TNA Impact moving to Monday to battle Raw

In a move that's eerily similar to the former WCW, TNA's Impact show on SPIKE TV will be moving into the Monday night slot to try to compete with the WWE Raw wrestling product. The move officially happens on March 8th, in what appears to be Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan's attempt to go head-to-head with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment.

It's also been revealed via The Sun's Phil Allely that in the soon-to-air episode of TNA, Hogan announced he'll be headlining the first Monday night Impact show. Hogan will team up with TNA wrestler Abyss to battle Ric Flair and TNA Champion AJ Styles. While Hogan and Flair make for two of the oldest wrestlers in the industry, the two recently battled as part of Hulk Hogan's Hulkamania Tour in Australia.

TNA went head-to-head with WWE back on January 4th with the return of Hulk Hogan, as well as the surprise arrivals to TNA of other stars including Flair and Jeff Hardy. The show drew 2.2 million viewers due to the hype over Hogan's appearance. The plan for TNA is to air a live episode every other week, for now.

The move is the kind of gutsy, brash and arrogant decision you'd expect from Hogan and Bischoff. Several years back Hogan revealed in interviews how he wanted to form his own company to try to take down Vince McMahon. Since that didn't materialize, Hogan has now joined forces with TNA and has brought other former WCW/WWE talent on board with him such as The Nasty Boys, Flair, Scott Hall, Ken Anderson and Jimmy "the Mouth of the South" Hart.

With TNA making a move to Monday nights, it may make fans wonder how long before they run out of steam trying to compete with a larger, global product like WWE, and how long before Vince McMahon is buying up TNA along with all of its talent.

Raw Revelations: Hitman vs Hulkster

On Raw this past Monday night the WWE Universe saw history made as Bret "The Hitman" Hart made his return to the WWE ring. While Bret was merely there as host, the implications were huge. Questions began to mount, including what would happen between Bret and Shawn Michaels, or between Bret and Chairman Vince McMahon. Those were the three individuals involved in the infamous 1997 Survivor Series event known as the "Montreal Screwjob". So tensions were high as wrestling fans watched and waited for something to happen.

Early in the show we got a goosebump-generating confrontation when Bret called Shawn Michaels to the ring. The two spoke back and forth about the Montreal incident with Michaels admitting he was in on the plan, and felt Bret deserved what he got back there. The fans chanted "you screwed Bret" with Bret saying he rested his case. However, Michaels said in 12 years a lot has changed and he was ready to move on. Eventually, Hitman offered a handshake, and Michaels obliged. Before leaving the ring, Michaels turned, went back over and gave a wrestler he truly respected a hug to show that respect even more. A great moment in the history of the WWE, and set the stage for a later incident.

That later incident came when Bret Hart and Vince McMahon finally had their in-ring "discussion" of what's gone down between them in 12 years time. Vince brought up being spit on and sucker punched backstage by Bret, as well as the dis when he offered him a handshake at the Hall of Fame ceremony. He said all those things still bother him to this day, but ended up thanking Bret for all his contributions to wrestling on behalf of the WWE. The two ended up shaking hands, before Vince tossed both mics out of the ring. Hitman's music hit and the two began to raise their arms together in a sign of peace. But moments later, the often diabolical chairman turned and delivered a swift kick to Bret Hart in the groin, causing the Hitman to fall to the mat in pain. Vince left the ring and headed up the ramp. Hitman was back on his feet before the show ended looking disgusted at McMahon.

The rumors and speculation have already indicated that Bret Hart has signed on with WWE through April of this year, which of course would be through Wrestlemania 26. That gives time for futher build up of McMahon and Bret's feud, to lead into a potential match at Wrestlemania 26. Some have even posted the idea that Shawn Michaels will be part of the match in some capacity, but will ultimately "screw Vince McMahon" and help Bret Hart win, making for sweet payback. That remains to be seen. Vince McMahon hasn't really stepped back into the ring for a match in some time, so it will be interesting to see exactly what sort of contest is set up for the big PPV.

Also, WWE must have forked over a lot of money for the Hitman to return to WWE. They had to do something big to try to compete with TNA which was also looking to make history. They debuted Hulk Hogan and did it by running their TNA Impact show at 8PM on Monday night, to directly compete with WWE. To further add to the "Monday night war" they had a few handfuls of former WWE/WCW stars debut as well. One of the biggest names to emerge was former WWE Champ, Jeff Hardy, who just retired from WWE last year. In addition to Hardy, Ric Flair was in the building, Val Venis, the Nasty Boys, Orlando Jordan and Shannon Moore. The show concluded with an attack segment featuring Eric Bischoff, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Whitman (X-Pac). The trio were reunited to give Mick Foley a beatdown.

