The Official TNA / Impact / GFW Discussion Thread

[cappyboy]

cappyboy, did you really expect for a new regime to "take over" and be held to the old regime's characterizations? Honestly. As PeterHilton said, this is a reboot.

 

All well and and good as far as your point goes. But when they are changing a guy's character as dramatically as Jarrett's appears to be, I do expect more grounding into what's bringing about the change. From a smark perspective, your answer is perfectly reasonable. But when I'm watching the show, I want to drop the S as much as possible and just believe for the time the show's on. This promo left far too many questions in my mind I don't feel belong there. In my smarkish head, I know what's changed. In my markish heart, not so much.

 

When you take over a promotion in TEW, do you have to keep with everything the previous booker did?

 

Dude, do you have any idea how bad a question that is? What's happening with the TNA reboot and how I'd handle a promotion in TEW is completely apples and oranges. I'm not one of these guys who feels I gotta change three quarters of the gimmicks and fire everyone who isn't a potential Cornell Day 1.

 

So HAVE to? No. Not in the least.

 

TEND to? Pretty much. I may push the guys I feel like pushing and eliminate the dead weight as I see it. But as much as possible, I prefer to play the junk off the scene rather than just flat out firing them.

 

Take the transition of Jay Darkness into Danny Fonzarelli that Adam made in 08 for example. That was based on an alt request I made because I was planning to play The Dark Brotherhood and Painful Procedure off the landscape. I hated both gimmicks because they felt played out and wanted a TCW without them. But I wasn't about to just fire all the people connected to them because I saw potential for future uses once the old crusty gimmicks were clearly stripped away. So I set up the stable war of attrition that you may have seen in storyline mods as A House Divided.

 

Now I suppose I could have treated my arrival as a reboot and just changed those guys around by fiat. But coming up with the stable war and the Jay Darkness/Nicole Kiss romance to spark the gimmick change was far more fun for me. But Bischoff and Hogan are far less paranoid about dramatic change than I am. So apples and oranges.

 

To me, that line made the promo because it's so absurd. That's like 'Susan Boyle is gorgeous' or 'Kevin Nash is easily the best technician on the planet'. Everything else was 'meh' about it with Bischoff as the only person who seemed to hit his lines properly.

 

And I acknowledged it was a good line. Just that the context in which is was used had me so far off balance trying to get on the page Bischoff and Hogan want me on that I couldn't properly appreciate it in the moment. It was just another "hold up there, dude" for me. Give me a feel for "what's gotten into Jarrett" and maybe I'll buy in. But as I post this, I wouldn't give you the empty water glass here on my desk for this version of Jarrett. Just too dramatic of an unexplained shift.

[alden]

I have been watching the old tna weekely ppvs. Wow......i never got a chance to see the early stuff. I have LOVED the early tna stuff. The odd part is it got great when russo became a onscreen char. S.E.X. was a great angle and it really pushed alot of stuff. It was wwf additude era. This is some of the best tna wrestling i have seen. If anyone gets a chance to see it the early stuff is great. i am at ppv 30 right now.

[PeterHilton]

cappyboy, did you really expect for a new regime to "take over" and be held to the old regime's characterizations? Honestly. As PeterHilton said, this is a reboot. When you take over a promotion in TEW, do you have to keep with everything the previous booker did?

 

 

To piggyback off this...

 

cappy, you have to understand: JJ is the heel now. It wasn't done well last Monday, but after the promo Eric cut blaming Jarrett for TNA's previous failures, saying he conned Dixie out of money, saying that he set up the company in order to put himself over the talent and held others down (which..y'know..pretty close to the truth) I think it's oobvious JJ is going to be painted as the selfish prick who doesn't want things to change in order to hold onto his spot.

 

I mean..he showed up with a lawyer. There has never, in the history of the business, been a good guy who fought for his cause using a lawyer.

 

JJ's a heel. He's the 'old regime.' It's cool to ignore the last few months.

[Wrestling Century]

Alden, how are you watching the old TNA Weekly PPVs?

[PeterHilton]

But as I post this, I wouldn't give you the empty water glass here on my desk for this version of Jarrett. Just too dramatic of an unexplained shift.

 

See..I disagree.

 

But mainly because, to put it bluntly, the ONLY reason people started cheering for JJ was because the fans sympathized with him after the death of his wife.

 

He'd spent the previous two years drawing the wrong kind of heat and a lot of the live crowds were pretty vocal about how tired they were of seeing him.

 

And then ..whammo!..real life tragedy and suddenly he's the inspirational leader of a band of plucky go-getters.

[alden]

Alden, how are you watching the old TNA Weekly PPVs?

