10 Worrying Signs From TNA Impact Wrestling's Reboot Episode

10. These People Don't Work Here Anymore

Impact Wrestling’s grand reboot sent the wrong message from the very first frame. One might think that a company looking to start afresh would distance itself from its shady past, but no, not TNA. Impact’s opening video package established the idea that this company is so desperately stuck in the past that they can never truly move forward, and the theme continued throughout the night.

Impact shouldn’t neglect their history completely, but the “rebirth” kicked-off with a shot of one of their biggest competitor’s biggest stars (AJ Styles). From there, the package ran through highlights of Samoa Joe, Sting, Hulk Hogan, Team 3D: old faces who have since moved on, and will never return to the company.

The likes of Eddie Edwards and Bobby Lashley eventually showed-up, but not until the last 40-50 seconds. The remainder of the show was peppered with mentions of how great TNA used to be, and while Impact’s talking heads claimed they were moving forward, the single-minded emphasis on the past shows that they are only looking backwards.

Impact should be basing their rebuild around the stars they still have, not those they used to employ, which only reminds fans of the failings that led to guys like Styles and Joe leaving in the first place, dwells on the company’s current mess, and provides little hope for the future.