The Fink’s Payload 05.01.08: WWE and TNA Collide, Part 1 of 2

Hello, hello, hello. Welcome to the Fink’s Payload, the only column on 411 where you get to combine your creative writing skills with your wrestling knowledge every week! I’m your host, Andrew Clark, and I don’t have a lot of time.

For the next two weeks I will be living in a land called “law school final exams” and as such, I have something that I think I have to tell you. We’re going to have to take a break. No, please don’t cry. It’s just a little one… really, it’s not much of a break at all. Don’t even think of it that way. It’s more of an extension than a break anyways. Honestly, calling it a break was a bad call.

Let me explain: you guys wrote a lot about last week’s topic (WWE vs. TNA) and I just don’t have room in this week’s column to fit all of it. Instead of cutting some of you out of the column, I decided to fill today’s Payload with a bunch of your ideas and save my thoughts for next week. This way everyone who sent in a response will be given their fifteen minutes of fame and I’ll be able to get back to reading for torts class. Everyone wins, even the people who didn’t submit any entries last week, because they now have an extended deadline to send in ideas of their own! That’s right… I’m breaking all the rules!

Moving on. I know we don’t have much more time, but I have to mention a few things about last week’s column. Did you know that not everybody liked it? Yeah, I was surprised, too. But look… I made a list of people who spoke not-so-favorably of the Payload in the past seven days:

Owen Can’t Fly (guest, posted comment at the bottom of the page)
Jarrod Westerfield (writer, posted “Scripted Through Sin” article on 411)

I know, I know, if you had made the list it would have been longer. I can’t help it, I’m in a hurry, people. I just wanted to address a few concerns raised by these two. Mr. Can’t Fly, while I respect your opinion, I wonder how you are so sure that I am not a WWE writer. Wouldn’t it be pretty ironic if a WWE writer got a job at 411 and used his position as a fantasy-booking analyst to cherry-pick the best ideas and use them as his own at WWE creative meetings? It would at least beat “a black fly in your chardonnay” on the irony scale, if you ask me. What the hell is ironic about that, anyways? Make sense, Alanis. Please, make sense.

And Mr. Westerfield, I really want to try to articulate how I felt about reading your article. My analysis of the history of the King of the Ring as presented in last week’s Payload was intended to apply to the time period between 1993 and 2008. I pointed out a trend that, to me, seemed prevalent throughout this time period: King of the Ring winners usually become World Champions after winning the tourney. Do we want to split hairs about the purpose of the event? Do we want to identify something as “another event in the catalog of shows” if it means everything can be, essentially, boiled down to be nothing but? Can you then argue that Wrestlemania was created – and intended, and designed, and purposed – to be “another event in the catalog of shows that you, the fan, could purchase and view”? Are you going to complain when someone says that they think Wrestlemania is more than that, or that it has a bigger purpose, like bringing an end to epic feuds or showcasing immortals and all that jazz? Do you have a problem with those who speak about current trends, and the way things currently are, simply because they don’t also talk about the way things used to be, or the way they began? If I said that the current trend in college football was for the national champion to come from the Southeastern Conference, would you tell your audience that “missing is the fact that Princeton is a multi-time champion” in a desperate attempt to show that you know just a little bit more? If and when William Regal gets a world title shot, would it be inappropriate for Jim Ross to point out that the past two winners have captured gold without also mentioning that Don Muraco did not?

I’m just wondering. I’m admitting that I don’t know everything about professional wrestling. That’s why I don’t write about ROH or SHIMMER, for example. That’s why, to me, 411 is still a great source of information from a veritable cornucopia of different writers. It’s also a friendly place, I think, where one writer doesn’t read another writer’s material and then attempt to discredit his peer by regurgitating facts that don’t directly apply to the original argument at hand. So, in summary: since King 2002 and King 2006 both won world championships within 70 days of winning the tournament, and the majority of the modern-era (1993-present) Kings have also accomplished the same feat outside of that time period, the current trend shows us that, if King 2008 wins a world championship, it makes sense from a storyline perspective. “Oh, those Kings of the Ring, they tend to do that sort of thing,” you know? Nobody said it was necessary. I just said it made sense.

