TNA:- The Second Coming

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[FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="2"][CENTER][COLOR="DarkRed"][B][SIZE="4"]Total Nonstop Action[/SIZE][/B][/COLOR][/CENTER] TNA has everything going for it. Money, potential, extraordinary talent, fan base and mainstream exposure. TNA has the foundations for a highly successful, high yielding future; the only thing it lacks is the business mind to take things that one step further. TNA has always lacked the cutting edge to capitalize on the things that were in place, ready to take the company above and beyond. If people thought that was bad enough, the things happening in 2007 were even worse… Fans were becoming disillusioned. Since Vince Russo had been installed and Dutch Mantell took a more integral part in the running of Television shows, the quality of the show had decreased, making way for more quantity. Russo and Mantell were desperate to try and get everything on each show and as a result, the company was missing what had made it such a desired company to watch, and what tempted wrestlers like Kurt Angle and Sting to join the fast-moving revolution. Disgraced NFL star Pacman Jones joined the company and without proving himself, became the TNA Tag Team Champion. Kurt Angle won all TNA Titles, a feat never accomplished in the history of the company. Despite it being a legendary occurrence, fans were not happy, and not just because he was a heel. The fans wanted an unpredictable feeling to IMPACT and that never happened. The only thing that was unpredictable was what mad capped storyline or angle that Mantell would come up with next, the sort of unpredictability TNA fans just didn’t want. TNA was on a massive slump. They had 2 hours, and RAW received its lowest rating of the year, yet they were not capitalizing on the opportunity it had in its possession. Whilst RAW lost John Cena, TNA had Junior Fatu, a man considered by many to be past his prime, in the Main Event of two consecutive IMPACTs. Things just couldn’t get too much worse for Total Nonstop Action than this. [I][CENTER]That is where I come in…[/CENTER][/I] What if this all had not happened? What if Pacman Jones had never set eyes on TNA? What if Kurt Angle had not been an egotistical maniac and taken over the entire promotion? What if TNA had actually put its focus into its stalwarts and the X Division, the division that garnered so many of the loyal fan base that remains in place today, in spite of what they have had to put up with? Well we are going to rewind all the way back to the end of the Final Resolution PPV. 2007 had just begun and TNA was still on track. Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle had just finished their series. Christian Cage had just become a 2-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and fans were still in a state of bliss with the improvement in the performance of Total Nonstop Action. We are going to start from the conclusion of Final Resolution, a point in time that, too many, TNA started to go downhill and lose their grip on reality. This Diary will see me attempt to mould things into how I would have taken TNA on its next step in the ultimate journey to the top. Get ready for the ride of your life. We are going back 10 months and this time, we are going to do it right. Join me as I take another swing at transforming TNA into a company that could be a true threat to the throne of the WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment. This is TNA, Total Nonstop Action, and this is the “Revolution of Professional Wrestling”. [CENTER][B][COLOR="Red"]This is TNA – Total Nonstop Action[/COLOR][/B] [B]The Second Coming![/B] --- [B][I][U][COLOR="Red"]TNA – Final Resolution 2007[/COLOR][/U][/I][/B] 14th January, 2007 – Orlando; Florida [I][U]Rhino def. AJ Styles in a Last Man Standing match[/U][/I] Rhino defeated the born Country Boy as he gored Styles through a table that was positioned against the tunnel inside the IMPACT Zone. Rhino then got the microphone after the match and declared the War over, stating he had proved he was the better man. Styles didn’t respond though, dejected and distraught at not holding true to his promise of putting Rhino in his place, once and for all. [I][U]Petey Williams def. James Storm in a “Loser Leaves TNA” match[/U][/I] These two tag team specialists put on a class match, given the allotted 7 minutes they had to have an impact (...Pun intended). Williams had the upper hand though and finished Storm off with a Moonsault. The fans went wild after the match as Storm made his way out of the IMPACT Zone for the very last time. Gail Kim waves him goodbye, relieved as her nightmare under the wing of Storm was over at last. [I][U]Alex Shelley def. Austin Starr to win the PCS Trophy[/U][/I] In a match between best friends and partners, both men put it on the line with their mentor Kevin Nash looking on. In a Series full with tricks, thrills and fun and games, the Finale was as serious as anything shown at Final Resolution. There could only be one winner though and that was the Stalwart of TNA, Alex Shelley, finishing his Paparazzi Productions partner off with the Shellshock. After the match, Shelley tried to shake the hand of Starr who just shrugged him off and retreated up the stage, ignoring both him and his mentor, Kevin Nash. [I][U]NWA Tag Team Championships – LAX © Def. Team 3D[/U][/I] Team 3D once again failed to achieve their legacy. The combination of strength and brute force between Homicide and Hernandez hampered the legendary Duo and the self proclaimed “Latino Nation” came out on top. They both got themselves intentionally disqualified as they nailed away at Devon and Brother Ray with kendo sticks, chairs and even went as far as to Powerbomb Devon into a chair, positioned in the centre of the ring. Hernandez then wiped the blood of both Ray and Devon onto his chest, a clear signal that they owned Team 3D that night. As The LAX stood over their bitter rivals, it was clear this was far from over, but in the meantime; the LAX had cemented their place as the premier Tag Team duo in TNA, and Professional Wrestling today. [I][U]Chris Sabin def. Christopher Daniels © & Jerry Lynn to capture X Division Championship![/U][/I] The arrogant, youngster Sabin managed to steal the win from the grasp of Lynn, beginning his second reign as the X Division Champion inside 4 months. The crowd were in deep annoyance at the antics of Sabin. After low blowing Lynn, which is of course legal is legal in a Triple Threat, Sabin then covered Daniels, taking advantage of the fact Lynn had landed the Piledriver on him just moments earlier. At the conclusion of the match, Sabin made his way up the ramp, pointing at his head. Daniels vowed it was over though, on the other hand, Lynn walked out of the ring, looking dejected and distraught. [I][U]Samoa Joe & Kurt Angle tied 2-2 in a 30 Ironman Match![/U][/I] In a true ending to a feud between the two most intense figures in TNA history, there was nothing that could separate these two. Angle went 2 falls up on Joe and looked to be heading to victory with just 9 minutes left, until a miraculous recovery left him, and the crowd stunned into paralysis mode. Joe came back and got a final fall with just a few minutes remaining. When the match concluded, Angle was visibly shocked, and Joe visibly relieved. No man, much to their chagrin, had been able to wrestle the momentum and win the coveted Title shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. This didn’t stop the respect shining through though. In a true moment of TNA folk law, Angle and Joe shook hands and admired eachothers grit, determination, spirit and in the case of Samoa Joe, desire! [U][I]Christian Cage def. Abyss & Sting © to become the NEW NWA World Heavyweight Champion![/I][/U] In the Main Event to a successful, high octane event, Christian Cage, with a little help from some “friends” became the NWA World Champion for the second, thrilling time. After getting eliminated by Sting earlier in the match, Abyss came back into the ring and attacked Sting, letting Cage take the plaudits and the cover, stripping Sting of his Title. A fire relit under Abyss as he stood outside the ring, Mitchell ordering him around and telling him, despite his reservations, to leave enough for them to feed upon at a later time. Abyss did and Cage was left to celebrate his night of celebration with Tomko, the confidence and arrogance of Cage at an all time high and the dignity and self respect of Sting stripped down to a bare minimum.[/CENTER][/SIZE][/FONT]

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[CENTER][FONT="Georgia"][SIZE="2"][IMG]http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x40/badlefthook/untitled.jpg[/IMG] [B]Breaking News: Vince Russo leaves TNA, Major backstage shakeup in the works![/B] [I]-Reported by Dave Meltzer – Wrestling Observer-[/I] Breaking news as of this morning. We here at Wrestling Observer understand that just a matter of mere hours after the TNA Final Resolution event, Vince Russo left his position as TNA script writer and booker. Russo, mostly known for his stint in WWE is understood to have been fired from his position by Dixie Carter. Early reports indicate that Dutch Mantell has also left his position too. Early indications that we are hearing is that both men were given 3 weeks to save their job, and come up with storylines and angles to grip the viewers. Carter finally had enough and decided to shake things up by the 2 firings, and shake things up she has. Jim Cornette, a backstage figure had been unhappy with the hiring of Russo and now, with him being gone, it is being said that Cornette could have a vital role in the future direction of TNA. This might come as a surprise to many as the show last night, although only hours removed, was seen as a success. The final nail in the coffin must have been the IMPACT just gone. With two weeks’ worth of tapings