Could TNA Be Teasing a Feud Between Bully Ray & Mr. Anderson?

[UFOcalling]

I apologize if there's already a thread that covers this topic; after a (quick) search of the TNA section(s), I was unable to find one. I also hope this is posted in the correct section. If I made any mistakes, PLEASE feel free to move/merge/delete this thread. I also must apologize for the horrid title of the thread, I couldn't figure out how to edit it -- and spell "could" correctly! LOL!

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I got this idea in my head after watching the Preview for this week's episode of Impact (airing in less than 24 hours now):

Last week on Impact (the episode that aired on July 28th), the main-event was a cage match between Kurt Angle & Mr. Anderson. During this match, we saw a bit of friction between Bully Ray & Anderson. The disagreement between the two of them occurred when Anderson (in his trademark "Asshole" kind of way) asked Ray to get him a steel chair...rather, Anderson DEMANDED that Ray GET him a chair and hand it to him through the cage door. After Anderson made this demand, Bully Ray went to get a steel chair (to presumably hand it to Anderson, so he could use the weapon against Angle).

When Bully Ray was "handing" this chair to Anderson, Ray didn't fully release his grip (causing Anderson to be distracted). Angle used this little "tiff" between Anderson & Ray to his advantage, allowing him to hit the Angle-Slam on Anderson for the win. Personally, I still prefer to call it the "Olympic Slam" -- even though that particular title might be copywritten by the WWE, I don't know for sure. I'm sorry, I'm starting to get off topic a bit....

Some questions to spark discussion:

-- Since it doesn't seem that either Anderson or Bully Ray are involved in feuds right now, is it possible that we see them hook up in the ring any time soon?

-- If these two DO start a feud, when would we see a match between the two?

-- Do they even have a match, or are things resolved internally (inside Immortal's office, backstage)?

-- If a match between the two happens (wherever/whenever that may be), who will the fans cheer for? ...or will they both be booed out of the Impact Zone?

-- There's only one more episode of Impact before the Hardcore Justice PPV, does anyone think that Bischoff and/or Hogan will have them "settle their differences" in the ring a week from Sunday (IE: Will we see Mr. Anderson vs. Bully Ray at HC Justice)?

As always, these are just suggestions for discussion. You don't have to only answer these questions, nor do you have to answer any of them at all.

I don't think the Hulkster or Eric would want to see any "unresolved issues" within Immortal, especially not between two of the most "powerful" members of the group (these two are probably the most recognizable wrestlers of the group -- at least in it's current state -- sans Steiner). I would like to say that if this match were to happen, we'd most likely see Anderson as the one who's cheered (a "popular heel", as it were). I don't believe we'll see either Ray or Anderson leaving Immortal any time soon, I feel that they'll have this issue resolved in the near-future (whether they have one match, more than one match, or no matches at all).

I'll post more of my opinions on this topic later, I'd like to read the opinions of others before I continue my thoughts on this possible feud/match. What do you think, am I blowing last week's little "episode" between Anderson & Ray out of proportion? Looking forward to reading your post(s)!

 

[jackson-lowe]

I think a fued would be a pretty good show between these two, with both of them having good mic skills and good in ring skills. However, the turn to face of Mr Anderson doesn't really interest me, i think he and Bully Ray should both be heels, so that's all i have to say against the match.

Either have a match at Hardcore Jusice, so i'm not sure what he is going to do (he could turn against immortal for all we know, but i highly doubt that as a Christopher Daniels heel turn looks evident). I think they can build the rivalry a bit more, wit bully ray screwing Anderson a few more times, and at No Surrender Anderson turns on Bully Ray. Sets up a big match between the two at Bound for Glory and gives them a good amount of time to build a solid promos.

The fans would probably cheer Anderson, he does have alot of fans.

I think a match at hardcore justice might be made, but i don't think it would be a great decision.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Sure seems it, though it'd just add to the seemingly never-ending heel/tween/face/tween/heel/tween/face/tween/heel run that's been Mr. Anderson since joining the company.

When you also factor in that since joining Immortal he's done nothing but lose, including the World Heavyweight Championship, yeah, I'd say the writing is pretty much on the wall for this one.

 

[sweetcosmicpope]

I would hope so, honestly.

They've certainly implied pretty heavily in the last two weeks that there is friction between the two. To just have them shake hands and leave it at that would be anti-climactic and would mean they wasted time on telling this story.

I think the bigger question is in how it turns out. Would Bully Ray or Anderson get the boot. On one hand, Bully Ray could be seen as not being a team player, and lacking support of the former world champ. On the other hand, Anderson could be seen as a "diva" who thinks he owns the joint.

