News: TNA in talks with Activision

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that TNA President Dixie Carter and Impact Wrestling Producer Jason Hervey recently met with Activision officials in Santa Monica with the goal of producing a new video game.

This would be the company's second attempt at the console market, having originally teamed with Midway for the first TNA Impact game back in 2008.

If a deal is struck between the two companies, due to the time it would take to produce such a video game, expect it to debut on next generation consoles, such as the recently-announced Playstation 4.

Impact Projections

Written by Rob Poulloin

After a month of pre recorded television from the UK, Impact Wrestling returns live and from the Impact Zone to push home the first Pay-Per-View of the new line-up, 'Lockdown'. Usually I'm not one for 'fantasy booking' but at the end of the last London Impact a few thing's didn't sit right with me which I doubt will be addressed so thought I would project (rather than predict) the next few weeks of TV leading into Lockdown and loosely setting up my Slammiversary.  

My biggest gripes with the final taping from London were that none of the eight who had competed for a number one contender shot against Jeff Hardy were bothered that they had been overlooked in favour of  the Hulkster's 'son-in-law' Bully Ray who wasn't even considered until he came to Hogan's rescue against Ace's & Eights, and when the group of Bully, Hogan and Sting were overrun by A&E's at the end of the show nobody came to their assistance for the save, I know the idea was to have the group standing strong (for once), but the fact Angle and Joe had issues earlier in the show with Brisco and Bischoff yet didn't show points to a large hole in logical booking.

Heading into this weeks Impact (28/02) I would tackle the issue's at hand before setting up the PPV hype, I would start the show with Sting in the ring stating Hogan is unable to be there due to injuries sustained by Aces & Eights and then stating his disappointment that the locker room sat back when the GM was being attacked, the eight wrestlers overlooked for the title shot should all then appear and ask the question "why should they care when Hogan doesn't care about them", this should then bring out Devon laughing to himself stating that he love's seeing the destruction caused by the group and that he has his team in place for Lockdown whilst asking Sting where his are.

During the show a few more matches should be made for Lockdown including a Knockouts Championship match with Tara getting her rematch after losing the title to Velvet Sky and set-up for a tag team number one contenders match between Bad Influence and Tex Mex on next weeks Impact. Matt Morgan should also make his return backstage claiming he liked what A&E did to Hogan but it should have been him who did it. Angle and Joe would also face off against Bischoff and Brisco in a tag match with A&E cheating to victory. Magnus should also have a promo saying it's good to be back in the US after months away and that he has unfinished business with A&E's.

Jeff Hardy should make his comeback at the top of the first hour stating he would be on Sting's team if he wasn't defending his championship, Bully Ray would then come down and make the same statement to his 'partner' Sting, reminiscing the history the two have made together in classic encounters Bully should end strong stating his intentions to become champion whilst also laying down a challenge for revenge against A&E, questing if Hardy really wants revenge, thus setting up a main event of Bully / Sting /Hardy vs Devon / DOC / Mr Anderson.

During the main event Hardy will be taken out by Bully inadvertently and A&E would play the numbers game, the match would be thrown out and the three take a beat down, in a difference to last week James Storm, Magnus, Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe would attempt the save with the action spilling across the arena and then Matt Morgan would eventually come to the ring, clearing off the rest of A&E and then hitting the Carbon Footprint on both Devon and Sting to end the show.

The following week (07/03) would see Hogan make his return along with Sting and focus on Lethal Lockdown saying he has patched up his relationships and has asked some wrestler to team up with him, Devon would then appear and say that he doubts any one would want to help these two but if they do there is the small matter of the order of the match to work out, Hogan says that's next on the agenda so there will be four matches with all members, the headline of the show will be the captains facing off but starting now will be.. Samoa Joe. Devon would then send Bischoff who would eventually be defeated.

