Which company has the momentum now?

[It's...Baylariat!]

It's a pretty simple question. Which company has momentum on their side. TNA did a great job with what they had tonight. An epic match with Angle and Styles and some added drama with Hogan.

The WWE counted with possibly building toward Hart and McMahon at Wrestlemania or Royal Rumble. Other than that, Raw didn't accomplish much in my eyes. So who has the upper hand? And why?

 

[Thriller Ant]

Just by looking at people's reactions coming out of the shows, I have to go with TNA. Yes, we saw Shawn and Bret make up and seeds planted for some kind of eventual showdown between Vince and the Hitman, but what else happened? Without seeing Raw and just reading the results from the main page, Sheamus won in a squash, there's a Diva's tourney, and Jericho is gone from Raw again (which is a step down in my opinion, but whatever).

On Impact, however, Hogan said he's here to put over the new guys, both Knockouts' belts changed hands, AJ's attacker is back, NWO teases, debuts of Jeff Hardy, Shannon Moore, and Ric Flair and what very well may be the match of 2010 between Styles and Kurt Angle. Impact tonight not only was a great show, it also laid so much groundwork for both the immediate and distant future of the company. TNA won tonight, hands down.

 

[Suneeboy]

I think the clear cut victor is TNA in terms of entertainment and momentum within the wrestling community. Like you said Lariat, they did a great job with what they had, and showcased just about everyone on the roster.

The WWE seemed very scripted, dry, and cookie cutter when compared side by side with TNA. The crowd was dead, the promos were poor, and the mood wasn't the same. TNA's crowd was pumped the whole night, and it was just full of energy.

As I flipped to RAW during TNA commercials I caught a TNA commercial with Hogan saying "flip the station" over to Spike. I think what we saw is the start of something big Lariat, and TNA has the momentum right now bar none. Let's see how they follow it up though, and how the WWE responds (if at all).

 

[Kenny Powers]

I think TNA has the momentum right now no matter what the ratings are. TNA brought out Jeff Hardy and Ric Flair within the first 30 minutes of the show. Hogan cut a great promo with the original NWO members. Bischoff and Hogan told the wrestling world it wasn't about them and everyone had to earn their spot.

We saw old and new stars with Orlando Jordan, Shannon Moore, and Val Venis. Jarrett cut a great promo along with Lashley or should I say Lashley's wife. TNA had some awesome matches with The Pope, Morgan & Hernandez, and Joe coming out on top.

Not to mention the amazing main event for the title with AJ and Angle. The Steel Asylum wasn't as great as it could of been and some of the segments were not needed like the Beautiful People poker game and The Nasty Boys. Overall though it was an amazing show and ended with Foley getting beat down by the old NWO members while Hogan looks on. The Knockout matches were pretty good too with new champions crowned.

Tonight's show was exciting from start to finish with nothing but more surprises to look forward to. The only thing WWE alluded to was a possible confrontation at WM with Bret and Vince. MVP is the #1 contender to the US Title and DX are unopposed as tag champions. Also, Sheamus is defeating jobbers again. Nothing much to look forward to on Raw unless you are Mike Tyson fan.

 

[Freddy4190]

TNA blew WWE out of the fucking water. I marked out so many times on TNA. I switched to WWE only to see Bret Hart come out, quick mark out, then back to TNA. I did lol @ Hornswoggle imitating the WWE wrestlers. TNA's show was fantastic. The ending could have been better, but was epic nonetheless. I know there's gonna be a bunch of shit about WWE rejects and etc on here. Whatever. Desmond Wolfe vs. The Pope was pretty sweet, wish it went longer. The return of Jeff Hardy blew my mind. I missed a few pieces switching back and forth. I loved TNA. Best WRESTLING show i've seen in a long time. TNA has all the momentum right now. WWE Raw was nothing more then a Bret Hart ass-kissing festival. God awful Raw.

 

[Batman]

Momentum goes to TNA. It wasn't that great a show, but all WWE had was Bret Hart(who did very well on his return). WWE doesn't have the characters or wrestlers to put up a sizeable threat, but that still doesn't mean TNA will ever beat them.

TNA has a long way to go, and I hope next weeks show is more laid back and more coherant than it was tonite. All lot of things happened tonite that could lead to great things happening.