Hey! Guess who is more important than any of that bullshit? YOU ARE! And so, if it pleases the audience (and passes the scrutinous examination of those who dedicate their lives to scouring the Internet for the slightest possibility of inaccuracy), I graciously present…

What do YOU think will happen if the rosters of the WWE and TNA began to interact with each other?

Opinion #1: Stephen Straka
“Money, Cash, Samoa Joes”

The problem with doing this is that TNA is by no means able to legitimately have its own Invasion angle because it’s just not well-known enough. So any Invasion angle must involve one of the following two scenarios: either it takes place in the future where TNA manages to become the next WCW (which will never happen) or the angle is driven mainly by the name talent in TNA’s main event scene. So here we go.

After a year of squandering opportunities, not capitalizing on what it has and expanding unsuccessfully, TNA finally declared bankruptcy on February 5, 2009, one week after Panda Energy pulled it’s sponsorship. A week later WWE quietly announced on it’s Corporate website that they had purchased TNA, including the rights to all trademarks, video footage and the contracts to all staff including all non-main event wrestlers. In the period leading up to WrestleMania 25, the WWE would negotiate the main event contracts. However, they also contacted SpikeTV and asked that they retain Impact’s timeslot. TNA Impact would continue running until WrestleMania 25, after which it would be replaced with FCW, which would move to the Impact Zone. The WWE then opened up a second developmental territory, using it to train wrestlers for working in front of crowds and then moving them to FCW Impact to get TV experience. Most of the lower card TNA wrestlers are assigned to FCW for the interim, mainly to help the FCW students.

Fast forward to April 6, 2009. On the Raw after WrestleMania 25, Triple H (picked out of a hat) comes out with his newly-won WWE Championship. He cuts the standard promo about how he went through hell and back and came out with his title but cuts himself off as he notices Kevin Nash sitting at ringside. He goes to see what’s up and Kevin gets up and walks away and out of the arena. Trips and the announcers are dumbfounded April 10, SmackDown. Edge starts off by cutting the standard promo about how he was screwed out of his World title when he notices Christian Cage sitting at ringside. The same thing happens, he goes towards him and Christian leaves. Over the next few weeks this continues with Steiner, Booker T, Angle and Sting doing the same thing, appearing, being approached and leaving. Rhyno and Team 3D also appear on ECW.

April 25, Backlash. The main event is WWE Champ Triple H vs. World Champ Batista vs. ECW Champ Tommy Dreamer in a non-title match. The ending of the match comes when Nash, Cage, Steiner, Booker T, Angle, Rhyno and Team 3D come from the crowd and just beat the ever living hell out of both men. The Raw after Vince McMahon comes out and says that he’s allowed these superstars to come out and explain why they invaded a WWE event. Angle takes the mic and explains that they have all been screwed over time and time again by McMahon. They went to another wrestling company called TNA to try and get away from Vince but he couldn’t have that so he bought the company. Well they’re tired of being treated like shit by him and vow to invade and kill the company and there’s nothing Vince can do because they’re officially employed by him and can appear at whatever WWE event they want. Nash says that WWE is the new WCW and they’re the injection of nWo poison.

Over the months this main group brings in the mid and lower card TNA guys to help kill the WWE at all levels. Samoa Joe is brought in as the unbeatable enforcer. Cage, Steiner, Booker, Angle and Team 3D do the main fighting aside from Joe while Nash, Cornette and maybe Jarrett are their voice. TNA Today continues as pro-TNA propaganda video. Sting remains out of sight as a neutral observer. Eventually, the X-division wrestlers realize that all they want is to just wrestle and do their thing, something they have in common with the ‘E’s midcarders. Eventually the TNA and WWE midcarders unite against both the TNA and WWE main eventers, declaring themselves independant against the power struggle.

