2011 Pro Wrestling Thread

Hence the "(at least billed)" part...at the very least, he's probably a Packers fan, right?

Can I ask one of them about Fake Diesel instead?

 

Yep, he loves the Packers: http://www.wwe.com/magazine/articles/therealmrkennedy

 

By the way, Monday Night Wars 2.0 is this year's WrestleCrap Gooker of the Year (or whatever they call that) winner. I still don't think it was the most WrestleCrappy entry, at least compared to the likes of Hornswoggle and the site's namesake, but it did encompass two other candidates (Orlando Jordan and Abyss), and it did really suck, so I'm ok with it.

Scott Steiner made his return to TNA last night (actually, he did it a month ago when it was taped, but y'know) to save Kurt Angle and Matt Morgan from an Immortal beatdown. Rumor is that the new "they" that they're pegging the Feb. 3 Impact to is the Main Event Mafia coming to face Immortal. So that would be MEM (Angle, Steiner, maybe Sting, maybe Booker T, maybe Nash), RVD, Morgan, Anderson and Crimson vs. High and Wide Hardy, Jarrett, Kazarian, Beer Money and those loser security guards (Styles is still hurt and Abyss was written out for the forseeable future last week). That probably won't move the needle too much, but it makes next week's show intriguing.

Also Hulk Hogan is supposed to return next week. But I'll watch anyway.

 

Thought I'd watch a little TNA last night, since I knew Hogan wouldn't be on there.

Big mistake.

The Bischoff and Jarrett show.

Couple of freaking idiots couldn't solve Blue's Clues, let alone run a profitable wrestling company.

 

It's a shame, really, because they're focused so much on trying to recapture the old WCW Monday Night War buzz but they have no clue how that buzz got started in the first place.

What made WCW successful in the late-90's wasn't just bringing guys in who USED to have success in the WWF. It was bringing guys in who were still relevant and using those guys in conjunction with the company's current stars to BUILD something worth seeing.

TNA is basically just taking guys who were relevant a decade ago and hoping they'll pop. It's like if the old WCW tried to build it's late 90's image on paul orndorff and George the Animal Steele.

Shame, too, because TNA has the type of national exposure that could really get the company over if they did it right, i.e. focused on the in-ring product, had a couple of angles that appealed to the adult wrestling fan often ignored in the WWE and did whatever they could to shine the spotlight on guys who are on the way up (Anderson, A.J. Styles) not out (Anyone from the NWO days).

 

If I were running TNA, I would build the company around A.J. Styles, Kaz (with a new name -- I think he very much resembles actor Antonio Banderas and would market him as such), Ken Anderson and Beer Money (the one guy reminds me of Rick Rude).

Guys like Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam would be my veterans with experience.

Guys like Hogan, Jarrett, Bischoff, Nash and Sting would be gone.

 

Like others said on here, if I was running TNA, I'd be focusing on the aspects of wrestling that the WWE ignores.

I'd emphasize tag teams, the Knockouts and the X Division. I'd bring back the six-sided ring, if anything, to show that they are different than the WWE. I'd only use Hogan as a commissioner type, although that's already flown by the wayside, and keep Flair as a manager of a new Horsemen, with just four guys.

I would have kept Styles as the leader of the Horsemen, along with Wolfe (if he's still around) or Kazarian as the No. 2 guy, and Morgan and someone else (I would have thought Hernandez, but he's gone) as an unstoppable tag team/future contenders.

I'd get rid of the old guys, ex-WWErs, except for Anderson, who still has plenty of life, and Angle, because he can still work. Jeff Hardy, if he can ever get his problems under control, could come back in the future. Heck, since they have both Hardys under contract, I'd have them put over the Machine Guns and Beer Money right now before they plump up more/go to jail. I'd put Samoa Joe as the No. 1 babyface, with an eventual heel turn.

The rest of them. Goodbye Sting, you were huge in 1991. It's now 2011. Goodbye Steiner. You were great with Rick in 1990, and you "worked hard in the gym" to reinvent yourself for 1999. It's now 2011. People have seen your act. Mick Foley, God bless you. But you were supposed to have retired in 2001. It's 10 years later, and you've already done the one angle we'd want to see with Abyss. See-ya. Jeff Jarrett. Yeah, I know you own the company. But you were working when WCCW was still running. Stick to behind the scenes.

 

If given the chance to reinvent TNA....

