The Official Weekly LIVE iMPACT Wrestling Thread!

rovert

Thought this was a good show from a storyline progression point of view. The Gail Kim-Dollhouse segment was pretty good not normally high on Taryn on the mic but she preformed well. Kim provided good physicality. Yim's facial expressions have a ways to go and Marti is a horrendous wrestler. Breaking them up maybe a mistake but the Bro Mans segment built heat for their feud pretty well. Wish EC3 wasn't associated with Mr. Anderson. That "bitch" promo was :rolleyes:.

The first match was good start to the tag team series but personally would have had the match go twice as long. But maybe they will tell the story of the series with matches going escalating lengths. Just think first matches of a series should be really important. The Hardcore War main event reminded me too much of bad Lockdown matches but they had spots to keep things interesting: Lashley spearing dudes, Drew's big flip dive and then Angle jumping off the top rope. Didn't like the use of Chris Melendez's prosthetic leg. Just came across as exploitative and crass. Stop making Eric Young happen. :P

Machismo Fan

I don't mind the leg thing (mostly because you knew it was going to happen eventually once they signed Melendez) but I think they wasted it on Young. Especially in the last couple of weeks of Young's main event push.

CastorTroy

Well nice view (from behind) provided this week by the team of Rebel and Brooke.

Anyway, I tend to skip through these shows quickly so maybe I missed it, but was there a reason Melendez got involved or was it just Angle being all "America Rocks"?

rovert

https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/600029932559925248

Stereomaniac

What station is this being shown on on Sky? I used to watch it on at least a fortnightly basis.

CastorTroy

Challenge on Sunday night

rovert

loooooooooooool

Eric Bischoff, Jason Hervey, and Garret Bischoff have filed a breach of contract lawsuit against TNA Entertainment for unpaid money in the amount of $114,500.02. Prowrestling.net obtained a copy of the lawsuit that was filed on May 15, 2015 in Davidson County, Tennessee.

Hervey and Eric Bischoff are listed together under their company name of Bischoff Hervey Entertainment. They were hired on a "pay or play" basis, and claim TNA owes them $101,500 in unpaid money for January 2015 through March 2015. They are also seeking the cost of "entering this action, including reasonable attorney's fees." Hervey and Eric Bischoff served as executive producers for TNA and were given a base fee of $426,800 per year, which was payable in monthly installments.

Garret was originally part of BHE's first agreement with TNA. He signed a separate talent agreement on October 24, 2012, and claims that TNA owes him $13,000.02 in unpaid compensation for October 2014 through March 2015. Garret's deal included monthly compensation of $2,166.67 on a "play or pay basis" and an additional $500 for paid performances. Garret's contract with TNA expired on March 31, 2015.

The lawsuit states that TNA made payments in a timely manner through September 2014. BHE attorneys notified TNA on November 4, 2014 of a breach in the terms of the agreement for October pay, and advised that the company had 20 days to rectify the situation. A second notice was issued twenty days later notifying TNA that they had failed to cure the breach. TNA eventually issued payment of $101,500 "on or before January 1, 2015," according to the lawsuit. However, BHE is seeking that same amount of unpaid money for the final three months of their contract, which expired on March 31, 2015.

Machismo Fan

I love that after Bischoff failed miserably in TNA he still got paid for a year and a half for doing absolutely nothing.

Stereomaniac

That sounds a bit like when the guys were still getting paid their guarantees after WCW died.

jaykhunter

Stereomaniac wrote: »

That sounds a bit like when the guys were still getting paid their guarantees after WCW died.

Yes, exactly! Ha ha.

rovert

IMPACT cancelled
http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/100-tna/42659-observer-exclusive-destination-america-cancels-tna-impact-wrestling

Machismo Fan

He does somewhat reign it in with the last paragraph, but TNA haven't learned anything from what happened on Spike so this was inevitable.

rovert

TNA issued the following statement this afternoon via email to PWInsider.com in response to queries about reports Impact Wrestling was canceled:
Statement from TNA Regarding IMPACT WRESTLING

It has come to our attention that several internet news sources have falsely attributed statements to TNA, its executives and broadcasting partner. These false statements constitute defamation and if necessary we will seek all legal remedies available to us.

#FreeMeltzer

Machismo Fan

It's vague, defensive and doesn't really deny anything.

rovert

https://twitter.com/Answertheten/status/601487768141856769

Stereomaniac

jaykhunter wrote: »

Yes, exactly! Ha ha.

Did many people have guaranteed contracts in TNA, or is that a stupid question?

rovert

As revealed on the Voices of Wrestling podcast:

https://twitter.com/badboicasey/status/601621170983739393

rovert

There has been a firestorm on social media about Meltzer's report. TNA zealots going balistic. TNA wrestlers having a wobbler. BILLY CORGAN and Dave Meltzer fighting.

But the primary takeaway is that not one of the 'TNA's not cancelled' tweets/statements actually said the show hasn't been cancelled. Destination America hasn't come out and said it either. Which is really worrying.

rovert

Stereomaniac

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cowpd_rRbRI

rovert

All the stories in TNA

For those who have asked whether Dixie Carter has addressed the TNA-Destination America issue with the staff in Nashville, I am told that as of this morning she had not as she was in Texas over the weekend. There is a meeting scheduled for this afternoon, so we will see if it is addressed internally. There's been a number of people who work for the company obviously unhappy that nothing has been said beyond the email/statement TNA issued last week.

