Eisen-verse

Some thoughts while watching WWE RAW A.M... I don't like the Jersey Shore at all.... That said... Snooki was entertaining on RAW. Being known as a tough girl, whether flattering or not, her thez press just seemed that much more epic. ha. Love Punk/Orton and how creative has booked it. If it were me, I'd like to see Punk go over Orton but I don't see it happening. The reasoning for 'killing off' the new nexus through Orton's boot? So, Orton can look really strong, nexus can possibly 'die off' (sadly), and the heel (punk) can lose at Mania due to the age old addage: Heel vs. Face with no interferences often goes to the face. Still lovin' me some Miz these days. I know there are a lot of people out there who hate the guy, and hey so did I at a point, but, to me, he's playing his role really well. Miz coming out as The Rock was simply awesome... Loved when the girl took a picture and said "Oh, my god"; little did she know! ha.

I didn't see all of iMPACT, really only the opening segment, but damn... I'm liking Bully Ray right now. Honestly, he's always had it in him but it seems like the big-man has a fire under him right now. He's got great entertainment skills. A menacing look. A classic 'heel' persona; one that gets you to hate him. Yea, he may be 'old news' but, for one, really like this new character out of him. Should he be the TNA Champion? Not right now. That said, I'm open, if they develop him further, to see him on top of the game. I'd rather see him there than Anderson...

110% agree with you, Derek B. It's the perfect time to send a strong message to Hardy, and the rest of the industry, about how something like this simply won't be tolerated.

So, I just watched the infamous match and I have a few thoughts on the matter: Jeff Hardy looked like crap. It was crazy awkward throughout; from Sting's reaction, Hardy's condition, the Bischoff moment (calling and audible), and the way the match takes place. Did you see Hardy's collar-elbow-tie-up? I don't think he's a good enough actor to look that 'gone'. Sting looked pissed; as he should be. You can almost see it in his eyes: "I stuck around for this?" Bischoff did a good job of selling a punch; it seemed pretty real. Is it a work? I have no idea. I mean, to be honest, I would expect something like this from TNA; knowing that they want to blur the lines with their product. That said, if it is a work, then they chose a terrible, terrible, time to do something of this manner. With that in mind, I think it's legit; then again what do I know for sure? Will this kill TNA as some say it will? No. Sure, they handled this pretty badly thus far. In reality, they should have suspended him indefinitely after the PPV if this IS real; giving him an ultimatum to 'get clean' (go to rehab... again) or instantly be shown the door. By dragging this out, and by doing very little in the public forum, it's only hurting them more than helping. All in all though, I don't see it 'killing TNA' (as some claim it will). To be honest, the culture of TNA needs to be re-developed. At this point, they appear to be, and sound to be, a complete mess backstage.

Just read this and absolutely loved it. It's Mark Madden's take on TNA, The Hardy Boyz, and the call for Jim Ross to join the company. Yep, the last part would never happen but it's an interesting take. Also, the only part I wouldn't agree with is where he said "let em die". I honestly hope he didn't mean that literally, and I'm sure he didn't, but it came across a little harsh. Either way, here is the article: Mark Madden: "Every Junky's Like a Settin' Sun".

Amen; brother-friend. Amen.

Honestly, while it would be playing off of the old WCW way, I wouldn't mind seeing them in the ring for the last time. Sure, it may feel like TNA trying to bank off of WCW's popularity instead of creating their OWN... but... It'd be interesting from a historical perspective to see it one last time (something the WWE was never able to cash in on; Sting vs. Hogan). Cheers. E-V

I normally don't talk bad about anyone as It's just not the way I go about things but................... Can someone just take the Hardy brothers away? I mean, not in a violent way but just take them away from wrestling on TV. I was a fan in the early days; however, at this point, they've become... well... un-watchable in a lot of ways. I don't like them but it's not a good 'heel heat'. I legitimate don't like them & typically turn the channel when they come on. Sad, but true.

He's not a great wrestler from a traditional standard but he is for the modern-day product for the WWE; one much like the late 80's and early 90's where Entertainment was FAR more important than anything else. Hulk Hogan, and the Ultimate Warrior, are two examples of guys who were terrible in the ring but became big due to their persona's. Now, I'm not saying the Miz will EVER get to that point, as it's almost impossible, but what I am saying is that he's done a great job of conveying a unique persona within a mold of luke-warm standards as of late. Will he wrestle circles around people? No. Then again, given the WWE's product style, such a fact isn't needed really. The bigger draw from a WWE standpoint is whether or not you can entertain.... In my eyes, he does exactly that... Entertain. That said, I totally understand why Hash (or anyone for that matter) would still not like the guy. Even as I wrote it out I knew there would be some blow-back. All in all, I guess I'm just saying I, myself, am a Fan of his work; nothing more than that I guess.

