On the same night WWE aired a 2-hour, inter-promotional mega show, TNA went with the iMPACT! debut of Mr. ‘Roid Rage himself, Scott Steiner. That’s some interesting counter-programming, wouldn’t you say?
TODAY’S ISSUE: Saturday Night’s Main Event vs. iMPACT!.
Instead of going with one of their special Thursday night broadcasts, TNA aired iMPACT! in its regular time slot during the last hour of SMNE, at least in my neck of the woods. Suffice it to say that a regular weekly episode of iMPACT! should never stand a chance against a super show like SNME, especially considering all the hype for this return after a nearly 15-year hiatus from NBC.
To be fair, I was recording iMPACT! in my home office while watching SMNE live in the living room, so it wasn’t actually a contest between the two shows in my house. It was fun though, having two big league wrestling shows on at once. It reminded me of the Monday Night War. If I only had one television, what might I have done Saturday night?
WWE started an hour earlier than TNA, so I was already settled in to SMNE before iMPACT! ever started. ADVANTAGE: WWE
When I switched over to TNA out of curiosity, I saw Big Poppa Slump Scott Steiner, looking every bit as freakishly huge yet useless in the ring as he did during his dismal run in WWE a few years ago. TNA seems to have a fascination with, shall we say, wrestlers who are past their prime years of ring effectiveness. Former stars DDP, Hall and Nash, Hogan (sort of), Sting, and others have all passed through TNA’s doors. In fact, there was some speculation that Lex Luger himself would be the man on Jeff Jarrett’s speed dial, the role that Steiner ended up playing. What a nightmare that would have been!
Here’s the problem with that strategy, as I’ve said before: the things that define TNA and help make it a viable alternative to WWE programming are the DIFFERENCES between them and WWE. The super hot X Division, the solid tag team division, less talk and more action, fresh faces in the heavyweight main event picture, and a host of young, agile performers with excitingly unique moves (Canadian Destroyer, e.g.) are the strengths of TNA. Those are the things they should be highlighting. They shouldn’t try to recreate the dying days of WCW with talent that’s now five years older and less capable in the ring. ADVANTAGE: WWE
I will say that Sting seems to have some life left in him, especially if he’s only featured sporadically as a special attraction. The whole “a legend retires and a man returns” angle is a bit of new ground for him, and therefore it’s fresh storyline fare. Also from what I’ve seen, it seems he can still move around in the ring well enough. So in this case, if the legend of Sting can attract some new viewers to TNA, and if the X Division and company can keep those new viewers hooked, then Steve Borden will have proved his value to the business once again.
The main event tag match on iMPACT! featured the “Prince of Punk” Shannon Moore in what might be his last appearance in that gimmick (since TNA recently copyrighted it for his use), and what also might be the last time he’s treated with respect by the bookers. I figure Vinnie Mac only resigned Moore, who he released last July, in order to stunt any momentum Moore might have brought to TNA. I like Moore, and enjoyed seeing him treated as a legitimate threat in the X Division. I don’t see anything great coming from his rumored reunion with his former “Sensei of Mattitude” on SmackDown!. ADVANTAGE: TNA
On SMNE, I had to endure the endless drudgery of wrestlecrap that is the Boogeyman, and his tiresome feud with an ever-declining Booker T. I like Booker T, but this Boogeyman nonsense is a far cry from his five world championship reigns in WCW. Was it really that long ago that he was a main event player? And just how stupid does Teddy Long have to be to excuse Booker from his scheduled match because of a poorly faked injury? Is the payoff to this storyline going to be an entertaining match at WrestleMania 22 in two weeks? Methinks not… ADVANTAGE: TNA
So we’re all tied up at this point. Let’s continue.
LAX vs. the Big Wiggle and the Little Shark. Ugghh. I can’t stand Konnan’s lame heel group, and I couldn’t care less about Shark Boy. Who brought back Norman Smiley, and more importantly, why? ADVANTAGE: WWE
In the opening montage of iMPACT! we see the words “60 minute adrenaline rush”. I’d love to see TNA acquire another hour of programming for their weekly show, and yet the one-hour limit forces them to load up each week with matches, storyline advancements, and quality video packages. They simply have no time to waste.
Conversely, WWE had two hours at their disposal on Saturday night, and I didn’t think it would be difficult for them to fill that time with entertaining programming. They could have presented a high-flying Cruiserweight match (perhaps something dealing with the #1 contendership). They could have used the time to highlight some up-and-comers like Lashley, Pirate Paul Burchill, or a beloved veteran like RVD who’s over with the crowd. Instead, they gave us 15 minutes of a useless beer-drinking contest, featuring the 72nd return of Stone Cold Steve Austin and some lame comedy. We were also treated to an underwhelming women’s match, and the subsequent foregone conclusion heel turn of the century (I know that only encompasses six years) by Mickie James. Isn’t it a little late to be setting up a WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP match for ‘Mania? The biggest show of the year is only two weeks away! ADVANTAGE: TNA
Mark Henry on my television is bad. But hey look, it’s the Undertaker, who has become the definition of all sizzle and no steak in the past few years. His entrance and “aura” are cool, but he doesn’t bring much to the table anymore regarding putting on a good wrestling match, and that should be a key factor in staying on top as long as Undertaker has. Plus, it was difficult for even the wrestling machine Kurt Angle to carry Mark “Deadweight” Henry to a decent match recently, so you know that task is WAY over Mark Calaway’s head. Hmmm, I wonder who might win the Casket Match at ‘Mania. ADVANTAGE: TNA
Team USA qualifying match: Maverick Matt Bentley vs. Primetime Elix Skipper vs. Sonjay Dutt. ‘Nuff said. ADVANTAGE: TNA
I will give WWE a fraction of a point for the following:
– I enjoyed seeing the “dueling main events” tag team contest at the top of the broadcast. It seems that RAW vs. SmackDown! is the only thing left in WWE that feels truly special these days.
– Not that we haven’t all had enough of the infamous “Montreal Incident”, but since it was pretty much the catalyst for the whole Michaels vs. McMahon feud, it was a nice echo of November 1997 when Shane put Shawn in the Sharpshooter and Vince repeated his “ring the f’ing bell” line to perfection.
– It was cool to see and hear Good Ol’ JR at the broadcast position once again.
With all the excitement of the heralded return of Saturday Night’s Main Event, WWE could have done a far better job with the two hours they had available. They barely even held my interest head-to-head against a regular episode of TNA iMPACT!, even considering that it wasn’t a particularly good episode by TNA’s standards. That’s just sad.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled reality.
p.s. – Why is “No.” the abbreviation for the word number when there is no letter “O” in the word to begin with?
