TNA Impact Review - Thursday 20th March 2008

Here is my rundown of the good and bad points of this weeks TNA iMPACT.

Good Points

Great out of ring segments

TNA are really doing well with these parts of the show. I like the segments with Mike Tenay when he brings together two feuding wrestlers together to air there grievances. It’s different to what the WWE do and brings in a chat show type element to the show. I’m also loving the rough cuts series they are doing with Kip James and BG James. It’s like having a programme within a programme and bring a reality TV style element to the show.

Building Kurt Angle for Lockdown

TNA are showing how the WWE should be handling the Floyd Mayweather / Big Show build up. Kurt Angle got to showcase his phenomenal amateur wrestling skills with a public workout against some supposed mixed martial artists. They are doing well at trying to create a MMA / Wrestling cross over.

Finally a well worked ending

After weeks of complaining finally TNA booked a proper finish to a show. The show ended with Sting’s music and video hitting as the announcers announced his return and his involvement in team Cage for Lethal Lockdown.

Bad Points

What are they doing to LAX

With tag teams like Eric Young & Kaz, Black Rein & Rellik and Rock & Rave Infection getting pushes they are killing a great tag team in LAX. This week Homicide had to lose to Sonjay Dutt a guy that hardly ever gets a proper match on iMPACT and only segments these days are interrupting or tagging along with Jay Lethal and SoCal Val.

Slow down

After not appearing last week on iMPACT and without any build Booker T kicked off the show with an in ring segment on the mic. Within five minutes Robert Roode had come down to interrupt and James Cornette was down to make a tag team match for Lockdown pitting Booker and Sharmell against Roode and Banks. Then we had Rhino and Cage talking for the first time in months then Rhino telling Cage where he could go to Cage then rescuing him from Tomko and AJ to then Rhino joining team Cage. Fans need fast paced action and need to know what is happening at a PPV ahead of time but for storylines to mean something and for people to buy in to them you can’t build them in five minutes.

No Samoa Joe

Last week Samoa Joe hinted that he wouldn’t be back in the iMPACT Zone until he won the belt from Kurt Angle. If this is true it is going to be very hard to build their match. No matter how good Angle continues to do in his segments in the build up he needs Samoa Joe there to build the feud. However saying this Kurt Angle recently did a podcast for my friends Simon and JK from The Sun Wrestlecast which he did out of character and said the belt needs to be put on Samoa Joe and soon. Yes I think it is good for wrestlers to come out of character for interviews like this with media companies but they shouldn’t be speaking like this about people they are about to go in a storyline with.

To listen to the Wrestlecast go to:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/article908680.ece

Overall

Much improved. TNA seem to be ironing out the little problems put need to keep their eyes on the big issues and storylines. I think TNA are doing well at building a varied entertainment show that would appeal to a wide range of demographics.