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

[Tenese Sarwieh]

12 hours ago, SomethingSavage said:

Yup. Instantly thought of Eva Marie when I saw it. Really looks like everything her gimmick intended to be.

Their Knockouts division is absolute fucking fiyah right now. Good wrestlers, great gimmicks, defined characters, and conflicts that feel like they are about something.

Any of their women could be champion & it wouldn't feel out of place or disappointing. Everyone seems to serve a purpose and have some sort of direction. It's great.

So true and this has D'Amore hands all over it. He always had great vision when it came to the knockouts, especially at the beginning of their inception.

[BigBadMick]

Are there any recommendations for tv matches on Impact in the last few months? 

[TonyPulis'Cap]

31 minutes ago, BigBadMick said:

Are there any recommendations for tv matches on Impact in the last few months? 

A few that I think would be worth checking out, although sorry I don't have the dates - they should all be from the last couple of months:

Fenix vs Rich Swann - good X Division match

oVe vs Fenix, Pentagon and Rich Swann - this got a lot of love, although I wasn't as high on it as others - it's still a pretty fun spotfest

No DQ - Tessa Blanchard vs Keira Hogan - hadn't seen much of Hogan but she plays a great fiery underdog babyface in this

LAX vs DJ Z and Andrew Everett - both title changes back and forth

Austin Aries vs Pentagon - at the Impact titled Under Pressure. In fact you pretty much can't go wrong with any Aries matches this year on Impact

[SirEdger]

Brian Cage vs Matt Sydal. I haven't seen the Slammiversary match yet but even their match last week was really good on Impact.

[SomethingSavage]

Yeah. Aries has had a hell of a run there. I'd recommend the match with Morrison Mundo Hennigan Impact also.

[SomethingSavage]

I'm not exactly crazy about the BFG card or its lineup, but the weekly show is still super fun. Last week's Impact was a blast.

[WingedEagle]

On 8/19/2018 at 5:15 PM, SomethingSavage said:

I'm not exactly crazy about the BFG card or its lineup, but the weekly show is still super fun. Last week's Impact was a blast.

What's the projected lineup?  I was thinking about going given some of the buzz Impact has gotten in recent months, but will have to weigh that against the MLW taping a week or so before as well the Evolution PPV.  Can't drag the wife to everything and getting home at 1AM on a Sunday night isn't exactly appealing, but it is a chance to see Io Shirai in person.

[Alucard]

37 minutes ago, WingedEagle said:

What's the projected lineup?  I was thinking about going given some of the buzz Impact has gotten in recent months, but will have to weigh that against the MLW taping a week or so before as well the Evolution PPV.  Can't drag the wife to everything and getting home at 1AM on a Sunday night isn't exactly appealing, but it is a chance to see Io Shirai in person.

I think the only things officially being set up so far are

Austin Aries vs. Johnny Impact (possibly vs Eddie Edwards) for the world title

oVe vs. Pentagon/Fenix/Cage in an oVe Rules match

[WingedEagle]

Thanks.  Doesn't exactly sound like something I need to go out of my way for.

[SomethingSavage]

Yeah. The card just doesn't strike me as a super card, which of course their BFG is designed to be. But it's still early, and they certainly bought some goodwill with me based on the way Slammiversary turned out. So we'll see.

I like elements of the Edwards character arc, but it still hasn't struck me as a fully formed idea just yet. And that's fine, but I'm not sold on the idea of it being a headline act for their biggest show just yet. Feels like it should simmer some more first.

And I like Johnny, but his receiving a title shot feels out of left field to me. I mean, I guess he's quietly been winning. And he *did* have a really fun match with Aries on TV in the recent past, but meh. I'm a little cold on the developments since Slammiversary, but I'll give it a fair shot anyhow.

[sek69]

They are doing a two day taping in Mexico City, and day two is the same day as the CMLL Anniversary show. Pentagon and Fenix are scheduled to be on that show and one would expect them also to be involved in whatever Impact is doing. Normally one would think that "well just tape everything you need from them on day one", but remember they are partnered with AAA so never discount the opportunity for some interpromotional fuckery to take place. 

[SomethingSavage]

Pentagon Jr. and Callihan ripped it up in their Mask vs. Hair match at Slammiversary, and their feud is one of the very best things happening in Impact at the moment.

Tonight's the next chapter with their Mexican Death Match. Should be awesome.

