As Hogan's signing pertains to Impact, I would recommend we wait until there is some sort of discernable indication of the creative direction of the company before calling it out. Although many of the players are the same, TNA is certainly not WCW. Furtherv—and this may be the ultimate leap of faith—you'd have to imagine that someone, somewhere with some stroke saw how WCW was run into the ground and will not allow TNA to go in that direction. Hell, nearly everyone not named McMahon who helped aid with the slow death of WCW will literally be under the TNA company umbrella; just compare notes, for God's sake!
So, while I'm still not thrilled at the prospect of 1980s and ’90s wrestling legend-turned-2000s-reality-TV star and billionth runner-up for father of the year being a part of the industry again, the truth is I have no say in the matter. What I can do is watch TNA's every move and see where the company heads in the coming months with the legend as part of its televised storylines. Then, and only then, will I feel comfortable attacking—or, possibly, lauding—the finished product.
The Week In Televised Wrestling
Smackdown (10/30)
Okay, so we'll admit that we prefer our Batista as a jerk if we have to have a Batista at all, but we at "The Turn" are completely conflicted on the latest "David vs. Goliath" angle WWE is pushing on us. We've gone on the record time and again discussing how much we dislike the pint-sized underdog (Rey Mysterio Jr. here and, basically, throughout his entire career) taking on and, at times, taking down the muscle-bound rulebreaker (the aforementioned "Animal"). That being said, this angle takes on an even lazier feel when, yes, last Friday night there was a mention of a certain Eddie Guerrero during what was otherwise a solid mike segment. Still, while we're not huge on either Batista nor Rey, we'll watch because, well, we have to. You should check it out to see if WWE does anything different this time around.
Raw (11/2)
Remember when the rebirth of the Osbourne clan was interesting? Recall fondly a time where looking into the lifestyle led by an absolutely fried metal star and his curiously untalented brood was required viewing? Sure! We all do. As unabashed fans of all things Ozzy, we hate to admit how painful it was at times to watch Raw on Monday night and see the "Prince Of Darkness" meander through two hours of something he knows so little about. Overall, the evening felt like WWE once again missed the pop culture boat and simply picked a name who was told he was interested in hosting. In the end, Chris Jericho was triumphant in a triple-threat match between himself, Big Show, and WWE champion John Cena.
ECW (11/3)
If we can offer one bit of credit to TNA, it's that the company knows when to cut ties with talent it really does not see much of a future in building. You may think that's the case with virtually any promotion and, to an extent, that is true. But, for every Lance Hoyt of the world, there's about 10 Mike Knoxes, so take that into consideration. We bring up Hoyt here because a man bearing a striking resemblance to him, yet going by Vance Archer, enjoyed a very impressive debut with ECW this past Tuesday night. Archer would seem to fit the WWE mold perfectly in that he's big, not particularly slow, and easy to build the company's traditional "big = unstoppable until Triple-H wrestles him" persona. While we don't see Archer making the move to one of the two big brands anytime soon, he does provide a nice infusion of intrigue into Tuesdays. I mean, where else can you find a man who is tall and kicks people?
Impact (11/5)
There was a period of time a few years back where, arguably, TNA had some of the best televised wrestling broadcasts in all of North America. Last night's main event—which featured Daniels (who is not the attacker, by the way) and TNA World champ A.J. Styles (who can't help but be attacked) with Samoa Joe as the guest referee (way too slow to be the attacker)—should have served as reminder of TNA's glory days of only a few years ago. The wrestling was crisp and exciting, the dynamic between the three was still rock solid, and, until Hogan makes his full-time debut, this is just about the best thing going on Thursday nights.
And Finally… Perhaps a better stand-up comedian than professional wrestler, co-headliner of WrestleMania II King Kong Bundy turns 52 tomorrow. Tape up your ribs out of respect.
