So, Did "Wrestling Matters" Live Up To The Hype?

[sweetcosmicpope]

Exactly as the subject says. There were alot of people hopeful. There were alot of naysayers. And several people read the spoilers and were saying it was "same-old, same-old."

What did you think?

Personally, I went in cautiously optimistic. I figured this was the start of the new era, but I've still enjoyed TNA up to this point, so I was determined not to be disappointed if there was no change.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the promos were limited, but quite strong. A few dead ends (would have like to have had the whole Kendrick thing go somewhere), but mostly open ends to be continued next week.

A few notes:

I usually don't watch the knockouts matches. For me, that's time to fix a sandwich (and I did, but I finished sooner than I thought. lol). I sat down, and actually enjoyed the match quite a bit. Who knew those girls could put on a match of that caliber. How Brooke Adams hasn't been recognized, over Stacy Kiebler, as the hottest ass in wrestling is a crime, btw. And the return of ODB in the second knockout match of the night was a shocker and makes me want to see more next week. BTW, a second knockout match almost never happens on impact.

I loved the amount of actual wrestling. I was disappointed a bit in the joe vs red match. I think Jeff Hardy could have put on a longer match (yeah, I went there), but it was a great way to work on the crimson/joe feud, and so I'll let that one slide.

And FINALLY, immortal didn't look like a jobber version of the nwo. They went out, kicked some ass, and established themselves as a real threat.

Overall, even without a bunch of huge title changes and debuts, this was one of the strongest impacts I've ever seen. Let's hope it continues.

 

[Rayne]

It was a good launch, but even a junkie can show up straight to a taping once in a while. One night isn't going to change TNA's fortunes for the worse or better; the real test is going to come over the next few months.

One thing I'm very optimistic about is that TNA didn't try to pull some attention grabbing stunt; there was no "tune in tonight for a HUGE SURPRISE!!!", no swerve for the sake of having a swerve; it was just a night of solid programming. I'm hoping that this is a change in the philosophy of promotion for TNA; that they don't need to trick their audience into watching (and thank you, Dixie, for getting off of Twitter), but they just need to provide solid programming that people want to see more of. Last night was a very positive start; let's see if the momentum carries.

 

[vampireblade]

Exactly as the subject says. There were alot of people hopeful. There were alot of naysayers. And several people read the spoilers and were saying it was "same-old, same-old."

What did you think?

Personally, I went in cautiously optimistic. I figured this was the start of the new era, but I've still enjoyed TNA up to this point, so I was determined not to be disappointed if there was no change.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the promos were limited, but quite strong. A few dead ends (would have like to have had the whole Kendrick thing go somewhere), but mostly open ends to be continued next week.

A few notes:

I usually don't watch the knockouts matches. For me, that's time to fix a sandwich (and I did, but I finished sooner than I thought. lol). I sat down, and actually enjoyed the match quite a bit. Who knew those girls could put on a match of that caliber. How Brooke Adams hasn't been recognized, over Stacy Kiebler, as the hottest ass in wrestling is a crime, btw. And the return of ODB in the second knockout match of the night was a shocker and makes me want to see more next week. BTW, a second knockout match almost never happens on impact.

I loved the amount of actual wrestling. I was disappointed a bit in the joe vs red match. I think Jeff Hardy could have put on a longer match (yeah, I went there), but it was a great way to work on the crimson/joe feud, and so I'll let that one slide.

And FINALLY, immortal didn't look like a jobber version of the nwo. They went out, kicked some ass, and established themselves as a real threat.

Overall, even without a bunch of huge title changes and debuts, this was one of the strongest impacts I've ever seen. Let's hope it continues.

ive always been a fan of TNA/impact wrestling big supporter and last night kept me hooked i don't know if it was the matches which most were very good or the fact that maybe it could be big but in terms of wrestling impact wrestling showed that wrestling does matter

 

[jccool420]

I really liked Impact Wrestling... There was a nice flow to the show and Abyss and Kaz put on a great match... Would like to have seen one or two more competitive matches to really show that Wrestling Matters... But, overall I was impressed... I liked the new look of the show and the lack of overdone promos...

I really hope this is the start of a new era... They have a lot of young stars that have a nice future... I like Crimson and Gunner... They have that it facotr and could become major players... Bully Ray is a great heel and may have really added a new life to his stale career...