At Survivor Series it’s Triple H vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE title, Batista vs. Booker T for the World title and Orton, Cena, HBK, Undertaker and Kane vs. Christian Cage, Steiner, Joe and Team 3D for control of the WWE. Joe and Cage turn on the rest of their team, leaving Orton and Cena as the last men standing but with Joe and Cage not being officially defeated. These four announce that they’re tired of the old guard holding everyone back and making the glass ceiling bulletproof. This transitions from WWE vs. TNA into old(er) guys vs. young(er) guys.

WHAT DO I THINK?: Dude, HHH versus Batista versus… Tommy Dreamer? That really cracked me up. I think that you started off strong by introducing the TNA guys quietly and almost subversively, showing that they are not just interested in entering the WWE but also that they want to play mind games with the WWE superstars. However, I find it unfortunate that you moved away from WWE vs. TNA and into Young vs. Old by the end of your scenario. One of the worst things about the WWF/WCW Invasion, in my ever-so-humble opinion, was the way that they blurred the lines between the factions by having people jump ship so often. You took us down a similar path here by swerving the audience during a main event match “for control of the WWE” and creating a new allegiance between Joe, Cage, Orton and Cena. So, while I’m a big fan of the way that you kicked off the intermingling with TNA’s WCW-like acquisition and the interruptive actions of the TNA superstars, I don’t really want to see superstars turning on each other with little or no provocation this time around.

Opinion #2: Matt Parkinson
“Battle of Being Better”

Summer Slam: To open Summer Slam Vince McMahon goes to the ring and announces that he has purchased a “small” wrestling company. This brings Dixie Carter to the ring; she announces TNA has been purchased by the WWE.

Impact: The TNA wrestlers are pissed about the purchase by WWE and challenge the WWE superstars to a variety of Matches at Survivor Series to prove that they are better than them in every way. (By the way this is the final impact, from this point forward the TNA wrestlers will appear on Raw, Smackdown and ECW) P.S. This Impact receives a 1.4 rating!!!!

This leads to Survivor Series with the following Matches:

Survivor Series WWE v TNA

(Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag)
Kurt Angle, Tomko, Booker T, Kevin Nash, James Storm v John Cena, HHH, HBK, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton

(Ultimate X, X Title Match) Jay Lethal v Curry Man v Petey Williams’s v Kaz v Shark Boy v Jimmy Wang Yang v Shannon Moore v Shelton Benjamin v Chavo v The Hurricane (Ohh Yeah)

(World Title Match)Undertaker v Sting

(Tag Team Turmoil, Title Unification Match) Cryme Tyme v London and Kendrick v The Miz and Morrison v Motor City Machine Guns v LAX v The Rock and Rave Infection

(TLC) Christian Cage, Team 3D v Edge, Matt and Jeff Hardy

(Battle Royal) Big Show, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, Montel Vontavious Porter, Kane, Finlay, Tommy Dreamer, Kofi Kingston, Umaga, Batista, Santino, Carlito, Sonjay Dutt, Robert Roode, Shark Boy, Scott Steiner, Kip James, BG James, Johnny Devine, Matt Morgan, Rhino, Rellik, Jeff Jarret

(6 Pack Challenge, Title Unification Match) Mickie James v Beth Phoenix v Nattie Neidhart v Awesome Kong v ODB v Gail Kim

(Fatal Four Way) Rey Mysterio v CM Punk v Samoa Joe v AJ Styles

Choose the winners yourself but these matches will establish any talent on the old TNA roster in addition to providing a PPV which may eclipse Wrestlemania 17 in popularity. Also imagine a confrontation between Hurricane and Shark Boy!

