MONDAY NIGHT WARS SPOILERS

[AWA CEO: Mr. Timothy Draven]

Here's the thing....and think about this for a second before you bash it....

TNA was starting something new....they were doing their first LIVE show on MONDAY NIGHT....they NEEDED to change things up. They needed the entire show to be full of surprises....thats how they managed to keep people watching the entire time....while Vince and the WWE....ALREADY OWN Monday nights....so they did their part....they had Bret Hart there....but the rest of the show was so-so....DX vs. Jerishow was awesome....but those 4 together are always awesome. Kofi vs. Orton was a pretty good match....but, we've seen it quite a bit lately, so it was what it was....there weren't any crazy shocking moments....yes, it was cool seeing Bret and HBK in the ring together....I was pumped....then they hugged....I wanted so badly to see HBK hit some sweet chin music on his at that point....that would have been badass....instead....they became friends....blah....who cares about Hitman and HBK being friends....no one....and Billy Boy, I agree....I did see it coming....everyone knew Vince was going to turn on Bret....or Bret was going to turn on Vince....everyone saw it coming....so I wasn't shocked....

All in all, TNA gave us shock value last night....which was great for ratings....but they won't be able to do that every single week....Vince knows that....so if TNA did well one Monday Night, does it really hurt Vince? No. If TNA gets a Monday Night slot, will they do decent....yes, they will do decent....but they will NOT beat Vince....unless they can come up with some insane shit....and reforming the nWo is not INSANE shit.

Round One of the Monday Night Wars: I believe goes to TNA....

The war though: I believe will always belong to Vince and the WWE.

[theegomjw]

WSM vs MVP vs Swagger vs Carlito for #1 contend to US title.....

man, what a wicked US title division. made up of guys that basically get beaten most weeks.

like you said, if Vince was concerned surely he would not have put on this bore-fest.

mind you, he brought in Bret on the same night, no coincedence as i said before.

[AWA CEO: Mr. Timothy Draven]

Exactly....he did what was needed to get ratings....he didn't go overboard like TNA....BECAUSE HE DIDN'T NEED TO....Vince already OWNS Monday Nights....Everyone knows people were watching WWE when Bret and HBK were in the ring....and they were watching the ending because TNA was already over....Vince did what was needed....TNA went overboard....like I said....Vince will continue to do what is needed while TNA will continue to try to go overboard....we shall see what happens Either way, it is a good time for wrestling fans

[James Lucas]

tna whooped some wwe ass. i hope they get a monday night show. i would watch it until wwe got better.

[MTMT]

Ok, so I watched both shows today...

My favorite parts of TNA were Jeff's shocking return, The Pope, and the Styles/Angle match.

Honestly, I was very much underwhelmed (for the most part) with Impact. I felt like 75% of the show was about the show itself. When Jeff Hardy came out, I was shocked- then the announcer (the one who isn't Taz) said, "On a night where we promised you shock and surpise" or something like that. EVERYTHING had to do with how this was a historic night on TNA, and it got to the point where it was annoying.

As I said, I was shocked when Jeff came out. I figured he would have laid low until his legal problems are over (assuming they do get over). The Internets are reporting that he has signed with TNA, but they also said that he got indicted today. We'll see what happens there (I really hope he's found innocent). As a WWE Loyalist, I do wish Jeff would stick with WWE... but, he's gotta look out for himself. It's just like Kurt Angle- TNA is better for HIM, since it's a much less grueling schedule than WWE. It's healthier.

The Steel Asylum match was HORRIBLE. A few cool spots, but it lasted less than five minutes, it was hard to see a lot of the action through the steel, and did a lousy job displaying something that TNA is known for.

Ric Flair being there pissed me off because he did NOTHING. He went into AJ Styles' room, and then he comes out during the Angle/Styles match. That's it. It was awesome to see him, and quite a shock- but you couldn't have given him even a short promo? I understand that it's sort of a bait thing, tease to keep viewers interested... but, damn, what a wasted opportunity.

It was refreshing to see women who could actually wrestle. TNA definitely beats WWE in Knockouts vs. Divas.