I say start getting those old guys wrestling the new guys. Hell I'm all for the Nasty Boys getting thrashed by Team 3d.

 

[MisterRob]

I'm assuming everyone in this thread and the other TNA thread praising the show are already established TNA fans. You must be. I watched the first hour of TNA and it was such a clusterfuck and, words can't even describe, I was laughing I couldn't believe that was the product they were putting out.. that I turned it after the first hour and never turned back. I bet that's the same with most casual fans and any fans TNA was trying to draw to their program, because no one likely saw the next two hours if it got better because the first hour would've turned them off and made them stop watching. Which goes for them watching in the future, either. Bad.. just bad. And I'm not even a WWE fan.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Well, TNA delivered a lot of surprises but, then again, they were expected to. I've been reading over the results of iMPACT and, aside from the Angle/Styles match, which I was flipping back and forth between iMPACT and Raw to watch, I didn't really see anything happening on iMPACT that excites me all that much at all. Angle and Styles put on a great match, first epic match of 2010. Other than that, nothing happened to really impress me.

The Steel Asylum match sounds as if it was a waste for the most part. The X Division basically gets shit upon so Jeff Hardy can make his debut and do his thing. That's a coup for TNA in my view. Hardy is still young, he's fresh and he's a big name. So, it's something of a mixed bag on that one.

Hogan came out and did his thing, says he's going to push the young guys, saying everyone's gonna have to earn their spot, etc. Bischoff comes out, Hall, Nash and Waltman come out and do their thing. Little nWo teases basically when it's all said and done. There wasn't anything unexpected about that as Hogan recently said in an interview with IGN.com of what his ultimate intentions are in TNA. That's all well and good and I hope it happens. But, if you just didn't really get a thrill out of seeing all the original nWo members together like me, then there's nothing to keep you on the channel.

As for the Knockout division, I don't really care. It's lost a lot of momentum in my eyes. Tara winning the Knockout title and then losing back tonight after just winning it...well we've seen that happen before only a few weeks after she showed up. No big deal. As for the Knockout tag title match, there are new champs in Hamada and Awesome Kong. Maybe something fresh can come out of it. However, after watching Wilde and Sarita beat the Beautiful People in match after match for the titles, and since Wilde and Sarita didn't defned them against anyone else and hardly even appeared on iMPACT for a while, I just don't really care.

The Nasty Boys showed up...enough said on that tragedy.

Overall, when you take away all the appearances by the older guys, Hardy showing up and the Styles/Angle match, it was all pretty typical for me. One or two things I care about and the rest being just filler that doesn't spark my interest.

As for Raw, Raw didn't seem as epic tonight as iMPACT did and all that's because of all the old faces that showed up on iMPACT. TNA pulled out the Nasty Boys, the original nWo, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair and the fact of it is that I just didn't care. I've seen the past, I grew up with the past. I've seen what all those guys have to offer and, great as they were at one time, what they've got going on now just simply doesn't interest me.

Raw I thought was a solid show. It wasn't a great show overall, but it was a solid show. I thought it was great seeing Bret Hart again, I like where they went with him burying the hatched with HBK and trying to with Vince. Vince came off as a serious guy tonight, the powerwalk was nowhere to be seen and they're building steadily up to something between him and Hart probably for WrestleMania. The silliness on Raw was kept to a minimum tonight and what silliness there was, I thought, was below average for the show so that's a good thing. I enjoyed the DX/JeriShow match, it was a good match that kept me interested. While I knew what the outcome was probably gonna be, there were a few times during the match in which it looked as though I might be wrong. Kingston and Orton put on a very good match. Kingston has shown that he can hang with the big boys in the WWE I think. He's able to keep fans interested and caring about what he's into. The Miz was out doing his thing, which wasn't bad. He got heat, cut a promo, gave some good heel commentary. Sheamus also drew some heat. Came out and cut a pretty good promo. I didn't really see much of a point of having him beat Evan Bourne since everyone else has. I think they should've picked someone else. However, Sheamus generated some heat and I think he's progressing at an even pace.

As to who has the momentum, well it all depends on just what interests you I think. On the surface, TNA looked like a better show tonight. The Styles/Angle match is hard to argue against. The WWE has just been going about, for the most part, with business as usual in some ways. As I said, they cut out a lot of the silliness and had a solid show. Was the face of wrestling changed tonight by either company? Not in my opinion.

 

[cole924]

I will laugh my ass off at anyone who thinks TNA got the upperhand tonight. TNA had a free hour to get all the fans possible from WWE to stay hooked into TNA. They blew it big time. In the first hour they had Foley, Nash, Strip Poker, and Lashley all cut God awful promos. TNA wanted to promote wrestling, then they come out and do exactly what ppl hate the WWE for. Then when they could have promoted their unreal talent in the X-Division, they have a red painted steel cage you can't even see through and a match that ends in a DQ w/ their crowd chanting "This is bull shit!" To top it off, you have a guy botch trying to leave the cage because he simply couldn't do it. How fucking embarrassing is that? How was that even passable for a product to compete w/ the WWE? I'm surprised the WWE didn't call Hart and tell him "false alarm" for how bad that program started.


WWE in their first hour kills it w/ an unreal moment between Hart/Michaels. Miz gets some quality mic time followed by a good fatal four US title contenders match. We get a great Jericho/Hart promo. Then the first hour ends w/ a really strong ppv style tag match between DX/Jerishow.


To top it off, we get Flair, Val Venis, Nasty Boys, Hall, Walton, etc all back to TNA when they are trying to promote their YOUNG talent. Give me a fucking break. Even Sting in the rafters is a joke. This isn't 1997. That show had less match time than a two hour Raw if it wasn't for Angle/Styles.

TNA needed to get that Styles/Angle match on early and go against the grain to make sure WWE fans had no choice but to keep on watching Impact. Those two are incredible workers and TNA didn't take advantage of their free hour. That was a good match and I'm not sure it grabbed more watchers than TNA regularly has.


I must note.. I'm rooting for TNA to do well because it will only up the game of the WWE. I want wrestling as a whole to do well because right now it's in the shitter. So instead of blindly defending TNA or WWE, call it like it is. Don't blindly defend a brand.

 

[Randolph H]

To be honest the only part that was interesting on RAW was HBK and Bret. That was during the horribly awkward Hall, Waltman, and Nash cry fest. Thank god Bischoff save that segment.

I would say that TNA clearly took this one. The Nealson ratings may say otherwise, but I am going by entertainment wise. But the next time TNA goes head to head on monday night, they will need a little more action. They didn't showcase their talent tonight except in a few matches.

Clearly Hogan and Bischoff have revamped the X-Division with talent: Jeff Hardy, Shannon Moore, Orlando Jordan added to the already exciting Chris Saban, Alex Shelly, The Pope, and Amazing Red. Hopefully they repackage Jay Lethal and Creed because their gimmicks are killing them.

 

[JayBriscoe2010]

Asides from Hart/HBK/Vince Raw was the same old shit it's been for a long time now, ******ed midget comedy skits and Jack Swagger jobbing, and Triple Bitch putting himself over Jericho for the 100000th time. TNA was awesome except a few small things like the opening match and wtf The Nasty Boys were even there. I wanted to see RVD/Anderson/even Angelina 20x more then Flair but meh. TNA presented its self like a company that gives a shit and actually wants to put on a good show. It's gonna take at least a few months for us to know what's really gonna come out of this so called new era of TNA. I just hope The Nasties and Drunk Juggalo Hall arent a long term part of it. Maybe TNA can have a huge PPV concept in April to compete with WM 26?

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I have to admit that I was laughing my ass off at The Nasty Boys tonight. I seriously didn't have a problem with it at all. They did a quick segment outside and then were able to sneak in the building and trash Team 3D's dressing room and destroy it ... all while being their obnoxious selves. I got a lot of laughs out of them tonight, frankly. How can you not laugh at Knobs?

TNA clearly won on Entertainment tonight and has the momentum going forward. I am truly hoping they can get at least a 1.7 because they fucking deserved it tonight. You can tell from watching the two shows side by side, who put more effort into tonight's show.

And for those making the observation that Raw appears way too scripted, you are absolutely right and I have noticed that about Raw as well. TNA did a much better job tonight presenting you with an "Anything can happen at any moment" feeling where as Raw just comes across entirely too scripted and segments that are too neatly placed.

Raw runs too smoothly, to be frank.

Vince Russo said it best "Crash TV sells". And it does when it comes to wrestling.

