Analyzing Last Night's TNA Vs WWE Showdown. Who Had The Better Show?

This is a longer article than I usually write, so be ready to read for awhile.

Last night marked the first time since Vince McMahon purchased WCW that the WWE went head-to-head on Monday night with a major competitor. There is no question in my mind that WWE won the night with ratings, but who really had the better show?

I'll start with Raw. Raw began with exactly what I expected. Bret Hart made his dramatic return to the WWE. His entrance music hit, the titantron lit up pink and black, and the crowd went nuts.

The hero who had been forced to leave the business due to injury has come home to the WWE. He seemed a little choked up in the beginning, which is to be expected when someone gets that kind of reception.

Bret also seemed more nervous than I had expected him to be. I guess he was worried he wouldn't live up to people's expectations of him.

His first order of business after thanking the crowd was to call out Shawn Michaels, a key player in his departure from the WWE. Shawn came out and shocked the audience when he said he thought Bret deserved what happened to him. Michaels got boos for the first time in years.

He then went on to talk about how he too wanted to put things aside and bury the hatchet. After some banter they shook hands, and HBK even came back and hugged the Hitman. It was an emotional moment for fans of the two legends.

Bret tried to call out Vince next, who was a no show, and that led to commercial. Bret was featured in a few more segments—one featuring Jericho asking him to screw DX, and another where Vince called him out, made a fake gesture of goodwill and then kicked Bret in the gut.

Vince went from a guy who some cheered and some booed to the guy who people love to hate in about two seconds. Great stuff by Vince here.

The show ended with Bret staring down Vince. I guess this begins their Wrestlemania storyline.

The rest of the night felt like any other night of Raw. This says to me that WWE is not taking TNA seriously, much like they did not take WCW seriously in the beginning.

MVP beat Jack Swagger, Carlito and his former short-time partner Mark Henry in a fatal four-way to win the number one contender's spot for the United States title. Speaking of the US title, Miz cut a promo after Maryse's match with some new entrance music. 

Maryse beat Brie Bella to win the first match of the Diva's Championship tournament, which was announced due to Melina being injured at a house show. Miz and Maryse have been going back and forth for a long time. I see a partnership coming between the two egomaniacs soon.

DX defeated Big Show and Chris Jericho in typical DX style to retain their Unified Tag Titles. Hornswoggle got involved, of course, and Jericho had to leave Raw for about the 10th time in his career. 

Their match felt a bit too weak for four main event guys going for a title, but that's just my opinion.

Randy Orton defeated Kofi again. I thought they were pushing Kofi to the top, but I guess he is just a substitute for John Cena until Orton and Cena can begin their 4,736th feud. Kofi looked very good in this match, and I think he is future main event material.

Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. had threatened to kick Orton out of Legacy if he didn't win the match. They looked a little upset at the fact that he did win.  The end of Legacy is coming soon.

Sheamus took on Evan Bourne in an odd match. It started with Sheamus saying Evan Bourne could never beat him, and he repeatedly called Bourne "Little Evan Bourne." The match began when Bourne snuck up on Shemaus and surprised him so much that he was able to hit "Air Bourne" for a two count. It then turned into a squash match, and Evan was defeated.

Other than Bret Hart's involvement, Raw did not feel like anything special, and I certainly don't think they were even considering TNA a threat. That might be a mistake later on.

Now onto the underdog, TNA. TNA had a three-hour special packed to the brim with controversy, great wrestling and a ton of guest spots.

The night began with an X-Division Steel Asylum match. This match was clearly designed to show first time TNA viewers what TNA was founded on. All the young X-Division guys gave it a good show, but in the end Homicide ruined things by attacking everyone, including his world elite partner Kyoshi, with a baton.

The biggest shocker of the night came next. Jeff Hardy's TNA theme music hit, and he made his way through the crowd. Hardy got a huge pop considering the size of the audience. He was attacked at ringside by Homicide but was able to hit him with a chair, in the face no less, and then a "twist of fate" on the ramp. 

Hardy then climbed up the cage and sat on top while his music played. Huge gain for TNA with this one. Hardy is arguably one of the top 10 most popular wrestlers of all time, and he is still only 33.

After commercials, they showed Hardy meet up with Shannon Moore backstage. I can't tell if this means a Jeff Hardy return to TNA or if this is a one time shot. It's possible [TNA President Dixie] Carter and Hulk Hogan made him an offer he couldn't refuse.

ODB defeated Tara to win the Knockouts Title in a decent match. They most likely wanted to spice things up with some title changes, but it ended up only being the two women's titles that changed hands. Hamada and Kong won the Knockout's tag titles later in the night.

Another surprise came next as none other than the Nature Boy Ric Flair exited a limo and entered the locker room of AJ Styles. Looks like Flair may be coming in as some kind of managerial character.

Bobby Lashley and his wife Krystal then came to the ring. She cut a promo on how Lashley wants his release from TNA and that he is beter than anyone in wrestling and MMA. Good heel promo for her.

