Do You Think That Aces & Eights Has Become Stale?

[Magic Mark]

The title is self-explanatory, so I don't think i'll have to do an introduction on this one.

Anyways, do you think A&8s have became boring? I remember when they first started out (with no revealed members) and it was pretty good. Though it had some quirky moments (Hulk Hogan threatening to rip a dudes teeth out), it was turning into a fairly entertaining angle. Then Devon was revealed as a member of the group. I honestly thought it would be Bischoff, but hey, any surprise is a good surprise (except for Tito Ortiz. And Hornswoggle as RAW GM). Once the story started to continue on, I kinda started to lose interest in it. Then after guys like Brisco, Garrett, and others came into the gang, it just felt like yet another attempt at recreating the nWo. But hey, at least they made it seem a little different, unlike that Immortal group. Back to the topic, The story has been a bit more interesting now that MEM is involved. So overall, they have gotten stale, but I don't really care. I'm more of a WWE fan than a TNA fan. I don't want to go too deep into my opinion about A&8s, cause I don't want to piss off the Impact smarks again.

So yeah, answer the poll and state your reason (I will also be repping all to those who post )

 

[Nate DaMac]

Yeah, like 6 months ago. Bully Ray and maybe Mr. Anderson are the only guys worth a shit at this point now that DOC is gone.

They're trying and have been trying. The idea was good, but you have to have the talent to pull something like this off and they just don't have it.

 

[Seanjburkey]

They were never fresh to begin with. Just another NWO ripoff except this time "big twist" They're BIKERS!!! The other different was it is filled with nothing but jobbers. Even Anderson who is suppose to be the number 2 guy was doing absolutely nothing before he was put in. Bully is a great heel but he was much better as a solo act. When he joined it was suppose to pull them up to his level, instead they brought him down to theirs. This is angle that should have gone at most 6 months and is now working on a year and a half. Kill it now and kill with fire.

 

[klunderbunker]

Yeah I do but most of it isn't their fault.

Now that being said, the idea wasn't bad at first. The problem is that it's in TNA. This is TNA's bread, butter, appetizer, main course and dessert. They LOVE heel super stables and I'm tired of watching it on Impact. This one has been going on for over a year and it's going to go on at least until Bound For Glory. It's too long for any storyline and it's just not interesting anymore. It took far too long to get going and by the time it did, people were sick of it. Also the story seemingly being a vehicle for the Hogan drama doesn't help. The story needs to start winding down and doing so soon. Then no super stables for a few years minimum, please.

 

[Dan Severn's Moustache]

The concept isn't bad. A group of masked guys attacking members of the roster and anarchy ensues. It's been done before, but the masked concept makes it exciting.

Then, the reveals came. Devon wasn't bad seeing as we thought he had left TNA, but then we got people from the WWE undercard, or at a stretch the mid-card like DOC and Knux. And D'Lo Brown as the VP? Nobody cared. All Taz does is support the stable on commentary, Mr Anderson whilst normally a great talent, isn't being used to his full potential here, and do I even need to explain Bischoff and Brisco?

I mean, this is a story arc that should have lasted about 9 months to the very maximum, but now it's the equivalent of beating a dead horse. It was already stale when the first set of reveals were coming in, but now it would be more fun to watch paint dry then see anymore developments in this aging storyarc.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In my eyes, the answer is an emphatic yes. I can't say that I've ever been particularly into the Aces & Eights as it's something, in the grand scheme of things, that we've seen over and over in TNA. It's not necessarily a bad concept in theory but, in my opinion, it is this time around because TNA has done it over & over again while making the group, as a whole, look extremely weak with underdeveloped characters. As KB pointed out, TNA flat out loves heel super groups, though I think the term is more than just a bit stretched in this case because the sole source of real interest in this group has been Bully Ray. When the group was debuted, I immediately sensed that the group was going to stick around FAR longer than it should because, again as KB pointed out, it's what TNA does. It puts me in mind of if WWE kept Nexus going for a full year+ while still booking Wade Barrett as the only guy in the group making an impact.

Even before Bull Ray joined up, I was really tired of the group because they never remotely came off as any sort of real threat. This was TNA's own fault because A&E members were frequently booked to look like low level thugs and chumps who could only get things done when they attacked another wrestler in groups of 3 or 4 against 1. Even after Ray joined, every other member of the group is still at the same level of common, low level, interchangeable thugs who still wind up losing most of the time that nobody cares about. After all, DOC & D-Lo Brown are both gone and it's not like anyone really gives a shit.