TNA had far more shock moments and actually produced an absolutely amazing Main Event to top the night off.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I will laugh my ass off at anyone who thinks TNA got the upperhand tonight. TNA had a free hour to get all the fans possible from WWE to stay hooked into TNA. They blew it big time. In the first hour they had Foley, Nash, Strip Poker, and Lashley all cut God awful promos. TNA wanted to promote wrestling, then they come out and do exactly what ppl hate the WWE for. Then when they could have promoted their unreal talent in the X-Division, they have a red painted steel cage you can't even see through and a match that ends in a DQ w/ their crowd chanting "This is bull shit!" To top it off, you have a guy botch trying to leave the cage because he simply couldn't do it. How fucking embarrassing is that? How was that even passable for a product to compete w/ the WWE? I'm surprised the WWE didn't call Hart and tell him "false alarm" for how bad that program started.

Yeah TNA lost a lot of viewers because the opening cage match ended in a No Contest. Despite the wrestlers continuing wrestling while Jeff Hardy made his surprise appearance. No matter how that match ended, it doesn't matter considering one of the biggest draws of WWE showed up on Impact during the opening segment. Oh and that horrible first hour also had good knockout matches and Ric Flair debuting as well. Nothing special though.

WWE in their first hour kills it w/ an unreal moment between Hart/Michaels. Miz gets some quality mic time followed by a good fatal four US title contenders match. We get a great Jericho/Hart promo. Then the first hour ends w/ a really strong ppv style tag match between DX/Jerishow.

Really? I'll agree it was a nice segment with Hart and Michaels but it wasn't that great. We get a shitty divas match to start us off and another classic Hornswoggle and DX segment. Not to mention that DX and Jerishow has been done to death. Wasn't Jericho already banned from Raw anyway?

To top it off, we get Flair, Val Venis, Nasty Boys, Hall, Walton, etc all back to TNA when they are trying to promote their YOUNG talent. Give me a fucking break. Even Sting in the rafters is a joke. This isn't 1997. That show had less match time than a two hour Raw if it wasn't for Angle/Styles.

This isn't 1997, so why are you praising Bret Hart and putting down Sting and Flair? Bret Hart hasn't been relevant to WWE since 1997. I agree TNA could of done without the Val Venis and Nasty Boy segments. I'm pretty sure TNA had more matches and match time then Raw.

Not to mention that Hogan addressed the old NWO members telling them it wasn't about the old guys but the new. Not to mention the matches putting over young talent and Hogan telling AJ Styles he is the best wrestler in the world today.

TNA needed to get that Styles/Angle match on early and go against the grain to make sure WWE fans had no choice but to keep on watching Impact. Those two are incredible workers and TNA didn't take advantage of their free hour. That was a good match and I'm not sure it grabbed more watchers than TNA regularly has.

It could of gone on early, but it lasted over 20 minutes. I don't think that's too bad. I do think TNA could of cut out some corny backstage segments and added more matches though.

I must note.. I'm rooting for TNA to do well because it will only up the game of the WWE. I want wrestling as a whole to do well because right now it's in the shitter. So instead of blindly defending TNA or WWE, call it like it is. Don't blindly defend a brand.

Well I agree but you are contradicting yourself. You are telling someone not to blindly defend a brand, when you bash TNA just because of one match or because they brought in some old talent. It wasn't like Hall and Nash or even The Nasty Boys received more television time then AJ Styles.

Hogan wasn't even on television that much. I really hope TNA can receive decent ratings to compete with WWE so they will deliver a better product as well. Even with Bret Hart, Raw was just average for me and I'm a huge Bret fan along with being a WWE fan.

I think wrestling fans were the winner tonight whether they loved the shows or not. At least its better then only being able to see The Little People's court vs. nothing.

 

[wolvdog316]

Neither show blew me away.

Let me say this. I find it fucking funny that everybody bashes WWE, rightfully so, that they are stale, and old, and stuck in a rut. Most of which I agree with. Then on the same breath those same idiots want to tell me TNA is fresh? Excuse me? Wasn't everyone bitching that Val was stale and was garbage? But he goes to TNA and now he is a mark out?

Ric Flair, all everyone said was "He's old, can't wrestle, needed to retire in 1990, haven't produced a good match in 15 years". But he shows up in TNA and all of a sudden he's the "Naitch" again, and people are excited for him.

