TNA: Styles re-introduces Television Championship

I like the idea of AJ Styles legitimizing TNA’s Global Championship – or as Stlyes crowned himself, the new Television Champion. The belt, seen as the second highest heavyweight belt in the company, was stagnant and really carried with it little or no meaning in the eyes of the fans – a recipe for disaster.

But it also got me thinking – does a television championship still have context in today’s wrestling landscape?

Back in the 70’s, when TV titles were introduced, wrestling was different. You had a squash match, an interview, and then another squash match. The television champion carried with it an aura of importance.

ECW and WCW carried television champions until their separate demises in the early-2000’s, but since, the title has been absent from all of North American wrestling.

Until last night’s Impact.

I like the idea of a television champion, but it has to be kept different from the world title. How? Well, it should only be defended on television. It should somehow represent “the network” … ECW did a great job with this type of angle booking Rob Van Dam as TV champion on TNN, bucking the system against “the network.”

But somehow TNA needs to make this title different.

WCW, for instance, used to use time limits in their TV title matches, often with matches ending in draws which further built heat for matches down the line.

Styles, with his talents, is the man to make this belt different and stand on its own.

TNA to offer PPV caliber show on Aug. 12 Impact

With Hardcore Justice taking on an ECW nostalgia theme, TNA has announced that Aug. 12th’s Impact will feature matches originally slated for the Aug. 8th pay per view, including Rob Van Dam defending his TNA World Heavyweight Title against Abyss.

Given TNA’s reported PPV buyrates as of late, this is actually a great idea – something TNA has had few of, lately.

The nostalgia ECW-style show may spike a buyrate. It may bring in new fans, too. People love ECW. I don’t care that it folded 10 years ago, it was a company that had a following and people genuinely cared  about.

It’s probably the only company in history to still be drawing sellouts or near sellouts when it filed for bankruptcy.

So bringing that back works. It worked when WWE held One Night Stand and it will work for TNA.

People still want to see ECW, and until it dries up, there is no need to stop going to that well.

Back to TNA’s buyrates being in the toilet – if you offer a “free PPV” on Spike, it has to be done correctly. No stupid backstage segments. No interviews that go nowhere and mean nothing. Run a PPV show – matches, matches, matches.

This is wrestling, isn’t it? It’s all about the matches.

Give guys 20 minutes.

It’d be great if Spike gave TNA a third hour to incorporate more time.

Make sure the commercial breaks fall in the middle of matches – make fans want to come back and don’t waste any time. Going to a break after a match means the action stops – make sure the action doesn’t stop.

Also, give the fans some surprises. Has Van Dam as World Champion run its course? I’m not sure Abyss is the right guy for the strap, but maybe you pull a swerve. Once in a while, swerves are OK – when you get six a show, they get old and don’t mean as much.

But TNA has a pretty big opportunity here. Show the fans that aren’t buying the pay per views what they’re missing. Make them want to buy. Generate some dollars.

WWE: Shawn Michaels on Raw?

Just some food for thought on this Monday morning …

Tonight’s Raw broadcast takes place from San Antonio, hometown of the recently retired Shawn Michaels. HBK hasn’t been advertised for the show, but he does live right down the road.

It would seem logical that Michaels could make an appearance on Raw tonight. You’ll have to tune in to find out for sure.

UFC: Subpoenas issued to streaming companies

Zuffa, LLC, (“Zuffa”), the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® (UFC®), announced today that it has served subpoenas on two streaming video websites, commanding them to reveal the identities of users who have uploaded video of live Pay-Per-View UFC events.

The websites, Justin.tv and Ustream.tv, enable anyone with an Internet connection to broadcast live streaming video to an unlimited audience. Although originally developed to bring user-generated content to a large live audience, these sites have been exploited by some users to broadcast illegally uploaded content, including UFC events.

UFC: Boston weigh-ins for UFC 118 set for Aug. 27

The TD Garden will host the UFC 118 weigh-ins on Aug. 27, the night before the company debuts in Massachusetts. The doors open at 6 p.m. with the first fighters taking the scales at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is headlined by Frankie Edgar defending his title against BJ Penn, who he upset earlier this year. James Toney will look to silence critics when he faces UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and Boston’s own Kenny Florian will face Gray Maynard.

WWE: Hampton Beach, Hyannis, Cohasset main events

WWE will make its annual “tent” loop through Hampton Beach (N.H.), Hyannis and Cohasset (Mass.) the last weekend in August before Raw tapes at the TD Garden in Boston on Aug. 30.

The main event for the shows will feature a three-way dance for the Intercontinental Championship with Kofi Kingston taking on both Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler. Raw’s John Morrison will face Ted DiBiase and Jack Swagger and Matt Hardy will battle in a submissions match.

All three shows are featured in arenas that hold some of the smallest crowds WWE wrestles in front of all year. Hampton Beach, a ballroom type building with an extremely low ceiling, holds maybe 1,500 people. Hyannis and Cohasset are tent-like venues for outdoor concerts that I’d guess holds less than 1,000 people.

I always try to make it to one of these venues every year. It’s an intimate “indy” feel to a WWE show that you don’t get anywhere else.

MOTD: Pat Audinwood vs. Al Buck (ASG 1)

Today’s Match of the Day features UFC rookie Pat Audinwood, who will make his debut with the company at UFC 119. Here, he takes on Al Buck from American Steel Cage 1 last year. I covered the card, which took place at the Ice Center in Salem, N.H.

UFC: Toney-Couture garnering heavy local interest

We’re based out of Boston, home of UFC 118 next month at the TD Garden. Among the MMA community, there is obvious excitement for the debut of the world’s biggest MMA company right in our backyard.

At least I assumed that the masses would be looking forward to the rematch between BJ Penn and Frankie Edgard after their knockout, dragout brawl earlier this year. If not, maybe it would be Kenny Florian, the hometown kid, who fights Gray Maynard in what could prove to be a No. 1 contender’s bout for the Edgar-Penn winner.

But all the talk around here seems to be focused on a tubby boxer with a big mouth and a UFC Hall of Famer.

James Toney and Randy Couture – if you weren’t an MMA fan – is what you would think the main event is.

This whole fight has a very “pro-wrestling” feel to it. The build up between Toney and Dana White has been fabulous, with each side getting their jabs, White even going so far as to mention Toney at the UFC 116 presser.

Locally, there have been articles in newspapers and Boston-based websites hyping the event, and it all seems to focus on Toney-Couture.

WWE: Bret Hart returns on Raw

It’s rare that wrestling is able to deliver a surprise.

The closing angle on Raw Monday night is a perfect example. As John Cena debuted his team, which will face the Nexus at Summerslam, the biggest name would be saved for last – it always is. Well, we already had Chris Jericho and Edge – likely the two biggest names on the team outside of Cena.

As they opened the aisle, I marked out. How could you not? I was trying like hell to predict who the final member would be – my guess? Bryan Danielson.

Boy, was I wrong.

WWE: Kane wins the first WWE triple threat

Interesting note on Kane‘s World Heavyweight title win at Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view:

Kane is the first wrestler to ever win the WWE, World Heavyweight and ECW championships all under the WWE umbrella. Big Show has held all three belts, but his World Heavyweight title reign actually came while the belt was under the WCW umbrella, as WCW champion. So, Kane becomes the first to win all three under the WWE banner.

Kane won his first world championship over 12 years ago, in June 1998, beating Steve Austin for the WWF Championship in a first blood match, only to drop the strap the next night, making his reign just about 24 hours.