Post by qwerty on Jan 9, 2015 2:22:48 GMT
I watched Impact this afternoon. Before I go any further, I want to put my viewpoint in perspective; I came to this show a couple of days after WK9 and immediately following an hour-long rumble style LU episode. That’s what Impact had to compare with, and by the time I finished the 1h 30mins I was done with wrestling. Drained. Just done for the day, thanks to Impact, when I’d initially planned to power through some of the other stuff I’d missed or been meaning to skim. But I said I'd watch last night's DA debut without prejudice, willing and hoping to like what was offered and, honestly, I thought it was ok. I'd go as far as to say better than the recent Spike episodes, so I'm going to maintain that open mind and hopefulness. For now.
TNA has another new beginning, this time on DA – a channel not available to a good percentage of the people who’ve been following the product for the past few years. TNA seems to have forgotten this small detail because they booked this show with only half attention to introducing the roster to a new audience.
I know it annoys long-time fans of anything when commentators talk as if we are newcomers and the broadcast is loaded with fluff about who’s who, but it has to be done sometimes. And they did remember this periodically – featuring all the titles and most of the upper card talent, the whole X Division backstory and intro to Low Ki – but they kept forgetting. Kong’s return gets little explanation as to why anyone should care. They tell us almost nothing about Aries, Lashley and Taryn despite them all leaving as champions. It’s taken as a given that people will be invested in Joe and Low Ki arriving ringside looking like Aces&8’s rearing its nightmare head again and recall backstory between EY and Roode when EY just pops up and acts insane out of nowhere, then trundles off doing his crazy beardo face.
All par for the TNA course, come to think of it. We even opened with a TNA Brawl. What’s that famous quote about the more things change, the more they stay the same? That’s just how TNA rolls.
The Good:
- KONG! This is a return I was hoping for. The Knockouts division needs something and having her back can’t hurt. Her and Havok are a given, but her and Havok as a team could be fun later on too.
I think I saw a post where someone new to TNA praised the Knockouts compared to the WWE Divas. Eh, not really. The girls coming up from NXT are solid and while the Knockouts are ok, they have a poor top talent to overall numbers ratio.
- I like the production improvements. Some are subtle but still enough that the difference between Spike Era Impact and Impact Destination America is noticeable.
- Lashley. Credit where it’s due; TNA have helped build him into a credible champion almost any wrestling fan can get behind. I root for the guy, and I never expected that.
- Aries and Low Ki put on a nice little match. Only complaint - it didn’t feel ‘big’ as it should have (note to TNA: watch how NJPW made the Intercontinental Title seem legitimately half of a double main event at WK 9). This was two legends of the X Division; if you want to rebuild the title as the company #2 belt, you need to amp up the importance.
- EC3. He can work a character while interacting with the camera and the crowd, and there’s always a place for that in wrestling. This, rather than say technical wrestling, is his above average skill – see his NXT work if you’re unfamiliar – and while it doesn’t make me want him carrying the top title I do have lots of time for him doing what he does best. Yeah, he’s a bit goofy, even in his heel role, but I’m ok with that.
The Unfortunate:
- Seeing all the former talents featured in the X Division video package reminded me of how many of them I miss. I started thinking of promotions they’re working with these days and how I should make more time to watch those shows. That probably wasn’t what TNA was going for.
- The Knockouts Battle Royal. That folks, is your Knockouts roster. All of it. Featuring the Bro Mans and TBP.
- Everything that happened in the closing moments aside from what Roode and Lashley were doing in the ring. And yet, it wouldn’t be Impact without moments like those.
- Spud sprawled across Borash like he was his beloved grandpa on the verge of death or his boyfriend taking his last breaths. I love Spud, but this was just overacting that missed the comedy mark by a mile and was just meh. I could have lived without everything that happened in that segment after Tyrus carried Spud to the ring like luggage.
- I preferred seeing Angle in his non-wrestling role. Yeah. That’s all I want to say on the topic.
The Really Terrible:
- The thought process that led to Eddie and Davey thinking, “You know what would look cool on our chests? Giant claw marks like we’ve been freshly mauled by werewolves! Yeah!”
- James Storm and his band of not so merry masked men. I don’t care how much effort is put into this, or how much explaining is going to happen on Tenay’s show – this is wrestlecrap masquerading as gritty. I love wrestlecrap, but I like it to be honest about what it is. And sorry, but Storm still sounds less like a prophet and more like a lunatic rapist holed up in a survivalist’s abandoned cabin.
