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Welcome to this week’s edition of the Greenfield Review. This week’s edition will focus on a change that is likely going to happen for the company in the next few weeks and months in TNA. TNA is giving hints and indications that they are going to be more hardcore and extreme. TNA has a strong history being hardcore, as some of the most memorable matches have been extreme (weapon matches, anything goes). Matches like Sabu Vs Abyss in a Barbwire Massacre match, considered to be the most brutal match in TNA history. TNA has a signature match called the Monster’s Ball, where anything goes and is full of extreme violence. Looking further into TNA’s past 8 years of existence, they have had some very brutal matches, most of which were in the early stages of the company and in the year 2005, where I consider this was the most extreme time TNA has ever been, when Raven was World Champion and when Sabu was in TNA.
Raven and Sabu in 2005 were the catalyst for the extreme nature in TNA, but the main wrestler that always put his body on the line and caused more harm than anyone, is the Monster Abyss. Abyss has been in TNA since the early stages, back in the Nashville era. Abyss is considered to be the Mick Foley of TNA, where all his matches are usually violent and always trying to find new ways to take the matches to a new level. The problem at the moment is his character is quite boring and has gone stale; this is because he has overused all his gimmicks in matches too many times and means nothing. For example Abyss always uses glass and tacks to Black Hole Slam his opponent into the pile, causing cuts and bruises. Abyss has always idolised Mick Foley considered to be the Hardcore Legend. Abyss has always tried to replicate his matches. Mick Foley signed with TNA in 2008 and was a major addition to the roster.
Mick Foley has a major history in wrestling, by making a name in ECW, WWF, WCW and also wrestling extreme matches in Japan for FMW. Mick Foley and Terry Funk laid the foundation for hardcore wrestling back in the 1990’s and Abyss has taken that history trying to learn from those two. Mick Foley has had some extreme matches in TNA, taking sick bumps at the age of 44, with a broken down body. Mick Foley made history taking sick bumps like falling off the Hell in the Cell and also through the Hell in the Cell cage.
TNA is about to change again and go back to a storyline that has been tried and tested in WWE quite a few times. ECW was a company formed by Paul Heyman in 1994, causing havoc and changing the landscape of wrestling with a whole new style of wrestling. Now this style is going to coming back to TNA, but will it work?
Recently TNA has brought in Tommy Dreamer, where he was sitting in the crowd observing the matches in TNA and recently as this past week, he was seen on TNA Impact with Raven and Dr Stevie in the Impact Zone. Abyss also gave indications that an Invasion was going to happen and change was coming, even Dixie Carter has indicated change in the company.
TNA has been hinting a change for a while, but what this invasion could lead too is the formation of ECW faction again, but this time being called a different name like EV2. Rumours have been going around that TNA is going to be bringing back Sabu, Rhino, Shane Douglas and many more to recreate the group. Paul Heyman has been mentioned about coming into TNA, as someone who might be coming in as the main figure head for the new group.
The storyline looks like it is being set for the long term, building a new brand for the promotion. Dixie Carter said change was coming and that it would be made apparent over a period of time, with this storyline being built slowly. The question being ask around though “Can a storyline that has been used in WWE and a storyline from the 1990’s, still work in 2010?â€
I think for this storyline to work, it really needs to be something different that has never been done before. I want TNA to come up with concept within the storyline that makes it unique from previous attempts from other wrestling promotions. With this potentially leading to another wrestling show for TNA and creating a new brand, splitting up the roster. It will be interesting to see how it develops.
Dixie Carter has promised change and this for me is not the one, but a step back. TNA still has a problem still living in the past, using older names like Hulk Hogan to try and create a buzz or draw a rating, but it has shown this is not working. I have been saying this for the past two years that TNA needs to create a new concept/idea that makes them different from everyone else and develop the next line of top talent, using the older names to establish the younger stars. If Paul Heyman comes to TNA, he can be the person, who rebrands TNA into something big. Next week’s edition will focus on Ric Flair and his new stable group Fortune, comparing them with the original Four Horseman.
