So what is a perfect iMPACT!?

[Weems2k]

Reading the reviews, and threads about Impact/TNA product, most of the people are usually ripping on it, than giving it credit. It seems like nothing is ever good enough. If Impact is more wrestling orientated, they complain there isn't any story. When Impact focuses more on the storyline, then the wrestling gets bashed. I'll admit that TNA isn't perfect, and this whole ECW reunion is kinda ho hum for me, but what do you people want from them? I keep reading how this guy should get pushed, or that feud needs to continue, and when TNA actually does do one of those things, it still gets bashed to hell.

So I have to ask all the smarks on here, what would make a perfect Impact? What main storyline would you come up with to carry the show for a couple months? Who will get the pushes? Lets see all the would be "book makers" here can actually do more than just complain.

 

[Sting's Bat]

Really there is no such thing as perfect because everyones perception of perfection is different. Your post already points that out with people being unhappy if they focus on wrestling vs story or vise versa.

As for a great impact i have to say the one comming on the 12th sounds pretty damn good to me go guns.

 

[Bobby B]

Well, I think "perfect" is asking for a lot, but here's what I want to see to make a good impact in my eyes:

Fewer gimmick matches - Anyone heard of overkill? I think in the last month we've seen more gimmick matches than ones without. It devalues them each time they happen, and it gets boring after a while.

Fewer run ins during talking segments - I'm yet to see a talking segment that hasn't had atleast 1 or 2 run ins. It gets so boring, let people talk, and stop every talking segment turning into a clusterf*ck of talent.

Fewer shitty finishes to matches - Nothing stinks of bad booking quite like 75% of your matches on iMPACT finishing without a clean finish. Every match has to have an interference, ref bump, use of the ropes, use of a weapon. It gets dull. I understand why these finishes are used, but it gets dull when we rarely see a finish that seems natural.

Big matches buried in random points in the show - Kurt Angle against Hernandez with Kurt Angle's CAREER on the line. If you're going to run with the "I'll retire if I lose" story (which is so annoying, because it means he can't lose - but that's for another day) don't dump it 40 minutes into impact. And these best of 5 series matches between The Guns and BMI, not that I'm a fan of gimmick matches in random shows, but make a big deal out of it. I doubt many people will disagree that they've been the best matches on the card for the last 4 weeks, so why not main event them, particularly when it's a cage match.

Old men - The fewer the better. That big clusterf*ck on iMPACT pissed me off so bad, old guys who have no business on the show except to bleed the purses of TNA dry, I don't want to see it.

So...

...iradicate all that, and you'll have a pretty good show. Perfection will only come after that.

 

[Weems2k]

I guess Perfection is quite a stretch. What would be the ideal Impact?

I don't mind the gimmick matches just as long the participants can actually work the type of match (i.e. Flair's street fight was bad).

More clean finishes would be a nice change of pace, even if the heel wins.

The "old" guys I can deal with to an extent. I'm intrigued as to where the whole Sting/Nash and Hogan/Bischoff angle is going. They haven't actually been building it as their main story, which is a good thing. I just hope it doesn't lead to a BFG main event between Sting and Hogan.

Is it me, or is Orlando Jordan being built more as a Goldust character?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Well, I think "perfect" is asking for a lot, but here's what I want to see to make a good impact in my eyes:

Fewer gimmick matches - Anyone heard of overkill? I think in the last month we've seen more gimmick matches than ones without. It devalues them each time they happen, and it gets boring after a while.

Fewer run ins during talking segments - I'm yet to see a talking segment that hasn't had atleast 1 or 2 run ins. It gets so boring, let people talk, and stop every talking segment turning into a clusterf*ck of talent.

Fewer shitty finishes to matches - Nothing stinks of bad booking quite like 75% of your matches on iMPACT finishing without a clean finish. Every match has to have an interference, ref bump, use of the ropes, use of a weapon. It gets dull. I understand why these finishes are used, but it gets dull when we rarely see a finish that seems natural.

