EY vs. D-Bry
In the same week that WWE put the world title on Daniel Bryan, TNA put their world title on Eric Young. Mark Madden already wrote a column all about why TNA is a parody of a parody, and how the entire angle is an obvious copycat. As much as I try to defend Impact Wrestling as much as they allow me to… it's hard this time.
It's hard to ignore the similarities between Corporate Kane and Corporate Abyss. It's hard to ignore Dixie Carter being a more annoying version of Stephanie McMahon. Magnus and Randy Orton aren't the same person, but they do have a lot in common. Magnus is almost a young Evolution version of Orton. He has loads of potential, has the pretty-boy look, rock solid abs and given the right angle you can tell there's greatness in there waiting to burst through. Their booking has been similar as well – both have been called a "paper champion", handed the title by an evil authority figure, and protected for months.
But where WWE took several months to build up Daniel Bryan as a credible threat and giant fan favorite – and let's be real, they did it kicking and screaming – TNA gave Eric Young about two weeks in the title picture before giving him the belt. EY is talented. There's no doubt about that. He's an absolute professional, and given a real chance to succeed he would have done so. Much like Santino, there's something behind the comedy gimmick that the company has chosen to ignore and/or bury, simply because kids are into it and the gimmick is funny. And there's nothing wrong with that, necessarily. But EY isn't Daniel Bryan. Bryan is a veteran and one of the best pro wrestlers on the planet. He's never been a comedy act, and fans have wanted him in that title match at WrestleMania for eight months.
WWE gave Bryan eight months and a WrestleMania main event. TNA gave EY two weeks and a match on Impact.
