The General Wrestling Thread

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

So if my math is correct, TNA is down to 30 active male wrestlers (not including Sting's part time, rumored to be leaving soon status or King Mo/Rampage for obvious reasons.) And 5 female wrestlers (not including Tessmacher, who is off doing something else.) The PR director is gone, Pritchard is gone, D'Lo is gone, Al Snow could well be next. That's not so much streamlining as it is barely fielding enough talent to call yourself a national promotion.

And, of those 30, how many are truly full time?

I'm looking at the roster now.

34 Active Males on the roster.

4 - Sting, King Mo, Rampage, and Eric Young are very much part timers.
6 - Zema Ion, Rockstar Spud, Sam Shaw, Rob Terry, Godderz, Jay Bradley that are part-time or injured, but also work OVW. Basically, guys you'll see maybe once a month.

Now we're down to a 24 Truly Active Male Roster.

Now, you also have part-timers in disguise...bottom feeders that don't work a whole bunch.

Chavo, Garrett Bischoff, Knux, Wes Brisco, Robbie E, TJP, even Devon, Gunner, and Kenny King fill this same mold. That's 9 guys. Some of these guys they've been using more the past few weeks (like Gunner, Robbie E and TJP). Some rotate in when they work.

Now we're down a real active roster of 15 males. And, lets be honest...they have 4 active females.

Brutal.

[SuperKevin]

Honestly TNA is down to simply the guys in the BFG series

[EmpireWF]

What kind of wrestling (if any) is down in Cuba? I wonder because Cespedes had no clue what the hell he was given with the WWE title. Obviously, I imagine if anything, it's nothing but small local groups but even then, I've never heard Meltzer or read anything about Cuban wrestling.

[Warner2BruceTD]

[Warner2BruceTD]

Great stuff from Davey Boy Smith Jr here:

Harry Smith was on WrestleTalk in the U.K., noting how much more he enjoyed wrestling with New Japan than WWE, citing more time allowed for tag team title matches and big matches, plus less limiting rules. One thing he said is that in WWE, in a tag team match, you are only allowed one save per team during a match. He said he liked the idea of near falls and saves in matches, and even more, if they are going to do a one save per match rule, why not at least announce it ahead of time so it can put more emphasis on that save and on kicking out of near falls later. He also noted that WWE emphasizes the five second double-team rule and wrestlers have been told the ref will change the finish to call a shoot DQ if the guys are in for longer, which limits double-team spots that he and his partner can do in Japan. He also noted all the moves that are banned. He noted he wasn’t allowed to do power bombs in WWE or any kind of a bridging suplex, for fear of neck damage. He noted that Japanese wrestlers have been bridging suplexes for decades. He said that they were on him about doing Saito suplexes when he was in WWE and it was one of his signature moves, and he noted that he never hurt anyone with the move. His success in Japan that he didn’t have in WWE is for a number of reasons. One is, he got more confidence and improved a lot, not that he wasn’t technically good in WWE, but he didn’t have the aggressiveness. That’s a huge deal because I’ve seen so many guys go from being great main eventers, to suffering as performers simply because they aren’t used well. Also, the style of wrestling he grew up on is very close to New Japan style, and not very close to WWE style, and he’s been wrestling since something like nine years old, if not earlier. But more than anything, a guy of his size can be a big powerhouse and work that rule in New Japan because he and Lance Archer are the two big guys in the promotion. In WWE, while he’s bigger than average, on the screen, you never thought of him as a big guy because when you’ve got guys like Kane, Show, Henry and Khali, and entire concept of “big powerhouse” is very different from anywhere else.

Some guys are made for Japan, and he's one of them. So is Archer.

Lance Hoyt was pretty lame in TNA. He was good in WWE as Vance Archer but buried on Superstars and given a bad haircut.

DH Smith never seemed comfortable in the WWE, and reading that story really puts in to perspective why. They really can cut your balls off in that company, particularly if you work a style they don't like.

Both guys are killing it in New Japan.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

There are a lot of guys who aren't as lucky as Harry...the WWE wasn't for him, so he's in Japan killing it.

You know the WWE will call again...I'm curious what decision he'd make.

[EmpireWF]

[Warner2BruceTD]

KUSHIDA to ROH for 8/3 Toronto. That's the big show Young Bucks are workin. All Star Extravaganza.

Hopefully they book Shelley and do Time Splitters vs Wolves, Bucks, or ReDragon.

[Kuzzy Powers]

KUSHIDA to ROH for 8/3 Toronto. That's the big show Young Bucks are workin. All Star Extravaganza.

Hopefully they book Shelley and do Time Splitters vs Wolves, Bucks, or ReDragon.

Maybe ill show up to the shitdick Ted Reeve arena for this.

[Guest]

Hulk Hogan was one of the guys being paid late by TNA.

Also, one of the rumors out there is that Danielson will win the title at SummerSlam, only to immediately lose it to Orton's heel turn.

If they do that.......wow.

[s@ppisgod]

Hogan? The company's biggest contract and Dixie's all time fave? TNA will not make it to see this time next year is my guess.

[Kuzzy Powers]

WrestleMania XXX would mark 11 years since Steve Austin last wrestled a match. WWE has interest in Austin working the event, if he wants to work it and can get medically cleared. There has been an idea discussed for Austin vs. Triple H with the control of WWE at stake. Austin would be representing Vince McMahon.

What an awful waste this would be if it ends up happening.

[Leftwich]

What an awful waste this would be if it ends up happening.

Austin vs CM Punk or Austin vs Cena. Austin vs Punk would be a great match but Austin vs Cena would cause an insane amount of heat in the crowd. I could honestly say 98 percent of that crowd would root for Austin.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

What an awful waste this would be if it ends up happening.

Definitely a waste.

I can see why Austin would do it...he'll come back and work a one-off...but its going to be with someone he trusts. You're looking at the high workrate stars like Punk or Bryan (moreso Punk as they've set that feud up for a while now)...or guys he has worked with like Rock or H's. Maybe even Cena.

[SuperKevin]

If WWE wastes Steve Austin's only comeback match on a match we've already seen before I'm going to be really pissed.