The MeeThinks Friday FreeThinks: 10.23.09

Posted by John Meehan on 10.23.2009

TNA reboots and history repeats itself as Desmond Wolf is Bourne? Come inside for more!

Greetings, all. And thanks for tuning in for the Friday FreeThinks. As usual, we're tackling the biggest stories of the wrestling week-that-was, highlighting the silver linings wherever they may be, and doing our best to cut through the typical fanboy pessimism in hopes to get a clearer understanding of what all is going on in this wacky world of pseudosport.

In my "real world" life, things are crazy busy at the old nine-to-five routine. But fear not, as I'm ready and willing to tackle each of the week's stories to the best of my abilities (although I did have half a mind to let my cat write the report for me).

Meow!

But seriously --

PLENTY of stuff to discuss this week -- ranging from injuries to all manner of backstage shenanigans, so I'll kindly cut the extended intro short here and get right down to business.

Sound like a plan?

Rock & Roll.

The SELL of the week goes to WWE's Production Department. 411mania.com used to be home to a column called "The Little Things" (that's "Hidden Highlights" for you newer readers out there) which would pay special attention to those minor details that can really help make a show just *that* much more entertaining. The production department (in charge of props, video packages, wardrobes, etc.) is often overlooked in professional wrestling -- so today, we're shining our spotlight on the guys from the WWE props and wardrobe division who really helped SELL the fact that this interbrand-showdown was really something worth caring about. See how the "Smackdown Seven" were each sporting their show colors when they invaded RAW? And notice how JTG's shirt said "Smackdown! Smackdown! Yeah, Yeah!" And don't forget backstage in Teddy Long's office last Friday night, when the qualifying members names for each brand's name were handwritten onto a chalkboard in the background of the GM's office. Just really neat touches to help make it look like the Bragging Rights PPV actually has some validity at stake.

The TELL of the week goes to TNA's X-Division for their Bound For Glory outing. I should start by saying that I'm a longtime fan of the TNA X-Division, and just last week I decided to pop in the "Best of The X-Division" double DVD set and kick back to some old-school TNA mayhem as I counted down the days until Ultimate X returned (disk one is much stronger than disk two, btw). Now sure, Ultimate X matches have always been notoriously "spot-fest" heavy (e.g. - "BIG MOVE!, stall, BIG MOVE!, repeat) -- but the high-flying "will-to-win" kayfabe explanation goes a long ways in smoothing over some of those less-than-realistic maneuvers, and so fans have generally accepted this style as "credible" (*enough). Unfortunately, the Bound For Glory Ultimate X match was probably just about *as* spotty an Ultimate X contest as I have ever seen. And it gets to a certain point where "spotfests" give way to "very real danger" -- which is precisely what transpired at this week's show. Again, I love the X Division and am willing to suspend disbelief for a high-flying contest when appropriate. But when the only moves that get "sold" for more than ten seconds at a clip are those where performers are LEGITIMATELY injured? I'm sorry, but that's simply more stunt than spectacle -- and it's perilously close to flat-out unnecessary.

Kim Couture - This one is part debut, and part drama. But it features a new player on the professional wrestling landscape, and so I've decided to list it in this section for the time-being.

Anyhow --

Depending on whose side of the story you believe, it appears as if MMA star Kim Couture may have made her "unofficial" TNA debut at this Sunday's Bound For Glory PPV, where she attacked (or is that "attacked?") Lisa Marie Varon (a.k.a. Tara) during the TNA Knockouts' Championship Match.

According to Couture, she was invited as a guest in attendance to the Bound For Glory PPV (begging the obvious question: if TNA comped her front-row seat, does that take the number of paid tickets down to a scant 849?). While there had been plans for Couture to interrupt the Knockouts match with a ringside "stare-down" with Tara, Kim reportedly was late in arriving to the arena, and thus didn't have much time to plot out just how, exactly, the pre-scripted "stare-down" angle would go.

(There's an obvious question about just how hard it can possibly be to "plan" how to stare at another human being for ten seconds -- but I digress...)

But anyway --

Tara didn't quite know where Kim was seated, and when Couture tried to shove her in order to instigate their pre-scripted stare-down (presumably as a crossover ploy to hype a possible MMA bout between the two ladies), Lisa Marie (we'll use real names here since this is -- allegedly -- where "things got real!") believed that she was actually being accosted by a fan, retaliated with full force, and a full-blown scuffle ensued.

MeeThinks?

