Can you really have a round table if there are only two participants? Well, Darrell and I figured we’d try. We literally sat down at a round table. It was awkward. We felt like moving to a rectangular table. But we held strong, and had the following discussion on the state of professional wrestling.
I hope you enjoy, and especially hope that it spurs some further conversation. Whether you agree with us or not, we’d love to hear from you!
J Sizzle:
If TNA declared war when they signed Hulk Hogan, then Vince really knows how to fire a return salvo. Bret Hart was pretty big for the beginning of this year.
But way beyond that is everything else WWE has done. The rise of young talent is almost unreal. Seeing guys like Swagger and Sheamus winning WWE and World titles is not only unusual in the sense that they’re young, but unusual in the sense that they’ve made it believable and each has done a decent job of rising to what Vince has demanded of them.
NXT stumbled out of the gates, and had some of the worst WWE television moments I can recall (I’d rather watch Duke Droese fight the Bastion Booger than another obstacle course where Lil Naitch referrees a soda chugging contest). But Daniel Bryan has been great, and Monday night’s events were reminiscent of old nWo days… but almost more shocking somehow. The crappiness of NXT made me not expect much out of them, but there they all were as a single unit, taking over the show.
Going back to TNA, it’s great to see that WWE has recognized the need to develop and push young talent, as TNA had done in the past. Now TNA is just like old WCW, with the washed up favorites of times past… WWE still utilizes the veterans, but they mix the two well.
Darrell:
I agree with all those points completely. I’ve completely lost interest in TNA. At first, it was because it changed its name from iMpact! to just TNA Wrestling, and my TiVo couldn’t figure out the difference. Then, it conflicted with some other show(s) I was recording; by the time I got back around to watching it, it was much less fun and a billion times older than I remembered. The best thing the WWF did in the last five years was to put Ric Flair out to pasture in a dignified manner. Digging up his bones (alongside Hogan’s, Sting’s, and yes, even Foley’s) has just been insulting. Stop letting them wrestle!
Also, switching to the four-sided ring was the signal to me that TNA was no longer interested in being different and innovative. I never was married to the idea of the hexagon, but Christ, if you’re gonna have an identity, stick with it. That said, TNA is a terrible name for a company.
The one thing TNA had over Vince was that their young talent was so exciting. For about a year there, I was more excited about AJ Styles and Black Machismo than almost anyone on the WWF roster. TNA had youth and fun, while WWF was staging pointless hour-long matches between Cena and Michaels.
Then it all turned around — Santino became funny; Sheamus, Swagger, Ziggler, and Morrison became entertaining stars (less so for Swagger as far as I’m concerned, but he’s pulled his weight well enough). Even the Miz turned into a good wrestler. We’re seeing less and less of HHH, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Kane, and Mark Henry, and surprisingly enough, the company’s much better for it. With that in mind (and at the risk of sounding blasphemous), I think the addition of Bret Hart has been something of a step backward.
I liked the RAW ending when the NXT stars ripped apart the stage. It was a bit overlong, but it continues the message that Vince finally heard after years of fans’ complaining: develop some new blood or we’re gonna get bored. Even stupid experiments like the obstacle course were at least something new.
I am curious to see what they do with the NXT takeover. I never watched WCW, so any nWo similarities will be lost on me. But I do know that there might be a similarity with an angle TNA tried, then fucked up royally: a legitimate feud between young and old. I’m not sure if they (or anyone) can do it in a truly interesting way, but the idea excites me. I would love to see a lengthy back-and-forth between the benefits of youth and experience that goes beyond TNA’s approach (Young wrestler: “GIVE ME A CHANCE! WAAH!” Old wrestler: “SHOW SOME RESPECT! GRUMBLE…”)
As for your last question: will TNA have an answer for the long term? I don’t know — maybe offer Shawn Michaels five million dollars?