CALDWELL'S TAKE CORNER CUBE FRIDAY: Reviewing TNA Impact - the importance of titles Feb 1, 2008 - 11:34:31 AM

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Updated throughout the day from the corner cubicle, Torch columnist James Caldwell's weekday blog focuses on hot topic current events and other items of interest from around wrestling.

Updated Friday, February 1

Here's TNA Impact in its weekly nutshell. The first three reader reax scores for last night's episode were 5.0, 0.0, and 8.5. You either love it or you hate it, or you just can't figure out what to do with this show.

The thing about TNA is that TV ratings are steady, with signs of slight growth. House show business is pretty strong with management happy with recent turn-outs in Texas and Ohio. But, they're not committed to selling PPVs or establishing the importance of titles, which drives PPV business in pro wrestling.

Looking at the title situation, the importance of the belts is virtually non-existent. TNA World champ Kurt Angle has a title defense against Christian Cage at the next PPV. On last night's episode, Christian had exactly five seconds of TV time and all he did was talk about Tomko. As for Angle's character, there is no concern for Christian as a threat, because the only concern is A.J. Styles and Tomko.

Most egregious was the booking of Jay Lethal. He lost the X Division Title last week to Johnny Devine (who already had possession of the title), but instead of trying to get his title back, Lethal was scripted in to play a parody role in a parody of a parody skit on a parody show instead of trying to get his title back.

In the tag division, B.G. James and Bob Armstrong are training for something, but it wasn't ever made clear last night that they're going after the tag titles. B.G. is such a threat that his "old man" - Jeff Jarrett's favorite term for his father - is showing him up in a training video, which is essentially a parody of the Shawn Michaels and Jose Lothario training videos. And the tag champs of Styles & Tomko are so concerned about their title defense that they haven't even acknowledged the existence of B.G. & Bob.

Which leaves the Women's Division, which, as usual, is the only division with competent storytelling. Awesome Kong is the champ. ODB is the #1 contender. ODB is on a hot streak. Kong is annoyed by ODB's invasion. Let's have a match. Simple and effective.

So, the result is that TNA continues to book TV that leads into the next TV episode, with the PPVs simply being an extra show once-a-month on Sunday nights. The same 30,000 people or 2 percent of their TV audience is going to buy the PPVs, and TNA is happy to have them on board.

If it works, then it works. But, they're leaving a ton of money on the table every month with weak PPV build-up and a lack of focus on the importance of titles, the holders of titles, and the chase for the title.

Updated Thursday, January 31

Over the past several weeks, the Brock Lesnar UFC fight hype has been all over the Internet. Major news and sports outlets have been covering Lesnar's UFC debut. Some press has been positive, same has been with the usual raised eyebrow for anyone with "the stain" of WWE. It's like the Seinfeld episode where Jerry's car stinks so bad that no one who has been inside the car can wash out the smell. Poor Elaine.

But, most interesting about the hype for Brock has been WWE's involvement in promoting Saturday's fight. They've granted UFC access to WWE video for their hype commercials. They've promoted the fight on their website with a splash background on the main page and a prominently displayed hype video. Granted, they didn't air anything Brock-related on their TV shows this week, but UFC did have advertising during commercial breaks on Raw and ECW.

The most-common answer for why WWE is promoting a fight for a former wrestler who wants nothing to do with WWE is that WWE believes UFC is in a different market. WWE has said that before on investor conference calls, while at the same time acknowledging that UFC has the most formidable business model of the MMA promotions to keep a share of the MMA pie without watering down the PPV market.

But, there are two more reasons I believe WWE is involved in the UFC marketing. One reason is that WWE believes they still have ownership over Brock. Ownership in the sense that WWE believes they made Brock into a mega-star by giving him a platform on TV and PPVs.

With the UFC 81 hype, WWE has one foot in the water and one foot on the edge of the pool. On one hand, they've allowed UFC to use their footage. On the other hand, they haven't openly promoted the PPV on TV.

If the PPV does big business, WWE will be able to take a measure of credit because they believe they created Brock into a mega-star and they are allowing UFC to use their footage in the hype videos. If the PPV bombs, WWE will be able to say Brock is just another former WWE star who isn't a big name without the full investment of the WWE hype machine. It's basically a win-win situation for WWE.

