Sports this 'n' that

 Some people don't deserve to be flattered. Ever.

Donald Trump is one of those people.

The most immature president in the history of ever was awarded a fabricated peace prize by FIFA during a ceremony at the Kennedy Center Friday to announce the draw for the 2026 World Cup.

President Packrat then went so far as to sound off on the NFL, thinking they need to change their name and the name of the sport, since in Europe, soccer, as we know it, is known as football.

Photo courtesy MSN.com

You'll recall that Donnie Diapers stole some trophies at FIFA events earlier this year, believing he's entitled to them, so FIFA suits are pandering to him by flattering him with hollow praise and fake gifts.

I'm told Trump actually played football in school, but I have a hard time believing that, considering he comes across as a wannabe who was assigned as a waterboy......

Orange Narcissus just has to meddle in everything where he doesn't belong. Bellevue will be waiting for him....

Meghan Trainor, please call your service. Your career is over.

If you've seen her State Farm commercial with Patrick Mahomes, you know why.

As former WWE champion and Honda pitchman John Cena winds down his in-ring career, an old nemesis is being presented as being jealous that one of today's stars has the honor of being Cena's last opponent on Saturday Night's Main Event, streaming next week on Peacock.

Former World & Intercontinental Champion Gunther has the honor, and Miz (Michael Mizanin) wants to use the fact that he defeated Cena at Wrestlemania 14 years ago to justify his getting the shot. Uh, no. Today, Miz is Daffy Duck to Cena's Bugs Bunny, while the Austrian-born Gunther would be happy with the honor.

After NXT/Evolve's Brooks Jensen (Ben Buchanan) complained about not being included in the Last Time is Now tournament, NXT Creative included him in a storyline in TNA, where he, along with two other 2nd generation wrestlers, Lexis King (Brian Pillman, Jr.) & Charlie Dempsey (Bailey Matthews), and others are disrupting TNA events, but there is no continuity between TNA & NXT for whatever reason. While Jensen is getting some shine time, NXT frontman Shawn Michaels is not following through on Tuesdays, when the object, in this writer's opinion, is to get people watching both NXT & TNA programming.

In case you wonder, Dempsey is the son of William Regal (Darren Matthews).

Seems the NFL is grooming Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson as their next crossover star.

Hutchinson is appearing with Patrick Mahomes in ads for State Farm, and with ex-Pittsburgh Steeler & Head & Shoulders pitchman Troy Polamalu for the shampoo. At least Hutchinson has personality, which is more than we can say for the not-quite-wooden Eli Manning......!

Sports this 'n' that

 This season, Jersey Mike's subs hired former Giants QB Eli Manning to do a series of commercials with their primary pitchman, Danny DeVito (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia), where the paranoid DeVito thinks Eli's been hired to take his job. Shouldn't worry, though, as Eli has the personality of dead wood, which is why Toyota dumped him and his X-Men wannabe ad campaign a few years back.

While the ads are getting sillier and sillier, and DeVito is channeling his Taxi character of Louie DiPalma, DeVito was invited to join Eli and brother Peyton on ESPN2 last night during Monday Night Football, as the Giants took another loss, this time to New England. Now, we'll see if either Manning shows up on Sunny at some point.

TNA Wrestling is leaving corporate sibling AXS TV (both owned by Anthem) in January, and moving to, of all places, AMC.

The change takes effect January 15 with a live show in Dallas that will also stream on AMC+. One clout chasing "reporter" falsely claimed that the shift in networks also spells the end of the talent sharing with WWE's NXT division, but TNA president Carlos Silva said that's not true.

Appearing on Busted Open Radio earlier today, Silva affirmed that the WWE-TNA agreement remains in place into 2026. They initiated a new invasion storyline last month at Bound For Glory and on Impact the night prior, and there's no way that arc dies stillborn.

First, it was Juan Soto & Clay Holmes. Now, it's Devin Williams.

Williams, the erratic closer, left the Yankees after 1 season, like Soto, and signed a 3 year deal with the Mets on Monday. Reports say Williams is open to being a set-up man, assuming the Mets can convince Edwin Diaz to stay in Flushing, after another erratic reliever, Ryan Helsley, signed with Baltimore over the weekend.

Stay tuned.

UFC to leave ESPN for CBS/Paramount Plus. The promotion's broadcast history is about to come full circle

 Some 20-odd years ago, UFC launched The Ultimate Fighter, a reality competition series that was designed to help bolster the promotion's roster of fighters. The series initially aired on Spike TV (Now Paramount Network), and has since moved to Fox/FS1 and ESPN/ESPN+.

Next stop? Back under the Paramount umbrella, as it was reported earlier this week that, days after the WWE was moving their streaming content from Peacock to ESPN's new streaming service in 2026, TKO Holdings, the parent of both UFC & WWE, decided the two could not remain under the same umbrella for streaming.

Penny wise or pound foolish? Who knows?

While UFC's current frontman, Dana White, is giddy about staging a card at the White House next year, though some of his fighters might not be, you have to wonder why TKO made this move to keep UFC & WWE apart, when the potential for crossovers between the two promotions exists.

The answer there may be that White doesn't want that happening at all. Sure, President Pampers (Donald Trump) is a fan of both, and is in the WWE Hall of Fame's Celebrity Wing, but that doesn't mean he couldn't see a crossover event happening. Given how Trump has meddled in so many things he has no control over lately, just because he 1) thinks he can, and 2) he needs to keep attention away from certain scandals hanging over his head, I'd not be surprised if he took a stand on this issue, inevitably.

In a slightly unrelated note, former UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta has expressed interest in acquiring TNA Wrestling, but there are those who believe that will eventually move under the TKO umbrella as well, given the promotion's current working arrangement with WWE's NXT division, and, almost inevitably, crossovers with the main WWE rosters could still be on the agenda.

Anyone for alphabet soup?

Sports this 'n' that

 So the Jests decided to cut bait on past-his-prime Aaron Rodgers the other day. Here's a piece of advice for Rodgers. Just retire. Brett Favre made the same mistake, lingering too long, and his life's been ruined by off-field scandals.

I pity the team that signs Rodgers this season.

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We're now learning that after the 2025 season, Major League Baseball will be looking for a new broadcast home, as they're severing their ties with ESPN over lack of non-game coverage. This decision will push them closer to Fox and/or TNT/TBS. The belief from this desk is that while Fox revived the concept of the Saturday game of the week, they're not going to give up their Sunday night block, so Sunday Night Baseball will move to TNT/TBS, or, if ESPN offers some sort of compromise, it'll stay right where it is.

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Not a fan of ESPN's Pro Golf League, which has PGA players playing indoors in one of those virtual courses like they have in some places around the country. With pickleball also on the ESPN menu, why not bring back Wide World of Sports?

