Random Thoughts III.

[BomberPat]

18 hours ago, Supremo said:

Watching the Destruction of the Shield documentary was the first time I’d seen the angle Mick Foley and Dean Ambrose shot before it came out that Mick couldn’t go anymore.

I love this. So different to everything else. Shot on a camera phone, no-one looks at the camera, it comes across as completely authentic and engaging. It’s not only a shame that this feud never materialised, but also a shame that they didn’t start doing more stuff like this. They wank themselves dry over social media week in and week out, yet almost never use it in cool ways like this.

100% agree - I love stuff like this angle, anything that's slightly outside of the box. The closest I can think of them really coming to it was a Facebook live video of Lesnar attacking Ambrose before a show, or some of the stuff CM Punk did after "walking out" as champion.

Nothing frustrates me about WWE more than just how stale and dated their production and presentation is - it makes everything feel like you've seen it a thousand times before. Given the amount of tools available to them, it's unforgivable. They've got an insane amount of weekly hours of television, plus however many millions of followers on Youtube, Facebook Live, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat...and obviously the Network, which effectively gives them an infinite amount of time in which to tell whatever story they like. On top of that, they're more indulgent of the "smart" fanbase than ever. But they've never embraced the storytelling potential of any of that.

Film stuff like the Foley/Ambrose stuff, let it get picked up on social media - use dummy accounts to arbitrarily push it into people's feeds quicker if need be - let that grow somewhat organically, and feel real, then start referencing it on official WWE accounts, and eventually on TV. But let the people who have followed the story before that feel like they've been privileged to have got in early and seen something special, and the people only watching on TV can have it explained through recaps and promos anyway; they've still got enough hours of television to not lose any of the impact there.

But no, instead we still get heels opening TV with a 20 minute promo, and still get blood feuds where two guys can't be kept apart and want to literally murder each other, but they'll wait until Monday night to do it.

[Statto]

13 hours ago, Wrasslin said:

If he would take it they need to find a way to get that belt onto Cody Rhodes. With him being as prominent a star as there is right now outside of WWE and his family lineage he could really make that belt something again. Defend in New Japan etc.

If he doesn't get any WWE interest, I could see James Storm getting involved in the NWA title mix before long.

You can do the whole "Storm vs Storm" thing with Grandpa Tim for a start, but a southern brawler with a cowboy gimmick seems an ideal NWA champ. Being the age he is and from the south, you'd think being NWA champ would be a biggish deal to James Storm too, even though the title really means next to bugger all right now. I'd imagine he'll be a relatively well-travelled guy around the indies too, so you've got that "touring champ" thing to add to the mix.

As an aside - until thinking about this, I've never really noticed it but it seems odd that a National Wrestling Alliance would sanction a World Heavyweight Championship - or at least that other people would recognise it. I'm sure that has plenty of parallels in "real" sports as well as in wrestling, but it's going to be one of those "can't been unseen" things for me now.

[Kaz Hayashi]

4 minutes ago, Statto said:

If he doesn't get any WWE interest, I could see James Storm getting involved in the NWA title mix before long.

It would be silly to pass up on him from the NWA point of view. They need to be careful not to make the same mistakes TNA made regarding previous WWE talent. Don’t just sign any/every fucker, but defo look at who can fit well with the company concept/ideology. People like James Storm, Trevor Murdoch who is still in his 30’s, even the likes of Sawyer Fulton who is now taking bookings again. 

Whats big Hernandez up to these days? Is he allowed to sign for a company following the contractual shit between TNA and Lucha? Is he now free?

[the_mole]

Lucha Underground performers can now do any Indy they want, including TV ones like Impact & ROH.

[Kaz Hayashi]

4 minutes ago, the_mole said:

Lucha Underground performers can now do any Indy they want, including TV ones like Impact & ROH.

How does that work.. Like the old Japan style agreements with TNA?

Edited December 5, 2017 by Kaz Hayashi

[Wrasslin]

59 minutes ago, Kaz Hayashi said:

It would be silly to pass up on him from the NWA point of view. They need to be careful not to make the same mistakes TNA made regarding previous WWE talent. Don’t just sign any/every fucker, but defo look at who can fit well with the company concept/ideology. People like James Storm, Trevor Murdoch who is still in his 30’s, even the likes of Sawyer Fulton who is now taking bookings again. 

Whats big Hernandez up to these days? Is he allowed to sign for a company following the contractual shit between TNA and Lucha? Is he now free?

Both James Storm and Murdoch are great shouts. Particularly as you can probably easily get Harley Race to do some sort of endorsement of Murdoch. Think I remember Harley putting over him and Punk as the best two young guys out there back in the day. 

Got to hand it to Corgan. He's actually got at least some people to remember the NWA title is a thing again. Get it on a biggish name and someone who can actually wrestle (sorry Tim) and it could be great. Also if you're going to do the travelling champ thing I'd day it lends itself better to a heel. 

 

 

Edited December 5, 2017 by Wrasslin

[mim731]

I would think we're not horrendously far from having a need for an NWA discussion thread, which would have seemed hilarious and preposterous a few years ago, so fair play to Corgan. Smashing.

I will say, as shit as Tim Storm may be, I'm more interested than I thought I would be and I am loving that they are using a non traditional platform/method to get the backstory of where the promotion is currently, out to a wider audience. 

