The wrestling world is beginning to see an overhaul that may shape the landscape for years to come. As the WWE gets situated at its new/old home on the USA Network, Spike TV and Nwa-TnA have begun a relationship that has changed things. First off, because of the amount of the deal that the WWE signed with the USA Network, salaries must be lowered when contracts are renewed.
Names like Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit and Christian knew such a thing would be in their future. Chris Jericho decided to walk away from wrestling. Chris Benoit, well, he still has not decided his fate. Christian, well, he became the first major jump to Nwa-TnA. In what has been seen as the first “big” move by Nwa-TnA, the upstart promotion has signed Christian away from the WWE and should have debuted him this past weekend on its Genesis PPV.
Christian is by no means a Goldberg or Stone Cold Steve Austin. But what Christian does is give credibility to other WWE workers who are not getting a fair shake by management. Chris Benoit is going to be watching closely how things shape up for Christian in TnA. Do not be surprised to see the Canadian Crippler on Impact in the next couple of months.
As for other names you might see on Impact, there are strong talks between Spike TV and TnA about bringing in some of the older, more established talent – talents such as Bill Goldberg, Scott Steiner and The Rock. Spike TV has offered to buy into the company to help finance such moves. So where does this leave the WWE?
Well, the WWE has decided to push some younger talent. Superstars like Edge and Bautista were supposed to be the cornerstone of this youth movement. Problem is they are not that young (Batista is 39, Edge 32). And now they are not that healthy. Batista suffered a torn back muscle on Smackdown last week and might miss up to three or four months. Edge suffered a torn pectoral muscle and looks to be out about the same amount of time. So much for the WWE youth movement.
Look for names like Randy Orton, Chris Masters and Shelton Benjamin to get major pushes in the next several months. This, quite frankly, is a good move on the WWE’s part. Where they have been lackluster the past several months is in pushing the older talent such as HHH and Shawn Michaels. These younger Superstars, such as Orton, Masters and Benjamin, have been developing quite nicely as other big names steal much of the spotlight.
Now on to some other happenings over the past month. Kevin Nash was supposed to wrestle the main event of TnA’s “Bound for Glory.” Key words there are “supposed to.” Nash suffered from chest pains the night before and was pulled off of the show for precautionary reasons. No word on when or if Nash shall be returning. Jackie Gayda has officially signed with TnA and shall be debuting shortly.
No word on if New Jersey All-Pro Wrestling alumni Charlie Haas shall be following his bride to the world of TnA as of yet. Shannon Moore, formerly of Smackdown, has inked a deal with Nwa-TnA to come in as a heel X-division worker. This former member of WCW’s group, 3-Count, shall be a great addition to the talented division.
The Rock’s movie career has stalled lately. His latest movie, “Doom,” failed miserably at the box office. Despite decent reviews, “Doom” only hauled in 20 million in its first three weeks. The movie cost 67 million to make. Look for the Rock next fall in a movie entitled, “The Gridiron Gang.” It’s a tale of troubled youth finding their way via a football team coached by the Rock. The Rock also can be seen in the screen adaptation of the video game “Spy Hunter.” No word on its release date as of yet.
In wrestling video game news, “Smackdown vs. Raw 2006” has been released for Playstation 2. This game is by far the best offering since the old Nintendo 64 games. There are several new additions that are worth noting. One, there is a GM mode that lets you take total control of a show by yourself or with another player. And two, there is now a buried alive match.
In addition to those two new options, “Smackdown vs. Raw 2006” has added different game play that now makes the wrestling action more strategic. There will be no more button mashing like in years’ past. Another good idea added to the game is that you cannot continue repeating one or two moves. In doing so, you actually give your opponent more power and get the crowd on your back. This title is definitely worth a look.
Well, that is all for this month, Sixshoooter-a-holics. Be sure to check me out on the Web at http://www.expage.com/mattygsite for all the up-to-date happenings in the wrestling world. Until next month remember an old saying by Sid Viscous, “Robocop, I’m gonna crush you like a tin can!” Yes, in the old WCW days back in the mid-’80s Robocop was involved.