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

[Forrest]

What a colossally stupid new set of rules.

[pgi86]

Presumably as the line-up for each X-division title match is dependent on the two previous matches (title and #1 contender), they'll not be doing any defences on house shows. If they do, they either need to have it incredibly well planned and announce the house show results on TV, or just ignore the new rules.

Or act as if the house shows don't exist and thus the house show results don't affect the TV matches. And they'll just do random 3-ways on the house shows or maybe they won't even do 3-ways on the house shows (they've got a Kenny King vs. Zema Ion Title match scheduled for this week's house show loop).

[unfitfinlay]

They didn't really need to change anything. I don't think anyone particularly cared if the X-Division had rules or not. It was one of those kayfabe-skirting things people were happy to ignore, I think.

 

If they really felt they had to, they should've just made it a special stips matches-only belt. That's all it would really need to keep it in line with the old "no limits" idea (marketing-wise, obviously - if it was really no limits they'd just make it a hardcore belt).

 

I've never really understood people's problem with the X-Division. In kayfabe terms, it's a Promotion building a Division around people who've got similar styles because they think that they'll have really entertaining matches together. They can't stop other people from entering but they are few and far between because that's not the point of the division. Abyss and Nash were blatantly trolling when they entered, for example.

 

The Three Way idea seems really short sighted to me. Surely constantly having three ways is going to get old quickly and make it extremely difficult to build up and blow off feuds?

[thefallenangel]

Are they still doing the X-Division Champion gets to challenge for the World Title at Destination X or is that being forgotten about?

 

Because there is no one in the division I can realistically see being pushed for a title match by (June?)

 

 

A double + Roode going after all the titles, once wins the X title, cashes in to win heavyweight title?

[pgi86]

The TNA Gut Check Challenge online/fan-vote contest is back: http://www.impactwrestling.com/gutcheckchallenge

 

A lot less names this time around (since this time TNA actually asked the wrestlers if they want to be in the contest or not). Some new people have been added including The Big O, Nikki Storm, Shanna and others.

Edited March 25, 2013 by pgi86

[TheShowOff]

Who liked the whole Bully explanation?

 

I really liked it. I wonder if they knew from the very start what would happen, or whether it was a case of slotting Bully in half way through, and working out a pre text that worked for all the stuff before (i.e. Bully "calling" Bobby etc). Nice to have the continuity regardless.

[bono]

Who liked the whole Bully explanation?

 

I really liked it. I wonder if they knew from the very start what would happen, or whether it was a case of slotting Bully in half way through, and working out a pre text that worked for all the stuff before (i.e. Bully "calling" Bobby etc). Nice to have the continuity regardless.

 

i loved it , i really enjoyed impact this week. Has the whole explanation video packages been done like that before in wrestling casue i cant remember anything like it?

[Sexy Dad]

TNA did a similar explanation style show of 'reAction' just after Bound for Glory 2010 to explain how Immortal came together, it was brilliantly produced and really sold me on the group, for their first few months anyway.

 

The Aces and Eights stuff this week wasn't as indepth as the Immortal stuff as that had talking heads such as Hogan, Bischoff, Flair and even Vince Russo...however I don't think Bully needed any help from Devon, D'Lo or Taz in painting the picture of A&8 though as he was more than capable of delivering the monologue with conviction. Great stuff.

 

This type of thing is probably the one thing that TNA do much better than WWE.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Scratchy chin-esque news concerning Spike.

Viacom's head of ad sales Jeff Lucas told Broadcasting and Cable that changes are coming for the Spike TV network. "Spike is a network that is transitioning, a majority of it, to more of a general entertainment network," Lucas said. "This year we're announcing to the marketplace that we're developing scripted programming for Spike."

 

Lucas also stated that the possibility of a name change for the network is a possibility. "As we transition from mostly reality to the scripted side, we're looking at that," he said. "It takes a lot to change the name of a network. If we don't have to change it, we won't. But if we do, we will. We're going to make it successful one way or the other." Read the full story at BroadcastingCable.com.

 

Powell's POV: Any change with TNA's network partner is worth keeping a close eye on. That said, Viacom purchased the Bellator MMA franchise, so it's not like Viacom will be abandoning programming that caters to men. The Bellator ownership is mentioned in the article, but there is no mention of TNA Impact Wrestling. Rather, the focus is on six Spike series that will be "broader and more general in scope," according to Lucas.

 

I remember bringing this up earlier in this thread that TNA are in vulnerable position with Spike compared to previous years. Not saying they will drop TNA, but its concerning if they lose any more interest in TNA. The relationship between them used to be super strong. TNA needs all the help they can get.

Edited March 25, 2013 by IANdrewDiceClay

[Maverick]

It's confusing at the minute as I read an article a few weeks ago that said because of Bellator Spike needed TNA more than ever and they were still really secure but there seems to be conflicting stuff coming out about it. Do TNA have a concrete contract with Spike for a certain amount of years?

