I tell ya Kev, I'm gettin' kinda pumped for this thing. TNA's just never done it for me. It just always seemed too rinky-dink if that makes any sense. Now it looks like they're at least trying to go big-time. That's what I want see & I really want to see Vince have some kind of competition. WWE is very stale.

I'm sick of the "new" Monday Night Wars already. TNA's rating for Thursday night's show was a 1.0. ECW's rating was also a 1.0 this week. TNA is not packing the gear to knock-out or even compete with WWE. Two billionaires went head-to-head years ago, one with bottomless pockets and one with a great wrestling mind. That's why things played out the way they did. TNA features re-tread writers, announcers, wrestlers and storylines. Now I'm not saying WWE isn't guilty of those things, but if you're looking for a WWE alternative, why go back in time? People are always going to root for the underdog and "smart" wrestling fans always talk about how a promotion from Japan or Mexico has the next ---insert superstar name here---. The fact remains that at this point in wrestling history, organizations that try to compete with WWE will have support with the IWC, but will remain a nice little diversion or a boutique niche for the hardcore fan.

TNA might not be able to compete against the WWE's full roster, but they don't have to since WWE is split into two brands. TNA definitely has the firepower to take on 1/2 of WWE. Plus, they still have the best wrestler in the business today: Kurt Angle... AND Raw's champion is Sheamus... someone who always makes me want to pick up the remote and turn the channel anyways. Also, I love how WWE just signed Bret Hart.. WWE is betting their money on the horse that lost them the Monday Night Wars race the first time around.

I really don't understand the attitude towards TNA on here. They have a nice mix of young and old wrestlers who interact nicely inside and outside of the ring. They have the X division, which is full of good, young guys who can run circles around the youthful guys on WWE. They push guys into angles or main events that are worth seeing and have matches every week that you'd never see happening on WWE. Oh, and the Knockouts can actually wrestle and wrestle well. Seriously, how long is it going to take Kofi to get anywhere? What about Morrison? Don't even get me started with retreads like Sheamus. They'll toy with these guys for a few months before sticking them back in some mid-card, tag team hell.

At least, you can't tell me Vince isn't a little worried about this Impact. Why would he push guys like Sheamus and Deleany, two scrubs who won't last in this business? WWE is a trainwreck every week, and all of the comments on here point to very few of the commenters even enjoying the programming. I certainly don't and haven't watched an episode of Raw since Trump showed up again. Get rid of the dopey guest hosts and gimmicks like Hornswoggle and just have some decent wrestling. Oh, and let some other guys besides Cena, Undertaker, HHH, Batista, Orton, and the rest of the main carders get a push here and there, ones that last. Until then, have fun watching another terrible week of WWE programming. I'll be enjoying Impact.

The last time I saw Hogan, Jarrett and Russo in the same place, Jarrett laid down, handed Hogan the WCW title and cleared the stage for a train wreck of a promo by Russo. Fast forward 10 years and TNA is relying on all of the principle players from that debacle to compete head-to-head with the company that put these clowns out of business in the first place. If you don't understand history, you're doomed to repeat its mistakes. That's what TNA is doing here and it's a shame because competition is the only thing that can pull pro wrestling out of its creative quagmire. Instead, TNA will crash and burn, opening the door for Vince McMahon to buy the rights to TNA for pennies on the dollar. On the bright side, maybe Vince will find some redemption by doing the "Invasion" angle correctly this time around.

Re: Dave's comment

While I can't dispute that things like Russo as champ were terrible, the crappiness of latter-days WCW has been greatly exaggerated. While I and most fans I knew had gone over fully to WWF at the time, the brand was still popular and profitable; the last Nitro was drew a 3.0 (about Raw's average nowadays). The plug got pulled primarily because of that whole Time Warner merger thing. By my math (and probably TNA management's as well), there is a significant number of people watching Nitro until the end who didn't stick with WWE. TNA doesn't need to beat Raw right away. If it can maintain a majority of its own fans, grab a few from Raw, and a few of those old WCW fans, Monday TNA would be a viable show, which is all it needs to be for Spike to keep it on the air. I might be overly optimistic because I'm rooting for TNA. If I'm off on any of my analysis, I'd like hear your thoughts, Kev, since you were there for some of this stuff.

RESPONSE FROM KE: WCW was far from profitable in 2000 and 2001. Ratings-wise, they were nowhere near WWE's, but they still delivered a solid cable number. When the Turner Broadcasting CEO discontinued running wrestling on TBS and TNT, WCW became worthless. That's why Vince McMahon was able to swoop in and buy the tape library and trademarks for almost nothing.

The USFL also thought it could go head to head with the NFL and we know how that turned out.

"While I and most fans I knew had gone over fully to WWF at the time, the brand was still popular and profitable; the last Nitro was drew a 3.0 (about Raw's average nowadays)."

A 3.0 in 2009 is not the same as a 3.0 in 2001.

The rating a show gets is the percentage of viewers watching out of the total number of homes that get the channel. Since channels get added to more homes all the time, what a rating means in terms of how many people were watching is constantly changing. The same amount of viewers it took to get rating x.y back in 2000 will result in a smaller rating in 2009.

TNA will fail because the overwhelming majority of fans today have been conditioned to be marks of Vince McMahon/WWE and will accept NO alternatives. Vince has the fans where he wants them- the only problem is as his audience ages and matures, it shrinks. Pro Wrestling died in 2001 and it's not coming back. RIP.

