Pro Wrestling Discussion Thread **Spoilers Possible**

[molson]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

BTW, the apparent reason for the RVD injury angle and the vacating of the TNA world championship is: TNA had already used RVD for nearly all the appearances that he had signed for..

Sounds like something that happens when I'm playing TEW and not paying attention.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Want to know why there's not much point in putting on a solid wrestling show?

-- Last night's special Whole F'n Show edition of TNA iMPACT! did a 1.15 (1.2) cable rating, with 1,524,000 viewers.

-- The debut of TNA Reaction following iMPACT! scored a strong 0.87 (0.9) rating with 1,140,000 viewers.[/i]

Dropping about 100k viewers vs the go-home show for the PPV, Impact actually got a lower rating A18-49 than The Squad:Prison Police. It also lost in the demo to Futurama and The First 48 among others, without even mentioning the obvious like Jersey Shore and Burn Notice.

Pro wrestling on Spike is just a horrible combination, 18-49 simply isn't all that interested and viewers both younger & older aren't interested in Spike.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Want to know why there's not much point in putting on a solid wrestling show?

-- Last night's special Whole F'n Show edition of TNA iMPACT! did a 1.15 (1.2) cable rating, with 1,524,000 viewers.

-- The debut of TNA Reaction following iMPACT! scored a strong 0.87 (0.9) rating with 1,140,000 viewers.[/i]

Dropping about 100k viewers vs the go-home show for the PPV, Impact actually got a lower rating A18-49 than The Squad:Prison Police. It also lost in the demo to Futurama and The First 48 among others, without even mentioning the obvious like Jersey Shore and Burn Notice.

Pro wrestling on Spike is just a horrible combination, 18-49 simply isn't all that interested and viewers both younger & older aren't interested in Spike.

The flip side of that coin is that TNA is a horribly wretched product that has spent about decade convincing people not to bother to watch it. It has nothing to do with it being on Spike and everything to do with it being a cocktacular clusterfluck of wrestling promotion. That fact that it consistently gets at or above a 1 rating is phenomenal. Of course the fact that they are generaly able to convert only 10,000 out of those 1,100,000 people to buy a ppv is also phenomenal for a completely different reason.

Also, when has TNA ever produced a solid wrestling show?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

Also, when has TNA ever produced a solid wrestling show?

Scroll up the thread, this week's show was awfully damned good with a very legit MOTY contender. And it wasn't exactly a secret, the spoilers were hyped to the moon.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Also, spoilers were already out for next weeks show which takes any good will this one would have earned and gives a giant "Fuck You" to the fans.

Eh, I dunno. I mean, while I'm not remotely enthused by the Fourtune angle, I'm happy to see the belt coming off the Ganja Man.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Scroll up the thread, this week's show was awfully damned good with a very legit MOTY contender. And it wasn't exactly a secret, the spoilers were hyped to the moon.

I havn't seen this weeks show so I can't comment on wether it was good or not but just about every taping report that gets sent out indicates it was a good show and they pretty much never are.

There were raves about the ECW angle a few weeks back and how awesome the show closing brawl was. Of course once it was aired the overwhelming sentiment was "what the hell was that?"

If Flair, Angle, Foley and RVD couldn't increase ratings why would you think that 3 days of internet community hype would?

HiFi is right, it's gonna take a good span of shows to convince anyone that it's worth tuning in to.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Spoilers showed yet another dropped storyline with Angle, continued involvement by the EV2 schleps, Sting/Nash/Jarrett/Hogan, ridiculously short matches, Lethal getting buried even more, Love over Raine to retain her belt with a big boot "a la Barbarian" in 97 seconds, and an end show brawl where Snow and Kenney act as agents trying to break it up instead of EV2 guys like they were at the PPV.

Just mind-blowingly stupid. Oh, and RVD drops the belt to no one. They don't even have the sense to give someone some rub by beating the champ for the belt. A retarded 4 year old could draw out a better plan in his own shit.

On the other hand ...
-- Angle's storyline was pretty damned stupid so I'm almost willing to suspend disbelief for the drop just to be rid of it

-- Your issues with ECW are not shared by the majority of viewers, me included. Not all of it is gold but not all is unpleasant to most of us

--WCW guys are under contract & being paid, gotta do something with 'em, especially since all indications have been that Spike wants at least Hogan & Sting. That "something" ought to be putting people over but I don't sense just having the disappear is a realistic option (especially not when they constitute the bulk of your payroll). And let's face it, having them argue is better than watching them wrestle at this point.

-- Love, Raine, whatever. The less time TBP spends in the ring the better at this point. The demise of the Knockout division into the eye candy division is a sore spot with me

-- No tears from me about Lethal, although I wouldn't bury him, I'm not in the push-him camp either. And this particular loss isn't a burial, he loses to a guy who is simply ahead of him in the pecking order. And rightfully so IMO, Jay's wrestling isn't better than the other guy's talking.

And on the third hand, if I were to bitch about next week in advance, my gripes would include

-- The presence of Rob Terry on my television

-- The travesty of having "Pope" go over one of the few big men around these days that might actually deserve a little push.

-- The inevitable opening segment where all the EV2/4tune people get together in the ring with Dixie. I know why they gotta do it, I'm just not inclined to want to sit through it.

-- The dark match debut of the Jersey Shore knockoffs. I don't watch that shit, not interested in having a poor imitation in my wrestling either.

-- The title strippage is stupid, even dumber is doing it so quickly instead of letting it simmer for a while.

-- Maybe they'll surprise me, but Styles v Dreamer sounds like a train wreck of styles (no pun intended). Not a match I'm excited about, although I'm pretty sure it'll get plenty of heat from the live crowd.

-- The WCW alumni meeting ends in a logical fashion ... except that for me it just points further to the eventual swerve that the angle is heading for & I'm not thrilled with that.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

As for the reaction to the ECW clowns...let's just say if the IWC is what Dixie and crew are going for then they've lost that battle already.

I don't think that's the target for it to be honest. It seems likely to be one of their most successful PPV's in recent memory, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't one of the highest buy rates in company history. With buy rates reportedly dropping to near/below 10k recently,it doesn't seem hard to imagine that they needed something - anything - to improve on that.

How the fuck can TNA even begin to pop a rating when they've shown they can't be trusted to put together 2 weeks worth of quality TV? So what if they got one show right...it's one aberration in a long history of idiotic crap.

Kind of brings us to the conundrum though. I'd probably consider the peak of TNA to date being somewhere in the '05'-07 range. Problem is, the ratings largely peaked during the Cage mini-era, when you had the best mix of TNA originals augmented by a few additions. Meanwhile, the ratings have consistently shown guys that I wouldn't go in my backyard to watch for free (like Scott Steiner) pull better numbers than something like Joe or A.J. vs another original, to the extent that it's hard to ignore no matter how much I don't like that reality. The viewers that they have managed to draw actually change the f'n channel when virtually any of the originals are on screen. To date, the Knockouts were the most consistent ratings draw the company has had & the current regime has managed to drag that down with the rest of the show.

Bottom line seems to be that the originals have shown no sign of being able to draw viewers regardless of how much or little they're used. Sadly, I don't believe any amount of booking is going to change that much, the fan base of the style simply isn't large enough.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

Everything in the 6-sided ring needs to be forgotten.

{shrug} Then there's no TNA afaic. It's not the ring, but what it represented, a different approach to the workers being used. That's the era I give a damn about, without it, they're just another company that doesn't interest me much.

To attract me, they pretty need to be focused on the X-Division (as it was originally), with the addition of a viable tag division, the world title is almost an afterthought to me, a place to put guys who are more ROH Pure style; i.e. ground-based or not suited for the more aerial X-Div.

