By Curtis Shanks, PWTorch Specialist

Welcome to the first (and hopefully not last) Monday version of 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 (or spent much of your time flipping back and forth to Raw). 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.

We'll give him another chance

TNA kicks off their show with an hour devoid of Raw competition, but not everyone got the memo on the earlier start time. The biggest name and story of the night had to be Hulk Hogan, but he didn't even show up at the Impact Zone until over fifty minutes into the show. Not sure how well the wrestling world compares to the normal working world, but it's not a good first impression to show up late for your first day of work. Dixie Carter will surely write him up for the infraction, as that will remain in his permanent file and perhaps play a role when review time roles around.

I've paid good money for stuff like that

After the Steel Asylum debacle, our first full-fledged match is ODB vs. Tara for the Knockouts Title. Tara has a fondness for spiders, tarantulas in particular. Mid-match, Tara used a Boston Crab-like move in the ropes that was made famous by Tajiri. The move has significance, as Tajiri named the hold The Tarantula, as Tara may have been performing the move simply as an homage to its name.

The story of the match, though, was the finishing sequence. As ODB rolled up Tara, she grabbed the tights, revealing about a two feet of butt crack. TNA did not live up to the similar sounding T&A name, as the production crew scrambled to cut away. The best we got was a wide-angle shot of the arena from earlier in the day with the Steel Asylum structure still intact and nobody in the ring. TNA is prone to the unintentional slips during a live feed, but fortunately it wasn't an Awesome Kong boob slip this time. That would have surely won the ratings war for WWE.

Hogan and Flair making history

After months of build-up, Hulk Hogan finally makes his debut in the Impact Zone, and Ric Flair is along for the ride. Plenty of names from WWE or WCW's past have been in TNA, but how many of them have been WWE Hall of Famers? I counted 13 different individuals in the HOF who have made at least one appearance on TNA TV. Five appeared on TNA TV before their WWE inductions. The others besides Hogan and Flair to appear in TNA after their WWE HOF ceremony include Jimmy Hart, Johnny Rodz, George "the Animal" Steele, Harley Race, Bobby Heenan, and Sherri Martel - although most of them were not regulars and just had a couple of special appearances.

Questions are abound about whether or not Hogan will lace up the boots again and participate in a match in TNA. The action and pace won't be much to marvel at, but on paper match-ups like Hogan vs. Styles, Hogan vs. Joe, and a handful of others could be great character/storyline driven matches. Now you can add a Ric Flair match to the debate as well. If either gives in-ring competition another go, they will make history. Flair or Hogan could be the first individual to have a TNA match after being inducted into the WWE HOF. Dusty Rhodes and Curt Hennig are the other two HOF members to have an official TNA match, but before their WWE HOF days.

Sign of the decade

There was a fantastic sign in the crowd throughout the show this week. One of those signs that should have been thought of years ago, but nobody made it. One of those signs you see and say, "why didn't I think of that?" A fan in the Impact Zone crowd let his WWE displeasure show through, as he had a sign with the infamous urinating Calvin logo. The logo is everywhere you look, but it's the first time I've seen it on a wrestling show, as this Calvin was relieving himself on a WWE logo. I love the creativity, as this fan's sign is now an early sign-of-the-year contender.

You never call, you never write...

Mick Foley is not allowed into the Impact Zone this week, and he should be quite familiar with two of the guys blocking his way in. Rocco and Sal, the former MEM security members who were later hired on by Foley, returned to TNA (probably the least interesting return out of the dozens this week) and did what they do best - worked security. They didn't cut Foley a break, as I'm sure they have been watching TNA and noticed how Foley took down their portrait in his office. Time heals all wounds, but not enough times has passed for Rocco and Sal to forgive Mic Foley.

An entire hour of Team 3D

Because of this week's live show, chances for a Global Impact 3 look very bleak. The previous two Global Impact specials featured TNA talents mixing it up with some of Japan's top talents. But those matches took place during the yearly January 4 Dome Show in Japan and were broadcast later. TNA couldn't send a slew of names over this year, as the Dome Show coincided with the Monday night live special. In fact, the only TNA names appearing on the show this year were Team 3D, partly due to their status as IWGP Tag Team champions.

If Global Impact does air later this year, we might get an entire show devoted to the team as they defend the titles againsted No Limit and the team of Karl Anderson and Giant Bernard (A-Train). Despite the lack of TNA talent, the show will have its fair share of names familiar to the American audience. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Go Shiozaki, Tajiri, Jushin Liger, Terry Funk, Masato Tanaka, and Abdullah the Butcher all competed.

The ratings could surprise

It was very smart thinking by TNA to air Round One of their WWE face-off on January 4. It seems to be more than a date just picked by throwing a dart at a calendar. For the first time in four months, pro wrestling on Monday night did not have the NFL to compete with. Raw's biggest ratings battle this year hasn't been with TNA, but Monday Night Football. A big Monday match-up tends to drop the Raw numbers slightly, so it was a smart ploy by TNA to have fans of football and wrestling only have two choices rather than three.

Cash for gold

Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair, The Nasty Boys, Val Venis, Hulk Hogan, Shannon Moore, Scott Hall, X-Pac, Eric Bischoff, and Orlando Jordan. All of them appeared on TNA in surprise fashion this week, and there are some big names on that list. It's hard to tell who is there for a quick run and who will sign long-term, but what did TNA add to their roster if we assume all these names are part of it?

These eleven individuals have amassed 90 titles during their careers. Yes, even Eric Bischoff brings a title to the table (WCW Hardcore). Of those titles, 31 are World Titles. Hard to beat a night where you add that many World Titles to your show in surprise fashion. The entire 40-plus guys on the TNA roster before this evening only had a total of 56 World Titles between them.

Numbers crunch - Monday Night War vets

The first blow has been dealt in the TNA vs. WWE battle, with many comparing it to the WCW vs. WWE battle that dominated Monday night's for the better portion of the '90s. It's been almost nine years (March 26, 2001) since WWE last had Monday competition from the number two promotion. But how many of today's stars were around during the first battle?

Looking at all the television talents of the two promotions (wrestlers, valets, announcers, refs) more TNA talents experienced the first TV war. In WWE, 28.7 percent of their on-air talents made their televised debut before March 26, 2001, with 17.8 percent holding some sort of major title during that time.

Updating the numbers after the debuts we saw in TNA on Monday (assuming all are on the TNA roster), 42.9 percent made their TV debut before the last stage of the first war, with 28.6 holding a title.

Comparing the two rosters directly to WCW, TNA has a stronger impact there, as well. Only 12.8 percent of WWE's on-air roster has even had at least one WCW match during their careers, compared to 23.4 percent for the updated TNA roster.

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 curtisshanks.torch@gmail.com

[Torch art credit Joe Borzotta (c) PWTorch.com]

We suggest these recent related articles...

10/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Natalya vs. Paige, Owens vs. Cara, Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Xavier Woods

COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The History of Foam Hands in Pro Wrestling

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt