Do you miss classic backstage interviews on iMPACT?

[MachoMadness1988]

With this new documentary/reality style backstage format that TNA iMPACT! has had for awhile now we very rarely see classic style backstage interviews with Christy Hemme. In fact, I really can't recall the last time I saw her do a classic style backstage interview on iMPACT. The only time we every really see her do interviews these days is on PPVs and Xplosion.

I was watching a backstage interview with Mr. Anderson from early 2010 earlier today that was absolutely hilarious, and I feel like we are missing out on some great interviews from great talkers like Mr. Anderson and The Pope. I really do love this new documentary/reality style backstage format that TNA has now. I think it's something fresh and new, but I personally would like to see a nice mix between it and classic backstage interviews. I would really like to see TNA keep the majority of iMPACT! in that documentary/reality style backstage format they have while having a few classic style backstage interviews in the show.

My question to you guys, do you miss classic style backstage interviews on iMPACT?

 

[Uncle Phatso]

Yes I do, with this Bs documentary style you can't build younger stars. I feel its good when used hand in hand with regular Backstage interviews. Like have some younger and older wrestlers talk, but with the shots you feel are needed have them in the documentary style.

I'm sick of shady angles, and half the screen being blocked by boxes. You want to say that your wrestlers are telling the business to the fans by using the Biz lingo on your show, but then you try and sell that 5 wrestlers in a room can't see you hiding behind 2 boxes? PLEASE, its cool to do it when your doing like Eric talking to all of legacy, but when your doing it for every little thing it gets annoying. I wanna here funny and serious commentary. How are you suppose to have better rookie mic workers when they never get any talk time? That’s what wrestling about! TELLING A STORY!! How are the younger wrestlers going to get better on the stick if you never give them any talk time?

 

[alistahr]

NO, those segments were incredibly cheesy, it was hard to watch.

These doc style interviews tell the story even better and seem more genuine, unlike some guy yelling at a camera with the companys logo in the back, i always wondered about a way to get rid of those lame laughable bits, and im glad TNA found a way.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

Cheesy as they may be thats one of the backbones of profesion wrestling Alistahr. Cheesy promos tell us the story of the wrestler, would Randy Savage have got his charicter over as an over the top loud mouth without the backstage promo's>? I think not good sir, Pro wrestling isn't suppost to be fully Genuine. I want to know who the charicters are and what they are like, you just can't tell that from Tna's new cool documentary style.

 

[alistahr]

yes cool, and well done.

As much as id like to see Steiner do another math problem, its time to evolve, plus its not like they got rid of those completely, theyve been using the backstage interviews at the ppvs

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Cheesy as they may be thats one of the backbones of profesion wrestling Alistahr. Cheesy promos tell us the story of the wrestler, would Randy Savage have got his charicter over as an over the top loud mouth without the backstage promo's>? I think not good sir, Pro wrestling isn't suppost to be fully Genuine. I want to know who the charicters are and what they are like, you just can't tell that from Tna's new cool documentary style.

Well said. Without those backstage interviews being around we would never have had many of The Rock or Jericho's legendary interviews/promo's

I used to enjoy seeing a wrestler talk to an interviewer literally seconds before coming out to the ring, or when they were on their way through the curtain, or directly after a match covered in sweat, happy if they had won, pissed off if they had lost. I thought it added something. I just dont like this new documentary thing TNA have going on.

 

[Uncle Phatso]

yes cool, and well done.

As much as id like to see Steiner do another math problem, its time to evolve, plus its not like they got rid of those completely, theyve been using the backstage interviews at the ppvs

/sarcasam on the cool and new thing

Thats the problem though, alot of people don't even watch the ppv's they just watch the tv shows. I personally think the last time I got a Tna ppv was well over a year ago. If you want people to get them they have to know your wrestlers storys or actually be intrested in it. I only really watch the tv shows anymore, its also been like 4 months since I got a WWE ppv to. But thats for other reasons.

Also why evolve? They basically have got them totaly off the t.v. I don't believe we've found a way yet to phase it out, and it sure as hell isn't this way. You might like it for some reason, but I believe I have the mass of the forums and the people behind me in this one.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

If I have the choice, I take the docu-style of ReAction over the classic interviewer/interviewee approach that most of us grew up with.

To me, the docu-style gives the interview a much more candid and raw feel, which can intensify the depth of the feud, whereas (generally speaking), the traditional style is more comedic and scripted.

