Are You Geting the Feeling Back Too?

[yoshi_doce2006]

To ALL YOU Stupid TNA HATTERS WTF do you like wrestling or do you like entertainment in the wwe you talk and talk and talk but I still can't understand you. Its sounds like your in love with the WWE and it's the only one for you. Your so close minded it makes me a little sick why can't you understand that the better TNA and ROH get the Better WWE gets because they have to do something thay hadn't had to do sense WCW..... Compete with another organization like them why do you think the 90s was the glory days in wrestling they were wrestling to beat the other guays not just to please us because since 2002 wwe has said to us bend over and take what we give you maybe you like taking it in the ass but I don't so I say do you want continue to give your money to the wwe for puting out crap or do you want to give it to TNA because those guy fight for their company those guys from what i see risk their cariers example micky fn james dove of a cage a women. kurt angles backflip of the cage on jarret nearly broke his neck and danials crazy lethel lockdown dive from lockdown to AJ Dive on Bully Ray what death defying act has wwe done because the last one i remember was jeff hardy swanton and oh yeh he's with tna now. So hate tna all you want but it will be your loss not mines. And I watch all the shows because I LOVE WRESTLING NOT COMPANYS

Well said. Spelling could have been better but agree with you for the most part.

 

[Calderownz]

I have to be honest. I have been getting into TNA more and more. Still, it's a slow process. I will say that I enjoy the wrestling side of things a bit more. Especially with bringing back/in some quality workers. Still, the story lines are pretty much what they have been.

While Sting has added a wrinkle to his character, it's still Sting and he' still a shell of his former self. I want to see newer stars and I want some new angles. Perhaps it's just me, but I can't say I'm fully on board. Still, it's a nice change of pace from time to time.

 

[Schuyler]

Let me know when Hogan and all the old people are gone, and Joe, Pope and the real stars get a chance again.

 

[yoshi_doce2006]

Most of the old people ARE gone and those still with TNA have more value in their pinky finger than 3/4 of WWE's entire roster of employees. Let's face it, other than three or four people WWE's youth movement thus far has been a complete and utter failure.

Scott Steiner can still put on a top notch match. Bully Ray is being surprisingly damn good as a top heel which came to a shock to me he would be that good at it. Hogan hasn't been on television as much (Time cut in half) which is a plus, it keeps him more fresh and not shoved down our throats for a half hour a show. And Sting, while yes he is still Sting and still long past his prime, he is a Sting that is a few marbles short of a game of Jacks, which is new.

I purposely left Flair out of the list because he hasn't been used in a month or more. Figure that with the fact Nash, Foley, and Dreamer all left that means only four of the eight old guys people gripe about are gone, and Flair is so sparingly used he might as well be added to that list.

Let's face it, everyone bitching about all of the old people no longer have a valid gripe because there just aren't that many left. Hell, Sting is on his last run, I wouldn't doubt if he retired after his storyline with Hogan is over which may be where this is going, a retirement program for Sting.

If Sting is gone then what? Going to complain that Anderson gets too much television time? That Bubba Dudley should lose weight (He's in the best shape I have ever seen him in and it shows in the ring)? That Scott Steiner should stop trying to seduce SoCal Val? That RVD smokes too much pot when he isn't wrestling?

Let's face it, anyone crying about the old guys in TNA are just looking for a excuse, and to say that when the old guys tell them and they will watch, that means they aren't watching so how would they know anyway. Simple fact is that the older guys take up only a fraction of the TV Time and all of them that are left are entertaining in some way.

If you want to see a bunch of young guys, some which aren't ready for the main event at this second go watch WWE, you might see Zack Ryder trip over Primo while criss crossing. TNA is building new stars slowly, but aren't stupid enough to drop what older stars they have and put the young guys in the main event before they are ready.

