TNA might deliver some surprises. But surprises don’t pop numbers unless you can deliver them every week and they’re consistently compelling, an almost impossible scenario even under the best of circumstances.
To out-promote WWE for Monday night, TNA needed to promote, for weeks, the galaxy of stars that would be arriving. Not just Hogan, but Ric Flair, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Mr. Kennedy, Rob Van Dam, Jeff Hardy, whoever the heck it is TNA expects to trot out there Monday.
Will the Impact Zone go bonkers when Flair’s music hits? Absolutely. But what if Vince and Bret are nose-to-nose at the time?
The wrestling world is waiting for Hart’s return. It hasn’t been waiting for Hogan’s return. Personally, I’ve been dreading it. TNA needed to push Monday as the company’s rebirth. The return of Hogan isn’t enough. If TNA wasn’t organized enough to get Flair, Hall, Waltman, etc., committed in advance, shame on TNA. The stakes are too high for procrastination. (If TNA is afraid Hall and Waltman won’t show, THAT I understand.)
TNA’s own attitude toward Monday night is also a handicap. There’s no discernible long-term commitment to going head-to-head with Raw. There has to be. Monday’s TNA show won’t beat Raw. It’ll be lucky to do a 1.5.
That’s OK. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it took a while for Nitro to consistently overtake Raw. If you’re prepared to lose, you’re prepared to build. All TNA appears prepared to do is cut its losses at the first sign of trouble. TNA is raising a white flag before a single shot is fired. (Read More Below…)