Lashley's promo- meh.

Apparantely TNA's security team is horrible. They were keeping out Mic Foley, Nasty Boyz, and Waltman and Hall... and all five got in the building.

I was BORED to TEARS by the Hogan promo with the old nWo. First, Hogan saying all the shit we've heard before- "New era, making changes, etc".... and then the nWo reunion. I think one of the reasons I hated this is because out of everybody in the ring, I was only ever a big fan of Waltman- though I haven't even seen him wrestle in ages, so who knows if he's still good. They keep talking about the younger guys, and yet the dedicate an entire segment to guys who are frankly washed up! And then the conclusion... with Foley getting his ass kicked by these guys (sans Hogan- who seemed either concerned or confused or who knows what on the giant close-up of his face). Ugh. Stupid, stupid angle.

What the FUCK was with the product placement? I've played poker many times- I don't think that 5 Hour Energy Drinks are the drink of choice in this particular game. And then when Orlando Jones interrupted The Pope to say, "Aw, that's good" while drinking one... and then had a segment where you could see the bottle so clearly in his hand. I realize that TNA needed to pay for the live show somehow, but... damn, that was unintentionally hilarious! At least when WWE had their commercial-free RAW, they mentioned that KFC was sponsoring it. I'd rather it be a full plug than an attempt at subtly. Too bad it ruined a great promo by The Pope (who also had a great match, second best to Angle/Styles).

I guarantee you that Russo was behind the Hogan/Jarrett bit. Russo was known for hating the traditional face/heel way of things. Hogan is playing a face, but disrespects Jarrett?

A few people get attacked backstage, and Bubba The Love Sponge says he thinks he knows who is responsible... so FUCKING TELL US! Ugh. Seriously. I get wanting to have people keep watching, but... this just isn't logical. If you want to keep it a mystery, DON'T SAY SHIT LIKE YOU KNOW WHO DID IT!

In three hours, there were seven matches. Six of these matches were under five minutes- one was actually about 30 seconds. AJ vs. Kurt was about 22 minutes and was outstanding, so I have no qualms with that. But Impact was SO heavy on promos.




Moving on to RAW... I felt it was a very solid show. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels hugging... very, very cool. Vince screwing Bret again- predictable, sure, but let's face it, the Vince/Hart drama is probably the biggest bit of real-life drama in history. If they had just kissed and made up, the story would have ended on such a dull note. In the case of HBK, well, he's a face. The fans love him, and they love Hart. Closure in this way between to faces is perfect (though if Bret had the capacity, I would certainly love to see them wrestle one last time). But Mr. McMahon is the greatest heel of all time, largely because of the Montreal Screwjob. Assuming Hart is sticking around (which is largely rumored)... the story will have a happy ending. As long as the journey is enjoyable, then I don't care about being "shocked." It's like Harry Potter- you know he'll beat Voldemort, you just don't know how (yes, I used a Harry Potter analogy. I'm not ashamed).

The rest of the show... JeriShow vs. DX was solid as always. It may be a long shot, but I think Jericho's gonna win the Royal Rumble now that he's out of the tag team division. I actually like the Hornswoggle stuff on RAW (aided by Santino and HBK's great beard line). I lost my shit when Evan Bourne hit the AirBourne. Too bad he got plummeted afterward, but, ah well. MVP vs. Miz... should be a good match. And Kofi vs. Orton... great match! I really hope Kofi's push continues... teasing a Legacy split, obviously with DiBiase's movie he'll be getting the push. Shame- I like DiBiase, but I think Rhodes is better. Ah, well.




So, in conclusion... TNA tried to hard. They had a few good moments, but overall not enough wrestling, and stupid angles all over the place. WWE put on a solid show- Bret Hart's moments made it special, the rest was above-average.

[theegomjw]

Matt, i am so upset with you man. You make some great points but then say you like the Hornswoggle shit, i can not believe it.

[MTMT]

Usually the Hornswoggle stuff sucks... but I felt like the one this past Monday wasn't so bad. Santino's Y2J impression was the best part, though.

