By Adam Fury
That old feelings coming back! You know the one, the feeling you had in the early eighties when the NWA was second banana to the WWF and you hated it. So many of your friends were wrestling fans but they hated the NWA, they thought Ric Flair was a joke, studio wrestling on TBS was cheap looking and stupid, and that The Road Warriors were the only good thing outside of the WWF. You would argue with these pinheads, but they wouldn’t budge. You would tell them how Vince was turning wrestling into a cartoon show and embarrassment, but they would look at you like you were crazy as they chomped down on their WWF ice crème bar. It got even worse if you told them about the late night shows on cable like World Class or the UWF, if you insisted these shows were better than the WWF you might have to take cover as they tossed their “wrestling buddy” at your head! But you were proud because you knew what real wrestling was, you refused to buy a Hulkamania painters cap or wake up early on Saturdays to watch your favorite “superstars” in their very own cartoon. You slept in on Saturdays because the AWA had been on ESPN at one am.
That’s what I’m talking about when I say that old feeling is coming back. Granted, it’s not back yet but I am starting to get a little tingle of it in my bones. I’m starting to get my hopes up just a little bit. For the first time in several years I am watching wrestling on TV again. I am watching Total Nonstop Action.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m still a bitter old school mark who finds plenty to gripe about! I mean you can’t be a successful Internet wrestling journalist today unless you’ve got some bitterness to spew so rest easy, I won’t disappoint you, but before I go there let me tell you why TNA has given me some hope and why you should give it a chance over that garbage Vince and the WWE is putting out.
TNA didn’t interest me much when it first hit the airwaves. The X-Division was good but everything else seemed to be WWE lite. You still hear that complaint today but it’s obviously made by those who’ve not watched TNA is a long while because it’s no longer true. Jeff Jarrett finally dropped the title and is pushing others. Christian Cage seems poised to reach the stardom he’s always been capable of, and if TNA is smart he will wear the NWA title for a long, long time. I am hoping they don’t make a fool out of me and take the title off of him next week at Slammiversary because he hasn’t even had time to hit his stride as world champ.
The tag division is good in TNA as well and here’s something the WWE hasn’t done well in years. While some argue that TNA needs better teams my argument is that at least they have them and the division is pushed and means something again. America’s Most Wanted has beaten everyone but weren’t the Road Warriors in the same boat? The Midnight Express? The Koloffs, and Anderson’s? I think we’re forgetting that dominance used to be part of this game. There were often champions that dominated and fans believed could never lose. When they did it was big news and the team that did it were on their way. The team that defeats AMW is going to have instant credibility and in my opinion, that’s a good thing.
I am delighted that also for the first time in many years male managers have a role in professional wrestling again. TNA has given jobs to excellent managers like Scott Da’More, Simon Diamond, and The Sinister Minister. In TNA you don’t have to have boobs in order to manage and it’s about damn time. The manager role has been forgotten and for no good reason. There are plenty of excellent workers out there who need a mouthpiece or someone at ringside helping them to get more heat. I am thankful to see TNA realize that.
Samoa Joe is an Internet darling and I can see why. He’s a very good worker with strong skills and a lot of talent. What I like most though is how TNA is pushing Joe, it has that old school feel to it. He’s come in with a lot of fanfare and attention, even those who didn’t know much about him have been lead very well by the announcers and TNA production and presentation.
The X-Division, while spot heavy is still very entertaining. I suspect they have to get the title off of Samoa Joe and I hope they do that well but he’s just too good to stay there. Low-Ki (now known as Senshi in America) is one of the best small wrestlers I’ve ever seen and I would love to see the title on him for a long run.
TNA’s pay per views have been very good for the most part. Sure, there have been some stinkers but over all they build to their PPV’s the way you’re supposed to and they make sense. I don’t always agree with the outcomes, but their build, presentation, and matches are very good and the WWE could learn a lot from them.
Gail Kim makes a great valet. I love her in that role. Yes, she’s an excellent wrestler as well, but not being a fan of female wrestling I could really care less. Keep her with Jarrett and AMW, she looks good and plays the part well. She’s better than any other “Diva” or “Knockout” I’ve seen in a long while.
I love Sting’s role in TNA as well. Whoever’s booking that deserves a ton of credit. Having Sting target Jarrett is excellent and entertaining. Sting’s “mission” being to take out the guitar wielding ego-maniac is an excellent one and gives hope that Jarrett’s days of dominance are over while still giving him a top spot on the card with a man he should be able to work well with putting on some excellent matches.