 

[whoopin' ass]

To ALL YOU Stupid TNA HATTERS WTF do you like wrestling or do you like entertainment in the wwe you talk and talk and talk but I still can't understand you. Its sounds like your in love with the WWE and it's the only one for you. Your so close minded it makes me a little sick why can't you understand that the better TNA and ROH get the Better WWE gets because they have to do something thay hadn't had to do sense WCW..... Compete with another organization like them why do you think the 90s was the glory days in wrestling they were wrestling to beat the other guays not just to please us because since 2002 wwe has said to us bend over and take what we give you maybe you like taking it in the ass but I don't so I say do you want continue to give your money to the wwe for puting out crap or do you want to give it to TNA because those guy fight for their company those guys from what i see risk their cariers example micky fn james dove of a cage a women. kurt angles backflip of the cage on jarret nearly broke his neck and danials crazy lethel lockdown dive from lockdown to AJ Dive on Bully Ray what death defying act has wwe done because the last one i remember was jeff hardy swanton and oh yeh he's with tna now. So hate tna all you want but it will be your loss not mines. And I watch all the shows because I LOVE WRESTLING NOT COMPANYS

i agree, competition make all companies work harder and brings around a better product. problem is tna is not trying to compete with wwe, tna creative is trying to compete with with wwf creative from the 90's. and what i mean by that is guys like russo are trying to prove that they were not one trick ponies and instead of trying to create a product for today, they are still trying to work over the fans and the internet like they did before. i like tna - i make a point to try and not miss impact (which i don't do for raw or smackdown) - but i know they could do better. we see glimpses of it from time to time but they don't seem to follow through like they need to. right now, it should be team sting trying to take tna back from team hogan, not sting and hogan building up to another match. we don't need that and if creative thinks that is what it will take to get the fans to tune in, then they are nuts. quit bringing in the guests of the week like chyna and chris harris, quit putting signs up near wwe headquarters and buy some good commercial time to get the public to notice you, and focus on your younger talent and you would be amazed what could happen. it isn't that tough - it is the basics of business.

 

[Clem]

To see how talented Gunner is you really have to go back to 2009 and 2010 and his reign as the NWA National Heavyweight Champion. Watch those matches and you will see it. Interviews are great and ring work was very strong.

A great match was his match against The American Wolf one year ago in the finals of the NWA Future Legends Cup, that match is on Youtube. He was wrestling under the name Phil "The Universal Soldier" Shatter. A name derived from his four year stent in the Marine Corp as a Sergent who was honorably discharged.

I am really high on Gunner/Shatter and feel that he could be very good if he works with the right guys. Tully Blanchard also likes him, and trained him for a few days, and let's face it, Tully knows a hell of a lot more about the business than either of us.

Okay, what I should've said is that TNA haven't built Gunner up sufficiently to make me (someone who doesn't know his independent work) believe he could beat three World Champions back to back.

He spent over a year in a terrible joke tag team who's sole defining attribute was that they had SECURITY on their tshirts (I couldn't even remember their names for most of that time). Then, in a terrible match with a couple of lumbering heels, he picked up the Television Title as what could only be described as a booby prize. After a couple of months literally chewing on said title in the background of Immortal group shots, he dropped it in a non-feud with Eric Young in a handful of seconds.

At what point during that run did anyone ever think "he looks like World Champion material..."? My point being they've done so much damage by letting him toil in obscurity and mediocrity for a couple of years, that I can't take him seriously anymore.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

i agree, competition make all companies work harder and brings around a better product. problem is tna is not trying to compete with wwe, tna creative is trying to compete with with wwf creative from the 90's.

This I can see your point on, so I won't tear you apart on that one, however, last I saw there weren't any angles going down where geriatric women were given births to rubber hands. Let us thank our lucky stars for that one.

and what i mean by that is guys like russo are trying to prove that they were not one trick ponies and instead of trying to create a product for today, they are still trying to work over the fans and the internet like they did before. i like tna - i make a point to try and not miss impact (which i don't do for raw or smackdown) - but i know they could do better. we see glimpses of it from time to time but they don't seem to follow through like they need to. right now, it should be team sting trying to take tna back from team hogan, not sting and hogan building up to another match.

