The Wrestling Bard 01.03.09: Cross the Line

Posted by Aaron Hubbard on 01.03.2009

Almost entirely free of TNA Bashing!

It's my first column of 2009. Quite frankly, I'm surprised I'm still here. I hope all twelve of my readers didn't kill themselves with alcohol poisoning celebrating the New Year. Right now, a lot of people are talking about the best of 2008. There's a lot of good reads too, such as:

The Inspiration For Me To Write continuing to review shows.

Wilcox fantasy booking the next year, and makes me really want to see Jericho-Undertaker.

Lansdell telling it like it is about one of the most controversial people in the business.

J.D. Dunn recapping the Best Ten Matches of the Year.

Harrison reviewing the first wrestling television show of the year.

And Csonka and Cook talking about the good and the bad of TNA.

I'm going to start out the new year by discussing something I've been neglecting for most of the year, mostly because I don't really care for it: TNA Wrestling.

On New Year's Day, I watched the Impact for the first time in months, and man, did I ever pick the right week to watch the show. Two hours of WRESTLING. I'm going to guess and say we won't see a show with that much action from TNA or WWE for the rest of the year. It also got me thinking of how criminally overlooked the best parts of TNA are. Granted, sometimes looking for the good in TNA is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But recently, things have been looking up.

Right now, I've been watching a lot of matches on Youtube and DVD, preparing to list my top twenty matches of the year. I've been looking for every great TNA match I've heard of, and here's a few things I've been noticing:

1. Kurt Angle is as Good as Ever

Larry Csonka has been discussing this a lot over the last few months, but Kurt Angle has had a fantastic year. Matches with Christian Cage, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, Abyss, and Yuji Nagata have all been at or above ****. It's taken me a while to get used to how much smaller Angle is, but he really is excellent in the ring. Regardless of his outrageous desire to compete in MMA, Angle is one of the top three or four performers in the world. But he will always fly under the radar for two reasons: 1) He is in TNA, a company that is loathed by at least half of the IWC. 2) No matter how good his matches are before the finish, people tend to remember the run-ins and ref-bumps more than any amount of effort before it.

Angle is the top star in TNA. Sting may be the Champion and Samoa Joe may be the top babyface, but Angle is the best booked athlete and is treated with more respect than anybody. He is always given the time to perform, and he always gives 100%. Angle has been one of, if not the, most consistent in-ring performer of the last ten years. I have not seen a truly bad Kurt Angle match since 2000. That's impressive, especially when one considers all of the injuries he has received in that short time. I still think he's crazy, but man, he can still go.

At least since 2002, I've been hearing "Greatest of All Time" applied to Angle. I've always replied with a flat "No. He hasn't been around long enough." Just like I would not put Bryan Danielson in a "Top 10 In-Ring Performers of All Time" list, even though he is as good as anybody I've ever seen. But Angle is entering his tenth year in the business, and now, I'd be glad to hear the argument made for him. He's certainly been one of the best performers of the last decade.

2: The Main Event Mafia Is NOT the Millionaire's Club

Okay, YES, the basic premise is the same. The Main Eventers are clutching to their spot at the top of the card, preventing the young guns from moving up. But the difference is that it's been booked RIGHT this time. Need evidence? The Main Event Mafia is BOOED by the TNA Fans. There is real heat between the audience and the MEM, which is not something that the Millionaire's Club had. With Hogan, Flair, Nash, Sting, and others in that group, for that company, there was no way it would work. The majority of WCW's fans were marks for these legends, and rightfully so. How has the formula been tweaked to work?

One, it's a very different audience. TNA's fanbase is almost 90% kids and smart marks. The majority of the IWC believes that the biggest problem with TNA is that they will not use their homegrown talent to their fullest potential. This storyline is an embodiment of the core complaint of TNA's audience, and "that" works. Cater to your audience, and it will work. (See: Ring of Honor, World Wrestling Entertainment)

Two, not all of the veterans are in it. Nash and Steiner, though liked, are not nearly as popular or respected as Hogan and Flair. Angle and Booker are still relatively young and are both great heels. The only true legend is Sting, and the booking of his heel turn has been done so well that he works as a heel. Then you have Jeff Jarrett, Team 3D, and Mick Foley all trying to help out the Frontline. It's not an "us against them" thing, like the New Blood vs. The Millionaire's club, where EVERY established star was part of the heel club. Generally, fans cheer the established stars over the young blood, but since a few of the established stars are backing the young guns, it balances out.

I am VERY excited to see where this will go. Recently, TNA has been a much more focused, much more balanced, much BETTER wrestling show. It has its off weeks, but so does RAW (every three weeks or so). The Main Event Mafia may be the storyline that gets TNA back on track to being one of the best companies in the business.

3: TNA Has the Best Roster In The World

I've said it, and others have too, but it bears repeating, especially with how much negative press TNA gets. When I look at TNA's Roster, I say "How can this ever be a bad show?" You have established wrestlers that can still go, like Sting, Kurt Angle, Booker T, Christian Cage (until recently), Jeff Jarrett and Rhino. You have EXTREMELY talented guys just waiting to become mega-stars, like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Abyss, Kazarian, Jay Lethal, Chris Daniels, and Matt Morgon. You have a REAL tag team division with Beer Money, Team 3D, LAX, and the MCMG. The Women's Division has Awesome Kong, Shantelle Taylor, Roxxi, and the Beautiful People (no talent, GREAT personalities). Even lower card guys like Petey Williams, Eric Young, Sonjay Dutt, and Shark Boy are entertaining.
WWE has a lot of great personalities, but a very one-dimensional wrestling style that almost everybody has to adhere to. ROH has a ton of great wrestlers, but very few that could even be marketable in a mainstream promotion. Japan, while having great talent, has been struggling in recent years. TNA has a well-rounded group of wrestlers who can work and are marketable. Cruiserweights, tag teams, and women are given due respect, and people are encouraged to have great matches THEIR way. Impact can be nauseating at times, but whenever I watch a TNA PPV or Best Of DVD, I am rarely disappointed. The wrestling is fantastic.

With those three positive sentiments, I'm not going to pretend that everything is great in TNA Land. If TNA is going to be successful, they need to have less gimmick matches, less stupidity, and more focus. Tell good stories and have good matches. Put effort into everything without overdoing it. Not everything has to be a blood feud and not every story has to get air time every five minutes. TNA have a lot to improve, but right now, they are on the right track.

I'm feeling positive about TNA right now. I haven't felt that way in at least two years. I want them to succeed, because wrestling is always better when there is REAL competition. TNA needs to focus on keeping their fanbase, while trying to add new fans into the fold. I'm going to go on a limb and say that 2008 WILL be a good year for TNA.

Let's Start the New Year With A Bang





Have a Great 2009!