Going back to that old feeling I spoke about at the start of this article, do you remember making comparisons with your WWF drone buddies? You know, comparing Hulk Hogan to Ric Flair, Tito Santana to Magnum TA, or Roddy Piper to Dusty Rhodes? You did anything you could to convince your pals that they needed to give the NWA a chance that they needed to see the light. Well, I’ve compiled a short comparison list after my brother gave me a list of WWE wrestlers he said were “real wrestlers” and what TNA was missing. Take a look.
Triple H - Big muscular guy who can work a good match: While Samoa Joe isn't as "defined" as HHH he matches up very well with him and in some ways is better IMO.
Shawn Michaels- At one time he was one of the all time best but well past his prime today. Christopher Daniels can more than hold his own in a comparison.
Steve Austin- Used to be great turned into a punch and kick guy who cursed, drank beer, and flipped the fans off to make up for his loss of skills. I give him credit for being one of the largest draws ever in wrestling but much of that credit has to go to the clever "boss versus employer story line. When that was new it was awesome but now it's done constantly. Christian Cage is a nice comparison. He's funny, relates very well with the audience, and is OVER big. No, he's not the star Austin was, but could be if TNA got the attention WWE does.
Edge: Just recently learning how to apply all that he's learned. A good performer and dedicated, much better heel than face. Mark my words here and watch for TNA's "Bobby Rood" he's in team Canada and very much an up and comer capable of being as good or better than Edge.
Some others:
Abyss is one of the best big men wrestlers I've ever seen. He compares very nicely to Undertaker and Kane.
AJ Styles: Needs to pace his high spots but is every bit as good as RVD.
Alex Shelly- Going to the top, about Chris Benoit's size. Not as skilled as Benoit but he will be soon, mark it down.
Petey Williams: I am not crazy about the move, but the "Canadian Destroyer" is getting a ton of attention and he is becoming a star because of his finisher much like Jake Roberts did at one time with the DDT. (No I am not saying he’s as skilled as Jake over all).
Shenshi (formerly known as Low-Ki) is one of the best small wrestlers in the world. I would watch him over almost anyone in wrestling today.
I’ll wrap this edition up with some of that old school bitterness I promised you. While I have a good feeling about TNA and where they seem to be going I have some issues with them as well. Lets review.
-Raven: This guy needs to hang it up. Hardcore killed the sport I loved and it’s time to kill it in return. Matches used to end with a DDT or a belly-to-belly suplex for crying out loud! Now guys are hit with stop signs, trash cans, and barb wired baseball bats and keep going. It’s stupid and Raven represents that in TNA.
-Scott Steiner: If they used him as Jarrett’s enforcer and only Jarrett’s enforcer it may be tolerable, but having his no talent ass in the ring as a legitimate threat to all comers is a joke. Since juicing up beyond belief Steiner can hardly move and his promos make my ears bleed (along with that lame entrance music/sirens). Get this guy out of TNA or give him a limited, non-speaking role. Big bad booty daddy indeed.
-Jarrett: If he would ditch that damn guitar I might actually like him a little. The man has talent and can work a great match especially with other good workers (this is why is feud with Sting should be good and last a long time) but he needs to ditch the jilted Country Music star wannabe act, it’s old, it’s WWE type of crap, and the guitars are so fake a three year old could tell they do no damage, besides that, why do they do damage while Raven is nearly killing people with lead pipes who are popping right back up?
-Hardcore CRAP- This needs to go and go now. Watching Sting and Steiner use chairs and such in their King of the Mountain match qualifier was pathetic and the Raven/JJ match on the same night was one of the worst garbage matches I've ever seen. At one point Jarrett even squirted relish at Raven as if it were some kind of weapon. Maybe he was trying to blind him with it?
-TNA Knockouts- Just a Diva rip off. Get rid of them. If you watch wrestling to see half dressed bimbo’s you need to seek serious psychological counseling. These out of work strippers need to go do porn or something and get out of pro wrestling. They take valuable airtime and money that could be used to sign legitimate workers who would give TNA more of the stuff they need.
So there you have it, my premier TNA editorial here at OSW. From this point on I will be dissecting TNA Impact and possibly TNA PPV’s as well, I just wanted to start off by giving you my general thoughts and opinions about TNA Wrestling and why I am a fan. I will now stand on guard and praise what gives me that old school feel and knock what doesn’t. I’m sure it won’t make a damn bit of difference, but hey it’s going to be entertaining!
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