By Curtis Shanks, PWTorch Specialist

Welcome to TNA Impact "Under the Microscope." This is not a detailed recap of the show, but a review for those of you that saw the show but didn't actually "watch" it. We're here to point out those little tidbits you may have missed, make some random observations, or use a little research to dig deeper into what was on the show. Cue the opening pyro.

Two tickets to paradise

It's a short stay for Mick Foley this week, as Kevin Nash has booked him a flight for a one-on-one meeting with Hulk Hogan. Foley is ecstatic, and invites JB along for the trip. Did Kevin Nash buy two tickets if, by chance, Foley wanted to bring a friend? There's no mention of a second ticket, so JB may be out of luck when he tries to board. If we see clips of the meeting or the trip on next week's show, I'm guessing the camera crew will somehow magically get a ticket to go along for the ride as well.

Pic of the week

I pointed out before that Mick Foley had a framed picture of the Main Event Mafia security in the background of his office for months after Sal and Rocco disappeared from TV. That pic was replaced a couple of weeks ago by the Abyss/Foley caricature drawing. The second pic didn't have quite the tenure, as it has already been replaced. Kevin Nash knew he was getting control of the show, as this week the picture in the background was of none other than a cocky and arrogant Kevin Nash.

We also noticed about six months ago that there was a book on Foley's desk. It was never mentioned, but the spine read "Rule Book." After many months, the book was back on the desk in front of Kevin Nash this week. The book still hasn't been read completely, which was made obvious by some of the match finishes we've seen lately. Hulk Hogan signed with TNA last month, but won't debut until January. Hopefully he's using that time to do what no other TNA authority figure dared to do - read the Rule Book.

Stepping in front of the camera

Lots of directors and filmmakers put themselves in front of the camera in their own works. Kevin Smith, Clint Eastwood, Woody Allen, even cameo appearances by Alfred Hitchcock. It looks as though Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara are fans of the cameo approach, as they briefly appeared on camera this week. As Mick Foley searched for Jeff Jarrett and TNA headquarters, he stumbled upon Russo and Ferrara just hanging out in some room.

Foley even acknowledged that they "write great stuff," which sacrificed realism in favor of a quick jab to make the smart fans smirk for a second at an insider reference. Russo writing himself into a script may become a weekly cameo appearance. Kind of like a Where's Waldo game during TNA broadcasts. One week he's a camera operator, the next week a member of security, and the next a World Hvt. champion. Wait, don't need to see that again. That should lead to an appearance in the unemployment line.

Steinerisms

Scott Steiner is becoming one of the highlights of Impact each week. The first day Steiner showed up in TNA, I was not thrilled. He hasn't done much in the ring and his feud with Lashley is nothing special. But he's been golden on the mic lately. His Santinoesque verbal miscues are something to listen closely for each week. This week was a gem, as he proclaimed "when you allude, you make an ass out of you and me." Who would have thought that in 2009, Scott Steiner would be one of the funny highlights of a major wrestling promotion's TV show?

B.Y.O.W.

No-DQ matches, hardcore matches, street fights - they're all full of weapons. Most of them involve the standard fare of kendo sticks, chairs, trashcans, and tables. But TNA is changing the image. We've talked about street fights with pogo sticks in the past, but plenty of new weapons were introduced with ODB and Tara this week. Caution tape, a hose, a wheelbarrow, and a tiki torch were all prevalent. It looks as though TNA didn't provide the weapons and the participants were required to bring in whatever they find laying around in their garages.

WWE is high on the gimmick matches this month with their TLC PPV coming up. But TLC does not mean tables, ladders, and chairs in TNA. We've now seen tambourines, lawn ornaments, and canes during Impacts this year. Who knows what's next for an appearance in a TNA hardcore match. A shoehorn, a Teddy Ruxpin doll, a children's View-Master (equipped with Duck Tales movie), and a cardboard cutout of Grimace are my choices.

So that's who Hogan's bringing with him

Videos showed us that Jeff Jarrett may be coming back, and a vignette showed us that Tomko will be coming back. But there was another TNA return that happened on this week's episode. Referee Mike Posey. Posey appeared in TNA during the weekly PPV days, even wrestling in a couple of matches. Posey cost his team the win in a six-man tag in 2004 with a top-rope drop kick onto opponent D-Ray 3000, who fell onto partner David Young for the pin. Young demanded a match with "Dropkick" Posey the following week, but ended up with the loss.

