TNA comes out swinging

What’s old is new again.

And in more ways than one.

TNA and WWE opened a new chapter in the Monday night wrestling wars last week, and a lot of familiar faces from the last series of Monday night wars more than a decade ago played prominent roles.

Star power was the theme of the night, and many of those stars have reached the twilight of their careers. Raw’s main event featured 64-year-old Vince McMahon in a predictable bait-and-switch non-match. Impact’s main event featured 56-year-old Hulk Hogan and 61-year-old Ric Flair on different sides of a tag-team bout.

Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, both approaching 45, were supporting players on Raw. Impact featured the 51-year-old “Bad Guy,” Scott Hall, along with Kevin Nash and Sting, both 50.

It goes without saying that the future success of both companies depends largely on the development of new, young talent. But it also says a lot that both companies place a great emphasis on the stars that got them to the dance in the first place.

McMahon may be 64 and a non-wrestler, but in many ways he’s the top character on his own show. Hogan’s heyday was a quarter-century ago and his broken-down body has been riddled with injuries, but he’s still the most famous performer of the modern era of pro wrestling. Flair has been main-eventing for 36 years, an incredible feat in itself, and can still draw a crowd.

What Monday night’s battle proved was that there are also distinct differences between the two companies.

WWE is a proven commodity with a loyal audience, and the numbers don’t lie. Last week’s Raw drew a 3.4, down several tenths of a point from the previous week, but still leaps and bounds ahead of Impact, which posted a 1.0 for its official Monday night debut. While Impact’s number was down slightly from previous Thursday night shows, where it didn’t face the obstacle of going against wrestling’s most-watched program, Spike TV officials weren’t disappointed by the rating.

Impact drew more men in the key demographics of 18-34 and 18-49 than the show was previously drawing on Thursday nights.

Impact was a better show than Raw in several respects, and a number of fans who wrote and called in preferred the TNA offering.

But the Monday night battle looks to be a marathon, not a sprint, and TNA will have to continue to work hard to put on quality shows that will build a weekly audience.

In many ways TNA is offering what WWE can’t because of a PG rating. It’s more than a little ironic since WWE enjoyed its greatest success when capitalizing on an envelope-pushing product during its “Attitude Era” in the late ‘90s during the height of its Monday night war with WCW.

Want to see blood? That’s not a problem in TNA. Hogan and Flair have bled buckets on the past few shows. WWE advertises “brutal” steel cage matches, but “juice” is a rarity.

Further watering down the wrestling product has been WWE’s weekly utilization of celebrity guest hosts on Raw. It’s a nice concept when used sparingly, but spotlighting B-list celebrities shilling their products on a weekly basis in an attempt to gain mainstream credibility does little for the show.

And many of the celebrity offerings over the past year, such as Cheech and Chong and Jerry Springer, have been nothing short of embarrassing.

WWE has a solid but predictable product. It’s formula television, and its seems to work well with a loyal audience that, for the past decade, hasn’t had a real alternative. The last time they did, back in the glory days of WCW, it was quite a different story.

While TNA has had its share of problems since its inception eight years ago, the company is making strides and is committed to stay in it for the long haul. Getting a Monday night deal was proof that its TV network, Spike, is equally as committed.

Sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s plain awful, but TNA is unpredictable, and that’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes watching TNA can be like watching a train wreck. You feel a little uncomfortable watching, but once it’s in front of you, it’s hard to turn away.

WWE might be well served to take some notes. Before it becomes Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, with Vince McMahon playing the part of Mr. Rogers.

-- Don’t know whether Cody Rhodes was trying to yank somebody’s chain, stay in character as a heel or speak truthfully during a recent interview with The Arizona Republic.

Rhodes called the talented but underrated Shelton Benjamin the “worst” wrestler on the WWE roster, and labeled Shawn Michaels as one of the best, although he called HBK “ancient.”

He also followed the company line that TNA wasn’t competition for WWE.

“It is good for us to have competition. Unfortunately, TNA is not competition,” he said. “Our competition is Dancing with the Stars and CSI. We’re not just trying to put on a professional wrestling show. There’s still a ring and still two guys in it, but it’s very much a different show.”

Seems that young Rhodes might be on to something. And therein lies the problem.

-- Venerable Channel 2 sportscaster “Prime Time” Mike Lacett will make his official pro wrestling debut on an independent show March 20 at the Walterboro Christian Center.

Lacett will take part in a tag-team match on a CWA (Champions With Attitude) show that will include CWA champion Sixx, Timber and J.W. Boss. Lacett will team with Billy Brash against Brute Force.

Lacett, who has trained for two years, says he’s very excited about his first match, but he’s also going into it with two goals.

“Not to embarrass myself and not to get hurt,” he joked.

Tickets are $15 ringside, $10 floor, $5 kids 10 and under with paying adult; under 3 free. To pre-order tickets by phone, call 803-533-1111. Tickets also will be available at the Walterboro Christian Center on 320 Robertson Blvd., Kick Booty Motorsports in Orangeburg or at the door.

Bell time is 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6.

For more information, call Gar at 843-908-0514 or call 843-782-3030.

-- WWE diva Mickie James is recovering following two rounds of surgery due to a staph infection on her right leg.

“I’ve been on an emotional roller coaster,” James told the WWE Web site. “I have no control of anything. At least with an injury you know for sure how long it is going to take.”

-- British superstar Billy Robinson has been named the second inductee for the 2010 Hall of Heroes this August in Charlotte at Legends Fanfest weekend. Announced earlier was Reggie Parks.

Reach Mike Mooneyham at (843) 937-5517 or mooneyham@postandcourier.com.