[quote name='Blackout']Is that Bubba dude actually famous, or is another instance where TNA brings in some hick Nascar driver or random baseball player and sell it like it's huge shit? I've never listened to his show and from the little he's been on TNA television he seems like an annoying prick.[/QUOTE]
I've known of him for probably 12 or 13 years. He was on a Louisville radio station back in the day.
His name is "Bubba The Love Sponge". How meaningful can he really be? From what I've heard, he's a redneck version of Howard Stern except a hundred times less talented and he's friends with Hogan.
[quote name='Blackout']Is that Bubba dude actually famous, or is another instance where TNA brings in some hick Nascar driver or random baseball player and sell it like it's huge shit? I've never listened to his show and from the little he's been on TNA television he seems like an annoying prick.[/QUOTE]
He's the morning show on two radio stations down here in Florida and plays second fiddle to Stern on Sirius.
Also he's a "friend" of Hogan's.
---------
TNA is trying to destroy their Knockout division.
Diva Dirt has just received word that TNA Knockout, Alissa Flash — real name Melissa Anderson — has parted ways with TNA.
Anderson made her debut in January 2008 as Raisha Saeed, manager of Awesome Kong before debuting a second character, ‘The Future Legend’ Alissa Flash in July 2009. Saeed was written out in October last year and Anderson continued to compete as Flash until her departure.
During her time in the company, Alissa has competed in memorable matches with Sarita, Hamada, Awesome Kong and Tara.
"You'd have to be almost a complete heartless cretin, a cruel, Scrooge-like humanoid...a rotten, no good, selfish prick to not feel some kind of compassion for [the people of Haiti] - oh wait, I forgot we're talkin' about our friend Bubba the Love Sponge!" - Jim Cornette, bless him.
Impact under the Hogan-Bischoff regime is much easier to follow now. For the first time in at least a few years, I can remember what happened, at least the key events, off the top of my head five minutes after the show ended without having to refer to my notes. Flair's opening segment was awesome - his tale of wining, dining, and leaving Dixie whistling and WOOing ruled! Then AJ came out and said some stuff, repeated Flair's catchphrases...yeah, I'm not digging the "new Nature Boy" act, BUT I do love the suit he's rocking. It's a big step up from the T-shirt and jeans look that just didn't fit the world heavyweight champion. Speaking of that title, Flair made it seem more important than it's seemed since at least the '08 Lockdown. As he was putting the title and its champion over, I thought "wow, that actually IS a world title...". Hogan nixing the "last title shot stip" made sense since he didn't just do it because he could - but because Flair ruined the match, and he wanted to right the wrong from Sunday. Good stuff so far.
Morgan and Hernandez defended their titles against the British Invasion - the champs looked pretty strong, TBI didn't, but they did further the angle with Terry being kicked out by having him kinda cost his team the match when Brutus hit Doug with the case and they blamed him. Not sure how it it was Rob's fault that Brutus couldn't make a save when he was right there in the corner and wasn't hit or anything. Maybe he got dizzy by spinning around with the case in his hands or something.
Then we got some really weird Jarrett on Bubba the Love Sponge's radio show segment - this was part 1 of 3, I wish they'd done them all at once to get this garbage out of the way in one segment. The audio quality was terrible, which I enjoyed tremendously given Bubba's rant about shitty-sounding podcasts when he played the Cornette clip about him on his show. The one thing I liked about them is that this is at least a new way to further a storyline, and in 2010, that's an accomplishment. However, they're really running the risk of making it impossible to tell where the line is drawn between a work and a shoot.
Pope-OJ was a fine little showcase for the Pope. OJ's highlight was his robe and entrance video that might've been the most bland in TNA's history. Flair's isn't exactly fancy either, but at least it's got some special effects on its text. This looked like a piece of paper with his name on it. The highlight of the match was Pope doing the Mark Henry deal with his opponent's neck on the ropes to slide to the floor, then hopping on the barricade and macking with a girl in the front row. That man is money, and that move right there reminded me of HBK in '95 when he was on the rise to being a regular main eventer and would do things like hopping into "the Kliq" at ringside, chat with them, eat popcorn, etc. OJ won, but it was due to him exploiting the leg that Ruffie injured at the PPV, so I really didn't mind it much. He won, but Pope was the star of the match in every way, so all he really gained was a win.