I'm not an MMA expert, but I do know that Dana White is an incredibly savvy businessman. And stunts like this are precisely why Dana won't have anything to do with promotion of an increasingly "spectacle-heavy" field of women's Mixed Martial Arts. Sure, UFC has more than its fair share of spectacle, too. But Dana is hell-bent on making his UFC more "sport" than "circus," and he's shown little patience with MMA bouts and fighters who try and make their name through stunts and "storylines."

Varon and Couture are, of course, NOT under contract to UFC -- and thus both women have a lot more freedom to try and drum up interest in their respective MMA careers in whatever manner they see fit. But at the same time, physical altercations (scripted or not) between contracted talent and professional entertainers do very little to bolster the "real sport" credibility of their respective, independent Mixed Martial Arts promotions. And while it may -- at times -- make for an intriguing professional wrestling storyline, it doesn't appear that either woman's MMA career will be receiving any real boost of public attention as a result of their "unscripted" brawl at Bound For Glory.

---

Marty Jannetty - Former WWF Intercontinental Champion Marty Jannetty made a rare one-off appearance on WWE programming again this week on RAW, where he came up short against United States Champion The Miz.
Jannetty certainly looked competent in his brief offensive showing (though it's a pretty far cry from his last WWE singles match of note, when he wowed detractors by putting on a veritable clinic against Kurt Angle), but he is not believed to have been offered a long-term WWE contract at this time.

Incidentally, Marty Jannetty might just hold the unofficial record for most WWF/E hirings and firings in a single career. Following his first "official" contract termination (Well, *second* if you consider the fact that The Rockers were actually fired just one day after they were first hired by Vince McMahon way back in the 80's), Jannetty has been intermittently inked to a WWF/E deal a good three or four times in the years since, not to mention the occassional one-off appearances like he did this past Monday night on RAW.

---

TJ "Puma" Perkins - Independent wrestler TJ "Puma" Perkins made a one-off appearance in a losing effort against Sheamus on this week's ECW broadcast. Though Perkins is working in WWE's Florida Championship Wrestling developmental territory, he is not currently signed to a contract with either WWE or FCW, and his appearance on this week's ECW broadcast is likely to be a one-and-done affair.




Shane McMahon - in what is quite possibly the biggest backstage departure in all of 2009, it was announced late last Friday afternoon that WWE's Executive Vice President of Global Media, Shane McMahon, had tendered his resignation and would be leaving the company that has been in his family for four generations at the end of this calendar year.

McMahon gave no particular indication as to whether or not any one factor lead him to make this decision, but sources close to the McMahon family seem to suspect that Shane may have just felt that the time was right for him to try to accomplish something entirely on his own -- without the guiding hand (or wallet) of his family and its name. Others have suspected that Shane decided to leave once he understood that the writing was on the wall in regards to which McMahon sibling would be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the company once his mother and father officially removed themselves from all WWE activities (be it by age, election to the US Senate, or -- more likely -- death itself).

MeeThinks?

While there is a world of conspiracy theories nested inside of the inherent decision for a McMahon to announce that he was officially leaving World Wrestling Entertainment ("OMG! Steph and Hunter are totally going to ruin the business!"), the simple fact of the matter is that Shane McMahon seems to be leaving in as professional and amicable a fashion as possible (the two-month notice, the public statement, and the quiet announcement on a Friday "news dump" afternoon) seems to indicate that this decision is (quite literally) more "business than personal."

In fact --

Shane's business decision to "go it on his own" is actually strikingly reminiscent of his father's decision to do the same nearly thirty years ago. Both men were raised around the business, and both men developed a vast array of business acumen as a direct result of their backstage dealings with the media, marketing, and financial realms of their father's organization. While they each were virtually guaranteed a job in their father's company so long as they wanted it, both Vince McMahon, Jr. and Shane McMahon simply dreamed of a bigger goal in spite of their relatively high level of success. And as a result, Vince bought his dad's company at the age of 37. Shane left his dad's company at the age of 39.

Looking forward --

Shane certainly has the financial resources and the business experience to spend a good deal of time, energy and promotional efforts in whatever his next corporate venture may be. As the Executive Vice President of WWE Global Media, Shane's day-to-day duties involved overseeing international television distribution, live event bookings, digital media, consumer products, and publishing. If that weren't enough -- the guy created WWE.com.

While it's no secret that McMahon first found work in his father's promotion solely as a result of his family ties, WWE is a certifiable international entertainment powerhouse -- and it's no stretch to say that Shane-O-Mac has definitely kept his job and earned his stripes almost exclusively on the basis of his own efforts in the many years since. As Chris Lansdell detailed in yesterday's column, the guy has literally worked his way into the upper echelon of the WWE brass through years of hard work -- starting from a role with the ring crew.