 

Parden? lol..........old tapes that i legaly bought .

[justtxyank]

See..I disagree.

 

But mainly because, to put it bluntly, the ONLY reason people started cheering for JJ was because the fans sympathized with him after the death of his wife.

 

He'd spent the previous two years drawing the wrong kind of heat and a lot of the live crowds were pretty vocal about how tired they were of seeing him.

 

And then ..whammo!..real life tragedy and suddenly he's the inspirational leader of a band of plucky go-getters.

 

Agreed. What people forget is that prior to his wife dying, Jarrett was hated by the IWC and the Impact fans were sick to death of him. He was being compared to HHH without the look or talent. People were saying he was the one holding everyone down in TNA to keep himself relevant when he couldn't draw a single viewer.

 

Then his wife dies, he takes time off and comes back on the side of the righteous and everyone is proud to call him the "founder of TNA" and cheer for him.

[Remianen]

Dude, do you have any idea how bad a question that is? What's happening with the TNA reboot and how I'd handle a promotion in TEW is completely apples and oranges. I'm not one of these guys who feels I gotta change three quarters of the gimmicks and fire everyone who isn't a potential Cornell Day 1.

 

So HAVE to? No. Not in the least.

 

TEND to? Pretty much. I may push the guys I feel like pushing and eliminate the dead weight as I see it. But as much as possible, I prefer to play the junk off the scene rather than just flat out firing them.

 

Which is your right. However, typically the reason why a booker is replaced is because....what s/he was doing wasn't working (or wasn't working well enough). Most people look to immediately correct that while at the same time putting their own stamp on things. This is no different to Allen & Shanahan in Washington (if you think that team is returning intact, I've got oceanfront property in Nevada you might like to see) or any coach/GM taking over a team.

 

Trust me, I am not a fan of Hogan (though Bischoff has his moments) but I totally understand TNA's choice to basically turn away from old characterizations. If you're trying to sell 'NEW', you don't begin by continuing the OLD. (Yes, I realize the irony in that statement ) It's like promising someone a new car and giving them a Dodge Dart. Yes, technically it's new (to them, because they didn't own it previously) but it doesn't fit the image of the statement.

[Wade]

Parden? lol..........old tapes that i legaly bought .

 

I legally bought every weekly PPV and TNA iMPACT! up through 2008. Was great re-watching it all the way through, I might have to do that again over the summer when work slows down.

[cappyboy]

To piggyback off this...

 

cappy, you have to understand: JJ is the heel now. It wasn't done well last Monday, but after the promo Eric cut blaming Jarrett for TNA's previous failures, saying he conned Dixie out of money, saying that he set up the company in order to put himself over the talent and held others down (which..y'know..pretty close to the truth) I think it's oobvious JJ is going to be painted as the selfish prick who doesn't want things to change in order to hold onto his spot.

 

All well and good. But ESTABLISH this. I'm not saying the concept is bad. It's the execution I'm balking at. Explain the dramatic shift and I'm willing to play ball. Develop the heelish corporate Jarrett more. Don't just throw him at me and expect me to bite. The more I have to think about what I'm seeing in the moment, the less energy I have to devote to caring. In other forms of entertainment, making me think is fine. In wrestling, just let me feel.

[jwt13]

The TNAWrestlingNews.com website is now confirming that former WWE performer Ken Anderson (a/k/a Mr. Kennedy) will be debuting with TNA Wrestling next week, according to company sources.

 

According to the TNAWrestlingNews.com source, Anderson will either debut at Sunday's Genesis as the 'Major TNA Wrestling Superstar Acquisition' teased on Thursday's iMPACT!, or he will debut at the following night's television taping.

 

Current plans call for Anderson to debut at Genesis, but should the company decide to hold out, he will debut at the following evening's television tapings.

 

Either way, Anderson will debut with TNA next week.

So he is set to debut next week if this is true

[PeterHilton]

All well and good. But ESTABLISH this. I'm not saying the concept is bad. It's the execution I'm balking at.

 

Truthfully, I don't think the execution is that bad.

 

The promo on Monday was a mess, but that seems like it was a combination of Jeff giving in to the emotion and some iffy writing.

 

But last night...that was a clear promo and a pretty standard segment (maybe the confusion would be that JJ fumbled his lines and Eric just comes off as a heel no matter what he says)

 

To be fair though, I'm waaaaaay more willing to accept Jarrett the conniving weasel than Jarrett the founding father.

[PeterHilton]

So he is set to debut next week if this is true

 

Yeah...that site isn't exactly reliable...

 

But if you guys thought the booking was getting too convoluted before, have I got something for YOU..

