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The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: TNA Spoilers , ECWWE, ROH, Iron Sheik, and More
By Adam Barnowski
Apr 27, 2006 - 9:03 PM

I have been surprised to see how things have played out thus far on this season of The Ultimate Fighter. Coming in, it was easy to assume that Coach Tito would be true to his over the top, cocky, disrespectful heel image. While Coach Ken would be his usual, understated, bland face. However things have shaped up in an entirely different fashion. Three episodes in, and Ken is coming across as an out of date, stubborn jock (who may have taken too many shots to the head), who is hanging onto to archaic training principles, and showing very little interest in getting to know his boys at all. Ortiz, on the other hand, has come across as charismatic, likeable, and seems genuinely interested in helping his boys improve as fighters. Tito is shown rolling around on the floor, training with his guys, while we see Ken spewing hackneyed clichés from the sidelines, if he shows up for training at all.

It’s a classic story of two radically different coaching styles that makes for a solid background on which to build the story of the fighters themselves.

The people putting this show together understand character development, and know how to tell a story. I understand that this is a "reality show" and much of the story is told in the editing. That said, it’s a fun story that they’re telling. If the WWE would have figured out how to book Ken this well as a heel, he might still be in wrestling. I’ve never been much a fan of Tito Ortiz, but I’m already pulling for him to win this contest.

I’ve said it too many times to count in my TNA vs. RoH vs. WWE column. If TNA wants to get to the "next level" they have to throw off the shackles of the past and focus on the future. The recent additions of Sting and Scott Steiner to the roster hasn’t helped them at all. If anything it is hurting them. Yet they seem content to continue to push in this backward direction. Fans tuning into the new Thursday Night Impact show see Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner, Ron Killings, The James Gang, and even Sting, and are immediately turning the channel, and I don’t blame them.

TNA Impact is a pretty good show, but you’d never know that unless you carefully watch the whole thing. For casual fans, stopping in for a minute here and there, the focus of the promotion seems to be getting over old WCW and WWE "failures". Over the next few weeks we will see Rick Steiner, Buff Bagwell, and Lex Lugar on Impact, eventually we will probably see Bill Goldberg as well. None of this is going to help to erase this impression.

TNA is in fifth gear and taking off..... in the wrong direction. Meanwhile AJ

Styles is out there, risking his life on PPVs in order to put on an awesome

show, but is still relegated to standing behind Sting and next to Rhino and Ron Killings. That’s absurd. Styles, Daniels, and Joe are the immediate future, and guys like Alex Shelley, Bobby Rude, Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt, Austin Aries, Roderick Strong, Petey Williams, Matt Bentley, Elix Skipper, Jay Lethal, and more, are just waiting for a chance to revolutionize the show. Instead TNA shows us vignettes featuring Raven and Larry Zybsko, The Dudleys vs. Team Canada, Sting and Jarrett acting out a feud that makes it feel like it’s 1993, and Ron Killings convulsing like an epileptic. It’s past time for TNA to move these idiots out of the spotlight, and put some faith in their young blood.

The good news for TNA fans is that at the end of the next few weeks of WCW Saturday Night flashbacks, Sting apparently picks Samoa Joe to be his partner in the tag match at the next PPV. Surprising? Indeed.

It’s an excellent idea to move Joe into this main event setting. However this is where things get tricky, and TNA need to be careful how they play this thing out. If Joe is going to be the future of TNA, it’s important to present him as such. There is only one way to book this match and I’m not confident that TNA is willing to do it.

It’s important that Joe dominate this match, and I just can’t see it happening. For best effect, Joe needs to throw around Jarrett and Steiner, and when Sting costs his team the match and Joe turns on him (you read it here first), it’s important that Joe dominate Sting as well. This is their big chance to elevate Joe from potential future star, to present day major league bad ass. He should dominate Jarrett and Steiner, and then leave Sting in bloody heap after the match. If he is presented as being on even ground with Steiner, Jarrett, or even Sting, his aura will be compromised, and once lost it’s impossible to get it back.

After Joe turns on Sting, it’s also important that he not join up with Jarrett and his boys. TNA loves to group all of their heels and faces into big groups, but if they move Joe into Jarrett’s army, it will only damage his image. Joe doesn’t need Jarrett, Steiner, or Sting. He’s the man. Present him as such and watch what happens.

Another thing I have repeated many times in my other column. If you’re not on the RoH bandwagon yet, the time has come to jump on. I’m not an ROHbot, nor have I had any Saploski kool-aid, but in my opinion Ring of Honor is currently producing the most entertaining and compelling wrestling product in the states.

If you’re still buying WWE PPVs then you must have too much money to throw around. Stop wasting your money now. They are not going to suddenly start producing compelling shows. Stop supporting McMahonism today. He doesn’t deserve (or need) your hard earned money.

If you buying TNA PPVs then good for you. TNA needs the support and they put on pretty good PPVs for the most part. However if you’re a fan of TNA, you will become an RoH fan immediately if you give them a chance. How do I know this? RoH is everything that is great about TNA - excellent wrestling matches, compelling and simple wrestling storylines, hungry athletes revolutionizing the sport - without everything that sucks about TNA - Jeff Jarrett booking himself as world champion, endless parades of old failures desperately hanging on for one more paycheck, and lame sports entertainment skits that are supposed to be funny but in reality put viewers to sleep.

Ring of Honor is the s**t in the modern pro wrestling world plain and simple. They are not much like ECW, but they do have one important thing in common. Both Paul and Gabe know that it is the fans who drive the product. At an RoH show (like ECW shows) the fans dictate the pace of the show, they decide who they want to cheer and boo, they dictate the atmosphere, and the wrestlers (and booker) actually listen to the fans and play into the crowd’s reactions. Simple right? It’s a revolutionary concept in this era of McMahonism and Sports Entertainment.

Check out the roster - Samoa Joe; Brian Danielson; Nigel McGuiness; Austin

Aries, Roderick Strong; Jimmy Rave; Alex Shelley; Jimmy Jacobs, Delirious, Jay and Marc Briscoe; AJ Styles; Colt Ca-Bana, Claudio Castagnoli Homicide, Matt Sydal; Christopher Daniels; Jim Cornette, and the hits just keep coming.

So save yourself a few bucks by skipping the next WWE PPV, invest that money in a few RoH DVDs, and check them out for yourself. I promise that you will not be disappointed. Okay - End of commercial.

It’s too early to tell how this is going to play out, but it’s silly to assume that this going to be anything other than more of the watered down McMahon version of ECW. Johnny and Vince are not going to let these guys go out and do the kinds of things that made ECW revolutionary. They’re not going to let them steal the show and/or the spotlight from their own boys (nor should they). It’s already been examined on their own DVD - ECW was cool because it was counter culture. Because they really were fighting for their lives, and jobs, against overwhelming odds. It gave them a passion that drove their show to a frenzied pace. I was there. Paul knew his fans and how to play to them. That ECW is gone, never to be seen again. I understand that they are going to give Heyman the book, but be certain that he will be leashed and watched very carefully. The aura will never be the same.