*TNA and WWE are both running “Montreal screwjob” angles. WWE has the money end. TNA has Earl Hebner. TNA is actually marketing Earl Hebner T-shirts that say “Damn Right I Did!” OK, so you screwed Bret. Terrific. Bret’s enjoying one last run before sellouts in the country’s major arenas. You’re at the Ches-A-Rena. Congrats.
*On a positive note, Velvet Sky is absolutely flawless.
*Brutus Magnus did his Brit snob promo, making the crowd chant “U-S-A! U-S-A!” Then his opponent came through the curtain: Rob Terry. Oh, wait…
I didn’t stick around for the two main events. I knew Angle and A.J. Styles would be good, and I figured Jeff Jarrett and the Pope against Beer Money would be OK. But as far as I’m concerned, this show wasn’t about match quality or even star power. It was about setting and atmosphere.
You can’t be big-league if you’re playing a converted roller-skating rink in the middle of nowhere. (Yeah, I know: The original venue was supposed to be a hockey rink, also in the middle of nowhere, but its roof collapsed. That would have been MUCH better.) You can’t be big-league if your stars are slinging Polaroids after. You can’t be big-league if you actually script storylines positioning yourself as the poor man’s WWE. That’s what TNA is doing with the Hall of Fame ring angle and the Hebner angle.
When I watch TNA on television, it’s a weekly reminder that the people running the company have no clue. It was strangely gratifying to get confirmation of that on the house show level. There’s something to be said for consistency.
TNA lost one-fifth of its audience in two weeks of Monday night TV. So, TNA apologists…are they still on the right track? Things won’t change, either, because that would require Dixie Carter, Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff admitting they’re wrong. Fat f’ing chance.
BTW, not to brag, but…just standing around near the refreshment stand before the show…I was asked to pose for roughly 30 pictures. I bet I was the second-most over person in the building. I’ll gladly concede top spot to Kurt.
BTWx2, the fans literally did chant “E-C-W!” during one match, namely Rhino vs. Dr. Stevie. Dr. Stevie, God bless, is just collecting a paycheck. Did anybody ever think Rhino was any good? He’s a squat little musclehead with crap promos, zero charisma…I mean, what’s good about him? Paul Heyman made chicken salad out of chicken scratch on many occasions. With Rhino, he was a miracle worker. He grits his teeth and yells. Wow.
Mark Madden can be reached at [email protected].
