TNA's Humor

[Limity (BLM)]

Something that gets dogpiled on here a lot is WWE's awful attempts at humor. Even before the show became so over scripted and less spontaneous, the humor was at best eye rolling.

And I randomly started thinking about TNA's attempts to be funny around the SpikeTV era, and how they could actually be incredibly funny. The paparazzi championship series, the Christian Coalition, Beer Money, Team Canada, Jeff Jarrett MMA superstar...even little moments like an exhausted Kurt Angle trying to run from Abyss while Abyss just patiently held him by his tights.

I remember on here, a lot of people saying they would love to buy a DVD just of the PCS vignettes. And of course for all the good comedy there was bad, like midgets in trash cans and the X Division becoming the crew of Jackass.

But credit due, I think TNA had some of the best humor in wrestling. What about everyone else? Agree, disagree? What other comedy moments are there? And most importantly, why was TNA so good at doing good comedy?

[Woo]

I think they just had naturally funny guys love Angle, Nash, Shelly, Young, Foley etc.

I always loved Kurt Angle telling Sharkboy to stop smiling at him and Sharkboy trying to plead good innocence. Also Foley saying he won't defend the title till Bound For Glory and JB saying "but that's 4 months away!" and Foley correcting him with "No no, 16 months away. I mean next year's Bound for Glory!"

Then there was legendary "it did that night!" moment.

[Wieners=$$$]

Favorite intentionally funny moment: Jay Lethal/Ric Flair promo

Favorite unintentionally funny moment:

[The Ichi]

WWE are the only company that doesn't seem to understand that Nash doesn't work as a straight man.

[Jacy Derangement Syndrome]

TNA at one point had a near monopoly on wrestling's funniest dudes and also I think they were a lot more plugged in on modern comedy than WWE were. Like TNA comedy at its funniest was always closer to something like Always Sunny than Looney Tunes. 

The Hogan/Bischoff era couldn't even break TNA's funny bone. Some of their funniest segments happened during that time, like Sting with the f***ing bird. 

[chazraps]

- The funeral for Aces n Eights

- Robbie E bragging about getting five points in the Bound For Glory

- Christopher Daniels and the Appletinis

[Cyno]

Some of the stuff with the Main Event Mafia was genuinely hilarious. Like the episode where Scott Steiner was ring announcer and Kevin Nash and Booker T were the over-the-top commentators.

Also, I loved Sting's hostage-taking bird.

[Jacy Derangement Syndrome]

Shoutouts to whichever PPV it was where Kurt needed to find a tag team partner so he went around trying to recruit X-Division guys until he had beat up like the whole division. All while trying to keep his suit and Morpheus sunglasses clean.

[Limity (BLM)]

Jan 26, 2022 15:48:38 GMT -5 Jacy Derangement Syndrome said:

TNA at one point had a near monopoly on wrestling's funniest dudes and also I think they were a lot more plugged in on modern comedy than WWE were. Like TNA comedy at its funniest was always closer to something like Always Sunny than Looney Tunes. 

The Hogan/Bischoff era couldn't even break TNA's funny bone. Some of their funniest segments happened during that time, like Sting with the f***ing bird. 

Damn, that's a really interesting comparison, to It's Always Sunny.

[This Player Hating Mothman]

TNA never had to orient its comedy around popping the old man who signed their checks, so they were way freer in letting guys with comedic timing do their thing and it paid off. Which isn't to say there wasn't also tons of really bottom shelf bullshit 'humour' during the Russo years, but there is so much good thrown around the old days.

[Bo Rida]

Didn't watch much past the paparazzi production videos but before/around that high point I thought it was awful.
Like WWE had big Dick Johnson so they had oily naked guy as a spoof, except it's just the same thing, not sure if vkm were supposed to be funny but they weren't. The last rites match certainly wasn't intentionally funny.

Oh an I suppose I liked ultimate deletion in a wtf was that kind of way.