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After all the hype surrounding the NHL's Four Nations Face-Off, which ended last night with Canada winning an overtime thriller over Team USA, the league may actually have come up with a better solution to replacing the fading concept of an all-star game.

Edmonton star Connor McDavid scored the game winner.

Unfortunately for the USA, there was this, well, kiss of death before the game. The team got a telephone pep talk from president Donald Trump before the game, and Trump, like he did before the Super Bowl nearly 2 weeks ago, predicted a victory.

Make it 0-2 for Trump. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau trolled Trump after the game. Trump has been making noises about annexing Canada, if but to distract the people of America from his underhanded handling of various US agencies in order to enrich his fellow wealthy types, as well as his new best friend, South African emigre Elon Musk.

But, you know what you're getting today from the oldest baby in America after last night's game.

"WAAAHHHHHHH!"

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The talent agreement forged between TNA Wrestling and WWE's NXT division has produced some compelling television over the last year.

The latest chapter began on Tuesday when TNA X champion Moose (Quinn Ojinnaka), a 2 time TNA World champion, showed up on NXT in advance of TNA taking over NXT's former home at Full Sail University for last night's Impact broadcast, and confronting NXT champion Oba Femi, an Alabama alumnus.

Last night, Femi returned the favor, confronting Moose and his faction, The System. Overseeing it all was TNA Director of Authority (read: GM) Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli) and NXT's "liason to TNA", Arianna Grace (Bianca Carelli). The real-life father & daughter also appeared together at NXT's Vengeance Day PLE last Saturday, and Marella, a former US, Intercontinental, & tag team champion during his time in WWE, was at his best, mangling wrestlers' names, and shushing Arianna's attempts to correct him. The Norm Crosby of wrestling was in fine form.

Moose will defend the X title on the next NXT broadcast against Heritage Cup champ Lexis King (Brian Pillman, Jr.) in the latter's hometown of Cincinnati.

Sports this 'n' that

 The Houston Astros may be without a valuable piece of their bullpen as they return home to try to clinch the ALCS tonight against the Texas Rangers.

Pitcher Bryan Abreu was suspended for 2 games, pending appeal, for intentionally hitting Texas' Adolis Garcia in game 5 on Friday, touching off a bench-clearing incident that also saw Garcia and Astros manager Dusty Baker ejected from the game, along with Abreu.

I say, screw the appeal, serve the suspension, because if the Astros have to go 7 games to advance to the World Series, they will be at full strength when they get there.

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WWE's Grayson Waller firmly believes in the late Andy Warhol's prophesy that everyone will be famous for 15 minutes. The problem is, the Australian-born wrestler may have picked the wrong target.

Waller, a former school teacher in Australia before turning to wrestling, decided to use social media to take a few cheap shots at the fan base of singer Taylor Swift. Now, you & I know that the Swifties won't like getting dissed by a man getting himself over at their expense.

I think you know where this is going. Come January, depending on how far the Kansas City Chiefs go in the playoffs, a certain paramour of Swift's might show up at the Royal Rumble, gunning for Waller.

It isn't like Travis Kelce's been everywhere lately, though, what with endorsement deals with Pfizer, Experian, State Farm, DirecTV......!

And, there are fans on reddit who think Swift will don a leotard & tights and get in the ring herself. Nah.

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Meanwhile, at the end of last night's Bound For Glory PPV, Impact Wrestling made an interesting announcement, featuring a number of current talents, including Eric Young, Jordynne Grace, Frankie Kazarian, and Eddie Edwards. The f-bombs have been muted.

Apparently, TNA-Impact's Canadian owners are tired of seeing the company as the #3 promotion in the country, behind WWE & AEW. Well, here's a thought. How about finding a broadcast network that will take a chance on you? CW's out, unless they're willing to add TNA to the NWA deal they just signed earlier this week. The change takes effect in January.

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You've heard by now that the USFL & XFL are merging together for 2024 and beyond. It may be the only thing that keeps both brands alive. They're still negotiating to find a new name for the combined league. Stay tuned.

Sports this 'n' that

 Earlier this season, Yankees pitcher Domingo German was suspended 10 games for a foreign substance on his hand or glove. Wednesday, German trended in the opposite direction. Then again, it was against Oakland, which beat the Yanks the night before.

German spun a perfect game on just 99 pitches, getting plenty of help from his defense. MLB's YouTube channel highlights all 27 outs recorded by German.

This was the first perfect game in MLB since Seattle's Felix Rodriguez did it against Tampa Bay in 2012.

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After retiring from the NFL, JJ Watt is moving to television.

After a Hall of Fame-worthy career in Houston & Arizona, Watt joins CBS' NFL Today this fall, which suggests to me that Nate Burleson, whom the network was hoping would be their answer to Michael Strahan over at Fox, since Burleson is also on CBS Mornings, will be leaving the Sunday panel. We'll know for sure come September 10.

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Mets owner Steve Cohen assured fans that manager Buck Showalter & GM Billy Eppler would remain through the end of the season, hoping the team can finally break out of its malaise that has seen them fall to 4th place in the NL East, 9 games below .500 after losing 3 of 4 to Milwaukee (The Brewers won the season series, 6-1), and threatening to fall out of contention. Fans are antsy, of course, but overreacting. Every team, individual players or as a whole, goes through slumps, and this is no exception.

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The All-Star Game takes place in Seattle July 11, and the starters were announced Thursday. To illustrate the utter ignorance of parochial fans, Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was voted in, despite the fact that he will likely not be able to play due to torn ligaments in his toe. The defending AL HR champ won't be back until probably September, if that.

The starters:

AL:

First base: Yandy Diaz, Tampa Bay.

Second base: Marcus Semien, Texas.

Shortstop: Corey Seager, Texas.

Third base: Josh Jung, Texas.

Catcher: Jonah Heim, Texas.

Outfield: Aaron Judge, Yankees, Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay, & Mike Trout, Los Angeles.

Designated Hitter: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles.

NL:

First base: Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles.

Second base: Luis Arraez, Miami.

Shortstop: Orlando Arcia, Atlanta.

Third base: Nolan Arenado, St. Louis.

Catcher: Sean Murphy, Atlanta.

Outfield: Ronald Acuna, Jr., Atlanta, Mookie Betts, Los Angeles, Corbin Carroll, Arizona.

Designated Hitter: J. D. Martinez, Los Angeles.

Pitchers & reserves will be announced soon. Mets fans are hoping for Francisco Lindor to be named as a reserve, and for pitchers Max Scherzer & David Robertson to get a nod, though I doubt Scherzer, who was suspended earlier this season, will end up on the roster.

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It's a little weird knowing that three major US wrestling promotions are all out of the country this weekend.

