BY WADE KELLER

Taz told "Right After Wrestling" a few days ago the following: "When companies try to re create history in their business…that pisses me off. Unfortunately I’ve worked for some companies that have done it at that time. I’ve voiced my opinions with those companies behind the scenes that I personally wasn’t happy. I didn't expect them to stop that. These companies try to redo and recreate ECW because it worked. I don’t see anyone trying to redo WCW. ECW worked because the stars were aligned perfectly at that time. It was that era, that group of people, that leader in Paul Heyman. We were that little engine that could.”

When I read that my jaw dropped. I figured Taz just hasn't been paying any more attention to TNA's attempts to recreate WCW as he has nearfalls in the matches he's calling (sorry, Taz, but you've talked right over a couple near falls lately, so it's a fair comment. Yes, TNA overtly tried to recreate ECW with EV2. Indy promoters have promoted ECW reunion shows using the word "Hardcore" instead of the trademarked "Extreme" in the title. But TNA is the living embodiment of recreating WCW. Virtually everything it's done from the start has been an attempt to fill in the gap left by the demise of WCW.

In fact, when TNA co-founder Jerry Jarrett was planning TNA before it even had a name, he told me in frequent phone conversations that he was looking to fill the gap left by WCW. For years, TNA has features stars from the Nitro/Thunder era such as Kevin Nash, Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner, Booker T, Sting, and on and on and on. Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara, each with long stints booking WCW and putting their fingerprints on WCW's dying days, brought the same philosophy to almost everything TNA has done.

TNA has been a "WCW recreation" from pretty much the start. And this archive from five years ago, my cover story on TNA's signing of Sting, provides further evidence. My headline even mentioned WCW. Later this week I'll run my full page editorial in an upcoming blog entry this week, too, elaborating on my prediction on Sting's potential impact on TNA.

NEWSLETTER HEADLINE: Sting signs with TNA, to feud with Jarrett
SUBHEADLINE: TNA establishes direction for 2006: emulate WCW circa late-'90s
COVER-DATED: Dec. 17, 2005 - ISSUE #891
BY WADE KELLER

TNA has made Sting its biggest acquisition to date—at least in terms of price and recognition. The deal is rumored to be for a year including all pay–per–views and many TV tapings. Sting was one of WCW's top stars during its last dozen years of existence. He never jumped to the WWF, despite several opportunities. TNA marks the second promotion he'll ever work for regularly since becoming a national name.

TNA teased for a week that management had a major announcement to make at Sunday's Turning Point PPV. Although Sting didn't appear in person, at the end of the PPV, his pending arrival was signalled when the lights went out, and when they came back on, his signature ring jacket and baseball bat were resting on a chair in mid–ring. The Sting scorpion logo then appeared on the big screen.

At the TV tapings two days later in Orlando, Fla., it was officially announced that Sting would debut for TNA on PPV at Final Resolution on Jan. 15, 2006. He will be teamed with recent WWE signee Christian Cage to battle the heel tandem of NWA World Hvt. Champion Jeff Jarrett and ”Alpha Male” Monty Brown.

During the taping of the Dec. 17 episode of TNA Impact, Jarrett complained that TNA management was trying once again to drive him out of the promotion by bringing in Sting. He said if TNA management wanted a war, they got one. Team Canada, Abyss, James Mitchell, and Monty Brown pledged their allegiance to Jarrett in the war against Sting, Christian, Rhino, and Team 3D. The lights went out and when they came back on, Sting's scorpion logo appeared on the screen again. The crowd chanted Sting's name.

Later during the taping of the Dec. 24 episode, as Christian was mocking Jarrett for wearing white jeans, Jarrett and Brown charged the ring. Christian ducked a double clothesline and bailed out of the ring. The Sting logo again appeared on the screen.

During the taping of the Dec. 31 episode, the Sting logo appeared on the screen after a Jarrett & Brown squash victory over Shark Boy & Kenny King. The show ended with Christian announcing officially the headline tag match for the New Year's Resolution PPV. Christian said his New Year's Resolution is to beat Jarrett into oblivion.

TNA has set the tone for 2006, which promises more of the same, but utilizing Sting as a major attraction who has a lot of mileage and ring rust, but also high recognition with the public. The goal is to use Sting to attract new fans to the product and hope they like what they see otherwise, then begin supporting TNA's PPVs and eventually house shows. Along the way, Sting may be utilized to establish lesser known names as being top tier players. By wrestling in a tag match with Sting and Christian as opponents, Monty Brown stands to benefit. Rubbing shoulders with Sting in theory will help elevate him in the eyes of fans as being a legitimate top superstar.

Sting has wrestled for TNA before, but only stayed long enough for a proverbial cup of coffee. He was never around week after week as a central figure in the promotion. Sources say Sting is in for a year and will be a mainstay. This gives TNA an opportunity to tout that they have perhaps the top babyface star of the late–'90s Monday Night War. The question regarding Sting is whether he is just showing up to collect some easy paychecks. TNA has a lot to gain from a motivated Sting if he is ready to have a legitimate second phase of his career. They stand a lot to lose if Sting doesn't plan to raise his game and instead is just going to fall back on the routine that worked in WCW on the rare occasions when everything else was clicking, but failed to ignite business otherwise.

With Spike TV ratings stalled at a decent but unremarkable 0.8 level on average, and the first PPV buyrate after debuting on Spike TV showing no upward movement, TNA management decided to make a move quickly. It's an expensive move, certainly several hundred thousand dollars at least, to get Sting out of retirement. TNA, though, has a chance that doesn't come along often or easily—exposure on an established national cable show. If they stayed the course with the roster they had, they might regret not spending the money and seizing the opportunity when the time was right.

What is, say, $500,000 when the company has already lost tens of millions? Eventually the losses could mount to the point that Panda Energy will second guess its investment. Sting could accelerate TNA's turn to profitability, or just end up being an expensive failed experiment in trying to attract fans who TNA finds out are more than five years removed from caring about Sting.

TNA management surely would have rather signed Mick Foley or Chris Jericho and perhaps even Matt Hardy, but Sting was the only option out there for a promotion looking to boost the star power of the roster. With all of his faults, Sting is still a major name, albeit not a proven major attraction on his own, and he could give TNA a boost in credibility and bring back some lost WCW Nitro fans.

The Sting signing appears to lock up another year of Jarrett as the centerpiece heel of TNA. If TNA uses Sting to elevate others, including Christian and Brown, it will be easier for some skeptical observers to accept. If Sting is utilized primarily to give Jarrett a reason to remain in main events despite stalled ratings and PPV buyrates, it could be a final blow to Panda's interest in continuing to lose money on this project.

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COMMENT BELOW: In the reader comments area below, post your thoughts on the Sting signing by TNA in retrospect. Did it just delay TNA moving forward with a new vision? Are they around today because of Sting's star-power?

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