[IANdrewDiceClay]

I dont think its ever concrete on the TV side. Its how all the wrestling promotions eventually go down. Every local one, every national one. A new bloke turns up and decided they want to take the channel into a new direction and chucks wrestling off. I doubt that will happen here, because as you say if they are still running with Bellator they need a lead in. Although Spike were supposedly well pissed off with the Bully Ray thing last week, where he called the lad a "faggot" and a "queer". And Daffney sued them and won, which cost them a good amount.

 

It really is strange in TNA since they signed their last TV deal, though. You hear all kinds of stuff about them these days, unlike before. I remember TNA used to be a promotion where fuck all would happen. They'd get a new wrestler but internally it was always the same. Same writers, same building, same format, same storylines recycled. Now its every few months they have new big news. Russo got sacked, they started doing live Impacts, they finally dropped the PPVs, they started taping from the UK, they went on the road full time. They seem to be trying a lot of things. Makes you wonder if they've been tipped out of their comfort zone that they were in. The last year has been so unlike the TNA of the previous 9 years.

[Statto]

Who liked the whole Bully explanation?

 

I really liked it. I wonder if they knew from the very start what would happen, or whether it was a case of slotting Bully in half way through, and working out a pre text that worked for all the stuff before (i.e. Bully "calling" Bobby etc). Nice to have the continuity regardless.

 

I enjoyed it, mainly because (as has been said) Bully delivered an excellent, convincing monologue/promo.

 

I'm still convinced it WASN'T intended to be Bully from the start, but with only minor retconning, they put together a logical sequence of events that it was.

 

Actually, it tended to be retcons that weren't key to the narrative that grated a little - the timeline of Wes Brisco joining, for example : we all knew he was the wild-eyed, wild-haired guy who had been involved in the beatdowns from pretty much the beginning, was revealed as such eventually, but apparently he didn't join until after Hogan said he had to go through Gut Check to get a contract?

 

Actually, the timelines of a few of the current guys joining were off - we all knew Anderson came in later & had never been masked, Doc & Knux were the guys not contracted to TNA used as masked heavies from the start, and D'lo was the 'inside man'/VP. Taz may have been a member from the start, but certainly wasn't involved in the beatdowns as he was ringside. Apparently Devon & Garrett only joined once Hogan turned down their help AGAINST the group. So that leaves Doc, Knux & D'Lo from the start who could have been involved in the early attacks - who were all the other guys then? Scrubs, maybe, but then Bully said "we're all unmasked now" or words to that effect.

 

And the biggie - when they recapped the BFG challenge in the clubhouse, they showed the President delivering the challenge, then a split-second of someone firing up a welding torch by Joseph Park's head. Immediately afterward, Bully said "see that scene Hogan - that was my brother Devon" - did he mean the torturer or the 'president'?? If he meant the torturer, why not a longer shot of him? If the president... well, whilst I can believe the guy with the sticky-out ears wearing a baseball cap backwards could well be Bully Ray even though it was clearly really Eric Bischoff, the fact those sticky-out ears were white makes it a little tough to be convinced it was Devon...

 

Anyhow, I'm kinda splitting hairs, just some stuff that's been buzzing around my head since watching it. As I said at the very outset, I did enjoy it, and I think they did a damn good job pulling it together into a convincing story.

 

I do very much like Bully in the role too, the very best thing about it being that he's finally stopped wearing that hideous "Hardcore 5150" basketball jersey (much like, for all it's benefits, the very best thing about Impact on the road is the return of the walkway. I love a good walkway.)

 

One last thought - the music used at the start of the Bully videos with the Aces & 8s theme playing then winding to a halt? They should totally use that little chunk as an intro to Bully's regular theme and let him use that, I think it would sound awesome. He's the president, he deserves his own theme, it would stamp the authority of "this is Bully's club" all over it, plus all pro wrestling themes based on China White rock.

[Benno]

Just want to echo the love for the Bully Ray segments. I think he was genuinely supposed to be the leader going into Bound For Glory but they changed their mind and the storyline has been coasting since. Still, they did a good job making the rest if it fit together, tremendous stuff.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Turning at Bound For Glory would have made no sense to the whole plot. Why would he turn when his whole gang still had that shite masks on?

[Loki]

As great as it all is, I'm starting to agree with Ian that it feels like a build up to a big face debut or turn that's not going to happen. Even Hogan is powerless before them.

 

And yet, you know that ultimately the whole thing will just fizzle out, like Immortal did. Hardy will win back the title at some point, and then they will become just another set if midcarders. TNA are not good at properly finishing storylines.

 

If they wanted to bring in someone like Goldberg for a short contract, though, this would be a great way of doing it. They've not got the cash for that sadly.