Wow! Ten people (and probably counting) have already e-mailed me, to state that ‘Yes, two other people have won titles on their debut matches’. I was absolutely shocked to see six e-mails awaiting me this morning, and thought “Boy, these people really want to get into that fan participation thing, even before I posted questions to answer! They’re all psychics!”, but that indeed was not the case at all. First off, Jerry Lynn debuted in WWE (WWF at the time) and won the Light Heavyweight Title. Well, good for Lynn. I’m going on someone’s memory that he held it for a while too. The second you all mentioned was the fresh-faced Christian, who also won the prestigious Light Heavyweight Title, apparently from Taka Michinoku. I’m still not too sure if people like me giving out their names, and if someone didn’t leave a name, I don’t want them left out. So, if you ever want your name and/or e-mail shown, please let me know, because I’m more than willing. Just don’t e-mail me saying you want your name shown for nothing. This isn’t The Shout-Out Factor, it’s the X-Factor, baby!
Before I get into my weekend edition, I thought I would let you people know about what has been going on in my life. Aside from the continuously hard work at school (12th grade), my cousin suffered a heart attack this past Thursday. It was a total surprise to me and my family, and we wish nothing but the best for him. I have not personally seen him yet, but my parents have visited him in hospital, and he seems to be fine now. He is required to go to a different (aka better) hospital in a few days, to possibly even have surgery on a blocked artery. Like I said, he seems to be fine right now, but anything can happen, in even less than the blink of an eye. If for any reason, God forbid, something happens, I probably won’t get my Raw column out on time this week. But, what’s so different about that? It’s always late. Anyway, I’m really hoping nothing happens.
But, enough of the downer news. This is The X-Factor, and I don’t specialize in making people feel sad. I’m specializing in making people feel happy, comfortable, and ecstatic. And today, I am going to talk about something I have yet to speak of in my X-Factor columns, and that is NWA: Total Nonstop Action, and more specifically, TNA Impact!
Thanks to NoDQ.com, I have been able to view some episodes of Impact, since no local stations carry the show. What I saw in the first four shows, and the last two shows was VASTLY different. In the first few shows, I saw what the show boasted, total nonstop action. Plus, it made a huge impact on the wrestling world, but enough with the puns. AJ Styles is one talented man, and he hasn’t changed a lot since the start. But, after viewing this past week’s episode, I saw something in Impact that the show was completely lacking in the first few shows: talking, and lots of it.
Now, WWE Raw and Smackdown seem to find a nice balance of in-ring work, and the promos and segments. WWE is notorious for that, so we come to expect it. NWA boasted that this would be family-friendly material (which it still appears to be… partly), but most of all, the kind of wrestling show your grandfather remembers. Heck, my grandfather remembers the old school wrestling, and I thought this show could be a nice throwback. That is not the case anymore. We saw Team Canada (I believe that’s who it was) bellyaching backstage, almost more than Evilution does. Jeff Jarrett did a little backstage promo, saying he could take anyone on (which was fine), but then out trots Rowdy Roddy Piper, microphone in hand, ready to talk about Victory Road. Like I said, we come to expect this from WWE, but NWA seemed like they would be all about the wrestling. Half the show was wrestling, while the other half was talking. I thought this was “cracking under the pressure”, if you will, since I don’t see NWA posing as much of a threat to WWE as they would like, so they’re trying something new. Just so happens it is going against what they stood for in the beginning.
Another problem I have is Jeff Jarrett. Remember J-E-double F. J-A-double R-E-double T? Would you EVER expect that man to be a world champion? I sure as hell would not. But, the owner (co-owner? Promoter? Not sure of his position, but it’s high enough on the list) is not someone who should ever hold a world title for longer than a month, at most. This guy seems to have been the champion since the first time I saw Impact. Why? He talks a good game, but he’s no AJ Styles. He’s no Monty Brown. Hell, he isn’t even a Jeff Hardy (I’ll get to him in a minute). Does he need that much of an ego boost, that he keeps the title on him at all times?
I hate to be a man who boasts something and has no evidence to back it up. So, I did myself some research. Ken Shamrock and Ron Killings held the title, during the NWA: TNA PPV run in 2002, before Jeff Jarrett won the title on November 20th, 2002. He held that title until June 11th, where AJ Styles won the belt, before winning it back October 22nd, and holding it again until April 21st, where Mr. Styles won the title back, followed by Mr. Killings on May 19th. But, Jeff Jarrett won it back for the third time two weeks later, and has held it ever since. Let’s calculate: combined, the men to hold the title besides Jarrett, have held it for 11 months. NWA: TNA has been running for about 28 months, so subtract 11 from that, and Mr. Jarrett has held the title for 17 of the 28 months. I’m not amazing with math, so if I’m off by a month or two, forgive me. Either way, that is a LONG, long time. For what, exactly? As bad as Vince, Bischoff and Heyman were, they never tried something like that. Vince held the title, but not for 17 months.
