3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

Welcome back to your weekly dose of “TNA Impact” feedback, along with your usual Thursday night crew. Tonight brought us all one other taped episode of “Impact,” with some high-profile tag bouts, hard-hitting entries within the Knockouts division, and further setup for the world title picture (while continuing to devalue the Feast or Fired stipulation).

“Impact” has yet to go away us feeling fully entertained since its AMC TV debut, nevertheless it’s fair to say we did not have as difficult of a time coming up with some things to like about tonight’s show. Still, we found plenty to hate, as you may see below. Here’s hoping that TNA continues the upward trend as we head into March.

Those of you trying to find a more detailed breakdown of the show will find it on our “Impact” results page. Nonetheless, if you should learn what we thought concerning the groups involved within the principal event, Tom Hannifan’s in-ring interview with the fired Steve Maclin, and more, proceed onward!

Last month, TNA fans expected Lei Ying Lee to defend the Knockouts World Championship against Dani Luna on the Genesis pay-per-view. Attributable to international visa issues, nevertheless, Luna was unable to travel, and moreover, compete on the PPV in Texas.

In her in-ring return on “Thursday Night iMPACT” tonight, Luna appeared more aggressive and more motivated to get back into the KO Title picture. At one point, she even introduced a steel chain into her now-non-title bout against Lee. Lee initially managed to avoid being struck by it, though she couldn’t escape the onslaught of offense that followed from Luna.

That offense included a kickout that sent Lee crashing into the chain-wrapped turnbuckle in addition to a German suplex. To complete Lee off, Luna then delivered the Luna Landing to mark her first TNA win since January 8.

With this win, it’s clear that TNA has big plans for Luna, especially on condition that her opponent is a former Knockouts Champion, and truthfully, I fully support it. For much of her TNA profession, Luna has operated as a component of factions or tag teams. Now, she’s going at things alone, with a promising begin to a possible world title pursuit.

In her original return to television at No Give up, Luna distracted Lee amidst her Knockouts Championship match against Arianna Grace. Grace went on to dethrone Lee on the show, though based on tonight’s results and Luna’s evident latest edge, I believe that the England native may unseat her within the very near future.

Written by Ella Jay

There isn’t any denying that each Mickie James and Ash By Elegance are abundantly talented in their very own right. James is a legend within the skilled wrestling business, while Ash has shown what she will do together with her current character work and leading a complete stable of her own throughout her time in TNA Wrestling. With that said, I feel it’s pretty protected to say that their face off on this edition of “Thursday Night iMPACT” was neither woman’s best work.

For starters, I personally found this faceoff to be incredibly boring and just a little bit in every single place. It didn’t really do anything to make itself stand out for me in any type of way, and didn’t really do anything to set itself other than some other faceoff that I’ve seen within the last 5 years. While I may understand why James and Ash would bring up subjects like James helping Ash to get a job in TNA Wrestling, I also feel that this feud continues to be at first stages because it continues to search out its footing and possibly would’ve landed higher in the event that they had just held off a few weeks when things were more personal between the pair.

I also think that James’ son didn’t must be involved within the segment. It just really wasn’t needed to the feud and the storyline as an entire especially at this point into it, with there being no shortage of other ways for The Elegance Brand to get into James’ head with their heel tactics. I could not help but feel that it was such an unnecessary plot point, and just something that was meant as nothing greater than a method of giving a great reason for James and Ash to have a stipulation match of some kind down the road.

Written by Olivia Quinlan

The Pinnacle in Nashville, Tennessee got here alive tonight during Steve Maclin’s in-ring interview, because the fans truly expressed what they considered the previous Impact World Champion’s speech: “We do not care.” If that wasn’t brutal enough, there was a “He’s a w**ker” chant, and above all else, “Wrap it up.” There was even one fan within the front row that imitated holding a fishing pole and attempting to reel it in. For this, our publication LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it!

Here’s the thing: As a former Impact/TNA television recap and news author during my first run here, I feel concerning the legendary moments this company had during my 2019-2022 run. Remember the Kenny Omega “Belt Collector” era? Had the pandemic not happened, and fans were allowed to be live in attendance, I can imagine his presence every week would have torn the roof off every venue they may’ve gone to. Or when Jay White made his first appearance. The moment where Omega, “Uncle” Don Callis, and The Good Brothers all stood in the midst of the ring, locking up in a “too sweet” hand gesture, and White stood there contemplating whether to beat them or join them? Or when Will Ospreay and Josh Alexander tore each other limb-for-limb of their two encounters?

