![[a case of the blog]](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SY-CjpYjN_U/VF0vl6CNPjI/AAAAAAAAEOo/kQO_lGphFIs/s1600/newblogheader19.gif)
I have trouble referring to this as "The Monday Night Wars" or anything such as that, simply because I don't see this as a "war." The way I see it, TNA will take in its usual 1.0, and WWE will rack in a 3.0. When you beat your opposition three fold, they're hardly even competition. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am. Consider that TNA pulls in a 1.0 when they don't have Raw to compete with. And I think the amount of people who will tune in out of curiosity will likely be countered by the amount of usual viewers who won't be watching because they'd prefer to watch Raw.
What I find interesting, though, is the way history is repeating itself. It's Hulk Hogan vs. Bret Hart, which is arguably the battle that kickstarted the Monday Night Wars. Bret Hart's involvement has added an extra layer of interest in Shawn Michaels and Triple H, while Hogan's presence has made many allusions to his associations with Kevin Nash and a possibly returning Scott Hall. So, once again, we're essentially seeing DX vs. the nWo.
And in both cases, surprisingly, I'm more intrigued by WWE's options. I say "surprisingly" because I actually love the Hulkster, and there's a lot about Bret Hart that I don't care for. As I said in my review of his book, I find it perplexing that Bret Hart could be so bitter and self righteous about what Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H had done to him. To the point that he's completely unwilling to forgive the latter two, and refuses to believe that Shawn Michaels could have possibly changed. Look at how much he's sacrificed -- his career, his personal life, possibly his legacy, because he feels like these three individuals wronged him. Whether you believe he's right or not, you have to acknowledge the fact that he was "screwed" in a business relationship. Yet this entire time, he's cheating on his wife -- the mother of his children. He cheated constantly throughout their relationship. He had one night stands. He had long-lasting affairs. And he was more or less remorseless about his actions. He certainly didn't regret it enough to stop. But yeah, changing the end to a fixed match is the real sin here.
Nonetheless, his over decade long absence has left me very interested. Will he interact with Shawn Michaels? Triple H? Can it possibly be avoided? And, if so, how will these interactions transpire? I can't imagine Bret Hart returning as a heel, and I don't see them turning DX for a short-term storyline. But with tensions running so high, would it be a cop-out to see them acting all chummy together?
And actually, my greatest hope is that Bret's return will allow him to realize that Shawn Michaels HAS changed. And, in realizing this, perhaps he will truly be able to forgive the man, which in turn will allow him to put away the bitterness and hurt feelings he's felt this entire time.
And, selfishly, as a fan, I'd love to see these two on-screen together. The real highlight of last week's Raw was seeing Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon discussion Shawn Michaels, with Michaels (presumably) manipulating McMahon into having Hart as a Raw guest host.
As far as TNA goes, I'm just not very compelled to tune in. I love the Hulkster, but he's been a pretty frequent fixture since 2002 or so. And honestly, there's not enough backstory between him and Foley -- and to a lesser extent Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett -- to get me invested in these issues they're pushing. And speaking of Foley, has anybody's stock within the viewing community plummeted more than his?
What I find interesting, though, is the way history is repeating itself. It's Hulk Hogan vs. Bret Hart, which is arguably the battle that kickstarted the Monday Night Wars. Bret Hart's involvement has added an extra layer of interest in Shawn Michaels and Triple H, while Hogan's presence has made many allusions to his associations with Kevin Nash and a possibly returning Scott Hall. So, once again, we're essentially seeing DX vs. the nWo.
And in both cases, surprisingly, I'm more intrigued by WWE's options. I say "surprisingly" because I actually love the Hulkster, and there's a lot about Bret Hart that I don't care for. As I said in my review of his book, I find it perplexing that Bret Hart could be so bitter and self righteous about what Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H had done to him. To the point that he's completely unwilling to forgive the latter two, and refuses to believe that Shawn Michaels could have possibly changed. Look at how much he's sacrificed -- his career, his personal life, possibly his legacy, because he feels like these three individuals wronged him. Whether you believe he's right or not, you have to acknowledge the fact that he was "screwed" in a business relationship. Yet this entire time, he's cheating on his wife -- the mother of his children. He cheated constantly throughout their relationship. He had one night stands. He had long-lasting affairs. And he was more or less remorseless about his actions. He certainly didn't regret it enough to stop. But yeah, changing the end to a fixed match is the real sin here.
Nonetheless, his over decade long absence has left me very interested. Will he interact with Shawn Michaels? Triple H? Can it possibly be avoided? And, if so, how will these interactions transpire? I can't imagine Bret Hart returning as a heel, and I don't see them turning DX for a short-term storyline. But with tensions running so high, would it be a cop-out to see them acting all chummy together?
And actually, my greatest hope is that Bret's return will allow him to realize that Shawn Michaels HAS changed. And, in realizing this, perhaps he will truly be able to forgive the man, which in turn will allow him to put away the bitterness and hurt feelings he's felt this entire time.
And, selfishly, as a fan, I'd love to see these two on-screen together. The real highlight of last week's Raw was seeing Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon discussion Shawn Michaels, with Michaels (presumably) manipulating McMahon into having Hart as a Raw guest host.
As far as TNA goes, I'm just not very compelled to tune in. I love the Hulkster, but he's been a pretty frequent fixture since 2002 or so. And honestly, there's not enough backstory between him and Foley -- and to a lesser extent Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett -- to get me invested in these issues they're pushing. And speaking of Foley, has anybody's stock within the viewing community plummeted more than his?
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