By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

TNA is re-branding their flagship Impact show as "Thursday Night Impact" to coincide with the move back to Thursday nights on May 13. Tonight's Impact was the final episode on Monday nights for now.

TNA issued a press release announcing their upcoming three-hour block of programming on Thursday nights as "TNA Wrestling Night." The new "Reaction" documentary-style show will launch on June 24 to complete the three-hour block.

Starting June 24, Reaction will air at 8:00 p.m. EST head-to-head with WWE Superstars on WGN, followed by taped episodes of Impact at 9:00 p.m. EST.

TNA president Dixie Carter said in the press release that their "fans made it clear that they preferred the Thursday night time period." Carter added another positive spin on the Thursday return: "This is a win/win opportunity for both TNA and the fans. We are looking forward to delivering what the fans are asking for."

Brian Diamond, Spike TV's senior VP, said in the press release Spike is looking to maximize potential male viewers on Thursday nights rather than losing male viewers on Monday nights.

"The fans have spoken and with their input we have determined the best timeslot to maximize the TNA audience is on Thursday nights where we are confident it will be among the most-watched shows with young men," said Diamond.

Caldwell's Analysis: As expected, TNA's explanation is that they "experimented" on Mondays, and they determined they should stay on Thursdays to continue building the timeslot they established prior to moving to Mondays. Carter saying the "fans made it clear they preferred Thursday nights" is a positive way of saying there wasn't consistent interest in the product on Monday nights. It will be interesting to see how long it takes to re-build the Thursday night audience, as the replay viewership has steadily declined since moving to Monday nights.

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