TNA stepping up to the plate!

[DarkAngel]

What balls these guys have! They are serious about contending here and they went STRAIGHT to the heart of the now highly proposed Bret Hart returning to WWE. This is TNA's way of selling that no matter how bad you want to see Vince/Hart, it was STILL a screwjob and we got your attention. I certainly wasn't expecting that. BRILLIANT!

I'm loving this right now. TNA is getting BETTER and BETTER with wrestling quality and storyline. It's still going to take time to set up, as we can now see a civil war brewing in the TNA ranks and in my opinion they are selling it NICELY. For the people who didn't want the nWo, well, you're not getting it. Love the direction of "that was then, this is now" from Hogan, and I can actually say that Hogan does a great job at being the man in charge.

No matter if YOU like it or not, I'm loving the TNA program and shit will now start hitting the fan going into the Monday Night Wars when it gets heated up in the near future. I've watched TNA for years, and last night iMPACT! was not only highly entertaining, but it made me want to come back and say.. "Man, I really can't wait for next Thursday!"

Good for TNA to step up in the midst of the fans, the "Crucial Crew" and the heart of the WWE and what's happenin' over there and letting them know they got their attention.

Whether you like it or not, TNA TNA TNA!

 

[trendkiller]

"Man, I really can't wait for next Thursday!"

I felt exactly the same way. While there were parts of iMPACT worth complaining about, the positives outweighed the negatives by a large margin. And the cliffhanger ending with Bischoff and, moments before that, Hogan and Angle, was simply awesome.

I find myself marking out, and it's been a long, long time since I did that.

 

[andymcg]

Couldn't agree more with the both of you guys, TNA right now is improving every single week. And for everyone complaining about old guys coming back bla bla bla bla, the storylines right now are worth watching even if they do have some tv time.

Its been a LONG time since ive been excited to catch the next installment of a wrestling companys "episode" you could call it, and im already eager to see what will happen next Thursday.

TNA is stepping up, and for everyone who said Hogan and Bischoff would run TNA to the ground, IMO 3/4 weeks in and i must say they are definitely making TNA a better product.

 

[Suneeboy]

Stepping up to the plate is the perfect way to put it. What TNA is currently doing is building storylines. Has anyone noticed that everyone is involved in a story? Did anyone who is bitching and moaning realize that the storylines are not about titles they are PERSONAL? Did anyone realize that TNA is willing to think outside of the box? I’ve never been this entertained by a wrestling show ever. Not even the WWE Attitude Era had me this captivated. I cannot WAIT until next Thursday, as I am going to be glued to my TV to see what is going to happen.

This is so much fun. I’m so into it that I have stopped reading TNA backstage news and I never read spoilers. I want to go into Impact completely surprised so I can get the full experience. Its only 2 hours once a week…I need to appreciate that little bit of time I get to enjoy a good wrestling show.

 

[neildittmar]

Agreed!

TNA is quickly becoming a wrestling fans wrestling program. Even seeing the Nastys in action last night wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The "screwjob" ending to the Angle/Styles match was certainly a shocker, but they emulated Bret/Vince '97 a little too much for my liking. Maybe that was the point... I don't know. Angle saved the bit with his performance though... his emotion and the threat of him going to WWE felt real to me and the fact Hogan let him spit right in his face further legitimized things.

Pope took a loss, which was sad to see given his momentum recently, but I guess Orlando Jordan couldn't lose his debut match with the company. The leg injury from Genesis certainly played a part in that loss which was a smart thing to do in my opinon. Pope has an excuse why he lost to Jordan, hopefully either setting up a rematch in the future or moving Pope past that.

I'm still intrigued with the whole "band" thing. We all know that Hall and Waltman are on borrowed time in the company, and TNA is playing to that fact nicely. Was last night really the last of them in TNA? It very well could be. How is Nash going to "fix it?" If push comes to shove, will he side with Hogan (his boss) or Hall/Waltman (his buddies)?

