TNA IMPACT! Review 9/8/16
Hey guys it is the internet’s resident TNA and EVOLVE fanatic back with my Impact review. As I said last week I don’t know how much longer these are going to be a weekly/regular thing but I’m here for now.
After some great Hardys stuff the show opened up with Bennett and Maria coming out. He cut a fine promo and then Dixie came out. I know it isn’t really a popular opinion but I’m going to miss seeing her on TV. This promotion wouldn’t have lasted a year without her and I will always be appreciative of her for everything she has done. Say what you want about her but she gave so many of your favorite wrestlers the platform they needed to become international stars and take their careers to the next level. Did she make mistakes? Of course but people have always been too hard on her. She sacrificed so much for TNA and was even willing to put her body on the line when Bully Ray powerbombed her off the top rope in 2014 which is in my opinion one of the best moments in TNA history. Thank you Dixie. Anyway, back on topic. Dixie announced that at Bound For Glory Mike Bennett would be wrestling Moose.
Sienna and Allie vs Gail Kim and Jade
Sienna and Allie emerged with Sienna yelling at her inexperienced allie. There was a really small but nice touch here as Allie went to high five a fan but Sienna quickly pulled her away. This was a very storyline based match with Sienna mistreating Allie throughout the match. This culminated when Allie unintentionally hit Sienna off the top rope and got hit with the Silencer. Jade looked very good for the short time she was in the ring and it did a good job at continuing to build Allie in this great sympathetic face character. **
After this was an amazing segment with the Hardys where Matt brought Jeff, Reby, Maxel, and Señor Benjamin to his personal zoo. Some of the highlights included Matt talking to a giraffe, Jeff “sparring” with a kangaroo, Matt Hardy having (spot) monkeys named after the X-Division wrestlers and the Young Bucks, and many other things.
Billy Corgan came out to announce TNA’s newest championship. The Grand Championship’s first champion will be determined in an 8 man elimination match and the matches will have rules very different from a normal wrestling match, using judges and three three-minute rounds.
Grand Championship Tournament
Drew Galloway vs Braxton Sutter
This was a fine match with Galloway looking pretty good in his new heel role and Sutter continuing to show hes decent. Nothing special but not bad. **
After this match Spud attacked Sutter which was a nice way to continue that feud and showed they are actually interested in having them feud outside of multi man X-Division matches.
Next was a great segment where the Decay attacked a southern man and stole his car, using it to drive to Cameron, North Carolina. After that they did a press conference for EC3 and Lashley that bored me so I turned it off.
Grand Championship Tournament
Jessie Godderz vs Eli Drake
The first round of this match was very different from what we are used to seeing from these two as they had a series of technical exchanges. Drake took control in the second round, changing the style and pace of the match drastically. Things changed once again when Eli got a little too cocky. This was possibly Eli’s best performance in the ring since coming to TNA in early 2015. Godderz looked great and continues to improve every time he goes out there. He really could be one of TNA’s top stars in a couple years if he keeps getting better. Very fun match with only one kind of awkward moment. I also think its notable that although the circumstances were very different Drake looked significantly better wrestling Jessie than he did wrestling EC3. ***
Delete or Decay
This was very different from Final Deletion. Final Deletion was very bizarre and unique and unlike any other match anyone has seen before, but this wasn’t even really a match. I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as Final Deletion either but that doesn’t at all mean it wasn’t entertaining. My eyes were glued to my screen for the entirety of the match and it entertained me in a different way than FD did. Definitely worth watching.
Final Thoughts: This was a very easy show to get through but there weren’t many highlights. The only things I’d really say are worth watching are all the Hardys segments and the Godderz vs Drake match. Aside from that nothing was bad but nothing stood out as good either.
Final Rating: 6.75/10.