Whether or not Shane McMahon will eventually return to the World Wrestling Entertainment fold is anyone's guess at this point (though reasonably, one would assume that he will remain close to the business regardless of his corporate responsibilities or lack thereof). But for the time-being, serious kudos seem to be in order to "The Boy Wonder" as he seeks his fortunes in the brave new world outside of his father's "WWE Universe." Virtually everyone who's ever worked with the guy has nothing but great things to say about his professionalism and entrepreneurial spirit -- and it's hard to wish him anything but the best of success as he looks to further his successes in the future through a number of projects outside of the professional wrestling realm.

Heck -- from what all I've read and seen of the type of person that Shane McMahon is and the way he conducts business? I'd work for the guy in a heartbeat.




Christopher Daniels - TNA's Fallen Angel has (quite literally) landed himself on the disabled list this week as a result of injuries sustained during the Ultimate X Match at the Bound For Glory PPV. If you didn't have a chance to see the video footage, Daniels battled Suicide for the "grand finale" spot of the contest, and ended up taking a dangerous plunge onto his head and shoulders after dangling from the criss-crossing wires suspended high above the ring. Immediately upon impact, TNA announcers, trainers and officials raced to his aide -- and the next backstage segment was deliberately extended in order to allow medical personnel the opportunity to properly assist him from the ringside area after what appeared to be a most serious of neck injuries.

Thankfully for all parties involved, Daniels ended up narrowly avoiding an injury to his neck, though he appears to have separated his shoulder as a result of the fall. Obviously this was a major "close call" for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and no timetable has yet been given for his return. (PHANTOM EDIT: It appears that Daniels will be working through the injury, as he appeared at this week's TNA tapings).

MeeThinks?

We touched on this one above (and we'll go into it again immediately below), but TNA is walking a fine line between "daredevil" entertainment and straight-up "danger." Though the X Division is and always has been a division that's "not about weight limits, but about NO limits" -- stunts like the one Daniels was expected to execute at last Sunday's PPV are inherently risky, almost to the point where some very real degree of injury is all but guaranteed. While I can appreciate Daniels' work ethic and TNA's desire to entertain their fans, there simply has to be some voice of reason when scripting such high-risk stunts so as not to legitimately endanger the lives, careers, or well-beings of their performers.

Mistakes happen, I get that. And there is an inherent risk with virtually ANY form of athletic competition. But that being said, "raising the stakes" of injury with each new Ultimate X (or Elevation X, etc.) match is a slippery slope, and reasonable precautions simply need to be put in place so as to protect the men and women who are (quite literally) putting their bodies on the line for the sake of our entertainment on a regular basis. "Bigger and better" is one thing -- but there are clear issues of safety that need to be accounted for at each new step along the way. Otherwise, audiences quickly become desensitized to the very real dangers associated with each new stunt, and performers will have little choice but to risk their livelihoods so as to continue meeting (and perhaps, exceeding) such increasingly dangerous and unrealistic expectations.

And whaddayaknow -- aNOTHER Ultimate X match is scheduled for this week's TNA tapings.

Sigh.

Long story short:

Mistakes happen, and the occassional "high-risk" gimmick match is a necessary staple of the industry. But we are professional wrestling fans because we like watching professional wrestling. We are NOT professional wrestling fans because we like watching people get hurt.

---

Daffney - TNA Knockout Daffney suffered a concussion after taking a hard bump into a tangle of barbed wire during the Monsters Ball Match between Mick Foley and Abyss at this past Sunday night's Bound For Glory PPV. No timetable has yet been issued for her return.

Once again, I'll reiterate --

There's a difference between "sports" and "stunts," and things like a bump through a thicket of barbed wire are a surefire way to make your promotion look more like the latter. Again, professional wrestling has always been about "spectacle" and "showmanship" -- but there are very real dangers associated with a good number of these onscreen antics. And -- at least twice this weekend -- two professional wrestlers found themselves seriously injured during maneuvers that had virtually nothing to do with "actual" wrestling itself.

Daniels? Fell twenty feet onto his head.

Daffney? Dropped through a mess of barbed wire.

Incidents like these are not a case of one performer inadvertantly landing a punch square in another guy's jaw or Darren Drozdov being accidentally paralyzed when his opponent botches a move. Instead, these are over-the-top "sports entertainment" injuries that could easily be prevented simply by shying away from oversensationalized gimmicks and shock brutality and sticking closer to actual *professional wrestling*.

Translation?

Ease up on the gimmick matches.

