Letter From the Editor – #ImpactLIVE

Reports came out this weekend that TNA’s shift to an on-the-road format is costing the company between $600,000-700,000 per taping, or $17 million annually with a total of 25 tapings per year. That’s a ridiculous amount of money, particularly when other recent reports indicate that TNA is only paying their talents once per taping.  Running a high quality production in larger venues is an expensive proposition – I don’t even want to know how much WWE forks out per appearance. And if the recent line-up of Impact Wresting (along with their new PPV format) is an indication of their future, the new costs are the best investment the company has ever made.

Since TNA went live, a lot of my complaints with their weekly product have either disappeared, or are hiding behind the new, shiny production quality. The Aces & Eights are no longer a group of masked nobodies – their unmasked nobodies now, mostly – and it’s amazing how much legitimacy a few wins, and having their faces out in the open has added to the group. Having a real heel on commentary (Taz) brings back memories of controversial announce teams; Jim Ross and King were so good back in the day because there was conflict week after week. I still don’t like Wes Brisco, but I can buy into the idea of the Aces & Eights now that the team is winning matches, has a president as the World Champion, and presents a unified, revealed front every week on Impact. It’s taken about six months to get me back into the angle, but I’m on board with the faction again.

The X-Division has been lacking for a LONG time, but bringing back talents like Petey Williams and Sonjay Dutt to supplement the roster, while growing new guys like Kenny King and Zema Ion, is exactly what they need. Williams, Dutt and Scorpio Sky face off in a 3-way match next week in what I’m being told is a fantastic, must-see match.

Bully Ray is awesome. Consistently the best thing about Impact for the last two years. I don’t hate Jeff Hardy, but I’m glad he’s no longer the champion. He chases well, as the fans rally around him like a legit Superstar. Full Metal Mayhem on 4/11 is going to be a must-see main event for sure. I can’t remember a bad match between Hardy and Bully, and they’ve had dozens over the years.

Hulk Hogan and Sting are great together on mic, generally speaking. I was never a “Hulkamaniac”  in the strictest sense of the word, but I can appreciate his influence on the industry. I genuinely think he makes TNA look more legitimate. You can see them coming a long way since 6-sided rings and convoluted angles a few years ago. The interaction between Hulkster and The Icon this week was great. It kind of paints Hogan as the heel, which is weird, but you can’t deny the chemistry and touch of real-life drama thrown in there. The problem makes sense. The only issue is that, once again, I have no idea how they plan to gain off it. Hogan/Sting isn’t going to happen. Not again.

Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez are the #1 contenders to the tag title again – not my favorite team, but considering there are only three of them on the Impact roster it’s hard to complain that much. If there wasn’t a major angle surrounding the World title, I think TNA could go all the way with Bobby Roode and Austin Aries. I remember when they first announced they wanted all the titles, I thought it was a FANTASTIC idea. Mostly because they represent the two best World and X-Division champs to come around in five years. Maybe ever. In another era, when the main event picture was less built up and the Aces & Eights didn’t exist, I could see their quest to rule TNA being a great storyline.

Still, my favorite thing outside of TNA leaving the Impact Zone, is the shift to a limited PPV schedule. Genesis wasn’t that great – Lockdown’s under-card could have been much better. But Slammiversary is still way off, and 4/11 is an indication of what TNA is doing to supplement the product until the next PPV. On a single episode of Impact Wrestling we’re going to get some sort of payoff from AJ Styles and James Storm, an X-Division contest that should be fantastic, the tag titles on the line, and a World title main event that could be the headlining act at Bound for Glory.

I’ve always said the #1 thing TNA can do to compete anywhere near the level of WWE is to have an interesting product. Simple logic, right? Forget all the gimmicks, the billboard campaigns in Connecticut, and Hogan sex tapes. Get out of the Impact Zone, cut down the PPVs, and go live with an interesting weekly television show. Eventually WWE is going to suck it up for long enough that people might change the channel. I have never been so uninterested in a WrestleMania. Their time is potentially now.

Wrestlemania Count-Up – Wrestlemania XX: Where It All Begins Again

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