Top TNA Stars Speak Out

[Woodsmeister]

Angle speaks out against TNA, sigthing the constant gimmick matches, run-ins and lack of focus on good wrestling from some of the best wrestlers in the world, view below [url]http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/article1723920.ece[/url] AJ Styles also mentions in another article that he would like more clean finishes in matches, view below [url]http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/wrestling/article1680491.ece[/url] i think they make some good points but good wrestling alone doesnt make money or else ROH would be on top of the wrestling world (in my opinion), WWE have a great mix of top entertainers and good wrestlers and they do use them to there potential and market them correctly on occasion where as TNA seem to start on the right track and then try to create to much when it should be kept simple, for example Angle vs. Joe was an awesome fued it was compelling, intense and had some great matches but then there is Joe vs. Booker T it had potential but was ruined by false finishes, run ins and the on-off-on mentorship with Nash, which could be a good storyline its self but its been dragged out and switched sides so many times its turning confusing, in my opinion simple is succesful.

[Self]

One thing I read a while back is that TNA know they can't compete with MMA, so they're making their show the exact opposite, and bringing in the wacky. I can sort of see their point. If you're going to watch simple, straight up matches, with a clear winner and a clear loser, with no interference or shenanigans, you might as well watch UFC. However, yes, I agree that there's way too many run-ins and confusing stuff on Impact. Their definition of good guy/bad guy needs some work too. I haven't been watching the recent Sting/Jarrett stuff, but from the sounds of it the audience is split, and unless that is absolutely intended, that's bad news. Although I like the gimmick matches. Perhaps they do too many, but I like the idea of something different than a generic one-on-one once in a while. I love the Royal Rumble. I love Ultimate X. I loved the idea of the Scramble matches, going so far as to actually watching that PPV, which I hadn't done in several months. It's something wrestling has over the MMA world.

[DaMegaFish]

[QUOTE=Self;499929] Although I like the gimmick matches. Perhaps they do too many, but I like the idea of something different than a generic one-on-one once in a while. I love the Royal Rumble. I love Ultimate X. I loved the idea of the Scramble matches, going so far as to actually watching that PPV, which I hadn't done in several months. It's something wrestling has over the MMA world.[/QUOTE] Pop Quiz, how many Ultimate X matches have taken place in TNA History? 15. Also, note that in 2004 and 2005 there were 4 Ultimate X Matches. Its a little over played...also Elevation X seems to be becoming a TNA favorite.

[Comradebot]

TNA definetly has some writing issues going on... And I've seen some nights where not a single match ends cleanly, or at the least without someone getting jumped afterwards. Yes, I know its not RoH, but still... there's more ways to move a storyline than having someone screw with a match. It's not "bringing on the wacky", its just stupid. Even without the poor writing attempts to avoid competiting with UFC, its still a far different creature than MMA. TNA should just try to tell GOOD stories, not over the top ones. That in itself is enough to seperate itself from any form of MMA. You'll never get the truly epic feuds in MMA that you'll see in pro wrestling, while MMA delivers legitimate fighting. Personally, I still prefer wrestling. If I want to see two guys beat on each other I'll drive to my old high school with a bag of popcorn and just wait for about ten minutes.

[infinitywpi]

TNA appears to be what happens when a booking team plays too much TEW. Think about it. What's the best way to add heat to an advanced-bookinig match? Have one person interfere in another's match. TNA isn't focusing on their show ratings and working on upping their advanced booking heat so that they can get more PPV buys. Or something.

[Comradebot]

[QUOTE=infinitywpi;500197]TNA appears to be what happens when a booking team plays too much TEW. Think about it. What's the best way to add heat to an advanced-bookinig match? Have one person interfere in another's match. TNA isn't focusing on their show ratings and working on upping their advanced booking heat so that they can get more PPV buys. Or something.[/QUOTE] It depends on the player what's the best way to add heat. I for one have a guy cut a promo while someone like Bigger Dan Ewe, T-Rex, or Boris Kiriyakin stand menacingly in the background. Or the guy cuts a promo ON a guy like Bigger Dan Ewe, T-Rex, or Boris Kiriyakin, who in turn stand there looking menacing. Or I have a menacing guy like Bigger Dan Ewe, T-Rex, or Boris Kiriyakin very brutally annihilate one or more people in a monster like fashion. Or I have Vengeance order the brainwashed Biggz Boyz to hang Lobster Warrior from an upside down cross... while Big Cat Brandon stands menacingly in the ring with them. Or, as with EWA (really need to pick that game up) I have a pair of very menacing men like Bigger Dan Ewe, T-Rex, Boris Kiriyakin, Bam Bam Johansson, or Marat Khoklov have a flexing or test of strength contest... based on Menace. Indeed, I now simply need a time machine and return to 1980, where I will utilize my perfected art of building heat based around guys being big to make myself millions... but in the 80s. Maybe try and catch a Joy Division concert before the brilliant Ian Curtis becomes an hero. And then go on to book a feud between King Kong Bundy and Giant Haystacks that will go down in history as the single greatest ever told in wrestling. I'll also gladly accept a GOOD early 1980s real world mod, in the event a time machine can't be acquired. Doesn't DOTT take place around then?

[Self]

[QUOTE=DaMegaFish;500150]Pop Quiz, how many Ultimate X matches have taken place in TNA History? 15. Also, note that in 2004 and 2005 there were 4 Ultimate X Matches. Its a little over played...also Elevation X seems to be becoming a TNA favorite.[/QUOTE] Over played? Yeah. I can agree with that, but personally, if they were to hold another Ultimate X at the next PPV, I would probably make the effort to watch it... Although perhaps it would depend on the participants, rather than just the match itself. If have mixed feelings on Elevation X. It makes me uneasy, but in a way that means I can't stop watching for even a second, which I guess is a good thing. [QUOTE=Comradebot;500155]It's not "bringing on the wacky", its just stupid.[/QUOTE] I largely agree with what you say, but this line is pure opinion.