I doubt it's highly likely that Hogan will be wrestling another match, rumors have been going on since last summer that he was gonna wrestle Abyss and win the World Title, that didn't happen. People said at Slammiversary hat Sting and Hogan were going to face and it kept getting put off, and it didn't happen. It might not even happen now either despite the storyline they have at this moment. Until Hogan actually starts wrestling some tune up matches in preparation for Sting and they make that official in the storyline, let's just avoid the overdone speculation, shall we?

we don't need that and if creative thinks that is what it will take to get the fans to tune in, then they are nuts. quit bringing in the guests of the week like chyna and chris harris

Won't argue much there, I can do without Chyna, however Chris Harris would have been nice to see back on a longer basis.

quit putting signs up near wwe headquarters and buy some good commercial time to get the public to notice you, and focus on your younger talent and you would be amazed what could happen. it isn't that tough - it is the basics of business.

Ok, well let's rewind to 1983-1985 timeframe and think about what a man in his late 30s named Vince McMahon did...shall we? If memory serves me right this guy went beyond just advertising his company then called the World Wrestling Federation in outside markets. In fact he not only took a time slot from Georgia Championship Wrestling and alienated the wrestling audience with his "sports entertainment" style but he also raided talent from other rosters to make up the bulk of his superstar roster (Hogan - Not counting his heel stint from 79-81 there - because it was in AWA that Hulkamania was really starting to take shape, Piper, Orton, Orndorff, JYD are just a few examples - yup true story looks like Bob Backlund [who was soon leaving anyway], Don Muraco, Jimmy Snuka and The Samoans were not enough to carry the company so Vince went and raided other rosters) so if TNA just happens to want to advertise their product in Stamford then boo freaking hoo...if that's the least that happens to Vince's empire in return for all he's done over the years to other promotions and their fan bases then he's getting off rather lucky.

(NOTE: Not saying I necessarily despise WWE despite the tone of my statements here, but think about it, (W)WWF/E nor people who are fans solely of their product shouldn't be surprised to see what their competitors might try on them. After all you reap what you sow and what goes around comes around.)

Sorry if I am coming off like a dick whoopin' ass but TNA advertising near WWE is very tame compared to the "Black Saturday" tactic by Vince McMahon and his raiding of talent rosters from promotions like AWA and Jim Crockett Promotions (NWA). And I'll be fair enough to ask before I presume anything but you mention that TNA needs to work on the basics of business, are you yourself a business man in any way, shape or form? Just curious.

 

[Dizzy]

Okay, what I should've said is that TNA haven't built Gunner up sufficiently to make me (someone who doesn't know his independent work) believe he could beat three World Champions back to back.

Okay, so we go from criticizing TNA for NOT pushing homegrown talent and young talent to criticizing how the built the young and homegrown talent?

He spent over a year in a terrible joke tag team who's sole defining attribute was that they had SECURITY on their tshirts (I couldn't even remember their names for most of that time). Then, in a terrible match with a couple of lumbering heels, he picked up the Television Title as what could only be described as a booby prize. After a couple of months literally chewing on said title in the background of Immortal group shots, he dropped it in a non-feud with Eric Young in a handful of seconds.

Do you realize Security Guards generally are where wrestlers start off in companies? Do you know that Sheamus and MVP worked as security in WWE before they got their own character and became active wrestlers?

At what point during that run did anyone ever think "he looks like World Champion material..."? My point being they've done so much damage by letting him toil in obscurity and mediocrity for a couple of years, that I can't take him seriously anymore.

Years? He debuted on TNA this year. What the hell are you talking about?

The whole point of his run is unpredictability. TNA has branded it's promos and product on realistic shit and shoots while still doing storylines.

Not everyone has to look like Sin Cara when they fucking debut. If he started off as a Security Guard then turned into a wrestler and had success at a high level that means he started off as a nobody and became something of himself. Which is a realistic aspect.


Being a Security Guard is earning your strips. It shows how willing you are to be a wrestling talent in a big name company. How many ROH wrestlers would take that? They think they are the shit which is why half of them will never get a contract in WWE or TNA.

