Welcome back to ringside everyone. Schools out for summer so I should be at the top of my game. That or I’ll slack off because it’s summer and who wants to do anything during their summer break? Anyway lets get to….
5/20 Impact! Recap
To see what happened on Impact you can read Hollyric’s report by clicking here.
Ok now last week I gave 5 reasons that TNA is better than WWE expecting a lot of hate mail. I actually got a lot of praise mail saying my list was dead on. Instead I got a hate column. Now if you haven’t read Andy Campell’s column you should probably do. Click here to do so. Now I have no problem with Andy, he had a different opinion about my column and that’s cool. I also think it’s pretty cool and he more or less plugged my entire column in his column. I owe you one Andy. Anyways, I’m always up for a friendly little argument with a fellow IP Wrestling member. Hell, maybe we can turn this into the next Grutman vs Jennette…or not. I’m not going to post what Andy posted because that will just get boring and repetitive.
5. Tag Teams: First off, I don’t watch the WWE like I used it. Raw has gotten boring to me so I normally watch RR/RW Inferno instead. Then I wake up Tuesday and read Monday Night Rabble for a good laugh and read Scott Keiths Rant for the star ratings. As for Smackdown, I skim the spoilers and watch the O.C. on Thursday nights instead. I’ve never heard of the Heart Throbs, I didn’t know Maven & Dean teamed, haven’t read about the Bashams being in a match in awhile, and I thought Hass was still screwing Jackie and Dawn. Ya, I missed some TNA Teams mainly because they didn’t pop into my head at the team/I don’t care about the Harris Brothers or Phi Delta Slam. TNA cares about their tag division because they build Tag Feuds. “Hell, WWE just had a tag team turmoil match, showcasing all of their teams.” Exactly, WWE had some extra PPV time so they threw their teams together in order to give them some air time. When I said “The WWE just teams together random people in order to give them TV times and keep the fans happy (Example: Rey and Eddie.)” I meant they team together established stars. Eddie and Rey didn’t need to be a tag team, has it turned into a great feud? Yes, but Eddie should be in the world title picture and Rey should be helping to re-build the cruiser division. The Tag Titles in TNA mean “Tag Team Champs” and I know this because Mike Tenay is the professor and he says it all the time on Impact.
4. PPVs: TNA charges less and gives you longer matches. WWE charges more and gives you the same HHH main event. You’re right, no match is worth 30 bucks but one very awesome match mixed with some good under-card matches make the entire PPV worth 30 bucks. Sure I mentioned some little things. Time and Money…ok maybe those are important but ummm…next topic
3. Finishers: You’re right, the WWE-Style and the TNA-Style are different which means TNA can pull off better finishers because they are allowed to drop people on their head. I can’t help it that the WWE has a different style than TNA that just means TNA can come up with better finishers. You can say TNA’s finishers look fake but really, do you buy a Clothesline as a guys finisher?
2. Fans: Not much here. Jericho/Benjamin getting dueling chants could just be a Face vs Face match. AJ vs Petey was atleast a Heel vs Face match.
1. Athletes: You can call me strange but I break down Wrestlers into 3 categories: Athletes- A guy that can do it all in the ring (AJ Styles), Workers- A guy that puts on a great match without all the gimmicks and flashyness (Ric Flair), Wrestlers- A guy that can have a good match but is mostly known as a brawler (Hulk Hogan). Again, you can call me strange for doing that but that’s just me. People call baseball players athletes, but honestly is David Ortiz an athlete compared to Ichiro? No, Ichiro can do it all on the baseball diamond. David Ortiz doesn’t play the field and he’s just a big guy with a strong swing. I can’t help that the WWE is safety-conscious, I don’t blame them, but it’s once again just different styles.
Ok, I’m done. Once again I want to thank Andy for railing against my column, I at least know 1 person that reads this thing. Can’t wait for your response and I still say we turn this into a weekly/monthly thing. PTI ON IP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now back to your regularly scheduled column.