1) Fire Vince Russo, Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan and Jeff Jarrett On. The. Spot. Bring back Jim Cornette for 12-18 months with the purpose of finding a new writer; somewhere out there, the next great wrestling idea is in the mind of someone who only needs an opportunity to provide it. Not anyone from WWE, mind you, but someone who loves the industry and has a sense of what fans want today. I honestly feel there are several of them who frequent this thread and would be ideal for this role.

2) Choose your top 2-3 heels and faces and commit to having them develop in those roles for at least a year or so. If Styles/Kennedy/Morgan are your faces and Joe/Wolfe/James Storm (who would really breakout in a singles role) are your heels, live with it instead of changing them on a whim.

3) Reestablish the X-Division with a 230 lb weight limit, invest heavily in the Knockouts and go with a youth movement.

4) Be smart about pushing the envelope. Yes, most fans are weary of WWE's (P)G-rated shows, but TNA isn't doing anyone favors with sophomoric skits and angles that are pathetic at best.

5) Unless their last names are either Cena, Orton, Jericho, Morrison, Miz or Barrett, say no to WWE talent. The time is long overdue for the company to put their original talent over.

 

I'm surprised it took that long to mention firing Russo and his cronies. He's what was wrong with WCW in its dying days, and he's one of the things wrong with TNA.

Here's what I'd do:
1. Get rid of Russo, Hogan, Bishoff and Jarrett. Those guys don't know how to run a company, period. Maybe even get rid of Dixie Carter.
2. Get rid of the talent like Sting, Steiner, Nash and whomever else that have been around for-ev-er and are just on the roster because they were a star a decade or longer ago. The MEM is something else that's wrong with TNA.
3. Promote the younger talent, which TNA hasn't done a good job of IMO.
4. Go back to the six-sided ring, and re-elevate the X-Division. Those two things made TNA worth watching, at least a little bit.
5. Make Samoa Joe or Joey Styles the face of the promotion. Or leave Styles a heel, and have Flair manage a group of wrestlers while keeping him out of the ring.
6. Try and get a deal with another cable company. I think being on Spike -- or whatever it is -- sucks.
7. Get rid of that show that comes on after the actual show goes off the air. The behind the scenes crap is awful.

 

The Knockouts are ratings winners. The X Division, not so much. Not that there isn't a place for it, just that I wouldn't build everything around it.

Steiner has his place in limited doses, as he is now. Ditto Jarrett, whose faux-MMA fighter gimmick wasn't bad for what it was. Sting and Nash haven't been on TNA since 10-10-10, though Sting is rumored to be on the way back.

They've been up and down on promoting their homegrown talent. They don't seem to know what to do with Joe. On the other hand, they've given a decent push to Matt Morgan and D'Angelo Dinero (technically they came from WWE, but neither were there long).

Stability in the top names would be good, but their spot has been that they still think they can make a splash with big signings. They've added Kurt Angle, Booker T, the Hardys, Mr. Anderson, RVD and Bobby Lashley, and none of them have made a difference. Still, if they get a big name, they kinda hafta push him hard early. Say what you will about Matt Hardy, like that he's gotten fatter than his girl fans, and that's saying something, but the post-Hardy debut Impact was a strong ratings performer. Me, I'd have Angle/Styles/RVD/Jeff Hardy as main faces and Anderson/Morgan/Joe/Robert Roode as main heels, but to get there from here will take some time (lest you have a bunch of quickfire swerves that exasperate the problem). Hardy should lead a face stable with his RL friends (Matt, Shannon Moore and Shane Helms if he comes in) to feud with Fortune, rejiggered to be Robert Roode as Flair, Kaz as Tully, Morgan as Windham/Vicious/Luger and someone I can't think of yet as Arn.

No six-side ring. That thing looked stupid. Spike isn't the problem; WWE did just fine on it. Reaction is already cancelled.

And no more Ric Flair. He gets a pass from a lot of people because of his wrestling god status, but he's been painful to watch for years and looks awful out there. Cut the ties and move on.

 

One thing I still love about TNA is the tag wrestling isn't wasted on cheap bullshit gimmicks.

Beer Money/MCMG/Generation Me/Ink Inc. etc. are awesome against each other.

I proudly own a Beer Money t-shirt.

 

I'm pretty sure there's more thought and analysis about TNA on this thread than there is in TNA's front office.

But it's Royal Rumble Sunday? Can I get some predictions? Winner? (Cena) Final four? (Cena, Punk, Del Rio, Barrett) Biggest surprise? (HHH...but is that even a surprise?)

I also thing both Miz/Edge retain, although I'd like to see Dolph take the gold.