Jan 4th- Monday Night Raw vs TNA iMPACT

[TLC]

I don't think Jeff will actually perform or be a part of the show I believe like everyone else has said that he is just backstage to show support to his friend.

If he did do anything on the show then I believe he is a fucking moron and and dick for turning his back on the WWE after all they did for him. Its not as if him being in TNA will give him anything that WWE can't except maybe do drugs without being suspended. He left WWE to do that reality or something like that so why would he go to TNA. He isn't that dumb I hope. I will have lost my respect for him if he does go to TNA after WWE shot him to the moon giving him countless championships and great fueds. Being one of the main faces of the WWE in which he blows is all away by going to TNA for some reason.

If he isn't a dumbass then he shouldn't take any offer from TNA or Hulk Hogan so that if he does want to come back to wrestling then he still got a chance to go to WWE where he would have a much better career there. Also I personally dont think TNA needs him except for the fact to bring all his fans over. The X Division has wrestlers who can do things that he can do and do it better in fact. If Jeff is smart he will leave TNA well alone.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Ok well let's stop and think back to the original Monday night wars...

Anybody remember when Rick Rude showed up on Monday Night Nitro the same day he formed DX with HHH, Shawn, & Chyna? They didn't hype that up at all, and it ended up being a big draw for WCW.

Further more, Lex Luger showed up to WCW at one point and he wasn't on the bill either, yet he ended up becoming a big deal for them.

That's just the kind of thing TNA needs right now to get them in the go. And if you ask me, there's no better way to shock the fans than to not announce someone coming but just have them show up.

 

[Billie Jean]

I personally don't think he will appear on the show. He cannot and surely would not turn his back on the WWE for what they have given him especially in the past year or so. He was made the top dog in his profession and decided to give it up. Why would he leave for such a lower company even if it has a future? And surely they can't be offering him the same amount of money that Vince could, could they? I feel that this was just a way to get more viewers to tune into their program and is actually very well done, as a lot of people follow Twitter and will be eager to see if Jeff does indeed turn up. And if he doesn't, she won't be lying. For all we know she could just have meant he was going to be backstage. Clever.

However, if he were to appear. I feel it would involve him bashing the living shit out of the WWE and Vince in particular for their mis use of superstars, their bad treatment of divas and the many related drug problems that goes on. He could go as far as to make a Benoit reference. If he does appear, which I still don't think he will, I don't think he will wrestle.

But Jeff Hardy is a grown man. He has kind of fucked up recently since his departure from WWE and I can't see him throwing away a potential future with another company for a one time shot to get back at Vince for a little shoot promo CM Punk did. Jeff Hardy will have and should have, court case of course, more important things on his mind.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Except at this point, WCW already had an established audience, and this audience got to see Rude or Luger because they were watching anyway. Plus there were no internet spoiler back then either. If Rick Rude (RIP) or Lex Luger (impossible) tried to do such a thing today it couldn't be done, because everyone would know about it ahead of time. And their WWF contracts would be structured with "no-compete" clauses to make it impossible.

TNA wouldn't try to use Hardy as a surprise because few people would be surprised. Because they wouldn't know he's there. Because they'd be tuned in to USA, oblivious to Hardy being on Spike. TNA would have to hype it in advance to get people to change the channel in the first place.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Without reading the remainder of the posts, here's how I feel about the situation.

1. If Jeff Hardy does appear on the show - and taking it one step further if he signed with TNA again - that means two things. First, TNA is willing to overlook Jeff's history to make a splash. Meaning they will take more chances than WWE will, which makes sense, since TNA is going for broke.

2. Second, I believe it will squash any potential push for Matt Hardy, and will eventually lead to Matt also jumping ship to TNA. Vince has shown those colors before, a certain level of vindictiveness. If Jeff goes to compete with them, I could see Matt being punished for it.

 

[OIL]

Does anyone else expect TNA to get the same rating as they always do? I still think they'll get 1.0, or at the most a 1.2. Yeah, this is a big night but I'm not sure even the lure of Hulk Hogan will be big enough to draw in THAT many fans. Don't get me wrong, TNA should increase their viewership because of him, no doubt. But I'm not expecting them to get anywhere near a 2.0.

 

[NSL]

So, Dixie is in charge of the company, and she's not sure what Jeff Hardy's doing at the arena? Someone get me a shot glass and some Beefeater, this is going to be a long night.

He's going to be there to witness the event, and support his friend (Shannon Moore). I'm sure he'll try to rub elbows with Hogan, but I don't think he'll be coming back, and I don't want him back. As IC said, TNA is going for broke, and this is a risk they really can't afford to take.

