You know I should have expected what Smackdown was going to be like this past Tuesday here in Las Vegas. I will admit there was a few bright moments. The Undertaker’s entrance, man I got chills. MVP’s entrance, I mean come on you can’t go wrong with “1 – 2 you hear the clock ticking… I’m coming!” Of course he jobbed out to Dark’s favorite wreslter. R “What’s Up” Truth(sorry Dark). Even the Undertaker’s matches were weak I thought. God bless the Undertaker, but I think he is in serious trouble with his knees. Dark kept saying “Watch those knees!” he was right. Undertaker looked like he was really struggling to even walk. There was one point that he was on one knee in the corner and looked to be in a lot of pain. He finally grabbed the top rope and pulled himself up, which looked like it hurt him.

Another thing that sucked was after the Undertaker’s match with The Great Khali, they had Lenny Dykstra and Chuck Norris (Braddock) take on I guess the new Dudley Boyz, Jesse and Festus. Who? How are you going to put these four curtain jerkers on after the Phenom. No wonder Smackdown can’t get more than a 3.0 rating. What was the deal with The Big Show beating up the Johnson triplets as we named them? Yeah that’s great T.V.

Don’t think I forgot about you Triple H a.k.a. Paul McMahon. Let’s see you had a pointless promo, a twenty minute entrance, did commetary, had a stare down with Kozlov, which was like looking into a mirror since both of you guys look the same – ugly, posed fifty eight times, pedigreed Jeff Hardy, posed another thirty eight times, and finally left. Not to mention them advertising your King of Kings DVD. Also the Hell in a Cell DVD. Let me see Triple H is in probably 80% of those matches, so wouldn’t it be just another Best of Triple H DVD? Talk about being insecure, this guy is totally paranoid about losing his spot someday.

This was the first time I got to see Vladimir Kozlov, and I hope it was the last time I get to see him. This is whats wrong with the WWE, they send guys out there with no talent whatsover. All this guy has is his stupid headbutt, and being ugly, and the lame ass seen it a hundred times, thousand yard stare as he foams at the mouth. Get a gimmick for crying out loud and come back when you do.

However the overall exprience wasn’t all that bad. Getting a chance to hang out with my good friends who I consider family was the most fun I have ever had at a wrestling event. From Dirt losing his ticket and then finding it, and him dropping X amount of money for a title belt, and Dark who kept standing on the rail posing with his belt like it was the top rope. I must say that I had a blast with you guys. So thank you for going and letting me have a good time, because the wrestling wasn’t doing it for me. I know we will have a great time at Impact next Thursday.

Thats all for now, be sure you listen this Saturday. See ya.

Costanza

It’s no secret that TNA’s primary goal is to eventually get to the point where they can compete with the juggernaut known as the WWE. Over the last couple of years they have made some major moves to get themselves closer to that elusive “brass ring”. Signing major superstars like Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, and Booker T definitely added some star power to their roster. They created the Knockout division which without a doubt has taken womens wrestling to the next level. They also extended their flagship TV show TNA Impact from 1 to 2 hours which allowed them to showcase more of their talent. But even with all the positive changes, the WWE continues to dominate the wrestling industry. So the million dollar question still remains…..Can TNA ever compete with the WWE? I believe they can, but there are a couple of things that need to happen first.

The main thing TNA is lacking is a superstar that can put butts in the seats and be the focus of the company. The WWE has always had that one guy like Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock that would rise above the rest in the locker room and become the focus of the company. TNA doesn’t have “that guy”. As much as I love Sting, Angle, Booker, Foley, and Cage they don’t have the kind of following to lead the company. Plus when you think of those wrestlers you don’t think of TNA, you think of WWE and WCW because that’s where they became superstars and spent the majority of their careers. TNA needs someone that identifies with their brand only and can be the face of company. That’s why they’re wasting their time with wrestlers like Mick Foley and Kevin Nash. It’s cool to see them on Impact, but are they really going to increase ratings and attendance? I don’t think so.

So how does TNA find “that guy” that will lead the company into prosperity? Well it’s simple. They need to focus on the mid-carders. Guys like Kaz and AJ Styles are the future of the company. These guys need to be put in a position where they can shine and have the opportunity to become headliners. Sting, Jarrett, and the other veterans have done a great job putting the company on the map. Now it’s time for the young guys to build on the foundation that the veterans have created. TNA needs to avoid making the same mistake that WCW did. During the Monday Night Wars, WCW relied heavily on the established stars that came over from the WWE like Hogan, Savage, and Nash. Except for Goldberg, they never bothered to establish their own main-eventers. So when those WWE stars lost steam or left the company, there was no one there to take their place. The company went down hill from there. They tried to create some new stars with that “New Blood” angle but it was far too late. There’s a lot of potential in that TNA locker room and with the right direction a guy like AJ Styles can become just as big as a Jericho or Michaels. Now I know what you’re thinking, AJ Styles doesn’t have what it takes to lead the company. Well I say this… After following the careers of stars like John Cena and Goldberg, any descent wrestler is only 1 good gimmick away from becoming a superstar.