My only real problem with last night was Abyss and how he's being used. I always wanted to see him be the second coming of heel Mankind, but last night he was made to look goofy and weak. He should've been chasing Anderson around with a barbed-wire baseball bat, not sneaking up behind him giggling like a school girl. Perhaps cutting into Andersons skull with the bat WHILE giggling like a school girl would've been a good compromise. Likewise, the bit with him being all apologetic to Bischoff could've worked too had he been smashing himself into the wall or otherwise injuring himself while it was happening. THAT is the character I want to see out of Abyss as I'm sure he could play it to perfection.

All in all though, a great show. Can't wait for next week.

 

[thebigbadfox]

While I wont completely agree with everything said so far... I will agree at least TNA is headed in the right direction. I missed first 20 mins of Impact (late night at work) but seriously there is too much talent now and too many of the people I love are going to get left out if they do not fix one thing and that is adding another hour to IMpact or a second show even if it is a one hour show.... not enough time to get all the old and young guys over in two hours.... also I am not sold on the 4 sided ring but it did have a more real feel to it...

 

[smalltownfan]

Man, TNA is really, really good right now. Last night may have been the best show yet because of the unexpected turn of events towards the end. Adding Mr. Anderson was a good move especially considering his mic skills. How about AJ Styles and his conversion to the 21st Century Nature Boy? Have you noticed how many young wrestlers have succeeded with Flair around? HHH, Batista, and Orton come to mind. AJ will be right up there. I'll tell you the other thing I loved about last night and that is the profanity-laced tirade of Angle towards Hogan. Spike has to bleep out every other word and WWE won't even go near that type of language barrier right now which opens the door for TNA. They are serious and they are for real. Now let's see if they can keep it up.

 

[DarkAngel]

Stepping up to the plate is the perfect way to put it. What TNA is currently doing is building storylines. Has anyone noticed that everyone is involved in a story? Did anyone who is bitching and moaning realize that the storylines are not about titles they are PERSONAL? Did anyone realize that TNA is willing to think outside of the box? I’ve never been this entertained by a wrestling show ever. Not even the WWE Attitude Era had me this captivated. I cannot WAIT until next Thursday, as I am going to be glued to my TV to see what is going to happen.

This is so much fun. I’m so into it that I have stopped reading TNA backstage news and I never read spoilers. I want to go into Impact completely surprised so I can get the full experience. Its only 2 hours once a week…I need to appreciate that little bit of time I get to enjoy a good wrestling show.

+1. Good post. I do the same thing. In the past, some shows I missed on Thursday's were not because I didn't want to watch, it was simply because whatever happened on the iMPACT! before never etched in my brain to come back for next week and I'd simply forget because it never had that wow factor to come back on an already forgetting Thursday night anyhow. I just read spoilers and tuned in that next week.

Now, my legs are bouncing up and down anticipating an HOUR before the show and killing time before iMPACT! comes on. That old feeling is back and I actually bought Genesis, my first PPV in quite a while. I'm stoked and credit Bischoff and Hogan for pulling the audiences in many directions, all for the better. (Loved seeing Flair in rare form as well to start the show. A.J is better off heel! Does a great job.)

 

[LokiCobain]

Absolutely. This is the first time I've seen a thread about TNA to have 5 posts and none of them bashing it. Hopefully it has started to convince the critics.

The criticism of giving the old guys air time is only looking at the short term. They're getting TV time now so that people remember when they cared about them, and then they lose. They attract and bring back the nostalgia. I LOVE what they did bringing back the old school entrance ramp, hopefully that's a permanent fixture. I'd like them to bring back the six sided ring eventually, but I get what they're going for. Long term, giving guys like Hall and Waltman and Nasty Boys the TV time they're getting is going to pay off, and with Hall and Waltman, it looks like their sole purpose is to show "This isn't nWo", and Hogan and Bischoff are making that clearer and clearer every week. Once the ancient criticisms of Hogan die down, the critics will look at TNA in a different light. Even Mark Madden, who I enjoy on this site, only bashed TNA's future because of Hogan's personality, which appears to be completely hidden.

I actually rearranged my schedule so I could be home Thursday nights.

 

[lamo78]

You make decent points, but I still won't watch it. The last thing I want to turn on and see are old timers who can't go like they used to. The Nasty Boys? Seriously? They are only there because they are Hogan's friends.