Big matches buried in random points in the show - Kurt Angle against Hernandez with Kurt Angle's CAREER on the line. If you're going to run with the "I'll retire if I lose" story (which is so annoying, because it means he can't lose - but that's for another day) don't dump it 40 minutes into impact. And these best of 5 series matches between The Guns and BMI, not that I'm a fan of gimmick matches in random shows, but make a big deal out of it. I doubt many people will disagree that they've been the best matches on the card for the last 4 weeks, so why not main event them, particularly when it's a cage match.

Old men - The fewer the better. That big clusterf*ck on iMPACT pissed me off so bad, old guys who have no business on the show except to bleed the purses of TNA dry, I don't want to see it.

So...

...iradicate all that, and you'll have a pretty good show. Perfection will only come after that.

Yeah, I pretty much have to agree with this. There are a few things I'd also add to this.

Lay Off The 3 Minute Championship Matches - If you're going to bother with featuring a match for a supposedly prestigious wrestling championship on your program, then at least attempt to make it seem that the match has some meaning. The best uses for 3 minute matches included being used as buffers or fillers. How can you expect anyone to care about a title scene or even who a champion is if the matches takes less time than it does to take a pee and wash your hands?

Make The Main Event Seem Like A Main Event - To some degree, this is also a complaint regarding the usual 3-5 minute main event matches to that iMPACT! usually has as their main event. I think the longest main event match TNA has featured on iMPACT! in a long while has been Abyss vs. Tommy Dreamer at 8 minutes. Most of the time, they tend to last about half that time. If TNA wants to make its main event matches seem important enough to stay tuned in for and want to see rather than continuously looking at the clock the way I often do, then at least try to make it seem to be more than a throwaway filler match.

 

[bigbadwolf2010]

Is it me, or is Orlando Jordan being built more as a Goldust character?

Really? How can you possibly say they're trying to make Orlando Jordan into a Goldust character? Last time I checked, Golddust does not suck on his finger while seductively looking at his opponent. Last time I checked, Golddust does not try to big rob terry. Last time I checked, Golddust is seen as a "bizarre" character,. Orlando Jordan is also bizarre. But that is all. They're on the same road, the bizarre road, but then after a while they separate and take different routes.

 

[The "Blueprint"]

Just my opinion..

No More TNA Rankings: How about longer feuds? i mean they're not really even feuds more like set matches and a "beef" leading into to the next ppv

Lost Top Talent: Shouldn't guys like Pope and Samoa Joe be on tv more? I mean RVD and Angle aren't going to be there forever, Jeff could get sent to prison, and Mr. Anderson is injury prone. So i would like to see more of Joe and Pope on impact because i believe they will be carrying TNA in the near future. No more Orlando Jordan and Eric Young.

Less Run Ins: No more "I see you need help, so im coming with a chair" segments would great..it seems like every impact someone is getting beat down in a segment then RVD or Mr. Anderson comes with a chair

Janice: Abyss is never going to use that on RVD and everyone knows it so he can quit carrying it around. He suppose to be a monster, i don't remember Kane ever carry around a weapon to be his equalizer. He just naturally destroyed his opponents

"Surprise" Announcements: Why not just have it happen and surprise people instead of all the twitter talk.

iMPACT Zone: they can't compete with the WWE when they don't go on the road. Im not saying they have to sell out MSG, but they could atleast leave Florida for a taping in a reasonable capacity like the Desoto Civic Center.

Forgotten Angles: I can't keep up. What happened to Eric and Kevin Nash? Samoa Joe's kidnapper? Are they still doing the whole "Mystery Biker" angle? Desmond Wolfe and Chelsea? The X Division vs Williams?

Bringing in more talent: They have enough guys on the roster who never appear on tv and they come in and automatically win championships (RVD) or get loads of undeserved TV time (Tommy Dreamer in the main event)

Ric Flair Wrestling: the guy is a legend, yes, but he doesn't draw and he's old and should keep out of the ring..another member of Fortune should face him like Kazarian.

