Did the MCMG/BM series need all the gimmick matches?

[Bobby B]

Was I the only person who thought that the four gimmick matches in the best of 5 series* was unneccessary?

*I'm not counting the 2 out of 3 falls match in this.

It felt to me like creative felt that either:

a) They didn't trust the two teams to put on 5 matches that could keep people interested.
b) They felt that the fans would get bored with 5 normal matches.

My personal opinion is if these two teams are as the commentators keep telling us "The best in the world" (which I'm inclined to agree with) then couldn't they have trusted them to put on 5 matches that would have kept people interested?

I thought it was a good series, but I don't consider it great. For me, if these two teams are as good as the commentators have us believe, then they didn't need a Ladder Match, a Street Fight, a Cage Match and an Ultimate X match to get us from the beginning of the series to a position of being 2-2.

Personally I would've had this feud be spaced out a bit to make the matches feel more special. But I guess they wanted Beer Money for the Fortune vs EV2 feud. Either way, as good as the series was, it felt rushed. And god knows why none of the matches main evented any of their shows. Particularly when 4 of them were gimmick matches.

 

[MCMG]

yes of course they did, their matches were great but 8 straight normal tag team matches ( including the original) would have limited endings i mean MCMG won their 2 falls in the 2 out of 3 falls match with the same finisher.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Not inherently, no, but they also didn't do much to hurt the feud either, unless you consider gimmick for the sake of gimmick as a fault even as the ratings consistently prove(d) just how little each gimmick really affected it's respective match. Had these been gimmicks like the Turkey Suit or something of similar ridiculousness, I might concede my point, but if anything, the gimmicks just helped to fast-track the level of the feud in the case of BMI v. MCMG.

Would this have been better off a la Benoit/Booker T, or any number of other best-of series' in the past? Perhaps, but I still contend the gimmicks did nothing to truly hurt the feud.

 

[gd]

I'd say they did. No matter how good your are, having 5 matches 5 weeks in a row that are exactly the same, it's going to get a little boring and monotonous seeing the same thing over and over. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they would've been delightful little matches, but just not delightful enough.

The gimmicks added a little something extra to the feud, and even though most of the matches were rather short, they were still enjoyable. You can't tell me you didn't enjoy seeing an Ultimate X match or a Ladder Match on free TV. And it's not like you can argue that using all these gimmicks no longer makes the matches special, because TNA already ruined that.

 

[King Blitzkonic]

Was I the only person who thought that the four gimmick matches in the best of 5 series* was unneccessary?

*I'm not counting the 2 out of 3 falls match in this.

It felt to me like creative felt that either:

a) They didn't trust the two teams to put on 5 matches that could keep people interested.
b) They felt that the fans would get bored with 5 normal matches.

My personal opinion is if these two teams are as the commentators keep telling us "The best in the world" (which I'm inclined to agree with) then couldn't they have trusted them to put on 5 matches that would have kept people interested?

I thought it was a good series, but I don't consider it great. For me, if these two teams are as good as the commentators have us believe, then they didn't need a Ladder Match, a Street Fight, a Cage Match and an Ultimate X match to get us from the beginning of the series to a position of being 2-2.

Personally I would've had this feud be spaced out a bit to make the matches feel more special. But I guess they wanted Beer Money for the Fortune vs EV2 feud. Either way, as good as the series was, it felt rushed. And god knows why none of the matches main evented any of their shows. Particularly when 4 of them were gimmick matches.

If it was any other tag feud, I'd agree with you. BUT I do have to say that the "gimmick" matches allowed for MCMG/BMI to showcase their talents in any match that could be brought in. These two teams could have a pillow fight and STILL get the biggest pops of the night cause BMI's pillows are likely loaded...wait I better shut up or TNA might do it!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

With the way the matches were booked, then TNA probably did need at least some of them to break up the monotony. TNA did the 5 matches in 5 consecutive weeks rather than spreading them out over a longer period of time. If TNA had done the latter, then they probably could have gotten away with having standard matches without the risk of fans losing interest in the series. Personally, I would've preferred it that way with maybe only one or two of the matches have some sort of gimmick attached to them. I've always disliked the way that TNA casually throws around gimmick matches. The only one I didn't care for was the street fight but the other gimmick matches were quite good overall, but they were a little too short in my view.

