Impact Times Three: Multiple Shows in One TNA Broadcast

Last night's show was a chance for TNA to show its true colors—and its potential as a wrestling company. What we received was three shows: one with TNA talent, another featuring the friends of Hulk Hogan and former WWE/WCW talent, and a third made up of various segments that did not fit with the rest of the broadcast.

The following is a review of the show, split into what came across to me as the two main portions, and then a review of the segments that didn't seem to fit anywhere else.

Show No. 1

On this portion of the broadcast we had TNA wrestlers wrestling, more or less:

a) Steel Asylum X-Division Match: This was basically unbearable. While I loved the surprise appearance of Jeff Hardy, the whole idea of Homicide going nuts and hitting everyone with a baton was horrible. Even the fans were chanting, "This is bull*hit."

The worst part about it wasn't even necessarily how it ended but how some of the best talent the company has to offer was completely wasted. All of Mike Tenay's and Taz's buildup of the X-Division was for naught. All we saw was some terrible booking and a glimpse of a fresh face in Jeff Hardy.

b) Tara v. ODB, Knockouts Championship: Decent match, wasn't anything we haven't seen before. They could have done more if given the time.

c) Taylor Wilde & Sarita v. Hamada & Awesome Kong: Superb match, with both teams putting in a great effort. Truly a highlight of the entire night.

d) Matt Morgan & Hernandez v. Dr. Stevie & Raven: I can't understand the point of this squash match. Morgan and Hernandez have been billed for at least the last four months as some of the best young talent on the TNA roster, and they spend ten seconds on my screen during TNA's biggest ever television event?!?

e) Pope D'Angelo Dinero interview: Truly the only enjoyable speaking segment on the whole card. The Pope's character is terrific, and he has the talent to back it up. (See comment re: Orlando Jordan below, in show No. 2.)

f) Pope D'Angelo Dinero v. Desmond Wolfe: Good match but could have been better if given the proper time. I was simply upset at the fact that Wolfe was not given a proper buildup, seeing as he's been feuding with Angle for the last two months.

g) Samoa Joe v. Abyss: If this match was meant to feature Samoa Joe, it didn't work. Given Abyss' own dominance in the past, and his shear size and strength, Joe's basically dominant win did not feel right.

h) AJ Styles v. Kurt Angle: To be blunt, simply phenomenal (though, I could have done without the intrusion of the masked man). The whole broadcast should have been in this style. It's sad that we only got to see this type of content for the last 20 minutes of the show, and especially sad that the show ended on such a sour note with the Foley/Hogan/Bischoff angle.

Show No. 2

On this portion of the broadcast we had a nod to Hogan's friends:

a) Hogan's speech and interaction with Bischoff and Hall/Nash/Waltman: Basically Hogan and Bischoff went on about how they're going to change TNA, which they did by simply adding in some of Hogan's wrestling buddies. The interaction with the old NWO running-mates was tired—we've seen it before, yet it's being shoved down our throats once again.

b) Val Venis joining the Beautiful People's card game: We wanted surprises, but I wouldn't say this was a good one. Morley is a talented wrestler, but he's not that great that he should be taking the spot of others currently on the roster. And, simply, the gimmick is worn out.

c) Orlando Jordan interrupting the Pope's interview: Another surprise that we didn't need. Orlando Jordan is not even a recognizable name, and if I remember correctly he wasn't released from the WWE on the best of terms. Not exactly someone I'd be hiring if I were in Dixie's shoes, but, hey, Hogan likes him so that's all that matters, right?

d) Bubba the Love Sponge: Seems decent enough to do the job, but the whole cut-in on Jeremy Borash was very strange. And are we truly going to have three backstage interviewers?

e) Three segments devoted to the Nasty Boys getting into the arena: Wow. I mean anyone who knows Hogan saw this coming, but I was desperately wishing it wouldn't actually happen. These guys are way past their primes and do not belong on any wrestling show, period. It scares me to think that they're being set up to feud with Team 3D. The worst part was simply how much television time they received.

f) The final segment: Foley and Hogan/Bischoff: Had the show ended on Styles v. Angle, fans would have had a reason to tune in next Thursday night—and, by the way, did anyone ever mention that Impact won't be seen next Monday night, but rather next Thursday? While Foley delivered some good lines, the whole Bischoff/Hogan conspiracy echoing the days of the NWO is long expired.

Show No. 3

Other segments that didn't seem to fit into either category and really didn't make much sense:

a) Appearance of Ric Flair: Great to see the Nature Boy, though we didn't hear a word from him.

b) Appearance of Sting: Again, great to see Sting, but all we saw were shots of him in the rafters.

c) Random beat-downs: Various TNA wrestlers were beat-down throughout the night, including the Motor City Machine Guns, Beer Money, and Rhino.

d) Chris Daniels' interview cut short: Daniels is a solid worker and deserved much better given his performance at Final Resolution.

e) Jeff Jarret's speech in the ring: I appreciate Jarrett telling us about his love for the company, but the back-and-forth between him and Hogan about who owns the company and who has control was downright confusing, and I'm sure it was even worse for those who don't know the whole story behind it.

This was made even more confusing with the final segment of the broadcast where Bischoff tried to explain why Foley's position as "executive shareholder" no longer carried any weight.

To sum up, for all of Hogan's and Bischoff's preaching about how great the TNA talent roster is, and how all the "young guys" are going to receive a push, the only change I saw was the original TNA talent getting pushed to the back in favor of Hogan's personal friends, and a sprinkling of some surprise guests.

The broadcast was immensely disparate, essentially feeling like multiple shows in one. This included several segments that just made no sense and a number of storylines that were downright confusing.

In a recent blog posting, Paul Heyman predicted what TNA's broadcast delivered, "Check out a bunch of former WWE big name stars in a six-sided ring with some of our own guys who aren't quite so recognizable."