I know, I know -- I probably sound like Bill Watts threatening to disqualify a performer for flying off or over the top rope, but...

There's a difference between "reasonable hazards of the job" and near-guaranteed injury simply for the sake of a stunt. Not to get all preachy and melodramatic here, but -- remember Owen Hart? Remember how "senseless" it was for him to lose his life over what was ultimately a pointless stunt having ZERO to do with actual professional wrestling itself?

Hate to say it, but...

At least the WWF officials gave Owen a safety harness.

(At least, that's what they say).

But what about Daffney and Daniels? No safety harnesses for either. No precautionary measures taken to ensure their health or safety, and no real or reasonable expectation that they could possibly go through with such high-risk stunts without suffering at least *some* degree of injury.

"Hey, nobody's putting a gun to their heads. They're consenting adults, ya' know."

Maybe so. But these adults are only consenting to meet the ever escalating (and increasingly dangerous) expectations of their promoters and fans. Say what you will about WWE's TV-PG initiative (and believe Mee, it most certainly has its flaws), but the lack of regular bloodshed and high-risk stunt-based programming has actually gone a long way in ensuring the safety of many a WWE performer. Heck, it probably added a few years to at least a number of their superstars' careers.

Here's to a speedy recovery for both of TNA's injured performers. And moving forward, here's to a safer TNA to ensure that future injuries can be prevented whenever possible.

---

Jim Ross - WWE Hall of Fame Announcer Jim Ross suffered his third bout of Bell's Palsy on Tuesday, and was removed from WWE programming indefinitely as he continues to recouperate from the attack. As of this writing, no timetable has yet been given for Ross' return, and this week's episode of Friday Night Smackdown! will be called by the regular RAW announce tandem of Michael Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler (which is a convenient last-minute substitution to help sell the "interbrand showdown" premise of Sunday's Bragging Rights PPV -- which Ross is expected to miss).

Presumably, this Sunday's PPV will be called by some combination of Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler, possibly with Todd Grisham thrown back into the mix if his honeymoon has wrapped by that point (which I'm assuming will be the case). Looking forward, Grisham has benefitted tremendously in his brief tenure alongside the legendary Jim Ross, and the new voice of Smackdown seems be demonstrating a marked improvement when compared to his predecessor in Michael Cole. In addition, guys like Josh Matthews and Matt Striker are really coming along nicely as announcers in their own right -- which is pretty solid evidence that WWE is grooming a "new" generation of announcers rather than focusing on an older one as had been the case for the better part of the past ten years (see: Mick Foley, Tazz, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jonathan Coachman).

Of course, this probably means that it is only a matter of time before the ECW commentary team is once again broken up and redistributed to the higher-profile WWE broadcasts as necessary. But if the ECW-groomed announcers can fare as well in their transition to "the big shows" as the WWE-ECW alumni have in the recent past (think CM Punk, Jack Swagger, and The Hart Dynasty) -- this seems to further underscore the importance and validity of WWE's "third brand" as a proving ground and televised developmental territory for the performers of the future.

In the mean time --

Here's hoping that the legendary "voice of World Wrestling Entertainment" is back on the road to recovery in short order. He has bounced back from Bell's Palsy twice before, and has proven time and again that he really is one of the very best ever to call a professional wrestling match. Get well soon, J.R.!

---

Chris Sabin - Former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team and X Division Champion Chris Sabin suffered what's being described as a "stinger" during a match against Team 3D at this week's TNA iMPACT! tapings. Sabin's injury was a major cause for concern for all parties involved, but he managed to leave the ring -- slowly -- under his own power at the conclusion of the bout. Incidentally, a fair amount of controversy arose when Team 3D and Alex Shelley continued the match in spite of Sabin's injury (more on that below).

Obviously, the good news is that Sabin appears to be okay in all of this. Head and neck injuries are some serious business, and it is a tremendous sigh of relief when a performer is able to walk away from a "close call" (ala Sabin and Daniels). There appears to be some heat on Team 3D for continuing the match in spite of Sabin's injury (again, more on that below) -- but unlike the injuries to Daniels and Daffney earlier in the week, the performers themselves seem to have walked away from this one largely unscathed (both literally and metaphorically), as most of the criticism that arose from the injury was largely directed *not* at Brother Ray or Brother DeVon but rather at TNA Management for allowing the match to continue.




In this segment, I'll be firing off a handful of micro-commentaries at some of the industry's biggest stars and stories. For those of y'all who aren't familiar with Twitter-style posting, the format is simple:

@Recipient's Name - 140 character message goes here. #MessageTopic

And before you ask: No, these aren't actual tweets.

