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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Mark Smallman
PWTorch.com Reader
I feel like I should write in and counter some of the points raised by the underwhelmed Lawrence Kashmir on the TNA house show tour of the UK. Whilst I freely admit I was not at the Essex show, I was at the Coventry show the night before and judging by his report a lot of the content was the same, so hopefully my counter-points bare some weight.
I have been a wrestling fan most of my life (I am now 23) and have been to several WWE events in the UK as well as some "indy" shows here as well. I even had the pleasure of watching Cena vs Michaels in London last year. Yet never, and I do want to emphasise this - NEVER - have I been to a live wrestling event that had as passionate and energetic a crowd as TNA did on Saturday.
Every single wrestler got a pop the likes of which are reserved for ''big names'' at WWE or independent events. Now I admit a lot of this may have been down to the fact that it was TNA's first time in the UK and the fans were excited to see an actual TNA-branded show live and in person without having to fly 6000 miles to do it. But the atmosphere I experienced on Saturday cannot be solely attributed to that fact.
The wrestling itself entertained the heck out of me. It was absolutely everything that the WWE lacks in this day and age and was free of TNA's over-complicated TV booking that so often can destroy a potentially good match. Yes, the matches were reasonably short, but they contained such intense concentrations of athleticism that it made for an incredible live experience.
Mr Kashmir opens by admitting he's never really been able to watch TNA on television and that leads me to suggest that this probably was not geared at him. This was a live event geared towards those of us who do watch TNA weekly, who admire the fact that they have a roster of some of the most talented young wrestlers available. He made the point that there was no Christian Cage or Team 3D or Steiner. I say GOOD. I didn't want to see these guys. I've seen them a hundred times before. Whilst they all contribute in a large way to the week-by-week TNA that I enjoy, the live experience was about the guys who were TNA stars. With the exception of Booker T and Rhino, everyone wrestling on Saturday was what you'd call a "TNA guy". Equally, to say that Doug Williams didn't know how to connect with a crowd is ridiculous. Doug Williams is probably the finest British wrestler in the world today, bar none, and he has had matches that put a lot of the WWE's product to shame.
For Mr Kashmir to compare a TNA live event in any way to JBL, Orton, or Triple H hitting their signature spots to get over with the crowd again shows a complete lack of understanding about the TNA product and what these shows were about. In my experience most WWE wrestlers come to the ring in near-silence whilst 80 percent of the audience (who are under the age of 16) cheer only for the big names. The crowd only really pop when big moves are hit and then after a few hand-slaps on the way to the back we start the next match which is damn similar to the one we've just seen.
At the TNA event, Samoa Joe hit an ole kick with such force he bent the guard rail which sent an already wild crowd even crazier. The pop for this was so big that Joe then ran half-way round the ring and semi-dived into a bunch of fans, mosh-pit style. You wouldn't get THAT at WWE events. Guys like Hernandez (clearly having a whale of a time all day, which I can attest to having met him at the fan-fest earlier), Doug Williams, A.J. Styles et al were making sure the fans felt as much a part of the show as the wrestlers.
Having found WWE events to be a little cold and clinical for me, this welcome change of wrestlers actually hugging fans, hi-fiving them and even Jeremy Borash working the crowd into a greater frenzy than they were originally only added to my enjoyment of the evening. I think what sums this up the best was when Kurt Angle (much maligned by the Torch and other for dominating the TNA scene for the last 12 months) introduced Jeff Jarrett (much maligned by the Torch and others for dominating TNA for five years!) as a surprise guest. The pop for both men was not one of people who were coldly analysing the show, it was of a group of fans who finally feel like there's an American pro wrestling company that values them not only for the number of tickets they buy, but for their support and their attitude and we wanted to show our appreciation for the work these men did in bringing TNA to the UK.
Maybe it's a case of each to their own. Mr Kashmir clearly enjoys WWE live events and I would never want to criticise him or anyone for that; they are incredible spectacles. But what I was a part of on Saturday was the ultimate affirmation of why I love professional wrestling and I will encourage every wrestling fan I know to turn up to the TNA show at Wembley to try and recreate the passion we, as fans, felt.
And when was the last time Vince McMahon gave me a hug and thanked me for turning up to a UK tour? Dixie Carter did it twice on Saturday...
[Who shouted himself hoarse and will do so again in January]
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LATEST PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER #1039 (17 PAGES)
This issue begins with a cover story by Wade Keller who attended Brock Lesnar's first UFC victory on Saturday night in the semi-main event in front of a record-setting crowd in his hometown. Keller's BBL looks at Lesnar's place in MMA and in what ways he seems more comfortable than ever... Bruce Mitchell's Memo examines the dilemma of Chris Benoit and the Hall of Fame... Sean Radican reviews the two latest TNA DVD releases... In-depth coverage of the TNA Hard Justice PPV including Keller's match report with star ratings and the newsletter-exclusive Roundtable Reviews... Jason Powell's "Page 2 Buzz" with scoops and insider analysis... WWE Newswire, TNA Newswire, and ROH Newswire with insider news, big story analysis, and notebook tidbits... Plus Keller's reports on Raw, Smackdown, and Impact, the Top 5 Stories of the Week, and more....
