Credit: NWATNA.com


A very happy Valentine's Day to everyone out there. I always found
it a little ironic that the initials for the holiday of love
are "VD" - but I digress.

A great episode of TNA from this past Wednesday, gaining great
reviews pretty much across the board. I loved the show, but also
know that our momentum is only starting to build. I think the next
month could start the best stretch of programming put fourth by TNA.

The corporate team from Panda Energy addressed the troops this past
Wednesday night before the show. All are very personable,
approachable, and tremendously sharp business people. They emphasize
putting the strength and character of the company in the hands of
their employees, and so far they seem to be very happy with the
results. Increases are being seen across the board in TNA, and the
ship is heading in the right direction.

Konnan's storyline with his belief of the X-Division stars stealing
the Lucha Libre style has really caught on in a short time. I think
this angle could get red hot, and could put the X-Division stars in
a fantastic ongoing storyline with some possible stars from south of
the border.

Tony Mamaluke suffered a stinger during a TNA Xplosion match. He is
still feeling some numbness in his leg.

Tenacious Z has accepted a contract from the WWE. We wish him the
best of luck.

What a surprise to see Sandman and Steve Corino show up to the TNA
Asylum this past week. Both received great ovations from the crowd.
They will be back this week as Sandman teams with Corino to take on
Low Ki and Raven.

I hadn't seen Sandman since he left WCW, and he was as trimmed down
as I have ever seen him. He fit in well at the asylum, as we have no
shortage of beer swilling, cig smoking maniacs running around that
building (and those are just the women!)

Xplosion is now being seen in some very large markets. While I get
constant emails asking when are where the show can be seen, the best
thing I can advise is to check your local listings. The show airs in
syndication, as well as UATV, which means you could end up seeing it
at different times in different markets. The best thing for you to
do would be to check your local listings.

I will be attending tomorrow night's 3PW show in Philly, which looks
to be a solid card. I may also be stopping by the XPW show tonight
to visit with Shane Douglas, whom I haven't seen since the WCW days.

This Wednesday night will be the NWA World Title Match as AJ Styles
challenges Jeff Jarrett. The pre-match hype alone has drawn a strong
advance for tickets at the TNA Asylum. Expect a first class world
title bout.

Congratulations to Kid Kash on defeating Sonny Siaki in a great
contest this past Wednesday night. The match had one of the better
crowd responses of the night. The gals did a great job as well.

Trinity is in the Daredevil movie as a stunt double for Jennifer
Garner.

Signed for this Wednesday will also be America's Most Wanted vs. The
Harris Brothers in the semifinals of the World Tag Team Title
tourney.

TNA achieved better than expected results from our Australia debut
on PPV. Viewers in Australia will once again get a taste of TNA this
Thursday (Australia time) as TNA airs live on Main Event PPV.

Jeff Jarrett and executives with Panda met with television
executives in New York yesterday.

The preview is out for the new Chris Rock movie "Head of State," and
features the scenes shot at the TNA Asylum in the preview. The scene
starts with a very handsome ring announcer, and then features Chris
Rock getting trounced by Jeff Jarrett, B.G. James, Ron Harris, and
the Truth. The movie opens March 28th.

TNA will see a British invasion in March, with some familiar names
stopping by TNA.

Its Valentine's Day, so in honor of the lover's holiday, here are my
top five couples in wrestling.

5) Luna Vachon and the Vampire Warrior a.k.a. Gangrel (Could be
wrestling's answer to the Osbournes. A tough athlete who could kick
any wrestler's ass, and he's pretty tough, too)

4) Exotic Adrian Street and Miss Linda (Married in real life, but he
had me convinced)

3) Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin and Precious (At the age of 12, I was
grounded for calling her a bitch in front of my mother. She was
quite a heel)

2) Lenny and Lodi (Too controversial for WCW!)

1) Randy Savage and Elizabeth (The first lady of wrestling and a
great top talent, what a pair! Savage wasn't bad either)

Paul London and Jerry Lynn had a fantastic back and fourth battle
this past Wednesday night. London came in with some high
expectations, and did not disappoint. London was reportedly quite
nervous about his TNA debut, and will only improve as his comfort
level increases. London will get the first crack at X-Division
champion Kid Kash.

Before I close with some thoughts on Curt Hennig, I want to commend
three people who touched me with their tributes to Curt this week.
Chris Harris paid tribute to Curt Hennig with the PerfectPlex this
last Wednesday night in a very touching moment. Curt had taken Chris
Harris under his wing during his time in TNA. I was also touched by
Sean Waltman's beautifully written tribute to Hennig. I also want to
commend Mortimer Plumtree for his help putting together a very
classy opening segment on this week's TNA.

I've had four days to think about what I was going to write about
the passing of Curt Hennig. I went back and looked at what I wrote
about Curt when he came to TNA. I put him on my top five list of
wrestling's funniest people. He truly was. I first got to know Curt
well in WCW. Everywhere we went on the road together, he could point
out a landmark where something funny had happened on the road. "That
was the strip bar where Mr. Fugi peed on the floor," he pointed out
to me in Milwaukee one time. He loved telling Mr. Fugi stories, and
seemed to have one for almost every city we visited. I was
fascinated by his great tales of ribs, pranks, and unusual antics he
had witnessed over the years.

Curt was also a very proud Minnesotan, and proud of his fellow
Minnesota wrestlers. The Minnesota wrestling contingent is a very
unique fraternity. TNA alone has seen myself, Mortimer Plumtree,
Jerry Lynn, Sean Waltman, Lenny Lane, Nikita Koloff, David Flair,
Goldylocks, and Curt Hennig, all who have grown up within a fifteen
mile radius of each other. I think there is a special bond shared,
and we are all proud to be from the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." I think
Curt took special pride in calling himself "The wrestler that made
Minnesota famous."

Another Minnesotan we lost was Curt's closest friend, Rick Rude.
While we often talk about Curt's great sense of humor, he did have a
softer side when it came to his friends and family. I remember a
time we shared together at my apartment in Atlanta after losing Rick
Rude, talking about their high school days together, and how Rick
was the toughest man Curt had known. I don't think Curt ever got
over the loss of his friend Rick Rude, and I would bet the two of
them are hangin out together right now in a much better place.

So, I'll close this week saying so long to a great athlete, a
father, and a friend. You'll be missed, Curt, you were one of a
kind.

Jeremy Borash
www.nwatna.com