TNA Impact Wrestling Review - January 24, 2013

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Solid promo from Taz and the rest of Aces and 8s to kick off the show. He didn't give much of a motive as to why he's apart of the group, but his delivery of the promo was still well done. He can provide Aces and 8s with some strong mic work going forward, but I don't think it was necessary to keep him on commentary. I found it distracting and it took away from the matches at hand.

Fine match with Tara defeating Velvet Sky to successfully retain her Knockouts Championship. The action was exceptional given Sky's limited in-ring skills, but it was Jesse's constant involvement is what hindered the bout. I understand that's apart of her act, but I feel Tara would be much better on her own without Jesse. This match should've felt more important than it did given the fact it was Sky's first title shot in many months.

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Short and sweet promo from Joseph Park. He announced he'll be participating in next week's Open Fight Night, which successfully built towards that. Park continues to be one of the most entertaining acts in TNA today and I'm pleasantly surprised they've kept it going for this long.

Fun tag team match with Zema Ion and Kenny King defeating Christian York and X-Division Champion Rob Van Dam. The styles of all four competitors meshed nicely and it made for some chaotic action that was enjoyable while it lasted. I liked the tension teased between Ion and King, which foreshadows a Fatal 4 Way between all four guys.

Decent segment featuring Bully Ray and Sting. Sting was subpar on the mic, but Ray certainly cut a strong promo. If he continues to cut promos such as this one going forward, he'll have a very bright future as a babyface. As for Brooke Hogan, she served no purpose since all she did was stand there awkwardly the entire time.

Good match with Bobby Roode defeating World Tag Team Champion Hernandez. Hernandez is usually hit or miss in the ring, but Roode brought him to a nice match. The bulldog finish was strange and I hope they establish a one true finisher for Roode at some point. Once again, Aries and Roode were very fun to watch this week and I have my fingers crossed they'll win the World Tag Team Championships in the very near future.

Effective promo from Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson. It didn't drag on too long and both guys played their respective roles well. I liked Angle's intensity here and it helped hype their Steel Cage match for next week's show, which is something I'm not all that excited for since we've seen it countless times in recent years.

Great match with Jeff Hardy successfully retaining his TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Daniels. The two have excellent chemistry with one another and provided an entertaining exchange of near-falls down the stretch. Although the outcome was never in doubt, Daniels looked strong in defeat and I hope the feud continues past this point. The post-match attack from Aces and 8s on Hardy was rather weak seeing how Hardy won't be on television for the next few weeks.

Overall, a pretty good show that featured solid action and successfully built towards next week's huge edition of Impact Wrestling. Not many of the stories are worth investing in at the moment, but that might change in coming weeks with the number of pay-per-views per year reduced. I very much look forward to next week's show in the United Kingdom, as they always make for an electric environment.