Wrasslin' 2010

I don’t know about you but I’m still in shock about the New Year that we’ve hit. Every time I see a calendar I’m in awe. I’ve seen a lot of things in my life and been many places but I still can’t get over the fact of how fast the time went by. I feel like it was just 2001 a few months ago.

It depends on your age I guess what your perception of time many be or how fast it goes by but my god. It’s 2010! Already! Has much changed in the world of professional wrestling? Yes. It’s now called sports entertainment.

I never would have imagined that when I was a kid. Eleven year old Gordo watching WrestleMania.

Here’s a question. If were calling it sports entertainment and not wrestling should WrestleMania even be called WrestleMania anymore? Why not call it Sports Entertainmentmania?

There ya go Vince, now run with the ball. A lot has changed in wrestling since I was a kid watching the “Golden Era”. I’m not just referring to the WWF, now called the WWE (another change), but I refer to the NWA, AWA and all the territorial promotions that I used to enjoy. Shout out to Stampede Wrestling!

After brushing up on my wrestling history a lil bit and taking it what went down on both shows on Monday night it made me think of all the things that have changed over the years in wrestling. I had to take a step back and take a look at where were at.

On one side we have the WWE who are totally guilty of presenting stale programming and repeat after repeat of the same matches and lame storylines in recent years despite having plenty of young talented wrestlers on their roster. WWE has merely been shuffling the deck a bit with the match ups and storylines that can start or stop with or without logic or warning. In some cases I’m getting bored watching RAW, Smackdown or ECW and would prefer just making Vintage Collection my regular show if just for the nostalgia value.

That’s not good. New and relatively young WWE Champion Shameus is an example of where were at. Which is another thing I never expected to see the WWE do. I’m happy for the shock value of it but a Shameus fan I am not. I love the WWE's shine, the look, the feel. It's the characters and storylines that lack at times. Perhaps Vince might wanna go back to one brand.

One of the problems WWE is having is those huge mainstream stars they’ve had over the years in the different era’s are missing in the present era. New guys who can really carry the ball. Wrestlers like Hogan or Hart or Austin or The Rock. Sure there are dudes on the roster that are well know and that are stars for but I’m talking those crossover wrestlers that get the bandwagon fans back on the bandwagon.

The vets still in the game like Undertaker, Michaels and HHH just can’t do it like they used to. The wrestlers that are in their prime should be filling their shoes and running hard with the ball right now but some of the current cats just don’t have “IT”. No matter how many times we see them or how many movies they try to do.

Don’t get me wrong the WWE has talent, but there’s always talent. We need those stand out guys, the ones who stand out amongst their peers. What happened to the Ruthless Aggression movement? It’s 2010 and what do we have? Cena – too corny. He’s cool if you’re a child. I don’t mind having a guy who’s for the kids. That’s all good.

Who else? DX, Legacy, Randy Orton? (I’ll give Orton props cuz I like him as a heel), The Miz, Batista, Jericho, Big Show, CM Punk, Swagger, Kane?

I could go on and on with names of wrestlers in the WWE that we don’t care about, like, mark out for or even know their names. Hell I can’t do what their doing in the ring but that’s not my job. We need some fresh blood. I’ll give Vince some credit, it’s not easy reinventing the wheel. At least entertain me enough that I won’t change the channel.

What is in store for the WWE in 2010? Will Shameus be able to hold the WWE title? Can The Undertaker stay healthy long enough to hold the Heavyweight Championship long? Or will Taker lose the belt at WMXXVI and end his streak or will he preserve it? Will DX bring some respect and competition back to the tag team division? Will Edge return soon? Maybe at Royal Rumble?

Will the Guest Host thing last? Who will headline the greatest show of em all? Who will win the Royal Rumble and get a chance to headline WMXXVI? And which title will they go after? One way or another it’s a new year, a new decade and a new champ. Anything can happen now in the WWE Universe.

On the other side of the wrestling world we have TNA.

The TNA Galaxy has some momentum right now. They are the underdogs. Coming off the historic 2010 premier episode of iMPACT! we have a buzz. A big buzz, TNA was the number one search and twitter topic on Monday, so they say. The premier episode of the year created quite a stir in and out of the wrestling world.

Sure Bret Hart made his return which got plenty of mainstream attention for the WWE but Hulk Hogan took over TNA. That’s huge and brings back old fans and plenty of mainstream fans and attention. The rating was a 1.5 which was most likely TNA’s highest expectation for the night.

Sure it looked a bit unorganized and rushed. It was their first live to air show, there were bound to be some mistakes. TNA has the same issue as WWE regarding those cross over stars, but that’s what Hulk and Bischoff were brought in to do. Let’s see if they can get the job done.

TNA is not just looking for WWE fans to watch their shows. They also want to attract new fans. Fans that have never watched TNA and may stay long-term. Sure iMPACT! looked like the WCW all over again but things are different this time out folks.
We saw a lot of wrestlers on iMPACT! debut who are out of their prime like Hall, Waltman, Flair and the Nasty’s but TNA needs all the shock value they can get right now.

If any thing more talent whether old or young should only make things better for their ratings, which is really what this is all about. Sorry kids but the truth is and this is something that hasn’t changed. It’s not about the wrestling or the storylines or any of that crap. It’s about ratings which equals advertising which correlates into money. Ya dig. The mighty dollar which we’re all chasing. Some things never change.

It's the same game, some of the players have changed and some of the old players are back but this time Bischoff and Hogan don’t have Ted Turner’s bank behind them to push them along. TNA has a lot of promise if they play their cards right and build their talent pool into major stars they could seriously give WWE a run for their money.

I personally think they jumped the gun with whole going after Vince thing. Perhaps hone the content, talent, stories, look, etc a lil bit and build before you go at Vince. Although going after Vince draws attention, which it did by the way. So maybe the time is right. Time will tell if Hogan and Bischoff drop the ball or whether they can't hit it out the park. Stay tuned...

The one thing TNA has been doing over the years is it has been consistently getting better. Does anyone remember the early years with the yellow and the square ring? When the only way you could only watch TNA in Canada was on PPV. Period. It’s 2010 and TNA is still here and it’s the beginning of a new era.

What’s in store for TNA in 2010? Will it be a rerun of WCW or will it truly be a new era of fresh faces and fresh ideas? Will they switch back to the traditional squared circle? Will AJ be able to keep a hold on his reign?? Will the World Elite continue to create chaos or is it truly a whole new ball game? Will the band get back together? What about the Main Event Mafia?

Are they truly dead or will Nash and Steiner rebuild the mafia? Will the Knockouts get their own show? Are they even ready for all that? Will The Blue Print and Super Mex take it to the next level? So many questions and so many possibilities. With guys like AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, Desmond Wolfe, Hernandez, Matt Morgan, Beer Money, an amazing X Division and Knockouts Division and a handful of veterans the WWE has plenty to fear.

A lot has changed over the years. I doubt things could get worse, but then again. I’ve been wrong before. Era’s have come and gone, just like some of the companies and some of the superstars.

I’m staying positive and hopeful for professional wrestling in 2010. Or I should say Sports Entertainment.

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