 

[Dspiracy]

Well, i believe TNA try to do too much too fast at one time. They need to slow the show down completely. Intro are too fast. They not dramatic like WWE intros, like Triple H and Randy Orton. They try to squeeze too many matches in one impact and utilize all there talent on one show, which just cant be done. Gimmick matches are way too often and should be used sparringly to develop great rivaries and stories, not just because. One thing have notice huge was that Pay Per Views all look like a regular TNA Impact show. Whatever happened to special stage set ups and ring banners like WWE does or WCW use to do. Pay Per Views jus look dull and unexciting.

 

[CorkscrewBackElbowDrop]

small quibble but they need to stop using smoke in the impact zone, its a reallly small room, and it makes it have a really low quality feel because it messes up the quality of the cameras, so what other people have already said is spot on but thats my 2 cents, also they need to develop talent, not mooch off people

 

[donfryeismyhero]

My idea of a perfect Impact & for that matter Raw & any other wrestling show in general is that the storylines are supposed to compliment the wrestling, not the other way around. Also storylines should follow simple logic and never ignore it's past i.e. WWE totally ignoring the fact fact that Shawn Michaels & The Undertaker fueded back in 1997-98 which ofcourse led to the first ever HIAC when they started fueding again prior to WM 25. The more depth to a story the better.

 

[MammaJamma22]

While you do make some valid points, I feel that your arguments against TNA apply just the same to the WWE....

No More TNA Rankings: How about longer feuds? i mean they're not really even feuds more like set matches and a "beef" leading into to the next ppv

The rankings is a nice concept that keeps the fans involved with voting and also keeps an element of realism in what is predominately an industry full of over the top story lines and characters. Also makes otherwise meaningless matches important. Gives you the impression that the wrestlers are there to work towards something.

Lost Top Talent: Shouldn't guys like Pope and Samoa Joe be on tv more? I mean RVD and Angle aren't going to be there forever, Jeff could get sent to prison, and Mr. Anderson is injury prone. So i would like to see more of Joe and Pope on impact because i believe they will be carrying TNA in the near future. No more Orlando Jordan and Eric Young.

I agree that I feel like certain guys do need to be pushed into the forefront, but the same could easily be said for WWE. Up until recently in the WWE, it seems we were being force fed the same people in the main event and the same matches. Also, how is Anderson injury prone? He is certainly not as bad as some people have been. Not to mention, Pope JUST came back from injury -- so they are slowly inserting him back into the picture. Yes, they could do a better job of pushing other, younger guys, but WWE is just as guilty.

Less Run Ins: No more "I see you need help, so im coming with a chair" segments would great..it seems like every impact someone is getting beat down in a segment then RVD or Mr. Anderson comes with a chair

And WWE has never done this on a regular basis? Outside of the original Nexus attack, seems to happen a lot.

Janice: Abyss is never going to use that on RVD and everyone knows it so he can quit carrying it around. He suppose to be a monster, i don't remember Kane ever carry around a weapon to be his equalizer. He just naturally destroyed his opponents

Actually, Kane did carry around a weapon. He used the chain/hooks from "See No Evil." Was only during his brief feud with Khali going into Wrestlemania 25, but it did happen.

"Surprise" Announcements: Why not just have it happen and surprise people instead of all the twitter talk.

In this day and age with social networking being so popular, it's just not gonna happen. TNA could be like WWE and put a vice grip on the balls of their talent, but that never seems to be their agenda. WWE lives inside of a bubble and forces their audience to do the same. Plus, with all the sites leaking news and information, why not have the talent/people within the company drop hints. There will never be a true, genuine OMG surprise in wrestling anymore -- just can't happen.

iMPACT Zone: they can't compete with the WWE when they don't go on the road. Im not saying they have to sell out MSG, but they could atleast leave Florida for a taping in a reasonable capacity like the Desoto Civic Center.

TNA goes on the road for house shows and PPVs on a regular basis. No, they don't tour ALL the time, but it's something they are slowly moving towards. I am not entirely sure this theory is reasonable....not in modern day of TV and the internet. Fans can get their fix any way at any time. Plus, it's actually nice to see a company who cares enough about their talent not to make them take to the road for so many days out of the year.

