WNS Fans View: Wilds' War Cry: Willow

I watch TNA Impact every week, and it is like a roller coaster, but not in the way that is fun and exciting. Do not get me wrong, it can be, and some episodes are awesome, packed with great wrestling, and showcase some real talent and drama, but then the next week the product can fall flat. This past week was somewhere in the middle, and after thinking about it, I was enjoying this episode until the artist formerly known as Jeff Hardy came out.

Even after the show had ended, my brain was still stuck on that segment. I will admit, I do not get the Willow character, but I thought Jeff Hardy was doing fine as himself. This seems like a step backwards. A part of me cannot help but think this character that Hardy has wanted to do for some time finally came up because he could not be on the TNA UK tour, due to his past issues with drugs. So the time off, plus too much time to think about the change, probably gave way to making everyone else think it was a good idea to introduce this new persona. Wrestlers in TNA have more control over their characters and what they do more than the stars of WWE. It is less scripted, so Hardy can be as wild as he wants to with some of the promos, ramping up that enigma stuff he likes so much—more intensity. I think this freedom can be a good and a bad thing in some cases.

I have not liked the Willow character since the first promo. He reminds me of a reject Power Rangers villain to be honest, something I just do not care to see in the ring. I cannot tell if he is supposed to be a heel or a too-edgy face. Hardy came out and slapped hands with all of the fans, and was going up against Rockstar Spud, who is obviously a heel, but that finisher with the umbrella, the aggressive violence, and that attack on the referee, it was hard to make heads or tails of it. Maybe that is the point, but I actually could not tell if the fans liked it or not. The ladder finish seemed a bit like overkill as well.

The match itself was fine. Hardy rarely puts on a bad show, unless he is on something. Spud is a good worker. The problem is that the man who was squashed was the more interesting character in that match. I cannot get behind Willow without seeing more, and something better, but the most insight given was a comment from Taz that said: “I don’t think [Jeff Hardy] has control over what Willow is doing.” I groaned. Split personality gimmicks do not usually work well, and I might be more accepting if we had not just done something very similar with Joseph Park. I am not really sure what would make this character work, but now that the “creepy” mystery promos are out of the way, it is time to build him towards something. He needs a good storyline fast.

I have already been over the arguments about this with a few people. This gimmick needs time, is the usual answer. That is part of the problem though, and something that can drag down future episodes trying to make this work. I know one segment should not sour an entire episode of a program, but it really can, and Hardy is big enough that the company will give him decent air time. Someone else also said: at least they are trying something different. My issue that it is not different enough, even for TNA. Eric Young did the reverse of this gimmick with the superhero thing years ago, as well as the aforementioned Abyss storyline. I am glad wrestlers have more control, but not everything is going to be a win. I can only hope Hardy burns through this phase quickly, even if he is having fun. Also, with the horrible news that Bad Influence may be done, TNA is quickly turning me off with things like this. I do not usually miss an episode, but there is always a time to start.