Since its partnership with WWE, TNA has lost its edge. I hate to say it because up to now, it carried some incredible lineage that made fans curious to modify over on a Thursday night and take a look at what TNA was dishing up, but times are different now. The fans said what we’re all pondering. And as sad because it is to say, tell me after they’re telling lies.

Written by Brie Coder

Since “Impact” debuted on AMC, The System has been heavily featured, including in tonight’s principal event. While it seems TNA seems to imagine within the group, I am unable to say that I do. After kicking out Moose, JDC, and Alisha Edwards, the group is led by Eddie Edwards, and he’s joined by Brian Myers, Cedric Alexander, and Bear Bronson.

Immediately, the group just appears like a random assortment of fellows, getting loads of screentime without presenting anything interesting. It is a bummer, too, since the fresh configuration of the group appears like considered one of the one latest directions the promotion has taken since debuting on its latest network.

I just feel like: why are we presupposed to care about these guys? I’m sure they’re hoping this conflict with Moose will draw some emotion out of those watching, but I actually have zero investment on this soap opera. I’m just left hoping that they sort out their Moose issue and move on to a different feud – one which may generate some type of emotion regarding this faction, whether positive or negative. Because it stands now, they’re just one other bland a part of TNA’s weekly product.

Written by Nick Miller

“Do you wanna know something?” Alisha Edwards is staying in TNA. For weeks, the previous one-time Knockouts World Tag Team Champion was at a crossroads after seeing her husband and former alliance in The System turn vile. Considering they is perhaps righting the wrongs from what they did up to now, Edwards just can not seem to return to her old vicious ways, which is tremendous. Nonetheless, since distancing herself from her former family, she walked into tonight’s office defeated, and prepared to go away the corporate for good. Until Moose got here to her aid and convinced her to remain.

It was a sentimental moment because Edwards has contributed lots to TNA. She was a shoo-in together with her appearances through “Wrestle House” a while ago (gosh, I wish they’d bring that back in the autumn), and her boisterous energy gets any and all reactions from the gang. My hope is that we see her proceed wrestling. Sure, it looks just like the path she’ll take now could be to be alongside Moose’s newfound journey after their post-System days, nevertheless it could be cool to see what she could do within the ring again.

Despite only carrying one title in the corporate, she is a firecracker to look at. And TNA actually needs more pops than crackles at this point. She will be able to bring that pop.

Written by Brie Coder

So from watching TNA weekly I get the concept the System is presupposed to be the highest heel faction, I get the concept the Hardys are presupposed to be on a tag team renaissance in TNA, effectively having fun with what needs to be the ultimate stretch of their legendary run. They hold the TNA tag titles, and the System wants the tag titles to claim their dominance as most factions who realistically cannot yet win the brand’s top title do. See also: the MFT and Dark State.

But what I do not get is the choice to have the System’s Eddie Edwards, Cedric Alexander, Brian Myers, and Bear Bronson face the Hardys and the Righteous on this week’s principal event. For whatever reason the choice was made for the Righteous, who had already turned on the Hardys to make their very own pursuit of the titles, albeit failing, to however team-up with them. And personally, one single backstage segment on the night feels just a little too shallow for any reasoning.

It appears like an indictment on the corporate that the aforementioned names comprise the principal event of its weekly show having only just secured a touted network deal. It’s confusing to simply throw rivals together again with little to no connective tissue. And there just doesn’t appear to be any type of plan or hook to compel one to look at the subsequent week’s show.

It is a shame for somebody who used to fly the flag for TNA and really desires to see them succeed. But even beyond the principal event, there was Steve Maclin cutting an advertised promo segment weeks after he was “fired” from the corporate, showered with jeers from the gang calling for him to go away and wrap things up.

The show itself was actively uninteresting. And the principal event just capped all of it off, putting a collective of aging and already unimpressive wrestlers on the show’s close, only to even have the heels win because and shut out the show with a beating – stopped by Moose, just for him to also get beaten, then that beating was stopped by Alisha Edwards. Just an uninteresting mess that basically does nothing but cement the System as TNA’s House of Torture. Which stands out as the point, but then the query needs to be asked: Why?

Written by Max Everett