Mike Knox Revealed as Aces & Eights Member

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

MIKE KNOX REVEALED AS ACES & EIGHTS MEMBER!​

During the 1/3 episode of TNA Impact Wrestling, Mike Knox was revealed as a member of the Aces & Eights heel faction, after a steel cage tag team match against Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe. Knox has been wrestling under the mask for many months now, as reported by numerous dirt sheets and social media sources, so this really shouldn't come as a huge surprise to anybody.

That brings the total amount of revealed Aces & Eights members to 3 - DOC, Devon & Mike Knox - with Ken Anderson being teased in either direction at this point. Not the scariest team I've ever seen, admittedly, but still with some potential to cause mayhem and destruction. The important thing to realize here is that Aces & Eights aren't going to reveal a huge name as one of the grunts doing all the dirty work each and every week. If Jeff Jarrett is with the group, he's not going to be the one working a steel cage match just for fun.

Also important to realize, the Aces & Eights have been handed losses regardless of who is in their club house, whether they have masks on or not. If somebody like Goldberg was unmasked - just to make a point; there's no reality behind it - it wouldn't make sense for them to suddenly start winning. These are guys that have been behind masks, doing beatdowns and run-ins for 6+ months now. Having a guy like Mike Knox revealed isn't supposed to make them super strong, it's supposed to make them more vulnerable; it doesn't actually change their dynamic physically.

So keeping our expectations based in reality, and our tendency to judge things prematurely in check, what do we think of Mike Knox being revealed as the next member of Aces & Eights?

 

[MB1025]

I honestly could care less that they lose all the time. They haven't said a word about wanting to take over the company or win titles. They really have only said they want access to beat people up and try to injure them.

Next week they will be back to gang beat downs and rinse and repeat until the VP and President are revealed.

I am assuming nothing gets kicked into gear until Lockdown. There will be a 4 vs. 4 match and most likely that is when the bigger names will be revealed. They they will drag it out until BFG.

 

[kcoe24]

Mike Knox himself is not a bad guy to have in the group decent wrestler decent look (looks like he could actually kick someones ass) not good on the mic so having him in a group he shouldn't talk much.

My problem is A&8's has been going on for 6 months now a nothing big has happened and they keep loosing every match if you want A&8's to be a viable threat they either need big names which Mike Knox is not or they need to win matches which Mike Knox hasn't done under the mask.

Mike Knox would be a good guy to have in the group if you already had the established stars or the big important names but you don't and it's now 3 mid card nobodys and some masked guys. Now if Mike Knox, DOC and Devon start winning matches and beating big names that will help but unmasking Mike Knox and having him lose his matches won't and unfortunately thats what TNA has done with the A&8 guys so far.

 

[HBsam31]

I like Mike Knox in the group, but I guess we all kind of knew he was going to be there anyway. I am afraid though that by the time they start revealing the big names that no one is going to care. Like MB1025 said, next week they will go back to beating people down again, lose some matches, unmask a guy, and repeat. I really enjoyed this angle in the beginning, but it has just gotten too repetitive. It almost seems like the group has no momentum at all. I am still interested to see how it turns out, but they need to change it up a bit, or at least let us in a little more as to why this group was formed and so on. Mike Knox does look like a legit tough guy, and so does DOC so at least the midcard guys in the group have that going for them. I just hope this whole thing doesn't turn into another letdown.

 

[vampxx24]

I honestly could care less that they lose all the time. They haven't said a word about wanting to take over the company or win titles. They really have only said they want access to beat people up and try to injure them.

Next week they will be back to gang beat downs and rinse and repeat until the VP and President are revealed.

I am assuming nothing gets kicked into gear until Lockdown. There will be a 4 vs. 4 match and most likely that is when the bigger names will be revealed. They they will drag it out until BFG.

i could be wrong but im pretty sure 3 weeks ago devon stated how in 2013 they will take over tna and that then hogan wouldnt even make it to 2013.

asfar as who gets revealed...the only thing said is theirs atleast 3 people above devon....... devon is one of the uppers but then it was stated doc was just a prospect and it could very likely be the case that so is knox....

there will be alot of different twist in turns in this angle as i dont think tna wants to jump the gun on revealing the members above devon..... it seems this angle will run through 2013 and tna will buy time to see who becomes a free agent and what not and if they could land a bigger name then place him above devon......

whats known is it seems there revealing whos actuallyplaying the masked characters which mean there will be a swurve with garrett and wes crossing angle which again theyll obviously name as "prospects" to reserve the spots above devon..... if tna feels they cant get names...expect more things to play out like how now anderson is involved.

