Brooke Hogan Set to Join TNA Impact Wrestling

Well the last 24 hours has been full of news for both WWE and TNA.  Things seemed to be on a positive path for TNA as they announced Impact would be live all Summer beginning May 31st, but this could turn out to be a "1 step forward 2 steps back" situation as TNA has now announced that Brooke Hogan will be joining Impact Wrestling on May 31st.

There hasn't been very much positive buzz about this at all on the net, as most don't see what Brooke brings to the table being she has never been involved in wrestling before.  The official statement from TNA is that Brooke will be the "Executive in Charge" of the Knockouts.  This role is iffy at best as the Knockout division has always been about respect and quality female wrestling, but now it will be "run" by someone who has never been in a ring and doesn't have much history of her own in wrestling.

I don't think this is going to go over well on live shows either.  The site of Brooke Hogan in the ring directing the Knockouts will be an open invite for the fans to boo her out of the building.  If she came in as a bitchy, drunk with power authority figure it might work with time, but with Hulk Hogan as the big face GM of the company it doesn't look probable any time soon.

TNA is treating this like they've signed a big media star that will also be helping the girls in a variety of ways backstage as well, hmm.  I really don't think anyone is going to buy it, and most everyone will see this as Hogan getting his daughter on TV in the same way Eric Bischoff has his son in a TV role now.  If Brooke had announced her music career had flopped and wanted to train to wrestle and the fans got to see her get her ass kicked and pay her dues, that would be one thing; bringing her in as some sort of media star who is going to be an authority figure....quite the risk.  The big question is now, is TNA fixing their problems or just creating a whole lot more?

TNA Impact Set to Go Live Weekly This Summer

In a very odd case of timing being WWE just announced RAW is going to 3 hours, TNA has announced that Impact Wrestling will be broadcasting live every Thursday this summer beginning on May 31st.  Both announcements came within minutes of the other, but in this case it has to be considered a definite positive move by TNA.  The live broadcasts will continue throughout the summer, but no word on what will happen beyond that.  TNA issued the following release on ImpactWrestling.com:

NASHVILLE, TN - (May 17, 2012) -- TNA IMPACT WRESTLING President Dixie Carter and SPIKE TV President Kevin Kay announce today that the highly-rated “IMPACT WRESTLING” will be going Live! from Universal Studios beginning May 31st and continue through the summer. This announcement coincides with the recently announced new, one-hour earlier time slot change of 8:00-10:00pm/ET every Thursday night beginning May 31st.

“We are excited to take IMPACT WRESTLING Live! all summer long, and have our first Live! summer show launch our new 8:00pm/ET time slot,” says TNA President Dixie Carter. “Summer of 2012 is going to be remembered as the most momentous time in our company's history-to-date. Stay tuned."                                       

TNA is no doubt losing some interest by taping weeks worth of TV at a time, and the results being readily available online before the shows air.  Now that TNA is going live, it is up to them to create some buzz that will make it "must see" TV.  Back in 2010 TNA tried moving to Monday Nights, but that idea was way too soon and bold as they weren't ready to compete on Monday nights.  Now 2 years later, TNA is trying a lot of new concepts like the "Gut Check" and "Open Fight Night" ideas that are at least attempts to be fresh.

Going live is something Eric Bischoff was very successful with in WCW, and hopefully he realizes that the other half of the equation is creating buzz and interest.  The one other piece to the puzzle will be getting Impact on the road regularly so the atmosphere can be much more upbeat than the Impact Zone in Orlando which sees TNA on a very regular basis.  Hopefully TNA is realizing and attempting to fix their current problems, but there will be a long road ahead that will hopefully lead them to success.

TNA Star Jesse Sorensen Seriously Injured at Against All Odds

Last night in the opening match at TNA's "Against All Odds" pay per view, Jesse Sorensen was seriously injured after taking a dive to the outside of the ring from Zema Ion.  Sorensen appeared to take Ion's knees to his head and immediately fell limp.  At first the referee checked Sorensen and gave the "he's OK" sign.....but after a few minutes of not moving, the referee checked again and gave the "X" sign that Sorensen was legitimately hurt and the match was cut short as TNA personnel rushed to the scene.

Dixie Carter tweeted soon after that Sorensen was being transported to the hospital for evaluation.  Throughout the night many TNA stars took to Twitter to ask fans to pray for Sorensen as the situation was serious.  Today the news is that last night Sorensen lost feeling in his extremities, but has regained feeling in his arms and hands, with only tingling in his legs.  This of course is a very serious situation any time any type of paralysis is involved. 

Sorensen is still a relative newcomer to TNA and to the wrestling business, so it makes it even worse to see something like this happen.  Here's to hoping Sorensen has a speedy recovery and no long term damage after sustaining this very serious injury.  You can send your thoughts and prayers to Jesse directly via Twitter @TNASorensen

Huge TNA Spoilers: New Heavyweight Champion Crowned

**Warning, spoilers for this Thursdays Impact ahead, don't read if you want to be surprised**


Coming off TNA's biggest pay per view of the year, Bound for Glory, there have been many reports about the locker room being unhappy that Bobby Roode didn't beat Kurt Angle for the TNA Title.  Hulk Hogan has been very vocal recently in the media on his Twitter page recently about many of the TNA talents.  He stated last week that he didn't think Bobby Roode was "the guy," and word was that Hogan himself lobbied to change the original finish in the Bound for Glory main event which had Roode winning the belt.

Hogan had also mentioned last week that he believed James Storm should get a big push over Roode, and tonight at the Impact tapings that belief became apparent to all as James Storm defeated Kurt Angle and won the TNA World Title.  This was a pretty big swerve, as many believe Roode would still end up winning the title soon.  Storm is more of a character than Roode, and it seems like Hogan saw much more in him since Storm is now the reigning TNA Champion.  It should be interesting now to see where this story goes, since a Roode heel turn and feud with Storm seems like a natural direction, but it's hard to tell where they will go at this point.

In another spoiler from the Impact tapings, Gail Kim returned to TNA and looks to have returned as a heel alongside Karen Jarrett judging by the couple of pics we've seen.  Gail was a huge part of building the Knockout Division, and her classic matches with Awesome Kong (Kharma) set the tone for the success of the Knockouts.  Gail's return is a major boost to the Knockout division, and many more potential great Knockout matches will no doubt be on the way with Gail in the mix.

Check out Impact this Thursday on Spike and see all of these major developments unfold!

Related Content:
TNA Knockout Gail Kim poses nude in Korean Magazine

Jackie Gayda Haas Wins First Place in Figure Competition

Now don't get me wrong, I love females who keep themselves in shape. But on the flip side of the coin, I can't dig a chick whose ripped, shredded and looks like her skin is the gift wrap on a bag of bones....Excuse me, I think I just threw up in my mouth....

Remember Jackie Gayda Haas?...No? Really?

Well, back when WWE Tough Enough was just getting started, she was one of the original contestants....Still nothing huh? She also managed some ja-brone named Rico...Yeah, that's not worth remembering either. Well, let's assume you did remember her as a WWE Diva who then turned TNA Knockout and became the wife of former WWE superstar Charlie Haas. Bottomline is that she's put the wrestling business behind her and has now focused her career on fitness and bodybuilding.

Seems like things are paying off in her new career venture because she recently competed in the Bill Grant Classic Bodybuilding Competition and won first place in two categories. Not bad for a rookie. Check out the exclusive video montage of her competition and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

And as a side note - there was a tremendous bikini contest that non-shredded, Skeletor-looking chicks were NOT involved in. So if you're interested in seeing some smoking hot thickness that know how to fill out a thong, post your requests below and I'll be sure to share that video as well with you readers!

Who will topple Immortal?

In the past few months, since their formation at last October's "Bound for Glory" PPV, Immortal has dominated TNA both in and out of the ring. Despite Mr Anderson's unexpected world title triumph over "The Anti-Christ" Jeff Hardy at this month's "Genesis" PPV, the huge heel stable holds the TV, Tag Team and X Division belts.

With most of TNA's gold around the waists of Immortal and with Bischoff stacking the odds against Mr Anderson, in order to ensure a speedy transition of the World Title back to Jeff Hardy, who will rise up and topple the despotic supergroup?

The first option I would instigate to garner fan interest would be to have cracks emerge between Hogan's boys (Bischoff, the Hardy Brothers, Jeff Jarrett, Abyss) and Flair's Fortune (AJ Styles, Kaz, Beer Money). With Fortune now holding all of Immortal's gold and with Styles clearly begging for a chance to be the "top dog" in the company once more, a division would be easy to accomplish storyline wise and could be further fuelled by Flair and Hogan's long standing bad blood. This option would accomplish many things in TNA: elevating Fortune to be THE dominant group in the company; prove the younger guys have the edge on the relative veterans of Immortal; and a great way to remove Hogan/Bischoff from the company (at least from an on-screen role).

