Will TNA and/or Hardy admit that Willow isn't working?

[JTG Fan]

You know for all the flak wrestling fans give WWE, they do listen to the fans...eventually. Garbageman Daniel Wyatt and babyface Batista are two recent examples of WWE admitting something isn't work the way they intended and adjusting it. I think I kind of get what TNA is going for with Willow but jesus, it ain't translating to TV or to the live audience. He mostly just seems like an overly garish asshole. Of course the problem here is that TNA shows are in the can for the next several weeks but the sooner they stop whatever the hell Willow is so far, the better.

[Deleted]

If he was a heel, he'd be perfect. I want to see everyone kick his ass so bad. Everything about it is annoying and hacky.

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

I think TNA is trying to portray him as a tweener, so I can give him a temporary pass on this heelish stuff for now. That, and HARDY-VISION actually being a thing on Impact gives me great joy.

But the fact that he wrestles in the exact same Hardy gear, but wearing a mask is so god damn lazy and half-assed.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

What is the purpose of this persona? Jeff Hardy is way too established to be repackaged into a new gimmick.

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

I want to see him cut an in ring promo with someone, when the other guy just loses it and says

"Alright that's it, I can't do this anymore. Can we please drug test him?"

[________ has left the building]

There's a reason why you shouldn't give everyone creative control. Willow is suppose to be Jeff's dark, twisted, out of control side of his persona but it is failing miserably. He speaks random prog rock gibberish in a high pitched voice. He wears the same Hardy clothes except he's wearing a mask now. His Immortal days minus the heavy drug use is the character he should be going for. But TNA will keep giving Jeff all the creative freedom he wants because that is what he cares about. If it was about money, he would had long left for WWE.

[Bram wants to 'urt you]

Jeff Hardy gets burnt out by the whole Dixieland nonsense. Leaves the company, on the understanding that he will return later on when he feels the time is right to do so.

The whole business of him leaving is so traumatic however that when he DOES return, it is as the unhinged, psychotic alter-ego Willow, who then goes on to attempt to destroy all of those who were involved in Jeff's leaving in the first place - Spud, EC3 and the World Champ, Magnus (who Willow hasn't got around to yet). Willow is Cactus Jack to Jeff's Mick Foley. A maniac who can turn up the brutality in a way that "Jeff" never could.

Pretty much all of the above is simply my interpretation of what's happening (and what will happen down the line). NONE of this has been suggested or explained by TNA themselves. I'm a long term fan of TNA and have pieced the above explanation together partly from the previous Hardy storyline and partly from my own supposition.

If I was a casual, or potentially new fan to TNA, I wouldn't have the slightest inkling of any of the above - I'd just think - Hmm. That's Jeff Hardy. In a silly mask. And it looks like he's back on drugs again.

And to me, THAT is the problem with Willow.

[Mayonnaise]

Mar 21, 2014 16:31:44 GMT -5 Bram wants to 'urt you said:

Jeff Hardy gets burnt out by the whole Dixieland nonsense. Leaves the company, on the understanding that he will return later on when he feels the time is right to do so.

The whole business of him leaving is so traumatic however that when he DOES return, it is as the unhinged, psychotic alter-ego Willow, who then goes on to attempt to destroy all of those who were involved in Jeff's leaving in the first place - Spud, EC3 and the World Champ, Magnus (who Willow hasn't got around to yet). Willow is Cactus Jack to Jeff's Mick Foley. A maniac who can turn up the brutality in a way that "Jeff" never could.

Pretty much all of the above is simply my interpretation of what's happening (and what will happen down the line). NONE of this has been suggested or explained by TNA themselves. I'm a long term fan of TNA and have pieced the above explanation together partly from the previous Hardy storyline and partly from my own supposition.

If I was a casual, or potentially new fan to TNA, I wouldn't have the slightest inkling of any of the above - I'd just think - Hmm. That's Jeff Hardy. In a silly mask. And it looks like he's back on drugs again.

And to me, THAT is the problem with Willow.

They've pushed Willow as Jeff snapped and going more violent since the Impact after Lockdown. Last night they started to push that Hardy had been pushed over the edge at some point and Willow is what became of him on commentary, followed by Willow cut a promo saying his issues were with those that had wronged Jeff and force Willow to appear, not with anyone else when he turned down being chained to Abyss. So they're getting there but they could have stood to make that clear in the videos leading up to Lockdown.


