Wednesday

Two weeks ago, there was a flurry of excitement over Ring of Honor's television show being broadcast on Destination America, an outlet with far more reach than their already existing home of Sinclair, and already host to rival pro wrestling promotion TNA. Last week, the Ring of Honor did in fact precede TNA's Impact. People watched, tweeted, cheered, moaned, and now things are moving along like it's business as usual.

As someone with a lot of excitement over ROH's arrival on a television station I can actually view, I will make no bones about receiving last week's show with a bit of disappointment. This reaction is tempered, though, by factors that not all may be aware of, but should keep in mind, and overall optimistic for some very good things to come. That is, if the forces behind Ring of Honor gives some careful consideration to how they hope to be perceived and act on them in a hurry,

There was very solid wrestling on the program, kicking off with Kushida taking on Will Ferrara in a match from the final night of the Global Wars series. Once again, I can't resist taking the opportunity to point out how much Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling can benefit from continuing to highlight their connection. Case in point here, it should be made widely known that Kushida just emerged as the winner of NJPW's annual Best Of The Super Jr's tournament built around smaller and extremely agile wrestlers, thus adding a lot of prestige to having such a wrestler appear on their show. While we're at it, lets also note that ROH regular and one half of the tag team reDRagon was the other competitor in the finals against Kushida, an incredible match available to view via NJPW World. The transition sequences and opening credits seemed a bit more spiffed up from what I am used to seeing on ROH's website, made available 1 week after the Sinclair tv airing. There was a throw away match emphasizing Moose's rise in the ranks, which featured something that actually put the segment in the negative column (I'll get into that afterwards), and a tag team match essentially adding to the build to the next PPV main event match between Heavyweight champion Jay Briscoe and Television  champion Jay Lethal. The show was also marked by the inclusion of promos that were a bit more colorful than usual - getting outside the building indeed helps - also banging the drum for the upcoming champion vs champion match and effectively making it out to be a big deal.

The disappointment I had with the program was not over this being a bad show. Rather it was a 'just ok' show. This is fine, but not what you hope to see as a program makes what is in effect a 'debut.' Expectation levels for me and others were very high, though, and sitting back and watching the show broadcast on television, suddenly I found myself realizing the types of things that seem indispensable wrestling program in a prime time television slot: A clearly defined roster. As a casual viewer, I had no qualms about tuning in to see impressive matches between wrestlers from around the indies and ROH regulars. For a program to be followed routinely, I want to know who is an important focus of the show, who will be there from week to week, and what is their place in the scheme of things. Part timers are welcome, but a large degree of continuity is important, and for first time viewers, I would hope for a large number of characters to be established or even just partially introduced through quick vignettes, promo cutting, interviews as well as matches. The show was very thin in this department.

While we did see the Briscoes in actions, whose names have come to be synonymous with Ring of Honor, their opponents lacked character. They are up and comers, and their association with Lethal and the House of Truth roster makes them logical opponents for Jay and Mark. But, this being a debut show for many, vivid personalities on both sides of the main event would make for a stronger... errr, what's the word I'm looking for...im....pression, impression, yeah that's it.

In regard to these stumbling blocks, there are some reasonable defenses to keep in mind. Namely, numerous sources have reported that the deal between ROH and Destination America came together very quickly, and it was an impromptu scheduling of the premiere. Rather than plan a relaunch, Ring of Honor has probably simply taken a show that was already plotted in the course of its run on Sinclair, perhaps already produced even, and dressed it up a tad bit before putting it out on its new cable home. The move may have caught Ring Of Honor by surprise, but they now have a chance to gear up and if they do it quickly, they stand to impress and pull in a much wider audience.

I eluded to another issue I had, one that does not concern the fact that this was its debut. During a match that was supposed to be between the leader of The Decade, BJ Whitmere and Moose, Whitmere dodged his would be opponent and put young boy (wrestle speak for an apprentice who is treated like an indentured servant) Colby Corino, son of veteran wrestler and current commentator Steve Corino, into the unenviable position of facing off against the physically dominant Moose. During what could only be considered a match in the loosest sense of the word,the younger Corino was dismantled with extra physical abuse heaped on, including being repeatedly Power Bombed into the ring apron on the outside of the ring. Anyone seeing this would think TNA was not the only wrestling program on Wednesday night whose repercussions should have included an obituary.

It was peculiar not only in that CC was not collected on a stretcher, but that papa Steve, sitting right there on commentary, showed hardly a bit of concern. One would think at the least he would stand up, hold his head. I would've found it most appropriate if he came running to the scene of the crime to plead with Moose and his associates to call off the attack. How confusing it must've been for a new viewer, accustomed to serial pro wrestling where all or most characters on the scene participate in the story being told.

