TNA Impact Wrestling makes their AMC debut tonight, and Peter Klein previews what they NEED to do to succeed on this big platform. Plus, John Cena's retirement tour talk—most underrated rivals and final year wishlist.
TNA IMPACT ON AMC PREVIEW:
TNA has been the cockroach of the wrestling world—surviving despite everything. From pay-per-view origins nobody believed in, to weird stints on Best Damn Sports Show Period with clocks and scoreboards, to the grand Spike TV run with AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels doing things nobody had seen before (complemented by Kurt Angle and Sting). Poor decision-making led to spirals—ups and downs, dead cat bounces—but here they are again on a major platform.
WHAT TNA MUST DO TONIGHT:
1. DON'T trash everything that came beforeTNA always does this—new network, new regime, "everything before sucked but NOW we'll turn it around!" You can't tell viewers the show they've been watching is a sinking ship while featuring those same performers. Balance excitement about the future with respect for what got them here.
2. Balance nostalgia with NOWAJ Styles in attendance, Frankie Kazarian vs Mike Santana for the TNA Championship—nostalgia will be there. WWE struggles with this balance too. You can have SOME nostalgia (AJ/Kaz history) but focus on SANTANA. Focus on exciting young talent. Don't let it become all nostalgia with no progression. TNA hasn't been great at subtlety, but they NEED it tonight.
3. Mike Santana wins the TNA ChampionshipWe all assume Santana's winning back the title—this NEEDS to be the night. Kazarian is a legend, should be TNA Hall of Famer, all those accolades matter. But Santana is the STAR for now. He's the face of this brand moving forward. He needs to be the guy leading TNA in this new era. Huge opportunity for him.
4. Expect at least one big surpriseWrestling fans talk themselves into HUGE surprises (Chris Jericho, etc.)—let's not overshoot. Remember when AEW brought in Christian and people were disappointed because they'd convinced themselves it was Brock Lesnar? If they'd just said "Christian signing," everyone would've been stoked. I'm expecting something big from Impact tonight, but manage expectations.
THE BOTTOM LINE:This is a BIG night for TNA. I've watched them do this multiple times and screw it up a lot. I'd like them to NOT do that this time. Really important night.
JOHN CENA RETIREMENT TOUR:
Most Underrated Rivals:
- JBL
- The Miz
- Batista
- Umaga
- Wade Barrett
- Honorable Mentions: Shawn Michaels, Eric Bischoff
Last Year Wishlist:
- TNA Title Run
- AAA appearance with Juan Cena
- The Miz feud
- Better heel run
- NO Brock Lesnar, NO Edge
- Eric Bischoff involvement
Full breakdown of why these rivalries were underrated and what would make Cena's final year special.
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