Sharpshootin' With The Franchise
I think it's safe to say that the wrestling/MMA world knows that this weekend is all about one gigantic sporting event (and, no, I am not talking about the Kentucky Derby). No sense in putting on any big shows when people will be spending up to 55(!!!) dollars on Saturday night’s fight. Therefore, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at where the major wrestling and MMA promotions currently stand and what’s in their futures. Away we go…
TNA: Sometimes watching TNA makes me want to dropkick my TV. They have every opportunity to carve their own place within the wrestling world but they keep messing it up with elaborate storylines that never make any sense. They need to learn from the UFC and the WWE’s recent resurgence by giving fight fans what they want: less BS talk and more action. It’s not like they don’t have a talented roster of wrestlers. One can even make the case that their roster is younger, athletic and more exciting than the WWE’s. But until they stop saddling their young stars with idiotic gimmicks, TNA will forever be stuck in neutral. And one more thing, what would you think if De La Hoya vs. Mayweather would have been offered on HBO for free? Good for us but kind of dumb for the promoters since we all know that everyone would have gladly dropped some cash to watch it, right? Given that line of thinking, someone please explain to me why TNA offered the dream match wrestling fans never thought they would ever see - Kurt Angle v. Sting - for free? It makes absolutely zero sense. Unfortunately, decisions like that have become way too commonplace in TNA.
UFC: Most UFC critics were looking to 2007 as the year this promotion would finally come back to earth. At some point, they thought, the meteoric rise in popularity would have to simmer. However, if the last four months are any indication, 2007 will be the UFC’s best year yet. I am still trying to make sense of all the insanity of the last few months. First, 43-year-old Randy Couture shocks the world by becoming the oldest UFC champion in history. Then, Matt Serra breaks my heart by snatching away Georges St. Pierre’s Welterweight title. And then - the cherry on top - Gabriel Gonzaga kicks Mirko Cro Cop’s head off in one of the most insane KOs I have ever seen. I am not sure which upset was bigger, but one has to wonder if Chuck Liddell is next. Liddell gets to avenge his 2003 loss to Quentin “Rampage” Jackson on May 26th and anything less than a Liddell win would be pretty shocking considering Liddell’s been unstoppable (7-0) since the two last met four years ago in the Tokyo Dome. Another fight to look forward to takes place on June 23rd when The Ultimate Fighter 5 coaches, BJ Penn and Jens Pulver, face off on the same card as the finals of the show. If you haven’t been watching TUF 5 (Thursdays @ 10 p.m. on Spike) do yourself a favor and check it out. The fights have been amazing and the hatred between these two fighters has been brewing since day one. I’m thinking Penn will outlast Pulver in one of the great fights of the year. Given the roll the UFC is on lately, I’m expecting no less.
WWE: Simply put, WWE is blazing hot right now. It seems as though they have finally found that 2000-01 groove they’ve been searching for the last few years. Last Sunday’s Backlash PPV was one of their best shows in over a year. As I’ve pleaded for them to do so in this very column, they’ve finally gone back to giving the fans what they want: WRESTLING. Imaging that, eh? Wrestling fans tuning into Raw and Smackdown to watch wrestling and not cheesy storylines more suited for afternoon viewing on CBS. Last week, we got one of the longest main events in Raw history when HBK defeated John Cena in a 45-minute non-title match. Then, the Fatal-Four Way and the Last Man Standing matches on the PPV were by far a notch above any gimmick matches in a long time. Sure, a 61-year-old geezer won the ECW title but, you know what, I am not totally against the idea of Vince McMahon holding that title for a while. The new incarnation of ECW is stale. They need some sort of shot in the arm and maybe this will help make this (once again) dying brand a little more interesting to watch. Moreover, whether the wrestling world wants to accept it or not, Vince McMahon is one of the top three heels in the business. He knows how to get people to hate him. Basically he just has to act like himself and – voila - pure heat. I am also absolutely loving the new Intercontinental Champion, Santino Marella. For those that missed it, McMahon called out Marella from the crowd when Raw was in Italy to challenge Umaga for his I-C title. The story was that Marella was simply a fan sitting in the front row (remember this is wrestling we are talking about so he is really a contracted WWE wrestler that had yet to debut on television). Anyhow, with the help of Bobby Lashley, Marella actually won the title! The unpredictability of the moment in a promotion that had become way too stale was really pleasing. Here’s hoping they don’t mess this one up like they did with the 1-2-3 Kid all those years ago.
