2015 Pro Wrestling Thread

I think the Authority is hurting Bray and Rusev as much as their feuds with Cena. Kane and Trips occupy such a heel space, and are feuding with Dean, Orton and Reigns all at once, that there's not many big name faces left, so you end up with Wyatt-Ryback by default. More reason you don't need another heel Owens, admittedly a much better heel than either of those guys, cracking in there just yet. Although the one backstage thing with Trips teasing to Rollins that he loves Owens could be an interesting thing down the road.

 

Have been watching a lot of old TNA as of late. Man, they've done some stupid shit in the past. What is the single most stupid thing TNA has ever done in your opinion.

For me, without question, the single dumbest thing TNA has ever done was to secretly employ Vince Russo again starting in late 2013. At that point, Dixie knows how Spike TV feels about Russo. After all, if there wasn't a problem with employing Russo, then TNA wouldn't have had a reason to keep it a secret and have Russo deny any involvement when initially questioned. At that point in time, TNA is struggling. People are getting released left and right to try and stay afloat. Teaming with Spike TV is literally the only thing keeping TNA alive. Dixie risked TNA's entire existence on secretly working with Vince Russo again. RUSSO! The guy who receives partial blame for killing WCW, fucking up TNA and one creative member in wrestling history that received the most negative chants. WTF is wrong with you for lying to your life line for the cancer to the company?

Look at what happened. A mere couple of months later, Spike TV officially decides TNA isn't worth it anymore and they opt to not renew their contract. One year after all of this went down, TNA found a new home with Destination America, lost a ton of viewers and have now been cancelled. Chances are, this is the end. Unless Dixie can connect with a hail Mary, I don't know how TNA can survive past September beyond just a few months of literally just sinking money into TNA to keep it afloat to briefly delay the inevitable.

When Bryan Alvarez gets around to writing the Death of TNA, the point that triggered the beginning of the death of the company was Dixie secretly bringing Russo back into the company in 2013. TNA may have done a lot of stupid things on TV over the years, but that's just idiotic TV filler. Carter literally killed her own company because she just couldn't stay away from the very thing that did more damage to TNA than any other element.

The sad part is after thirteen years, what does TNA have to show for their legacy? ECW wasn't even around for a full decade and yet their legacy is so much richer than TNA could possibly hope to have theirs be.

 

I think the real trigger point was the "New Monday Night Wars," when they tried to go head-to-head with WWE. TNA was starting to get some traction as, if not a serious alternative during a slow time in WWE, then at least as a place where guys busted their asses in the ring, put on good matches, and there was some real unintentional comedy. Inside the industry, I think it was a place with some upside. Less touring, a slightly less corporate attitude.
Then they tried to take on the king, and it was the one time Vince McMahon paid them some attention. He did it just long enough to crush them. Poland vs. Germany in 1939 was a better fight. Brock Lesnar vs. Zach Gowen would've been a better fight.
TNA threw everything they had into that time period. They took he show out of Florida and started touring -- and were even smart about it by doing shows in smaller secondary markets. They signed big names (Jeff Hardy, who was just coming off a WWE title run a few months earlier, and Hogan) and actually made a dent in the public consciousness for about a week. Then Homicide got caught in that abomination of a red birdcage and it started slipping away. By March, they were mopping the bloodstains off the floor.
They shot their wad right there, and I don't think they ever recovered on a lot of levels. The Dixie-Russo incident might have been a notable blow, but it wasn't the first or even the most devastating one.

 

This point is very, very true. Oh, it's true. But there are two very good reasons for it.
1) ECW has the WWE hype machine behind it. Paul Heyman's business practices were every bit as shady as Dixie Carter's, maybe moreso, but with the passage of time and a good relationship with WWE, he's able to get painted as a lovable rogue in a string of nostalgic documentaries instead of a total scumbag or an incompetent boob.
2) ECW, for all its faults, had an original concept of guys just beating the ever-loving shit out of each other. It showed people a new and different kind of wrestling style that eventually got blended into the more mainstream federations.
TNA, meanwhile, has too often tried to copy WWE. Storylines would rely on or copy ones from WWE from months or years earlier and the same high-profile guys brought in to elevate the company were relying on their name and history. Angle might have been one of the few WWE castoffs who has gone all out for years, and it's widely acknowledged that he's a catastrophic injury waiting to happen. The good homegrown performers and concepts were too often shuffled aside in favor of another heel turn for Hogan or main event push for Sting. Watching WWE on Monday and then TNA on Thursday was like watching a Broadway show one night and a bad community theatre version the next.

