Gamechanger...

Yesterday, Dixie Carter tweeted that there was going to be this major announcement that would change Impact Wrestling. Upon hearing the news, I could only presume that they were gonna launch their second show, but I was wrong. It turns out they have decided to take the show on the road and hold a live episode and tape the following epsiode, much like WWE did back in the late 90's with Raw. I couldn't be more stoked to hear this. It means they could leave the Impact Zone permanently and start competing with the WWE. 

Although it's good news, one has to take into account the risks of TNA going on the road. We all know WWE are the dominant force in wrestling today and even though they may put on lackluster shows more often than not, people are still coming to their shows in droves. That's what is a bit worrying. That TNA can put on a great show and yet only get small attendance numbers and possibly lose money. And what about being LIVE whilst on the road? It could be quite the challenge financially as it was comfortable for TNA to be broadcasting live in the Impact Zone but if they're gonna be successful then they need the viewing public to come out and support them. They've got consistency while they were in the Impact Zone, but now that they're getting out of their comfort zone, one can only hope that the arenas are high in attendance. 

It might seem like I'm questioning TNA's decision here. I'm only slightly concerned because the US is not the U.K. They've had success abroad but being at home it poses a bigger concern. HOWEVER, they've garnered many fans while being in cities like New York for their BaseBrawl, where around 6000 people came to see them, their best attendance yet for a live event. 3000 fans in Missouri came to the TNA live event, which shows they can still get those attendance figures. 

I often hear people of the WWE product saying how they are tired of the same old skit that's put out there and how it's too PG. If that's the case, then go to a TNA event. By supporting the #2 company, you will not only be getting great wrestling and a good product, you will also be getting a more serious WWE and a more competitive rivalry. Watching TNA is benefitial for everyone, no doubt about it. There hasn't been a better time to tune in as 2013 will likely be the year that TNA finally gets taken seriously. 

Unfair criticism...

Perhaps I've said it before, but I have to say that writing these columns successfully back-to-back is quite the mission. It's one of the reasons why I'm not a frequent writer, as I'm taking time to get my self up to 100% and bring you another quality column. With that being said, I do have a piece of information that I want to share with you. A few weeks ago, Brooke Hogan was interviewed and she was teasing a in-ring debut. Just today, when Hulk Hogan was asked what he thought of his daughter competing in the ring, he said he wasn't sure about it as he knows the dangers of the business.

The critics were of course bashing the Hogans and claiming they've ruined TNA and are hogging the spotlight from all the other wrestlers. They also said that the only reason why Brooke would wrestle in TNA would be because of who her father is. They said the same thing about Garrett Bischoff with his father being the producer of the show. One has to wonder if the critics are being hypocrites.

The fact is, there have been so many wrestlers over the years that have wrestled, most notably in the WWE. If I have to mention some names, I would say Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Randy Orton, The Rock, Eddie and Chavo Guerrero, Randy Savage, Owen Hart and a bunch of other wrestlers. I could name them all day but I think you're getting my point.

What I don't understand is, why are they so hated? What have Brooke and Garrett done to be mocked constantly? Granted, Brooke might not be a great actress but looking at all the names above, there is no way that someone can actually make a valid argument over why Brooke shouldn't be able to wrestle. She could go to a nice wrestling school like all wrestlers do, train to the point where she's qualified and then she can step in the ring. Garrett Bischoff didn't seem like he could wrestle very well when he first debuted but he's really come to his own the last few months.

People need to look at things from a broader perspective. Just because Hulk Hogans daughter wants to possibly wrestle, doesn't mean it gives people the right to bash her for making that choice. If that's the case, then why aren't these wrestlers being criticized? Because they get another reason to poke fun at TNA. Typical fanboys. They always feel the need to disrespect other companies that could possibly be a threat to their beloved WWE. Rant over.

Genesis PPV predictions...

TNA have announced 8 matches for tonight. 2 of them are going to involve Aces and Eights while we will be having 2 matches featuring the X-Division with the winner competing in two matches on the same night. Here's the final card for Genesis PPV:


Devon vs. Joseph Park
James Storm vs. Christopher Daniels
Sting vs. DOC
Gauntlet match for Knockouts Title #1 Contendership
X-Division Tournament Finals: Kenny King vs. Christian York
X-Division Title Match: RVD vs. ???
TNA World Title Match: Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez vs. Matt Morgan and Joey Ryan
Elimination Match for The World Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode


For a while the Aces and Eights held Park captive at their clubhouse and tortured him. After months of dealing with the faction, he decides to learn how to wrestle. Now he's having a match with Devon and I could see a few things happening in this match. We might get to see Park get bloodied by Devon and the Abyss ''channeling'' and laying Devon out with a Black Hole Slam. I believe Park will take home this one but get attacked after the match up.

And what about DOC vs. Sting? What's gonna happen there? Are we gonna get a violent match up with nothing but vengeance on Sting's mind or are we gonna see another interference by Aces and Eights? In my opinion, there might be a swerve here. Let's say DOC loses the match cleanly. What happens next? Do the faction come out and attack The Icon or do they leave their biggest member hanging for failing to beat his opponent? My vote goes to Sting for the win here.

James Storm vs. Daniels is a match I'm really looking forward to. Both men look like they could use this match to elevate themselves to the big belt. Daniels doesn't look like he needs to be in the World Title picture right now with his hilarious tag team stint with his partner Kazarian, but a win for him could make him a strong contender for the belt. My vote however goes to Storm.

