I knew there was a good reason I started watching wrestling again. It is more exciting now than it has been in years. Between Total Nonstop Action doing everything it can to make a big push against World Wrestling Entertainment, and WWE forming what it considers to be a card of the year’s biggest bouts leading into WrestleMania at the end of the month, there’s no shortage of excitement as a wrestling fan. Of course, the moves made by these companies in recent weeks haven’t all been solid gold, but that makes it no less fun to be following things as they unfold.
TNA did it. They pulled the trigger. Monday night, March 8, TNA is moving to Monday nights live on Spike TV, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time, putting it head to head with WWE’s Monday Night Raw. The live Monday back in January was supposed to be a test for such a move, and apparently it went well enough for TNA to roll with the plans for direct competition. And once again, at the top of the bill for the big show is Hulk Hogan.
Hogan has continued to be a figure in TNA since debuting back in January, but he’s making his in-ring return March 8, when he teams with Abyss to take on Ric Flair and TNA champion A.J. Styles. There’s no doubt his name is a draw, and while in the long run I hope to see the young talent take over TNA, Hogan’s billing is a smart move to bring in the viewers. What I’m unsure about is why Abyss got into the mix. Unless it’s a setup for a Hulk Hogan heel turn, Abyss is the odd man out in the equation – a somewhat underrated wrestling talent with a character that borders on a mental handicap. As his character stands, he’s just not main event material. And while the match might not have been as impressive, I would think Hogan vs. Flair, one on one, could have been a bigger draw from the company.
I would expect any surprises TNA has left up its sleeve to come early in the show Monday, as a way to try grabbing viewers from WWE. There have been a few different rumors of wrestling talent to be signed, but we’ll have to wait and see who shows up. I’m also very interested to see what comes of Jeff Hardy, who as many may have noticed has not appeared in TNA since the debut show, when he acquired something and left. The team of Lethal Consequences, which I was really starting to like, has been almost absent from television since the start of the Hogan era. Either way, it would be safe to expect an attempt at a bombastic show Monday, along with another on March 15, when TNA will have to contend with the WWE return of Stone Cold Steven Austin.
Time will tell if the move to Monday night works. Much of it rests on the business end, properly marketing the show to provide it enough attention to give it a chance to compete, but after the product’s shaky start to the year, thing are starting to level out. The “behind-the-scenes” business stories need to go though. I think one of the biggest things to have hurt wrestling in the last decade is the on-screen general managers and match booking character on television. Things unfold as business stories, rather than in-ring wrestling dramas. It’s an easy way to make the big boss villain, and provide more adversity for the faces, but ultimately it’s cheap, bad writing. Getting tired of the Jeff Jarrett trying to get back into the company he created angle. Let’s move on with some better stories.
On the WWE side, the “Road to Wrestlemania” is about halfway paved. Five matches have been officially announced.
They are as follows:
- World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Edge
- WWE Champion Batista vs. John Cena
- The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels
- Bret Hart vs. Mr. McMahon
- Money in the Bank Ladder Match
WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay per view sets the stage for the WrestleMania bouts, and WWE wasted no time setting up three of them the night after on Monday Night Raw. The Chris Jericho vs. Edge bout came as little surprise to anyone who saw Edge win the Rumble, and the confrontations he had with Jericho leading to Elimination Chamber. It came down to Jericho and Undertaker in the Chamber, when Shawn Michaels emerged from under the ring, inside the chamber, to Superkick Taker and cost him the strap. As the match already wasn’t much of a surprise, Raw started with Jericho the following night, gloating that he’s “Going to Wrestlemania!” Edge came out, speared him, and declared it would be to face him.
Unfortunately, the setup also means a Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker rematch is on. Rather than give some new talent a shot, we’re getting a rehash of last year’s “Match of the Year,” as declared by WWE. This time, though, Shawn Michaels will put his career on the line against Undertaker’s undefeated Mania streak. There’s a good chance fans will get a fair match out of it, but both of these guys should consider retiring after this year. And if Michaels loses, he better not cheapen the story by returning three months down the road through some silly loophole.
The other chamber match solidified the Raw title match, but in much stranger fashion. John Cena actually forced Triple H to submit to win the championship previously held by Sheamus, but as soon as the match ended, Vince McMahon and Batista appeared. McMahon forced Cena to defend immediately, and Batista easily picked up the title over the exhausted Cena. The following night on Raw, it was explained that in return for Batista acting as McMahon’s henchman, he received a title shot any time he wanted, which he cashed in following the chamber match. McMahon offered Cena a WrestleMania rematch, but only if he could defeat Batista on Raw. Oddly, Batista continued his unexplained weird streak by purposely getting disqualified and giving Cena the shot.
More on WrestleMania matchups and TNA’s live show Monday in the next report!
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