The second option I could see TNA more likely to go with would be the return of another powerful group: Main Event Mafia. With the brilliant storyline that is straying between real life/fiction between Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett, TNA seems to be edging towards a full blown war between Angle and Jarrett's "security blanket" Immortal. As Kurt is heavily outgunned at the moment, it would make sense for him to call on people he trusts to have his back and assist in the destruction of Jarrett/Immortal. Who better to fit this criteria than Scott Steiner, Sting, Booker T, Kevin Nash (?) and maybe even Samoa Joe? With this option TNA does run the risk of undermining the abilities of its younger stars like Styles, Matt Morgan and the MCMG, but the stable battle would be extremely entertaining and could open the door for Samoa Joe to return to the main event scene and even for Fortune to assist in Immortal's downfall, maybe at this year's "Lockdown".

One thing about the Immortal formation however, is that TNA has given itself a plethora of story strands it could choose and a mulitude of "dream" matches/mic showdowns that could occur (Steiner/Flair "shoot" promo anyone?!).

Matt Hardy Debuts, Mr. Anderson Wins Gold at TNA Genesis

TNA Genesis felt like a bit of a reboot/fresh start for the company as every title changed hands and the much anticipated debut of Matt Hardy took place.   I personally was surprised that Hardy debuted with such little fanfare, as there wasn't a huge amount of buildup for RVD's mystery opponent.  I knew Hardy might be an option but I figured he would come in with a lot more hype,and a lot more intrigue surrounding if Matt would side with or against his brother Jeff.  As it stands now, Matt (with a new dread locked look) defeated RVD and will side with Jeff for now in Immortal. 

The other big occurrence was the impromptu match between Mr. Anderson and Jeff Hardy for the TNA Title.  Anderson defeated Matt Morgan to become the number 1 contender, but Eric Bischoff came out following the match to tell Anderson that his match would take place right then.  Jeff Hardy came out in street clothes and smoking a cigarette (to no doubt once again put across to fans how bad of a heel he really is) and made it look like he was in for an easy win.  Anderson kept kicking out and coming back, and eventually scored the pinfall with the "Mic Check" after multiple run ins from Mick Foley, Ric Flair, Matt Hardy, RVD, Bischoff, etc. and is the new TNA Champion.

TNA starts 2011 with all new champions in Beer Money as the new tag team champs defeating the Motor City Machine Guns, Abyss (who replaced AJ Styles due to injury) winning the TV Title over Doug Williams, and Kazarian as X-Division Champ over Jay Lethal.

Now the questions begin as to where they go now.  Will Hogan be back in the picture soon?  Immortal seems to lose some steam without Hogan as their main leader.  Will Matt Hardy spark some interest?  And can Mr. Anderson do the job as the top face and champion for the company?  We will begin to see some answers as TNA tapes Impact tomorrow in Orlando which will begin airing this Thursday on Spike TV.

TNA version of what's working, what's not.

Last week I gave you a WWE post about what was working in the WWE and what I thought wasn't working. So, for all the TNA fans out there (*ahem*), here's the TNA Impact version...

"Immortals" is working: For the most part, anyway. There is still a strong resemblance of nWo to me here, which is such a tired gimmick and seems to be the only thing Russo and company know how to do. I will give it some more time, but when we get to the 4th, 5th, or 6th week in a row with the show ending with an Immortal beatdown after interfering in the main event, then this will move to the "not working" category. The group has legitimate workers. Hopefully, they will get to actually "work".

Ric Flair is working: The guy has a new intensity that I love right now. His promos are as good as they have ever been.

Jeff Hardy is working: To be honest I'm a little surprised at how well Hardy has been in the heel role. It's fresh and new and the dark character fits him perfectly. We need an "anti-Hardy" face character now to feud with him. But don't expect that belt to move for a while.

EV2 is Not working: It's time to bury these grizzled old veterans. The ECW originals have been brought back every year or so in some form or another, in one company or another, and every time it's worse then the time before. Just let the ECW legend live on in our memories. Do yourself a favor and buy an old, original, ECW pay per view on DVD. Put it in and enjoy what it truly was, not what it's trying to be now.

The TNA Knockouts are working: After really being a great part of Impact every week about 2 years ago, the Knockouts division fell off the map a bit and regressed. With the addition of Tara and Mickie James, as well as the emergence of Madison, the division has been entertaining again. The brawls are physical and they are taking advantage of the WWE PG rating with the sex appeal of the knockouts as well. Can you say T and A?

The "takeover" angle and Dixie Carter are not working: Again, more "takeover", nWo stuff that we all are sick of. This aspect of the Immortals is the part that should go away. Why does every "owner" or person in charge in every wrestling company have to be a character on TV? TNA needs to get passed this soon, but I doubt that will happen.

Quick "working": Motor City Machine Guns, Matt Morgan, Douglas Williams, and Kaz.

