If you only followed TNA in the last two months, you'd think that the company's entire existance was waiting for the arrival of one Hulk Hogan. If it were 1990, this would be a coup no doubt. Now, well, it could be one, but it won't be because Hogan is bringing starpower to the ring - just out of it. TNA has had a turbulent ride for the whole of 2009 with a lot of controversy in and especially out of the ring.What Happened in 2009?
Oh, what happened in TNA you say? Well, the beginning of the year was dominated by two geriatric, broken-down wrestlers holding the World Championship. Sting and Mick Foley were the guys in question, and they headlined Lockdown in Philly with heavy "dream match" advertisement. This was all intertwined in the Main Event Mafia angle where Sting was with the Mafia one week and fully against them the next week. Yeah, you try to figure out it too.
After the jump...Concurrently, the Mafia, a stable containing nearly every WWF/E and WCW holdover in the company, was embroiled in a feud with varying bands of resistance, including TNA Founder Jeff Jarrett and AJ Styles. The logical thing would have been to have had Styles lead the resistance with Jarrett giving his moral support in the background, really putting Styles over, and that's exactly what they did... except they didn't. Jarrett implored Styles to lead the TNA faction in the Six Sides of Steel, but Styles backed off saying he wasn't worthy to lead and deferred leadership to Jarrett. Yeah, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during THAT booking meeting.
Meanwhile, Samoa Joe, fresh from getting humiliated in an extended angle with Kurt Angle thought the best way to combat the Main Event Mafia would be to paint a dong on his face, attack members at knifepoint and kidnap their female valets. Oh yeah, and when that didn't work, he just up and joined them. Oh, and the biggest tension within the Mafia happened between Sharmell, Booker T's wife, and Jenna Morasca, some Survivor contestant that TNA hired for cheap publicity to pal around with Kevin Nash, and it culminated in the worst match of the year, after which Morasca never appeared on TNA TV again.
Meanwhile, off-camera, Jarrett was muscled out of the company for shacking up with Angle's ex-wife. Angle, meanwhile, was getting stalked like a mofo by now-ex-Knockout Rhaka Khan, punishment for violating the cardinal rule of Thou Shalt Not Shit Where Thou Eat. Angle got that shit taken care of.
In the storylines, well, a whole bunch of shit happened, including AJ Styles crying like a baby on TV and having Sting talk him off the ledge from quitting the business, which is the way you want to build up your top face before winning the title, which he'd do in a sort of last-minute thing. Actually, everyone seemed to turn face at No Surrender. Angle turned face and dissolved the Mafia, Matt Morgan turned face for whatever reason, and AJ Styles stayed face. Yeah, the less said about TNA up to this point the better.
Oh yeah, and BOBBY LASHLEY, the GOD OF THUNDER, the BOSS, the GUY WITH A MILLION NICKNAMES, THAT DUDE WHO WAS IN A WRESTLEMANIA MATCH ONCE, debuted. He made his first appearance at one PPV and his second three months later, and TNA was fine with this because they had a legit MMA superstar... yeah, I couldn't type that with a straight face.
After No Surrender, things got better. Nigel McGuinness, freshly let out of his WWE developmental deal for being a ticking time bomb of medical fail, signed with TNA and was shunted directly into a program with Angle. Styles entered into a three-way program with a newly-turned Daniels and a now-dong-on-the-face-free Samoa Joe. While the mid-and-lower card continued to have little to no attention paid to it, the top of the TNA card looked shockingly good. McGuinness, now named Desmond Wolfe, got the jump on Angle good, and despite not getting a win against him in two months is still looking good. The Styles/Daniels stuff was good too.
But all that was overshadowed completely by the Hogan announcement. For better or worse, Hogan dominated all talk of the fed in the last few months, and whose impact would not be felt until 2010.
Oh, and Jarrett's back too. Maybe that optimism should be tempered a bit...
What's the Forecast for 2010?
Well, how TNA is going to proceed in the coming year depends on two factors:
1) How they fare on January 4th
2) How long Hogan stays with them
The conventional wisdom is that TNA is going to get spanked going head to head with RAW on the 4th, but there's reason to believe that they can do well enough to claim a moral victory (if not one in the ratings, which could be impossible). They'll have an hour lead on RAW. The WWE may be overlooking TNA a bit by letting them get that extra hour of lead time. People know TNA is going head-to-head; they were smart enough to buy local advertising time during RAW, and if they deliver on a good enough show, they could get more people to stay tuned into TNA rather than switch over to RAW.
However, the names that have been floated around for the show are unimpressive at best. Yeah, Rob Van Dam is maybe the last big free agent name not named Dwayne Johnson for a company to reach out and grab, but other than him, what's Scott Hall going to mean? Sean Waltman? Ric Flair? Angelina Love? None of those names grab me as much as Hogan's does or that Bret Hart's does for the opposition. TNA will have to build with quality rather than with razzle-dazzle. Sadly, that could be a problem. Unless Hogan and Eric Bischoff come in and neuter and/or fire Vince Russo, then they'll have a guy running point that only cares about bullshit swerves rather than real wrestling storytelling. Putting on a good show has to be the paramount point.
