-- 7/5 TNA Impact Reax

Clint of Lafayette, La., 23, cashier (7.5): Best: Tie between closing segment and the X Division title tournament qualifying matches. Worst: Tie between the ridiculous storyline with A.J. Styles & Claire and Madison Rayne's reveal of her secret crush. This had to be the best PPV lead-in show for any company I've seen in quite some time. Sure, there were some weird moments that weren't great, but the wrestling was top-notch! That Flip Casanova guy has a bright future along with Kenny King, who should have an interesting future ahead of him considering the current company he is in. The other guys, namely Lars Only, not so much. But, the closing segment with Aries and Roode was how to properly hype a main event match. TNA may finally be hitting their stride, and I can't wait 'til Sunday.

Richard H. of Wilmington, Ohio: Maybe the TV Title should take a few more weeks off if Devon's matches are going to be so sloppy. Impact was yet another mixed bag of great (anything Aries and Roode touch, Hardy vs. Storm, and the BFG Series), good (the Knockouts, Joe Parks and Bully Ray) and the awful (the incredibly sloppy X Division matches, more tastelessness in the Styles/Daniels sleaze off, and Crimson trying to walk and chew gum at the same time). Even Hogan was tolerable in small doses, although why the arena sheep continue to bleat for him like he was still the face of the company is beyond me. He hasn't wrestled in years, has consistently put himself over more deserving, better talent at their expense, and continually screws with things that don't need fixing. A.J. is a perfect example - it seems like Hogan has been trying to "improve" Styles since Hogan got to TNA, mainly by turning him without any real motivation or reason. So, of course, it didn't work. But, rather than admit his mistake, now Hogan seems determined to try again, this time by using the Claire pregnant junkie story angle. It is just sad and really detracts from the ability that both Styles and Daniels possess.

Blake Reilly of Milwaukee, Wis. (10.0): Best Match: Kenny King vs. Lars Only/ Jeff Hardy vs. James Storm. Worst Match: Devon vs. Crimson. Wow. This was a great show. For a show not a lot of people are watching, Impact is really picking up steam as the summer live shows roll on. Excellent set up for Sunday's PPV, especially Roode-Aries. The King-Only match stole the show for me; that was a fantastic match and makes me wonder why King is even in a tag team in ROH. As for the main event, I was really expecting a time limit draw. I never thought they would have Jeff win, but it was exciting and TNA set it up well throughout the night. The match FELT important, so I treated it as such... I appreciate how A.J. Styles brought his feud with Daniels last year full circle to this year, and finally said that it had nothing to do with anyone else but the two of them. Hopefully that means they put to bed the whole Crackhead Claire storyline. Also, not only does the PPV look stacked, I'm really looking forward to NEXT WEEK's show, especially, weirdly enough, Bully Ray-Joesph Park. TNA, keep up the good work. Fans will catch on.

***

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "TNA TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Impact, click here or email us at pwtorch@gmail.com.

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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