2010 Pro Wrestling Thread

[proudpittsburgher]

OK, so how would have good ol JR called that one?

MY GAWD! Evan Borne . . . just broke in two! Evicerated! Stone Cold! Stone Col . . . um, er, GOOD GAWD!

 

[Gutter]

Just when I thought the end of TNA last night had the makings of being cool, it turned into one big clusterfork.

In case you missed it, the "ECW crew" of Dreamer, Raven, Richards and Rhino, who have been in the stands recently, came into the ring and attacked Abyss during his match with RVD. Then some of the curtain jerkers in TNA storm the ring to fight them and get thwarted for their efforts, as do TNA security.

Now is where it starts to get confusing. TNA agents Terry Taylor and Al Snow come to the ring to fight them off, but turns out Snow starts fighting alongside them. Then Devon comes to the ring and does the same.

And this is where it starts getting ridiculous. Two policemen come into the ring to restore order, and finally ... in her best Stephanie McMahon voice ... Dixie Carter gets on the mic and says "stop." Just like that, everyone stops. Um, OK. She says she invited them, with them being the ECW folks.

Now this is where it gets absurd. The camera scans the TNA wrestlers/agents after she says that ... getting looks of confusion from all, including from AL SNOW! Huh? So he was fighting with the ECW people, but he didn't even know why they were there?

Bottom line, TNA's main problem is they continue to hot shot and put the cart in front of the horse in their booking. They never take their time to let things build up. Instead they try to cram an entire storyline into one PPV cycle. Like a 15-year-old boy touching a boob for the first time, they climax in story progression way too soon.

Their new motto should be:

TNA ... the BYH of Professional Wrestling.

 

[HandsomeHarley]

That organization had such promise, even when that idiot Jarrett was running the show.

Now it's nothing but a shirthole. You have, basically, all of the elements that drove WCW out of business: Bishoff, Hogan, Nash and Russo. There's no way in heck a company run by those morons can stay afloat.

And it's sad, because there's some damn good talent there.

 

[tripleoption34]

Finally watched TNA for the first time since their first show of the year....heck yes, they have talent (Wolfe, Magnuss, Terry, Joe, Beer Money) that could succeed if they had any kind of management, but again, I think it's only a matter of time before the McMahons go into their chump change purse and buy them out.

It's sad because two years ago, I thought they were a storyline and a major signing from the WWE away from taking the step that WCW did in 1993-95. Instead, the downward spiral is scary and pathetic all in the same breath. TNA is bombing like it's WCW 1999.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

It's because they can't get the old established guys out of the way of the younger talent that should be carrying the company.

Some of the established guys have come in and been major contributors, such as Angle and the Dudleys. Some others, like Kennedy/Anderson and RVD can still be major players. But the Hogans, Nashs, Stings, Flairs of the company keep bringing the product down.

When Hogan and Bischoff came in, I had said that the only way it would work would be if they put their egos aside and just tried to enhance the good stuff. Instead, the first couple of months saw Brutus Beefcake, The Nastys (who, I guess, did put on some good matches), Hall, Waltman, a transvestite Orlando Jordan, and of course, Bubba the Love Sponge. Except for Hall, and to a lesser extent, Waltman, none of them have ever drawn a dime.

Instead of coming up with a solid, week-to-week product, they try to hot-shot everything week after week. I did this on the Sports Changes thread, but here's what I would do to change TNA:

1. Build up the stuff that WWE doesn't emphasize. TNA has a good tag-team division that actually makes me care. Keep this going.

2. Improve the Knockouts Division. For a while, with Awesome Kong, this division was the best thing going for the company. Now, it's fallen flat.

3. Emphasize the X Division. This is what drew many fans in the first place. Yet often, it seems buried.

4. Time to get rid of the old fossils. Hogan, you got the company some mainstream pub, but it's been 6 months and the ratings are still down. Goodbye. Sting, time to wipe off the face paint. Nash, take a hike, you're 12 years past your prime. Foley, I loved watching you, but you need to be a rare, 1-2 times a year attraction. Flair, you had the greatest sendoff ever, and you've ruined it. Stay a manager of the new Four Horsemen, or whatever you call it now.

5. Naturally, emphasize the young guys. Take a chance on them. I'm looking at Styles, Wolfe, Samoa Joe, Kaz, Morgan, Hernandez, Beer Money. These guys have talent. Mix them in with Anderson and RVD, and you have a solid group of guys who can main event at any time.

6. Goes without saying. Get rid of Vince Russo.

 

[Batman]

Finally watched TNA for the first time since their first show of the year....heck yes, they have talent (Wolfe, Magnuss, Terry, Joe, Beer Money) that could succeed if they had any kind of management, but again, I think it's only a matter of time before the McMahons go into their chump change purse and buy them out.

It's sad because two years ago, I thought they were a storyline and a major signing from the WWE away from taking the step that WCW did in 1993-95. Instead, the downward spiral is scary and pathetic all in the same breath. TNA is bombing like it's WCW 1999.

What's even sadder is they've had those signings fall into their lap time and time again.
Jeff Hardy. Anderson. RVD. Even Flair, who could still be great on the mic in a non-wrestling role. And time and time again they've forked it up.
Like others have said, they're in way too much of a rush with their storylines. And that's funny. A few months back TNA did a house show in my town and I got to interview Jimmy Hart and Abyss. This was right about the time of the Monday night experiment. Both of them stressed how they weren't trying to compete with WWE, and how people needed to be patient because WWE had had 50 years to build its brand while TNA was in its seventh year. That's obviously the company line, yet every booking decision seems based on trying to grab a headline and steal people away from WWE.

