Instant Reaction - TNA Impact 7/19
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score - 7.0

I thought Impact got the base of its show right this week. There were multiple solid to good matches that progressed storylines, and they managed to make the Aces and Eights actually feel relatively unique and threatening, etc. Where the show stumbled a bit this week was within the finer details, and while one or two mistakes may be okay, eventually they start adding up.

For instance, why did no one even try to help anyone that was being attacked by the Aces and Eights? Why did no one find them in the small backstage area during the two-hour show? What was the typically vigilant TNA security doing? Why would Brooke Hogan call in to Impact just to say that she doesn't want to talk about Hulk Hogan being attacked? Why was there nothing announced as to what would happen with the Storm vs. Angle and Gut Check matches? How come Claire doesn't care about revealing her sexual endeavors (with photos) to the world while adding comments such as how it was a "passionate, hot night?" A lot of unanswered questions that, in total, ended up knocking Impact down a notch.

That being said, the show was still enjoyable. Most of the BFGS matches were entertaining, notably the Anderson-Styles and Magnus-Ray matches. A few, such as the Pope-Joe match, felt sloppy, but still weren't bad. More than anything it's refreshing to see the added spotlight on Samoa Joe. It was good to see Ray get on the board as well, and seeing guys like Jeff Hardy lose to Robbie E. is giving the Series a much more unpredictable and exciting feeling. The main event was the match of the night, with Aries and Roode once again working well together without giving too much away.

While I didn't like how the Gut Check segment wasn't rescheduled this week after Shaw went backstage, the attack by the Aces and Eights was overall effective. In particular, it was cool to see the group attack a variety of people, making the group seem much more vicious and unpredictable than Immortal, Fortune, etc. Even the Gut Check segment, which is normally a fairly self-contained segment, was interrupted by the group. Even heels, as seen in the final segment of the show, aren't safe from the group. Nicely done. I thought the various attacks in this respect were very well done, and yet not over-done.

And, then there's the Claire story. Um, yeah. Look, I've been trying my best to give this feud the benefit of the doubt, but tonight was terrible. Why would an adult woman be showing (assumed) nude photos of herself on live television? Was she drunk? And, what was with all of the "it was a hot night" talk? How come she changed from being a sympathetic character to a rude, nasty human being? This was the definite low point of the show, and along with the plot holes brought Impact tonight down a lot. And, yet even so, I thought Impact managed to be a solid show yet again. The streak rolls on...

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

We suggest these recent related articles...

10/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Natalya vs. Paige, Owens vs. Cara, Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Xavier Woods

COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The History of Foam Hands in Pro Wrestling

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt