Looking at Scott Hall in TNA
A reader named Danny posted the following comment on Tuesday: “How does Scott Hall's possible return go under your radar? For my money, it’s bigger than Y2J coming to Raw.”
Let me address the second part first. With all due respect to Danny, while Hall resurfacing might be bigger to him, I think I’m pretty safe in saying that Chris Jericho’s impending return has sparked much more interest among wrestling fans.
As for Hall going under my radar, that isn’t the case. I watched TNA Impact last week when Hall’s name was teased as Sting’s mystery partner, and I’m well aware that Hall did indeed appear on the taped show that will air tonight. Honestly, I just didn’t think that Hall was worth commenting on.
For one thing, I believe Hall is only making a special appearance and not joining TNA on a full-time basis. I hope I’m not ruining this for anybody, but it is revealed on tonight’s show that Hall is not the mystery partner (that role is expected to go to Booker T.).
But even if Hall were sticking around in TNA, what impact would he have? The answer is next to nothing. Pushing broken-down, stale acts like Hall and Kevin Nash is not a recipe for success, and Hall’s presence only adds to the perception that TNA is a gathering place for former WCW stars past their primes.
Beyond that, with Hall’s well-publicized problems outside the ring, I would think that he would be the last person that any wrestling company would want on its roster given the current climate.
Speaking of which, I missed last night's CNN special titled Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling, but I will probably write about it after watching a replay this weekend.
Comments
Thanks for the response, Kevin. I just mean that it was bigger news considering we all know that Y2J is eventually coming to Raw, and that his fans keep wating money watching pay-per-views with the same stale matches hoping to see his return. Scott Hall just came up out of the blue. I think it would be a great story if he finally overcamecame his problems and could go every week.
Posted by: Danny | November 8, 2007 9:48 AM
Hey Kevin,
I gotta say, I agree wholeheartedly with you - TNA is looking more and more like WCW's retirement home with each passing day.
Historically, I've been a huge Booker T fan, so I hope that the rumors are true (and the stuff going on with PWA and TNA only lends credibility to the rumor). My biggest frustration at this point was how much they misused Booker towards the end of his tenure. Honestly, it makes TNA that much more tempting to watch despite my reservations.
I'm curious on your thoughts though: 1) How much does the appearance of Booker T cause TNA to look like a WCW retirement home?
2) Does the release of Booker T and relegation of performers like Shelton Benjamin and Carlito lend weight to the presumption that WWE is not friendly to wrestlers of color?
3) Does WWE have a roster large and enough to maintain its current presence?
Look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Posted by: Ted Christenson | November 8, 2007 3:34 PM
I agree with your poster. I grew up in an era of great champions, Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior. Their strength was legendary. Their adversaries were impressive. I regard MVP, Kennedy, Jericho, Edge, and the Hardys as smallish and weak. Once they would have been considered no better than mid-card. I'd rather watch the so called TNA has-beens anyday. The TNA tag teams are far superior to whats running around in WWE. I'll take Scott Hall every time over Jericho. Thankfully Batista, Undertaker, and Lashley are worthy champions.
Posted by: Dave | November 8, 2007 7:21 PM
I agree with you about Scott Hall. I'm a big fan of TNA, and also Scot Halls Razor Ramon persona, but there is not big shock in bringing him (nor Booker T) to the company.
And I know this is not some sort of "tell what you think of..." blog, but i have to ask you about the young performers in TNA. Because is unbelievable how talented TNA roster is, but they keep on playing that "WWE retiring center" roll.
Sometime ago, I read a comment in a forum which said that A.J. styles is now stepping aside to let the new talents achieve their goals in the company...and I think is right to take sometime to let his character rest for a while. I love A.J.s work and I think he is very charismatic ... But who are the "new" talents"? I respect Sting, Jeff Jarret, Dustin Rodes, Scott Hall, even Kevin Nash.... But mostly the 3rd part of the total of the younger performers in TNA are sank in the X division, meanwhile the grandpas are fighting for the heavyweight title... furthermore, Petey Williams doesn't have a REAL match in months...
I think there is nothing wrong being a "minor league" as you called TNA some time ago. ECW was a minor league, and with much less than TNA has already left his mark in the business.
I wait for Ring posts update every Tuesday. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
Posted by: Gaston | November 8, 2007 7:24 PM
I hope you're joking, Dave. That's the type of attitude that makes guys think they need to be huge and get that way in an unhealthy way. Size shouldn't matter. The performance should.
Posted by: Jason | November 10, 2007 1:53 PM