The MeeThinks Friday FreeThinks: 01.29.10

Posted by John Meehan on 01.29.2010

The Rumble! Racism? And in TNA... there's a Hurricane comin' through! (Too easy?)

Howdy, folks. And welcome back to your regularly scheduled week-end dose of intrawebz 'rasslin optimism. Yup, it's the MeeThinks Friday FreeThinks: the column that tackles all the good and bad in the wrestling week that was, and tries (wherever possible) to break things down in as reasonable and positive a fashion as we can. After all, the typical glut of knee-jerk reactions can usually be found in the poorly punctuated sentences of the comments section, yes?

And besides -- cynicism is terribly overrated.

(CoCo told Mee so).

Let's get to it, yes?

Rock & Roll.

The SELL of the week goes to John Cena, whose in-ring exchange with Vince McMahon on this past Monday night's RAW was arguably the WWE poster boy's strongest promo in all of recent memory. To his credit, John kept his jovial antics to the backstage area this week, and saved his super-serious "A" game for an in-ring promo wherein he laid bare the faults of the WWE Chairman. There, Cena spoke up for "the boys," called the boss to account for his ego, and delivered a brilliant (kayfabe) summary of every former WWE employee's fate once Vince McMahon has decided to put them out to pasture. Sure, the monologue was lifted almost entirely from Bret Hart's famous quote in the fantastic "Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows" documentary -- but Cena's promo still managed to bring real-world drama and in-ring storylines together in a seamless fashion. (And let's face it: hearing the exact same words from Bret Hart probably would have just made The Hitman look all the more like a crybaby). As the veritable face of World Wrestling Entertainment, John Cena was the right man for the job, and he absolutely nailed it.

The TELL of the week goes to Angelina Love, whose triumphant return to in-ring action on last week's TNA iMPACT! didn't exactly start off without a few signs of ring rust. True, Angelina is routinely better than most of the WWE divas -- but Thursday's outing against Madison Rayne featured a glaring tell that puts Eve Torres' dropkicks to shame (well okay, maybe not -- but regardless). As Angelina had Madison Rayne sprawled out against the ropes, the former queen bee of the Beautiful People taunted her one-time pal, audibly shouting "WHO'S BEAUTIFUL NOW?!" While this was definitely a nice touch, Angelina forgot to drop her voice back down to a more discreet whisper in the exchange that immediately followed. Instead, she then proceeded to lean into her "opponent" and call the next spot -- an Irish whip "REVERSAL" -- in a pretty audible fashion.

Sarena Deeb - independent wrestling standout Sarena Deeb made her first official appearance on the main roster of World Wrestling Entertainment Smackdown! last Friday, where she had her head shaved in a segment that saw her being inducted as the newest member of CM Punk's Straight Edge Society. It is being reported that Sarena will remain on WWE programming as a permanent addition to this stable in the weeks to come. Deeb had previously worked for SHIMMER wrestling, Ring Of Honor, TNA Wrestling (briefly, at SlammiVersary 2008), and in WWE's developmental promotion, Florida Championship Wrestling -- where she held the company's women's championship a record six times.

MeeThinks?

Sarena Deeb certainly has as strong and decorated a pedigree as any other diva currently on a WWE roster. Whereas other WWE ladies make inroads to the professional wrestling business simply by virtue of having a pretty face or a modeling career, Sarena is a lifelong fan of the pseudo-sport, and has honed her craft in the United States and beyond in the five years since her training began. In addition, Sarena arrives in World Wrestling Entertainment with something that so many of her contemporaries lack -- a unique character back story to help set her apart from the many others who have arrived with little to zero fanfare around her.

Maryse? Playboy model -- but the TV-PG WWE doesn't really like to talk about that.

Maria Kanellis? A WWE Diva Search reject -- but again, that's been largely glossed over.

Kelly Kelly? A bikini model-turned onscreen "exhibitionist," with a thing for Mike Knox (remember when?).

(And don't even get Mee started on ladies like Savannah, Tiffany, Layla and the rest -- seriously, we've been told a sum total of ZERO about just who these ladies are or why they're here in the first place).

Sure, there have been female characters with built-in backstories in the past (Natalya Neidhart's seldom-mentioned last name speaks for itself, Rosa Mendez was Beth Phoenix's one-time superfan, as Mickie James was once a stalker of Trish Stratus) -- but the art of pre-packaged storytelling upon a character's arrival remains something of a lost art in the current landscape of professional wrestling. And among the ranks of WOMEN's wrestling? It is an even rarer trait to find.