Christian York and Kenny King are two wrestlers that have really put themselves in a position where they look like they deserve the title due to their performances of late. If you look at them induvidually though, you will notice that Kenny King has recently started being a heel and he's kinda in a feud with Rob Van Dam. While Christian York has impressed since debuting on Impact, he's not ready for the belt and doesn't need it right now. Kenny King is my victor and new X-Division Champ.

Here's my opinion on the Knockouts Gauntlet match. This is quite a difficult prediction to make due to the number of Knockouts in this match but also because of their title credentials and their credebility. I might be making a wild guess here but I think Mickie James is gonna win this match up. Having faced Tara twice already, it wouldn't really make sense to me to have one of the other females win it, each having their own reason.

The Tag Team Title match between Chavo/Hernandez and Morgan/Ryan is where I believe the titles changes hands. The current title holders are in a good position right now and this is the right time to drop them to Matt Morgan and Joey Ryan. We will see an inevitable split in the future, but for now these two men deserve to be champs.

This is where it gets tricky. If Hardy has indeed signed a new contract, he might keep the belt. If not, he might lose it. I believe he has indeed re-signed but I think it's time that he loses the belt. And I believe Bobby Roode will be the one standing tall with the belt in his hand after the match is over. Aries will likely continue the feud with Roode after Genesis and win the title back but that is for another time.

This will be a great year for TNA. A lot of changes being made, with the decision of cutting 8 PPVs. They will do a good job though of maintaining balance and making sure that their PPVs are better than they have ever been. Believe that.

Departures and speculations...

It appears that TNA have let go of a few talents this week. According to reports, D'Angelo Dinero, Rosita and Sarita have all been let go by the company after their contracts expired. In my opinion, I can understand why they would these two Knockouts go. They hadn't been used in months and TNA just didn't have anything planned for them. I wish them the best in all their future endavours.

Now, here is the part where I'm being a little sceptic on Dineros part. It is said that he wrote on Twitter that his contract with the company expired on Jan 1st and that he won't be resigning. As soon as I heard the news, I saw a pattern. Do you guys remember when Matt Morgan and Devon both claimed their contracts expired? And they were playing the fans for a long time, before they eventually came back to the company? I think this is where Dinero is at right now. I usually don't believe everything that is said on the Internet, whether the statements by the accused were true or not.

Just take Joey Ryan as an example. When he faced Austin Aries at a Gut Check episode of Impact, he lost the match but the fans like him a lot and he seemed to impress just about everyone. However, he was to be denied a contract the following week and proceeded to attack TNA and talk about the the ''87-percenters'', meaning the fans that voted for him. Here's the thing about it. TNA likely signed him a little after his match with Aries and wanted him in this storyline where he talks about how he was never given a contract in his videos on Youtube. People bought into it and were hooked. T-shirts that said ''87-percent'' were printed and people were behind him. That is what you call a ''work''.

My point in all of this is that I am not entirely believing in these rumors and statements. In wrestling you can't always trust what is being said, whether it's a work or someone speaking out of character in regards to their contracts expiring, to bring up an example. When Devon was let go, he hinted on Twitter that he and Jesse Neal would go to WWE. I didn't buy that for a second and I predicted him as a member of Aces and Eights. Next thing you know, at Bound For Glory, Bully Ray, Hogan and Sting surround the ring as they take off Devons mask and the fans are shocked.

So after watching all of these events unfold, I won't be surprised if he's brought back to join the faction, it could be benefitial for him as he hasn't been utilized in a good way. Let's wait and see where things stand in a few months.

WWE rant and other news....

I must start off saying it's been quite difficult maintaining and writing new columns as often as I thought I could. I realize that most of the fans visiting this blog are impatient with my lack of writing, which is why I have put forward this idea. I am planning to bring in another wrestling columnist to defend TNA and offer their insights and opinions. You can expect a few changes on this blog, but rest assured, I'll continue writing for as long as I can. 

Now, to start off with something that caught my eye recently. This week on Monday Night Raw, a new concept was introduced, called ''Champions Choice''. After watching it more closely, I realized that this new idea they had created was the renaming of TNA's own Open Fight Night, where the champions choose their challengers. I thought it was quite funny, how WWE have been copying several of TNA's ideas lately. I went to visit some wrestling sites and read what people thought about this ''Champions Choice'' idea. I wasn't surprised, as most of them were WWE fanboys that claimed TNA are the real copycats as Austin Aries was given the belt right after Daniel Bryan and CM Punk had been given the belt. And they also proclaim that Aces & Eights are a direct copy of the Nexus.

I can't help but wonder how they can even make such statements. So they're telling me that if a certain star of a rival company goes insanely over with the crowd they're copying WWE? That is simply nonsense. And how are Aces and Eights similar to Nexus? They're wearing masks, some of the members are yet to be revealed. We don't even know their agenda, while the Nexus were a completely different faction. 

Now, to talk about something that made a lot of TNA fans very happy. During this weeks Impact, a member was unmasked. He was revealed to be Mike Knox, formerly from ECW. I was expecting his reveal and I believe he'll be used far better in TNA than he was in WWE. I do have an issue with Stings return though, as it was pretty lackluster considering the promos and the hype given. It didn't over ruin the angle though, as it ended on a decent note...