Monkeys with a Typewriter

Photo courtesy: the Simpsons

By Chad Smart

I guess a couple of confessions are in order before I start ranting.  First, TNA (or is it Impact Wrestling now) is coming to Marion, Illinois on June 10. Kevin and myself have tickets to go to the show. In fact, I planned my trip back to Illinois primarily to be able to attend the show. It’ll be my first TNA since TNA left Nashville and moved all TV tapings to Orlando. 

Second, until two weeks ago I hadn’t had a TV that got any signal besides the DVD player for two years. A co-worker gave me his old 32” HDTV for free so now I can watch over the air broadcasts. I don’t have nor intend to get cable because I can’t justify the cost for the little amount of television I would care to watch. All the “TV” viewing I do has been based on what’s available online. This extends to wrestling. There are places to watch live sports online and that’s where I watch Raw. Due to there being more shows on Thursdays than on Mondays that I enjoy watching, and usually not being home on Fridays, I rarely get to see Impact or Smackdown. Since both shows are taped days in advance, I also have a tendency to look at the results to see if the shows appear worthy of me devoting two hours of time to them.

I tell you that because I knew this week I would not be home on Thursday or Friday so I checked out the spoilers for both wrestling shows. I’m not going to get into Smackdown results but lets just say, I shake my head in disbelief. The point of this writing is to once again complain about TNA. I’ve said before that I’d rather not complain about TNA, and it’s true. I’d like for once to be able to write nothing but glowing praise about TNA, but the people running the company don’t seem to know how to put on a good, comprehensive, non-retread storyline.

To be fair, there was something from this week’s Impact that I will give TNA credit for. At the start of the show, Jesse Neal came to the ring in his military uniform while the rest of TNA roster stood on the stage while the National Anthem played. For those of you that may not know, Jesse Neal was serving onboard the USS Cole when it was bombed in a plan organized by Osama Bin Laden. Jessie’s best friend was killed in the blast.

OK, lets get into the complaints.  Obviously, if you don’t want to know what happens before the show airs, stop reading now.

Tommy Dreamer at an ECWWE house show

On this week’s Impact, Tommy Dreamer turns heel.  Why? Once again I throw out a challenge to TNA writers, can you go not six months but six weeks without someone turning for no logical reason, or even for a logical reason?  Do you really not grasp that fans stop caring about wrestlers when there is constant face/heel/face/heel switches? The spoiler I read didn’t explain why Dreamer went heel.  Maybe there’s a very good reason.  I’m curious to know what that reason is, but I’m also curious to know why Tommy Dreamer is on the active TNA roster as well but that’s a whole different topic. I’m simply tired of wrestlers switching sides on almost every episode of Impact.

On next week’s show, TNA once again fuels my biggest complaint about the company.  They bring in an ex-WWE employee.  And not just any ex-WWE star, someone who I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they wish was still active. The Ninth Wonder of the World, Chyna. 

Apparently Chyna is revealed as Kurt Angle’s “Business Partner.” Now I’m really confused. I did see last week’s Impact where Jeff Jarrett and Karen Angle were harassing TNA Knockouts and female employees trying to figure out which one was Kurt’s mistress. I hadn’t heard the original allegations from Karen Jarrett, but assumed Kurt had a mistress while in TNA, hence why they were questioning TNA employees. Although, I think Mickie James was out there and she came into the company after Jeff and Karen were already together, so.  Oh yeah, I forgot Vince Russo’s theory of small details don’t matter.  So does Kurt have a mistress? Why does he all of a sudden have a business partner?

Photo courtesy: WWE

At the next PPV, it’s going to be Jeff/Karen vs. Kurt/Chyna. Why is Karen Angle in a match? Why is Chyna back on TV? Where is the exciting, young, up and coming talent? I don’t get it. I know I say this every month, but I really wish I could stop watching both TNA and WWE. I just finished the Chikara King of Trios tournament and was excited about wrestling once again. Then I read these spoilers, and the recap of Raw where there were apparently about 15 minutes of in ring action and I question why is going on in the minds of the people behind the scenes. 

I simply don’t get it. Am I the only one? Are any other fans as tired of it as I am?  Weigh in here or on Facebook.  Don't forget to follow @my123cents on Twitter.