I want to remember Hogan, Flair, Foley, Hall, Nash, Steiner, etc. how they were in their prime. I just can't watch them now as they haven't let go.

I know that in WWE there are those who need to go away too. But old timers like Taker and HBK can still put on an entertaining match.

I would like to see TNA use the younger talent they have more rather then go out and get the Nasty Boys.

 

[thebigbadfox]

You make decent points, but I still won't watch it. The last thing I want to turn on and see are old timers who can't go like they used to. The Nasty Boys? Seriously? They are only there because they are Hogan's friends.

I want to remember Hogan, Flair, Foley, Hall, Nash, Steiner, etc. how they were in their prime. I just can't watch them now as they haven't let go.

I know that in WWE there are those who need to go away too. But old timers like Taker and HBK can still put on an entertaining match.

I would like to see TNA use the younger talent they have more rather then go out and get the Nasty Boys.

Seriously... I was watching Impact last night and couldnt help think that Knobbs needed an EMT because he was so freaking out of shape....
I love TNA always have and love it more now that it is getting some more attention but certain things still need to change to take it to the next level... one of them being not using people like the Nasty's

 

[arun_is_wrestling]

Stepping up to the plate is the perfect way to put it. What TNA is currently doing is building storylines. Has anyone noticed that everyone is involved in a story? Did anyone who is bitching and moaning realize that the storylines are not about titles they are PERSONAL? Did anyone realize that TNA is willing to think outside of the box? I’ve never been this entertained by a wrestling show ever. Not even the WWE Attitude Era had me this captivated. I cannot WAIT until next Thursday, as I am going to be glued to my TV to see what is going to happen.

You have got to be kidding me. Tna right now is a piece of shit, ran to the ground by hogan. The attitude era can NEVER be replicated or beaten, ever. Never before did u have the crowd captivated and on their feet. Never before was tv entertaining. Right now, you have storylines that dont make sense. pope vs desmond wolfe for a start. Cool fued atm, however, in the tapings, desmond is teaming up with hernande??? wtf, isnt that man a tag champ right now! and he is a face, wtf is he doing with the wolfe. And also, he's facing angle and ken anderson. Bloody hell, ken anderson was supposed 2 make his way into a fued, possibly with abyss or sumthing. This sucks big time. I dont get it. Then we have the band/nwo. Now since they came on jan 4th, its been cool, cus im a hall, waltman and nash fan, but hogan is a fool. You have hogan saying "things r gonna change" and they havent. Hogan showed us on impact that he isnt the same. Hes not sided with them. But, he seems 2 appear with them in beatdowns, and screwed angle. Now in the tapings, iv read that hogan attacks hall and nash, but 4 what???? why??? Why screw angle then attack the guys beating him up. Not to mention, the band attack kevin nash after his match with foley i think. Tna has booked them to hurt their own man, for nothing. The guy who was defendin hall and waltman on jan 4th. This is reatrded. You make the nwo 4 life crew attack each other. Where is the shock, where is the storyline. Im not interested in tna atm cus its a clusterfuck. You go the crappy crew who think they know the business just cus they r allowed 2 chant what they want. And they come up with the crappiest chants. "sit down brooke???!" screw u, then they say to mr.anderson, "over-rated!" why? whats the point. He is a huge start and thats all they say? It makes tna look like crap, which they are atm. Only storyline that makes sense is angle vs aj and thats lookin alrite, but serously, u said that tna right now is better than the attitude era. You dont what your talking about, honestly, your insane. Tna right now is garbage and wwe is cpativating me atleast. Atleast their storylines makes sense, they usually do. You forumers complain that wwe is a so called soap opera, but it isnt. It justs makes storylines understandable and great. Soz 4 the long post, but your comment is annoying and unbelievable. sort ya self out

 

[Bull_Dawgz]

Have you noticed how many young wrestlers have succeeded with Flair around? HHH, Batista, and Orton come to mind.

HHH was already successful WAY before Flair was part of "Evolution."

While this thread is painful to read, having watched TNA since the weekly ppv's in the early 2000's, I can understand .00001% of whats being said. Older wrestlers coming in is NOT that bad. However, it's one thing to help out a product by using your popularity, and it's another thing to be hired by Hogan just because you two are buddies.