Forgotten Angles: I can't keep up. What happened to Eric and Kevin Nash? Samoa Joe's kidnapper? Are they still doing the whole "Mystery Biker" angle? Desmond Wolfe and Chelsea? The X Division vs Williams?

I will give you this one...their storylines are disjointed and scattered....but again, so is the WWE. WWE acts like we all have a two week memory span. Don't you remember when Haas and Viscera were feuding over Lillian Garcia? Remember when they simply ended up laughing at her and then teaming up? When finally asked "WHY?" their response was simply: "We could tell you....but we won't." WOW! So TNA is not the only one guilty of inexplicably halting story lines.

Bringing in more talent: They have enough guys on the roster who never appear on tv and they come in and automatically win championships (RVD) or get loads of undeserved TV time (Tommy Dreamer in the main event)

RVD hasn't really wrestled much on Impact since winning the title, but again, WWE is just as bad here. I think at one point there was like a two week stretch where he didn't wrestle. So many guys are featured week in and week out, but then numerous others are lost in the fray. Happens all the time.

Ric Flair Wrestling: the guy is a legend, yes, but he doesn't draw and he's old and should keep out of the ring..another member of Fortune should face him like Kazarian.

Ric Flair is old and yes, I would prefer he didn't actually wrestle...but how can you say he isn't a draw still? What are you basing this on? Simply because he is in TNA now? So because Lawler doesn't have gray hair yet, it's ok for him to continually make in-ring appearances?

WWE suffers from most of, if not all, of the same problems TNA does. I think most people are willing to ignore these and other problems simply because WWE is the juggernaut of pro wrestling.

 

[ilapierre]

I am not really one of those aforementioned smarks. I have a few things in mind that TNA can work on to improve and make a more perfect Impact. But let me just start off by saying that besides the main event of last Impact, I thought the show was perfect. I loved every match and segment. I don't think i've seen a better Impact yet. It had the perfect balance of old guys, interesting events, great wrestling both tag and singles, and it had a WCW Nitro feel to it for the most part. So, to make Impact perfect would be if TNA could give us a show like Nitro with the right mix of things to make it as good as it can be for as many people as possible.

 

[CenaSucker&OrtonFucker]

I just want to see Christopher Daniels back in TNA.

 

[Rayne]

TNA doesn't need to have a "perfect" Impact. I think having one perfect Impact would actually be worse for them, because they cannot afford many more false starts if they still have hopes of building a wider audience. People get disillusioned.

What they need to have is a series of passable Impacts. Their biggest problem with TNA right now is their writers. They have the talent they need. They have the TV deal which seems amazingly flexible. But they aren't giving people a reason to start watching again. I'm not talking to the people who still watch TNA every week; TNA's whole strategy in hiring everyone the WWE didn't want was to spend money to make more money by bringing in a bigger audience. Why does someone tune into Impact and want to watch it?

Obscure storylines which get dropped without notice. Feuds which are promising but never built up (AJ/Pope, anyone?) Publicity stunts which do nothing to promote the brand in the hopes of a quick payday.

The people in charge of writing for TNA had their glory days in the 1990's, caught lightning in a bottle once, and haven't done much impressive since. TNA needs to get themselves someone who can write a compelling story that makes people ask "what's going to happen next week?" It could be someone they find on Craigslist who sends them a good script, it doesn't have to be another 1990's once-been.

As far as what I'd DO myself? Bearing in mind I have no idea what the backstage political scene looks like in TNA? TNA seems to want writing that will turn around the ratings in a month, and that's something Jesus, Moses, and Muhammad couldn't do working in harmony. I'd need at least six months. First, you'd have to end whatever feuds you have now. Doesn't have to be a good ending here, you just have to provide closure to the audience, so they get the impression storylines will start having closure. I'd put the World strap on a monster heel (a muscular one, Abyss can work but to a mainstream audience, he looks like a fat Mick Foley). I'd give this role to Rob Terry, with a giant, "enough is enough and it's my time" style push beforehand. I'm not guaranteeing he'd work, but he's got the ability to make it work. Have him maul the hell out of a couple of popular mid-card faces. I'd put Pope in the role of top face. Have him chase the title for several months, through various other matches. AJ Styles (as a face, his heel run has been terrible) would be excellent to build Rob Terry's credibility in the meantime. Why Pope? I want someone who hasn't been a world champion yet that the fans can get invested in his chase with. He's someone that fans would jump out of their seats at home when he finally won the belt. (And I'd have him win it on a Thursday. Live. The fans shouldn't see the actual moment he wins the belt coming.)

