune attacks Immortal. AJ hits the Styles Clash on Hardy. Anderson takes advantage, and he picks up the pinfall for the win. The match here was pretty good. After the match, Styles gets on the mic. He says Fortune was not going to take a backseat to anyone. He blames Bischoff for the face turn. Bischoff and Immortal come out. Bischoff is pissed. He spews a bunch of insults. He says “They” were nothing without Bischoff and Hogan. Bischoff says Hogan will have control of the company on March 3. AJ says he will stick his foot down Bischoff’s throat.

Overall Show Rating 5/10: I thought tonight’s show was okay. The wrestling didn’t excite me too much, and to tell you the truth, Hardy VS Anderson was the only match I truly enjoyed. As far as Fortune being “They” goes, I’m not too sure I’m so excited about it just yet. I’m sure we’re on the verge of another stable war in TNA. I understand Fortune’s motivation here. They’re not going to let Hogan and Bischoff come in and destroy the company which they have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into. Fortune is going to fight the evil regime, and they are going to take back TNA. I’ve just grown tired of seeing all of these stable wars in TNA. It can become tiresome after a while. Although, I’m happy to see AJ as a face again, because I couldn’t stand his heel run. Face AJ just flows so much better, while heel AJ just seemed to be so awkward most of the time. As far as the shock factor for this surprise goes, Fortune being revealed as “They“ just had a meh feeling to it. When “They“ were revealed at Bound For Glory, I wasn‘t too let down, because I knew I had to face the facts, all of the big names in pro wrestling work for WWE, are loyal to Vince McMahon, they are retired, or they already work for TNA, so if you were expecting something HUGE on 10/10/10, then you were seriously fooling yourself. I had the same feelings for the second coming of “They.” TNA couldn‘t do anything that would‘ve been earth shattering, so I knew I shouldn‘t get my hopes up too high. And at least we didn‘t have to see Abyss yell and spit at the camera for months this time around. “They” part two has just started, but as of right now, I’m not overly excited about this storyline.

 

[SpecialFNK]

I was entertained for the most part.

I thought the ending was awesome!! AJ and Fortune turning on Jeff Hardy and immortal was great!

what I didn't like was 3D together with Pope and Joe. I was looking forward to the Pope/Samoa Joe feud, but now that the Dudleys are involved I feel like I'm not as interested.

I'm not really a fan of either Mickie James or Sarita. missed seeing either one of the Beautiful People Velvet Sky and Angelina Love. but whatever.

something I have sometimes wondered. Impact is on Spike TV at 9 PM. that is also 9 PM out west? meaning right now after midnight in the east, Impact is just starting in the west.
how does it work when Impact is live? do they show it out west live, or is it kind of like taped live and 3 hours behind what was live in the east?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

TNA iMPACT - February 3, 2011

Opening Segment - Really good segment to open the show up with. Bischoff & Steiner had a really good exchange on the mic and Steiner was his usuall balls out self on the mic that really made the segment work. Kurt Angle & Crimson come out dressed in suits, Steiner goes out to join them and Angle gives his famous catchphrase to close things out. The segment lasted about 9 minutes, which is fairly short but that's a good thing here. It got the point across, didn't drag along and set things up for the night overall. Thumbs Up

Ink Inc. vs. Gunner & Murphy - I expected this to be a dull 3.5 minute tag team match and that's what it was. Gunner & Murphy are nothing more than nameless thugs, the ignorant and not all that great flunkies that cliche` villains used to do their dirty work in the movies, on tv, in comics, etc. Ink Inc. get the win, expectedly. Just filler. Nothing wrong with filler if it's good, but this wasn't. Thumbs Down

Jarretts @ Home - They did several of these segments so I'll just sorta lump them together. Wow...this was just about as low class as anything I've ever seen on a pro wrestling program. It's not Katie Vick bad, but it lives in the same general neighborhood. It's one thing if Jarrett & Angle want to drag their own personal business and make it fodder for a wrestling storyline, but involving their children in this was the epitome of tasteless and classless. This was a horrible, horrible idea that anyone that has even the slightest shred of emotional maturity would hate. Thumbs Down