I really hope we see more of the Fourtune vs Immortal fued and more elevation of Robert Roode...

I also hope this X Division storyline will meventually lead to them actually using the X Division guys more... I hope Foley bring back Senshi to battle Abyss...

I'm hopeful Impact Wrestling will continue the good work...

 

[UnBEARaBULLfan]

As a long time fan of TNA I thought lastnights show was a step in the right direction. They had some good matches and they limited their promos.

The opening brawl was fun to watch, Abyss vs Kaz was entertaining, best work by Abyss in a long time.

They actually had two divas matches, and both were good.

AJ/Dreamer segment was really good imo, so was Flair/Roode. I think Roode is deffinatly gonna get a singles push.

Eric Young Is an entertainment god, looking forward to his fued with Gunner.

I liked what I saw lastnight and hope they keep it up.

 

[neildittmar]

The debut of "Impact Wrestling" was solid in my opinion.

The opening segment/fight amongst Immortal, Fortune and the X-divisioners was perpetually interesting. Usually when a brawl starts and stops a few times in one shot, the "getting a little long" thought crosses my mind. Not this time... good opening to a solid show.

While on paper it sounds like somewhat of a bust, Kaz vs. Abyss actually proved to be a solid match. Towards the end it could've gone either way and Kazarian dropping the X division title, especially to Abyss, was a shocker for me.

The Knockouts 6-woman tag was decent, as it furthered the storyline between Tara and Madison Rayne. I still think Rayne is remarkable in her current role and could carry her for literally years. She needs to be back in the title hunt though, even though she just had a rematch with Mickie James at Sacrifice. Madison Rayne is a great heel Knockouts champion in my book and is perpetually more interesting being "the chased" rather than the chaser.

Speaking of Knockouts, the Winter/Angelina situation has me completely intrigued. What is their "past history?" How is Winter pulling the strings? I'm also digging Love's gimmick that I have currently dubbed Underlina. Good stuff and it's impressive that she's able to pull the character off so well. Frankly, I didn't think she had it in her.

The rest of the show, particularly the Bobby Rood / Ric Flair segment was also mostly strong. The segment with Gunner and EY had me rolling at the end... (paraphrasing) "Good thinking Gunner... we should split the titles up in case somebody jumps me and takes one of them."

The only part that was a bit of a "false positive" was Brian Kendrick. I like how he has been put into the role of leading the X-divisioners against a regime that constantly devalues/discredits them, but Kendrick really should have been involved more last night. He showed some flashes of brilliance in his exchange with Bischoff and company... why not capitalize on that? I know that there is only so much time in the show, but why thrust him to the forefront only for him to take a backseat position on the same show you spotlighted him on? Makes little sense to me.

That's really my only complaint though. All around, the premiere episode of Impact Wrestling was a fun wrestling show, which is exactly what it should've been.

 

[Da Truth]

I think it was ok for a start; they should do exactly what they did last night. They don't want to just jump into something new so fast.This era should have the wrestling quality of early TNA or even TNA before Hogan and Bischoff came mixed with well thought out storylines. The problem in the recent pass haven't really been the storylines, it's how they were executed. If they can get the backstage mess straight, Impact wrestling has a chance to be great.

 

[kizarny]

I don't think it really lived up to the hype.

it kind of bothered me that a show that is now "about the wrestling" opened with their typical immortal promo segment, and closed with two other segments. why not main event a show about wrestling with wrestling?

i also think they could do better things with the x-division. it is something simple to fix, have x-division matches and build feuds within the division, they don't have to feud with immortal to get over. I find that TNA prefers to say instead of do. instead of having promo's of "our show is going to be about wrestling!" or "the x-division is going to have more respect!" just have more wrestling and use the x-division more.

 

[Greydon]

In regards to the x-division, I think it hurts that the three Pioneers of the division are on the same team. (Daniels, Styles, Kaz) I am shocked the guns didn't come out with Kendrick, Joe didn't. With 6 guys like Styles Kaz Daniels the guns and Joe this division could be what it once was. I think having the founders of the division put opver the hewer guys is a way to go. gives some credibility to the title again.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I was disappointed last night because other than a slight name change and changes to the set, I thought the show was business as usual. The X Division Championship match was good while it lasted, though it was too short for a title match in my opinion. The Knockouts slouched around doing their thing, Matt Hardy essentially beat Generation Me in a handicap match before Eric Bischoff got the pinfall on them. Amazing Red was squashed in about 45 seconds by Joe. He couldn't have looked more like a scrub if he'd gone up against Godzilla. More long promo segments, etc.

