Monday, JANUARY 4 - 12:59 P.M. (CT)

-After weeks of hype and speculation, January 4th, 2010 is finally here and tonight, WWE Raw goes head to head with TNA Impact. As we get closer to show time, I am going to list five reasons why you should watch Impact. I'll come back in a little while and do the same thing for Raw.

1. Hulk Hogan: Say what you want, but Hogan is the most influential figure in the history of professional wrestling. If you play word association with someone who knows nothing about wrestling and you say "wrestling," they will respond with "Hulk Hogan." Sure, it is 2010 and Hogan has Hogan's reputation, but let's face it, Hogan in TNA led to all of this hype.

If TNA was going head to head with Raw tonight without Hogan, there would not be nearly as much hype behind the show. Hogan has his lifelong fans and there are also those who wonder why the hell he is still so important. Well, Hogan is the biggest star that has to be dedicated to turning his stars into superstars. If he pushes his buddies and has a selfish agenda, this could get stale by hour number three.

2. Potential surprises: For the first time in a very long time, wrestling free agency is an interesting topic again. Sure, Ken Anderson, Ric Flair, Jeff Hardy, and Rob Van Dam have been available for a long time, but things get kicked into high gear when the companies go head to head. Out of the above names, I think we'll see at least two of them. It will be fun to see returning former TNA stars like Angelina Love. Personally, I am looking forward to seeing Scott Hall again.

3. Followup to Final Resolution PPV: Amidst all of the hype is the realization that Hogan will not be on camera for three hours and TNA still has a show to put on. At the last pay-per-view, Heavyweight Champion A.J. Styles had a great match with Daniels. Desmond Wolfe and Kurt Angle tore the house down. Matt Morgan and Samoa Joe both look to be in the championship picture. I'm curious to see how they follow up from that show and how the new regime presents the current stars.

4. Potential changes: Hogan has presented himself in interviews as an old school guy, so will he implement changes right away? Will Hogan fire Vince Russo, either for real or part of an angle? Will Hogan do away with the six sided ring? Will Hogan change the current programming structure to slow down storylines to build to more dramatic climaxes? Tonight is a big show, but it is important for TNA to lay the groundwork for the future.

5. How much television time will Hogan's friends take? This could be the potential train wreck that a lot of people are afraid of. Hogan has always taken care of his buddies and there has to be some internal concern about this happening again. I am optimistic that Hogan gets it this time and will not saturate the product with his friends. It will be cool to see some of them for nostalgic purposes, but I don't think anyone wants to see Brutus Beefcake week in and week out.

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