Bully Ray & The Pope - The way this started off, I thought Ray was going to do an Orlando Jordan impersonation on Pope. He did pretty much everything except pull his tights down and chow down. Eventually, Samoa Joe & DeVon came down and everyone brawled, yadda yadda. DeVon gets the best of Ray as Pope & Joe fight towards the back. As DeVon is held back by security, Bubba takes a drink of I guess soda and spits it onto DeVon's kids in the front row. Well, not exactly kids as the both of them looked to be in their late teens to early 20s. Still, nothing to really care about here. Thumbs Down

Douglas Williams vs. Jeremy Buck vs. Jay Lethal - Surprisingly, I thought this match was actually pretty boring. With Max Buck doing guest commentary, the outcome of this match was obvious before it even started. Buck eventually wound up winning to do some degree of interference from his brother. The ref was distracted, Jeremy hit Williams in the nuts after he'd hit Chaos Theory on Lethal and picked up the win at 4.5 seconds. This just felt like pure filler, like nothing that went on actually meant a damn. Thumbs Down

Fortune Backstage - Pretty good backstage segment with Styles basically just reassuring Bischoff that everything is under control. Styles' comments about how Fortune will never take a back seat to anyone again felt like it held a double meaning. Since I doubt nobody is debuting tonight, I smell a random face turn coming. Still, good segment though. Thumbs Up

Mr. Anderson & Jeff Hardy - Very good promo segment from Anderson & Hardy. Hardy has legitimately improved on the mic and I do think it feels more natural than when he's trying to do the philosophical Raven 2.0 bullshit. Anderson was on fire in his promo tonight, I loved the "supper's hanging" line. I've gotta remember that to use at work. I like the idea of Hardy & Anderson going at it without anyone interfering but there's a huge logic hole here. Hardy's a heel, he's not supposed to be honorable. At any rate, a damn good promo segment I thought. Thumbs Up

Mickie James vs. Sarita - Damn this was a boring, sloppy ass match. First off, a taped fist match? Who gives a shit about a taped fist match? It's quite possibly the lamest gimmick match under the sun. It hasn't been used in forever and there's a reason why: think supper's hangin' and it'll come to you. They blew tons of spots and Sarita looked like a friggin' goon, a stupid one at that, by not punching Mickie James despite having about 17,000 chances to do so during the match. Mickie winds up winning in just over 6 minutes. Dang...there've been 3 matches on the card and they equal a combined total of about 13-14 minutes. Thumbs Down

Mr. Anderson vs. Jeff Hardy - Fairly decent match here, they put forth a good effort. However, like everything else on the show tonight, this match felt more like filler than anything else. They brawled for a while outside the ring before the match officially started. Decent effort but I couldn't really make myself care because I know a big clusterfuck of an ending is coming in which "They" wind up revealed and come down to save Anderson's bacon. Right on schedule, the ref takes a bump around the 9 minute mark. Hardy hits Twist of Hate and actually seems to have Anderson pinned cleanly when Immortal/Fortune hits the ring. Fortune turns on Immortal and clears the ring with them. Hardy is left in the ring with Styles, Styles hits the Styles clash and the referee miraculously recovers and rolls into count Hardy's shoulders. Anderson retains and They is Fortune. Thumbs Down

The Second Coming of "They" - Yep, random face turn for the members of Fortune. All things considered, this really is the only direction that TNA could've gone with this and have any hopes of making it feel epic. I think they failed in my opinion but, as I said, they went with what they had. TNA had no big huge names debuting tonight, the MEM storyline couldn't go down, so the only option that they really had that would've meant anything was exactly what went down. They did the best they could with what they had. That still doesn't mean that it's good though, in my view. TNA has hyped this "They" thing for over a month now and when it's all said and done, it's nothing more than a random face turn for Immortal. Yep, it's the "I bet you didn't see that one coming", the Vince Russo Special. Since they postponed Hulk Hogan's return to March 3rd, I wish they'd have put off "They" until then as well. Maybe it'd given them time to actually come up with something that they haven't done a thousand times before. People are going to call this revolutionary and "shocking" despite the fact that they've seen this exact same thing take place dozens of times before over the past few years, just with different wrestlers. Thumbs Down