None of the matches felt particularly relevant. I didn't get to see the last bit of the show as my satellite lost its signal but I read up online it and it the last 20 or so minutes of the show were promo segments. Same old same old, just with a slightly different look.

 

[silrock316]

I was disappointed last night because other than a slight name change and changes to the set, I thought the show was business as usual. The X Division Championship match was good while it lasted, though it was too short for a title match in my opinion. The Knockouts slouched around doing their thing, Matt Hardy essentially beat Generation Me in a handicap match before Eric Bischoff got the pinfall on them. Amazing Red was squashed in about 45 seconds by Joe. He couldn't have looked more like a scrub if he'd gone up against Godzilla. More long promo segments, etc.

None of the matches felt particularly relevant. I didn't get to see the last bit of the show as my satellite lost its signal but I read up online it and it the last 20 or so minutes of the show were promo segments. Same old same old, just with a slightly different look.

On appearance alone I felt like I was watching a completely different show. I NEVER watch TNA from opening to ending credits but I did last night. The ball I think they dropped was at the end. They should have had Stings music go off and then have Ken Anderson come out first. They should have only showed the throw back sting throughout the night and have the fans thinking it was the classic Sting, then as I said Anderson comes out, the fans probably would have went nuts until they realized it was Anderson and then have the real Sting enter.

 

[Brian in Austin]

I was disappointed last night because other than a slight name change and changes to the set, I thought the show was business as usual. The X Division Championship match was good while it lasted, though it was too short for a title match in my opinion. The Knockouts slouched around doing their thing, Matt Hardy essentially beat Generation Me in a handicap match before Eric Bischoff got the pinfall on them. Amazing Red was squashed in about 45 seconds by Joe. He couldn't have looked more like a scrub if he'd gone up against Godzilla. More long promo segments, etc.

None of the matches felt particularly relevant. I didn't get to see the last bit of the show as my satellite lost its signal but I read up online it and it the last 20 or so minutes of the show were promo segments. Same old same old, just with a slightly different look.

I've been a pretty outspoken critic of TNA and here's my take on the whole of the show:

1. The opening to the show was very good from a production value and merged well with the new graphics.

2. The opening segment was a great start to the show and I thought would be a good way to set the tone for what it is the folks at TNA are attempting to do with the name and structure changes to the show. Had sort of an old school faction v. faction feel to it.

3. I thought the promo with Immortal itself was poor, as Bischoff STILL appears out of touch now and just looks now like he's treading water until they can figure out someone else to step in and take his place. (personally I like a Jackson James heel turn to lead Immortal into the future. They could even play off the real life angle of this and make it work.)

3a. Really disappointed they didn't do more with Kendrick, but I'm wondering if there isn't a swerve mixed in whereby Kendrick turns heel and is actually working FOR Immortal in an attempt to destroy the X Division, a division Kendrick could say never gave him the respect he was due.

4. I will be REALLY glad to see the Jarrett/Angle storyline end, though I liked the angle of using Sky getting involved. More on that later.

5. The Joe/Crimson angle is off and running and I like the intensity. Can't wait to see where this one goes. Could be very good or very bad.

6. The KO match was horrific and was horribly executed. Could Sky look any worse as a wrestler than she does? Look, who doesn't like her look right? And her mic skills are above average. But she looks INCREDIBLY uncomfortable in the ring and I'm not sure wrestling is the right fit for her. Perhaps as a manager? I just don't see the long term prognosis for her wrestling career as being a good one. Does anyone else TRULY see her as the KO Champ? REally? Can't wait for this storyline to be over. Even Love looked bad last night and I'm sure it's difficult to pull off the whole zombie thing while being athletic. Winter is a great heel character, is a solid wrestler, but needs to work on her in-ring look. There's potential there but it's being wasted.

