TNA’s lot in the wrestling business seems to be to give stars limited by age and/or physical shortcomings a limited work schedule and a decent paycheck. To allow performers to audition for WWE, to prove they’re worthy of going to (or returning to) the big show. To make sure guys who have not earned the right to spend a lifetime working in wrestling (but sure think they have) can avoid ever having to get a real job. To let the divas/knockouts rotate between WWE and TNA, thus screwing ALL the guys, not just those from one company. To make sure Bischoff has access to a network’s ear (which must surely have been his purpose all along). And to give Vince Russo a place to martyr himself.
Ideally, TNA would act, at the very least, as WWE’s conscience. In theory, WWE would feel obligated to properly use its performers by way of keeping them from going to TNA to do damage to WWE.
But TNA isn’t popular enough for that to even remotely worry WWE. TNA is the tree that falls in the forest.
Which brings us to Daniel Bryan.
TNA should at least do the Internet wrestling community and dirt-sheet junkies a favor by inquiring after Bryans services. If he turns down TNA, then his dismissal from WWE is a work. If Bryan joins TNA, he wouldn’t be a bad get. He’d come to Spike TV with a small degree of steam.
I don’t buy that “best wrestler in the world” nonsense, but maybe it was always meant to be hype, not proposed fact. Bryan probably has some sort of no-compete regarding TNA, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t commit to start when it runs out. Bryan could come to TNA, and they could ruin him.
It’s what TNA does. Guys like Desmond Wolfe, the Pope, Styles, Beer Money, Matt Morgan, Hernandez, all the guys who allegedly have “potential”…if they have so much “potential,” how come the ratings suck? The booking is awful, but you can only blame that so much. Fans can see through bad booking and anoint stars. Consider Rocky Maivia as a grinning nitwit. Doesn’t happen often, but it can. In TNA, it won’t.
I’m so happy that Jim Ross didn’t take over TNA. Happy for J.R., that is. It was a no-win situation, and it would have driven him crazy.
Jim Ross in TNA would have been the wrestling equivalent of the ‘60s TV sitcom, “Green Acres.” Until then, most TV sitcoms dropped somebody weird in the middle of sanity. “Green Acres” was the first TV sitcom to drop somebody normal in the middle of insanity. Ross could have been TNA’s Oliver Wendell Douglas. The guy who knows what he’s doing surrounded by those who don’t. Those who don’t, win. There’s more of them. Dixie Carter could be Lisa. Bischoff could be Mr. Haney, the flim-flam man.
So, another anti-TNA column comes to a close. You don’t like being criticized? Don’t suck.
Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM, Pittsburgh. Check out the Mark Madden page at WXDX.com. Contact Mark via wzmarkmadden@hotmail.com.
