Greetings, Shenanifans! Welcome to Offbeat Shenanigans, edition #23!
Well, itâs a big week coming up for pro wrestling. For one, weâve got WrestleMania weekend – which includes the 2008 Hall of Fame ceremony. Ring of Honor will continue their yearly, Hedwig and the Angry Inch-esque tradition of traveling to the same town as their famous counterparts on the same weekend. (Lucky Orlandoans!) And, on Saturday, Iâll be posting the results in the voting for the Best Wrestling Moments of All Time. Details on how to vote at the bottom. You only have until Thursday!
But I feel like Iâm forgetting something. Hmm…what could that be?
Oh, itâs our friends in TNA! They might just be having the most important week of all.
On Thursday, March 27th, TNA will get the chance to show their stuff in a two hour live special. People have been talking for years about TNA competing with WWE – which I, for one, think is both unrealistic and unnecessary. TNA has plenty to offer thatâs unique, and Iâve always felt that this is the best angle for them to try to take. Still, shouldnât they be afforded some of the same opportunities as WWE?
Most of us know TNAâs broadcast history. It began as a weekly pay-per-view product, received a late night deal with Fox Sports Net, then a weekend, Velocity-like time slot with Spike TV, before finally settling into primetime and then, a two hour primetime slot. This week, TNA gets the opportunity to showcase an exciting, live product to its fans and potential new fans.
I, for one, am optimistic. Iâll admit, TNAâs new business approach does seem a bit misguided to me. Yes, a different approach is good. But Iâm not sure the coveted âmainstream audienceâ will stop surfing the channels because they see a guy in a shark costume drinking clam juice or because they see AJ Styles and Karen Angle in a restaurant. I donât hate these angles like some people do…Iâm just unsure of their drawing power to the mainstream audience. Really, the rising TNA audience could be due to angles like Shark Boy or the presence of Booker T or anything else. The trick is keeping the audience.
Anyway, I digress. The point of this article is definitely not to bash TNA, but simply to look at what kind of show they might put on this coming Thursday. The company has always seemed to come up big on their âspecials,â such as the recent Global Impact special or, more aptly, their primetime special on November 16, 2006. That was the show that featured Rhino vs. Christian Cage in a barbed wire, six sides of steel match. The match was the centerpiece of an excellent show which did a great job of displaying TNAâs many assets. While I donât think TNA needs to do anything quite as over-the-top as a barbed wire match, I do think theyâve got some special things in store.
Lance Storm (whose short-lived catchphrase inspired the name of Offbeat Shenanigans) said that heâs unsure if TNA will be able to pull off the ridiculous amount of backstage segments on the live episode. Certainly, they can utilize pre-taped footage. Still, I, personally, expect a lot more action in the ring or, at least, in the ringside area. This would be a welcome change for some TNA fans, and weâll find out soon enough if it happens.
With Lockdown coming up, TNA is advertising Alex Shelley vs. Johnny Devine for a spot in the Xscape match. You know, Iâve been having thoughts concerning the X-division guys. We want to see these high spot thrillfests every week. Iâm as guilty of that as you are. But maybe itâs good to give them a break now and then…involve them in segments or, you know, traditional wrestling matches. Theyâre all very capable of wrestling different kinds of matches, and I surely donât want to see Chris Sabin or AJ Styles in a wheelchair years down the line. Of course, Iâm not them and donât know what their bodies can handle, but this was just a thought.
Well, it seems Iâve gone and digressed again. I was talking about what we might expect on this weekâs episode of Impact. Weâve already been told to expect the return of Sting. Kurt Angle will be taking on Styles and Tomko in the second in his series of MMA sparring contests. Also, according to TNAâs website, fans will be able to vote to determine Awesome Kongâs opponent for the evening. Can we start a big internet effort to get Roxxi Leveaux in there? Itâll be an early birthday present for both me and her, seeing as we both were born on the last day of the Aries sign.
Then, weâll have a âsitdown interviewâ with Karen Angle. Iâll be using the power and influence of my remote during that one. Maybe if enough other people change the channel, we wonât have to see any more of the Karen-AJ wedding stuff.
Nah, wishful thinking.
Overall, Iâd say that TNA has a great opportunity to do something else here. In the world of sports entertainment, it can be truly hard to surprise your fans. This is exponentially more difficult when your shows are taped days and even weeks in advance. On Thursday, TNA will have to worry about nothing except a seven second delay!
Am I going to suggest a surprise they might try to pull? No. Thatâs TNAâs job. Given that we truly wonât know what to expect this week, Iâd really like to see the company capitalize on this. Finally, this week, with a live show, TNA has the chance to deliver the product theyâve wanted to. Theyâve been given primetime, two hours, and now, a live show. Spike will be watching closely, and so will the wrestling world.
Gone, this week, will be the fans who read the spoilers to keep up on the storylines and feel no need to tune in. (Iâve been guilty of this, too.) Glued will be the eyes of most of TNAâs audience. I, for one, am very eager to see what this weekâs Impact has in store for us.
The Best Moments in Wrestling History
I’m looking for your favorite wrestling moments of all time: matches, title wins, debuts, returns, skits, feuds…anything wrestling!
Submit your favorite moments. Up to 10 (or a few more) will be fine. Rank them yourself, or I’ll rank them in the order you submit them. Using a weighted point system, I’ll be calculating the top vote-getters and posting the top moments on WrestleZone sometime during WrestleMania weekend. Votes must be submitted by March 27 – the night of TNA’s first live, two hour Impact.
A fair warning to fans of old school wrestling – particularly the NWA, WCCW, AWA, and the various territories – your favorite moments are going sorely underrepresented in the voting. Also, moments from around the globe (Mexico, Japan, Europe, etc.) are garnering very few votes. Want to change that? Be sure cast your votes to get your favorite moments on the list!
Email me HERE!
Kevin McElvaney is also a contributing writer for Pro Wrestling Illustrated and The Wrestler / Inside Wrestling. Send questions or comments to [email protected].
