TNA Impact Preview (April 13, 2017): Focus on the Announcers

TNA Impact returns tonight (Apr. 13) with the final episode from their most recent set of tapings. Here are our five questions about tonight’s offering.

1) Is this going to be it for the Jeremy Borash/Josh Mathews drama?

For over a month, we’ve listened to announcers Jeremy Borash and Josh Mathews bicker and fight as we tried our hardest to tune them out so we watch the match that’s happening. It’s been difficult and if you can’t tune them out, they become a massive detriment to the product.

But after tonight it may be over. That’s because the main event of this episode is a 4 on 4 match between a team of Mathews’ choosing and a team of Borash’s choosing. However, we don’t know officially what the winner gets. Does he become the sole play by play man for Impact? Does the loser have to leave? Or is this travesty going to continue?

We will find out tonight at the conclusion of the match.

2) Will this match spin multiple feuds?

Since this is a 4 on 4 match, it should either help create new feuds or advance existing ones.

JB’s team is Alberto El Patron, Chris Adonis (fka Masters), Matt Morgan, and Magnus. Mathew’s team is Lashley, Eli Drake, Tyrus, & Bram.

Of these teams, only Patron and Lashley are currently feuding, and I’m not even entirely sure about that. (More about that in a bit.) Three of the guys (Magnus, Morgan, and Masters) weren’t even in TNA until last week. Given that they don’t have any current direction given their recent returns, this is a good time to spin a feud or two. Perhaps Morgan vs. Bram. I’d be into that. Or Adonis vs. Eli Drake. I can see Drake making fun of the ridiculous name “Chris Adonis.”

Whichever they come up with, it would be a shame if this didn’t vault TNA into their next set of tapings.

3) What’s next for Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards?

Last week, Davey Richards defeated Eddie Edwards in a Last Man Standing match. That could very well have been the end of that for now, but it looks like there will be more to it.

Impact’s website has an article speculating how far Davey Richards and his wife Angelina Love will go to torment his former partner. They also point out the fact that Davey hesitated before finishing off Edwards last week until Angelina convinced him to put Eddie down.

If this feud continues, we’ll have to see how they get to their next stop. That match last week felt like a strong final chapter, or at least a place to leave it for now. Perhaps they have Eddie call out the fact that Davey hesitated last week and it was Angelina that made him get the job done. They can even tease a Wolves reunion before Davey reveals that any reunion is not going to happen.

4) What is getting set up for next week?

This episode is the final episode of the last set of tapings. Next week is a live episode to kick of the regime’s second set. Given that, they will probably try to stack that show to get people to tune in. I expect a title match or two. I can imagine Rosemary defending her Knockouts title against ODB and maybe even a TNA title match.

Tonight will surely attempt to build up next week as something big.

5) Why isn’t Alberto El Patron part of this #1 contenders poll?

When on the TNA website looking for what’s on top for tonight, I came across something interesting. I found this poll that the fans can vote in to crown a new number one contender. According to the poll, the fans will decide who faces Bobby Lashley next.

The three choices are EC3, James Storm, and Matt Morgan. Storm and EC3 make sense since they’ve been part of the “Who gets a title shot?” story Impact has been on again off again telling. But Matt Morgan, outside a stare down with Lashley last week, has not been part of that. And more importantly, where is El Patron? He already defeated Lashley for the title and then defeated EC3 to get a chance to fight him again. Shouldn’t he be next in line?

This feel a bit cheap. Instead of telling a story to build to a title match, they are turning it into a fan voting gimmick. Fan voting has its place, but I’d rather they tell a story in their first month there instead of turn to parlor tricks like this.

TNA Impact airs tonight at 8 EST on Pop TV. Who’s watching?