TNA IMPACT HITS & MISSES (4/30): Broken Universe’s unwelcome return, Adam Brooks as Ali’s surprise opponent, Slater’s face-off with Alexander, Undead Universe spills over into real world

HITS

(Warning: Not many Hits (Warning! Likely the Worst Impact since TNA’s AMC Debut)…)

Leon Slater Promo and face-off with Cedric Alexander:

I’m not sure if it’s the accent or purely the natural charisma but Leon Slater’s promos really hit home for me. He has fire, he has the material and he’s a serious person (which TNA is heavily lacking in currently). Cedric Alexander, as another serious character, is a good foil to Slater in the moment.

The blow off to the Kazarian-Elijah Feud?

This match was utter, mindless nonsense but I guess that the silver lining is that this almost certainly has to be the blowoff to the World’s longest feud with no legs, right?

MISSES

The “Broken Universe” Expiration Date:

Are we revisiting the “Broken Universe” again, after about a decade since its origin across three different companies where it really only found success once? For a “challenger brand,” TNA sure does like to drag up a lot of tired acts, gimmicks and wrestlers from the past. The lights “on and off” nonsense only makes it that much worse.

Adam Brooks as Mustafa Ali’s big, surprise title opponent?:

Is Adam Brooks really a big enough name to use as a hook for Mustafa Ali’s mystery title challenger opponent? I’d argue they should’ve just announced the match outright. The match itself was fine. Carlos Silva, especially with all the recent negative press he’s gotten recently pulling TNA wrestlers from scheduled matches with AEW wrestlers for no apparent good reason, really needs to stop inserting himself into everything so much. It’s legitimately hurting the brand.

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A “Walk with Elijah” Match being an actual Stipulation:

Yes. It’s as ridiculous as it sounds. We don’t need an incredibly dumb gimmick match between tired Frankie Kazarian and Elijah every week. In fact, we never need it, but alas.

The “Undead Realm” Spilling over into the “Real World”:

“Who cares about actual immersion inside Professional Wrestling programming?” Said no competent booker ever. A world so completely different from the rest of the show is distractingly jarring (well, I guess we did actually get back the “Broken Universe tonight). None of this nonsense actually translated to inside the wrestling ring which is the heart and soul of a simulated sport and, therein, lies the problem with the “Undead Realm”. It is a much worse version of “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt’s “Firefly Funhouse” or The Wyatt Sicks failed act.

The Explanation for Santino’s Reinstatement from Suspension:

If Indi Hartwell was suspended, along-side Santino, why would her word as a star witness get Santino off of the hook? Why would the “board” suspend them, in the first place, if they just took her word for it a few weeks later? Logic isn’t much present in recent TNA programming.

Mr. Elegance defeats the “Hometown Man”:

While I get a kick out of the “Hometown Man” gimmick it really only works against serious, credible heel acts. When you pair a comedy act like the “Hometown Man’ against a comedy act like Mr. Elegance and the Elegance Brand you get a lot of laughter and fun but zero investment. No one actually expects the “Hometown Man” to win and nobody actually cares about the Elegance Brand. It’s a recipe for apathy.

Léi Yǐng Lee “Going home to China” and Tommy Dreamer involvement:

First of all, no one actually believed that Léi Yǐng Lee was going to “go home to China” and her acting might be lower than D-tier. Second of all, how many authority figures does TNA and who is calling the shots? We see Daria, Santino, Carlos Silva and Tommy Dreamer on a regular basis. I can’t even keep track of when Santino is suspended and when he’s not. Thirdly, Dreamer’s motivational speech to Lee might have been one of the worst of all-time. If I were her, that garbage diatribe might have actually convinced me to go home to China.