Sarena is a welcome exception to the rule: she LOOKS different, she WRESTLES different, and her character has a different back story than so many who've come before her. Whether or not she'll last in World Wrestling Entertainment or make a radical dent in their "Universe" during her tenure is still anyone's guess (funny how everyone is always so quick to hail or decry "the next Trish Stratus!"). But regardless of how she fares in the long run, it's really good to see a female performer arriving in a manner that provides her with at least a *slight* advantage of making a lasting impression.

Frankly, WWE's women's division could use a good shaking up.



It's like real-time reader feedback on steroids

You've got questions? I've got smarmy comments answers. Keep 'em short, topical, and classy, and I'll post the best of 'em in next week's column.

Submit your questions here.

Now then -- onto this week's questions:

1. What is the logic in the IWC's notion that UT doesn't need the world title and that UT vs. HBK shouldn't be for the title at WM26? I don't get it. UT is still without a doubt the most over wrestler. Why shouldn't he main event the big one?

The general feeling here is that The Undertaker's streak is simply a big enough draw to warrant a WrestleMania match on its own. As a result, throwing a championship belt into the mix would only rob the card of another bout with championship appeal.


Exhibit A: Was there ever any doubt?

I see your point, and it kind of goes both ways -- yes, in a "real" sport, you want to have the biggest and the best athletes competing for your biggest prize (ala The Colts and The Saints, each with the best records in their respective conferences, facing off in the Super Bowl). Since the competition is legit, a head-to-head clash between two teams with the best records gives the event an aura of importance, prestige, and must-see legitimacy. And to this end, "title bouts" instantly seem all the more worthwhile -- and the winners of these matches (heck, even the losers) look all the more impressive simply by having stood toe-to-toe in a contest to determine the one, true "champion."

But in pro wrestling (especially on pay per view)? The trick isn't just to make your MAIN event feel important; rather, it is to make AS MANY MATCHES on the card as possible seem significant and deserving of your audience's attention and hard-earned money. Every match on the card has to feel legit and worthwile -- and adding a "championship" stipulation to bouts that might otherwise have trouble drawing a crowd (think Orton/Sheamus) certainly doesn't hurt.

In the end, yes, you certainly want to reward the best of the best -- but it's really just a simple matter of building the best overall card possible. And sometimes, that means spreading the wealth around.

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2. Why do smart fans like RKO? I think he sucks! I think Cena is much better a wrestler than the over glorified mid carder that Orton really is. His attitude was always shit, and he doesn't sell for his opponents in the ring and needs Cena, to carry him!!

"Smart" fans tend to have a wierd fixation on whatever act or performer seems "coolest" at the time. It's their own little way of saying "the rest of this pro rasslin stuff is for babies, but THAT guy -- now THAT guy is cool." More often than not, the "it" guy of the moment that they're rooting for ends up being a heel -- mainly because it helps to set these "smart" fans apart from the hoi polloi who might otherwise find themselves rooting for whatever babyface just so happens to be on the receiving end of the company's biggest push (you know, the same guy that all of the kiddies are cheering for).

In a way, they're rooting FOR Orton just as much as they're rooting AGAINST his opponents (and the kiddies who support them). Cena's the "good guy," and the kids love him -- so his biggest rival ends up being the de-facto favorite of the smart crowd. I'm no shrink, but I'd wager that cheering for Orton (in spite of his lousy attitude and equally limited moveset) kinda' makes them feel rebellious, in a way. And as long as Vince keeps Randy a heel? A vocal minority of the "smart" crowd will continue to support him accordingly.

Well, at least until another, cooler "bad guy" comes along -- at which point they'll drop the guy cold and write him off as an overrated hack.


You rang?

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What do you think this Hart/McMahon storyline is leading up to? I hardly think we'll see Hart v McMahon @ WM26, and I doubt they'll push The Hart Dynasty into the ordeal. Thanks. by theveej

Great question.

At the first hint of a Bret Hart return, my dad and I immediately figured that The Hitman would somehow find himself interjected into some sort of guest authority role in a WrestleMania match featuring Shawn Michaels (you know, to return the screwjob favor). While I still haven't quite ruled this one out -- it appears as if WWE is going to be forging ahead with a Hart/McMahon program instead. The question now, however, is *HOW*.

Let's face it -- Vince is 60+ and Bret hasn't wrestled in close to a decade. Throw in a concussion and a stroke, and it seems as if The Hitman really doesn't have any business taking part in a single's match on ANY stage -- especially if it's The Grandest Stage of Them All (which would, presumably, entail at least a 10-minute bout). Even if WWE tried to hide The Hitman's weaknesses behind some sort of stipulation (e.g. - a "Street Fight" or something of that nature), I just don't see Bret returning to the ring unless he can deliver *his* type of match for a proper sendoff.


Garbage brawl? Guest referee? Hey... I wonder what Sunny is up to.

Compromise?

WrestleMania XXVI tag team match. Bret and a partner of his choosing versus Vince and a partner of his choosing. Same drawing power, half the in-ring demands. And if they really wanted to bring total closure to Montreal with a WrestleMania blowoff -- who betta (than Kanyon?) to fill out the opposing tag teams than Vince's son-in-law and Bret's most famous adversary.

Regardless, there's still a long way to go beore Phoenix. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see on this one.

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What do you think of TNA thus far with the arrival of Hogan and Bischoff? And why is TNA more focused competing with WWE instead of putting on a better product? In my opinion the only problem they had was bad booking cause the talent was all there.

As a self-professed optimist (and as a longtime fan of TNA), I'm withholding final judgment on the "official" state of the TNAtion for another month or two yet. Some things have worked while others have failed pretty spectacularly -- but it's still way too early into the Hogan/Bischoff regime to come right out and call it either way.

That said?

As it stands right now, I'm not particularly impressed. Sure, the old-timer arrivals were great for a one-off "anything can happen" atmosphere. But in the weeks since, TNA's roster has been bloated to include each of these has-beens (or never-was-ziz) as regular performers. And the simple fact of the matter is that TNA's roster was ALREADY too crowded to begin with. Adding a dozen or so additional performers only manages to steal time away from the guys who were already well on their way to making a name for themselves before the latest regime change.


I have no comment at this time.

I've said it before, but I'll reiterate: TNA focuses way too heavily on the latest "surprise" or new talent acquisition, and this focus often comes at the expense of their existing talent and the backstories that make each of these characters worth caring about in the first place. Hopefully, the dust will settle and the guys who've been with TNA for more than a month will end up getting their chance to shine. At the very least, here's hoping that the "new" old talent can be used in a way that helps give the rub to the "old" old talent.

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Any reason why R-Truth and recently Kofi have been depushed lately? Not to pull the race card but seems WWE pushing minorities doesn't go far.Only minorties who have had success this past decade were Rock.Eddie Guerrero-RIP and King Booker

My best guess is that WWE is simply trying to find some place worthwhile to push them *into*. Reportedly, that's why CM Punk had that mini-feud with R-Truth a few short weeks ago -- not so much to *de*mote Punk, but rather to *pro*mote Truth. The trick of the matter is simply in finding out just where, exactly, that promotion ends up taking him. Especially since Undertaker, Batista, and Mysterio* (not to mention Jericho and Edge) kinda have the top of the Smackdown! title picture on something of lockdown, at the moment.


Incidentally: both of these guys are minorities too, ya' know

Ditto for Kofi. Even if he didn't manage to win the rubber match over Randy Orton, there's no denying that he's certainly been elevated by the program regardless. With Cena currently taking it easy while he works through a back injury, a pairing alongside of Kingston (ala the tag team championship tandem of Kofi/Punk) could definitely serve as a makeshift placeholder to keep both men in the spotlight while the main event picture sorts itself out around them -- likely in time for WrestleMania 26.

Call Mee an optimist, but I don't think all hope is yet lost for either of these two minority superstars. Frankly, I'd be shocked if Kofi Kingston didn't end up making a full-blown star of himself starting at this year's Money in the Bank.

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I was browsing a website and came across a wrestling school called santinos wrestling academy and I noticed I seen some XPW alumni as trainers.My question is have you heard anything about the school as far as success rate or anything?

Haven't heard a thing about it. And (though I mean this in the nicest way possible), XPW isn't exactly the upper echelon of wrestling's best.

Rule of thumb when selecting a wrestling school: ask the school's trainers (or visit the school's website) to get you a list of their alumni. The bigger schools are more than happy to tout the grapplers who've passed through their ranks on their way to superstardom, and the bios of each of these performers are easily cross-referenced via a simple Google search (to make sure that the school's claims of having trained the guy are, in fact, legit).

If the biggest claim to fame of a wrestling school is that they had one alum go on to wrestle a non-contracted jobber match in a non-televised show for some independent promotion you've never heard of, then they're probably not all that well connected, and your odds of making inroads to the pros through the services they can provide are pretty remote. Sure, there are exceptions -- but your best bet will typically come from attending schools with the strongest pedigrees and track records of past success. And unfortunate though it may be for your wallet -- the better-connected the school happens to be, the more they're usually able to charge in the way of tuition.

