14.12.2002, 01:56
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Had a wild time last weekend in Glasgow, Scotland, where there are more men wearing skirts than an Elton John Christmas party. More on the visit to Scotland later in the column.
Where do I start in regards to recent TNA programs?
One element I love about our program, which, in this business, has become more absent than Anna Nicole Smith at a weight watchers meeting, is the element of surprise. Was I upset no one told me about Russo? Did I feel worked after Piper showed up and no one told me it was going to happen? Not at all. I was thrilled. I loved being surprised. I firmly believe, especially in a business where gossip and insecurity run wild, that a company should pass along information on a need to know basis to all parties involved, including myself. I have my own issues to worry about and my own job to do.
Jeff Jarrett's sit down with Mike Tenay captivated the Asylum crowd to the point where you could have heard a pin drop, with the exception of his comments on the Owen Hart/Piper/Russo controversy, which earned Jarrett a big round of applause in the arena. I also think Jarrett's comments on Sean Waltman were right on the money.
I thought Tenay and Don West had one of their best efforts to date last Wednesday. Gang, take it from someone who has sat behind that desk on more than one occasion, they have gotten so good so fast it scares me. I think it helps that they get along so well, too. I worked with Tenay as an announcer in WCW, and what a difference one's workplace environment makes. Instead of worrying who was going to stab you in the back next, you can concentrate on actually calling a match! What a concept! It certainly shows.
http://www.mainevent.com.au officially announced yesterday that TNA will be debuting in Australia in January. Looks like I will be doing a bit of promotion during my upcoming visit there over the holidays. I've kept in contact with Rove, who is Australia's David Letterman and a huge wrestling fan, as well as many of the local media in Sydney and Melbourne who are helping us to get the word out. I'm also looking to forward to once again seeing my good friend Rohan Herbstreit from http://www.wrestling.net.au, who does a great job running Australia's top wrestling site.
I am also proud to announce that we will also be seen soon in Israel, China, Japan, and several other countries in the upcoming month or two.
Needless to say, the last year has been one of the worst year's this business has seen in the United States. Thankfully, that isn't the case outside of America, where business can still be very profitable. While we care deeply about our fans in our own backyard, unless things change, I can see our company, as well as the WWE, relying on global expansion and international touring as a focal point for business.
How could that all change in the United States? The best thing for the wrestling business right now would be for TNA, or any other organization for that matter, to get a national time slot going head to head with Raw. The Monday night wars provided more intrigue, made more money, and spurred more debate than any match or angle ever done in the ring. The fans were the winners, as it brought out the best in both companies. I don't believe the staunchest WWE defender could still believe market domination has been good for business. Thankfully, those who want an alternative have found our program and continue to support it on Pay Per View, which has ultimately been a success and will continue to grow.
NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett and I have had a crazy couple of days traveling the globe, hitting Belfast, Manchester, and Glasgow in three days before returning in time for this last week's TNA. We were to arrive in Glasgow via Atlanta then London for the WWA PPV at 8am in the morning the day of the show, and ended up getting delayed at nearly every stop. We finally got to the building in Glasgow at 5:45pm, leaving very little room for ideal prep time, not to mention the jetlag. The show came off well and will air here in the states on Feb 9th.
While on the tour, I had a chance to catch up with Sting, whom I hadn't spent any time with since the last Nitro. Stinger has a great head on his shoulders, and hasn't missed a step. He looks great, and moves even better in the ring.
A guy also on the tour that definitely caught my attention was Joe E. Legend (the former Just Joe) who I'd like to see in TNA. He's a great worker and very good on the mic.
Some have raised the debate on TNA doing the occasional squash match. While these matches are often as one sided as a chess game with Ozzy Osbourne, I definitely think they serve a purpose. Done on occasion, I'm all for it.
Jarrett will be appearing this weekend as NWA World Champion for Zero-One's PPV in Tokyo. We will also be discussing plans with them for a potential working agreement.
A quick observation for those who care. Exotic dancers don't make good TNA girls. For many who have tried, the most apparent flaw is their inability to actually dance. Take them off a stage with a bunch of dudes with dollar bills in their mouths, and they suddenly turn into my grandpa trying to dance to Prodigy. Weird indeed. Our regular gals, Miss Lollipop and Miss Molly are fantastic, and get along great with the gang backstage.
Speaking of attractive ladies, the gal who helped Sonny Siaki defeat Jerry Lynn for the X-Title is former WWE-er Kim Nielson.
