The War Begins

Hello, my name is Cory, and I'm going to share my thoughts about tonight.

We are winding down the hours before the inaugural TNA iMPACT! show that marks the beginning of the Monday Night Wars II. Seeing as how my esteemed colleague Brian has posted his eloquent thoughts about his passion for the TNA brand, I thought I might do the same. My analysis, however, will likely be a smidgeon more sardonic. You have been warned.

When I first started watching TNA, I had the bright eyed, bushy tailed look of a new prospective fan, eager to shed myself of the mediocrity I had been previously subjected to by watching WWE’s Monday Night Variety Show (read: Raw). Witnessing the WWE make every desperate attempt to force the fans to cheer for John Cena week in and week out, instead of letting characters evolve into their natural alignment as the fans opinion changed, was starting to destroy my faith in the brand. So, imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon Spike TV and watched the hour long program with a wrestling show that involved a… hexagonal ring?! I was, for lack of a better term, hooked.

That all began to change around the time that Dixie Carter made the announcement that TNA had signed a deal with a little known man by the name of Terry Bollea. Well, at least that’s the name the courtroom knew him by, some of you may know him by the name of Hulk Hogan. He and Eric Bischoff came out to the ring, and claimed BOLDLY that everyone that was currently a part of the “New Era” in TNA had to earn their shot at fame.

-Never mind that there were people (*COUGH*MACHINEGUNS*COUGH*) in the company with more talent, more dedication, and more seniority than half the people getting a push.

-Never mind that within a week of Hogan’s takeover, nearly every geriatric has-been looking to be important again had a freshly inked contract in the company. (I’m looking at the Nasty Boys, Ric Flair, Sean Waltman, and Scott Hall.

-Never mind that the decision was made at the last minute of the January 4th, 2010 edition of iMPACT! to permanently change the ring from the innovated hexagon to the normal four-sided ring.

-Never mind that the aforementioned edition of iMPACT! Opened up with the shocking return of Jeff Hardy, but STILL only managed to net a 1.5 rating. (Maybe because seeing 287,349 people debut on one show ceases to become interesting after the 4th or 5th run-in.

-Never mind the mess of unfinished and pointless storylines that will continue on with no purpose whatsoever, or will just suddenly end with little to no notice. The WWE’s storylines may be ridiculous, but most of them will be followed through to their conclusion.

Do I think that TNA does some things right? Absolu-friggin’-lutely. D’Angelo Dinero is a perfect example of TNA doing something that should have been done a long time ago. AJ Styles is a perfect example of someone who belongs in the main event consistently. His partnership with Ric Flair will likely only mean good things for the guy.

Do I want to see TNA knock the WWE off its high horse and actually have to TRY to make a good program for once? YES! I’ll say it from the highest mountaintop.

Do I think that’s gonna happen. Without a doubt, no. I don’t think TNA can do it. Let’s just speak in hypothetical terms for a moment. Let’s pretend that the WWE loses .5 of its average 3.5 rating to TNA, making TNA net a 2.0. The MOMENT that happens, the watchful eye of the WWE war machine will turn to stare directly at TNA. Vince McMahon will pull out guns that we haven’t seen since the heyday of the WCW. They will attempt to snipe every piece of useful talent from TNA’s locker room, and promise money that TNA simply just cannot afford to offer. When you’re a talented guy like TNA’s mid-card is chock full of, and you’re getting a $500 hand out for each show you perform (sometimes travel expenses are at least that much), your loyalty to the “Little Engine That Could” will fail pretty quickly. Especially if Vince is offering a signing bonus, a PPV bonus, a payout even if you don’t have a match, and a ton of other ways to make money.

The long and short of my long winded diatribe is this. I want to see TNA succeed, and I want the Monday Night Wars to be FIERCE. I just don’t know if TNA will be able to win the day when they’re bringing a butterknife to a nuclear war.