FAKE TWEETS OF THE WEEK

@Desmond Wolf - Rawr! Somewhere, "Dolph Ziggler" is having a good laugh. #LameNameGame

@ECW - Sorry they won't let you play this Sunday. But hey - maybe you can guide Santa's sleigh at Christmas! #ReindeerGames #RedNosedStepchild

@Chris Jericho - Hugo Boss made your suit, eh? True story: he actually got his start making Nazi uniforms. #HeidenriechsTailor

@Kofi Kingston - New hometown? Check. New accent? Check. New promo skills? Well, almost. #2outta3aintBad

@Eric Escobar @Drew McIntyre - Congrats on the PPV payday! Whoops... #AboutFace

@John Morrison - So THAT's where you left your charisma. #DirtSheet

@RAW - Next week's show hosted by NASCAR? Stereotypes be damned! #Rasslin #Obvious

@Rhianna - Love your new album cover. Next time, maybe add a Singapore Cane? #RussianRoulette

@John Cena @HHH - Haters be damned, you *CAN* wrestle. #RAW

@Vince Russo - If Nash's "shoot" *AND* Tara's "scuffle" both turn out to be scripted, we riot. #NoSeriously



Ooh... speaking of Twitter:

Follow Mee on Twitter

http://www.twitter.com/411wrestling
http://www.twitter.com/411moviestv
http://www.twitter.com/411music
http://www.twitter.com/411games
http://www.twitter.com/411mma






Nigel McGuinness - former Ring Of Honor champion Nigel McGuinness shocked the (internet) wrestling world this week by signing with TNA Wrestling. The shock in all of this, of course, is that McGuinness decided to ink a deal with TNA several weeks *after* it was announced that he had been offered and had agreed in principle to sign a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.

Problem was --

WWE asks each of its newly signed (or newly sign-ing) talent to undergo a round of physical and drug testing so as to make it known to the company just what injuries and medications -- if any -- their new superstar is dealing with at the time of their arrival in the company. From a Wellness perspective and a public relations standpoint, this allows WWE to ensure that each of their new hires are healthy and drug-free. And from a talent perspective, it allows new hires to come clean with any nagging injuries or addictions, so as to seek the proper treatment and/or rehabilitation schedule prior to hitting the road for the notoriously demanding WWE touring schedule.

In other words: it's a smart move all around.

Thing of it is...

McGuinness was offered a WWE contract, and took the pre-screening test as required. But his pre-screening revealed that he'd been dealing with a number of recent injuries (and may continue to deal with them in the weeks to come), and so WWE backed off on their interest in bringing him into the fold. The offer was still there, of course, but the company still wanted to take a few days to hammer out the exact details and expectations in light of the new revelations.

Flash forward three days later, and...

Nigel McGuinness (now "Desmond Wolf," a name of his own creation) arrived backstage in Orlando, inked a TNA contract (sans pre-screening hangups), and immediately made his TNA debut.

MeeThinks?

If I'm TNA, I'd be feeling pretty darned happy right about now. Nigel had a WWE contract in hand (reportedly, so did guys like Samoa Joe and Abyss), yet he STILL chose to work for a smaller promotion even if it meant making less money. And why? Well, the injury thing is an obvious explanation. But there's also a good reason to believe that Nigel felt that TNA would actually treat him as a viable young prospect with some serious room for upward mobility. In WWE? Nigel's "big stage" inexperience and injury issues could have meant months in developmental or midcard hell, at best -- and thus he's decided to take his career to a promotion where he might actually have the chance to prove that he is indeed a talent who can be trusted with main event responsibilities (and the money that eventually comes with it).

So if I'm Nigel?

This one is pretty much a "win" any way you look at it, as well. While a WWE offer was probably all sorts of alluring, you're really only as marketable a commodity as the faith that the organization has in you. And when injury reports start giving them cold feet BEFORE YOU EVEN START? That's a one-way ticket to developmental obscurity or the WWE midcard. And by taking the TNA deal *instead* of the (presumably) more lucrative WWE contract? You've effectively told your new bosses that you respect what they have to offer even if it doesn't necessarily come in the form of a big, fat, paycheck -- which gives them all the more reason to respect you (and REWARD you) in return.

But what about WWE?

A lot of folks are saying that Nigel "looked a gift horse in the mouth" and "burned his bridges" by shooting down a WWE offer when the resident big-dog came-a-knocking at his door. And while it seems that WWE is at least partly at fault for "getting cold feet" on his signing as a result of his pre-screening results, one has to believe that Vinny Mac and company can't be thrilled that a "hot new free agent" just slipped through their fingers -- regardless of the circumstances.