AJ Styles - The one great thing I saw about this was AJ Styles' promo. Styles delivered a helluva performance on the mic tonight, easily the greatest promo of his career. Hearing Styles put down the Hogan-Bischoff Era really made it sound like Styles has been trolling the WZ Forums and took his inspiration from hundreds, perhaps thousands, of posts over the past year that've said much of what he said. He was passionate and it really resonated. Great job by Styles there. Thumbs Up

Overall Show - Whenever TNA hypes something to be this epic happening that will turn professional wrestling on its ear, it's almost always the exact opposite. Tonight, TNA did not break that pattern. The opening segment of the show was good. Steiner is like a bat shit crazy sailor on steroids and that works for him. He's loud, he's crude and he's insensitive. The stuff with the Jarrett family at home was beyond tasteless. Yes, far worse than Rob Terry taking unprotected chairshots to the head and Tommy Dreamer bleeding like a stuck pig mere inches away from his children at Hardcore Justice. The wrestling content on the show tonight was mediocre from start to finish. Nothing on tonight's show felt like it mattered one shred except the "They" situation. Everything else felt like filler and TNA didn't even attempt to make it seem like any of it mattered. Even the TNA World Heavyweight Championship had that feel about it and that's just wrong. The second coming of "They" turns out to be another TNA random face turn with Fortune turning on Immortal. This feud has epic failure written all over it. On one team you've got the likes of Beer Money & AJ Styles backed up with allies like Kurt Angle, Scott Steiner, probably Ken Anderson & Matt Morgan. I'm not all that hot about Kazarian but, then again, let's look at the other side. Immortal has Rob Terry, Gunner & Murphy, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy & Abyss. That's also not counting Hogan & Bischoff that can't wrestle. So one team of all stars against a team composed of old men that can't wrestle, scrubs & Jeff Hardy. It's like watching Fortune feud with EV2.0 all over again. The promos given by Scott Steiner, Ken Anderson, Jeff Hardy & AJ Styles were easily the highlight of the night. From top to bottom, this was a lousy show with an underwhelming climax.

Grade: D-

 

[daby]

TNA iMPACT! 3.02.2011
"Expect the Unexpected"

Opening Segment – This was a great opening segment, where Bischoff talked perfectly about the current situation and put over Immortal and Fortune. Scott Steiner's reply was priceless. Big Poppa Pump FTW!

Ink Inc vs Gunner & Murphy – I'm not really fine with Gunner and Murphy having matches on iMPACT!, especially on an iMPACT! so important like this one, because they are not good wrestlers, they are the WWE kida wrestlers. But I can understand the placement of this match, it was put there as the audience needed a break after the big opening segment. It was nice to see Ink Inc back, hope they get a push.

Bully Ray, Samoa Joe, Devon, Pope Segment - I ussualy like those segments, but this one I didn't like. Although at microphone they were great, I didn't liked it and didn't care for it. At least they put two feuds in one segment to save time. I hope Okada becames Joe's protege.

Jeremy Buck vs Jay Lethal vs Douglas Williams – Great spotfest, and Max Buck at commentary was good, he handled it. What a kick got Douglas between the legs, ouch!

Mr. Anderson & Jeff Hardy Promo – Excellent promo from Mr. Anderson with some shots at Vince McMahon and Triple H. It was hard for Hardy to say something after the great performance of Anderson but he was good. Good segment hyping up the main event.

Jeff Jarrett – I would have prefferd that those skits were all in one segment where Jeff and Karen announce that they will renew the vows. Jarrett with the kids was hilarious.

Sarita vs Mickie James – The stipulation was weird, but the match was good. I love Sarita, I want to see her cousin next week. Also, Madison looked good.

Jeff Hardy vs Mr. Anderson – Great main event, with great reaction from the crowd. It had a great hype since 3 weeks ago, plus the segment earlier in the night. Matt Hardy looked actually good here. I marked out when AJ put Hardy in the Styles Clash! It was a good match, but I would preffered a clean finish, and after that the beatdown.

