TNA Notes from WON, 1/22/07

[slowdive]

Final Resolution Star Ratings

1) Rhino vs AJ = ***
2) Sabin vs Lynn vs Daniels = ***1/4
3) Shelley vs Starr = **
4) Storm vs Petey = **1/4
5) LAX vs 3D = 3/4*
6) Joe vs Angle = ***1/2


News

Usual TNA PPV. Mostly good matches but nothing great. Big problem is they come across as a minor league promotion desperately trying to get attention and get one more shot at the big time.

What seems to sum up TNA is that in the VKM segment at the PPV, they mocked WWE for having people chanting "TNA" during the Rosie/Donald skit, but later in the same segment, they had their own fans chanting "We Want Wrestling".

Angle suffered a concussion at the 8:00 mark in the Iron Man Match. Angle always calls his own matches, but from that moment on the match was called by Joe and Earl Hebner.

Incase anyone's been wondering and doesn't know, TNA's 'Big Fat Oily Guy' is Tiny the Timekeeper from the Nashville days.

The angle where Gail Kim has to stick with James Storm or she'll lose her job as TNA doesn't have a woman's divsion is carny for "we're adding a woman's division." More evidence that Russo and company are determined to pretend it's still 1998 and are happy to ignore the way ratings drop drastically in WWE for woman's segments.

Konnan had his hip operation on 1/11. Just the fact he had it is very good news as they felt he was healthy enough to survive the surgery thanks to the dialysis he's been on. The doctors have told him that in four to six months he'll be moving better than he has in years. He'll be back home in San Diego on 1/17 and there has even been talk of him being back on the 1/29 tapings.

As things stand TNA is to have a special airing on 2/12 when Raw is pre-empted for the Westminster Dog Show. It's not 100% yet and no one's sure if it'll be a one or two-hour show. With a PPV on 2/11 the show is almost going to have to be either live or on a two-hour tape delay as TNA won't want to pre-record the show in order not to give away the PPV results. The special would then be repeated on the Thursday in the regular time slot.

The booking team is trying to come up with a shoot concept to be different to WWE. The vague idea is to have all X Division matches have time limits but have real judges deciding the outcome based on who gave the best performance in the match. Again, this would be a shoot decision. This is not a completely new idea, but no one in the past has ever worked out a way to get it to work. Bischoff talked to Meltzer about it after WCW went down and even Nick Bockwinkel has talked about this idea in the past. The problem with it is that you'd get wrestlers working selfishly and possibly even going out of their way to make their opponents look bad.

More office cut backs - staff have been told to either double up at the Doubletree hotel or stay at a cheaper hotel as long as TNA continues to pay.

Angle was on the George Michael Sports Show. He was described as the TNA heavyweight champion. He said no one in TNA tells him what to do, he calls his matches, wrestles them how he wants and tries to make them as real as possible. He also claimed again he wants to do an MMA fight. Which he doesn't really based on how much money he's turned down for doing one.

The UWF group on 2/3 has a Team 3D vs Steiner Brothers match booked. This is something that TNA have been wanting to do for a long time, but due to Scott's contract issues the timing's never worked out.

Kevin Nash is claiming he's the reason Jeremy Borash is back doing the interviews. Nash was fed up with interviews having to be done over and over again as Leticia Crana didn't know what she was doing. Nash made a remark along the lines of asking if her boobs were good enough to justify hanging round till 1am doing the same interview over and over. ;D

[Hiroshi Hase]

slowdive said:

What seems to sum up TNA is that in the VKM segment at the PPV, they mocked WWE for having people chanting "TNA" during the Rosie/Donald skit, but later in the same segment, they had their own fans chanting "We Want Wrestling".

I also thought that was ironic, I like TNA but they need to stop trying to be WWE-lite at times. Stick to the wrestling, be the alternative you speak of.

Also, I think Borash is a better interviewer even if he has bug-eyes and reminds me of Ryan Seacrest.

[Brain Of F'n J]

slowdive said:

Kevin Nash is claiming he's the reason Jeremy Borash is back doing the interviews. Nash was fed up with interviews having to be done over and over again as Leticia Crana didn't know what she was doing. Nash made a remark along the lines of asking if her boobs were good enough to justify hanging round till 1am doing the same interview over and over. ;D

Let's see ... Jeremy Bore-ash vs. the fine-as-silk Leticia. Professional but dull vs. talentless but hot.

1am is worth it. ;D

Jed Shaffer
~Why couldn't they bring back the dancer's cages for her?

[Michael Coello]

Usual TNA PPV. Mostly good matches but nothing great. Big problem is they come across as a minor league promotion desperately trying to get attention and get one more shot at the big time.

That says to me something. WWE has some good matches on a PPV and it's called good. TNA has some good matches, and it's called average.

Incase anyone's been wondering and doesn't know, TNA's 'Big Fat Oily Guy' is Tiny the Timekeeper from the Nashville days.

I thought it at first, but his face seemed different. Nobody better tell Dustin Diamond, though.

The angle where Gail Kim has to stick with James Storm or she'll lose her job as TNA doesn't have a woman's divsion is carny for "we're adding a woman's division." More evidence that Russo and company are determined to pretend it's still 1998 and are happy to ignore the way ratings drop drastically in WWE for woman's segments.

Don't the ratings drop cause it's mostly a peep show/softcore porn without the music and the stripping/"Rubbing"?

Konnan had his hip operation on 1/11. Just the fact he had it is very good news as they felt he was healthy enough to survive the surgery thanks to the dialysis he's been on. The doctors have told him that in four to six months he'll be moving better than he has in years. He'll be back home in San Diego on 1/17 and there has even been talk of him being back on the 1/29 tapings.

Hope Konnan does well and I hope he doesn't rush to the ring. We want him to heal well, not fast.

The booking team is trying to come up with a shoot concept to be different to WWE. The vague idea is to have all X Division matches have time limits but have real judges deciding the outcome based on who gave the best performance in the match. Again, this would be a shoot decision. This is not a completely new idea, but no one in the past has ever worked out a way to get it to work. Bischoff talked to Meltzer about it after WCW went down and even Nick Bockwinkel has talked about this idea in the past. The problem with it is that you'd get wrestlers working selfishly and possibly even going out of their way to make their opponents look bad.

Lance storm will probably be happy.....or not.

Kevin Nash is claiming he's the reason Jeremy Borash is back doing the interviews. Nash was fed up with interviews having to be done over and over again as Leticia Crana didn't know what she was doing. Nash made a remark along the lines of asking if her boobs were good enough to justify hanging round till 1am doing the same interview over and over. ;D

Wasn't she trying to learn more? I bet if Leticia knew that he was wrestling in Mexico under a mask in 1979, Nash would have liked her.

[emoney3265]

sinister1 said:

Kevin Nash is claiming he's the reason Jeremy Borash is back doing the interviews. Nash was fed up with interviews having to be done over and over again as Leticia Crana didn't know what she was doing. Nash made a remark along the lines of asking if her boobs were good enough to justify hanging round till 1am doing the same interview over and over. ;D

Wasn't she trying to learn more? I bet if Leticia knew that he was wrestling in Mexico under a mask in 1979, Nash would have liked her.

That is probably true....



Also hope Konnan gets better. There is information on how to donate in the sticky in this forum.

[HMARK Center]

I'm not so sure about the "shooting" idea, but if they find a way to make X-Division matches more unique from the rest of the card, I'm totally behind the idea.

The X-Division title should be what the ROH Pure Title was; a seperate belt that, if carried well, can be looked at as nearly equal as the World Title, but different enough that you have to alter your approach and style if you want to win it. In not-so-nice speak, a gimmick title, but a smart, wrestling-centered gimmick.

Think of it this way: someone like Angle starts getting fed up or something with the World Title scene, and decides he wants the X-Title; that's fine, but he now has to wrestle in a different way, or alter his gameplan in some significant manner, and go in as the underdog due to his lack of experience with X-Division rules. It adds a cool dynamic if it's pulled off well.

I do have to agree with the "usual PPV" comment, though. I saw most of the show, granted on a replay, and while there was some good action, a lot of it just didn't feel just right. There was some fun (Backlund putting Starr in the Chickenwing), some good matches, but nothing that really stood out, match-wise or storyline-wise.

They've done better. Done worse, too, but also done better.

But yeah, have a couple *** matches on a WWE pay per view, and a lot of people's reactions change. Not pointing to anyone here, just a general observation.

[emoney3265]

hitmanmark said:

I'm not so sure about the "shooting" idea, but if they find a way to make X-Division matches more unique from the rest of the card, I'm totally behind the idea.

The X-Division title should be what the ROH Pure Title was; a seperate belt that, if carried well, can be looked at as nearly equal as the World Title, but different enough that you have to alter your approach and style if you want to win it. In not-so-nice speak, a gimmick title, but a smart, wrestling-centered gimmick.

Think of it this way: someone like Angle starts getting fed up or something with the World Title scene, and decides he wants the X-Title; that's fine, but he now has to wrestle in a different way, or alter his gameplan in some significant manner, and go in as the underdog due to his lack of experience with X-Division rules. It adds a cool dynamic if it's pulled off well.

I do have to agree with the "usual PPV" comment, though. I saw most of the show, granted on a replay, and while there was some good action, a lot of it just didn't feel just right. There was some fun (Backlund putting Starr in the Chickenwing), some good matches, but nothing that really stood out, match-wise or storyline-wise.

They've done better. Done worse, too, but also done better.

But yeah, have a couple *** matches on a WWE pay per view, and a lot of people's reactions change. Not pointing to anyone here, just a general observation.

I agree with everything. I think the X title should stay how it is but make a new belt though for something like the Pure title.

But that last line basically sums it up. WWE = Overrated. So is TNA but WWE is by more.