I'd say Mr. Anderson could make a credible heel world champion for that role, but he's jumping ship to WWE as soon as he can clear his contract, if they'll have him back.

De-emphasize all of the 1990's stars TNA is pushing. They're good for getting new eyeballs, but when you base your promotion around them, you send the message that your own products are no good, and that you NEED those imports in order to produce a compelling product. (Which is true, they do need those people, but you can't make it obvious.) TNA should be headlined by people who got hot in TNA, not people who got hot in WWE years ago.

Always, always building the brand. I would not make a decision regarding TNA's writing without asking myself, "how does this decision set up my writing three and six months from now?"

 

[harrythem]

A perfect Impact doesn't exist. No wrestling show is perfect. The closest TNA has come, in my view, to a perfect Impact was the night RVD won the TNA title. It just seemed a night that everything clicked for them. They then seemed to head backwards after that but, personally, that was the first night that, when Impact finished, I couldn't help but be madly impressed and gagging to see what was going to happen the following week.

 

[ramblinroy682]

Perfect Impact:

1. 3 Way match involving Anderson, Hardy, and RVD for the World Title. RVD and Hardy take each other out. Anderson can pin either man, and pins Hardy for the Title. Anderson is the new champ, and regains heel heat. RVD and Hardy begin a feud, in the process RVD begins to turn back to the heelish, cool tweener he was in ECW.

2. Pope later challenges Anderson and sets up Anderson vs. Pope feud.

3. Desmond Wolfe challenges AJ to a fight. If Wolfe wins he gets a shot at the TV title. Wolfe wins and we begin an AJ and Wolfe feud. During the Process, AJ manages to continuously cheat to retain his title, but Wolfe is booked to look solid.

4. Jay Lethal versus Kaz for the x-division title #1 contender spot. Lethal wins. Flair comes out and cuts a promo on Kaz. Flair complains that since being named a member of Fourtune, Kaz isn't getting it done. Fourtune comes out and beats up Kaz. In the process, a new member is being added. Christopher Daniels comes out and joins fourtune. This sets up a feud with Kaz and Daniels.

5. Beer Money regains the world titles for MCMG. They are then challenged by LAX.

6. Kevin Nash cuts a promo...Samoa Joe interrupts and takes out Kevin Nash.
7. Sting cuts a promo...Samoa Joe interrupts and takes out Sting.
8. Hogan cuts a promo...Samoa Joe interrupts and takes out Hulk Hogan.
9. Samoa Joe cuts a promo...his new mission is to take out all the old timers. He is single handedly going to rid TNA of the old cancers.

10. Matt Morgan comes out and demands that he finds a new tag team partner. Eric Young volunteers, but comes out acting like the World Elite leader character. They form a new tag team. They say they are going to be a newer, cooler version of the outsiders.

 

[barclayteo]

get rid of dixie carter and vince russo plain and simple!!!!.


weems2k that is an insult to goldust first of all goldust may be a weird character but that is an insult to him fans love him. orlando jordan is one step away to making the match go to a bathroom and being called the gloryhole match they take his bi lifestyle and push it up 500 degrees. anytime i see him on there i turn it off cause when he spends half of his match eye screwing his opponet it takes away any fun of watching tna

 

[Kenny Powers]

Tonight's Impact was a perfect impact in my opinion. Everything flowed with great matches and a great angle with the Fourtune faction laying out the new extreme group in a pool of their own blood. They even took out the world champ. No Orlando Jordan, no Eric Young and mannequins. Only great tag matches and angles. Hopefully TNA is like this every week.