The Official TNA / Impact / GFW Discussion Thread

[foolinc]

Yeah, WWE would *never* have a Women's match as the Main Event of Raw. We didn't see Trish vs Lita for the Women's Title close out the December 6, 2004 edition of Raw. But then, that was a *match* and not some weird striptease thing...

 

Not to mention them never giving time to feuds like Mickie/Trish, Beth/Mickie, Mickie/Melina, etc.

[crownsy]

That doesn't really add or subtract to Moe's point.

 

No one ever said the WWE doesn't give their cruddy women's division story lines.

 

awful storylines for the most part to be sure, but they do give them some time.

 

I think TNA should book the knockouts as the M/E or a lead in to the M/E but do it by having the good matches a bunch of the TNA women are capable of, not silly fake stripper segments as the M/E

 

Even if you wanted to do that tonight, Hypothetically they could have done the box thing earlier in the show (say it was some sort of random drawing similar to the RR drawing) had them open the boxes, had lacey do the strip tease as a further segment later, and had love open a box with the #1 contenders prize.

 

Then you close the show with Love vs Tara as your M/E, with whatever assorted run ins/ finish you want.

 

To me, that would have been a better way to show off the difference in the product.

 

Assuming of course that they want the knockouts as a M/E draw, that is.

[Blackman]

TNA doesn't keep their promise. Even after 5 years, their x-division and women's division, the 2 points where they could make the difference, are still dwarfed by the WWE. Their lame attemps at mimicking the E are always doomed to fail. WWE does it better. Why not switch to a different product? I still don't get it. But I'm not going to repeat what's been said 20 times already. Oh well...

 

After reading the results: come on, wtf? Is that a way to close the show? A blatant 'tna' segment? I'll watch the full show in a few days, but from the results (a new champ gets crowned through a freaking note in a box??? What is this? Hollyweird?) I tend to perceive TNA as a minor version of WWE.

[TracyBrooksFan]

Since Trish left honestly the WWE women division sucked this coming from a Mickie James fan. So this was different on Impact closing with the women and the focus was not Lacey stripping it was Tara and Angelina and Velvet.

[crownsy]

Since Trish left honestly the WWE women division sucked this coming from a Mickie James fan. So this was different on Impact closing with the women and the focus was not Lacey stripping it was Tara and Angelina and Velvet.

 

I'm not sure what TNA wanted to be the focus, but let me assure you that i was quite focused on lacey during that whole segment.

[masterded]

I really did like TNA last night and I think just some small changes could have made the show better though.

 

Like others have said Eliminate the Love Sponge. This cuts the need for the segment with him and Hogan backstage and cuts some time off The Band attack. I just don’t get why he is there at all. Nash is one of the best talkers in wrestling so it is not like they need a mouthpiece, so what does he add?

 

Move the lockbox reveal to after the women’s match. Also cut a little time from the segment. Also don’t have the Title be one of the prizes, which sure was one of only two things that mattered. I did like the idea of the match itself and think it could be interesting to bring back if the teams where more random. I mean you could have blind tags as someone tries to steal someone’s elimination (and prize) and other refusing tags when a dominant person is in the ring (knowing that if the dominant person pins the one trying to tag out they would be done for the match).

 

Then take whatever time is left give it to Pope vs. Wolfe and end with the AJ attack after Pope wins.

 

Edit: Also give all the hype that went to opening the lockboxes to Pope Vs. Wolfe.

[Hyde Hill]

50 year history of WWE 2 ME women, 3 od years of women in TNA multiple Knockout main event matches or angles. Trish vs Lita are clear exceptions that prove the rule not the other way around. What matters is average time on show and how they are presented. TNA on average has done better with that.

 

Didn't like the whole lockbox thing as it was russoriffic and a cheap way to mix up some storylines. If they had to do it why not make it a no1 contender shot instead of the title itself? The open contract could then have been non title and with stip of your chosing.