All this said, I am liking the Willow stuff on Jeff's end, my whole problem lies in TNA not bothering to set things up before hand.

[jimmyjames]

If Willow is supposed to be Hardy pushed over the edge, then they could have more of a buildup than the match with Magnus, him getting angry and not seeing him or Willow until after the Euro trip. We all know why he wasn't there, but have some story to it before we get full on Willow. Gradually show Hardy losing it, until he disappears and reemerges a few weeks later as Willow. Don't have clips announcing Willow is coming. That just kills everything. I'm sure people will say that it would be a lot like Crow Sting, but that was a great gimmick that one might want to follow the blueprint for. Besides, there's very little in wrestling or entertainment that is 100% original.

[Ryushinku]

Problem with Willow as Jeff's violent side is that you're talking about someone that happily swings weapons and leaps off tall things into solid things on a regular basis anyway. He's not exactly low-impact in there.

[disqospider]

TNA might realize that Willow isn't working, but if Jeff doesn't realize it, damned if they'll do anything about it. They're so desperate to keep him happy and under contract they let him do his old backyard fed gimmick BS in the first place, don't expect them to fix it for us now.

[Milkman Norm]

Mar 21, 2014 9:43:39 GMT -5 ________ has left the building said:

There's a reason why you shouldn't give everyone creative control. Willow is suppose to be Jeff's dark, twisted, out of control side of his persona but it is failing miserably. He speaks random prog rock gibberish in a high pitched voice. He wears the same Hardy clothes except he's wearing a mask now. His Immortal days minus the heavy drug use is the character he should be going for. But TNA will keep giving Jeff all the creative freedom he wants because that is what he cares about. If it was about money, he would had long left for WWE.

I haven't seen Willow because I'm not watching TNA currently. But you got me interested at "prog rock gibberish." If he ever puts on an old man mask and says "Why don't you touch me,touch me? why don't you touch me,touch me?Now,now,now,now.NOW!NOW!NOW!NOW!" I'd mark the F out.

[Deleted]

All we would just need is hearing Willow's inner thoughts and the circle of suck would be completed.

[Shark]

They ran with Joe Park for like 2 years before finally doing something with it even though people lost interest in him after like 3 months. So I doubt TNA is going to change their MO no. They seem to be hell bent on telling the story they want to tell no matter what the fans say or think. Generally I don't have a problem with that line of thinking, but you have to allow yourself some leeway and think on your feet. If something's not working, change it. A storyline that starts bad can always be salvaged somehow.

[Deleted]

Okay, as somebody who doesn't follow TNA a lot... can someone explain to me why they're having Jeff Hardy run around in a mask?

[disqospider]

Mar 22, 2014 15:51:27 GMT -5 @jdogindy said:

Okay, as somebody who doesn't follow TNA a lot... can someone explain to me why they're having Jeff Hardy run around in a mask?

...He was really really over in WWE, and TNA lets him run rampant under the deluded hope that he'll drag them to mainstream acceptance. That's basically why.

[Kevin Hamilton]

The character, from what I've seen via Youtube, seems like something a ten year old would've come up with. It's just dopey.

[ThereIsNoAbsurdistOnlyZuul]

Mar 22, 2014 17:13:40 GMT -5 Kevin Hamilton said:

The character, from what I've seen via Youtube, seems like something a ten year old would've come up with. It's just dopey.

I believe the greatest take away is this:

Hardy is not skilled enough to pull off a split/different character like this. But he is also the product of an era where that really wasn't something done.

Or...

TNA wont let him go far enough with it.

I don't know, but then I haven't really liked a Jeff match in a long, long time.

[RowdyRobbyPiper]

Mar 21, 2014 3:00:59 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

What is the purpose of this persona? Jeff Hardy is way too established to be repackaged into a new gimmick.

Yep. This is El Matador-level idiocy.

[Seth Drakin of Monster Crap]

It's too early to rightfully say it isn't working. Willow hasn't even had his first feud yet. I would say we can revisit this after Willow has been here a month.