If you look at the direction TNA is heading, they seem to be borrowing a lot from the older style of WWE, as well as WCW. There's the TNA Knockouts wearing next to nothing just like the divas used to. There's matches full of blood and guts, and skits involving the sort of mayhem seen back in the days of the Attitude Era of WWE. The direct battle TNA launched into this past Monday is yet another sign that they intend to put up a fight much like WCW did with Eric Bischoff and Vince McMahon pulling out all sorts of tricks to try to one up each other. It's hard to say that TNA can outdo WWE, but if they bring in guys like Hardy, Hogan and Flair, and eventually other former WWE stars like Mr. Kennedy and Tommy Dreamer, they're making quite a bit of progress.

However, we all know what happened to WCW despite their valiant efforts to dethrone the mega-wrestling brand known as World Wrestling Entertainment. WCW ended up being part of a wrestling food chain and was gobbled up by billionaire Vince McMahon. Some stars were tossed out, while others remain with the company today (notably Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio). Ironically, many of those former WCW stars are now part of TNA in some capacity now, making this seem like deja vu. TNA is a collection of WWE & WCW talents including Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, the Dudley Boyz, Bobby Lashley and Kevin Nash. The move to bring in Hulk Hogan along with several other big stars is TNA's statement that they're ready for a war. Now the wrestling universe will sit back and watch to see if TNA's Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Dixie Carter can go toe-to-toe with Vince McMahon and his WWE sports entertainment juggernaut.

New Monday Night War: Raw vs. TNA 2010!

A new Monday night war is ready to hit cable and satellite television this coming Monday, January 4, 2010. It's a historic date whether you're a diehard fan of TNA wrestling or a loyal member of the WWE Universe. It'll be an interesting battle of two former WWE superstar legends, yet it won't be between the two of them in a wrestling ring. Instead, they'll square off on Spike TV and USA to see which captures the higher ratings draw of the night for their brand of wrestling.

On one side you've got TNA which is putting together a huge effort to sway WWE fans towards its product, and even attract newcomers to pro wrestling. How are they doing it? By bringing in arguably the biggest name ever in wrestling, Hulk Hogan. The Hulkster has been doing his own thing for several years now, with a few appearances in the WWE here or there. He ran his own celebrity wrestling show, was part of "Hogan Knows Best" the VH1 reality show, and recently had his Hulkamania tour which included the likes of Ric Flair and the late Umaga (Eddie Fatu). Hogan's been in and out of the headlines as well, with his son's legal troubles, his daughter's attempted music career, and the divorce between Hogan and his wife Linda. Now, Hogan will appear once again in the wrestling ring spotlight on 1/4/10, but he'll be doing it against Vince McMahon's product. Hogan makes his TNA debut on Monday night on a special three hour edition of TNA Impact! starting at 8PM EST on Spike TV.

On the other side, you've got a guy who's been very lowkey compared to Hulk Hogan. He hasn't been doing infomercials or reality television shows and you only hear mention of him these days in reference to one of two things: The Hart Family's lineage or the infamous "Montreal Screwjob" which happened about 12 years ago at Survivor Series. That incidend involved a controversial win by Shawn Michaels, who applied a quick sharpshooter on Bret to win the title match. Bret wasn't fond of the way it went down, and showed his disgust by spitting in Vince McMahon's face. No script there, it was real spit from a real pissed off Hitman. Following the controversial event, McMahon went on an interview show of his own production to say the infamous words "Bret screwed Bret". Since then, the two haven't really had words, and Vince even recalled how Bret ignored his invitation for a handshake at his Hall of Fame induction several years back. Now, history will also be made by WWE, ironically the same night that TNA brings in Hulk Hogan. On 1/4/10, Bret "The Hitman" Hart will be the special guest host for WWE Raw, returning to WWE for his first stint in 12 years.

WWE made a smart move, trying to keep its ratings high, as they know they had to do something to compete with TNA bringing Hogan in. Raw will be its usual 2 hour show starting at 9PM EST on USA Monday Night, but nobody knows what to expect. Will Hitman face off against Vince in the squared circle? Will some of his Hart family members show up? Jim the Anvil Neidhart made an appearance recently on TNA, so don't expect the Hart Family reunion necessarily.

Spike TV has definitely put forth much more advertising for the upcoming return of Hulk Hogan, as the announcement Bret would return was really a thing of internet rumors and gossip. That is until Vince McMahon let the world know last Monday that he would allow Bret to return and host the show, thanks to some encouragement from Shawn Michaels. WWE really hasn't acknowledged the appearance of Hogan on TNA, and has played up Hitman's controversial return instead. Wise choice, but they've really had less than a week now to promote.

So now we await the new Monday Night war: TNA takes on WWE. It almost seems reminiscent of WWE vs WCW, minus Eric Bischoff. Dixie Carter seems to be much more of a business lady, and less likely to step in the ring with Vince McMahon or any other wrestler. However, she's rallied her wrestling troops for a big fight, asking them to step it up. Many of those troops are former WWE, ECW and WCW stars. The wrestling world will now tune in to find out which side wins this battle, round 1. The possibilities are endless for what we might see go down on Monday night. But it all depends on which side you choose to go with, Hogan or Hitman. Who will you choose?

See more info about Hulk Hogan's debut on TNA!

See more info about Bret Hart's return to WWE Raw!

Former WWE Star Kurt Angle Arrested

It's not often that you'll see mention of WWE's competitor TNA or its superstars here, but this story involves a former WWE Superstar, who is considered one of wrestling's all-time greats. In recent breaking news, TNA World Champion Kurt Angle was arrested in Pittsburgh on Saturday for charges of driving while operating privilege is suspended, prohibited acts-possession, harassment and prohibited acts.

The arrest apparently came due to Angle stalking a girlfriend and TNA Knockout (Trenesha Biggers). She had filed a protection from abuse order against him earlier in the day, then phoned police from a Starbucks later when she spotted Angle nearby, driving her car. The police also found HGH in Angle's car, which the wrestler claims he had legal prescriptions for.

Angle has since posted bail and was released from jail. He's scheduled to defend his title at a TNA Pay-Per-View on Sunday night and is expected to continue with the original plan to be there. As of now, the TNA Wrestling organization has not made official comment.

(Story Source: WPXI News)

Andrew "Test" Martin found Dead

(R.I.P. Andrew "Test" Martin", 33)

According to Fox News, the former wrestler known as "Test", real name Andrew Martin, was found dead in his Tampa, Florida apartment late Friday evening. Neighbors noticed he was motionless over a time period of several hours and then phoned the police for help. The cause of death is not known at this time.

Test worked in WWE for several years, starting way back in 1998, and won numerous titles during his career. While with WWE he won the European, Hardcore, and Intercontinental championships. Also, Test won both the WCW Tag Team Championship and WWF Tag Team Championships. He was famous for being a tag team partner of Albert to form "T&A" managed by Trish Stratus, and also was involved in feuds and stories with Stacey Keibler, Scott Steiner and Stephanie McMahon. According to reports, Test was involved in on and off screen relationships with the boss' daughter, as well as WWE Divas Stacy Keibler and Kelly Kelly (Barbie Blank).

In 2004, Test underwent spinal fusion surgery for a back injury. He was released by WWE in late 2004, but went on to work in independent promotions for about a year. In 2006, Test made his return to WWE for the ECW brand, where he fought with everyone from Tommy Dreamer to ECW Champion, Bobby Lashley. In 2007, he was released by WWE following a 30 day suspension for violating WWE's Wellness Policy. Test would later comment that it was a mutual decision between he and WWE that he be released.

Test made his final wrestling comeback attempt, when he went to work with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling in 2007 as a character named "The Punisher", an enforcer who aligned himself with Abyss and Sting. Test was involved in several matches before his release by TNA due to concerns over his size and a US Congress investigation. A serious back injury forced Test to finally give up his wrestling career after several attempts at a comeback. Test announced his pro-wrestling retirement in late 2007 (December 19th). In 2007, he was suspended for failing a drug test, and in April 2008, he was arrested on a DUI charge.

Andrew "Test" Martin was just 33 years old, and the cause of death is not immediately known. An autopsy will be performed at a later time, but as of now authorities do not suspect foul play.

View Test's official Myspace page here.

Congress' WWE Steroid Investigation

This past Friday Representative Henry Waxman (D-California) sent a letter to the Office of National Drug Policy (ONDCP) requesting that its chief, John Walters, continue to "examine steroid use in professional wrestling and take appropriate steps to address this problem."

The Oversight Committee headed by Waxman began investing pro wrestling's drug problem a year ago, as it took a hard look at drug testing policies for both WWE & TNA. In Waxman's letter he suggested that pro wrestling "has a long way to go toward eradicating its doping culture, starting with the woefully inadequate drug testing programs in place."

From NYDailyNews.com:

"In the first year of WWE's testing program, which began in March 2006, 40% of wrestlers tested positive for steroids and other drugs, even after being warned in advance that they were going to be tested," wrote Waxman.

Waxman also detailed how wrestlers who test positive for performance enhancers receive light punishment and can often participate in wrestling events even after steroid violations. The committee investigation also uncovered how easily wrestlers can secure therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) - permission to take banned substances for medical reasons - so they can continue performing while using steroids. When Waxman's staff interviewed Dr. Tracy Ray, a physician contracted by WWE, Ray claimed there was "shadiness in almost every (TUE) case that I've reviewed."

Recently both WWE & Waxman were unavailable for comments regarding the situation. More news to come from this investigation which will surely be an issue for some time within the ranks of pro wrestling, until things can be clearly sorted out and policies better enforced.

Read NYDailyNews.com article "Congress Needles Wrestling" here.

Impact Wrestling also provides the baseline drug testing reports from WWE to Congress, including positive results (no individuals named).

WWE Stars Drive TNA Wrestling

If you happen to check out WWE's competition every Thursday night, you're in for a show full of familiar faces from WWE's past. The organization itself is apparently run by former WWE superstar, Jeff Jarrett. It's flagship wrestlers include Kurt Angle, Booker T, Christian Cage, Rhino, Team 3-D (Dudley Boys) and occasionally Kevin Nash. Daivari also appears on the show and after a very recent debut, is one of its minor champions. Amongst the TNA Knockouts (its version of divas), are former WWE divas, Gail Kim and Christy Hemme. More recently, the show added Mick Foley, who just weeks ago was sitting alongside Jim Ross as a commentator on the Smackdown TV show. It seems as if Foley was unhappy at WWE and jumped ship. On this past Thursday's show Foley even made reference to one important person he wanted to thank, Vince McMahon, stating he told him no way would he stay with WWE.

Now Foley becomes the "special guest enforcer" in an upcoming TNA PPV Match. The competitors? Two previously mentioned former WWE stars, Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett. According to TNA, it will be a first-time ever battle between these two colossal stars. The main point here is that TNA is relying upon WWE stars to drive its product. Most of the former WWE stars have gone on to become the major champion on the show as well. Kurt Angle, Christian Cage and Booker have all had the title at one time or another. In WWE, Christian never came close to a WWE or World Heavyweight title. Fans who follow wrestling know these stars from the WWE, so to think that TNA is cleverly using them to beat out its competitor is an understatement. During Wrestlemania 24, TNA made sure to schedule shows in the Orlando-Florida area to capitalize on the wrestling crowd that would be in town.

It seems TNA is either paying homage to its bigger, badder competitor, the WWE, or trying to throw jabs where it can, using former stars. And don't forget the Stone Cold Steve Austin immitations by a masked star named "Shark Boy", as well as Abyss who seems like a Mankind throwback. While entertaining, TNA will still have a long way to go in terms of gaining massive market share from WWE. Then again, if enough top stars at WWE get unhappy, or busted for drug violations, TNA may be able to load its roster.

Do you watch TNA in addition to WWE, or only the WWE? Feel free to sound off below!

WWE Web Stories 09.05.08

Here's the latest WWE stories from around the World Wide Web involve Mickie James' TV guest role on Psych, the latest rumors about superstars moving between TNA and WWE, and Jim Ross commenting on the Michaels vs. Jericho feud among other stories.

ComedyCentric.com takes an inside look at WWE Diva Mickie James' role on Psych, this coming Friday evening at 10PM EST USA. The write up gives some of the info about the episode Mickie guest stars in, called "Talk Derby to Me". It involves one of the female agents on the show going undercover in an all-female roller derby to solve a crime. Mickie's character will have the name "Lethal Weapon".

Read more about Mickie James on Psych at ComedyCentric.com!

Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun, addresses the latest rumors about TNA Superstar Kevin Nash, and a possible return to WWE. Eck discusses the best role Nash could have in the WWE, as well as his potential as a wrestler. Read more at Kevin Eck's Blog below.

Kevin Nash returning to WWE? by Kevin Eck of Baltimore Sun

The Masked Blogger of TuscaloosaNews.com reports on Mick Foley's apparent jump to TNA Wrestling. In the article, Masked Blogger discusses previous superstars who have gone from WWE to TNA, and some who have gone back again. Masked Blogger also points out that there has never been a successful wrestler who started in TNA and then came over to WWE. Read more via the link below.

See WWE vs. TNA at TuscaloosaNews.com!

Smackdown commentator Jim Ross discusses many topics on his latest blog (9/3) including Shawn Michaels' injury status, the Michaels vs. Jericho fight for Unforgiven, politics, NFL football and Brock Lesnar. Read more at JR's latest blog entry below:

JR's Family Bar-B-Q Blog Sept. 03, 2008

Even More Wrestling in Orlando...

The Orlando community is bracing itself for Wrestlemania 24, WWE's Superbowl Pay Per View event on March 30, 2008 (just 8 days away). However, the WWE's up and coming competition, Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling will also be in town. And furthermore, Ring of Honor, one of the biggest and best independent wrestling promotions will also be in the Orlando area this week. Both companies are looking to score off the traffic and wrestling fans who may already be in the area for Wrestlemania 24.

According to Orlando Sentinel, Kurt Angle, formerly of WWE, now with TNA, had the following to say:

As TNA continues to grow, it may become real competition for the WWE soon.

One person who thinks that will happen is TNA world champion Kurt Angle.

"Things are happening, and they're happening pretty quickly," he said.

"TNA is now going to be a competitor of the WWE. I think Vince McMahon knows that."

Angle knows the WWE well, having worked there for eight years, winning four world titles.

"I respect the guy and I wish him well, but he has to realize that TNA is going to stay and stay for good," Angle said. "I think it's good for wrestling. Once we start upping our ratings, we're going to have a ratings war."

So TNA will come to town on Thursday night next week and Ring of Honor (based out of Philadelphia, PA) will be there with shows on Friday and Saturday night at the Orlando Downtown Recreation Complex. CM Punk of ECW and Samoa Joe of TNA were both a part of the independant promotion in the past. ROH owner Cary Silin discusses why his brand of wrestling may be of more interest to fans.

"One thing that we've definitely done is we make this a sport — it's pro wrestling that I used to like and people used to like," says ROH owner Cary Silin. "It's not all showbiz; it's not all story lines. It's action-packed. If you like wrestling just a little bit, come see us because you will enjoy what we are doing."

So you can get your fix of wrestling action if you hit Orlando this coming week. TNA on Thursday, Ring of Honor on Friday/Saturday, and the biggest event of them all, and then the WWE Superstars invade Orlando with Wrestlemania 24 on Sunday.

Read the full article on Orlando's wrestling scene.

Samoa Joe to WWE?

An interesting rumor going around lately is that the other wrestling company (TNA)'s Samoa Joe might be heading to the WWE. Apparently, Joe is unhappy with TNA and is about done with his current contract. It's always great to see superstars come to WWE from other organizations. Seeing guys come over from ECW and WCW back in the day provided fresh faces and talent as well as new matchups and feuds for the WWF/WWE. One name who made a big impact from coming over from WCW was Flair, and it made for some great new stories and feuds. It could definitely generate more interest in one of the lesser-rated WWE brands.

At the last Pay Per View, "Hard Justice", Samoa Joe went up against former WWE star, Kurt Angle. At the time, Joe thought he had Kurt's wife, Karen in his corner. Samoa Joe put up the X Division title and both Tag Team titles against Kurt Angle's TNA World title as well as the IWGP World Championship (IGF version). Joe lost all his titles thanks to Karen Angle, who backstabbed Joe by handing her husband a steel chair, enabled Kurt to pin him and become the second TNA Triple Crown Champion.

It's unclear whether Joe's recent talk is just to get a better contract from TNA or if he will head to WWE and become part of one of the brands. With that in mind, I think Joe would do great on ECW or Smackdown. Raw is currently overloaded with talent. I haven't watched TNA all that much (only a few times), but I think it would be great to see Samoa Joe facing Khali, Masters, Batista and some of the other wrestlers on Smackdown or characters like John Morrison, CM Punk and Big Daddy V over on ECW.

Which brand would you want to see Samoa Joe on for WWE, or would you want him in WWE at all? Comments and thoughts are welcome.