 

[prush80]

My problem is that they were in their clubhouse (4 Aces and 8's; 2 with masks on and 2 without) and they are talking about the cage match and how Angle said he was going to unmask a member. My thought was, why don't they have the 2 already inmasked guys in the match or not have DOC there at that time.
Anyway I agree that it has gone on too long without something big or a real name being revealed. They really need to move this story line along.

My question is who, outside of the IWC, even remembers Mike Knox? He was around for a cup of coffee and the only, somewhat, memorable thing he did was the boyfriend to Kelly Kelly. Why not use ex-TNA guys that people, TNA fans, would know?

 

[Tastycles]

I would like to preface this by saying I know absolutely nothing about this angle, as I think I've watched a maximum of 1 Impact since it started, so keep that in mind with what I am about to say.

Firstly, TNA is going for the long game with this group, and that should be obvious - they've been around months and they're still just now revealing members. If these were huge names, they'd have been revealed early doors. Why? Guys in masks don't draw as well as the same guys who aren't in masks, except a few obvious luchador exceptions.

Secondly, as I understand it, they are a biker gang or something along those lines. With that in mind, surely as a fan you would want to see people who actually fit into that idea being a part of it. I can imagine Knox, Festus and Devon being in a biker gang. I can not imagine, say, John Morrison, who is probably a bigger free agent right now, so there we have it. I'm not a huge fan of stables in the slightest, but one of the most important things is they are believable as a unit.

Thirdly, and on to what drew me to this thread, is that Mike Knox is one of my favourite wrestlers of the last 5 years. Despite what I said in the last paragraph, I do think being forced to play a gimmick character might dilute his impact - if ever there was an obvious loner it is a man with a beard who appears a bit unhinged - but his softly spoken promos are really underrated. He reminded me a bit of Mike Tyson, with the calm, small voice preceding a monumental beat down.

As for people saying he's not a big name guy, this is unquestionably true, but for my money TNA have so far brought in two guys who have the potential to actually do something useful on the roster for the foreseeable future, unlike the plethora of hasbeens that polluted the waters in the early days of the Hogan era. I think this is a good move.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I'll preface this by saying I don't follow TNA as closely as I do WWE.

I think they are going for a classic evil villain sending his henchmen to do his dirty work story. The Devon reveal was fairly big, but the rest of the members so far have been simple lackeys. I think there is still someone pulling strings behind the scenes. Maybe it is Jeff Jarret, maybe it is one of the Hogans, maybe it is Sting. We don't know, but it is someone who is a fairly big name. Eventually when the henchmen soften everyone up, or fail, the leader will reveal themselves and there will be a classic showdown...probably set to some kick ass 80s power ballad.

 

[GameOver]

i could be wrong but im pretty sure 3 weeks ago devon stated how in 2013 they will take over tna and that then hogan wouldnt even make it to 2013.

asfar as who gets revealed...the only thing said is theirs atleast 3 people above devon....... devon is one of the uppers but then it was stated doc was just a prospect and it could very likely be the case that so is knox....

there will be alot of different twist in turns in this angle as i dont think tna wants to jump the gun on revealing the members above devon..... it seems this angle will run through 2013 and tna will buy time to see who becomes a free agent and what not and if they could land a bigger name then place him above devon......

whats known is it seems there revealing whos actuallyplaying the masked characters which mean there will be a swurve with garrett and wes crossing angle which again theyll obviously name as "prospects" to reserve the spots above devon..... if tna feels they cant get names...expect more things to play out like how now anderson is involved.

They said that at the start and they won the right to have free reign of Impact yet since the they've come out sparingly and in most cases under the direction of Hogan who still runs the show unless they decide to attack someone then he's powerless. the mind befuddles....

