In my opinion, Impact has been really spinning its wheels lately. Storylines are stalling, match quality is falling, and people are tuning away from Impact. In fact, this episode of Impact when matched up against the season opening of NFL football on TV caused this show to have the lowest ratings ever for Impact in over a year. Was it deserved? Here's the high and low points of the show...

IMPACT HITS

Matt Morgan Finally Snaps On Kurt Angle: Man, this one was a long time coming. For weeks and weeks now, Matt Morgan has been the lackey to Kurt Angle, and this week Angle may have dug his own grave when he admitted in front of everyone (Morgan included) that the only thing that mattered to Angle was Angle holding on to the TNA World Title. We've seen the slow burn of Morgan long enough, and this week one Hellavator has made Morgan the instant white-meat babyface. I just hope that this isn't yet another swerve to have Morgan wind up siding with Angle at No Surrender.

Motor City Machine Guns Commentary: Yes, both Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley deserve some more time in the ring where they can show what they do best. But in the meantime, their no-care attitude and humor behind the microphone was a refreshing laugh at many a time when I really wasn't caring much about the action in the ring. Fortunately, it was done just enough to the point where it wasn't overkill. Now what I'd really like to see is MCMG in a tag match where one Gun calls commentary on the other member's action in the ring. Now that would be super-ultra-mega-awesome (to borrow a Gun-ism).

IMPACT MISSES

Homicide Turns On Hernandez, Joins World Elite: Man, I have never been so sad to be so right. Last week I called my shot that it wouldn't be too long before Homicide gave the screwjob to Hernandez, and this week it was pulled off. I've had the pleasure of interviewing both Homicide and Hernandez (you can check out my interview at this link), and I won't hide the fact that I think these are two fine athletes who can bring it in the ring. And I sincerely hope that this angle brings a nice push to Homicide, but I can't see him doing much more than sitting in Eric Young's shadow. Why can't TNA just let LAX have their respective singles runs without forcing this turn down our throats?

Lackluster Women's Tag Team Tourney: As I have called it in the past, TNA is just doing nothing much to hype up the importance of this new Knockouts Tag Team Titles. And before the brackets were even announced, I had a feeling that The Beautiful People would be winning those belts. I'm not so sure anymore with the departure of Angelina Love from TNA, but we'll see what happens. I'm betting Madison Rayne gets back in the group somehow to replace Angelina Love. In the meantime, the importance of this new title has just kind of dragged, especially considering that the matches in the tourney haven't been anything special.

Opening Four-Team Tag Match: While I kind of like the idea of opening a show with a match in action, the rules of the match were never really explained until the end, and even the wrestlers themselves seemed to not know. I mean, if a match can't be won until all men from all the teams have entered the contest, why even go for a cover beforehand, and why does the ref even try to count the pinfall? And when The British Invasion got the win by pinning Scott Steiner, I never did understand Eric Young's explanation to Kurt Angle that World Elite would do "what it takes."

Chris Reed is a PWTorch Specialist covering TNA Impact with a weekly Hits & Misses column.

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