MrElijah
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Post by MrElijah on Jun 19, 2022 15:51:34 GMT -5
Despite everything, Impact managed to survive 20 years. Ups, downs and everything in-between what's your favorite memories of this crazy promotion?
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Jun 19, 2022 16:00:29 GMT -5
I mean, kinda. I'd honestly say it HAS died before, it just would get bought up. Like, if people consider ECW under WWE to not be ECW anymore, or ROH under Khan to not be ROH, then Impact isn't TNA. But this is a Theseus' Ship situation, and off topic.
I've been critical of Impact sometimes, especially the Dixie era, but I do think they've sometimes let people thrive in certain ways that other companies failed to. Dr. Stevie and Nurse Daffney was a really fun pairing, and Daffney rushing Abyss with the stungun in-hand and getting a Black Hole Slam for her troubles was a really well-shot moment that I've often thought of since Daffney's passing.
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Post by Celexa Bliss 54 on Jun 19, 2022 16:08:56 GMT -5
I've never been a big fan, but I do own a few PPVs from 2009 on DVD. And if there was ever a time where they could've taken off and become a true competitor to WWE, that was the year it was going to happen. Main Event Mafia, AJ finally being pushed like a legit main eventer, Team 3D vs. Beer Money, Matt Morgan was getting a great push, the Knockouts division still felt like it mattered... then of course, January 4th happened and it was downhill from there...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2022 16:13:42 GMT -5
Listening to the “You’ve Got to be Kidding me” TNA history podcast. Really crazy to listen about the early weekly PPVs. How they would have been dead in two months without Panda Energy and Dixie swooping in.
I was a big fan from just before Joe’s title win to about a year into Hogan. I think my favorite moments are seeing Daniels 09 main event run. Specifically Styles vs Joe vs Daniels doing their great triple threat from 05 again at Turning Point 09. One of my favorites. 09 in general is such a good year for TNA.
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Post by thegatewaydrug on Jun 19, 2022 17:02:15 GMT -5
The AJ Styles vs. Petey Williams matches in 2004 for the X Title around the time TNA got its first TV deal, on Fox Sports Net, were phenomenal. Throw in Frankie Kazarian and Chris Sabin for even more variety and magic.
With the doldrums of JBL as WWE champ, I switched allegiances ASAP upon seeing the Pele kick and Canadian Destroyer!
(Around the same time as Elix Skipper's cage walk hurricanrana vs. AMW and Monty Brown pouncing fools left, right and center. Exciting times indeed... except for a wild Slapnuts constantly appearing with overbooking finishes in his attempts to draw dimes at the top of the card.)
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2022 17:25:29 GMT -5
The AJ Styles vs. Petey Williams matches in 2004 for the X Title around the time TNA got its first TV deal, on Fox Sports Net, were phenomenal. Throw in Frankie Kazarian and Chris Sabin for even more variety and magic. With the doldrums of JBL as WWE champ, I switched allegiances ASAP upon seeing the Pele kick and Canadian Destroyer! (Around the same time as Elix Skipper's cage walk hurricanrana vs. AMW and Monty Brown pouncing fools left, right and center. Exciting times indeed... except for a wild Slapnuts constantly appearing with overbooking finishes in his attempts to draw dimes at the top of the card.) I'd watch the show on Fox Sports Net right after coming home from school. Those were the days.
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Post by Cyno on Jun 19, 2022 17:26:11 GMT -5
Impact's death and rebirth under Anthem did so much to revitalize the product. It will probably never reached the same heights ever again, but it's staying in its own niche and doing well there.
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Post by eJm on Jun 19, 2022 18:07:29 GMT -5
Impact's death and rebirth under Anthem did so much to revitalize the product. It will probably never reached the same heights ever again, but it's staying in its own niche and doing well there. The last 5 years have basically shown that the company can reinvent itself to be a place where reinvention can happen. Deonna Purrazzo and Steve Mancin are two of many testaments of this.
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Post by Cyno on Jun 19, 2022 19:08:50 GMT -5
Impact's death and rebirth under Anthem did so much to revitalize the product. It will probably never reached the same heights ever again, but it's staying in its own niche and doing well there. The last 5 years have basically shown that the company can reinvent itself to be a place where reinvention can happen. Deonna Purrazzo and Steve Mancin are two of many testaments of this. Rich Swann, W. Morrissey, Tenille Dashwood, and to a lesser extent, Moose are other great examples. Hell, Johnny Swinger is probably the ultimate example. Johnny Parisi was a running gag of being nobody in WWE. In Impact, he is an amazing comedic wrestler.