The show would progress with Hogan only showing his hand before each match, it would unfold to be Magnus vs. Mike Knox and Matt Morgan vs. DOC. Before Morgan gets announced Hogan would have a back stage segment with James Storm who says he wants to be in the match and questions how he can trust 'him', but he says he has other plans and sets up Storm vs. Anderson for the PPV. Knox would beat Magnus by cheating and Morgan/ DOC would end up in a double count out leading into the main event where Devon would beat Sting to gain advantage in Lethal Lockdown.

Away from Lethal Lockdown Hardy would question Bully Rays actions on the previous show setting up  a face off and tension between the two, the X Division would be represented to set up a title match and further advancements would be made on the Tag and Knockouts titles matches.

Leading into Lockdown my PPV card would look like:

World Heavyweight Championship  

Jeff Hardy vs. Bully Ray  

Lethal Lockdown

Team TNA (Sting, Samoa Joe, Magnus and Matt Morgan)

vs.

Aces & Eights (Devon, Bischoff, Knox and DOC)

Mr Anderson vs. James Storm

Tag Team Championship

Aries & Roode

vs.

Bad Influence

vs. 

Guerrero & Hernandez

Knockouts Championship

Velvet Sky vs. Tara

X Division Championship

RVD

vs.

Kenny King

vs.

Joey Ryan

vs.

Zema Ion

I'll leave you to decide who would win what at the PPV as I don't want to project to far into the future as I'm sure by tonight's Impact I will be totally wrong! I hope you all enjoyed or at least agreed with what I would book to a certain degree. 

TNA in the UK: Lessons to be Learned

At the tail end of January 2013, TNA Wrestling embarked upon their most ambitious tour yet, with their top tier talent playing to roaring UK crowds at house shows in Dublin, Glasgow and Nottingham. But what was always destined to catch the world's attention were the double TV tapings in Manchester and London. Comprising four whole episodes of Impact Wrestling, the company took care of the entire month of February's programming in a matter of days.

With last Thursday's edition, they finally came to the end of the footage. Whether it be Impact, Xplosion, Backstage Pass or ReAction, the UK is officially in the rear view mirror for another year. However, before embarking upon the next big challenge of permanent road tapings on March 14th in Chicago, I think it important to look back upon these shows with a critical eye and take note of their strengths and weaknesses.

For starters, let me just say that the live experience itself was second to none and I can completely see why TNA feel they need to get out of the Impact Zone in Orlando and out on the road permanently. Crowd reactions are the lifeblood of this industry and as loyal as they've been to Universal Studios, that kindness was never repaid in the volume of it's fans. Blowing such meager in-house showings out of the water, the UK events took interaction between talent and fan to the next level, inspiring a rare level of spontaneity from both sides of the barrier. Where Florida would greet world-class wrestlers like Bobby Roode and Austin Aries with the noise of crickets chirping, the UK gave them a hero's welcome and cheered them vehemently throughout the night. Thus providing a more accurate indicator of popularity than the tone-deaf amusement park patrons they're used to.

Unfortunately, while the roar could be deafening, the presentation of that rabid fanbase left alot to be desired. Production values will always suffer somewhat when taking a product abroad, as costs rise astronomically, requiring small sacrifices where normally there would be none. In this case, the lighting was the main offender. Away from the elaborate lighting rigs of the Impact Zone, TNA struggled, both in illuminating their talent and their crowds. This resulted in the ring almost being in a bright spotlight, whilst surroundings may as well have been pitch black. I'm not usually one for complimenting the WWE, but with their thousands of lights in any given arena, you can see everything from the front row to those up in the nosebleeds. This is where TNA looked most minor-league, with both Manchester and Wembley arenas littered by patches of blur and darkness. They finally had a crowd worth showing us and they physically couldn't.