 

Jeff Jarrett appeared on the Danny Bonaduce radio show today and worked an angle with Danny Bonaduce, setting up a match between the two down the line. Here's a recap by Phil Lions & PWInsider.

 

Jeff Jarrett was on Danny Bonaduce's Philly radio show today and ended up geting into a heated argument with Bonaduce. On this particular day Bonaduce wasn't in the studio because he was in New York City so Jarrett (along with Jeremy Borash) was in the studio only with the other hosts of the show.

 

The interview started off with Bonaduce (broadcasting from New York) putting over Jarrett and TNA big time. Jarrett then plugged tonight's TNA house show in Reading, PA. Talk then moved to Bonaduce's match against Eric Young at last year's Lockdown and Jarrett was complimentary of Bonaduce's work. Danny said he wants one more shot at Eric Young.

 

Anyway, at one point Bonaduce brought up his stint in Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling and that's when Jarrett went into heel mode. Jarrett was pissed off that Bonaduce was wasting time talking about that "miserable failure" known as CCW instead of talking about TNA. Jarrett buried CCW pretty hard here. There was a CCW Danny Bonaduce poster on the wall in the Philly studio and Jarrett wrote "CCW sucks hard" on it and drew bunny years on Bonaduce You can see a photo of the poster here.

 

Bonaduce called Jarrett a d***. Danny said he really, really likes TNA and wants to wrestle there once again but he's not going to suck up to Jarrett to get in. Jarrett then proceeded to steal Bonaduce's CCW Title belt (which was in the Philly studio) and challenged Bonaduce to come to Genesis and take it back, or if he can't make Genesis he can show up whenever he wants. Bonaduce promised that he'll eventually get his belt back but he would first need to train for about 3 months or so and be in top condition if he's to fight Jeff Jarrett. He said he could beat Eric Young today but he would need to be in better shape in order to defeat Jarrett.

 

Bonaduce then talked about being good friends with Hogan and possibly using that connection to get back in TNA. Danny finished off his promo on Jarrett by swearing that he'll get his belt back or he'll spill more blood than TNA's ever seen before. At that point Jarrett had already left the studio with Danny's belt.

 

And apparently Bonaduce has already confirmed this is part of a setup for him to work a match on a PPV with JJ in a few months time.

[Bigpapa42]

Which is your right. However, typically the reason why a booker is replaced is because....what s/he was doing wasn't working (or wasn't working well enough). Most people look to immediately correct that while at the same time putting their own stamp on things. This is no different to Allen & Shanahan in Washington (if you think that team is returning intact, I've got oceanfront property in Nevada you might like to see) or any coach/GM taking over a team.

 

Trust me, I am not a fan of Hogan (though Bischoff has his moments) but I totally understand TNA's choice to basically turn away from old characterizations. If you're trying to sell 'NEW', you don't begin by continuing the OLD. (Yes, I realize the irony in that statement ) It's like promising someone a new car and giving them a Dodge Dart. Yes, technically it's new (to them, because they didn't own it previously) but it doesn't fit the image of the statement.

 

You know, I think it sums up the issues I'm having with TNA-era Hogan perfectly. TNA is moving forward and creating the future of wrestlling... by relying stars and storylines from the 90s... Maybe its just a transition period, but its one that I find frustrating and very contradictory.

 

I understand the idea of the new regime wanting a "reset" and an immediate change of things that weren't working. But I do think it can be hard for viewers in regard to continuity. Not that wrestling has great continuinty, but its also shouldn't ignored entirely. And a lot of it comes down execution. I don't really have any issue with a Hogan-JJ storyline with Jarrett as a heel... I'm just not thrilled with its execution thus far.

[jwt13]

Yeah...that site isn't exactly reliable...

 

But if you guys thought the booking was getting too convoluted before, have I got something for YOU..

 

 

 

And apparently Bonaduce has already confirmed this is part of a setup for him to work a match on a PPV with JJ in a few months time.

 

Yea that would suck but hasn't Danny been saying he was going to wresle a PPV match for TNA for over a year know?

[MrCanada]

- The January 14 edition of TNA Impact scored a 1.26 rating, down from the 3-hour live show's

1.5 rating but up from the previous Thursday's 0.7 average (for the 4-hour New Year's Eve show).

 

Credit: Wrestling Observer

[cappyboy]

Eric just comes off as a heel no matter what he says

 

Quoted for truth. And that's another part of why I feel the execution's off. I heard Bischoff's charges against Jeff on the Monday show and it sounded like just more typical unfounded Bischoff mudslinging. I'd probably have shown up with a lawyer in tow as well. At least in the story world of wrestling I probably would have.

