Jeff Hardy, TNA needs to cut the fat, A.J. Styles should be treated like a veteran

Friday, September 19 – 12:45 P.M. (CT)

-I am sure I am not alone in hoping that there is not more to the Jeff Hardy situation than we have already heard. The biggest concern is for Jeff Hardy, the human being. However, Hardy has two WWE strikes and needs to be extra careful. Showing up intoxicated to an airport is not the most intelligent thing for him to do.

I am also pretty sure that I was the only one who thought Hardy was going to win the WWE Championship at No Mercy. The way the ads were airing with Triple H saying Hardy has "one last chance at the brass ring," led me to believe that this was going to be his time. I figure the Wrestlemania XXV WWE Championship match will not include Hardy, so now would have been as good at time as any to give him the title run. However, if that was the plan, I see Triple H retaining for sure now.

Hardy's level of white hotness amongst the WWE fans seems to have waivered a bit, but I still think we are at a point where they will pop huge. However, at this stage in Hardy's career, one has to wonder if he will actually be allowed to grab the brass ring.

-For what seems to be throughout their entire existence, TNA Wrestling, despite having a roster full of young and underutilized talent, feels the need to sign WWE cast offs. Sometimes the signings are a no-brainer, such as Kurt Angle and Christian Cage. I was surprised when Booker T was signed but he turned out to be a great asset. I am not thrilled with the Mick Foley signing, but maybe he will prove me wrong too.

Despite the fact that none of these signings have really done anything for the ratings, it made sense to sign them. However, there are those on the roster that are nothing more than a huge waste of money. Being a huge fan of Velvet Sky and The Beautiful People, it is painfully obvious that Kip James is someone that brings absolutely nothing to the company. In fact, I found him expendable after his run as a member of the New Age Outlaws.

Everybody has advice about how to make TNA better. From getting a new creative team, to pushing the young guys, to getting rid of the announce team, there seem to be endless suggestions on how to improve TNA. My suggestion is simple: do not waste money on guys like Kip James. I am not even saying that the money to pay him, or other WWE castoffs that should not be working on TV every week, should be put toward other talent. There is enough talent on the roster. Utilize it.

Last night, Jeff Jarrett said TNA was not WCW. I am sure most people would have liked to hear him repeat that because while the outside of the book is different from WCW, the content is eerily similar. TNA has done some very good things in their history. One of the things that has most impressed me about TNA is their ability to make their secondary titles important.

The X-Division and Tag Team Championships in TNA have been main event level titles and have produced main event level matches over the years at different times. How great would it be if TNA could successfully mesh their veteran and young talent while making all three of their divisions important at once?

-By the way, this whole young guys vs. established guys feud in TNA is frustrating. For months now, even before this feud began, A.J. Styles has been treated as a new guy breaking into the business. Styles is a former three time world champion and more importantly, he has been in the business longer than Kurt Angle. The fact that this goes overlooked is shortsighted and ridiculous.