Lashley's meeting with Bischoff was an okay way to get him back as a face, but not as fun as having Kristal talk for him and having Lashley kill dudes. I get that they don't want Lashley to be a heel, that's fine, but they basically undercut all the good that they did with Lashley over the past couple of weeks. Plus, if he's actually going to focus on fighting and not TNA, why go forward with the angle that involves him doing more wrestling and not the one where he wants to leave? Well, other than the fact that the latter angle makes TNA look second-rate, particularly when it's said that he, as one of several number one contenders, has better things to do.
TBP's video package was good and actually explained why Love turned on them. Madison-Love was nothing special, nor was the post-match beatdown. And I have no idea why Lacey just kept dropping the Ugly Stick. It looked horrible, but she looked better than ever - she actually had some presence here, which usually isn't the case. The Hall/Waltman/Bubba promo was interesting soley due to Hall, who came off as the sober member of the team and actually mocked Waltman for being out of it.
The Hogan-Band confrontation was a nice setup for some future tension between the group as EY wants Nash to be his buddy, but the Band doesn't want him to move on, and Nash wants to please both parties but can't. The Nastys-EY/Nash match was better than I expected. Sags looks better than he has in 15 years, much thinner than usual, and he moved well. And then there was Knobs, who appeared to gain about 100 pounds since '96 and moved and a glacial speed. It was really sad seeing Knobs here because it reminded me of him on Hogan Knows Best needing a walker to get around. The guy can't move, can't bump, and has no business wrestling, or doing whatever it is the Nastys do, in 2010. If he's gotta wrestle to support himself, then just limit his involvement to being a manager who does the Pitty City spot - the guy can at least talk really well, which isn't the case with Sags, who unfortunately doesn't fit into any singles division in TNA.
Anderson's promo was every promo he's ever cut. I loved his line about Abyss being a monster, then seeing Abyss stand right behind him and maybe appear four inches taller as Tenay said he was six foot eight. These guys are like oil and water in every way, but it does make sense to continue the program since Abyss has to at least have a chance at revenge since Anderson cheated to beat him at the PPV.
The Bischoff-Foley thing was short but good. I liked having Bischoff acknowledge the camera guy and saying that this situation was so serious that he had to leave. AJ-Angle was good, but nothing special and I'm now completely numb to these guys having another match, which they have to have for this story to be told. Flair was banned from ringside, so they had Hebner screw Angle ala Montreal when Styles locked him in his signature hold. As far as Montreal recreations go, this was a pretty good one, but having Tenay yell "ARE WE SEEING HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF!?" a thousand times didn't do anything to prevent me from shaking my head at yet ANOTHER Montreal angle. The Punk one at least made some storyline sense until they took Vince out of it, hopefully TNA follows through better than WWE did, and I liked having Angle curse constantly, spit on Hogan, destroy stuff. If you're gonna do it, at least go all the way with it, and they did. Plus, they didn't end the show with it - that was reserved for Bischoff coming out bloody and firing Foley. That was a much smarter way to end the show as I was left wondering just what happened to Eric and what follow-up there would be to his storyline.
The Bischoff-Hogan regime hasn't made TNA better in every way, but good lord does the TV actually make a lot more sense and actually work as an episodic medium to tell a story more than it ever has before. Matches are still a bit too short, but they don't feel as short as before because emphasis is actually placed on them, they don't cut immediately to the back from them, they don't cut around as much making them feel rushed, and they actually do let things breathe now. Before, there was way too much going on, and now, the show feels structured and well-paced. The change to the four-sided ring is also great as it makes the Impact Zone look bigger, and the ring itself looks much bigger due to the longer ropes. Sure, it's taking away some of the company's identity, but they had a four-sided ring before and shouldn't have relied so heavily on the six-sided ring when "branding" their product as different from WWE.