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What are the odds of someone not ever winning the rumble winning it this year.Only person who comes to mind is Edge.

Great question. Looking at the prospective pool of entrants, let's first eliminate all of the guys who have already won a Rumble in the past, yes? That knocks off:

1) John Cena
2) Triple H
3) Shawn Michaels
4) Batista
5) Randy Orton

So we're down to 25. Still, there are a few longshot entries currently on a WWE payroll or on the horizon for a guest host stint who have also won Rumble events in the past, and since WWE likes to throw the occassional curveball in there (again, these are the LONGEST of long shots), that nixes the following performers:

6) Vince McMahon
7) Bret Hart
8) Stone Cold Steve Austin
9) The Rock
10) Hacksaw Jim Duggan

I should reiterate -- none of these guys are likely to enter the Rumble match, and they are even LESS likely to win it. But since Royal Rumble events occassionally save two or three spots for appearances from stars of yesteryear, it's only fair to cross these folks (and the spots that they could occupy) off of the list of potentials. Because let's face it -- even if we don't see Austin, Hart or The Rock in The Rumble, the spots that could have otherwise been saved for "star" performers will probably end up being dished out at the last minute to oddball cameos (Drew Carey, Big Dick Johnson) or also-rans in the undercard (ala Chavo, Santino, and the like) -- and none of those guys stand a chance of winning, either.


"No chance of-a winning," eh? Why you sonamagun!!!

So that pretty much leaves us with 20(ish) spots remaining for competitors who've never won a Royal Rumble match. And if you cross off an additional ten spots for "enhancement" talent and/or "giants" who are merely in the Rumble to fill space (i.e. Kane, Mark Henry, Matt Hardy, William Regal, and The Great Khali), then we're left with just about 10 slots for guys who've never won the match before with an ACTUAL SHOT of winning the Royal Rumble -- even if their odds are incredibly slim. Looking at the entrants, the best odds seem to favor (in no particular order):

1) The Big Show
2) CM Punk
3) Chris Jericho
4) MVP
5) The Miz
6) Drew McIntyre
7) John Morrison
8) Ted DiBiase / Cody Rhodes
9) Kofi Kingston
10) Edge

Show and Cody don't exactly stand out from the pack, and guys like Morrison/McIntyre and MVP/Miz already seem to have other intentions for the Rumble match. So that pretty much leaves us with five first-timers with a legitimate shot:

1) Chris Jericho
2) CM Punk
3) Edge
4) Ted DiBiase
5) Kofi Kingston

Again, the odds for each of these guys vary accordingly (*if* Edge is healthy, *if* Orton is WWE Champ, etc.) -- but all things being equal, I'd say the answer to your question is something like 5 in 30 (roughly 16.7%).

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Are there any truths to the rumors that TNA has signed Mantaur, best know for his brief stint in the WWF?

Oh Lord, I hope so. While TNA's at it, they should probably go ahead and sign Friar Ferguson, Max Moon, Techno Team 2000, and Hakushi for good measure.


(Seriously, Hakushi was awesome).

But yeah -- I see your point. TNA is definitely front-loading this Hogan era with a glut of also-rans and never-was types with little more to their credit than a cup of coffee in Vince McMahon's big, bad promotion from up north. For the sake of TNA's young talent, hopefully the dust will settle and guys like Orlando Jordan, Sean Morley, "The Band," and The Nasty Boys will be right back where they came from in short order.

But Mantaur? Yikes.

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With the inevitable retirement of 'Taker, do you think another undead/monster-with-a-single-name gimmick can be brought up and work in the future?With so much path carved up by the forementioned Legend, wouldn't it just.. stink?

I think you're dead on. To paraphrase an old saying -- "There can only be one [Undertaker]."

What's funny is the old rumor that WCW's "Mean" Mark Calaway and AWA's "Yukon" John Nord both were said to have arrived on Vince McMahon's doorstep at roughly the same time (late 1990). The urban legend has it that Vinny Mac was seriously impressed by both of these giants, and that he had two "monster" gimmicks sitting at the top of his pile that he was hoping to split between them: a zombie, and a viking.

(Again, so the story goes).

On a coin flip, Vince gave the zombie act to Calaway and the viking schtick to Nord. Accordingly, one went on to become the most famous gimmick in all of WrestleMania history as "The Undertaker," and the other washed out of the business altogether after a failed stint as "The Berzerker."


Coulda, shoulda, woulda.