I will TRY and explain:

Team 3-D can put up some good tag team matches. They are former ECW, WCW and WWE stars.

The Nasty Boyz can hardly walk. Brian Knobbs is annoying as hell. There is NO way they are helping out.

Sean Waltman (syxx pac) is still capable of working good matches. His work with AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn were great (then again, i doubt any of you have seen the old TNA.)

While Mr. Anderson MIGHT be a good talker, his in ring abilities weren't that amazing. Instead of Hogan running his mouth about how great and raw the new acquisition was, why not bring in D'Lo Brown and give him another shot in TNA? Yes, D'Lo Brown was also in TNA in 2003-2004 and did well.

THAT is an example of how older stars can help a product grow. NOT Nasty Boyz and bringing in Scott Hall if he isn't mentally and physically well to do matches and cut promos. Also, Mick Foley does NOTHING in TNA except cause problems.

Eric Bischoff is a genius. He is still considered the best general manager of RAW before McMahon released him. RAW Roulette and Elimination Chamber were great additions to the WWE and they both came from Eric Bischoff. But, couple him with Hogan and stupid mistakes like "The Montreal Screwjob: AJ and Angle Edition" happen.

While there are good things happening in TNA, the bad still outweigh the good.

 

[The People's Enemy]

I was never a really big TNA fan until just recently. I abolutely love the way that things are going. I have never said this before but thursday nights are starting to become my favorite night of the week for wrestling and I'm looking forward to see whats going to happen next with bischoff and foley and angle and hogan. I am finally excited again for wrestling, its been a long time!

 

[LokiCobain]

While there are good things happening in TNA, the bad still outweigh the good.

That would be the case if TNA's ratings were plummeting. An increase, no matter how small, isn't having the bads outweigh the good. The purpose of Hall and Waltman on the show is to show how it won't be nWo again, which was a huge negative concern people had. They won't be there long term. They're there to set the record straight on what Hogan's there to do. The Nasty Boys are probably going to be doing more sabotaging than wrestling, and I doubt they'll be there for very long.

 

[DarkAngel]

Stepping up to the plate is the perfect way to put it. What TNA is currently doing is building storylines. Has anyone noticed that everyone is involved in a story? Did anyone who is bitching and moaning realize that the storylines are not about titles they are PERSONAL? Did anyone realize that TNA is willing to think outside of the box? I’ve never been this entertained by a wrestling show ever. Not even the WWE Attitude Era had me this captivated. I cannot WAIT until next Thursday, as I am going to be glued to my TV to see what is going to happen.

You have got to be kidding me. Tna right now is a piece of shit, ran to the ground by hogan. The attitude era can NEVER be replicated or beaten, ever. Never before did u have the crowd captivated and on their feet. Never before was tv entertaining. Right now, you have storylines that dont make sense. pope vs desmond wolfe for a start. Cool fued atm, however, in the tapings, desmond is teaming up with hernande??? wtf, isnt that man a tag champ right now! and he is a face, wtf is he doing with the wolfe. And also, he's facing angle and ken anderson. Bloody hell, ken anderson was supposed 2 make his way into a fued, possibly with abyss or sumthing. This sucks big time. I dont get it. Then we have the band/nwo. Now since they came on jan 4th, its been cool, cus im a hall, waltman and nash fan, but hogan is a fool. You have hogan saying "things r gonna change" and they havent. Hogan showed us on impact that he isnt the same. Hes not sided with them. But, he seems 2 appear with them in beatdowns, and screwed angle. Now in the tapings, iv read that hogan attacks hall and nash, but 4 what???? why??? Why screw angle then attack the guys beating him up. Not to mention, the band attack kevin nash after his match with foley i think. Tna has booked them to hurt their own man, for nothing. The guy who was defendin hall and waltman on jan 4th. This is reatrded. You make the nwo 4 life crew attack each other. Where is the shock, where is the storyline. Im not interested in tna atm cus its a clusterfuck. You go the crappy crew who think they know the business just cus they r allowed 2 chant what they want. And they come up with the crappiest chants. "sit down brooke???!" screw u, then they say to mr.anderson, "over-rated!" why? whats the point. He is a huge start and thats all they say? It makes tna look like crap, which they are atm. Only storyline that makes sense is angle vs aj and thats lookin alrite, but serously, u said that tna right now is better than the attitude era. You dont what your talking about, honestly, your insane. Tna right now is garbage and wwe is cpativating me atleast. Atleast their storylines makes sense, they usually do. You forumers complain that wwe is a so called soap opera, but it isnt. It justs makes storylines understandable and great. Soz 4 the long post, but your comment is annoying and unbelievable. sort ya self out

