IMPACT WRESTLING REPORT: “ANDERSON’S CHAMPIONSHIP RECEPTION” – 21/06/11

IMPACT Wrestling: “Anderson's Championship Reception"

IMPACT Wrestling: “Anderson’s Championship Reception”
Tuesday 21st June 2011 – 10pm on Challenge

THIS WEEK ON IMPACT WRESTLING:
Gunner disrupts Mr. Andersons championship reception
Devon d. Hernandez but issues with “The Pope” continue
Kurt Angle announced his intention to try out for the 2012 US Olympic Wrestling Team. Jarrett begs for one last match, so sure of victory he agrees to move to Mexico if defeated.
The Bound For Glory Series is Announced
 Eric Young offers Matt Morgan a TV Title shot given that he was a TV star on American Gladiators, Morgan declines but recommends someone who can help.
Austin Aries d. Kid Kash & Jimmy Rave in a Three-Way Match to advance in the Destination X tournament and with it a shot at an IMPACT Wrestling contract.
Sarita & Rosita d. Velvet Sky & Ms. Tessmacher to retain the Knockouts Tag-Team Titles
Post-Match Velvet Sky is attacked by ODB and a returning Jackie Moore (aka Jacqueline)
Sting confronts Hogan in his office. Delivers a chilling message asking him to remove the mask and bring back the real Hulk Hogan.
Eric Young “defended” his TV Title defeating Producer & ex-Wonder Years star Jason Hervey
Rob Van Dam d. Samoa Joe in the first match-up of the BFG Series
 Gunner d. Mr. Anderson in a Non-Title Bout
 Kurt Angle d. Jeff Jarrett in a Parking Lot Brawl, meaning Jarrett must move to Mexico

Welcome to this weeks review of iMPACT Wrestling once again am looking forward to this edition coming of the back of a strong Slammiversary PPV. Sorry it is so late but a few family emergencies to see to has prevented me from getting the report up before now.

We open the show with a recap of Slammiversary, including Jeff Jarrett saying it’s not over till he says it’s over and Sting saying he had been screwed out of the World Title, and that he will get to the bottom of it.

TNA Wrestling Sacrifice Report – 18/05/11

TNA Sacrifice 2011

TNA Wrestling Presents – Sacrifice
Wednesday 18th May 2011 – 10pm on Challenge

Quick Results:
Sting d. Rob Van Dam to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Title
 Kurt Angle & Chyna d. Jeff Jarrett & Karen Jarrett
Tommy Dreamer d. AJ Styles in a No DQ Match following interference from Bully Ray
 Beer Money d. Matt Hardy & Chris Harris to retain the TNA World Tag-Team Titles
 Crimson d. Abyss
 Kazarian d. Max Buck to retain the TNA X-Division Title
 Brian Kendrick d. Robbie E w/Cookie
 Mexican America d. Ink Inc.

Welcome to my first PPV review here on TNA UK thanks for joining me. And if I have done this right you should be joining me just as Sacrifice has gone off the air here in the UK on Challenge TV.

The show opens with the usual video package which I believe TNA does really well and we go live to Mike Tenay and Taz.

TNA UK TV Ratings – Week Ending 8th May 2011

TNA Wrestling on Challenge

The UK TV Ratings are in for the week ending 8th May 2011 and hot off the heels of last weeks record breaking viewership numbers and the announcement of another TNA UK fan party, you’d be forgiven for thinking this week couldn’t possibly bring any more good news…but it does!

According to the Broadcasters Audience Research Board – TNA iMPACT! scored a superb 244,000 viewers, for the Tuesday 3rd May “Queen Closeau” episode headlined by a Sting vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Bully Ray World Title Match Main Event.

The search for Kurt Angle's "Mistress": Intrigued even the casual viewers!

This ensures that TNA Wrestling on Challenge continues to be the top rated wrestling programming on UK television for the fifth consecutive week, 9th time overall this year and is once again a new all time record high in viewership outdrawing both WWE RAW and Smackdown COMBINED!

