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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Mark Smallman
PWTorch.com Reader
I'd just like to counter Mark Smallman's guest editorial, written in response to my TNA house show report. I went to the TNA show with an open mind and to be made a fan of a product from the little I've seen and the lot I've read has great wrestling, and not so great storylines. I went looking to have my expectations met and surpassed so I would 'cross the line 'over from a tired and boring WWE product.
I had two expectations going into the show: The first being that TNA's biggest stars would be there after hearing Kurt Angle say this on an interview. The second was that I would see good wrestling (possibly some very good stuff) not tainted by bad booking. I made this assumption from reading reports of TNA house shows in the States. The truth is coming home I felt I was let down on both accounts. TNA's biggest stars on a perspective of TV time and reputation include Christian, Team 3D, Kaz, and Tomko and several Knockouts like ODB and the Beautiful People (not even mentioning Sting and Shark Boy). These wrestlers were absent even though I was led to believe that they would be there.
Secondly, the wrestling of the show was good as expected, especially the first half. However, I did feel the wrestlers were 'performing' their spots rather than actually wrestling, which took down my enjoyment level a notch. Though I generally enjoyed everything which was going on during the ring, nothing left a lasting impression. The biggest disappointment though was the main event. I was probably one of the people chanting loudest for Joe (ask my friend) and I felt let down that the match against Abyss ended not with his Muscle-buster finisher but with a title belt kicked to the head. The match could have been the great match I was hoping for but the finish meant this was not to be. As I stated in my report I wanted to see Joe's signature finishing spots and was denied. The finish to this match probably harmed my overall assessment of the show, as lacklustre main events on WWE PPV's do as well.
I went to the TNA show looking to be won over. I wanted to see all their top stars in good to very good matches. What I got instead was a selection of their not so big stars in good matches in a show which I thought was way too short. Two hours and ten minutes without the interval, is not long enough to make me feel I got my money's worth especially since I got to hear Jeremy Borash speak for at least 25 minutes of that. I probably saw Borash for just over the amount of time I saw Joe and Styles together, two of the wreslers I paid specifically to see. I would estimate there was less than an hour and a quarter of actual wrestling when all was said and done, which is not what I expected when I bought my ticket or wanted.
In comparison I went to WWE in April and got what I expected. The wrestlers, the signature spots, the music, the videos, the pyro and also a product that I think is pretty boring right now. I didn't see Cena this time which was also a let down meaning I don't think I'll go back again next year, because I've seen all the wrestlers at least once, and don't think I'll see anything I hadn't seen before.
I talked about Borash a lot in my review and just want to clarify my points and compare him to Lillian. Lillian comes out (to no fanfare) welcomes us briefly, sucks up a little as is par for the course, but generally just announces wrestlers, the winners and losers. I probably saw her the most out of all the WWE wrestlers I saw at Raw, but I didn't resent her for it, I actually thought it was cute how she waved to the fans between segments. Borash is another story and was the single most detrimental element of my TNA experience.
Perhaps Borash was fulfilling another role, to Lillian, which I didn't understand and wasn't to my taste. Perhaps I was so shocked that the ring announcer was announced by someone else that I refused to give him a chance. But perhaps I felt so patronised and bored that between every match for about five minutes he tried to get a crowd at fever pitch which had mostly never seen TNA live before even hotter, that I was turned completely off. For me, the insecure and patronising cheerleading for 25 minutes out of thet two hour ten minute show was the worst element of the entire evening. In short, because of Borash, I felt I saw talking rather than wrestling. If I wanted to hear talking I would go to WWE.
I have different expectations for WWE and TNA. WWE's are different than TNA's but did meet them, something TNA was unable to do. When I bought the tickets I was hoping to see good to great wrestling, and Angle's interview made me excited to see their stars. I saw good wrestling, but nothing great and the finish to the main event left a bitter taste in my mouth. Angle misled me and meant that when these stars did not appear I felt let down.
TNA's message at the moment is to "Cross the Line." Most people who attended the show clearly had already, as it was one of the most enthusiastic and passionate crowds I had been a part of. If TNA expects to sell out these large arenas next time they need people like me to convince my friend to come with me again and bring our friends too. I had two expectations coming into the show, as discussed neither was totally met, with other aspects of the show turning me off and really annoying me. TNA needs to fulfill my expectations and blow me away, so I'll come "cross the line" come online and write an overwhelmingly positive report encouraging other non-TNA fans to come and see them live in January and feel these 10,000 seat plus venues. As things currently stand I'll save my money and hope for ROH to eventually return to the UK, rather than see a WWE product I've seen before and I doubt will offer something new and a TNA one which has just shown me can't live up to their promises.
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