Welcome to another edition of the Three Count and this week I’m going to take
a look at TNA as it tries to break the stranglehold that WWE has on professional
wrestling in the USA.
The big news this week was their announcement of a prime time spot for Impact
soon and the signing of Kurt Angle. The former will certainly raise their profile
and the chance of them making bigger signings in the coming months. Perhaps
more WWE wrestlers who see their talents being wasted by Vince will see TNA
as a viable prospect for them to appear in, but more of that later.
So just weeks after leaving WWE, Kurt Angle is now in TNA. Ok that gives us
the prospect of some dream matches against the likes of Christopher Daniels,
AJ Styles, Sting and Samoa Joe but the nightmare possibility is that the broken
down Angle will just make the day he ends up in a wheelchair get closer and
closer.
Angle has had far too many major injuries in the past that he’s not had totally
satisfactory treatment for. His desire to be in the ring as much as possible
is a dangerous one. Surely he’s made plenty of money and with his in-ring skills
he’d make a great trainer and with his mic skills, a great commentator, does
he really need more matches?
He won’t give up that’s the problem and we’re not talking pain killers or are
we? Signing for TNA so soon after leaving WWE is ridiculous, surely he can’t
be getting in the ring for his new company before the end of the year. The guy
needs plenty of time away from in-ring competition and time to let his body
heal as much as it can, not that he’ll ever be 100% ever again.
So if Angle is desperate to be in the ring, how desperate are TNA to be successful?
Having Angle on board does raise the skill level in the company to an even greater
height than it is now and with the new TV spot more names could be attracted
but who?
Goldberg has already been mentioned several times as a future TNA wrestler
but he hasn’t been in the ring for a while has he? He’s also no spring chicken
but for a few months he would help TNA on another step up the ladder.
Brock Lesnar is always being talked about but he’s on his way to MMA failure
so perhaps the chance of Lesnar appearing in TNA wouldn’t be a possibility until
perhaps late 2007. Lesnar v Angle would undoubtedly sell tickets though if Angle
was still around at that time.
There’s a few other wrestlers in WWE that could really help salvage their career
by moving to TNA. Just what is Shelton Benjamin doing these days? He’s gone
from IC Champ to wrestling dark matches and a guy with his talent deserves so
much more. Benjamin in the X Division would be nailed on to have some classic
matches. People like Charlie Haas and even Batista whose star seems to be fading
a bit in WWE at the moment wouldn’t find it too foolish to go to TNA.
Of course there’s the problem that fans are already moaning about the number
of ex-WWE stars who are in TNA. Considering the number of wrestlers WWE acquired
when they took over WCW and ECW it’s hard not to have some WWE connections these
days. Sure there are people who see WWE mid-carders such as Rhyno in prominent
TNA roles but that’s more a case of Vince misusing his talent than a statement
of the quality of the wrestler.
TNA does have a chance of making it big, their PPVs are impressive and if Jeff
Jarrett can get himself out of the title picture for awhile then 2007 could
well be a big year for them.
Stephen Ashfield