INSIDER: TNA's Launch on Spike and a preview of SlamJamz Central - The Website!

Here is this week's INSIDER column, posted on Saturday, October 1. Enjoy!

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SlamJamz Central: The New Wrestling Era begins...
By TC Kirkham

Welcome to the land of the goonie that is SlamJamz Central..back and replete with more comments about the world of pro wrestling than you would probably care to read…but read it anyway, ok?

Let’s get started, shall we?


The New Wrestling Era Begins...

As I write this, tonight is THE night. TNA returns to television as TNA iMPACT hits the airwaves on Spike TV. Will it make a difference? It very well may....but not in the ways you would usually think.

Vince McMahon and family have been making the rounds this week on the TV business show circuit, and on the entertainment talk show circuit, talking up the return of WWE programming to the USA Network beginning tomorrow night with a "Raw Top 10" special, then on Monday night with a 3 Hour "Raw Homecoming" special.

But in moving back to USA, they've lost more ground than they are admitting.

They lost four hours of television per week. WWE's other programming, "Sunday Night Heat", "Velocity", and "WWE Experience" are all canceled from TV. Yes, "Heat" and "Velocity" are staying in production and will air in the USA on WWE.Com. But let's be honest, folks...how many people REALLY take the time to spend hours every week watching TV shows online that they can't tape or Tivo? The answer is "Not a whole lot". Both shows will lose 95% of their viewing audience because the WWE isn't making those shows available via conventional syndication.

Speaking of syndication, WWE has also opted out of that venue entirely. The two syndicated Recap shows, "Bottom Line" and "Afterburn", are also going away. What does this mean for the average viewer? Well, you can bet it will mean additional time on "Raw" and "Smackdown" for "recap" elements, taking more precious time away from actual wrestling (when there IS such a thing on WWE programming, that is).

Now, in return for these shows' demise, WWE is getting a couple of new elements. One is a RAW repeat (not clear if it will simulcast on Monday nights) on one of Telemundo's cable channels broadcast in Spanish, and the other is a "new" magazine show called "WWE A.M. RAW", to air Saturday mornings beginning October 8th. From the press release, this "new and edgy" show (their words, not mine) sound awfully familiar...anyone remember "WWE LiveWire?" The format sounds like the same show.

The WWE is also gaining two 90-minute specials per season to air in place of "Saturday Night Live" on NBC, in the grand tradition of the 80s hit "Saturday Night Main Event". In this day and age, I have a feeling this one is a ratings disaster in the making, but time will tell...

So let's see...by returning to the NBC Universal corporate umbrella, WWE has really lost out on the weekly television market. Not to mention all the ad revenue they are losing by allowing NBC to sell the ad time.

Somehow I have a feeling that looking back in October 2006, the WWE is going to be really regretting their move back to USA...

Meanwhile, Spike TV, WWE's previous network, is rolling in the new original programming.

In addition to TNA iMPACT, which will air in Velocity's old time slot, Saturdays at 11 PM beginning tonight, Spike is pinning their hopes on riding the coattails of UFC programs, which may or may not be a wise move, it's too soon to tell. "The Ultimate Fighter" has been a big hit for Spike, and adding actual live fights, as they will do this evening, could prove to be a huge hit or a huge miss.

And in addition to the "iMPACT" slot, TNA will also get another show on Monday nights at midnight. Right now, it's going to be an "iMPACT" repeat, but Spike is rumored to want an original show for the time slot. So that's a pretty good deal. IF it's accurate. And ONLY if they keep Jonny Fairplay the HELL away from it...

Just the exposure on Spike TV will benefit TNA. Yes, Fox Sports Network was a big deal at the time. It WAS national coverage, although local Fox Sports Net affiliates could shift the times when local sports programming was necessary. But it was national TV, nonetheless.

However, TNA is STILL in a make or break situation. In order for TNA's move to Spike to prove fruitful, they need to at least match the ratings "Velocity" got in the same time slot. Tonight, I don' t think that's going to be a problem. But there will be those (they know who they are) who when they don't see a huge number for the premiere will write off TNA as a failure. That's poppycock. It will be impossible to truly judge TNA's failure or success until they've been on Spike TV for at least SIX MONTHS. That's right, six months. TNA needs time to feel their way around the network audience and find their niche. Loyal TNA fans will follow the show from the start, and that's an immediate plus.

There are also naysayers out there (several of them work for this website) who are having what they are calling "ECW on TNN" flashbacks. If TNA isn't front and center on the press releases, they're convinced that Spike is throwing TNA to the wolves. In the words of the Traveling Gnome, "Oh, GROW UP"! If TNA continues to show slow and steady growth (which, incidentally, ECW NEVER did - its ratings in fact sank as the months went by - in large part due to Heyman's running out of ideas, meanspiritedly running down every other program on TNN, and by putting Don Callis' obnoxious, completely unwatchable "network guy" front and center), then TNA's prominence on Spike's website and in their press releases will grow as well. And by the way....ECW may be dead, but it's also a registered trademark of WWE..keep talking about it and Vinnie Mac's lawyers are sure to hit you with a "cease-and-desist" letter....heh heh heh...

Overall, TNA has a better deal than WWE does. Just because Vinnie Mac has more airtime doesn't mean he will in a year. I'll bet when we look back one year from now, Vinnie Mac will be bemoaning his lack of good programming, while TNA will have expanded to at least one prime time show (possibly against Raw, but i'd go for Tuesday or Wednesday myself) in addition to the Saturday night slot and be on the road to solid ground. I guess we'll see, won't we?

