Is Impact* the best wrestling promotion in history? *(Now TNA again, 2024)

[SomethingSavage]

Absolutely agreed. I noticed very early on in her Knockouts division run that she had a way of commanding the crowd and really drawing your attention to every little thing she does. You're not passively watching her matches for the bumps or the spots alone.

She makes all the in-between stuff so engaging. Her selling is supremely on point, and I honestly feel like that is what has elevated her game to another level lately. She's gotten SOOO good and skilled at all the little things - the fundamentals that form a real foundation and solid understanding of professional wrestling - that it's allowed all the apron bumps, table spots, and other shit to actually MEAN that much more.

[MoS]

For Riho, a match I would point out is the match with Nyla Rose to crown the inaugural AEW women's champion on the debut episode of Dynamite. It's not a classic or anything, but Riho takes an extremely green rookie and takes her through a match that gets consistently hotter and more over with the fans, and by the end, even though the match did not start out hot, the fans are totally into the finish. 

I recommend this because I share a lot of theories and opinions with @SomethingSavage on what makes wrestling good, and while a Riho match will generally never have 10 top-rope dives like a general Seth Rollins match, I find Riho to be very good in getting over the story of the match and getting fans invested in the story and in the result. 

[SirEdger]

When you think a bit about it, it's ironic that considering that Riho is a protégé of Kenny Omega, she excels at doing everything that Kenny Omega is being faulted by many for not doing in his matches. It also is telling about how good Riho really is, especially for a joshi of her size. The more weeks go by, the more I understand why she's been made the face of AEW's women's division once Kylie Rae left the promotion before it even got going.

[sek69]

Spoiler

Jordynne Grace won the Knockouts title at the tapings in Mexico City, I wonder if that has any connection to her man Jonathan Gresham rumored to get the book for ROH's womens division. 

 

[TonyPulis'Cap]

Haven't seen the Hard to Kill match yet, but Tessa was in four (I think) of my top 10 Impact matches last year, which says a lot. She was fantastic in 2019, building on from a strong 2018, and while I hate making comparisons, you'd argue that she is far more consistent than someone like Charlotte, who tends to have high highs, but also some real off nights. Not to just copy and paste what others have said, but she has real fire and intensity in everything she does - her matches feel like a real fight. In an age where it's been hard to make babyface's the crowd connects with, she is able to elicit sympathy whilst still coming across as a badass. It's a fine tightrope to walk, but she manages it. Having seen her wrestle live for the first time at the York Hall for Rev Pro a couple of months ago, she also carries an aura and a presence with her, that commands the room. That night she wrestled Gisele Shaw who has lots of potential but is still fairly green and they had a fantastic match, I'm sure a lot of which was down to Tessa.

It will be fascinating to see how Impact treats her title run, and deciding on if they want the fact she is a woman holding what has been a 'men's world title' or if they try and move away from that and as @SomethingSavage I think said, the story is her being an underdog champion but in the sense of her size rather than her gender.    

[SomethingSavage]

I was initially worried about her babyface turn in the beginning, just because her general demeanor and presence seemed to scream, "HEEL" all over. Looking back, that's crazy. She has absolutely owned it in her role as a babyface. Her selling and dramatic shifts during her matches feel as authentic as anything you'll see in 2020 professional wrestling. And I mean that.

She *does* come across as an undersized badass, eternally engaged in these uphill fights against male opponents. I watched the title win against Callihan with a couple of friends - one a die-hard like you guys, and one a strictly super casual viewer who hasn't paid attention to Impact since the Hardys left.

And I say all that to point out a reaction from the casual fan/friend of mine. At one point, when Tessa is simply selling her ass off and gritting it out while caught in a leg lock by Sami, she is just fighting and struggling in a scene that calls back to the year of our Stone Cold savior 19 and 97... And my friend's jaw just drops. Almost to himself (but loud enough where we can hear), he says, "That's one tough bitch."

Now I know that isn't politically correct. I realize some of you may be outraged as we speak. But that's fucking real, man. That's raw, visceral reaction. That's connecting with a previously untouched audience. That's Tessa Blanchard.

