The Official TNA / Impact / GFW Discussion Thread

[Daffanka]

I don't think that's what I'm saying. Did you quote the wrong post?

 

I can't see that gimmick as anything but getting booed like crazy.

[Self]

I can't see that gimmick as anything but getting booed like crazy.

 

Oh I see. Sure. You're probably right about that. I haven't put too much thought into it. The character would need tweaking. Less whiny. More bad-ass. Hell, it could work just as well as a heel. The fact that vampires in stories are hated by the large majority is probably an element of why awkward teenage girls like them. "All those wrestling fans may hate you, but they just don't understand you. Not like I do." So while the 'vampire' annoys and infuriates the male audience by reciting poems about cutting himself, and no showing matches because 'his soul hurts' (or he's 'lost his smile') a small but powerful female audience thinks he's sensitive and hot and misunderstood and seek to cheer him up by buying his t-shirts. Lots and lots of t-shirts.

 

... but you're probably right. I'm just thinking out loud, and I watched New Moon the other day (and didn't hate it) so this is fresh in my mind.

 

Back on a more TNA-ish topic... Isn't the next World X Cup due soon? Is it every 2 years or 4? I rewatched the last one recently and it was ace.

[Eisen-verse]

I just finally watched Impact and was throughly entertained the entire way through. In no way am I a TNA'lifer or anything; however, that show was ten times better than any WWE product i've seen lately. Great stuff!

 

The Main Event itself was pretty sweet. I'm not a jeff hardy fan but I found myself a big fan of his work tonight. Plus, there was an air of ambiguity as you didn't know how everything would turn out. Sure, it's RVD and Hardy so you expect that they would win; however, they also could have gone another way and showed "Beer Money" to be a better cohesive team and that's how they won. So, needless to say, my hat is off to TNA.

 

Side note: Do they pump in crowd noise now in the Impact zone? If not then I'm not sure what they did but they completely changed the old 'dead-zone' feeling that it use to have. It's surreal now.

[Hyde Hill]

BTW did you guys see the "reason" TNA is going 8-10 on April 5th? They are saying it is because of the NCAA final, which I think is a total bull reason. Are they really that worried about losing an hour of television for ONE night? No. I believe its b/c they are dissapointed with the Monday ratings (come on, did anyone really think the ratings would go from 1.2 to .86?) and the NCAA game gives them an excuse to experiment with the 8 PM start (which hopefully works)

 

Prolly not THE reason but a reason. So you can test how an 8-10 run does and duck competition like the NCAA final at the same time. Smart move.

[Hyde Hill]

I just finally watched Impact and was throughly entertained the entire way through. In no way am I a TNA'lifer or anything; however, that show was ten times better than any WWE product i've seen lately. Great stuff!

 

The Main Event itself was pretty sweet. I'm not a jeff hardy fan but I found myself a big fan of his work tonight. Plus, there was an air of ambiguity as you didn't know how everything would turn out. Sure, it's RVD and Hardy so you expect that they would win; however, they also could have gone another way and showed "Beer Money" to be a better cohesive team and that's how they won. So, needless to say, my hat is off to TNA.

 

Side note: Do they pump in crowd noise now in the Impact zone? If not then I'm not sure what they did but they completely changed the old 'dead-zone' feeling that it use to have. It's surreal now.

 

They had a pretty hot crowd on the night.

[Hyde Hill]

Oh I see. Sure. You're probably right about that. I haven't put too much thought into it. The character would need tweaking. Less whiny. More bad-ass. Hell, it could work just as well as a heel. The fact that vampires in stories are hated by the large majority is probably an element of why awkward teenage girls like them. "All those wrestling fans may hate you, but they just don't understand you. Not like I do." So while the 'vampire' annoys and infuriates the male audience by reciting poems about cutting himself, and no showing matches because 'his soul hurts' (or he's 'lost his smile') a small but powerful female audience thinks he's sensitive and hot and misunderstood and seek to cheer him up by buying his t-shirts. Lots and lots of t-shirts.

 

... but you're probably right. I'm just thinking out loud, and I watched New Moon the other day (and didn't hate it) so this is fresh in my mind.

 

Back on a more TNA-ish topic... Isn't the next World X Cup due soon? Is it every 2 years or 4? I rewatched the last one recently and it was ace.

 

Yeah X-Cup should be this year. But with all the stuff going on atm I don't expect it till the end of the year if at all.

[PeterHilton]

PUT JBL in the ring with guys like Sandman, New Jack or any other guy that knows how to brawl and what you'll get with is a great wild brawl. Put him in there with a guy like Batista, who needs someone to make him look good, and of course the match is going to suck. It's going to suck even more if you don't play to his strengths (brawling) booking 101 sir.