Speaking of production values, I've heard complaints aimed towards TNA's lack of stage and videoscreens. These criticisms do not hold any weight with me. While we all enjoy the glitz and glamour of a good entrance, in recent years this has gone a long way towards distracting the audience from the true show i.e. what's happening in the ring itself. By reducing entrances to their bare minimum and refocusing on the ringwork, I feel it could benefit the wrestling industry as a whole. It can be something as simple as walking through a black curtain, just as long as the talent coming down to the ring can speak for themselves, whether with words or actions. I fully expect TNA to construct a more elaborate stage for their upcoming live debut in Chicago and all domestic shows going forward. But for now, simplicity works.

As for the content of the shows themselves, the two episode taping format comes with perks and limitations both. While it must be extremely useful, not to mention cost-effective, to be able to film two editions of Impact Wrestling at once, I do wonder whether the combined four hours of story prove to be excessively draining for the wrestlers themselves, the audience watching and the writers scripting. In filming two episodes together, there is a distinct tendency to treat them almost as if they were one giant show, simply split in half. A person will film a promo for show one, setting up a match for show two later in the night. Certain people may miss an entire episode, but no one bats an eyelid, as they are still technically working that same event. Some lucky/unlucky souls may even have to work both. To tape blocks of shows like this, while easier, has to be tightly plotted and planned to the smallest detail. If only to avoid slip ups from absent minded talents who don't know when in the calender they're meant to be speaking from.

The UK tour turned out to be a fantastic trial-run for the new on-the-road taping initiative and I'm sure it was no coincidence that TNA President, Dixie Carter, announced the big move on the very first week's programming. This gave Impact Wrestling a major league feel for, at the very least, these four episodes. However, I can't help but find the timing a tad ridiculous, as for all the good work this past month has done in portraying TNA as a major force in professional wrestling, there is still a worrying period of two weeks back in the tiny Impact Zone before heading out on the road once and for all. They would've done themselves a massive favour by following the tour's lead and diving straight into the Chicago tapings without pause for thought.

On the whole though, I am hugely looking forward to seeing TNA on the road on a weekly basis. If they can translate the skills learnt from the UK tour to their home country, they will already have a solid foundation upon which to build towards future success. I don't think they're quite the powerhouse they'd like to believe they are at this point, but they're making the right noises and it's only a matter of time before they've carved out their portion of the live event scene.

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News: Hogan would have stripped Hardy of TNA Title

During the recent UK tour, Impact Wrestling General Manager, Hulk Hogan, was interviewed by Fighting Spirit Magazine. When asked about current TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Jeff Hardy, and his absence from the high-profile tour, Hogan is quoted...

"Dixie runs the company, but if it was up to me and it had been my decision, Bobby Roode would have been a great champion to have right now. The tour plus a champion makes sense; a tour with no champion doesn't make sense. I choose my battles; some people look at the picture differently to how I do."

This is the second time in recent weeks whereby Hogan has questioned Dixie Carter's management style. At the beginning of the month, he was quoted as saying...


"Is Dixie Carter really in the wrestling business, or this is just a hobby? You either make the move or you don’t. It’s the same place we were with WCW - you either run with the big dogs or be a little dog and stay on the porch. The destiny of this company is in her hands. It can stay TNA, a powerful little company, or she can make the decision to move on to greatness."


Is there dissension in the ranks of TNA Wrestling?

Personally, I wholeheartedly agree with Hulk's latest statement in regard to Jeff Hardy missing the UK tour. It's such a big event in the TNA calender and to have the World Heavyweight Champion missing in action is unforgivable. Upon discovering that Hardy was unable to travel to the UK, the company should have had him drop the Title to the next logical choice, whether it be Bobby Roode, Austin Aries, James Storm, Bully Ray, etc. Infact, on the final show before leaving for the UK, they had the perfect opportunity in his match with Christopher Daniels. Yet they would rather have the Champion absent for an entire month of television.