As far as Bully Ray goes, all TNA has continued to do since he was revealed as President of the "club" is demonstrate time after time how little use Ray actually has for them. He doesn't need them, nor has he ever needed them. He's all that's really made the group relevant, yet I don't see what Ray has gotten out of being associated with the group. He's just carrying around an additional 2,000 pounds or so of dead weight.

It's a dead horse and even deader formula all in all that TNA has beaten to a bloody, rotten pulp. Even if Aces & Eights is ultimately gone after BFG, it probably won't be too long before the next "major threat" group of heels show up so that the whole thing starts all over again. That is, if TNA stays the course with these nWo type invading factions.

 

[owenmandias]

Was Aces and Eights interesting when they first arrived? I really thought they were. I was actually looking forward to the week after they first attacked Sting, and if i'm not mistaken, they didnt even appear the following week...

I was actually surprised by Devon being unmasked at BFG. I loved it because I really believed he had been released. Then not much really happened after this.

When bully won at Lockdown, we all saw it coming, but it was pulled off perfectly and the whole story being told made me love it... and then slowly it just got boring again.

And I didnt see Sabin winning the title, but it was cool he did and that, but the match was so lame, I was really looking forward to it and it sucked really (for a sabin match) although him winning with the hammer I thought was cool.

I guess im just expecting something to happen again with the Aces that will once again make me interested. This seems to be what happens.

I personally think they could have done with a domination angle, winning all the titles like evolution did. I mean why the hell didnt they have a tag team competing. Doc and Knux I always thought would have been a cool team, and have Garrett and Wes competing against each other to try and get the x-division title first. AND why did Devon drop the TV title? we havnt even seen Abyss or that strap since Devon lost it!!!!

And now that Bully doesnt have a title, the whole stable just basically feels pointless. I dont know what they can do. Bully I think will regain the title but im not sure about him v AJ at bfg especially when AJ keeps losing... I was really looking forward to the dominance of Morgan, but hey ho, he has gone now :/

If there is one thing that the Aces has done well, I think, is made use of Anderson. He is more interesting than he has ever been in TNA. His feuds for the title with hardy were so boring. They should keep building Anderson atm and eventually have him turn and face Bully for the gold. Or have them both gunning for the gold, and maybe have everyone believe that the rest of Aces are behind anderson before they turn on him and get bully the gold back.

GOODNIGHT

 

[Mr. Book This Section]

I've given the nod to the Not sure option. Let me explain why. I'm not sure if Stale is the right word. I like their gimmick of Invading bikers and I like some of the members like Ray and Anderson. The things that I don't like is that they are predictable and they keep losing matches which isn't making them boring, more un-needed then anything... Like they have over stayed their welcome

 

[Haight]

I also voted 'not sure' There were two high points in the club history. The first was in the beginning...an unknown threat targeting Hogan is always fun to watch. The second was when they were trying to recruit AJ Styles. I think after that failed, the club started to go down hill. It would be interesting to see Anderson step up and try to take over as president. Bully Ray's personal business with Brooke Hogan is starting to become a distraction.

 

[FreezeIzGAWD]

I actually thought the whole ANGLE sucked at first... I get tired of the heel faction who can just beat up everyone (ala the SHIELD who I DESPISE but alas I digress). I think that people forget that heels are not suppose 2 be stronger than the faces... THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO BE WEAK AND SPINELESS.... It just makes the Baby faces get over more... But that 2 is besides the point... I actually liked the DEVON reveal and LOVED THE BULLY RAY one... What I hated is it didnt go ANYWHERE... I mean NO WHERE... Sting cant wrestle 4 a title but who cares he's like 70... I guess that's what is boring 2 Me and having SABIN win the TITLE IS STRAIGHT GARBAGE.... I didnt get that at all... Destroy Aces & 8's... LOL... They have no titles.... They are losing all their Members and their announcer cant get in the DOOR... LOL.... What else can U do to them.... WHO CARES? TNA has a bad habit of not going anywhere with their stories and it takes toooooooo long 2 not get anywhere.... And they REALLY NEED TO QUIT WITH THE NWO STYLE TAKEOVER FACTIONS... First of all that was lightning in a bottle... It cant just be reproduced... Stop being lazy and write a new angle... Oh and having AJ as the modern day STING/CROW also stinks.... I just cant believe we have 2 watch this whole series and act surprised when AJ wins it... Its just tooo long and drawn out... Maybe they need to start writing a story at the end and lead back 2 where it begins... Then stories like Ace & 8 wont become moldier than 7 week old bread.....