 

If JBL is a knife, I'm not going to bring him to a gun fight. I'm going to bring him to a knife fight, why? Because he's a pretty sharp fn' knife! Your example is lame, sir.

 

 

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA...WTF?????

[Remianen]

 

No I didn't say that at all. AJ didn't want to be used in the heavyweight division, he wanted to be used in the X-Division. And it was because of AJ, mind you, daniels got as over as he is.

 

 

 

 

PUT JBL in the ring with guys like Sandman, New Jack or any other guy that knows how to brawl and what you'll get with is a great wild brawl. Put him in there with a guy like Batista, who needs someone to make him look good, and of course the match is going to suck. It's going to suck even more if you don't play to his strengths (brawling) booking 101 sir.

 

If JBL is a knife, I'm not going to bring him to a gun fight. I'm going to bring him to a knife fight, why? Because he's a pretty sharp fn' knife! Your example is lame, sir.

 

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA...WTF?????

 

Peter, let it go, man. It's just not worth the effort. It's like showing Stevie Wonder a rainbow. In explaining how a worker who needs to be carried can be best utilized, he cites two workers who need to be carried EVEN MORE (and who aren't even 'decent' outside of hardcore environments).

 

Let it go.

[TommyDreamerFan]

The blair witch comment was in reference to the aborted Blonde Bitch Project. REMEMBER YOUR HISTORY FOLKS!

 

 

 

 

Peter, let it go, man. It's just not worth the effort. It's like showing Stevie Wonder a rainbow. In explaining how a worker who needs to be carried can be best utilized, he cites two workers who need to be carried EVEN MORE (and who aren't even 'decent' outside of hardcore environments).

 

Let it go.

 

Thats why I'm saying to use them in their hardcore environments!!!!!!!!!!! What do you think? I send JBL and New Jack out there and say ALL RIGHT! ROH PURE RULES GUYS! FILL 20 MINUTES!

[Stennick]

I just read a report that said since January TNA has ballooned to SEVENTY wrestlers. That has to be close to what the WWE has on its active roster with three brands, three television shows and multiple house shows a night.

 

This includes high priced guys like Flair, RVD, Hardy, Kennedy, etc.

 

Plus they got the expensive of going live every night as well as apparently running ads during Monday Night RAW and doing advertising in Times Square.

 

With all of these expenses ratings are the lowest they have been in four years and there has been barely a noticeable bump in house show and merchandise sales.

 

Even if TNA is heading in the right direction creatively these are some valid points there is no way TNA should have an active roster of 70 workers.

[PeterHilton]

Thats why I'm saying to use them in their hardcore environments!!!!!!!!!!! What do you think? I send JBL and New Jack out there and say ALL RIGHT! ROH PURE RULES GUYS! FILL 20 MINUTES!

 

 

You missed the point: hardcore environment aside, you just said that JBL could get carried to a good match by two guys who were even worse workers than he was and had to be carried by wither their opponent or -more often - the type of match they wee in.

 

Jack and Sandman could really ONLY put on good matches in overbooked hardcore spotfests. (Which had their appeal at the time, don't get me wrong)

 

It sort of completely defeats your argument.

 

And it goes back to the point that it's hard to take your assessmentof TNA seriously. Because we just don't see the same things when we watch a wrestling match.

[PeterHilton]

I just read a report that said since January TNA has ballooned to SEVENTY wrestlers. That has to be close to what the WWE has on its active roster with three brands, three television shows and multiple house shows a night.

 

This includes high priced guys like Flair, RVD, Hardy, Kennedy, etc.

 

Plus they got the expensive of going live every night as well as apparently running ads during Monday Night RAW and doing advertising in Times Square.

 

With all of these expenses ratings are the lowest they have been in four years and there has been barely a noticeable bump in house show and merchandise sales.

 

Even if TNA is heading in the right direction creatively these are some valid points there is no way TNA should have an active roster of 70 workers.

 

 

I've saidthis before: they need to cut the roster. Maybe in half.

 

It's great to have all that talent, but TNA literally has too many guys for them to really focus on anybody for an extended length of time. They 're trying to pay attention to so much, that the booking of the whole roster suffers.

 

And yes..I know that if you cut 30 people or so you'd be releasing some very good, very talented individuals. But the storytelling would become more concise and the product would improve tenfold.

[Linsolv]

I think it would be a fun project to make a list of who we would cut. Since we're all smarky.

