5 Ideas which might be a Double Edged Sword for IMPACT Wrestling
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Impact Wrestling editor for #Wrestlebuddy
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Over the past few years Impact wrestling have managed to find themselves a style that really defines what they are. It’s a product that when you see it on the screen you instantly know that you’re watching Impact Wrestling due to the touch that the product has. Impact also have a vary unique way that they handle their business away from the ring, while it’s beneficial to them (and maybe some wrestlers) it’s different to what other companies offer.
Going different routes can make you stand out and with what Impact have at times, they have certainly done that. However sometimes with doing that there can be a case in trying to gain one thing, something else can be lost. Being different and having new ideas is great, however sometimes there are times where the sword cuts both ways and the idea may seem to be accidentally hurting Impact too.
Lets have a look at a few situations or ideas that Impact like to do (or may be looking to use) and see how much they’re helping the product currently, yet if you look on the other side what could be done to make these ideas even more beneficial?
5. Still a Free Agent
Contracts are something that Impact Wrestling are very open with. They are very happy to have wrestlers come into the company and appear on pay per appearance deals, obviously they would probably like to sign them but this option is not always available.
While this deal of pay per appearance is great for Impact and it may also work for many of the wrestlers until they find their feet, it can be very awkward for us as fans. Obviously without being contracted if they work a date for another company they do not get introduced as an Impact Wrestling talent, secondly it’s very often the exit of these wrestlers. A contracted wrestler tends to get a build to an exit, however a non contracted wrestler doesn’t, one moment they’re on our screens and the next they’re gone.
It’s well understood that different deals work for different people, however as fans (if wrestlers are there for a decent period of time) we can build up a good connection with them one episode then the next episode out of nowhere they’re gone. Hopefully in time Impact can maybe look to have more of their roster “signed” or if any remain signed free agents then make it feel like they are signed.
4. Our Own Door’s Forbidden?
For quite some time now (even going back to the NWA TNA days) Impact have had a policy where they openly let talent come into the company and give them a chance to shine, recently we’ve seen this happen also with the connections that Impact now have with various promotions through the forbidden door..
This really makes the product edge of your seat stuff as you never know who could show up and also how long these talents may stick around. We saw people like Kenny Omega stay for a good 6 months and Finjuice for 8 months +, or we may only see them for a set of tapings? Anything is possible (to quote Impact’s own Eddie Edwards).
However with a lot of the talents being added to the show, you do see a few of the talents signed to Impact taking a slight backseat. We’ve not seen much of Jake Something after a great build up to a singles run and someone like Ace Austin always seems close to a title again but every time a road block from another company is in the way. It’s a difficult balance to get right and we’ll have to see how it plays out. Hopefully we can still see the Impact talent with the new faces we see from other promotions coming in.
3. Social Media Stories
Impact (along with every other promotion) use social media to progress story lines and they do this incredibly well. If you only have a 2 hour show but an infinite amount of social media at your doorstep then it’s a wise move to use this to your advantage. Impact will often promote upcoming matches, post promos from wrestlers and all of this will lead you into a direction for something in the future.
Recently we’ve even had the introduction of The Digital Media Championship which is obviously mainly utilised on Impact’s Digital platforms. The issue comes however that It seems like it feels like it’s in it’s own world. We very often get wrestlers announce matches on their social media platforms (that had not previously been announced), yet it’s never really followed up on.
Impact Wrestling on Thursday vary rarely mention or show any clips of what wrestlers get up to on social media They tend to use Social media as an added platform for Impact instead of a shared platform. This means if the day prior to Impact you’ve not been on social media. a couple of matches could have come right out of nowhere. It’s a little better now they have BTI but it can still be vastly improved.
2. Knockouts Only Show
Ever since the debut of the Knockout’s division back in 2007, they have always been a real integral part of the show. No matter what incarnation of the company the Knockout’s always looked strong and continued to knock it out of the park.
Over the year we’ve heared whispers of Impact possibly debuting a 1 hour show for the Knockouts? Whether this will come to pass or not is yet to be seen, however the movement of women’s wrestling that we’re slowly seeing with companies like NWA and what ROH did this past year (not to mention Impact themselves), this could certainly be the start of a build towards it.
While this would be fantastic for the Knockouts and really put a true focus on them, Impact (if this was to happen)would have an opportunity to truly showcase that Woman’s wrestling matters. However over this past year the current Impact roster has been growing larger and larger and while giving a 1 hour show to just the Knockouts would be fantastic, there’s a lot of male talent on the roster that are struggling for TV time. This 1 hour show could be very useful for a second Impact show as 2 hours for the talent they’re collecting is starting to get a little clustered.
1. Long Term Storytelling
Over recent times Impact has become the company that has become synonymous with long term story telling. Some of their stories have elongated as long as 2 years and some can be incredibly beautifully told.
On the flip side of well told stories and feuds that come round in a full circle, there can also be stories that can sadly go on slightly too long. This does mean that when the pay off finally happens it can feel a little flat. Take the character of Moose. We saw him be built up towards the World Title many times for the last 3 years, however he was then pulled away from it again repeatedly. The pay off for this admittedly (in my opinion) was fantastic, yet Impact do feel like there are a lot of these stories around that tend to last for 6 months minimum.
Impact work their stories really well and you are almost always invested. They are truly the masters of long term story telling and they do it well, however there are times where short term story telling or plans changing may also benefit the product too (I still feel Rhino in VBD should have been a plan that was changed from the original). Finding that balance between long and short story telling is something that would really help elevate Impact to that next level in developing the product I feel on the story side of things.
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