 

[NSL]

TNA has fired off the first shot, announcing an X Division Steel Asylum for Impact tonight. I'm guessing this will open, much like I thought an Ultimate X would. We'll get a good 10 minutes of action, with a ton of high spots, and a chance to showcase the division that kept TNA afloat through it's history. This is a great sign of what to expect tonight, at least from the in-ring aspect, and should be a great match to build the show off of.

We'll also get to see both Knockout's titles defended, so WWE fans can tune in to watch Tara, and new fans will also get to see the depth of the division with the KO Tag Title match.

 

[Super Crazy]

I for one hope Jeff does not sign with/ or has not been offered a contract from TNA. While Hardy would draw away a lot of the WWE fans, Hardy would be a huge risk to take back in with his history. Does TNA forget Hardy has no showed their events a few times also?

I have to say I agree with IC25 too, Hardy signing with the competition would just squash Matt Hardy into become a jobber, hell I'd go as far to say that if Jeff even appears on TNA tonight, Matt will be tossed out of the ECW battle royal within seconds.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I think it's funny that people would be so surprised to see Jeff Hardy actually appear on camera. His 90 day No Compete Clause with WWE is up. He hasn't worked for them since August of last year. He's finished. I'm not getting the big shock on why supposedly this isn't going to happen. He isn't going to go all the way to Impact just to stay backstage and "support his friend Shannon Moore".

And nor is Dixie going to Tweet this if he isn't going to do anything on camera. Thus far, Dixie has shown to be a very fan friendly President and she isn't going to mislead people like this, because she seems to have enough sense to know it would bite her in the ass with her fans in the long run.

Sid I do think you are jumping the gun by saying he is going to be on air. A bunch of us know that Jeff is very good friends with Shannon Moore. If one of my best friends asked me to go to his or her show for support, unless I had an emergency, I would be there. From what I have heard, Jeff only said he would be in Florida, and we check out the show. It is only speculation that he will be out in front of the crowd.

Now, if Jeff does end up going out and cutting a promo or being in a match, I do believe it would be the final nail in the coffin when it comes to Jeff's WWE future. I don't know who he would face if he does, but it would be interesting to see. He has a huge following, and would definitely help out TNA gain a newer audience. The thing is, I just can't see Jeff cutting a promo about the WWE, when they never screwed him over at all.

Can't agree with you here. Vince will take Jeff back after this and once Jeff's legal troubles die down because Jeff makes whatever company he is working for money. That is all Vince cares about is "can you make money for my company". If you can, which obviously Jeff can, Vince will take him back.

I also agree with the notion that Matt Hardy would bear the brunt of Vince's furor as Vince would want to take it out on someone in the short term. That would be the perfect excuse for Vince to end Matt's WWE career. So I think it would be great to see Matt go to TNA, and hope he would. That way, TNA can have both Hardy's working for them.

 

[andres torti]

Maybe if WWE would have made just a normal show today maye TNA would have won audience.But with WWE bringing back Bret i dont think they are even going to have a change.Plus,i was allways a really really big fan of WCW,with the NWO.But lets face it....Scott Hall(really old,just look how he looks now),KEvin Nash(the same),Hulk hogan...

The only thing what would help TNA tonight would be Jeff Hardy and Goldberg for example

 

[andres torti]

I´m going to watch RAW.I want to see Bret tonight Tomorrow i will see TNA.

 

[andres torti]

I dont know,im shocked really...I dont think he is just going there for only watching the show.If he is there,he is going to do something.But one thing is clear,if he does do something for TNA...he would be never getting back to WWE.VInce would kill him

 

[onemandynasty08]

I think all wrestling fans should tune in to both shows tonight. I haven't even really watched either TNA or WWE consistently for months, but them going head to head makes me excited to see what could possibly happen tonight.

TNA has one hour to pull out all the stops. Hulk Hogan alone is not going to draw in big fans. He's made various returns to wrestling throughout the decade and he's kind of old news now. While he might make some old fans turn in to see what he's going to do, TNA has to draw fans to their product and their current stars. The company has to make new fans begin to love the stars that they have made. The X-Division took a big part in helping TNA get to where it is tonite, and with 3 hours they definitely have to make that a part of the show. One of the downsides is however that I see TNA going the route of WCW bringing old recycled stars to build interest. However, there are so many other choices on TV and people will tune out very quick if they don't see something to draw them in.

On the otherhand with WWE, even though Bret Hart is old, he hasn't been on WWE TV really since Survivor Series 1997. The Hall of Fame stuff doesn't really count. WWE is going to try to bury TNA before they even get a head start. For many years they have been able to relax, but tonite they have something to prove. They want to prove they are the #1 company.

