9 Ups & 4 Downs From IMPACT Wrestling (7 Oct)
8. Oblivious Comedy
.@Willie_Mack and @GottaGetSwann will face @ZickyDice and @mannylemons TONIGHT! #IMPACTonAXSTV @Myers_Wrestling @isThatVsK @sambeale23 pic.twitter.com/IQww59ezko
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) October 8, 2021
IMPACT's creative team knows precisely what they're doing with the Learning Tree. The Brian Myers-led faction acts as comedic fodder to assist with the natural flow of the show, but crucially, they're not meaning to be comedians. They're oblivious to the fact they're funny in a pro wrestling sense, making the whole schtick work more than ever.
This started with Zicky Dice and Manny Lemons interrupting Rich Swann and Willie Mack. Dice proclaimed they were a better team than Swann and Mack, while Lemons objected to the fact. Thus, a match was booked. When they asked Brian Myers to be in the corner, he said no, left with VSK (and Sam Beale, who unwelcomingly followed) to his bus, where there were some chicken wings waiting.
Again, out of context, this segment will be viewed as mundane. It's effectively pointless. In the IMPACT universe, though, this is what the group was always intended to be. Glimpses were shown when it was just Myers and Beale, but now, things have really stepped up. It's nice to have that balance of comedy and seriousness.