Slam Houston's TNA Spotlight: May 3rd Edition

Slam HoustonMay 5, 2010

Overall, the May 3^rd edition of TNA Impact was a success. Unsurprisingly, it was much better than the competition. Of course that’s not to say that everything was perfect. Here’s a look back at some of the memorable and not so memorable moments.

Highlight: Jay Lethal

Few can argue that Jay Lethal’s impersonation of Ric Flair was not highly entertaining. The crowd’s “double vision” chant was superbly clever. Say what you will about the tiny Impact Zone, but it can enhance the fan interaction at times.

Surprise: The Ending

The final segment ended with a mind-numbing whimper. Hulk Hogan’s confrontation with Sting was advertised as something we couldn’t miss; a colossal summit between two wrestling icons. Frankly, Hogan needs to withdraw from any planned physical action. Sting still has the physical ability to be a relevant participant in the program, but get Hogan out of the ring. Then Jeff Jarrett was added to the mix. Sure, Jarrett isn’t as decrepit as Hogan, but the show’s main purpose is to entertain its fans. Is Jarrett entertaining? Has he ever been entertaining? OK, so he’s the founder of the company. This doesn’t mean he is (or ever was) entertaining. Jarrett and Hogan need to take a step back and let the real entertainers drive the show, at least during the final “hook” segments.

Forgetful: The Changes

We were supposed to see the two best tag teams in wrestling, the popular and talented Motor City Machine Guns against the deceptively gifted Beer Money. Instead, they throw in the antiquated Team 3-D and cap it off with a run-in from more has-beens, The Band. We were supposed to see “The Freak” Rob Terry as the first guest on the O-Zone. Instead, we get a picture of Rob Terry. We were supposed to see Hulk Hogan present Ric Flair’s ring to an unknown individual. Instead, we see Jay Lethal with the ring and an assumption that he was the unknown individual.

TNA also made the announcement to return Impact to Thursday nights. This is a wise decision. WWE Raw and Monday Night Football have long been kings of Monday night. There’s no reason to compete with either of those giants at this point. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard if TNA will continue to produce live shows once they return to the Thursday time slot.