Quick "not working": AJ Styles (not his fault, not being used well), team 3D split, The Pope, Abyss, Samoa Joe, and Jeff Jarett's MMA fighting.

TNA is firmly the # 2 promotion in wrestling and there's nothing wrong with that.

Jeff Hardy: Anti-Christ

The heel turn of fan favourite Jeff Hardy at TNA's Bound For Glory PPV last Sunday was certainly shocking, but some in the wrestling media questioned the logic/workability of a turn to the dark side for 'The Charismatic Enigma'. By forming an alliance with the universally hated Eric Bischoff and Daytona Beach's last famous new born heel Hulk Hogan, many critics and fans alike believed that Jeff Hardy would be able to limit his mic work (for which is isn't famous) and use his new mentors as his mouthpieces .

However, on this past Thursday's episode of Impact! which had the fall out from the revealing of "They", Hardy proved that he is more than a decent face character with an excellent repertoire of ring skills. His promo proclaiming himself the "Anti-Christ" of the wrestling world was sheer genius. He garnered heat from his previously adoring teen fans whilst also making himself look legitimateuly bad-ass to hordes of older wrestling fans who need a decent heel to admire following Randy Orton's face turn in WWE and The Miz's often comedic heel-lite promos. Maybe Jeff will even attract those disillusioned WWE Universe members to TNA's burgeoning fan base.

Critics often like to point out TNA's flaws without recognising the good things that occur in Orlando, with the supposedly senseless turning of Babyface Hardy into a possibly disastrous heel being a case in point. If Thursday's unveiling of "Immortal" (Hardy, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan) and Hardy's perfect transformation into a hated champion is a sign of things to come in TNA, then these critics may have to start mentioning the increasing positives of TNA wrestling.

Raw Ratings Drop

This is mainly just a little message to the WWE fanboys who seem to think that if a show has high ratings, it means that it is a good show. (Jay Leno).

The ratings for the Raw leading into Wrestlemania dropped 12% since last weeks Raw. Bringing in a 3.24

If you are wondering how TNA is doing in their ratings. Their ratings have not dropped that much. In fact this past Monday, their ratings actually increased a bit. Could it be because Raws main event was Cena and Batista talking. And TNAs main event was RVD and Jeff Hardy vs Beer Money Inc? An ACTUAL main event match? Who knows! Maybe because leading into Wrestlemania, WWE had NOTHING happen on Raw. Boooooooooriiiiiiiiiing.

Since most WWE fans are complete idiots, let me put it in simple terms. WWEs ratings are slipping, TNAs ratings are growing. There ya have it.

The RAW and Impact March 8th Ratings are in...

The New Monday Night War kicked off last night, and we've already got the much anticipated ratings. WWE RAW drew a 3.4 rating, while TNA Impact drew a 1.0. Now at first glance it may seem that TNA didn't get what they had hoped, being on January 4th in their initial Monday night show, they scored a 1.5, which exceeded expectations. Of course TNA knew they were going to be the underdog in this war, and they're taking on WWE in their traditional hottest time of the year in the Road to WrestleMania, so all in all TNA did not fail, and did achieve a respectable number. Also keep in mind that two of their main stars that will help draw viewers away from WWE, Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy were surprises on the show, and the buzz around them may help TNA grab viewers for next weeks show. WWE didn't pull a monster rating, but weren't hurt too bad either, so basically they coast along much like their weekly show. I think TNA did most things right last night, and while they will be in for an uphill battle, I think they have the right formula to pull fans away from the boring WWE formula and scripted TV, to TNA's "anything can happen" style over the next few weeks.

