Wrestling is a parody of sports.
TNA is a parody of wrestling.
That makes TNA a parody of a parody. A Xerox of a Xerox.
When C.M. Punk was red-hot in WWE, TNA tried to cast Austin Aries as their version of Punk. Failed miserably. Aries is back in the pack. At TNA. Yikes.
Now, four days after Daniel Bryan ended his epic chase by winning the WWE world title at WrestleMania 30, TNA tried to christen Eric Young as their version of Bryan by giving him the TNA world title. TNA boiled down Bryan’s nine-month quest to a mere two hours. America’s attention span, RIP.
If you don’t think TNA is clumsily trying to draw a parallel between Bryan and Young, explain the timing of the title switch. Scruffy beard. Underdog. Young is quite comparable to Bryan if you disregard working, promos and charisma.
Young has been a lower mid-card comedy performer. Now, out of nowhere, Young is TNA world champion. Why?
It’s easy to work for TNA’s creative team. You don’t have to be creative.
I STILL DON’T GET IT
It’s a week later, and I still see ZERO upside to Brock Lesnar beating Undertaker at WrestleMania 30.
Sure, it shocked the crowd. So much so that the fervor wasn’t quite as expected for Bryan’s title win. Shock doesn’t make fans happy.
Shock was the primary arrow in Vince Russo’s creative quiver. That is all the people need to know.
What good did that finish do?
I enjoyed certain elements of Lesnar winning. It was a great vehicle for Paul Heyman. But, in and of itself, the fans didn’t like it.
Moving forward, it doesn’t help Lesnar beyond the short term. Lesnar is 36. He is what he’s perceived to be. If anyone was going to be “made” by beating Undertaker, it should have been somebody like Roman Reigns. Ending Undertaker’s streak could have been his gimmick for years. A former UFC heavyweight champ gains very little by beating a fake dead guy.
If this was Undertaker’s decision, it shouldn’t have been. It’s up to creative to determine what’s best. Not talent. When you violate that maxim, it’s rarely what’s best for business. No one bought ‘Mania hoping to see ‘Taker lose.
One thing seems certain: ‘Taker is done. He looked feeble. He looked old. He couldn’t do anything.
Follow Mark Madden on Twitter: @MarkMaddenX