I feel like this does a huge disservice to the suspension of disbelief while watching pro wresting, and undercuts all of the stories told during match. It's important to keep in mind, although Colby is supposed to be portraying a wrestler in trainer, he does not have a wrestler's build in the slightest. He looks like a typical guy....no, a kid sitting in the audience, and a scrawny one at that. Before this show, I'd seen a similar scenario go down during the second War of the Worlds show in Philadelphia. After interference from Corino during a match between The Decade's Adam Page and Watanabe, the Japanese wrestler hit a German Suplex to the kid on the floor and after the match, floored him with a lariat. Even that seemed like it ought to have incapacitated him. What can come of this is that moves that are supposed to devastating will feel trivial down the line. In both cases, these were spots that were meant to elicit a pop from the audience, but they should be reserved for special occasions and the after-effects should keep with the perpetrator of the attack as well as its victim.    

So, there was some good wrestling but room to improve and some aspects of telling a credible story, at least in terms of the pro wrestling realm, that should be considered as ROH pushes onward. Meanwhile, as far as the potential war between the two brands sharing a cramped home, no shots were fired. At least, not really. Matt Hardy took to his own forum to declare TNA the victor in the eye of public perception. I don't know about that. I think if you searched enough, you could find fans shouting out ROH and some continuing to wave the TNA flag. While I did not watch it, I did hear on the Review-An-Impact podcast hosted by Brothers Nate Milton and Brian Mann, on the LAW Network of combat sport related shows, an account of a largely disappointing show. While not your typical TNApologists, I feel they are fairly easygoing in their assessment of Impact. Hearing them in critical doesn't bode well for the show in my estimation. What they and plenty of others discussed is the once entertaining angle in which part time deranged cult leader James Storm has been cunningly making a play for Magnus' wife Mickey James, being abruptly fast forwarded by an off set depiction of Storm pushing James off a high up ledge onto train tracks...Talk about killing a story. If this kind of overkill is what's to be expected from the competing cable pro wrestling options on Wednesdays, I may be spending my evening with NXT.

Here's hoping Ring of Honor continues to ramp up the action in some areas while showing a bit of restraint, the kind that TNA never manages, in others.

Twitter: @Mondocurrymark

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The Destination Game

A while ago, I would take to this forum to riff, free form, with my takes on goings ons in a few different companies. This was not a sustainable path to follow, unweildy and almost impossible to stay on point. Things shifted to more conventional reviews of my favorite organizations' shows. That has had to go on the back burner as well. And while taking stock of the various promotions out there is no easier a task, events of this past week make it a good time to weigh in on a couple things.

One thing that my rants almost always included, which cannot continue to be, is a complaint about the scope of Ring of Honor's television show being limited to areas receiving Sinclair broadcasts with online viewing opportunities 1 week behind. I suppose I should pat myself on the back for my campaign of frustration paying off because last week, ROH and Destination America announced the unlikely alliance that has ROH's show, now syndicated, appearing on the more widely accessible cable channel Wednesday nights right before TNA Impact. While I may be exaggerating my role in this game changing turn of events, I'm celebrating all the same.

The most notable aspect of the announcement was how soon things would go into effect. Just 1 week from the announcement, tomorrow night! This is especially awesome timing coming from the point of view of a proponent of New Japan Pro Wrestling like myself, as the ROH/NJPW joint shows happened a scant few weeks ago - I am still shaking off the effects of a trip to Philadelphia to see War Of The Worlds night 2 (I hope to put together some kind of account of it soon) - and the final day, presented as Global Wars night 2, was a TV taping. In the near future, Destination America could very well be bringing us a dream match like Roderick Strong  (who had an extremely impressionable match against Hiroshi Tanahashi at War of the Worlds night 2) VS Shinsuke Nakamura, a one of a kind curiosity like Jushin 'Thunder' Liger VS buzz worthy Dalton Castle, and maybe even a match straight off of a typical Korakuen Hall card like Bullet Club members AJ Styles and the New Bucks taking on CHAOS' Kazuchika Okada and RPG Vice. It's a match that plays directly into the upcoming Dominion Show with a main event pitting Styles against Okada with the IWGP Heavyweight title on the line (available to overseas viewers via the NJWP World streaming service). ROH's continued connection to New Japan is, to me, a serious sign of the US upstart company's legitimacy. NJPW has come to be known as a symbol of wrestling excellence internationally, and the ROH talent keeps up, the exchanges going both ways. While this deal is great, it brings up questions over whether it will lead to wrestlers in the ROH camp that have already featured prominently in the Destination America campaign, like Styles, the Bucks, Rocky Romero, and reDRagon will be asked to spend more time stateside to double down on their Ring of Honor presence and diminish NJPW's star a bit. There is,  after all, have a program on another cable channel AXS, showing somewhat older recorded NJPW matches, and another cable network is kinda the competition....

On the other hand, they may let things play out naturally. The popularity of the Bullet Club has certainly flourished organically, and has been benefiting both ROH and NJPW by letting the talents involved in the name do their thing so to speak, not by trying to bottle it and shove it down people's throats. Letting that continue seems logical, and hey, if that generous spirit adds a little luster to Jeff Jarret's somewhat underwhelming Global Force Wrestling venture, by way its inclusion of Anderson and Gallows on some of the tapings they have scheduled, then what's the harm?

