By Curtis Shanks, PWTorch Specialist

Welcome to TNA Impact "Under the Microscope." This is not a detailed recap of the show, but a review for those of you that saw the show but didn't actually "watch" it. We're here to point out those little tidbits you may have missed, make some random observations, or use a little research to dig deeper into what was on the show. Cue the opening pyro.

The grass isn't always greener

After a brief return in September, it looks as though Roxxi is now back as a full-time wrestler. Lauren asked Roxxi, "What have you been up to recently?" Roxxi gave a generic answer about training and honing her skills in Mexico. It must have been a quick and productive training. Roxxi made one appearance for the AAA promotion in Mexico, but hasn't been seen there since. Many of you may remember her one-time appearance in ROH last September as well.

When Roxxi first debuted in TNA, she was Roxxi Laveaux, the VooDoo Queen. To play off that aspect, she was billed as being from New Orleans, La. Roxxi was actually born in, and is still listed as residing in Boston. Despite the abandonment of the VooDoo gimmick, TNA is staying true to her geographical billing. She was still announced as being from New Orleans when she made her entrance to face ODB this week.

But they were all moral victories

There was an interesting quote from Kurt Angle this week, as he stated, "I haven't lost since September...and that was a four-way." First, that match was a five-way due to the last second inclusion of Hernandez into the match. Second, Angle should have said he hasn't been pinned since September. If you're looking at straight-up wins and loses, Angle doesn't even have a winning record since September.

After losing his World Title, Angle lost a tag team match on the following Impact with Eric Young taking the pin. Add in two more tag team loses over the next month and a count-out loss to Robert Roode on Thanksgiving as well as three no contests and you're looking at a 4-4-3 record since his title loss. Angle was also on the losing side of tag contests in both of the matches he wrestled in before losing his title. Going all the way back to the last week of July, Angle is actually only 5-8 with three no-contests.

The green guys

I may be in the minority here, but I laughed pretty hard when Mick Foley ended up meeting Lou "Incredible Hulk" Ferrigno rather than Hulk Hogan. Lame segment, I know. But it was clever on paper, and I didn't see it coming even though I should have sniffed it out long before. Ferrigno's not the only Hulk that Mick Foley could have met with as a ruse.

You could throw in Edward Norton or Eric Bana from the two "Incredible Hulk" movies, although I have a hard time seeing TNA getting either of those guys to appear on their show. Who knows, maybe Edward Norton could be one of the big surprises for the live Monday show. Hulk Hogan's not coming to TNA alone...he's also bringing Eric Bana with him!

Blast from the past

With the second Black Machismo Invitational this week, we got even more random '80s wrestler names thrown out by Jay Lethal during his increasingly annoying backstage promos. Red Rooster, The Model, and One Man Gang were name-dropped this week. We've talked about Rooster before. It's TNA Talent Relations VP Terry Taylor. One Man Gang is a fairly mainstream reference, but who is The Model?

He is none other than Rick Martel, who had a couple of stints with the WWF. After teaming with Tony Garea (including two tag titles), he later formed the Strike Force tag team with Tito Santana and added another tag title run to his career. This led to the "Model" persona by Martel, which was a heel character that was pretty much what it sounds like. After his run on the catwalk and a short stay in WCW, Martel retired in 1998 due to injuries sustained in the ring.

It wasn't Lauren or JB that interviewed Lethal for this promo, but Christy Hemme. Hemme is new in her position, obvious by her choice of words this week. When talking about the second installment of the Black Machismo Invitational, she actually referred to it as the second installation of the Invitational. I guess that could be true, as you have to install a sense of disbelief since we are supposed to think this grown man talks in a funny voice and thinks he's a wrestler from two decades ago.

At least they're fresh match-ups

First it was Jim Neidhart and now it's Tatanka. Neither of these individuals had faced Jay Lethal before. But if we actually join Lethal's fantasy world and imagine that he is Randy Savage, they are still fresh matches. I had a hard time finding any instance where Tatanka and the real Macho Man ever wrestled in WWF. He did face Neidhart, although I couldn't find anything more significant that a SNME match from May 1989 between the two.

When I was your age

As Daniels made his way to the ring for the main event tag match this week, his statistics were put up on the screen showing that he's been wrestling professionally for 16 years. Daniels has always been viewed as one of the X Division cornerstones, and one of the home-grown talents that TNA can built around. But that doesn't mean he's one of the young guys and the future of the company.

Believe it or not, Daniels will turn 39 next spring. The 16 years pro is accurate, as he has been active on the independent circuit since the early '90s. Looking at some of the currently active wrestlers in WWE and TNA, we could make a list of veterans who are actually younger than Daniels. The Big Show, Christian, Dr. Stevie, Rhino, and Team 3D are all viewed as veteran, experienced wrestlers, but Daniels is older than all of them. No offense, Daniels. You look great for your age and I believe you can do great in-ring work for another decade.

Numbers crunch - Luck of the Irish

After watching the TLC PPV last Sunday, there were two important numbers noticed by the Microscope. The first is four. That is the number of times the Tag Team titles have been defended in the main event of a WWE PPV. In Your House 3 and Backlash 2001 featured main events where all titles were on the line, so technically they were tag title matches. The only other main event besides TLC where just the tag titles were defended was Fully Loaded 1998, which saw The Undertaker & "Stone Cold" Steve Austin defeat Mick Foley and Kane to win the titles.

TNA has just two instances of tag title PPV main events in their history, although both were in situations where all the titles were on the line during the Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe feud in summer 2008. If you're looking for instances where a Tag Team title match has been the semi-main event on a card, those are not very frequent either. It's only happened 21 times on a WWE PPV and eleven times on a TNA card.

The second number noticed last Sunday was 167. That's the number of days between Sheamus's television debut and his shocking WWE Title win. Looking at the rest of the current WWE and TNA rosters, that is far ahead of the norm. And not just for a World Title, but for any title in a major promotion. There are 129 wrestlers between the two companies, 87 who have won a title and 34 who have won a World Title. Here's a look at the average time span between a television debut and title win number one for the current rosters.

Average time before first title - 534 days
Average time before first World Title - 1,766 days

It took just under a year-and-a-half on average for the current roster members to win their first title. It took four years and ten months on average for a first World Title win. Sheamus has his first World Title in just under five-and-a half months. The only two current roster members to achieve World Title status quicker are The Big Show and Jack Swagger, both in a little more than four months.

Happy Holidays

No, not Jethro Holliday. With no Impact next week on Christmas Eve, I'd like to take this time to wish everyone reading a safe and happy holiday. I'll see you on New Year's Eve for a Super Super four-hour edition of TNA and the big live show the following Monday. Happy holidays everyone!

Curtis Shanks is a self-described wrestling nerd who, contrary to popular belief, does have a social life. Feedback is welcome as comments, suggestions and questions can be sent to Curtis at curtisshanks.torch@gmail.com.

[Torch art and photos (c) PWTorch.com]

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