Unless ofcourse he is the one in control but then that makes no sense either, since he was already in control and could just screw the show anyway.

It's the same in WWE, the talent runs the show not the people in charge, yet the people in charge still have the power when they chose to enforce it, they just don't. WTF??? Consistancy people...

Anyway to Mike Knox being a member, well good for him, atleast it's a gig. but he's boring and useless without KellyKelly to push around and draw heat for him, tho his Doctor of Pain promo's were pretty good but inring he's nothing special, neither was Luke Gallows.

 

[YesSlateYes]

I agree with some posters and commentors saying that it needs to get a move on. Didn't they win a match that allowed them to have full access to TNA ( haven't watched much since). Shouldn't they be tearing up the place, looking like a legitimate threat. Anyway I always though Mike Knox looked like a tough guy who could beat up anyone, just was misused in WWE in my opinion.

 

[TheWrestlo]

I knew that "big redwood" as taz called him, was gonna be unmasked , and I can't say I was disappointed when it was revealed to be Mike Knox. A lot of people whine and complain that most of the members are "WWE rejects" but when you have solid talent like Knox on the indy circuit, you want it, especially if your goal is "big and threatening" of course I can't remember if he still has that huge beard, if he does needs to shave ASAP.

Overall, I don't see a problem with Mike Knox being in Aces & 8s.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I can't really say that I'm excited at all about it to be honest. He never had the look of someone that spent a huge amount of time in the gym, but he looked like a big, solid guy. With the beard and the build, the guy kind of put me in mind of an old fashioned lumberjack. I mean a real lumberjack, you know, the guys who used to cut down massive trees with nothing but axes and saws. He looks like he's slapped on about 50 pounds since I last saw him and not of muscle either. It's been known that Knox has been in TNA for a while and that he'd most likely be revealed as a member of Aces & Eights. I can't exactly say that I'm overly impressed with how TNA has used him thus far. When you look back on it, Knox is the guy that's taken the majority of the losses in matches for Aces & Eights.

Aces & Eights have no momentum right now and are probably the weakest "major threat" that TNA has ever faced, kayfabe. They have no heat right now from my standpoint. I think that MB1025 probably has the right of it. Next week, they'll be back to ganging up half a dozen against one guy while plotting strategies to take out Sting or whatever. As if losing yet another match wasn't enough, Sting took out the entire group single handed last night, usually with nothing more than a jab to the gut with the baseball bat.

 

[MisterRob]

It's just the nWo angle rehashed and altered slightly. It's actually very pathetic. Eric Bischoff is clearly the leader of the Aces & Eights, and he was revealed quite easily in a segment months ago when they kidnapped Hogan and Sting. Now Sting is the hero who comes out to stop the Aces & Eights.. because an old man can do what the rest of the young roster can't? Way to give the TNA talent some importance. And what next, Hogan's going to take Bischoff's old nWo position and be revealed as the mastermind behind it and the head of TNA working on the inside?

Aces & Eights is lame, and it's been dragged on and drawn out so long already. What a major disappointment of an angle.

As for Mike Knox? He's good muscle, and he has an interesting look to him.

 

[sabataged]

Obviously the logic isnt there but for some reason I still think Bully Ray is going to end up being the leader of this group. He is the perfect fit for a biker gang. I think he will turn on Hogan and reveal himself as a leader. Devon and Bully can say how they planned it all along. This will give Bully his last bit of overness as a heel he needs. I think 2013 is the year of Bully in TNA. He needs the title and needs to be the center point of the promotion for awhile. There are not too many in TNA outside of Roode that bring it quite like Bully every week in TNA.

 

[chrisddusombre]

The ONLY issue i have with this is if they start talking about wanting to take over. Because as soon as that happens then It's going to be the Invaders angle from WCW that started the NWO again.. Except they will call their new group AE8.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

First of all, this correlation being drawn between Aces and Eights and the nWo is absurd. The two are not the same. I've admittedly been rather hard on the Aces and Eights angle the last month or longer, but they are not an nWo rehash based simply on the fundamental reason they even exist. Do you know why? Because no one else here does, so you must have some kind of inside scoop we're all not privy to if you purport to understand it. The nWo had a clear direction from it's inception. It was a takeover group of stars who were ultimately looking to kill WCW, and actually make their own promotion. All we know of Aces and Eights thus far is that they like to drink, enjoy women, ride bikes and are in a club who beat people up every so often. If they can be compared to anything from the past, the closest thing they'd resemble at this point would be the APA — not the nWo. In fact, you know what the only thing the Aces and Eights and nWo have in common? They are a heel faction. So unless all heel factions are now apparently the exact same thing, this nonsense of comparing the two needs to stop.

That aside, and despite the fact I still feel the same about the group as I have the last few weeks (they never win a thing [and look weak as a result], and were seriously derailed when Devon was revealed as the first member), Knox is a great addition who most of us knew was working there, but fits the bill perfectly, same as Gallows. He actually looks like he belongs in a biker gang, and adds good muscle so long as they can come up with a decent name for him the way they did with DOC, since I'm sure Mike Knox is owned by WWE.

 

[MisterRob]

First of all, this correlation being drawn between Aces and Eights and the nWo is absurd. The two are not the same. I've admittedly been rather hard on the Aces and Eights angle the last month or longer, but they are not an nWo rehash based simply on the fundamental reason they even exist. Do you know why? Because no one else here does, so you must have some kind of inside scoop we're all not privy to if you purport to understand it. The nWo had a clear direction from it's inception. It was a takeover group of stars who were ultimately looking to kill WCW, and actually make their own promotion. All we know of Aces and Eights thus far is that they like to drink, enjoy women, ride bikes and are in a club who beat people up every so often. If they can be compared to anything from the past, the closest thing they'd resemble at this point would be the APA — not the nWo. In fact, you know what the only thing the Aces and Eights and nWo have in common? They are a heel faction. So unless all heel factions are now apparently the exact same thing, this nonsense of comparing the two needs to stop.

That aside, and despite the fact I still feel the same about the group as I have the last few weeks (they never win a thing [and look weak as a result], and were seriously derailed when Devon was revealed as the first member), Knox is a great addition who most of us knew was working there, but fits the bill perfectly, same as Gallows. He actually looks like he belongs in a biker gang, and adds good muscle so long as they can come up with a decent name for him the way they did with DOC, since I'm sure Mike Knox is owned by WWE.

The Aces and Eights debuted as a group of three masked men (see the symbolism there with THREE men?), attacking Sting. They then sent out mesages and warnings, while also appearing in the Impact zone and randomly attacking people and causing chaos. Sound familiar to the beginnings of the nWo? Sure the details aren't exactly the same, OBVIOUSLY, but nonetheless..

Their first official match was on PPV where two of their masked members fought two wrestlers from the TNA roster for the right to permanent access to TNA (basically contracts). Now, you might believe this is totally different then the nWo, as it was two guys, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, who wrestled claiming to be revealing a third man in the match. They went up against three WCW wrestlers, although Luger was injured mid-match and the match continued as TWO on TWO, right before the big reveal of the "Third man". What happened in TNA? It was two on two, right before interference and the big reveal of the first official member of Aces and Eights... Devon. Not to mention there were three people representing TNA in the ring when Devon was revealed. NOT TO MENTION Bully Ray came out in Sting face paint, and at Bash at the Beach all three, Sting, Randy Savage, and Lex Luger wore face paint to show unity! As I said, the details are different in some ways, but the basics are very similar when you get down to it. The structure is there.

I could go on, really..

The nWo angle dragged on far, far too long and became drawn out without any resolution in sight, which is exactly what's happening with the Aces & Eights angle as well. Get it over with already!

 

[It's Damn Real!]

The Aces and Eights debuted as a group of three masked men (see the symbolism there with THREE men?), attacking Sting. They then sent out mesages and warnings, while also appearing in the Impact zone and randomly attacking people and causing chaos. Sound familiar to the beginnings of the nWo? Sure the details aren't exactly the same, OBVIOUSLY, but nonetheless..

