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TV Reports
TNA IMPACT ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 10/22: Parks, Shanks, Wilkenfeld rate and review
Oct 24, 2009 - 10:12:15 PM


Greg Parks, Torch Columnist (7.0)

In the grand scheme of things, this was a pretty solid edition of Impact. But it's the little things, like flashing the match-ups for the evening at the outset of the show so quickly, I didn't even have time to tell who was fighting who. They've gotten a bit better at this, but they still need to slow things down.

The opening interview seemed to set the stage for the immediate future in TNA. Disbanding the Main Event Mafia (if we're to believe Kurt Angle and really, why would anyone do that?) is probably the right move; they've been fighting for so long against nothing really since the Front Line was sent to the sidelines that it's time to freshen things up. Speaking of freshening things up, a great debut for Desmond Wolfe, who looked every bit a superstar that he was billed to be. If TNA is serious about phasing out the older talent and pushing the younger guys, he's a great example of someone to get behind.

The matches, for the most part, were largely inconsequential, as usual, something else TNA still needs to work on. The Ultimate X Match was fine, but we just had one on the PPV a few nights before. And I'm really not sure why this match was Ultimate X-worthy. I'd be happy with an extended Beer Money vs. British Invasion feud, but without Team 3D constantly getting involved.

Curtis Shanks, PWTorch.com Contributor (8.0)

Is it just me, or was that a really good edition of Impact? Great in-ring action, great character development (what's up with Angle?) and a consistent flow to the show. Both of the main events, Ultimate X and the cage match, gave us some good action and a few high spots. I didn't care for the DQ finish in a cage match, but it was good to further the heel personas of the British Invasion. The Daniels and Styles tag match gave us good action as well, along with adding intrigue to the storyline as there is now dissension between the two. Homicide and Red only lasted for a few minutes, but it felt like more of a preview match of great things to come between those two with the title on the line.

The main storyline is playing off reality, as everyone is wondering if the veterans are being phased out. The show started with Rhino being the clear-cut heel and the vets being the bad guys. But by show's end, we know see there side and are left wondering which choice is the right one. Present both sides of the argument and let the viewers decide? I kind of like that. Great debut from Nigel. He could be a great character, and TNA appears to have faith in him by having him standing tall in the show-closing segment.

My only big complaint tonight was Sting. Where was he? A lot of guys in prominent matches at BFG were not on tonight's show, but we were left with the hook of what Sting will decide concerning his future. But we got nothing. All in all, a good overall show. Far from perfect, as there were things that could have been done better. But nobody's perfect. A solid show with only a few complaints is exactly what I want week in and week out.

Daniel Wilkenfeld, PWTorch.com Contributor (9.0)

Let's recap what happened. One awesome old school TNA spot fest? Check. Awesome Kong and Hernandez eating people? Check. Amazing promo work from the likes of Angle, Wolf, and, to a much lesser extent, Rhino? Check. Another awesome spot-fest? Check. A very entertaining main event? Check. Several unexpected plot twists, and an ambush where it's not immediately 100% obvious who's behind it? Check. Lashley demoted to the mid-card? Check. Most importantly: two historically under-appreciated wrestlers, one of whom had signed with WWE last I checked, being inexplicably pushed to the top of the card? Check. Okay, I know a lot of people will complain about the fact that no match came in over eight minutes, and that's their right. But I was entertained from the start of the show till the end, and at times shocked and pleased. I could very well be wrong, but I think this might be my first 9.0.


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