- There’s dark, and then there’s the crowd disappearing into a black void beyond the first row. I’m streaming video from my laptop to my tv, and the picture is always a little darker than the actual broadcast, but this was weirdly dim for a venue of the size being used. Impact wasn’t filmed in a dive bar or a warehouse so this atmosphere doesn’t work.
TNA has another new beginning, this time on DA – a channel not available to a good percentage of the people who’ve been following the product for the past few years. TNA seems to have forgotten this small detail because they booked this show with only half attention to introducing the roster to a new audience.
I know it annoys long-time fans of anything when commentators talk as if we are newcomers and the broadcast is loaded with fluff about who’s who, but it has to be done sometimes. And they did remember this periodically – featuring all the titles and most of the upper card talent, the whole X Division backstory and intro to Low Ki – but they kept forgetting. Kong’s return gets little explanation as to why anyone should care. They tell us almost nothing about Aries, Lashley and Taryn despite them all leaving as champions. It’s taken as a given that people will be invested in Joe and Low Ki arriving ringside looking like Aces&8’s rearing its nightmare head again and recall backstory between EY and Roode when EY just pops up and acts insane out of nowhere, then trundles off doing his crazy beardo face.
All par for the TNA course, come to think of it. We even opened with a TNA Brawl. What’s that famous quote about the more things change, the more they stay the same? That’s just how TNA rolls.
The Good:
- KONG! This is a return I was hoping for. The Knockouts division needs something and having her back can’t hurt. Her and Havok are a given, but her and Havok as a team could be fun later on too.
I think I saw a post where someone new to TNA praised the Knockouts compared to the WWE Divas. Eh, not really. The girls coming up from NXT are solid and while the Knockouts are ok, they have a poor top talent to overall numbers ratio.
- I like the production improvements. Some are subtle but still enough that the difference between Spike Era Impact and Impact Destination America is noticeable.
- Lashley. Credit where it’s due; TNA have helped build him into a credible champion almost any wrestling fan can get behind. I root for the guy, and I never expected that.
- Aries and Low Ki put on a nice little match. Only complaint - it didn’t feel ‘big’ as it should have (note to TNA: watch how NJPW made the Intercontinental Title seem legitimately half of a double main event at WK 9). This was two legends of the X Division; if you want to rebuild the title as the company #2 belt, you need to amp up the importance.
- EC3. He can work a character while interacting with the camera and the crowd, and there’s always a place for that in wrestling. This, rather than say technical wrestling, is his above average skill – see his NXT work if you’re unfamiliar – and while it doesn’t make me want him carrying the top title I do have lots of time for him doing what he does best. Yeah, he’s a bit goofy, even in his heel role, but I’m ok with that.
The Unfortunate:
- Seeing all the former talents featured in the X Division video package reminded me of how many of them I miss. I started thinking of promotions they’re working with these days and how I should make more time to watch those shows. That probably wasn’t what TNA was going for.
- The Knockouts Battle Royal. That folks, is your Knockouts roster. All of it. Featuring the Bro Mans and TBP.
- Everything that happened in the closing moments aside from what Roode and Lashley were doing in the ring. And yet, it wouldn’t be Impact without moments like those.
- Spud sprawled across Borash like he was his beloved grandpa on the verge of death or his boyfriend taking his last breaths. I love Spud, but this was just overacting that missed the comedy mark by a mile and was just meh. I could have lived without everything that happened in that segment after Tyrus carried Spud to the ring like luggage.
- I preferred seeing Angle in his non-wrestling role. Yeah. That’s all I want to say on the topic.
The Really Terrible:
- The thought process that led to Eddie and Davey thinking, “You know what would look cool on our chests? Giant claw marks like we’ve been freshly mauled by werewolves! Yeah!”
- James Storm and his band of not so merry masked men. I don’t care how much effort is put into this, or how much explaining is going to happen on Tenay’s show – this is wrestlecrap masquerading as gritty. I love wrestlecrap, but I like it to be honest about what it is. And sorry, but Storm still sounds less like a prophet and more like a lunatic rapist holed up in a survivalist’s abandoned cabin.
- There’s dark, and then there’s the crowd disappearing into a black void beyond the first row. I’m streaming video from my laptop to my tv, and the picture is always a little darker than the actual broadcast, but this was weirdly dim for a venue of the size being used. Impact wasn’t filmed in a dive bar or a warehouse so this atmosphere doesn’t work.
