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DVD Review: TNA Genesis 2005

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Those of you who read TBLWrestling.com know that I recently began watching Total Nonstop Action wrestling – otherwise known as TNA. They call themselves the “new face of professional wrestling” and to help set themselves apart from WWE, they have a six-sided ring and have their weekly tapings as well as pay per views all in the same soundstage at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Side note – if WWE has a television contract with NBC Universal, then wouldn’t that mean that the Universal organization has some affiliation with both WWE and TNA? Weird.

This pay per view was awesome. Sure, something is certainly “missing” from it because it was held in the same arena that their weekly tapings are held in, but TNA is working to fix that situation. They are holding their first monthly PPV outside of Universal Studios this coming October. I think it’ll do them some good!

However, that is a minor point against what was a great show that not only saw a completely out of control main event (literally, they were all over the place), but that also saw the TNA debut of Christian Cage. Those of you who are interested in what the former WWE Intercontinental Champion had to say during his TNA debut can flip over to TBLWrestling.com’s quotes section and take a read.

There was one bad part of the pay per view, though. BG James (formerly Road Dogg in WWE) had a really awkward mini-tirade against WWE and Vince McMahon in his backstage interview. In my short time watching TNA, this seems to be a recurring phenomenon. A few weeks ago on TNA Impact, former ECW World Champion Rhino actually started the show with an in-ring promo against the new ECW show and Vince McMahon. There just seems to be frequent references to WWE and how it sucks or how Vince is nuts or whatever and listen – I’m not going to debate any of that stuff. I will, however, say that if I’m watching TNA then I must already be aware that there is a problem in WWE or that I just don’t like what I’m seeing in WWE.

Let me get back on topic before I miss the point of this post. This PPV was fantastic! I’m not going to go through a match-by-match recap of the deal because that’s boring and the PPV is already a few months old. The main points that I want to get across are that the while the overall feel of the show may come up to the standard of a WWE produced show, it’s damn close. TNA, however, completely surpasses WWE in terms of the wrestling that takes place in the ring. They do a phenomenal job of getting the desire and determination of their wrestlers over with the crowd – oh, and speaking of the crowd, they are completely into the show 100%. Anyone who has ever watched a wrestling show with a hot crowd or who has been to an independent show knows that a hot crowd can make a show just like a dead crowd can kill one. The TNA crowd is completely into the product and it comes off very well on screen.

And the X Division is something to see. At the time of this PPV, Samoa Joe and AJ Styles were just a few of the many young up and comers that were a part of the X Division. Folks, the quality of this division is unmatched on RAW, Smackdown!, or the Tuesday show. This is what you want when you buy a wrestling PPV – you want people giving it everything that they’ve got because you’re willing to plunk down the money to buy their show. That’s something that you don’t get in every wrestling promotion…

I give Genesis 2005 a rousing approval. If you can get your hands on a used copy of this DVD (like I did), then spend the money and buy this event. It was well worth the money because, unlike other wrestling pay per views, there’s a strong possibility that I’ll watch this event over and over again!

Good job TNA!

John Tenta Passes Away at 42

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On Wednesday, June 7, 2006 the wrestling world lost a great man. While John Tenta didn’t have the glamorous gimmicks of a Shawn Michaels or the lasting in-ring legacy of an Undertaker or Hulk Hogan, he made the very best of whatever situation he was given. When WWE told him to “kill” Jake Roberts’ pet snake, he did so; when they paired him up with Hulk Hogan early in his career, he matched Hogan’s size and strength at a very young age; and when WCW gave him the gimmick of being a Shark…he took the shtick and performed admirably.

Before debuting in WWE, Tenta was an extremely successful Sumo wrestler and an accomplished amateur wrestler. Undoubtedly, though, Tenta’s biggest professional success came as part of a tag team with Fred “Tugboat/Typhoon” Ottoman. As the Natural Disasters, Earthquake and Typhoon physically dominated their opponents and even won the prestigious WWE Tag Team Championship at a time when that title meant something.

This website, in its early years, even started a mildly successful online campaign to “Bring Back the Natural Disasters,” which, we understand, made both Tenta and Ottoman get a good-hearted laugh. For all of the years of entertainment that this man brought to the fans and me personally, I am glad that we could do something to return the favor, even if it was unsuccessful in bringing them back to TV!

From his WWE debut squashing the Ultimate Warrior in the middle of a push-up contest to his final days in the ring as “Golga” of the Howard Stern inspired Oddities, John Tenta did what he could to give the fans their money’s worth. His personal humility outside of the ring is a trait that many of today’s “superstars” could learn a thing or two about. John Tenta was a rare man in the wrestling business…a man who put his family and friends before his legacy.

And perhaps that will be his greatest legacy in professional wrestling – the fact that after he passed away, his contemporaries and fans only have positive, great things to say about him. John Tenta may not leave behind multiple world championships or a cadre of in-ring success, but he does leave behind fans who respect the effort that this man put in to his trade. Tenta was a performer and a man who could perform on the biggest stages against the best competition.

I extend my deepest sympathies to John’s family and friends and I join in grieving for this good-natured, mild-hearted man who was taken away from the world way too early at the age of 42 from one of the world’s greatest killers, cancer.

Howard Stern on Sirius Radio

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I’ve managed to get my hands on some copies of Howard Stern’s first week on SIRIUS Satellite Radio. Folks, it’s fucking hilarious.

Because it was so damn funny, I had to listen to the first show twice. Mr. Sulu (George Takei) is by far the best addition to the show. And as they said on their third or fourth show, unleashing Artie on uncensored radio heightens his part of the show to no end.

Robin has taken an increased role in the show, commenting more than I’ve heard her do in the last few years. The entire staff and all of the on-air talent just sound so much happier and better than they have in years – it’s a nice change for his show. And maybe it’s just me, but the political talk on his show has been drastically reduced – and for obvious reasons.

I think that Howard is going to lead Sirius radio to new heightens (and he already has done that, but he can only go higher). Think about this SIRIUS Satellite Radio company…Howard Stern, the NBA, Martha Stewart, Eminem, the NFL, Cousin Brucie, Bubba the Love Sponge, and hundreds of stations of commercial-free music. How great of a diverse line-up is that?!?

SIRIUS Satellite Radio is going to give XM a run for their money. The last numbers that I saw had XM with something like 6 million subscribers and Sirius with around 3.3 million. Those numbers are incredible for Sirius, considering that 1 year ago at this time, they only had 600,000. Amazing.

So I’m going to research this satellite radio a bit and I might actually take the plunge and get it. Hey, my birthday is coming up – that might be a hot present, right?

Howard Stern’s “Replacement” Sucks

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I just downloaded the podcast of the first edition of David Lee Roth’s show. Being the podcast, I assumed that they would put only the best clips on there so as to entice me to want to listen on a regular basis.

Either they missed the point of a podcast or David’s show is the worst thing that I’ve ever heard. The podcast was about 9 minutes and I didn’t even crack a smile the whole time – I can barely recall what he was talking about. Something about his first radio and his uncle, I think. I don’t know.

There was no excitement, no volume, no electricity. I give Roth by the end of the summer and if his show is still a snore-fest, then he’ll be replaced next January.

And Stern will laugh his ass off on satellite radio! If anyone out there has access to Stern’s radio show, let me know how it is. I got immensely turned off during his last year or two on FM-radio because he would go off on these political tirades. Not that I care that he was exercising his freedom of speech, but I don’t listen to Howard Stern for the latest political gossip – I listen for fart jokes and making fun of people who normally wouldn’t be made fun of.

Anyway – if you have a review of Stern’s new show, let me know. Thanks!