What I've been getting at, however, is that what attracts me isn't going to attract enough viewers to pull better than a 0.6 to a 1.2, a peak that they're quite capable of getting with shitty wrestlers & shittier booking.

[molson]

Wow, so it does exist!

The WWE Developmental Rookie Name Generator~!

Here's the first 6 I tried, this would make a great RAW dark match:

Aaron Bottoms, Hunk O. Bush, & Zack Pinkney v. Biff LeVesque, Fruity O'Reilly, & Pierce Croft

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'm definitely not a fan of his politics, but when Jim Cornette gets on a wrestling roll there are few better at the turn of a phrase

TNA Wrestling News - Jim Cornette Fires Back At Eric Bischoff - Details
Here's the closing bit This is just my offhand impression of this nitwit's comments, but I think you're wasting time trying to quiz Eric Bischoff on anything other than a good hair dye, a nice tanbed, a well-fitting set of dentures and the current price of a 3 way at the Gold Club. Feel free to repost any/all of this if you want.

[Sun Tzu]

The question is, was he holding a tennis racket while he was dictating?

[DeToxRox]

So ROH finally hits a stride over the last 6-8 months and was as good as nearly any point under Gabe, and what happens? ROH fires Pearce as booker to let Delirious book.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

So ROH finally hits a stride over the last 6-8 months and was as good as nearly any point under Gabe, and what happens? ROH fires Pearce as booker to let Delirious book.

From the WrestlingObserver newsletter
It should be noted that Pearce had just turned down a TNA tryout. It's likely he'll contact them or they'll contact him again shortly.

That seems like the logical conclusion to this, especially with Aries getting another tryout match last week.

On the one hand, more ROH on the TNA roster would be a very good thing. On the other hand, knowing they'll be horribly booked/used and wasted is a pretty bad thing.

[JonInMiddleGA]

The NBA, MLB, and FIFA only think they've got ref issues

Rules For Being A Pro Wrestling Referee

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

The NBA, MLB, and FIFA only think they've got ref issues

Rules For Being A Pro Wrestling Referee

My favorite:

6. Every time someone puts on a hold like an abdominal stretch or some equally boring rest hold, the pro-wrestling referee will lean in with an intense focus that suggests he reckons this just might be the first time in the history of wrestling that someone will submit to such a hold.

[DeToxRox]

Good Heyman interview:

The subject of Paul Heyman working for TNA was brought up during an interview with MMAFighting.com's MMA Hour Live.

In discussing TNA, Heyman commented, "They're not ready for me. They're not there yet. I kind of have self-justified my own interest in TNA as a network of stock and ownership. I left pro wrestling in December 2006 and I haven't done one shoot DVD, one convention appearance, one cameo. I haven't done anything on wrestling."

Heyman said the company approached him several times in the last year but he never took it seriously until Dixie Carter contacted him, at which point he was intrigued by the potential of ownership points and stock and working with the SpikeTV network. He felt they weren't ready for what he could bring to the table, describing some of the aspects of MMA that could be brought back to pro wrestling.

Heyman noted that if he never does anything in wrestling again, "I've had my fill" and said that TNA is still unclear as to what they want their own vision to be. Heyman said that TNA is looking for the immediate answer and not the long term planning.

Heyman commented that if he was a legend in TNA, he wouldn't want Paul in the company. "If you were over 40, I'd chop your f***ing head off." Heyman said if he was asked to run the New York Yankees, he'd ditch Derek Jeter and A-Rod and find the next generation because the big stars are on the end of their prime. "I want a guy who is entering the prime of his career and shape him and mold him."

Heyman said it's all about a "long term investment" and not about "grabbing the brass ring just next year." He said he doesn't want a bunch of guys in their 40s.

Heyman said older talents should be used for promotional events and autograph signings and video games but not as the nucleus. He discussed the angle where Ric Flair's Fortune beat up the former ECW alumni and noted the focus was on ECW guys in their 40s, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, not the core group of younger TNA talents.