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Post by eJm on Jun 19, 2022 19:10:37 GMT -5
The last 5 years have basically shown that the company can reinvent itself to be a place where reinvention can happen. Deonna Purrazzo and Steve Mancin are two of many testaments of this. Rich Swann, W. Morrissey, Tenille Dashwood, and to a lesser extent, Moose are other great examples. Hell, Johnny Swinger is probably the ultimate example. Johnny Parisi was a running gag of being nobody in WWE. In Impact, he is an amazing comedic wrestler.
Swinger when TNA started and Swinger now might as well be two different people with the name Johnny Swinger. That’s how well he’s stayed relevant.
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Post by kingoftheindies on Jun 19, 2022 22:09:21 GMT -5
Impact's death and rebirth under Anthem did so much to revitalize the product. It will probably never reached the same heights ever again, but it's staying in its own niche and doing well there. The last 5 years have basically shown that the company can reinvent itself to be a place where reinvention can happen. Deonna Purrazzo and Steve Mancin are two of many testaments of this. The fact that Steve Maclin of all people when from being the least talked about member of the Forgotten Sons to one of Impact's highlighted wrestlers (and a damn good one at that) is still mind boggling to me.
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Bad Moon
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Post by Bad Moon on Jun 20, 2022 11:18:05 GMT -5
I haven't ever followed impact regularly, but I'm always happy to hear that it's still around. When it's good it's good and when it's bad it's at least bad in an interesting way.
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Sephiroth
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Post by Sephiroth on Jun 20, 2022 11:44:00 GMT -5
Good on AJ that he delivered a message. Considering the terms he parted on I’m glad he got that stone off his chest.
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Post by eJm on Jun 20, 2022 12:39:45 GMT -5
Good on AJ that he delivered a message. Considering the terms he parted on I’m glad he got that stone off his chest. Yeah, same. Considering how he was in interviews afterwards, I’m glad he was allowed to say how much the company genuinely meant to him since even with how he left, it made the perfect New Japan springboard and in turn a WWE one.
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Post by Clash, Never a Meter Maid on Jun 20, 2022 13:03:27 GMT -5
TNA had some amazing wrestling from time to time but they’re on a better path now as an AJPW-style super indie, rather than trying to take out WWE in one fell swoop without the means or knowledge of how to do that.
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Sephiroth
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Post by Sephiroth on Jun 20, 2022 13:16:41 GMT -5
Good on AJ that he delivered a message. Considering the terms he parted on I’m glad he got that stone off his chest. Yeah, same. Considering how he was in interviews afterwards, I’m glad he was allowed to say how much the company genuinely meant to him since even with how he left, it made the perfect New Japan springboard and in turn a WWE one. He had reason to be bitter. But for how long ago it was, all the people he had beef with being king gone, and where is life ended up since he has no reason to hold onto it.
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Post by eJm on Jun 20, 2022 13:26:03 GMT -5
TNA had some amazing wrestling from time to time but they’re on a better path now as an AJPW-style super indie, rather than trying to take out WWE in one fell swoop without the means or knowledge of how to do that. Or people coming in from WWE with the knowledge (your Russos, your Pritchards, your Hogan and Bischoffs) but not really understanding what they got into and changing what was working.
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Post by Baldobomb-22-OH-MAN!!! on Jun 20, 2022 14:35:44 GMT -5
TNA had some amazing wrestling from time to time but they’re on a better path now as an AJPW-style super indie, rather than trying to take out WWE in one fell swoop without the means or knowledge of how to do that. Or people coming in from WWE with the knowledge (your Russos, your Pritchards, your Hogan and Bischoffs) but not really understanding what they got into and changing what was working. It's the strangest thing. In 2009 Vince Russo of all people was actually competently booking a pretty fun wrestling show. Then Hogan came in and basically unloaded a magnum into TNA's chest
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dpg
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Post by dpg on Jun 20, 2022 16:01:10 GMT -5
Or people coming in from WWE with the knowledge (your Russos, your Pritchards, your Hogan and Bischoffs) but not really understanding what they got into and changing what was working. It's the strangest thing. In 2009 Vince Russo of all people was actually competently booking a pretty fun wrestling show. Then Hogan came in and basically unloaded a magnum into TNA's chest Yup, show was fun, balanced and pushing youngsters. Then everything changed and in came Morley, nasty boys etc. Crippled them.
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Post by eJm on Jun 20, 2022 16:26:43 GMT -5
Or people coming in from WWE with the knowledge (your Russos, your Pritchards, your Hogan and Bischoffs) but not really understanding what they got into and changing what was working. It's the strangest thing. In 2009 Vince Russo of all people was actually competently booking a pretty fun wrestling show. Then Hogan came in and basically unloaded a magnum into TNA's chest One of the things learned from You’ve Gotta Be Kidding Me so far is that when Russo is working with others to set up a show and write a script, he’s really good at his job. When he’s in charge? You can very easily tell he’s being given too much of the book.
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