Not sure which I'd rather see happen. I think it will probably be Anderson leaving, which I have mixed feelings about. Could lead to a good story with Anderson saying he was better off without immortal, and could likely get Anderson's magic back, if written right.

However, he plays such a great heel (I've never heard so many boos as I did at Houston's house show on Saturday), and it would be a shame to waste all of this time making him a main guy in Immortal to turn him back a month later.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Sure seems it, though it'd just add to the seemingly never-ending heel/tween/face/tween/heel/tween/face/tween/heel run that's been Mr. Anderson since joining the company.

When you also factor in that since joining Immortal he's done nothing but lose, including the World Heavyweight Championship, yeah, I'd say the writing is pretty much on the wall for this one.

I think the two of them could have a perfectly adequate match, but why should they even need to?

Immortal would be stronger, and better if Bully Ray and Anderson were on the same page. Both are really good heels, and it fucking annoys me that TNA are having Anderson change from heel to face to heel to face almost every week! I dont even like the guy, and would probably boo him anyway, but come on give him a proper position within the company.

There is always internal issues in a faction, but this one started almost immediately after Anderson joined Immortal, so I really dont see the need in it. Bully Ray won't be going face, Anderson should also be a heel and Immortal is just looking weaker and weaker with every little bitch fight these 2 seem to have.

I don't think anyone is desperate to see these two get it on, the feud is being really rushed (Anderson should have been Immortal for a few months before feuding with another member), and the payoff is more than likely going to be a waste of time, as Anderson would be the one getting cheered, go face again and probably switch again in 3 weeks as he is an "Asshole"

Man, I fucking hate Anderson.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I think the two of them could have a perfectly adequate match, but why should they even need to?

Immortal would be stronger, and better if Bully Ray and Anderson were on the same page. Both are really good heels, and it fucking annoys me that TNA are having Anderson change from heel to face to heel to face almost every week! I dont even like the guy, and would probably boo him anyway, but come on give him a proper position within the company.

There is always internal issues in a faction, but this one started almost immediately after Anderson joined Immortal, so I really dont see the need in it. Bully Ray won't be going face, Anderson should also be a heel and Immortal is just looking weaker and weaker with every little bitch fight these 2 seem to have.

I don't think anyone is desperate to see these two get it on, the feud is being really rushed (Anderson should have been Immortal for a few months before feuding with another member), and the payoff is more than likely going to be a waste of time, as Anderson would be the one getting cheered, go face again and probably switch again in 3 weeks as he is an "Asshole"

Man, I fucking hate Anderson.

I don't disagree. I'm just saying, as it's happening, the writing sure seems to be on the wall here. Anderson's booking just hasn't been up to snuff, IMO, including finally joining Immortal.

The timing is just rushed on the whole thing.

Why should Ray be costing him a match this soon? He's been a member, what, 3 weeks?

 

[Papa Pillman]

I don't know about a "fued" per say, but I think a match at the PPV is clearly being hinted at, and seems inevitable at this point.

Nothing about this suprises me. I thought all along the Anderson/Immortal angle would be very short term in nature(I'm suprised that it didn't end as soon as he lost the belt). I don't think Anderson will be with Immortal after Sunday.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

I think a match at a PPV will happen between the two whether it's Hardcore Justice or the PPV after that which I believe is No Surrender. I think it would work better if it was at No Surrender because then there's time to make this storyline between the two even more heated and then Hogan decides to put them in a match and to solve their differences and after the match they can work together again but there's always that feeling that they could turn on one another at any time which will make matches involving the two more exciting. I think it would be a pretty good match between the two as both men can put on a good match and I think the promos would be pretty good because both men are pretty good on the mic.

 

[UFOcalling]

I agree with both Triple Naitch & It's Damn Real! here (in each of your last posts). I don't want to repeat all of your opinions, but you guys both nailed it when you said this whole Bully Ray/Mr. Anderson thing is being rushed. At least when Russo & Bischoff were at the helm of WCW (in it's dying days), they had a decent excuse for rushing angles like this:

Back in the late 1990s, Turner Broadcasting wanted to see an instant boost in Nitro's ratings. IE: Turner's "higher-ups" didn't have the patience to wait for WCW storylines to be built slowly; Turner Broadcasting was looking for a "quick-fix" that would instantly increase WCW's weekly television ratings, and also produce more fans in the arena(s). WCW hired Vince Russo, thinking that he could bring some of the "magic" he claimed to produce for WWF's TV ratings (during the "Attitude Era"). Since Mr. Russo's ego was so inflated at that time, he actually believed he could increase WCW's ratings with his "magical" style of booking...we all know how well that turned out. Stay with me, I'm going somewhere with this (...I think? LOL!).

It's possible that the (potential) Bully Ray/Anderson feud could be getting rushed because of the recent changes that Spike TV announced. I forget the exact details, but isn't Spike going after viewers other than males in the near-future (if they haven't started already)? If I remember correctly, when "The New TNN" first changed their name to "Spike TV", they said it would be a channel specifically aimed at men. Is that right? I think it was even labeled as the "first television channel for men" (something like that). With the network executives now trying to target women as well, TNA/Impact Wrestling might be trying to "prove themselves" to the network (to prevent Impact from being put on the chopping-block).

A little far-fetched, I know...especially since TNA/IW has been known to rush angles (such as this one) in the past as well. Maybe this Anderson/Ray angle was already in the works before the bookers/writers found out about the "change" in Spike's target-demographic (IE: I could be pulling this out of thin air, who knows?).

I also agree that seeing Mr. Anderson change from heel -- to face -- to heel -- to "popular heel" -- then back to "full-fledged" heel (when he joined Immortal) is quite annoying (to say the least). All of these quick-changes leave the casual fans confused, and only seems to frustrate the loyal viewers. If a casual-fan flips to Impact on a Thursday evening, TNA needs to try capturing their attention (and get them to KEEP watching). That's going to be difficult to achieve, with their current booking-situation being so convoluted.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Without a doubt. But here's the thing - neither guy has to turn face or tweener. These two simply don't see eye to eye. Hogan and Bischoff might get pissed of their bickering and pitch them against eachother at a PPV in the near future to straighten out their differences and put the whole thing to rest. They'll still be a part of Immortal, still serve the same agenda, but they'll simply have a match so they can prove who the better man is and vent their frustrations in a wrestling ring instead of costing Immortal matches and causing unrest.

I love how they work with eachother and play off of eachother's stuff. That's when Anderson's good. They're just fun to watch and I bet the match won't be anything less than that. I'm looking forward to such a development.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

This feud has a definite feeling of being rushed. Also, it's one of those feuds that makes me ask "what exactly is the point of them having a feud"? I know that neither one of them is really feuding with anyone at this point in time, but it just seems to me that having them working together would simply make Immortal a stronger unit at this point.

As far as a match between the two, I suppose it could be solid. Both of these guys are known more for their mic skills than their in-ring ability. I'd kinda rather see a war of words between them instead of a match. As for when it'd take place, wouldn't surprise me if it came about as soon as the next ppv. Hardcore Justice is this Sunday isn't it? If so, that'd make tonight the go home show and there'll be a few last minute hypes and additions to the show on Sunday. If a match between them did happen so soon, then I think it's gonna come across as lackluster. There's been no build up to speak of and the match itself just won't have that punch to it. If it goes down this Sunday, TNA's best shot at getting anything out of it would be booking them in a hardcore match.

Even still, it's hard to get interested in this feud so soon. Since coming to Immortal, Anderson has done nothing but lose. Prior to that, he was given another run as TNA WHC that was even more lackluster than his first. Ray has been involved in the Bound For Glory Series and has done pretty well for himself. I just think the bloom is off the rose for Anderson with the TNA brass and Ray would come out of this feud ahead.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Without a doubt. But here's the thing - neither guy has to turn face or tweener. These two simply don't see eye to eye. Hogan and Bischoff might get pissed of their bickering and pitch them against eachother at a PPV in the near future to straighten out their differences and put the whole thing to rest. They'll still be a part of Immortal, still serve the same agenda, but they'll simply have a match so they can prove who the better man is and vent their frustrations in a wrestling ring instead of costing Immortal matches and causing unrest.

I love how they work with eachother and play off of eachother's stuff. That's when Anderson's good. They're just fun to watch and I bet the match won't be anything less than that. I'm looking forward to such a development.

That could actually be good. It would be interesting to see and a very different way of solving the internal issues that Immortal are having. Let the two of them fight it out, and if Anderson wins for example then he would have the upper hand and more power than Bully Ray in the faction. I like the idea.

However, this being the Russo show I would totally expect Immortal not to let this one run to its natural conclusion with the better man coming out on top. They would obviously come out and screw one of the 2 guys, and then celebrate with the other therefore resulting in one man getting kicked out of the faction. I couldnt say who that would be, as Bully Ray needs Immortal more than Anderson, but I couldnt see Hogan/Bisch kicking the much bigger name out in order to keep Bully Ray.

 

[UFOcalling]

Even though I had read the spoilers for the episode of Impact that aired last night (a week ago, or whenever it was), I didn't know there would be a match set up for these two. Maybe I'm just dumb, that could be the reason I missed it. The only thing I remember reading was that there was a "confrontation" between Anderson & Ray at the top of the show...I guess I thought they "resolved" the issue (at least for the time being)...I also didn't originally realize that HC Justice was this Sunday, I thought it was happening on the 14th (...that'll teach me, I need to do my research more thoroughly before posting!).

