TNA Reaction
Encyclopedia
TNA Reaction was a professional wrestling
-focused documentary
-style television program
by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
(TNA) that aired in the United States and Canada on Spike. The show aired two pilot episodes and a twenty-episode limited run through late 2010, and aired its final episode on December 30, 2010.
on a Monday night on April 12, 2010 at 7pm ET/6C. On May 3, 2010, TNA announced that Spike had picked up Reaction and that the program would start airing every Thursday, prior to that week's edition of Impact!
, starting June 24 at 8pm ET/7C. The premiere date was later pushed back to July 15, when it would start airing after Impact! at 11pm ET/10C instead of before it. However, in late June Reaction was pulled from Spike's schedule. On August 3, 2010, TNA announced that Reaction would premiere on August 12 and air every Thursday following Impact! on 11pm ET/10C. After an initial run of ten episodes, it was announced that Spike had picked up the show for ten more episodes. On December 27, 2010, it was confirmed that Spike had canceled the show and its final episode would be airing on December 30, 2010.
, catching wrestlers unawares backstage
preparing for their matches, or expressing their emotions immediately following their matches. Some were "on-the-spot" sit-down interviews regarding the current happenings within the company's storylines. Most of the high-volume, intense yelling typical of wrestling interviews was removed with this format, giving it a feeling of spontaneity, candidness
and verisimilitude
. After the pilot episode, this style of segment largely replaced the typical structured interview segment (with an interviewer and a set) on the company's flagship show Impact.
Other segments included the Impact Player of the Week, which highlighted a wrestler with sit-down interviews and source footage from their life, akin to similar segments from WWE Confidential
.
The show began with an extension of the final scene from that week's Impact, with commentary from Mike Tenay
and Taz
. The last three months of the show's existence, Impact! main event
s continued into Reaction time slot, effectively giving Impact! a third broadcast hour.
On the November 18, 2010, broadcast of Reaction, an "unofficial" Empty Arena grudge match was shown, held between Generation Me
and The Motor City Machine Guns. It was filmed in the similar candid manner of other Reaction segments, with minimal commentary overdubbed.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
-focused documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
-style television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
(TNA) that aired in the United States and Canada on Spike. The show aired two pilot episodes and a twenty-episode limited run through late 2010, and aired its final episode on December 30, 2010.
Broadcast history
TNA Reaction aired its pilot episodeTelevision pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
on a Monday night on April 12, 2010 at 7pm ET/6C. On May 3, 2010, TNA announced that Spike had picked up Reaction and that the program would start airing every Thursday, prior to that week's edition of Impact!
TNA iMPACT!
Impact Wrestling is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs in the United States and Canada on Spike...
, starting June 24 at 8pm ET/7C. The premiere date was later pushed back to July 15, when it would start airing after Impact! at 11pm ET/10C instead of before it. However, in late June Reaction was pulled from Spike's schedule. On August 3, 2010, TNA announced that Reaction would premiere on August 12 and air every Thursday following Impact! on 11pm ET/10C. After an initial run of ten episodes, it was announced that Spike had picked up the show for ten more episodes. On December 27, 2010, it was confirmed that Spike had canceled the show and its final episode would be airing on December 30, 2010.
Format
The show was composed largely of segments mimicking a cinéma-vérité documentaryDocumentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
, catching wrestlers unawares backstage
Secret photography
Secret photography refers to the use of an image or video recording device to photograph or film a person who is unaware that they are being intentionally photographed or filmed...
preparing for their matches, or expressing their emotions immediately following their matches. Some were "on-the-spot" sit-down interviews regarding the current happenings within the company's storylines. Most of the high-volume, intense yelling typical of wrestling interviews was removed with this format, giving it a feeling of spontaneity, candidness
Candid photography
Candid photography is photography that focuses on spontaneity rather than technique, on the immersion of a camera within events rather than focusing on setting up a staged situation or on preparing a lengthy camera setup.-Description:...
and verisimilitude
Verisimilitude
Verisimilitude is the quality of realism in something .-Competing ideas:The problem of verisimilitude is the problem of articulating what it takes for one false theory to be closer to the truth than another false theory...
. After the pilot episode, this style of segment largely replaced the typical structured interview segment (with an interviewer and a set) on the company's flagship show Impact.
Other segments included the Impact Player of the Week, which highlighted a wrestler with sit-down interviews and source footage from their life, akin to similar segments from WWE Confidential
WWE Confidential
WWE Confidential was a professional wrestling television program produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It aired on Spike TV late Saturday nights, following Velocity, from 2002 to 2004. It was hosted by Gene Okerlund.-Format:...
.
The show began with an extension of the final scene from that week's Impact, with commentary from Mike Tenay
Mike Tenay
Michael William "Mike" Tenay is a professional wrestling play-by-play announcer currently employed by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . Prior to signing with TNA in 2002, he had a notable tenure with World Championship Wrestling from 1994-2001...
and Taz
Tazz
Peter Senerchia is a retired American professional wrestler and current color commentator best known by his ring name Tazz, originally Tazmaniac and later shortened to simply Taz...
. The last three months of the show's existence, Impact! main event
Main Event
Main Event is Australia's only pay-per-view channel. It transmits through Foxtel, Optus Television and Austar, which jointly own the channel...
s continued into Reaction time slot, effectively giving Impact! a third broadcast hour.
On the November 18, 2010, broadcast of Reaction, an "unofficial" Empty Arena grudge match was shown, held between Generation Me
The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks is an American professional wrestling tag team, consisting of real life brothers Matt and Nick Massie from Southern California...
and The Motor City Machine Guns. It was filmed in the similar candid manner of other Reaction segments, with minimal commentary overdubbed.