This is coming from a dude who has the fucking MIZ as his avatar. A Real World , MTV character who seems to ALWAYS need his ass kicked. The Miz is terrible and if it wasn't for the publicity of the young fans, ala the Real World, he would of never sniffed the WWE or wrestling. I'll be nice and shutup now.

BTW: Paragraphs- make friends with it. I'd rather ride a bus through an orphanage than to try to comprehend what you just wrote.

 

[Chadmw]

Also, Mick Foley does NOTHING in TNA except cause problems.

Eric Bischoff is a genius. He is still considered the best general manager of RAW before McMahon released him. RAW Roulette and Elimination Chamber were great additions to the WWE and they both came from Eric Bischoff. But, couple him with Hogan and stupid mistakes like "The Montreal Screwjob: AJ and Angle Edition" happen.

Uhmm, you do know wrestling is scripted right. Mick foley is not actually causing problems in TNA

Bischoff himself did not come up with Raw Roulette and the Elimination chamber, his Character of Eric Bischoff the GM came up with those ideas, but not the real Eric.

But I do agree and from reading this thread I am one of the few that did not like the "Screwjob" part of the show. This was just lazy writing and scripting. Especially don't you think the fans are really going to get sick and tired of the screwjob stuff, with both WWE re-running it all the time with Bret coming back and now it being done in TNA

 

[therealicon86]

dude i want to say that tna is awesome considering how i felt like i was in "wrestling fan pergatory" until hogan and bischoff took over.....i feel that this is going way beter than what i figured considering how i thought hogan would shine the bright lights on him and i think the 4 sided ring was his way of saying lets bring tradition back.

i also have to say that hogan is really suprising me with his totally un-selfish approach to changing tna and he is not playing favorites with non of "the band" and i have to say that i do not have to be scared to buy the new dvd's now i can buyt the old school shit and the new school shit. lol

TNA, TNA, TNA....

 

[LokiCobain]

You forumers complain that wwe is a so called soap opera, but it isnt. It justs makes storylines understandable and great.

They're understandable and like a soap opera because they're incredibly simple and written so that 6 year olds can follow, so congratulations on preferring The Giving Tree to an actual book. It's "he is good, so cheer" vs "he is bad, so boo". There best storyline at the moment is going to manifest into a sad match, and it came out of something real. That's something TNA has been good at. Jarrett screws Angle's wife? Throw that in. Reality isn't black and white like WWE portrays it in their stories, and like how soap operas have their shows. The point is that Hogan and Bischoff, the supposed faces, have their good points and their flaws, while Foley and Jarrett, the supposed heels, have their points as well. In the same PPV, Hogan was cheered, and then boo'd when he told Jarrett it didn't matter that he started the company, everyone starts at 0.

The whole thing is grey and it makes for better television. All the most compelling characters in television in recent years have had this style to them (House, Jethro Gibbs, etc). TNA is taking the legitimate and real concerns people have about TNA/Hogan and using that to make their storylines. Nervous about the nWo reforming? Let's have a storyline where Hogan specifically says things are different. But things are similar because he gives his friends the job and gives them leeway. So which is it? Both, because that's how real life works. You're always going to cut your friends slack, but when you're in charge you have to make executive and objective decisions. When you found a company, you're expected to stay there no matter how bad your performance, and that's a real reaction and people recognize that. But at the end of the day it's about your company, which is what makes Jarrett seem selfish. They're being a drama while WWE is being a soap opera with a touch of ridiculousness (Santino/Hornswaggle/The Flame). Their characters are one dimensional, and the only compelling characters are ones that have been with WWE for over a decade, and it's because character development was important in the 90s. We know nothing about Sheamus. There's nothing there. Nothing with Kofi. Evan Bourne does a cool move. MVP is finally getting over as a face, and the only reason is because he's being blunt about his real past. CM Punk speaks the inconvenient truth about drugs and alcohol, and Jeff Hardy's incident, and that's really him talking with his own beliefs. Chris Jericho, before he said "pandering" one too many times, was being real and personal. What about Sheamus vs Randy Orton? How long did it take before WWE acknowledged that HHH was Vince's son in law? The Attitude Era was all about these personal feuds and real life situations, and that's what made it great. TNA is aiming to use that same formula. Bubba the Love Sponge vs Awesome Kong at the next PPV? Why not.