 

Angle vs Anderson was great, rest of the show meh.

[PeterHilton]

Since Trish left honestly the WWE women division sucked this coming from a Mickie James fan. So this was different on Impact closing with the women and the focus was not Lacey stripping it was Tara and Angelina and Velvet.

 

Ok..but so what? The women's division isn't important to the WWE because they know that - outside of a few exceptions over the years like Chyna, Trish and Lita to a lesser extent - NOBODY CARES!

 

It's similar to the X Division...if TNA wants to brag about a segment of their product and how it separates them from the competition, then they should probably do a good job with that segment.

 

That ending last night was strictly T&A...it was confusing from a storyline standpoint...and it actually made the title seem less important.

 

You want the Knockouts to be more impressive than the WWE women's division: keep workers like Kong, do more with the Sarita/Taylor Wilde tag team, and bring in more workers like Hamada.

 

It won't make a difference in the ratings either way, but it won't be WWE-lite.

 

(you could take that whole example and use it for the X Division ...don't brag how special it is and then drop the matches down to the bottom of the card, hire a bunch of WWE cast-offs and run fprgettable storylines)

[CQI13]

But how special was it when it wasn't drawing viewers when it was being showcased? This is different than it being good/bad. It's an indy promotion on TV. They have to cater to what the mainstream want to see if they want to be mainstream. ECW was edgy and innovative, but it was never mainstream.

[crownsy]

That goes counter to their mission statement that the WWE is mainstream wrestling, and they are the edgy underdog.

 

I think that's at the heart of the problem. TNA can't really decide if it wants to break new ground with it's product or be sports entertainment and just try to do the WWE's product better than it does.

 

These last few weeks, they seem to have decided it's better to be main stream, provide the fans on-going storylines, and generally try to be the WWE with a return to the "attitude Era" product.

 

Which is fine, and i think the last three shows have been good, though i would have placed the ladder match as the M/E last night, or as previously discussed made the M/E a knockouts match rather than a T & A segment.

 

The point is they need to stick with what they decide, next week can't be an overbooked "SWERVE BECAUSE ITS EXTREME AND EDGEY!!!" show they were doing the previous two months....agian, unless that's what they decide to do going forward.

 

The point is they have to pick a product and stick with it. Personally i like the direction the last few weeks have gone, and hope that remains the strategy.

[PeterHilton]

But how special was it when it wasn't drawing viewers when it was being showcased? This is different than it being good/bad. It's an indy promotion on TV. They have to cater to what the mainstream want to see if they want to be mainstream. ECW was edgy and innovative, but it was never mainstream.

 

Totally agree. But don't market it then. If you're a sports entertianment company then that's what you focus on.

 

I think it does more damage to constantly brag about the X Division, 'we are wrestling,' and the Knockouts and then not deliver on those promises.

 

Could be wrong though.

[PeterHilton]

That goes counter to their mission statement that the WWE isn't mainstream wrestling.

 

I think that's at the heart of the problem. TNA can't really decide if it wants to break new ground with it's product or be sports entertainment and just try to do the WWE's product better than it does.

 

These last few weeks, they seem to have decided it's better to be main stream, provide the fans on-going storylines, and generally try to be the WWE "attitude Era" product.

 

Which is fine, and i think the last three shows have been good, though i would have placed the ladder match as the M/E last night, or as previously discussed made the M/E a knockouts match rather than a T & A segment.

 

The point is they need to stick with what they decide, next week can't be an overbooked "SWERVE BECAUSE ITS EXTREME AND EDGEY!!!" show they were doing the previous two months....agian, unless that's what they decide to do.

 

The point is they have to pick a product and stick with it. Personally i like the direction the last few weeks have gone, and hope that remains the strategy.

 

 

What he said.

[Daffanka]

That was the worst impact I've ever seen.