The 2 out of 3 falls match was easily the best match of the series and had everything going for it. Both teams had to rely on their skills in a more standard match rather than using ladders or chairs or steel cages, etc. The match also went a really good 20+ minutes and I think that TNA could have possibly made every match seem and feel as special as the last one if they'd spread the series out and cut back on a couple of the gimmick matches. I guess a 2 out of 3 falls match could technically qualify as a gimmick match, but all the standard rules of a match tend ot apply.

So were they needed? Probably not but it may have been the safest route to go with having each match in consecutive weeks.

 

[rocksuperstarkaos]

I don't think he's saying have 5 regular matches 5 weeks in a row. But on the other side, I do think TNA just did it so they could say "Hey look at us, we have blood on our show." That being said, I think they could have done more regular matches. Tag Team fans would have loved every second of it regardless. They could have done a Tornado style tag team match, an elimination match, and then they could have done gimmick matches for the last 3, Steel Cage, Ultimate X and 2/3 falls could have been matches 3, 4 and 5.

 

[LegendKiller716]

No the gimmick matches were not needed. That being said all 5 matches were great, so why are we complaining?

 

[theViper]

No the gimmick matches were not needed. That being said all 5 matches were great, so why are we complaining?

This is my first post, so hopefully I'm going to do this right.

Were the 5 matches needed to be gimmick matches? The simple answer is, Yes. The whole reasoning that it had so many gimmicks is due to the fact that it happened, as previous posters have said, consecutive weeks. Either way, I would've been happy with either, or. With ultimately the MCMG's winning the series and keeping the titles. However, TNA rushed the entire thing, which is now understandable with the whole Fortune vs EV2 feud.

If you watched Reaction, after MCMG's won, they didn't even consider BMI as contenders for the titles anymore. Which will allow those other teams to step in and hopefully compete on the same level as both teams had in previous matches.

In the end, I think it was a way to give the fans a great series, displaying why TNA has the better Tag Team Division as opposed to the WWE. Also, doing something that TNA seldom does, which is ending a feud legitimately, and giving us one hell of a series, that not only kept us interested, but also kept us wanting more.

 

[eezy1]

Nah i thought it was done perfectly. The gimmicks added a little more to get peoples interest/attention in the feud and by the time the 5th and final match came around it was a shit hot angle. And it was beautiful how the last turned out to be a straight wrestling match and the best of the series. It showed just how good these 2 teams are from all sides.

 

[Find'er Woo'er Ryder]

yes they did. 5 matches with the same tag teams every week can get boring. now if it was a best of 3 series then mayb no. i like the fact that they used special matches. it allowed everyone to showcase there talents more and let beer money be in an ultimate x match which was crazy. and then it allowed mcmg to be well in probably the biggest 5 matches tna has ever had besides angle vs styles 1.

 

[Smooth Sexual Chocolate]

I didn't vote, because I'm man of options, and a simple yes or no just wasn't going to cut it for this question.

I see it like this, did they need to do so many gimmick matches? No, they didn't NEED to, but all the gimmick matches where used very effectively, to the point where you didn't focus on the gimmick, but focused on the amazing match's at hand. So for that reason, it's a No*, but at the same time, I say yes because of just how successful that line of matches was.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

It probably didn't need all the gimmick matches but at the same time it didn't hurt at all. I feel both teams have enough skill to where all matches could have been regular tag matches, but all the gimmick matches added to the series in their own way. Not only that having the gimmick matches they did helped the series because it made it alot easier for fans to get interested in the series because every match was different. Although they have the skill to have all regular tags, its alot easier to get it over if every match has a different stipulation because it keeps things fresh.