 

The List Now:

 

Men:

 

Abyss

AJ Styles

Alex Shelley

Amazing Red

Brian Kendrick

Brutus Magnus

Bubba

Chris Sabin

Consequences Creed

D'Angelo Dinero

Daniels

Desmond Wolfe

Don West

Doug Williams

Dr. Stevie

Eric Bischoff

Eric Young

Generation Me (for some reason, listed as one person on the Roster page)

Hernandez

Homicide

Hulk Hogan

James Storm

Jay Lethal

Jeff Hardy

Jeff Jarett

Jeremy Borash

Jesse Neal

Jimmy Hart

Kazarian

Kevin Nash

Kiyoshi

Kurt Angle

Matt Morgan

Mr. Anderson

Nasty Boys (Again, listed as one person)

Orlando Jones

Raven

Rhino

Rick Flair

Rob Terry

Rob Van Dam

Robert Roode

Samoa Joe

Scott Hall

Sean Waltman

Shannon Moore

Shark Boy

Sting

Suicide

Team 3D (Weird. Wonder why Sabin and Shelley got separate pages, then...)

Tomko

 

Women:

 

Angelina Love

Christy Hemme

Daffney

Hamada

Lacey von Erich

Madison Rayne

ODB

Sarita

So Cal Val

Tara

Taylor Wilde

Velvet Sky

 

(I left off announcers, but kept on-screen personalities. And Don West, because he is in those stupid damn commercials.)

 

I also think it's interesting that the Women's roster is SO much shorter, and yet very nearly every woman has a reasonably large fanbase. As opposed to the men's side, where a lot of people are getting lost in the shuffle.

[Tha Black Phenom]

I don't think you could decide to cut 30 people on a whim. Or even 20. They've backed themselves into a corner with that roster. You cut all the jobbers/irrelevant talent and all the old farts/main-eventers will be left running the asylum. You cut a bit of both and that's gonna create some **** to go down as well, at least on the old farts end. All they can do is wait 'till those guys leave on their own accord or something.

 

It's clear they've only ballooned to get the most talent away from WWE as possible. It's like that fat kid who's jealous of his skinny friend eating all the cake, he takes more and more away from him even though he feels he's gonna explode.

[Hyde Hill]

I just read a report that said since January TNA has ballooned to SEVENTY wrestlers. That has to be close to what the WWE has on its active roster with three brands, three television shows and multiple house shows a night.

 

This includes high priced guys like Flair, RVD, Hardy, Kennedy, etc.

 

Plus they got the expensive of going live every night as well as apparently running ads during Monday Night RAW and doing advertising in Times Square.

 

With all of these expenses ratings are the lowest they have been in four years and there has been barely a noticeable bump in house show and merchandise sales.

 

Even if TNA is heading in the right direction creatively these are some valid points there is no way TNA should have an active roster of 70 workers.

 

I counted 52 a while back still way too big though. Whoever did that can't do math. And I have made my ideal roster quite clear. Let me recount based on the list above. Ok that makes 58 if you count the tag teams as separate and don't include Hogan and Flair. That is still 10 off and way way too big.

[Stennick]

The list was from Meltzer so maybe there are guys on the payroll not on the "active" roster. IDK either way 60 guys for two hours a week is way way too many.

[Hyde Hill]

With some added info:

 

Main Event:

 

Angle H

Styles F

Joe H

Daniels H

Hardy F

RVD F

 

Upper Midcard:

 

Morgan H

Hernandez F

Abyss F

Wolfe H

Dinero F

Anderson H

 

Midcard:

 

Young F

Homicide H

Rhino H

Kaz F

Red F

Tomko H

 

Undercard:

 

Moore H

Shark Boy F

 

Tag Teams:

 

Hooliganz (Kendrick + (London)) Also X + Midcard H

Motor City Machine Guns Also X + Midcard F

Beer Money Inc. Also Upper Midcard H

British Invasion (Magnus + Williams) Midcard and Williams = X H

Generation Me Also X + Undercard F

Lethal Consequences Also X + Lethal = Midcard, Creed = Undercard. F

 

Women:

 

(Del Ray) H

Tara F

Hamada F

ODB F

Wilde F

Sarita F

Daffney H

Love H

Rayne H

Skye H

 

Occasional Wrestlers/Personalities:

 

Foley F

Jarrett F

Flair H

Hogan F

Sting F

Raven H

 

Backstage Interviewers:

 

Borash F

Hemme F

 

Announce crew:

 

Tenay F

Tazz F

 

Other:

 

Bischoff H

So Cal Val F

Penzer.

The referees.

 

 

Still very big but much more manageable.

