TNA's Instant Impact Recap for 2/2/2012: Groundhog Day Edition

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages... Welcome to the second installment of Instant Impact, Bleacher Report's recap of all things and happenings in Dixieland! We examine the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of what was on Impact tonight.

The Good:

Wembley Arena environment makes TNA feel big-time. This is further proof that TNA needs to find some way to place their shows on the road because it makes them look like a legitimate number two promotion. The crowd was electric, and it seems that the matches/promos were inspired tonight. I know that many more fans watch TNA than WWE, but this was on another level, and it came through on TV. Bring a PPV to the UK!

Samoa Joe and Magnus get the upper hand. Message to the WWE: this is what happens when you let the hometown folks get a win. Let's face it, the tag team title reign of Matt Morgan and Crimson has been awful at best, but it's not their fault because until now there were no contenders. Samoa Joe and Magnus have displayed surprising chemistry (which kept getting mentioned throughout the match) but they need to finish the deal and win the straps.

Aries beats the local folk. X-Division champ and the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived took his talents across the pond to face local wrestler Mark Haskins. Funny part was that the crowd was cheering for Aries the entire time against Haskins. He fought Aries very well and seemed to have victory assured until he missed the shooting star press, only for Aries to hit the brainbuster/bridge combo. I could watch Aries sitting down watching paint dry—he is that good.  

Sting announces the 4-way at AAO. Impact began when the Icon made his return to England and announced that the main event at Against All Odds would be a 4-way match between Roode, Hardy, Bully Ray and Storm. Good promo skills by all involved, and extra credit to Mike Tenay for bringing up that Sting once won the WCW World Title in England against Vader.

Bully Ray vs. Storm. First, I'd like to say that Sting has found the perfect role as the head of authority in TNA. Unlike the bore that is Johnny Ace in WWE, it's refreshing to see a leader/GM/authority figure that isn't just looking out for the bad guy.

As for the match itself, it was good to see Storm get the win over a solid effort by Bully Ray.  Despite the overbooking, I felt this should be placed in the Good because TNA continues to build up Storm as a star that the fans can get behind.

The Bad:

Hulkamania returns to the Global Impact Zone, and the crowd goes mild. Garrett Bischoff came out to announce the world's worst kept secret when he told his dad that Hulk Hogan was his personal trainer. TNA couldn't have botched this any worse. Sure the crowd noise was high when he came back, but I seriously doubt anyone marked out watching it at home, and if you did, get a life.

I admit that Garrett has really grown in his mic work, and it looks as if they are going to have a tag match against Gunner and Eric. Ah, just what I missed, Daddy Bischoff pulling out the karate gear. Hogan saying TNA is doing everything right is ironic considering they were doing everything wrong when he and Bischoff were hogging the TV time each week.

Tara defeats Kim. Last week, Tara became the number one contender for the Knockouts title.  Much like Storm vs. Roode, they should not have teased this prior to Against All Odds, as now I'm not inclined to watch their match, especially if Gail is getting the W. I guess they will have Madison Rayne somehow get involved.

The Ugly:

Storm vs. Roode. This was all wrong mainly because this should not have been done before Lockdown. Even if they wanted to go this route, just have Roode lose by the typical DQ finish and not have him pin Storm with that weak spear.

Overall, TNA put on a great show for the British. Let's hope they continue this build to Against All Odds on a good note.

Instant Impact rating: 4 out of 5 stars