The guy worked silly storylines before TNA realized he was a serious professional and decided to push him. Who wants to push a guy and turn him into a star only to turn into a diva like Batista or Flair.

 

[yoshi_doce2006]

Okay, what I should've said is that TNA haven't built Gunner up sufficiently to make me (someone who doesn't know his independent work) believe he could beat three World Champions back to back.

He spent over a year in a terrible joke tag team who's sole defining attribute was that they had SECURITY on their tshirts (I couldn't even remember their names for most of that time). Then, in a terrible match with a couple of lumbering heels, he picked up the Television Title as what could only be described as a booby prize. After a couple of months literally chewing on said title in the background of Immortal group shots, he dropped it in a non-feud with Eric Young in a handful of seconds.

At what point during that run did anyone ever think "he looks like World Champion material..."? My point being they've done so much damage by letting him toil in obscurity and mediocrity for a couple of years, that I can't take him seriously anymore.

Not a couple of year, he has been with TNA less than a year now. He was still the NWA National Heavyweight Champion this time last year. I agree though, they have not built him. I think that is the reason for ring time with Sting, then Anderson, and now being tied to AJ Styles.

I think this Bound For Glory Series is about TNA trying to build new stars. Tie up guys like Crimson and Gunner to guys like Steiner and AJ to let them gain experience from the veterans several times over a period of months.

 

[Barbedwire Ropes]

I think the biggest thing holding TNA back at this point from becoming a solid and fully watchable program is not Vince Russo, its not the horrible booking, its not the terrible gimmick matches or even the pointless storylines. I really, truly think its the fan base.

A) The obvious one being the fact that the fan base is not large enough. TNA is spending to much time, effort and money on bringing in once-great former (and sometimes never-great) WWE stars and not enough time trying to EXPAND its fan base. Im no media specialist, but nationwide and global advertising does wonders for any company type. If TNA just gave that a shot, for say a year, I'm sure that would begin to bring in more viewers.

B) They plant decoy fans in the audience, taking away spots from actual TNA fans. And it DOES show on TV. Every episode of Impact I've watched in the last 3 months has had the EXACT SAME "hot girls" standing front and center in the crowd facing the camera. Do they really think people, even those who aren't so observant, won't notice that eventually? TNA needs to fill the embarrassingly small "Impact Zone" with its most-loyal fans. Fans that actually know whats going on and give a proper response, whatever that response may be. Its not secret that the crowd makes a pro-wrestling program work on TV. WWE often has the same problem with RAW, not enough of the crowd seems to give a shit that they are there.

C) The larger majority of the hardcore TNA fans are elitist marks that seem to not want other people watching their beloved TNA. Which is counter-productive in every way imaginable. Not to mention that many fans get violently upset at every criticism someone has of TNA and its been shown on this forum countless times alone. Being complacent with a stale and unimaginative product allows for the product to stay stale and unimaginative.

TNA needs to focus on the fan; the one reason that they are even staying afloat right now. Without the fans they currently have they would be dead. In the end, even WWE fans like me, really do want to see TNA succeed. But its hard to support a program that diligently works at preventing people from supporting it.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I am definitely liking the direction TNA is taking, but I am not getting my hopes up too high as we know there is always the likelyhood that TNA will end up disappointing us, as they have so many times since Hogan and Bischoff came in.

The product has been alot more entertaining in recent weeks, I am enjoying the new aspect of Stings character, Anderson has become a lot more interesting to me in the last few Impacts, the current focus on the X-Division is something I have been waiting for for a long time (let's hope it continues) and guys like Crimson, Roode and Shelley consistently impress me.

I really hope this is the starting point for TNA to really make some permanent changes to keep their product fresh and exciting. They have so much potential, and a really talented roster so fingers crossed this recent increase in quality is something they can maintain.

 

[yoshi_doce2006]

I think the biggest thing holding TNA back at this point from becoming a solid and fully watchable program is not Vince Russo, its not the horrible booking, its not the terrible gimmick matches or even the pointless storylines. I really, truly think its the fan base.