7. I still think that Madison Rayne is money. The addition of ODB back into the mix should provide a nice pop for the anti-hero/SCSA fans. We'll see. If she's intense and sets aside the whole liquor drinking bimbo schtick, this could really get good.

8. Gunner has HUGE upside if they move him along and give him the right guidance. Obviously he has "the look" and his skills are very good. He's also very athletic so he has the package IF they can get him on the mic and able to carry himself without help.

9. EY is a very funny guy but the way they worked the angle with Gunner was just goofy. Kinda smacked of pre-wrestling matters era and didn't do anything at all for me. Gunner kicks the snot out of EY, takes back his belt, then EY pops right back up. Nah!!!!

10. Flair/Roode segment. At first, I liked it. Then it got too long and Roode repeating his lines too much. They should have gone 'at it' a lot quicker than they did, but the finish with Bully Ray (who I am REALLY impressed with in his current character) and Immortal jumping Roode sets the stage for Roode's singles push. Roode is an A player and they went out of their way to signal their intentions with him (as an organization) last night.

11. The whole destruction of the X Division thing. Loved the Abyss/Kaz match and thought it was by far the match of the night. Great work by both men, solid finish, though the idea of Abyss now being the 'thinking mans' wrestler kinda throws me a bit right now. I am though left wondering what to make of the outcome of last night as it relates to what TNA was trying to say about their X Division. Either this is going to be the end of it, or the rebuilding and rebranding of it. Will it now become a Cruiserweight division with a new title determined by a battle royal, thereby retiring the belt Abyss just won? Or will they opt for turning all these guys singles wrestlers and giving them storylines as singles?

12. Sting. I REALLY liked the whole Anderson as old-school Sting segment. Quick, to the point, and told a story in seconds. This one is going to really be good and should really put them on the way to much bigger success.

So overall, I give TNA credit for improving the production by quite a margin and liked most of the matches.

The opening was great, and it was good to see them take Hogan and Foley out of the spotlight. It was a big step in the right direction.

 

[T2KFreeker]

It wasn't bad. A step in the right direction, as previously said. The end of the show was a bummer as it was all promos and the start was a promo again. Still, the look of the show was slick, I enjoy the opening much better than it has been, and the matches seemed quite a bit more solid than they have been. It isn't the original TNA that I fell in love with, but it isn't the same crap they have been doing for a bit. If they keep on this path as far as matches and simple promos instead of the overdone and way too thought out crap they have been doing then things could go well.

On two side notes:

The X-Division is about to become quite relevant again. Abyss winning the title is the start of it. Have to start somewhere so instead of judging the whole thing from one nights worth of Impact Wrestling, let's see where it ends up first. Als, the Machine Guns didn't come out because I am sure that they are both injured at this time, yes?

The other is. Joe VS Red was obviously the way they wanted to continue the feud between Joe and Crimson. Did Red look weak? Hell yes. Why? He's in the ring with a guy that outweighs him by how much? Not that Red is a top tier X-Division talent either. I agree that this is sad as Red is an amazing talent that could go far with the right stuff behind him, but still, this is what they needed to do. It makes things more personal without having to run a bunch of BS promos and the like. They let the talking get done in the ring, where it should be in wrestling, damnit!

 

[rondiesel2005]

It wasn't bad. A step in the right direction, as previously said. The end of the show was a bummer as it was all promos and the start was a promo again. Still, the look of the show was slick, I enjoy the opening much better than it has been, and the matches seemed quite a bit more solid than they have been. It isn't the original TNA that I fell in love with, but it isn't the same crap they have been doing for a bit. If they keep on this path as far as matches and simple promos instead of the overdone and way too thought out crap they have been doing then things could go well.

On two side notes:

The X-Division is about to become quite relevant again. Abyss winning the title is the start of it. Have to start somewhere so instead of judging the whole thing from one nights worth of Impact Wrestling, let's see where it ends up first. Als, the Machine Guns didn't come out because I am sure that they are both injured at this time, yes?

The other is. Joe VS Red was obviously the way they wanted to continue the feud between Joe and Crimson. Did Red look weak? Hell yes. Why? He's in the ring with a guy that outweighs him by how much? Not that Red is a top tier X-Division talent either. I agree that this is sad as Red is an amazing talent that could go far with the right stuff behind him, but still, this is what they needed to do. It makes things more personal without having to run a bunch of BS promos and the like. They let the talking get done in the ring, where it should be in wrestling, damnit!

