TNA Impact Wrestling Review - November 8, 2012

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Great match to kick off the show with Bobby Roode defeating AJ Styles. It involved a lot of awesome action and the final moments were very suspenseful. James Storm did an excellent job on commentary and really teased tension between him and Styles going into the Triple Threat match at Sunday's Turning Point. I've always enjoyed how TNA always changes up their opener on a weekly basis and this was no exception.

Fine promo featuring Hulk Hogan and Joseph Parks. Hogan granted Parks a match at Turning Point against one of the Aces and 8s members and that was about it, so this segment was nothing out of the ordinary. However, both guys played their roles well.

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Throwaway Handicap match with ODB defeating TNA Knockouts Champion Tara and Jesse. As much as I enjoy ODB at times and find her entertaining, this feud is doing nothing for me. The wrestling in this rivalry is an afterthought and the comedy is hardly funny. It's logical since it leads into Eric Young's in-ring return on Sunday, but other than that, this feud is a step down from where the Knockouts Division used to be at.

Decent tag team match with Kurt Angle and Sting defeating DOC and Devon via disqualification. The action was fine for what it was, but it was more so the actions of Doc following the bout that really intrigued me. His brutal attack on Sting was truly vicious and made look legitimately dangerous, so I'm glad this was effective in making Aces and 8s look more like a threat.

Smart booking by giving Christian York a TNA contract apart of Gut Check. He's easily the best Gut Check contestant yet and I'm glad his talents were realized by TNA management. His promo skills could use some work, but that aside, he could be a valuable asset in the X-Division for sure. Here's hoping he doesn't get shipped down to developmental like all the other TNA Gut Check winners so far.

Fun six-man tag team match with Magnus, Daniels and Kazarian defeating Television Champion Samoa Joe and World Tag Team Champions Hernandez and Chavo Guerrero. The action was very well paced and the closing moments were very enjoyable. Having the heels go over here was a smart move and furthers all feuds involved in this contest.

Strong main event segment involving Austin Aries and TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy to close the show. It could've been better, but they made the most of the time they were given and gave viewers an incentive to tune in on Sunday. The mic work was solid and both guys were pretty good here. Aries needed momentum, so having him be the last man standing was good booking.

Overall, a great show that featured some above average action and successful hype for Turning Point pay-per-view. Unlike past TNA go-home shows, this didn't feature a frantic pace, but also managed to hype most of the matches on Sunday's card. This was the best Impact in weeks and they should up the good work going forward by maintaining the pace they displayed throughout this show.