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


Ricky Jackson

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2 hours ago, Memphis Mark said:

 Impact/ TNA just kicked NJPW off AXS TV  a year early because they refused to be partners.   The odds of NJPW and Impact being partners have to be slim and none.  In the long run I would not be shocked if NJPW buys ROH from Sinclair and broadcast ROH / NJPW on Sinclair 's  multiple platforms.  Anderson and Gallows may work some NJPW dates . However I seemed to recall that 4 talents quit NJPW after  Wrestle Kingdom with no notice.  Might be some heat .Might not be. Only Gedo knows.

NJ had guys on one year deals going from January-December, and all four  were set to be free agents. Shinsuke wanted to work an easier US style, and AJ/Gallows/Anderson got the typical "throw big bucks around to take another company's top guys because you can" offer.  I doubt there would be any heat, normally they wouldn't expect the gaijin to follow the usual Japanese ethos of staying loyal to one company. Plus Gallows and Anderson have always spoken well of their time in New Japan and clearly were looking to to back, so there clearly wasn't any heat on their end at least. 

There is also the possibility that under ideal circumstances NJ wouldn't want to work with Impact, (due to everything from the AXS situation all the way to still having hard feelings over Okada being used as a stereotyped jobber on his excursion there), but not being in a postion to not do business with anyone who wants to work with them in the new COVID influenced world.

Plus there is that weird dynamic where Don Callis and his crew were trying to smooth things over and build a relationship, only to have the Anthem people steamroll everything by cancelling the TV programming. 

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30 minutes ago, Migs said:

He hasn't announced for them in a while, but he presumably still has decent relationships over there.

 

He spent the transition from announcer to head of Impact trying to convince the brass in New Japan that it's entirely different group in charge than the ones that make Okada into a joke. 

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So yeah Tessa was totally ghosted on this week's show, which is kinda old-school. The company does hurt though, because Elgin & Tessa were two of the main-eventers and Tessa had been their biggest and hottest name, and all of a sudden these are not there anymore with zero mention on TV. And then you get a Super Eric tease at the end of the show, which is probably the worst tease they could have done with me... 

Highlight was Locker Room Talk with Bravo, Taya and Rosemary. Slammiversary still looks like a pretty good card on paper.

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Between Madison Rayne interviewing herself on Locker Room Talk (those mini-steps killed me, also I'm convinced she's been inspired by Nicole Kidman in To Die For), Swinger trying to be Suicide and failing miserably and Moose saying there was "no proof the Earth was round", this week's show has been the most fun in weeks.

Plus two strong matches in the opener of Taya & Rosemary vs Susie & Kylie Ray and the closer of Callihan vs Alexander. They sure did a good job with the video hyping the main event of Slammiversary too. Also been enjoying Kimber Lee, hopefully she'll get some wins in the future.

Dunno what the tease was this week with a Beautiful People match in the Flashback... Maybe Tara. Maybe, well, Velvet (if Bully Ray shows up, why not ?).

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I was thinking more of a simple appearance at the PPV. 

But hey, they made Johnny Swinger one of the best thing in pro-wrestling in 2020 (not even joking). They managed to refresh RVD. At this point they can bring anyone and I have faith in this team to make something fun out of it.

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I think this is the payoff to Impact continuing to do shows now - with AEW hitting about the max roster size they want and ROH and MLW not running shows, Impact is going to be able to pick up a good chunk of the WWE releases and bolster their mid -> upper card. I can't say I've found Impact's empty arena shows particularly engaging, but I think in part that's because the roster was feeling really depleted after the last couple of years of talent leaving. This should put them in a good position, particularly when crowd return.

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They really have done a masterful job rebounding after the Tessa debacle. Those hype videos for the main event... you forget that Elgin & Tessa even existed and you don't care either way. Plus they have convinced me that anyone could actually win that match. The way they have made Ace Austin into a legit credible main-eventer in a span of a year is nothing but great long-term booking (with the added bonus of the Trey feud coming back at a different level). This guy could show up in AEW tomorrow and be right up there with Jungle Boy or MJF as a futur star.

So, three glasses, uh ? Maybe two of them are Anderson/Gallows... Again, this whole teasing deal had been very fun.

Slammiversary marks the two years of me following the promotion as it happens (as opposed to diving nose first into TNA) and really, Callis/D'Amore should be called the understated success story of the last two years, not because of them gaining an audience (in this context and with the bagage of the promotion, it's almost impossible), but because they made IMPACT a super cool underground lab of a promotion with some of the best booking around, a perfect study on how to work around limitations (and not only that, as their women's roster is blowing away AEW's on every level, even without Tessa).

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1 hour ago, sek69 said:

I'm actually buying an Impact PPV for the first time in a long while, I'm all in on seeing where everything goes. 

The production, lack of crowd and Moose/Dreamer are my main concerns.

The returns and debut/almost Slamboree Legends Reunion gimmick will extend the show to a decent and enjoyable PPV window runtime at a time when WWE is ending their PPVs short and is using cinematic matches to break from the sterile no fans environment. 

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49 minutes ago, rovert said:

The production, lack of crowd and Moose/Dreamer are my main concerns.

The returns and debut/almost Slamboree Legends Reunion gimmick will extend the show to a decent and enjoyable PPV window runtime at a time when WWE is ending their PPVs short and is using cinematic matches to break from the sterile no fans environment. 

No crowd is what it is, I don't like it but it can't be helped so I've learned to live with it. 

Impact's production has always had a charm to it to me, it kind of adds to the "little engine that could" vibe the promotion has where you know they are very aware how the show looks but dammit they are doing the best they can.

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