TNA Wrestling held the debut episode of iMPACT on AMC last Thursday, January 15. Sean Ross Sapp discussed backstage reactions from talent to the promotion’s inaugural event on its new broadcast home in the latest edition of Fightful Select Answers.
According to Sapp, the talents were “very pessimistic and realistic” about how the event came across. He noted that the show faced criticism for its production values, the lack of in-ring wrestling, and for featuring only three matches over two hours. Fans were also critical of the appearances by former TNA President Dixie Carter and gossip reporter Perez Hilton.
Sapp mentioned that some talents felt the general audience didn’t fully understand the challenges TNA faced with the show, while some staff had “understandable excuses.” He explained that, “by and large,” most talents believed that the AMC debut “wasn’t a good show,” although some others argued that it was the type of presentation TNA “needed” to produce.
This criticism follows reports that work visa issues prevented multiple talents from appearing on the show, including X-Division Champion Leon Slater, who instead appeared on WWE SmackDown in the UK last week. However, PWInsider.com later reported that AMC executives present at the event “were very happy with the show.” TNA iMPACT currently airs on Thursday nights at 9 PM ET on AMC.