So if you read the news around the wrestling world then you know that the final episode of Impact! is later today. This means that the only way to see TNA is to rent the PPVs for 30 bucks. So with the big shocker I have altered this weeks column and I will now give you….
Top 5 Reasons…TNA Should Get The Spike TV Timeslot
5. Options: If TNA gets to a high profile level then they can attract more Indy Stars. I’m sure the ROH guys like working in ROH but come on, if they have a chance at more money and actual exposure, I would think they would take it. I don’t know much about ROH so I could be wrong. TNA could attract guys like Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Austin Aries, Jack Evans and other Indy Stars.
4. Showcase: A lot of the WWE marks don’t know guys like AJ Styles, Chris Sabin, Petey Williams and others. A prime time slot would give casual wrestling fans a chance to know these guys. That would hopefully lead to the casual fans liking what Styles and Company and do in the ring and they would turn into hardcore fans. TNA had a slot on FSN at 4 on Fridays. FSN is most known for Poker and I like to hang out with my friends after school on Fridays. The same can be said for others, which means they don’t get a chance to see TNA and the X Division Stars
3. Storylines: A one hour show which is cut to 45 minutes or so after commercials. There’s not much time to build matches in that hour. That’s why a lot of TNA PPV matches are just kinda thrown together. If TNA could get the prime time slot then they could easily build more under-card matches. Plus, I’m just sick of every single Impact! ending with some huge brawl.
2. Competition: What was probably the best to be a wrestling fan? The Monday Night Wars. Wrestling fans had an alternative during that time. If you didn’t like what the WWF was doing, you could turn it to WCW. If you didn’t like a somebody new joining the NWO every week, you could see what Degeneration-X was up to. Now, your only option is WWE. Of course you can get the ROH DVDs and what not, but if your looking to watch wrestling on a week to week basis, WWE is your only option. Ever since the WWE bought out WCW and ECW, wrestling has lost a step. WWE knows that no matter what they show, if you like wrestling enough, you will watch (Ex. Katie Vick) If TNA gets the prime time slot, WWE will have to put together better storylines in order to stop fans from watching TNA.
1. Staying Alive: Right now, TNA is almost like ECW. No TV time, (I know ECW had “ECW on TNN” but you wouldn’t know it from promotion) crazy ass gimmick matches, wrestling in the same building every week, and just looking to survive. Let’s face it, not many people are going to buy TNA PPVs if they don’t know what’s going on in the company. The main reason TNA needs the prime time slot is just so they can stay alive. If TNA folds like everyone has predicted for so long now, then again, unless you buy some ROH DVDs or read our very good ROH coverage, WWE is the only way to go. Plus I need TNA to stay alive because hell…I’m out of a job if they don’t.
So I am begging Spike TV, give TNA the prime time slot, and bring wrestling back to its peak.
The E-Mail Bag
Ok I’m going into my e-mail bag now because I was busy most of this week and didn’t get a chance to respond. So here we go:
*I agree with everything you said that TNA is better than WWE.
I still think TNA holds the edge in quality wise matches on ppv’s. Sure, WWE have two good/great matches on a ppv but the rest literally suck or just plain boring. TNA have great,good and decent matches for the whole card. TNA might have one bad match(mostly the old guys like DDP,etc.) on a ppv.
I also think what make TNA special is the SURPRISES!!! TNA on every ppv give you some kind of surprise. Victory Road had Macho Man, Turning Point had Primetime hurricarana from the top of the cage, Final Resolution had Styles win the X title which was un-expected, AAO had Waltman/Outlaw debuts, DX had Brown heel turn, Lockdown had Trinity moonsault and Styles incredible performance in the main event with the moves he did,Hard Justice had Traci turn on Sabin and a surprising great effort from Waltman. TNA is very good at keep secrets. Abyss return was a huge surprise. This tv deal has been discussed but no one really knows and WWE/USA deal got out pretty quick before the official announcements.
