The General Wrestling Thread

[MrBill]

I believe shes from Chicago and just opened a restaurant or something.

From Los Angeles but calls Chicago home and her new pizza place called the Squared Circle had its grand opening there today. There was a private event there last night for all of the TNA folks. There must have been a couple dozen pics on Twitter last night.

 

[JimLeavy59]

Bully Ray is exactly what Aces & 8's needed.

 

[JimLeavy59]

Last segment kinda dragged out but I thought it was pretty cool to see the heels get the upper hand in that situation. You never really see that.

 

[Derrville]

Awesome Impact to start the road era. Bully has given the Aces their balls back. The AJ mark in me wanted Styles to come out after TNA had been beaten down and clear the ring.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

Awesome Impact to start the road era. Bully has given the Aces their balls back. The AJ mark in me wanted Styles to come out after TNA had been beaten down and clear the ring.

I hear you, but it's too soon for that. No reason to blow that load yet.

If nothing else, TNA has been very patient with their stories over the last several months. Maybe TOO patient. But it's a drastic departure from the Russo era, and it makes for a much, much better product.

TNA is a totally inoffensive watch these days. Easy to understand, basic, logical undercard stuff, and the Aces & Eights thing is at least finally getting over if nothing else.

In terms of promotions that intrigue me right now, it's New Japan, the Dragon Gate universe (DG, DGUSA, EVOLVE), and then it's probably TNA.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

TNA needs to sign a couple of legit workhorses.

They completely lack those strong workers at the lower and mid-card level. TNA looks like a good product on the road and they aren't offensive, but then need in-ring workers to give you that wrestling. They also need to beef up that X-Division...that was always the perfect spot to throw the flippy bastards in and give them something different. The strong workers they do have (Aries, Angle, Styles, Daniels, Joe) are all caught up working Sports Entertainmentz angles and have no time for strong worked matches, it seems.

While the WWE is full of embarrassing stuff, it does also give you one or two matches a week that those that like ring work can appreciate.

And perhaps it is too soon to say, I feel like two hours isn't enough for TV. I'm not saying add a third Impact hour, but perhaps another show, online, or on Hulu or something, to get some lower card stories over.

 

[EmpireWF]

One thing that's been totally forgotten about on TV...Bully's attack on Abyss.

Isn't that what "Joe Park" came to TNA to handle? To find out who fucked up Abyss? Now it's apparent that Bully & Aces/8s were behind it, will they go back to it at some point?

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

TNA needs to sign a couple of legit workhorses.

They completely lack those strong workers at the lower and mid-card level. TNA looks like a good product on the road and they aren't offensive, but then need in-ring workers to give you that wrestling. They also need to beef up that X-Division...that was always the perfect spot to throw the flippy bastards in and give them something different. The strong workers they do have (Aries, Angle, Styles, Daniels, Joe) are all caught up working Sports Entertainmentz angles and have no time for strong worked matches, it seems.

While the WWE is full of embarrassing stuff, it does also give you one or two matches a week that those that like ring work can appreciate.

And perhaps it is too soon to say, I feel like two hours isn't enough for TV. I'm not saying add a third Impact hour, but perhaps another show, online, or on Hulu or something, to get some lower card stories over.

The thing about TNA that i've noticed lately, is they work their matches like sprints, where as a big WWE match is more of a marathon.

WWE stresses "telling stories", you always hear them talk and say "we tell stories in the ring", especially when you read quotes where they are taking shots at the latest indie darling, or giving a backhand compliment to Japan.

We all know the WWE main event style. To them, that's the only way to work and "tell a story". Now, sophisticated fans know this isn't true, but that's how they do things and that's that.

The only guy on the TNA roster who works that "workhorse" style is Angle when he's in a big match. They have guys capable of it, like Aries, Daniels, Roode, even a Chavo when put in that position, etc, but the TNA style, especially lately, is more of a sprint. Your typical TNA tv match is a lot different than a WWE tv match. How many rest holds did you see tonight on Impact? I can't instantly recall any. That's not me burying the WWE, but the current TNA doesn't call for that. They don't build around out of the ring bumps to set up commercial breaks, and they don't build matches around submissions like they do so much in the WWE. It's just a different style, and honestly I think its refreshing and I like the diversity.

