Skip to main content

A Little Taste of That Missing Excitement: Free Agency Growing Again in Professional Wrestling

nigelNigel McGuinness is now a member of the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Roster. Set to debut on tomorrow tonight’s edition of iMPACT, McGuinness will now go under the name of Desmond Wolfe. McGuinness err…Wolfe is one of the best kept secrets on the wrestling circuit, dominating the reigns of Ring of Honor (ROH) wrestling, and impressing international hotbed crowds such as Japan, with a flair of charisma and arrogance.

Since the days of the Monday night wars, and the wrestling boom period of the late 90’s and the earlier part of this decade, wrestlers and free agency were a hot topic amongst wrestling fans. Who was going where? Who would resign? Surprise debuts, and sad farewells. The busts, the surprise signings, and all the evaluations that comes with free agency. It seems lately, things have opened up. Wrestlers have options once again (though not as equivalent as in the past), and fans are excited to see some different options. 

Wolfe along with other top free agent talent, Bryan Danielson (and my selection for wrestler of the year in 2007), agreed in principle to contracts with WWE, and were expected to debut soon. However, Wolfe, who unfortunately suffered several concussions in the past few years, did not pass his pre-screening physical with the WWE, thus leaving the door open for him to sign with TNA. The move definitely caught everyone by surprise, and has TNA fans, and McGuinness…err Wolfe fans very excited about the possibilities. However, most importantly, the defection and move has stirred up the free agency scene in professional wrestling, and brought back a level of excitement that wrestling fans have missed.

With Danielson moving to WWE, Booker T heading into free agency, the mysterious status of Mr. Kennedy, and Wolfe’s debut in TNA tomorrow tonight, a little part of that time came alive again. That element of surprise. That excitement. Something very difficult to recreate in our microwave society of available information. It might not be the same as the boom period, but it does shake things up a bit. And that is something professional wrestling in North America desperately needs.
Labels:

Recently Read

Dome Pondering Move Review: Say You Will (2017)

What is it about? A recent high school graduate cares for his mother while attempting to navigate his first relationship following his father's suicide.  Who is in it? Travis Tope - Sam Nimitz Katherine Hughes - Ellie Vaughn Favorite Scene: [spoiler alert] Sam plays his song for his mom. Favorite Quote: Ellie: "I wish we could have met down the road, maybe when we were like 27." Sam: "I think we needed each other now." Review:  Say You Will was an absolutely pleasant surprise of a watch from the Amazon Prime offerings.  I wasn't exactly sure what to expect with this one, but after the credits rolled, it was a movie that provided authentic characters and a great lesson on life. We don't always have to have everything figured out, and it's okay if you don't.  What makes Say You Will so beautiful is that all of the characters are carrying some inner struggle that connects them in the moment and time that helps them through whatever it is. The unlike...
Read more

Remembering Hulkamania

What a complicated mess this news leaves me in. Hulk Hogan. Dead. At 71. I was never a fan of Hogan (in the world of pro wrestling)…I was a Macho Man Randy Savage guy, and later on, a Bret Hart guy (and still am). But like every other wrestling fan from the ’80s through now, Hulk Hogan’s presence and legend are undeniable.  Terry Bolea transcended wrestling as Hulk Hogan and helped the art form take its first step into the mainstream of pop culture.  He later reinvented the business once again with the greatest heel turn ever at Bash at the Beach 1996. Many have changed the business once, but twice? Significantly?! Hogan’s run as Hulkamania and as Hollywood makes a case for the best to ever do it - I can't think of anyone on such a high level on both sides of the pro wrestling coin as a babyface and heel. Every pro wrestling Mount Rushmore (as dumb as these lists have become) includes Hulk Hogan, period. But Hogan is also so instrumental in my ever-evolving ability to separate...
Read more

Dome Pondering Movie Review: Hello, I Must Be Going (2012)

What is it about? A woman moves back in with her parents following a shocking divorce. An unlikely affair with a younger guy revives her life and perspective on marriage. Who is in it? Melanie Lynskey - Amy Christopher Abbott - Jeremy Blythe Danner - Ruth Favorite Scene: Amy's dad, who is often much easier on her than her mom, comes to her bedside and gives her some money. She refuses, then he insists. She then asks, "whose happiness are you buying?" Favorite Quote: Where the f** is 'bottom'? Where the motherf***ing f*** is motherf***ing 'bottom'? Review: Hello, I Must Be Going was an interesting watch. I've always found Melanie Lynskey to be an intriguing actor, and her role in this was just that.  What makes this film so interesting is that, going into the film, you believed this would be a film documenting Amy's journey from recent divorcee into...well, wherever it is she goes. The beauty of this film is that Amy's journey was just a public...
Read more