WWE has Money in The Bank Saturday afternoon in London, England, after tonight's episode of Smackdown airs, likely on same-day tape. The live card tomorrow begins at 3 pm (ET). Impact Wrestling, formerly TNA, is in Australia today & tomorrow, and All Elite Wrestling is wrapping up a week of events in Canada that began with Forbidden Door last Sunday.

Everyone will be back stateside come Monday.

Sports this 'n' that

Impact Wrestling's much-hyped Slammiversary card last night produced a changing of the guard among the promotion's champions, and welcomed back some old friends.

Eddie Edwards won the vacant Impact World title in a 5-way elimination match that also included the returning Eric Young, who'd been cut by WWE back in April. Young was horribly misused by WWE after being called up as part of the SAnitY faction in the spring of 2018, and spent the final months of his WWE tenure as a part-time agent/producer and a jobber. WWE Chairman/CEO Vince McMahon & Executive Producer Kevin Dunn didn't understand the concept behind SAnitY, and waited seven months before calling up the fourth & final member of the group, Nikki Cross, who is now a 2-time women's tag team champion, and will challenge for the Smackdown women's title tonight.

Luke "Doc" Gallows had been with TNA-Impact as part of the Aces & Eights faction in 2011-12 before going to Japan. This time, he brings with him his long time tag team partner, "Machine Gun" Karl Anderson, as he returned to Impact. For now, the "Good Brothers" are babyfaces, but it's a matter of time before the former 2-time WWE tag champs turn heel.

EC3, nee Ethan Carter III (Michael Hutter), like Young, was mistreated creatively after being called up by WWE in January 2019. McMahon, Dunn, and their staff of anonymous, untrained-in-wrestling scribblers had the perfect storyline in position, after EC3's storyline "aunt", former TNA President Dixie Carter, appeared for a Kurt Angle compilation DVD. But, because past invasion angles have backfired badly in WWE due to McMahon's own ego, having the "Carters" come in and attempt to take over WWE was never brought to the drawing board, and Hutter was stuck as a background player holding a drink. David Otunga, last seen as a legal analyst for WWE and for TruTV, might want to discuss things down the road, as he had the same thing happen to him at the end of his run with WWE.

Chris Bey, who was introduced to cable audiences during the short-lived Ring Warriors in 2018, won the X Division title from Willie Mack. Deonna Purrazzo, another wrestler WWE gave up on, captured Impact's women's title from Jordynne Grace, leaving the North (Canada's Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) as the only champions to retain on Saturday.

Impact's weekly show on Tuesday, now on AXS TV (a premium channel on Spectrum, check your listings), should be interesting.
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With The Horror Show at Extreme Rules on tap tonight, WWE will have a bit of a viewer problem.

You see, NBC will at least for tonight replay the series premiere of USA Network's new reality game show, Cannonball, which bowed on July 9. Michael "The Miz" Mizanin (Miz & Mrs., ex-The Real World), after playing up his self-serving in ring persona in commercials for the new show, actually dials it down as a commentator. We'll have a full review up before the end of the week, but on NBC, Cannonball will be coupled with Dwayne Johnson's 2nd year series, The Titan Games.
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As baseball's regular season finally begins this week, we have to encapsulate our previews.

We previously discussed the American League East in early March, before the coronavirus pandemic began wreaking havoc on sports. To recap, here's our predictions for the division:

1. Yankees.
2. Tampa Bay.
3. Toronto.
4. Boston.
5. Baltimore.

However, the Blue Jays won't be playing in Canada this year, and their "home opener" is set for the end of the month, either in Dunedin, Florida (doubtful) or Buffalo. They'd be better served in Buffalo. Boston's pitching staff took another hit when Eduardo Rodriguez tested positive for coronavirus, so he might not be ready for opening day. Yankees pitcher Domingo German won't play this season due to a domestic violence related suspension, but now he claims he's retiring. Yeah, right. Our prediction for the final standings remain the same, but it's looking like a 2 horse race.

As for the other divisions:

AL Central:

We'll just take a shot in the dark here:

1. Minnesota.
2. Cleveland.
3. Detroit.
4. Chicago.
5. Kansas City.

AL West:

1. Houston.
2. Seattle.
3. Angels.
4. Oakland.
5. Texas.

Of course, I could be wrong. National League final predictions on Wednesday.

Wrestling this 'n' that

Last week, we reported that manager-turned-podcaster/gadfly Jim Cornette and his wife, Stacy, were supposedly involved in some shady, erotic dealings while Cornette was in charge of Ohio Valley Wrestling.

On one of his podcasts earlier this week, Cornette debunked the issue, which was mostly sour grapes from former OVW talent, but given his history, which includes getting bounced from an announcer's role with the NWA for an unintentional racial faux pas on the air at the start of the year, the podcasts (he has at least 2-3) might be all he has left to keep his hand in the waters of the wrestling business.
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Add former WWE Cruiserweight champion Jamie Noble, now an agent-producer for the company, to the list of personnel who've tested positive for coronavirus. Noble posted the message on social media. Something tells me that's not the end of it with WWE, and I'd not be surprised if some upper-tier talent and/or management might also have contracted the virus. Stay tuned.
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After cutting two wrestlers, and suspending a third, Impact Wrestling decided to cut ties with its World champion, Tessa Blanchard, on Thursday.

Blanchard, the daughter of Hall of Famer Tully Blanchard (now with AEW), was to defend the title, as the first female world champion in the promotion's history, at Slamniversary on July 18 in a 5-way vs. Ace Austin, Michael Elgin, Eddie Edwards, and Trey Miguel. Elgin was suspended earlier this week for suspicion of misconduct. Blanchard's contract was coming due, but after declining to submit a video promo from her current hideaway in Mexico (where she lives with her fiance, Daga, another Impact wrestler), Impact and its parent company, Anthem Sports, a Canadian company, decided to strip Blanchard of the title. With Elgin out, the main event on July 18 appears to now be a triple threat.

So where does Tessa Blanchard go from here?

No American promotion, even AEW, would be willing to take a chance on her after allegations of bullying surfaced over the winter. Since she's already in Mexico, would AAA or any other promotion there take a flier? We'll have to wait & see. Despite her father working for AEW, that would be a risk for Tessa, considering that the Young Bucks, the stars of Being The Elite, have deleted episodes that featured Joey Ryan, who was let go by Impact earlier this week. Stay tuned.

Update, 2:38 pm (ET): Elgin becomes the 4th wrestler cut by Impact this week.
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Anthem Sports, you'll recall, acquired the AXS network from Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban a few months back. After forcing New Japan Pro Wrestling's weekly show off their network, Anthem has done the same with David McLane's revived Women of Wrestling, opting not to renew the contract for that series. Ed Nordholm and the staff there apparently believe Impact is the only wrestling promotion that belongs on AXS. Cuban, a regular on Shark Tank, should've thought better of the deal, don't ya think?

