10 Reasons Why Impact Wrestling's Latest Reboot Is Destined To Fail

4. They Still Lack An Identity

Jeff Jarrett GFW
impact

One of Impact/TNA’s biggest failings throughout their existance has been the company’s inability to provide a true alternative to WWE. They were halfway there in the mid-2000s, when their thriving X Division supplied the kind of fast-paced, high risk wrestling that you couldn’t find on Raw or SmackDown, were let down by the rest of the card.

The main event scene was largely full of the same tired sports entertainment tropes fans had come to expect from WWE, and their insistence on blindly pushing every wrestler released by Vince McMahon became a running joke. This reputation endures today, and while Impact no longer rely on ex-WWE talent as heavily as they used to, the Anthem era has done little to separate the product from their biggest competitor.

The X Division is full of exciting young talent, working with companies like Pro Wrestling NOAH has helped shake the midcard up, and the forthcoming Super X Cup should be fu.n Aside from that, it’s business as usual for Impact, with corny soap opera drama taking precedent over everything else. They’ll never recover their lost fanbase if they can’t provide something different to what’s already being offered, and after 15 years of existence, their search for an identity continues.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.