I don't have a problem per-say with the older style, I just like the newer more for what TNA is supposed to be.

 

[TellMeWhy]

I prefer the newer Reaction style as well but why does everything have to always be choice a and choice b with wrestling fans? Why can't we have choice c and like all of the above? The Reaction style isn't even comparable to the traditional style. The Reaction style/hidden reality camera that TNA uses is just a different way of presenting the backstage atmosphere which is cool with me. If anything the reaction style should be compared to the old style of backstage presentation that TNA used before that WWE still uses. To me it beats the upfront soap opera style of backstage segments that WWE has been using for years. As for the traditional interview. That will always have a place in wrestling no matter what.

 

[Cruiser]

I wouldn't mind a few occasional backstage interviews prior to matches but it's not something that should be overdone. Times have changed in both pro-wrestling and in television and production style needs to change with it. I'm more of a WWE guy and am not a regular viewer of TNA but I do believe that way they conduct backstage segments is something that needed to happen for a long time in wrestling. It adds a much needed sense of realism to the product. When it comes to the WWE, I feel like they just gave up. Their backstage interviews are boring and people just say the same thing over and over again. Backstage segments just don't allow you to suspend your disbelief when camera angles change and are always in the right place at the right time. How many times in the WWE do we see wrestlers coming up with a secret plan that no one is supposed to know about yet there is a camera right there in the room with them?

In my opinion TNA has got it right with what they are doing backstage. A limited amount of backstage traditional interviews may be good but I wouldn't want TNA to over do it. They have a good thing going trying to present realism in this form and it's one edge they have over the WWE. It's 2011 and TNA actually recognizes that. The WWE is stuck in their old methods and sometimes it's so bad I just have to turn it off.

 

[AndarielHalo]

Of all the horrible things iMPACT does and is, this new "documentary" style is probably the one thing (aside from Beer Money and MCMG) that I like. The old "classic" style were a catastrofuck; the cameraguy was always swaying about and zooming in and out like he was drunk and trying to balance on rollerskates.

TNA is trying to up the realism, and while they're failing miserably on so many fronts (a trespasser gets police escorted out, then comes back in, wanders about, assaults a wrestler in the ring, and CONTINUES to wander about ASSAULTING MORE WRESTLERS, AS WELL AS A GUY DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO THE NEW BOSS, and nothing happens to him, whereas a black guy issuing a challenge to a fight gets instantly swarmed and held down by six white security guards. Ric Flair doesn't believe that some guy from THEY is attacking members of Immortal DESPITE IT BEING CAUGHT ON CAMERA FOR TWO WEEKS) the "documentary" style interview things and sneaking up on people is so much better; it makes it appear as though the wrestlers aren't reading scripted things, but being caught at random and behaving on their own

 

[Disturbed]

The documentary style interviews was not neccisarly a bad thing. It gave them a way of getting looked upon different by the average wrestling fan. WWE doesn't do that but hey TNA does. The only problem is they have over done it like many other things in TNA. It was good at first but now it is just old and boring. It was exciting at first but just grew stale. I wouldn't mind them continuing this but they need to at least bring back regular interviews and do those too. They can have both. I don't know why they haven't realized that.

 

[ABMorales787]

Quite frankly, if Jeremy Borash isn't doing the interview or Lauren Thompson, then I don't want to. Those two really were the best interviewers out there since probably the days of Kevin Kelly made to pick his nose by The Rock. And that's the reason why, too. JB and Lauren really connected with the wrestlers and made them see as full fledged characters as well. How could you forget JB going with Eric Young to buy condoms. Or Abyss calling Lauren his girlfriend and getting in all sorts of trouble for it. Or all the crazy skits JB had with Kurt Angle and Mick Foley. That made the interviews worthwhile. But Christy Hemme can't really hold a candle to those two.

The documentary style, is fresh out the box and a unique concept that helps give TNA a raw feel as well as a unique quality. With the big interviewers gone, something just as unique had to take their place, and this was it. Not Hemme. Even if she has some rather nice boobs.

 

[CrayzChris]

I think these backstage segments are incredibly cheesy, and make the "talent" look even more ridiculous.

It doesn't look like wrestling, it looks like a bad soap opera, or a low budget porn film. I think what it comes down to, is that the TNA talent are all so horrible at cutting promos, that they have to stick to these backstage segments in order to tell a story. Or they have to have 20 guys stand in the ring and watch Ric Flair cut a promo on their behalf.