Their first official match was on PPV where two of their masked members fought two wrestlers from the TNA roster for the right to permanent access to TNA (basically contracts). Now, you might believe this is totally different then the nWo, as it was two guys, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, who wrestled claiming to be revealing a third man in the match. They went up against three WCW wrestlers, although Luger was injured mid-match and the match continued as TWO on TWO, right before the big reveal of the "Third man". What happened in TNA? It was two on two, right before interference and the big reveal of the first official member of Aces and Eights... Devon. Not to mention there were three people representing TNA in the ring when Devon was revealed. NOT TO MENTION Bully Ray came out in Sting face paint, and at Bash at the Beach all three, Sting, Randy Savage, and Lex Luger wore face paint to show unity! As I said, the details are different in some ways, but the basics are very similar when you get down to it. The structure is there.

I could go on, really..

The nWo angle dragged on far, far too long and became drawn out without any resolution in sight, which is exactly what's happening with the Aces & Eights angle as well. Get it over with already!

Of course there are going to be hints at nWo/WCW's story lines — it's the same guys running this angle in TNA who ran the nWo/WCW story line in WCW then. My point is that they are not the same angle at all, despite what small similarities you can bring up like these, because the FUNDAMENTAL difference between the two groups is that the nWo had a CLEAR direction the moment Hogan was revealed as the third man. We have absolutely no idea what the purpose of Aces and Eights is yet, aside from the fact that they are now directly feuding with Sting (yes, I'm aware, another pseudo-comparison to nWo). Perhaps once that leader is revealed we'll be able to conclusively state that they are for sure an nWo rehash, but at the moment the only thing the two groups truly share is being a heel faction.

Then again, even if you can chalk this up to being a rehash, I don't see what the problem with it is so long as it's not a literal carbon copy. Pro-wrestling in general is a collective rehash of something done before it, so if it's utter originality you're looking for, you're in the wrong market, because you're never gonna get it. There's a reason every new star gets compared to a star prior to him and called the next X, same as there's a reason we still have heels and faces, factions and tag teams, swerves and dusty finishes, etc. They're all rehashes of something that occurred before them, but so long as the timing is right and there's a market for it, they'll sell. That's all that matters.

Aces and Eights' issue isn't that similarities between them and the nWo can be made. Their issue is that unlike the nWo, they don't win a fuckin' thing, which makes their entire existence pointless, because unlike the nWo, and even the APA, they come off as weak. It's not even the men beneath the masks that matter here — it's how they're perceived on screen. Until they start doing more damage in the ring, they'll never be what they should, and the more they continue to lose week-after-week, the more and more there credibility goes out the window.

 

[Dirk]

Who are these nobodies? I never thought that Devon would be the big reveal, but looks like he is. Nothing against Doc or Knox, it's not their fault, but it's not even a case of the suspense killing me, there is just nothing.

If A&8's isn't a threat, why would we care about them? It's not NXT (angry undercarders) or Shield (injustice, tables, blah blah). What is the point of A&8's, anyway? If it's just to injure people, why would they agree to any matches and not just continue doing that? That doesn't make sense as motivation.

We are drip-fed members, but nothing can live up to the hype. I've read that they don't have to win their matches and only the leader has to be a bigger name, but what danger would that bring? Jeff Jarrett managing undercarders? To what end? And doing this for six months? I wish this angle would get over with.

 

[Rayne]

Of course there are going to be hints at nWo/WCW's story lines — it's the same guys running this angle in TNA who ran the nWo/WCW story line in WCW then. My point is that they are not the same angle at all, despite what small similarities you can bring up like these, because the FUNDAMENTAL difference between the two groups is that the nWo had a CLEAR direction the moment Hogan was revealed as the third man. We have absolutely no idea what the purpose of Aces and Eights is yet, aside from the fact that they are now directly feuding with Sting (yes, I'm aware, another pseudo-comparison to nWo). Perhaps once that leader is revealed we'll be able to conclusively state that they are for sure an nWo rehash, but at the moment the only thing the two groups truly share is being a heel faction.

