Is That Nuance I See in Impact's Stories?

The center of a complex story
Photo Credit: ImpactWrestling.com

In 1996 and '97, the New World Order accused Sting of being a member of their ranks. They even went so far as to get a fake Sting to parade around with them as a misdirection, but we all know what really happened. Sting didn't join the nWo until it was cool to join their splinter group. Yeah, that was classic WCW-fucks-up booking, but the sell was so hard for Sting to be in the original group that it had to be him resisting them all along. Usually, such a hard sell indicates that the obvious isn't happening, but that doesn't change the reaction for when the good guy ends up being vindicated anyway.

I don't think it's by accident that James Storm has become the new Sting while the original Sting fights off the analogue to the nWo that he was accused of being a part of. Ever since Vince Russo was sent packing and the new creative team of Impact started helming the ship, there has been much more detail added to the stories being told. Being that Dave Lagana is a part of that group, maybe there is truth to the rumor that WWE Creative isn't incompetent and their good ideas about continuity are stunted by Crazy Old Vince McMahon, but that's another blog for another day.

The nods to history are just a part of what they've brought to the table in the last year or so. Just on last night's show, there was another great example of layers to a story that ended up enhancing another feud. For fans of Ring of Honor, the connection between Austin Aries and Kenny King is well-known. King and his former partner Rhett Titus were seconds of sorts to Aries during his brilliant second run with the ROH World Championship. So it makes as sort of a cool nod to that fact that Aries chose King for the X-Division Championship match, even if there were plenty of great reasons given during that whole powwow backstage for fans for whose that association went over.

Much in the same way, the story of Storm as the accused member/leader of Aces and Eights is effective for people who don't remember Sting's run '96/'97 or who didn't make the connection right away because it's a simple tale of whether we trust the hated (yet oddly truthful) former Champion or the guy accused of being a traitor. However, that's only the surface. Peeling back layers provides parallels, layers... nuance.

Good stories in wrestling are simple. They can be great with great execution, no doubt, but when you can get wrapped up in different niches of a story and enjoy it on a level that is more than just what you see on the screen, they can be great even if the execution is just "good for pro wrestling." I admire the thought being put into these stories, and I'm glad that at least one major televised wrestling company is trying to weave stories that have more than just surface value.

Of course, when that company also continues to peddle the Claire Lynch angle, praise should be limited. That being said, no one's perfect.