TNA's Best Matches

[Tom Guycott]

Originally Posted by Noid I really liked the vibe around the Knockouts in 2007, but I don't think they ever really had that timeless classic to them. Unless Kim/Kong was a lot better than what I am remembering.

Likely were better than you remember, but the "vibe" was more of the point. Not only did you have people with vaginas being able to serious-pants wrestle and or brawl (without most of the "requisite" clothes tearing and hair pulling catfights), a lot of their matches weren't being burdened with the bullshit overbooking that the male side of the roster was plagued with for YEARS before and since. All the girls weren't glorified arm charms: they put over a technically gifted, average looking, chunky Asian in Hamada just as much as they put over Tessmacher's glorious ass. it got to a point where a vast majority of them could at least hold their own (Lacey Von Erich was kinda the exception to that rule; double negative points for being so shitty AND burdened with the Von Erich name) if not potentially tear the goddamn house down.

Hell, it even transpired that the one "All Knockouts" episode of Impact was one of their highest rated episodes ever. Ever. It was one of those things that TNA actually "got right" years before WWE got on that train, but of course being TNA, they eventually fucked it up.

In similar fashion, I actually remember really enjoying "Global Impact" - when they did that show in Japan - when it aired, though I don't remember why it was so good off the top of my head and need to go back and watch it to refresh myself. Although I suspect it was for a similar reason to your Knockouts vibe: they didn't overbook the show, there wasn't a lot of nonsense because that shit wouldn't fly in Japan, and I think it may have been a solid card from top to bottom, and if it wasn't they were able to fix mistakes in post before they showed it here. I remember feeling like it could have been a turning point for how they presented themselves as a company... aaaaannnnd subsequently, it was back to the same old LOLTNA nonsense.