Anyway, wall of text, i know. Just noting some things i've picked up on lately. I think TNA should pair up guys like Robbie T & Jesse & Zema Ion and pair them up with Chavo & Doug Williams & Joe on house shows, like WWE used to do with people like Finlay & Regal. Teach these dudes how to structure a long match, how to work different crowds, etc. It would go a long way.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

The thing about TNA that i've noticed lately, is they work their matches like sprints, where as a big WWE match is more of a marathon.

WWE stresses "telling stories", you always hear them talk and say "we tell stories in the ring", especially when you read quotes where they are taking shots at the latest indie darling, or giving a backhand compliment to Japan.

We all know the WWE main event style. To them, that's the only way to work and "tell a story". Now, sophisticated fans know this isn't true, but that's how they do things and that's that.

The only guy on the TNA roster who works that "workhorse" style is Angle when he's in a big match. They have guys capable of it, like Aries, Daniels, Roode, even a Chavo when put in that position, etc, but the TNA style, especially lately, is more of a sprint. Your typical TNA tv match is a lot different than a WWE tv match. How many rest holds did you see tonight on Impact? I can't instantly recall any. That's not me burying the WWE, but the current TNA doesn't call for that. They don't build around out of the ring bumps to set up commercial breaks, and they don't build matches around submissions like they do so much in the WWE. It's just a different style, and honestly I think its refreshing and I like the diversity.

Anyway, wall of text, i know. Just noting some things i've picked up on lately. I think TNA should pair up guys like Robbie T & Jesse & Zema Ion and pair them up with Chavo & Doug Williams & Joe on house shows, like WWE used to do with people like Finlay & Regal. Teach these dudes how to structure a long match, how to work different crowds, etc. It would go a long way.

The WWE stresses a similar style for everyone, but with stretching RAW to three hours, they've featured some of their better workers regularly, and allow them time to develop a match and because its some of their better workers...they make it work and the matches have resulted ranging from good for TV to pay per view worthy.

While TNA offers sprints, I feel like the quality of the sprints is just low...and they rarely mix it up.

I want to turn into TNA and see some crazy flippy bastards in some X-Division matches...usually the X matches are sloppy as fuck. You never see the workhorses put on a good mid-card match...its always crappy 3-5M matches...nothing truly distinguishable from PPV matches (that rarely deliver anything different from TV)...the main event is very WCW-esque...no focus on ring-work at all...always puts over the angle.

They basically have one guy right now that delivers in the ring...its Aries. They have others capable, but Aries is the only guy that gets it done in the ring.

 

[s@ppisgod]

That just makes me miss when TNA had a strong undercard. You had someone like Styles as the X champ and then you had guys vying for it like Petey, Sabin, Shelley, and Lethal. Spotty guys, admittedly, but they all had strong in-ring work. Petey and AJ had a couple great matches. Any combo of them usually produced good matches. Even throw in quintessential spot monkey Sonjay Dutt, and while not great matches, were certainly entertaining.

I do think it's every bit as much about the time as it is the lack of talent. They seem to want to cram as many wrestlers/matches in one show as they can, instead of giving undercard guys 8-12 minutes sometimes to try and have a good match. They need to have real main events on their weekly shows, more like WWE does. It's always gonna be shorter, and it's always gonna have some fucked up finish, and be rushed, and make you be extremely tired of the Aces and 8's storyline. Look at the MCMGs vs. Beer Money series. Look at when Kaz won a title shot against Angle. No ref bumps, no interference, no gang beatdown, no overdone storyline that doesn't even get a reaction anyway.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

I accept that Aces & Eights isnt going anywhere. I dont particularly like it, but the company is doing well, and they are going to see it through. I find A&8 far less insulting than magical urns & Hornswoggle & bad Alberto Del Rio "comedy" sketches.

WWE has nothing going on right now that I give a single fuck about or care about seeing. When Fandango is the highlight of the show, well, that says it all. I dont like the WrestleMania card at all. The build has done nothing for me.

