TNA… Cross the Line again

[Carbomb]

I was under the impression that Nemeth has actually been quite decent to watch since joining TNA. What little I had seen of him wasn't bad.

@garynysmon?

[garynysmon]

On 12/6/2024 at 12:22 PM, Supremo said:

I don’t watch TNA, but I like that it exists as a sort of Phantom Zone for knobheads I don’t want to see, like Matt Riddle and The Hardy Boys.

But if your only exposure to TNA is tweets and snippets of headlines you read online then realistically you’re never going to like it are you? The nature of social media means ‘another solid 7/10 show’ will always be overshadowed by anything crap/questionable they do.

The advantage WWE/AEW have is that many more people will have actually seen that 7/10 event to provide context.

 I hazard that most shows sound really shit when you ‘consume’ them through that very limited prism and without any context.

I’ve been far from an avid viewer of wrestling this year, TNA included. But I do usually watch the monthly specials and PPV’s and they’re generally enjoyable and feel worthwhile.

I said I wouldn’t bother with the last monthly special, which wasn’t produced by TNA as it was part of the Wrestlecade event, and looked as shit as it did as a result. I’m not wasting time on shit like that.

Matt Riddle was a, seemingly, one-off replacement for an injured wrestler on the show as he happened to be on-site and available. I’ve no interest in seeing him back, like many others.

The Hardy Boys have been responsible for a clear upturn in ticket sales and have proved they still have some worth in terms of name value. Matt Hardy doesn’t look like the crippled old man I expected to see as they’re being booked in a way that hides their failings. The whole run does smack a bit of ‘Hardy Boys’ greatest hits’, but at this stage do whatever the hell works.

TNA isn’t able to lose $30 million a year so is third in line for talent signings. They have to be either on their way up from the indies (something that will be even harder now with WWE’s Talent ID stuff), someone who doesn’t want to sign a contract (Mustafa Ali, Matt Cardona etc) or someone who’s been burned elsewhere and needs career rehab.

Nic Nemeth falls in the latter and all I’ll say is since he’s been there there’s been nothing but positive reviews,  having  appeared motivated and refreshed. If you have a multi time WWE champion available and good to go why wouldn’t you go with him? I’ve quite enjoyed him in TNA.

And AJ Francis will never be Kurt Angle but has been part of an enjoyable act that’s gotten over in TNA standards.

If, to anyone else, Nic Nemeth will always be WWE presented Dolph Ziggler, and AJ Francis will always be the WWE’s AJ Francis, then that’s that. But TNA is presenting them as their own versions.

The real main event is elsewhere on the card, the four way for the number one contender spot.

Its not like they’re headlining Slammiversary, these are In Your House-type monthly specials for app subscribers.

They’d be getting stick for burning through actual main event challengers on throwaway shows.

Edited December 8, 2024 by garynysmon

[DavidB6937]

A lot of talk about Tessa Blanchard coming back. Surely she's not worth the headache?

[garynysmon]

2 hours ago, DavidB6937 said:

A lot of talk about Tessa Blanchard coming back. Surely she's not worth the headache?

With such a weak looking knockouts division after Jordynne Grace leaves, maybe she actually is….

[DavidB6937]

Just now, garynysmon said:

With such a weak looking knockouts division after Jordynne Grace leaves, maybe she actually is….

Is she going to be able to get people on board after everything or will they just boo her out of every building? (and not in the good way)

[Devon Malcolm]

1 hour ago, DavidB6937 said:

Is she going to be able to get people on board after everything or will they just boo her out of every building? (and not in the good way)

At least they'll be making a noise.

[garynysmon]

1 hour ago, Devon Malcolm said:

At least they'll be making a noise.

That would have worked well in 2019 tbf.

[Your Fight Site]

I hope this doesn’t become a trend, after they had Riddle through the doors not so long ago. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

23 minutes ago, Your Fight Site said:

I hope this doesn’t become a trend, after they had Riddle through the doors not so long ago. 

The problem is once again that talent availability is at a low point with AEW and WWE having so many under contract. The free agent pool is shallow and they need talent. That said I wish they focused on what they have already then bringing in undesirables, but at least they haven’t bought Scurll.

Just seen a report that Rhyno is finishing up with TNA tomorrow as well.

[CDM]

Where can you watch tna in the uk. Do fancy seeing what it's like? Is it more wrestling based like aew or more promo based like wwe? 

[CDM]

3 hours ago, Your Fight Site said:

I hope this doesn’t become a trend, after they had Riddle through the doors not so long ago. 

Didn't he hit a women or something and that is why people hate him? I watched a match he had with zack sabre jr in NJPW on you tube the other day and was very good. Whether zsj was just making him look good or not I don't know but it was a good match I thought 

[garynysmon]

14 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

The problem is once again that talent availability is at a low point with AEW and WWE having so many under contract. The free agent pool is shallow and they need talent. That said I wish they focused on what they have already then bringing in undesirables, but at least they haven’t bought Scurll.

Just seen a report that Rhyno is finishing up with TNA tomorrow as well.

AEW seemingly being happy to have talent under contract while doing very little, and now WWE bringing in this Chelsea FC-style WWE Id stuff to further hoard anyone on the indies with any upside, is squeezing matters even further.

I don’t know what the answer is. Scott D’amore used to get criticised for his ‘friends and family’ style of booking where Josh Alexander’s, Eddie Edwards’ etc wives were given jobs, but at least that made them more likely to stick around for the long term.

(Actually Alicia Edwards has a fun act now, but for years she was dreadful)

Now Josh Alexander and Jordynne Grace are almost certainly out of the door early in the new year its hard to see how you replenish the talent while, as previously suggested here, the free agent market is looking grim.

 

Edited December 14, 2024 by garynysmon

[Hannibal Scorch]

After a raft of announcing people that are leaving TNA,  they put the prices out for Slammiversary

 

Those prices are pretty crazy for ringside.

Edited December 18, 2024 by Hannibal Scorch

[RedTwoster]

10 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Those prices are pretty crazy for ringside.

Presumably the highest priced ticket comes as part of a VIP package of some sort, as opposed to it simply being for ringside seats? It’s higher than I’d have guessed either way.

As for the departures; Bailey, Grace and Alexander are certainties for either AEW or NXT, and clearly the TNA roster is going to look significantly different by the end of next year through following-up departures. But it’s proving to be a good place for wrestlers to either reinvent or prove themselves, and long may it continue.
 

[Devon Malcolm]

The optics of TNA resigning Tessa Blanchard might be terrible - but this is a great brawl....

....and then Santino Marella comes out. Why is this company like this.