Celebrity Rock: Somebody's Gonna Pay (2013)

She's back with WWE now, but when Mickie James left in 2010, she sought to pursue a career in country music. She had already begun work on a CD, so the stories went, but WWE wasn't willing to support her venture. That fall, she signed with TNA, and of course they got behind her debut album, "Strangers & Angels".

Three years later, James went back in the studio, and recorded "Somebody's Gonna Pay". The title cut may be her strongest track yet. The video features future husband Nick "Magnus" Aldis, and former WWE rival Trish Stratus, who plays a bartender.



During her TNA tenure, Mickie also appeared, along with wrestler James Storm, on one of Cowboy Troy's CD's. She released a new single last year, but not a full album.

Weasel of the Week: Ed Nordholm

It was one thing when Anthem Sports & Entertainment decided to excise the acronym TNA (Total Non-stop Action), and use the name of the promotion's Thursday night wrestling program, Impact, as the new name of the promotion. That was all well and good. Unfortunately, Anthem President Ed Nordholm, who brought founding father Jeff Jarrett back into the promotion, and, by extension, Jarrett aides Dutch Mantell and Bruce Prichard, threw gasoline on it because of a misperception of reality as it relates to the company's now-former tag team champions.

At issue is whether or not the Hardys' "Broken" gimmick, which has been a vital part of Impact for nearly a year, is, in fact, intellectual property of Impact Wrestling/Anthem. The Hardys left the promotion a week and a half ago, choosing not to sign a new contract. What was even more galling, depending on who you believe, is that the contract had arrived a wee bit too late. Supposedly, Anthem's legal team was taking forever and a week to iron out the details of the contract. Just three days after leaving Impact, Matt & Jeff Hardy showed up at a Ring of Honor event, with their gimmick intact, and defeated the Young Bucks for the ROH tag titles.

That's when the trouble really started.

Prior to last night's ROH PPV, celebrating the promotion's 15th anniversary, the Hardys retained the titles in a Las Vegas Streetfight match over the Bucks and Rappongi Vice. However, due to a last minute cease & desist order issued by Anthem's lawyers to the Hardys and Ring of Honor, the "Broken" gimmick couldn't be used.

So, what's the problem?

Anthem is also the parent company of the Fight Network, which carries both ROH's weekly television show and Impact in Canada. They've publicly stated they want to build a business relationship between the two promotions, but this is no way to go about it. For all the mistakes that Jarrett and former TNA president Dixie Carter have made over that same 15 year period, this had to be one of the biggest blunders in company history. Matt & Jeff Hardy have had more than 20 years experience in the wrestling business, and even started their own promotion in their native North Carolina before signing with WWE in 1996. Matt and his wife, Rebecca, aka Reby Sky-Hardy, contend that Matt developed the "Broken" gimmick himself, admittedly while under contract to TNA, and recently filed for a trademark in Pittsburgh, where WWE will be this coming week. Nordholm and Anthem claim "Broken" is theirs. Oh, the legal drama to follow.

The real question is why wasn't a new contract submitted to the Hardys before February 28? Nordholm and his staff had to know the Hardys were drawing interest from Ring of Honor, and, by extension, New Japan Pro Wrestling, as well as WWE, even though the brothers were cashiered out of the latter between August 2009 (Jeff's drug problems) and February 2010 (Matt's contract was non-renewed). To issue a cease & desist order at the 11th hour, threatening to ruin any plans for future business with ROH (which has had issues with TNA in the past), isn't helping matters at all, but only exacerbating the problem. For that reason, Nordholm, as the public face of Anthem Sports, gets the Weasel ears this week. You reap what you sow, dude.

A parade of passings

Death has been busy lately. Very, very busy.

We'll start in the sports world. Former Syracuse and NBA star Dwayne "Pearl" Washington passed away earlier this week at 52. Washington, who played professionally with the then-New Jersey Nets in the NBA, had been in ill health for some time, and was hailed as a phenom in his youth. However, off-court issues torpedoed his career rather prematurely.

Baseball pitcher Milt Pappas played with Cincinnati and the Chicago Cubs during his career. He passed away a day or two prior to Washington. Didn't quite catch how old he was upon his passing.

It has come across the wires that music legend Prince had passed at 57. Cause unknown. Born Prince Rogers Nelson in Minneapolis, he may have been small in size, but larger than life as a R & B/funk/rock icon in the 80's with hits like "1999", "Little Red Corvette", and composing his own soundtrack to 1989's "Batman", including a duet with Sheena Easton, "The Arms of Orion". He was just as legendary for being protective of his image and work, and thus you won't see a video here.

Actress Doris Roberts may be best known for Everybody Loves Raymond, but that actually revived her career. Roberts had supporting roles on Remington Steele and Angie, among others, before landing the plum part of Marie Barone on Raymond. Doris Roberts was 90.

Finally, and this was also a shocker, former WWF women's & intercontinental champion Chyna (Joanie Laurer) passed away Wednesday at 46. Speculation is she died from an overdose, but nothing's been confirmed at press time. Chyna was in the WWF (now WWE) from 1997-2001, and departed after her contract expired, due largely to the fact that her then-beau, Triple H (Paul Levesque) left her for his eventual wife, Stephanie McMahon. What has kept her out of the Hall of Fame, some say, and HHH has been quoted as noting this, is the fact that Chyna's post-WWF acting career has included some adult films. She did, however, make guest appearances toward the end of her WWF run on 3rd Rock From The Sun and Whose Line is it Anyway?, and did commercials for Stacker 2.

Rest in peace.

Destination: Bargain Basement---TNA finds a new home that few have heard of

The text was originally published at www.2xzone.com on November 20.

An era ended on Spike TV (formerly the Nashville/National Network, or, TNN) on November 19. However, TNA's era of errors continues unabated by common sense.

Raise your hand if you've heard of Destination America, the new home for Impact beginning in January. All we know is that it's one of the Discovery Communications family of networks, but most people know Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Discovery Family (formerly the Hub & Discovery Kids), and the Oprah Winfrey Network (formerly Discovery Health). Destination America? That sounds like a clone of the Travel Channel to me.

So, when TNA books Slamniversary in June, marking its 13th birthday, they will have been on 3 networks in the course of about 11 years, starting with a floating timeslot on Fox Sports Net, then 9 years and change on Spike, when they replaced the WWE, and now Destination America. Early rumors had them going to another Discovery network, Velocity, which in some cities is only available on the HD tier of your cable system. Heck, I had to do a search to see if my cable provider had Destination America, which they may just be adding in time for the addition of Impact.

