The Final Impact
June 5, 2014
By: Josh Boutwell of Wrestleview.com
Before I get into Impact I want to talk about Slammiversary. First off, there are rumors that MVP may have potentially seriously injured his knee in a match overseas with some independent promotion. This is the risk TNA takes when they film episodes of Impact ridiculously far ahead (it is maddening and I cannot stand it for multiple reasons) and when you allow top talent to wrestle at other places (though I understand that may have been something he committed to before he signed with TNA). Secondly, Slammiversary is a little over a week away and we have three confirmed matches so far with one of those matches being a match with two guys (The Von Erichs) that have never even appeared in TNA. This is absolutely unforgivable in my opinion and one of TNA’s biggest issues that they have had for years. TNA hasn’t had a PPV since April’s “Sacrifice” yet once again we won’t know the full card until a few days before the show. How the hell do you expect to sell tickets or PPVs that way? You have had a full two months to reveal the card, but what will happen is the top few matches will be the ones they have built up (EC3-Bully and the TNA World Title) while the rest of the card is just a bunch of thrown together crap that they hope can have good matches. I am so absolutely sick of this, someone needs to remove their head from their asses. Okay, I’m done ranting.
The opening with Joe was solid and it continues to play into MVP’s abuse of power. He continues to force his enemies to fight each other but I also like that the babyfaces are banning together rather than just sitting back and allowing the evil heel authority figure to run all over them. The First Blood Match made sense in the context of things and didn’t feel like a gimmick match for the sake of having one in my opinion though I would rather than be something that they build up towards. The match itself was excellent and the heels went old school isolating a babyface and trying to bust him open. EY is also an excellent babyface in peril so it worked on multiple levels. They didn’t overdose on weapons in that match which is what I expected which was a nice change of pace and made the chain shot mean more at the end, but when we just saw Magnus committing an attempt at murder with a pry bar earlier how much does it really mean? Good story telling otherwise.
How ridiculous was that Menagerie/Bro-Mans segment. I feel Robbie’s pain with the clown thing though. The Menagerie group is just simply not connecting with me or anyone else it seems. I also have no desire whatsoever to see where this thing with Gunner goes. He just had one of the most entertaining and physical feuds of the year with James Storm, and now you do this crap with him? Way to follow up on that momentum TNA.
Mr. Anderson looked like a complete jackass out there and was not entertaining at all. Storm at least tried his best to save that segment but it’s hard to do. Side note, was Anderson wearing the same sheriff outfit Kurt Angle wore a few years ago in his feud with Storm?
The Knockouts were okay but was pretty much there to do two things. One, to close this chapter on the BP/Madison Rayne thing and two, to further the Brittany/Madison angle which I’m fine with.
Bram and Willow was decent while it lasted and I guess I have my answer about the Magnus/Bram dynamic. It looks like that will probably be a team going forward, at least for the immediate future but who will team with Willow? TNA definitely needs new teams, that is for sure. I think certain people wanting to argue with me about Magnus having “turned babyface” can move on now as well.
Davey and Eddie had a terrific mat wrestling, technical match which was cool to see. It was all chain wrestling, submissions, reversals and the such. No kicks, no punches, no dives just technical wrestling. It’s good to see that sort of thing every now and then.
Dixie actually wasn’t awful at the end of the show with her promo with MVP, she showed a little of fire without coming off forced. I also like the heel vs. heel dynamic there with MVP’s boys having no desire to join up with her and EC3.
– Segment/Promo of the Night: Samoa Joe/MVP’s group
– Match of the Night: 8-Man Tag/Davey vs. Eddie (***)
– Overall Grade: C+
Until next week… PEACE!
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