 

[Dum Dum Dudley]

I think that due to the fact that the series was over such a small time-scale and was 5 consecutive weeks, it was a neccesity for those gimmick matches to take place. Benoit/Booker didn't use gimmicks because the time-scale of the feuds was months not weeks. As good as MCMG and BMI are in the ring, the viewing audience of today would not be as interested in the same match each week. Lots of posters rag on WWE for running the same main-events on RAW and i think its the same with this series; there IS such a thing as 'too much of a good thing'.
The only problem i had with this series and the use of the gimmicks was that they all took place on free TV, which is a regularly annoyance of mine. Where do they go now with this feud? Ladder match? Cage match? They can't; their hands are tied by the fact that they have given away such a good thing not only on free TV, but in such a small space of time. You could have easily dragged this feud out for a few months with the more hardcore matches taking place at PPV. But overall, it was necessary to use the gimmick matches just to keep interest going. With the whole EV 2.0 angle taking a large part of TNA programming up, it was important to highlight and showcase what exactly brought TNA to the dance. They hook the nostalgic ECW fans in with the EV 2.0 bollocks, then give 'em a taster of TNA originals in hardcore matches and hope you've maintained their interest in your product. Smart move.

 

[Boondocks]

It wasn't NEEDED, since both of these tag teams are great atheletes and performers. With that being said, it was wanted. The winner of the match was able to pick the next type, which then gave the winner the advantage in the next match, like the street fight that beer money picked? A couple of beer drinking hicks would do great in a fight with no rules. The Ultimate X that the Guns picked? A couple of X Division lightweights do excellently in a match that you CAN'T win without being up in the air. They just made it even more interesting than it would've been.

 

[Maestro48239]

I personally feel that the 5 different type matches really showcased the talent of the two teams, granted they would all have shined in just straight tag team matches, but lets face it....it woulda got boring after week 3.

same movesets. same huge spots, even though the outcomes would be different.

I'm glad they went they way they did! all 5 matches, streetfight included, added different flavors to each match. different huge spots, different "holy shit" moments.

I'm pretty bummed that the series is over now, hopefully wolfe and magnus can bring as much to the table as beer money did!

 

[King Blitzkonic]

I personally feel that the 5 different type matches really showcased the talent of the two teams, granted they would all have shined in just straight tag team matches, but lets face it....it woulda got boring after week 3.

same movesets. same huge spots, even though the outcomes would be different.

I'm glad they went they way they did! all 5 matches, streetfight included, added different flavors to each match. different huge spots, different "holy shit" moments.

I'm pretty bummed that the series is over now, hopefully wolfe and magnus can bring as much to the table as beer money did!

Very well put. I'm not sure how Wolfe would do as a tag-team specialist though...especially when his ego will inevitably clash with that of Magnus. I'd much rather see him square off with the X-division if they're not gonna stick him in the main event picture. Right now, the only other tag-team besides BMI that could give the guns a run as far as fluidity and team chemistry would be Generation Me. (Speaking of, when's the last time those two were on TV in tag action?)

 

[chessarmy]

No it hurt some of the matches, I would have had the final match be the sole gimmick match and I'm sure every other wrestling booker would as well, but this is Vince Russo booking so naturally every single match has a stip.

 

[Dum Dum Dudley]

No it hurt some of the matches, I would have had the final match be the sole gimmick match and I'm sure every other wrestling booker would as well, but this is Vince Russo booking so naturally every single match has a stip.

As much as I love a good Russo bashing, your post lacks any real sense. You're telling me you would book MCMG v BMI in a normal tag match for 4 consecutive weeks and expect interest to still be high. In modern times, I think the only match people would watch for four weeks would be Taker v HBK but that's down to the reputation those two guys have, and again, any match or feud can get stale due to over-exposure. And I agree, Russo was notorious for gimmick matches but I felt I explained clearly why the gimmicks were not only necessary but important to TNA's marketing of Hardcore Justice.

 

[JM Punk]

The only way this series would have been even better would have been if Beer Money were the champs going in and the Guns broke through and won the titles in the best of 5......it would have made the end result seem that much more special.

On to the original question, I agree with whoever said it would have been repetitive had all the matches been the same. So I was fine with the stipulations.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Basically the Machine Guns and Beer Money didn't need to use gimmick matches to put on a great match, but when you have a series you have to change it up a little. These 4 wrestlers could wrestle in a basement and still put on a great show. The series happened every week so there needed to be some variety. Maybe having 5 matches in a row was overkill, but they certainly performed well every week. The gimmick matches change the tone of the match to show the teams strengths and weaknesses. Overall it made both teams better since they can wrestle any match at any time. It also made Motor City Machine Guns the strongest tag team TNA has had in years since they overcame the odds every time.