Reality or Storyline? Samoe Joe/Sting article

Submitted By Caroline Walsh on 09/22/08

Courtesy of Buck Woodward and PWInsider.com One complaint amongst some TNA fans for the past few years is how the company treats their "home grown" talent in comparison to wrestlers with "WWE" or "WCW" on their resumes. Promos where older stars act like they've never heard of the TNA headliners, or that they are beneath them because they weren't part of wrestling's heyday is nothing new. In the Nashville days, Lex Luger pretended not to know the name of AJ Styles, who had been main eventing on shows for the company. A few years ago, Rikishi called Robert Roode a jabroni he never heard of, despite TNA spending weeks showing legendary managers vying for his services. Even attempts to have older stars put over the "TNA Originals" often backfires. Having Kevin Nash or Sting calling Samoa Joe and AJ Styles "the future" of wrestling pretty much dismisses the very history of TNA itself. If Styles is the "future" what has he been for the past six years, most of which were spent as a main eventer? Samoa Joe is the TNA Champion. That's not the future, that's the present. In some ways, there has always been this identity crisis with TNA. They want to be seen as the future of pro wrestling, innovators, boasting of the X-Division and various stipulation matches they've created. At the same time, whether it is Sting, Kurt Angle, Christian Cage or Booker T, whenever a former top WWE or WCW name comes in, the company heralds it as the signing that puts them in "the big league". In all honesty, whether they are pushing the homegrown talent or the stars of the Monday Night War era, the ratings have stayed the same. That appears to be the strongest argument for pushing the younger stars. If the ratings are the same, why not try to build up the wrestlers who can become (and remain) draws for the next ten years, instead of pushing those who are more concerned with saving for retirement? Anyway, as with most real life situations, TNA has chosen to mirror it in their storylines. Rather than the "new vs. old" argument only taking place on websites like this one, it has become the major angle in TNA. Sting, Booker and Angle complain about the youngsters not giving them respect. Styles and Samoa Joe point out how they built up TNA, and then the older stars came in to collect a paycheck. Jeff Jarrett, bringing his role as founder of TNA into his TV character, has come out on the side of the homegrown TNA stars, saying he doesn't want TNA to turn into WCW (which is hilarious as one of the biggest complaints against TNA is that Jarrett has let it become "WCW Jr."). So, instead of this being fodder for message board discussions, it is being played out on TV for us all to enjoy. This brings us to the planned Bound For Glory main event of TNA Champion Samoa Joe vs. Sting. Despite being the reigning TNA Champion for the last five months, many would argue that Joe has never been booked worse during his career. At one point, Joe was the unbeatable X-Division champion. Now, he comes off more as Kevin Nash's belligerent son, who never listens to "Dad" and talks back to his elders. Many of his matches involve outside interference and anything but a clean finish more often than not (which is a common occurrence in TNA main events). Instead of muscle busters and chokes, Joe's wins come with guitar shots, with a tip of the hat to Jeff Jarrett. However, there is a huge opportunity for TNA to turn things around with Joe next month. All they have to do is book Samoa Joe to beat Sting. Note, I wrote SAMOA JOE beats Sting. Not, Samoa Joe with help from Kevin Nash. Not, Samoa Joe with help from Jeff Jarrett. Not, Samoa Joe hitting Sting with a baseball bat, a night stick, a guitar, a coconut, a chair, a tazer, etc. No outside interference, no feet on the ropes, no pulling the tights. Sting does the job, after two straight years of winning TNA's top championship at Bound for Glory. If this event is supposed to be TNA's version of Wrestlemania, then it should end with a clean victory in the top match, which is how the majority of Wrestlemania events have ended. And please, don't tell me you need a screwjob to set up a rematch. Joe-Sting II can be done down the road without tarnishing what can be a turning point for TNA. Samoa Joe beating Sting not only plays well with the current TNA storyline, but it will send a message that this company is serious about their current (note, CURRENT, not future) stars and is not living in the past. It can be the start of a change for the Samoa Joe character back into the ass-kicking monster that WWE doesn't have right now. It can make him the leader of TNA, rather than the kid hanging around "the big stars". It can set the foundation to build for the future, rather than trying to get a little more use out of a building most people abandoned seven years ago. All it takes is Sting looking up at the lights. :: DISCUSS THIS POST ON THE FORUMS! :: SEE MICKIE JAMES & THE DIVAS NUDE! :: BUY WRESTLING DVD'S THROUGH OUR STORE! :: GO BACK TO THE HOME PAGE WRESTLING EPICENTER STORE IS OPEN! THE HOTTEST WRESTLING DVD'S ARE NOW AVAILABLE! We've got hundreds of pro wrestling DVD's at your fingertips! All your favorite stars such as Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Sting, Ric Flair, Bruiser Brody, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Harley Race, Andre the Giant, Dynamite Kid, Davey Boy Smith, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, Booker T, & countless others! We've also got the Divas! 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