The Absolutely Asinine and Almost Absurd Angle of Mr. Anderson...Anderson

[Kitten Cutter]

Now, me personally, I hate the fact that Mr. Anderson is a Twinkie...er, Tweener. I think he's been getting his ass kicked by way too many people, and the fact that he's been booked as whiny and weak makes him much more heel than tweener.

The comparisons to Austin don't hold water. When Austin turned face at Wrestlemania 13, he basically was...and stayed...a jerk who fought much worser people than him. He didn't like anyone yet had uneasy alliances with other faces (like Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Mankind and The Rock) and could play nice when it served him best. He still fought people head-on and didn't need to cheat to beat them, even if he did anyway. He never whined or bitched; if anything, he got madder when he got screwed over and attacked even more at his enemies. In other words, he was an antihero... standing up for the right causes but doing it in an opposite fashion.

Mr. Anderson, however, is much more heelish in that he'll whine and complain, he'll attack anyone from behind in a cowardly manner, he'll cheat whenever necessary, he's not been booked in a way to be even with Sting or even Rob Van Dam, and he's not popular enough to overtake Sting as a face to be cheered when he's facing him. Basically, if Immortal didn't exist, Mr. Anderson would be a full-fledged heel (and probably the top heel) but the fact that Hogan is the top heel only hurts Anderson more.

As a face, Anderson had the fans eating out of his hand. He was a tough competitor that Immortal had problems taking on, and the first to really put a dent in their armor by beating Jeff Hardy first for the title. He didn't react well when he lost it back to Hardy in the ladder match, but there's no doubt he's going to be champion again.

What's worse is that every feud he has will either be a flip-flop from face to heel depending on whom he faces, or like it is now: a triple feud between the faces (Sting and RVD), Anderson, and the heels (Immortal). It'll lead to any main event making the fans have to constantly choose how they want to react to him, which affects the other wrestlers in their attempt to garner heat.

Now, as a face, Mr. Anderson could become the TNA Champion and be the young and up-and-coming figurehead that TNA truly wants.

As a heel, Mr. Anderson could really take the TNA World Title and become a real evil asshole and become the strong top champion that the fans can't wait to get what he deserves.

As a tweener, I only see Mr. Anderson having multiple enemies and getting beat down on a daily basis since he has no affliation with anyone due to his asshole tendencies, leading to his title defenses being difficult and adding confusing for the fans.

What are your thoughts?

1. Are you liking how Mr. Anderson is being portrayed?

2. What direction do you want to see him go in; a face, a heel or stay a tweener?

 

[Nate DaMac]

I agree with 1,000% man. I am so fucking irritated with the way they're booking Anderson and the comparisons to Steve Austin is more absurd than the JoMo/Shawn Michaels comparison. Steve Austin didn't just swear, he actually kicked ass. He didn't act like a whiny little bitch and cry like someone killed his dog over a rematch. If he felt that he was done wrong, he handled it himself. He didn't cry to Vince McMahon about it like Anderson does to Hogan.

I don't care if people say he's a tweener, he's not. He's a fucking heel. He wins underhandedly, he almost exclusively feuds with the top faces, and he's a coward. He's a fucking heel.

 

[sTyLnK]

The word 'tweener' has many different terms. What the hell is a 'tweener' in wrestling? Sure doesn't seem like a word that makes much sense.

 

[blockanWo]

Yeah I am beginning to dislike his charachter more and more. Simply due to the amount of whining he is doing.

I see what TNA are doing and its smart to try and build up a loveable heel type character like Stone Cold was. However, Stone Cold didnt whinge and cry about a title shot. He went and gave them the finger, gave them a stunner and walked off.

Id honestly like to see a situation where Anderson was forced to join Immortal so he gets his title shot yet...through humorous situations, costs Immortal other matches etc etc.

 

[jmsdeuce]

I hate almost all aspects of TNA, Hogan is running another company into the hands of Vince. Mr. Anderson----- just another sad, bitchy guy that works for TNA. But hey at least most the younger guys and gals might get a contract in WWE at some point in the future.

 

[mral82]

I like The Anderson character in whatever dose TNA or WWE gives us. Plus Stone Cold did whine but you people are to biased to realize. Yes Stone Cold flipped you the bird and Stunned you after he'd whine. Go back to his feuds w/ Rock, Angle, McMahon, Helmsley, Hart cause he whined and all of them. Ken Anderson is a underated performer as he doesn't get his dues and they're not giving him it.

 

[Post]

I think Anderson needs to eventually become a full-fledged heel. I am enjoying his role as of right now, but I can see it getting stale.

