Sephiroth
Wade Wilson
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Post by Sephiroth on Jan 5, 2010 11:09:09 GMT -5
For the first time in quite a while, I was switching back and forth between two shows for most of the night. Gave me a real nostalgia trip.
I had mixed feelings about all the old farts who showed up. I could not decide if the appearance of Hall, Flair, The Nasty Boy's, Jarrett, and others was really Hogan trying to stack the deck with his old buddies like so many have dreaded he would...or if it was just an attempt to spoof those expectations.
The setup of a potential Wolfe/Pope feud was good. They are both fresh and talented, and could have a terrific on and off feud for quite a while, very reminiscent of Joe/Kurt. The setup of Hamada and Kong as the women's tag champs was good, and it injects some freshness into the women's div with the question of who will beat them for the titles.
I do give TNA credit for doing what they had to do: throwing everything they possibly could out there to draw the audience and get some ratings. The question is, for how long can they keep this up?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2010 11:32:49 GMT -5
I was a TNA fan, but with this episode of Impact, I think I'm done for a while.
I watch wrestling to see wrestling. People can make all the excuses about setting the table or changing of the guard or whatever - but when you don't have majority wrestling (save for the Angle/Styles match) on your wrestling program; I tune out.
Someone in this thread also mentioned how people are biased for and against certain wrestlers and that's not being honest about a show.
Well, let's be honest: Everyone watches wrestling to see their favorites. People want to see their favorite wrestlers wrestle. I can't imagine anyone who's watching Impact or Raw for excellent acting, writing or anything else.
You watch to see your favorite wrestlers wrestle. Its not rocket science.
Now, when I watch Impact, I want to see guys like Beer Money, MCMG, Styles, The Pope, Wolfe, EY, Homicide, Joe and a handful of Knockouts.
What I watched last night featured a great match from Angle & Styles (no denying that!), a good KO match and then a handful of non-matches that lasted less than four minutes each.
What was the REST of Impact? A flashback to over a decade ago. (This goes for RAW too - Bret Hart hugging HBK was such a let down).
When your company is called Total Nonstop Action and this is the best you can do with 3 hours - you lose fans who want to see wrestling on their wrestling programs.
I'll continue to follow my favorites in other promotions they wrestle in, but until Impact features more wrestling than nostalgia, this 3 Hour Hulkster-filled Live Impact has lost a formerly loyal fan.
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Post by jakemcclain on Jan 5, 2010 12:10:54 GMT -5
Guys, let's be real.
Most of you watch TNA for Beer Money, Morgan, AJ, Angle, all those guys........and so do I.
But guess what........BEER MONEY DOES NOT = RATINGS! They are an awesome tag team, but TNA cannot break 1.1 with them! Hernandez does not = RATINGS! Again, 1.1 every single week. That means, despite phenomenal wrestling matches week after week, no one knows who the hell they are from Adam!
Fans know who the Nasty Boys are, fans know who Val Venis is, fans know who Jeff Hardy is, fans know who Scott Hall and X-Pac are......and people SURE AS HELL know who Hogan and Flair are. Names, no matter how old, bring in interest. TNA needs these names terribly right now. As long as Hogan keeps to this plan, TNA will thrive.
Remember, WWE still has a lot of people under contract, so these are the guys available right now. If Hulk's right, and people want to leave and come to TNA, then guys like Brutus and the Nasty Boys should be gone eventually. Till then, you need names people know, no matter how much complaining, griping, and all that we see from Russo lovers who want just young guys wrestling to 1.1 ratings every week.
Now as far as the show......
I felt like Hogan set the show up to prove a point. The first hour had a steel asylum match that ended in six minutes to a screwjob, a two minute knockouts match, and other things. In between, it introduced everyone coming in under the Hogan regime. Then Hogan shows up and says things will be changing. After that, you get a REAL good Pope vs Wolfe match(Wolfe's a fricking beast........you could build him up as a serious badass face), a tremendous woman's tag title match, a nice little Abyss vs Joe match, and a MOTY candidate with AJ and Angle. It was like Hogan showed the old TNA in the first hour, and what was to come in the next two hours.
And please guys, give me a break on the "dominating old guys" garbage. We saw the Nastys try to get in, couldn't, sneak in, and then raid 3D's locker room and vandalize it. It had an old school feel of a team getting another team's attention. Knobbs didn't have to sleep with Bubba Ray's wife to start the feud.......they just had the Nastys get 3D's attention. Took a total of like two minutes in four segments. Got the point across. Now will the matches be any good is another question, but at least they got attention.