OK, ONTO OTHER THINGS...

"SLAMJAMZ CENTRAL - THE WEBSITE" IS ALMOST HERE!

We are ONE WEEK AWAY from the launch of the SlamJamz Central website! The new website will be a great place to come and hang out, because we're going to be offering up a variety of original features that NO ONE ELSE has, including....

THE UNABASHED WRESTLING DICTIONARY, a collection of goofy definitions that we apply to wrestling, as well as a complete glossary of actual wrestling terms;

THE D*CK ZONE, where visitors can offer up their stories about meeting wrestlers and action sports stars who were, well, d*cks when they met them;

THE COOL ZONE, the opposite of "The D*CK ZONE" , where visitors can offer up their stories about which wrestler or action sports star was really a cool person when they met them;

THE WRESTLING MEDIA DATABASE, a collection of tv shows, movies, and music featuring wrestlers and action sports stars;

X-CITE THIS!, our Action Sports section, focusing on the Action Sports world.

ROLLERJAM REWIND, devoted to RollerJam and it's stars, as well as current updates on other Roller Sports around the country and around the world.

SLAMJAMZ RADIO, available 24/7 with the best music around;

All this and more, in addition to the already world famous SlamJamz Central blog, which includes EXCLUSIVE features that you can't get from this column, like our regular "Separated At Birth" feature, and a whole lot more.!

We are also looking for plenty of contributors! We need people to contribute their stories, definitions, and such, plus we are looking for individual volunteers willing to take on the following areas on a regular basis:

> Wrestling video and DVD reviewer

> Wrestling Book reviewer

> Wrestling Videogame reviewer

> Action Sports video and DVD reviewer

> Action Sports book reviewer

> Action Sports videogame reviewer

If you'd like to fill one of the above positions, or would like to contribute stories, definitions, action sports event coverage, or something else, please let me know by dropping a line to slamjamzpwi@yahoo.com and asking about it! And don't put it off - write us right NOW!

SPEAKING OF ROLLERJAM...

Right as RollerJam went off the air, I amassed a TON of RollerJam merchandise. And with the new website taking shape, we'll have a RollerJam store open in the site. But quite honestly, I need to move this merchandise NOW! It's taking up a ton of space in our tiny apartment, and i'm offering up great prices. We've got all kinds of stuff, including photos, magazines, books, and other items, all in MINT CONDITION! I HAD planned to have the PayPal store up and running in time for this column, but alas, PayPal seems to have screwed up my business account, and i'm working with them to get it fixed. But know that you will be able to purchase TONS of RJ merchandise at a good rate when SlamJamz Central's website opens next weekend...

ON ANOTHER SUBJECT, THE BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR IS NOW OUT ON DVD

Without a doubt, the best movie of the year (at least in MY opinion) hit DVD this past Tuesday. LORDS OF DOGTOWN tells the (mostly) true story of the three Venice California teenagers who were destined to be looked upon by today's generation as the fathers of modern skateboarding - Stacy Peralta, Tony Alva, and Jay Adams - and how their launched the skateboarding revolution circa 1975.

Featuring riveting and Oscar-worthy performances by John Robinson, Victor Rasuk, and Emile Hirsch, respectively, as the above three, plus Heath Ledger, Rebecca DeMornay, and a truly movie stealing performance by Michael Angarano (who also stars in Disney's hilarious and unexpected summer sleeper smash SKY HIGH) as Sid, as well as a hysterical cameo by Tony Hawk (you may not recognize him), LORDS OF DOGTOWN is HIGHLY worthy of two hours of your time. The DVD also comes with over two hours of extras, and you can choose from the theatrical version or the "unrated" directors cut (which is what I opted for). So if you missed it at the theaters (which, sadly, most people did, despite critical raves when it came out), definitely check it out. If you're even REMOTELY into skateboarding, you will LOVE IT.

THIS WEEK ON THE BLOG...

Due to my oral surgery this past Monday, I have still not been able to get things loaded as I should have, but you can still look forward to the PWI 500 analysis, my "Notes To The Miz" column as mentioned here last week, and a couple of new "Separated At Birth" columns, as we count down to next weeks' website launch. I hope you'll be there. The address is http://slamjamz.blogspot.com.

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I’ll be back soon with more of my thoughts on the world of Pro Wrestling and the occasional off topic item. Don’t forget to check out my Blog, SlamJamz Central, where I post (more or less) regular thoughts on the world of wrestling. Be sure to check out the latest new feature, Separated At Birth....

And Until next time, as always, it's Me Against The World. REPRISE THE THEME SONG AND ROLL THE CREDITS!

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TC Kirkham is an 11-year veteran of the wrestling wars, the Honorable Right Left Reverend of the Church Of Waltman, Red, Spanky, and Sabin, the world’s most pessimistic optimist, a devoted fan of “Lords of Dogtown”, and the proprietor of The Moonsault Chef (http://themoonsaultchef.com) and RadioTC Productions (http://radiotc.com). He’s also a firm believer in the right to speak his mind about any injustice he happens to come across because he can. For more wrestling input from TC, check out the new SlamJamz Central blog (http://slamjamz.blogspot.com/). Void where prohibited by law…sorry, Tennessee! SURF'S UP, BABY! YEAH! You can leave your comments whether they be pro or con under the rug (where they’ll be stepped on, but oh, what the hell, PLEASE WRITE anyway!) at slamjamzpwi@yahoo.com.

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SlamJamz is an op-ed column, and the views expressed above are those of TC Kirkham and do not necessarily reflect the position of PWInsider.com.