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CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL: Top Five for the Week ahead in WWE and TNA Nov 5, 2007 - 9:11:32 AM
(1) TNA GENESIS PPV: TNA is expected to introduce another former star from the Monday Night Wars at the Genesis PPV on Sunday, or possibly earlier on Impact this Thursday. The key is whether this new addition to the roster and new man in the middle of the main event madness will give TNA any boost in the PPV-drawing category. They tried Christian Cage. They tried Kurt Angle. They tried babyface Jeff Jarrett. They've re-packaged Kevin Nash as an old, crippled man. Now, they're hinting at Scott Hall, but it's expected to be Booker T.
TNA has its monthly PPV preview show on Thursday where they often focus more on the recurring storylines rather than the PPV matches. Robert Roode vs. Samoa Joe is their money match, thanks in large part to the efforts of Roode playing a straight heel and their bloody pullapart brawl on Impact. The main event tag title match for the belt should be the money match, but they're missing the fourth wheel, Nash is being portrayed as an old man, Sting doesn't care about titles, and Angle's head isn't screwed on straight. Can TNA sell a PPV when the TV shows often times aren't focused on the PPV?
(2) RAW HIGH SCHOOL REUNION: Once again, WWE finds itself in a tough spot. With injuries up and down the roster, with Triple H having run through many of the heels on the roster, John Cena on the shelf, and Chris Jericho still playing coy on his return, WWE is going back to high school with the special returns of DX and Steve Austin.
In the shadow of Hollywood, Raw tonight should be rocking with fans guaranteed three superstars in strong segments. Austin should be opening up a can on the top reason to watch the sixth or seventh quarter hour of Raw each week, Santino Marella. DX will probably run a penis joke or two. WWE is looking for a ratings rebound, Survivor Series isn't for a few weeks, and it's easier to re-visit what worked in the past instead of looking to see what will work in the future. Will the high school reunion make up for potential lost viewers after the unadvertised Jericho no-show last week?
(3) SUSPENION, ANYONE?: It's public information now. Watch out WWE roster. Chris Masters and Harry Smith were the first two victims of WWE's new policy of disclosing the names of men and women who violate the company's drug policy. Masters - no surprise. Smith - I'm saddened. In an industry that often fails to learn from history, often to a fatal level, I would have thought Smith would be the last one to show up on the list.
One of the best wrestling books ever written, "Pain and Passion: the History of Stampede Wrestling" chronicles the deceased Davey Boy Smith's struggle to keep his drug habit in check while his family tried to support him. I certainly hope Harry Smith doesn't follow the same path, and learns from this first violation. With the first round of public disclosures out of the way, will the fear of "having their names in the paper" discourage drug habits on the roster?
(4) ECW RATINGS UP: ECW on Sci-Fi has shown a strong ratings increase the past few weeks for reasons unknown to me. The addition of Kane, Khali, and Mark Henry to storylines the past few weeks couldn't have piqued viewer interest that much. Or, could they have? It's not like Batista and Undertaker are battling in a cage on ECW as part of the talent exchange with Smackdown, but it could be the overall feeling of relevance added to ECW lately that's given viewers reason to tune in. For a while, it seemed like ECW was going the way of Heat: a cable TV show on an odd night that started off hot, but cooled off to syndicated weekend programming levels. Savio Vega anyone?
Now, the question is whether the run of special guests can keep the brand's ratings afloat while they continue to half-heartedly push C.M. Punk as champion. Can Punk be the centerpiece of a brand without a strong supporting cast?
(5) WRESTLEMANIA TIX: Tickets for WrestleMania 24 in Orlando went on sale this past weekend and it's already the highest-grossing event in Citrus Bowl history. And that's with less than 50,000 seats sold in a stadium that holds 70,000. Good seats are still available, according to WWE.com, and on a weekend when Super Bowl 41 1/2 was played in Indianapolis, a lot of people might have been holding off their money to see how their bets played out last night. Are you going to WrestleMania?
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