Flair was on VERY LITTLE, and he looked like an interested observer of all the talent in front of him.
Hogan had three segments in three hours. His usual return to a very loud audience(and don't give me the "760 people" garbage, he's had 20-25,000 people giving 10 minute standing ovations in the past 3-4 years, and probably would still get that), making Jarrett work his way up the line(which looked like a REAL failed attempt to turn Hogan heel......like ten people chanted "bullshit, and then quieted down when he got his real point across), and at the end when he put over Angle and AJ for an awesome match, and subsequently witnessed Foley get beat down. That was a real nice ending because you don't know if Hogan's going to try heel one more time, or go baby. Hogan did not dominate the night, no matter what people thought.
Val was in two very harmless segments, although they were dumb as hell.
Very few skits in comparison. You had Venis playing strip poker, the Nastys getting 3D's attention, and Foley's exploits. Other than that, it was a lot of interview time and had quite a bit of old school feel to it.
Now I'll change my mind if Hogan has his boys win every match, or if they are at the top of the card for a year or so. But last night's show was a perfect table setter. It got the young wrestlers out there in the spotlight, it had names for once, it had an absolute coup(Jeff Hardy), it had elements of old school, and most of the stories were simple and to the point. I was very satisfied with the effort.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2010 12:16:38 GMT -5
TNA won't break 1.3 just by bringing in a few older guys like the Nasty Boys.
Its about building a brand, which TNA refuses to do. They reinvent themselves every 6 months which causes people to tune out or never tune in.
You can break 1.2 with Beer Money, etc. They just have to advertise better.
This was the first week they put an ad on during RAW. The FIRST time. This should have been happening during Superstars, Smackdown and every other wrestling program on TV.
Proper promotion ups ratings, not bringing in "established" stars. And by "established' I mean people that potential wrestling fans don't care about anymore.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 5, 2010 12:18:43 GMT -5
Guys, let's be real. Most of you watch TNA for Beer Money, Morgan, AJ, Angle, all those guys........and so do I. But guess what........BEER MONEY DOES NOT = RATINGS! They are an awesome tag team, but TNA cannot break 1.1 with them! Hernandez does not = RATINGS! Again, 1.1 every single week. That means, despite phenomenal wrestling matches week after week, no one knows who the hell they are from Adam! Fans know who the Nasty Boys are, fans know who Val Venis is, fans know who Jeff Hardy is, fans know who Scott Hall and X-Pac are......and people SURE AS HELL know who Hogan and Flair are. Names, no matter how old, bring in interest. TNA needs these names terribly right now. As long as Hogan keeps to this plan, TNA will thrive. Bad news friend: They've used Scott Hall, X-Pac & Jeff Hardy before and guess what? They STILL didn't break 1.1 The same goes for Kurt Angle, Booker T and all the other established stars they brought in. TNA is still trying to work a strategy that doesn't work.
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Post by jakemcclain on Jan 5, 2010 12:27:30 GMT -5
They also didn't have promotion on CNN, ESPN, Variety, and all that stuff either. Big difference.
I don't want to see the Nastys as TNA tag champs, or the older guys dominating, but you HAVE to establish this product. Love him or hate him, Hulk Hogan establishes this product immediately.
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Massive G
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Post by Massive G on Jan 5, 2010 12:29:10 GMT -5
TNA won't break 1.3 just by bringing in a few older guys like the Nasty Boys. Its about building a brand, which TNA refuses to do. They reinvent themselves every 6 months which causes people to tune out or never tune in. You can break 1.2 with Beer Money, etc. They just have to advertise better. This was the first week they put an ad on during RAW. The FIRST time. This should have been happening during Superstars, Smackdown and every other wrestling program on TV. Proper promotion ups ratings, not bringing in "established" stars. And by "established' I mean people that potential wrestling fans don't care about anymore. this. besides a terrific angle/styles match, and an OK knockouts match, this was not good. It had a different feel to it, to be sure, probably because it was monday and RAW was on another channel, but its the same old crap by and large. Hogan, Bischoff, NWO(?), Hall and XPac, the now borderline pathetic Ric Flair, Val f'ing Venis. TNA needs to build a brand (perfect choice of words) if they want long term competition. Instead, its, "look it's (insert name here)! remember him?"
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Post by jakemcclain on Jan 5, 2010 12:44:28 GMT -5
They've tried that......and tried that.....and tried that.
Brought in Angle, brought in Foley. Angle's having 5 star matches with AJ Styles in front of 2000 people AT THE MOST!
Sorry to tell you.......Hogan putting all of his chips in is the best idea here. It could just go stagnant and die.
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