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http://www.nwatna.com/columns/bankshot/2004/2/22/bankshot.html

02.22.04 | The Bank Shot With Bill Banks

Another record week here on NWATNA.com, as we had two of our best
traffic days on Thursday and Friday - all of it thanks to you, the
fans! I'm sure the addition of new live photos and the redesign of the
Superstar area didn't hurt, as well! Thanks to webmaster Lee South for
those two big projects.

If you'd like to help NWATNA.com grow, feel free to check out our
Official TNA Links. You'll be helping TNA grow and get some cool
graphics on your site in the process.

A CHANGED MAN? ABOLSUTELY!

The return of Vince Russo as the new NWA Director of Authority was a
shock to all watching Wednesday night, including everyone in the
locker room and TNA office. The big secret was kept under wraps for
weeks, and no one seemed to have the answer.

Whether you love him or hate him, Russo is certainly the man to
challenge Jeff Jarrett for power in TNA. Rumors circulating the
internet that he's also a "changed man" are true as well. Having known
Russo for almost 10 years, I can honestly say he is a different man.
No more "colorful" language, no more long hair, clean shaven, etc. I'm
pretty sure the other day I heard him say the word "volunteer" for the
first time, and he's spending his Sundays with the family at church
rather than sitting on the couch, scratching himself.

In all seriousness, the Jarrett/Russo fued appears to be heating up
again - and the roles are much different this time around. Russo will
not only have to prove to the TNA superstars he will be fair as the
law of the land, but he's got to prove it to the fans as well. And
based on what I've seen so far, I'm sure the fans will quickly realize
he's changed - probably as soon as this Wednesday night, as we'll hear
from Russo for the first time in several months!

NEW LOOK XPLOSION ON THE WAY!

In the upcoming weeks, TNA's one-hour syndicated Xplosion show is
going to get some much-needed improvements. In addition to more
graphics, the show is also going to have an identity of its own aside
from our Pay-Per-Views. If you haven't seen Xplosion yet, it features
exclusive matches each week and backstage interviews and comments
courtesy of the "TNA CAM". Fans now watching Xplosion on the Sunshine
Network on Friday nights in Florida have been raving about the show.

Xplosion is constantly growing and debuting in new television markets
across the country. To see if you can watch Xplosion in your area,
CLICK HERE.

There's also some great news for TNA fans in Ohio - Xplosion is now
airing in Cleveland on Adelphia cable THREE NIGHTS a week: Mondays,
Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7 PM!

For fans in Western Ohio, Xplosion will start airing on Time Warner
cable systems in early March, which reaches an estimated 450,000
homes!

TNA fans with Comcast ON DEMAND can also catch TNA each week, and
we're happy to say the number of unique viewers that watch TNA each
week with Comcast ON DEMAND has multiplied five times since we
premiered with the service in October - over 100,000 unique viewers
per month and growing!

TNA PARTNERS WITH URBAN LATINO TV!

It's great to see that the world of wrestling as a whole (TNA, WWE and
many others) have finally started taking serious notice of the Latino
viewership in recent months. From TNA's ongoing and successful
relationship with AAA in Mexico with the Americas X Cup to the recent
success of the Guerrero family up north, there's certainly a new and
exciting flavor to wrestling.

TNA is also happy to announce that we've signed a deal to partner with
the nationally syndicated Urban Latino TV to promote the second
America's X Cup between Mexico and Canada! Latino fans who watch the
program should see commercials begin airing for the Mexico vs. Canada
America's X Cup the first week in March.

To learn more about Urban Latino TV, check out their website here:
http://www.urbanlatino.com/ultv/ultv_home.html

TRY TNA ON DEMAND FOR FREE STARTING MARCH 1

Beginning March 1 and continuing each month, NWATNA.com's popular TNA
On Demand service will be featuring a special "Best Of" series,
beginning with a look at some of AJ Styles' most acclaimed matches.
You'll see the night AJ won the NWA World Title against Jeff Jarrett
and Raven, AJ and D'Lo Brown against Triple X, as well as AJ vs. Low
Ki in the "Match of the Year" candidate.

TNA fans all over the world are now watching our Pay-Per-Views online
on their computers with TNA On Demand, and this will be a chance for
new visitors to preview the service before becoming a member!

We'll have more details on the TNA On Demand "Best Of" feature in the
upcoming days here on the website.

ORDER THE TNA MONTHLY PRICING PACKAGE AND SAVE $$$!

With March including five Wednesday nights of TNA on Pay-Per-View,
that means that regular TNA buyers can take advantage of our ongoing
Monthly Pricing Package and save up to $15! It's a tremendous deal for
our longtime fans and viewers with fixed budgets, as you can save on
your cable bill each month by taking advantage, especially for the
month of March.

To learn more about the TNA Monthly Pricing Package, CLICK HERE.

COMING SOON: THE TNA ACADEMY AT THE ASLYUM TRAINING SCHOOL!

We announced here on NWATNA.com a few weeks back that TNA is now
accepting applications for the upcoming TNA Academy At The Asylum
wrestling school. To view the original article with details on how you
can sign up, CLICK HERE.

I recently had a chance to talk with Terry Taylor about the school,
who has been spending long hours replying to the growing number of
potential candidates via email. Along with fellow head trainer Scott
D'Amore, Taylor will be heading up the school, which will hopefully
open its doors in the next few months.

NWATNA.com will even have a "mini site" dedicated to the school in a
few weeks, with all the information you'll need to become a student.
Hopefully, your's truly will also get a chance to work with Taylor and
D'Amore at the school, as I've always felt teaching "the art of the
interview" is almost as important as learning to wrestle. It's
something I always wanted to do at the WCW Power Plant, but never got
the chance.

TNA NEWS AND NOTES:

- Kudos go out to Chris Harris, who put on one hell of a showing
against NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett in the main event
on Wednesday. Consider the fact that Harris was suffering from the flu
and didn't get any sleep the night before, you've got to hand it to
the "Wildcat".

- Kevin Northcutt is starting to become quite the celebrity in
Louisiana, as numerous television and sports programs have requested
to interview him about his in-ring brawl with Chicago Bear Brian
Urlacher. If you happen to be in New Orleans for Mardi Gras this week,
be on the lookout for Northcutt as he's serving as security for some
of the top clubs in the area.

- One other small note about the NWATNA.com website, we've added a
weekly "TNA Rankings" page to the Information Area. It's a look at the
weekly title picture in TNA, with the top contenders to the gold. You
can check it out by CLICKING HERE

Thanks, and enjoy this weeks TNA Pay-Per-View on Wednesday night!

Bill Banks


--- Internet Rex 2.29