 

Observer from June 1:

- Destination America had been negotiating with ROH before May 11, when they originally announced the cancellation of TNA. The contract is a short-term experiment, expiring on Dec. 2. ROH also signed an extension of its syndication deal, partnering with NESN in addition to its Sinclair spots, and will air Sundays at 8 p.m. (Great news for Schiz and I!) It goes into effect June 7. That syndicated show would then be shown a few days later, on Wednesdays on DA.

TNA has been in damage control mode the past few weeks. Before the ROH deal was announced, they had scheduled a May 27 conference call with talent to dismiss previous reports that Impact was cancelled. Destination America did not tell TNA they were negotiating with ROH, and did not give their management a heads-up before the announcement. Jarrett was also negotiating with the network. Locker room morale for TNA is low, as they believe Dixie Carter kept them in the dark.

ROH costs far less for DA to air, since ROH gets most of its revenue currently from touring and its syndication deal. They run way leaner than TNA, which relies on the TV contract to pay salaries and production. So, there are a couple ways this could play out – ROH could eventually replace TNA completely. The two could combine to increase ratings. Or, they both could be off the station by 2016.

News of the TNA cancellation initially leaked from Discovery, which owns DA. They sent an internal memo about two weeks ago announcing it, noting that the show wasn’t worth the investment because too many advertisers put the show on their “exclude” list. According to Metzler, Carter repeatedly ignored their requests for comment throughout. Billy Corgan, TNA creative member and former Smashing Pumpkins frontman, bitterly criticized Meltzer’s reporting publicly and privately, and tried to claim it was all part of an angle.

Between syndication, Destination America and NESN, ROH is now the clear #2 American promotion, unless Lucha Underground completes a “hail mary” and gets on Univision. Impact’s ratings dropped to 232,000 for May 22, with the repeat doing 85,000, well below the previous two-show average of 570,000. Raw and Smackdown ratings were even at around 3.59M for Memorial Day and 2.59M for May 21.

- TNA was also sued this week by Eric and Garrett Bischoff, and Jason Hervey, for $114,500 in unpaid salary. Some interesting discovery stuff: Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment was getting $426,800 a year. Garrett had a base yearly salary of $26,000. The plaintiffs said they weren’t paid for three months.

- The ROH deal could affect Samoa Joe’s availability for the company. WWE contracts sometimes allow indie or smaller dates, and it’s believed his did. However, with ROH on national TV now, he might be unavailable for them now, or only available for house shows.

Joe, 36, has a unique deal given his stature. He’s non-exclusive and paid per date, like Rhyno, although obviously at a much higher rate. He keeps the rights to his name. His t-shirt, which he gets a piece of the sales, sold out within a day. It’s believed he was signed and rushed in because of the injuries to Sami Zayn and Hideo Itami.

The deal is short-term, and while it’s signed, he can’t sign a long-term deal with another promotion. If he lets it expire, it’s believed he would be considering a long-term WWE or New Japan deal. Right now, he’s negotiating one-shot indy deals, and ROH and New Japan appearances. The deal prohibits any TNA appearances. (It was all negotiated pre-ROH TV deal, so they might be out too now.)

- Zayn and Itami both had shoulder surgeries by James Andrews this week. They’ll both miss several months. Zayn worked the Owens match hurt; he had a torn rotator cuff.

- Tammy “Sunny” Sytch, 42, said she is “60 percent” convinced that she’s going to sign a six-figure deal to do a porn shoot with Vivid.

- Lucha Underground is probably getting picked up for a second season. The first season is scheduled to end Aug. 5, followed by a break until Oct. 28. There hasn’t been an official announcement, but the ratings have grown from 30,000 at the start to the 60,000 to 100,000 range now, and there are advertisers interested in season two. A Mexican TV deal is also close.