I agree with what you said about Amazing Red. From my understanding is that before they made Amazing Red beat Joe before, but last night, Joe looks like he gotten fatter and Beat Red like he was nothing and he probably the smallest guy on the roster right now. Now it made him weak as hell and they are letting him do two roles, Amazing red and Sangriento which makes no sense to me. They should let me be just Amazing Red.

As for the whole new outlook of impact Wrestling, i thought they be better off with Sliver and Black instead of baby blue looking like smackdown

 

[Kenny Powers]

The show wasn't bad, but with all the hype I would have thought we would have seen at least a main event or a match that lasted more then five minutes. There may be a new name, new lighting, new ring, and new arena, but Impact is still the same. There might have even been less wrestling this week then last week. Hopefully in the weeks to come we will see even more wrestling and an actual main event to lead out the show. The entire show doesn't need to be only wrestling, but a squash match, two diva matches, and a tag match with Eric Bischoff doesn't sound like wrestling matters to TNA.

 

[Cena's #1 In My Heart]

The entire show doesn't need to be only wrestling, but a squash match, two diva matches, and a tag match with Eric Bischoff doesn't sound like wrestling matters to TNA.

Quick Knockouts happen in UFC...

Just because their women means it's not wrestling?

And Eric Bischoff was in for 3 seconds of the match....

I know it wasn't the greatest showing of wrestling.. but its not only about the in-ring wrestling, its about the brands focus... instead of worrying about whos going to join immortal... lets worry about whos going to win in the ring... which includes promos.. tash talk... all that..

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

This is another marketing ploy. the whole "wrestling matters" thing is goofy. You can't sell wrestling as a sport. ROH started out hardcore on that. Like it was annoying. Then they became more of a wrestling entertainment company with promos and angles. It can't be promoted as a sport because it obviously isnt'. They're athletes and it hurts, but pro wrestling is a high risk performance art that requires a lot of skill.

I don't watch TNA because I don't have time and I really don't like it. I really doubt that much is going to change. Anytime I turn on TNA it's gotten more and more "out there" and not in a good way.

Don't say "quick knockouts happen in UFC" it's 2 totally different things. The quicker people realize this the quicker companies can start succeeding. Joe vs Angle in a cage that they tried to work like a UFC fight was embarrassingly phoney looking. It's pro wrestling, it's predetermined, don't try to act like it's not. If you want to focus on in ring wrestling, do that. You won't gain in the ratings, but you'll get more respect. Work more with ROH, be like them only with more power and with a lot of their former guys back.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Does 'Wrestling Matter'? For my tuppence worth, I'll structure my answer into the various categories as I saw them...

Opening segment: I thought it had its pluses and minuses; on the plus side, Easy E did a pretty good job on the stick and the slimmed down (in Ray's case, literally) Immortal looked more... together, I suppose is the right word. It was nice to see members of the X Division standing up for themselves. The brawl looked pretty good - I always think a brawl should look reasonably realistic without looking to slick and this nailed it quite well. Negatives, only four of the X Division care that Bischoff is trying to destroy them? Four members of Immortal were outnumbered by the X Division guys AND Fortune, could someone please explain to Impact creative that the idea to garner sympathy for faces in this circumstance is not to have double the number of good guys as bad guys.

Matches:
6 Knockout Tag Match: Don't really know why some posters are so down on this match, I was fairly impressed at the work the girls did in a format that traditionally can make even the most adept Divas/ Knockouts look very weak. Plus it did sterling work at progressing the Tara/ Madison feud. I have read a comment somewhere complaining that neither the KO nor KO Tag belts were elevated but personally I prefer one storyline progression at a time (and given the participants, how could you set up a new KO or Tag feud with the remaining four?).

X Division Match - Kaz (champ) versus Abyss: Best performance from big Abyss in an age, the terror of the X Division could be the angle to push him to a credible level again. I just hope it's not at the detriment of the X Division. Having to feign the injury to win the belt was a nice touch to keep some credibility for Kaz.

