December 7, 2009 - I'm going to open the Wrap Up this week with a sad note. Eddie Fatu, aka "The Samoan Bulldozer" Umaga, died this past Friday after being taken to the hospital by his wife after she found him unconscious and bleeding from the nose - and then succumbing to a heart attack (second one perhaps) while there. He was 36. I know this column is usually a place where I crack-wise about the industry and take jabs at certain stars that bore me, but this news, plus the looming toxicology report, just stands as a reminder of how much physical abuse these guys put themselves through. It's a truly unexplainable passion that they have, and there's no part of this that can be easily explained to those people out there who don't "get" wrestling.

The art of pro-wrestling just can't be imparted in word. The wrestlers, they're not stuntmen. They're not soap-opera stars. They're not acrobats. And yet, they still do have a faint sliver of each of these things within them and within their job parameters. Wrestling isn't one thing, it's actually a combination of a ton of different and varied elements that you think could only mix together into something dangerous and lethal. But instead it makes something entertaining and beautiful. But every so often, by the very design industry, the toxic elements of wrestling simply must rise. The pain and the anguish bubble over and families and fans are dealt a tragic loss. There are days when I feel like total lethargic crap, folks. And I sit at a desk and watch TV for a living. I can hardly imagine having to head out, night after night, regardless of how I feel, and give my all in a wrestling match. We'll know soon enough if Umaga's premature death had anything to do with painkillers, but regardless I'll still remain baffled by/in debt to how much these men systematically tear themselves apart for the love of the game. In the end, all I can do is feel sad, and wish that in his feud with Triple H, Umaga had been allowed to win just once.

Now, from dour news, I'll head into the big game changing(?) news of the week, which is Impact's impending Monday Night Hulk Hogan broadcast – set for January 4th. Their very first broadcast that has them going up against RAW. What say you, hullabaloos? Is this too soon? I have to give TNA credit for holding onto this Hogan thing for two months now. Of course, it hasn't stopped them from using the Hogan news to drive most of their storylines. Hell, they'll already have Hogan's first match, Hogan v. Foley, all sewn up by the time he heads in.

BERJAYA
"This will be like that time before when I did that thing, brother."
Does anyone else think that TNA, thanks to internet media buzz and legions of fans kissing Dixie's ass on Twitter, might think they're a bit bigger than they are? We'll see soon enough. This January 4th Impact, featuring Hulk Hogan in some capacity, will be a three hour event to "test the waters" on Monday nights. I don't think this will jump start a "war" but it will definitely piss off more than a few people up in Stamford. "We're firing the first shot" Dixie stated in a press release. She's made no bones about wanting to be the number one wrestling company in the world, but do you think it's best to just jump head first into the shallow end? Look, this Impact might beat WWE programming in the cable ratings. And eventually, they might beat them for weeks. But will that make them the number one company? What are we basing the standings on here? TNA has to have a game plan other than beating the WWE "like WCW did." Because with that momentary victory for WCW in the late 90s also came their inevitable downfall. You can hype your head-to-head battle as if it's the second coming of the Monday Night Wars, but you better be prepared to suffer the same fate if it comes to that.

Beating the WWE in the ratings on January 4th still won't change the fact that 600 people show up to a TNA house show and 13,000 show up for a WWE one. Drastic changes still need to be made before TNA will be able to draw new people in and hold them. Will millions more people be willing to watch the same arena, the Impact Zone, week in and week out? I can tell you this, it's a bit tiring. Seeing the same offices, hallways, loading docks and dressing rooms. It's a necessary financial evil, but it also comes off as bush-league. Especially when so much of the stories and segments take place in these areas. If I was filming my show out of the same building each week, I'd want to show as little of backstage as possible. Right now, out of memory, I think each of us could draw a map of Soundstage 21 at the Universal Studios Florida – including offices both real and fake.

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