- ROH action figures are coming out soon. Wrestlers featured are Jay and Mark Briscoe, Adam Cole and Kevin Steen. The Young Bucks also have an individual deal with the company.

- Christy Hemme has given her notice to TNA. She had been working in creative with the women’s division, in addition to serving as a ring announcer. Austin Aries’ contract expires soon, but it’s unclear if he’ll leave. WWE hasn’t shown much past interest in him, so he’d be an NXT guy for them at best probably.

- Carter has had a film crew following her for a reality TV show pilot.

- Rusev injured his ankle at the May 26 tapings, with the severity unknown. He had to be helped to the back, with EMTs coming in after the finish. If he can’t wrestle on Sunday, he would probably be replaced in the match.

- Total Divas is moving to Tuesdays, and the new season starts July 7. Summer Rae, Cameron and Rosa Mendes are gone from the cast, with Naomi / Trinity back on. The Bella Twins, Natalya, Alicia Fox, Paige and Eva Marie are holdovers.

- Hafthor “Thor” Bjornsson, the giant from Game of Thrones, has been giving wrestling a try. He’s 6’9” and 400 pounds, 26, and a former basketball player, but he doesn’t have much natural aptitude or drive for wrestling.

- WWE is now very interested in AJ Styles, since they need talented, experienced guys if they’re going to expand NXT while still running Raw and Smackdown shows. However, Styles is very happy with New Japan and works a fairly light schedule. If anything, he might pop-up for quick programs between big New Japan shows.

- Sasha Banks has an arm or shoulder injury, and is not on the next couple NXT tapings as a result. It’s unknown if she was hurt coming into the Becky Lynch match, or if she hurt it in that match or after.

- Big Show has been ready to return for several weeks, but they knew he wasn’t going to have a match on the Elimination Chamber show, so they’ve kept him off TV. Same with Orton. Reigns is still being rebuilt as a top guy, hence his inclusion.

- Blue Pants has a match on the June 10 show, and amusingly, she is still really over with both the Orlando and road crowds.

 

I think I posted this before, but for posterity, a listing of TNA's fuck-ups:

LOLTNA History - Taimapedia

I'll echo the Russo thing, especially when Spike had specifically told Dixie that they would walk away if he was hired.

On-screen, I figured they were dead from when they tried the Monday Night Wars and the E countered with Bret Hart's return. I knew they were dead if Hogan brought in his cronies, and sure enough, here comes Brutus Beefcake and Bubba the Love Sponge. Like they were really going to move the ratings meter.

A couple other fuckups: Jeff Hardy on drugs in the main event and company officials stopping a show and telling the fans that they were ruining the show by cheering and booing the wrong people.

I didn't watch it, but that Claire Lynch storyline sounds like it was a real hoot.

 

There was some new material since I posted that a while back. This one caught my eye, and cracked me up:

"In news that would surprise nobody given TNA's previous email mishaps (cough cough Russo)...Dixie Carter ended up insulting Destination America. A wrestler contacted the Voices of Wrestling podcast and sent over a screenshot from last week which featured TNA President Dixie Carter referring to the suits at Destination America as "dummies." The screenshot also revealed that Carter had accidentally cc'd the e-mail to the current President of Destination America. And people wonder why they are getting cancelled."

 

I heart Blue Pants. It's so absurd and random that the whole strange gimmick appeals to me.


The unexpected virtue of Blue Pants: NXT's cult phenomenon breaks her silence | WWE.com

 

One other thought: Movie news websites have partly explained why Sheamus underwent such a dramatic change in appearance ... he's the human version of Rocksteady (the mutant rhino) in the next Ninja Turtles film. On location photos are online.

 

I love the gimmick, too.

"From the Clearance Rack" must be somewhere around Parts Unknown, and just 15 minutes away from the Outer Reaches of Your Mind. Right across the border from the State of Euphoria.

 

Stop copying and pasting from other message boards.

The Ask Jim Thread - Page 79