Another reason is the possibility of UFC getting a broadcast TV slot. UFC playing that WWE footage on CBS, ABC, NBC, or FOX with the WWE logo in the corner of the screen is a subtle (and maybe subliminal) piece of advertising for WWE's product. Hey, look, wasn't this guy in WWE a few years ago? I wonder what's going on in WWE these days!

It's similar to WWE promoting the NWA brand on their WWE 24/7 service. Half of the classic footage on 24/7 is from the NWA era that people associate with Ric Flair, who is still current on Raw. It's basically free advertising by association.

So, for wrestling fans who may have been Brock Lesnar fans during his WWE run or simply want to see a former WWE wrestler in the octagon, what are your plans for Saturday night? Are you more or less inclined to order the PPV or visit a sportsbar to watch it? Send in your feedback and vote in the two Torch polls I just put up asking the questions for this weekend's pre-Super Bowl UFC fight.

Updated Wednesday, January 30

6:55 p.m. Everyone likes a list (perhaps), so I'm debuting a Top 25 weekly ranking of the Top 5 wrestlers from each of the five U.S. pro wrestling "brands" (Raw, Smackdown, ECW, TNA, and ROH). WWE Raw could probably have 10 wrestlers in the Top 25, but to keep things even, I'm only picking the top 5 wrestlers from each brand. I'll run this every Wednesday evening here in the Cube.

Since pro wrestling is highly subjective, I've established three criteria points to evaluate the rankings, in the family of the Most Influential list compiled yearly in the Torch Newsletter. 1) Quality of TV/PPV time spent on the wrestler. 2) Quality of in-ring and "storyline" performance. 3) Is the wrestler in a position to draw money or ratings for the company?

The other consideration, much like college basketball rankings, is how much weight to place on wrestlers from WWE (high-end BCS schools) against wrestlers from TNA (low-end BCS schools) and ROH (mid-major schools).

Your feedback is certainly welcome. To the rankings...

(1) John Cena - Raw #1. Major surprise return to win Royal Rumble. In main event of WWE's next PPV. Highly-rated opening segment on 1/28 Raw. WWE's most-protected investment.

(2) Edge - SD #1. Current World Hvt. champion following Rumble victory. Given majority of Smackdown's key TV time. In Smackdown's top match at next PPV.

(3) Triple H - Raw #2. Finalist in Royal Rumble match. In Elimination Chamber match at next WWE PPV. Expected to be in a WrestleMania main event with Triple H DVD coming out just before Mania.

(4) Kurt Angle - TNA #1. Current TNA World Hvt. champion. Headlining TNA's next PPV and most visible wrestler on TNA Impact, with majority of TV time devoted to his storylines.

(5) Randy Orton - Raw #3. Current WWE champion with significant victory over hard-charging Jeff Hardy at Royal Rumble. Left KO'ed at the end of Jan. 28 Raw.

(6) Jeff Hardy - Raw #4. Mega-push leading to Royal Rumble subsided slightly on Jan. 28 Raw. Still in the headline Elimination Chamber match and a serious WWE player.

(7) Nigel McGuinness - ROH #1. Current ROH World champ. Headlining ROH's next New York City show against Bryan Danielson on Feb. 23.

(8) Bryan Danielson - ROH #2. Considered one of the best wrestlers in the world. Will face Nigel for the ROH Title on Feb. 23 NYC show.

(9) Tomko - TNA #2. Seriously being pushed for main event position as top babyface in the company. Survived two-on-one odds on Jan. 24 Impact to retain TNA Tag Titles.

(10) Ric Flair - SD #2. Scored clean victory over MVP at the Rumble PPV, and given respectable amount of TV time leading to PPV. In headline match against Mr. Kennedy at next PPV.

(11) C.M. Punk - ECW #1. Former ECW champion had upper hand over current ECW champion on Jan. 29 show. Beat formidable opponent, Elijah Burke, for a significant bounce-back win.

(12) Christian Cage - TNA #3. Main eventing second consecutive TNA PPV against Kurt Angle. Not booked like a serious threat to Angle's title, though.

(13) Rey Mysterio - SD #3. Lost to Edge at Royal Rumble, but will be in Smackdown's main event at WWE's next PPV in the re-match.

(14) MVP - SD #4. Clean loss to Ric Flair at Rumble set MVP back slightly. Still one of the most entertaining wrestlers on TV. In Smackdown's Elimination Chamber match, but not considered a serious threat to win.

(15) Shawn Michaels - Raw #5. Played lackey to Triple H as flashback to Michaels's role as a comedy figure in the DX 2006 era. Could be major player in the Elimination Chamber match.