I have no problem with bashing WWE, most of it well deserved. But on the same breath don't feed me a line of shit that TNA is unique, and new.

I don't care if it's TNA, WWE, or ROH. I want to be entertained and neither show offers much of that.

I don't like midgets, I don't think WWE is using Ted or Cody right, I have no desire to see Hogan, Hall, Xpac or Nash, or Bubba.

I mean this bullshit, this hypocrisy is over the top.

"Oh quit bitching, they just did 20 seconds of the Nasty Boys, they aren't returning its just a joke for you dumb smarks like yourself"

20 minutes later

"I really enjoyed the locker room bit"

"If they only face the Dudleys a couple times then leave I'm ok with it"

If Ric Flair sucked a year ago, he's only going to suck more now doesn't matter if he is with TNA

If Hogan was old and outdated 5 years ago he is only that much older and TNA won't change that.

You TNA fans were SO concerned with NOT being like WWE, which is fine, but in the end you've become just like them. What TNA should be known for is AJ Styles, Angle, The Pope, Wolfe, Hernadez, X Division, Joe. With some new blood mixed in. Some unknowns.

Instead, we got "Which side will Hogan side with"

 

[cole924]

Well I agree but you are contradicting yourself. You are telling someone not to blindly defend a brand, when you bash TNA just because of one match or because they brought in some old talent. It wasn't like Hall and Nash or even The Nasty Boys received more television time then AJ Styles.

Hogan wasn't even on television that much. I really hope TNA can receive decent ratings to compete with WWE so they will deliver a better product as well. Even with Bret Hart, Raw was just average for me and I'm a huge Bret fan along with being a WWE fan.

I think wrestling fans were the winner tonight whether they loved the shows or not. At least its better then only being able to see The Little People's court vs. nothing.

I root for wrestling as a whole. I have the utmost respect for some of the TNA talent. I just call a spade a spade. The chance TNA had was in the first hour because it was a true head start on the WWE. It was their chance to grab a hold of viewers and really show them what TNA was all about. They completely fucked up the first hour. There is no way anyone can defend it. It was quite possibly the worst way to start a "war".

I actually want TNA to do well because it means the WWE would have to up their game too. I'm not bashing TNA because of one match, I'm bashing TNA because the only thing that was good tonight was Styles/Angle. This was the big show to get TNA on the map. This was the one show to send a message to wrestling fans. Expectations were through the roof. The excitement was there. It was a huge disappointment. Hulk came out and said he would push the young guys, and now look at the roster. These guys are going to want face time. The hypcrisy that is TNA kills me. You hear chants of "This is wrestling" then they cut the same lame ass promos the WWE does. At least WWE fans aren't afraid to step up and tell it like it is.

I'm actually more upset that TNA fucked up. It just makes it worse that people are blindly defending it as well. It's such a joke.

 

[wolvdog316]

"Not to mention that DX and Jerishow has been done to death"

THAT is exactly what I am talking. He bitches about THAT being done to death, but praises Hogan, Hall, Nash, Xpac, Bischoff, Sting in the rafters. Not only have those been done to death, THEY killed WCW.

Remember what Flair, Jericho and Bigshow said about Nitro? "You could never tell which week, which month, hell which year it was on our show"

Somebody that hasn't watched wrestling since the attitude era will turn on TNA and see the nWo. "Jesus Christ this shit is still going on". You don't have to call it nWo, or the Kliq, or WCW killer, but the show ended with those men, and thats the last impression people will see of TNA. So what's the big storyline heading into next week? Does it involve Wolfe or Angle? Nope. Does it involve Styles or Pope? Nope.

It's whose side will Hogan be on. Dixie Carters, or his nWo buddies. Notice none of those two scenarios include any young TNA talent

 

[Punisher1893]

TNA was a good show and i say good cuz of the first hour was horrible but the Hardy return got me by surprise

RAW on the other hand was ok to good at best but they arent gonna beef up the show until TNA becomes more threating

Basically for me, no clear winner cuz its only the first night

 

[Paradox]

From what I saw Raw was a decent show. Better so than the last couple of weeks. The only reason for that was because Bret. It was really awesome to see him again. And he really didn't look that bad. His promo with Michaels was great. I'm looking forward to see were this storyline goes in the future.

