Presence.....

You guys, there is something I am really curious about.....on virtually every wrestling news page I go to, there is PLENTY of opinion and commentary and the like about WWE. I mean, the internet landscape is simply PLASTERED with WWE propaganda and columnists painting them as a herald for the newest era of wrestling history or some such nonsense. I have to know...what about TNA?

TNA is growing, as I have stated in many columns and is the primary subject of this column, which comes as daily as I am physically able to bring it to you. In any case, you'll be hard pressed to find many pro-TNA columns and I truly have no idea why. With a 10 year milestone in sight, my only guess is that the critics are a bit scorned for TNA proving them wrong, lasting long after the predictions of their demise were bypassed. What can I say? As far as ratings are concerned, some critics will use Neilsen as the end-all-be-all standard by which the promotion's success is measured, but these ratings neglect internet viewers who will YouTube the highlights, hit up free view sites, or even simply check in to http://www.spike.com for the Impact Wrestling replays in their entirety.

I do have some news for those of you interested......

First up.....WWE Network. Can anyone tell me why WWE has moved back their launch date all the way to November? Anyone? WWE never even considered this one....you need people who KNOW HOW TO RUN A NETWORK BEFORE YOU LAUNCH ONE! That's right, folks. WWE never hired anyone to actually run the day to day operation of a network and yet they have more film in their archive than they have ANY idea what to do with. Add in the fact that their selection of programming was only planned out, at last estimates, to cover the launch week itself and you have yourself an April Fool's Day gift, wrapped and ready for the fans.

How about this little gem? WWE has decided to try and trademark the term "Kayfabe". To explain what kayfabe actually means, I consult Wiki. In simplest terms, kayfabe is the attempt of a promotion to pass off fiction as reality. A great example is WWE's most recent wrestler DVD's. Virtually all of the most current DVD releases are done with every performer in character during interviews and such. THIS is kayfabe. NOW, why would they attempt to trademark the term? I'm glad you asked. WWE has a t-shirt line that has been in suspension for the past few weeks carrying the word "Jobber" and other such insider terms referencing backstage lingo.

To shine a bit of good light onto TNA, I am pleased to report that TNA officials have been in talks with Brandon Jacobs, who appeared in 2 consecutive episodes of Impact in confrontation with Bully Ray. In a related story, shortly after appearing in TNA, he was released from the Giants after contract negotiations fell through. The subject of the discussions has been his future after football. Don't be surprised to see the Super Bowl champion running back making waves in TNA inside the year if he hasn't been picked up by another team in the league before training begins.