Whether you like TNA or not, if you’re a wrestling fan you should be cheering for them. I’ll tell you why. If TNA gets to the point where they can compete, the WWE will have no choice but to step their game up. That means bigger matches, more title changes, and better angles. That’s a win win situation for us devoted wrestling fans. Don’t get me wrong, we’re far away from seeing another Monday War, but if TNA keeps making the right moves then the sky is the limit.

Joe Dirt

When TNA started back in June of 2002 they introduced a new style of wrestling that many people compared to WCW’s Cruiserweight division. TNA’s division didn’t have a weight limit nor was there any limit. It mixed high flying athletic wrestling, with mat wrestling and focused mainly on the younger talent in TNA. This is known as the X Division. The very first match in TNA history was an X Division match which featured AJ Styles, Jerry Lynn, and Low Ki at the time take on The Flying Elvis’ of Jimmy Yang, Sonny Siaki, and Jorge Estrada. A lot of people didn’t know what to expect with this new division TNA was trying to put over. By the time the first high spot of the match happened, which there was plenty of in this match. The audience knew then exactly what the X Division was all about. After this match TNA was off to the races with the X Division.

The following week TNA crowned its first ever X Division champion when AJ Styles defeated Low Ki, Psychosis, and Jerry Lynn in a double elimination match. Over the next few months Styles, Low Ki, and Lynn would wage war over the title like I have never seen before and still haven’t to this day as far as feuds go in wrestling. Low Ki won the title in a three way match with Styles and Lynn. This led to a match that would settle the feud between the three. A triple ladder match took place in August 2002. This match out did every single X Division match up to this point. Jerry Lynn finally won the X Division title after delivering a cradle pile driver off of the ladder to Low Ki. This resulted in the one and only time that I have been watching wrestling where I said “He’s f*ing dead.” After this match Low Ki kind of went his own way, while Styles and Lynn’s feud continued over the title. By then some new faces entered the X Division as The Amazing Red made his name in the division. Kid Kash, Chris Sabin, Syxx Pac, Elix Skipper, Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Matt Bentley just to name a few made their marks in the X Divison. The majority of these men had held the X Division title, some on more than one occasion.

The X Division had already revolutionized wrestling with this different style, but in August 2003 TNA would out do themselves yet again. They introduced a new concept match called The Ultimate X. What this entitled was that there was four pillars on the corners of the ring, two cables ran cross ways to the other pillar and they formed and X. In the center of the X was either the X Division title belt or a red X, depended on if it was a title match or a #1 contender’s match. The object of the match was that you had to pull yourself to the center of the X and retrieve the prize to win. The first Ultimate X match was with Matt Bentley, Chris Sabin, and Frankie Kazarian. Bentley would go on to win the match and become the new X Division champion. TNA still does this match sometimes and every single time it has been done, it literally steals the show. They even used it for the tag team titles once with AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels against LAX.

By the time November 2004 came around and TNA was doing three hour pay per views, new talent have come in but TNA still had focus on the X Division. Petey Williams, Chris Sabin, and AJ Styles had a great feud over the title which culminated in an Ultimate X match in January 2005 that Styles won and regained the title that he made famous. Styles then feuded with Christopher Daniels who was finally able to take the belt from Styles in March 2005 in you guessed it Ultimate X. Daniels would go on as the longest reigning X Division champion of all time at 6 months.

In June 2005 a brand new face came into TNA and the X Division. Samoa Joe made his debut at the Slammiversary pay per view. Now since the X Division wasn’t about weight limits, it was about no limits. Joe ran through the X Division like it was nothing. Well what do you expect when Joe out weighs all of the X Division stars by an average of a hundred pounds. I think when Joe came into the X Division is when the division started to phase out. I don’t know if it was bad booking or what but I literally think that Samoa Joe ruined the X Division. It was just a matter time before Joe was in a feud with AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels. In August 2005, Joe and Styles had a great match with Joe picking up the win. Due to the interference by Christopher Daniels, they made a three way match at the Unbreakable pay per view with Daniels defending the X Division title against both Styles and Joe. I will admit that even though I think Joe ruined the X Division, this is still my favorite match in the twenty four years that I have been watching wrestling. Styles regained the title by pinning Daniels. After the match Mike Tenay said something that didn’t make any sense at the time. While Styles celebrated his win, Tenay said that Samoa Joe was still undefeated, he didn’t get pinned or he didn’t submit. Little did I know that this remark would lead to his stupid “undefeated” streak. So Joe is undefeated after not winning this match. That doesn’t make any sense, he didn’t win the match so in the record book, it will go down as a loss. That’s what they would always say when Joe didn’t win a match where he was involved with multiple opponents. Whether it be a tag match, three way match, or four way match. If Joe didn’t get the win they would still say that he is undefeated.