As a booking philosophy, TNA doesn't need washed-up ECW wrestlers. It needs ECW's strategy (minus the bounced checks). Jettison the dead weight. Put the emphasis on the young, up-and-coming talent. Figure out which guys work well together in the ring and let them put on some tremendous matches and feuds. If that means you have four 20-minute matches in a two-hour show, so be it. Forget the monthly PPVs and go to four or six a year (ideally, schedule them away from the WWEs "Big Four"). Really build the feuds and have the matches mean something.
Just roll with this for six months or a year and be committed to it. Build a fanbase and some internet buzz. Let the talent speak for itself and build your marketing campaign around that.
In other words, do something TNA management has not done in seven or eight years it's been around -- show some forking patience.

 

[sgreenwell]

I totally agree with the other comments - TNA doing an invasion angle right now is the most utterly insane thing since Vince McMahon thought the Gobbledy Gooker could get over. Why are you doing this when WWE's biggest angle right now involves an invasion? It makes no sense - It makes them look like the most derivative forkers ever.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

Not only that, but the invasion is by a bunch of guys who are about 10 years past their prime.

WWE's invasion is by young guys who might have a future.

 

[Ilmago]

Speaking of the Invasion angle which I thought was pretty horrible. How would you guys book the 2001 Invasion angle.

Here is how I would book the whole angle.

Keep Shane, Stephanie and Linda off of TV. Stephanie had no business being around seeing how Hunter was hurt. Linda should only be on TV a couple times over the course of a few years and Shane had no business being the leader of WCW.

Start it off with some big stars, but holding back your major stars. Have Eric Bischoff, DDP, Booker T, Buff Bagwell (Regardless of whether he was a loser or not, they should of kept him around a bit longer), Chuck Palumbo, Sean O'Haire, Lance Storm, Mike Awesome, Billy Kidman, Torrie Wilson, Chris Kanyon, Meng (Don't bring him in at RR 01), Chavo Guerrero and Three Count. Right there is enough to make the invasion seem threatening, but you still have stars waiting to make their return/debut.

Steve Austin finds out that the WCW (Namely DDP, Booker, Bagwell and Bischoff) was too much for him to handle. So he does the unthinkable and brings back The Rock. This turns Austin face and creates an uneasy team between Austin and Rocky. The Next month, Bischoff pulls out the next secret and brings in the Outsiders to take out the top WWF team. The Undertaker and Kane steps up to feud with The Outsiders as Hollywood Hogan "Graces" up with his presence. You have all this going on, when Paul Heyman just has enough and leaves the broadcast table in the middle of Raw. The next PPV, Heyman returns telling everyone to watch Raw. The next night he brings in Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, RVD, Jazz, Super Crazy, Justin Credible and Rhyno (He never came to the WWF), meanwhile he reunites with The Dudleys, WCW's Mike Awesome and Lance Storm, Jerry Lynn, Raven, Tazz, and Lita. With that you have the following:

Main Event

Team WWF: The Rock, Steve Austin, Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle

Team WCW: Hulk Hogan, DDP, Booker T and the debuting Scott Steiner

Team ECW: RVD, Sabu and Rhyno


Tag Teams

Team WWF: Hardy Boys, Brothers of Destruction and The APA

Team WCW: The Outsiders, O'haire/Palumbo and Three Count (Any 2 members)

Team ECW: The Dudleys and The Impact Players


Women

Team WWF: Trish Stratus and Ivory

Team WCW: Molly Holly (Defected), Stacy and Torrie Wilson

Team ECW: Lita and Jazz


Midcard

Team WWF: Edge, Christan (heel), and Test

Team WCW: Buff Bagwell, Kanyon and Meng

Team ECW: Mike Awesome, Jerry Lynn and Tommy Dreamer


CW

Team WWF: X-Pac, Tajiri and Spike Dudley

Team WCW: Shane Helms, Chavo Guerrero and the debuting Rey Mysterio

Team ECW: Super Crazy

With all of the new stars, there would need to be several releases. Funaki, Billy Gunn, Albert, Essa Rios, K-Quick, The Godfather, Chyna, Bull, and The Hollys are just some possible ones.

 

[Mystery Meat II]

Without spoiling, let's say next week's episode might provide more context for this "invasion" that won't make it seem so bad.

 

[JoJo]

Whoa, it just occurred to me that the Money in the Bank PPV is tomorrow night. Predictions for the two MitB matches? I see either Miz or Evan Bourne taking the Raw match and Drew McIntyre (even though he's so boring in my opinion) taking the Smackdown match.

I just wish something would happen so Kane could be off TV for a while. I hate how he's all over Smackdown nowadays with this recent Undertaker thing.

 

[RickStain]

Whoa, it just occurred to me that the Money in the Bank PPV is tomorrow night. Predictions for the two MitB matches? I see either Miz or Evan Bourne taking the Raw match and Drew McIntyre (even though he's so boring in my opinion) taking the Smackdown match.

I just wish something would happen so Kane could be off TV for a while. I hate how he's all over Smackdown nowadays with this recent Undertaker thing.

I want Miz to win so badly, but it won't happen. I'm thinking Ted DiBiase. Don't care about Smackdown.