Posey later left TNA to sign with WWE, starting in Deep South developmental before moving onto ECW. He made it to the big leagues, but was still nervous about his TNA return. During his first match back, Eric Young vs. Hamada, he was handed the belt to raise for the hard camera shot. Posey fumbled the belt though, and almost dropped it before getting his grip back and maintaining his composure as the camera zoomed in on the title.

I've heard it said that if a referee doesn't get noticed, then he's doing a great job. Sure, I noticed Posey's slight miscue, but there was a gem from ref Andrew Thomas. After Tara made her entrance, she said something to Thomas right before the camera cut away for ODB's entrance. Thomas feigned a bad odor from Tara's mouth and backed away, remembering the storyline that Tara had downed a six-pack before her match.

Numbers crunch - Monday Night Wars

The first step has been taken towards Monday Night Wars II, as TNA will be airing head-to-head with Raw on January 4. It's hard to compare a future TV ratings battle that may occur to the original. WWE is not at the same place they were back in 1995, and TNA is not in the same place WCW was. Cable TV is different, with different channels available and the "wrestling networks" available to a different number of viewers. While this numbers crunch won't deal with many TNA numbers, we'll still look back at the original ratings battle between Nitro and Raw.

The first blow should be much weaker than what WCW dealt WWE. Nobody expects Impact to surpass Raw in the ratings, only show competition. September 4, 1995 saw the first week in the war, with Nitro beating Raw 2.5 to 2.2 after Nitro debuted unopposed against Raw to build ratings momentum for the first head-to-head battle. The two shows traded victories back and forth for the better part of a year before WCW went on their infamous winning streak.

But what were the final results from week one until the final Nitro in 2001? WCW dominated in 1996 and 1997, but WWE had 157 wins overall compared to WCW's 108 (counting only weeks where ratings were available and both shows aired as usual).

Those are the overall numbers, but not every show is created equal. Here's a look at how the go-home episode before a PPV and the PPV follow-up episode performed during the wars. We'll look just at weeks where both shows aired and give each show a win or a loss to find out their "winning percentage." Nitro did their best on shows sandwiching a PPV, while Raw won more Monday battles during their weeks in between PPVs.

WWE:
Monday before a WWE PPV - .557 rating
Monday after a WWE PPV - .603 rating
All other Raws - .608 rating

WCW:
Monday before a WCW PPV - .400 rating
Monday after a WCW PPV - .468 rating
All other Nitros - .385 rating

Hulk Hogan has stated that he believes TNA can get a 3.0 rating when they air their Monday special. That would be quite a feat. Nitro failed to reach that mark 86 times, including their first 19 shows and 36 of their last 41. That 3.0 mark would be picking up right where WCW Nitro left off. The final Nitro on March 26, 2001 gained a 3.0 rating, well behind Raw's 4.7 mark.

R.I.P.

I, along with the rest of the wrestling world, was saddened by the news last week that Eddie Fatu had passed. While best known for portraying Umaga and Jamal from 3-minute warning, Fatu did have a short stint in TNA between his WWE tenures. He debuted in September 2003, aiding Sonny Siaki in a match. The two teamed together over the next couple of months, with Fatu using the ring name Ekmo, a name he used as part of the Island Boys tag team during his time in WWE developmental.

It is unfortunate that Eddie Fatu will simply be added to a list of wrestlers who died at a young age. We all watch wrestling each week, getting to know the characters that are presented to us through our TVs. Tragedies like this should remind us that behind every over-the-top character and outlandish gimmick we see, there is a normal human being - someone who is a father, brother, son, and friend to others. Most of us never know a wrestler personally, but we still feel remorse when a tragedy like this happens. I hope it's a long time before we hear news like this with another wrestler, as my condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Eddie Fatu.

Curtis Shanks is a self-described wrestling nerd who, contrary to popular belief, does have a social life. Feedback is welcome as comments, suggestions and questions can be sent to Curtis at curtisshanks.torch@gmail.com.

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