But let's not be so quick to assume that a rejected offer from Vince McMahon *automatically* translates to a one-way-ticket to a lifetime on the WWE blacklist. After all, why pay the guy two years' salary to have him rehab from injuries while working in YOUR developmental territories when another company is perfectly willing to provide him the proper recouperation, training, and exposure on their dime? It's not like his TNA contract is a "forever" sort of thing, ya' know.

And more to the point... (history lesson time):

In the mid-nineties heyday of the ill-fated midcard of the "New Generation," Vince McMahon and company went on an "enhancement talent" hiring spree. Along the way, directionless guys like Man-O-War and Salvatore Sincere were popping up on WWF programming with an alarming frequency. Their purpose? To keep fresh faces churning through the proverbial meat-grinder as the company struggled to figure out just who, exactly, would be called upon to carry the torch once their last generation of performers had moved on to greener pastures.

Wanna' guess who the World Wrestling Federation called and offered one of these "directionless enhancement midcard" contracts to at that time?

Ladies and Gentlemen...



Chris Jericho's autobiogaphy talks at length about his decision to turn down a WWF contract, despite the fact that he had always dreamed of working for that very same promotion. But Jericho knew that coming in simply as a directionless undercard talent would likely mean that he'd be headed right back out of the door as quickly as he was brought in, and so he opted to sign with World Championship Wrestling and cut his teeth proving that he had what it took to be considered a "main event talent" instead.

It took more than a few years for that dream to become a reality, but Jericho was eventually rewarded with a big-time WWE contract (and a second, even bigger one years after he decided to walk away on his own terms). And by waiting for a proper contract to come along rather than simply jumping at the first opportunity to sign with "the big leagues," Jericho also managed to become one of the most successful professional wrestlers of the modern era.

Ultimately, I'm not saying that Nigel McGuinness is an obvious case of lightning striking twice -- but let's not be so quick to assume that history can't repeat itself.

---

Booker T - TNA's original Legends Champion Booker T appears to be wrapping up his tenure with the Orlando-based company any day now. Between a negative outlook on the company and a string of backstage politic issues, Booker T has developed something of a reputation for being a "locker room cancer" since arriving in TNA just a few short years ago.

In spite of this, TNA had reportedly offered Booker T a new contract solely on the merits of his drawing power as a main event talent, but the Main Event Mafia mainstay showed little interest in re-signing once his current deal expires in November. According to those closest to the situation, it is believed that Booker T has fulfilled each of his scheduled dates for the company at this time, and he will not be returning to TNA programming (hence the stretcher angle at Bound For Glory).

While he has expressed interest in returning to World Wrestling Entertainment, reports indicate that Booker T is not looking to re-sign a WWE contract at this time, as he's hoping to spend a few months away from the national stage in order to dedicate himself to other projects.

MeeThinks?

We've discussed this one in the past, but Booker T has done himself no favors in the eyes of the fans or his backstage supporters in the way that he has conducted business during these last few months of his TNA tenure. And as one of the few remaining stars who was actually present on the roster when WCW was in its dying days, it seems that Booker T more than most should know better than to burn his bridges regardless of how poorly he believed his employer's company was being run around him.

So: will Booker T end up back on a WWE roster within the next 365 days?

Almost assuredly. Though really, I have no idea just why, exactly, the company would go through the effort of hiring an unmotivated attitude problem with a documented history of Wellness violations.

Oh that's right... MONEY.

For all of his faults, Booker's a draw. Maybe not a certifiable "A-List" draw like Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, or John Cena -- but a reliable veteran presence, a proven talent, and a familiar face nonetheless. Motivated or not, Booker T can easily be plugged into any number of "upper-midcard" programs or the occassional chase for a major championship belt, and ticket sales will go up accordingly.

But if I'm WWE? I'm sitting pretty knowing all too well that Booker T has pretty much ruined his chances of working for anyone but you -- and I'd lowball the hell out of his deal and make no secrets about the role he'd be playing from the second I rehired the guy.

"Hi Booker. We're glad to have you back -- but a lot has changed since you've been away. We are making serious strides toward building new talent, and we need veteran performers to help get the new guys over. You want a job? Great! You're here to be a stepping-stone for new talent, period. Don't like it? There's the door."

Simply put:

Booker T has made his bed, and now it's time to lie in it. If he can check his attitude at the door, he can make for a great addition to the WWE ranks, and -- in time -- prove himself worthy of another run at the top. But if not? Then WWE -- like TNA -- is simply better off without him.

