With the growing gap between Vince McMahon and sanity lately, his television products have been less than engaging. WWE fans are often forced to endure convoluted storylines, lack of direction, poor or no planning, silly gimmicks, and many other problems that can make watching RAW, SmackDown!, and ECW seem more like work than enjoying a favorite hobby. Thankfully, there is an alternative for fans of sportz entertainment professional wrestling: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.
TODAY’S ISSUE: TNA is on a roll
The “little promotion that could” refused to die when all signs were pointing that way. TNA has survived change after change, management/ownership issues, and no television at all, and they’ve settled nicely into their Thursday night Spike TV slot, which looks to be increasing to two hours in the near future. In my estimation, the reason for their success is the smorgasbord of styles they offer fans. Some of TNA’s current storylines include:
Heavyweight Drama and Intrigue: Sting versus Jeff Jarrett with Sting’s career and Jarrett’s stranglehold on the NWA title both on the line. While these matches might not be epic, the storyline build has been solid, and I’ve learned to ask for little more than that from the heavyweight scene of any major promotion. The great wrestling I crave is covered elsewhere on the card. Don’t forget Samoa Joe is hovering closely in this war, and many believe it will be academic that the winner between Sting and Jarrett will eventually lose the NWA title to Joe.
Heavyweight Action: Christian Cage versus Rhino includes all the emotion of Sting/Jarrett, but should also deliver high quality matches to boot. Cage seems alive again now that he’s a heel, a role he’s much more suited to perform. Rhino just needs to grunt and snort, which he’s doing for all he’s worth.
Hardcore Mayhem: If Runt versus Abyss didn’t do it for you, at least it gave a reasonable excuse for the more wickedly entertaining Raven/Abyss feud. These two monsters can get it on, and if you dig the hardcore action, forget Sci Fi, tune to Spike TV.
Tag Team Chaos, Part 1: The “Phenomenal Angels” are the very definition of a dream team, and their reign as champs was only cut short by the stereotypical Mexican thug team of LAX. The Latin American Exchange has the two ingredients for success as heels. One, they have a logical explanation for their anger, and two they have an intensity in their actions. This feud is red-hot, and the Ultimate X tag-title championship match should be innovative and worth the price of admission, so to speak.
Tag Team Chaos, Part 2: What’s that, you say? For years in TNA the Naturals and AMW dominated the tag team scene, and it got old? You might be right, but now each team is involved in something fresh and different. The logical, slow-burn split between AMW’s Tennessee Cowboy and the Wildcat is making them interesting again, and it will be a great match or series of matches whenever it finally boils over. For their size, Harris and Storm are both very agile, and can flat out go between the ropes. I’m looking forward to that feud.
The Naturals are in no danger of breaking up, but new inspirational leader the Franchise Shane Douglas is pushing them to the brink. After breaking them down to nothing, only to build them back to #1 contenders to the NWA world tag team championship, the Franchise has seen fit to give up their title shot because the lost a match on iMPACT! a few weeks ago. Will the Naturals stand for much more abuse from Douglas? Time will tell, but I can see them turning on Douglas and winning the gold just to spite him, while he “Franchises” another team to feud with Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens for revenge. The Naturals are also now interesting and relevant.
The X Division Continues to Rock: The best wrestling action on American television today takes place in TNA’s X Division. With Chris Sabin as #1 contender, Petey Williams having his own problems with champion Senshi, a cast of terrific performers like Alex Shelley, Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, Johnny Devine, Bentley and Kazarian, and a soon-to-return Austin Aries, the X Division simply can’t miss. Just put combinations of those men into the six-sided ring, and give them some time to wow us. That’s all I ask.
Characte-Driven Comedy: “Don’t Fire Eric!” Showtime Eric Young’s paranoia and fear about losing his job has translated into a fun angle for the crowd, as Don’t Fire Eric t-shirts, signs and chants flood the iMPACT! Zone on a weekly basis. Showtime has struck gold with this gimmick, and don’t forget, he’s solid in the ring as well.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Jim Cornette’s character interested in justice and doing what’s good for the promotion and the fans. He doesn’t hog airtime, doesn’t act out against the wrestlers for his own petty reasons, and knows enough to book solid matches then get the hell out of the way. Plus, the man behind the character possesses a keen mind for backstage and in-ring issues alike, so he’s a solid veteran presence for TNA.
With TNA’s biggest show of the year, Bound For Glory just about six weeks away, September’s No Surrender ppv should be the equivalent of WWE’s lame-duck No Way Out show in February, which is nestled uncomfortably between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania. However, TNA’s booking has been so solid lately, that I actually WANT to see No Surrender, and am considering buying it, even though I know all the biggest angles and events will take place at Bound For Glory next month.
In fact, I’ve often speculated that the ppv before the big show can be detrimental, and promotions should consider not running them. They could make up for the lost buy rate by holding off and working a longer, slower build to the big show without promoting the lame-duck show, thereby increasing interest in the big show and making it a more anticipated, better event. So if I’m even THINKING about buying No Surrender, TNA’s doing something right.
While Total Nonstop Action Wrestling has something for every wrestling fan, Sportz Entertainment disciples need to look north to WWE to get their fix. To those folks I say I’m sorry, but TNA is a professional wrestling promotion, with a weekly wrestling show, and monthly wrestling pay-per-views, featuring professional wrestlers. If that’s not your cup of tea, Vinnie Mac is your hook-up.
For more on TNA, check out Doug Smith’s TNA: In The Zone, Jeremy Lambert’s TNA At Ringside, and Joel Geraghty’s Chrononaut Chronicles.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled reality.
p.s. – If Jimmy cracks corn and nobody cares, then why bother writing that song?