Then again, even if you can chalk this up to being a rehash, I don't see what the problem with it is so long as it's not a literal carbon copy. Pro-wrestling in general is a collective rehash of something done before it, so if it's utter originality you're looking for, you're in the wrong market, because you're never gonna get it. There's a reason every new star gets compared to a star prior to him and called the next X, same as there's a reason we still have heels and faces, factions and tag teams, swerves and dusty finishes, etc. They're all rehashes of something that occurred before them, but so long as the timing is right and there's a market for it, they'll sell. That's all that matters.

Aces and Eights' issue isn't that similarities between them and the nWo can be made. Their issue is that unlike the nWo, they don't win a fuckin' thing, which makes their entire existence pointless, because unlike the nWo, and even the APA, they come off as weak. It's not even the men beneath the masks that matter here — it's how they're perceived on screen. Until they start doing more damage in the ring, they'll never be what they should, and the more they continue to lose week-after-week, the more and more there credibility goes out the window.

Ex-ac-ally. That was the whole point of the nWo; the bad guys come in and look unstoppable. The good guys try, and fail to stop them. So the good guys try again, and fail, but eventually, the good guys win the ultimate battle at the end and reign triumphant. (Of course, instead it turned into this gigantic Hogan suckfest, but that's a story for "when WCW went to shit.")

Aces and Eights is.... a faction of bodies people recognize as the never weres of professional wrestling, who get beaten around like the bitch lackeys they have been their entire careers.

I agree with your premise that it's not about who performers were in previous promotions, it's about who they are now- the problem is, now, they're still bitch lackeys, except people are somehow expected to believe they are this dangerous existential threat to TNA. Why? Months later, still don't know. There are slow burn storylines, and then there's just a plain lack of material.

The Aces and Eights storyline peaked a couple of months ago at Bound For Glory, but the problem is that there's still a bunch of material written for it, and the people in charge of TNA aren't known for changing course based on the whims of their audience; they are take-it-and-like-it people. (As opposed to the WWE, which changes their minds weekly. Take your pick. But if you don't believe me, Garrett Bischoff and Brooke Hogan.)

 

[It's Damn Real!]

You can actually have the entire stable be full of "under-carders". That's not the issue. I think revealing Devon as the first was a mistake, but you could actually salvage everything if you just (a) gave them a purpose and (b) made them credible threats. The reason these guys are seen as weak reveals isn't because of who they are, but who they were. It's TNA's responsibility to change that if they're going to be using them in this sort of fashion. You want to reveal Knox and Gallows and you want me to believe they're bad asses? Then make them bad asses. Make them hurt people both in and outside the ring. Beating Sting with a hammer is great for getting you over, but it's not worth the money to film and broadcast it if you're not going to follow that up with ring wins, sorry to say, because everyone watching TNA right now knows that Aces and Eights are essentially (as they stand) a group of bullies, who beat people up, and then themselves get beat up and embarrassed. There's no pay off. There's no point. That's what needs to change to make this worth while, even if you're unimpressed with who they ultimately reveal beneath the masks.

This, especially, is why I don't care for the nWo reference, because the nWo was a hostile take over. They actually dominated, to the point they changed the entire landscape of the company, and even the industry. Aces and Eights could have a similar effect on the company, but that will never happen so long as they continue to get treated like jobbers every time they step into the ring. When a bully challenges you to a fight, and you're afraid of him, the whole pay off is in beating him against the odds, which you and everyone else see as being stacked against you. When you then in turn beat that bully four, five, six times in a row, it becomes a side show if/when he comes right back for more, as if the last time he had his ass handed to him never happened.

Change that, and you can salvage this entire Aces and Eights angle. Guaranteed.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

I have to agree with IDR on this one. in that if Aces and Eights start picking up some victorys, then people are going to start taking them more seriously. As far as Knox goes, I think he will make a great addition to the group. His in ring abilitie is not to bad and he has the perfect look for A&E. The only problem Knox has is his Mic skills, but being part of a group will mean that there will be plenty other guys to do the talking for him.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Ex-ac-ally. That was the whole point of the nWo; the bad guys come in and look unstoppable. The good guys try, and fail to stop them. So the good guys try again, and fail, but eventually, the good guys win the ultimate battle at the end and reign triumphant. (Of course, instead it turned into this gigantic Hogan suckfest, but that's a story for "when WCW went to shit.")

