I read the spoilers for the next two Impact tapings and I won't say much except that Rick Steiner, Lex Luger, and Buff Bagwell appear on the show. Along with Jarrett, Sting, Scott Steiner and others...is TNA now WCW?

And is this what we want to see? They still are focusing on the X Division like Styles, Joe, Daniels, and the rest but the closing sequences include the older WCW guys. I am all for a one or two time appearance, which this Bagwell, Luger, Rick Stiener thing may be, but if they are going to actually wrestle, blah.

I like Rick. I don't ever want to see Lex in a ring and Buff ain't the stuff to me. I can deal with Sting but the others eeek.

Do you guys like to see the older stars that you haven't seen? Or would you prefer that TNA cultivates new stars and focuses on the young, outstanding talent they have?

Honestly none of the guys who debuted on Impact are going to make a dent in the ratings. I mean, who would tune in just to see Lex Luger or Buff Bagwell?

Ratings dropped last week from an all time high. Is it because they started out with the older guys and the UFC fans clicked off? When they started the show with a bloody, in progress, brawl between Daniels and Samoa Joe, the kept the UFC fans and got a great record breaking rating.

That has to say something about what fans want.

What d you think? How much nostalgia is too much? And what star do you think would REALLY make people tune in?

For me it would be The Rock or Jericho.

The Rock, Jericho or Bret Hart. And I know they're all unlikely. Out of the three, which would be more likely - maybe Jericho? And he has come out and said he'd go back to the WWE first, out of loyalty.

I don't understand why they (TNA AND Spike) think people want to see the older guys. Sting, I understand. The others, not so much. I read the spoilers too, and I hope that they were just one-offs, it kind of came out like that?

They have Joe and they have some great guys like Monty and Abyss who could easily take the place of Steiner and co. And the X-Division...the X-Division and a potential women's division based around wrestling as opposed to T&A are the two things that would really help TNA stand out from the WWE, besides the ring. And especially the X-Division guys, I don't know why you wouldn't give them more time.

I just wish Spike would bite the bullet and give them more than an hour a week - that way we could see more of the non-WCW guys.

Yes Bret Hart I would turn in to see as well.
I agree. One hour is killing them. They NEED at least 90 minutes. Maybe that will come if they get their act together. The lower rating was still good so they are doing well. they have to step up now and really snag the UFC fans and hold their old fans.

Rock has spoken with TNA and is a free agent. He would be a HUGE acquisition even if it was a one or two time thing. Jericho has teased a TNA appearance for a while. I think as time passes, he is starting to see he can do a lot of other things and maybe he will do TNA for the heck of it. Bret has mentioned TNA on and off but he could only talk, not get physical.

Lesnar settled his WWE lawsuit today. I don't know the details but he is now free to work. Would he garner interest? Him vs Monty, Christian, and some others may be good matches although Lesnar is much more talented than Monty at this point. I would be less interested in him than the others.

Naturally there is Hogan. He has ties with the promotion and could easily go there for a few shows. But would he be the answer?

If this turns into a WCW reunion, I think they need to make an effort to assimilate the young talent with the old. That is, not have all WCW alumus involved in one or two angles and the younger guys doing their own thing.

It is mildy entertaining to see if the likes of Lugar and Bagwell can tow the line, but TNA is walking a fine line. They need to concentrate on the future and not live in the past, especially a past that wasn't theres but WCW's. Maybe the old men are there to help pass the torch?

~Chris <img src="/images/graemlins/king.gif" alt="" />

I don't think Hogan is the answer. In terms of interest, yes, in terms of money, would TNA be able to afford him? Altough, could they afford The Rock?

They can bring in all the guys they want, they just have to be careful that they don't go broke in the process!

I can picture The Rock in TNA, that would be fantastic! I would be less excited about Lesnar, but he's gotta be better than the others that are popping up now.

Let's hope they don't go over board with it.

However, it seems that they have been after a bit of ex ECW, WWE and WCW talent from the very start. Could it just be that the predominately WCW talent are now seeing TNA as a viable choice (esp since most are on more than borrowed time - wrestling wise).

TGO, right again my man. Mix and match the old talent with the new. You have them seperate too much and it really is WCW all over again. If they do it right I'll keep watching.
Beats the [censored] WWE expect us to watch.

Tikus

Tikus, Maybe that's why they are paying me the big bucks, huh? lol Yeah right, they should be.

I believe there is something to the passing the torch thingy, but the future is in the young guys. That is where they're ultimate future lay's.

~Chris <img src="/images/graemlins/king.gif" alt="" />

TNA needs to build up the new guys. Sting being over 45 spells it out. However will that just make TNA a springboard training ground for WWE?

WCW died for a reason. They lost focus on wrestling. WWE walks that line yet rarely falls off. Still I will flip to another channel if I see one of the talkers standing there with a mic instead of wrestlers.

I don't think it is a springboard for WWE anymore. I now see that the most talented younger guys (Styles, Joe, Daniels, and most of the X-Division) are very intent on making TNA their own and not going to WWE. Sure some will jump. (They'll be sorry too) but I think there is a core of workers who strongly believe in TNA and who are there to make a difference.