Other than that they really didn't step up anything major for the future. We've seen the Legacy break up coming. Sheamus really has impressed me, but tonight he didn't. Beating Bourne just doesn't seem like something a WWE champion should be doing. He should be facing other Main Eventers. If WWE want's to make him a legitimate champion. Then they need to put him over other Main Eventers. I actually found the DX Horny segment funny, but it wasn't amazing. We did begin to see something different from Shawn. Not much change from the normal Raw. Which was extremely disappointing. Which once again shows me Vince doesn't see TNA as a threat. He doesn't think they can compete with him.

TNA was came out of the gates firing. They open the first thirty minutes of the show we saw Hardy and Flair. Hardy is very recognized figure for any wrestling fan. So he's going to connect, and draw more viewers. You have Flair possibly mentoring Styles which is great. It connects the new fans of the show to the champ. You had both knockout belts changing hands showing that those belts can change whenever. Not just on a PPV. Then you have Hogan, the biggest name in wrestling coming out and telling everyone about the young talent. And putting them over in his promo. Then you have signs of the nwo. Then they leave us with a classic match to end the show. So not only do you have interesting storylines, but you have great wrestling.

Right now TNA has the momentum. They put on a better show and won this round. While the ratings might not show it. They did.

 

[CH David]

Well golly gee everyone. TNA has the momentum, and they deserve it after last night. They had to pull out the stops last night to gain new viewers. If they didn't then their live three hour show would have been an idiotic idea to begin with. They brought in older names, and had the sploogefest of Styles vs. Angle (I haven't seen but just about everyone jizzed their pants about it), and just about everything was showcased. They did what they had to, no less.

Raw on the other hand went about business as usual, but had a bit of a more serious feel to it. Bret Hart, the Excellence of Execution, finally made his return to the WWE and Monday Night Raw. He buried the hatchet with Shawn Michaels, and it truly was a great and emotional moment. They started out the tournament for the Diva's Championship (less than thrilling for most of you probably), MVP finally has a purpose on Raw other than being Mark Henry's buddy, DX had their true rematch with JeriShow, a pretty good match for me, and continued with Orton vs. Kofi. Also, while people may not like Sheamus vs. Bourne, I have to say I enjoyed it, even for a short match. The final segment with Vince and Bret was done very well, and sets up nicely for the future (hopefully).

So right now, the battle on January 4th, 2010 is in the books. TNA has won this one, but they still have a ton of work to do. They need to retain their new viewers with sustained success. Until they get a weekly Monday night show, that draws convincing numbers, and not just 1.8, but more like a 2.5 or even so high as a 3.0, Vince won't worry and the WWE is still in the driver's seat. You can hate that all you want, but it is true. Sustained success will show whether TNA can sink or swim. So last night may have been a fantastic show, but I want to see what they do next week, two weeks from now, next month, something down the line, before I say that TNA is going to even compete with Vince and the WWE.

 

[Mantaur Rodeo Clown]

If we were looking at the short term picture, we would certainly have to give it to TNA, they pulled out all the stops in a scocking, 3 hour cameo fest with all our favourites from the Attitude Era making an appearance. WWE went on with business as usual. Now that is what really scares me. That WWE didn't even bat an eyelid. The saw TNA running full steam at them and they said "Fuck it" and just stood in the middle of the train tracks, twiddling their thumbs. Tonight they didn't do anything fancy, they didn't have any people, barring Hart, pop up to suprise us. It was a regular show, and from this I could conclude that they don't view TNA as a threat, and quite frankly, don't care.

But there it stands. TNA has the momentum, and we'll have to wait a week for everyone to see the fallout. For WWE, we still have 3 shows to go. Here we see WWE being very conservative. They're saving all their big guns, and we weren't seeing Cena or Taker on RAW. We're seeing some foreshadowing for Mania perhaps with Hart, but nothing more, nothing less. A solid show.

TNA must have payed a mass of money to pull all those names out of the hat that they did, and with all the ad breaks, I'm not suprised. The problem is whether they can follow it up. They went with a solid and reliably good main event with Styles and Angle, a great highlight of what TNA is about, but they should be forewarned about going to the well one time too many. I know we could all watch the match many times over, but eventually we need something fresh. Will they continue running with the ball they have now? If they simply expended everything they had on this one show for a few more viewers, then what was the point? TNA have to seriously keep this level up, and tweak it some more to trim the fat if they are to even become a blip on the WWE's radar.