Final – AJ Styles was absolutly fantastic! Maybe the greatest promo of his career, and I wonder if this wasn't actually a shoot promo, with "YOU PUT A MILLION DOLLAR COMPANY OUT OF BUSSINESS!". It was full of emotion, and it came from his heart, and a great reaction from the crowd. It was an EPIC moment! I'm really glad that the Main Event Mafia didn't return, because after this promo, TNA might enter in one of their best periods in their history. "We want six-sides!" chants were perfect for what AJ was saying. Plus, look at Kurt Angle's smile! He's soooo proud of AJ Syles. TNA escaped the MEM problem and delivered one great different storyline. WWE made TNA a huge favour! But I hope Sting stays in TNA.

Overall
TNA are in one of their greatest periods of all time, where they put effort and time in the Knockouts division, even more accent on their homegrown stars, and they start rebuilding the X-Division. I'm glad that Ric Flair was not in this show, because AJ needed to make that promo alone, he is TNA, and that segment put him over big time.

 

[Superstar77]

My thoughts / review of Impact 02-03-10

The opening segment with Immortal / Scott Steiner was OK. But if Steiner, Angle and Crimson aren't "They" are is? We will find out later in the show.

Ink Inc vs Gunner & Murphy
I didn't the point of this. This is not the match you want to open a show you been hyping for weeks. Ink Inc wins.

Eric Young tells Taz & Mike Tenay that he's seen "They".

The Jarretts at home segment. I didn't like these segments at all but I understand their purpose. To add more heat to Jeff Jarrett's feud with Kurt Angle.

Samoa Joe & Brother Devon vs The Pope & Bully Ray
Ray and Pope start off talking and it's not bad but not great. The match didn't even officially happen. What a waste of The Pope and Joe. They really should be going against Immortal instead of this. I still don't care about Team 3D feuding with each other it needs to end soon.

Jay Lethal vs Doug Williams vs Jeremy Buck
This match was for a spot in the X division title match at Against All Odds. Surprising Jeremy Buck won after interference from Max Buck. So now both members of GenMe will be in the match.

Backstage AJ tells Eric Bischoff that they will no longer take a backseat anyone tonight. Is that foreshadowing?

Mr. Anderson / Jeff Hardy promo segment
This was actually good but made their world title match feel important. Something TNA hasn't been doing for a while. I loved how Mr. Anderson made fun of Hardy's custom title. It really does suck.

Mickie James vs Sarita - Taped Fist Match
Before the match Sarita says her cousin Rosita will debut next week and after she beats Mickie is going to go slap Velvet around. After that comment Velvet better be allowed to get some revenge on her but for some reason I doubt she will. Basically this was a Knockouts Knockout match the goal to KO your opponent. Sarita dominated the match until Mickie won with a KO punch.

Afterwards Madison attacks Mickie. They are really trying to get this loaded glove over. Also Taz said that Madison has Mickie's number. How?! As I recall Madison only beat Mickie because of the loaded glove.

Mr. Anderson vs Jeff Hardy - World Title Match
The main event Anderson vs Hardy. Starting off OK with lots of interference. After the ref got knocked out Immortal comes to the ring followed by Fortune and out of nowhere Forturne turns on Immortal and clean house. AJ hits the Styles Clash on Hardy allowing Anderson to get the win.

Bischoff comes out and he is pissed. AJ tells him that Fortune is no longer taking a backseat to Immortal and they are going to allow him and Hulk Hogan to destroy TNA like they did WCW. Well this was a weird way of doing it but I glad AJ is a face again I'm not so sure about Beer Money and Kazarian though but under the circumstances it could have been worse.

Overall Impact was very lackluster this week and they might as well called it the Immortal / Jeff & Karen Jarrett show because that's what it was. The only bright spot of this show was making the world title match feel important for once, Fortune's face turn and AJ Styles' promo.

 

[Kitten Cutter]

Wow. Just WOW. I knew the A.J. Styles heel turn would lead somewhere, and last night it led to that promo. The heel turn gave him something he never had before - an EDGE. There's an old quote by an unknown philospher - "You must walk with evil to find the good in life," and Styles has done that.

