TNA: Why Impact Wrestling Is Hitting Its Stride

Finally, all the right buttons are being pushed.

Isn't it great to enjoy Impact Wrestling again? Not since the middle of last year when we saw the push by Bobby Roode to be the best in the company has there been a time when it looked like almost everything that was being used was working.

And for the mean time, it will only get better.

I say that with baited breath only because I know what happens when I get excited about impact Wrestling. At some point I am disappointed so I am cautiously optimistic.

But it feels pretty good right now.

Heading into Victory Road, we have angles that work, feuds that appear to have some steam and untapped potential in the tag team division if creative (sans Vince Russo) can find other teams to compete.

And Bully Ray may be the best thing this company has in terms of a villain that is not fully developed yet.

Oh, it's a great time to jump on this bandwagon, mainly because we do not know where the ride will take us.

Here are some reasons why this brand is starting to make another move forward in the right direction.

Making Younger Talent the Focus

It's easier when you know what your best bets are.

Crimson, Zema Ion and others give this brand a strong future. Jesse Sorensen was part of this package before the PPV, but that is now not going to happen.

I wonder what happens if Robbie E really wrestles and talent like a Garrett Bischoff can really be a good athlete in the ring?

There is a future with many of these guys.

Austin Aries Is a Gem in the X-Division

Aries is so good, but he needs to be used more. Could he leave the X-Division and challenge for other titles, maybe become an AJ Styles-type with this company?

I see Aries as a little bit of everything a wrestler is and he would be so perfect in a battle with Styles or maybe a Christopher Daniels or someone that agile and versatile.

He is part of the future of this company.

Gail Kim Works as a Knockouts Heel

I think Gail Kim is the best female wrestler in the business, period.

Kim was a great fan favorite in TNA before leaving for the WWE. When she "quit" and returned to TNA, it was a masterstroke of genius making her a heel and having her challenge for the Knockouts Title immediately.

We don't have many females who really wrestle and Kim's athleticism is a nice and refreshing change from the "look good and then think about wrestling" attitude of other promotions.

Elimination of Vince Russo

It cannot be stressed what a big deal this is.

So much of the wrestling landscape over the last 15 years has been centered around Vince Russo, Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan for destroying storylines and franchises and the brand of wrestling as we knew it.

The fact Russo is out means this company is moving forward. There is no stagnation. There is air to breathe and everything seems more fluid.

Dissolution of Immortal and Fortune

The stables were great at first, but the storylines were skewed and then they were obsolete. They have a purpose if they are used properly.

A stable is used for domination and for a while, Immortal did that. Fortune chased them. Then they caught up to them.

Then the idea of the feud was dropped. It became more important to concentrate on singles battles and title changes.

Something was lost in the transition.

Heat Between Matt Morgan and Crimson

I like it because it shows the company is willing to have faces fight with each other.

Crimson and Morgan are a great tag team, much like Meng and the Barbarian were in the NWA years ago as huge dominating brutes. They are not Road Warrior-like, but a notch below.

The idea they are two head-strong wrestlers who can get their signals crossed could lead to another tremendous rivalry.

Elimination of the Jarretts

On the television screen.

No one can deny the importance of Jeff Jarrett in the development of this company. But his help with talent development and growth of the company worldwide is much more important.

Karen Jarrett is pretty to look at but awful on camera and her voice kills us all.

If they work behind the scenes, they can help this brand grow exponentially

The Emergence of Bully Ray

Is there a better heel in this business right now (some would argue Kane)?

Bully Ray has become another one of those tag team specialists who found his niche as a singles wrestler and will become a world champion.

Ray is tough, powerful and good on the mic. He has challenged everyone in TNA and has shown he can main event with the best of them.

Someone get this man a world title.

Magnus and Samoa Joe Work Well Together

I love them together. They look odd as hell, but they work well as a tag team.

In the mid 1980s Manny Fernandez and Rick Rude were World Tag Team Champions in the NWA and they looked very odd. Fernandez was out of shape but a bully in the ring. Rude was chiseled and a great technical wrestler.

Sometimes, history does repeat itself, even in wrestling.

Making Bobby Roode vs. James Storm the Focus

Finally, the feud we want to see.

With the help of Jeff Hardy, Bully Ray and Sting, we get what we want: two friends who became foes who will trade the TNA World Title back and forth.

I can see this as a Ric Flair vs. Dusty Rhodes or a Ric Flair vs. Harley Race type feud. The two will bring out the best in each other and keep TNA as mainstream as possible.

What a great rivalry to have this year.