ktc

Dueling Chair Shots
by Kurt La Mont
column date 06/21/2000

TNN is hardcore

I watched a tape of the past TNN show. Upon seeing the conclusion of the show when the big Arena Football Promo appeared in the large portion of the screen I was laughing uncontrollably. I realized right away what was going on.

I’m sure that ECW and probably most ECW fans were appalled that TNN would do such a thing but I say it’s about time. ECW has been beating up TNN publicly for most of the past year. Finally TNN struck back.

While you may think that TNN is the bad guy here look at things from TNN’s perspective:

TNN put ECW on national TV. Without TNN ECW is still running the syndicated show to 25% of the country (although I’m sure there are a lot of fans that wish that were still the case). For all we know there might not even be ECW without TNN. You would think that there would be some gratitude from ECW. It’s not like there were a handful of networks knocking down Paul E’s door a year ago. TNN went out on a limb that no one else was willing to go out on for ECW a year ago and we have seen nothing but complaints from ECW since.

ECW has run an angle where TNN is the heel. While everything appears to be a work, we know that all the jokes and snide comments are shoots. Joey mentioned at Cyberslam that while these were shoots on TNN, the TNN people got a kick out of it because they thought it was a joke. Finally they realized that maybe there was some truth behind these jokes and angles and that they should probably be offended by them.

And of course the final straw would be Paul E’s shoot interview and Gertner’s comments that TNN edited a few weeks ago. Did anyone really expect TNN to air these comments?

There can only be so much abuse you can take before you strike back. TNN reached that point last week and I say it’s about time. Is TNN blameless in this relationship? Of course not. But when you are constantly trashed publicly by the company that you stuck your neck out for wouldn’t you be a bit upset too? I know I would.

Random Thoughts:

Paul E on what ECW offers TNN (summer 1999): “We bring to the table something that they need which is a strong lead-in for Roller Jam. We already have the core audience and hopefully we can expand that audience.” - Looking back on this, isn’t that really funny? Who’d have thought one of Paul E’s goals last summer would be to increase the Roller Jam audience?

Isn’t watching the TNN show on tape so much better than watching it ‘live’?

There are still no tag teams champions. Does anyone care?

I can’t stand watching Scotty Anton wrestle. If Van Dam can pull a good match out of him I’ll be surprised.

And was I at a house show where Anton wrestled in one of two main events? Or was that just a bad dream?

Whenever I hear that there will be 2 or 3 main events on a show the only thing I think of is old over-hyped Nitros.

The clap is so hokey it makes me laugh, especially when Cyrus does it.

Wouldn’t a more appropriate suspension for the Sandman be to have to work without pay instead of sitting at home without pay?

A hardcore Quebecer. Who’d have thunk it? If I remember correctly the last time I saw him he was in the Brawl for All. I don’t remember if he was one of the unfortunate ones to get knocked out by Bart Gunn though.

I hope Lenny Lane is brought into ECW next. He has more charisma then most of the wrestlers in ECW do right now. And he’s a pretty good wrestler. I think he could get over huge.

That’s some coincidence that there would be a Strictly ECW column pleading for Paul E to sell ECW two days after I wrote the same thing last week.

More good stuff next week. Send comments, questions, and feedback to [email protected]