 

[EmpireWF]

That just makes me miss when TNA had a strong undercard. You had someone like Styles as the X champ and then you had guys vying for it like Petey, Sabin, Shelley, and Lethal. Spotty guys, admittedly, but they all had strong in-ring work. Petey and AJ had a couple great matches. Any combo of them usually produced good matches. Even throw in quintessential spot monkey Sonjay Dutt, and while not great matches, were certainly entertaining.

Back then, the rest of the show was Russo throwing a pile of shit at the wall with the show moving 100 mph and Don West/Mike Tenay screaming their heads off.

Today, while it's not perfect or even necessarily great, it's LEAPS AND BOUNDS better than what they'd been doing for years. It's a start.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I accept that Aces & Eights isnt going anywhere. I dont particularly like it, but the company is doing well, and they are going to see it through. I find A&8 far less insulting than magical urns & Hornswoggle & bad Alberto Del Rio "comedy" sketches.

WWE has nothing going on right now that I give a single fuck about or care about seeing. When Fandango is the highlight of the show, well, that says it all. I dont like the WrestleMania card at all. The build has done nothing for me.

The WWE has to fill in what...8 hours of TV per week, plus monthly PPVs?

In that 8 hours, you will have plenty of shit thrown in. Not exactly comparing apples to apples.

I still think NXT is the best they got...Vince doesn't even know it exists...which is great. If you gave me NXT + a condensed hour of the best the WWE offered in one week > Most wrestling episodic television.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

 

[s@ppisgod]

Back then, the rest of the show was Russo throwing a pile of shit at the wall with the show moving 100 mph and Don West/Mike Tenay screaming their heads off.

Today, while it's not perfect or even necessarily great, it's LEAPS AND BOUNDS better than what they'd been doing for years. It's a start.

Yeah, I don't miss Don West on commentary at all. Or changing camera angles every 3 seconds. Literally. But why does it have to be an either/or scenario? Can't they have both a clear, well paced direction AND a decent undercarriage given time to have a good match? It seems like they'd go hand-in-hand.

 

[Warner2BruceTD]

RE: WWE claiming between 2-4 million homes will purchase a WWE Network at somewhere between $12-$16:

As noted, their studies, which seem flawed, claim that 51% of the homes in the U.S. have one WWE fan, and that in Mexico, that would be 79%, in Canada that would be 58%, in the U.K. that would be 48%, in India that would be 78%, in South Korea that would be 63%, in Germany that would be 51%, in Australia that would be 55% and in New Zealand that would be 44%. The India number is crazy because in discussing that subject with people from India, they say almost nobody even knows pro wrestling, and those that do, know Dara Singh. There is definitely a very small percentage people who are avid WWE fans. When TNA ran Ring Ka King, the reaction from Jeff Jarrett was similar, in the sense a very small percentage of people knew WWE and to most people, they had never seen American style pro wrestling and what they knew when Ring Ka King started was more the South African group that was on network television before Ring Ka King. It was noted to us that if 51% of the homes in Germany have WWE fans, how come the highest rated WWE TV show each week does 110,000 viewers in a country with a population of 82 million? It was also asked that with 3.5 million homes in the country having PPV capability, how come WWE PPV shows in Germany usually do less than 8,000 buys?

The claim is nine percent of U.S. homes (10,300,000 homes) have a passionate WWE fan in them. But how can that be when only 3,313,000 homes tuned into Raw this week? They claimed another 28,550,000 homes have a casual fan or fans, and 20,550,000 homes have a lapsed fan. They claimed similar stats like that for the other countries listed.

LOL.

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

The look in the Undertaker's eyes has me out of my seat LOL'ing.

 

[JimLeavy59]

Am I the only one who thinks its bad for business to have the "WWE badass" beat an actually UFC badass?

 

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Am I the only one who thinks its bad for business to have the "WWE badass" beat an actually UFC badass?

I LOL, because H's is in no way a badass in real life. Dude looks like Tarzan...but surely, kind of a pussy.

 

[JimLeavy59]

Stefan Struve would beat the shit out of HHH.