WWE RAW vs. TNA Impact - Which Was Better

The second coming of the Monday Night War is officially underway, and TNA came out with guns blazing, while WWE gave us....the usual Monday Night RAW. TNA went all out with billboards, commercials, and promoting the returns of what may be the two most legendary figures in wrestling, those being of course Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. While most say that internally WWE isn't worried about TNA at all, they were quick to put The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels out to start off their show, to counteract TNA's strategy of opening their show with their main event of Hogan and Abyss vs. Ric Flair and AJ Styles. WWE's kickoff was what seemed to be just another Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels face to face promo, same as we've seen in both last years and this years WrestleMania buildup. The tag match on TNA featured a very slow Hogan as expected, but the match didn't go too long before surprise number one of the night which was Sting returning, only to turn heel on Hogan and Abyss. Hogan was bloodied, but vowed to finish the match later. On RAW we got more of the same stuff we've seen recently. Legacy in a boring feud (it's just so bland to see 3 guys who dress alike, same bodies, etc.) The Money in the Bank Match pretty much has the same guys as usual, mixed in with guys that have no chance of winning, so whatever. TNA had some great surprises, possibly the biggest of which was the debut of Rob Van Dam, as he shocked a rabid crowd by beating Sting in about 10 seconds. Much controversy has come of the aftermath, as Sting beat down RVD and really got over as a heel for doing so, but many feel RVD's debut ended on a sour note in the segment - the big key, it has people talking. I really can't pick anything out on RAW that I can say was done to counteract TNA. Vince vs. Cena turned out to be just another boring swerve with a gauntlet match and Cena squashing guys and making them all look worthless, all leading to the obvious Batista run in. The whole show is 1 big commercial for whatever pay per view is next, while TNA is unpredictable with stars like RVD and Jeff Hardy (who returned to end the show last night.) TNA was one big bloodbath by the end of the night, emphasizing that they're not afraid of a bloody war, and you won't see matches stopped and put on hold ala the TV-PG WWE. WWE always ends with a stare down or a beat down, while TNA ended with Hardy hitting the ring, blowing the roof off the Impact Zone, and left us with a shot of Hardy about to hit the swanton bomb. Overall I once again say that TNA did what was necessary to put on the better show, and make people want to follow their stories, which they have plenty of now. WWE is 3 weeks out from Mania, and has resorted to simply having guys walk out and basically say "How about a match at Mania?" which is how the Sheamus vs. Triple H match was set up. Hopefully TNA can keep this up, and I think RVD and Hardy are 2 names that have the power to draw fans away from RAW, and become regular Impact viewers.

Last Call with Scott Hall - Backstage at TNA

Here we have the "web show" of sorts from the one and only Scott Hall. Hall basically takes a camera, tapes his thoughts, interviews a couple of people, along with some typical Hall antics....and it's really pretty funny. This stuff is no holds barred, no format, no rules type stuff, and it's pretty funny and a breath of fresh air compared to the usual over-produced over-rehearsed crap we get today in wrestling. This sort of thing can set TNA apart from the TV-PG WWE, and is something that can entertain adults. Hall has Sean Waltman (X-Pac, Syxx-Pac, 1-2-3 Kid etc.) on this episode, and features some words from Christopher Daniels, a walk by from Vince Russo, a Ric Flair sighting, and Hall and Pac checking out the Beautiful People. Hall and Pac seem like they may have been partying the night before, which is typical from these guys, but that doesn't mean they cant entertain and give us something different. TNA should somehow include this stuff on their shows and add to the story that Hall and Pac "don't work here" and "aren't welcome in the Impact Zone." Check out the full episode of "Last Call with Scott Hall" below:

TNA Signs RVD

Wow. This is great news. Hogan hinted at it, mainly to keep it a surprise, but Spike TV confirmed it today. The whole, F'n, show, has signed with TNA. Mr. Monday Night, debuts, THIS Monday Night! And to celebrate this news, let us look back, and probably the greatest moment in RVDs run in the WWE. And what I call, my favorite match of the decade.

TNA Officially Live On Mondays In March!

The worst kept secret in wrestling will finally be announced this coming Monday. TNA is expected to announce that it will officially make the move to Monday nights sometime in March.

Many details had to be worked out and contracts figured out between Spike and TNA. But Spike is throwing all their support behind TNA. It is not known the exact date but it won't be live every Monday. They will be doing what Raw used to do with a live Monday show then the following Mondays show being taped. Either way, this is a huge step for TNA. Who has the support from Spike. If TNAs ratings slip and do not hit their usually mark, they have been told by Spike that they will have the time they need to find their footing. So if their ratings are not so hot for two weeks, Spike will not hit the panic button.

Stay tuned as the story really unfolds on Monday.

I would also like to say to whoever made the image we used, it's pretty cool looking and you did a great job on it until you forgot how to spell "begins".

TNA Impact is Moving to Monday Nights

Earlier today we reported that TNA would go head to head with RAW again on Monday March 1st, well now reports from Pro Wrestling Torch are stating that the March 1st live Impact will be the start of a permanent move to Monday nights for TNA. The schedule seems to be going live every other Monday, then taping the next week's episode on Tuesday. So basically we'll be getting TNA vs. WWE every week, with every other Monday being live. This is a great way for TNA to start, although of course we'd all love to see it live every Monday, but they're going with the more financially sound decision at this point, and the hope is that Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan know what they're doing, because they've been here before. Now it's time for TNA to step up and prove they can not only get a great rating on one Monday night special, but steadily go to war with WWE and even increase their numbers to really make this war happen. TNA has already made major moves with the new arena and return of the 4 sided ring, and also a lot of new (or old in some peoples opinions) talents including Ric Flair, Scott Hall, X-Pac, Sean Morley, and the Nasty Boys. After the initial debut of the new talents, TNA has also debuted Mr. Anderson (formerly Kennedy) and have put him in a prominent position as well. TNA still has some big guns to possibly bring out that they could be saving for the head to head battle. Jeff Hardy hasn't been seen on TNA since the initial January 4th appearance, and Rob Van Dam is constantly in the rumor mill as a major player that could be huge for TNA. With AJ Styles now managed by Ric Flair and in the role of the "new Nature Boy," it seems that both Hardy and RVD would be prime candidates for big time Heavyweight Title matches. The ball is now in TNA's court, and it's up to them to give us quality, where WWE has given us boredom. With the Road to Wrestlemania in full swing at the same time as TNA moving to Mondays, the fans will be the big winners in all this, at least in the initial phase.