[Alucard]

On 8/22/2018 at 4:32 PM, SomethingSavage said:

Yeah. The card just doesn't strike me as a super card, which of course their BFG is designed to be. But it's still early, and they certainly bought some goodwill with me based on the way Slammiversary turned out. So we'll see.

Agreed that while BFG has always been called their WrestleMania event, Slammiversary definitely felt more that way but maybe that'll change as it gets closer.

[SomethingSavage]

Yeah. There's still time. Plus, a lot of what they've done this year involves them successfully doing more with less. Like, nobody would have expected much from an Aries/Alberto feud. But their buildup was tremendous and had me actively anticipating their match. A fucking Del Rio match! That's nuts.

Same goes for Moose. It felt like they Monty Brown'd the dude a year or more ago, but nah. Callis & company successfully had me engaged and on the hook for that Slammiversary match.

No reason to not lend them a little flex room for this one. I think I just let my expectations run away after that awesome Slammiversary show.

Johnny isn't lighting the world on fire as a straight baby face or anything; but I'm digging Eddie's involvement. Cage looks out of place in that trios tag; but the actual match could be incredible, and of course I'm REALLY loving that they've kept the Callihan/Pentagon grudge burning. I'm uncertain about the latest move with Moose; but I have high hopes for Killer Kross and his future there.

So yeah. A lot of good stuff going on at the moment. And their weekly TV is right there with NXT in terms of consistency. It isn't offering up nonstop star ratings, but it's damn good television. There's renewed emphasis on characters, conflicts, and buildup. And they *do* include at least one worthwhile match each week. So there's always something to stick around for.

[KawadaSmile]

So. They just ran an angle where the OGz ran over a child.

It's as terrible as one would expect which is a shame because they've otherwise been good and the LAX/OGz feud was actually one of the highlights. But my goodness... that segment was something to behold.

[SomethingSavage]

Yeah, you're right. That was awful. Absolutely embarrassing stuff. And it's a shame. I really dug the way Callis would approach his announcing & color his commentary during their stuff. Don always went out of his way to say he didn't fully understand the gangland ethics or elements of their beef, and he wouldn't pretend to.

But this was something else, man. What in the actual fuck were they thinking? Gotta wonder who was responsible for the six shades of shit that was this segment. This one needed an editor real, real bad.

Josh Mathews doing Michael Cole serious, hushed voice while simultaneously trying to advertise the women's title Triple Threat Match immediately after was fucking terrible, too.

Here's hoping that was just an outlier and they can redirect this thing. I don't know though. I mean, I get them wanting this feud to span out & feel like a turf war, but Christ. There are better, simpler, more streamlined ways of doing it than THAT. Hell, they've been successfully doing it already. This felt so unnecessary and tacky.

[SirEdger]

They were doing so well and then, they pull off some good ol' fashion TNALOLZ stuff. Hell, I would've been fine if they had ran a driveby angle shooting Konnan rather than using a kid for a runover angle.

I don't know what they were thinking but this is a major mistake by the new regime. Let's see how they'll bounce back.

[KawadaSmile]

If the idea was to have the turf war go "too far, someone's gonna get seriously hurt", it would be in better tast to simple replace the dead kid with an injured adult - Konnan, like Edger said. You don't need to be graphic, show guts and blood, nothing. Just say "hey, the OGz are going to far and tried to ran over LAX, hurting one of their friends". No one need to die - specially not a kid who I'm pretty sure wasn't even a paid actor.

Lucha Underground does kill characters because IIRC the announcers aren't aware of stuff that goes on outside the ring. Having to follow up a child being murdered with generic commentary running down the card is even worse.

I hope they can fix this and don't kill any goodwill the fans might've had, because it would be tragic.

[Alucard]

Just to clarify, I believe in an upcoming episode they do acknowledge that the kid did not die from the hit.

[SirEdger]

That still doesn't excuse that it was in poor taste and they could've found another way to go the "this turf war has gone too far" route.

[sek69]

The worst part is the week before was done brillantly, and this was like saying one sentence too many and getting in trouble with your SO. They took a really well done segment and left everyone's final impression a sour note.

[SomethingSavage]

Right. Their street fight / parking lot brawl segment was this wild, frantic fight scene. And then they decided to kill a kid for the followup. Just a poor decision that badly needed an editor of some sort to step in at some stage and say, "The fuck?"

