Over the weekend I caught up on my wrestling TV viewing and watched Thursday’s Impact and Friday’s SmackDown back to back.
While SmackDown offered the usual WWE fare (that was admittedly enhanced by Mike Gojira and Kelly Floyd’s hilarious combined SmackDown recap), Impact offered something different from their normal product since this episode was the first of two taped in front of a live and raucous audience from London, England’s Wembley Arena:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL599EBBD74EC6FE65&v=7GE8_CtqHb0&feature=player_embedded#!
CB’s Slant: My point here is that I absolutely loved this episode of Impact because in addition to being the third straight solid show from a logic standpoint (with good booking backed by crisp wrestling and segments flowing well without feeling rushed or pointless), the whole product seemed like a much bigger deal when filmed in front of “the biggest audience in TNA history” (in their own words).
The crowd was not only big, it was PASSIONATE, and I’m sure that made the wrestlers work harder and invest more energy into the show than they do when they are at a smaller sound studio like the Impact Zone. They’re only human, after all.
The other thing about traveling to different areas for Impact is that it would enable TNA to gauge the real reactions from the fans to different segments, matches and storylines, plus whenever you interact with different regions the TV viewer gets pleasant surprises like “WE WANT D-VON!” chants from the UK crowd when Bully Ray talked during the opening segment. I love that stuff.
At the end of the day, I know the road is more expensive than having a home base down in Orlando. However, if TNA really wants to get to the next level of fan engagement both at live events and through television screens, then they really should leave the Impact Zone behind for good as soon as they can.
That’s just my take — CB.
What did you think of this past week’s Impact Wrestling show that aired from London, England’s Wembley Arena? Do you think it made a difference to your TV viewing experience? Also, what do you think about TNA taking to the road more often? Should they leave the Impact Zone behind? Sound off in the comments section below!