Another concern I have is there eagerness to acquire WWE stars who either quit or get released (a less humiliating way of saying fired). Three names that instantly pop into my mind are D’Lo Brown, Jeff Hardy, and the most recent, Roddy Piper. D’Lo is already apparently quitting. Jeff Hardy is being put to good use. I won’t even start with Roddy Piper, who should really go back to his house next to a volcano, in the middle of all the hurricanes. I understand NWA wants to be a cutthroat business, but shouldn’t they try more to develop the stars they have now, rather than trying to boast about acquiring stars released from a bigger company (aka chewed meat, hand-me-downs)? WWE does the exact same thing, only with big names, like Goldberg, Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, and other various big names. WWE has made a strong effort to boost their current new talent, rather than focus on old names. NWA still needs to learn more about this.
What the hell do I know, though? I’m only some columnist for a few wrestling sites. I don’t know what it’s like to be in the wrestling business, do I? I don’t have any expertise in the world of wrestling at all. I hide behind my monitor and keyboard, typing away conspiracy theories and other wrestling problems, because no one could ever stop me from expressing my god-given right for freedom of speech, not to mention freedom of speech is something many are allowed to use in the United States, Canada, and many other countries. That is unless you use it against someone. Then, it’s not right at all, and can even get you an ass-kicking or two. But, let’s face it. What I say, and what many other fine men and women say in their columns in the internet wrestling community is not all false information. We’re not all misinformed, and we’re sure as hell not all lacking a brain. Many of us represent the thoughts and concerns that the majority of the wrestling fans have. So, what I say about NWA, WWE, WCW, ECW, it’s not all fact, but it is reality. Just something to think about, when John Bradshaw Layfield puts out his next WWE column, spitting in the face of the wrestling community, just because he can sit behind his monitor and keyboard, and ramble on about his own experiences. Don’t fall, Bradshaw, from all the way up there in the clouds. The WWE Title just may not break your fall.
Enough about that, Taboo Tuesday is coming. Despite what Triple H and Eric Bischoff would have you believe, it actually is a good idea, and has even sparked an idea of my own. Well, it’s not my own, almost every columnist does it. I want some input from you, the fans. You people who read my column, and other columns on the fine wrestling sites on the internet. Your voice is just as valuable as ours, and it’s fine time I hear it, loud and clear. I have prepared ten questions that I want EVERYONE to answer. I want your input, and I want it now. Next week, for my weekend column, I will post my own opinions, as well as some of your opinions. If I have enough, it will be for the entire column, and I’ll put off predicting Taboo Tuesday, until my Raw column. Did you read that right? I will actually watch Raw, do my column on it, and put my predictions up, ALL before Taboo Tuesday airs that night. I’m doing that for all of you, so the least you could do is e-mail me, by answering some or all of the questions I ask about. Are you ready? Get your e-mail service open, and get ready to answer. My e-mail will be provided again at the end of the questions.
1. If you could have a dream match, involving one currently active wrestler from WWE taking on a currently active wrestler from NWA, who would it be and why? (Note, if you don’t like explaining stuff, just tell me who. Same goes for other questions, when I ask why.)
2. If one babyface would turn heel in the coming weeks on Raw or Smackdown, who would you like to see turn?
3. Same question, only who of the heels would you like to see turn babyface and why?
4. John Bradshaw Layfield and Triple H talk and play a good game, but there are others waiting in the wings. For one or both World Titles, who would you like to see become the next champion?
5. WWE Title, World Title, US Title, Cruiserweight, Womens, IC, and Tag Team Titles. Boy, there are a lot of titles. But, if one more could be resurrected, in the place of one title being put to rest, which title would you like to see come back, and if you’re up to it, which current title could it replace?
6. A rumor surfaced that Steve Austin and Diamond Dallas Paige would star in their own reality series. I loved the idea, but apparently it’s not true. If one or two current or past WWE or NWA superstars could have their own reality series, who would you choose?
7. Sting Signing With WWE: It didn’t happen yet, but if it did, would it be a good or bad idea?
8. The dream Wrestlemania main-event: Past or present stars in ANY wrestling company, who would you love to see one-on-one? It can be absolutely anyone from any era, at the top of their game, and in their prime.
9. Eric Bischoff has outlasted them all, and if history repeats itself, Theodore Long won’t last forever. Who would you like to see become a GM after Long?
10. And finally, create your own WWE superstar. You can just supply a cool name, or give me all the details about this man or woman.
E-mail me your answers (to some or all of the questions) at carl_macqueen@ns.sympatico.ca I am awaiting your input, and if 10 people can correct me in less than 24 hours on a mistake, then in one week, many more could let me know what they think on one, two or all ten of these questions. Thanks a million, wrestling fans.
That does it for another edition of The X-Factor: Weekend Edition. Check back this Wednesday for my Raw column, Friday or Saturday for my Smackdown column, and Sunday with my Taboo Tuesday column, featuring some of your answers for my questions. Until then, I am Mr. X saying I’m sorry I didn’t know Jerry Lynn and Christian won the Light Heavyweight Titles upon their debuts. We’ll be all right, though. Buh-bye!
Copyright © 2005; TheWrestlingVoice.com & Douglas Nunnally.
All Rights Reserved.
Disclaimer & Privacy Statement
| What Did You Think About WWE Backlash 2008? |
|
|