 

[jaxx]

Wow the forums are really buzzing about the wrestling world, which is good and ultimately what bischoff wants and tna needs. I'm going to hold judgement on the hogan/bischoff experiment to see how this all shakes out. I think we should all be patient and i know its hard, because there are a lot of things i personally don't like, hell i'll just tell you 1 of my gripes and thats bubba the no talent, fat ass luv sponge!

Please get rid of this sorry piece of crap, i'm glad kong kicked his ass, but anyway lets all be patient a little longer to see how this all comes out, because trust me wrestling fans I've had to calm myself down over some of the things I've seen. I was really pissed when aj was turned heel and aligned with flair. I understand the reason behind it, but I just feel they could've gone another route, but as long as aj remains relevant i'm ok for the time being.

 

[DarkAngel]

But I do agree and from reading this thread I am one of the few that did not like the "Screwjob" part of the show. This was just lazy writing and scripting. Especially don't you think the fans are really going to get sick and tired of the screwjob stuff, with both WWE re-running it all the time with Bret coming back and now it being done in TNA

I think you mis-interpreted what TNA is doing here. It's not about the storylines (although the storyline is going to be setting up major booking.) The whole point was to shove the "Bret Hart coming back to the WWE after all what's happened with the Montreal Screwjob and bad blood" into WWE's faces, shit all over it, and maybe wipe their ass with the WWE product. I loved the move.

TNA took a shot at WWE for this and it's more of a punch the bully in the mouth type thing and showing they have balls and aren't afraid to get into a Cold War with the WWE. Like someone said, this is how WCW/WWF came into play. TNA is a confident bunch right now and it could get dangerous.

 

[Bull_Dawgz]

Uhmm, you do know wrestling is scripted right. Mick foley is not actually causing problems in TNA

Bischoff himself did not come up with Raw Roulette and the Elimination chamber, his Character of Eric Bischoff the GM came up with those ideas, but not the real Eric.

But I do agree and from reading this thread I am one of the few that did not like the "Screwjob" part of the show. This was just lazy writing and scripting. Especially don't you think the fans are really going to get sick and tired of the screwjob stuff, with both WWE re-running it all the time with Bret coming back and now it being done in TNA

Mick Foley's "character" causes problems in TNA. What else has he done to help TNA?

Sooo Eric Bischoff didn't come up with the Elimination Chamber and RAW Roulette but his character did? Hhhmm

The Montreal Screwjob re-has was not needed at all. Regardless if it "creates controversy" or not. Instead of mocking the WWE why doesn't Hogan concentrate on bettering TNA?

 

[patdsez]

You TNA marks are nuts. First of all, their main storyline is now a re-hash of an old WWE storyline. Everything TNA does is in the shadow of WWE, from this ridiculous screwjob scenario down to more than half the talent in the ring. The Hogan/Bischoff era is going to ruin TNA as all you marks know it.

Let's see who wasn't on TV last night - The Guns, Beer Money, Wolfe, Suicide, Lethal Consequences, Joe and Daniels. But, lucky for you guys there was a Nasty Boys match plus there weretwo segments with Hall and Pac and Orlando Jordan won clean over The Pope.

You call this change for the better? That show was so bad and PROVED that TNA spends way too much time thinking about what WWE is doing. I'm not defending WWE - their TV has been bad lately as well - but the only way TNA is going to step out of their shadow is to do their own thing. Be TNA. Stop mentioning WWE, stop doing their show. It's pathetic.

