TNA IMPACT HITS & MISSES (3/12): Santino and Daria Rae authority figure bickering, weekly droning Steve Maclin promos, impressive Ricky Sosa debut, Indi Hartwell’s spirited promo, Cedric vs. Moose

HITS

Indi Hartwell’s spirited “title focused” promo:

Indi Hartwell is far from perfect, but she does genuinely radiate earnestness and sincerity when speaking about having the true desire to take the title off of Arianna Grace (which would be a Godsend for TNA, in my opinion). I think Indi has the chops to cut a good, potentially very good, babyface go-home promo. Now the in-ring still needs significant work, but I digress.

The impressive debut of Ricky Sosa:

This kid reminds me very much of Je’Von Evans over in WWE (who has also had some crossover with TNA). At just 21-years old, I believe that Sosa is even younger than Evans. The youth, energy and excitement that surrounds him is infectious and I could see him getting into the top-tier of the face main event scene in TNA. They’d be wise to lock him in right now for as long as they can.

The Hardys (Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy) vs. Sinner & Saint (Judas Icarus & Travis Williams)

A very fun opening match here. Not much too it in terms of storyline advancement but a good way to get the crowd/viewing audience into the action.

BDE & Rich Swann & Trey Miguel vs. Order 4 (Jason Hotch & John Skyler & Mustafa Ali) (w/Special Agent 0 & Tasha Steelz)

A very fun match with a copious amount of talent all-in-one ring. Probably too many bells and whistles here (similar to the main event which I will get to later) but the juice was still worth the squeeze for this particular match.

Cedric Alexander vs. Moose (w/Alisha Edwards) in an Atlanta Street Fight:

I’m a little bit torn on this match. I certainly can’t call it a miss because the talents of Moose and Cedric Alexander transcend any macro-critiques I can make but I wish TNA would tone down their crazy, heavy chaos main events since the AMC debut. We’ve had Casket matches along with other forms of no-DQ matches. That’s not even mentioning the constant interference. That being said, this much was still very fun and I am enjoying the ascension of singles, babyface Moose with Alisha Edwards by his side (for now).

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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MISSES

Mentioning the amount of followers that BDE has on YouTube:

TNA seems to come across as desperate to prove that they are mainstream to the viewing audience on a weekly basis. My Father always told me one of the most endearing qualities that a person can have is self-awareness. TNA seems to have missed the boat on that sage piece of advice as evidenced by their obsession with highlighting “celebrities” and “social media follow” on Impact. I’m not even going to mention our introduction, tonight, to the “stars” of Tulsa King.

Steve Maclin talking about his tragic military background in a heel promo?

Steve Maclin mentioning the legitimate struggles of his life, particularly his military background, was certainly an interesting choice in what is his first big promo as a newly turned heel since he was “fired” and brought back opposite of fan favorite champion Mike Santana. Sure, Maclin got a good amount of boos and garnered the annoying “What?!” chants that TNA fans still seem to love so much, but I think a lot of what he espoused amounted to me not hating him quite as much in the long-term

Gia Miller is backstage with The Elegance Brand:

My weekly PSA to end the Elegance Brand. Stop bringing your wrestlers with actual potential down with this albatross of an act. I can’t say that I am excited for the debut of Mr. Elegance next week.

Push-and-Pull of Daria Rae and Santino:

There is just too much “authority figure” involvement on these TNA shows. This hasn’t been a consistently compelling angle since the Attitude Era yet TNA keeps insisting upon itself with this. I feel as though I am beating my head against the wall here but I wouldn’t feel right not shining a spotlight on it. Mixing this with the DOA Steve Maclin “re-hire “angle opposite of Santana and you’re really hurting your main event scene if you’re TNA.

Weekly droning Steve Maclin Promos:

Short and sweet is a critical phrase that Steve Maclin would do well learning. These weekly in-ring diatribes are sucking all of the air out of the room.

Elijah vs. A.J. Francis as Frankie Kazarian smothers it with constant presence:

I can’t wait for this Elijah-Frankie Kazarian feud to conclude. Having AJ Francis involved doesn’t help but at least he hasn’t been overbearing. These are two tired, old acts that are hanging on to past glories that no longer elevate the product.