[tiger_rick]

At this stage, Tim Storm is fine. He looks great with the belt and he talks good. No fucker is watching this stuff so you either have someon who looks and sounds good who you can show highlights of or you need a champ who's busy in other promotions carrying your belt.

I don't think you need a workhorse. Love the idea of Trevor Murdoch though. Was always a fan. Had an old school look and worked good but not great. genuinely didn't know he still worked.

[Kaz Hayashi]

Now, if Corgan and co can do exactly what Pat was talking about in regards to being different, use social media properly, keep pushing the heritage angle, keep a live studio visual and build to a proper unveiling event then it could stand a proper decent chance. 

Aye Rick, sure I read he is 37, fucker, he looked about 40 when he was teaming with Cade.

[Sphinx]

5 hours ago, mim731 said:

I would think we're not horrendously far from having a need for an NWA discussion thread, which would have seemed hilarious and preposterous a few years ago, so fair play to Corgan. Smashing.

I see what you did there.

[gadge]

20 hours ago, Tim R-T-C said:

Just watching a few Progress moments on Demand. Anyone wonder what it must be like for the bar staff/security when the entire crowd suddenly pops like crazy for someone showing up (think CCK at Vote Pies).

I wonder if any of them get into wrestling from wanting to share the experience, or do they think we are just crazy loons?

Jim Smallman has said a couple of times during shows that the Electric Ballroom staff enjoy the atmosphere of the Progress shows there, as people are genuinely excited to be there and generally get along much better than a club night/music crowd. 

[DraxSpago]

6 hours ago, Kaz Hayashi said:

Now, if Corgan and co can do exactly what Pat was talking about in regards to being different, use social media properly, keep pushing the heritage angle, keep a live studio visual and build to a proper unveiling event then it could stand a proper decent chance. 

Aye Rick, sure I read he is 37, fucker, he looked about 40 when he was teaming with Cade.

He looked like Onslow off Keeping up appearances when he was teaming with Cade

[unfitfinlay]

20 hours ago, tiger_rick said:

At this stage, Tim Storm is fine. He looks great with the belt and he talks good. No fucker is watching this stuff so you either have someon who looks and sounds good who you can show highlights of or you need a champ who's busy in other promotions carrying your belt.

I don't think you need a workhorse. Love the idea of Trevor Murdoch though. Was always a fan. Had an old school look and worked good but not great. genuinely didn't know he still worked.

Agreed. He's no Cody Rhodes or James Storm but I bet he's a 100 times cheaper and, considering what the NWA is right now (fuck all) that's a good thing. Let's face it, nobody is going to, House of Hardcore, for example, because Tim Storm is there. *He's* going because the fans are there and it'll look good on the Youtube show.

If they can get a decent TV deal then, by all means, switch it to someone else but, as it is, I've no problem with them building around him. He's someone different, he's got a good story and they can count on him. They can make long terms plans for him safe in the knowledge that he won't be going anywhere else.

It's early days but I'm impressed with the way Corgan has gone about this so far. I would've bet on him being a total money mark but he seems content to take things slow and work with what he's got.

[Tim R-T-C]

On 12/5/2017 at 3:34 PM, tiger_rick said:

At this stage, Tim Storm is fine. He looks great with the belt and he talks good. No fucker is watching this stuff so you either have someon who looks and sounds good who you can show highlights of or you need a champ who's busy in other promotions carrying your belt.

I don't think you need a workhorse. Love the idea of Trevor Murdoch though. Was always a fan. Had an old school look and worked good but not great. genuinely didn't know he still worked.

I think he is a good call. If they had stuck the belt on Cody Rhodes, James Storm or any of the indy scene regulars who are floating around, it would have just been yet another belt. Instead, people are talking about Tim Storm, he is getting attention - probably going to get far more eyes at CZW ToD and HoH than even appearing on Impact Wrestling.

[SpursRiot2012]

Finally got around to watching the NWA's 10 Pounds of Gold series and Nick Aldis vs Tim Storm.

I loved it. The videos are just a perfect length for someone like me who is just fully burnt out with the likes of WWE and their 76 hours of first run TV per week or whatever. I've always had a soft spot for the NWA world title anyway, but they were able - in the space of, what, half an hour total, across all the videos? - to make me care about Storm, Aldis, the title match and the future of the NWA. 

I enjoyed the match, too. I had seen others say it wasn't up to much but other than the botched finish, I liked it. It was a couple of guys having a more old-school style of wrestling match. 

I just really enjoyed the whole thing, top to bottom. And I'm actually excited about watching more NWA content. Who would have thought we'd be saying that in 2017? To be honest, it seems to me that one way - far down the line - that another promotion could challenge WWE's US dominance would be for a bunch of the indy promotions - especially the bigger ones like ROH, TNA (doubtful, though, with Corgan and with being shit) and a few others all coming together, ditching their own 'world' titles, recognising the NWA title holder and running some sort of schedule. I don't think it could ever work exactly as the NWA of old did because indies aren't really the same as the old territories and, as I understand it, Corgan owns the NWA outright - no committee, as such? But things like that could come with time. With all the guys running the constituent promotions deciding between themselves which guy could make money for all of them by building to an NWA title shot with each promotions top guy. At the end of the day, no promotion has the financial muscle, market penetration, star power...anything really to compete with WWE alone. So, maybe the logical thing *is* to pool resources and build something?

Of course, this is pro-wrestling. No doubt either some shady shit will happen and it'll all fall apart or someone will hire Vince Russo.