Instant Reaction - TNA Impact 7/5
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score - 8.0

Impact was, yet again, a very entertaining show. The main event was a high-quality match, and TNA delivered not only on what was promised this week, but also skillfully hyped both Destination X and next week's Impact. More than anything, the World Title match between Aries and Roode received some of the best hype I can remember from a TNA feud in quite a while. Aries seemed confident but likeable in his backstage segments, and the Sabin-Roode exchange was great. Bobby looks like an opportunistic prick, Aries looked good by making the save, and Sabin's injury was used in a beneficial manner. Very nice. And, the final exchange between the two was nearly perfect, with Hogan endorsing Aries, and having the small scuffle between the two intensify the feud. Hands down, the hype for this match was the best part of the show.

James Storm vs. Jeff Hardy was another highlight of the show. After all of the promotion this match got, it did indeed deliver. Both men have decent chemistry with each other, and it was a smart idea to give Storm's first loss in the Bound for Glory Series to Hardy. He doesn't look bad by losing to him, and it opens up the field a bit as to who could theoretically win.

The rest of the action on the show was a bit hit-or-miss. While the second X Division qualifying match was a lot of fun, the first wasn't anything special. The same can be said for the Knockouts tag match and the opening TV Title match. I can't imagine why TNA is getting off the Crimson train so quickly, though. At first he was the hot new thing - now he's hardly mentioned at all.

The Rayne-Hebner affair was so unpredictable that it wasn't so shocking when she actually made out with him. I'm sure hoping it leads to a "she's using him to win matches" feud, because that's the best possible direction the feud can go in. Or, maybe TNA is trying to start up an intergender tag team division...

The opening segment with Parks and Ray feels a little tired at this point, but it was still delivered well. Ray could talk for the whole two-hour show and I wouldn't mind (and that includes commercial breaks). It, along with the Hogan and envelope segment and the video advertising the Anderson-Angle match next week, were very well done. And, as odd as the story has been, I enjoyed the final promo time between Styles and Daniels. They already announced the match at Destination X would be a Last Man Standing match, but, even so, Daniels was great on the mic. It's smarmy characters like these where he's at his best.

Overall, the hype machine was in overdrive tonight, and it produced a very enjoyable edition of Impact. Not the best episode, but it's still one worth watching.

Any questions or comments? Feel free to message me on Twitter at BTuckertorch.

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