WHAT DO I THINK?: Choose the winners myself? I’d love to. HHH and HBK survive, Hurricane, ‘Taker, MCMG, Edge/Hardyz (but, whoa, that’s a hell of a “friends under duress” situation if I ever saw one), Big Show, Phoenix, and Joe. I gave a little bit of credit to the TNA guys but let’s face it… they don’t stack up, at least not in these matches. I think a pretty straightforward way to make this whole thing happen is for the TNA crowd to challenge the WWE for dominance. Unfortunately, they’ll be doing it more for the publicity than the pinfall. Interesting matchups, to say the least.

Opinion #3: Steven Lavender
“Dream Feuds”

At Backlash, In the main event for the WWE Title, we get a run in from Christian Cage, The Dudley Boyz, Samoa Joe, Robert Roode, and AJ Styles.

Now the fans are getting suspicious. So Vince wants some explanations. He comes on Raw and wants the person responsible for all these “B-Class Wrestlers” showing up on his program. Shane McMahon comes out. He announces he has bought TNA (I know what you’re thinking, he actually bought this one.) He’s tired of being pushed aside and he wants to beat his dad in the ratings.

The next impact, Paul London shows up and challenges Petey Williams to a title shot. He wins it, throwing the companies into confusion.

Over the next couple of months. Lots of dream feuds start to happen. Styles vs. Mysterio, Show vs. Abyss,….you know it’s hard to think of good feuds since most of the main guys worked for wwe at some time. Regardless. It’s basically the invasion angle with a whole new spin to it.

They have a series of matches at Survivor Series.
John Cena defeats Christian Cage
Samoa Joe defeats Triple H
Shawn Michaels vs. Sting ends in a double countout. The company’s stay separate.

It all adds up to Vince saying “son, I want to buy you a company, do you like that TNA thing, let’s get you that TNA thing”. The companies will stay separate in real life. Shane will have his own company. And Stephanie will get the WWE.

WHAT DO I THINK?: Okay, you lose points for copying several key parts of the 2001 Invasion. But hey, wrestling is cyclical and maybe the fans will see things happening the same way they did with WCW and tune in hoping that the TNA Invasion will end on a higher note. HBK vs. Sting, HHH vs. Joe and Cena vs. Cage are all classic feuds in the making but I can’t believe you would book the first one to end in a countout. We wait twenty years to see these guys in the same ring together and the match ends without a winner because they won’t stay in it? I would not be pleased.

Opinion #4: Reichou Seinsake
“It’s Russo-Riffic!”

Okay, here’s the setup. WWE and TNA decide to run a 2 promotion supercard to raise money for Cancer research. Jeff Jarrett, RVD, Batista, Jim Duggan, Steve Williams, Zach Gowen, Bobby Heenan, and Roddy Piper will have roles; as they have battled cancer themselves or via their spouses (sorry if I left anyone off). In theory, the card isn’t really supposed to be a WWE vs. TNA card in the beginning, but just a showcase of their individual talents. The world champions all have chances to defend their belts against talent from their own promotions as sort of an exhibition. However, during a press conference to announce the event, there’s some animosity. In the weeks leading up to the event, TNA wrestlers who will be on the card appear on WWE programming and vice versa to promote the event. However, when TNA wrestlers are on WWE turf, and when WWE wrestlers are in the iMPACT zone, we get the macho posturing and bullshit. Some guys who have willingly jumped ship to TNA (Angle, Booker, Christian, and Kaz) end up making a challenge to the WWE guys, who are led by talent who have technically appeared in TNA (Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, MVP, and Mr. Kennedy) but speak poorly of it when asked for their views about the company – I know that some other guys like Ron Killings and Chris Harris would qualify, but they’re not really in the mix right now. Shannon Moore and Jimmy Yang also fit the description, but they’re really not on the same level as the others. Anyway, the promotions reluctantly book a card with:

A Samoa Joe title defense, Randy Orton cheating to win, a title defense by the WWE champion (someone other than the Undertaker, whose gimmick would not fit a cancer-themed show), a Kane ECW title defense, a kickass Ultimate X match, the team of RVD & Jarrett getting a win in an emotional tag match, a rare Hacksaw Duggan win, a WWE batle royal with their top names for Batista to win a guaranteed title shot, an 8-team TNA tag team clusterfuck in a special Russorific 8-sided ring built for this event as a compromise to the debate over whether to have a 4-sided or 6-sided ring, a Piper’s Pit segment, a J.R. interview with Steve Williams, maybe a Bobby Heenan and Gene Okerlund comedy segment, Steve Austin giving a Stunner to the gimmick-stealing Shark Boy, and a WWE Diva vs. TNA Knockout slutty bikini-clad timewaste.

Then, you have the 8-man TNA vs. WWE showdown in the octagon (which will have a cage) where the winners are the ones who handcuff their opponents to the cage. The match will end with Angle walking out like a douche bag on Team TNA, and then the McMahon family interfering on behalf of Team WWE, which already has an advantage. CM Punk keeps knocking the McMahons off the cage as they try to climb up, as the Straight Edge superstar wants no outside help. As this goes on, HHH walks down the aisle, with a sledgehammer in tow. HHH sledgehammers the cage until he can get through, and then takes the hammer to the prone faces left on Team TNA. Then, HHH blasts CM Punk repeatedly, and announces that “The McMahon family is wrestling,” professes his love for Stephanie, and offers Kennedy & MVP positions of “honorary McMahons,” forming a badass heel stable at the most unlikely of events. Wrestlers from the WWE and TNA will rush the ring and clear out the McMahon Empire. Ultimately, CM Punk gets a huge push as the face of the WWE against the evil McMahon empire. Should an event like this end on such a down note? Probably not, but shit, this IS professional wrestling.

WHAT DO I THINK?: This is a neat scenario and I like how you developed the teams by including the TNA guys who had once been in WWE and the WWE guys who had once been in TNA. The relationships between these individuals is very, very important in a storyline capacity and I don’t feel like either company truly appreciates the depth of their characters. Angle walking out was priceless because it’s totally within his character as it was created in the WWE and then transferred to TNA. The post-match swerve involving the McMahons (a rebirth of the Corporation with Triple H, Kennedy and MVP, perhaps?) would suffice to propel future WWE storylines and that is definitely a good thing. Overall, this is a very creative initiative (the cancer-benefit show is respectful and sensible!) with a slightly-confusing but always-shocking conclusion.

Opinion #5: Kyle from Baltimore
“He’s Got Jokes”

It’s a little long…. That’s what she said.
In an invasion storyline, the invading group must be the smaller, more rebel group, a la the n.W.o. To go against the format outlined by the n.W.o, though, the invading, rebel group will also play the underdog. The underdog is commonly the crowd favorite and due to the current landscape of the WWE upper card, it’s very heel heavy. Edge, HHH, Orton, JBL are all best as heels and the world would love to see a John Cena and Batista heel turn. HBK is a fantastic heel and if it were to develop WWE led by Vince McMahon (heel) vs. TNA led by Jim Cornette (face) it could be successful.

To the story:
Leading into Vengeance, Vince McMahon has aligned the major WWE heels up and down the card to capture every championship at the Night of Champions. Throughout the night, this Corporation-esque union wins/retains every title. Orton is the WWE Champion, Edge recaptures the World Championship. MVP and Jericho retain their respective titles. McMahon brings together Kennedy and Umaga as the brains and brawn tag team, unites the tag team championships. Chavo recaptures the ECW championship. In Edge’s victory in a casket match against the Undertaker that required the entire “Familia” to take him out, thus “killing” Taker. The crowd would never accept Taker as a heel at this point in his career and the entire show needs to be booked around TNA vs. WWE, so intra-company feuds won’t work here. Let the man take some time off, get fresh and make a big late-year run.

The next night on RAW, McMahon brings all of his champions to the ring for a celebration with a special announcement that will include a few special guests. They are all toasting one another as Orton, Edge, MVP and Jericho take turns mocking the crowd and patting one another on the back and commending Vince for creating the greatest wrestling company the world has ever seen.

