By Rick Gardner, Torch specialist

It was just like old times. A little too much like old times in some respects, but January 4, 2010 saw the return of excitement and unpredictability to Monday night wrestling.

The last time Raw and Impact ran head-to-head, it was a bloodbath. This time, even though TNA threw out a multitude of big names over the three hours, the 1.45 rating that this Monday's extended version of Impact drew is a huge achievement. Particularly when you consider that Raw featured Bret Hart's first live appearance on a WWE show since the infamous "Montreal Screwjob" at the 1997 Survivor Series.

Looking great for a 52-year-old man who previously suffered a stroke, The Hitman took to the ring and cut a promo. It wasn't long before he called Shawn Michaels out for a confrontation that long time fans had been anticipating for over a decade. It was surreal to see The Hitman and HBK in the ring together after all these years. The tension between the two of them made for compelling television. The fans knew about the legitimate bad blood that existed between the two WWE Hall of Fame alumni, which went far beyond any wrestling feud, and this was played to perfection.

Bret Hart spoke about wanting to bury the hatchet and move on from what happened in Montreal. Shawn Michaels initially said that Bret Hart deserved everything he got at Survivor Series '97, and was roundly jeered by the crowd. Yet Shawn continued to say how much he respected The Hitman, particularly for their Iron Man Match at WrestleMania 12, and eventually shook hands with his long-time nemesis.

What was an excellent segment ended with Shawn Michaels teasing the superkick, but giving Hart a massive hug instead. Although some fans may be disappointed with the swift resolution to the Bret Hart-Shawn Michaels issue after all these years, having them make up avoided The Hitman looking bitter. He can't fight Michaels at any point due to his health issues, so building a feud between the two may have ended disappointingly.

Meanwhile over on Spike, Impact had already been on the air for an hour. Hulk Hogan stood in the ring with Eric Bischoff, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, and an out-of-shape Scott Hall. Hall and Waltman were speaking about how they were there to party like it was 1999, and Hogan shot them down saying that those days are over and everyone has to earn their spot.

Considering that Scott Hall is booked for the next Pay-Per-View, Hogan's comments come across like lip service. Nevertheless, this was an interesting segment that teased the reformation of the NWO tainted only by the ending, where Eric Bischoff ripped up a show format, possibly setting up a feud with Vince Russo. It was one of those pseudo-shoot moments that should have died with WCW in 2001.

Earlier in the show, TNA broke one of the biggest stories of the night when Jeff Hardy appeared unannounced. That his return involved him cracking Homicide over the head with a chair was less than satisfying, considering that he was arguably the most popular wrestler of 2009. But his surprise appearance set the tone for the rest of the show, creating an air of unpredictability that is missing all to often in the sterile WWE environment.

Impact continued to deliver surprises throughout the night, with appearances by Val Venis, The Nasty Boys, Orlando Jordan, and Ric Flair. Normally giving away so much on one show would be a negative, and Mick Foley suggested that too many big things happened when discussing Impact on his blog, but TNA needed to do everything within their power to prevent viewers from switching to the USA Network. An excellent match between A.J. Styles and Kurt Angle, as well as a storyline featuring Foley, provided enough balance to make Impact one of the best wrestling shows on television in a long time.

As exciting as Impact was, it certainly had its problems. The constant surprises led to a feeling of unpredictability that has been sorely missing from Monday nights, but also meant that there was less emphasis on TNA regulars. There were few mentions of the upcoming PPV, or even the next edition of Impact next Thursday.

Another negative about the TNA show was the wealth of people who were brought in as favors to those in power. That Scott Hall was such a big player in the battle between Raw and Nitro partially justifies his appearance. But what business do The Nasty Boys have on a prime time wrestling programme in 2010? Or even Bubba the Love Sponge? TNA does not want to go down the same road as WCW, hiring people who are long past their prime or have never been over simply as a favor to Hulk Hogan. But Impact was still far superior to the majority of Raw.

You wouldn't have missed much if you decided to turn over to TNA after the fantastic opening segment WWE delivered with Hart and Michaels, as Raw turned into the same show that the WWE produces every week. There was a horrendous segment with Hornswoggle, a DX vs. Jeri-Show match where Chris Jericho was thrown off Raw once again, Evan Bourne being squashed by Sheamus, and Kofi Kingston losing to Randy Orton. It was rather strange to see Shawn Michaels involved a terrible comedy skit with Triple H and Hornswoggle so soon after being in one of the most dramatic segments in the history of Raw.

There was nothing newsworthy until the closing scene with Vince McMahon and Bret Hart in the ring. While McMahon's cheap shot on Hart was predictable, the segment was still full of tension and superbly acted, raising enough unanswered questions to create intrigue.

Monday was a historic night for WWE, TNA, and wrestling in general. The Montreal Screwjob is one of the most important stories of all time and Bret Hart's showdown with Shawn Michaels was essential viewing. To a less extent, so was the confrontation with Vince McMahon. Yet in between those segments it was difficult to tell which week it was, as WWE pushed the same tired concepts that they had for the majority of 2009.

In contrast, TNA did everything they could to produce a newsworthy show, and they were rewarded with a 1.45 rating, which is as good if not better than could have been expected. It is all the more remarkable when you consider that the promotion for Impact was derailed by the previous editions of the show being aired on Christmas and New Year's Eve.

While putting out a show with that many surprises is not sustainable on a weekly basis, Spike TV executives must be excited by the potential audience that TNA could build on Monday nights.

The War is back on.

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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