If TNA gets a 2 hour primetime tv show, WWE better watch out in the future. TNA will not hurt WWE for the first year or two, but one day people might get tired of WWE laziness and it will force people to watch TNA. Right now I put Raw over TNA but I give TNA an edge over Smackdown because SD ppv’s is BORING. I hope TNA stays in business and get a tv deal,so wrestlers can have more options like Samoe Joe and American Dragon.
-Jackieellisworld
Gotta agree with the surprises. I sure as hell didn’t expect Abyss to return at Final Resolution. As far as TNA not hurting the WWE until year two, I have to disagree. A lot of people are already sick of the WWE, they just have no other wrestling to turn to. There’s a shot that TNA could hurt them right away. Thanks for the e-mail.
*I agree with most of your top 5 but I actually don’t like the dueling chants. It can really throw off new viewers trying to figure out who the bad guy is. Raven addressed this in a commentary a few months ago where he explained that if you’re really a fan of his then boo him when he’s a heel. Cheering Petey makes him look bad because it creates the impression that he’s failing to rile up the crowd. I’m not saying that people can’t pop for the Destroyer but in general we should show our appreciation for the bad guys we’re fans of by playing along and booing their asses off. You can shake Petey’s hand and call Daniels “Mr. TNA” after the show is over.
Now if Daniels were to turn face (please don’t) then a “Let’s go A.J./Fallen Angel” chant would be totally appropriate.
-Kyle McCowin
Ya, the dueling chants can throw off new viewers but I look at the chants as a sign of respect more than a sign of Petey’s not doing his heel job. You’ll know that Petey is heel from the announcers and D’Amore helping and The National Anthem. Also, turning Daniels face would be a huge mistake. Thanks for your thoughts.
*Hey Jeremy,
Great column, couldn’t agree more on your facts. The only reason you’d get hate mail is from WWE fans who either haven’t watched TNA, have only seen a couple of IMPACT’s, or are so in love with the big men that they can’t see good wrestling even when it’s right in front of them, flipping a guy over and slamming him on his head.
I would be curious to see if you could come up with 5 reasons for why the WWE is better than TNA. I’m betting most if not all of them would have nearly nothing to do with in ring product. The WWE excells in; promotion, production, money, name recognition, 4 free TV shows a week, and being a part of pop culture for nearly 25 years. That’s what they have over TNA, and that’s why they’re winning right now… and most likely will continue to win.
-B. Tribe
Not much on this e-mail except thanks for sending it in. You are in luck though, somebody did send me a Top 5 Reasons WWE is better than TNA.
*hey this is not a hate mail but here are my 5 reasons why wwe is better, now while i do like Tna it has flaws also. The X division is great, but i have 5 reasons why WWE is better!
5. Midcarder Title – WWe does better with midcarders. While shelton isnt really been fueding lately, hes a great athlete and is over with the fans. Christian is a great wrestler and is a top midcarder. Y2j is still a great, hes lost so many times, but his mike skills make you want to watch him. Rey mysterio is mid card status(united states champ material) or a great Cruiserweight contender and way over with the fans. While Tna has equals, There is no belt….Abyss and Monte brown with no belt…..bring in the midcarder title, it has shown that it doesn’t huhrt to put a heavy weight contender witht he midcarder title for a while!
4. Tv Time – Monday night Raw is great(LIVE) and there is Smackdown, Heat, Velocity, Experience, etc. Plenty ways to catch up, while Tna has little….its a freakin one hour show, thats on fridays at 4(with optional replays, i mean comeon at least let them have a 2 hr slot, a once a week friday show isn’t enough to be the best. I love how Raw is on at 9 in the evening and there are recap shows!
3. House Shows – Wwe has em, Catch matches they would never put on raw or smackdown til the ppv matches, here! While Tna does have there guys do small tristate shows and other indy feds, WWe has em beat here and this is great so when you go to the show you can see the WWE stars instead of going to see jobbers and 10 minute matches at orlando
2. Better Use of Oldies – WWe has Ric Flair, Undertaker, Shawn Micheals and Just recently for a short stint, Hulk Hogan. These are just some names. They aren’t overused, Ric Flair is just comedy and not in the title hunt, and Hulk Hogan was just for buyrate. Undertaker was used for a title hunt but people love him, and Shawn is just a midcarder right now. You can say Benoit and Guererro are old, but they are 5 star performers Tna, if they can even keep em, Used Macho Man to come back once, DDP in the main event scene, Hall and Nash in the main event scene and Shawn Waltman still around, oooo what about BILLY GUUNN!! and who cares about the Over Roooad Dogg BG JAMES and Raven or Dustin Rhodes. I hate this about TNA as this is what Wcw did, Killings should just drop out of 2 live crew as im tired of them, and when Tna pushes these Old Main eventers! I know everyone hates triple H, but its alot better than seeing Jarrett Ddp or jarrett Nash or Jarett Hardy, even though Hardys age doesnt matter.
1.Better World Title Situation – WWe wins here hands down, while Tna may have better crusierweight and tag, wwe has midcarder and main event! People Hate Triple H, but they hate the character. Jeff Jarett is what people hate about TNA with the belt and the lame stroke, the people want abyss or monty brown, while Aj styles is better then Batista and John Cena, itll only be a matter of time befor Jeff Jarett has the belt back! With Two shows and mid carder belts you can have a Jbl or a HHH but when there is only one world title, Jarrett cant hog that thing! the Tna fans wanted Ddp, Nash, Monte Brown to win but didnt get it, at least wwe fans got the batista and john cena wins, just imagine hhh and jbl Still with the belts
While Tna maybe better, i still like WWe more I get to see midcarders/heavyweight contenders with a 2nd hand belt unlike seeing abyss and brown without one, Jarret without the world titleon wwe , Tna does have have the x division and Tag division, but the world title scene ruins it, oh and non main event matches are way better in the WWE, 15 minutes of Dusty Rhodes vs bobby Rhode? or 6 min of Kane vs Viscera. PSI vs DOD or Carlito Cool vs Big Show, Who cares about DOD and Dustin is just plain horrible!
i just got bored and figured id send my 2 cents in
-justin
I got no problem with people throwing in their 2 pennies. I will counter argue though but it’ll be quick. TNA has no mid-card title unless you want to count the X-Division as the mid-card title which in that case, TNA’s mid-card title is far better. TV Time, that doesn’t really say much as the product except that WWE controls the wrestling world. I would rather buy a ROH DVD and see AJ vs Daniels in a one hour match instead of see Batista vs HHH at every house show. I agree with the oldies but it’s cutting down a bit it seems. Jarrett dropped the title, Raven can still work, DDP is gone, Nash and Hall are through, and Dustin hasn’t been around since Lockdown. WWE can create better title situations because of the TV Time. As far as “The Stroke” being lame….JBL uses a clothesline and HHH can hit the pedigree and the guy will be dead. It’s also only a matter of time before HHH has the belt back. Thanks for chiming in.
*Jeremy, i certainly must say that i completely agree with you. I actually think it is quite sad what WWE has been putting on television and PPV lately, and i think TNA has actually been outdoing them in both departments. I was able to order TNA Lockdown & WWE Backlash last month, and i definately thought that Lockdown was a better PPV (although it did kind of defeat the purpose of having a steel cage). And as far as the athletes go, i would rather watch AJ Styles reinvent wrestling than watch Batista and John Cena do the same old moves (poorly, i might add). Its pretty sad when i can honestly say that the one-hour Impact taping was 2X better than the two-hour Smackdown taping. Well, kudos for an awesome article, and keep doing a good job.
-Bentley Toal
Thanks for the e-mail. Yes, AJ Styles is better than Batista and Cena. I will however plug John Cena’s CD because it’s very good and you should pick it up if you’re a rap fan.
The C-Cup
Same was last week because I want a nice selection of Top 5s to chose from:
*Slammiversary Special: Give me a Top 5 to do. Coolest one wins.
That’s all for these week folks. As always, you can drop me a line at AMPLine4Life@aol.com and join me next time At Ringside.
