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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzMURyGo_9s

Love the theme in the OP!

If you had any doubt whether or not the Aries/Hemme situation was a work, the latest report is that Aries will be punished live on Impact this Thursday. Go yourselves, TNA - while I'm pretty positive it was a work all along, it's reprehensible to pass it off as anything remotely serious if you're going to just mock it for ratings.

Originally Posted by JJSP If you had any doubt whether or not the Aries/Hemme situation was a work, the latest report is that Aries will be punished live on Impact this Thursday. Go yourselves, TNA - while I'm pretty positive it was a work all along, it's reprehensible to pass it off as anything remotely serious if you're going to just mock it for ratings.

You say this like you're surprised that TNA would mock something for ratings...

Originally Posted by JJSP If you had any doubt whether or not the Aries/Hemme situation was a work, the latest report is that Aries will be punished live on Impact this Thursday. Go yourselves, TNA - while I'm pretty positive it was a work all along, it's reprehensible to pass it off as anything remotely serious if you're going to just mock it for ratings.

By normal world standards, I can see how it would be offensive to joke about sexual harassment. However, as a wrasslin angle, it works. There have been far more insensitive angles in pro wrestling. For example, WWE mocked suicide with those Tim White suicide skits.

I like the pro wrestling part of pro wrestling, and that's why I watch PWG. But, I can also appreciate the outrageous caricaturization of life that wrasslin can offer. Sheamus, for example. On a more outrageous level, the Tim White suicide skits, the various crucifixion angles (Austin in WWE, Sandman in ECW), amongst other things. This is a form of entertainment where women having affairs is so ordinary it's boring and assaulting other coworkers is like saying hello.

At its best, the "sports entertainment" version of pro wrestling is a parody of real-life. At least in my opinion. And you may want to take into account that it is very difficult to offend me. I cannot stomach this recent wave of easily offended people. Not that you are one of those people. I'm just rambling now. Pardon.

Originally Posted by JJSP If you had any doubt whether or not the Aries/Hemme situation was a work, the latest report is that Aries will be punished live on Impact this Thursday. Go yourselves, TNA - while I'm pretty positive it was a work all along, it's reprehensible to pass it off as anything remotely serious if you're going to just mock it for ratings.

Actually, I'm wondering if it's not TNA that wants to punish The Great Man That Ever Lived, but Spike TV, and I believe Dixie's just following suit. But between Bobby ROOO-ing and this, Hemme's been botching too regularly lately, and she's not even a ring worker anymore. I like her, but she knew she messed up, and stuff happens when people mess up in the ring. Remember when Lillian Garcia called Chris Benoit Chris Jericho? She got off easy with a murderous (no pun intended) staredown. And when the Rock used to misogynize(?) everyone that was all happy happy joy joy. If this was really not a work, I'd rather not see this double standard and have both punished, for messing up at their respective positions.

Originally Posted by Chase I like the pro wrestling part of pro wrestling, and that's why I watch PWG.

On the same subject, I still miss Joey Ryan in PWG, treating Candice LeRae like crap. "Boob-plex!"

Originally Posted by JJSP If you had any doubt whether or not the Aries/Hemme situation was a work, the latest report is that Aries will be punished live on Impact this Thursday. Go yourselves, TNA - while I'm pretty positive it was a work all along, it's reprehensible to pass it off as anything remotely serious if you're going to just mock it for ratings.

Since none of us are privy to what is actually going on behind the scenes all any of us can do is speculate. I watched that segment and that didn't look anything like a work to me. The commentators made no reference to it at all. IMO, Aries did that in the moment. It was an incredibly stupid thing to do, particularly on live television. He literally had her cornered and then put his crotch just a few inches from her face. No matter how you slice it that will be construed as sexual harassment at the least. If his crotch touched her she could even make a claim of sexual battery (assuming Mississippi law is the same as Georgia law on this matter).

As for mocking it for ratings, David Schwarz, Senior Vice President of Communications for Spike TV, had this to say.

“We have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment,” said Schwarz. “We discussed [the incident] with our partner. [Aries is] being disciplined. I’m trying to get more information on what action is being taken. Dixie Carter took this very personally. He will be disciplined. Again, we have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment. “I’m not sure specifically how [the discipline] will be handled. To what extent, I don’t know. This is certainly something we don’t condone and don’t tolerate. Such behavior is not welcome." In response to whether Aries' discipline should be made public since Hemme was harassed on national television, Schwarz responded, "I think that a statement of some sort will be coming. That’s being worked out. But immediate action will be taken."

There is nothing in that quote or anywhere else in that article that would even imply that Spike TV and/or TNA will try to use it to bump ratings.

