TNA: The Natural Assumptions

I want to talk about assumptions that we make as wrestling fans and some that wrestling organizations make about us. One of the biggest going right now is that WWE has a superior product just because they have been around the longest. Now most wrestling fans will jump on this bandwagon, despite what TNA produce each and every week, but when you honestly look at both shows as a whole, TNA kicked ass again this week, even with their competition bringing in the Texas Rattlesnake himself, Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Assumption Number 1: The smarks (smart marks) won't boo A.J. Styles
A.J. cutting a heel promo is definitely enough to piss me off to start the show. A.J. should be the classic good guy, he has the look and the skill that you want to cheer for. It is amazing that he has gotten over as a heel simply by his promo work and the help of Ric Flair. I have cheered this guy for seven years and normally do not follow the heel/face alliances that companies shove down my throat, but A.J. is doing a great job of getting me on his bad side.

Assumption Number 2: There is no long lasting effects to these Athletes
Flair busting himself open with barely a tap to his forehead is both disturbing and awesome. It speaks volumes to the kind of punishment the man has put his body through in the last 30 years. I know this was taped Tuesday of last week, but a man should bleed like that without some force behind it.

Assumption Number 3: When you leave WWE your career is over
Jeff Hardy does have a rabid fan base and despite how dumb his face paint looks and how horribly he screeched "Creatures of the Night" he will be huge in TNA. TNA management realizes the HUGE lottery ticket that fell in their lap with Jeff Hardy, he arguably was the biggest star in WWE when he left a few months ago. Hardy will have as long of a career in TNA as he wants... plus they don't drug test so if he can stay out of trouble with the law, he's set.

Assumption Number 4: Comedy doesn't work in Wrestling
We have all been horrified by the comedy that WWE brings us each and every week (read: Magic Lucky Charms or Terrible Criss Angel segments). And I'm not going to say WWE has never given us good comedy, they have, but more often than not it's bad. TNA has a way of doing it without going overboard and between Bichoff screwing with Foley and Jarrett every week there have been some good moments.

Assumption Number 5: Once you are an over the hill wrestler you are not good for anything.
The Nasty Boys suck, you know it and I know it. But that was a sick powerbomb when they put Neal through that table outside. Spike Dudley returned for a lackluster match. Hey, they can't all be good.

Assumption Number 6: Women in Wrestling are eye candy
I know I harp on this a lot, but women's wrestling is kind of a passion of mine. It should be on par with men's wrestling and women like Angelina Love can get it there. Not only is she great in the ring but she is decent on the mic as well. She just needs to go back to being a heel where she can shine.


Assumption Number 7: If you put big names in the ring together it will be AWESOME!
Holy shit, that is an all-star lineup: Desmond Wolfe, Ken Anderson, Kurt Angle and D'Angelo Dinero. And the match was... meh, lackluster at best. Is it just me or does Desmond Wolfe seem to get pinned by roll-ups too often. I don't know that I've ever seen him be beat with a regular finisher, but hit a school boy and he is OUT OF THERE. Now, even though the match wasn't great, the after match beat down was. The image of Anderson holding Angle's head, blood dripping onto the canvas, while Anderson screams in his face was so great. The match at Destination X should be amazing.

Assumption Number 6 (continued): Women in Wrestling are eye candy
Angelina Love and Daffney had a short quick moment where the Daffney went crazy as she normally does and got disqualified. The Beautiful People interfere and Angelina takes a sick bump into the side of the ramp. I watched it with my buddy and I could only laugh when he saw Angelina crumbled up on herself and said, "oh God, that's her foot there."


Assumption Number 8: Hogan is Done
Hogan may be done in ring, and at least it seems for now he has accepted that but he can still cut a promo and get the fans excited. I don't care about Sting's heel turn but even I was cheering for Hogan to hit him with the baseball bat.


Assumption Number 9: If you were good once you can be good again
Look at Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, I've seen fights at an old folks home that were faster paced. 

Assumption Number 10: Tag Team Wrestling has been cast aside
Beer Money, Motor City Machineguns and Generation Me are three of the best tag teams right now and all of them are on TNA. Even Hernandez and Matt Morgan was good until TNA decided that Morgan needed a heel turn again. I wish they would figure out what to do with him, he is an amazing talent and gets lost in the shuffle too easily.


Assumption Number 11: Having your head shaved is humiliating
Maybe, just maybe if you have long hair, or are a woman this could be the most humiliating aspect of your life but really, it's hair, it grows back and they have been using this gimmick since wrestling began. Stop using it, no one cares if you shave anyone's head, especially not Eric Bischoff.


Assumption Number 12: Wrestling is all about the Big Guys
Look no further than TNA's X-Division. Amazing Red, Generation Me, Chris Saban, Alex Shelly, Daniels, Brian Kendrick, Kaz and more are all amazing talents who aren't huge bodybuilders but can do amazing things in and out of the ring. Don't let anyone ever tell you that big men make the business.



Assumption Number 13: Every Fan-Dream match ends badly
It could've used more time and the finish was a little weak but A.J. Style vs. Jeff Hardy was a good solid wrestling match. And this won't be the last time we see these two in the ring against each other. There is an essence of greatness here that everyone should be watching out for. Ric taking the bump at the end of the night was the perfect cap to the night.


Assumption Number 14: WWE is Better than TNA

Destination X didn't get plugged as much as it should've maybe but overall on the whole, the show was amazingly good and if you give TNA a chance and watch it as a wrestling fan, you can enjoy it. It has drama and action, yes it has some older guys and some crappy segments but so does WWE. And eventually TNA won't need those older guys, eventually the Scott Hall's and Kevin Nash's won't have to be around to bring an audience to A.J., Daniels, Joe and the rest of the amazing TNA roster. Give it a chance, a real chance, and you won't regret it.