Worst of all, it's not just in poor taste. It's pointless, too. There's no heat in it. I mean, the OGz would catch crazy heat if this were Sons of Anarchy or something. But nobody buys this stuff in pro wrestling. It just doesn't serve the same purpose or pack the same punch. They should've just had the OGz extend an olive branch by playing up their history and tugging on their connection to Konnan - only as a way to isolate him, backstab him, and humiliate him for growing "soft."

This would leave LAX alone (without Konnan coaching them) for the next rematch in the series. That actually plays into the story also - since Konnan was THE deciding factor in the finish at Slammiversary. So there ya go.

Instead, we got this mess. It's really unfortunate.

But I don't want to be a total downer. I did catch the main event, which was disappointing in comparison to the Slammiversary showdown. But Sami is still enjoyable as this deranged cult leader, and Pentagon is still incredibly over in most places.

The match was slower than I'd like, but that's due to the nature of these garbage, weapon-based brawls. There's too much dead space for the setup spots. There's also the silly wrestling trope of Sami just standing there & waiting to get hit sometimes. It never killed my interest or anything though.

It's the type of match that doesn't carry the kind of urgency or hatred you want it to when you look at it under a microscope. But, from afar, it's still violent. And I dug it for a quick fifteen-minute TV main event. The staple gun, the sidewinder Death Valley Driver on the outside, and the pulling stump Piledriver all provided sick visuals. Good stuff.

Oh. Plus Pentagon's got the build & the body type of my nephew's favorite Ninja Turtle, so bonus points for that.

[SomethingSavage]

Cage/Fenix from last week's show was a crazy fun match that's worth seeking out & nobody's really talking about. It's not going to change your perception of the business or anything, but it's a good time for sure.

And the Knockouts continue to be a highlight. Allie is the best possible version of the Bayley character. She's this lovable, bubbly baby face who's so easy to root for. Furthermore, she's allowed to change, to learn lessons, and to mature as a personality. It's a crucial, rewarding experience as a viewer to see and experience that growth alongside her.

Tessa is out-Flairing Charlotte in every possible way, too. Better talker. Smoother worker. More versatile all-around performer.

Part of me wishes Su Yung's reign would have met a more definitive, more meaningful end. She was just built up as this force for so long that this finish felt too anti-climatic for my tastes. But I don't mind the decision or the direction they're taking with Tessa. Should be good nonetheless.

And I'm still digging Callis' commentary. Keep him away from the Bullet Club & dude's damn good in the role. Really puts over the product and heightens the sense of risk & danger around big moves.

There are still some elements you have to sidestep around, obviously. The latest developments with LAX and the OGz are left lingering, but the overall show is still enjoyable.

[Alucard]

5 hours ago, SomethingSavage said:

Part of me wishes Su Yung's reign would have met a more definitive, more meaningful end. She was just built up as this force for so long that this finish felt too anti-climatic for my tastes. But I don't mind the decision or the direction they're taking with Tessa. Should be good nonetheless.

This was my only issue as well, disappointed that Su's reign ended so flat, short overall, in a quick match, and without her involved in the finish. Hoped she'd have a more epic run after the build of the character killing off Rosemary and the amazing build up to the Madison match. Tessa is great no doubt but this felt a bit like a rush to get the title on her as not long ago she had dropped 2 matches clean to Madison then beats Allie and wins the title.

[TonyPulis'Cap]

On 9/5/2018 at 3:31 AM, Alucard said:

This was my only issue as well, disappointed that Su's reign ended so flat, short overall, in a quick match, and without her involved in the finish. Hoped she'd have a more epic run after the build of the character killing off Rosemary and the amazing build up to the Madison match. Tessa is great no doubt but this felt a bit like a rush to get the title on her as not long ago she had dropped 2 matches clean to Madison then beats Allie and wins the title.

Yeah, I can agree with a lot of that - I was thinking that the payoff to Su's reign ending would be the return of Rosemary to take back the belt, but maybe they think they can still do that feud without the title needing to be part of it. Tessa's character also suits being the champion a little more, and she's been an absolute highlight the last couple of months. She had a really strong No DQ match with Keira Hogan that I liked a lot and in my opinion carried Alisha Edwards to a damn near *** match.

Definitely agree with SomethingSavage's point about her out-Flairing Charlotte, in terms of being that modern incarnation of a four horseman. Just watching her at All In, she carries herself like a real star and has great presence.