The Resurgence Of Impact Wrestling

The problems within TNA/Impact Wrestling over the past few years have been very public. Losing many of their original stars to WWE and internal struggles left the fans with a product with much to be desired. Over the past few months it seems that has all changed with the use of top tier independent talent, combined with a variety of new methods of product delivery.

Back in 2002 when TNA first hit the wrestling scene, the company offered a unique alternative to the WWE. TNA showcased a variety of familiar faces along with people like AJ Styles, Bobby Roode, and Eric Young, who were unfamiliar names at the time, but are stars today.

Things like the X Division put TNA on the map and eventually drew many names to the company. Guys like Samoa Joe got in front of a nationwide audience when joining TNA, and he was able to mold the character we see in the WWE today. More established stars like Kurt Angle, The Dudleys, Sting, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, and Hulk Hogan all made their way in front of a TNA crowd at some point.

As the internal struggles of the company started to unfold, the product suffered. This led Impact to start losing a large portion of their fan base. Between the Dixie Carter/Billy Corgan dispute to Jeff Jarrett coming back and merging the company with Global Force, the fans were the ones who were neglected.

IMPACT UNDER ANTHEM

In 2017 Impact was bought by Anthem and they took a new but familiar direction with the company. The product seems to be more appealing to fans. Last month, Impact Wrestling announced they would have their first Twitch Exclusive Match  OVE vs. LAX in Barbed Wire Massacre 3.

Ever since this match, Impact’s Twitch feed has been live playing classic TNA and Impact weekly shows and PPVs. Impact also has a different continuous live streaming channel on PLUTO TV, which is an app you can download on most streaming devices that offers free tv and movies. This gives the fans two ways to watch their product for free on a 24/7 basis. This is combined with the company going back to their roots and bringing in fresh top tier independent talent from around the world.

Impact is using the power of social media to interact with fans, asking for feedback about their product. This is a great move to build better communication channels between the company and their viewers, and feedback is key to the growth in any company. This method seems to be working in gaining back the interest of the fans.

The original TNA/Impact worked closely with popular wrestlers on the independent scene to keep an exciting  product that fans enjoyed. The current Impact is taking that a step further. Not only are they working with independent wrestling stars such as Sami Callihan, Trevor Lee, and Brian Cage, but they are working closely with independent promotions as well.

In my opinion the product has become fun to watch again. I was a fan of the early Impact and watched it often over the first few years it was on. I always thought if the direction backstage was stable, they could be a different kind of wrestling product that appealed to an older TV MA crowd.

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At one time, Impact was considered the second-largest wrestling company in America. The path the company is on seems to be the right one for the time being.