So, there you have it. TNA needs to get its act together quickly, UFC continues to show no signs of letting up and WWE, like Stella, has finally got its groove back.
TNA: Sometimes watching TNA makes me want to dropkick my TV. They have every opportunity to carve their own place within the wrestling world but they keep messing it up with elaborate storylines that never make any sense. They need to learn from the UFC and the WWE’s recent resurgence by giving fight fans what they want: less BS talk and more action. It’s not like they don’t have a talented roster of wrestlers. One can even make the case that their roster is younger, athletic and more exciting than the WWE’s. But until they stop saddling their young stars with idiotic gimmicks, TNA will forever be stuck in neutral. And one more thing, what would you think if De La Hoya vs. Mayweather would have been offered on HBO for free? Good for us but kind of dumb for the promoters since we all know that everyone would have gladly dropped some cash to watch it, right? Given that line of thinking, someone please explain to me why TNA offered the dream match wrestling fans never thought they would ever see - Kurt Angle v. Sting - for free? It makes absolutely zero sense. Unfortunately, decisions like that have become way too commonplace in TNA.
UFC: Most UFC critics were looking to 2007 as the year this promotion would finally come back to earth. At some point, they thought, the meteoric rise in popularity would have to simmer. However, if the last four months are any indication, 2007 will be the UFC’s best year yet. I am still trying to make sense of all the insanity of the last few months. First, 43-year-old Randy Couture shocks the world by becoming the oldest UFC champion in history. Then, Matt Serra breaks my heart by snatching away Georges St. Pierre’s Welterweight title. And then - the cherry on top - Gabriel Gonzaga kicks Mirko Cro Cop’s head off in one of the most insane KOs I have ever seen. I am not sure which upset was bigger, but one has to wonder if Chuck Liddell is next. Liddell gets to avenge his 2003 loss to Quentin “Rampage” Jackson on May 26th and anything less than a Liddell win would be pretty shocking considering Liddell’s been unstoppable (7-0) since the two last met four years ago in the Tokyo Dome. Another fight to look forward to takes place on June 23rd when The Ultimate Fighter 5 coaches, BJ Penn and Jens Pulver, face off on the same card as the finals of the show. If you haven’t been watching TUF 5 (Thursdays @ 10 p.m. on Spike) do yourself a favor and check it out. The fights have been amazing and the hatred between these two fighters has been brewing since day one. I’m thinking Penn will outlast Pulver in one of the great fights of the year. Given the roll the UFC is on lately, I’m expecting no less.
WWE: Simply put, WWE is blazing hot right now. It seems as though they have finally found that 2000-01 groove they’ve been searching for the last few years. Last Sunday’s Backlash PPV was one of their best shows in over a year. As I’ve pleaded for them to do so in this very column, they’ve finally gone back to giving the fans what they want: WRESTLING. Imaging that, eh? Wrestling fans tuning into Raw and Smackdown to watch wrestling and not cheesy storylines more suited for afternoon viewing on CBS. Last week, we got one of the longest main events in Raw history when HBK defeated John Cena in a 45-minute non-title match. Then, the Fatal-Four Way and the Last Man Standing matches on the PPV were by far a notch above any gimmick matches in a long time. Sure, a 61-year-old geezer won the ECW title but, you know what, I am not totally against the idea of Vince McMahon holding that title for a while. The new incarnation of ECW is stale. They need some sort of shot in the arm and maybe this will help make this (once again) dying brand a little more interesting to watch. Moreover, whether the wrestling world wants to accept it or not, Vince McMahon is one of the top three heels in the business. He knows how to get people to hate him. Basically he just has to act like himself and – voila - pure heat. I am also absolutely loving the new Intercontinental Champion, Santino Marella. For those that missed it, McMahon called out Marella from the crowd when Raw was in Italy to challenge Umaga for his I-C title. The story was that Marella was simply a fan sitting in the front row (remember this is wrestling we are talking about so he is really a contracted WWE wrestler that had yet to debut on television). Anyhow, with the help of Bobby Lashley, Marella actually won the title! The unpredictability of the moment in a promotion that had become way too stale was really pleasing. Here’s hoping they don’t mess this one up like they did with the 1-2-3 Kid all those years ago.
So, there you have it. TNA needs to get its act together quickly, UFC continues to show no signs of letting up and WWE, like Stella, has finally got its groove back.
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