I have to say.... I disliked him A LOT at first.... I thought he would amount to nothing when he first joined the WWE... Hell, I didn't even think he would make it this far as an active competitor in the company as a whole.... BUT... I believe the Miz is Awesome! Call me a full-fledged convert; I love this guy. He plays his heel-schtick perfectly every time. Tonight, he took it to a whole new level in my mind. Sure, he did mess up slightly on his promo at one point but overall he blew it out of the water. Honestly, with Jericho gone now, the Miz really stands as THE best Heel in the WWE (maybe only challenged by CM Punk; who I love soooo very much as well). I've always been a heel guy; however, he really proved his worth to me; and has for quite some time really. That is all. Cheers. E-V

My thoughts exactly, DJ. In all honesty, to those who want Sting to 'rub', he needed a moment, or in this case a win, like this to give him the ability to do such a service. Yes, Sting is a big-name amongst those of us who remember how great he was in the 80's and 90's but, since then, he's been in-and-out of the industry quite a bit. In reality, to restore his star power in TNA is really the greatest thing they could have done. Let's face it. We can all hope to see TNA pull off our own vision of what they should be but, in reality, they are who they think they are. (yep, play off of Denny Green). In TNA, Hogan, Bischoff, Sting, etc., are all getting air-time because they are the big guns; the people who add a sense of intrigue to a company hoping to compete with the WWE some day. Having him go over Jeff Hardy, which I'm happy for since I can't stand the guy, was not a bad booking decision in my mind. In the end, it gives them an immediate bump, gives TNA a big-time babyface to combat Hogan (again), and also makes room for a big rub down the road. As always, lets see how this pans out before we completely jump all over a booking decision. We, the modern wrestling fanbase, need to find some more patience rather than looking for gigantic payoffs every week. Things take time. Storylines take time. Characters, and the rise or fall of them, take time. Cheers. E-V

Just have to say.... iMPACT was enjoyable tonight. Sting beating Jeff hardy for the title, Fortune standing up to Immortal (making them the 'face' of TNA vs. the Bischoff/Hogan regime), and the whole Jarrett wedding was pretty entertaining. All around, good show from my perspective.

Just saw the TNA/Sting video and felt it was child's play versus what the WWE did for the Undertaker. Obviously, there's going to be comparisons given the way it was shot, presented, and the whole 'upcoming date' deal; however, the vignette felt like a sad, sad, attempt at making Sting look cool. To be honest, I would expect more from TNA. In most ways, they're doing a GREAT job of presenting Pro Wrestling from a new perspective; giving more of a unique tone to their video packages, backstage stuff, etc. With that said, it just fell flat in my eyes. I'm not one to jump off a bandwagon just for one simple 'let down' but, I must say, I felt that TNA creative missed the mark on this one.

Okay, good to know. Thanks Peter!

Outside of the Rock coming back, does anyone know if we are for sure getting a Career vs. Streak match with HHH and Taker at WM? I've read this one wrestlezone; however, didn't know if anyone has heard the grumbling of it being true. If so, I guess we'll see the retirement of DX within a years time of the other. Not all that surprising though; as Paul looks to cement himself as more of an authoritative figure behind the scenes. That said, I don't know if this would be the best way for him to leave? I mean, if he's really going to be a major part of the WWE going forward, don't you think he'll wrestle occasionally in the WWE's distant future?

haha. That's awesome. I mean, she's entirely true that The Rock has an uncanny ability to relay a promo. The industry has become quite formulaic in their creation of promos these days; so, it was great to see someone who actually had a great persona to his own. 99% of that is the Rock's natural ability (something that is one of a kind really) but I also wonder if 1% of that is because, from last I heard, the WWE was writing out each promo verbatim. While I know what they're trying to do, have a hold on all creative decisions, the inability for wrestlers to think/act on the fly has pigeon-held their product from some unique tones. I mean, can you imagine Austin reading from a script? Rock? HBK back in the 90's? Hell, Even Kevin Nash was a great promo guy when given free-range. Just a thought. Sorry for dragging the topic away though... Yay Rock!!