The show once again ranked 1st overall amongst all programming on Challenge for the week and was up a whopping 44,000 viewers from last week’s record breaking episode.

TNA Xplosion, featuring a British Invasion, Murphy & Gunner vs. Orlando Jordan, Eric Young, Devon and Tommy Dreamer 8-Man Tag Bout, ranked outside the top 10 highest rated programs on Challenge TV and thus i’m unable to confirm the exact viewing figures for the episode. However the lowest ranked of the top 10, Eggheads, drew 123,000 viewers and thus Xplosion falls somewhere below that figure.

Here is the Top 10 ranked programs on Challenge for the week:

Challenge
w/e 08 May 2011

1	TNA IMPACT (TUE 2203)	244
2	IN IT TO WIN IT (THU 2100)	169
3	AUNTIES SMALLS (THU 2153)	152
4	IN IT TO WIN IT (TUE 2111)	150
5	BULLSEYE (WED 2301)	149
6	CRYSTAL MAZE (THU 1800)	148
7	CLASSIC WHO WANTS TBA MILLIONARE (WED 2201)	141
8	EGGHEADS (TUE 2036)	140
9	NINJA WARRIOR (THU 2201)	130
10	EGGHEADS (TUE 2000)	123

WWE’s RAW, featuring the heavily hyped “Rock Birthday Celebration”, a John Cena vs Miz WWE Title rematch and a Mason Ryan vs. Kane main event posted 135,000 viewers, up 7,000 from last weeks episode.

WWE’s other flagship show “Smackdown” drew 103,000 viewers (a drop of a whopping 32,000 viewers from last week) on Sky Sports 4 for a show headlined by Randy Orton’s World Heavyweight Title victory over Christian.

Here’s an overview of viewership for all wrestling programming for the week:

Weekly Ratings Summary:
TNA iMPACT! (Challenge, Tuesday, 2203) – 244,000
WWE LATE NIGHT RAW – LIVE (Sky Sports 3, Monday, 2600) – 135,000
WWE LATE NIGHT SMACKDOWN (Sky Sports 4, Friday, 2300) – 103,000
TNA XPLOSION (Challenge, Tuesday, 2400) – Under 123,000

Weekly Ratings Wins so far (2011)*:
TNA iMPACT! – 9
WWE RAW – 2
WWE Smackdown – 2

*Based on first showing viewing figures, not inclusive of +1 or replay figures.

Preview Tuesdays IMPACT & Xplosion on Challenge TV

TNA iMPACT!: Tuesday's 10pm on Challenge

As the road to Sacrifice continues, IT’S A NIGHT OF REVEALS! The Network is coming! Who is calling the shots? How will Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff react?

Plus, Kurt Angle has promised to reveal his new “Chosen One” – and she can’t wait to meet Karen Jarrett! Who is Kurt Angle bringing to iMPACT?

Also, who will Matt Hardy bring as his tag team partner to take on Beer Money? Plus, more news on the upcoming “Sacrifice” Pay-Per-View event which airs on Challenge TV on Wednesday night at 10pm.

Plus, don’t forget about TNA’s syndicated show – Xplosion, which follows at midnight with all the action and reaction from iMPACT! as well as an Xplosion Exclusive match-up as the UK’s own Douglas Williams takes on Okato.

Can’t watch iMPACT & Xplosion on Tuesday night from 10pm? Make sure to set your Sky+/ V+ / DVR to record it so you don’t miss any of the Total Nonstop Action!

**SPOILERS** New look IMPACT Zone

WARNING – The following news item contains spoilers for the upcoming episode of TNA Impact on Challenge. Should you not wish to spoil some of the huge surprises set for this Tuesday nights episode, then i recommend giving this article a miss until after it airs, otherwise click the linke at the end of this paragraph to read on.

What’s My Angle?