Screens -
File>Open>Orlando_Jordan.doc -
Quotes -
Taz - Our champion has aligned himself with Ric Flair.
Tenay - YOU’RE SAYING THAT YOU CONDONE HIS ACTIONS!?
Taz - In my opinion, it was the right decision for AJ Styles.
Flair - HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED THAT SOME THINGS IN LIFE NEVER CHANGE!? (fans go woooo) WOOOO! I think I love TNA! There are 3 reasons I came to TNA, and I’ll explain them briefly - ONE, I HATE HULK HOGAN! And the lifelong feud between Hogan and I will never be resolved until we finish it in TNA AND AS GOD AS MY WITNESS, I WON’T GO TO MY GRAVE BEFORE HOGAN GETS AWAY FROM ME! Number 2 - for the past 20 years, people have said “Nature Boy”, who is gonna be the next “Nature Boy” - NOBODY! Until six months ago, I started watching TNA and I saw the great Kurt Angle, the greatest technitian of all time - no! AND I SAW STING, BUT YOU’RE GREAT - BUT NO RIC FLAIR! About a month ago, I saw a young man in the ring who now, I’ll be working with until I’m out of this business, and I’m talking about the GREAT AJ STYLING AND PROFILIN’ STYLES! HE WILL BE THE NEXT RIC FLAIR! Now, I’m gonna tell a story! Everybody wants to know how I got here - it’s like this - I’m at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando, it’s a cool spring night. And I made a phone call, and through that revolving door came this beautiful Southern Belle - ZINGO! WE MADE EYE CONTACT AND WENT UP TO THE BIGGEST SUITE IN THE BIGGEST HOTEL! A CANDLE LIGHT DINNER WITH TURKEY ARE ALL THAT SEPARATED ME AND THIS WOMAN! As the night got quiet, all you could hear was this beautiful woman yelling WOOOO at the top of her voice - SLOW DOWN NAITCH, AND THEN DIXIE CARTER GAVE ME A CONTRACT AND PUT WHATEVER NUMBER YA WANT ON IT! I said WOOO DIXIE, I’LL BE BACK, BUT NOW WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET’S BRING OUT THE SOON TO BE GREATEST HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF ALL-TIME! AJ STYLIN AND PROFILIN STYLES!
Tenay - BEING UNDER FLAIR’S INFLUENCE! DOES THAT MEAN YOU THROW AWAY SEVEN YEARS OF INTEGRITY!?
Taz - Well, he’s still world champion. Nuff said. Nuff said - and there’s no echo either!
Flair - You gotta love that baby - that’s the world champion!
AJ - THE WORLD CHAMPION! Let me ask you people - do you have a problem with what you see in this ring right now!? (crowd yells NO) It doesn’t matter if you have a problem because I see 3 beautiful women! (crowd chants AJ) I’ve been here for almost 8 long years, and no matter the level of greatness I’ve achieved, it’s never been known as the house that AJ Styles built! I’ve done it all in this company! ALL! I’M ONE OF THE TNA ORIGINALS! I WAS ONE OF THE FIRST TO BE SIGNED WITH TNA! I’m the only grand slam champion ever! EVER! But do they give the credit to AJ Styles for putting the company on the map!? NO! Just like ya said, Flair, they give it to your Jarretts, Joes, Foleys, Angles, your Stings! I’M NOT TAKING A BACKSEAT TO ANY OF THOSE GUYS NOT ANYMORE! IN FACT, I’M JET-FLYING I’M FEELING IT LIMOUSINE RIDING! KISS-STEALING, WHEELING AND DEALING SON OF A GUN! (Angle comes out)
Tenay - THERE’S THE MAN THAT SHOULD BE TNA WORLD CHAMPION - AND I’M TALKING ABOUT KURT ANGLE!