Ha. That's awesome. My wife, actually, enjoys watching wrestling. I mean, not to a smark level but she gets excited when John Cena comes up (yep, that's a deal breaker. ha jk). That said, I always combat such a thing by saying "yea the punches are fake but how do you fake falling smack on you back; being thrown down by a 300 pound muscle man?". Honestly, the cat is out of the bag and has been for quite some time now; however, there are certainly elements that cannot be faked. Plus, unlike in those action movies, a pro wrestler has an insane range of things he needs to be good at.... 1) Acting 2) Unique mannerisms to brand himself. 3) Athleticism (to an extent; if your a big guy then you're just a big guy) 4) Conveying a look 5) Working a match; making it look believable. In this case, it's all done live. ha. For that matter, thats what I always come back too. Now, I'm not as big of a wrestling fan as I use to, and don't really watch much in general, but I still find that inner wrestling enthusiast come out when the old 'this is fake; it's stupid' mentality comes up from outsiders.

I've found this funny as well. I mean, the WWE pulls in pretty good ratings, sells out arenas across the country, and is about to put on a spectacle that will draw some 75,000 people and YET the mainstream media still treats it in a back-handed fashion. Sure, it may be MORE mainstream than it has in the past but there is still that stigma I feel. Honestly, I felt when the WWE changed their product to 'sports entertainment', instead of pretending to be a sport, should have been enough to strip away the naysayers. Now, they were no longer trying to seem as a legit form of combat but rather admitting their theatrical ways in a tongue and cheek fashion. Just seems odd.

Amen. Selfishly, I wish he would have stuck around; however, in reality, pro wrestling has become somewhat of a launching pad for people to cross-over into mainstream entertainers (see: Hogan, the Rock, Austin (to an extent), Triple H (to a smaller extent), etc.). That said, damn... It was great to see him back. I just re-watched the video again and still had goosebumps; especially as his music first started and you could literally see the entire arena going into a tizzy!

My wife and I tuned into raw, as it was my pay-off for watching the bachelor before, and all I have to say is wow... We both marked out like hell (as she loves the Rock; would probably forget I was even there if the Rock walked into the room. ha). It was all just so surreal. I mean, goosebumps are one thing but I found myself just laughing to myself at times like a mad-man; seriously acting as if I were 15 all over again. 2 things though... 1) Damn. Dwayne has bulked up bigger than we've ever seen him before. Between that, and the aged face, it was almost weird to see the man outside of a movie screen. 2) While the whole "Never leaving" thing was appealing, I don't expect to see him stay much, if at all, past Wrestlemania. This is simply a money-feud between Cena & The Rock; culminating at WM 27. I mean, I would LOVE to see him stay past then, as he's insanely talented and extremely fun to watch, but I just don't see him really becoming a consistent figure in the WWE ever again. In the end, while the Cena/Rock thing is golden, part of me was hoping we would get a HHH/Rock scenario at Wrestlemania. Yea, I know, overplayed, and not all that shocking, but their feud single-handedly made both of them stars back in the late 90's/early 2000's. That was THE feud for quite some time. All in all, great work WWE for pulling this one off.

Tonight's Impact was actually a pretty good show; for the most part. I like the Kennedy/Hardy stuff (which is saying a lot seeing how I don't like either really), the Jarrett/Karen stuff was pretty solid from a building storyline perspective (hoping they are doing all of this in which to enrage Kurt Angle more; creating a real-life scenario storyline), and the ending was pretty solid. Immortal may have been a good idea on paper but it really failed to do anything for me. In all honesty, as we've said many of times, TNA is on the cusp of something really great (given how they shoot, display, and perpetuate their product from a production standpoint) but just need something to really get them there. It's impossible but I wish TNA could simply take a step back, completely stop what they're doing now, wipe our minds free of what we've seen for a bit, and completely overhaul their roster; creating factions that actually carry their own weight. I don't mean that to sound harsh; I just really feel like some changes need to come. In a somewhat related note, really.... Scott Steiner is back? Really?

The WWE should give Dolph Ziggler the 'Fame-asser' and just get it over with....

That's what I like to hear!

Here's one that KAM put together for me the first time around: http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m565/DOA_Cornellverse/Logos/DOAbanner.jpg I hope that helps!

Agreed. I wasn't buying the whole "I'm Eric Bischoff and I'm a good guy" schtick he was doing after he was first brought in. Sure, he had some weasel tendencies but not enough to really be the 'Easy-E' character i've come to love. To be honest, If I were creating my own wrestling promotion and needed an authority figure at the helm, I would hire Eric in a split second to play that very smug, obnoxious, persona that he's come to perfect. Made TNA interesting to see him back in that realm. That said, they could have hired a better actor to play the lawyer during their little spat. Eric owned him.