BTW, I'm saying all of this as a pretty big Aries fan. He did something incredibly stupid and then exasperated it further online. Pretty dumb couple of days for someone who seems to be a fairly bright guy.

Originally Posted by xilly You say this like you're surprised that TNA would mock something for ratings...

Care to cite an actual event to back up this statement?

I guess you're right, Cisco. All we wrestling fans can do is speculate at best. It's things like this that makes me feel like wrestling takes a step forward and two steps backwards when it comes to these kinds of situations as it slowly loses popularity among the masses in favor of the "real stuff" (MMA), like the Jay Briscoe tweeting incident.

So what would be an agreeable punishment? A fine? A real (not kayfabe) suspension? I'd say a fine is most likely here.

Here's what I don't necessarily understand: Spike TV broadcast the Raws in 2004 when Kane was stalking Lita and basically forced her to have sex with him to stop him from beating up Matt Hardy and marry him. That's not sexual harassment because it was part of the storyline?

Originally Posted by pitfallharry219 Yeah, go away. Next time, take your public sexual harassment and act like you're lovin' it!

Are you clamoring for Bryan Cranston to go to jail for meth production and murder?

He's an actor, he acts like a dick (har har), it's what he's supposed to do.

Got Virtual Pro Wrestling 64 (Japanese version of WCW Vs. nWo: World Tour) earlier this week. Was worth it for Stan Hansen alone.

I had a match against "Dr. Death" Steve Williams where he german suplexed Hansen, but Stan rolled backwards onto his feet and floored Williams with a running lariot for a near-fall. MARKED. THE FUCK. OUT. The rematch between them was an epic twenty-four minute, twenty second classic. Hansen (me) won both bouts.

I'm already enjoying VPW64 way more than that steaming piece of crap, WWE '13.

Originally Posted by mitch079 Here's what I don't necessarily understand: Spike TV broadcast the Raws in 2004 when Kane was stalking Lita and basically forced her to have sex with him to stop him from beating up Matt Hardy and marry him. That's not sexual harassment because it was part of the storyline?

At the risk of breaking kayfabe, Kane didn't actually have sex with Lita and marry her. Aries actually did corner Hemme and put his crotch in her face. If Hemme had agreed to it then it would a different story but it's pretty clear that she didn't. As far as Spike is concerned, that was 9 years ago. Corporate leadership and policies can change quite a bit in that length of time (assuming the two situations are analogous to begin with).

Originally Posted by Halo05 Are you clamoring for Bryan Cranston to go to jail for meth production and murder? He's an actor, he acts like a dick (har har), it's what he's supposed to do.

When actors are acting, all of the actors are "in on it", so to speak. Are you saying that you actually believe that Christy Hemme knew Aries was going to be putting his crotch in her face? Terrible analogy comparing this situation to something like that. He crossed a line and did it on national television. Of course there are going to be repercussions.

I don't watch any shows anymore, but couldn't resist browsing the thread. Is TNA Impact aired live?

Every other week. The next week's show is taped that same night. They started doing all Impacts on the road a couple of months ago and it has helped a lot in giving the show a bigger feel.

I didn't know a vegetarian could commit sexual harassment.

I don't even know what to say about that.

Impact is taped this Thursday, so there's no way they can punish him on live impact this Thursday.

Originally Posted by MisterModest I didn't know a vegetarian could commit sexual harassment.

Adolf Hitler has been regarded by some as a vegetarian.

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And this Aries-Hemme thing has to be an angle because there is no way Spike TV has standards.

Originally Posted by BlueSwim Got Virtual Pro Wrestling 64 (Japanese version of WCW Vs. nWo: World Tour) earlier this week. Was worth it for Stan Hansen alone. I had a match against "Dr. Death" Steve Williams where he german suplexed Hansen, but Stan rolled backwards onto his feet and floored Williams with a running lariot for a near-fall. MARKED. THE FUCK. OUT. The rematch between them was an epic twenty-four minute, twenty second classic. Hansen (me) won both bouts. I'm already enjoying VPW64 way more than that steaming piece of crap, WWE '13.

After having played the sequel to this game (which is even better if you can imagine that), my friends had no idea why I shit on WWE '13 so much. Now I just play WWE '13 offline with the reversals turned down and finisher/weapon impact high to make it passable/semi-enjoyable.

There are quirks in the AKI games but there aren't giant flaws either. Reversals are night and day between the two games. They felt satisfying, competitive, and realistic in the AKI games. They're just artificial difficulty in the new series. If you fell off the ladder or cage in No Mercy, you were down for a while. If you get thrown off the Hell in a Cell in WWE '13, wait a few seconds and you'll be back up.