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Is IMPACT Wrestling On The Upswing?

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Impact Wrestling – a name filled with speculation, turmoil and controversy. For a long period of time, Impact a.k.a TNA a.k.a GFW has been at the brunt of many jokes in the wrestling world. Whether it was trying and failing to copy WWE, employing WWE part-timers, not being able to pay talent and much much more, Impact did not feel like a legitimate promotion. Right now we’re going to briefly go through every era of the company known as Impact Wrestling and see exactly why the Redemption PPV was an indicator of a huge upswing.

The Asylum Years

TNA first began as an affiliate of the NWA and ran weekly PPV programming. Through the arena referred to as The Asylum, this new promotion began to show some promise in the ashes of the fallen WCW. With Jeff Jarrett at the helm, this was the period in time where we saw some originality in TNA’s presentation. The dawn of the X division very much made that individuality apparent as stars like AJ Styles  came into the fray.

TNA Impact Wrestling

As the ball started rolling in 2004, the best years of this company were underway in my opinion. 2004 through 2010 were my favorite years with Impact, as it felt edgier and overall distinct to WWE. Under the namesake of TNA, led by Sting, we saw stars emerge like Samoa Joe, James Storm, Bobby Roode, Petey Williams, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Eric Young and many more young lions just trying to show the world that they had “it.” This era is when the infamous X division title triple threat match took place- AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe. If you haven’t seen that match, watch it. It’s magic. Also not to mention how awesome and innovative the Knockouts division was with Gail Kim at the helm.

On the flip side of this, you had many big WWE stars jump to TNA. Although this would eventually plague the TNA product a bit, the initial benefits were rather exciting. Jeff Hardy and Christian came over early in the game to participate in  much deserved main event runs, while Kurt Angle trailed behind and debuted in 2006. From then on you had characters like Booker T, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner and more come right into TNA. The Main Event Mafia storyline is still one of the strongest in TNA history, and it occurred without a hitch at first.

The Hulk Hogan Era

2010 is really when things took a turn for TNA. Hulk Hogan arrived in 2010, and with the addition of Hogan, TNA really amped up with their odd storylines and carbon copying of WCW and WWE. The first jab to the gut was the removal of the infamous six sided ring. This time from 2010 to 2014 saw the resurgence of the NWO in a stable called Immortal (basically). A terrible Jeff Hardy heel turn, and matches involving Ric Flair and Mick Foley. Nobody wanted to see any of those things, so therefore it did not work out too well.

Fast Forward to Now

After Hogan’s departure in 2014, the company went through a tumultuous period from 2014 to pretty much right now in 2018. The product was saved at the end of the day by the likes of EC3, Bobby Lashley and most notably the Broken Hardy gimmick, but the company suffered many losses and many financial setbacks. This leads us to today and the landscape of Impact Wrestling.

Redemption

With the Redemption PPV earlier this year we saw a few things. We saw Impact Wrestling invent a new brand, we saw some surprise wins and we saw some great wrestling. No authority storylines, no BS, just a fun wrestling PPV. That has been a long time coming for the previously wavering Impact. The likes of Pentagon, Austin Aries, Eli Drake, Johnny Impact and others have revitalized Impact to how it was in it’s golden age. Wrestlers putting on the best show they can.

From all the setbacks, it seems that Impact is finally back on track to delivering a solid wrestling program. They started to focus more on the performers and their abilities, and it clearly paid off in one of the best PPV’s that company has done in so many years. The addition of lesser financial troubles also probably help as well.

It took a long time, but Impact now has the ability to go up after digging itself out of that Hogan-sized hole. Was Hogan’s trek to TNA exciting? It sure as hell was. But did it do anything great for the company? Absolutely not. Through rebranding to GFW to going back to Impact Wrestling in the last few years, Impact is now back on track and I look forward to watching more as it attempts to be a solid alternative to WWE and NJPW.

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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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Opinion

Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

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Wyatt Sicks WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions, 

The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight. 

This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail. 

The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions. 

After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama

gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania. 

It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company. 

We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!

Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


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Opinion

Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns 

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WWE Jacob Fatu Roman Reigns Backlash

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call. 

Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story. 

The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line. 

 In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years? 

Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus. 

I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?

Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!

Chairshot Radio Network

Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

 MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling) 

THURSDAY - Nefarious Means

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)


Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

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