However, I do not like Hogan's passive-aggressive attitude towards Dixie Carter's management of TNA. It's easy to sit back and claim you would've done things so much better, but at no point does he mention trying to affect change himself. As per usual, it's Hulk putting himself over at the expense of others. Rather than be a team player and accept Hardy's absence, he's run to the press and badmouthed TNA booking. Multiple times.

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Trash Talking: Gut Check

written by Rob Poulloin (@Robbie_G_CH)

Since 2004, 'Gut Check' has been apart of TNA. Starting off as a tryout program, the process has now evolved into what we see on Impact Wrestling once a month. But now that TNA's landscape has changed due to the shift in Pay-Per-View lineup, where does it leave Gut Check and in what format?

Gut Check started as a one off competition, with various categories testing the competitors. The winners were rewarded with a cash prize and an appearance on TNA programming. After a few years of development, the process moved into the seminar format, where independent wrestlers pay for a place on the course, to be put through their paces and show off their skills in front of TNA representatives, such as D'Lo Brown and Jeremy Borash.

Crimson was spotted through Gut Check
(photo by Lee South)

This process benefits both parties, as it allows TNA to witness the ability of new wrestlers, whilst also creating extra income. As for the independent wrestlers, they are in front of people who could make their dreams come true and sign them to either a developmental deal or even a full time contract. As beneficial as the seminars are, I can't help but feel that they are exploiting the wrestlers, as the company should be looking to sign the best and should be using their own resources to find those talented enough. Looking at the wrestlers to make it to Impact thus far; Crimson and Jesse Sorensen; would suggest that going out and watching other shows would be a better way of talent spotting. 

From April 2012, Gut Check has appeared once a month on the 'Open Fight Night' episode of Impact Wrestling. This is usually the second show after a pay-per-view, giving the opportunity of a contract to unsigned wrestlers, who would show their skills in a match against a roster member and then be judged the following week by Bruce Prichard, Al Snow and Taz (replacing Ric Flair). The segment of Gut Check seems completely unrelated to the seminar side beside the name. The talent picked for television have either previously been in TNA's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (Alex Silva and Taeler Hendrix) or independent stars who could have easily been given a contract without the segment (Sam Shaw and Christian York). The process being used as an angle multiple times, firstly to create hype around Joey Ryan, who was unsuccessful in his bid to win a contract and took to Youtube to protest and 'invading' multiple wrestling shows; and more recently, to add Wes Brisco to the roster, despite being seen as a masked member of Aces and Eights for months before his 'tryout'.

Joey Ryan failed in his Gut Check Challenge
(photo by Lee South) 

Officially, six out of the nine wrestlers to 'tryout' for a contract have been successful, with Ryan being the seventh as he had to fight for his contract in a match against Al Snow at Bound For Glory. Out of the seven only Joey Ryan, Christian York and Wes Brisco have been seen on Impact Wrestling on a regular basis with the others being sent to OVW to improve their skills, so it questions the need to have them taking up valuable television time where full time roster members can go without a match in months.

TNA will always need to be on the look out for the next stars to keep their product fresh but Gut Check doesn't seem to be the way to do it considering the best additions to the roster in recent history have been Austin Aries and Kenny King who have both come from Ring Of Honor. Comparing TNA's new recruits to those that WWE are assembling in NXT there is no competition, WWE are signing talent who are ready to go and have proved themselves as the biggest names on the Indy circuit, the likes of PAC (Adrian Neville) who has been Dragons Gate and New Japan, former ROH wrestlers including World Champion Tyler Black (Shield member Seth Rollins), Tag Team Champions Claudio Castagnoli (Antonio Cesaro) Chris Hero (Kassius Ohno) & El Generico; these wrestlers will not only be future stars but help improve the 'home grown' talent with their experience. 

With the wealth of talent currently on the Indy circuit TNA should be looking to those as the future of the business, Crimson was given a monster push on television whilst being relatively green where he wasn't actually ready for it where as someone who has proved themselves, Austin Aries, took the ball and become TNA World Heavyweight Champion within a year of debuting. 