(16) The Undertaker - SD #5. Eliminated earlier than expected from Royal Rumble. In position for WrestleMania main event, but currently without TV program.

(17) Samoa Joe - TNA #4. Position at next TNA PPV unclear, while regaining momentum in program with Nash antagonizing Jim Cornette.

(18) Chavo Guerrero - ECW #2. Current ECW champion, but has more losses than wins since coming to ECW. Not viewed as credible champion on a weak brand that isn't put in position to draw money for WWE.

(19) Austin Aries - ROH #3. Won blow-off match against Roderick Strong at ROH's most recent PPV. Being positioned as babyface leader. Faces Go Shiozaki in NYC on Feb. 23.

(20) The Briscoes - ROH #4. Booked as top tag team in pro wrestling despite recent tag title loss. Semi-main evented ROH's most recent PPV.

(21) The Miz & John Morrison - ECW #3. Current WWE tag champions. Returned to form with decisive victory over Colin Delaney to restore strong position.

(22) A.J. Styles - TNA #5. Given plenty of TV time alongside Kurt Angle, but turned into comedy heel figure. In no position to be taken seriously as PPV draw.

(23) Erick Stevens - ROH #5. Current FIP champion and being groomed for main event slot on future cards. Faces test against Go Shiozaki at ROH's next show on Feb. 22.

(24) Shelton Benjamin - ECW #4. Solid opening match against Kane on Jan. 29 TV. Sense of a real future for Shelton in ECW's main event position, despite poor showing at Rumble.

(25) Colin Delaney - ECW #5. Greatness. Given quality TV time to build-up program that led to Tommy Dreamer saving him from another beating on Jan. 29 show.

Others who would have received votes: Batista (SD #6), Mr. Kennedy (Raw #6), JBL (Raw #7), Chris Jericho (Raw #8), Roderick Strong (ROH #6).

***

11:15 a.m. ECW had one of its better offerings in several weeks last night. A good, solid show with quality wrestling and key storylines advanced. (Specifically, the Colin Delaney storyline picked up some steam, so that's an automatic thumbs up.)

ECW is really at its best not trying to be flashy, but just producing a fundamentally-strong one hour show. It's like a good first-hour PPV match. You don't want the match to steal the show; you just want a solid, memorable mid-card match. ECW usually has the fundamentals down, but the problem is that it's easily forgotten during the week.

The show is easily skippable for WWE fans, as the show draws less than half of the Raw audience. But, with the sharper set and some intriguing storylines developing, it might be worth another look. (Specifically for Colin Delaney.)

Compared to Raw two nights ago, ECW actually had a better wrestling product outside of Raw's main event. Shelton vs. Kane was a very good opener. If anything, it was good to see him last longer in the ring against Kane than he did during the Rumble match. Cat-leap. Superkick. Out you go.

And WWE can do a finish like Shelton walking out of the match after a competitive battle because it makes sense in Week 2 of the feud. So, Shelton felt like January 29 wasn't his day to beat Kane in a one-on-one match. Well, WWE doesn't enforce a penalty for walking out of a match in the storylines, so come back next week or the week after and see if that's a better day.

Now, specifically related to Colin Delaney, the show went from good to great. There's just something about the way Colin looks pathetic on camera that makes for great TV. And then, the way he takes a beating is tremendous. It's been written before that Colin's program is great not only because he's great, but because WWE has a reason for booking squash matches every week.

Miz & Morrison looked like a million bucks as heels tearing apart Colin. On Smackdown last week, they looked like a folded-up $5 bill when they were completely ignored during the Noble-Palumbo-Michelle angle. Bam. One Colin Delaney segment later and they're back to an acceptable level as tag team champions. Now, with Tommy Dreamer helping out Colin Whipwreck, they have a tag team program ripe for a lengthy run.

As for the C.M. Punk and Chavo Guerrero interaction, it was fine. I can go either way on it, as Punk's character seemed desperate with him dressing up as a Mariachi player to sneak attack Chavo. Punk did have a nice rebound win against Elijah Burke, so it's a wash. Punk chasing Chavo and the ECW Title should make for good TV going forward, though.

Updated Tuesday, January 29

12:10 p.m. Last night's Raw was an OK show, but it fell into that trap of having a letdown after a big PPV. Based on nothing more than memory, it seems like the Raw after a newsworthy PPV starts off hot to follow-through on the big news coming out of the PPV, but then slowly slides into mediocrity.

