The Future of an Art Form

I need to re-watch the show to make sure what I'm about to say is indeed appropriate, but I figure I might as well write about what I'm feeling now.

Everyone knows that my first love is professional wrestling. What everyone may not know is my apathy toward the art has become pretty pronounced as of late. I rarely if ever watch the WWE's shows anymore, not only because I find the product boring and repetitive, but downright offensive (the WWE's new Arab-American villains). Above all else, the WWE is downright unwilling to take chances, to be daring - not just in writing, but in the actual in-ring product. No one is allowed to truly stand out, to be great. Everyone has to dumb-down their work to fit in to the main event scene, rather than the main eventers (i.e., Vince's son-in-law Triple H) speeding up to catch everyone else. No one cares in the ring, why should anyone care in the stands?

Tonight, I ordered a PPV from TNA Wrestling entitled "Turning Point," their second 3-hour show. And while it was a good show, not great, most of the way (with a forgettable main event), the last match of the night captured something, and made me feel, for the first time in a while, really excited about wrestling again. A tag team match in a cage, with four men whose names wrestling fans should remember: Christopher Daniels, Elix Skipper, Chris Harris and James Storm.

These men, WWE's brain trust wouldn't even give the time of day, because they are "too small" to be marketable. In the world of Vince McMahon, we want steroid-laden muscleheads who may lack talent, but as long as they make for a great promotional photo, it doesn't matter. But these four men, in one match, put more on the line and fought harder to entertain the fans than any four men I've seen in a long, long time. Hard-hitting and innovative moves. Amazing high-flying leaps and huge risks. A great and easy-to-follow storyline - two teams hate each other, and the losing team can never tag again. End result was an amazing contest - the best match of the year.

And I saw something else, too - fans who cared. They may not have been cheering for every moment, but they spoke in other ways. "This is awesome!" the chants rang. And, "Best match ever!" And "TNA!" So reminiscent of the last time I can recall a fanbase caring that much about a product - then, the chant was "ECW!"

TNA isn't that good yet - there's way too much silliness yet in the booking, and reliance on old stars (Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Randy Savage all appeared on the same show). But there is something here that is so lacking in WWE right now - a passion. Passion for this business, for telling a story through physical action, for giving the audience thrills and inspiring their admiration. And right now, TNA is, in my opinion, the best national choice for those of us who still, deep down, share that passion.

Christopher Daniels. Elix Skipper. Chris Harris. James Storm. Remember their names. And if you'd like, I have the tape of the show, and would love to introduce them to you. :)