I think Sabin and KENTA were a fine match, the ending felt fast-paced and sudden. A bit more of a build may have added some stakes to the match.
I'm not sure if we needed 11 minutes for the Monster's Ball, even though there were some gruesome spots - mainly anything that PCO did - it felt....not like Monster's Ball. I liked the storyline that led to the match but I just question what the company is doing with these guys. Both Moose and PCO don't really hold my attention, Rhino - who felt like the only one benefitting from being in this and Steve Maclin - who has been catapulted down the card since coming back from injury. I know PCO's contract was set to expire, so the decision for him to win was even more bizarre unless this was his swansong.
The tag match was short but fun, I'm a fan of the heel Rascalz but curious to see what plans are in store for ABC to give them back the belts given that Subculture and Rascalz have had pretty short, uneventful reigns.
I think Ospreay vs. Bailey was my highlight of the night. I think Bailey is a lucrative talent and one the company would do well to keep hold of. It felt almost like Ospreay needed to win given that he was being promoted as facing Josh Alexander in the fallout tapings. It would have been cool for Ospreay to defend the belt, given the result but overall I think it was my MOTN. There were some good spots but it didn't feel exhausting to watch like some Ospreay matches.
The Call Your Shot Battle Royale was surprisingly fun, I could have done with even more entrants. I think it's a good way of trying to get people on the card and give some pay-offs to the smaller feuds and angles going on. I'm not usually one for intergender wrestling but I really think it worked nicely here and Impact has found a way of doing it without it feeling taboo. Cardona was a pleasant surprise, I heard it was a one-off but given that he's gone from being everywhere, it feels like he's slowly begun to disappear and I think Impact missed out on cashing in on him when he initially turned heel and had momentum. Juventud was a nice surprise, although he was mentioned for the fallout tapings, Sonny Kiss was also fun - I think Impact/TNA would do well to utilise on these younger talents from WWE/AEW, who are recognisable but who found themselves lost in the shuffle.
I appreciate it continued the feud with Crazzy Steve and Tommy Dreamer, although why the latter is holding a title in 2023 feels very TNA. Similarly, Bully Ray's ability to involve himself in anything in any promotion and suck the joy from it. My final negative was the fact Jordynne announced her shot so soon - part of me thought that they might try and re-do the Tessa Blanchard stuff, so when she said she wanted to challenge for the the Knockouts title, it felt a little meh.
I'd say both men's and women's world title matches felt similar in the sense that they were fine matches with new champions taking on contenders who never lost their belt but Trinity and Mickie just didn't set my world on fire in the way that they were building to. I'm not sure what the plan was for Mickie when she won the title at the end of the Last Rodeo storyline but it seems that the focus is staying on Trinity. I'm holding out that Mickie could turn on Trinity as she did with Velvet years ago, in what was a really fun-if-short-lived character for her, but given the fact we know Jordynne is now facing Trinity at HTK, I don't know what's next for Hardcore Country.
Again Alexander versus Shelley was good but it didn't feel like a main event match for their Mania equivalent. Alexander losing was puzzling to me. I've enjoyed Shelley as champion but it has felt rather random. One the one hand, I'm glad he's not just a transitional champion but on the other, I feel like Alexander and Maclin should be in the main event scene. I'm not too sure how I feel about the prospect of Shelley vs. Moose, I'm hoping maybe something might happen in between. Also curious as to how Ospreay fits into all this - is he just making fleeting guest appearances or will they bring him into storyline? The latter could be interesting, especially with Shelley and Ospreay's styles.
I think the main takeaway from this event will be the final segment and I was initially in two minds. I feel like Anthem and D'Amore have worked really hard to make Impact feel like a different show, a different tone, etc to all the tropes of TNA, while still paying homage to its history. Taking it back to TNA is risky but I think as much as I think the product has improved in terms of its ethos - not just picking up every WWE release, dialling down the cheesy stuff (somewhat), trying to be a true alternative, etc. - it's hard to argue that TNA was/is a bigger brand than Impact Wrestling. Even watching the episode where Hogan was coming in, the crowd was electric and you could feel the optimism. I think Impact has been under the radar for a long time so it's nice to see them make bold strokes again and I'm really hoping their production upgrades will give the product a much-needed boost. It's only November and yet I'm excited for the new year and this new era of TNA.
Oh also, loved the HOF inductions.
then was reading the chat and thread like what.. what am I missing…
