The General Wrestling Thread

[Bigpapa42]

Biss hit the nail on the head...Y2R's premise for the Hogan/Bischoff TNA is assuming they are genius enough to actually go this route and finish it with a punchline...a punchline that a betting man would bet would never come.

Also, it'd take a true mastermind of the business to actually develop a storyline that focuses around an entity purposely creating bad television in hopes to garner massive heel heat while still keeping viewership, nevermind building upon it.

If that was truly the case, I can only imagine that instead of boos and massive heel heat you'd simply get people turning the channel.

This.

If this is all a work by Hogan and Bischoff, its counter-productive because its turning viewers off. Its eroding the existing loyal fanbase. Its probably creating problems backstage.

[IamMedellin]

hah wow funny how I watch the impacts (no spoiler reading for me) and come in here w/ totally opposite opinions of everybody.

I've actually been entertained by impact more than ever.


This post sums it up best.

"First of all, I've really enjoyed TNA since Hogan and Bischoff arrived. They've got so many interesting characters, great workers and interesting and unpredictable storylines.

A few people have made topics similar to this on other forums and I'm starting to believe Hogan and Bischoff are trying to get the fans to turn on them on purpose. They're still trying to get people to tune in every week but I think some of the decions they're making are designed to rub people the wrong way and I think it is going to end up being apart of the Hogan/Bischoff vs Foley/Jarrett feud.

As for the screwjob, I'm honestly starting to think that Hogan and Bischoff are working everyone and trying to get the fans to turn against them on purpose. I think it is eventually going to lead to a divide in the TNA roster and that some will side with Hogan and Bischoff because they believe they're taking TNA to the top and others will side with Foley and Jarrett because they miss the old TNA and are sick of being held back.

Think about all that has happened so far. They've done the screwjob, brought in Hogan's friends, Borash has been replaced by Bubba and they've got TNA's poster boy, AJ Styles, to turn on all of his ''friends'' and join Ric Flair. Plus, Jarrett and Foley keep saying that they won't let Hogan/Bischoff destroy their company. Bischoff is feuding with Foley, while Jarrett seems to be feuding with Hogan, while Sting is looking down from the rafters, just like he was when he was WCW's ''saviour''.

Hogan and Bischoff aren't idiots, they know that a lot of people blame them for he demise of WCW and I think they're playing with that and trying to mke people believe they're doing the same to TNA. It is exactly the sort of storyline that would make wrestling interesting again and make people want to tune in watch. I really hope this is the case because we haven't seen anything like this in wrestling before."

hmmmnnnnn...Interesting

So It's so Bad...Its good

[BigBiss]

hmmmnnnnn...Interesting

So It's so Bad...Its good

Thats why i keep watching

[EmpireWF]

Honky Tonk Man declined WWE's Hall of Fame offer.

http://www.honkytonkman.net/#/news/4533111673

HTM's site says he's booked for some Wizard Convention the same date as the HOF and was not willing to take the $$$ hit by blowing off 7-dates for the 1 WWE date & no-compete.

Then the post lists some of his grievances with Laurinitis.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Jericho and GReg Helms were arrested.

[Kuzzy Powers]

Chris Jericho and Shane Helms were arrested for "public intoxication", or something of that nature last nite. Apparently Helms also KO'd a couple ppl (one being female) so he could be in further trouble.

EDIT: Me and Larry must be watching the Fight Network at the same time.

[EmpireWF]

TMZ says Jericho, Helms, another dude and a girl (the dude & girl are not wrestlers) in a cab and were drunk. Helms allegedly struck Jericho, the dude and the girl.

Helms fled the gas station, then returned and both he & Y2J cooperated with the police. They're out on bond.

The girl said she won't press charges but the other guy may.

[SHOGUN]

TMZ says Jericho, Helms, another dude and a girl (the dude & girl are not wrestlers) in a cab and were drunk. Helms allegedly struck Jericho, the dude and the girl.

Helms fled the gas station, then returned and both he & Y2J cooperated with the police. They're out on bond.

The girl said she won't press charges but the other guy may.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-k-rdiKJT2s"]YouTube- WWE HURRICANE HELMS NEW LINE![/ame]

[EmpireWF]

[Mogriffjr]

This x division shit is ftw.

[Bigpapa42]

Yeah, not really buying AJ as the new Nature Boy. Just doesn't work for me.

Is there anyone who is happy to see the Nasty Boys on TV at this point in time? Besides their moms, maybe? Did these guys even have fans back in the day?

[Warner2BruceTD]

I wonder if WWE can ultimately block the "Mr. Anderson" name. He did perform in the WWE as "Mr. Anderson" very briefly when they first introduced him on Velocity.