---

Kevin Nash - Big Daddy Cool appears to have caused something of a ruckus at this week's TNA tapings. Apparently, Nash sounded off backstage at TNA management for allowing the match to continue between Team 3D and The Motor City Machine Guns even after Chris Sabin suffered what appeared to be a serious neck injury midway through the contest. And when the time came for Big Daddy Cool to step foot in the TNA ring for a regularly scheduled interview, he broke from the script and launched into an unscripted "shoot" promo in which he ran down TNA management for not showing better more concern for the health and safety of their performers.

Funny -- I was saying the EXACT same thing about their nonchalant attitude toward the risks undertaken by Christopher Daniels and Daffney just a few short paragraphs ago.

Anyhow --

Presumably, Nash's anti-TNA invective will be omitted from the company's iMPACT! broadcast which is scheduled to air on Oct. 22 (after this column goes to press). But the fact remains that Nash seems pretty fearless in calling out TNA management regardless of how they might choose to censor his outbursts after the fact -- which seems to beg the question of "when," not *if* Nash will be following in the footsteps of his Main Event Mafia brethren in Booker T and Scott Steiner and wrapping up his tenure with the promotion altogether.

MeeThinks?

It's hard to blame Nash for sticking up for the safety and concern of a fellow performer and a friend. And especially given Nash's notoriously "me-first" attitude in the past, it is actually quite a welcome change of pace to see him sticking his neck on the line by going public for anyone other than himself or his immediate circle of cronies. That said, one can't believe that TNA Management will allow this sort of "inmates running the asylum" behavior to continue for much longer -- and while a one-off outburst after a legitimate injury is certainly easy to let slide, it's hard to imagine that TNA will allow these sorts of public acts of insubordination to subsist, REGARDLESS of just "who," exactly, Kevin Nash is or for how long he's been in the business.

(This seems especially true when you consider the recent trend towards a "youth-movement" among the TNA ranks, which company president Dixie Carter seems to be a huge proponent of so as to allow newer stars the opportunity to develop and shine while employed by her promotion).

Actually -- this scrapes the surface of a much larger issue:

Booker's already wrapped up his TNA tenure, and taken his bad attitude packing.

Steiner is probably no more than six months away from leaving the promotion altogether.

Jarrett has been all but castrated in terms of backstage stroke and influence.

Sting is virtually guaranteed to retire by next year at this time.

Angle's current contract is pretty much on a day-to-day basis.

And Nash is sounding off, practically begging to be sent home.

Suddenly, TNA is looking WIDE OPEN in terms of their available spaces for main event talent. And while a Turning Point main event between AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christopher Daniels is certainly an early sign that the company intends to spend at least the immediate future giving homegrown stars the opportunity to shine... this could well be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to seeing a fresh set of faces (and heels) in the TNA main event picture as the company rolls into 2010 and beyond.




So four weeks ago, I compiled a season-long guide to the Monday Night Football matchups and attempted to venture an educated guess as to how WWE's ratings would likely fare against each game accordingly. Sure, things can change as the season wears on. But basically, I tried to size up the relative appeal of each Monday Night Football offering and anticipate what sort of effect it might have on WWE's audience as a result.

I've found that this helps us set reasonable, positive expectations for each new week's broadcast. And for five weeks running, the predictions have been dead-on. The goal is to give wrestling fans a good idea of what they're up against (based on the strength of the competition), and the hope is to save us from the typical "sky is falling" knee-jerk pessimism that is often so rampant among internet wrestling fans.

LAST WEEK'S PREDICTION:
WEEK 5 (Oct. 12): Denver at San Diego | Western conference football on Monday night? No thanks. The NFL has had some real trouble attracting nationwide audiences when both teams hail from the western US in the past, and I can't see an also-ran clash in week six doing much to change that. RAW's rating will probably hold steady here.

ACTUAL RESULT:
WWE Monday Night Raw scored a 3.3 rating, with off hours of 3.48 and 3.17. This week's rating witnessed a slight drop from last week's broadcast, which scored a 3.4. Raw's main competition, Monday Night Football, scored a 9.6 rating -- a slight decrease from last week's 9.74.

BOTTOM LINE:
As we had suspected, the Western Conference showdown wasn't quite the national draw of the previous week's AFC East clash, and NFL's audience shrunk accordingly. WWE experienced a similar drop, though their quarter-hour ratings remained pretty consistent with previous weeks, as predicted.

