John from Cincinnati

Because I couldn't find a better "leave the memories alone" TNA video. Probably should just wait another week: I hate this video because of it's music and revisionist history. As if things weren't bad before Hogan came in. Better yet, Hogan's tenure in the company coincided with some of TNA's best shit. The Guns finally won the tag belts and had some of their best matches against the Bucks and Beer Money. Austin Aries came back and rocked the house. They gave us that awesome Storm-Roode feud and made both look like huge top guys immediately after their tag run, something you rarely see in mainstream wrestling. Bully's singles run has been awesome; I don't know why he's presented as a negative in that video. The way they shoot backstage segments now is a huge improvement and I wish WWE would rip it off. I even dug Sting's matches with Flair and Hogan. It wasn't all wine and roses pre-Hogan, and everything didn't go to shit when he came in. I remember people liking some AJ-Angle matches around the time Hogan came in. I didn't like them. But people seemed to. Sure, we got the Band, Bubba the Love Sponge, the Nasty Boys, and Val Venis dumped on us all at once, Gut Check, Aces & Eights, Immortal, AJ as Flair, and whatever they did with OJ. But there were always bright spots. I know, I know: Defending TNA makes me a monster. Sorry about that. Unfortunately dumping on TNA is trendy and management is incompetent. They're damaged goods. But there were plenty of good times for me, and I'll cherish them. If this really is the end, I'm already looking forward to 2018's WWE-produced TNA One Night Stand. Hopefully it falls during the three weeks Christian isn't injured that year.

So, who said Bryan wouldn't be "believable" as champion?

I know it's easy to shit on the direction TNA took in these couple shows, because fuck TNA, amirite? But if their goal is to get as many eyes back on the product ASAP, then they really made some smart decisions here. Sure, the six-sided ring is death for the workers. But the people want it. Sure, ECW is dated. But their reunion PPV drew well for TNA a short four years ago. And sure, the Hardys are also dated. But if we're going for nostalgia to rope people back in, might as well go full bore (or GORE). Dropping all these bombs at once in front of a hot New York crowd in a venue that looks decent on TV gave the product a shot of much-needed adrenaline. Glass half-full for me. If I wanted to take a more cynical view about the direction of the last couple shows, I could see it as Bully using his position of power to get his friends some national TV exposure to help drive up their booking prices. But I prefer not to dwell on that nutty idea.

if you think that's something, just wait for next week's Ross Report. For the first time in decades, you'll get to hear JR interview Sting ramble on like the bitter old fuck he is while Sting occasionally chimes in! Has JR done his research, or will he be exposed like he was in part one of the Kurt Angle interview episode? Find out next Tuesday on PodcastBahGawdOne!

Does this involve time travel? I hope this involves time travel.

Sure. But with Hollywood beating down his door, that problem is obviously going to fix itself. At his advanced age, Sting's gotta use his limited energy somewhere he can make a real difference.

Sting's here to cut the cancer out of WWE, right? Sting vs Hogan at WM31?

Hot damn. It's really happening.

To answer caley's question, the guest host era was gruesome for me. It was a weekly reminder of how culturally irrelevant wrestling is, and it made the WWE look so desperate for even the hint of a reach-around from Hollywood. At that point, I'd have sooner swallowed a gun than admit to being a wrestling fan. Which is normally the case. But especially then.

Memory issues be damned: A true pro wrestler always remembers to remind everyone when they put butts in the seats, brother.

if this were 2011, I'd totally buy that. Around the time Tough Enough was airing, I sensed that they were quietly laying groundwork for Miz vs Austin. It was as though they were under the impression it was something they could talk Austin into.

"The Most Dangerous Man in Wrestling" is some mega hype. Then again, it might just be the website guys having fun while nobody is looking. Sometimes I think WWE is accidentally turning Dean into the biggest star of the new generation. But stuff like this or the comeback spot at MITB suggest that this is some of the shrewdest, most calculated booking in years and that there's nothing accidental about it.

Lawler at 61 was making me care about Miz. That dude ought to be eligible for a second HOF ring.

Finlay made his WWE television debut at 48. Hadn't lost a step and was consistently one of the best workers they had. His matches with Benoit were phenomenal. Notably, they had one at Judgement Day 2006 worth checking out. I've got to go back and watch some SmackDown from this period. There's got to be some great stuff with Rey in there that's slipped my mind.

Dolph totally comes across as a menage-a-trois kind of guy. It's totally like this: Exactly how I imagine Ziggler would be in bed. Amy Schumer describes sex with him like "wrestling." Probably a result of all that porn we knows Ziggler watches and emulates. Now I'm gonna go cool myself down by thinking about sex with King Kong Bundy.

History won't be kind to the Highlanders. The king of Scottish culture in WWE will forever be John Morrison aping Braveheart.

"YOU WERE STEALING MY LATINO HEAT!"

I recall rumors of Bryan vs Taker in the months leading to Mania. They could have easily booked that match, doubled down on Orton vs Batista (while hiding it in the middle of the show), and tried to resuscitate Big Show just long enough for Triple H to kill him well and truly dead. And if there's any truth to the story that the Shield triple threat was cancelled on account of the triple threat main event, this reconfiguration of the top tier matches has the potential to shake up the undercard by adding a potential MOTYC to the show while Kane and the Outlaws quietly disappear into the battle royal or tag title match. Of course now that we've enjoyed a couple months of Shield vs Evolution, I'd hate to imagine a world where they went there at Mania.