Delayed Reaction - TNA Impact 8/7
By Ben Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score - 5.5

There are times when TNA feels like it's trying too hard to be something it isn't. Thursday's Impact was one of those nights: some segments felt like an imitation of ECW, some characters felt like mimics of talents in other brands, and very little of the program truly felt like TNA. What resulted was a nationally broadcasted event that felt like an independent show with a big budget, paying tribute to concepts that are past their prime instead of delivering a fresh, new product.

My problems surrounding this show don't focus solely on the ECW flavor that flowed through the program, but this reliance on a past brand was the most notable issue. While previous episodes of Impact from New York used the ECW alumni to develop TNA's current storylines, tonight veered too far into becoming an "ECW Tribute night." Bully Ray has completely regressed into his Team 3D character, meaning that his feud with Dixie Carter is no longer about current talents, but instead putting over the dead ECW brand.

While the "Dixie goes through a table" story has been moving in this direction for some time now, last night's broadcast officially crossed the line, taking the focus away from talents like EC3 and instead promoting hardcore matches that felt as if they were designed by someone who had never actually watched ECW. "Oh, that was the hardcore company, right? Where are those trash cans...?" The "Hardcore War" wasn't presented as the result of Bully Ray's feud as much as a battle between "fake ECW" and "real ECW." Putting Dixie through a table wasn't at stake in the match; brand supremacy was. These are small differences in presentation, mind you, but the end result is a product that is glorifying a rotting organization at their own expense.

Talents seemed to be in the spirit of emulation as well this week, as there were a notable number of promos on Impact that felt as if they were being read off of cue cards. Take Bobby Roode, for example. Without any fire in his voice, Roode came across as an independent wrestler trying to sound like a WWE talent. Using crutch phrases like "you see" repeatedly made him seem like a regular guy, not a main-eventer that the crowd can get behind. The Knockouts came across the same way in their segment, stumbling over lines while attempting to come across as "true superstars." I felt like I was watching a bad practice promo exchange in the WWE Performance Center. TNA is putting their talents in situations that expose their weaknesses to try and match WWE's brand of presentation. Why not experiment more? Why not have more one-on-one interviews? Why not aspire to be different?

The rest of the show ranged from dull to vaguely entertaining. The Monster's Ball opening match was another portion of the show that felt more like a tribute to true hardcore matches than a contest that can stand on its own. The X Division Title match was arguably the strongest portion of the night, and Dixie being put through a table at least provided an effective visual, whether or not the actual concept is morally just.

The past several weeks of Impact Wrestling have been strong, but the company seems to be trying too hard to be something that it isn't. Don't be ECW, don't be WWE. Be TNA.

Any questions or comments? Message me on Twitter @BTuckertorch!

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