Hello and welcome to another edition of And Thats What I Think (Yes, the title did take a long time to create.) Just to let you know I hope to have a new column up every week so check around here and there to here about my mind numbing, always right thoughts of wrestling!
With TNA Impact slowly approaching I would like to spend a little time talking about if this wrestling organization can make it or not. The WWE has always had competition until now, but with TNA now given a chance on a basic cable network we will have to see if their show is good enough to be true competition to the WWE.
Ok, so a 3pm afternoon time slot on Fox Sports Network is not the greatest but hey its a start and Im sure many indy organizations like Ring of Honor and others are envious about the big break given to TNA. One thing that Im wondering first off is how the millions and millions of loyal WWE fans will view TNA. If youve seen a TNA show on the weekly pay-per-view broadcasts before you can tell that it doesnt have the most creative and freshest storylines. They dont stick with the view of sports entertainment like WWE does; they stick with hardcore wrestling and must-see matches. That view alone may not attract the fans used to innovative gimmicks usually seen on WWE television. Dont get me wrong, TNA can spark some well creative storylines, they just mainly rely on top-notch matches to put the asses in the seats.
Another thing that may not sit well for WWE fans looking for another promising wrestling federation is that many low card jobbers previously in the WWE roster are now some of the biggest names in TNA. Wrestlers like Raven, DLo Brown, and Ron Killings (K-Kwick in WWE), who were released from the WWE due to being wasted space, are currently in the top ranks week after week for TNA pay-per-views. Im not saying that those wresters mentioned above are truly low card eventers (Raven is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time), but it doesnt look good talent-wise when wrestlers not even given the time of day in WWE television are getting the top nods for TNA television. There are a few exceptions like Jeff Jarrett who was one of the top guys in the late wCw days or Sabu who was money for the ECW but overall the crop of household name wrestlers for TNA is basically zero.
All right, I told you some of the things that may cause TNA to fail so now its time to get started with the many positives that can hopefully make TNA a phenomenal success. Speaking of phenomenal lets start with The Phenomenal AJ Styles. Hes the most pushed wrestler this year (Including WWEs John Cena and Randy Orton) and has already held the NWA Title belt twice. To me I would compare him close to HBK Shawn Michaels. He just shows me a lot in the ring with his cruiserweight style and a touch of technical ability. I believe that AJ will be the poster boy for TNA in years to come.
The X-Division right now is by far the most entertaining thing to watch on television besides porn. Great names such as The Amazing Red, Frankie Kazarian, and Chris Sabin are starting to circulate throughout wrestling conversations weekly. Ive watched week after week of truly amazing fatal four-way matches to even the most entertaining singles matches Ive ever witnessed (And Ive been viewing wrestling for about ten years now) and I must say it was like a cheap drug, I couldnt get enough of those guys. Cruiserweights are the inevitable spark that can fuel the flame for TNA and will certainly hook both mature and younger viewers who are used to seeing oversized monsters that cant even climb the first turnbuckle.
Legendary wrestlers will also be a big factor to see if TNA can withstand the steep challenge that the WWE has provided. Wrestlers that come to my mind are known ones in the sports entertainment world such as X-Pac (Syxx Pac in the indy world), Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sting, Goldberg, and of coarse the Hulkster (He lives by the Orlando area where TNA Impact is taped so special appearances wouldnÂ’t be uncommon.) Who knows, Steve Austin could even make a short stint for a couple of months. Sadly most names that I mentioned above say that going to Japan and wrestling on their own terms and schedule is easier and better money-wise, but that doesnt mean that they couldnt give TNA a try for at least a couple of weeks (Some already have, though no long term contracts have erupted.)
There you go, ways that TNA can either fail or hopefully succeed in the wrestling empire where many have failed (hard). Lets remember that even wCw and their big cash cow Ted Turner couldnÂ’t even supply what many demanded in the faced paced sports entertainment world.
This concludes my second post for The Wrestling View. My next post will be focusing on legendary wrestlers to present wrestlers who have not claimed rightful Heavyweight gold. E-mail me as always for your personal thoughts at jayd7@sc.rr.com and until next time... And Thats What I Think.
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