Hogan - It looks like one big happy family out there, AJ AND FLAIR! WELL GUYS, AT GENESIS, I SAID THAT THIS WAS KURT’S LAST TITLE SHOT FOR 2010!
AJ - THAT’S RIGHT!
Hogan - BUT AJ, BECAUSE OF YOUR ALLIANCE AND RIC FLAIR STICKING HIS NOSE IN WORLD TITLE BUSINESS, I DECIDED TO CHANGE MY MIND BECAUSE I CAN, BROTHER!
LEMME TELL YA SOMETHING FLAIR, YOU DON’T RUN THE SHOW, I DO! AND BECAUSE OF YOUR INTERFERENCE AT GENESIS, I’M GONNA GIVE KURT ANOTHER SHOT AT THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE! AND IF YOU STICK YOUR NOSE IN THAT RING, IF YOU COME ANYWHERE NEAR RINGSIDE BROTHER, I’LL GRATEFULLY RIP THE TITLE OUT OF HIS HANDS, DQ HIS BUTT, AND GIVE IT TO KURT ANGLE BROTHER!
AJ - THAT’S CRAP AND YOU KNOW IT!
Hogan - TONIGHT, AJ, GET YOUR GAME FACE ON BROTHER, BECAUSE TONIGHT BROTHER, KURT ANGLE HAS ANOTHER TITLE SHOT AT YOUR TITLE!
AJ - I BEAT DAT GUY!
Hogan - THIS IS REAL, THIS DAMN REAL!
(after the 90th AJ-Angle match is announced)Taz - Title opportunities don’t come around often - British Invasion betta take advantage!
(after Terry kinda costs TBI their match)Taz - HOLY BACKFIRE, BATMAN!
Hemme - POPE, YOU ARE FACING ORLANDO, HOW ARE YOU FEELING!?
Pope - POPE’S FEELING GOOD. HE’S BEEN STUDYING WHOOPIE FRONT TO BACK! WE TALKING COLOR PURPLE AND GHOST! WHOOPI WAS EXPOSED AND I’M GONNA EXPOSE HIM TONIGHT! ONLY ONE MAN IN THE IMPACT ZONE HAS PROPHETIC CAPABILITIES! I SEE A PIMP SLAP, NO TWO! WELCOME TO ORLANDO, Jordan!
Tenay - THERE’S THE DINERO DROP!
Taz - I wanted to grab a couple C-notes, but I couldn’t reach.
Jarrett - WE WERE PROFITABLE LONG BEFORE HOGAN, BISCHOFF, AND BUBBA CAME INTO IT! WHO’S TO SAY WHO KILLED WCW!? WAS IT HOGAN’S HUGE CONTRACT? BISCHOFF’S MISMANAGEMENT!?
Jarrett - Bubba, you heard the response at the PPV - PEOPLE DON’T LIKE HOGAN AND BISCHOFF’S CHANGES!
Bubba - Why don’t you have this conversation with Hogan without your big-ass Nashville attorneys?
Lashley - Eric, I just wanna come here and tell you that I’m sorry for having my wife talk for me. TNA is a great organization and I wanna wrestle!
Bischoff - It takes a hell of a man to admit when he’s wrong - I’ll tell the Hulkster about this conversation and we’ll see him next week and talk.
Tenay - Well, that was a different side of Bobby Lashley.
Taz - Good to see he’s not listening to his wife.
Tenay - It’s good to see Angelina back.
(as Love enters the ring)Taz - Speaking of back - boom boom back!
Taz - Angelina has more experience than Madison, and she’s also wrestled longer.
Tenay - Those usually go hand in hand…
Taz - That was a double entandre, but ya missed it.
Taz - She’s stomping her like she owes her money!
Taz - Love shouldn’ta messed with the Beautiful People - the former group she used at be da leader of!
Bubba - Googled the world “screw-ups” today and BOTH OF YOUR PICTURES CAME UP!
Waltman - Man…
Hall - Take another hit, Cheech. Bubba, you’re the scoopmaster, and I guarantee that at the end of the shi-zow, we’ll be leaving with official TNA Good-Guy Contracts!
Hogan - I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THAT WE GOT SOME MOMENTUM AND THINGS ARE MOVING QUICK WITH THE TNA-MANIACS GUYS! Ya KNOW GUYS, THERE’S A LOT OF BUSINESS WE GOTTA TAKE CARE OF! I CAN COUNT ON ONE HAND THE THINGS I GOTTA ADDRESS RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW! YA KNOW, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, I AM SO TIRED OF THE CLOWNS RUNNING AROUND HERE DOING THE ROCK, THE PAPER, AND THE SCISSORS! WE’RE NOT FOOLING AROUND HERE IN TNA! (The Band comes out) STOP IT! STOP RIGHT THERE GUYS! I SAID I’M TIRED OF THE ROCK, THE PAPER, AND THE SCISSORS CRAP! YOU DON’T WORK HERE, SO HIT THE ROAD! KEV, GET ‘EM OUTTA MY SIGHT! HEY YO, IT DON’T WORK THAT WAY ANYMORE! YOU DON’T WORK HERE - GET OUTTA MY BUILDING!
Nash - ENOUGH! Guys, I’ll take care of it.
Hall - Ya never let me down yet.
Nash - I’ll fix it, I promise.
Tenay - Since TNA arrived here five years ago, no team has been as physical with them as the Nasty Boys!
Taz - Tonight’s been a world-wind for Kevin Nash!
Tenay - The Nastys have one style and one speed!
Taz - Knobs looks good!
Tenay - EY TAKES A ONE-WAY TRIP TO PITTY CITY!
Taz - THERE’S A CHANCE THAT ARMPIT HASN’T BEEN WASHED IN DECADES!
Taz - It’s MISTER ANDERSON! ANDERSON! He’s next!
Tenay - HULK HOGAN HAS LABELED HIM THE MAN WITH UNLIMITED POTENTIAL!
Anderson - I am not here in the Impact Zone because of all your Twitters, e-mails, and text messages! PLEASE MR. ANDERSON, COME TO TNA, WE LOVE YOU WE MISS YOU! NAH UH, I CAME HERE CUZ HULK HOGAN CALLED ME PERSONALLY AND SAID “I BELIEVE IN YA BROTHER!” He also told me be given opportunity, opportunity I might not have been given…elsewhere. I could run my mouth and say I’M THE BIGGEST, BADDEST, AND TOUGHEST like everyone else who comes into the Impact Zone! BUNCH OF LIPSERVICE, MY FATHER TOLD ME SOMETHING THAT I LOVE BY TO THIS DAY - ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS! Oh! SPEAK! Speaking of actions! WAOOO! Sunday, Genesis, my actions. OH HO! THEY WERE LIKE REALLY LOUD! I beat THE MONSTER ABYSS! (who sneaks up behind him) Hey, I’m trying to talk here! I’d seen pictures of him - I didn’t realize how tall he was!
Tenay - SIX FOOT EIGHT!
Anderson - I also didn’t realize how STUPID AND CLUMSY HE WAS! I BEAT THAT STUPID MORON, CLEAN I MIGHT ADD! EIGN MEIGN GREIGN!
Tenay - THAT’S ONE, TWO, THREE IN GERMAN, TAZ!
Anderson - Actions speak louder than words, BUT WORDS CAN ALSO BE LOUD, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY’RE COMING FROM A GUY LIKE MISTER… (Abyss beats him up)
Abyss - I’m sorry!
Bischoff - Look! Hulk may like you, WHICH IS THE ONLY REASON YOU STILL HAVE A JOB HERE! BUT ME, NOT SO MUCH! THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN ONE WEEK THAT YOU’VE SCREWED UP MY SHOW! DON’T YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE ELSE YOU COULD BE!?
Abyss - Do you think it could be okay!?
