OK, we can get it out of the way right now.
They are older. They have aged.
Now, if you accept that fact, keep reading.
Simply put, you have to go into watching TNA Wrestling's angles involving veterans with a more open mind than you would watching WWE Raw.
I did, and as a result, I found Monday's show to be slightly better than WWE Raw.
Was it because Bret Hart wasn't on Raw? Possibly.
Was it because TNA Wrestling had the best match of the night between the two shows? More likely.
Was it because there were some surprises where Raw had none? Most definitely.
Let's review.
The matches
1. Abyss/Hulk Hogan vs. A.J. Styles/Ric Flair. REACT: Hogan cut what I thought was a very strong promo. I thought it was smart to lead off with this match. Had I been watching live, I would have stuck with this show as opposed to Raw's opening segment with Undertaker-Shawn Michaels. Sting turning on Hogan/Abyss, while some would say was predictable, was still nicely done. And it's historic and should keep Sting on television, as opposed to being on the sidelines like he seems to be more often than not. Flair later cut a strong promo for setting up the rematch later.
2. Doug Williams beat Christopher Daniels and Kazarian in an X-Division Title Match. REACT: Best match on either show, by far. Shannon Moore doesn't do much for me, but he's an addition.
3. Velvet Sky/Madison Rayne beat Tara/Angelina Love and Sarina/Taylor Wilde for the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Titles. REACT: Awesome Kong looks to be done, I guess. Decent, but quick match. Daffney's interference wasn't explained to the new viewers.
4. Rob Van Dam beats Sting. REACT: Kudos to RVD. Yes, I know he won, but he really put Sting over here. He was getting crowd pops the entire beatdown segment. Sting was really put over strongly as a heel, with constant baseball bat shots.
5. Eric Young beats Sean Waltman. REACT: They weren't in wrestling gear, which was bad, but the quick match -- with the always-awesome piledriver -- was decent. The build got a nice push even before the match, when Waltman slapped Young.
6. Beer Money beat Jeff Jarrett. REACT: This 2-on-1 had the right outcome. I liked how Mick Foley tried to help Jarrett with a barbed-wire bat. Decent match.
7. Abyss/Hogan vs. Styles/Flair, again. REACT: OK, it may not have been pretty, but it was effective. Yes, we had Hogan using his yellow belt, but the blood, hits and chops were good television. I thought Abyss could have been used more during the match, but he did get the much-needed pin on Styles. Desmond Wolfe-Pope coming out, and then Jeff Hardy, was a little rushed, and unexplained, but that's a minor complaint.
The angles
1. The intro. REACT: Nice, fresh music intro. I enjoyed it.
2. Crowd/camera shots. REACT: If you're there, you will likely make it on television. The close-up shots are annoying at times, but it's more fan-friendly and up close with in-ring action. The crowd was fired up for this show.
3. Blood. REACT: Wow. This show was full of blood. Hogan and Flair, especially, really had it going.
4. Sting vs. Dixie Carter. REACT: I loved the simple "I owe you nothing, Dixie" comment Sting made.
5. Jennifer and Brooke Hogan. REACT: It was strange incorporating Hogan's real life into this, but I thought it was effective. Hulk even mentioned Nick watching from home but being upset. Brooke was on TV a little too much, but it seems like there will be an angle with her as Hogan will no doubt wrestle again, against her wishes. Brooke was very effective on camera, but I thought she was effective in WWE in the Randy Orton-Hogan angle, too.
6. Pope vs. Desmond Wolfe. REACT: The chain-ankle beatdown was different. I liked it.
7. Kevin Nash/Eric Young vs. Scott Hall/Sean Waltman. REACT: Is it Waltman, X-Pac or Six-Pac? Please, settle on something. I liked the match angle with the match being for contracts. Something has to give. You'd think Hall/Waltman would have to win now, though, right?
8. Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Ken Anderson. REACT: I loved the effective use of the U.S. Army, during Angle's entrance, during his promo and during his beatdown of Anderson. Anderson was funny with his "high school dropouts" comment. The troops beating down Anderson was comical and I marked out when they celebrated with Angle.
9. Earl Hebner. REACT: A second chance for Earl has to mean bad things for someone, soon. It was weird hearing Hogan telling Earl to stop things if they got out of control.
10. Back off, Bubba. REACT: Hogan telling Bubba to back off was interesting.
TNA Wrestling analysis: Sting being pushed as a monster heel was the highlight. I hope it continues to be pushed, leading to Hogan vs. Sting. I am concerned as to how RVD will be used in the future. But I have faith Flair, Angle, Jarrett and Nash will keep the veteran story lines going. The X-Division will have no problem staying strong, and the women's division remains interesting. I have no idea what will happen with Hardy. That concerns me. TNA Wrestling grade: B.
TNA Wrestling
Ken Anderson said he blames John Cena and Randy Orton for conspiring against him in WWE. REACT: Ah yes, corporate politics.