TNA is full of faces and would be faces. Someone has to be able to fill the role of being hated. Anderson can do this.

I agree that perhaps less is more, and that Andreson may need to speak less and do more physically. I think this could really be the trick in getting him major heat. Stop the dialogue with the audience. Don't let them relate to you. Don't acknowledge the "asshole section."

We will see where this goes...personally I think that TNA really sees Anderson as a face.

 

[Stagger Lee]

Ken Anderson is a underated performer as he doesn't get his dues and they're not giving him it.

At what point does he stop being called "underrated" and people just realize that he's not that good? Sure, he can cut a nifty promo, but I'm sure anyone on the roster could cut a fairly decent promo if they were allowed to cuss every third word. If you look at the WWE's track record on people they released that ended up in TNA, none of them have done anything (outside of Jeff Hardy, and look where that got them), even though TNA has bent over backwards for them. It doesn't matter if Mr. Anderson is a face or a heel, he'll always be the underwhelming wrestler that he is today.

But for the sake of this discussion, he should be a heel. He's just not that likable as a person.

 

[neildittmar]

1. Are you liking how Mr. Anderson is being portrayed?

For the most part, yes. While I agree that his over the top whining does tend to hurt the badder/edgier side of his character to some degree, I think TNA is simply playing both sides of the fence with Anderson and doing a fairly good job. Surprises in pro-wrestling (when done correctly) can be crucial in capturing the audiences interests and making them want to watch, if for no other reason than to see what happens next. With Anderson playing the dual role he has been, you really don't know what's going to happen next. That's the point, and it's especially intriguing since he's one of the biggest stars in the company right now.

Will he eventually join Immortal when they make him an offer he just can't pass up? Is it simply a matter of Anderson hating them more than he hates Sting and RVD? Is Anderson the one-dimensional selfish guy who'll do anything to win back the TNA world championship, or is he just that determined that friends and alliances don't matter? Lots of unanswered questions here with the catalyst being Andersons behavior over the last few months or so.

2. What direction do you want to see him go in; a face, a heel or stay a tweener?

Eventually, Anderson will pick a dominant direction. He'll either be the face that does heel-like things when he feels backed into a corner or trapped. On the contrary, he may become the heel who occasionally "saves the day", if for no other reason than because he hates the other heels more than he hates the faces in any given situation. Personally, I'd probably like to see the latter as far as his lean goes. Anderson can effectively be the "bad guy" in most feuds you'd put him in at this point in time (Sting, RVD, Matt Morgan, etc.) Yet, I could see him being a "surprise partner" for any of those guys when going up against Immortal, playing nice with them in order to take out a common threat.

 

[kenobi909]

The word 'tweener' has many different terms. What the hell is a 'tweener' in wrestling? Sure doesn't seem like a word that makes much sense.

Just means can switch between a face and a heel without much affecting his/her popularity. At least, that is what I think it means. If I'm a little off on this, please, someone else pipe in and correct.

 

[ABMorales787]

The ideal of Anderson is to either love or hate him. He's supposed to be a realistic loose cannon. He acts the way you would. You telling me you wouldn't go around causing all sorts of havoc and yell "where's my rematch" if you were screwed around with? Don't deny it. Of course he seems to have influence from Stone Cold. He did inspire Anderson to wrestle. It's only natural that the margins appear. They have for most of his career. The role he's in won't last forever, so he'll find the correct alignment soon enough.

 

[The Rizz]

Hello. Long time reader, first time poster.

I really liked Anderson from the first day he debuted in the WWE as Kennedy up and on into TNA. With that said, I am myself, kind of irritated that TNA doesn't really seem to know what exactly to do with him. "Do we keep him face, heel, 'tweener, antihero?"

Personally I like the asshole, and the idea of him being the antihero face like Stone Cold.

If you think about it, there are some people who get cheered regardless of their alignment. Triple H and Ric Flair come to mind. I really feel like if he is utilized properly, Anderson will be in that category.

Regardless of what TNA does with him, I will always be a mark for Anderson.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Complete tweener. If you find this annoying about him, I find it hard to believe you've ever not found him annoying even when he was a full-blown heel or a full-blown face. It's simply who is character is — he's supposed to be overly boastful, loud and obnoxious. Do none of you remember Mr. Kennedy?

TALK LOUD, Hit Harder — remember?

He's perfectly suited in the role he's in right now IMO.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Complete tweener.

