2004 Discussion

Discuss iMPACT in 2004.

Jeff Hardy vs. Gabriel - 06/08/04
Well, this was a squash. Not even a very good squash. Hardy looks like he's tripping balls here, and he moves SLOW[Only admins are allowed to see this link] He just about hits all of his shit, plants Gabriel right on his head nastily with a DDT, the poor kid never had a chance. TNA's six-sided ring was too low for Swanton's so the finish came across really shittily, but I'll still watch it. This is from the era with the countdown timer on the screen, god bless, weekly PPVs were still going on at this stage too, so even TNA didn't give a shit about iMPACT. Interesting. Not. Hardy sucked. I don't know who the fuck Gabriel is but he does nothing. Wah. Wah. Wah.

Kid Kash vs Amazing Red (IMPACT, 06/11/04)
This was probably the best match of the show, but they were just getting going when it ended a little over four minutes in. Kash did murder Red nicely with the Vertabreaker though to end it.

AJ Styles vs Kazarian (IMPACT, 06/11/04)
This match really wasn't good at all. Other than a couple of nice clotheslines and a good kick or two from Styles this match had nothing to offer. It was a little on the high side of six minutes and was cut by a commercial break. A lot of weak looking flippity flop offense in this one that really didn't look any more impressive than a gymnastics contest.

David Young and The Naturals vs 3 Live Kru (IMPACT, 06/11/04)
David Young throws throws the worst looking punch that I may have ever seen. Konnan and Road Dogg blow up and stand on the apron two minutes in, but lucky for them and me it ends about thirty seconds later.

Team Canada vs Team Mexico (IMPACT, 06/11/04)
Essa Rios looks like a chubby rocker chick these days. The six man last week was better. It kinda looks like these guys were told to go out there and just burn some time to end the show. Team Canada cheats to win and Team TNA come out and it gets all Shmozzy.

Michael Shane vs. Chris Sabin vs. Miyamoto vs. Elix Skipper vs. Kazarian vs. Hector Garza (IMPACT, 06/18/04)
Two men start the match while the others wait outside for a tag. Only a ten minute time limit for this thing. Prime time blows somekind of top-rope move and crotches the holy hell out of himself. Tenay covers, but I don't think that's how it was suppossed to go down. The match gets all shmozzy four minutes in and guys start to crash and burn. Miyomoto sprays RED mist. Hector Garza hits his flippy thing on Miyamota and hits his legs, but gets the fall anyway at five twenty-two. This match started out nicely and would have been a nice start to a thirty minute flipathon, but it is what it is and we get what we get.

The Naturals vs. Sabu, Sonjay Dutt (IMPACT, 06/18/04)
Holyshit SABU is on my television for free once more. I never thought I see that happen again. His partner is Sonjay Dutt. Dutt slams the Naturals on their head with two hurricanranas. It's been a long time since I've seen a 'rana look painful. The Naturals work over Dutt and Sabu is outside and he wants a piece and the fans want him to get a piece. Sabu gets the tag and works over both Naturals. He then does some of his tamer spots and hits some and blows some. Dutt gets caught and gets the Natural Disaster which is a dangerous looking move if mis-timed. The Naturals decide they want some more of Sabu. Sabu ends that plan as quickly as it started. Match was about five minutes long.

Mr. Aguila vs. AJ Styles (IMPACT, 06/18/04)
Jesus, Aguila has gotten fat. He wears a shirt in the ring now. Nothing has happened of note, but we are taking a commercial break less than three minutes in anyway. We're back they showed us what we missed, which looks like nothing. Styles hits a nice move called the Cliff Hanger which looks better than the Styles Clash which he hits to end it at about eight minutes. Kash and Dallas attack but D'Lo makes the save! D'Lo wants a World Heavyweight Title shot.

Eric Young vs. Ron Killings (IMPACT, 06/18/04)
Dusty is on commentary. Jerry Lynn comes down and chases out D'Amore. Killings has become the poorman's Booker T with all the dancing and leg kicks. Match wasn't much but I enjoy hearing Dusty on commentary although I wish he would have said 'clubbered' at least once. Out comes Double J. Jarrett walks up to Dusty at the announcers table. Dusty tells him that he doesn't want none of this, but he gets clobbered with a guitar shot which makes me laugh for some reason and JJ also takes out Killings for good measure. What show would be complete without Russo. Russo is horrid as a face boss and he rambles on and on about stuff. Jarrett fucks up the Truth some more and the shows all over.

Amazing Red, Hector Garza, Sonjay Dutt vs. Bobby Roode, Eric Young, Petey Williams (IMPACT, 04/06/04)
Great way to open the show (and to begin the iMPACT! era) with an explosive six man tag that displayed much of what TNA was about at the time - young guys going out there every night tearing the house down with stuff most people had never seen before. Loads of energy and an amazing sequence of moves that included a Code Red, Canadian Destroyer, Wheelbarrow Neckbreaker and a Dragonrana. Quite fitting that Roode wrestled the first and last match in the iMPACT! Zone aswell. TNA needs more of this these days (and hopefully the new X-Division rules will provide it) because it's just flat out fun.

Abyss vs. Shark Boy (IMPACT, 04/06/04)
imple straightforward squash match (punctuated by a great Black Hole Slam) between Abyss and Shark Boy to introduce Abyss to the larger audience as a monster while also hinting at the early stages of his angle with Goldylocks (she could control him apparently). I'm surprised it took TNA so long to put the title on Abyss considering how few people could credibly win it in the early days (and Abyss certainly would've been on that list).

AMW vs. Kid Kash, Dallas (IMPACT, 04/06/04)
Kid Kash and Dallas were a really good team, if they had a longer run together they might have made it onto the list of TNA's best tag teams I did a couple of months back. Really fun match (AMW were such good babyfaces) with a nifty moonsualt off Dallas's shoulder by Kash while Dallas was sitting on the top turnbuckle. Nice to have a title change on the first iMPACT! too to make the show newsworthy (and to help present Harris and Storm as stars).

AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin vs. Elix Skipper vs. Michael Shane (IMPACT, 04/06/04)
Great main event and a really good showcase of the X-Division with the big story being Styles' return to the division. A really fun match with a tonne of action and AJ looking like a star (which he should every time he's on TV). Nice to see they trusted the X-Division (which really helped carry the Weekly PPV's for much of their run) to main event the first TV show.