TNA Wrestling has become one of the big boys. First there was the WWE, then there was the ill-fated WCW, and now there is another wrestling power about to emerge. What is the Sixshooter talking about? The rumored movement of TNA Impact into a prime time television slot on Spike TV is no longer a rumor.Starting Thursday, April 13 at 9 p.m., TNA Wrestling will join the WWE in the prime time spotlight. Spike TV was extremely happy with the direction TNA’s ratings have taken and decided to whole-heartedly back the upstart wrestling promotion.
What makes a prime time deal so special? It is the fact that advertising rates increase, profit increases and, more importantly, notoriety increases. TNA is about to branch out into doing live house shows in the next few months, being on in prime time will help it reach out to more people.
Saturday at 11 p.m. on a major cable network is a good spot to be in, but Thursday at 9 p.m. is prime real estate.
Now the big guns are about to be revealed. The Rock has been in talks with TNA management over the past several months about a return to the ring; Scott Steiner’s name has been talked about as well.
The big fish that might be reeled in is that of Bill Goldberg. He was on Sirius Satellite Radio the other day discussing how negotiations have started up with TNA/Spike TV about coming aboard. This would be huge ratings news for TNA. Like him or hate him, Bill Goldberg produces ratings. He is also a personal friend of Sting and since Sting just signed with TNA, you can see the correlation.
The WWE has had to actually pump in crowd noise for John Cena. His lack of crowd reaction has puzzled the WWE’s creative department, so if you cannot get the crowd to cheer on its own…you can make it cheer. Word has it that HHH will be facing John Cena at Wrestlemania for the championship.
The WWE creative department wanted to keep the belt on Edge, but HHH had other plans. The Sixshooter was hoping for an Edge vs. RVD showdown at Wrestlemania for the belt, but the WWE did not see it my way. If you have been reading this column for the past 10 years, you know that the Sixshooter was never a fan of Edge.
But watching how his character blossomed over the past couple months and seeing the reactions he was getting as champion was very impressive to me. I was disappointed that the belt was taken away from him after only a month. The ratings were up for Raw, and there was no good reason to actually do it – other than the fact that HHH wanted the belt back at Wrestlemania.
The WWE is trying to get New Japan Pro Wrestling in its corner and away from TNA. Antonio Inoki, the head of New Japan was at WWE headquarters last week discussing an arrangement. TNA had planned to use New Japan wrestlers for its upcoming X-Division Cup, but if the WWE has its way that will not happen.
Smackdown’s Kurt Angle is in trouble again injury-wise. His neck pain is starting to flare up, and this time it may force him to retire. Look for Angle to make a decision on his in-ring future in the next two to three months. The WWE knew of this before putting the Smackdown Championship on him, but decided to take a chance.
The Rock is looking reprise Clint Eastwood’s famous character, Philo Beddoe, in an upcoming movie role. Beddoe is the character from Eastwood’s “Every Which Way But Loose” and “Any Which Way You Can.” For those of you who are unfamiliar with the character, he is a trucker who fistfights his way around the country.
ECW is making a reunion once again. It seems the WWE was so happy with the success of last year’s “One Night Stand” PPV that there shall be a part two. Word is that Terry Funk will be a big part of the show this time around. With so many ECW guys now in TNA it will be interesting to see the card.
I do not hold in high regard the WWE’s usage of Eddie Guerrero’s name in its current storylines. The WWE did, however, get permission from his family to keep using the name. They are not totally comfortable with it, but if it will help Chavo Guerrero and Rey Mysterio build their characters they are OK with it.
Well, that is all for this month Sixshooteraholics. Remember to check me out on the Web at http://www.expage.com/mattygsite. The site is updated often, so whenever big news breaks you will know right away. Thanks for reading for the past 10 years, folks. I appreciate you more than you will ever know.