Vince takes that as a cue to jump off and say, “If you think we have the greatest company in the world right now, it’s about to get much better. The then announces the return of several of the company’s greatest competitors who he will soon sign to official WWE contracts. Out come Kurt Angle, Christian Cage and Booker T. They sell all three for all of their successes in the WWE and Christian grabs the mic.

“Yea, Vince, I was a tag champion here and an IC champion and I even held the hardcore title, but I was also TNA World Champion.” Kurt echoes that point, listing all of his achievements in TNA. Vince laughs and tells them nobody really cares about those belts. They didn’t really matter. He tells them that since they left WWE everybody had forgotten they existed. “Some people thought you guys had fallen of the face of the Earth or died. And if you were in TNA, you may as well have been dead.”

Suddenly the TNA logo starts spinning on the Titantron. It then shows up faded onto Vince and the stage. Then it goes backstage and Paparazzi Productions (Sabin and Shelley) have taken over the productions truck and give a very D-X smile and laugh at Vince. While the entire ring is looking at the screen, Vince is screaming “Who are those guys? Who let fans into the truck?,” Joe, LAX, Roode Styles, Kaz, Tomko, Petey Williams and Matt Morgan hit the ring and clean house.

The build continues over the next few shows as Kurt and Christian along with Cornette tell Vince that just because he has the deepest pockets doesn’t mean he has the best company going or the best wrestlers in the world.

In this time, Vince has been working with his greatest enemies in HHH, Cena and Michaels to try to get them to stand with him in honor of the WWE. Vince calls a meeting of those who he needs at his back in this battle against TNA: HHH, Cena, Michaels, Batista, CM Punk, Matt and Jeff Hardy. He has his cast of champions with him already along with Regal, Santino, Carlito and other smaller, less important heels.

They all agree to stick with WWE to a chorus of boos. During the next few weeks, Punk and the Hardyz get lectured to by HHH and Cena about how WWE made them. They are the reason they are successes. Vince is the reason they are millionaires and why they are international celebrities. This is countered by Cornette and Joe cutting promos about how Vince didn’t make TNA. Vince didn’t make Joe. He didn’t make Styles. He didn’t make Christian Cage who he is today. And then they turn it to Punk, Matt and Jeff. They remind them of their indy origins. Joe speaks of his epic battles with Punk at Ring of Honor and how Matt and Jeff were revolutionaries in OMEGA. They didn’t need Vince, Vince needed them.

At this point, Cornette announces one additional member of the TNA roster that is the ultimate icon that Vince McMahon never “ruined.” The man who is synonymous with wrestling and not the WWE: The man they call Sting. The crowd goes ape-shit to see Sting in a WWE ring.

Backstage, Sting is shown and he is confronted by super-heel Shawn Michaels. HBK asks Sting how many Wrestlemanias has he headlined? How many times he’s sold out Madison Square Garden? Michaels puts over all of his WWE-centric accomplishments. Sting looks him up and down and simply responds with a “WOOOOOOO.” Leading to (yes reader, this is where you wet your pants) Showtime vs. the Showstopper.

Vince chews out Punk Matt and Jeff to make sure their alliances are with WWE, they nod along. At Great American Bash, over the course of several multi-man tag matches, Punk, Matt and Jeff turn face and join Cornette to “even the playing field.”

Cornette tells Vince that the only reason he has the better ratings and the deeper pockets is because of the timeslots and the marketing funds they possess. He tells Vince that TNA will take their bags and go home if they can defeat TNA wrestlers in a series of matches at SummerSlam. Winner gets RAW, Smackdown and ECW along with naming rights to all of the PPVs. Vince is reluctant but accepts in order to get rid of TNA.