The point is, insofar as I know, Destination America, or, DA for short, is in fewer homes now than Spike is. As usual, TNA went shopping in the bargain bin for a new deal. Once again, Dixie Carter demonstrated the business acumen of a blind mosquito. Then again, the fact that Fox wasn't interested in reacquainting themselves with TNA, despite the departure of founding father Jeff Jarrett, coupled with Spike, a Viacom network, deciding to get out of the wrestling business, left Dixie with few options. Time Warner wasn't interested, else TruTV, which is in more homes than DA, would've been a perfect fit. With WWE firmly wedded to NBC/Universal/Comcast, TNA wasn't going there without raising the ire of the McMahons.

Considering the questionable state of TNA of late,and the fact that one of their hottest heel characters, Ethan Carter III, the fictional nephew of Dixie Carter, is on the shelf with an injury, I'd not be surprised if we read in a year's time that TNA on DA ends up being DOA. TNA let Sting, AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian, Mickie James, and Christopher Daniels walk, and Kurt Angle and Team 3D may be next, depending on negotiations. WWE can always dangle the carrot of a Hall of Fame berth, which Team 3D got last month at Bound For Glory, to bring Angle, Ray & Devon back, bringing Tommy Dreamer with them. WWE could do more for Dreamer's House of Hardcore promotion, given the sloppy way TNA did an angle with Dreamer over the summer in New York. Angle, in WWE's eyes, would be better suited not as a wrestler, since Vince McMahon had advised Kurt to retire 8 1/2 years ago, but as an administrator, the role he has now. Daniels & Kazarian are in Ring of Honor. Styles is floating between ROH & New Japan, and is the IWGP champ and a member of their NWO-esque faction, the Bullet Club, which just inducted one Jeffrey Jarrett into their ranks recently. Then again, Jarrett helped kill the NWO in WCW by joining in 2000 after it'd already jumped the shark. Maybe the Bullet Club is on its last legs.

What I'm trying to say is, quite frankly, TNA shot themselves in the collective foot again. Dixie's role models aren't the McMahons, whom she's tried to imitate, but, rather, classic bumblers like Wilton Parmenter (Ken Berry on F-Troop, nearly 50 years ago), and Inspector Clouseau of the "Pink Panther" movies (Peter Sellers or Steve Martin, take your pick). To borrow from the Climax Blues Band, TNA still "Couldn't Get It Right". A year from now, I may be writing their final epitaph. Watch & see.

TNA has one foot in the grave-----or do they?

The biggest story in pro wrestling today isn't in the WWE. Instead, it's in TNA.

Total Non-stop Action (TNA) Wrestling's contract with Spike TV is up at the end of September or early October, and word got out earlier today that the network would not renew the contract. Some sources cited the rehiring of former head writer Vince Russo, this time as a consultant, as a reason for the non-renewal, but that might not be the only reason.

Russo, an over-the-hill scribe who's also worked for WWE & WCW, was at his best when he had someone editing and filtering his ideas (i.e. Vince McMahon). However, when he left the then-World Wrestling Federation in the fall of 1999 to join his pal Jeff Jarrett in WCW, he got a big head and thought that his ideas could work there, unfiltered, uncensored. Instead, WCW went in the toilet in the ratings, and was bought out by McMahon less than 18 months after Russo arrived. He's on his fourth tour with TNA, the first without Jarrett being there to vouch for him, and you can bank on him joining Jarrett when the former champ's new promotion, Global Force Wrestling, debuts next year.

The other problem involves co-owner Dixie Carter, who became more of an on-camera character within the last year, morphing into an amalgam of Vince & Stephanie McMahon, another example of TNA's current creative team being bereft of new ideas, and that's only because Russo doesn't have anything new himself. He'd rather recycle old ideas or copy what WWE is doing. In an angle that is set to air next month, since television was taped weeks in advance in New York, Carter was plunged through a table by Bully Ray, and reportedly suffered some legit injuries to her back, despite Ray's best efforts to protect her from the impact (pun intended). Carter was written off television as a result. Carter's main problem is that she is and always has been a mark for the business, and repeatedly hired people off WWE's cut list, including Bully Ray (formerly Bubba Ray Dudley), Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, and Ken Anderson, relying on such name recognition to pop an extra rating point, having next to no faith in the talent that had been with the company virtually from day one (i.e. James Storm, Christopher Daniels). 

When Jarrett was helping run the show, he insisted on being put over as the NWA champion (TNA was part of the National Wrestling Alliance for the first few years), even though he didn't need to be. His act was stale, and never really changed, even with a couple of babyface runs. Now, he's developing another promotion, as noted above, and one hopes he's learned from his mistakes.

However, updated headlines as the day progressed have thrown cold water on fans' hopes that TNA would have one foot in the grave. It's being reported now that they're still negotiating with Spike TV, and it's rumored that it's for a lower rate, which won't help the promotion's bottom line. TMZ Sports made the initial report on Sunday, but we should've known a gossip site wouldn't have all the facts or details readily available. If TNA were to leave Spike, where would they go? Fox might not take them back. The Fox Sports Net regional networks were TNA's 1st TV home a decade ago, but a floating time slot meant low ratings, and after a brief stint of internet-only programming, they arrived on Spike in October 2005.

Times have changed at Spike, too. Sure, they're playing reruns of Cops into the ground (it's a Viacom channel, what did you expect?), just as they did the same with Star Trek: The Next Generation a decade ago. They don't know how to program effectively anymore. None of the MTV Networks do. The network needs a makeover, and there's a rumor that they would be willing to buy out TNA in order to keep it at the network. They bought the Bellator MMA promotion to keep that going, but would they be willing to take a chance on a ship that's already sinking?

If in fact TNA is gone from Spike come October, Bellator and another MMA promotion, Glory, can fill the void, or they can negotiate with Sinclair to bring Ring of Honor Wrestling to the network. For most discriminating fans, that would be a win for both sides in that case. NBC-Universal is not an option for TNA, not when they're home to the WWE. But what about, irony of ironies, a Time Warner channel, like TNT? Would they try to turn back the clock to 1995 again and restart the "Monday Night Wars"? I don't think so.

No, what I think will happen is that Spike will go ahead and non-renew TNA, and be done with it. They need to change their identity, and so does TNA, and it'd be better for both sides if they part. Period.

A collection of Weasels & Dunces

Time to hand out a bunch of Weasel ears & Dunce Caps. Some people may be getting both.