I would also like to apologize for the atrocious grammar I used in my above post- especially the misuse of "to" vs "two" vs. "too." Dunno what I was thinking.

[theegomjw]

Santino YES. Hornswoggle NO. DX NO

[AWA CEO: Mr. Timothy Draven]

Here is some TNA news:

- The first hour of last night's three-hour TNA iMPACT scored a 1.69 rating with 2.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched hour of TV in TNA history.

The second hour slipped to a 1.44 rating but featured the most-watched 15 minutes in TNA history with a 1.88 quarter-hour rating for Hulk Hogan's debut at 9PM EST, head-to-head with Bret Hart's return on WWE's RAW.

The least-watched segment of the show came at the end of the second hour with a 1.16 quarter-hour rating with the Pope vs. Wolfe match and AJ Styles interview. This segment went up against the DX vs. JeriShow match on RAW.

The third hour of iMPACT dropped to a 1.22 rating. The range of quarter-hour ratings was between 1.17 and 1.30. The third hour peaked in the final 15 minutes of the show with a 1.30 rating. This was the end of Angle vs. Styles and the Foley beatdown from Hall, Nash and Sean Waltman with Hogan watching.
-------------------------------

Thoughts: That is pretty badass. I have not seen what the ratings were for WWE, but TNA had THEIR highest ratings ever. That is awesome for them and speaks loudly for Hogan, Eazy E, and the rest of the TNA show....lets see if the ratings are as big Thursday Night. If it is, then I'll be impressed....if not....well, then congrats TNA, you had one night that was shocking and got great ratings.

You all know how much I love TNA. I have been watching more TNA than WWE for the past 6 months or so....it has just been a better show for me. I love good womens wrestling. I love awesome tag team divisions. I love the X-Division. I love Angle, Styles, Joe, Daniels etc....

I also love Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley and Sting....do I think they should be headlining shows? Nope....but I still enjoy seeing them on TV....

BUT NOW, FOR THE NEXT NEWS:

It's official....JEFF HARDY DID INDEED SIGN A TNA CONTRACT. He claims that the TNA schedule fits his lifestyle better than the hectic WWE one.

Thoughts: I am shocked. WWE took him back and made him a star. They let him shine and they gave him the world. He was THE FACE on WWE....the fans were inlove with him. He had a great return storyline with CM Punk....he just needed to stay clean. Now, he is with TNA, which could be awesome and could add a lot for sure....and is most likely better for his life....buuuuut, I still think that he should have resigned with the WWE....if things don't work out with TNA, I have a hard time believing the WWE will resign him again. AAAAND, if something happens where for some reason TNA folds, or Vince buys them out....I don't think there would be a chance in hell of Vince letting him come back.

Can Jeff Hardy shine in TNA? Absolutely....but do I think he has hurt his career long term? Yes I do!

['The Solution' Jake Andrews]

"It's official....JEFF HARDY DID INDEED SIGN A TNA CONTRACT. He claims that the TNA schedule fits his lifestyle better than the hectic WWE one."

=

More off time to snort coke....
Not to mention this lack of punishment for drug use that TNA has.

I always liked E&C more than The Hardy's and that still stands true to this day! hehehe

[theegomjw]

it is a shame the ratings dipped for the excellent matches, hopefully Hogan will not take that as a reason to take up all the air time

['The Solution' Jake Andrews]

Hogan + AJ Styles = Ratings Machine!

[James Lucas]

aj styles is da man. my dream match is aj styles against shawn michaels against christopher daniels against cm punk. those four in a ring together would rock my fucking socks.

['The Solution' Jake Andrews]

They wear socks in Oklahoma?!

[James Lucas]

lately socks, snowpants, hooded sweatshirts, jackets, gloves, winter hats, scarfs. it was cold when i was home over the holidays. my parents live there. i love in virgina with my aunt and uncle and cousins and my grandmother. its been cold here too. the united states has been cold lately. wacky weather all over the place. being home made me miss everyone home. i have thought about moving back home but my job with my uncle is too good to pass up right now.