 

[Maestro48239]

i have to totally agree with the OP on this one. if TNA wasnt stepping up, the forum wouldnt be as active as it is right now. Have you seen how little activity the WWE threads are getting right now?

this is exactly what the creative team for TNA wants, they want us all to bitch and argue about this storyline, or those asshole fans. good or bad, we are all interested. we are all watching, trying to figure out what the hell is going on, leaving us hanging every week, like an episode of LOST.

granted, i dont like some of the storylines, but its keeping me tuned in.

 

[Dragonslayer]

I really love the situation with TNA right now - you have people taking sides both with Hogan and against him, some praising his and Bischoff's moves, others condemning them. But the good thing with this is - it gets people talking, keeps people interested. Personally, as I have never been following TNA that closely, I cannot say whether the things Hogan/Bischoff have pulled off so far really make so much of a difference in one direction or the other; but I think the main advantage TNA has right now is simply that: TNA has nothing to lose.

The whole WWE machinery is geared towards appealing to a younger audience - hence the "clean" looking production, bright lights and colours, easy to distinguish good vs bad characters, no foul language, and storylines that are easy to follow for a younger audience. Why else would you have Hornswoggle take up long, long minutes of TV time week in and week out? Because honestly - Hornswoggle is NOT there to appeal to anyone past the age of twelve.

TNA, as said, have nothing left to lose. They've been constantly building their product and establishing their own talent - but they only got so far. In the more recent past, ratings have been stagnant, and no improvement or change whatsoever was visible. Of course, TNA could've gone on the way they were moving - but to be honest, I don't think they would've made much of a progress anymore. They need to exploit those gaps that WWE leaves wide open in their type of programming, and build on that.

Of course wrestling will always be a bit of an "insult to intelligence", now matter how refined a storyline you can produce - for everyone will always know it's just a storyline, and not reality - even if it is depicted as real. But if you can write such storylines that seem convincing for a more grown-up audience (much like storylines that are used on the most popular TV series these days - we all know those aren't real either, but we still love the or the other show to death), and that are compelling enough to keep them interested, then TNA has a chance. And they're definitely moving in the right direction. Or well, at least they are moving. Where it will take them is impossible to tell at this point.

I for my part agree with some of the things the Hogan/Bischoff team has done so far, and definitely disagree with others. But at least something is happening, buzz is being created for TNA, and people will hopefully realize TNA is there at all, and take it seriously as an alternative (if not as a competitor yet) to WWE. I just hope Hogan does indeed realize that he needs the old guys now only to grab people's attention, but needs the new guys who are stellar in the ring to keep that attention with TNA. The inclusion of wrestling car wrecks like the Nasty Boys of course clearly points into another direction, but I seriously hope that this is just some sort of collateral damage that needs to be risked in the spirit of a greater good. But as said - that remains yet to be seen, and no one, not Vinni Mac, not Hogan/Bischoff, or anyone else, can turn a company completely around or improve a company so tremendously within a matter of only 2 weeks; that is plain out ridiculous to expect anything of the like. I believe that it won't be another 6 months until the real effects of Hogan/Bischoff taking over will be felt. I guess for now we should just sit back and enjoy the show (as much as we can), and see where it takes us.

I personally am definitely more interested in TNA now than I've been in a long time, simply in order to see who will be right in the end - the pro-Hogans or the contra-Hogans. And as said - what bad can happen? TNA's ratings weren't exactly stellar to begin with; they've slightly improved now as have production values... the worst thing that can happen is that over the long run, Hogan and Bischoff are fired again, and everything goes back to the way it was until now; I don't think Dixie Carter will let Hogan/Bischoff run TNA so far into the ground that it can't go on anymore as was the case with WCW. But again - this also remains yet to be seen.

TNA at this point simply needs to take risks if they ever want to be considered a viable alternative to WWE, and if they want to get their fair share of the wrestling market, that they more than obviously deserve, considering their in-ring stuff is just so much better than anything WWE can put out right now, their Knockouts are actual wrestlers who can put on amazing matches instead of just glorified underwear models, and their storylines can go to lengths that WWE can't go to anymore due to their PG approach. I for one am more than curious to see where TNA goes from here, I hope they succeed and truly become the wrestling company that's known as "The Wrestling Company".