Vince Russo Comments on January 4th's Impact and RAW

Vince Russo has posted his thoughts on this past Monday's showdown between RAW and Impact on his official Facebook page. Russo has been one of the most controversial, and many times hated figures in wrestling in the past 15 or so years, but his insight on the Monday night war is pretty much dead on here. Russo gives insight into what went into the planning of Impact, and how it took weeks of work to put together. Russo also points out that RAW put forth no other effort other than Bret Hart, and actually challenges Vince McMahon to "make things fun again" by putting on a better product to take on Impact. Love him or hate him, Vince Russo is at the center of what's going on in TNA right now, and he's been in the same spot with WWE and WCW in the past, and right now he is making a whole lot of sense. He says Eric Bischoff is coming across like Vince McMahon did 10 years ago, which could mean someone as motivated as Bischoff could really keep things on track for TNA. Check out Russo's full post below:

"It's Thursday morning, mountain time, as I sit here still trying to recoup from the series of events that led up to that monumental Monday.

As I sit here there is a staff meeting going on back at the TNA offices in Nashville that I am missing. Look, I'm going to be 49 in 17 days--I don't bounce back as quickly as I once did--both in mind and body. Right now, I can't mentally sit through a staff meeting--I'd much rather be sitting here in my office, listening to some Joe Cocker vinyl, and talking to you.

So, here I am--sorry Dixie, but I think I earned a pass on this one.

Before I write another word, I can't go any further without thanking all of you. A 1.5 is a tremendous, tremendous rating going head to head with "Raw", and nobody can take that away from us. Keller, Meltzer, all the other dirt sheet writers that some of you may know, can critique all they want--the bottom line is--TNA WON--PERIOD. However, the reason we won is because all of you came out. You came out and you watched TNA. Whether you were a channel changer, or not, you spent some time with us on Monday night and that's all we wanted. I can't thank you enough--I really can't. Without your support, Vince Russo does not do what I know I was born to do. Without your support--quite frankly--I don't know what I'd be doing.

We learned a lot, on Monday night as a company--a lot. We hit some home runs, but also struck out once, or twice--but that's OK. What really mattered is that we took risks. We gave you everything we had--and didn't play it safe. That's what Eric Bischoff and Russo/Ferrara both did back in the mid-to late 90's. Nothing was safe--NOTHING. The programming, whether it was WWF, or WCW was DANGEROUS. Never one time, no matter how hot we got--did Eric or I EVER rest on our laurels--NEVER. I can't tell you how long Vince has been resting on his . . . I honestly can't.

I sat in the production truck and I watched our show, side-by-side to Vince's Monday night. It was great to see Bret--I love the guy--always have. But as our show went on, and as I watched his, I just kept asking myself--"where's the effort"? Does Vince think that little of TNA that he felt that he could just produce "another show" on Monday night? I mean, you take away that first segment and that last segment, and you had a wrestling show that wasn't even mediocre at best. Again--going back to the 90's--that NEVER, would have happened if Eric, or I were in Vince's shoes--NEVER. Resting on your laurels is the worst mistake that anyone can ever make--no matter what type of business you are in.

I remember back in the mid 90's--before Eric and WCW started killing us--the mentality of the WWF was simply--"Whatever we put out there--good, or bad--the fans are not only going to eat it--THEY'RE GOING TO LIKE IT!!!!" That's what brought about the era of Freddy Joe Floyd, the Goon, TL Hooper, The Mastadon, and of course--fake Razor and fake Diesel. That was Vince's attitude because there WAS NO competition--that's where Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan came in--the rest was history.