The problem is that many fans are fickle. They won't watch even the best of wrestlers if they don't know who they are. Many people like well known names (even if they can't do more than 2 moves) who entertain on the mic. The TNA crowd is a wrestling crowd but the TV viewers demand at least some faces they know well. Sting worked, IMO. Jarrett could fall off the planet and TNA would not suffer. In fact, they would be better off. He's just NOT main event material and he has that lame guitar and just reeks of old WCW midcard.

I wish Ricky Steamboat had stayed. He was a great Commissioner and gave so much class to the promotion.

They just need that one recognizable, popular face....someone people would pop for. It would be, in my eyes, Rock, Austin, or Jericho.

Nothing came of Hall or Nash.They were mere shadows of their former selves although Nash was still in shape but he never was a good wrestler and he just talkkkkkkeddd too much. Hall was out of shape and didn't make a bit of difference to the ratings. Dusty made no difference at all. Steiner. Nope, ratings went down since he came along. Certainly Buff and Luger aren't going to pop a rating.

While people actually enjoy the X Division and younger guys in the ring, they still crave the star power. I just wish they could find the missing link. Sting was a good start. He helped. But they need someone younger and more....2006 while still being well known. And within their budget!

I wouldn't want to be in TNA's shoes right now.

However for the purist, Jushin Liger coming from Japan will pop a rating. But there aren't many purists left.

Just on Lesnar, I wouldn't be surprised if part of the settlement he made with the WWE was that he couldn't wrestle in TNA.

I heard an interview with Raven when he was talking about how Mick Foley would have been a great addition to TNA, I think Mick has talked about it as well but it never happened. That would have been great - if he had have stayed there. Roddy came but left. You need someone who would actually stick around.

If this works, here's the link to the Raven interview. It's fairly old (when he was the champ) but it's a good one. Figured Patty, being a Raven mark, might like it (I did!)

NZPWI interview with Raven

I watched TNA with Raven chasing Zbyszko out of the ring and everytime I see Raven esp. back in ECW i have to laugh because he is the opposite extreme of his Johnny Polo days of the WWF.

Saw Luger come out too. He looked a little embarrassed. Looked like he was nervous and thought he was going to be booed out of the building because of the Liz fiasco.

I hope Jarrett doesn't mention anything about that in the upcoming weeks during any interview segments or promos.

He did look a bit ragged and weathered though. Definitely not the same old Lex.

Buff on the other hand looked the same and still looks like the stuff. Question is though does he still have the stuff?
I guess we will have to wait and see.

There are many things TNA ARE doing well though aren't there?

X Division
Stable, Good Tag Teams
New Talent
Regular Old Faces (It is still nice to see them, just not nice if they take over).

Any chance Vadar could make a ring come back? Or is Leon too old now?

I like seeing the old stars. I am tired of the same old Scott Steiner. TNA needs to concentrate on the in ring product. The wrestling must stay top notch. They still need to develop new younger talent. They need to keep their eyes pointing towards the future.

Al

Vader appeared in WWE not long ago and he looked old and out of shape. He sure shouldn't have been in the ring. And did I say I am tired of Jeff Jarrett as well?

Al

Leon Whites knees are so bad that he can barely walk nowadays. I would be VERY suprised to see him wrestle today. And, if he did, he would be a literal shadow of the Big Van Vader of the mid to late eighties when he was on top of the world. Now he is at the bottom of that mountain looking up, but he can't reclimb it, he is to worn out.

~Chris <img src="/images/graemlins/king.gif" alt="" />

I have a hard time with Jarrett because he was always a second string player, at best. To see him as the "King of the Mountain" nowadays just doesn't come across IMHO. Then to have Sting going up against him, isn't bring Jarrett up a notch as much as lowering Borden's character. Funny how Jarrett's King of the Mountain is still Second rate to HHH's King of Kings.

BTW have you noticed since Big Poppa Pump's showed up that The Alpha Male is no longer Jarrett's number one big man. Where did Monty go?

Se7en

Monty hurt his knee, I think?

I agree, Seven. I think the whole 'King of the Mountain' thing would have been better if it had have been a comedy thing - that's how most people take it. Have people just taking the [censored] out of him at every opportunity.

But sadly, he runs the place, so I guess he is king of the TNA mountain and he won't let people forget it!

Well him and his father only own 20% and aren't in charge anymore but they have influence, of course, and until they no longer do or until Dixie Carter and family get sick of him, he will be KOTM. But no one buys that he is the top guy.

Well, Patty, apparently Jeff Buys that he is the top guy. And I guess that's all that matters to him.

~Chris <img src="/images/graemlins/king.gif" alt="" />

But Patty, if the other 80% is owned by a business like Panda Energy who have no idea about wrestling (I could be wrong, I dunno) then I guess they would defer most non-financial decisions to him? What they need is to bring someone into management who has been around the business as long as Jarrett, knows just as much, if not more, and isn't fussed about getting TV time like he or Dusty were/are. Not many people like that out there, I reckon.