With what Hogan's been talking about, I think they could do a good show. Unless it's a total stinker, I can see them getting a 1.5 rating. The trick will be keeping the audience though, and that all depends on how Hogan leads things.
Of course, this brings up the question of Hogan's commitment. He's flaked and bailed on projects before when he hasn't gotten his way. Even with Dixie Carter giving him partnership in the company, if things don't turn around quick enough for his liking, will he and Uncle Eric be off trying another project in six months? This is the question that has to be haunting the people that have invested themselves emotionally in the company. What might keep Hogan around is the backing of Panda Energy. This isn't a fly-by-night company. Panda will shell out dollars, and Spike TV seems dedicated.
Still, it's very hard to forecast what's going to happen across the next year for TNA because it's hard to predict how fickle Hogan, Bischoff and/or Carter will be. One thing's for sure; they have a reliable core of talent, and hopefully this isn't lost on Hogan. IF he's bringing Hall, Waltman etc. for a nostalgia pop and to help get the Hernandezes, Styleses, Joes and Dineros of the world, then it's going to be a good thing. If he's banking on them to draw, then there's going to be trouble.
It's hard to say whether Hogan is a changed man or not. I really hope he is, but at the same time, wrestling is full of egos and old boys. My hopes are high but I'm not going to be shocked if it turns into the same ol' same ol'.
Guys to Watch for in '10
Hernandez - SuperMex is this perfect storm of size, charisma, minority drawing power and workrate that is right there for TNA to utilize. They've hinted at putting a rocket up his ass, but his growth has been stunted. Will this be the year he finally is unleashed? If Hogan is anything like Vince McMahon (and he's claiming he wants to be the Vince of TNA), then Hernandez is the guy for him.
The Young Bucks - TNA's newest signing might also be their best. For all of the company's faults, they do make an attempt to do tag wrestling right. While the prospects of a long-term program with the MCMGs is tantalizing, the Bucks could fit right in working with the British Invasion, Beer Money and even broken down old Team 3D.
Desmond Wolfe - Wolfe entered TNA hot, but his momentum has been stunted by two clean PPV losses to Kurt Angle. Of course, it's not unreasonable to think that a newbie wouldn't get any kind of victory over the top star in the company, but he's been booked to look strong anyway. Wolfe's injury history may preclude him from being a long-term player, but if he can make it through 2010, he'll have made headlines for the company in a good way.
Lacey Von Erich - She's sloppy and she has an ego, but she's also tight with Hogan and has an appealing last name. While she wouldn't be the fans' choice to be pushed in the Knockout division, she does have the wrestling pedigree and she'll be working with some of the best female wrestlers in the world. She might have to improve though, because if she can't keep up with Kong, Tara and the rest, she'll be back working Texas county fairs sooner than you can say "suicide".
Eric Young - Young has been established as the top heel in the midcard, and no matter who's in charge, they all seem to like him. He's got the keys of the World Elite, and his stock will only rise in the coming year. I think no matter who ends up in charge, EY could be on top of the world this time next year.
Three Things I Want to See Happen in 2010
1. I want TNA to become a true alternative to the WWE, not a cheap imitation. For too long they've tried to ape Stamford instead of trying something fresh, or at the very least, trying to ape the good qualities of what WCW was when they competed with the WWF all those years ago. Give fans a reason to switch, give fans something different.
2. Get rid of Mike Tenay. This guy gives Tony Schiavone and Kevin Kelly runs for their money as the worst wrestling PBP guy of all time. A good announcer sells what happens in the ring when it happens, uses their time to plug what's upcoming judiciously and keeps the audience in tune. Tenay does none of these. Taz has proven he can be fine with someone who isn't a complete cipher. Tenay, however, brings negative value to the table.
3. Touring. The Impact Zone is quaint and it's a nice home base, but let's face it, even with a rumored overhaul coming, it's not the kind of place that you want to be running shows out of all the time if you're trying to compete with the WWE. Plus the fans they attract there... look, I don't want to pass judgement on anyone, but these are people who chanted "You still got it" at a clearly overweight and hobbled Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. I mean, I don't get embarrassed by the toothless redneck stereotypes, or the kids who dress up like Jeff Hardy or really by any fan by the way they look. But when fans start chanting shit like that... that's embarrassing. That'd be like chanting "you're so manly" unironically at Waltman or "This is wrestling!" at a Matt Morgan/Rhyno match, two things I wouldn't put past them. Building up a base in several different cities, especially in and around the South, would be so good for them. The reason why they get outdrawn by small indie feds in their house shows is that there's no market penetration. Taping in other cities can get them that.
Next and last will be the WWE.
