2007.11.16

I have an admission to make. When I was a kid, I was a backyard wrestler. I was 10-years-old at the time. Our ring was the metal climbing area at the local park. We would have pretend singles matches, pretend cage matches, and pretend tag team matches. I had a belt wrapped in masking tape with the word "chapion" (Yes, I misspelled champion) written in black marker. Our little play land promotion ended before I started my teenage years.

The next point is important - At no point did we actually consider ourselves pro-wrestlers. We were kids pretending to be wrestlers. End of story.

Today, times have changed. Kids start playing in the backyard; they play with their friends on trampolines. They make up a name like Hunter McMahon and beat up Mr. Ken Michaels in a pretend trampoline match.

The big difference between what I did when I was 10-years-old and what these kids are doing now is they actually believe they are pro-wrestlers. They don't see that they are kids playing in the backyard. They genuinely believe they are real life pro-wrestlers.

Yarder... please.

The Motor City Machineguns are the future of tag team wrestling. If you only watch WWE, you have no idea what you are missing. The MCMG is like a charismatic version of the Briscoes. "That was awesome."

Booker T. and Sharmell debuted on TNA iMPACT. Booker T. is entertaining and solid. It is great to have another top-level wrestler in TNA. The awesome part is that Booker T. asked for his release from WWE. So many of the former WWE guys in TNA are guys that WWE no longer wanted. Christian Cage, Kurt Angle, and Booker T. are in TNA because they want to be in TNA.

Kaz vs. Kurt Angle was awesome. It is great that iMPACT has expanded to two hours. TNA has so many talented wrestlers who seldom get screen time. I hope LAX, Triple X, Sonjay Dutt, "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal, the Motor City Machineguns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin), Petey Williams, Eric Young, and Robert Roode get the air time they so rightfully deserve.

I tune into iMPACT to see the afore mentioned wrestlers. I also tune in to see Samoa Joe and AJ Styles - homegrown (non-WWE) main-eventers. TNA has phenomenal wrestlers. I just hope they get an appropriate chance to strut their stuff.

The energy of TNA events is so completely different than the energy of a WWE show. Mini-Mattis and I attended Slammiversary in Nashville this past June. We hung out with a father and son from Texas. They attended Slammiversary. The following Sunday they were at the WWE PPV. I spoke to Alan (the dad) following the WWE PPV. He said the WWE PPV was 'ok'. He said that if they had not attended Slammiversary, they would have probably really enjoyed the WWE PPV. But, Slammiversary was SO good that the WWE PPV just looked 'ehhh' in comparison.