I go over your feedback on the Young vs. Old going on in TNA right now, and whether or not an established talent has put over a home grown original TNA superstar.

For Mobile Users: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_f1hqVDKm8

NWA champion Adam Pearce was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff. He had been having shoulder issues for some time. He’s hopeful of rehabbing it and will have it looked at again in about a month. If the issue doesn’t improve, he’ll be looking at surgery.

Without further ado… SNJ Envy 2010! The main event features the iconic rematch from NoDQ’s 2005 bout between Babe Ruth and Mr. Clean! Superman also teams up with Rod Kimble to take on SNJ World Champ Badass Bart and Mr. NoDQ. All this and more on SNJ Envy 2010!

For Mobile Users:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzZgbdijsZU

On this RageTV, I talk about an email sent in about the Fortune vs. EV2.0 program in TNA. I also touch up on my thoughts about Nash/Sting vs. Jarrett/Hogan going on in TNA right now as well.

For Mobile Users:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAE7D10LozE

iTunes Users:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=372292062

In the first week of Monday night ratings battle, WCW Nitro drew a 2.5 rating compared to WWE Raw’s rating (2.2). Eric Bischoff felt pretty good about himself winning the ratings battle during the first week. His strategy did work and it raised some eyebrows in Titan Towers, especially Vince McMahon. Bischoff’s tactics on the September 11, 1995 Nitro were simple. Luger was going to challenge Hogan to a title match. Not only that, Bischoff had other ideas in order to keep his viewers intact that Monday night.

Bischoff’s strategies to beat WWE in the ratings battle were good, but risky. Bischoff knew he had to take risks to win. One strategy that might or might not work in the long run is the fact that Luger made a surprise appearance on the first ever Nitro. Fans like surprises and that’s a reason to tune in. Bischoff took a tremendous risk because when he delivered, he didn’t deliver all the goods. The Hulk Hogan vs. Lex Luger TV main event fell below expectations. The match ended with no clear winner and that was all. The match did tell a story, though. Luger was playing a tweener role (sometimes good guy and sometimes bad guy). Hogan wanted to make sure that Luger came in as a babyface, just like in his WWE days, but somehow Luger couldn’t be trusted. After this show, Hogan and Luger did not wrestle again until two years later. Luger’s short run as the number one contender diminished after just one week. In other words, Luger played the similar “All-American Hero” WWE role. Hogan was still riding high in WCW as champion, but his character was getting stale as a babyface.

Another risky strategy by WCW was clever. Bischoff acknowledged that there was another wrestling organization and mentioned the letters, “WWF” on live television. Bischoff also revealed Raw results on the air, announcing the finish of the Raw main event between WWE IC Champion Shawn Michaels and Psycho Sid. He also ripped on WWE Champion Diesel, mentioning that “their (WWE) World Champion was a mid-carder in WCW”. (Kevin Nash, who played the Diesel character in WWE, wrestled in WCW for two years before entering the WWE). This strategy worked in favor of WCW and WWE as well. Some viewers who did hear Bischoff’s “Raw spoilers” on Nitro probably did stay to watch WCW. Probably another portion of Nitro viewers who heard the results did tune in to Raw out of curiosity. Bischoff thought that this strategy did work because Nitro won the ratings.

It’s going to be interesting how the third week of the Monday Night Wars progress. Bischoff won the first battle and wants to keep things fresh. He would like to keep ripping on WWE during Nitro in order to keep his viewers. He also has to keep in mind that he has to worry about his own talent and continue to develop storylines instead of worrying about the competition.

***

Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels defended the IC Title against Psycho Sid during the main event of Monday Night Raw. This was not the best match that WWE can produce when going head-to-head with WCW. Vince did have talent and had the tools to shut WCW down. But there was one problem: McMahon didn’t want to acknowledge the competition or he simply didn’t care.

When Bischoff announced that WCW was going head-to-head with WWE on Monday nights, Vince didn’t press the panic button. He knew that WCW was a distant number two wrestling organization. The only thing he did was plug the Raw Fall Season and he was going to start off with a bang. The first thing he did was repackage the Monday Night Raw opening montage. He featured his top wrestlers brawling on top of the Titan Towers. One of the wrestlers was Luger, who was also considered one of the top stars in the WWE. Thanks to the Dog Show and the cancellation of Raw on September 4^th, Vince had time to react quickly and re-tape the opening montage, this time of course without Luger. Other than that, Vince was not worried about this so-called competition.

Unlike Bischoff, McMahon wouldn’t acknowledge WCW on live television. He did, however, acknowledge that his beef was with Ted Turner, not Bischoff. Also, about this war, Vince had a big advantage because of the way WCW uses their wrestlers. The fact that WCW headliners were WWE before is what keeps the WWE fresh and that’s why they have the advantage. Vince thought that Turner’s idea to air Nitro the same timeslot as Raw was crazy because WCW wouldn’t stand a chance against WWE. There was also a challenge of some sorts between WWE and WCW. Vince contacted TBS executive Bill Shaw about having a WWE-WCW Super Card. Vince said, “I never talked to Ted Turner, but I talked with Bill Shaw about it. Mr. Shaw said I would be a moron if I didn’t accept his invitation. Since that time I often sit in the corner with a dunce cap on babbling to myself.”

As of this time, Bischoff winning the ratings battle means a lot to him. That means a “W” in the win column for him. As for Vince and the WWE, he simply doesn’t care. Time will tell if that will change, but as of right now, WCW drew first blood and the WWE is not making a big deal of it. Next week should be interesting for both Raw and Nitro. The WWE is featuring another taped edition of Raw leading to a pay-per-view. Nitro, which airs live every Monday night, is coming off a PPV.

***

Go ahead and reply to this post and submit your questions and comments. Thanks for reading! See you next week for Week 3 of the Monday Night Wars.

Makavoll discusses the recent WWE firings and injuries. The expanded TV role of Dixie Carter.  And the new and improved RingScoops.com! Come listen….All are welcomed.

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I have just received word that former WWE Diva Luna Vachon has passed away at age 48.  I have no other details at this time, but keep checking back on this post for updates.

RingScoops.com sends out its condolences to the Vachon family during this difficult time.