Impact Wrestling: Slammiversary 2018 and the Power of Positivity

Slammiversary was a hell of a show. Impact Wrestling delivered in a big way and now need to ride this wave of positivity all the way to the bank.

Sunday night was Impact Wrestling’s proving ground. A pay per view with good word of mouth, an impressive storyline build, a unique venue and a roster, chomping at the bit, to put on a performance to rival any modern-day supershow. The company, if anything, overdelivered.

On Sunday night (Monday morning in my time zone), there was a massive disturbance in The Force. A brief perusal of my Twitter feed provided an eye-opening shift in the perception of Impact Wrestling. Whisper it quietly, but Slammiversary was getting rave reviews. What, in the name of Hulk Hogan’s ego, was going on?

In short:

1. There was not a bad match on the card. Pentagon Jr and Sami Callihan delivered a match of the year candidate in their mask versus hair bloodbath. Brian Cage and Matt Sydal were spectacular in their mismatched X-division contest. Tessa Blanchard vs Allie showcased the Knockouts roster in style and Tommy Dreamer, Eddie Edwards and the entire LAX faction showed that hardcore wrestling can be performed to the benefit of the performers and their storylines.

The weakest match, Su Yung vs Madison Rayne, was still good. I, like many, expected this to be a Broken Universe-esque, partially pre-recorded cinematic cut scene mixed with live, in-ring action. Instead, we got a straight match. After the horror movie build, it felt like we were left with a poor denouement.

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2. The crowd, from the get go, were rabid. They ate up everything presented. No cheering of clocks and hate-booing of the companies chosen stars. This felt like an old school ‘wrasslin’ crowd: cheering the faces, hungry for blood and wanting nothing more than to see the heels get their ass’ handed to them.

And when the spectators started a, “This is Impact” chant, you could see that they were enjoying every minute of action.

3. Wrestlers won. Wrestlers lost. With very little in terms of outside shenanigans or booking flourishes, the Slammiversary card was a satisfying conclusion or continuation of feuds that audiences had invested in. It’s nice, at the end of a card, to not bemoan the overbooked, the cop-out interference and the deflated feeling that comes with poorly thought out match finishes. Slammiversary simply bridged chapters in narratives or brought closure to a rivalry. Sterling work.

4. The passion of everyone involved was clear to see and hear. Moose looked crushed in his world title defeat. Hernandez and Homicide, no longer young men, wrestled with a fire that stripped back the years. Ortiz and Santana were every bit, and more, their equal. Tommy Dreamer brought back (good) memories of his ECW heyday and did the honours for a new Innovator of Violence.

Josh Matthews and Don Callis were exceptional on commentary. Working to put the wrestlers, wrestling and stories over, they added a little something extra to each contest.

Impact Wrestling turned up for a fight on Sunday and they left blood, sweat, hair, teeth and broken body parts in the middle of the Rebel Complex. I almost feel sorry for the clean up crew.

On Sunday night (going into Monday), the word on the, often toxic, social media streets, was that Impact had opened eyes and delivered a one-two punch to the wrestling landscape.

Chris Jericho was impressed. The often tempestuous, Bully Ray was won over. Wrestling media influencers, Ryan Satin and Jim Ross were generous in their praise of the show. The ‘dirt’ sheets were suddenly singing a much different, and refreshingly positive, song. A job well done for Impact Wrestling.

And The Iron Sheik liked the show. Take the ramblings of the deranged legend for what it’s worth…

But, what does Impact do with these, newly found, cheerleaders? If I may make a suggestion…

Impact Wrestling needs to take a leaf out of the Hollywood playbook. When Oscar season is in full swing, the “For Your Consideration” campaign kicks in. Oscar voters are sent copies of potential nominee films, literature surrounding the film and what people, critics and reviewers are saying. Show reels are pieced together to give the viewer a taste of what this film is.

Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact need to make their own show reel. In video vignettes, on their YouTube channel, in promoting matches, put all this positivity into an easily digestible form for new fans. Slammiversary may mean a spike in television viewers come Thursdays. If so, wouldn’t it be cool to know that your choice of viewing habits is Jericho approved?

Impact need to run with this upward swing in coverage and let everyone know that Impact has the eyes of the wrestling world.

In the same way that they have built relationship with other wrestling companies, Impact should send out sizzle reels, featured matches or entire episodes to wrestling media types. Being primarily pre-recorded gives the company the rare opportunity to generate positive buzz before the weekly show is aired. If Game of Thrones et al can do it, why not a wrestling television show?

Impact had a modicum of success with this approach during the “Broken” saga. This could work once more, especially given Impact’s edgier content and reliance on cinematic visuals in their narrative storytelling.

Next: Can Impact Follow Up On Slammiversary?

Impact has drawn attention to itself. The creative teams are presenting engaging stories, the wrestlers are delivering in ring and people may be willing to give the company its 666th chance.

It’s time to capitalise on the Jericholics, the Dudleyville residents and the “By gawd”, Boomer Sooners.

Shout it out loud:

For your consideration…

I give you Impact Wrestling.