Bischoff - THAT DEPENDS ON YOUR FRIEND IN THERE, MICK FOLEY!
Abyss - I’M SORRY, MR. BISCHOFF!
Bischoff - Mick Foley, or Cactus Jack…you look all bound up.
Foley - Just a couple things I wanna say - man-to-man.
Bischoff - Stagefright after all these years?
Foley - I have some things for your ears only.
Bischoff - Guys, let Mr. Foley and I have some privacy. Take a break and get some coffee.
Foley - You’re willing to be left alone with me in this state of mind?
Bischoff - I’m sure I’ll be okay.
Foley - I HAVE WHAT YOU’VE DONE TO MY OFFICE AND TO MY COMPANY! I’VE GOT MY MONEY IN THIS! I’LL STOP YOU WITH FORCE IF NECESSARY!
Bischoff - Are you threatening me?
Foley - You figure it out.
Bischoff - Guys, cameraman, LEAVE!
Foley - YOU’VE GOT SOME ANSWERING TO DO, BISCHOFF!
Taz - You’ve seen AJ here since day one, right?
Tenay - I’ve announced every single one of them.
Taz - Lucky you - you ever think you’d see this side of AJ?
Tenay - NEVER! SEVEN+ YEARS I SAW HIM STAND FOR INTEGRITY AND TO ME, HE THREW IT ALL AWAY IN ONE NIGHT!
Taz - How can you see that? He did what he had to do to retain his title?
Tenay - YOU CONDONE WHAT AJ AND FLAIR DID!?
Taz - Yeah, there’s a difference between being a great wrestler and being a great champion - Flair will show AJ what it takes to be a champion! If you’re here and you don’t’ wanna be a champion, you shouldn’t be here!
Tenay - CHOP BLOCK!
Taz - Violent chop block by the TNA World Champion!
Tenay - FIGURE 4!
Taz - I guess AJ’s a quick learner. Shows up in a custom-made suit with a tomater on his arm and now he’s got the figure 4! Nature Boy rubbed off on AJ real quick!
Taz - German Suplex with that vise grip-like grip!
Tenay - REFEREE EARL HEBNER JUST CALLED FOR THE BELL! EARL TOLD THE TIMEKEEPER TO RING THE BELL!
Taz - IT’S VERY CONFUSING! KURT DIDN’T TAP!
Angle - THIS IS BULLSHIT HOGAN! I DON’T NEED THIS SHIT! I’LL GO BACK TO THE WWE!! I QUIT! (he spits on Hogan) I’M GOING BACK TO VINCE!
Taz - DID WE JUST WITNESS HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF!?
Tenay - LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WE’RE GONNA GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS!
Taz - KURT GOT SCREWED!
Tenay - LOOK AT THE BLOOD FLOWING FROM BISCHOFF’S HEAD!
Bischoff - MICK FOLEY! YOU ARE FIRED!
[quote name='GuilewasNK']Man, I thought I was the only one who noticed that. It's like he has trouble bending at the waist and knees at the same time.[/QUOTE]
I've noticed that as well. I'm wondering if he's had some kind of surgery on his kness that hinders his range of motion. I don't remember him moving like that during the Hardy Boys days.
[quote name='mykevermin']Matt Hardy-Janetty for sure.
EDIT: Nooooooooooooo.
If it's her choice, as much as I enjoy her character, that's her call and I can grumpily respect it. If this is TNA's call, and they keep that hillbilly white trash in' shitbag Bubba over her, they're in in' trouble something severe. Russo stays and Cornette goes. Fat in' hillbilly asshole of an irrelevant piece of shit stays, one of the finest female wrestlers of this decade goes?
Shit's just wrong, son.[/QUOTE]
You're being far too kind. He makes Michael Cole look like Gordon Solie.
[quote name='Mr. Beef']"You'd have to be almost a complete heartless cretin, a cruel, Scrooge-like humanoid...a rotten, no good, selfish prick to not feel some kind of compassion for [the people of Haiti] - oh wait, I forgot we're talkin' about our friend Bubba the Love Sponge!" - Jim Cornette, bless him.