Several sources have stated that Christy Hemme has given notice and will be departing shortly for what I am told is an awesome job opportunity outside the wrestling business. Hemme has been with the company since 2006 in different roles from wrestling to ring announcing to hosting and most recently working on the Creative team, has given notice and is departing for what I have been told is an awesome opportunity outside of professional wrestling. There was one person in the company who believed she might still be available to work TVs in her role as a ring announcer, but I haven't confirmed that. Most I've spoken to believe she's making a complete departure. Hemme was the original Diva Search winner for WWE. She and her husband celebrated the birth of their first child several months ago. She's always been a great asset to TNA.

Another name to pay attention to is former TNA champion Austin Aries. Multiple sources have noted his current TNA deal is set to expire by the end of June. He's in the midst of a series of bouts teaming with Bobby Roode vs. The Wolves for the vacant TNA Tag Team championship, which would conclude at the 6/27 Slammiversary PPV show in Orlando. So, as of this writing, Aries' long-term future is up in the air, unless the two sides come to terms on a new deal.

In regard to the TNA-Dixie email rumors I noted last week, several people I spoke to over the weekend have claimed they've heard the story, which alleges Carter inadvertently CC'd in a major Destination America exec in an email complaining about the Network, as far back as late February. That version of the story claims that Carter's email came after the network issued a press release touting that Impact Wrestling had delivered the network 4.2 unique viewers. As I wrote last week, it was a story I'd been following for several weeks and no one I spoke to within TNA, even off the record, would deny the issue, but no one would confirm it either. I suspect that even if this has indeed happened, no one is going to publicly comment on it.

An update on Samoa Joe debuting for NXT. When he debuted, I wrote there were people within TNA worried about Joe's debut. One very high-placed person in the TNA offices reached out to deny that, claiming that wasn't the case and that they wished Joe nothing but success. While I stand by what I wrote, I wanted to make note of their side.

A quick update on canceled vs. not renewed terminology I mentioned last week. Several readers sent word that Dave Meltzer, who broke the story that TNA would not continue on Destination America past this September, has noted online that his sourcing on the story was an internal memo from Destination America and that memo used the terminology that the network "would not be renewing" the series, which certainly would be the proper definition within the TV industry. Meltzer also claimed, I am told, that he reached out to Dixie Carter for a week before he filed his story, which really means that the question is why didn't TNA get in front of this story to begin with before it broke? I also want to state that, unlike has been passed around online, at no point did I shoot down Meltzer's report and any claims that I did, are 100% untrue.

Several readers sent word that Nashville radio station Lightning 100 were discussing the issues with Destination America while discussing trending topics of the past weekend.

http://www.pwinsider.com/article/93973/tna-creative-team-member-leaving-company-another-top-stars-longterm-tna-future-in-the-air-dixie-more-tna-news.html?p=1

Wonder what Aries will do.

Machismo Fan

Aries recently pulled out of a PCW show on August 7th, which may be around the time TNA would be set to tape their next batch of TV's.

Machismo Fan

Do watch Aries and Roode vs. The Wolves, great match and easily better than their first.

rovert

Machismo Fan wrote: »

Do watch Aries and Roode vs. The Wolves, great match and easily better than their first.

The word of mouth coming out of the taping said the same thing.

Hope this was the end of the boring Anderson-EC3 and Angle-Young feuds. The modern X-Division style reminds me too much of the mid 00s WWE Crusierweight style.

There's many great, spectacular flyers on the indies, Mexico (NOT Argos ) and on Lucha Underground.

Outside of Mickie and Storm segment the rest of the show pretty much sucked. Al Snow is a turn off for me.

I think Angelina has had work done:

Machismo Fan

I thought Snow was fine, neither good nor bad. Pretty much everything he said went in one ear and out the other. Pope is the guest announcer next week. I still think they could build a really great X-Division around those guys with a few others if the division had any focus at all.

rovert

Mickie possibly dies and no one on Boards talks about it:

– The Memorial Day, international-only episode of Impact Wrestling has hit the net. As you may recall, TNA didn’t air a new episode of Impact due to the holiday in the US, instead airing a replay of Slammiversary 2014. The company taped a new, storyline-light episode for the international airings. You can check it out below:

ERG89

rovert wrote: »

Mickie possibly dies and no one on Boards talks about it....

My brother was watching impact the last day, Al Snow was on commentary EC3 was wrestling the insufferable Ken Anderson. Not sure if Snow was confused but he was talking about not being afraid to throw down with Dixie Carter in the parking lot....

Stereomaniac

Is Eric Young vs. Kurt Angle on tonight?

Machismo Fan

Stereomaniac wrote: »

Is Eric Young vs. Kurt Angle on tonight?

Angle vs. Spud is tonights main event with Aries challenging the winner.

rovert

The X Division annoys me no end from the talent selection, booking, in house X Division in ring style, the time given to matches etc so I couldn't get into this episode. If you switch your brain off to the idea that Spud isn't a physical threat and can't apply a Rey Mysterio style match strategy Spud vs Angle was a good TV match. The Austin Aries vs Kurt Angle match was a very good Kurt Angle match even if an increasingly slower Angle is running through his same old sequences and counters. The main event makes you fear about TNA's talent depth if Aries doesn't re-sign with TNA too.