Main Event Ankle Lock!

I could start and end this instalment of What’s My Angle with one sentence “Kurt Angle in the main event on Impact!” what more needs to be said about this past Tuesdays show. In all seriousness I really enjoyed this week’s Impact and unlike others (sorry Ray) I was pleased that we were given a week off from the Sting, RVD and Mr Anderson show.

For weeks now I have been growing tired of the same old  thing with the same three guys week after week so when Impact opened and Immortal were in the ring with Sting and RVD on the outside I was feeling a serious case of déjà vu. What a relief though when Fortune hit the ring and Bobby Roode took the mic and verbally thrashed Hogan.

Aftermath of iMPACT: “THE NETWORK IS COMING” – 10/05/2011

TNA iMPACT!: “THE NETWORK IS COMING”

TNA iMPACT! – “THE NETWORK IS COMING”
Tuesday 10th May 2011 – 10pm on Challenge

THIS WEEK ON IMPACT!:
Kurt Angle & Velvet Sky d. Jeff Jarrett, Winter & Angelina
Hogan & Bischoff speculate on the identity of the Network Representative
The X-Division wrestlers deliver a message to Eric Bischoff
 TNA Knockouts Champion Mickie James d. Miss Tessmacher
 Crimson lets Samoa Joe know how he feels about his “Help” last week
 Rob Terry d. Murphy in a Loser Leaves Immortal match
 AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels d. Bully Ray & Gunner via DQ as Tommy Dreamer attacked AJ
 Mexican America Celebrate Cinco De Mayo
 Sangriento d. Suicide
 Bobby Roode has a message for Hulk Hogan

For the second consecutive week TNA delivers a show that looks and feels completely different. For a start the majority of Main Event players are given the night off, No Mr. Anderson and Sting and Rob Van Dam are on screen for no more than a cup of coffee.

Instead the spotlight this week was focused on the Jarretts who focus their attention on who they believed to be Kurt Angle’s hired “Mistress” – Velvet Sky. Velvet sure held her own in the confrontation with Karen Jarrett, their exchange was fluid and realistic and the addition of Winter and Angelina into the mix, furthering that storyline was a nice touch. Of course we all knew Kurt would eventually intervene and setup a main event that seemed hotly anticipated from the crowd.

TNA vs. WWE – UK Wrestling Ratings War: The Facts

TNA Wrestling on Challenge: More to it's success than Freeview

Yesterday saw the announcement of yet more record high viewership numbers for TNA Wrestling on Challenge. I’ve been proud of this sites unrivalled analysis of the weekly UK wrestling ratings and as such feel it necessary to address the one criticism that keeps getting thrown TNA Wrestling’s way (well at least from WWE marks anyway!) when it comes to these viewing figures – that TNA iMPACT! is broadcast on Challenge TV, a freeview channel whereas WWE is broadcast on Sky Sports which is a premium/subscription service.

TNA UK TV Ratings – Week Ending 1st May 2011

TNA Wrestling on Challenge

The UK TV Ratings are in for the week ending 1st May 2011 and it’s more good news as TNA Wrestling on Challenge continues to be the top rated wrestling programming on UK television for the fourth consecutive week and 8th time overall this year. Not only that but this weeks post-Lockdown edition of iMPACT! was the highest rated EVER on UK television!

Matt Hardy vs. Sting: Proved to be a ratings hit!

According to the Broadcasters Audience Research Board – TNA iMPACT! scored a superb 200,000 viewers, for the Tuesday 26th April “TWO HORSES FOR SISTER KAREN” episode headlined by a Sting vs. Matt Hardy World Title Match Main Event.

The show ranked 1st overall amongst all programming on Challenge for the week and was up 9,000 viewers from last week’s episode, and up 8,000 on the previous record high set just two weeks ago.

The saturday night replay of this edition of iMPACT! also drew a record high, with 121,000 viewers tuning in, meaning a total of 321,000 viewers catching iMPACT! on Challenge this week!

TNA Xplosion ranked outside the top 10 highest rated programs on Challenge TV and thus i’m unable to confirm the exact viewing figures for the episode. However the lowest ranked of the top 10, Crystal Maze, drew 109,000 viewers and thus Xplosion falls somewhere below that figure.

Here is the Top 10 ranked programs on Challenge for the week:

Challenge
w/e 01 May 2011

1	TNA IMPACT (TUE 2203)	200
2	CRYSTAL MAZE (THU 1800)	153
3	CLASSIC WHO WANTS TBA MILLIONARE (WED 2203)	139
4	BULLSEYE (WED 2302)	128
5	TNA IMPACT (SAT 2101)	121
6	IN IT TO WIN IT (FRI 2111)	121
7	IN IT TO WIN IT (WED 2111)	112
8	TAKESHIS CASTLE (THU 1730)	111
9	CATCHPHRASE (TUE 1900)	110
10	CRYSTAL MAZE (WED 1759)	109

WWE’s RAW, featuring the 2011 WWE Brand Draft and headlined by a Smackdown vs. Raw 20 Man Battle Royal main event posted 128,000 viewers, down 16,000 from last weeks episode.

Smackdown rebounded from a two weeks ratings dive which saw a drop of 32,000 viewers, by drawing 135,000 viewers on Sky Sports 4 for a show featuring a tag-team main event with Randy Orton & ex-TNA Superstar Christian Cage up against Alberto Del Rio & Brodus Clay.

In other programming, WWE’s syndicated magazine show “WWE Experience” drew 44,000 viewiers for it’s Sunday evening airing on Sky Sports 4. WWE Afterburn drew 34,000 viewers for a monday night airing of the show. The only other wrestling related programming ranked in the top 10 programmes was a “WWE SPECIAL” featuring a countdown of the top 50 superstars of all time..at least in WWE’s opinion anyway! This drew 31,000 viewers for the friday night airing on Sky Sports 4.

Here’s an overview of viewership for all wrestling programming for the week:

Weekly Ratings Summary:
TNA iMPACT! (Challenge, Tuesday, 2203) – 200,000
WWE LATE NIGHT SMACKDOWN (Sky Sports 4, Friday, 2102) – 135,000
WWE LATE NIGHT RAW – LIVE (Sky Sports 3, Monday, 2600) – 128,000
TNA iMPACT! Replay (Challenge, Saturday, 2101) – 121,000
WWE EXPERIENCE (Sky Sports 4, Sunday, 1601) – 44,000
WWE LATE NIGHT AFTERBURN (Sky Sports 3, Monday, 2300) – 34,000
WWE SPECIAL (Sky Sports 4, Friday, 2401) – 31,000
TNA XPLOSION (Challenge, Tuesday, 2400) – Under 109,000

Weekly Ratings Wins so far (2011)*:
TNA iMPACT! – 8
WWE RAW – 2
WWE Smackdown – 2

*Based on first showing viewing figures, not inclusive of +1 or replay figures.

Preview Tuesday’s TNA iMPACT! & Xplosion on Challenge TV

TNA iMPACT!: Tuesday's 10pm on Challenge

As the road to Sacrifice continues Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and the rest of Immortal demand to know who the “Network” representative is! Who has been calling the shots in TNA Wrestling? Hulk wants answers!

Jeff and Karen Jarrett plan to call out Velvet Sky. Is she the new “Ms. Angle” that Kurt Angle has been talking about? Is a war brewing between Karen and Velvet?

Plus, don’t forget about TNA’s syndicated show – Xplosion, which follows at midnight with all the action and reaction from iMPACT! as well as an Xplosion Exclusive match-up as Robbie E takes on Eric Young.

Can’t watch iMPACT & Xplosion on Tuesday night? Make sure to set your Sky+/V+/DVR to record it so you don’t miss any of the Total Nonstop Action!