TNA British Boot Camp a let down:
TNA’s much hyped UK reality show debuted last night on Challenge TV and in my opinion was a complete let down. British Boot Camp showcases UK talent Rockstar Spud, Marty Scurll and The Blossom Twins as they work for a TNA contract, but within a few minutes it was clear that the show was a complete work, with staged confrontations while training with British legend Rollerball Rocco, and a campy run in with the UK’s “toughest journalists” at the Daily Star.

There was absolutely no direction in the 30 minute broadcast, no hook to interest viewers and it wasn’t even adequately explained what the young wrestlers were supposed to be doing. Is it actually a competition? Suffice to say all 4 competitors were through to the next round, whatever that entails.

Instead of tailoring the product to the hardcore fan (the only person likely tuning in to the random game-show channel) they’ve taken the typical fake reality show route. This not only insults those who legitimately want to see these young workers put to the test, but also the random channel hopper who is going to see a fake reality show about fake wrestling, instead of a gritty look at what it takes to make it in the business.

If all they wanted to do was get over the characters of the wrestlers they could have easily made the show a 10 minute segment on Impact each week, instead of getting our hopes up for what could have been a throwback to the early seasons of Tough Enough.

Apparently the show is edited entirely by Jeremy Borash and was only commissioned because of a drive for original programming in the UK TV industry.
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Former WWE DVD distributor partners with TNA:
Former European WWE DVD distributor Silvervision is set to partner with TNA to distribute their DVDs in the UK, once their deal fully expires with WWE in June.

WWE are moving away from middle-man distribution because they are large enough to form their own retail relationships and want control over their own online catalog. TNA however will be able to utilize Silvervision’s connections to get their DVDs a much wider reach than is currently available.
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CM Punk cleared to wrestle:
According to an update on WWE.com CM Punk is cleared to wrestle, which likely means they won’t be going with Paul Heyman vs Ryback on Raw.

WWE had been testing Paul Heyman out at house shows, where he’s been taking bumps through a table in the corner of the ring. That may have just been a contingency plan in case Punk was unable to compete.

We’ll have to wait until Monday to see exactly what goes down.
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Who to watch in 2013:
The WWE website posted up the following names as wrestlers to watch in 2013…

Team Rhodes Scholars
Kaitlyn
Antonio Cesaro

Tyson Kidd
Wade Barrett
Ryback
The Shield
AJ Lee
CM Punk
Dolph Ziggler

It’s good to see Tyson Kidd in the mix.