I promised I would provide a solution to the booking crisis on Smackdown, and that is coming up later. However, after watching Impact on Thursday, I couldn't help but think of another old WWF/E angle being resurrected in TNA.

On Impact, "Father" James Mitchell revealed that he is the storyline father of his former charge, Abyss (Chris Parks). Think back about 10 years, to the early days of Kane, when the Big Red Machine was still a masked, mute man-monster under the tutelage of Paul Bearer. It was established at that time that Bearer was Kane's "father", yet Kane was also the "brother" of the Undertaker, whom Bearer had betrayed several months earlier. The link between Bearer & Kane was later dropped as Creative began its periodic tweaking of Kane, leading up to his current look. The mind behind both angles? Vince Russo.

With Abyss & Mitchell, Russo has the opportunity to fully realize the vision he had conceived with Kane & Bearer a decade ago, but was never able to finish the story. Inasmuch as I've ripped Russo repeatedly here and elsewhere for being behind the times and reusing old angles, in this case I will make an exception and give him his props, save for the fact that there are details that the fans know that put holes in this angle.

Mitchell & Abyss have been a part of TNA virtually from the beginning, 5 1/2 years ago, yet they were never always together. While Mitchell was leading factions like the Disciples of the New Church and the Gathering (the latter featuring current WWE/ECW stars CM Punk & Mickie James, aka Alexis Laree), Abyss was a solo act, managed at one time by Goldy Locks, and held the tag titles at another point with current TNA tag co-champion AJ Styles. By the time Impact moved to Spike TV in the fall of '05, Mitchell & Abyss were finally paired up, and became an effective team. Unfortunately, considering that Abyss is a amalgam of Kane & Mankind, it was inevitable that Abyss would leave Mitchell, and he did a few months ago. Mitchell has made it a crusade to avenge himself upon Abyss, and that is where the similarities between Abyss/Mitchell and Kane/Bearer end. Bearer was convienently written out after a few months, leaving Kane off on his own. Bearer left the WWE once and seemingly for all in 2005. Mitchell has Judas Mesias to feud with Abyss presently, but I've this little feeling that before the end of 2008, there will be a "family reunion" of sorts. I see Abyss reverting to heel and rejoining Mitchell. Mesias & Abyss as tag champs by the end of '08 has a deliciously nasty ring to it.

Now, let's take care of Smackdown. The Edge Army grew by one on Friday with Chavo Guerrero throwing in with his Aunt Vicki and boyfriend Edge, a case of Chavo & Edge working to help each other out in their respective feuds, Edge vs. Rey Mysterio, an enemy that Chavo is very familiar with, and Guerrero vs. CM Punk. Edge will be in Chavo's corner on Tuesday, and the smart thing would be to put Mysterio in Punk's corner to offset Edge. I can't see Chavo winning the ECW title. Period.

So, let's flash ahead to after the Royal Rumble. Edge will escape with the World title intact at the PPV, and I see him losing via DQ due to interference from Chavo and/or the Edgeheads.

Smackdown, 2/1:

Cutting Edge opens the show, and Edge has Chavo & Vicki with him. He claims to have beaten Mysterio "within an inch of his life", then admits to "having taken it too far". Vicki makes a pair of handicap matches for the double main event: Punk vs. Edge & Chavo, and Rey vs. the Edgeheads. Teddy Long, however, asks for a mic and gets one from ring announcer Justin Roberts. He's let this go on for too long, and the dual handicap matches are just flat wrong. Vicki shouts him down and reminds that she, not he, is the GM. Not for long.

"All Grown Up" hits, and Stephanie McMahon makes a surprise appearance, representing the Board of Directors, who were all in attendance at the Rumble. The Board met the next morning, and at the top of the agenda was Vicki's unprofessional conduct at the PPV. Steph points out that her father has not been of sound mind in quite a while, even ignoring his own promise to the family to change his ways. Vince, you'll recall, took the "interim" label off Vicki after she stripped Hornswoggle of the cruiser title on 9/28, on Vince's orders. Vince is stretching himself too thin with 3 different vendettas ('Swoggle, HHH, Flair) at once, and his decision making has not been the best in, oh, about 4 years. Bottom line is, the Board has ruled unanimously to remove Vicki as GM of Smackdown and reinstate Long to the position, effective immediately. Steph casually tells Vicki that she's fired (think Donald Trump on "The Apprentice"), and has her removed from the building. Edge protests, then wishes he hadn't. The handicap matches are cancelled, and Long comes up with a substitute match: The Edge Army vs. Mysterio, Punk, and 2 guys that also are owed rematches vs. Edge: Batista & the Undertaker. Holla, holla, holla!

End result: Punk pins Edge in the main event, then beats the Rated R Superstar on ECW on 2/5 to keep the ECW title. Shel Benjamin then attacks Punk to start their on-air program. Edge, then, has to face Mysterio on 2/8 in a rematch with the Edgeheads & Chavo banned from ringside.

Will WWE take this direction? Doubtful, but it's worth trying.