Kyle

Maybe Mick Foley is the Hall of Famer.

It has been Mick's schtick throughout his career to get himself over playing the victim against a corporate company and an evil top star playing politics. That is what helped get him over as this lovable cult following underdog. This only worked when he was the underground hardcore favorite working all across the U.S. before getting a big break and when he was rising up the card in WWE. Now that those days are behind him and the mystique of Cactus Jack is gone he comes off so desperate and pathetic.

Yet, Meltzer is making it sound like there's a good chance Prince Devitt signs with TNA, despite what is being said about TNA's problems.

I'm not saying this is all about Davey. If they turned him down due to lacking charisma and his bad rep then that is fine. The problem is they turned him down due to size and they don't want anuboduy that they think is too small, which means other wtrestlers with talent, charisma and better attitudes will not get a shot.

 

Again, watch NXT. I don't even watch it that regularly, and even I know there are guys who've been signed that are the same size as Richards.

These people were signed when WWE had warmed up to signing guys who are different than the norm in terms of look and size. Now they are back to their usual ways ever since the performance center opened. A mindset that has produced more failures than success stories in the past decade or so.

I'm not saying this is all about Davey. If they turned him down due to lacking charisma and his bad rep then that is fine. The problem is they turned him down due to size and they don't want anuboduy that they think is too small, which means other wtrestlers with talent, charisma and better attitudes will not get a shot.

Based on what? If they thought they were too small, why did they even give them a tryout?

People like Regal pushed fir them and they were briefly appeased.

I'm not saying this is all about Davey. If they turned him down due to lacking charisma and his bad rep then that is fine. The problem is they turned him down due to size and they don't want anuboduy that they think is too small, which means other wtrestlers with talent, charisma and better attitudes will not get a shot.

So I guess WWE only wants people who have the PED look and the less experience the better. The main problem with this is not that Davey and Eddie are not getting signed, but their reasoning. After all this time they think fans care about size when in actuality they care more about characters, matches and stories. Does the average WWE fan care about athletic backgrounds?. This is bad since they will now be turning others down who they think are too small no matter how much talent and charisma they have. HHH is out of touch and him taking over will be no better. This is back to the John Laurinaitus era. They only signed Indy names over the years due to having nobody else to sign when MMA exploded in popularity. Now that MMA has cooled down a little there are less of these college athletes who know nothing about wrestling that would be intested in MMA.

This is why Punk can never be the top guy past, present or future. I know wrestlers will always have legit gripes and conflicts with a promotion, but it has always been his thing to bash the company. Does WWE or any company want their main star to be somebody who always knocks the company? With Punk you have always gotten the impression that if everything was equal he would still be on the Indy scene instead of WWE. He still wants to be that Indy rebel. I don't think he would ever be happy with WWE unless it was like ROH or IWA Mid South. To be the guy in WWEyou have to come off like you love the company and are proud to be leading the way. With Cena you get that feel, same with Hogan in the eighties and Austin in the Attitude era even though his character was anti-authority. It is also the same with any past or present non-WWE promotion like say with Ric Flair and the NWA. These are some of the reasons why I think Punk can never truly be the guy.

It looks like Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards are TNA bound. I think it is clear based on Davey's comments at PWG a few days ago, PWG having a farewell for them and seeing how Meltzer has been cryptic when making mention of their farewell.

The same WWE that's just given Davey Richards and his mate trial bookings in NXT?

 

Isn't it a trial because they don't want to sign many more Indy blokes though?

Yes it is. Amazing how they will sign people from outside sports with zero experience on the spot, yet this is their mentality with the Indy guys.

I liked Spud on the latest edition of Impact. He's great in the role of Dixie's right hand man. Dixie continues to be horrendous, though. They should just get rid off her and have Spud as the GM. Like how Vince nipped off and left Brad Maddox in charge. Zima Ion is fantastic as the DJ. I've always liked Zima Ion and glad to see him in a role where he can show some character. Derrick Bateman is alright. Not really feeling him much myself. He's one of them blokes who they tell us is a star, even though he's not. He's Shawn Stasiak just before WCW folded. He does a lot of poses in front of small crowds and you try and convince the people watching he's actually over.

 

They've got some decent new acts on the show, but its all the same TNA formula. Everyone is a clown. Spud and Ion are played for laughs. Bateman isn't exactly super serious himself. The freshest act they've had in the last few years was Austin Aries, who got over belting out top bouts and coming across like a star on the microphone. They have to start getting some good, serious acts over. I have no idea if there are any out there, though. They wanted Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards and they told them where to go. Adam Cole and Michael Elgin will stay with ROH until the phone rings from WWE. Also you are banking on people signing for you who is very cheap. Look at TNA's new acts. A bunch of blokes nobody else will book. You can do the "LOL Bro-mans, LOL Bad Influence, LOL Eric Young, LOL two jobbers that they fly in even though the joke died after their first appearance" all day, but its all over the shows. Everything is a piss take. If everyone is funny, nobody stands out eventually.

