Return Of Tha King

Writer's note: This article contains spoilers that may give away...oh, like you give a fuck, anybody who follows TNA and would have interest in this article already knows.

It's official. TNA has hit rock bottom. Actually, I take that back. They hit rock bottom in February. They have since then pulled out the heavy-duty shovels and kept digging.

You'd think that a company that has guys like Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and Robert Roode would put out an amazing product. You'd think that a company that has Christian Cage as their champion would be a huge draw.

You would think that the buzz surrounding the world of TNA would be about the feuds and the hot (hot as in popular, as long as your name isn't Kanyon or Donnie) young talent.

You'd think that. I know I do. I guess that's why the IWC is regarded as a bunch of idiots by most people within TNA.

You want to know how far TNA has free-fallen? None of the aforementioned features are making the biggest buzz in TNA right now. Instead, it's about the return of "King Of The Mountain" Jeff Jarrett. The same guy who as recently as eight months ago was the catalyst of a retardedly successful "We hate Jeff Jarrett" contest. The same guy who received chants of "Please Retire" in 2005, the very same year he won PWI's Overrated Wrestler Of The Year award.

Not to take anything away from Jeff Jarrett. The guy is not that bad on screen, all things considered. The only reason he didn't main event in WWE is because Austin put down the idea. Everywhere else he went, he was a main eventer. The guy has charisma; he knows how to play the heel character. Be it kayfabe or X-Pac heat (which is an issue we could talk about at length some other time), how many guys have you known over the years who have been as hated as this guy?

And while his in-ring skills are not those of someone like Kurt Angle or Shawn Michaels, he's a very far cry from John Cena or Batista. He shows perfect emotions during the match. The day after the Royal Rumble, Dan-e-o commented about how Michaels did a great job of selling his disappointment following losing the Rumble to The Undertaker. Watch the end of Bound For Glory; Jarrett sells it so much that you will sit there and think that he is about to start crying.

Yes, his Stroke finisher looks very sloppy 99 times out of 100, but he does execute a respectable figure-four leglock. Being able to lock in a legit-looking submission is a lost art among main eventers these days. And the guitar shot has come to be one of the greatest heel ploys in wrestling today.

Now, even though he could be considered one of the greatest heels of all-time in wrestling (and certainly the greatest heel in TNA history), the fact that his imminent return is a huge focal point in TNA right now. Next week, when he returns and levels Styles with his trademark guitar, listen to the crowd. It was one of the biggest pops in iMPACT! Zone history.

That's right, one of the biggest pops in history didn't go to the announcement of a huge match, or a riculously sick high spot, it went to the return of a wrestler that everybody got sick of seeing perform a move we've seen thousands of times already.

Jarrett's return could prove to be a turning point for TNA...but only if he is used correctly. I don't want to see him hold the championship again for a long time. There's too much other young talent deserving of it. Instead, use him to elevate talent.

I tried to put my finger on it for a long time, and I finally figured out why TNA doesn't know how to elevate stars. It's because currently, they have no consistent way to elevate stars. With only one hour of programming, there isn't much space for a "midcard", and they have no secondary title (like the E's Intercontinental Championship or U.S. Championship) to help bring guys up.

Therefore, unless the wrestler is believable enough to be in the X-Division and use that title as a springboard (a la Samoa Joe) or they already have been midcard or higher for other televised promotions (a la Angle, Cage and Rhino), they either get pushed to the moon with no rhyme or reason, or they stay as curtain jerkers/spectators.

How does Jeff Jarrett fit into this? Simple. Use him and Sting in the same manner. Instead of feuding for a sceondary championship, have a wrestler feud with Jarrett or Sting. They trade wins back and forth over an extended, smartly paced feud, with the young talent eventually getting the big payoff win over Jarrett. The young talent gets elevated in believable fashion and Jarrett is kept the hell away from the championship. It's win-win.

What are the odds of this happening? Fairly slim. Jarrett loves using his power to keep himself as the "King of the Mountain" that he prides dubbing himself. However, if he were truly a smart businessman, and he wanted to help TNA thrive, he'd take my advice.

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