Davey Richards is one of wrestlings
great unsigned acts

I have nothing against Gut Check or OVW but the future of WWE currently looks a lot brighter with wrestlers that TNA most likely overlooked who will also pass on their knowledge and experience. With TNA looking to move up to the next level they need to build a strong undercard; as the roster is starting to look a little top heavy; and rebuild the tag and X-Division who have gone unnoticed for far too long. Names like Adam Cole and Davey Richards would do this much better than Jessie Godderz and Devon. 

Gut Check will continue to hold seminars and recently launched an online voting process of former participants, but this has been suspended due to voting issues. The future of the televised version is unknown as OFN has not been apart of Impact since the January 17th show. I would much rather see TNA make more of a competition out of the process with a separate program in a style akin to UFC's Ultimate Fighter and early series of NXT which would allow the wrestlers to gain TV exposure whilst not taking away time on Impact. This would allow for a winner to be crowned and a deal offered but would be less frequent than the current process meaning that the roster and viewers wouldn't be flooded with a string of new names.  

I hope that TNA keeps Gut Check in one form or another but the seminars should be invitational rather than at the cost of the attendee, the cream of the crop can should then be moved up to the next level, either to be offered a developmental deal on the spot or entered into a separate television show. This would weed out those who are not yet ready for the big time and would mean fans can enjoy the best wrestling from the top to the bottom of the show.

News: One Night Only - X-Travaganza & Joker's Wild Airdates

PREMIERING APRIL 5 ON PAY-PER-VIEW:
One Night Only - “X-TRAVAGANZA”

Since TNA Wrestling began, it has been defined by the X-Division, a group of high-risk, aerial flyers who do whatever it takes to win. TNA Wrestling presents "ONE NIGHT ONLY: X-TRAVAGANZA" premiering Friday April 5th, 8pm ET/5pm PT only on Pay Per View. X-TRAVAGANZA will match TNA’s top X-Division wrestlers against some of the top free agents around the world and will also feature some of the promotion's most popular X-Division specialty matches, including the Ultimate X Match!


Join TNA for a night of X-treme action featuring you favorite X-Division matches, with Austin Aries, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Sonjay Dutt, Zema Ion, Petey Williams, Doug Williams, Anthony Nese, Puma, Mason Andrews, Rubix, Kenny King, Matt Bentley, Jimmy Rave, Rashad Cameron, Kid Kash, Sam Shaw, Alex Silva and the last meeting ever of Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn.


TNA PPV events air on DirecTV, Dish Network, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Charter, Cox Communications, Cablevision, Bright House, Suddenlink, Viewer's Choice and more - check your programming guide for availability!


PREMIERING MAY 3 ON PAY-PER-VIEW:
One Night Only - “JOKER’S WILD TAG TEAM SPECIAL”

The first round of this special will create some intriguing tag team matches. For one night only, old partners will reunite and bitter enemies must work together in order to advance. Once in the finals, however, any friendships or forged alliances will quickly disappear as the wrestlers will compete in a winner-take-all gauntlet battle royal, where it’s every man for himself and the winner will receive $100,000!!!

Ringside Report: TNA Wrestling: Road To Lockdown Tour: Nottingham (24/01/12)

Written by @Robbie_G_CH
Full set of pictures can be seen on Facebook

'TNA in the UK' has taken over Challenge TV this February with four Impact's recorded in Manchester and London as well as a few specials entitled 'Backstage Pass' which will feature backstage footage and matches from the other non televised dates of the January UK tour, so this seems the right time to give my views on the Nottingham leg of the tour.

The show was held in the same venue as last year, Nottingham's Capital FM Arena, with the layout being identical to the point where it felt like I had walked in the next day rather than a whole year later. The arena was unfortunately little over half full; likely a victim of the two dates that are hosting the Impact recordings; with many completely empty blocks around the upper tiers.