In November 2005 Joe literally destroyed Christopher Daniels with a steel chair and several muscle busters. He put Daniels out for about a month with the attack. So Styles challenged Joe to a match in December 2005 where Joe won the X Division title from Styles. The returning Christopher Daniels then challenged Joe for the title and a chance at revenge, but it didn’t happen as Joe was beating Daniels unmercifully until Styles threw in the towel for the ref to stop the match. The three continued there feud to March 2006 where Christopher Daniels was finally able to get his revenge on Joe by winning the X Division title in a three way Ultimate X match which included AJ Styles. The best part of the match was that since Joe couldn’t climb the structure(because there is a weight limit), all he could do was watch as Daniels climbed up and grabbed the belt for the win. After the match Joe threw one of his many to come fits as he trashed the ringside area, and of course Mike Tenay made sure that we understood that Joe was still undefeated.

Christopher Daniels’ revenge didn’t last long because on the prime time premiere of Impact on Spike TV, Joe challenged Daniels for the X Division. I’ll give you one guess what happened. You got it, Joe beat Daniels yet again to win the title for a second time. Joe’s second title reign is what really killed the X Division. Joe defended the title at the Lockdown pay per view in April against Sabu, and of course Joe retained the title. After Lockdown Joe would not defend the X Division title for three months. At the Sacrifice event he teamed up with Sting to face Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner, at Slammiversay he fought Scott Steiner. Finally in June he defended the X Division title in a three way against Senshi and Sonjay Dutt. Scott Steiner came down and knocked Joe out with a chair shot. This allowed Senshi to beat Sonjay Dutt and win the X Division title. Once again Tenay reminded us that Joe was still undefeated. So is this what TNA thinks the X Division is, somebody can be the champion by beating a jobber basically and not the champ? After this is when the credibility of the X Division went south. Now when Kurt Angle had the X Division title, at least he went out there and defended the title. He had the dignity to get pinned and lose the title, like a true champion should to Jay Lethal. To this day the X Division hasn’t rebounded from the debacle of Samoa Joe being the champion. They still have it around but it feels like it’s a filler for the Knockouts and the big names they have now. Sure they have a lot of big names now, but they should still try to focus on the division that made the company and basically brought it to what it is today.

Costanza

You know wrestling fans being a TNA fan that I am and just totally hating what WWE produces I hear the same thing from WWE fans who hate TNA. If you go and ask any WWE fan what they hate about TNA I will guarantee they will say one, if not all three of these things that I like to call “The Three R’s of TNA”.

1. REJECTS – Sure TNA has and had a ton of WWE talent throughout the years. Hell, the founder of the company is Jeff Jarrett, but to call all of these wrestlers rejects is kind of distasteful if you ask me. It sounds like the WWE fans blame the wrestlers for not wanting to work for Vince McMahon. The meaning of the word reject is to throwaway or discard. I guess you could argue that McMahon “discarded” these wrestlers when they were done making him money. The two wrestlers that come to mind are Kurt Angle and Christian Cage. Angle quit after McMahon refused to give him time off due to his injuries and family problems. I wouldn’t call Angle a reject, he quit and went to a company that would appreciate him. Same with Christian Cage, he had a choice to stay in WWE and be absolutely nothing after him and Edge broke up and continue to jerk the curtain as I like to stay. Or he could go to TNA and make a name for himself. I was surprised at how Christian became such a big star in TNA in just three months when he become the champ. I could go on forever with this but think about this. What if TNA wasn’t around? What would all of these wrestlers be doing? Working at Olive Garden with Justin Credible? There’s someting to think about.

2. RUSSO – This is the most funny one out of the three. Everytime something goes wrong with the booking or if fans don’t like something with a TNA storyline, they always blame Vince Russo. You hear “That was a Russo” or “It’s Russo’s fault.” You even hear the fans on Impact or on PPVs chanting “Fire Russo.” The funny thing about this is that Vince Russo has nothing to do with the booking. Jeff Jarrett and Dutch Mantel do the booking and Russo writes it into a script format. I’m sure he comes up with ideas, but it has to be approved by the big man, which is Jeff Jarrett. So if you want to blame the booking on somebody, blame the right person.

3. RING – This one has to be the biggest complaint about TNA and the biggest cop out of them all. The six sided ring. If I can use a line from Rhino, “It doesn’t matter if its a four sided ring, a six sided, or eight sided.” It’s different, so what? It makes for one hell of a steel cage match. See Elix Skipper walking the cage at Turning Point 2004. It sounds like some people can’t think of any reason to hate TNA so they say “I hate the ring.” Oh please they use the six sided ring down in Mexico and down there it’s a real sport.

In closing I think it’s just down right lame how people try to bury TNA with these dumb complaints. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. Know what you are talking about too and get your facts straight as well. To put an end on this I can come up with another R to put the bottom on this subject. RIDICULOUS.

Costanza