However, I feel that the best thing right now for TNA Fans and WWE Fans is to watch both shows, because if TNA could happen to pull big ratings tonight, this would only mean better WWE Television and better TNA television. It could be a win-win for both companies.

 

[D-Man]

Listen, I'm excited about tonight, but come on now. Does anyone else feel like TNA is just going to be a little bit too much hype for not enough information?

We all know that when we turn on Raw, we're going to see good television. We've got confirmed matches including Kofi vs Orton and JeriShow vs. DX for the titles. Also, there's some more insight to HBK's challenge to the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Plus, we've got Bret Hart's infamous return which is being hyped up as its own section of possible storylines. And considering that Bret's dismissal from the WWE in 1997 left so many open ended questions, fans will be dying to tune in.

Now, let's look at TNA. Hogan's coming back, and he's "bringing friends." Meanwhile, a bunch of old names are being signed left and right, and just as many are being teased. But that's it. We know NOTHING about their show tonight. Supposedly, it's another genesis of TNA's programming. They're leading us to believe that Bischoff is going to step up in a TV role, Russo is going to confront Hogan, the nWo might make a comeback, and a few surprises may happen along the way. But what surprises? How does ANY of this tie together like Bret's return in the WWE? And everyone wants to throw Jeff Hardy out there? As far as we know, he's only going there to support his childhood friend, Shannon Moore. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't we all sick and tired of the nWo during WCW's demise? And weren't we sick and tired of Hogan, Nash, Hall, Russo and Bischoff hogging the spotlight with their off-the-wall antics and storylines? It's amazing how short the memories of pro-wrestlings fans are...

Fact of the matter is that TNA viewers don't have a fucking clue as to what's in store for us. TNA has put so much hype on Hogan and his "friends" that they're taking focus off the most important element of their organization... the TNA World Title. I mean, has anyone even mentioned AJ Styles in the past two weeks? What about Amazing Red? Eric Young, anyone?? Nope. Every single title holder in TNA is forgotten in the Hulk Hogan blitz. Way to go, TNA. You've already taken your first steps to becoming the WCW of old. You've completely overshadowed your titles and younger talent by allowing your veterans to swallow the spotlight.

At least I know that when I turn on Raw tonight I'm going to see two great matches spawned from two good feuds (with one of them being a title match), some further building of a Cena vs. Sheamus feud for the World Title, and the return of a legend that fans have been begging for him to resurface for the past 12 years. (Remember, Hogan is thrusting himself back into the spotlight... no one asked for it.)

Granted, I'll be watching both shows. But I won't fall victim to the hype. While TNA prematurely drops their full load since Hogan believes his return to television warrants such a television broadcast, the WWE will continue to put on solid, weekly broadcasts without worrying about their competition. And I'm sure that the WWE will get more advertising from TNA's show than from their own, since TNA is going to continue to constantly call out the WWE by name, making themselves look even weaker in the process.

My suggestion to everyone is this: Watch both shows but don't fall victim to the hype of either one.

 

[Super Crazy]

Listen, I'm excited about tonight, but come on now. Does anyone else feel like TNA is just going to be a little bit too much hype for not enough information?

We all know that when we turn on Raw, we're going to see good television. We've got confirmed matches including Kofi vs Orton and JeriShow vs. DX for the titles. Also, there's some more insight to HBK's challenge to the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Plus, we've got Bret Hart's infamous return which is being hyped up as its own section of possible storylines. And considering that Bret's dismissal from the WWE in 1997 left so many open ended questions, fans will be dying to tune in.

Now, let's look at TNA. Hogan's coming back, and he's "bringing friends." Meanwhile, a bunch of old names are being signed left and right, and just as many are being teased. But that's it. We know NOTHING about their show tonight. Supposedly, it's another genesis of TNA's programming. They're leading us to believe that Bischoff is going to step up in a TV role, Russo is going to confront Hogan, the nWo might make a comeback, and a few surprises may happen along the way. But what surprises? How does ANY of this tie together like Bret's return in the WWE? And everyone wants to throw Jeff Hardy out there? As far as we know, he's only going there to support his childhood friend, Shannon Moore. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't we all sick and tired of the nWo during WCW's demise? And weren't we sick and tired of Hogan, Nash, Hall, Russo and Bischoff hogging the spotlight with their off-the-wall antics and storylines? It's amazing how short the memories of pro-wrestlings fans are...

