I’ve spent the majority of my life in Northern Illinois, and as such I’ve developed a threshold for pain that only true Chicago sport’s fans can understand. Even though I managed to escape the Soldier Field curse by becoming the single Packer’s fan in a family of Bear’s die-hards, the Cubs are always there to let me down. There is a hope deep within all Wrigley fans that in a single year they could actually capitalize on the extraordinary talent they often posses. But year after year they waste their potential on washed-up legends who bring nothing but a name to the table. The fans watch as the million dollar players crap out half way through the season, and the break-through rookies fall prey to injury. The worst part is management. You bring in the all-time great Lou Piniella to call the shots, thinking his success and fame will bring the Cubs to a World Series win 100 years in the making. Unfortunately he loses his mind and can’t remember half his player’s names. Every time he gets in front of the media he sounds like a madman foolishly trying to relive his glory days. Is any of this starting to sound familiar? Do you see why I am still able to watch TNA Wrestling to this day? Compared to the Chicago Cubs, Dixie Carter looks like a modern day Joe McCarthy!
TNA and the Cubs share so much in common. You’ve got guys in charge that have established themselves as legends in the past, but wake up every morning wondering how they made it to the 21st century. You’ve got hotheads that think they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread (number 2), but consistently let everyone down and cause nothing but trouble. There are a few guys who are genuinely great that just can’t get off the ground because they’re surrounded by bad calls and a river of mediocrity. And of course there’s the slew of young talent that is constantly screwed over by veterans looking for another paycheck and a “you’ve still got it” chant. And I don’t think I’d forgive myself if I passed up the chance to compare Ric Flair to the legendary Wrigley Field. Both great icons that have defined their sport and regularly put butts in seats, but alone are just not enough to push their team to greatness.
I think if Vince McMahon was ever serious about wanting TNA to succeed as a legitimate contender, he should just show Dixie’s father how much money he rakes in every year. TNA really needs to make some tough calls. “Lucky Lou” was pushed into retirement for the sake of everyone involved. For him, for the athletes, and for the fans. And more importantly for the stockholders… Likewise, Hulk Hogan has got to go. Dixie Carter is a fan with gaga eyes who knows nothing about running a business. Bringing him in in the first place was a no-brainer, and I don’t hold it against Carter for making the buy. In theory, bringing the biggest draw in wrestling history along with a brilliant mind like Bischoff into the picture seems like a win-win scenario. And with Ric Flair added to the deal, there really wasn’t much to think about. But the plan failed. The fans don’t care. Hogan isn’t drawing numbers, and the entertainment value has dropped considerably. There are still specks of greatness in TNA, but none of them have come along in recent years. The only people I tune in to see are now in Fortune, and they’ve been around for a long time.
Or maybe WWE can just save Dixie the trouble of having to run the company. If Vince ever wants to boost his own revenue stream he could easily buy the company out from under her. Hogan and Sting would bail, Flair and Bischoff would stick around for the money, and everyone remotely associated with the Hardys would find themselves immediately “future endeavored” (good buy Rob Van Dam). It would actually be a fun program to watch for a couple of months, until Vince completely phased out the entire company and put the TNA name to rest for good. I’m sure you’d get a few loyalists who would rather jump to the independents than “betray their brand”, but you have to think that Robert Roode and AJ Styles have been begging for a promotion worth working for. I for one would love to see the dream matches, the invasion angle, and I’d love to see who Vince keeps around… But more than anything I would love to see the Hardy’s YouTube videos that will undoubtedly surface within a day of the takeover. I can just see Shannon and Matt cutting a “shoot”, pretending that their internet ramblings are cool. The promises of them starting a new promotion with Omega, and vowing to stand up for what “professional wrestling is all about”. And then the camera would pan to Jeff, stoned out of his mind with his ugly-ass title belt. He’d make promises about wrestling, passion, individuality, and art. But on that day Jeff Hardy will no longer be an enigma, an antichrist, or a superstar. He’ll just be another drug addict who got what he deserves. If you want to do it, that’s fine. It’s your life…live it. But you don’t get trashed before a wrestling match. You don’t shoot up and then try to do a flip off the top turnbuckle. You don’t put another man’s life at risk for your own selfish desires. The people that have to step between the ropes with Jeff Hardy are friends, husbands, and fathers. They aren’t just characters you see on television every week, and they should NEVER have to work with a man that could easily end their careers because he couldn’t control his demons. Airing dirty laundry between Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett is one thing, but you don’t mess around with lives. If TNA keeps Jeff Hardy around, Dixie not only deserves to go bankrupt, but she deserves to go to jail for reckless endangerment.
