Thanks to Dylan J. B for sending in the following:
So Impact Wrestling has been cancelled from The Box. This came as a shock to me as I was preparing my usual Saturday night ritual. My snacks and beverages were all collected and ready for a night of Total Nonstop Action, however the usual timeslot seems to be taken. My show is not on. I rush to Google and start searching for answers, I find out that the termination date was set for late April.
Now I'm trying to work out the reasons behind this. The Box have never promoted the show heavy like they do the WWE. I have only seen two or three ads for Impact Wrestling in the whole time it's been on New Zealand TV, I have never seen ANY promotion for one of their PPV's. Now The Box/Sky TV say they cancelled the show because of poor ratings…. Maybe because they took priority over WWE advertising instead?
TNA have some of the most famous and recognized faces in professional wrestling, Hulk Hogan, Sting, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles to name a few. At one stage in 2012 Hulk Hogan even said he wants to bring TNA Impact Wrestling to New Zealand, yet they still get put on the chopping block.
As you could tell I was furious and annoyed over this, my Saturday night of wrestling had been destroyed and crushed. I once again go back to Google, this time I find a Facebook page trying to save the show and keep it on New Zealand TV. This page leads me to searching for others like it, I find one which leads me to Sommet Sports. There had already been some talk of this new channel picking up Impact Wrestling over the various Facebook pages. So I head over to their page and leave a comment of support. Within an hour they reply saying they will be picking up TNA Impact Wrestling for a 3-month trial!
Annoyance has turned to happiness. This great Wrestling show will be back on New Zealand screens soon enough. An alternative to the WWE which we all know is needed. The Box have dropped the ball on this. I encourage all New Zealand fans to really get behind Sommet Sports and show some real support.
I don't normally write things like this, I rarely write any of my thoughts down. But this issue really got to me. I know some people like to talk bad about this company, but I really see them as a good show compared to the WWE. After years and years of having the WWE rammed down our throats, I really think it's time for something new. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a WWE hater, I still watch the show from time to time. I also watch ROH and various Japanese promotions. I think more wrestling shows is good for everyone, having only one will get stale and boring fairly quickly. I look forward to Impact Wrestling coming back to New Zealand television soon, it already feels too long.
Please visit and support these pages:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/
https://www.facebook.com/keeptnawrestlingonnztv
http://www.facebook.com/groups/554812161220422/?ref=ts&fref=ts
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
