Impact wrestling thread - It's a Don West tribute thread now!

[AshC]

I'd make things ultra-simple for a while going forward. Can the stables, can the massive months-long tournaments, just make it simple. Build back up from the ground. There is a loyal audience there that will stick with them. Reinventing the wheel hasn't worked.

[Ant]

I remember a couple of years ago my mum telling me that she was channel hopping and saw TNA was on. She thought WWE had changed it's production as it was a square ring then realised the telly was on Challenge. She asked why TNA would get rid of one of the key visual marketing differences between it and WWE. The only plausible answer I could provide was Hogan had came on board and wanted to "make an impact". Ever since my mum has been convinced that Hogan is working undercover for Vince. The only alternative logical reason I could provide is Hogan and co are simply incompetent.

[ColinBollocks]

I'd make things ultra-simple for a while going forward. Can the stables, can the massive months-long tournaments, just make it simple. Build back up from the ground. There is a loyal audience there that will stick with them. Reinventing the wheel hasn't worked.

Have they really reinvented the wheel, though? It's the same old uninspired stuff of heel groups with a "shocking" heel turn etc.

[Vamp]

I remember a couple of years ago my mum telling me that she was channel hopping and saw TNA was on. She thought WWE had changed it's production as it was a square ring then realised the telly was on Challenge. She asked why TNA would get rid of one of the key visual marketing differences between it and WWE. The only plausible answer I could provide was Hogan had came on board and wanted to "make an impact". Ever since my mum has been convinced that Hogan is working undercover for Vince. The only alternative logical reason I could provide is Hogan and co are simply incompetent.

 

Or, you know, they thought it was a good idea to have something that's more recognisable as a wrestling ring, six sided rings are harder to wrestle in and their six sided ring looked shit because it looked tiny. I don't know if that's because it was tiny or the way they filmed it but it always looked small. There's a whole ream of logical reasosn why they changed the shape of the ring. The one you named isn't logical.

[TheShowOff]

I don't think the 4 sided vs 6 sided ring debate has ever been a good one: solely because I don't think anybody really cares about the shape. TNA had its best matches inside the 6 sided ring... but that's coincidence. I just don't see a debate to be had.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I remember a couple of years ago my mum telling me that she was channel hopping and saw TNA was on. She thought WWE had changed it's production as it was a square ring then realised the telly was on Challenge. She asked why TNA would get rid of one of the key visual marketing differences between it and WWE. The only plausible answer I could provide was Hogan had came on board and wanted to "make an impact". Ever since my mum has been convinced that Hogan is working undercover for Vince. The only alternative logical reason I could provide is Hogan and co are simply incompetent.

The six sided ring was shit. It caused a lot of unnecessary debate, from complete mentals. They were right to get rid of it. Hogan changed the ring simply because he didn't like it. Not to make an impact or change a visual. Loads of TNA wrestlers hated the ring. Only he had the power to do something about it.

[LaGoosh]

I remember Alex Shelley saying that he hated it and that it also was much more painful to bump on, I'm guessing because of the extra poles for the other two turnbuckles. It just looked fucking odd and made no difference to the matches so they were right to change it.

[Cobra1000]

Well, Dixie turned heel there. No idea where its going. AJ Styles promo wasnt as bad as everyone is making out, but yeah its still not great though.

 

Chris Sabin has returned to the X-Division as well for a showdown with Manik at Bound For Glory probably.

 

Completely underwhelmed.

[garynysmon]

Sadly, when I first saw the promos for Bound for Glory I even went to the extent of booking a lieu day off work for the morning after as I was looking forward to it. Now, I couldn't give less of a shit. The build-up has been atrocious.

All the momentum leading on from excellent pay per views like Slammiversary last year has gone down the tubes. So disillusioned with TNA at the moment.

Edited September 20, 2013 by garynysmon

[bono]

Well, Dixie turned heel there. No idea where its going.

 

The thought of Dixie Cater being heel makes me laugh before ive even seen the promo

[CTXRussomark]

A&8's is gonna be yet another TNA stable angle that just ends with no resolution, isn't it? Not that I won't be glad to see the back of it, but still.

[mim731]

Urgh, Dixie as a heel is such a dull re-tread of other authority angles, but with someone who can barely cut a promo. This has the potential to be Claire Lynch bad, presumably leading to some kind of AJ re-hashing the CM Punk post MITB 2011 walkout, due to his contract being near the expiry after winning the belt. (I'm just hypothesizing the worst thing I can think of immediately, it probably isn't where they're going with this at all).

 

The sooner Spike buys the company and re-brands it the better for me, feels like TNA is on its last legs, soon to be on it's arse.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I dont get how anyone could let that AJ Styles and Dixie promo make air. Who could come up with that idea? AJ buried the company and then Dixie came out and buried him. This storyline is so rotten. Bound For Glory is their WrestleMania and the main storyline is AJ Styles thinks the promotion is shit and their wrestlers aren't as good as the ones that used to be their, and the owner thinks the number one contender isn't very good. Even bashed his match quality (even though, match quality is suppose to mean fuck all in the world of kayfabe. The objective is to win). The worst part is, it wont matter in the negative, because people expect this from TNA. The fans have been told so often the promotion is nothing, so its expected now.

 

I think the AJ Styles angle sums up how little TNA's eye for talent really is. AJ Styles is one of the best wrestlers of the last decade. They just dont know how to position the wrestlers to make people believe in them. Styles is tremendous, and still is one of the top workers in the world. But they've just went "he used to wrestle on the indies, he must be able to the CM Punk and Daniel Bryan role" and they've given him this big fuck off monolog to read. That's why TNA have never made a star. They put their wrestlers in positions where they cannot shine. Its like if this Monday CM Punk was suddenly given the role of a mime artist which took away his ability to both speak and brawl (his two major assets). AJ Styles can't carry promos for this length and his delivery is usually the pits, so making him go all Shootie McGraw is just killing his character. I dont believe what he is saying, because his hick accent and the fact he's dressed like a grown up Bart Simpson cant make me take him seriously. And they always do it with him. He's been forced to act completely out of his comfort zone for years.

Edited September 20, 2013 by IANdrewDiceClay

[Yakashi]

What could you do with AJ though? Even when he's just been AJ the awesome wrestling machine it's made no difference. Shitty character or not, he isn't important. No one is. Nothing has ever made any difference. Thats the problem. Can anyone think of any idea or person that might make a long term difference and get them away from the same 1.1m viewers they've been drawing for years? They've got the biggest wrestling star of all time...they had Flair, Foley....Jeff Hardy was the hottest baby face in the world when he first signed. Until he goes back to WWE, he's just a man with face paint. Thats the TNA effect.

[Slapnut]

The term "fucking hell TNA" comes to mind once again, and it's happening all too often recently. How can they keep doing it? That Dixie/AJ segment was hideous. Rotten to the core with no redeeming factors whatsoever. Dixie Carter is the worst character in wrestling by some margin, and it's the same whenever she shows her face. Just pure drivel molded into something resembling a story, when really it's about nothing at all.

 

The rest of the show was crap as well. The whole rubbish with the Robbies, Eric Young and Joseph Park can get to fuck. It's a shame Park has turned into fast-forward material.

 

Someone said above about the Aces & Eights storyline ending with no resolution, and it's very frustrating but I can't see any other way out of it at the moment. They've been beaten so many times now that a loser leaves town style match would lack any drama at all. An implosion deal is the only way I see it going.

 

The best part of the show was the EGO vs. MEM match, and with the talent involved is anyone really surprised? It's no coincidence that the best part of every week involves those lot.