Samoa Joe versus the Amazing Red: Whilst not a fan of the burial, I can actually see a logical progression here. I'm guessing that this will remove Red from the picture so that he can concentrate on his Sangriento persona. Plus it did a nice job of setting up a Joe feud people actually seem interested in. One last point on the squash, it was by Samoa Joe who had his initial run in the X Division so I don't feel it was detrimental to the division.

Eric Bischoff & Matt Hardy versus Generation Me: Probably my least favourite part of the evening. Seeing Matt defeat Gen Me single handed really saddened me, especially as the Bucks seem to idolise the Hardys. Despite not liking the outcome though, it was a fair enough bout and not getting their hands on Eric makes for more suspense.

Velvet Sky versus Winter & Angelina Love (handicap match): Like the earlier six girl bout, I quite enjoyed this. No, Velvet will never reach the performance levels of Mickie or Tara but she has improved in recent times and I prefer her to the Bellas and one of them is the current Divas champ! It's also nice to see ODB return, I'm guessing she will be the next one chasing Mickie for the KO belt.

Miscellaneous:
Imposter Sting: blatantly obvious from early on that it was some asshole impersonating Mr Borden but a nice start off move towards their PPV bout nevertheless.

Immortal and the Network: Backstage segment with Eric suggesting that Double H has regained control... does this mean that we're back to no wrestling TNA next week? Impact Wrestling isn't even an episode old and we're told to tune in next week to here what Hogan and Foley have to say about the future.

Gunner, Eric Young and Ms Tessmacher: The EY/ Tessmacher photoshoot was funny (if slightly disturbing) and the subsequent EY/ Gunner angle tied up the loose end from the previous week around the TV Title (in an even more disturbing way - Gunner beating up a guy in his skivvies *shudder*) . However, I hope a feud between these two isn't going to materialise. If they want to legitimise the TV Belt and Gunner, a comedy feud is not the way to be going. A more logical progression would be against someone like Matt Morgan.

Angle and the Jarretts: Pretty good segment, it was nice to see Double J acting like he had a set for once until the appearance of Karen. Velvet turning up raised a smile without devaluing the feud. One minor quibble, Sky came out to aid Angle but when it came down to the handicap match and subsequent ODB beatdown, Kurt was nowhere to be seen. One of their guerrilla camera guys (a style I really like) catching Angle leaving the Impact Zone or even a short statement by Tenay or Taz would have explained this.

Fortune versus Immortal: Give the devil his due, this was actually very well scripted. After the initial brawl to kick off the show, we knew that AJ was sidelined due to Tommy Dreamer (bringing everyone up to date, who hadn't seen Sacrifice). Shortly after this segment, we were updated that James Storm had rotten injured and was away to be checked out. Kaz was then meant to have injured his back in his match with Abyss and also had to leave the arena. Then AJ came out then and had his face to face with Dreamer which was pretty good and made Tommy look interesting for the first time in years (I have one gripe, but I'll get there shortly). When he and the excelling Bully Ray beat down AJ and then got the upper hand on the Fallen Angle too, every member of Fortune was accounted for when the Flair/ Roode faceoff occurred. Despite Bobby getting the initial edge over Flair, we all knew that he was SOL once Immortal came to make the save.

Here's my gripe, Fortune represent the lifeblood of the company and are meant to be standing against the past its coming in to live off and destroy that which they worked so hard to build up. Explain to me then why AJ and Bobby kissed so much ass prior to the inevitable brawls? To me, it would have stood more in their stead if they'd gotten into the faces of Tommy and Ric or if the heels had attempted the kiss ass approach only to swerve them.

Other thoughts: I like the fact that we only seem to have the quicker paced guerrilla backstage moments now, the removal of backstage interviews (explaining Christy Hemme as the ring announcer) gives the program a more in ring feel.

Asides from the new colouring and the removal of all reference to 'TNA', the Impact Zone doesn't really seemed to have changed at all - all the elements are were they'd been the week before (ring position, audience layout, ramp, announcers' desk, even Kurt Angle's entrance elevator).