 

And really Bischoff's been the weasel so long I'm going to have to have more than just his say-so that Jarrett's such a snake that I should hate him as much or more than Bischoff. With what they've done so far, I know I'm supposed to think Jarrett's a bad guy. But he's going to have to be bad to someone more likable than Hogan and Bischoff before I'm sold. Throwing the young talent under the bus like he did is a start. But that's all it is. A start.

 

It's just not translating for me on the strength of what's been on screen. Even with the Triple H-ish Internet rep, I tend to favor Jarrett. Always have. You want my inner mark to hate him, have him messing with AJ or Beer Money. Maybe Taylor and Sarita. People who represent what's right with the company. If the slimiest thing he does is lip off to Bischoff, then I'm still on Jarrett's side. And apparently, if I'm still on Jarrett's side, something's wrong.

[Bigpapa42]

The PPV looks really, really weak. It looks thrown together. I have no reason to care about the bulk of the matches save for maybe the main event and the big surprise. But even the main event, we just saw it last week, so the magic on that is kinda tainted too. I know they only had two weeks to develop it, but gosh. Will be interesting to see the buyrate nonetheless.

 

To me, its not "weak" so much as not that appealing. It does have a strong main event, as Styles-Angle is almost certain to be at least a good match. It just becomes less appealing because it happened on TV two weeks ago. The Wolfe-Dinero match could be quite good. The tag title match could be solid. A lot of the rest of the card seems kinda thrown together, but I can see how Abyss-Lashley, Beer Money vs Nash-Hall, or Daniels-Morley could appeal to some people. I can't say they honestly appeal much to me, so there just isn't enough there to intrigue me to drop the money. I also have a bad feeling the "big debut" is not going to be worth the hype. But at the very least, its going to have a strong main event (short of a retarded ending).

 

- The January 14 edition of TNA Impact scored a 1.26 rating, down from the 3-hour live show's

1.5 rating but up from the previous Thursday's 0.7 average (for the 4-hour New Year's Eve show).

 

Credit: Wrestling Observer

 

Still, that's not bad. It was bound to drop, but they kept at least some of the audience from the week before, beyond what they normall draw.

[MrCanada]

 

Still, that's not bad. It was bound to drop, but they kept at least some of the audience from the week before, beyond what they normall draw.

 

I honestly think only the internet is watching TNA. The thing is not all the internet does, now that Hogan is there and people are expecting change, the internet is watching it again. So it will hold 1.2 for a whole going up and down between 1.1-1.4 until it either starts to grab viewers or they die off and it drops to 0.7 again.

[GDE71]

Well the 0.7 wasn't for a regular show. They were consistently a 1.0.

 

If they can stay 1.2 or higher on Thursday, I can see them moving to Monday specials maybe after each PPV. If those do well(1.2-1.5) consistently, then I can see them moving to Mondays permanently.

[Wrestling Century]

Seriously, is there any way to watch the TNA Weekly PPVs legally?

[justtxyank]

I just read that the live Monday show drew a 1.8 in the key demo (male, 18-34) which is more than twice the average .7 in that demo.

 

I hope TNA can build some momentum. I was thinking about ordering the ppv, but I don't want to if the surprise is going to be Kennedy. I don't want my money to make them think I like him.

[alden]

Seriously, is there any way to watch the TNA Weekly PPVs legally?

 

I think you can through the tna vault. it is like 5 bucks a month.

[Hyde Hill]

Well he is the most likely choice but with Hogan saying he would be someone that is able to directly challenge for the title based on past accomplishments I think the percentages for RVD and Goldberg being it have gone up.

 

On the Jarrett thing I think if his promo on Monday would have gone as scripted it would be fine and I am glad they are transitioning fast as opposed to slow as this should also mean that Hall, Waltman, OJ, Nasties will be of my screen faster.

 

Just too bad that Russo isn't headbooker atm as he was doing pretty good still not great and too busy but better then before in the period when he finally got the reigns. July till Jan 4th.

 

And yeah 0.7 was a four hour show knockout new year's special and was their lowest rating for a very long time so it doesn't wholly count, and Spike bumbed TNA for Star Wars on Christmas so in essence TNA only had two shows to build for the ppv due to bad timing. In lieu of that pretty good job.

[Hyde Hill]

I think you can through the tna vault. it is like 5 bucks a month.

 

Yeps and they have their greatest matches on Youtube for free.

 

Edit: On Bonaduce that radio spot was quite fun and he wrestled on lockdown last year in the pre-show wouldn't be surprised to see him on the pre-show again and not more if at all.