 

I have no idea who this Extreme Tiger bloke is, except I just googled him and this picture came up:

Anything Jack Evans touches is usually shit.

I do think TNA will be able to sign some of these Indy guys who would be good serious acts. That is due to WWE's mindset of not wanting to sign anymore Indy names and instead go for people starting from scratch. That's a horrible mindset WWE has, BTW.

You also have to ask what would happen if Angle went through WWE's pre-screening tests. Last year Mick Foley was to feud with Dean Ambrose and they determined after testing that he should never wrestle again. Just imagine what it would be like with Angle.

It's almost as if WWE is sticking it back to the TNA originals. Now doubt a number of the TNA originals have had WWE offers throughout their TNA careers. When WWE wanted them most they always turned down WWE to stay loyal to TNA. Now TNA is having problems and this where these guys need WWE either for another option or to help with TNA negotiations. Yet, it has been made clear that WWE has no interest in anybody with the TNA label. They would rather focus on grooming who they have down in NXT putting these TNA originals in a bad spot.

On another note, I see there's been mention made of AJ Styles always making these WWE references. I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice this. It's like he has this insecurity or chip on his shoulder when it comes to WWE.

I'm surprised they didn't post the video of Linda McMahon kicking him in the nuts on wwe.com when making the announcement.

This could actually favour TNA in the long run, in that it seems their interest in taking prodigious Indy talents in their early twenties seems to be dying.

They just signed Sami Callihan and El Generico. Two of the most indy blokes going. This whole recruitment process isn't a new thing. WWE have always been looking for ex-footballers and bodybuilders and athletes. But young workers will always be their target. Just look at who is on top right now. Daniel Bryan and CM Punk wouldnt have been hired, if people believe they want to train their own wrestlers up. It always has been, no matter what the target is. About 15 years ago they signed Ken Shamrock, Albert and Droz (a UFC fighter and two American Football players) as well as Jeff Jarrett, Brian Christopher and Taka Michinoku in the same 6 month span. If there is talent about, WWE are snapping it up. John Cena, Brock Lesnar and Batista never wrestled before signing with WWE either, but they still signed Benoit, Jericho, Regal and Guerrero around the same time.

There's a key difference between then and now. That being WWE building the performance center, which is strictly designed for attracting football players and amateur wrestlers. Generico and Callihan were signed months before the performance center opened up. I think they are the last of their breed that you will see WWE sign. The HHH interview makes it clear they are done looking at the indies for new talent.

It's a shame that WWE still has a narrow minded approach when it comes to recruiting. Them thinking taking scrubs from off the street and teaching them from scratch is the best option is the reason why they have produced less major stars than they did in previous eras. This is also why most of the undercard from the past ten years is not memorable at all compared to the attitude era, where people still remember a Val Venis or Godfather type, or the Hulkamania era, where people still remember someone like Hacksaw Duggan or the Honky Tonk Man. You can't say the same for the WWE of the past decade.

I think the biggest worry for TNA is they wanted a lot of guys to do their One Night Only PPVs and they had trouble finding people who would work for them. Their reputation is so fucked within the industry and there's this stigma that if you go there your career is over.

 

I keep saying this but letting Alex Shelley go was it for me. Who the fuck thought that was a good idea? Alex Shelley was one of the best guys they've ever had on any of their rosters over the last decade. He looked great, he's only just turned 30, he takes pride in his appearances, his outfits are class, he can talk, he's funny, he's got that vibe about him that Matt and Jeff Hardy had in their primes, where kids, women and teenagers can be into him. Also he's amazing in the ring. They gave the belt to Austin Aries, which was great. Aries is a awesome wrestler. But if he's got a chance at the title, Alex Shelley should be holding the belt now by that logic. Because Shelley's got more upside than Aries or Roode or James Storm (and possibly Jeff Hardy since its a fairly level playing field in TNA). Shelley will probably be snapped up by WWE in the next year as well. Its the same old story. Adrian Neville, El Generico, Antonio Cesaro, Daniel Bryan all got away because they didn't go for them. El Generico was having tryout matches for them so they could have a look at him. He wanted to go as well. The blokes tearing it up on NXT right now. What did they need to look at? Just watch a video of him like WWE did and ask around about his attitude.

I think this stigma with TNA that you are talking about is starting to develope with ROH as well. Just think WWE has recently passed up on signing Adam Cole, Mike Bennett and The Briscoes. It's become the same thing where people are unlikely to ever join WWE due to loyalty or WWE thinking they're not worth the time. Gone are the days of when you had guys like Punk, Bryan, Bourne, Rollins and the KOW who appealed to WWE. I think now if WWE wants some Indy talents who are different from the norm they find more appeal in signing talent from groups like DG USA/Evolve.