Jersey Bill is absolutely right when he says, "Two billionaires went head-to-head years ago, one with bottomless pockets and one with a great wrestling mind. That's why things played out the way they did."

I'd love to see the industry take a step forward. But the fact is, TNA's ratings suck for a variety of reasons, and one is that the writing, acting, and production values are simply much, much worse than WWE's. Moving to Monday night doesn't fix any of that.

I'm not a WWE fanboy. I agree with all the criticisms—but the fact is, whatever WWE's problems, TNA is a worse product. Emerson's advice is instructive: "Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door." If TNA improves its product, they could make Thursday nights their own.

to J Newbs:

If TNA isn't grabbing "a few fans from Raw and a few of those old WCW fans" with it's Thursday show, why would it do so simply by switching to Monday?

Mike, I think you meant McIntyre -- Colin Deleaney really didn't get a push.

Losing sixty million dollars in 2000 and 95% of your pay-per-view audience over the course of three years is not my idea of profitable nor popular.

I don't think being beaten by WWE in the ratings is going to be a bad thing. I think having the ratings drop below what they normally get would be, though.

WOW!thats great...it means "THE RISE AND FALL OF TNA" dvd will be released earlier than expected.......wait a minute...Did TNA even rise???

I think a lot of people are missing a massive benefit to TNA's decision to run shows on Monday night. As it is, I don't go out of my way to watch TNA on Thursday nights, and as often as not, I don't remember it is even on until the results are posted on this blog or elsewhere online.

If TNA aired on Monday nights when I'm already watching WWE, and something on RAW is not capturing my attention, I will absolutely remember "hey, I wonder what is happnening on TNA right now," and I can at least flip the channel to see for myself.

If there are enough wrestling fans like myself in that category, then the TNA rating on Monday will reflect it and it should generate a better number on Monday night than it can on Thursday.

As far as it truly being the new "Monday Night WAR," let's not let facts stand in the way of good hyperbole.

to JNewbs
You make a decent point when it comes to WCW's ratings near the end, but that doesn't mean that reassembling Hogan, Russo, Bischoff, Nash, etc. is a bright idea. Why does everyone connected with pro wrestling insist on partying like it's 1999? It's 2009 and I'm going to turn on my television tonight and watch the antics of DX like I did 10 years ago. You're a TNA fan and you act like it's a good idea for this up-and-coming promotion to allow the WCW contingent to carry the ball for you. That's like a Detriot Lions fan begging the organization to bench talented young guys like Matt Stafford and Charles Rogers and bring in Jeff Garcia, Terrell Owens and Steve Mariucci to turn things around. Sure, these guys got the 49ers into the playoffs a few times last decade, but Garcia and Owens fought like cats and dogs, Mariucci's coaching ideas became outdated and the three men left a once proud franchise in shambles. They won some football games in their time, though, so we should give them another shot at recreating the magic. Nevermind the fact that Garcia's arm is falling off and Owens has lost his speed, let's roll the dice. I guess what I'm saying is that I hate to see TNA put young guys on the sidelines in order to recreate "The Rise and Fall of WCW" DVD.

I have a friend who works backstage with WWE that has been making Tweets all day about lots of little people being in the back.

I think it's a safe bet that the Little People's Court segment will air tonight (or at least, filmed today).

Hey Kevin-do you think it's just a "coincidence" that Hogan's start date of 1-4-10 comes on the first Monday after the NFL games on Monday and Thursday nights are over opening up more possible viewers?

I like the idea of TNA bringing the fight to Monday nights. Obviously, the WWE is taking notice by signing Bret Hart and possibly having him host on Jan 4th. Competition is always better for any product.

I am not a huge fan of Russo, but the TNA roster is full of possibilities. I think Desmond Wolfe has the potential to be the star to get behind. All it takes is one major angle with a star behind it to make an impact. Steve Austin, Goldberg, and the NWO were all about the right people at the right time in the right niche.

I hope that the signing of Hogan will be more of a mouthpiece, frontman type of role. I also hope that Bischoff has one more trick up his sleeve. I am excited to watch and see.

Either way it will be entertaining to watch TNA attempt and become a relevant opponent or a major flop.

If TNA aired on Monday nights when I'm already watching WWE, and something on RAW is not capturing my attention, I will absolutely remember "hey, I wonder what is happnening on TNA right now," and I can at least flip the channel to see for myself.

Would this be before or after you woke up?

tna this, tna that. get a damn clue. people DONT KNOW tna. and i mean that quite literally, MANY people have no clue what tna is. and people dont watch what they dont know.

my opinion is that tna should try to market themselves first to try and be a more well recognized name. only then will they ever have a chance of not-being-obliterated-in-ratings in the supposed "new" monday night war.

argue all you want, it is the truth.

So I'm watching Raw right now and TNA could have a "blank" on a pole based show on 1/4 and I'd rather watch it.

There is nothing compelling about this show. There is nothing being setup that's compelling either.

Sheamus is a yawn and they even had him bury MVP as if he needed to be the one to do that job. I guess Dibiase isn't seeing a push anytime soon either.

Damon and the santas was a mess too and it was probably pre-taped.

Speaking of pre-taped....Little People's Court was 20+ minutes of my life I'll never get back. Thankfully they recapped it in case anyone intentionally changed the channel before.

After all the years of Monday being my wrestling night, I will watch TNA and DVR Raw. Brett Hart will be interesting, but wasted I'm sure. It would take Owen Hart to make Raw more compelling than a going for broke episode of Impact.