Instant Reaction - Impact Wrestling 2/9
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score - 6.5

While not as successful as last week's show, there was still a lot to like about Impact tonight. For one, TNA managed to adequately hype several matches for Against All Odds on Sunday, especially in regards to the World and Tag Title matches. Several segments were devoted to the rivalry between the four men in the match on Sunday... well, everyone except for Jeff Hardy. It seems like the story left him behind a while ago.

And, while there was a lot of good hype for the main event (the video packages were especially good), aspects like the opening segment didn't do too much for me. For one, I hate to see Roode and Ray split already after only being together for such a small amount of time. Their chemistry's just too good! Also, the entire segment felt rushed. On top of that, Sting inserting himself into the main event continued to make it seem more like he is in the main event on Sunday, not Jeff Hardy. Overall, the segment did its job, but it wasn't as effective as it could have been. That being said, the main event was enjoyable, especially for the live crowd.

Elsewhere, TNA has to give Magnus a stronger presence on TV. After weeks of a lame story with Crimson and Matt Morgan, he delivered a home run of a promo that oozed of confidence. Just look at how the crowd reacted exactly how he wanted them to. Masterful work there, and great hype for their upcoming match, too.

The match between Styles and Daniels was also fun to watch (though it still confuses me as to why this isn't on the pay-per-view and yet Styles-Kaz is), and the X Division match, though short, was really enjoyable. All three men played to the crowd well and the high-paced action was really crisp and clean.

But, TNA has to stop shoving Garett Bischoff down viewers's throats. The multiple segments with Hulk Hogan constantly pandering to him are terrible, and I can almost guarantee that they're not making many people come around to liking him. Either turn him heel or take him off TV for a long time. Otherwise, he's going to go nowhere fast.

The Knockouts match also didn't do much for me. I like Velvet Sky, but she still has a long way to go in the ring. And, Mickie really hasn't done much for me since she joined TNA. Oh well...

Overall, tonight was a decent showing from TNA. While only a couple of the matches were must-watch, there was a lot of hype for Against All Odds, something that I definitely approve of. Impact has been more consistently good lately. I'll be interested to see if they keep up the good work.

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

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