En route to London Gatwick with Jeff Jarrett, I had the misfortune of sitting next to who I believed to be a very intoxicated Howard Hessman, otherwise known as Johnny Fever of television's WKRP. Business class = free drinks. Word also traveled to our section of the plane that the one and only Bob Denver was on board. Apparently the royalty checks must be a little on the low side as he was flying coach. Poor Gilligan.
My vote for match of the week definitely goes to Styles and Red. They are so good it is scary, and do truly represent a very marketable aspect to our promotion.
TNA Xplosion this weekend will feature some great stuff. Our Xplosion matches are now featuring our television talent almost exclusively. Bert Prentice is my co-host on the program and does a great job.
Jason Cross impressed TNA officials, and will most likely earn a spot as a regular in the X-Division. Congrats to Cross, who has finally invented a finisher too difficult for anyone from another organization to steal. He gets higher on the Shooting Star legdrop than Snoop Dogg during a Cheech & Chong movie. Fo sheezy my neezy.
It was a complete pleasure to meet and spend some time with Percy Pringle this week. He is a class act, and will be a great addition to the TNA family. Rumor has it he may be bringing in quite a talent soon.
Sympathies go out to the families of Billy Travis and Tim Woods on their passing. I'll be happy to be done with 2002. We've lost a lot of great people this year.
Hats off to the comments recently made by X-Division champion Jerry Lynn promoting the charity auction, and sharing his personal comments about losing his first wife to breast cancer. Lynn is such a class act, it is amazing to me how he has gone so unappreciated for so many years by other promotions, yes, including even ECW. While his matches with RVD were great, in my opinion he got the short end of the stick on that feud. Lynn is a valuable talent, and even more so… appreciated by this organization. I would suspect Lynn to be one of the first X-Divisioners to crossover as a regular contender for the NWA World Title.
Trinity continues to impress TNA management. This gal is going places!
Expect a few surprises during this week's upcoming X-Division Gauntlet. This one will be a little different, as pinfalls and submissions will be allowed. I'm excited to see a few familiar faces returning to TNA.
That is all from the inside! Have a great weekend!
Jeremy Borash
TNABorash@aol.com
Had a wild time last weekend in Glasgow, Scotland, where there are more men wearing skirts than an Elton John Christmas party. More on the visit to Scotland later in the column.
Where do I start in regards to recent TNA programs?
One element I love about our program, which, in this business, has become more absent than Anna Nicole Smith at a weight watchers meeting, is the element of surprise. Was I upset no one told me about Russo? Did I feel worked after Piper showed up and no one told me it was going to happen? Not at all. I was thrilled. I loved being surprised. I firmly believe, especially in a business where gossip and insecurity run wild, that a company should pass along information on a need to know basis to all parties involved, including myself. I have my own issues to worry about and my own job to do.
Jeff Jarrett's sit down with Mike Tenay captivated the Asylum crowd to the point where you could have heard a pin drop, with the exception of his comments on the Owen Hart/Piper/Russo controversy, which earned Jarrett a big round of applause in the arena. I also think Jarrett's comments on Sean Waltman were right on the money.
I thought Tenay and Don West had one of their best efforts to date last Wednesday. Gang, take it from someone who has sat behind that desk on more than one occasion, they have gotten so good so fast it scares me. I think it helps that they get along so well, too. I worked with Tenay as an announcer in WCW, and what a difference one's workplace environment makes. Instead of worrying who was going to stab you in the back next, you can concentrate on actually calling a match! What a concept! It certainly shows.
http://www.mainevent.com.au officially announced yesterday that TNA will be debuting in Australia in January. Looks like I will be doing a bit of promotion during my upcoming visit there over the holidays. I've kept in contact with Rove, who is Australia's David Letterman and a huge wrestling fan, as well as many of the local media in Sydney and Melbourne who are helping us to get the word out. I'm also looking to forward to once again seeing my good friend Rohan Herbstreit from http://www.wrestling.net.au, who does a great job running Australia's top wrestling site.
I am also proud to announce that we will also be seen soon in Israel, China, Japan, and several other countries in the upcoming month or two.
Needless to say, the last year has been one of the worst year's this business has seen in the United States. Thankfully, that isn't the case outside of America, where business can still be very profitable. While we care deeply about our fans in our own backyard, unless things change, I can see our company, as well as the WWE, relying on global expansion and international touring as a focal point for business.
