A few weeks ago, I reamed TNA for their horrific editing and overall production quality on a taped show. It was truly embarrassing to see such a poor job by a national promotion. This week, however, I must applaud them for an outstanding job. I thought this weeks episode of Impact was the best produced episode of the year. From a writing standpoint, it was most likely the best Ive seen in several years. It reminded me of the pre-Hogan/Bischoff era when characters were in multiple feuds and storylines and the show could, at any moment, be hijacked by a certain angle that developed throughout the night. This is the Jeff Jarrett factor, I suspect. There was an energy and the sort of chaos that made the old TNA so enjoyable. Unfortunately, in the last few years, Impact took on a format that was simply too structured, causing the product to lose its spontaneity and more importantly, its ability to keep us on the edge of our seats. This weeks show did that. With each segment, you had the feeling that anything could happen. From a storyline standpoint, I cant remember the last time TNA did such an amazing job setting up a tournament and making it feel special like they have with the world title tournament. With the exception of James Storm - Im sure well hear from him soon - every competitor in the tournament was given the opportunity to make a statement this week. It was done in a such way, though, that it set up several different scenarios, making it difficult to predict the winner. Yes, there are clear favorites but if this weeks show is any indication, anything can happen. Briefly, on other developments this week...the Bobby Roode vs Kurt Angle feud is, right now, the best feud in pro wrestling. Its rare that two talents who have accomplished so much in the business have such a hunger to still be the top star of the organization, and theyre willing to absolutely annihilate each other to do so. Its been fantastic and I cant wait to see how it ends. The Knockouts match was awesome. Those of you who continue to dismiss the division as stale missed out on one of most intense womens matches of the year. Not since Taryn Terrell vs Gail Kim have we seen such stiff action in the ring and I, for one, loved it. The post-match activities with Gail Kim and LeiD Tapa was very well done. Tapa continues to show improvement week to week but I think, this week, she finally showed the sort of destruction that she can cause. I dont know about you but Im very excited about the future of the Knockouts Division - Gail Kims open challenge should bring on new and fresh talent, and the eventual clash between ODB and LeiD Tapa will be a classic. Ethan Carter III and his feud with Dewey Barnes and Norv Fernum has all of a sudden become one of my favorite storylines. Who wouldve thought at Bound for Glory that an angle featuring a newcomer and two nerdy jobbers would have resonated with me. But it has. And thats because the execution has been flawless. Kudos to all three men, as well, for their outstanding work. Full Metal Mayhem, although I was concerned would not get enough time, was ten minutes of pure brutality and killer bumps. If you havent watched it, TNA have generously posted the match in its entirety on to their Youtube page. I think Ive already watched it at least five times. What was great about the match is TNA essentially took away the script, giving Jeff Hardy and Chris Sabin free rein to absolutely pulverize each other until one of them could not get up. And it was fantastic. And lastly, the Friends of AJ ad was simply brilliant. I had wondered how TNA were going to incorporate AJ Styles international storyline into the show. The fact that someone on behalf of Styles bought ad time on SpikeTV was very clever. I loved it. Favorite Moment - So many to choose from but I will have to go with the swerve that nobody saw coming, the Aces and 8s turning on Mr. Anderson. It was one of the moments that all you can do as a fan is tip your hat to the writers and say, thank you. Least Favorite Moment - There wasnt a weak moment on this show. Not a single one. MVP of the Night - Its a tie between Kurt Angle and Bobby Roode. Tremendous work by both men. Grade - I think this show was as close as you get to a perfect score. It reminded me how awesome pro wrestling can be if done right. Wrestling is about the characters, the feuds, the chaos, the comedy, the intensity, and yes, the brutality. Well done, TNA. Well done. You get an enthusiastic A from me this week. -AirStyles
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 23:43:52 +0000
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