Looking ahead, there are a good number of "storylines" feeding into this week's MNF broadcast (the prospect of John Gruden, the future of Jim Zorn, the return of Michael Vick, etc.) -- and it stands to reason that RAW could witness a second week's worth of ratings slide as a result. At the start of the season, I was among the first Washingtonians to predict some serious trouble for the Redskins (objectivity: the benefits of being a DC-transplant), but the fact remains that this ailing franchise is still a proven draw -- if only because their fans are ridiculously loyal, while their detractors are watching eagerly to see the trainwreck unfold before them.

THIS WEEK'S PREDICTION: (Excerpted from my September 11 column)
WEEK 6 (Oct. 19): Philadelphia at Washington | Remember what I said about West Coast football being a ratings stinker? Scratch that completely when talking about teams hailing from the East Coast, and double-scratch that when talking about teams in the NFC East. The 'Skins won't be great this year, but this is the nation's first shot at seeing Michael Vick on Monday Nights in a 'Birds uniform. Whether this is the night after Bragging Rights or not, Halloween week ain't looking pretty for WWE.



World Elite Captures Gold at Bound For Glory
Upstart Faction Lives Up to Its Name

The biggest news coming out of the TNA Bound For Glory PPV this weekend is that the balance of power appears to have shifted within the TNA ranks. Not from The Main Event Mafia to the seldom-discussed TNA Front Line, mind you -- but rather from the Main Event Mafia to the upstart faction known as World Elite, which now holds two of the company's four men's championships. In tag team action, Brutus Magnus and Doug Williams claimed the TNA Tag Team Championships, and team leader Eric Young scored an upset victory in the triple-threat bout to become the new TNA Legends Champion.

MeeThinks?

TNA has clearly hit the proverbial "reset" button here, but they've done so in a crafty and plausible fashion so as to not appear in full-on panic mode as the final embers of the Main Event Mafia storyline burn themselves away. Had TNA made a big deal about the group's (impending?) demise, we would have been treated to at least a few additional weeks' worth of infighting and backstabbing as the stablemates turned on one another in a desperate attempt to reclaim their respective belts throughout the TNA ranks.

Instead --

Booker T was quietly stretchered away (and is not expected to return)...

Kurt Angle shook hands with Matt Morgan in a classy show of respect in spite of his rulebreaker status...

Kevin Nash took to the microphone at this week's tapings sounding off on issues entirely unrelated to Mafia business...

And Nigel McGuinness Desmond Wolf made an immediate impact on the TNA landscape by singling out the Main Event Mafia's leader in a feud that appears to be completely independent of the budding war between Angle's crew and the World Elite (well, at least at this stage of the game).

All in all --

It was a smart, effective way to put over the younger stars while still keeping the heat on a resident band of rulebreakers to help the company reboot their booking year with a solid collection of storylines that fans are still eager to see unfold. The TNA Legends Championship might not be a particularly storied title, but Eric Young gains instant credibility by holding at least *some* gold to help it look like his stable means business. And having dispatched Booker T (and presumably, Scott Steiner to boot), the tandem of Doug Williams and Brutus Magnus has immediate claim to the now-vacant "big dogs" seat among the best of the TNA tag teams.

We'll see where things go from here, and obviously, there is plenty of room for change in the weeks to come. But as it stands now, the World Elite could very well rise from the ashes of the Main Event Mafia and create at least one or two MAJOR stars out of otherwise underutilized performers along the way. In which case, there is some serious potential for upward mobility thanks to the youth-heavy outcome of Bound For Glory 2009.





This week's choice is a no-brainer, as South Park spent an entire episode skewering professional wrestling and the many stereotypes and misconceptions that surround it. Sure, it's probably a good ten years or so past "immediately relevant," but it was pretty much spot-on in terms of its overall tone, commentary, and general message (seriously -- "RASSLIN!" versus "redneck theatre" is pretty much the heart and soul of most modern debates about the industry. Not to mention the glorious Vinny Mac parody, complete with a Playbill and opera glasses).

Here's the teaser...



The full episode can be found online here.

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And With That, I'm Outta' Here

That'll do it for this week's edition of the FreeThinks. I'll be back next Friday, so enjoy the PPV and the weekend wherever you may be. Especially if you're in London, eh? I hear there's a football game headed your way this Sunday night. And even if American history did place the Brits on the opposing (read: losing) side against the last batch of New England Patriots, chances are good that you've probably learned from your mistakes in the 200 years since. And let's face it, there's really no harm in rooting for a winner.

See you in seven, get those Halloween costumes finished, and always stay positive.

- Meehan

The National Domestic Violence Hotline : [phone]-SAFE.