Another surprise, Scott Hall and Sean "X-Pac" Waltman showed up and beat up security to get in. I called this one weeks ago, so I guess its not a surprise to me or anyone who read any of the dozen or so other articles that predicted it. But, still cool to see.

The Beautiful People were shown playing a dumb chicks version of poker. Lacey has fallen back, and Velvet Sky appears to be leading the group now, which is the right move.

Time for the big guy, Hogan's new TNA music hit, and he made his much anticipated TNA debut. He got a long ovation in the ring and almost looked impatient. He then put TNA over talking about the talented guys in back and the changes that were coming.

Hall and Waltman came in and proceeded to act like the group would continue where they left off, but Hogan was not having any of that. He said it's not going to be like it was before, and people have to earn their spots.

Nash made his way down, then Bishoff. They all talked about old days, but Bischoff and Hogan seemed serious that change was coming to TNA. Good segment, and I am glad they addressed what I was hoping would not happen—a reunion. Sting was shown looking down from the rafters. Damn! WCW gimmicks are coming back.

Another guest, Val Venis, came in and played poker with the ladies. He looked to be in better shape than the last time he was in WWE. The funniest part of the Beautiful People segments were Val Venis being Val Venis.

Mick Foley was shown trying to make it into the building but was stopped by security. 

Raven and Stevie had a short tag match with Hernandez and Morgan. Morgan looked good in this match and won with a carbon footprint. Short match but somewhat decent. It featured two vets vs. two newer guys, so it was a good mix.

Pope was then shown in back with Hemme, but was interrupted by...Orlando Jordan?  Jordan talked about how Hogan had called him and that they went way back. Pope seemed insulted by this newcomer and berated him for calling Pope a kid on his interview time. Good promo for Pope.

Pope then took on Desmond Wolfe in a great match. TNA is clearly trying to showcase their talent with this one. They went back and forth in what was a highly technical match. This was kind of a little jab at WWE, showing they can showcase guys like the Pope better than WWE did when they had him as Elijah Burke. Pope won with a cradle.  Great match making both guys look great.

Jarrett was shown arriving and watching a monitor in a couple quick segments. AJ was shown talking to JB when Bischoff came in and moved the Angle vs. Styles match to the main event. Styles looked happy.

Jarrett came to the ring and cut a promo about change, and how he, Carter and Hogan were all side by side now. Hogan then appeared on the monitor and dismissed Jarrett's accomplishments, saying he had to earn his spot too, so he better lace up his boots.  This looks more like a corporate takeover now.

Throughout the night, they showed the Machine Guns, Rhino and Beer Money laid out after being taken out by someone. Sting maybe? That's my guess.

Samoa Joe and Abyss had a good match for the two bigger guys in the company. This match showed why Joe is one of the best big men in the business today. Joe won with his rear naked choke hold. 

Jeff Hardy was shown again in back, this time painting a picture before he and Shannon went to talk to Hogan. Later, they were shown exiting with envelopes with Shannon looking very excited about the deal they had been offered. Hardy seemed a little less enthused about it, until they were approached by some young girls. He gave them his painting. Good way to show Jeff as a face.

The Nasty Boys were shown trashing Team 3D's locker room and spray painting the walls. Looks like all of Hogan's friends are getting jobs.

The main event featured Kurt Angle taking on AJ Styles in what was the match of the night for both shows. These two had an amazing 25-minute match that showed why they are the top two guys in TNA.

Both guys hit their finishers countless times only to fall short.  It took AJ hitting a Styles Clash and a springboard 450 to get the win. After the match, the two gladiators embraced, and Hogan made his way out.

He said that AJ and Kurt were the two best wrestlers in the business today. He put over TNA some more before being told Mick Foley was in his office. Foley was shown talking to Bischoff before Hall, Nash and Waltman beat the hell out of him. Hogan came in late and was shown looking conflicted as the show went off the air.

Ratings most likely go to WWE here, but TNA had the better show last night. I got a feeling that their was a renewed energy from the entire TNA show, while WWE, despite the Bret Hart stuff, seemed like any other Raw.

TNA had a multitude of guests featuring Hardy, Moore, Val Venis, the Nasty Boys, Hall, Waltman, Flair, Jordan, Hogan and Bischoff making their debuts.

My biggest question is will this be a one-time thing for Jeff to help get Shannon over, or is he coming back to TNA?  He was expected to return to WWE to face Punk at Wrestlemania 26, but now that may have changed. Vince may not have known this was going to happen, and who knows how he will react to it. 

TNA had the more interesting show for sure, but how long will that last? Once these guys become fixtures, will TNA still be as interesting? Or will they go back to being the distant second place they were last week?

I felt something special watching TNA last night, and I know I am not alone. Raw was great only because of Bret Hart, who was the only reason I was even watching Raw. I would have had to choose if not for the wonderful invention of DVR.

Who do you guys think had the better show despite ratings?