WWE has several TV programs and run loads of house shows. They aren't running 20,000 seaters in those. Its obvious WWE and TNA will run the same venues occasionally. And just because WWE runs big venues doesn't mean they sell them out. In 2012 there was a load of RAW and Smackdown tapings where a lot of the building was darkened due to empty seats. It makes sense for WWE not to want another wrestling event to turn up and over saturate one of their markets. Even if its 2000 or 3000 people turning up to Impact, thats still a portion of people who might not be able to afford to go and see a second wrestling show that year.

Especially if TNA gives out loads of free tickets.

Anyone know if Pac has reported to NXT/FCW yet?

Still would need more proof regarding Pac heading to WWE at this point. While his farewell deal may have been due to that I also think some people may be jumping the gun. Maybe the farewell gestures were for something else that hasn't even been mentioned by anybody. When it comes to reports of people signing with WWE there needs to be more concrete proof. I still have yet to see any of the main news sites confirm anything.

There's an interesting article from the DOI website here about the current state of ROH. While I don't agree with all of it, there's a lot of salient points. For example, how do the undercard guys who've had to take pay cuts feel about that old fool Flair being paid ridiculous amounts of money to come into the company and offer not a lot?

 

I guess the big question you have to ask yourself is "what else could they have done?". ROH had/ has become bigger than all the other indy's to the point where you can no longer call it an indy, but has nowhere near the financial muscle that TNA does. (That said, ROH has actually turned a profit at some point, whereas its debatable that TNA has ever done so, despite what we're told.). The big problem the company's had for the past few years has been it's failure to create stars. It's not like it hasn't had talent that weren't capable of becoming top guys - Hero, Castagnoli, Richards - but they've all been so badly booked that they all need rehabilitation to an extent to get up them up to main event level. And because they didn't get guys over, the cards got stale... and the company finds itself in a huge rut creatively.

 

The article also makes good points about Cary. I've always found his "I didn't buy this company to lose money" line slightly odd - why get involved in wrestling in the first place then, as its not generally known as a business where people come out of it smiling financially. Especially if you're promoting an independent organisation. Now the obvious response to this is : "well, if he pulls out now ROH will go down the toilet". Yes, probably...but I'm not sure the HDNet thing and bringing in Ric Flair are going to give the company much of a shot in the arm either.

 

So what is to be done? Good question. The formula that made ROH big in the first place was indy dream matches mixed with the odd compelling storyline - Punk vs Raven, Corino vs Homcide, Prophecy vs The Saints. Writing killer storylines though, is easier said than done, as ROH fans can attest to from 2007-08's creative effort. Plus the promotion has been generally using the same cluster of guys for so long that there aren't very many fresh matches left for them to put on. The first thing that needs to be done is brings in new talent. Bring in a whole bunch of guys, throw them against the wall and see what sticks. (Not literally). Paul London and Colt Cabana should spice things up temporarily (although the amount of time they're taking to pull the trigger on London suggests there's something going on there we don't know about). It seems Quack is back (no suprise that happened after Gabe left), as is Eddie Kingston - who like him or not, was cut off at the kness when the company bought him in in 2008). A decent start, but more is needed.

 

And then we come to the big white elephant that no-one - at least on the ROH board - is mentioning. Dragon & McGuinness' contracts are up in May. As much as I personally would love them to stay, you have to say they'd be foolish to. Both have achieved all that they possibly can in the company. How ROH deals with their loss is the REAL acid test - not well how Flair draws, or how the TV deal goes.

 

This somewhat haphazard piece turned out slightly longer than I anticipated, so I'll leave on this point. I've often spoke of the parrallels between ROH and ECW, in terms of how both were at their creative best in their early periods when they weren't making a lot of money, and then by the time they started making strides - ECW on TNN, ROH with their TV deal (although obviously there's a disparity between the two to an extent), creatively they were dying. A remark Raven make in a shoot about 1999-2000 era ECW sticks in my mind - "it didn't matter what time or channel the show was on - the storylines sucked[and that's why ultimatly ECW died]". The same could be said for ROH. Unless the overall product gets better, it wont matter a fuck about the TV deal, or those ridiculous two month delayed PPV's they keep insisting on running.

 

So there you go...

Nah! Nigel and Danielson(and anyone else on the roster for that matter) won't go anywhere, especially WWE, just watch. All the ROH wrestlers are marking out big time for the HD Net deal coming off of the TV tapings. I wouldn't be shocked to find out Nigel and Dragon have signed new deals either right before the tapings or sometime in the last week.