Dunno if it's a true story, mind you -- but if it's even remotely rooted in fact, it's a really great peek into just how close The Undertaker gimmick was to failing from the word "go." Simply put -- nobody else could have played "The Undertaker" as well as Mark Calaway. And in spite of his size and his talent, Mark Calaway was pretty much lost in the woods without The Undertaker gimmick.




Alyssa Flash - TNA Knockout Alyssa Flash gave her notice to employers late last week, and is believed to be finished with the promotion effective immediately. Flash is a well-known friend in real life to fellow TNA Knockout Awesome Kong, who recently found herself at the center of a backstage altercation with TNA interviewer Bubba The Love Sponge -- and her decision to part ways with the company seems to indicate that these two incidents are in some way related.

More on that immediately below, as we discuss the possibility of a similar TNA departure from none other than...

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Awesome Kong - former TNA Knockouts Champion Awesome Kong has likewise served notice to her TNA employers that she intends to part ways with the company in the immediate future. Kong's request for a release comes on the heels of the aforementioned backstage incident involving Bubba The Love Sponge, where a war of words over the shock jock's insensitive remarks about U.S. relief efforts in the earthquake-ravaged areas of Haiti managed to draw the ire of the onetime face of the TNA Knockouts division, and the two ultimately came to blows.

Hulk Hogan and Bubba The Love Sponge addressed this issue on Bubba's radio program several days later, with both men speculating that Vince Russo had been adding unnecessary fuel to Kong's fire before dismissing the incident as "menstrual related" and entirely the fault of the former Knockouts Champion. In turn, TNA writer Vince Russo then made mention of the incident on his blog, but refuted Hogan's claims that he was an instigator in the matter by pointing out that it was Russo himself who pulled Kong off of Bubba before any further damage could be done. And finally, for her part, Kong made passing reference to this scuffle in a video she posted online last Friday:



Judging from the video, it appears as if Kong is seriously taking this latest wrinkle in her TNA career to heart. Backstage fights are nothing new in the wrestling business (Booker T/Batista, JBL/Joey Styles, etc.) -- but this latest blowup seems to indicate that there are much bigger issues at play here than a simple misunderstanding between two contracted performers.

Why's that?

For starters, it has long been reported that the TNA Knockouts are paid considerably less than their male coworkers within the company and their WWE diva counterparts. In addition, it is no secret that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff (TNA's latest power-players) are prone to more than their fair share of "old boy's club" cronyism. And from what Awesome Kong is saying in the video ("slavery is not dead?" wow) -- it sounds as if the backstage environment in TNA Wrestling is actually much harsher to some of its performers than conventional wisdom would have us believe.

MeeThinks?

If Kong is legitimately soured on her TNA experience, she should part ways with the company ASAP and make a call to Vince McMahon the very second she sets foot outside of Dixie Carter's door. All reliable sources indicate that WWE offered Kong a contract two years ago (which she politely declined in favor of renewing her TNA deal), and Lord knows that Vince & Company would be more than happy to add a talent like Kong to their payroll as the so-called "war" between TNA and WWE heats up -- even if only to prevent their competition from doing precisely the same.

Does Kong deserve better than signing a contract "just for the money" while her talent is squandered on the sidelines? No question. But WWE's money is pretty hard to turn down (just ask Gail Kim), and even if WWE isn't exactly the right environment to showcase the former TNA Knockouts Champion to the best of her abilities (though there's no saying that it wouldn't find a way to accomodate her, eventually) -- Awesome Kong could just as soon find herself getting the last laugh at TNA's expense while she rides out a big, fat WWE paycheck for a year or two simply to stick it to her former employer.

Failing that, Kong has already proven herself to be a marketable commodity among the U.S. independent ranks and the international circuit (Japan, for example, would be a great environment for a U.S. export of her size and skill) -- and so it doesn't appear that she is at a loss for options when it comes to where she'll end up once this latest TNA dust has settled.

As for TNA?

If this story is legit, then shame on them. Fighting isn't acceptable -- but allowing inflammatory comments to go unchecked, performer walkouts to go unaddressed, and public interviews to air unfiltered just days later is equally unprofessional. Sure it sends the message that the door is open for anyone to leave at will, but it likewise tells your roster that none of their hard work makes a lick of difference provided they're not well-connected to the powers that be.

But IF -- by some trademark Vince Russo "worked shoot" contrivance -- this is all ends up being some elaborate *WORK*? Then DOUBLE shame on them. Sure, mistreating employees (especially FEMALE employees) is nothing new (sad a fact though that may be). But concocting some sort of professional wrestling storyline so as to make light of an international tragedy? That's just exploitive and wrong.