A Seth Rollins and a Kenny Omega never stand a chance of doing that. The fuck even are they? Zero character depth. Zero reason to connect or invest. Someone here recently told me I didn't get Omega, because his "character" is actually just that of a fun-loving video game geek.

Okay? Show me evidence of that carrying into his matches. Show me how he EVER conveys that anywhere. He doesn't. Outside of a video where he trots around like Dora the Explorer with his backpack, I don't see it.

If a casual fan watches Kenny Omega in a match, they'd never pick up that he's a carefree nerd. They'd think he's cosplaying Adrian Street or early Goldust with his prissing & preening and weird flamingo leg shit. There is no reason to take him seriously, because he makes no effort to treat anything seriously. It's all athletic flexing and "teehee, look what I can dewww!"

But I digress. Tessa Blanchard is leagues better than some of these guys who get touted as the best in modern wrestling. Because she has struck the balance & masterfully blended elements of the old school with all the contemporary fixings of today. She's literally in the middle of a run that's showing it can be done seamlessly, and there's really no need to sacrifice one for the other.

[sek69]

I'm not a fan of Sami, but a lot of Tessa being able to be such a good babyface in their match was due to him being so completely despicable.  I wonder if she would be able to garner that reaction against anyone else since her natural heel tendencies would come out. 

[SomethingSavage]

That's a fair question, although I think she'd have to be paired with a quality babyface for the dynamic to change. She DOES carry herself with a certainty and self-assurance that could cast her as the defacto heel against a stronger character babyface. But, even then, I'm not entirely convinced until I see it. Doesn't seem like a stretch to imagine that though.

Her selling for sympathy is THAT strong to me. And let's not forget. She had already crossed over into that cool geek territory, well before the actual turn took place. She was receiving cheers and crowd support for being so arrogant and self-assured in everything she did. I know wrestling fans are notoriously fickle and love to go against the grain, but I'm not so sure she would shake their support so easily by returning to her "bad" roots.

I'm a huge fan of Sami, so I may be biased in terms of just HOW MUCH I enjoyed their chemistry together. Callihan has been fantastic in every single angle & feud for years now. He made Cage interesting. He solidified Swann as something substantial & more than a Koko B. Ware tribute act on the undercard. He absolutely got the most mileage out of a program with Pentagon and Fenix involving masks, fakeouts, and head-shaving. He provided Tessa with a nemesis to fuel her meaningful arc, after doing the same (admittedly at a lower level) for Eddie Edwards two years earlier.

So yeah. I'm sure Sami's casting as the vile, despicable scumbag certainly helped. But Tessa more than carried her weight in their encounters. The fact that she defied Callihan - the crown prince of white trash - en route to her title win just made the moment a little sweeter.

[Alucard]

On 1/19/2020 at 7:23 AM, SomethingSavage said:

But going back to Tessa, she absolutely knows how to tap into that. She clearly gets it. Every moment, every second, and every inch of space is filled with SOMETHING meaningful. There's no dead air in her performances. She's either struggling, fighting back, firing up, or selling her ass off.

Seriously. The way Tessa approaches the "downtime" in her matches is so smart and critical to the overall performance. There's very little chance she'll lose your attention or give you reason to disengage from the story she's selling you. In 2020, I feel like that's such a rare feat and nearly a lost art in pro wrestling.

This is so true. I strongly recommend her recent WOW Women of Wrestling run as her matches throughout season 2 are an absolute master class, especially in selling, bumping, and facial expressions. Particularly matches against Serpentine (Thunder Rosa), Reyna Reyes (Gisele Shaw), Jungle Grrl, and the Beast were excellent and Tessa comes off like the world's best touring world champ throughout.

[rovert]

4 hours ago, Alucard said:

This is so true. I strongly recommend her recent WOW Women of Wrestling run as her matches throughout season 2 are an absolute master class, especially in selling, bumping, and facial expressions. Particularly matches against Serpentine (Thunder Rosa), Reyna Reyes (Gisele Shaw), Jungle Grrl, and the Beast were excellent and Tessa comes off like the world's best touring world champ throughout.

Definitely. WOW is heavily edited and practised. But man Tessa did an amazing job with Jungle Grrl and The Beast. Two people that are barely even part time Wrestlers. 