How could that all change in the United States? The best thing for the wrestling business right now would be for TNA, or any other organization for that matter, to get a national time slot going head to head with Raw. The Monday night wars provided more intrigue, made more money, and spurred more debate than any match or angle ever done in the ring. The fans were the winners, as it brought out the best in both companies. I don't believe the staunchest WWE defender could still believe market domination has been good for business. Thankfully, those who want an alternative have found our program and continue to support it on Pay Per View, which has ultimately been a success and will continue to grow.
NWA World Champion Jeff Jarrett and I have had a crazy couple of days traveling the globe, hitting Belfast, Manchester, and Glasgow in three days before returning in time for this last week's TNA. We were to arrive in Glasgow via Atlanta then London for the WWA PPV at 8am in the morning the day of the show, and ended up getting delayed at nearly every stop. We finally got to the building in Glasgow at 5:45pm, leaving very little room for ideal prep time, not to mention the jetlag. The show came off well and will air here in the states on Feb 9th.
While on the tour, I had a chance to catch up with Sting, whom I hadn't spent any time with since the last Nitro. Stinger has a great head on his shoulders, and hasn't missed a step. He looks great, and moves even better in the ring.
A guy also on the tour that definitely caught my attention was Joe E. Legend (the former Just Joe) who I'd like to see in TNA. He's a great worker and very good on the mic.
Some have raised the debate on TNA doing the occasional squash match. While these matches are often as one sided as a chess game with Ozzy Osbourne, I definitely think they serve a purpose. Done on occasion, I'm all for it.
Jarrett will be appearing this weekend as NWA World Champion for Zero-One's PPV in Tokyo. We will also be discussing plans with them for a potential working agreement.
A quick observation for those who care. Exotic dancers don't make good TNA girls. For many who have tried, the most apparent flaw is their inability to actually dance. Take them off a stage with a bunch of dudes with dollar bills in their mouths, and they suddenly turn into my grandpa trying to dance to Prodigy. Weird indeed. Our regular gals, Miss Lollipop and Miss Molly are fantastic, and get along great with the gang backstage.
Speaking of attractive ladies, the gal who helped Sonny Siaki defeat Jerry Lynn for the X-Title is former WWE-er Kim Nielson.
En route to London Gatwick with Jeff Jarrett, I had the misfortune of sitting next to who I believed to be a very intoxicated Howard Hessman, otherwise known as Johnny Fever of television's WKRP. Business class = free drinks. Word also traveled to our section of the plane that the one and only Bob Denver was on board. Apparently the royalty checks must be a little on the low side as he was flying coach. Poor Gilligan.
My vote for match of the week definitely goes to Styles and Red. They are so good it is scary, and do truly represent a very marketable aspect to our promotion.
TNA Xplosion this weekend will feature some great stuff. Our Xplosion matches are now featuring our television talent almost exclusively. Bert Prentice is my co-host on the program and does a great job.
Jason Cross impressed TNA officials, and will most likely earn a spot as a regular in the X-Division. Congrats to Cross, who has finally invented a finisher too difficult for anyone from another organization to steal. He gets higher on the Shooting Star legdrop than Snoop Dogg during a Cheech & Chong movie. Fo sheezy my neezy.
It was a complete pleasure to meet and spend some time with Percy Pringle this week. He is a class act, and will be a great addition to the TNA family. Rumor has it he may be bringing in quite a talent soon.
Sympathies go out to the families of Billy Travis and Tim Woods on their passing. I'll be happy to be done with 2002. We've lost a lot of great people this year.
Hats off to the comments recently made by X-Division champion Jerry Lynn promoting the charity auction, and sharing his personal comments about losing his first wife to breast cancer. Lynn is such a class act, it is amazing to me how he has gone so unappreciated for so many years by other promotions, yes, including even ECW. While his matches with RVD were great, in my opinion he got the short end of the stick on that feud. Lynn is a valuable talent, and even more so… appreciated by this organization. I would suspect Lynn to be one of the first X-Divisioners to crossover as a regular contender for the NWA World Title.
Trinity continues to impress TNA management. This gal is going places!
Expect a few surprises during this week's upcoming X-Division Gauntlet. This one will be a little different, as pinfalls and submissions will be allowed. I'm excited to see a few familiar faces returning to TNA.
That is all from the inside! Have a great weekend!
Jeremy Borash
TNABorash@aol.com