It’s week four of “TNA Impact” on AMC, and if we’re being honest, what momentum the show had has slowed to a crawl. Apart from a few bright spots here and there, this was a dour affair, full of squash matches and awkward promo segments. TNA/X

I’ve little to no idea as to why Mara Sade and Ryan Nemeth were feuding to begin with and this week did nothing to really remedy that. Sade got beat by Nemeth for some bizarre reason at Genesis, albeit by cheating and taking cheap shots, and since he keeps “getting the better of her” in the ring they decided to have a gauntlet of other sporting activities in a vignette.

First, they were on a football field and Sade launched the pigskin into the end zone to be caught by… herself? Then Nemeth went to match the feat, but pulled his arm in doing so. The next game saw them play darts, with Nemeth hitting the bullseye. But then Sade threw her dart in his rear-end, so I guess she was the winner there as well. Lastly, it was a game of H.O.R.S.E, shooting hoops.

Sade won the game, only for Nemeth to argue that she had to get a trickshot. She superkicked him, and as he fell over he threw the ball into the hoop and that was her trickshot. And I am so beyond brain dead having watched and written that out.

I don’t really understand what was trying to be achieved here. And I don’t understand who is going to benefit from this. Sade has lost to Nemeth, which does no favors for her. Nemeth had to cheat to beat Sade, which does no favors for him. And this segment was literal garbage that served to do nothing for either character except pigeonhole them into parodies.

Granted, Nemeth was already heading there and appears to be content working the bottom-of-the-barrel comedy style. But I would have thought the company might have better things in mind for Sade, at least something that sees her benefit the Knockouts division.

Written by Max Everett

Look, it’s easy to pile on TNA, and I’m certainly not going to pretend that “Impact” has floored me in the first month on AMC. However, I also wouldn’t go as far as saying this show or promotion is a lost cause. There’s a lot of talent on the roster, even if they aren’t always utilized to the best of their abilities.

Take the mixed tag match, for instance. Mustafa Ali is someone who clearly understands the magnitude of the opportunity they’re working with being on AMC, and Jada Stone made her in-ring debut on the network with an impressive showing here as well, not to mention Tasha Steelz and (somewhat begrudgingly) Elijah.

A great deal of TNA’s potential lies in the Knockouts division. Currently led by Léi Yǐng Lee as the Knockouts World Champion, TNA’s roster of women is loaded with talent, with former WWE NXT star Xia Brookside also deserving a shout-out for her performance on tonight’s show.

Hopefully, TNA’s creative department and production can shake some of these early missteps and put together a show that’s worth looking forward to each week. They’re not quite there yet, but we’ll see where things go from here.

Written by Nick Miller