Fact of the matter is that TNA viewers don't have a fucking clue as to what's in store for us. TNA has put so much hype on Hogan and his "friends" that they're taking focus off the most important element of their organization... the TNA World Title. I mean, has anyone even mentioned AJ Styles in the past two weeks? What about Amazing Red? Eric Young, anyone?? Nope. Every single title holder in TNA is forgotten in the Hulk Hogan blitz. Way to go, TNA. You've already taken your first steps to becoming the WCW of old. You've completely overshadowed your titles and younger talent by allowing your veterans to swallow the spotlight.

At least I know that when I turn on Raw tonight I'm going to see two great matches spawned from two good feuds (with one of them being a title match), some further building of a Cena vs. Sheamus feud for the World Title, and the return of a legend that fans have been begging for him to resurface for the past 12 years. (Remember, Hogan is thrusting himself back into the spotlight... no one asked for it.)

Granted, I'll be watching both shows. But I won't fall victim to the hype. While TNA prematurely drops their full load since Hogan believes his return to television warrants such a television broadcast, the WWE will continue to put on solid, weekly broadcasts without worrying about their competition. And I'm sure that the WWE will get more advertising from TNA's show than from their own, since TNA is going to continue to constantly call out the WWE by name, making themselves look even weaker in the process.

My suggestion to everyone is this: Watch both shows but don't fall victim to the hype of either one.

I agree with this 100%. Raw has confirmed matches and what not, the WWE viewers know what they can expect on Raw. The TNA viewers has nothing guaranteed but Hulk Hogan and a bunch of rumors.

But you know what, I wouldn't have it any other way. Instead of confirming tons of matches and appearances, they are leaving it open. They are leaving the fans to wonder what's going to happen tonight.

The only thing the WWE fans have to wonder about is what Bret Hart is going to do, how he will interact with Shawn/Triple H and McMahon.

TNA I believe has two confirmed matches, I believe Tara vs ODB is confirmed and so is Taylor Wilde and Sarita against Awesome Kong and Hamada with the belts on the line. Now we all know, that TNA's Knockout division is a staple of TNA. So I believe it's a smart move to advertise these two matches for the fans. To me this says, TNA fans, we've got two great Knockouts matched planned for you guys, and also, for you WWE fans who are tired of the division there, come check out ours, where the women really wrestle.

I cannot wait. I personally will be watching both, but I'll be in the TNA Live Discussion ONLY tonight. I just have to say , just as D-Man said, don't get over hyped though, because you may set yourself up for some major disappointments.

 

[Super Crazy]

As I said in the other forum, I hope this is not true. The last thing I want to see right now is Jeff Hardy on iMPACT!. The guy needs to stay away from wrestling for a while in my opinion. I'd say maybe in another year, I would not mind this so much, but right now, it's ridiculous. Not only does it crush his chances of EVER being allowed back in a WWE ring if he even so much as appears on the broadcast tonight, but it also hurts his brother Matt, and anything good they have planned for his character in the future.

However, should Jeff Hardy appear, I don't expect the viewers to switch over, as whatever TNA does with him will not be the same as the WWE. Hardy is midcard at best in TNA, main event in WWE.

In my opinion Jeff Hardy needs to sit at home and work out his issues, especially his current legal troubles. The last thing he needs to worry about is wrestling.

 

[Belladonna29]

While actually signing Hardy at this point would be a major coup for TNA ( he was arguable the biggest face in the company before he left), I don't think that's what's happening.
Sure, TNA has a lighter schedule and Hardy would probably be immediately be pushed into the title picture off of his name value with casual fans alone.
But as far as I know, he left the WWE without burning any bridges and showing up on Impact tonight wouldn't exactly go over well with Vince, as he's taking TNA as serious enough competition, that he's stacking up Raw tonight.

However, I wouldn't rule out Hardy sitting the crowd and TNA acknowledging that he's there, and perhaps even interviewing him from the crowd, just to get him on screen longer.
I think at this point, because he's such a money-maker for the WWE, if that's all Hardy does, it wouldn't keep Vince from wanting to hire him back ( basically, he's way more valuable to the WWE than the dude from the Highlanders ).

Of course, he could just be hanging out backstage and doesn't go on camera at all. But it is smart of Dixie to at least throw his appearance as a possibility.
Hardy was a major WWE star that wouldn't fall into the category of being a 'reject' to their fans, so having him show up might engage those fans would be a good move.
Now, if TNA knew for awhile that he was going to show up and didn't promote it, you could argue that as a big mistake on their part.
But if the idea was for Hardy to be one of the 'surprises' they've teased, then I'd say more than a few people will be shocked to see him on Impact, especially the casual fans that may be watching.

So while anything is possible, I'm leaning towards Hardy making a brief on-screen appearance at the most. At this point, there's no indication that he's doing more than hanging out with Shannon.