While I was watching Impact late last night on my DVR, I was pleasantly surprised when I heard Anderson announce the challenge to Ray for HC Justice. I also immediately wondered if I was the only one who missed this in the spoilers. Did you guys know this match was taking place on Sunday? ...like I said, I didn't see anything about this in the Impact spoilers that I read. Maybe I missed it completely, or maybe I just skimmed them too quickly. Regardless, I'm glad I didn't know about this match before seeing it announced on Impact. It's so hard to resist reading spoilers, it's nice to still be surprised once in a while.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Even though I had read the spoilers for the episode of Impact that aired last night (a week ago, or whenever it was), I didn't know there would be a match set up for these two. Maybe I'm just dumb, that could be the reason I missed it. The only thing I remember reading was that there was a "confrontation" between Anderson & Ray at the top of the show...I guess I thought they "resolved" the issue (at least for the time being)...I also didn't originally realize that HC Justice was this Sunday, I thought it was happening on the 14th (...that'll teach me, I need to do my research more thoroughly before posting!).

While I was watching Impact late last night on my DVR, I was pleasantly surprised when I heard Anderson announce the challenge to Ray for HC Justice. I also immediately wondered if I was the only one who missed this in the spoilers. Did you guys know this match was taking place on Sunday? ...like I said, I didn't see anything about this in the Impact spoilers that I read. Maybe I missed it completely, or maybe I just skimmed them too quickly.

I didn't notice anything in the spoilers either. The spoilers (at least the ones I read) also noted that D-Von beat AJ but not how. Other spoilers said that Bully Ray distracted AJ and it was Daniels.

Moral of the story - don't judge the show by the spoilers.

 

[UFOcalling]

Originally Posted by Zeven_Zion
Moral of the story - don't judge the show by the spoilers.

You're absolutely right. I'm glad that it worked out that way, don't get me wrong. Like I mentioned earlier - it's nice to still be surprised once in a while (even if you've read/skimmed through the spoilers before watching the broadcast).

I also found Hogan & Bischoff's absence on Impact to be a bit peculiar...considering that HC Justice is this Sunday, one would think at least one of them would have showed up -- to tie up any loose ends before the PPV. I guess that needed to happen, though; the absence of Eric & The Hulkster ended up being the catalyst that ignited the fuse between Anderson & Ray (both of them jockeying for the position of Immortal's highest authority).

Mr. Anderson really had me laughing, when he quoted Meatloaf's "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". The whole "...let me sleep on it...baby, baby let me sleep on it..." definitely had me chuckling. It seems that if the fans will be cheering for one of the competitors during their match at HC Justice (not saying they have to, or they will at all), it would have to be the "Asshole" Mr. Anderson. Anderson's always had that "coolness" about him, even when he was a full-fledged heel (before joining Immortal). Ken Anderson is a funny guy, that's the main reason his character became a "popular heel" (prior to joining Immortal) in the first place. He has a chance to get some of that "coolness" back during this feud (at least in the eyes of the fans).

When I was posting in a similar thread (in the TNA PPV section), I started thinking about if TNA Creative pushes this feud all the way until Bound For Glory 2011. BFG isn't as far away as it seems, since it's happening on October 16th. That leaves only 10 episodes of Impact until TNA's biggest PPV of the year. TNA will need a strong mid-card match for BFG.

With the TV Title not even being defended on TV lately, and the X-Division being more about wrestling than mic-work, why not have a great BFG storyline for Anderson vs. Ray? This feud could easily last for two more PPVs, if booked correctly. Anderson & Ray could easily keep heat on each other by going at it on the microphones every week. Hell, there's even enough time for of them (presumably Anderson) to miss a week or two of television due to an "injury" (kayfabe) between now & October.

I guess I was doing a bit of "fantasy booking" for TNA/IW...my idea is/was that the feud between Anderson & Ray could culminate at BFG, with a "loser leaves Immortal" stipulation added to the match. I won't get too far into it here (since I already wrote a lengthy, opinionated post in the other thread), but such a match would be great for both Anderson & Ray...especially if Ray goes over Anderson.

If such a match were to happen (and Bully Ray is victorious), Ray would become Immortal's ONLY top heel. In this hypothetical scenario, Anderson would be kicked out of Immortal -- and he could once again become TNA's most "popular heel" (I really hate the term "tweener"...even typing it makes me feel dirty). Just an idea...if TNA Creative was smart, this is how they'd end the Anderson/Ray feud (just my two cents). Let's just see how smart they are.