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How’s it going, Brother? Did you know that Hulkamania is going to be running wild on TNA? It’s going to be running so wild that the Hulkster stopped off at a recent UFC event on Spike TV to promote the event, which almost made me crap my pants since I did not think the UFC would want to co-mingle with it’s programming “cousin,” but hey, promotion is promotion. Hogan’s arrival on TNA, along with Eric Bischoff, takes aim at the WWE tonight with a special head-to-head live broadcast, reminiscent of the Monday Night Wars. Not to be outdone, Vince McMahon went out and got a bigger gun: Bret “The Hitman” Hart.

Now, if Dixie Carter thought she got a ratings stud in Hogan (granted, a very old stud who just rode out a wave of terrible personal publicity), McMahon went out and got a Triple Crown winner. Hart’s departure from the WWE, coupled with his brother Owen’s tragic death, was so publicized and controversial that it made the idea of a return to the promotion almost mythical in proportion. To put it in perspective: he’s only ever competed in the WWF, not the WWE.

I, like many of you reading this, probably loved (or loved to hate) Bret Hart during his career with the company. Love him or hate him, you could not deny the excellence of his execution. He was, and forever will be, one of the best at marrying amateur technique with the theatrical violence of pro wrestling, all while entering the arena to a kick ass theme song and sporting a jacket that was modeled off the Beatle’s “Sgt. Pepper’s” attire. Heck, to this day, I’ll still put my sister in the Sharpshooter for old time’s sake (Ed. Note: I do not condone this kind of behavior, but God didn’t give me a younger brother to beat up on so my scrappy kid sister has to suffice. Please don’t judge).

This brings us to tonight, Monday, January 4, 2010. Many claim the night will have a hint of prime time nostalgia, harkening back to the golden age of wrestling in the mid-late 90’s. While I completely agree with Mr. Gargiulo’s assessment that TNA is a dead company promoting, I think Hart’s return and what will be TNA’s best attempt at being considered competition are both great things for the WWE. For one, it’s already given the WWE enough sense up their game and inject some great storyline ideas, even if only for the short term, for Hart while he is with the company. Despite his pro-Canadian/anti-American agenda in the late 90’s, if the RAW fan reaction is any indicator, Hart will most definitely come back as a “face” and feud with McMahon and, eventually, Michaels.

My prediction: Hart aligns himself with his nephews’ Hart Dynasty stable while McMahon aligns himself with a heel-turned DX to set up a Stable vs. Stable match to settle the 12 year old Screw Job angle. As much as I love seeing Sweet Chin Music, fans new and old will clamor for the day in 2010 when the Hitman slaps on one final Sharpshooter, proving once again that, love him or hate him, he is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

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