I understand Anderson is his legit last name, but the name and gimmick should be intellectual property of WWE.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Yeah, not really buying AJ as the new Nature Boy. Just doesn't work for me.

Is there anyone who is happy to see the Nasty Boys on TV at this point in time? Besides their moms, maybe? Did these guys even have fans back in the day?

I feel bad for AJ. The Nature Boy gimmick works because Ric LIVED that life style back when wrestling transcended what was going on in and around the ring...these old bastards LIVED that life they personified on V. AJ is a goofy backwoods bumpkin from the mountains of Georgia. C'mon SON! It is completely taking a guy like AJ out of his comfort zone and it shows. I saaw him accidentally burry his face into a girls neck instead of her tits on IMPACT tonight. Meanwhile Slick Ric is asking the ladies if he can join in too. I see the effort, but the whole idea of giving someones gimmick to someone else is terrible. Yeah, it helped get Jay Lethal over a little bit, but shit got old fast. It provided a few chuckles with Shark Boy, but it got old, faster. Giving AJ Styles, the champ, Ric Flair's persona...F- effort.

The Nasty Boys have never been over...EVER...ANYWHERE. They are the epitome of bums in pro wrestling...Knobbs just so happens to be a good buddy of Hogan's, hence...job for the first time in a decade.

They are terrible and I feel sorry for the Dudleys to even have to attempt to put these bums over for a PPV match as some legit talent to fight.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I wonder if WWE can ultimately block the "Mr. Anderson" name. He did perform in the WWE as "Mr. Anderson" very briefly when they first introduced him on Velocity.

I understand Anderson is his legit last name, but the name and gimmick should be intellectual property of WWE.

He has been around for a few weeks and the WWE hasn't put out a cease and desist letter yet...so...maybe not. He has been using the Ken Anderson/Mr. Anderson gimmick for a while, back in his OVW days...before he was in OVW he was a bum with TNA. Not sure if he used the Mr. moniker then.

They made him use Ken Kennedy/Mr. Kennedy so they could trademark THAT back then...I doubt they would have also trademarked "Mr. Anderson" as well.

As for the gimmick itself...he has definitely been doing that for a while, just not the whole mic drop thing. Before it used to be beat up the announcer. I think he was doing that before OVW.

[young2rice]

I found this to be an interesting and good read surprisingly.

Bisch + Hogan on Bubba's show (at least he's good for something, gets a lot of insider info from these interviews)

The following is a recap of Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff's appearance on the Bubba The Love Sponge radio show on Friday.

-Hogan and Bischoff joined the show 30 minutes after the advertised start time. Bubba said Bischoff called him yesterday and said he was going to be in town visiting Hogan, so he invited them to appear on the show.

-Hogan played a nasty phone message he got from his ex-wife. He said every once in a while he'll be driving and will think momentarily that he's headed home to her and the kids. He said he snaps out of it quickly and then plays the message Linda Bollea left to keep him grounded.

-Bubba made a crack about not being able to do what he wants to do on TNA Impact. Hogan joked about Awesome Kong knocking him out.

-The cohost asked for clarification on the rumor that TNA is thinking about bringing in Honky Tonk Man. Hogan said Honky actually owns the name "Linda Hogan." Bischoff said he would "rather drive a rusty ice pick through my thigh" than work for Honky Tonk Man. Bischoff also stated that Honky "couldn't draw flies if he were rolled in horse shit." He definitively added, "There's no truth to that at all," Bischoff said regarding the rumor that Honky started on his website.

-A caller asked about Dixie Carter saying she'd like to promote a more family friendly product. Hogan said she won't get her wish and that they plan to "keep pushing and pushing and pushing."

-Bischoff said he wasn't aware of whether TNA Impact will really go live on March 1. Hogan said he has a wish list and the beginning of March works for him.

-Hogan said he'd love to bring in Randy Savage to manage Jay Lethal.

-Bubba brought up the Orlando screwjob and said it came together last night with the followup. Bischoff said wrestling is a soap opera for men. He said dissecting one show is like taking one page out of a book and trying to say you know what a book is like.

-A listener asked what the pecking order is regarding TNA creative, specifically as far as Vince Russo is concerned. "Eric gets an overview of the shit and then he fixes everything," Hogan said. Hogan added that he and Eric also get together to discuss it. "Eric is straightening the shit out because he knows I can't do that." Hogan said Eric comes back to him and he says whether he likes it. Hogan said he hasn't changed any of Bischoff's ideas. Bischoff confirmed that Hogan hasn't changed any of his writing thus far, but joked that it's still early. He said Hogan has also had some great news.