I just don't understand how you can say this. In order to be a tweener, you have to have some sort of balance between heel and face right? For the past month or so with the exception of maybe one or two moments, he hasn't displayed anything other than heel tactics. He beats up the top face in the company, jumps one of the other top faces(RVD), punks out and hides outside of the cage while his face partners were in peril, and wins all of his matches with underhanded tactics. Oh, but he talks shit to Hogan once in awhile and beats up a couple of heel jobbers, so that makes him a face. I call bullshit.

If you find this annoying about him, I find it hard to believe you've ever not found him annoying even when he was a full-blown heel or a full-blown face.

I assume you're referring to Kitten Cutter but just from my perspective, I was a huge Kennedy mark and I loved him toward the beginning of his stint in TNA. No it wasn't until this unbearable borderline bitch of a character he portrays now did I turn against him.

It's simply who is character is — he's supposed to be overly boastful, loud and obnoxious. Do none of you remember Mr. Kennedy?

TALK LOUD, Hit Harder — remember?

It has always been his character, that is certainly true. But the way he portrays it is a far cry from the potential superstar he used to be. Without his promos being scripted for him, he's taken up rambling as a second language.

He's perfectly suited in the role he's in right now IMO.

You know, you're one of the few TNA fans that I will respect around here so I respect your opinion and I commend you for somehow seeing a silver lining in all of this. I just can't see an argument for him to keep going this route. He used to be the hottest thing going in TNA but lately he has been over shadowed by fucking Bubba Ray Dudley. The persona he's rocking isn't working, he really needs a change.

 

[Caitiff]

When Austin turned face at Wrestlemania 13, he basically was...and stayed...a jerk who fought much worser people than him.

Your arguement dies.... right here. Steve Austin was intentionally placed in situations in which he was the de facto babyface, solely because his opponents were all but headbutting kittens against the wall of an SPCA building. Then again, this was the Attitude Era. Some people would have cheered that shit. (Goddamn, am I glad the Attitude Era is in the fucking past.)

But, had Austin been confronted by an actual babyface while his tweener character was in its infancy, he would have likely been turned heel. But, no. He was put in with people who hated America, sold their daughter into a Satanic marriage, tried to perform said Satanic marriage, or tried to murder him. There was really no ambiguity about who was the worse person, which left Austin as the good guy, completely by default.

But, then again, TNA fans are so easily entertained that Anderson is going to be treated like a babyface, regardless of who he hits. They want the next Austin, so they'll pretend that it's anyone who attacks other people, without regard for the build.

Then again, the biggest problem with Anderson's storyline is, his anger is completely fucking righteous. Rematch clauses are the standard in wrestling. Why the hell hasn't he gotten his rematch yet? If he was just being an asshole, he would be raging, for no particular reason.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I can see how some people would want him to be a face so that he could become "the face of TNA" like they think he deserves to be.... Or be a full heel so that he could be an "evil asshole" and someone that fans would pay to see dethroned. However I think that being a tweener is the best route for Mr Anderson. Why? The tweener sarcastic "asshole" that he currently portrays is like how he is in real life. He's even said so himself. Why can't the man be himself? It worked for a certain someone over in WWE named The Ringmaster when he was allowed to play himself onscreen. I'm not saying that Anderson will become as big a star as Stone Cold, but he will be more successful if he is allowed to just be himself. The top face and top heel spots can easily still be filled by others. I think he should stay the way he is because it's closer to how he is, and it's better to let wrestlers play themselves rather than be forced into a role. Or perhaps that's just me.

 

[snoopy]

Eventually they all are going to be Tweeners! Atleast that's where I think TNA is heading, Getting away from Heels and Faces! It's going to be confusing but people will get used to it! People complain seemingly every week about TNA heel turns but are they really turning or are they just being themselves? See Scott Steiner from this past week.

No Heels or Faces! That's where TNA is heading mark my words!

 

[MB1025]

I just don't understand how you can say this. In order to be a tweener, you have to have some sort of balance between heel and face right? For the past month or so with the exception of maybe one or two moments, he hasn't displayed anything other than heel tactics. He beats up the top face in the company, jumps one of the other top faces(RVD), punks out and hides outside of the cage while his face partners were in peril, and wins all of his matches with underhanded tactics. Oh, but he talks shit to Hogan once in awhile and beats up a couple of heel jobbers, so that makes him a face. I call bullshit.



I assume you're referring to Kitten Cutter but just from my perspective, I was a huge Kennedy mark and I loved him toward the beginning of his stint in TNA. No it wasn't until this unbearable borderline bitch of a character he portrays now did I turn against him.



It has always been his character, that is certainly true. But the way he portrays it is a far cry from the potential superstar he used to be. Without his promos being scripted for him, he's taken up rambling as a second language.



