TNA Impact Wrestling returned to Spike TV last night (Jan. 31, 2013) with a taped show featuring the promotion's first show on its annual trip to the United Kingdom in front of thousands of paying fans who actually care about the product.

And it made all the difference.

Click here to get full results and the running live blog. Now let's get right to reactions from the show.

• Bully Ray continues to be one of the best things about TNA and that's something I'll continue to say for every time I do this column. Put simply, he makes ridiculous stories believable because his delivery is filled with such passion that you can't help but buy into what he's saying. I'm willing to ignore the glaring plot hole in the fact that he's showed up to every single TNA show since his "suspension" and not only that, was right there with him hoping Hulk Hogan would reinstate him, even though I knew it was bullshit. That's impressive.
• Also impressive in their delivery? Joseph Park, who might be the best character in pro wrestling. Brilliant move on TNA's part to feed him Robbie E, probably the biggest jobber on the roster who is the most easy to hate who won't be killed dead by a loss to Park.
• Magnus is not suddenly some big star but in the United Kingdom, he was certainly treated that way. Really, it just proved once and for all that TNA badly needs to get out of the Impact Wrestling Zone in Orlando, Florida, a move the company has finally made official. When a crowd actually has to pay for a show, you know they care and heat in pro wrestling is everything.
• Is it so wrong that I wish we could have one show between WWE and TNA just so we could get a triple threat tag team match (PLAYA PLAYA PLAYA) with Christopher Daniels and Kazarian vs. Austin Aries and Bobby Roode vs. Kane and Daniel Bryan? That's not asking for that much.
• James Storm has fallen quite a ways, hasn't he?
• Here's the continued problem with Aces and 8s, not that I want to see TNA figure out the proper way to book this angle: They keep beating them with all of TNA's top guys. We're already left fighting the perception that these guys are just a bunch of WWE castoff jobbers but when you have Devon losing to Magnus and Mr. Anderson losing to Kurt Angle, why are we supposed to take anything they do seriously? They can't even properly execute a run-in on Magnus? Oh, Garrett Bischoff and Wes Briscoe are in the group now, look out! They're really going to be a thorn in the side now!
• Anderson does look a million times less annoying wearing Aces and 8s gear and he's been acting less annoying since joining the group. So there's that.

There should have been more to this show than there was but it wasn't the worst thing. Nothing too good, nothing too bad.

Grade: C+

That's it from me, Cagesiders. Now it's your turn. Let me hear what you thought about it.