Having looked at the positive potential of Ring of Honor's relocation to Destination America, let's talk about the other side of the coin: the curious case of the other company who's been crashing on the Destination America floor, if not moving all the way into the master suite, TNA. It's a strange turn of events to say the least, if for nothing else, the way it went down with most if not all at TNA seemingly in the dark til the rest of us were. Even though some would like to look at as nothing but roses at their favorite hanger on of a promotion (TNA fans, I tell you, they seem to me as blindly devoted as the most toxic doomsday cult's followers). Here's a few things to keep in mind, though...

There is a reason we have rarely, if ever, seen two wrestling promotions share the same broadcast network as their primary outlet: such companies are competition. While some mutual gain can sometimes be achieved, as in the aforementioned case of ROH and NJPW, being on the widely received platform of television is where brands try to establish themselves, and when they do that, they are asking for your time and resources, and that is time and resources that other brands by their nature are asking for the same.

Sure, Destination America is trying to play the mutual gain card, let's all get along and make lots of money, and promoting Wednesday as pro wrestling night in their neck of the television woods. And while it makes a bit of sense that people who already check out one company would stick around to see a bit of the other, there are some things about the companies' past crossing of paths that may suggest a bit of a less sunny disposition on the part of all parties. For instance, and I should say my source for this were the excellent MLW and Bauer and Pollock podcasts, there was a time when TNA had decided to abandon all code of honor, and legal business conduct, and pursue business with contracted TNA talent. There is also the fact that these promotions would seem to be on polar opposite trajectories. Ring of Honor is clearly on the rise, while TNA is well... It stands to reason that ROH is going to approach the new move with a bit of swagger, while the Impact Zone is likely to be riddled with insecurities. Already the reactions among those on the TNA roster have ranged from criticizing their leadership and taking other bookings to welcoming the new addition to the 'family' and engaging the other company in in-character banter. Meanwhile, on the ROH side there has been a united front, a singular focus on acknowledging only themselves and their new opportunity.

Any manner of excuses could be made, but when it comes down to it, for team TNA to not know about this move beforehand is a pretty crappy way to treat a friend, if that's what you want to consider what they are to the network that welcomed them so heartily some months ago. A heads up could've easily been given. I suppose this could've left a liability of details getting out too early because well, when it comes to TNA, discretion and shrewd business moves haven't really been part of the vocabulary.   While people can cast aspersions on those who have a reputation for reporting professionally for years and years, or write things off as rumor, I don't think you can reasonably ignore the general lack of harmony between Destination America and TNA that's been hinted at throughout the bulk of them. Basically, it's a bit reactionary to think that the Discovery subsidiary made the move to bring in ROH purely as a 'suck it' gesture to Dixie Carter and her show, but their way of handling it certainly suggests a bit more than passive aggression. It does not seem all that implausible that TNA's days could be numbered.

I suppose it could sound as though there is some negativity being expressed here toward TNA. Maybe just a bit. Watching fumble after fumble from this company, I am a bit mystified by its ability to stumble forward. I find it difficult to look away completely, with its almost car crash like cringeworthy embodiment of disaster. The company has shown a lack of ability to properly promote events or talent, it's put together shoddy matches that fail to showcase its' talent roster's talent, and has dropped the ball on so many of its impact players...many of whom Ring of Honor or New Japan have gladly scooped up. The only thing I find more incredible is the way a dedicated segment of TNA viewers just continue to pump their support into the product, at least vocally, while in lockstep, bashing whatever comes on WWE programming. In fact these same wrestling fans seem to take to ROH, looking forward to some synergy on Wednesday nights. I suppose that's a plus, but I just don't get it and feel a need to challenge it. If anything TNA seems like WWE, or at least trying to be, with long drawn out stories and dissatisfying inconclusive match finishes. To me, TNA and ROH have nearly diametrically opposed philosophies on presenting pro wrestling. It is hard for me to imagine someone thrilling to the in ring storytelling presented by those ROH and NJPW stars mentioned above and then taking the 4-5 minute rush jobs on TNA seriously. Sure there are exceptions, but it seems like that is the wrestlers, whom i acknowledge in many cases are very good, getting themselves over in spite of the creative and booking agents' direction, not as a result of it.

Only a few things are certain in the realm of pro wrestling, and I'd assert that here too. One of them is it will be very interesting to tune into Destination America Wednesday nights to see how this rocky relationship starts off. The other is that there will be 'F-ck TNA' chants. I wasn't at the taping, but I almost 100 percent guarantee it. With shows that could on any given episode include excellent wrestlers like Franky Kazarian and Christpher Daniels (as The Addiction), AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe (though his recent signing with WWE may put the kybosh on his tv time), all of which TNA unceremoniously dropped the ball on or undervalued, fans in attendance  of the strong brand's shows will more than likely shout out their show of solidarity. It will be interesting to see if the chants grow louder and more frequent due to shared telivision stage.

twitter: @mondocurrymark