 

That means gone/phase out:

 

Nasties go

OJ go

Neal go

Terry short phase out

Hart go

Bubba go

Von Erich short phase out

Suicide 3 go (that Jap guy they have on loan from NJPW)

Kiyoshi go

Nash phase out

Hall phase out

Waltman phase out

3D phase out

Richards go

 

 

If you keep the tag teams mainly dedicated tag teams and keep the occasionals and personalities in a supporting role instead of a dominant one and use the two undercarders as sympathy jobbers this would be a manageable roster.

 

Edit this is where and how I would like to see them and using the Smackdown 6 rule kinda. As in you can have 6 guys be your go to guys.

[Hyde Hill]

The list was from Meltzer so maybe there are guys on the payroll not on the "active" roster. IDK either way 60 guys for two hours a week is way way too many.

 

Well if you start including those guys you can start including road agents and if you start including those you can start including production truck guys and camera men etc etc. Off screen without a debut (Suicide 3) or a cameo (Spike Dudley) or not actively wrestling (Hogan, Flair, Cute Kip) doesn't count as a wrestler imho.

[Stennick]

Is Spike just a cameo? IDK all I know is they got 60 "fulltime" guys and thats roughly the same amount WWE has with 6 hours of television a week compared to TNA's 2.

 

Remember when WCW had 100 plus guys on their roster? The problem they have is they can't stop themselves from snatching up anybody the WWE lets go. I'm hearing Ken Doane had a tryout that went well with them. They can't stop themselves. I think they should have one guy in charge or roster management or atleast the bringing in of new talent. You want somebody you run it through him.

 

Kind of like in football they have cap management specialists.

[Hyde Hill]

Some perspective:

 

RAW: 36 including swaggle and bellas and mendes

 

Smackdown: 35 including Serena as we know she will wrestle.

 

Unassigned from ECW: Vance Archer, Tyler Reks Unassigned: Lance Cade

[Stennick]

So yeah their sitting in the 70's with triple the programming time that TNA has and atleast double the house shows.

[Hyde Hill]

Is Spike just a cameo? IDK all I know is they got 60 "fulltime" guys and thats roughly the same amount WWE has with 6 hours of television a week compared to TNA's 2.

 

Remember when WCW had 100 plus guys on their roster? The problem they have is they can't stop themselves from snatching up anybody the WWE lets go. I'm hearing Ken Doane had a tryout that went well with them. They can't stop themselves. I think they should have one guy in charge or roster management or atleast the bringing in of new talent. You want somebody you run it through him.

 

Kind of like in football they have cap management specialists.

 

That's Terry Taylor's role but he can off course be overruled by Hogan, EB and Dixie. Same as John Laurinaitis who can be overruled by Vince and Stephanie.

 

edit: Also a try out =not signed just ask Colt Cabana.

 

So yeah their sitting in the 70's with triple the programming time that TNA has and atleast double the house shows.

 

Didn't count the nxt guys (8) so its not triple but two and a half. But by the same token with the E you see the same guys too much lolz. Not arguing mate TNA's roster is way to big but I think the one I outlined is manageable.

 

current situation:

 

TNA: 58/2 = 29 per hour per week lolz.

WWE: 79/6 = 13 1/6 per hour per week. Not including Archer, Reks and Cade.

 

My TNA:

 

42/2 = 21 per hour. Still hard but doable especially if you keep the tag teams dedicated.

[Self]

Wow. Not many folks on that list that I'd definitely cut. First pass for me would take out Jesse Neal, Kiyoshi, Suicide, Tomko, Shark Boy, Dr. Stevie, Raven, Rhino and The Nasty Boys. Second pass, filled with hard choices, would lose Brian Kendrick, Consequences Creed, Eric Young, Scott Hall, Sean Waltman, Shannon Moore and Kazarian.

 

No thought about balance. Just guys I'd cut for various reasons. If I had the book (or the patience for real world TEW mods) I'd pick 10 guys throughout the card and build the show around them. AJ. Pope. Machine Guns. Angle. Anderson. RVD. Jeff. Beer Money. Those would be my stars. If I can't use someone to make any of those guys look good, I'd cut them.

[Hyde Hill]

Wait you are keeping Rob Terry, OJ and LVE? lolz

[Self]

Wait you are keeping Rob Terry, OJ and LVE? lolz

 

Rob Terry is Welsh, so yes. He's also a new face, and I'd want to focus on promoting relatively new faces.

 

Orlando Jordan... The bisexual gimmick intrigues me. A lot of wrestling fans are turning up their noses at it, but I think there's potential. Benefit of the doubt.

 

Lacey Von Erich... You know what, I might cut her. I'm a big fan of the Beautiful People but she doesn't bring much to the table except height. I think Velvet's hotter and Madison's got a more interesting look. She's a generic tall blonde. Cut her.