For all the shit WWE rightly gets I still see 2000 as the high point of wrestling comedy, commissioner Foley, E&C, goofy Kurt, Regal, Rock, Jericho, Austin, Crash and others. Although even then you had stooges skidmarks and Mae Young.

[Chiral]

Angle in a speedo standing atop a board room table demanding the execs tell him where his lost clothes are by the count of ten, for some reason tightly clenching his butt cheeks with each count.

[BorneAgain]

Impact even still has some amusing stuff now; I still go back and watch Wrestle House just for the fun of it:

[Limity (BLM)]

Jan 26, 2022 17:27:52 GMT -5 Bo Rida said:

Didn't watch much past the paparazzi production videos but before/around that high point I thought it was awful.
Like WWE had big Dick Johnson so they had oily naked guy as a spoof, except it's just the same thing, not sure if vkm were supposed to be funny but they weren't. The last rites match certainly wasn't intentionally funny.

Oh an I suppose I liked ultimate deletion in a wtf was that kind of way.

For all the shit WWE rightly gets I still see 2000 as the high point of wrestling comedy, commissioner Foley, E&C, goofy Kurt, Regal, Rock, Jericho, Austin, Crash and others. Although even then you had stooges skidmarks and Mae Young.

I had totally forgotten about those moments in 2000 WWE. And you're right, they're great comedy. I'd also include Tajiri, especially when he becomes hyper excited at Regal giving him a match, or Tajiri joining in on E&C's photo shoot.

[Starshine]

There was some good stuff, there was a lot of bad stuff. But the good stuff had some decent staying power.

[Hypnosis]

Jan 26, 2022 17:27:52 GMT -5 Bo Rida said:

Didn't watch much past the paparazzi production videos but before/around that high point I thought it was awful.
Like WWE had big Dick Johnson so they had oily naked guy as a spoof, except it's just the same thing, not sure if vkm were supposed to be funny but they weren't. The last rites match certainly wasn't intentionally funny.

Oh an I suppose I liked ultimate deletion in a wtf was that kind of way.

For all the shit WWE rightly gets I still see 2000 as the high point of wrestling comedy, commissioner Foley, E&C, goofy Kurt, Regal, Rock, Jericho, Austin, Crash and others. Although even then you had stooges skidmarks and Mae Young.

Most of TNA's inferior humor was likely written by Russo.

PCS, Wrestle House, and all the mock funeral segments were brilliant.

[Feyrhausen]

Anyone remember D-Ray 3000?

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

Jan 26, 2022 16:00:17 GMT -5 Jacy Derangement Syndrome said:

Shoutouts to whichever PPV it was where Kurt needed to find a tag team partner so he went around trying to recruit X-Division guys until he had beat up like the whole division. All while trying to keep his suit and Morpheus sunglasses clean.

*Kurt slams Jay Lethal's head into a sink*

"My sunglasses fell off! NOW I'M REALLY MAD!"

[Mozenrath]

Jan 26, 2022 15:34:15 GMT -5 Wieners=$$$ said:

Favorite intentionally funny moment: Jay Lethal/Ric Flair promo

Favorite unintentionally funny moment:

RVD's sell was perhaps unintentionally funny, but I think Sting probably gets the humor in the mask gag. I want him to bring that back, or perhaps have Danhausen bust it out, given he sells masks, too.

TNA had some really, really bad humor at times, like basically any time, "Christy Hemme wants to be treated like a human being. No, that's the joke, please laugh" was pulled out, and some Eric Young stuff was more tedious than funny, but they did also have some really good stuff in there. Also, just bizarre moments like Vince Russo sleeping in a child bed in Mick Foley's house.

[Andy Martin]

I can't remember why Angle was trying to recruit Nash for something, but the end of the segment wound up with Nash leaving the arena and a desperate Angle left standing in the parking lot as Nash drives away and he screams 'Kevin! I'll buy you porn! I'LL. BUY. YOU. POOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRNNNNN'