So yeah I took a day or two off. Too much grog for Talk Like a Pirate Day (I tried to plunder my woman's booty but ending up sinking to Davey Jones's Locker.....I feel dirty just making that joke). And it's not as if much has been happening in the world off wrestling as we entered a post-WWE pay per view, pre-TNA pay per view type lull after the big events of earlier in the week.
However through trolling the various wrestling boards around I did find something intresting to talk about, from of all places the Wrestlecrap forums (Actually I think the Wrestlecrap forums are probably one of the best forums out there, 99% of people there can have intelligent debate on all the topics of wrestling and they temper their passion with respect for their fellow posters, you should really check them out (Note: RD I expect that $20 by next Friday :P) and get involved).
A poster there put up a poll for debate on whether TNA should reach deep into their pockets and try and make an offer to sign The Rock to their roster, even if it's only for a one off match with Sting, it is an intresting thought, Sting v Rock is probably one of the only quote unquote "Dream matches" left unfought in the industry and I'm sure if they announced a match like that at Bound for Glory their buyrates would increase but the question I have is "Does signing huge talents from the WWE hurt you in the long run more than it helps". Should TNA really write out the wrestling equivalent of a blank check to sign a wrestler who while still a hero to many, hasn't been seen in a ring in a competetive sense in at least 5 years? Would TNA be better off by focusing their efforts on some of the talent they've nutured and grown in the past 3-5 years which, while slower to take on will hold the company in better stead when they do take on?
Let's be brutally honest here, almost every signing TNA has made from the WWE has failed to make a difference to TNA. The only real two who've made what could even be considered a blip are Kurt Angle and Christian Cage and the Christian blip went so well that as soon as his contract was up he jumped back to the WWE to take possession of a title that has about as much respect as the attitude era's European Title, the ECW Championship. That leaves us with Angle, a guy who at the moment you couldn't see Vince wanting, a guy whose had legal troubles (Even if the charges were eventually dropped), a known drug problem and is always one bad bump to the head away from either retirement or a wheelchair for life. I like Kurt but I believe the most flattering term I can use for him is "Damaged Goods". What's to say that the Rock will make any sort of significant difference to TNA in terms of buyrates, ratings, merchandise and ticket sales or even just plain talking. A lot of the fans who were fans of the Rock during his most popular period of time in the WWE are not even wrestling fans any more, or if they are they're not watching the big two and I don't really think that signing the Rock is going to be a big enough hook to drag them back.
Another factor to consider is the message you send to your roster, the guys that have been there night after night fighting in the trenches for the company and are now on the cusp of stardom, guys like A.J Styles, Christopher Daniels, Matt Morgan and Hernandez. Do you really want to risk stopping their momentum that you've worked so hard for them to get for a one shot blowoff match? You know there was a guy who did that with a match between Goldberg and Hogan in WCW....I wonder whatever happened to him? Is the gain you'll get from the Rock being on your programming worth the risk of potentially making stories and characters you've tried to build up for so long being made to seem less important? I don't really think so
The Rock in TNA to me seems like the classic "Square Peg, Round Hole" scenario, kinda like Jenna Jameson becoming the replacement for Angelina Love in the Beautiful People, it'd work if you forced it but its gonna take time for people to buy it, time that could be better spent setting up for the next 5 years of TNA, rather than being like every other wrestling organisation and thinking of the next 5 minutes.
The Rock in TNA would provide a great nostalgic feel for TNA, but to be a ready made alternative to WWE TNA doesn't need nostalgia, it needs to show that it is the next generation of wrestling and the best way to do that is to showcase the great athletic talent they already have, A.J Styles, Matt Morgan, The Motor City Machineguns, Jay Lethal, Christopher Daniels, the list goes on and on. These men are the future of TNA, these men are your ticket to being a viable alternative to WWE, these men are going to be the standard bearers for your company for years to come.
TNA needs to look to the future, not the past. Pushing the talent they have already have is going to do better for their company in the long run than any quote unquote "Big Name Star" they can bring in. Like it or not, signing guys The Rock, Hogan or Stone Cold, while provided good momentary "Nostalgia" jumps in ratings and buyrates is ultimately a step in the wrong direction.
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