scheduled to be held in Orlando tonight, it is not known who will take charge. Jeff Jarrett is still at home nursing his wife. The chances of him being called into TNA headquarters to do the scripting and booking are zero to none. On the other hand, Jim Cornette is known for being an intelligent booker and if things are in disarray later tonight, Cornette could be asked to fill the void left by Russo and Mantell, if not just for tonight, but until a time that the TNA Board of Directors make a decision on what to do next. This is obviously a fast moving story. It is only 8AM so things have developed within the last 8 or so hours. We expect to hear a lot more later on tonight, not from Dixie Carter but from various inside reports. It will be interesting to note how things improve for TNA, if they do. Mantell and Russo have been blamed for the direction of TNA lacking in the last month or two, since Kurt Angle came into the company. The next port of call will be the IMPACT tapings. If anyone plans to be there tonight, feel free to click my name above and send in your reports. The report used here on the Observer website will enable a donation to be paid to the Author. We will be back later with an update on this breaking news. [/SIZE][/FONT][/CENTER]

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[CENTER][SIZE="2"][FONT="Georgia"][IMG]http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x40/badlefthook/untitled.jpg[/IMG] [B]Update: Russo/Mantell fired from TNA[/B] [I]-Reported by Dave Meltzer – Wrestling Observer-[/I] In a follow up to the story earlier on today, we can now confirm the likely reason as to why Vince Russo was fired from his position. Early on in January, a bust up occurred between Jim Cornette and Vince Russo. The bust up was over the direction of one wrestler. At first, the bust up was not too intense but became so a few hours later as tensions flared again between the two. It is storied that these two don’t like eachother, dating back to what happened in the WWE all those years over. The dispute was never sorted and when Russo came in, Cornette was reportedly aggrieved. People thought something might blow off between the two and it seems that the predication from many inside TNA had come true. The surprising thing about this story is that if one man was likely to be fired, it would have been Cornette, not Russo. Well, we can report 2 reasons as to why Russo got his contract torn up, and Cornette remains in TNA. Just weeks after coming into TNA, Russo made it clear to the “higher ups”, especially Dixie Carter than he would not be in TNA for the long-term. He always had a dream of going back to a job with his built-up promotion and also being closer to his family once again. He never saw his role in the Board Room of TNA as a yearly plan, and only monthly, with the indication he could leave as early as late 2007. This didn’t settle well with Carter who wanted more commitment, but due to Jarrett’s excitement at Russo coming in and the fact that they needed a big-name booker (…bulls***), Carter decided that anything was better than nothing and hired Russo all the same. The other reason that Russo was fired, instead of Cornette was because in the last few weeks, Russo had reportedly came to Carter with decisions to sign Wrestlers. Needless to say, rumours are that these wrestlers are past their prime and seemed like a quick fix to get TNA better ratings. Carter, like many fans didn’t buy into it and a little bit of a row broke out between her and Russo. Russo wanted to know he had a place in TNA to make decisions like this but Carter didn’t want him to get too comfortable in his position in case he decided to take his ball and go home at a later point in time. The fight was obviously the final nail in the coffin for him and his TNA career. As far as Mantell goes, details are still sketchy. Mantell is known to be a very pushy figure and not afraid to get wrestlers on his side and challenge authority figures when things don’t go his way. His position was said to be untenable and the firing was coming since the day that Russo came in. Mantell was not happy at first with Russo’s arrival, but they soon became “clicky” and it seemed the power went to the head of Mantell. Carter is known as a Woman that doesn’t like that sort of things and so, Mantell joined Russo in the unemployment line. As far as to when they got fired, things are not known regarding that. Reports of the firings surfaced last night, but they may have come before last night. More things are still to come on what has happened, and what the future holds for TNA. This is exciting times for the fans, but not for TNA. Plans for the TNA IMPACT tapings are in chaos tonight. We should have a final update in a few hours as to what the running plan is regarding the IMPACT tapings, and who will run the show backstage in place of Russo and Mantell. Join us later and that update will be waiting for you on the Front Page. [/FONT][/SIZE][/CENTER]