 

[shanezam203]

I'm hoping this time tomorrow we aren't complaining how much we would have done tonight differently. I think this anticipation is FUN and half the battle.

There are so many possiblities it makes it interesting. Like last week when Vince did the Bret Hart bit, the video was nice but overall I wasn't impressed with the HBK/ Undertaker piece and then Vince introducing Bret, then not, then saying he is guest host, then not... too much back and forth.

Hogan coming in, I am excited for yet how many times have we seen him come and go? But I HOPE for something new, exciting, revolutionary this time...

So I hope I wont have similar feelings after tonight. Like when we were kids, sometimes dreaming is better than reality? Or what is the saying people in good relationships say “You Know You're in Love When You Can't Fall Asleep Because Reality Is Finally Better than Your Dreams.”

We'll see in 6 hours. Shane

 

[Belladonna29]

To a certain extent, I would say that this has been overhyped.

Especially on the TNA side of things were everyone possible surprise appearance and layout for the show has been dissected, evaluated and critiqued.

Unless TNA beats the WWE in the ratings tonight ( which is highly unlikely ) Impact is still going to move back to Thursdays for the foreseeable future; so some might wonder how much this is all going to mean overall.

The same thing applies to the WWE, with all this hype surrounding Hart coming back; as far as I know, he's going to be gone after Wrestlemania, so who knows how long changes in the overall quality of Raw will last once he's gone.

That being said, I think all the excitement is understandable. In terms of competition, that hasn't been much to be excited about in a while.

Growing up as pro wrestling fans in the 80's and 90' as many of us did, we probably took for granted having viable and popular alternatives available to us and all the interest that came with it. There's a clamoring to get that type of hype back again, and despite how far behind TNA is collectively, their the closest thing we've got to being 'competition'.

 

[onemandynasty08]

If we want better wrestling then we have to stand behind TNA. WWE has a loyal fanbase who will stick behind them no matter what, and without competition they can do whatever they want. WWE knows when and how to bring big ratings when they want to. Without competition WWE has no true need to give us excellent tv. However, with TNA here and ready to compete WWE doesn't know what to expect.

Nobody is expecting Hulk Hogan to draw TNA a 4.0 rating for IMPACT! tonight. However, he is going to expose new TNA fans to IMPACT! Even though they are not going to move to Mondays permanently right now, if things go well they could be back in a couple of months. However, they are more than likely are going to promote their Thursday Night timeslot alot tonight, and potentially get more fans to watch their and build up their fanbase a bit more before coming back.

For all the critics of TNA who say that TNA is full of washed up wrestlers and WWE rejects, some of these wrestlers WWE just clearly dropped the ball with. WWE lets these wrestlers go to TNA, then offer them a bigger deal only to do the same thing with them. Look at Christian, he went to TNA and was the World Champion, but went back to WWE to end up on ECW. Who even watches that trash. WWE uses their money to keep these wrestlers. However, TNA actually gives some of these wrestlers the chance to shine, and some of them have alot of potential with the right direction. You also need people who fans know to keep them interested. If you open up a wrestling company with a roster full of nobodies, people have no reason to stick around. Hopefully TNA is going to use the old guys to build a fanbase, then slowly build the new guys up, and eventually push the old guys they don't need away slowly as well.

 

[MrMcCool]

Someone said TNA succeeding would help decrease the amount of has beens around. That's funny because on their big historic Impact episode TNA is bringing in Flair, Nasty Boys, Waltman, Hall, someone else I cant remember, and the biggest has been in HOGAN. TNA is relying on has beens to promote their historic show!!!

 

[TheGreatOne1]

I believe that this is not over hyped in any way, shape or form. This is one of the biggest nights in wrestling and god knows its needed. i mean what is there not to get excited about, Bret Hart is returning to WWE after 12 years of the most contreversial thing to happen in wrestling history, so who knows what is going to happen ! I think that the Hogan thing though could do with a bit more of a bigger push, lets face it Hogan thinks he is the biggest and best thing in wrestling, when he isn't, now tha is my opinion.

 

[trailerboy]

TNA is offering the best for me as a wrestling fan. WWE hasn't done anything to impress me since WrestleMania last year. I don't feel like watching a 2 Hour Kids show just to see Bret Hart hit McMahon again (MAYBE). I may watch one of the syndicated shows we get out here on the Island (It's still called WWF RAW is WAR for some reason). But in short I support TNA tonight and dont care about WWE.

 

[DarkAngel]

I'm so fired up for tonight. Kind of a big deal to me since I was always a hot head for the Monday Night Wars. If TNA hits at LEAST a 2 I'd say they made an impact. Solutes to TNA for giving Vince something to think about!

TNA TNA TNA!