Yes, I get it --

Wrestling storylines often have to delve into the realm of "bad" before the forces of "good" can ultimately triumph over evil. And if this is all just one big storyline, it's pretty easy to cast the characters along the lines of good and evil accordingly ("Good" = sticking up for relief efforts, "Bad" = shooting them down). The only problem is? Bubba has aligned himself so closely with TNA's resident "GOOD GUY" authority figure (Hogan) that the two of them seem virtually interchangeable at this stage of the game. One lies and the other swears to it, or one cracks a joke and the other is right there to laugh at it along with them. More to the point: nobody's paying a dime to watch a female wrestler get her long-awaited revenge on an overweight backstage interviewer.

In short: You've got a GOOD GUY (Hogan) laughing at another peformer (good, bad, or indifferent) because she was sticking up for a GOOD cause. Sure, she went about it in the absolute worst way possible -- but it's pretty hard to deny that her heart was indeed in the right place. In the end, then -- even if this all ends up being one big wrestling storyline: what *story* is it actually telling?

"Stick up for what's right and you'll get laughed right out of the company?"

Still doesn't draw a red cent, and hardly the message I'd want to send -- ESPECIALLY if I was trying to cast my resident authority figure as the so-called "good guy" in all of this crazy circus. But then again, given the "creative" parties involved and the outcome of the so-called "Orlando Screw Job" this week -- perhaps I shouldn't be so surprised.

(More on that in "The Developments" section below)

Blah.

Now my brain hurts. Can we lighten this thing up for a bit?




Ahh, fake Facebook -- how I've missed you so. In a week that saw screwjobs, skewed priorities, and a disturbing trend towards meta-entertainment absurdity, I could really use a good chuckle.

Let's see what we've got this week, eh?

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Ooh... and since we're on the subject of social media:

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



None - In a welcome development, there are no new or additional injuries to report at this time.




Chris Jericho and Gregory Helms - these two WWE superstars were arrested early in the morning of Thursday, Jan. 28, when they appeared to be intoxicated in public outside of a gas station in Kentucky. Both men were charged with public intoxication -- a misdemeanor -- and released on $120 bail shortly thereafter. No further charges are expected to stem from this incident.

MeeThinks?

Getting arrested is never a good thing. But in the relative scheme of "alcohol-related arrests?" This one ranks pretty darned low -- somewhere along the lines of a night in the drunk tank after your typical bachelor party.

Regardless --

WWE keeps a notorious close eye on the private lives of their public entertainers. And when personal dirt gets nasty enough, the company has -- on occassion -- been known to discipline talent accordingly. (Then again, they've also been known to excuse certain scandalous behavior, too -- ala JBL's ill-conceived goose step antics in Germany).

This becomes especially important when you consider the fact that Helms reportedly smacked a few folks in the nearby area (including Jericho) before the police slapped him in cuffs and hauled him off to jail.

As such:

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Gregory Helms - is in hot water. And though he is a veteran talent and an accomplished "gimmick" worker whose presence on the ECW roster has certainly been as welcome as it has been valuable, there have already been murmurings that he and WWE would soon part ways if a TNA contract to join real-life friends Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore were to be offered The Hurricane's way. If the arrest record is true and the guy actually got physical with some locals, then this could pretty much be the kiss of death for his WWE tenure.

Regardless -- the arrest and its fallout could end up being a blessing in disguise for Gregory Helms. Though he's making good money in the WWE ranks, the simple fact of the matter is that Helms most definitely has the option and incentive to make the jump to a rival promotion, as he really isn't doing much of anything in WWE these days except keeping a rigorous touring schedule. Staying in WWE probably means months of bag-carrying and onscreen burial. Jumping to TNA? A fresh start with a clean slate and some old friends.

(Though -- as a TNA fan -- I'm not sure how keen I'd be on signing yet ANOTHER guy who couldn't behave well enough to be employed by the competition. Yes, it's a misdemeanor -- but it doesn't do anything to improve your company's public image).

Meanwhile --

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Chris Jericho - is a big enough star where a one-off run-in with the law of this nature will probably end up being forgotten and excused in the long run. It's not a drug charge, it's not a DUI arrest, and it's barely going to make a blip on his "permanent record" -- legal or professional. Still, any outside chance that the guy might have had at winning this weekend's Royal Rumble seems to be all the more remote in light of this recent activity. But then again, Jericho really didn't stand that great of a chance to begin with (I'd put him at no better than sixth best odds behind Triple H, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Batista, and Edge) -- so perhaps the onscreen implications here will be even more minimal than one might think.

