Impact Wrestling Review: 2/6/2014

IMPACTWRESTLING.com

Impact Wrestling is following up last week‘s reveal of MVP as the mystery investor. That is sure to be the main focus of tonight’s show.

Eric Young vs. Abyss (Monster’s Ball match)/Bobby Roode and Dixie Carter backstage

This match started with these two brawling backstage, they eventually made their way out to the ramp and the referee started the match. EY hit Abyss with a sunset-flip powerbomb onto a bunch of tacks, it was an incredible spot. At the end, EY pulled the mask off Abyss and Joseph Park was revealed. Park hit the black hole slam for the win. After the match, Park seemed stunned by his own identity.

Roode comes to Carter with a contract for a shot at Magnus’ title at Lockdown. Carter says that things have changed with the new investor, he has to earn it. She books Roode in a #1 contender’s match with Samoa Joe. Roode is furious but he is forced to accept.

My Take: The match wasn’t bad, but the crowd never got into it, despite the spot with the tacks. It would be mind-numbing if they tried to sell that Park didn’t know he was Abyss, but that’s where this appears to be headed.

Dixie is doing a good job of playing the heel who plays victim. She makes it seem like everybody’s out to get her, including Roode in this segment.

MVP/Rockstar Spud promo/Bully Ray backstage

MVP comes out in a suit. He makes some references to his time in WWE, but he turns his attention to the locker room and Dixie Carter. MVP says he loves pro wrestling and he needed to make a change in TNA. He says that TNA has all the pieces, but they have been mismanaged. Rockstar comes out and says that he thinks it would be more fair if MVP’s TNA introduction took place in private, not in the ring. MVP says that thing’s are going to be different, and what Rockstar thinks is fair isn’t going to happen. MVP then makes a non-title match between Magnus and Kurt Angle.

Bully Ray stands above his coffin, and says his family was taken away from him by Ken Anderson, so he’s going to take Anderson away from his family. He then says he’s going to prove it by putting the next man he sees in that coffin, like he’s going to do to Anderson.

My Take: Good promo from MVP. The WWE stuff is obvious, they have no choice but to make reference to it. Rockstar is a really good performer and he grows every week.

Bully Ray is fantastic with his promos. He’s like CM Punk, his promos cut deep and they have so much feeling to them.

Bully Ray promo/Curry Man vs. Bully Ray (un-official coffin match)/Magnus, Rockstar Spud, EC3 and Dixie Carter backstage

Apparently, Curry Man was the first man that Ray saw. Ray comes to the ring donned in all black, wearing sunglasses. He then pickes up a microphone, and simply said that Curry Man was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Curry Man charged at Bully Ray and Ray took him out. Ray beat down on Curry Man before hitting him with a piledriver and throwing him into the coffin.

Magnus is complaining about the match with Kurt Angle. Dixie tells him that the only thing he can do is get ready for the match. EC3 comes in to ask Dixie something, but Dixie has no time for him. EC3 is feeling neglected.

My Take: Ray very quickly beat down Curry Man and put him in the coffin, it didn’t seem like something that needed to happen on national TV.

I’m very excited to see how the EC3 storyline progresses. It’s easy to get into TNA’s storylines because they all intertwine, the problem is that most of them don’t make any sense.

Austin Aries and Zema Ion promo/Austin Aries vs. Zema Ion (X-Divison Championship match)/Dixie Carter and Rockstar Spud backstage

Aries came and held the mic out to the crowd as they chanted his name. He says he is a great champion and he intends to win all the championships TNA has to offer, like he has done in the past. The Bro-Mans come out, while Aries is focused on them, Zema attacks from behind and calls out a ref so he can cash in his X-Division title shot.

Zema goes for the quick pin but Aries kicks out. Zema has control early, but loses it quickly when he went for a moonsault. Aries then hits the dropkick in the corner, followed up with the brainbuster for the win.

Dixie and Rockstar prepare for MVP’s arrival in Dixie’s office.

My Take: The promo was very generic, just an excuse to get Aries into the ring.

Not sure why Zema even won the briefcase if this is what he was going to do with it. When Damien Sandow lost his cash-in to John Cena on Raw a few months ago, at least he looked good doing it.

Christy Hemme and Sam Shaw backstage/Magnus and Bobby Roode backstage/Dixie Carter, Rockstar Spud and MVP backstage

Christy breaks up with Shaw after finding out about his shrine to her.

Roode is complaining to a camera man about all the favors he has done for Dixie. Magnus comes up and tells him that Roode doesn’t do favors for Dixie, he does what she says because that’s his job. Roode tells Magnus that Magnus wouldn’t have the title if it wasn’t for Roode’s help. Magnus disagrees and they stare each other down.

MVP walks into Dixie’s office to officially meet with Dixie for the first time. They have a pretty long conversation about what they feel is best for TNA’s future. MVP leaves after telling Dixie that if they are going to do business, they should do it in the ring, in front of the fans.

My Take: Christy should’ve been much more creeped out by Shaw than she was.

Roode badly outshined Magnus in this segment. Magnus needs to work on his heel persona.

MVP badly outshined Dixie in this segment. Dixie needs to be on TV less.

Kurt Angle vs. Magnus

EC3 came out and attacked Angle’s knee from behind. EC3 then attacked Kurt with a chair. Angle left on a stretcher.

My Take: Attacks like this are generally used to write a guy off of TV for a while, Angle needs surgery.This did a good job in showing EC3’s building frustration with his aunt.

Samoa Joe backstage/Eric Young backstage/Chris Sabin and Velvet Sky backstage

Joe screams into the camera. He is talking to Dixie, and he says everyone will pay and he will take down everybody after what happened to Kurt Angle.

EY is recovering from the Monster’s Ball match. He explains that he chose that match because he knew that the insanity of that style would be what would the only thing that could get through to him.

Sabin gives Sky a speech about their love and everything they have overcome. He gets on one knee and pulls a ring box out of his pocket. Sky opens the box and it is empty. Sabin then laughs in her face and challenges her to a match next week.

My Take: Joe is scary. EC3, Magnus and Rockstar Spud are in for trouble.

Yeah, we’re going with Joseph Park didn’t know he was Abyss.

Heels challenging women to matches is the definition of cheap heat.

Samoa Joe vs. Bobby Roode (#1 contender’s match)

Joe makes Roode tap out to the Coquina Clutch and remained the #1 contender.

My Take: Good match from these two guys, who are two of the most talented wrestlers in the world.

Dixie Carter and MVP promo

Dixie comes to the ring with Rockstar Spud, then she introduces MVP. Dixie opens up their conversation by talking up Magnus, and how much class and dignity he has, and says he is a great role model and leader. Dixie then says that she has dealt with many investors, but she wants her and MVP’s relationship to go down in history. MVP mocks her the entire time before talking about what needs to change. He then directly accuses her of mismanaging TNA and playing favorites. He says he’s here to spark change and says Dixie’s reign of terror is over. MVP and Dixie stare each other down before Dixie leaves.

My Take: This was good. Dixie wasn’t very good, but she really didn’t need to be, in fact, her inadequacy actually made the segment better. MVP looked very good, and the sense of realism that this segment had will go a long way in making fans care.

Overall Impression

Another lackluster show from TNA. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s that it’s convoluted. They’re doing too many things at once, and eventually that starts to bring down the overall product.