Vince McMahon is at that same place again. There was no effort on Monday night--because in his mind--there is no competition. Man--how can you be a "genius" and not learn from mistakes of the past. Now, I know there are probably many of you out there saying, "Vinnie Ru--why do you want to wake a sleeping giant?"The truth--he may be sleeping--but I don't really think he's a giant any more--maybe 6'7", or 6' 8", but not a giant. The truth--I don't think the creative team over there has, or ever did have, the creativity and the spauldings that a younger Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff ever did. The truth--I'm almost a 49 year-old man right now--and they STILL don't have the passion that I do. Look at the WWE history there since Ed and I left--where are the great angles? Where are the "Bret screwed Bret", stories? Where are the ones where DX pull up to the enemy's camp driving a missle launcher, or the one where the Rock joined the corporation? WHERE ARE THEY? Now don't get me wrong, Triple H putting a midget on a skateboard and rolling him around backstage may be entertaining to some--but I have to say--it fails in comparision to Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Mr. McMahon.

Now, have guys gotten over themselves over there--yes they have--John Cena is a tremendous talent--Randy Orton may be the best I've ever seen--but where's the meat and potatoes--the stories. Now, you can say whatever you want about me--love me, or hate me, but you watch any TNA show and there are stories going on for everybody. Stories that build "character"--the same stories that built the D-Lo Browns, and the Mark Henrys, and the Kanes and the Val Venises. EFFORT goes into everything we do--EVERYTHING. Our challenge has been that we have so many young , inexperienced guys to get over at once--but that just takes time--we WILL get them over. But we're trying--we're trying for you the fans.

Which brings me to Monday night. On record here I will say that I have NEVER worked on a show any harder then that one you witnessed on Monday night. That show was being crafted for 6 weeks--every, single day of the week. We never stopped--NEVER. We tweaked, and tweaked, and tweaked until we couldn't even tweak anymore. We ran young Matt Conway, the junior creator of our staff--into the ground--he will never be the same again. Ed took time away from his elderly parents, who need him more then anything now--and I took time away from the thing I love most--my family. We didn't come up one, single day for air--not one. Eric called me on Christmas day--not to exchange pleasantries--but to work--and he did the same New Year's day. IT NEVER STOPPED!!!

And that's the point of this article. I'll be the first to say that Ed, Matt and I have been spending so much time in trying to help get the younger talent over--that we might have gotten ourselves in a rut. Even though we knew that it takes time due to our earlier history at the WWF--we were starting to feel like that gerbil that goes round and round in that wheel. That was until Eric Bischoff came along.

No, Eric and I did not like each other, yes, it is all documented in my new book. We were oil and water, we were just two different guys with two different mindsets and two different styles. At WCW we were BOTH put in positions that neither one of us wanted to be in. We were forced to work together--when we couldn't. Well--the truth is that Dixie Carter forced me to work with Eric Bischoff again. I didn't want to--but I had no choice. Dixie is the boss--I'm an employee--and I have to give the boss what she wants. I dreaded the day. I remember a few months back when I had to go meet Eric--with Dixie--the day following the Hulk Hogan press conference. It was the first time I would see him in ten years. Man--I swear to you--as the hours grew closer--I would much rather have had to go to the dentist and have him tear every tooth from my mouth--NO novacaine. To me--this was the meeting from hell.

So I flew to New York. Dixie put me up in some hotel that was so out of my league--that it made me feel even more out of my skin. Then came the monumental breakfast. I walked away thinking--"Has anything really changed here? 10 years--has anything changed?"

Then there was a phone call, or two, then Eric came in to Nashville to work with Ed, Matt and myself.

There's a lot in there to talk about--and I will at a later time--but let me get to the end of the story because I really don't have the time to write my third book right now.

The more, and more I worked with Eric--the more, and more he started to remind me of somebody. A guy that I worked very closely with some 10-15 years ago. A guy that was once so driven so determined and so MOTIVATED that he had me giving my life to him on a silver platter. He had me putting him . . . before my entire family. A guy--that oozed bravado--his favorite word. Eric reminded me so much of Vince McMahon 10 years ago that it was surreal.

But I'm not exactly talking about the "real" Vince, the egotistical maniac who loved no one more then himself--who treated everyone he worked with with the emotion of a cyborg--I'm talking about the Vince McMahon who had the passion to win at any cost. The Vince McMahon who didn't want to rest on his laurels. Eric made it clear to me by his actions--early one--that he wasn't there to take Dixie Carter's money--he was there to win. Love him, or hate him--he lit a fire under me. A fire that I really hadn't had for sometime. Eric provided HOPE--hope that TNA could be the #1 wrestling company in the world. And, when he talked about it--I believed it. I believed it because of his passion--the same passion that you witnessed Monday night--the same passion that "Raw" greatly lacked--the same passion that Vince McMahon lost a long, long, time ago.