(Then again, WWE has occasionally thrown fans a total curve ball by allowing an onscreen match outcome to develop in a way that completely flies in the face of common sense -- e.g. Batista defeating Randy Orton only to relinquish the gold a day later -- so anything is possible. But given the storylines going into the Rumble? I wouldn't count on it).




TNA iMPACT! Moves to Monday Nights
Company To Air Opposite WWE RAW on March 1

The biggest news of the week simply HAS to be the late-breaking headlines that TNA iMPACT will soon be making the jump to Monday nights, meaning that a head-to-head clash with WWE's flagship broadcast is indeed imminent, and thus a new "Monday Night War" could well be on the very near horizon.

MeeThinks?

Love 'em or hate 'em, you simply HAVE to give TNA credit for stepping up to the plate here and swinging for the fences. When the company's partnership with Hulk Hogan was announced late in 2009, I said that it was indeed "put up or shut up" time for this little-promotion-that-could. Gone were the days of making excuses and saying "if only...", and here was their chance to prove themselves as the viable number two wrestling promotion we had so long been lead to believe that they were.

No more "well, all we need is a weekly television show on SpikeTV."

No more "well, all we need is TWO hours of television."

No more "well, all we need is one major star to sign with the company."

All of those milestones have long since been accomplished. TNA has two hours of programming each and every week, and they have managed to attract every single "major" star to have parted ways with World Wrestling Entertainment from Hulk Hogan to Ric Flair to Kurt Angle to Jeff Hardy.

(Ooh yeah, and Mick Foley, too. HAVE A NICE DAY!)

Long story short (and I say this as a guy who deeply, genuinely wants to see TNA succeed) -- TNA can no longer whine about not having the right pieces in place to take on the WWE juggernaut. To their credit, their past successes have laid the foundation for a full-out battle with the biggest and the best. They've got all the tools at their disposal; now the only question is just *how*, exactly, the company plans on using them in order to topple their larger, more lucrative, and more internationally recognizable opponent.

Frankly -- they might want to consider investing in a slingshot.

As a TNA fan and as a wrestling fan in general, here's what I like about TNA moving to Monday nights --

1) It's ballsy. - The company said that big changes were coming, and this delivers exactly that. They gave fans the call to action to support the promotion as it attempted to reach the next level, and it rewards their continued support, interest and attention by delivering a very real and very tangible reward, accordingly.


2) Competition breeds success. - When WCW and WWF were at one another's throats in the mid-nineties, ratings soared, storylines sizzled, and all sorts of performers (new and old) reached unprecedented heights in popularity. Sports entertainment became mainstream, and wrestling fans were rewarded with a product that was as unpredictable as it was entertaining. And even years after the "wars" had ended, the stars they managed to create would go on to power the professional wrestling industry for the better part of a decade to follow.


3) More Choices = Better Quality - From a corporate perspective, it's kill or be killed. If your product is flabby, fat, or lazy, fans will gladly defect to your competitor. From a long-term investment, audiences will demand innovation to the point where companies can no longer afford to rest on their laurels and rely on the stars and storylines of yesteryear. This demands creativity, mandates innovation and ushers in a new era of talent. And as a fan, it signals a virtual assurance that both companies will step their respective games up -- which can only result in huge dividends for those of us fortunate enough to be watching it all unfold.

Certainly, this is big news for the wrestling industry. And in a "perfect world?" TNA stands to make a pretty serious name for themselves as the official number two dog in North American professional wrestling -- which can only benefit the performers, promoters, and fans of this crazy pseudo-sport for years and years to come.

Looking at the other side of the coin, for a second -- there's no denying that TNA has more than its fair share of problems, and this move does little to solve them. Take, for instance, their tried-and-true business model. You know the one:



Again, as a TNA fan AND as a fan of professional wrestling -- for excited about a permanent move to Mondays as I might want to be, there are more than a handful of major red flags. And there's what worries Mee about TNA moving to Monday nights at this stage of the game:

1) New Wine in Old Wineskins - There's a biblical passage about ruining perfectly good, new wine by pouring it into the same crusty old bags that used to house the old stuff. Given the current booking miscues and backstage woes of the Bischoff and Hogan-run TNA, the company's jump to Monday nights seems to reflect much of this parable and give cause for concern accordingly. Just a few major examples:

They don't have a clear picture of which stars are "good" and/or "bad."