WWE Shop is doing another free stuff friday deal , although this week it's books instead of dvds , and the selection is even smaller than the selection on the last deal (only 6 books to choose from , 2 are duplicates). On the plus side , the site still allows you to buy a cheap item and get a more expensive item free. Ended up getting 4 books for $25 shipped.
If anyone has been interested in getting Eric Bishoff's book Controversy Creates Cash , now is your chance , since the hardcover is on clearance for $4.
I'm pretty sure TNA kicked the guy out in the front row last night who turned his back on OJ beating the Pope. It looked like he was the only idiot to do that and after that match I didn't see him. If I was performing something and someone did that to me I'd be pissed, that is very disrespectful to do.
I don't mean that in a figurative "behave yourselves, smart marks" way. I mean that literally. Don't like something? Sit down and don't utter a word. That conveys the same message to TNA as being a head does - and how would TNA respond to that? Tell you that you have to stand and cheer?
[quote name='mykevermin']Why don't they just sit down and be quiet?
I don't mean that in a figurative "behave yourselves, smart marks" way. I mean that literally. Don't like something? Sit down and don't utter a word. That conveys the same message to TNA as being a head does - and how would TNA respond to that? Tell you that you have to stand and cheer?
Started watching TNA 6 months ago and I have to admit, it's a friggin trainwreck now. Hamada, AJ and a few select others are all that's keeping me watch it anymore.
Just waiting for Brutus Beefcake to show up and I say it's safe to say the show is over.
The Punk deal was AWESOME, the Morrison/Truth tag match was good, the Mickie deal was kind of embarrassing at points and the rest of the show just kinda happened. The Punk thing was really, really great though. I can't wait to see Punk get killed at 'Mania.
As someone who doesn't watch smackdown and doesn't read the results/spoilers anymore, the only thing I've seen Punk do is shave people's heads for three weeks straight. What changes/differences are there in what he does week to week to maintain viewer interest?
EDIT: I also like how the internet smarks think that this head shaving automatically means Serena (formerly of OVW, now in FCW) is going up to WWE. Hasn't he shaved like 3-4 folks' heads on tv, none of whom have gone on to debut? I know the dude from one or two weeks ago was from OVW b/c I remembered seeing him before.
I'm watching Bigger, Stronger, Faster, and it's kind of depressing to see some of these wrestlers and their tales of steroids. Definitely worth a watch though as an eye opener.
It's weird because it prominently features "Mad Dog" Mike Bell. That's right, this guy.
[quote name='JJSP']I'm watching Bigger, Stronger, Faster, and it's kind of depressing to see some of these wrestlers and their tales of steroids. Definitely worth a watch though as an eye opener.
It's weird because it prominently features "Mad Dog" Mike Bell. That's right, this guy.
Styles added: "It's hard to gauge who you are as a character in the Impact Zone because you have the same fans coming in who don't necessarily want to enjoy the show, but be part of the show, and it's hard to gauge how you're doing as an entertainer."
Styles also reassured fans upset about TNA parting ways with its trademark six-sided ring.
"Ring change is kind of upsetting at first, but then once you get in that ring, it brings the memories back - 'Oh, there's so much more you can do.' But, for us, it absolutely does not make a difference to me. That's why it was so bizarre to me at first why they would change it," Styles said. "I heard that maybe the reason was to be taken more seriously as a company. I can understand that. I don't care what it is that gets us to the next level as long as we get there."
AJ Styles: "you have the same fans coming in who don't necessarily want to enjoy the show"
That's some hubris he's got going on back there. Sounds like the backstage mentality is to do whatever the they want, and not pay attention to *any* fan feedback at all.
When they're getting 5-7 million people watching a week they can have hubris. When they have a two week rise in ratings following literally *years* of stagnant ratings, however, that's not the time to get defensive about your product.
Some ungrateful motherers in TNA, I-tell-you-what.