Jeremy Borash was the host of the evening, taking over ring announcing duties from the absent Christy Hemme and worked the crowd well with his ever-present enthusiasm. There were a few local independent wrestlers around the ring side area such as Stixx and LCW Champion L.J. Heron, in which I later found out that Nottingham based promotion 'House of Pain' had helped with all of the ring setup.

In the first match of the evening the TNA Tag Team champions Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez beat Bad Influence (Daniels & Kazarian) to retain the Tag Titles. The crowd was very vocal in support for Chavo, who rubbed this in Daniels's face with a 'Who can get the loudest cheer?' contest to start the match. Bad Influence quickly gained the upper hand with Daniels dominating the in-ring action as Kaz showboated to the crowd with his back to the action. Daniels repeatedly gave Chavo's arm to his partner until Guerrero reversed, allowing Kaz to put Daniels in an armbar, only realising his error when the champions appeared in front of him. The action continued back and forth until the heels took control again until the eventual hot tag. One highlighted spot was Hernandez holding Kazarian in a suplex while Chavo bounced Daniels's head off all four turnbuckles. Chavo picked up the victory after hitting the frogsplash. The match did it's job as it got the crowd going ready for the rest of the evenings matches, it's just a shame that the masses view Chavo as a big deal due to his involvement in WWE.

Earl Hebner was introduced to the crowd and there were only a few "You screwed Bret" chants heard. JB then talked up British Boot Camp and brought out the winner of the show, Rockstar Spud, and his fellow competitor, "Party" Marty. Both got good reactions, but Spud took the role of heel as they locked up once again to take each other on.

After a minute of action, Spud got into an argument with Hebner that instigated the "Bret" chant they were looking for. Marty slapped Hebner's hand in a "naughty child" manor and then Hebner revealed his "Yes I Did" t-shirt which is his staple at house shows. The match was very similar to the one they had on the last episode of Bootcamp, but without Marty's dive to the outside and with Spud picking up the pinfall by hooking Marty's trunks.

To carry on the 'Bootcamp' theme the next match featured the Blossom Twin's taking on the tandem of Gail Kim and Tara, but out first was the special guest referee Velvet Sky who 'let the pigeons loose' in Nottingham. The match was fairly back and forth with some impressive spots such as Tara putting one of the Blossoms in the tarantula. The heels soon started to dominate the match with Tara being very vocal making some hilarious taunts at the twins. The Blossoms picked up the victory after switching places behind Sky's back as Tara and Gail had a falling out. After the match, the Blossoms felt the anger of the defeated heels until Velvet stepped in and took both of them out. 

The arena erupted when Rob Van Dam's music hit to bring him out for a defence of the X Division Championship against Zema Ion who got a less favourable "who are ya" chant.  After a back and forth, Zema went to use his hairspray to "straighten up," but the can was taken from him by RVD, who proceeded to do Hebner's "hair" and then random crowd members. RVD hit his signature moves to please the crowd and picked up the victory after hitting the Five-Star Frogsplash leaping over Earl Hebner in the process. RVD seemed fresh in this match which is something that hasn't been said for a number of years but unfortunately that was short lived when it was brought to my attention the two had an identical match the night before. As the two made there way to the back it was announced that it was time for the intermission. 

After the break Austin Aries made his way to the ring to a good crowd reaction while Bobby Roode came to the ring to his old music ("Off The Chain" with lyrics) and accompanied by darts player Paul Nicholson, it may seem like a random pairing but the two met last summer and shared some PR dates. James Storm then came to the ring to a huge reaction and took to the mic, he said the next match should have been a three-way, but after the heels double teamed him last night he wanted it changed to a tag match. Magnus was then introduced with new intro music and video to another loud hometown reaction. 