One such person is James Dolan, owner of the NY Knicks, Rangers, Madison Square Garden, & Cablevision. On Thursday, Dolan dismissed Knicks GM Glen Grunwald, and replaced him with Steve Mills, who begins his 2nd tour of duty with the Knicks. If I'm coach Mike Woodson, I have reason to worry now. Mills is the same man who hired former Detroit star Isaiah Thomas as coach & GM a number of years ago, and that ended in disgrace over a sexual harrassment scandal. Thomas still hasn't proven he can coach, if a disastrous run at Florida International is any indication. However, because he's become close buds with the insecure Dolan, the NBA's answer to the late George Steinbrenner as far as NY is concerned, Thomas has to be on speed dial in case the Knicks get off to an extra slow start that costs Woodson his job.

Why a Dunce Cap? Because Dolan is on the brink of repeating a business mistake and doesn't care. He gets another set of Weasel ears because of his reputation as a poor judge of talent.

Moving to the Bronx, we find that Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, set to become a free agent, is reportedly asking for more than $300 million over a 10 year period on his next contract. Cano dismissed Scott "20 Mule Team" Boras as his agent earlier this year, and signed with the firm run by Shawn Carter, better known as rapper Jay-Z. Carter gave up his interest in the Brooklyn Nets not long ago, but why would he have his firm follow the Boras Method of fleecing owners? Lord only knows. Cano's getting a Dunce Cap for even making such a ridiculous demand that will drive him away from the Yankees, who actually need him next year. He was the only one in their starting infield who actually played a full season, and this was on top of leading the Dominican Republic to the World Baseball Classic championship. I'd like to know who in Jay-Z's camp is feeding him bad advice, so we can send him a set of Weasel ears for being a fool.

Closer to home, arrests are being made in the vandalism of former NFL lineman Brian Holloway's home in Stephentown last month. Six "ringleaders", as the Albany Times-Union describes them in today's edition, have been charged, and police are still calling for the rest of the kids to come forward as it will mean lighter sentences, like probation topped with community service. Some of the partygoers have already done their part in the healing process, cleaning up the mess they made, but what's left is the motive behind this. Who felt Holloway, who spends his summers in Stephentown, and the rest of the year in Florida, was deserving of this kind of mindless treatment. The ringleaders are getting the Weasel ears for perpetrating this heinous act of foolishness.

Back to NYC  we go, and to the sports editors of the New York Post, we send a truckload of Weasel ears for insinuating that the Mets should've put it in the tank this week to better their chances of getting a high draft pick next year. All the Amazin's did was take 2 of 3 from playoff-bound Cincinnati and dismiss the Post's ideas as nothing more than idle gossip that found its way into print when it shouldn't have. That being said, those editors are also getting Dunce Caps.

Finally, entertainment mogul Eric Bischoff still has his hands in the water in TNA, albeit behind the scenes, at least for the moment. While his son Garett is wrestling, Eric is a producer, and likely also head scribbler. His current storyline, involving TNA president Dixie Carter and AJ Styles, one of the company's top stars, mirrors what WWE is doing these days with Triple H and Daniel Bryan. That speaks to desperation on the part of TNA, which is unable to move the meter as far as ratings go. Bad enough that the HHH-Bryan angle on WWE-TV has seen a drop in ratings this week, but the amateur night copycat is DOA. Bischoff gets the Weasel ears for even green-lighting this bad idea. And, yeah, he gets a Dunce Cap, too.

After the hype, a letdown (TNA's mystery wasn't a mystery after all)

For the last week, TNA (Total Non-stop Action) Wrestling had hyped a video sent by an "anonymous" party who promised he'd be present for Impact Wrestling on August 1, with the show originating from Wichita Falls, Texas. We were led to believe it would be some sort of major player. In the end, the creative team laid another egg.

The shared Figure Four Weekly/Wrestling Observer website actually had provided a clue, whether they realized it or not, by running a poll regarding a rumored mixed martial arts (MMA) fight between Tito Ortiz and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson. "Rampage" had recently signed with TNA. Ortiz has been associated with TNA in the past, and, wouldn't ya know, he returned to the fold on Thursday night, appearing at the end of the Impact broadcast. The cameras repeatedly went back & forth between Jackson & Ortiz, confirming that the hype of "#August1Warning" was just a facade. More established wrestlers, such as former NWA champion Adam Pearce and former WWE champion-turned-actor/MMA fighter Dave Bautista ("The Man With The Iron Fists"), had denied having anything to do with the videos. That should've made solving the mystery that much clearer, but, as has been documented here and elsewhere in the past, TNA's creative staff isn't exactly comprised of Rhodes scholars. Given the company's recent personnel cuts due to financial concerns, one wonders just who is actually in charge of TNA's creative team now, since Bruce Prichard was recently dismissed.

TNA's been struggling all along to improve their television ratings after nearly 8 years on Spike TV, but, as usual, their creative staff keeps fumbling the ball. And that would be appropriate since pre-season football starts Sunday with the NFL Hall of Fame game. Dixie Carter, Jeff Jarrett, Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan, and everyone else in the decision-making department at TNA should've known better than to try something this lame. It's not even worth handing out Weasel ears or Dunce Caps, so we won't. If anyone deserves them, it'd be the TV viewers lured in, thinking that someone else was coming in that would add marquee value. While Tito Ortiz is still a marquee name in MMA, even though he hasn't fought in a while, he doesn't add anything that the over-the-hill retreads TNA already has haven't already added. Which is to say, nothing.

TNA's latest quick fix might be more damaging than helping

As TNA (Total Non-stop Action) Wrestling approaches its 10th anniversary in June, the company continues to struggle to find its own identity. As I've often written here and elsewhere, they keep tripping over themselves looking for the right formula for success.

Beginning tonight, and lasting through the summer at the very least (and probably no further), Impact Wrestling will be broadcast live from Orlando, and, if they're very smart (doubtful), they'll finally take the show on the road on a more consistent basis, which has been the one major stumbling block that they have been hesitant to address in 10 years. Not only that, but, TNA is moving their show up by an hour to 8 (ET), rather than 9. That, I don't have a problem with, even though I don't follow TNA much anymore (and WWE is getting close to that same point, based on recent follies). Where I do have a problem is the patch for this latest quick fix in search of higher ratings.

TNA President Dixie Carter, proven time and again to be both a mark for the business and an easy mark for fading stars looking to extend their careers in exchange for easy money, is letting figurehead GM Hulk Hogan play the nepotism card by hiring on his daughter, Brooke, as the figurehead in charge of the women's division. Apparently, the failure of her VH1 reality show and her singing career hasn't deterred young Brooke from pursuing a career in show business, and she thinks riding on her dad's coat-tails is the only way she's getting anywhere.

Brooke spent what amounted to a cup of coffee in WWE 6 years ago as a supporting player in a storyline involving her father and Randy Orton, leading to a match at Summerslam. In this writer's view, she had all the charismatic presence of a broken toothpick. Apparently, she went to the same acting teacher as her father, which isn't saying much. It's not the first time that TNA has hired on the daughter of a famous wrestler. Just a couple of years ago, they had Lacey Von Erich, whose father, the late Kerry Von Erich, spent some time in WWE in the pre-Attitude Era 90's. Unfortunately, she lacked his charisma, too, and had the skills of a mannequin. Seriously. TNA let her go less than a year later, at her request.

