Any time something new begins for a wrestling company, some fans look at the transition as a chance to shake things up and go in a different (and generally better) direction. That was pretty much the case then TNA was booted from Spike TV and found a new home on Destination America. Josh Mathews became the fresh face and voice on commentary, and Impact Wrestling was presented with a new and pretty fresh format. The problem was that they didn’t follow through.
Longtime TNA star Eric Young was chosen to be one of the company’s top heels after shockingly becoming the TNA World Heavyweight Champion at the tail end of his run as a kooky, out of his mind babyface. He won the title a few months into TNA’s year-long run on Destination America, lost it after about two months and then turned heel shortly afterward. Until poor management decisions and incompetence ran him out of town, MVP had a good showing as a babyface authority figure turned heel stable leader. Bobby Lashley became a bona fide main event player, Bobby Roode is a top card mainstay and Ethan Carter III has become the present and future.
The only remnants of the past lie with Matt and Jeff Hardy, the latter of whom is injured and won’t be coming back until late 2016 at the earliest according to his brother. Matt Hardy is in the semifinals of the World Title Series and is likely going to move on to wrestle EC3 for the title next week to wrap the whole storyline up in a nice little bow.
That is where it becomes interesting. With all kinds of new blood coursing through the veins of TNA, the outcome that appears most likely is that a 41-year-old Hardy will exit the World Title Series with the belt. The same belt that he had to vacate a few months ago which led to this situation in the first place. Will TNA pull the trigger and give Hardy a true run with the title, or will it go to arguably the most entertaining man to walk through the doors in years, EC3?
On top of that, Roode will be putting his King of the Mountain Championship on the line against a mystery opponent that is rumored to be Mike Bennett, fresh off of a great run in Ring of Honor that saw him step up his game and become a truly sought-after free agent. Drew McIntyre is still in the wings along with Eli Drake who has immense potential, and rumor has it that James Storm may be on his way back to TNA after a very abbreviated run with NXT.
It is very hard to determine what TNA is planning to do — they might do something new for a couple of months before settling back into their “tried and true” method of choosing the dumbest idea possible and running with it. The talent roster isn’t quite as good as it used to be, but they have a very solid group of guys and girls to build upon. Tonight’s show is going to give us an idea as to where they are headed.
Nicholas A. Marsico is a featured pro wrestling writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter!