The classic example is the traditional Raw after WrestleMania where WWE wants to strike while the iron is hot to transition into the next series of storylines, but everyone is too hung over - in some cases, literally - to produce a good show. The writers, wrestlers, producers, and announcers have been driving for eight weeks on the road to Mania, and then they're expected to get behind the wheel right after finishing a long road trip to drive another 500 miles. (Don't hate on the analogy, as I'm simply prepping everyone for Michael Cole and Coach's 18,000 "Road to WrestleMania" clichés between now and Mania.)

From a creative perspective, there were plenty of unanswered questions and head-scratching storyline progressions on Raw last night that may have been caused by Rumble letdown. That is, unless the writers are one step ahead and have all the explanations figured out for Raw next week. Explanations for things such as ... Why Triple H was able to pick his own partner in a tag match, how Cena was allowed into the Rumble without qualifying, and how Regal suddenly had graphics ready for the Elimination Chamber match three minutes after convincing Vince of the idea.

From WWE's perspective, the top story coming out of the show was John Cena cashing in his Money in the...er...Royal Rumble opportunity at No Way Out, then taking out Orton after the main event to get his message across. Same song, different year. But, the story most fans were probably looking for was how Jeff Hardy would be portrayed after losing the title match.

I'd say it was a wash. Hardy made his first appearance of the show in the sixth quarter-hour, with the line about the title loss not being the end of the road, but only the beginning of his quest. Jim Ross then really helped his cause by saying Hardy had the most quality statement of the night.

The main event left Hardy in a second-fiddle position, though, when Cena came out to save the day after the match while Hardy was selling an injury. The message was clear that Hardy is back to the second tier, with Cena on top again. There was definitely a sense of the mega-push for Hardy subsiding.

Of course, the Cena-Hardy symbolism that transferred over from the Rumble opens the door for a mega-match down the road. Cena would obviously be the aggressor in the feud, with the anti-Cena fans making it easy for him to play more of a heel role, especially with the unspoken message that he returned from injury to steal Hardy's opportunity at the WWE Title.

Based on our current Torch poll, you want that Cena vs. Hardy match in the main event at Mania more than any other possible match from the Raw brand. I was initially in that camp on Monday morning, but I believe the Cena vs. Hardy match could mean a lot more if WWE held off their first encounter until Summerslam or even next year's Mania. The risk on holding off that long is that Hardy cools off, and the match down the road wouldn't have as much intrigue. It's all great speculation until the Mania matches are set.

Updated Monday, January 28

3:35 p.m. What an interesting 20 hours. First of all, check out Jeremy Maes and Justin Parker's blogs on the Rumble and reaction to the big stories coming out of the Rumble. Two excellent blogs in the Specialist section.

Standing back for a second to survey the scene, there are two things I'm certain of. One is that WWE's roster is back to full-strength after 2007 was about injuries and Wellness depleting the roster. The other thing I'm certain of is that WWE caught everyone, including myself, off guard in more than one way.

They caught everyone off guard with the Cena surprise, which Cena orchestrated like a true pro in his mainstream interviews last week. They also got people, including myself, worked up on Hardy not winning the belt to distract from one thing we should all be most concerned about.

During the JBL vs. Jericho match, there was an unprotected chair shot to the head from Jericho to JBL. There was also Jericho hanging JBL with a TV cord across the top rope, with the imagery of JBL having the life choked out from him.

WWE tested the audience last night - consciously or not - to see how much we really care about concussions and the Benoit family tragedy. They played that Hardy card so strong on Raw leading to the Rumble, that anything short of a title change at the Rumble PPV would have created serious outrage.

So, do we care as much about JBL taking an unprotected chair shot to the head as Hardy not winning the belt? Are we as outraged about the TV cable being used in the JBL-Jericho feud as we are about Hardy not winning the belt?

I'll be the first to admit I failed the test. Reminds me of that Calculus class in college. I should have seen the test coming, too, as a Torch reader sent me an email last week questioning whether we really care about the serious issues in wrestling when Jeff Hardy was being glorified, despite putting his body at risk with the "30-foot" Swanton bomb and "playing hurt" with a laundry list of injuries he talked about in his pre-Rumble interviews.

Setting aside the "wrestling debate" of whether Hardy or Orton should be holding the WWE Title, the serious question is whether Hardy should have been put in a position to carry the company as the top wrestler by virtue of holding the WWE Title.