Too bad Russo doesn't know how to do cliffhangers. As great as it was, wouldn't it have been better to just show Jeff Hardy's limp, broken body on the mat with Fourtune over him posing, then next week's Impact to BEGIN with Styles' promo? Wouldn't that have been great to start the show to get the crowd pumped up? Either way, it's obvious the TNA fans wanted this, and now they have it: an A.J. Styles that once again is a top face and won't take any BS.

At first I didn't like that all of Fourtune, who possess 3\5 of the male titles, all switched sides, but it makes sense. Plus, now the Immortals (mostly Bischoff) on reeling and need to recover, so the heels are scrambling after dominating the past 4 months. With the MCMGs looking to split, Beer Money gets more competition for the tag team gold (Generation Me, Ink Inc. the Hardys), and Kaz, even though he has improved leaps and bounds as a heel and this seems to cut him off, is working a Fatal-Four with both Max and Jeremy Buck, so him being the heel fits the match better. And it also may set-up at Matt Hardy\Kaz feud for the X-division belt. And why is Styles always on the same side as the World Champion? Hopefully Anderson will stay separate and be more on his own so Styles can start getting title shots again.

Also, I won't speculate on who exactly is in this new group, because it's a bit of a mystery. Angle, Steiner and Crimson don't have an official name for their part of the stable, and unless Fourtune will become Eighttune hopefully next week we'll exactly who's in and who's just helping. And we'll also know where Flair stands on the matter soon.

Speaking of Fourtune, anyone realize that out of the Fourtune guys that beat the hell out of EV2, all six active wrestlers on Fourtune are now faces, and only Dreamer and Team 3D are still there for EV2?

It is a bit sad that TNA basically said goodbye to Nash, Booker T and Sting in one shot. It's necessary, though.

The big argument is that Fourtune\M.E.M. is Anderson, Styles, Kaz, Beer Money, Angle, Steiner and Crimson and the Immortals are Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Abyss (out still), Rob Terry, Gunner, Murphy, and Jeff Jarrett as the active wrestlers. It is a bit uneven, but I fully expect the Immortals to recruit people.

The Pope still bothers me. This heel turn is just wrong. Does The Pope really have any chance against Samoa Joe when Joe is smarter, stronger, a better overall wrestler and has help? Are they burying him for a reason?

Bully Ray isn't doing me any favors either. When the worst thing you do is spit soda on 20 year old kids, you're not very intimidating. This feud has gone on too long.

Speaking of burying, who gets buried next week? Jay Lethal or Douglas Williams? One of them won't be in the X-division match. Doesn't matter anyway, because to make this Fourtne vs. Immortal feud work, Fourtune needs to keep their belts.

No Beautiful People for a change. Weird. As much as they're overexposed, they're champions and need to be on the show. At least we avoided the pigeons this week.

Mickie and Sarita should have been a much better match.

Madison Rayne is still the worst female champion in history. And on a side note, why is a taped fist that big a deal anymore? Don't most wrestlers tape their fists now anyway, or wear gloves?

Eric Young has no direction anymore. It's just random and unfunny now.

So the big announcement is that the court case is delayed a month? And Hogan will show up on March 3rd? Um...OK.

Shame on Mr. Anderson, expecting a guy who calls himself the AntiChrist to wrestle a fair match. The promo seemed a little out of place. There could have been a match here instead.

Scott Steiner is...well, Scott Steiner. Funny how rage-filled rants are actually a good thing in TNA. I fear to see him in the ring, though. Unfortunately, he's now the odd guy out in the face supergroup. Angle has Jarrett, Anderson has Hardy, Fourtune has the Immortals, so where does that leave Steiner? Random dumb muscle? Feuding with Rob Terry or Abyss?

Last thing: Unlike most, as underwhelming as the reveal of who THEY were, this has the makings to be an excellent feud. If the Immortals recruit some new blood and we get a defined face group in the next few weeks, we should see some good storytelling. Please don't drop the ball, TNA Creative!