Insofar as I'm concerned, Brooke is better off having her dad find her a gig doing commercials, just like Daddy (Hulk, in case you've been living in a cave, teams with Fox NFL analyst and former Cowboys QB Troy Aikman in a series of spots for Rent-a-Center.), but apparently, Hollywood has enough girls in her age range such that there aren't any openings.

For once, I am going to watch Impact tonight, just to see how things turn out. I think I know the result already, but if I'm Brooke, I'm asking Eric Bischoff (who produced her reality show) to find her another gig that will require her to actually do some acting, just in case she decides this ain't for her. Dixie Carter has said that Brooke won't don a leotard, tights, and boots to wrestle in the footsteps of her father, but I've a feeling the lure of the squared circle might be too tempting before the year is over. I hope I'm wrong, and I'd rather see her audition for General Hospital or 90210, anyway.

Like, look at it this way. Vince McMahon's daughter, Stephanie, made only one commercial (AT & T, w/Carrot Top, 2003), and quit while she was ahead, WWE PPV promotions aside. She proved she has screen presence, but opted to take the Kenny Rogers approach ("You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away....."). Brooke might be well served to follow if things get too risky too quickly, and in TNA, well, let's say Murphy's Law does apply........

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

The CW announced their fall lineup on Thursday, and, quite frankly, while I give them credit for finally putting together five nights without having the same show air twice, they really need to start thinking outside the box a little more and develop some new ideas. Among the 2012-13 freshman class:

The Carrie Diaries: A prequel to the wildly popular Sex & The City, which still airs in reruns, be it on basic cable or in syndication (check listings), and spawned two movies.

Beauty & The Beast: A reboot of the former CBS hit from the late 80's-early 90's that starred Linda Hamilton & Ron Perlman. Where it led off the night on CBS back in the day, this Beast has the returning Vampire Diaries as a lead-in.

Arrow: As in, Green Arrow, last seen on Smallville, but this time, the role's been recast, and this new series has zero to do with Smallville. The downside is that this will air on Wednesdays, rather than Thursday or Friday, where Smallville aired during its 10 year run.

You could probably guess which one actually interests me......!

The John Travolta sex abuse case just won't go away. John Doe #2, from this point to be known as Jabroni #2, withdrew his suit the other day, perhaps realizing what the rest of us knew, that he had zero chance of getting the money he thought he deserved. Jabroni #1, undaunted by the fact that Travolta had an airtight alibi to begin with, changed lawyers to Gloria Allred, which only extends Ms. Allred's 15 minutes. Business must be bad at her office to take on a lost cause.

Reading reviews on this week's movies in the New York Daily News this morning, I can't help but think that the critics double-faulted first-time actress Brooklyn Decker, who appears in "What To Expect When You're Expecting" (w/Jennifer Lopez) and "Battleship" (w/Rhianna and Liam Neeson). The erstwhile model should know something about double-faults. She's married to tennis star Andy Roddick. The critics weren't kind to either movie, as "Battleship" got the ol' gongeroo, as Chuck Barris used to say back in the day (that is, it got zero stars), and "Expecting" got one star. Then again, it's what the movies earn at the box office that count more, so we'll see come Sunday.

As for "Battleship", the former Milton Bradley game now manufactured by Hasbro (which absorbed MB a while back), who was the alleged genius that sold this idea to Universal? At least we know it wasn't directed by Michael Bay ("Transformers"), though you can't tell by the trailers.........!

Rumors are swirling that Jennifer Lopez is leaving American Idol after 2 seasons because she's "too busy". Now, I know she developed a similarly themed series for the Latin market with her ex-husband, singer Marc Anthony, but at least she's doing something worthwhile, as opposed to fellow judge du jour Steven Tyler. The Aerosmith vocalist is one of a handful of celebrities shilling for Burger King, but his spot just reeks of bad, trainwreck TV. I'm not going to even justify its existence by posting it.

And if J-Lo is leaving, could Paula Abdul, bounced from The X-Factor after 1 season, return to Idol? Like, they've tried Ellen DeGeneres (1 season) and Lopez (2) in her chair, but maybe Idol regains its charm if Paula "comes home"?

WWE announced Thursday that they will expand their flagship show, Monday Night Raw, to 3 hours a week, beginning July 23. That gives them two months to clean up the creative mess they're already in, as they have a charisma-challenged, corrupt GM running the show (John Laurinaitis), and saw the ratings dip below 3.0 this week. Expanding the show is not the answer. Like, didn't they remember that going from 2 to 3 hours started WCW's Monday Nitro on its slow demise?

In related news, TNA will try to broadcast live again beginning at the end of the month. They're planning to move Impact up an hour to 8 pm (ET), and now, they intend to go with live episodes every week. They'd be well served to start making travel plans, because airing the show from Universal Studios in Orlando week after week ain't going to cut it. The promotion is ratings-challenged to begin with. They need a marketing specialist who understands viewers' tendencies to help them map out a path, but that's low on the budget's priority list.. Meanwhile, Hulk Hogan's daughter, Brooke, who has failed as a pop star (no shock) and a reality TV star (ditto) joins her father in TNA, but pray she doesn't put on a leotard and tights and try to follow in daddy's footsteps as a wrestler. Just ain't gonna happen.

The Poster Child for Extreme Stupidity

I originally wrote this for http://www.2xzone.com/ in the wake of Sunday's TNA Victory Road pay-per-view.
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I've often referred to TNA as "Totally Negligent Airheaded" Wrestling, and Sunday's Victory Road PPV was an example of that, especially in the World title match.

Much has already been made of Jeff Hardy, the former champion, being in no condition to compete, and thus was squashed by Sting in under 90 seconds, a record for a TNA World title match. Sting wasn't happy, understandably. Eric Bischoff tried to call an audible by making it no-DQ at the last minute, citing the title change that aired 10 days earlier as an excuse, but all that got him was getting quickly KO'd by Sting.

Sting is in his 50's, and has been in the business about twice as long as Jeff Hardy. As a born again Christian, it must be tearing him up inside seeing how the business he loves so much has deteriorated to the point where there was no accountability for last night's debacle. The blame goes in a number of different directions.

*Hardy is as much at fault as anyone. He got married days before the PPV, but that would be no legit excuse. He appeared, according to reports, to be clearly stoned or drunk, depending on whose account you read, and should never have been allowed to go out there.