And Hulk Hogan was no different. Again--put the personal feelings aside--that's not what this is about--this is about what those two guys--Eric and Hulk--came to do . . . AND THEY DID. They didn't just talk about it--THEY DID IT. Hulk sat in on production meetings, Hulk was a leader in the back--Hulk was the last to leave. You have to respect that regardless of what happened 10 years ago.

So on this night--Monday, January 4th, 2010, I publically give Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff the respect they deserved . . . and the respect they earned.

But remember--it's just the first page of what looks to be a very, interesting, third book for me.

And one more thing--c'mon, Vince--get back in the game--even if it's just for old times sake. Let's have some fun!!!

Peace,

Vince"

Official RAW and Impact January 4th Ratings are in...

The Monday Night War version 2 is in the books, and without a doubt, it has provided more buzz and talk about wrestling then there has been in years. TNA provided a show that was loaded with surprises, changes, and overall the big time feel that they have needed for years now. WWE on the other hand provided a monumental return that many believed would never ever happen, that being the return of Bret Hart. WWE didn't give us much of anything different outside of Bret's segments, thus showing that they didn't feel overly threatened by going head to head with TNA. Well now the numbers are finally in, and TNA scored a 1.5, with an average of 2,200,000 viewers, which is their largest rating of all time. The number exceeded Spike TV's hope of at least getting their usual Thursday rating, and the talks have already begun that TNA may be moving to Monday Nights permanately. On the other side of things, WWE scored a 3.6, with an average 5,600,000 viewers for RAW. Now on the surface, WWE did score the higher rating, but this initial war was never about Impact beating RAW in the ratings, as everyone knew going in that it wasn't possible yet. The thing is WWE's rating wasn't much higher than it's normal rating considering they pulled out the huge return of Bret Hart, which is by far the most interesting thing RAW has featured in a very long time. TNA pulled out all the stops, exceeded their hopes, and started many new stories that will be fun to follow if they can continue on this momentum. Many have complained about TNA using old stars....but the fact of the matter is, these old stars have drawn money, and can help make more stars just by associating with the younger talent. TNA could have put all their young talent out there, they could have put on 5 star matches, and still no one would have cared. TNA has been trying that method for years, and nothing has clicked. Suddenly Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Eric Bischoff, Scott Hall etc. are in the house, and every one is talking. The biggest question is, can TNA continue to produce quality TV that will keep the viewers watching. My thought is, if anyone can, Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan can. Say what you will, but they know how to take a promotion to the next level, and how to create interest. The interest is there, and TNA picked up huge momentum this past Monday, which may even in turn make WWE step it hope in future head to head Mondays. Hopefully the next step will be reporting news that TNA is moving to Monday nights, and we'll get to enjoy the excitement of weekly RAW vs. Impact.

Couple Of Updates From the Crypt

As of January 16th 2009, Bob 'Hardcore'Holly is officially released from his WWE Contract

TNA's Legitiamte InjuredList:
Steve 'Sting' Borden
'Big Poppa Pump' Scott Steiner
'Big Sexy' Kevin Nash, Who has also Signed a new 3 year TNA Contract
Christy Hemme
Awsome Kong
Robert Roode
'King Of the Mountain' Jeff Jarret
Frankie 'Kaz/Suicide' Kazarian

I feel all these injurys plus the fact that steve 'sting' borden and Brother Ray are both condsidering retirment after this year, count as huge blows to TNA we will have to see if TNA can survive through this inury list. And it isnt only TNA that are losing out WWE have released some big names and some not so big names, The only thing that some people can take comfort in is that WWE are trying to get Trish Stratus for Wrestlemania and Gail Kim making her TNA In ring return soon.

WWE/TNA Angles getting sick?

To introduce Christian Cage to his new WWE contract, its rumoured that theres going to be an angle involing WWE Chamion/Ex TNA superstar Jeff hardy and his fiancee in which both of them are supposed to be part of a hit and run automoblile accident in jeffs home townand has been said they may reveal Christian as the driver, the angle will show jeff to make a recovery but his fiancee will be seriously injured, it has also been rumoured that Christian has been spotted around The RAW arena during the tapings,

If this is shown to be the storyline i would lose alot of respect for Chrisitan and the WWE, but i have always felt that storylines in both WWE and TNA were always a Bit outlandish and absurd, Take Kane and Triple H's Fued in 2002, When Triple H reveald Kane comittited necrophilia on a a girl called Katie Vick, Or in TNA when It showed Abyss's manager James Mitchell was rele his father and abyss had shot him in the back several times.

I would love to see wrestling storylines being brung back to simpler times but still have all the high flying hard hitting hardcore action we see today.