Impact Wrestling Review: Was The Return Of 'Open Fight Night' Worth The Wait?

This episode of Impact Wrestling gave us the return of Open Fight Night. This is a good innovative concept by TNA that leaves a level of spontaneity for the crowd and viewers at home. Unfortunately?this time?it just became another gimmick to further active storylines.

Jeff Hardy is a big draw for TNA, no doubt. People like him, and he sells a ton of merchandise. But so does Zack Ryder, and he is not in the world title picture. Now Ryder is no Hardy, but the point is that those two elements should not be an automatic qualifier to be in the main event. Hardy has had his time, now it is time to move on to another feud.

Personally, I would like to see him in the feud with AJ Styles. It would set up for great matches, and take Hardy out of the title hunt.

Ken Anderson getting on the mic and insulting Hardy before the match was a step in the wrong direction for Aces and Eights. They had such a rebellious mentality for all this time, just for a personality like Anderson to talk for entirely too long, diluting the intimation factor that the group portrays.

The Chavo/Hernandez vs. Bad Influence match to determine the number one contendership for the tag team titles was absolutely fantastic. In fact, it should have been the main event. I may continue to harp on this, but Hernandez could be a huge draw in the US if he was even halfway decent on the mic. His ability alone made him a big draw in Mexico, but it takes a lot more than that to get over in the states.

The feud between Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell continues to be a bore to me. Tiffany... I mean, Taryn still seems like she is stuck in her ECW General Manager days based on her mic work. She is not going to draw a dime, and Velvet Sky?the Knockouts Champion, mind you?is not even the primary focus of the division right now. Bad idea.

I am still wondering what the animosity between Sting and Hulk Hogan is building up to. Are one of them going to join Aces and Eights? Is Sting finally going to get back into Hogan's good graces? Are they vying for the tag team championship? Who knows. However, what I do know is that I am not interested in two fifty-somethings crying over spilled milk every week (and this is coming from someone whose all-time favorite wrestler is Sting).

AJ Styles in Aces and Eights? Neh... not very plausible. However, TNA did do a decent job with AJ Styles remaining reticent during his time on camera, reminiscent of the Crow Sting days. This left the viewers with unanswered questions about what the future holds.

Aces and Eights getting a cheap victory in the six-man tag match is a good way to prolong the feud. It also gives James Storm something else to do in the coming weeks as the AJ Styles saga unfolds.

The three participants to determine the No. 1 contender for the X Division championship has "Match of the Year" written all over it. Sonjay Dutt, Mason (Scorpio Sky/Harold) Andrews, and Petey Williams are phenomenal athletes, and will not leave us dissatisfied come the conclusion of that match. After four long years, it is good to see Petey Williams back in TNA.

Ultimately, the only thing that the Hardy/Anderson match did was give us the stipulation for the TNA World Heavyweight Title match in Corpus Christi. Although "Full Metal Mayhem" is an intriguing match, it is very hard for me to believe that Bully Ray will lose the title. I may be wrong?TNA may pull a swerve. Highly doubtful, though.

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