Aces and Eights is.... a faction of bodies people recognize as the never weres of professional wrestling, who get beaten around like the bitch lackeys they have been their entire careers.

I agree with your premise that it's not about who performers were in previous promotions, it's about who they are now- the problem is, now, they're still bitch lackeys, except people are somehow expected to believe they are this dangerous existential threat to TNA. Why? Months later, still don't know. There are slow burn storylines, and then there's just a plain lack of material.

The Aces and Eights storyline peaked a couple of months ago at Bound For Glory, but the problem is that there's still a bunch of material written for it, and the people in charge of TNA aren't known for changing course based on the whims of their audience; they are take-it-and-like-it people. (As opposed to the WWE, which changes their minds weekly. Take your pick. But if you don't believe me, Garrett Bischoff and Brooke Hogan.)

All it takes is wins. That's it. Perception is reality. If I perceive your group as weak because you never win, you are weak. There's no real debate there. Someone can argue against it, but there's very little for them to point to that'd change my mind, and I find I'm quite reasonable when it comes to my expectations for modern day pro-wrestling. I'm a classics guy. Good guy v. bad guy. It's not difficult to entertain me in that respect, but equally it's just as difficult to pull the wool over my eyes when you are telling me one thing and showing me something quite different. You can tell me how tough Aces and Eights are all you like, but until you show me, I'm not sold. Perception is reality, and seeing is believing for me.

Hell, WWE did wonders for Gallows himself when he hooked up with Punk, no? To go from a bubbling moron who drools on himself to the muscle of a heel faction? All it took was showing that he was credible by giving him wins in the ring over faces — something the Aces and Eights are seriously lacking as a group right now.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

A&8s has been a pretty enjoyable angle thus far, not the best, but enjoyable. I see people complaining about the fact that Mike Knox was being revealed as a member of A&8s. Why are you complaining? Is it because you saw this coming? Or isn't Mike Knox a big enough name? You are right at both cases.

However, taking into account of what the OP said, which makes perfectly sense, I want you to reconsider some things. First of all, except Eric Bischoff and Jeff Jarrett and maybe Bully Ray, who else do you expect to see as a member? I mean, who's available at the market store at this moment who can be a big enough reveal for you? Snitsky? Ezekiel Jackson? Maybe Hulk Hogan's son, Nick? Or do you want to see Kevin Nash? -again- This isn't 1996. All the big names are with the WWE and will continue to be for a long time. Only John Morrison is available, but as the OP stated, I can't buy the "Shaman of Sexy" as a beer drinking, ass kicking s.o.b..

TNA is trying their best with the material that is available to them. And they are doing pretty well. But there's only one problem. Why is Sting stealing John Cena's gimmick? (That was a joke) Since when did Sting became a super-face? This was the perfect opportunity to give the younger generation of TNA a chance to shine. Leave Kurt, Hogan and Sting out of it. Have them fall during the war and let someone who needs to put over as a face to destroy those a**holes!!

They have been loosing matches for a long time now, when they should be the ones winning. Have them win, win, win. Have them take out Sting again, take out Hogan, Angle. Create some drama. Until Lockdown or Bound For Glory. When a Big-ass face will raise a tear apart the evil rulers. That makes interesting TV and that's why Superhero movies are so successful.

 

[spinningtorturerack]

I've seen some people complaining about Knox and DOC as part of the group and not being much use. But I think you have to think of the wider scope and structure of the group.

If you make a comparison to "the corporation" from 99 in wwe, not in storyline but in the group structure. The way I see it, Knox & DOC as people in the Big Bossman role. An imposing figure acting as some muscle to make the group look tough, but ultimately they are purely there to make hits, and lose to the faces as a stepping stone to the big bosses.

For this role these guys are perfect, and I do like Mike Knox, like someone else mentioned, his softly spoken promos about the intricacies of the body and how best to damage it towards the end of his wwe tenure were brilliant.