Instant Reaction - TNA Impact Wrestling 2/2
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score - 7.5

Wow. It's amazing what a simple change of venue can do for a show. The London crowd was amazing and really improved the overall experience of the show. And, while there were some aspects that I didn't like very much, for the most part, I really enjoyed the program. Stories were told sensibly enough (for the most part), and there was lots of really good action (some of which was marred by bad finishes, though).

The one thing I can say for sure is that TNA needs to pull the plug on the Garett Bischoff storyline. I don't even know how I should feel about Garett. It seems like for the most part he has an underdog-esque character, but at the same time he acts as overconfident and smug as his father. And, while Hogan's return may have been all right, it still doesn't stop the fact that Garett is being shoved down the viewers's throats way too quickly. He was getting booed out of the building for a reason.

That being said, most of the other stories on the show played out well. Storm's matches with Roode and Bully Ray were very entertaining (minus the finish to the first match), and even though I would have waited to put Storm vs. Roode on PPV, I at least enjoyed it. The matches provided lots of solid hype for their eventual pay-per-view encounter, but at the same time it seems like Sting is clouding up the story. It almost feels like Sting himself is going to be in the match at Against All Odds, and he's overshadowing Hardy (that might change next week if Hardy returns in some fashion, but it's still odd).

Haskins vs. Aries was yet another very solid match, but the ending was pretty scary. I sure hope that Aries knew what he was doing at the end, because, while Haskins appeared to be okay, it seemed to be a bit reckless. But, hey, it sure did make him look like a heel at the end (even if he was still heavily cheered!).

The other two matches weren't as good, but they both served their purposes well. The gimmick for the tag match was odd, but the action was pretty quick and the crowd was into it. The Gail Kim vs. Tara Knockous match wasn't bad either, except for the weird ending, and I don't have a problem with TNA essentially giving away the match that's going to be on PPV. For one, it's pretty obvious that they're holding back to a certain extent. At the same time, there's no mystique between them facing off considering they already wrestled in December, and Tara needed some credibility quickly.

Basically, tonight boiled down to a few poor finishes, great action, a hot crowd, and some terrible Garett Bischoff moments. TNA really needs to tour England more often if this is the results they get.

Any questions or comments? Follow me on Twitter at BTuckertorch, or e-mail me at btuckertorch@aol.com.

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