A) The obvious one being the fact that the fan base is not large enough. TNA is spending to much time, effort and money on bringing in once-great former (and sometimes never-great) WWE stars and not enough time trying to EXPAND its fan base. Im no media specialist, but nationwide and global advertising does wonders for any company type. If TNA just gave that a shot, for say a year, I'm sure that would begin to bring in more viewers.

B) They plant decoy fans in the audience, taking away spots from actual TNA fans. And it DOES show on TV. Every episode of Impact I've watched in the last 3 months has had the EXACT SAME "hot girls" standing front and center in the crowd facing the camera. Do they really think people, even those who aren't so observant, won't notice that eventually? TNA needs to fill the embarrassingly small "Impact Zone" with its most-loyal fans. Fans that actually know whats going on and give a proper response, whatever that response may be. Its not secret that the crowd makes a pro-wrestling program work on TV. WWE often has the same problem with RAW, not enough of the crowd seems to give a shit that they are there.

C) The larger majority of the hardcore TNA fans are elitist marks that seem to not want other people watching their beloved TNA. Which is counter-productive in every way imaginable. Not to mention that many fans get violently upset at every criticism someone has of TNA and its been shown on this forum countless times alone. Being complacent with a stale and unimaginative product allows for the product to stay stale and unimaginative.

TNA needs to focus on the fan; the one reason that they are even staying afloat right now. Without the fans they currently have they would be dead. In the end, even WWE fans like me, really do want to see TNA succeed. But its hard to support a program that diligently works at preventing people from supporting it.

I admit TNA has had it's flaws and still does, I also admit that before CM Punk's rampage I hadnt watched WWE regularly in years because, well because it has sucked. Let's face it The Miz is a great Mid Card talent being pushed in the main event, we know we are going to get the exact same thing from Cena every night, Orton is a main event player but he just isnt interesting as a face and got old as a heel. Then the youth movement...ugh, other than Alex Riley and Shaemus has anyone else even come close to stepping up and being interesting? And dont talk about Del Rio, he drives up in a big fancy car, gets out, then he does that thing with his hands and all I think about is Papa John's Italian Nephew coming over to make me a pizza.

Quite frankly TNA has been better than the WWE in the ring for years but they have had flaws in the program, pretty big flaws. That changed about three months ago when Dixie Carter finally decided to do something about this and promoted Eric Bischoff from Consultant working in production to Executive Producer. The change in production value and pacing of the program has improved gradually since then and has gotten to the place now where it is flowing much more smoothly.

Quite frankly I can't argue with you about TNA's advertising. TNA sucks at advertising their product which is sad because Dixie Carter's background is in Selling A Product to people through advertising. You cant not advertise while staying in one spot and expect to grow your product.

 

[Fenris]

Anderson wasn't a star in the 90's. He was a cruiserweight that couldn't get television time in WCW. He had to work his butt off and completely reinvent himself before he got a shot in the WWE in the mid-2000's.

Mr. Anderson? He was never in WCW, he didn't even get into the biz until WCW was being sold.


Back to the OP, I am getting *A* feeling back, a feeling that went away in 2001 until about 01/04/2011. It was slowly coming back but the last three months it has fully returned. The feeling I am talking about is my passion for the wrestling business. From 1986-2001 I ate, slept and breathed wrestling. If I wasn't watching it on the TV, wasn't at school or wasn't at work I was likely reading the magazines, collecting the merch or talking about the business with other fans. After 2001 I could take it or leave it and that passion was gone. The merchandise was packed into boxes next to the magazines and shoved off into a closet.

TNA has brought that passion back though. Now I look forward all week to Impact, i've been looking up Indy and international promotions to get into, i've decided to give ROH another look when they return to doing a TV show and i've even been trying like crazy to get into the WWE. I may even get into those old boxes and add some old wrestling merch to my office, all thanks to TNA, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Vince Russo, Dixie Carter, Sting, Bully Ray, Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Gunner, Crimson, Mr. Anderson and Beer Money.