Otherwise, it may be business as usual.

 

[Ender]

Ok before I start, I just want to state that due to my location I couldn't could catch any of the shows, but from what I have read and seen, here's what I think.

TNA wanted to gain exposure. I don't think they really cared about the ratings , even Dixie carter said it during the post Impact conference.
Going live that day was a great move. First monday of the year, I think the football season is over (well there are the play-offs, but they didn't start yesterday night right ?), so no MNF to compete with.
I don't even think they wanted to gain more viewer, and they certainly didn't want to get some WWE marks (Bret hart hosting raw, that wasn't even possible).
So they did what they have to do, they put a great show for TNA viewer, tried to get some casual viewer via Hogan, Hardy and Ric Flair. And they teased that the show will improve more and more (even if Hogan says they want to improve their new talents and hogan was in the main event but still).
And that worked. Every TNA fans marked out as hell, WWE suspicious guys welcomed TNA show, even if it wasn't that good, and WWE fans (and shareholders) bashed the first hour of TNA and just watched WWE.

On the other hand, WWE just runs as usual. If it wasn't for Bret hart hosting Raw, that show would have been the usual show. Scripted, smooth (Waterdowned for WWE suspicious guys). The main event match (because the main event was the Bret-Vince confrontation, so I'd talk about main-event match) was quite good, even if I'd rather see the legacy break up while Kofi taking a huge step up.
So what they did was what they have to do. Let TNA do their things, and just put a good show (yeas, that was a good show).

I don't think we can say that one company has a momentum, or that one company won the first round of the War. TNA is in War, WWE didn't get the memo yet.
Many of you will think that TNA has the momentum, 'cause they're improving their show and taking a step up, some will say that WWE has the momentum, cause they're still a BIG step ahead.
Let TNA improve their game, wait for the after Wrestlemania and the draft. THAT will be the key moment of the war (if the war happens), and we'll talk about momentum then.

 

[andres torti]

Its to early to really know who the momentum has.But I liked TNA a lot yesterday,a lot of surprises and the AJ Styles and Kurt Angle was a really good match.I have to admit,i almost never watched TNA before(im going now) so i watched the show to see Hulk Hogan back again and people like Scott Hall.Plus my favourite wrestler is there....Sting.I dont like the ring I prefere the normal ones,it Looks funny for me,not used to see it like that. Its going to be like WCW,and thats so coool.

 

[mattg0728]

I think last night's show is blinding everyone to what is really going to happen. With all of these new guys coming into the picture, it's going to leave less time for favorites like Beer Money, MCMG, and alot of the X-division wrestlers. TNA has 2 hrs a week right now, and now they have Hogan, Hardy, Hall, Nash, Foley, Flair. How many of these younger wrestlers are going to get a chance on TV each week now.

 

[desktop]

The Monday night wars in the past are about 1 thing. I don't want to hear that Dixie, and TNA weren't looking for ratings, they were. Even though in my eyes with the cameos, and returns, along with the Styles/Angle match we saw which show was better last night. The ratings still don't lie, and the truth to the fact is that if Raw gets the usual numbers, and TNA gets under a 2.0, Raw wins.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

The Monday night wars in the past are about 1 thing. I don't want to hear that Dixie, and TNA weren't looking for ratings, they were. Even though in my eyes with the cameos, and returns, along with the Styles/Angle match we saw which show was better last night. The ratings still don't lie, and the truth to the fact is that if Raw gets the usual numbers, and TNA gets under a 2.0, Raw wins.

I'm having difficulty understanding how WWE would have more momentum than TNA in your scenario.

If Raw does usual numbers, and Impact increases it's ratings from the usual 1.0-1.1, up to a 1.5-1.7 ... that would seem to me like TNA is the one with the momentum. Even though it may seem like a small increase, at least they showed an increase and therefore have momentum, where as Raw stayed stagnant and/or lost viewers.

There's no way that WWE is coming out with more momentum from last night, compared to the caliber of show TNA put on. Even though TNA won't have anywhere near the rating of Raw, that has nothing to do with show quality, and everything to do with Brand Loyalty towards WWE and Recognition.

Their goal last night was to capture some Raw viewers AND to continue the trend. And by increasing their usual ratings, they have accomplished and will continue to accomplish that goal.