Storm spent the majority of the match in the ring. Aries and Roode were their usual excellent selfs and to keep up with their recent comedy moments. There was a spot where the heels crashed into one another out of the corner, Roode fell first arse-up with Aries falling on him, and then both exited the ring sharply looking disgusted at one another. The match spilled to the outside on one occasion. Storm brought about the end of the match by hitting the Last Call Superkick on Aries - after a previous failed attempt - and then tagged in Magnus, who hit the elbow of the top rope for the pinfall.

Spot the Wrestler - Storm and Magnus in the crowd

After the match, Storm took to the mic again, working the crowd with "Beer" chants. He then proceeded to run into the crowd while the cage started to be put in place for the main event. After posing with fans in various parts of the crowd and spraying lots of beer, Storm and Magnus then made their way to the back with JB taking over microphone duties. Working the crowd, Borash announced that the show was being recorded for 'Backstage Pass' although not much of the footage actually made it to the show. After doing a couple of laps of the crowd, announcing random 'famous' people in the crowd and asking people who their favourite football teams are, showing that JB has a better grasp of British culture than many Americans, the cage was finally in place for the "Main Event of the Evening." 

The steel cage match was oddly announced as being No DQ. I wasn't sure if you could get disqualified in a cage? Aces & Eights made their way to the ring down the entrance ramp for a change; a fair amount of heat for the pair of Devon and DOC. The arena was then plunged into darkness and exploded for Kurt Angle's entrance with Sting receiving an even bigger pop, clearly the loudest of the night.

Tables and Cages

Mike Knox took out Angle from behind as Sting took to the ring two-on-one, which is where the logic in booking comes undone, as the same happened the night before and Kurt didn't learn unlike Storm earlier in the night. Aces soon overpowered Sting as Angle struggled to get into the ring as Knox kept taking him out. Angle eventually made his way into the ring, but after hitting the Angle Slam another masked member of the biker gang hit the ring with hammer in hand to take Angle out. The Olympian kicked out of a pin attempt and after the introduction of a table, Bully Ray hit the ring to a massive reaction to make the save. DOC was eventually put through a table by Sting and Angle who picked up the pin.

Post-match, the heels soon left as the faces stayed in the ring to close the show, Bully took the mic and hailed both Angle and Sting as legends. After working the crowd into a frenzy, they pulled a kid into the ring and gave him a piece of the table, which they all signed. They left the crowd to go home happy.

Overall, the show was solid, but didn't quite match up to last year with a focus on the British stars at the expense of other roster members, the most notable name missing beside Hardy was Samoa Joe. The Aries/Roode vs. Storm/Magnus match was the match of the night, with Marty vs. Spud claiming second place for me. 

The merchandise being sold didn't make much sense, with numerous t shirts available for wrestlers not at the event such as Jeff Hardy, Hogan,  Mr Anderson and A.J. Styles, I know they are fan favourites but when they edge out any merchandise of wrestlers working the show it seems a bit unfair. 

TNA will return to these shores again the same time next year, but the rows of empty seats are on obvious reason why TNA won't be returning to Nottingham, favoring Birmingham instead.

News: World Champion Jeff Hardy re-signs with TNA

TNA President, Dixie Carter, appeared live on Bellator last night to announce several pieces of breaking news.

Firstly, that current TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Jeff Hardy, has re-signed with the company for another two years. There had been rumours of Hardy being interested in a return to WWE, fueled by his recent reappearance in their website's Alumni section, but his new TNA contract will see him stay with Impact Wrestling through February 2015.

Secondly, she listed several new live dates for Impact Wrestling tapings across the country. After the first round of tapings at the Sears Centre in Chicago on March 14th, TNA will be holding shows at the following...

- March 28 in Jonesboro, Arkansas at the ASU Convocation Center

- April 11 in Corpus Christi, Texas at the American Bank Center

- June 6 in Duluth, Georgia at the Gwinnett Center

All of which being healthy mid-sized 10,000 seat arenas, making for a fantastic-looking television programme and an electric live show. Look to the Impact Wrestling website for details and to buy tickets!