[Tenese Sarwieh]

Everyone please check out El Hijo del Vikingo vs TJP from this week's edition of Impact, it was an absolute banger. Anthem needs to help in every way they can to get this Vikingo's visa issues cleared because he has star written all over him. He reminds me when Rey Mysterio just burst on the scene in North America doing stuff I've never seen before.

 

[rovert]

11 hours ago, Tenese Sarwieh said:

Everyone please check out El Hijo del Vikingo vs TJP from this week's edition of Impact, it was an absolute banger. Anthem needs to help in every way they can to get this Vikingo's visa issues cleared because he has star written all over him. He reminds me when Rey Mysterio just burst on the scene in North America doing stuff I've never seen before.

 

A 110% on that one.

[Tim Cooke]

On 2/8/2020 at 6:59 AM, Tenese Sarwieh said:

Everyone please check out El Hijo del Vikingo vs TJP from this week's edition of Impact, it was an absolute banger. Anthem needs to help in every way they can to get this Vikingo's visa issues cleared because he has star written all over him. He reminds me when Rey Mysterio just burst on the scene in North America doing stuff I've never seen before.

 

Enjoyed this but Vikingo has been in much better and TJP is much better as well.  Didn't click as well as it should of.

[C.S.]

*Groan*

This is really a tweet by an official account? Yes, yes it is.

 

[SirEdger]

Without spoiling anything.....wait until the next batch of TV tapings in Vegas kick in.

[Migs]

I'm going to Rebellion! Other than the first few rows, tickets were about $40 with fees, which is pretty reasonable given the recent quality of their PPVs. Guess I need to hop back on the TV for a bit.

[SirEdger]

Pretty affordable  indeed!

[Migs]

3 hours ago, SirEdger said:

Pretty affordable  indeed!

Yeah, the first few rows were fairly expensive ($200 for the VIP package, $120 for front row, $60 for rows 2-4) but I have no problem with them testing out what the hardcores will pay for the top tickets at a PPV.

[C.S.]

Awesome and classy gesture by Impact. 

I wonder if the sleazy Sinclair-run ROH is doing the same, or if they're not paying talent while Silas Young tweets out "it's just the flu" like an blithering imbecile.

[Stiva]

Not sure if anyone is still watching this week-by-week but I can fully recommend seeking out the Mike Jackson vs. Johnny Swinger match for a 70-year-old guy who is in better shape than most of us, I'm sure.

[sek69]

On 3/16/2020 at 1:39 PM, C.S. said:

Awesome and classy gesture by Impact. 

I wonder if the sleazy Sinclair-run ROH is doing the same, or if they're not paying talent while Silas Young tweets out "it's just the flu" like an blithering imbecile.

It seems like ROH is paying people as well. I saw tweets from ROH folks saying they got checks for shows that didn't happen. Apparently they also got the green light to run shows in Florida if they wanted to and chose not to. 

 

[Migs]

Apparently Impact did 3 months of shows in 3 days in Nashville, but with a crew that lacked Tessa and the North, among others. So, um, who's ready for 30 minute Rhyno matches?

[sek69]

Not to mention 3 months of shows where the only title being defended is the X title. 

[SirEdger]

Well, if Jordynne Grace was there, the Knockouts title could be defended as well

[El-P]

If that's the crew they had for Rebellion, they'll probably be ok, since they are the best at making the most out of the least. Still, those empty arena match can be sad to watch. Mack winning the X-division title under those circumstances is quite anticlimatic (much like the first TNT champ coronation will be). On the other hand I thought Kylie Ray (what a catch for IMPACT btw) vs Kiera Hogan came out really good. Hogan has improved a whole lot in two years. And they really made the best possible out of Sami vs Shamrock, in what basically was a backstage brawl with music added. Sami is just so great, he refuses to have anything that appears meaningless. I guess this is the foreshadowing of some sort of Sami "babyface" turn (a la Austin).

Also, I must say, Madison Rayne has been really fun in her announcing role. Great (and safe) idea from IMPACT to have the couple announce together. It's obvious Matthews has too much fun being berated by this bitchy girl who wouldn't give him the time of day IRL... And the Locker Room Talk the previous week was gold.