-- 12/10 TNA Impact Reax

Matthew Robins (7.5): Best: Crowd. Worst: Double J's Facial Hair. The difference between DX and the Main Event Mafia is that even though both are dead, the one faction that is actually dead has the better storyline going for it. Big Poppa Pump can't last more than five minutes in the ring anymore, and his interviews are leaning towards Perry Saturn status, but seeing him alone in that private locker room wearing the gold and black jacket gives me a chuckle much more that watching Triple H and HBK schilling merchandise and babysitting Hornswoggle. Not to give too much attention to this mid-card feud, but TNA does such a better job than WWE with these. I wonder if former WWE wrestlers coming to TNA have it written in their contracts to involve their wives. Kurt and Karen Angle. Booker T and Sharmell. Bobby Lashley and Krystal. Oh, and I love how Awesome Kong teases feuds with everyone she ever interacts with. I just wish she would win a big match or get the pin once in a while. What was it, Ladies Night in TNA? Lots of backstage stuff and four(!) matches involving the Knockouts? I enjoyed much of it since they varied in types and the Eric Young-Hamada match was like a carbon copy of Gail Kim-Maryse from Raw. The mudbath was not worth analyzing, but it didn't ruin the whole show. Overall, a few storylines were advanced on Impact and I certainly didn't use the fast forward button on my DVR quite as much as I did for Raw. I can't wait for the Monday Night Wars to resume, even if we see Jay Lethal job to Hulk Hogan, even if we'll never hear Tony Schiavone shout, "We are in overtime!" at the end of the third hour, and even if it's just for a night.

Jarel Barnes of Norfolk, Va., Student (6.0): Best Match: Styles vs. Wolfe. Worst Match: Mudbath. Once again, TNA was plagued by poor acting and platonic comedy schemes. It feels like the TNA writers have lost touch of the essence of wrestling. The Beautiful People mud match was a waste of time where other matches could have been stretched out for longer periods. I will admit that the Black Machismo segment is a guilty pleasure for fans including myself. I hope they bring in more credible wrestler to work with Black Machismo to precede Hogan's arrival. TNA has to stop with the goofy Mick Foley storylines. This is beyond ridiculous. Who cares about an odyssey from Orlando to Westmidofnowhere, Tenn. to find Jeff Jarrett. The one positive was the new edgy attitude and modified new look "Double J" has. If they are smart, they can use him as opposition to Hulk Hogan to finish that storyline between them from TNA's early years. The thing that annoys me the most is JB. I feel he cheapens the TNA product by going around interviewing someone in every single segment of the show. They need to drop the backstage interviewers following the "action in the back." The segment with Scott Steiner and Bobby Lashley just didn't flow. Krystal Lashley's face on his crotch was going a little too far and the push-up segment was just offensive. The stalker angle is fine. Just tone it down a notch. ... Daniels's appearance was just boring. It's hard to be interested in him in a one-on-one program with anyone other than A.J. Styles. He has got good mic skills and can wrestle, but he just doesn't have the "it" factor. The Styles vs. Wolfe match was a bit too soon to put on, as it would have been better served on PPV and after the program with Kurt Angle. The eight-man tag match was poorly set-up. Jesse Neal looks like a Smackdown vs. Raw "Created Wrestler gone wrong." Meanwhile, Super Mex just need to drop the corny red and green. The actual wrestling on this show was okay, but it has no business on the next PPV line-up. TNA needs to put on better shows leading to Hogan's debut because new fans tuning in due to the Hogan ads are going to be turned off if they keep putting on crappy TNA Impacts.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "TNA TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Impact, click here.

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