They routinely overshadow quality matches with the latest (lamest?) new hire or "shocking" development.

The company's roster is already bloated the way it is, and is growing fatter by the day.

Storylines are routinely dropped or abandoned as new performers are brought into the fold.

Newly hired performers of questionable star power routinely get put over homegrown veteran talent.

So long as each of these issues go unaddressed, "big moves" might raise a few eyebrows from time to time -- but the dust will settle, and TNA will continue to spin their wheels in a momentumless rut.


2) Production Values - TNA is poorly lit, poorly attended, and entire years behind WWE in terms of the overall production value of their product. In addition, the company lacks an exclusive "farm system," and so new and inexperienced talent must often "sink or swim" on a national stage without so much as a chance to fully develop their skills or on-screen persona.

In the media and marketing department, the company's sole outing into the home console video game market was widely regarded as a disaster. While the game license has been acquired by another company, no concrete timetable has yet been established to ensure a return to this medium. Elsewhere in digital media, the company's website fails to provide so much as basic match listings for upcoming pay per view events, and for all of their noteworthy forays into online video content and web exclusives -- TNAWrestling.com is still woefully out of date when it comes to posting photos from recent and past events -- a basic industry standard.


3) Touring Presence, Taping Schedules, and (Inter)National Exposure - Let's face it, the iMPACT! Zone is a free arena that barely sits 2,000 fans cast members. Meanwhile, WWE's weekly broadcasts emanate from venues ten times that size and larger -- and it most certainly helps to make the WWE product feel all the more professional and attractive simply by sheer virtue of the fact that tens of thousands of people are right there cheering (and paying!) alongside of you. TNA, on the other hand, has had a notoriously difficult time in putting together a viable house show circuit, and the company has even gone as far as to consider suspending all national tours indefinitely until this wheel can be reinvented. And whether they're at home in Orlando or hitting the road for dates across the nation, they can barely sell 20,000 tickets a **YEAR** (let alone each week!).

To ease their performers travel schedules, TNA often tapes two to four weeks' worth of television over a short period of time. While this business model is economically sound and safer on the health and well being of your performers (by comparison), it also robs the company of the ability to pull off any major surprises or have a LIVE, must-see atmosphere since the results of TV tapings have already been publicized entire weeks before your show hits the air.

While this is all minor stuff when you're operating off of the radar of the mainstream -- going head-to-head on a weekly basis with a multi-media juggernaut like WWE can really expose TNA's weaknesses and take advantage of the company's shortcomings. But all of the damage that WWE can do to TNA pales in comparison to what could be TNA's biggest internal problem of all, namely:


4) Personnel Issues - Let's face it, TNA only became a blip on the national radar because Hulk Hogan showed up and Eric Bischoff was right there beside them. Their live broadcast on January 4th largely managed to pique fans' interest because they trotted out a cavalcade of familiar faces from the industry's past. And the three weeks since that first-ever clash between the two major companies only seem to have maintained TNA's momentum, but not built from it in the way of a larger audience accordingly.

So what happens when all the tricks are out of the bag?

TNA has already trotted out the televised returns of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Eric Bischoff, Jeff Hardy, The Nasty Boys, Orlando Jordan, Sean Morley, and Sting on the exact same show -- but their collective wrestling abilities (and drawing power) pale in comparison to the sheer "shock value" of seeing them back on a television screen in the first place.

Simply put -- TNA can't afford to wait for the next round of WWE layoffs in order to provide iMPACT! with its next major angle or appeal. Virtually everyone with a pulse who took part in the Hulkamania tour has already been added to the TNA ranks, and the shock factor of seeing old faces and old storylines has already begun to wear thin. Once WWE's layoffs run dry or the Hulkster runs out of friends, then TNA is only left with a parade of has-beens (or never was-ziz) to show for it. And if ratings still aren't moving even after everyone in Hulk Hogan's Rolodex has stopped by TNA for a cup of coffee (and a big, fat Panda Energy paycheck)? Then it seems like only a matter of time before younger talent decides to bail and The Hulkster himself ends up leaving TNA Wrestling high and dry while he goes to join them in seeking greener pastures elsewhere.

And then it'll be on whoever's left in TNA to clean up the mess -- if there is even a TNA to speak of, that is.


And With That, I'm Outta' Here

That does it for this week. Once again, TNA has given fans plenty of food for thought with their latest shake up -- but here's hoping that their newest attempt to steal fire from the Gods doesn't just end up burning all of us in the long run. 'Till next time, have a great weekend, enjoy the Royal Rumble, and always stay positive.


- Meehan

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