Bully Ray gets candid about TNA‘s AMC debut.
Last Thursday, TNA Wrestling kicked off its new era with the debut of Thursday Night iMPACT on AMC. Unfortunately, the excitement surrounding it has dulled a bit, with many fans feeling unimpressed by the premiere episode product.
According to TNA Hall of Famer Bully Ray, this feeling can be attributed to a variety of factors.
“I don’t think the rest of the show was on par with AJ [Styles], the Hardys, Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, the heavy hitters of TNA,” Ray said on Busted Open Radio. “Thought there was a lot of stuff in there that just felt like it didn’t belong on a major pro wrestling show. I don’t think creative put talent in a position to knock it out of the park. Other than AJ, Frankie, Mike Santana, the Hardys, with that six-man. I felt like creative could have come up with things to feature the talent better, move the show along better, and not make it feel like something that wasn’t a big deal. Everything should have felt like a big deal.” (H/T to Wrestling Inc.)
Aside from improving the talent presentation and event’s flow, Ray also suggested that TNA stray away from showing the array of empty seats on-screen, even as a backdrop for celebrity guests.
“Learn from this and don’t ever do it again,” he said. “You f*ck up a company’s perception when you do things like that. And you’re only getting one crack at this. They had their crack at it. I think TNA, when it comes to the TV show, are now fighting from underneath to win people back over after that first show.”
The inaugural Thursday Night iMPACT saw Mike Santana dethrone Frankie Kazarian as TNA World Champion in the main event with Ray as a special commentator. Elsewhere, The Elegance Brand reclaimed the Knockouts Tag Team Championships by beating The IInspiration, who have reportedly departed from TNA since then.
