It would seem announcing UK tours is a popular happening this evening. After WWE announced the dates and locations for their 2015 return to the United Kingdom, TNA sent out a press release detailing the always-anticipated Maximum Impact tour for January 2016.
Currently the TNA website only lists three dates – 1/29 in Manchester, 1/30 in Wembley, and 1/31 in Birmingham – and all three will be Impact Wrestling taping events.
Announced stars for the tour include Kurt Angle, Bobby Lashley, Matt Hardy, Eric Young, James Storm, Bobby Roode, Ethan Carter III, Rockstar Spud, Taryn Terrell, Brooke Adams, Robbie E, Bram and Mark Andrews.
As per usual, TNA likely announced only the stars they have contracts with, guaranteed through January 2016. Obviously there will be more than those 13 names appearing, but it’s a case of not announcing wrestlers whose contracts expire between now and the tour, as there’s no way to know 100% that they will be there.
Notable talent not listed included in the release – Abyss, Austin Aries, Awesome Kong, Davey Richards, Eddie Edwards, Gail Kim, Mickie James, Havok, Ken Anderson, X-Division Champion Kenny King, MVP, and Tyrus. Basically, expect anyone who signs a new deal between now and the end of 2015 to be on the UK tour, which will likely be a lot of these names, depending on how the promotion’s relationship with Destination America fares.
There was one interesting piece of wording in the press release:
With huge live events set for Manchester, London and Birmingham, this year’s Tour is going back to its roots. Following direct fan feedback to make the shows the best experience ever, the MAXIMUM IMPACT 8 Tour will feature family-friendly event timings and ticket packages, money off TNA merchandise and an all-new exclusive VIP Experience – as well as special giveaways and entertainment throughout the show itself.
While we’re not exactly sure what “family-friendly event timings” means, it’s likely a reference to TNA taping two episodes of Impact back-to-back over the course of 3-4 hours. There are many families – especially in the UK where they have a huge following – that attend these shows with children of all ages, and as you can imagine the thought of keeping them awake until 10-11PM and then commuting home leads to a lot of people either leaving early or growing frustrated by the end. This could be an attempt to curb that back, either by starting the shows earlier, or splitting them up (which doesn’t appear to be the case).
Exact times haven’t been announced yet, and we’ll keep you posted when more information becomes available.