 

http://i44.tinypic.com/vou6wi.jpg

 

TNA: Cross the line

[Eisen-verse]

Yeah, WWE would *never* have a Women's match as the Main Event of Raw. We didn't see Trish vs Lita for the Women's Title close out the December 6, 2004 edition of Raw. But then, that was a *match* and not some weird striptease thing...

 

Meh, I don't follow things THAT closely. Just seemed unique compared to what we've seen in the few years. That's all.

[lazorbeak]

But how special was it when it wasn't drawing viewers when it was being showcased? This is different than it being good/bad. It's an indy promotion on TV. They have to cater to what the mainstream want to see if they want to be mainstream. ECW was edgy and innovative, but it was never mainstream.

 

I guess it depends on your definition of "showcase"- yes, putting guys that by and large aren't over at the forefront of your company is generally a bad idea, but WCW didn't exactly "showcase" the WCW cruiserweight division, but they got an entire generation of new cruiserweights over with large audiences while putting on great matches. They were always a niche, but it was something WWF wasn't presenting at the time, it got crowds fired up early in the show, and it introduced the world to guys like Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio.

 

TNA needs to do the same thing: just have one really good x-division match a night, along with a simple, easy to follow storyline.

[CQI13]

Lazor, yes, I guess in that case my definition of showcase was to put them at the forefront of the company. I don't follow it enough now, but I could see them doing what you say, of putting one really good X matchup a night.

[TommyDreamerFan]

That was the worst impact I've ever seen.

 

http://i44.tinypic.com/vou6wi.jpg

 

TNA: Cross the line

 

I find this just as equally amusing as a wheel chair bound flair. lol

[TracyBrooksFan]

I'm not sure what TNA wanted to be the focus, but let me assure you that i was quite focused on lacey during that whole segment.

 

then why did the camera zoom off her?

[TracyBrooksFan]

Ok..but so what? The women's division isn't important to the WWE because they know that - outside of a few exceptions over the years like Chyna, Trish and Lita to a lesser extent - NOBODY CARES!

 

that statement can be true or false like i said i know many who cares for women wrestling.

[CQI13]

But enough to influence the ratings?

[PeterHilton]

that statement can be true or false like i said i know many who cares for women wrestling.

 

But enough to influence the ratings?

 

Exactly. Don't be dense TBF. If I say 'nobody watched Impact' that doesn't literally that NO ONE ON THE PLANET watched, it means the numbers are so small as to have no noticeable effect on the ratings.

[TracyBrooksFan]

you know another reason they could of ended and had the ladder match when they did was because of Butler vs Duke.

 

 

Last night's NCAA basketball finals did around 19-million viewers, so it should be interesting how much that effects the RAW and iMPACT! ratings. Ratings come out around 6EST on Tuesday's unless there is a holiday.

[crownsy]

then why did the camera zoom off her?

 

I think your confusing TNA's attempt to make me give a poop about tara and love having a spat with my contention that all i really cared about in that entire lame segment was lacey shaking her money maker.

 

A company can try to portray something (that tara and love matter) and fail utterly because of poor thought process/ production value.

 

I straight up did not care, at all, that tara and love had a tiff over the belt. I cared about the hot blonde in the ring doing a PG-13 strip tease.

 

Therefore, if TNA was trying to get something out of that segment other than a pointless fluff T & A piece, they failed with me as a viewer.

[TracyBrooksFan]

and that why women wrestling cant be taken seriously anymore

 

and dont get me wrong i like seeing Lacey shake her money maker and seeing as she is gorgeous specially when i met her but i cared for Tara and Love just as much if not more.

[PeterHilton]

and that why women wrestling cant be taken seriously anymore

 

and dont get me wrong i like seeing Lacey shake her money maker and seeing as she is gorgeous specially when i met her but i cared for Tara and Love just as much if not more.

 

 

Anymore???? When was it taken seriously to begin with?

 

Also..you seem to be blaming crownsy, the viwer, for TNA's mistakes.