As a babyface champion, carrying the belt adds significant responsibility above and beyond holding the IC Title. More appearances, more house shows, more little things necessitated to wave the WWE banner across the globe. Only Hardy knows if he would have been able to physically handle that responsibility. If we really care about the serious injuries in wrestling then it should be acceptable that Hardy didn't win the belt (I'll keep trying to tell myself that), with there still being an opportunity for Hardy to remain a key player on Raw going forward.

WWE exposed where my priorities were last night. And I would bet the number of hate mail to WWE on Hardy not winning the belt far, far, far exceeded any concern over JBL taking that chair shot to the head. WWE, the master of the mind games, won twice last night for Cena's surprise and exposing misaligned priorities.

***

12:15 p.m. Oh, the Rumble. What a tangled web that shall surely begin to unfold tonight on Raw as they start traversing the road to WrestleMania. Clearly, the top story coming out of last night's show was John Cena's surprise entry in the Rumble. That was a rather significant surprise after he did interviews in the week leading to the Rumble that he wouldn't even be part of WrestleMania.

The other top story is WWE not going with Jeff Hardy as champion. In the interviews, leading to the Rumble, Hardy seemed to softening the blow of him not winning the title. He talked about wanting to be in Money in the Bank, or wrestling Rey Mysterio, or working a program with Matt Hardy. (I half-expected Matt to turn on Jeff last night to cost him the title.)

I hear the argument of sticking with the Mania plans and not going with Hardy, but I don't buy the argument. Looking at what a Hardy title reign could have meant, I'll make a case purely on the potential Mania title matches that Hardy would have created.

Unless plans change and Hardy wins the belt on a Raw or the No Way Out PPV before Mania, the following fresh and significant match-ups can be thrown out the window. Hardy vs. Triple H. Hardy vs. Cena. Hardy vs. Undertaker. Hardy and Hunter already have a back-story, with Hardy having the Rumble title match opportunity after defeating Hunter in December. Hunter could get his revenge by winning the belt at Mania, followed by Hardy chasing until Summerslam if he remains hot on TV. (Guest reviewer Jason Hess and I discuss that scenario in our post-Rumble audio update.)

Hardy vs. Cena would have been a match-up of two of the top babyfaces in the company from the last 12 months, forcing fans to pick their allegiance. Hardy vs. Taker would really bring Hardy full-circle from the closest he ever came to winning the WWE Title in that 2002 ladder match when Taker was riding a bike and Hardy was on his first WWE run.

Based on our current Rumble poll, the votes are in (70 percent) that Jeff Hardy winning the belt was the most-desirable scenario for Torch readers. Instead, the possibilities for Mania are straight from the recycling bin, although WWE could turn a recycled feud into a hot angle just as easily as they turned Jeff Hardy into the top star in the company in three weeks.

Unless Cena loses the title opportunity between now and Mania - with his surprise appearance and Rumble victory simply being an attempt to off-set the negative reaction to Hardy not winning the belt - we're looking at repeat feuds. There is one very intriguing feud out there in the form of Cena vs. Undertaker, but the most-likely candidates are Orton vs. Cena or Orton vs. Hunter. Been there, done that, got that PPV t-shirt.

Tonight's Raw will paint a clearer picture of where WWE is going with the top matches at Mania. If there's one thing WWE can take away from three weeks of Hardy build-up, it's that his popularity is at an all-time high. If they're not going with Hardy as champion, it's imperative to keep him strong and in the main event picture. I'm looking three, six, nine months down the road when he can help sell PPVs (if WWE didn't lose some of their audience when Hardy didn't win the belt) with a significant and well-established second-from-the-top feud.

And now for a closing thought on John Cena from Keith in Orlando, Fla.: Can someone please explain the logic behind John Cena being in the Rumble as a surprise 30th entrant? Triple H had to go through hell and high water to get in. C.M. Punk had to win a qualifying match. And not only does Cena just walk in without qualifying, but he gets the highly coveted 30th spot? It’s the exact reason the 18+ crowd grew tired of Cena. He gets shoved down our throats. How often are we supposed to believe his Superman, "overcoming the odds" bit? It only makes me feel better about not purchasing tickets to Mania even though it’s in town for me for the first time ever. So he decides to return, and just in time to kill Hardy’s push. Jeff, that 30-foot Swanton will be completely forgotten, except as a highlight-reel fond memory.

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