Welcome our newest columnist, J. Melton, who makes his choices for a Best of iMPACT! DVD, and asks for your choices!

 J. Melton: From the Bleachers

Best of iMPACT! 

Howdy from NC!

Rumors are swirling that TNA is in the process of working on a Best of iMPACT! DVD. Interested in this concept, I came up with a list of matches that stood out in my mind, did some research with my good friend youtube, and was surprised at the quality of TV matches that TNA has put out.

First, I think this DVD could provide us with a unique perspective from behind the scenes. We should see interviews with people from the production crew and the TV teams about how they put the show together. Then they should take us through the history and evolution of iMPACT!, from FSN, to the internet, and finally, Spike TV.

So let’s take a stroll down memory lane, and without further delay, here is my list of matches that should make the DVD:

6/14/2004:  AJ Styles vs Elix Skipper vs Michael Shane vs Chris Sabin

This was the main event for the first iMPACT! with the winner getting a crack at Kazarian on the Wednesday PPV.  iMPACT! was supposed to be a driving force for the weekly PPV when it first came about.

11/23/2004: NWA title match : Jeff Jarrett vs Monty Brown

This was the first time that we saw the NWA title defended on iMPACT! so for that alone it makes my list, and it was a surprisingly decent match.

5/5/2005 : AJ Styles and Jeff Hardy vs Raven and Abyss

This was a tag match leading the four combatants into the first Lockdown PPV.  I had to choose a Hardy match to go on here, because I think TNA should and will capitalize on their library, and that Hardy was at one time associated with TNA.  They could get a few more buys with his name on this DVD somewhere.

10/1/2005 : AJ Styles vs Roderick Strong

This match is also featured on AJ’s Best of volume 2 DVD, but it holds such a significant place in TNA. This was the first match on iMPACT! after it joined Spike TV on Slammin’ Saturday Nights .

10/25/2005 : AJ Styles, Sonjay Dutt and Austin Aries vs Samoa Joe, Alex Shelley and Christopher Daniels

This was a 2 hour prime time special, and all the people wanting X Division style matches included, here ya go!  6 of the best putting on a great show in this one, as AJ pins Shelley for the win.

4/15/2006 :Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels : X Division Title match

This was the first match on iMPACT! after its move to Thursday nights , and Joe recaptures the gold, in a bloody match.

4/15/2006: Sting vs Eric Young

The first night of iMPACT! on Thursday nights marked the iMPACT! wrestling debut of Sting, as well.

11/16/2006: Christian Cage vs Rhino, Six Sides of Steel, barbed wire match.

Another prime-time special match, with a great gimmick going for it.  I would most definitely add this on the DVD .

2/15/2007 Gauntlet for the Gold .

The winner of this gets Christian Cage at Destination X, and in the end, Samoa Joe pins Tomko.

6/29/2007: Kurt Angle vs Rhino vs Christian Cage NWA title match.

This was the first match that took up the complete hour of iMPACT!, yet still featured several wrestlers and an amazing match put on by all the participants.

10/4/2007 : XXX, Christian Cage and AJ Styles vs LAX, Junior Fatu and Samoa Joe.

This was the main event of the premier 2 hour edition of iMPACT!

On a side note, one match that i would like to see, but probably will not make the cut, would be the finals of the Chris Candido Cup, which featured Alex Shelley and Sean Waltman vs Shocker and Chris Sabin. I think it would be a touch of class to add this as an extra.

So, what do you think?  Any matches you would add or delete from this list?  Feel free to leave a comment!

– J. Melton

good column