With TNA Sacrifice quickly approaching, another episode of “Impact” has come and gone. It was a show that technically featured six matches, but none of them lasted very long, including one that was over in just a few merciful seconds. TNA/X

One glaring issue became clear to this writer during this week’s show within each international commercial break, with TNA showing off little snippets of its past and matches including the likes of Jordynne Grace, Roxanne Perez, and Deonna Purrazzo. The issue: it’s not great to leave the viewer feeling disappointed when those clips cut back to the live show.

There are little glimmers of brilliance to TNA, but it requires one to suffer through an entire load of sub-par storytelling and acting with no discernible direction.

The Elegance Brand is currently being positioned high on the card, while also having questionable-looking foodstuffs thrown on them by ODB and “Action” Mike Jackson. Mike Santana’s current challenger for the World title is a man who was fired via Feast or Fired, and he got his title shot – and job – by just refusing to accept that he was in fact fired. All while Daria Rae and Santino Marella tussle for whatever ceremonial power it is they hold, because TNA President Carlos Silva is a bit of a regular on programming.

Arianna Grace, a “WWE NXT” talent, is the Knockouts World Champion because of constant interference, reinforcing the fact that she maybe shouldn’t be the World Champion, as she does not really wrestle on “NXT.” Everything feels like a collation of the very worst of 2010s WWE programming applied to some legitimately great workers.

The show feels to be wrestling in its most fake form, a pantomime with tired punchlines and a waste of what could be quite great. And as said, it’s not like TNA isn’t capable of producing some really great TV when it gets it right. Leon Slater, Mike Santana, Nic Nemeth, Trey Miguel, Lei Ying Lee, and even Tessa Blanchard, all have something to them that could be utilized to make a truly good wrestling show, rather than focusing on making terrible jokes and conforming to the same bad habits that have never paid off for anyone.

Written by Max Everett