I see it every once in awhile. Someone comes on either my blog or on this fine establishment whenever I write something that isn’t flattering to TNA/Impact Wrestling and claims that I’m biased against the company, that I hate them because they’re not WWE or that I criticize them because I’m somehow not fair. I shake my head at those comments, and I’ve really stopped taking them seriously.
It’s reactionary, almost like they’re drones sent from Eric Bischoff and Dixie Carter in a quest to shut up the “10 percenters” that Bischoff claims hate Impact. The last time I checked, there was no fairness doctrine in wrestling, and being fair to a wrestling company didn’t exactly mean you had to give them an equal amount of time writing about what’s good and what’s not good. What if I watch the program and find that there’s absolutely nothing redeeming about it? Should I lie? No, because then I wouldn’t be giving you the straight dope, and I think integrity and honesty are way better qualities to have than “fairness”, whatever that is.
[adinserter block=”2″]The thing is, I don’t want to not enjoy Impact. I really want to sit down to my DVR and enjoy a mainstream wrestling product that isn’t produced by WWE. I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’m a huge wrestling fan. Wait, what do you mean that’s not exactly classified material. *checks the blog URL* Oh yeah, right. Anyway, as a diehard fan, I want to watch as much good wrestling as I can.
I don’t care where I get it, whether it’s WWE, Impact, the indies, puroresu, lucha libre or even the Wrestling Revolution product being developed right now by Jeff Katz. I love seeing two men get all oiled up and play fight in their underwear, or two women dress up in spandex and pretend to do horrible, non-sexual things to each other or any iteration of those two scenarios.
So, why would I want to see a company fail? If anything, I’m so hard on Impact because I see so much potential with their roster, the money backing them and their absolute good fortune that they have national television distribution right now. That’s really important when it comes to the wrestling game. They have all these things going for them, and yet they continually piss that good fortune away like dollar bills at the strip club.
You’re always sternest to the people for whom you have the highest hopes. Did anyone even bother to think that maybe, just maybe, there’s a portion of the population out there that watches Impact each week, shaking their heads in disgust and reacting to their garbage rather than being these trolls who have closed minds?
Maybe that’s the rub. The problem ceases to be Impact producing shit and me actually tuning in each week despite not learning that no matter what kind of buzz is out there, that I’ll probably not enjoy the show. I’ll fully admit that maybe I’d be better off deleting the program from my DVR. Then again, I can’t help it. Like I said prior, I’m a wrestling junkie. I’m the kind of guy who’ll watch bad wrestling like Mystery Science Theater 3000 and just savage it. I have the tolerance to sit through segment after segment of weak shoot segments to get to that one X-Division match or Bully Ray promo or Samoa Joe stiff-fest that will make me drop my jaw in awe. If it’s psychosis (not the wrestler either, nerds), then hey, I accept it fully.
[adinserter block=”1″]When wrestling is good, there’s nothing like it. That’s why I can’t get enough of it. That’s why I can sit through RAW week after week of not being impressed, because I know that I’ll get some good matches, or at best, a moment like CM Punk’s historic and memorable promo to close the show this past week. That’s why I go out of my way to buy DVDs or stream shows on the Internet for indie feds like Chikara, PWG and NWA Hollywood.
And that’s why I guess I keep watching Impact, even if I’m so clearly “biased”. Then again, I do have a bias. I’m skewed in favor of enjoying good wrestling. If that’s wrong, then I really don’t ever want to be right. And hey, if Impact turns around and starts stringing more than just one good show in a row together, I’ll be right there watching it. Why?
Because I want good wrestling, dammit.
Tom Holzerman is a lifelong wrestling fan and connoisseur of all things Chikara Pro, among other feds. When he’s not writing for the Camel Clutch Blog, you can find him on his own blog, The Wrestling Blog.
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I had given up on TNA by the beginning of the year but honestly since the transition to Impact Wrestling there's has been a change, there isn't a 20 minute immortal promo to open the show and they have cut out half of the supposed hidden camera vignettes from backstage. There has been actual wrestling matches that last more than 45 seconds without squash endings. They have actually been promoting Destination X and doing a good job building up interest for ppv buys, something they have done so poorly before. Anyway Rob Terry was kicked out of Immortal almost two months ago with Murphy so the British Invasion angle makes sense. I m trying to not get to excited because of past letdowns but the promise of this company is huge and it seems like they are starting to get it with the talk of starting to take Impact on the road on a regular basis. That toilet in Orlando and the lifeless crowds has been one of their biggest downfalls. We need a good wrestling program televised every week because there hasn't been one in ten years.
I recall Terry "earning" his spot by beating Murphy in a match, with the stipulation being loser leaves Immortal. I just assumed it was announced on Xplosion or something, which doesn't make a whole lot of storytelling sense.
About BFG Series, I still think it would be some damn good writing if one of the Beer Money guys advances, just for that element of surprise and "can they make it on their own?" story.
That's a great point, Tom, and I think you began to touch upon several errors TNA makes week in and week out with their product. You do have to sit through nonsensical plots and run-ins to get to stuff like the Yang-Bentley-LowKi match, which was nothing short of phenomenal.
But on the same show, you have guys like Rob Terry (who last I checked was still in Immortal) come out and play quasi-face with the Brits. Perhaps his personality shift was explained in one of the dozen or so media outlets that TNA loves to promote, but most fans just check in on Impact and Impact alone.
And the BFG series? If that thing had a few more specific rules, that, y'know, didn't tailor guys like Gunner and Styles to wrestle 7 times so both are guaranteed spots in the next round, it could be one of the best wrestling angles of the year. But instead we are left with a confusing mess that misses the mark completely of giving sports fans something to relate to.
Perhaps that's why Sting's been losing his marbles lately.
Or the BFG tag match last week that introduced the stipulation that only the one who gets the pinfall gets the points, and yet have no change in the basic tag formula for the match. Not only that, but then give James Storm 14 points while Roode has none, which to me just gives the impression that Roode doesn't care about the contest. It is just bad logic.
Add to that the bar brawls and ODB "matches", horrible announcing, misuse of legitimate talent, 5 solid minutes of self promotion (if you are lucky), and a bunch of other illogical crap (Steiner hates Bubba Ray so bad that he joins Immortal?). But at the end, the one or two good matches make up for a night of yelling at the TV, because we can always hope to be proven wrong.
I hear you. As much as I hate Impact every week, I can't help but watch it. It's just such a total train wreck that I can't look away, no matter how hard I try.