Heyman then said, "Imagine if all they did the entire show" was promote the Beer Money vs. Motor City Machineguns match and had Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and the ECW guys saying they needed to see that match and said these guys are the future now. Then, if you put that match in the main event - as opposed to the middle of the card with no follow-up - and produce and present them as the main event. Then, if "you buy this product, this is the progressive type of presentation we are going to present to you." Instead, you have Hulk Hogan in his 50s thanking ECW guys in their 40s before the ECW guys (who Heyman specifically thanked for "everything they brought to my life") are beat up by a group led by Ric Flair in his 60s.

Heyman said that he doesn't have the mechanism to go back in time but does foresee how things should change going forward. He mentioned his mother's time in the Holocaust and said he grew up understanding that you can't look back and waste time and have to look forward, or someone else will.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

If I never see Steen, Corino, Black, Butcher and a few others I'll be happy.

Whereas 3 of the 4 you name are more attractive to me than at least 1/2 the wrestlers in either WWE or TNA. (I'll admit that Necro's act has gotten stale for me)

while trying out new indy guys to work into the mix.

Honestly, I believe that well is pretty dry right now. International talent is probably a better fit for ROH than almost any unknown working the US.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

Good Heyman interview:

I started to link to that one myself but got sidetracked, glad you posted it.

I don't know how Cornette & Heyman get along with each other, but can you imagine a promotion run by their collective minds?

It might only draw a 0.8 but it'd be a damned happy 0.8

[DeToxRox]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I started to link to that one myself but got sidetracked, glad you posted it.

I don't know how Cornette & Heyman get along with each other, but can you imagine a promotion run by their collective minds?

It might only draw a 0.8 but it'd be a damned happy 0.8

They hate one another but respect one another. They both are too alike to ever work together but you are right, it would be an amazing show.

Cornette is the one who said Paul Heyman would rather climb a tree and lie then stand up and tell the truth.

But lately he has been complimentary (in a way only Cornette can) about Heyman and has shown he respects him.

[Mota]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

I'm not sure Heyman could actually do the job. If they did give him all he's asked for in terms of control then at least they'd have someone who has a real plan.

I think Heyman is the best chance that they have. He's right. They constantly look backwards. Try to relive old moments that have expired.

There's a reason all of these guys are EX-WWE, they have been worn out, used and broken down. To put them as your main event just shows that you're minor league.

Why not take a risk and find new guys, use these WWE guys to put them over and create your own stars.

The best thing that Heyman did in ECW is not the wrestlers themselves. It's the bond he created with the viewers by making you relate to this product and these wrestlers. This was our wrestling federation, it was us against THE MAN. He could do the exact same thing this time around and it would be a huge hit again, but he couldn't do it with Hogan, it would have to be his own guys.

[SirFozzie]

I hope that as a reward for staying, the Nexus members who win tonight get new theme songs. The music is going to drive me crazy.

[molson]

So wait a minute, the internet told me that Daniel Bryan was fired for strangling that ring announcer with his tie, because that stuff is "off-limits" since the Benoit murders, and then a few weeks later he returns and eliminates two opponents with the crossface?

[Toddzilla]

I think thats the main difference between TNA and WWE right now...WWE is trying deperately to build a new generation of fans 8-13 that can grow up watching their product while TNA is deperately tring to attract the 8-13 year old who watched wrestling 20-30 years ago.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Playing around on Twitter & there's some chuckles in the Tweets of various wrestlers out there.

Example: Colt Cabana (DrColtCabana) Tweets
"Colt Merch: Colt Cabana finger nails for $1 at ColtMerch.com. 3 for $2!"

[DeToxRox]

TNA has released Homicide.

[molson]

Has there ever been a Homicide v. Suicide match?

