2010 Pro Wrestling Thread

Jericho-Michaels a year and a half ago was about as good as it's gotten in the last 10 years or so.

 

Austin-Rock was lightning in a bottle. Never happen again, at least that dynamic. There will be other epic feuds, but nothing quite like that.

If Ken Anderson was the game-changing debut Hogan hyped, then it's a bit of a disappointment. Not that he doesn't have a place in TNA, but he's not even close to being on the level of, say, Jeff Hardy's level (and with his legal troubles expanding, have we already seen the end of him?).

But even if they got a HOLY FUCK WHAT IS HE DOING IN THE IMPACT ZONE name (and given that WWE has all their big names locked down tight, the only one I can come up with is Brock Lesnar), it won't matter. TNA in the last few years have added Kurt Angle, Sting, Christian, Booker T, Mick Foley, Bobby Lashley and Team 3-D, among others, and the ratings don't move. Now mix in Hogan, Hardy (maybe), Flair and Anderson (with RVD still a distinct possibility). Ratings the last two weeks have been encouraging, but only within the context of TNA's regular 1.1-1.2 numbers.

We're past the point of a name meaning a whole lot for an organization's fortunes. The familiarity rating of the TNA roster compared to three years ago is higher, but that's not really translating to Nielsens. They'll need to make the TNA brand mean something, and that's a long-term process even with the best of writers and management. With new people up top to add to an already outsize number of chiefs, it's going to be a reeeeeeeeally long-term process. If it ever happens. Dropping the gimmickry (six-sided ring, weird stipulation matches) is a start, at least.

 

TNA is seeming to bill itself as the *wrestling* company. The first step was changing the Impact Zone (6 sides to 4, little/no room outside the ring, esp. with the early-90s WCW ramp). The second, as MMII said, was eliminating the gimmickry..

I don't think this will make TNA more popular than WWE by any means, but I think it can slowly draw in some of the hardcore fans if they back up what they're saying. Those weaned on the WWE 'sports entertainment' style won't like it anyway, but a person like me who appreciates solid wrestling will.

At the same time, TNA already is getting more talk on this board than it has in the last couple years, so maybe it's already at least on the right track.

 

People have said TNA is going down the wrong road and is too much like WCW, which is usually considered bad. And certainly the WCW at the end was wretched and hopeless. But WCW did always have a faithful audience who grew up on wrestling in the territories (especially the South) and didn't care for the then-WWF's polish and sports-entertainment emphasis. if TNA can cultivate that, they have a chance at slowly but steadily growing. And going to Monday night helps them because it sends the message that they want to compete for your attention, and no better way to draw a distinction than having Desmond Wolfe/Daniels/Samoa Joe/A.J. Styles/Kurt Angle in some combination wrestling while a B-lister is goofing off with DX and Hornswoggle on Raw.

It'd be nice to see them do TV from places that aren't the Impact Zone occasionally, but that's not their biggest issue right now.

 

TNA's biggest problem, now that the six-sided abomination is gone, is simple to figure out. While their in-ring wrestling is fantastic (The Generation Me tag match last week impressed the hell out of me), their promos and mic work is boardline pathetic.

You can attract casual fans by having great matches and all but, if the promos just aren't there, you're not going to generate long term interest. It's an important part of the business especially at a time where WWE has a handful of athletes (Punk, Miz, Cena, Orton, DX) who can cut solid mic work every time they go out there.

 

Angle's a good promo. Team 3-D, for whatever else you can say about them, always deliver on the mic. Pope D'Angelo Dinero is platinum and may end up being the best ex-WWE guy they've gotten. Desmond Wolfe is going to be good. Jarrett's pretty solid. Eric Young can be good in the right circumstance, but now he's lost in the shuffle (World Elite? Are you still around?).

But most of the rest do need a lot of work. Or failing that, managers for the guys who can't talk (Don West was paired with Amazing Red for that purpose).

 

So a friend of mine and I were discussing the fact that two heels, Seamus and Orton, will battle for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble. He implied that Orton turning face isn't out of the question, but I thought differently considering the number of faces that Raw already has on the roster.

Thoughts?

 

Orton is still essentially their top heel. This might be where DiBiase costs Orton the match, and they have their program at WM.

Or, Kofi gets involved, and they end up making it a triple threat at the next PPV.

 

Has there ever been a wrestler who does a better job of getting his ass kicked than Evan Bourne?
Seriously, the guy is fucking Gumby. His ability to contort and ragdoll himself is incredible. I'd love to see him wrestle people closer to his size, but he does such a great job of selling these devastating moves from the big guys that I can see why they have him in this role.

 

Anything intriguing happening on Raw [/watching24insteadofRaw]?

 

Not really. Undertaker refused to meet Micheals at Wrestlemania, for Michaels vowed to win the Rumble and force him.

 

So after Taker said 'I'm coming to Raw to give you my answer personally,' he refused? WTF? Undertaker isn't supposed to be afraid of anyone; people are supposed to be afraid of him.