-Hogan took offense to Russo writing about "fake wrestling." He said he there are wrestlers who have ruined their lives and families. When Bubba mentioned Russo's book, Hogan asked, "Who the f--- is going to read it?"

-Hogan put over Lacey Von Erich. He said she's "like one of the boys." Bischoff said she has a great character and a great personality, and added that they can teach her how to work.

-A caller asked about Desmond Wolfe. Bischoff praised his work and said he's high on him. Hogan and Bischoff agreed that "something has to be dialed in, but he's close." Hogan praised the valet Chelsea and said she's like a Bond Girl.

-Bischoff said he knew the Orlando screwjob would get people talking about the product one way or another.

-A caller asked whether TNA would be opening a developmental territory. The caller also wanted to know how to become a pro wrestling writer. Bischoff said there's no developmental territory right now. He put over Brian Knobbs's school. He said there's also a group in Los Angeles that has quality talent. He said he hopes they can develop their own developmental territory, "but we're not there yet."

-Bubba said he loves "The Black Pope" D'Angelo Dinero. Bischoff and Hogan put him over. Hogan said he's tired of seeing him get beat. "We love him," Hogan said.

-Bubba also put over Abyss. Hogan said Abyss is his favorite. "He's my next John Cena," Hogan said. Bischoff praised Abyss for having a great attitude and having a larger than life character. "He's magic," Bischoff said.

-Hogan said he'd love to have Florida Championship Wrestling owner Steve Keirn. Bischoff said he doesn't know what the contractual relationships are, but they are always looking for new talent. Hogan and Bischoff both said they have heard from wrestlers in WWE who are in the tail end of their contracts. They did not elaborate.

-Bubba asked about Sting working limited dates and something about a no-show. Hogan said that totally screws them up. He said he doesn't know how anyone could be used if a guy can't make the big events. Bischoff said everyone has to make a commitment. He said that guys have to be 100 percent committed or it probably won't work out. He said everyone has to step up now that they have new opportunities with Spike TV and potentially going head-to-head with WWE on Mondays.

-A caller asked if there's a chance we'll see Hogan vs. Ric Flair on TNA pay-per-view. Hogan joked that he doesn't think Flair can keep up.

-Another caller asked if the Hulkamania Tour will be released on DVD. Bischoff said it's unlikely because there was a problem with the promoter and a television network. He said they have the right to approve or decline the DVD rights. "What if we get the rest of the money out of Australia?" Hogan asked.

-A caller labeled Hogan one of the biggest scum bags in the wrestling business. The caller said Hogan shouldn't be criticizing other wrestlers when he hasn't had a good match since 1989. "I didn't have a good match before 1989," Hogan cracked. Funny. The caller said everyone in the business hates Hogan. Bischoff asked the hyper caller "how much blow" he's been doing. The caller said Steve Austin and The Rock made more money than Hogan and still put people over. Bubba pointed out that Hogan put over Rock in Toronto. Bubba actually mentioned Hogan doing a job for Billy Kidman.

-Another caller asked why they didn't do the Orlando screwjob for pay-per-view since no one believes they would air that on a taped show. Bischoff said it's part of the story. Bubba said no other TNA angle in the last six months has got people this pissed off or interested. Bischoff said it's no different than when he went on television five minutes before Raw and give away the results. He said the minute-by-minute ratings show that people like it.

-Hogan claims "inside sources" claim the original plan was for Bret Hart to face Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania.

-Bischoff praised Vince McMahon and said you know where you stand with him and he knows what he wants. However, he said he doesn't think Vince is that great creatively. He said he feels Vince gets a lot of credit for creative that he doesn't deserve.

-Bischoff said history has repeated itself in that WWE has gone family friendly, whereas TNA can now cater to the 18-34 demographic because that's what Spike TV covets.

-A caller asked if they were interested in hiring Ricky Ortiz now that he's a free agent. Bischoff cracked that free agent is the same as being unemployed. He said he wasn't familiar with Ortiz.

-Bubba asked which two WWE wrestlers he wishes he could hire. Hogan said John Cena and Randy Orton. Bischoff ripped Big Show and said he's always been lazy. Hogan said he was a different guy when he trained for boxing. Bischoff said Chris Jericho would be right there with Cena and Orton. He referred to Jericho as a "phenomenal talent." He said he likes Jericho as a person and as a talent. Hogan also praised Jericho.

-The final caller asked why they even acknowledge Vince McMahon on television. Bubba answered that everyone knows Vince is number one, so there's no reason to act like they're not aware of him. "You can't win a fight if you don't throw a punch," Bischoff said. "We're throwing punches and we're going to win the fight."