You know, you're one of the few TNA fans that I will respect around here so I respect your opinion and I commend you for somehow seeing a silver lining in all of this. I just can't see an argument for him to keep going this route. He used to be the hottest thing going in TNA but lately he has been over shadowed by fucking Bubba Ray Dudley. The persona he's rocking isn't working, he really needs a change.

He is a tweener. He still plays to the Anderson Ass Holes, but will take out Sting or RVD to get his title back. He will get in the face of Hogan and attack member's of Immortal or he will be the referee in a match and screw people over.

He has consistently gone back and fourth since being screwed a few months ago. If no one can see that then they haven't been paying much attention.

I think a lot of people are missing the bigger picture here. He actually makes the TNA World Title seem like it is something you need and want. He makes it seem like it is very special. His desire and drive to get it makes you care that much more. I can see them running with this for a long time until he eventually gets it back. He is a guy who got a little taste of it and it was taken away from him. Now he is a loose cannon.

 

[The Wolf]

Now maybe TNA has a long term plan.

I have read in multiple places that TNA is NOT renewing Hogans contract this summer when it is up. So who will take his place as top heel?

I have been thinking that maybe this Tweener is slow turn Heel and when it is done will be when Hogan leaves TNA not only will he be the new front man for Immortal also their Champion.

If they do that I thinkl the best way would be have him make a deal with Bishoff (in front of cameras) and then take out Hogan later on the show and then win the title with help from Immortal.

 

[shattered dreams]

I think the way they are booking his character is smart. Pure face and pure heel doesn't sell to adults that much anymore, everyone cannot play one of these cookie cutter roles without boring your audience. TNA needs to stand out. "Complex" gets you noticed while simple keeps you on top.

More importantly Anderson doesn't need to be Austin jr. He takes some things from Austin and some things from himself. That is the way it should be. Comparing him directly to Austin is misguided because as people have pointed out here they are in fact different. What I really think is smart about the character is that Anderson is a better performer as a heel but he was way over with the crowd. Babyface does not really work for him. So what do you do? Well, how about instead of a tweener let's make him the heel that smarks are supposed to cheer for. If you cannot control the crowd why not get with the times and embrace that such people exist in mass? Give them what they really want. Austin IMO was not a true full fledged antihero. If you can sustain Anderson as a pseudoheel that gets cheered by a significant portion of the crowd for acting that way to everyone, I find that interestingly different.

It isn't like TNA is not offering alternatives to actually cheer for if you do not like him. RVD, Sting, AJ, etc. all provide a different type of more traditional face if that is your preference. They do not need Anderson to force himself into such a role, in fact the product would suffer if he did.

 

[MB1025]

Now maybe TNA has a long term plan.

I have read in multiple places that TNA is NOT renewing Hogans contract this summer when it is up. So who will take his place as top heel?

I have been thinking that maybe this Tweener is slow turn Heel and when it is done will be when Hogan leaves TNA not only will he be the new front man for Immortal also their Champion.

If they do that I thinkl the best way would be have him make a deal with Bishoff (in front of cameras) and then take out Hogan later on the show and then win the title with help from Immortal.

I don't know about the Hogan deal because his contract does run up in the Summer. It is up around October or November.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

One of the things that works for a badass antihero and something that did definately work for Austin is if he is presented as the sole challenge to a dominating heel faction. Austin was presented as the sole challenge to the Hart Foundation as well as Mcmahon and his corporation.

The Mr Anderson as an antihero thing was working to an extent earlier this year when Sting was out of action and RVD was feuding with EV2 and doing some other stuff. Anderson was seen as a tough guy when he was singlehandedly challenging the mighty Immortal faction and sometimes even winning against them. Then Sting, a very deserving contender and a legend of the business comes along and wins the title. RVD, also a bigger star than Anderson and a face who is deserving of a title shot as he had never lost the title in the first place comes along and demandes a title shot. Also Immortal loses its lustre by losing their top dog in Jeff Hardy.

Suddenly Anderson is no longer a sole challenge to a dominating heel faction but just another title contender. To preserve his "antihero" like character the creative now has to show him as not caring for his fellow faces and acting tough against them to and that is where Anderson's character is failing. Pretty much no one is going to cheer him over either Sting or RVD. If TNA wanted to preserve his character so much, they should have turned one guy heel( preferably RVD) and gotten the other guy embroiled in a feud with someone else.

Right now I guess some of you want Anderson to turn heel but I want him to move out of the title scene altogther and maybe feud with the Mexican stable or something as that would freshen up his character. I wish TNA had a better midcard title scene as that would have been the perfect place for Anderson.