Conclusion: As a start off point, I'm personally very optimistic. While Gen Me and Red didn't exactly look great, at least the X Division did seem relevant for the first time in years. Storylines and feuds were advanced and loose ends were tied up nicely, giving it a far better structured feel. The much derided Immortal finally felt like a worthwhile faction and all four full time members came out at the end of the program looking better than when it kicked off. It wasn't all perfect, someone really does have to study heel factions 1on1 because they should never come across as being in the weaker position (just ask the Spirit Squad) and I definitely wasn't a fan of AJ and Bobby's ass kissing promos. All in all, I'm really looking forward to next week and just hope that the returns of Hogan and Foley don't ****** this initial good work.

 

[Planty]

I really enjoyed the new set / graphics on Thursday's show. I can't put my finger on it, but it made the show look much more legitimate. I think it might just be that the Impact Zone which we've been so used to seeing, now suddenly looks like a new arena. And that change of scenery can only do great things for TNA.

Though in terms of the product? It was essentially the same thing. Segments with Immortal... check, Angle/Jarrett segment... check.

Now there isn't really anything necessarily wrong with this. I actually found both of those segments for example quite enjoyable. Though if you're going to market a show as being rebranded and being all about the wrestling, then don't deliver a show that sticks to the same formula as always. It wasn't disappointing in terms of quality, though the changes were few.

Now some of what I'm about to say isn't necessarily on the topic of an all-wrestling show, but these are features that TNA really needs to focus on:

-Continuation.

It was good to see that the Hernandez/Morgan feud continued when Hernandez returned a while ago, with a new spin on it. That's the sort of logic the company really needs to use with feuds. However the company missed a big chance to make Mick Foley seem very legit as the Network Executive. They could have made it seem like this had been a plan for quite a while, allow me to show you this:

[youtube]xYOi9r7q1Zw[/youtube]

It was back when Hogan and Bischoff joined TNA that this angle began (and got dropped pretty soon). Bischoff said he wanted to make Foley more corporate, seeing him as an asset. Foley could have mentioned that karma just bit Bischoff in the ass because he helped him to talk business. Thus, all of a sudden, it gives the feeling that this angle had been set in stone for a while. Just a sentence or two adds so much depth to the storyline.

-PPVs / Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling has to seem different than PPVs and vice versa, in order for Impact Wrestling to look more groundbreaking. They need to take more PPVs on the road whenever possible, of course all of this costs money and for a company like TNA it might not be the right move just yet. So in the meantime, little changes to the set would make a big difference (e.g. banners like Bound for Glory, which wasn't at the Impact Zone but ideas can be taken from there). Big differences to the graphics should be made too (which they already do for some PPVs).

One of the main things however, should be less titles changing on free television. Yes, it's nice to reward the fans who watch your show every week. But a title change all the time becomes less of a reward and is a case of spoiling your audience.

In the past year (I love you Wikipedia):

• Two out of the five World Championship changes were made on Impact
• Two out of the four Television Championship changes were made on Impact
• Three of the seven TNA X Division Championship changes were made on Impact, with a further two at Live Events.
• Two of the six TNA Knockout Championship changes were made on Impact, with a further one on "The Whole F'N Show" special PPV Quality Impact.
• Two of the three TNA Knockout Tag Team Championship changes were made on Impact. It's also interesting to note that out of six title changes since its inception, four have been on Impact.
• None, however, of the two World Tag Team Championship changes were made on Impact, maybe this is one of the reasons why people praise TNA's booking of tag teams?

Throwing in the live event changes, Fourteen out of Twenty Seven Title Changes haven't been made on Pay-Per-View. So no wonder some fans are skeptical before ordering a pay-per-view. Whilst title changes are not everything, having this frequency on Impact (and a few at live events), isn't helping your championships.

It's also interesting to note that every championship except the Knockouts Championship has been vacated at least once this past year. Which in some cases isn't TNA's fault, but they put the title on Rob Van Dam for example then had to do an injury angle to ensure he didn't go over his contracted dates. It's decisions like this which are hindering the legitimacy of the championships.

Again, these are just a couple of points. So whilst TNA are going with this "Wrestling Matters" slant now with Impact Wrestling, I think there's some much more important changes that could be made here. I'm not bashing the company, I'm just thinking of what could help their product.

 

[amazing_blue]

I will say this about iMPACT Wrestling - they've got me looking forward to next week's show and have me somewhat interested in their upcoming PPV. That's more than I can say about the WWE right now.

 

[Fenris]

I don't know if it lived up to the hype some people thought it would be or not. I did enjoy it, however. In my opinion it was a strong and really good episode of Impact. I was especially glad to see ODB back as it is an entertaining gimmick and Jessica is one hell of a talent to have on your roster. It sucked when they got rid of ODB, but now that she is back? All is forgiven.

The only thing I didn't particularly enjoy is the new colors and logo. Maybe i'll get used to it and adapt but so far I think it looks somewhat bland and ugly, plus it doesn't fit the programming. Light blue and white scream Hollywood entertainment, darker, sharper colors fit the whole NC-17, cutting edge bad attitude aura that they're going for.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Did it live up to the hype? Absolutely not. Show me the last pro wrestling event or anything pro wrestling related in the last decade that was hyped and lived up to it and I'll shoot myself in the balls.

Was it a good/better show? Yes. Did the show's content show some sort of a change to herald the coming of this new era? Yes.

Usually TNA would book the show like so:

-Promo
-Promo
-Promo
-Short Match
-Promo
-Promo
-Short Match
-Short Match
-Promo
-Promo
-Main Event

Last week's show was different. It had a couple of promos followed by the same amount of matches, then a promo, a match, a promo a match and then finished it up with a promo which is a one-off occasion.

The wrestling on the show was much better than other weeks. Nothing over 6 minutes I believe, but pro wrestling matches are not about the time in the ring, they're about what happens in the ring, and all the matches were decent to very good. Enjoyable for sure. It was obvious that those guys were told to amp it up this week, and they did.

As far as promos, angles, storylines and everything that went on outside of the ring, some new storylines were sparked, some well done promos were cut, other angles were continued and we had ODB come back which was a pleasant surprise.

A very good show to kick off the new era. Didn't live up to the hype some people put on it, but it certainly worked the way I thought it did. It's "Wrestling Matters" not "Spotfests Matter" or "An hour and a half long matches matter". Wrestling - backstage promos, inring promos, storylines, angles, twists, comedy, drama, wrestling matches. That's what they say matters, that's what they're doing and will continue to do and polish as time goes by.

 

[The A]

I don't watch much of impact (like most of the populous it seems) but the wrestling matters thing is a classic example of using your opponents momentum against them. With WWE so strongly emphasizing "not wrestling" It was perfect for Impact to do this because true wrestling fans do care about wrestling especially nowadays but the wrestling has to be entertaining haha! To me Impact seems lost quite frankly. Amature footage of indy leagues in basketball gyms are less painful to my eyes than tna production. Its not gonna work man Im sorry you cant do decent wrestling with sting, RVD, etc on the roster? and with no entertainment (storylines, heels/faces, promos) wrestling doesnt matter!!

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I don't watch much of impact (like most of the populous it seems) but the wrestling matters thing is a classic example of using your opponents momentum against them. With WWE so strongly emphasizing "not wrestling" It was perfect for Impact to do this because true wrestling fans do care about wrestling especially nowadays but the wrestling has to be entertaining haha! To me Impact seems lost quite frankly. Amature footage of indy leagues in basketball gyms are less painful to my eyes than tna production. Its not gonna work man Im sorry you cant do decent wrestling with sting, RVD, etc on the roster? and with no entertainment (storylines, heels/faces, promos) wrestling doesnt matter!!

Have you been living under a rock for the last year and a half? No storylines, characters and promos? I'm not going to tell you what's wrong with that statement, but someone reading this right now is snickering because we all know that TNA not only does that, they do TOO much of it, to the point where they did a 360 and turned from a company that focused on the in-ring action to a company that focused on anything and everything BUT the in-ring action. Thankfully, TNA is looking to change that, hit the restart button and give the fans a bit more of what they asked.

Also, if production is a factor in liking/disliking the product, then don't ever bother watching anything pre-1998, because you'll cry blood.

Like you said, you don't watch much of iMPACT Wrestling, but to be frank - you didn't have to say it, your post spoke for you instead.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Not at all. "Wrestling matters"? More like "insane booking" matters. I don't hate TNA, so don't get me wrong. I still like them and will continue to watch. However it makes me angry when they promise "huge changes that will shake the foundation of wrestling" that never EVER live up to fans' expectations. It did not live up to the hype because it's still the exact same show only now it's under the Impact Wrestling name.