1:05 AM
E
This Monday was to be the start of the "New" Monday Night War between WWE and TNA Wrestling. I had REAL high hopes for this night. As a long time fan of WWE I have been feeling as most fans do, it's boring and predictable. You can use the "opposite momentum theory" and 99.9% of the time it works. If they lost the night before the PPV then that means that they were sure to win at the PPV. The technique of the wrestlers has gotten mundane, the main event matches have been the same 4 or 5 competitors every single show. I grew up before the Attitude Era, when the drama was acted out in the ring. Larger than life characters like the Ultimate Warrior and The Macho Man Randy Savage having titanic battles in the squared circle and saying: the heck with talk, lets just beat the crap outta each other. But then the Attitude Era came, and added the story with the spectacle, and people ate it up. Characters like The Rock, or Rob Van Dam were wrestlers AND personalities. People would watch Raw on Monday and be calling their co-workers Jabroni's on Tuesday. And it was great. WCW had their own brand of wrestling entertainment too, and for the most part was just as good if not better, when the re-invention of icons like Sting and Goldberg drew crowds in the thousands.
Then, the worst thing that could have ever happened to wrestling happened: buy outs. WWE gobbled up rival brands WCW and ECW and there was only one Highlander a.k.a Vince McMahon. Suddenly there was no need to one up the competition, because there was none. The need to become better was extinguished because you were the last man standing. So we watched, and watched, and watched, and Raw became one of the longest, high ratings show in TV history. Why not? If there was only E.R. and no other shows like House or Grey's Anatomy, then it would be safe to say that E.R. would be the best medical drama on television because it would be the ONLY medical drama on television!!!
Then word came of another wrestling promotion called TNA, and after a long hiatus from wrestling, followed by a short return to WWE ( which was marred by seeing John Cena win every freaking match with the same 4 freaking moves), I tuned in to TNA. At this moment it was like fresh air had entered my lungs. Here was a company that was being built from the ground up with new, young, talented stars, hungry to make a name for themselves.
After watching a few episodes of their Thursday Night Impact on Spike, I was hooked. Guys like AJ Styles, Daniels, Beer Money Inc., and the entire roster, go out there night after night and put on real wrestling. It can't be predicted, and it can't be compared to by another brand out there.
Now we come to these past few months, TNA signed Hulk Hogan to bring some new directions and publicity to the company and they say flat out, they are going after Vince and the WWE. This is welcome news to fans of both sides. Competition brings out the best in companies from a business standpoint. This forces them to become, fresh, new, relevant, one up the other guy. One week a guy gets hit with a chair,the next week the other company has the guy hit with the same chair ON FIRE!!!! Why? To draw in fans, to draw in that 18-35 demographic.
This brings us to the present, January 4th. This was the night for both companies to put their best foot forward and try and win the crowd. Win the crowd, win the war. I couldn't have been more disappointed. I really wanted TNA to come out strong and kick the crap outta WWE that night. At first, I thought that they were on track to do so with an X Division Steel Asylum Match. The had all their best stars out to wow us, but that didn't get to happen. Crappy camera work and an "no contest" 3 minutes into the match gave the crowd a reason to chant "This is bull****!!". Apparently, this was all a lead up to Jeff Hardy coming out and giving Homicide the Twist of Fate on the entrance ramp. Is Jeff truly coming to TNA, or are his alleged drug possession charges going to keep him as a one time guest to the six sided ring?
AJ Styles and Angle put on the best match by far, but this night needed way more than one good match. It needed to not have Scott Hall, X Pac, and the Nasty Boys. These guys don't need to be in a wrestling company that's strength is it's young talent. Sure you have Steiner, Nash, and Angle, but the bulk of the TNA roster is filled with young brimming talent. Guys who really put their bodies and careers on the line to entertain. These old timers are obviously pals of Hogan who he is bringing along for the ride. What their future roles will be in TNA is to be determined, but I hope it's a slim to none role.
There really isn't much to comment on when it comes to the WWE. They had Bret Hart return, he made amends with HBK, got kicked in the balls by Vince, and they called it a night. The matches were stale, as always. And there is the curious absence of John Cena in the mix, and rumors have been swirling about him leaving WWE for TNA. Honestly, if he thought he got heckled in the WWE, I can only imagine hat it will be like in TNA. John Cena = WWE just as much as Triple H does. And if he does come in, he better bring more than the a four move set.
I am excited to see what the next few weeks will bring when it comes to the new Monday Night War, I hope the fans voice their opinions loud and proud. Let the competition bring back some great, entertaining wrestling. If these two companies play their cards right, we could have a reason to be excited again on Monday Nights.
Eric
