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After a successful relaunch on Pop TV this Tuesday (let's be real, if staying alive and on television isn't enough of a success for you, carrying over the same number from another network after months without filming new footage definitely should be), TNA continued to film for future episodes of Impact Wrestling this weekend in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
They also aired a live pay-per-view (PPV) special last night, One Night Only: Live, that has received positive reviews but was light on storyline developments. One exception to that is that Awesome Kong won a gauntlet match to become the #1 contender to Gail Kim's Knockout title, a move that will continue their long-running rivalry, and raise further questions about how much longer Kong will be wrestling. She retired from working international dates last year, and there's still some confusion regarding how long she'll continue working in the United States after her TNA deal expires.
Big happenings occurred on the TV taping prior to the PPV, however. And I do mean big. Whether or not they're good decisions will be debated, and only be settled once we've seen the actual episodes on Pop.
For now, we know that Matt Hardy has joined Ethan Carter III as two-time TNA World champs after defeating him in Bethlehem last night. The win happened in a match where Hardy's TNA career was on the line...and it involved a double-turn whereby Matt is now a heel and EC3 is a babyface. Tyrus (WWE's Brodus Clay) betrayed Carter and helped his rival pick up the win.
We can already get the basics of the new champ's reasoning in Tweets he's been sending out since last night...
Upon hearing these words from my wife Tuesday, I came to a stern realization of what I need to do. #IMPACTonPOP https://t.co/JctZSnpKHi
— Matt Hardy (@MATTHARDYBRAND) January 9, 2016
Our current "champ" EC3 nearly destroyed TNA on our last channel. He is disastrous. Only I can #MakeTNAGreatAgain. https://t.co/NDk2sXlAvG
— Matt Hardy (@MATTHARDYBRAND) January 9, 2016
Personally, I like Matt quite a bit as a bad guy. The two times I've enjoyed his work the most was the Mattitude/V1 gimmick in WWE right after the Hardyz split and as Adam Cole's sensei in Ring of Honor. Putting the strap on one of Vince McMahon's old hands instead of building a newer guy up is questionable, but a top star can be built through the chase, too.
Plus, it's not like Dixie Carter and her network partners are ever going to stop thinking the answer is a WWE-made guy front-and-center.
My concern her is for EC3, who is doing great work in relative obscurity. This move ends his undefeated streak, but more than that, it casts the arrogant, rich, nephew of the company owner as a man of the people. It'll be a big test for the former Derek Bateman, but I think he's up to it. And he's got a veteran foil who's not above showing ass to work with in Hardy.
As if to answer smark concerns like mine, Carter tweeted this after the tapings:
Friday wisdom: If you excel at one thing, you sure as shit can excel at another.
— ec3 (champ ethan) (@EthanCarterTNA) January 9, 2016
And if that's not your cup of tea, the reunited Beer Money announced they're coming after the Wolves tag titles.
You keep doing you, TNA. We'll keep shaking our heads, enjoying good wrestling when you mix that in there, complaining when you don't, LOLing, hoping for the best, etc, etc.
Thoughts on these developments, gang?