They could have had a whole stable. Regicide would be the natural #3.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

TNA has released Homicide.

Not much of a surprise, he'd been largely MIA since the arrival of Hogan & Co anyway. Plus he'd asked for his release as much as a year ago but they kept convincing him to stay/refusing to grant it.

Unless he's headed to FCW (which I doubt), I imagine we'll see him return to the ROH roster shortly.

From his Twitter ... my tna days is over, thank u for the staff members and the boys and girls in the locker room, had a great run, bbllaattt187 for life

yes, hopefully in 4 weeks im 100%, then i make a descion where im going to go and do

PWI noted that he had recently relocated back to the Northeast, so that might be a clue to his destination.

[Toddzilla]

Originally Posted by molson

Has there ever been a Homicide v. Suicide match?

They could have had a whole stable. Regicide would be the natural #3.

Genocide - all 3 managed by Sabu.

[Jughead Spock]

They could bring in Hornswoggle as Infanticide.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Celebrity member of the stable would have to be Cantdecide (aka Brett Favre)

[JonInMiddleGA]

A rough 24 hours for old-school wrestling fans, as both "Nightmare" Ted Allen and Gen. Skandar Akbar have passed away

May they both Rest in Peace.

[Ragone]

Apparently Billy gunn really is an ass man..

On August 13, 2010 reports surfaced that Sopp had been carrying on an affair with a young Canadian woman. In revenge for breaking off the relationship, the woman posted photos of them together on facebook as well as creating a YouTube video containing audio of phone calls she had recorded. The name of the mistress was revealed to be Deborah Simmons from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

[Sun Tzu]

In response to Billy Gunn's affair, he should have stuck to the "never get involved with a Woman who has more problems then you do" rule.

[molson]

Originally Posted by HiFiRevival

TNA now following the path than nearly killed AAA. This week Dixie will "suspend" Flair but let the rest of Fourtune keep working. Flair tries to attack Dixie when Serge makes the save. Serge is Serge Salinas, Dixie's husband. Might as well get some TV face time before the ship completely sinks.

Oh, then Hogan comes out and unsuspends Flair (he can overrule the company owner?) and puts Fourtune up against four opponents later in the show. ECW has beens attack from behind, segment over.

I'm calling a world title run for Serge. He'll lose the belt to whoever's having a legitimate affair with Dixie at the time. (That's how you ensure maximum edginess).

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by molson

I'm calling a world title run for Serge. He'll lose the belt to whoever's having a legitimate affair with Dixie at the time. (That's how you ensure maximum edginess).

That would probably have to be Angle (who'll likely be absent some since he just got two movie roles) or Jarrett.

[Toddzilla]

TNA performed physicals and drug-testing prior to the Impact! taping last night.

One guess as to who no-showed the taping.

Spoiler

Rob Terry, duh

[JonInMiddleGA]

Two more wrestling deaths reported today ... "Tough" Tory Borne, 83, and Luna Vachon, 48.

Borne was the father of Matt "Doink" Borne but was a mainstay in the NW in his own right back in the 60's. He passed away at his home in Milwaukee, Vachon was found dead at her mother's house where she had been staying since a recent fire destroyed her home & all her memorabilia.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Former WWE wrestler faces drug, burglary charge *| accessAtlanta

THONOTOSASSA, Fla. — Authorities say former WWE wrestler Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart has been arrested on drug charges in Florida.

A Hillsborough County Sheriff's arrest report says the 55-year-old was arrested Sunday. The report says Neidhart was yelling outside a gas station yelling and was seen swallowing several pills.

The report says he had Oxycontin pills and methadone that were prescribed to someone else.

The sheriff's office says the person whose name was on the pills had reported that her medication was stolen from her home. The Tampa Tribune reports that Neidhart is being held on charges of possession and trafficking in a controlled substance and burglary.

Jail records show bond had not been set for Neidhart as of Monday, and it was not immediately known if he had an attorney.