[Remianen]

[QUOTE=Woodsmeister;499925]i think they make some good points but good wrestling alone doesnt make money or else ROH would be on top of the wrestling world (in my opinion).[/QUOTE] It's a valid opinion but one I don't agree with. Here's where I get controversial. As we all know, the American (and to a lesser extent, the entire North American) audience is by no means a sophisticated one. In other words, we love and buy into the trashiest crap anyone on the planet can conceive. Remember, this is the country that made Morton Downey Jr, Howard Stern, and Jerry Springer multimillionaires. Quick, who is our Ricky Gervais? Answer: we don't have one. :) Thus, while good wrestling would be extremely popular in Japan and Mexico (to an extent), it's unimportant here because we're not a discerning audience. You see that all over our society. Folks in the UK, if your annual household income was say 30k pounds, would you sign a mortgage for half a million pounds? We would (and have. Seen the news?). My point is, the American market is the best example of Bizarro World that exists. Thus, a college football game that ends with a 3-2 score is considered bad (we want OFFENSE!) but it's widely acknowledged that defense wins championships. Likewise, we don't really want wrestling from our wrestling promotions. We want soap operas. And we want sex from our soap operas (before anyone disputes that, go check the ratings for soaps by episode). We even want our so-called "reality shows" to be soap operas! Consider the audience before saying good wrestling alone doesn't make money. Makes plenty of money in Japan. By that line of thinking, quality doesn't make money either considering the crap American consumers spend large sums of money on.

[BurningHamster]

Pure opinion, but an opinion he is not alone in having. For me I think TNA's current booking style is the result of a lot of things, including the era of having weekly PPV's in which time they HAD to rush through things and try to build up matches as quickly as possible so people had a reason to watch them next week. Even now that they have a solid TV deal and more time to work with, they still seem to rush and overdo a lot of things. Run ins and gimmick matches every week, and the problem is once people start expecting that from you it becomes hard to back off from it but at the same time each time they do a gimmick match or a run in, it means less because it's happening every week. I don't mind having some screwball stuff going on, but when it happens so often how can anyone be surprised by it? If an authority figure like a Jim Cornette came on the air, had a freaking meltdown and said that from now on he was going to make sure the rules were enforced and after that there were a bunch of DQ's and a storyline about someone getting suspended they could gradually scale back the overbooking and run ins. I am also not a fan of the WWE style that TNA seems to copy, so many in-ring confrontations and nobody EVER coming to the ring without their music playing. It's like AWW HELL, I REALLY WANT TO BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THIS GUY BUT I SURE AS HELL AIN'T GOING TO DO IT WITHOUT MY ENTRANCE MUSIC PLAYING. All criticism aside, TNA has survived for a while now and grown bigger than I expected so they do manage to get some things right.

[Remianen]

[QUOTE=BurningHamster;500464]I am also not a fan of the WWE style that TNA seems to copy, so many in-ring confrontations and nobody EVER coming to the ring without their music playing. It's like AWW HELL, I REALLY WANT TO BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THIS GUY BUT I SURE AS HELL AIN'T GOING TO DO IT WITHOUT MY ENTRANCE MUSIC PLAYING.[/QUOTE] OMG I was just talking to a friend of mine about that. How much of a surprise can a run-in be if it's preceded by that worker's entrance music? Considering how wrestling in America has worked to literally make entrance music synonymous with the associated worker, there's no element of surprise.

[Self]

[QUOTE=BurningHamster;500464]Pure opinion, but an opinion he is not alone in having.[/QUOTE] True. I'm inclined to agree with it, I just don't like it when people call someone's creative standpoint 'stupid'. Too harsh for my taste. I'd call it 'foolish', 'misguided', 'not working as intended'... but to write something off as downright stupid irks me somewhat.

[DaMegaFish]

The difference between WWE gimmick matches and TNA is WWE seems to mean more. Hell In A Cell has always seemed to be used to advance a feud and add another level to it. Elimination Chamber has always been used to at least defend the title. TNA just seems to throw Ultimate X around because they can. Does anybody else find it stupid that there are guys jumping around trying to grab an "X" that means nothing really half the time? I agree with Angle that the gimmick matches need cut down a bit, and I say that as a TNA fan. Why do I need to see a Fish Market Street Fight or whatever it was called? Just make it a street fight and quit adding layers to the gimmicks because usually they are just pretty dumb.

[sebsplex]

[QUOTE=BurningHamster;500464]I am also not a fan of the WWE style that TNA seems to copy, so many in-ring confrontations and nobody EVER coming to the ring without their music playing. It's like AWW HELL, I REALLY WANT TO BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THIS GUY BUT I SURE AS HELL AIN'T GOING TO DO IT WITHOUT MY ENTRANCE MUSIC PLAYING.[/QUOTE] I'll avoid writing some sort of thesis on TNA, but this has always been one of my pet peeves. That and when Tenay and West are randomly clued in to information... for instance I remember one time fairly recently where Sting's music hit completely out of nowhere during the closing segment and Don West suddenly yells "OMG! Sting! Sting will be here next week on Impact!". How do you know he isn't here now? How do you know someone didn't just accidently cue his music by mistake? How do you even know if he'll be here next week... he clearly didn't turn up this week! , etc.