Pro Wrestling: A WWE Fan Evaluates an Episode of TNA Impact (7/19/12)

One of the things that many WWE fans like to do is claim that the company is going in the wrong direction. WWE needs some more talent, some better storylines, because it's becoming stale. One of the most common things I hear and see in response: "TNA is doing it better! TNA should be competing!" or something along those lines.

So, I've decided to take them up on their claims: I'm going to watch—through the magic of Youtube—the most recent episode of TNA from 7/19 and see exactly what TNA is offering and give my thoughts and analysis along the way. Enjoy the ride!

Recap

- Opening promo: Right away, the voice-over guy reminds us that the company is called "Impact" and not "TNA." Oops. Sorry.

- So, we have AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels, two of the most outstanding in-ring performers of this generation, in a feud...over some chick named Claire and whether or not AJ is the father of her unborn child? Ha-ha, what? That sounds rather soap opera-y to me! In fact, didn't WCW do one of those storylines with Stacy Keibler, David Flair and Vince Russo? Nice way to kick off the show...though the Styles Clash off the stage was pretty awesome.

- I'm actually quite intrigued with this Aces & Eights group and the storyline that they're beating up everyone in sight. Apparently, Sting and Hogan are buddies now, and they're trying to take on this new group. Seems a little like someone is getting wistful for the days of the nWo...

- Oh, hey Tazz! Not for nothin', but I've missed your ugly mug.

- This "Bound for Glory" series sounds pretty cool. I like the idea of earning points based on not only winning matches, but how you do it. Sounds like something a "real" sports league does. I also like how the guys with the most points can "call out" anyone they want. Sounds like a great way to start feuds with serious bad blood to me...

- James Storm: nice promo, buddy. He certainly can talk. His entrance and his manner of speaking reminds me of Road Dogg...anyone know if this was intentional?

- Kurt Angle is the next victim of Aces & Eights, I see. Color me intrigued by this angle...

- Samoa Joe vs. "The Pope" DeAngelo Dinero. I've missed seeing Dinero (better known as Elijah Burke in WWE); I really wish WWE gave him more of a chance, as he was all kinds of awesome. Speaking of awesome, this was a great little match; I liked the amateur-style/MMA flavor to it. I know that this is common knowledge at this point, but Samoa Joe is a stud in the ring (and he's not a bad promo guy, either).

- Hi again, Jeff Hardy! You're still doing that weird hair and face paint thing, I see (and what the hell's going on with his eyes?). So he's going to fight...the infamous Robbie E! Who's that turd with him? And why is he carrying "The List Bro"? Or is that like the list, bro? Why do we care about a list? Oh wait, there's a match going on...and it's actually really pretty good. Nice, fast-paced little match between two solid workers, though that ending (Robbie E by count-out when Jeff chased after the turd) was iffy; then again, it worked in the context of the match. 

- ODB & EY...WTF?

- Oh hey, it's MIIIIIIISSSTTTAAAAAAAA...Anderson! Is he a face here? He's certainly acting like a heel (Impact certainly takes its TV-14 rating seriously with ODB cursing up a storm and Anderson calling Daniels a d-bag), but he seems to be buddies with AJ Styles, who he calls out for a match. Styles' gloves are crazy. These two are putting on an awesome little match; the pace is a little more on the methodical side, but it  has a great flow, and it's very technical and psychological. Styles is a hell of a worker, though I think that's kind of a given, and Anderson has improved quite a bit since his days in WWE. Anderson steals it with a reversal and a roll-up...

...roll-up.

- More soap opera nonsense here with AJ Styles and Claire. Claire shows him pictures of them in bed. AJ gives us "worried."

- Oh snap—Rob Van Dam! He calls out Christopher Daniels. Why is Daniels drinking during the show? And why did Bully Ray try to steal his drink? Is Bully Ray Daniels' lackey now? RVD still looks excellent in the ring—he's become more technical it seems. Daniels, of course, is outstanding. Yet another great little match with a nice flow and MMA-style feel to it (which the announcers are plugging quite a bit). Daniels steals it with a roll-up, but I like how he kept taking advantage of RVD's showboating. Very smart strategy.

- Austin Aries, the new champion, cuts a promo on Bobby Roode. The promo is a little...weird. Is his character a weirdo, or is he just not a great talker?

- Oh snap—Bischoff's kid is jacked! I hear he needs work on his in-ring skills, though. And what is Abyss doing with this Joseph Park gimmick? Does he have a split personality or something, or is Abyss really gone as a character?

- Next up: Magnus vs. Bully Ray. It's nice to see Bully Ray again (aka Bubba Ray Dudley when he was in ECW/WWE). Looks like he's lost a lot of weight, too. This match is a little slower than the others, and it has a little more stalling and walking around (like you'd see in a WWE match) than I've been seeing on this show. More brawling in this match, but then again, Bully Ray was never a technician in the ring. Bully Ray wins it with...an RKO? OK, sure.

- Chavo Guerrero is coming to Impact! Should I make the obligatory "WWE Retirement Home" joke here, or do you guys want to take it? Nah, you guys can take it.

- Last match of the night: Bobby Roode vs. Austin Aries. Yet another great MMA-style match with an excellent flow...hmmm. Aries can straight-up fly around the ring—didn't WWE have a shot at getting him a while back and didn't do it? That's a crying shame...I'd love to see him go up against Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. 

- So the main event ends with Aces & Eights beating down both Aries and Roode (despite teasing that Roode was behind their actions). Seems very Nexus to me...I wonder what the end result is going to be.

Final Thoughts

Pros:I know it's been said, but TNA/Impact is far ahead of WWE as far as the sheer number of great in-ring workers and quality of the matches they put on. Every match except for Magnus vs. Bully Ray could be characterized as excellent, and even Magnus-Ray had its moments (and probably could be a  semi-main event on WWE programming).

I don't see a lot of holes in the in-ring content here; the guys who wrestle for Impact can go in the ring, far better than most WWE guys can.

Cons: A lot of people are probably wondering, "Why hasn't TNA come close to beating out WWE?" Well, after watching the show I can tell you why I think they're not going to overtake WWE anytime soon: There's nothing to really see outside of the in-ring content.

Like it or not, for the last 20 or 30 years, pro wrestling has been about telling stories and entertainment; I didn't really see much in the way of storyline here. Yes, the Aces & Eights storyline is intriguing, but it's nothing original (it's a lot like WWE's Nexus storyline so far).

The other storylines presented were the AJ Styles-Clair-Daniels story (which is soap-opera garbage) and the Hulk Hogan surgery angle (which was just kind of brought up and dropped).

Also, while the promos that each guy cut were good, there was nothing memorable about any of them; no one really stood out, and everyone's promo seemed to be the same. You're angry, you want to fight, let's go. Is that all to the character development in TNA? The only person who stuck out was James Storm, and that was really only because he has a southern accent.

Finally, while the matches presented were excellent in quality, they all seemed...I don't know, they all seemed to be the same kind of excellent. The whole night. It was like watching a UFC/MMA show. If that's the case, then why don't I just watch MMA? WWE's performers, while not as skilled, each bring a different style and persona to the ring; Impact's guys were all generically excellent (that's a weird way to put it, I know, but it fits).

Overall, if TNA does want to compete (which I think they can), they need to make it so that we can tell who each guy is and why we should care about the performers themselves, not just the product.

As of right now, Impact is entertaining, but it's not entirely memorable.