*Bischoff and head writer Vince Russo deserve a large chunk of the blame. They had to have known right before the start of the PPV that Hardy was in no condition to go, and yet, they let him go on. Bischoff, as noted above, did what he could to save it, protecting both champ & challenger because of Sting's own nagging injuries, but it was an epic fail. The #1 contender's match between Rob Van Dam & Ken Anderson, which ended in a double-countout, could've carried over by having both men added to the match, making it a fatal 4-way, but by then, time was no longer a factor. There wasn't enough left. The blame for that, of course, falls on Russo & Bischoff for not holding Hardy accountable for his condition.

*By that same token, co-owners Jeff Jarrett & Dixie Carter have to be held accountable. Dixie is working behind the scenes because of her current angle, but with Jarrett as part of the same heel stable with Hardy & Bischoff, he has to take a good deal of the blame, too.

*Same goes for Jeff's brother, Matt, just hired a couple of months ago on Jeff's recommendation. Yes, Matt has packed on a few pounds, and you wonder if he's been on the same bong, if you will, as Jeff has of late, given his wacky online antics before leaving WWE last year. But, of all the people closest to Jeff, Matt has to be the one to be held accountable the most. He has to play brother's keeper, for no other reason than to save both their jobs. There is already a clamor for Jeff's 2nd tour of duty in TNA to come to an end with his firing. TNA already canned him once, six years ago. WWE doesn't want him back, I don't think, until his court case is finally resolved, and that needs to move forward. The continuances have to stop. The next date is in one week, and Jeff can forget the excuses. He needs to man up and accept the consequences for his actions yesterday!

I don't see Jeff remaining in TNA too much longer, because the Carters won't put up with his nonsense, and if not them, definitely Spike TV, TNA's TV partner. Matt may not be long for the promotion, either, if Jeff gets cut loose. Let's face it. The Hardy Boyz have run their course in this business, and have become like so many of the tired acts TNA brings in with the excuse that name value still means ratings. Not in 2011, it doesn't. The audience has already spoken, with the ratings having already crested. WWE still has fresher stars on the rise in the likes of Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, and so on. They're the guys people want to see, not the older, hanging on to their careers by threads types like the Hardys, Hulk Hogan, & so on. Kevin Nash & Booker T knew when it was time to leave, and if it wasn't for the Carters, likely at Bischoff's insistence, opening the checkbook for Sting, he's likely bound for Atlanta on April 2 to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

And so it is that TNA continues on the same slippery path it's trod since day one. The end of the road can't come soon enough.
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After I wrote this, it came to my attention that Hardy had been sent home by TNA, scratched from the tapings for Impact for this week & next. There is an unconfirmed report claiming that Hardy may in fact be already fired. Stress "unconfirmed", as I've not been able to locate a site that has any actual details as of press time. TNA should've known what to expect when they welcomed Hardy back 14 1/2 months ago, but then, they never leave the door open for common sense, and that is their biggest failing.

Co-Weasels of the Week: Gov. Jan Brewer & Todd Clem

Two sets of weasel ears to hand out this time, and largely for similar reasons.

As most of you know by now, Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona has plunged her state into national headlines by virtually making racial profiling legal. I get she's trying to stem the tide of illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico into Arizona, but by authorizing police officers throughout the state to question the citizenship of every Hispanic-American they run across, be it on the street or at a traffic stop or whatever, she is risking mass rioting, not just from Hispanics, but other minorities as well. We're supposed to be well past racial bias in this country, but it just won't go away. If Gov. Brewer's up for re-election this year, stick a fork in her, she's done.

And who is Todd Clem, you might ask? You might know him better by his stage name, "Bubba the Love Sponge", well known Tampa, Florida-based radio shock jock and friend to Hulk Hogan. Clem was hired by TNA Wrestling in January at the request of Hogan, and they tried him out as a backstage reporter. He infamously ripped into 2-time women's champion Awesome Kong (Kia Stevens) for her fund-raising efforts for disaster victims in Haiti after the earthquake there, and all Kong did was dim Clem's running lights. However, Kong was cut a few weeks ago, a clear sign that Hogan was doing all he can to protect his friend.

Clem, however, didn't get the message. He reportedly ambushed Kong on his radio show earlier this week, and that was the final straw. TNA terminated Clem's contract on April 30 after 4 months, perhaps realizing that he was more of a liability to the company than they originally thought. Well, DUH! I get that TNA might want to bring Kong back at some point, and in order to facilitate that, they needed to get rid of Clem, who more recently was a mascot for The Band (not the rock group), aka the former New World Order Wolfpac (Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, & Sean "Syxx-Pac" Waltman), a trio of past-their-prime bad boys that were brought in because of the misguided belief that they are still a draw. TNA President Dixie Carter had to lay down the law, and all Clem did in response was to turn on TNA and urge his loyal listeners to virtually boycott the promotion, at a time when they need all the fan support they can muster, given the miniscule ratings they've generated since moving Impact to Mondays 2 months ago.

Clem is a poor man's Howard Stern. Gov. Brewer may think she's the 2nd coming of George Wallace, the former Alabama governor. They're both weasels in my book.

On the fast track to disaster

After improving its rating from 0.56 to 0.9 on Monday, Total Non-stop Action Wrestling (TNA) co-owner Dixie Carter announced via Twitter that Impact will remain from 8-10 pm (ET) on Mondays, effective immediately, and, on top of that, Impact will resume with repeats on Thursdays in its former time-slot (9-11 pm). One idea defeats the other, par for the course for TNA.

The company made the hasty decision to move Impact from Thursdays to Mondays last month at the behest of Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff, the belief being that it's the only way they can compete with WWE Monday Night Raw. After 4 weeks of direct head-to-head competition with the more established program, TNA & Spike "experimented" with moving Impact to the earlier hour, but obviously this wasn't just an experiment. The ratings didn't improve all that much, but just enough to warrant a permanent move to the 8-10 block. In truth, for all the talent on the TNA roster, much of it pruned from the WWE's waiver wires, the company remains hamstrung by poor booking and/or personnel decisions resulting from cronyism (Hogan) or just plain stupidity (just about anything written by Vince Russo) or an improbable combination of both. For every positive move made, there are 3-4 negative ones that set TNA back further than they were before.

Common sense suggests that TNA could've waited a few more months before embarking on this ambitious, but risky, schedule move, but we all know common sense is a foreign concept to them. Just because both shows are pre-taped next week doesn't really mean TNA has given themselves a perceived advantage. Viewers will already know what happens if they've surfed the internet and found the "spoilers". Raw will be in England, on same-day tape, meaning that their creative team will still have had ample time to assemble the program to offset anything on Impact that might be remotely buzzworthy.

The final, bottom line: TNA is doomed. But, then, as a would-be philosopher in WWE once remarked back in 2003, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.