SummerSlam:
Shawn Michaels vs. Sting
Orton/HHH/Cena vs. Kurt/Punk/Joe
Ultimate X – Styles/Matt/Jeff vs. MVP/Umaga/Jericho – Winner gets to choose Special Guest Referee for main event.
Christian vs. Edge
Batista vs. Booker T
Curry Man vs. Rey Mysterio
Matt Morgan/Tomko vs. Big Show/Festus
Mickie James vs. Awesome Kong
JBL vs. James Storm
LAX vs. Morrison/Miz
Kennedy vs. Roode

At SummerSlam, Roode gets the win over Kennedy to open the show. Gets a good pop from the crowd. Then LAX dominates Morrison and Miz to give TNA a 2-0 lead. JBL defeats James Storm but Awesome Kong defeats Mickie James so TNA retains a 3-1 advantage. Big Show pins Morgan and Mysterio beats Curry Man to tie it up at 3-3. Booker T beats Batista, Edge beats Christian. Styles/Matt/Jeff win the Ultimate X and get to name the special guest referee. Orton/HHH/Cena heel it up and take down the big three from TNA.

In the main event, after Michaels and Sting are announced, Jim Cornette comes down and all expect him to name himself the ref. He then points to the stage and Jeff Jarrett comes out with the stripes on and a guitar in hand. Vince McMahon is in shock. The match begins and Jarrett calls it straight up. I’m not going to describe the match in depth. We all know this would be an all-time classic and ultimate mark-out moment. McMahon starts interfering and Jarrett bans him from ringside, the place goes nuts. Out of nowhere, Stephanie McMahon comes to the ring. Jarrett warns her and HBK takes advantage and cheap shots Sting. Sting gets the momentum back. He whips HBK into the ropes and hits the Stinger Splash. He whips him into other rope. Stephanie jumps onto the apron and distracts Jarrett. Shane McMahon pulls off a baseball hat and sunglasses in the front row, jumps the barrier, grabs Jarrett’s guitar and crushes Sting as he’s leaping into the corner against HBK. Sting collapses. Jarrett bans Steph from ringside and Shane hides under the ring. Sting finally staggers to get up and HBK drills him with the third Sweet Chin Music of the match and Double J has to count the pinfall.

WWE wins and the McMahons celebrate. TNA gets great exposure, WWE still rides high, Punk and the Hardyz get a push and solidly established.

WHAT DO I THINK?: Ah, more of the Corporation. I like a lot of things about this prediction. It clearly lays out the Us vs. Them philosophy with a twist. The Hardyz and Punk are almost like tweeners in the midst of this war. There isn’t much else for me to say… you did a great job of selling this as a monumental occasion with a hell of a main event between HBK and Sting. If I had to nitpick, I would say that you fell into the typical trap that the WWE always falls into when they try to run a Raw vs. Smackdown program — you turn people face or heel depending on which brand is the “face brand” or the “heel brand” without satisfying my need for character reflection. Even in the face of an invasion, would HBK really side with Vince? I’m not saying it wouldn’t happen or the WWE wouldn’t ignore the past in order to create the matches they wanted, but it’s just a little thing. Respect the character development, I say. I need to see Vince on his fucking knees begging all the people he has screwed in the past to help him. But maybe that’s just a personal thing.

Alright, that’s all for this week. If you sent something to me last week and it wasn’t featured today, please don’t immediately badmouth me or the Fink’s Payload on your blog. I’ll get to you next week, I promise! Remember, I’m re-opening the time frame for entries until next Tuesday since I’m so busy right now. If you think you can do better than those who were featured today, let the world know! Just for a friendly reminder, here’s the official “assignment” from the last column:

Question Five: due at 11PM on Tuesday, May 6
I hereby challenge the readers of the Payload to imagine a scenario where TNA superstars “invade” the WWE, or vice versa, in some kind of an inter-company storyline. Take as much liberty as you would like in deciding why they are appearing on the same shows together but please make sure to articulate the motivation for this “mingling” of talent.

Remember, send your entries to [email protected]. Have a great week!