Between TNA's "the more we piss off the impact zone, the more we're doing things right" ass-backwards philosophy, and the possibility of losing Awesome Kong and keeping Bubba the no-drawing fat employed, TNA has the potential to pull a WCW and die in a shorter turnaround time than I ever imagined.
If Kong goes and Bubba stays, I'm calling it right now: TNA's library and IP are sold to WWE by June 2011.
It sounds like what AJ's saying about the TNA fans in Orlando is that they're not necessarily wrestling fans as much as they are people who showed up at the theme park and want to get on TV. From a wrestler's standpoint, it makes sense because there's no way to know if you're doing your job well because the crowd doesn't know whether to boo, cheer, or yell like an idiot. The whole concept of "heat" in TNA is lost because those fans will give the same pop for Borash as they will for Eric Young as they will for AJ Styles. They could probably send Borash out in a pair of trunks and the fans would cheer for him.
I imagine there's probably 50 fans that show up at Impact for wrestling and know what their role is and another 450 that funnel in and moo like the cows they are whenever the camera light comes on.
I totally disagree - the words he used ("fans coming in who don't necessarily want to enjoy the show") specifically imply that the people attending the show want to be killjoys, not that they're themepark families stopping in after riding the log flume, unaware of who is who and who is good or bad.
If he meant what you interpret it as saying, it would be more along the lines of "who don't necessarily know our product" or somesuch. Not "who don't...want to enjoy the show."
I do absolutely agree that they need to start having Impact tour around. Their current structure of taping the show 2 weeks at a time in Orlando and then having a Pay Per View in a market where you've never held an event before doesn't work. Nobody is going to pay what they are asking for PPV tickets if they don't know what to expect from their show.
They particularly need to hit the northeast more. They made a big deal about Hogan having his press conference in MSG, then he retreated right back to Orlando. They're squandering any chance they have to use Hogan's name to sell tickets by staying in that studio.
[quote name='mykevermin']I totally disagree - the words he used ("fans coming in who don't necessarily want to enjoy the show") specifically imply that the people attending the show want to be killjoys, not that they're themepark families stopping in after riding the log flume, unaware of who is who and who is good or bad.
If he meant what you interpret it as saying, it would be more along the lines of "who don't necessarily know our product" or somesuch. Not "who don't...want to enjoy the show."[/QUOTE]
I get what you are saying, and it's a bit hard to tell what he meant, but upon first reading it, it sounded like he was implying that they aren't there to enjoy the show, they are there for TV time...to get on the air, to start a chant, whatever.
Still, his point, I think anyway, is that they should really get out more. Staying in Orlando and taping these shows is getting the same fans in the building. Hell, I loved it the first time I heard a huge crowd boo Cena, it was nice to see others agree. Staying in Orlando and getting those fans feedback in crowd response is such a TINY representation of the fanbase...and it's always the same feedback.
myke, I take it as Styles saying that some of the fans don't care what goes on in the ring. They just care about getting themselves over, which I believe you ranted about last week.
Indeed. But there's something between TNA fans who are marks for themselves and extrapolating that to think nobody's opinion on the TNA product in the Impact Zone is worth a (and that really seems to be the case b/w Styles' comment, Russo's comments, and the stern lecture they got the other week about being "cast members").
Are some of the TNA fans in Orlando dumb motherers? Of course, absolutely, 100%. That doesn't mean that they have no valid opinions, or that it's okay to disregard any criticism of the product whatsoever. TNA's attitude since 1/4 seems to have been a hands-over-the-ears LALALAICAN'THEARYOU approach to anybody who didn't think their program scores a 15 out of 10.
The TNA House show coming down here to P'cola, Florida, ringside tickets are $60 ing dollars. I'll still end up buying them because I've always wanted to see TNA live, but damn that's pretty damn high for a house show.
You know they were passed out to the audience.
in' shitbag Bubba over her, they're in 
Ended up getting 4 books for $25 shipped.
