Total? Nonstop? Action?

Allow me to take the wheel on TNA discussion this week. The Kidd is m.i.a... or m.i.t.n.a. rather.

TNA is geared toward the real wrestling fan. I don't like it more than the WWE, as horrible as the WWE shows have been since the Chris Benoit tragedy. I could very easily like it more, but there is something wrong. It's eerie... it's not tangible... it's out there floating around... it's the calm before the storm.

I was reading an article by Kevin Kelly - he was the fat dude who interviewed 'talent' 'backstage' on Raw telecasts during the 'Attitude' era - and he labeled TNA as a safe haven for all the WWE talent who didn't want to comply with the WWE Wellness Policy. I guess there is some truth to that. I personally don't harp on steroid abuse in any sport. If the athlete wants to destroy his or her body and his or her family and his or her life, they should be allowed to. This is America after all. If the athletes become more durable, a little faster, a little stronger, and a little more entertaining because of a drug, than I'm all for it. Don't take this as 'Seannie Wan supports steroid abuse.' It's not that at all. My point is that if somebody wants to do something illegal, they're going to do it and the powers that be may as well let them do it. It's their choice. I'm off track. The point of this post wasn't steroids, it was TNA Wrestling.

Yes, the calm before the storm. TNA is geared towards fans like The Kidd and myself. We are fans that want an intriguing story and an interesting match with high points that work well not just because they're high points but because the interest in the match and the result has been built up through good storytelling and athletic ability. That is what Jeff Jarrett is working for. Vince McMahon, on the other hand, is at a place where he is trying to figure out - hopefully - what direction his promotion is going to go in. The WWE seems geared for children right now... and that's fine as long as the pay-per-views don't suffer. As long as I can watch several well-worked matches, I'm OK with the stories being geared towards kids. TNA is geared for an older audience.

TNA's problem is that they're handing out contracts to talent that has run their course with the WWE in a bad way. Booker T... Andrew Martin... Junior Fatu... Scott Hall... More talent will arrive with great buildup and this talent will be pushed front and center. I understand that TNA needs somewhat well-known names now that they have a 2 hour program. However, pushing the talent that has been rejected by World Wrestling Entertainment simply because they're known talent is going to backfire. The young talent that has been with TNA through it all - the guys like AJ Styles and Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels and James Storm - are being buried in mid-card matches while Kurt Angle and Booker T headline a pay-per-view. TNA believes that their fans want to see Hall and Nash face Angle and a mystery opponent who is making his TNA debut after a long stint with the WWE (this is just an example, there is no former WWE wrestler set to make his debut at the next ppv), when in actuality, their fans want to see Samoa Joe win the world title and AJ Styles work a program with Christian Cage. This way of thinking will shoot Jeff Jarrett in the foot. The real talent that this promotion can be built around will lose their drive - especially working for 250 bucks a show - and think about the greener pastures of Connecticut. And yes! That was also WCW's downfall... i.e. Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Paul Wight, etc.

I really like TNA. Impact was pretty good on Thursday. I think the Team 3-D/x-Division feud is interesting. I didn't see the Havoc swerve coming... mostly because he is so uninteresting that I would expect something better... but regardless, I think it's a pretty cool feud. I really like the Motor City Machine Guns. I think AJ and Tomko jump from Christian to Angle is a nice story also. Rellik is pretty lame and Dustin Runnells must be very upset with how his career has turned out. Jay Lethal is a great talent, but his 'black Macho Man' gimmick is getting stale. There are ups and downs, but they are all interesting.

Overall, there is reason to get excited about Thursday night, but I just don't feel it yet. I feel very calm about TNA. It's a promotion on the brink of bankruptcy that continues to bring in over-the-hill talent as opposed to building up their own guys. Is there a storm coming? It's not James Storm, that's for sure. Something is going to give at some point.

I'll leave it up to The Kidd to comment further.

Survivor Series tomorrow night....

Peace Out

- Seannie Wan