TNA IMPACT HITS & MISSES (1/15): AJ Styles half-hearted segments, Dixie Carter getting booed, Santana regaining the TNA Title, Injury Report, Elijah/Elias, more from AMC debut

HITS

The Intro Video Package:

Overall, I thought the package was pretty simple but did a good job with a quick TNA overview to introduce the potential new crowd and guide them as to where things may be going. I liked the gritty feel of the recording and the powerful voice of the narrator. It was nothing crazy, but a small net positive.

The Aesthetics:

I liked the staging, the ring, and the angles chosen to show the crowd who seemed pretty passionate and into the product from the get-go. Maybe could’ve done a little bit less with all the rah-rah TNA and focused a bit more on the individual stars they’re attempting to build to a bigger audience, but that’s a relatively small gripe.

The Hardys and Elijah Vs. Order 4 match:

Not much to say outside of the fact that it was a very fun and high-energy match. The post-match angle with The Righteous saving the Hardys from Order 4 only to beat them down themselves didn’t do a lot for more as I’m not a big Righteous fan; however, for a PPV/PLE build for Genesis on Saturday – I can see the purpose of the angle.

Léi Yǐng Lee:

Léi has a great look and gives off a credible vibe as a legit badass, fighting champion without even speaking. She is just naturally likable and you want to see her fight and succeed. The “Open Challenge” really works for her gimmick – that was a wise move. I’m sure her vs. Zaria is sure to be fantastic at Genesis.

Mike Santana reclaiming the TNA Men’s World Title from Kazarian:

I really enjoyed Santana’s match with Kazarian tonight. The crowd was clearly invested as they’ve followed him on his journey and care about his character. With that being said, given hindsight, I wish that Santana’s title chase would’ve culminated on the AMC debut rather than winning the title first and then losing it to Kazarian shortly thereafter. I feel as though the moment would’ve been that much bigger. The moment was still a hit, however, as evidenced by the raucous crowd reaction.

Quick Hits:

Kazarian-Styles Backstage Segment:

I’m glad that the two interacted given their history. However, once again, I would have liked more contribution from A.J. His intense look wasn’t enough, but the history added to the main event so I still consider it a small net positive.

Style-Santana Backstage Segment:

This segment was far superior to the Kaz-Styles backstage segment. Styles seemed to truly want Santana to take the TNA throne in one of the company’s bigger moments in, at least, a decade. You could also feel the intensity form Santana before his big title match.

The TNA “Injury Report”:

I really liked Tom Hannifan running through the “TNA injury report.” Whether it was real, kayfabe, or a mix of both, it certainly had a “real sport” like feel. I wish more pro wrestling companies would think about doing this for both storyline and real-life purposes.

Arianna Grace turning on her father, Santino:

The crowd really seems to be invested in Santino. I feel as though the heat from Grace turning on her real-life father could do a lot in establishing her as a much needed strong, top heel in the Knockouts division.

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MISSES

A.J. Styles Opening:

A.J. did a good job hyping up the crowd but I was really hoping that we’d see more substance from the A.J. segment. It was very short and lacked much for the TV audience to sink their teeth into. It was 90 percent “rah-rah” TNA.

Elijah’s Gimmick:

I’ll fully admit I’ve been a casual TNA watcher for several years now. That being said , seeing Elijah again (the former Elias in WWE) I was really hoping for more of a character evolution from the last time I saw him in WWE. That doesn’t really seem to have happened and the schtick is largely the same. That’s not to say it isn’t effective, but to have him as part of the first actual match of your first show on AMC felt a bit underwhelming to me.

Introduction to the opening tag team title match:

We got very little background as to why the Hardys and Elijah are feuding with Order 4 pre-match. If you had never watched TNA before, I’m not sure that you’d feel too much investment outside of the Hardy nostalgia factor.

The “Stars” being out:

The boxing guy was okay to show, but the “influencers” – whom I’m sure 99 percent of the audience has never heard of – definitely should have been left out. They should have just stuck with TNA legends like Eric Young, but they also included A.J. Francis for some reason. At least WWE, generally, has big or – at the very least – recognizable stars on their big events. Ryan Nemeth pointing out that they aren’t actually stars probably wasn’t the best move either.

Daria Rae & Elayna Black Debuts:

Daria Rae as “Director of Operations” of TNA does very little for me. She was fine as an official in WWE as Sonya Deville, but I give a lot of heavy lifting credit to Adam Pearce for that stage of Rae’s career. Also, the “big” Knockouts acquisition of Elayna Black didn’t land at all. I would’ve simply stuck with Santino as leading figurehead of the brand as he feels beloved. Black was fine in NXT, I guess, but she feels like just another NXT retread in an environment already heavily relying on NXT involvement. It was the same criticism of old TNA when they were signing anyone with even just a cup of coffee in WWE.

Perez Hilton in the year 2026:

Perez Hilton feels, at least, 15-years past his expiration date of relevance (which felt relatively small even in his heyday). It’s pretty embarrassing that TNA felt the need to dedicate a live segment to him considering all the not so great things that have come out about Hilton over the years. The juice certainly wasn’t worth the squeeze on this big swing and miss. He added nothing to the Women’s Tag Team Title match.

The Elegance Brand vs. The Iinspiration for the Women’s Tag Team Titles:

The match was short and uneventful. Perhaps, a little bit clunky. I don’t think like the Elegance Brand brings much to the table. I feel as though the more experienced (and more interesting) IInspiration would have been the best team to retain and introduce as champions to the potential new audience on the AMC debut show.

Dixie Carter Cameo:

Why did the TNA brass think that a Dixie Carter appearance would be good for their AMC debut? At least Perez Hilton was supposed to get booed. They brought Dixie out as a babyface even though she’s associated with arguably the worst era of TNA. I’m sure that she’s a great person in real-life, but in pro wrestling, she is much maligned. Then they have legendary Bully Ray look like a boob and hug her, hurting his pro wrestling credibility in the process.