 

[Revelations1]

Yes they have become stale.

 

[BringThePain834]

These guys got stale after like three weeks. I honestly hope that Bully loses and the rest of Aces and Eights loses at Hardcore Justice. Bully wasn't the right guy to be revealed as the President, Jarrett or Bischoff would have been better

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Yeah, and it's been stale for a while. Bully Ray's reveal as the President, and his WHC win hasn't been enough to justify the longevity of this angle.

When I think back on all of Aces & Eights history, I think about the disappointing reveal at BFG, when Hogan pulled the mask off of Devon. It looked like Aces & Eights was headed in the right direction, when Taz revealed himself as the newest member, because Aces & Eights was in desperate need of someone with real name value to add credibility to the stable. But as time passed, it was clear Taz was just just going to be more annoying on commentary, and he didn't add anything to the group in the grand scheme of things. And maybe I'm getting my timelines mixed up, but somewhere along the way after Taz, Aces & Eights pulled off another disappointing reveal with D-Lo Brown as Vice President. Star power has been one of Aces & Eights major problems, because the stable has one too many scrubs. That's a problem for a heel stable that's supposed to be such a huge and dangerous threat.

Bully as Champion had some promise, but once Main Event Mafia came back, it was painfully and obviously clear TNA was headed for another faction wars storyline. The reintroduction of MEM hasn't helped Aces & Eights. MEM just put a dying angle back on life support, because instead of wondering, who's going to be the guy to take down Bully, we're now back to the stable wars storylines that we've seen dominate TNA for so long.

So looking back, nothing, and I mean NOTHING has justified the longevity of this angle. No matches, no reveals, no new members. Not a damn thing. And you have to consider the very realistic possibility of this angle spilling over into 2014, where Aces & Eights and MEM will square off in a final showdown match at Lockdown.

 

[AndThat'sTheBottomLine]

This angle is so stale it's utterly ridiculous that it's gone on as long as it has. It stopped being interesting around the D'Lo Brown reveal but it was sliding downhill long before then. I was disappointed yet optimistic with the Devon reveal. Taz gave the angle a shot in the arm but he did nothing for the angle itself and it became boring again. I can see this angle being pushed into 2014 because TNA loves it's heel factions. MEM coming back makes it painfully clear that TNA intends to redo the NWO vs Wolfpack angle from WCW with AJ caught in the middle like Sting was. TNA hasn't had a single original idea as it pertains to its heel factions. This angle needs to go away and go away soon but something tells me otherwise.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

I was interested int the Aces and 8s angle in the beginning. When they were all masked there was a lot of intrigue of who was behind it and they still had some mystique. But now it just seems like another power struggle stable storyline like we got with Immortal a few years ago. Now that Bully's lost the title I think they should scrap Aces and 8s at Hardcore Justice. They could maybe turn Devon face and have him feud with Bully Ray heading into Bound For Glory.

 

[Loganity]

Yes! if Taz became more of an "actual" member such as being a mouthpiece for one of the weaker guys, that would be something I'd be interested in watching.

IMO the only logical ending to this storyline is having Hogan involved in a match at BFG, whether it be some sort of tag match with Sting maybe? Or Hogan vs Bully Ray.

 

[Rayne]

Yup. If I recall, they became stale right when D-Von got his mask pulled off, and the world was like "this is your big reveal???" Well, it turned out that Bully Ray was the big reveal, and people cared for all of a week.

The amazing thing is that this angle is still going. It just isn't working. Normally, professional wrestling promotions will have the blow-off match, break up the group, salvage those who can be salvaged, and let the rest drop. (Garrett, Wes, looking at you guys.) TNA seems positively determined to get people to buy into this. Don't ask me why. TNA has been trying the 'long convoluted storyline' thing since the 2010 revamp, and it hasn't worked once. Now the storylines aren't convoluted at least- they're just long, and not very interesting.

A lot more could have been done with the pieces of a broken up Aces and Eights- sometime last year- than has been done with the group so far.

 

[nikkamcdraco]

What is an "Aces & Eights" exactly?

Exactly.

 

[aaronmb]

It got stale a long time ago. Now its just a joke. Youve got two guys that shouldve been released(bischoff and briscoe) and two other guys that are barely mid carders(mr anderson and devon). Its almost funny watching Kurt/Sting and Roode talk about how theyre some kind of threat. Only one even one anything is Bully, and his whole Brooke story never should've even started.

 

[GameOver]

the angle was stale within the first month. What have you been watching to come to the conclusion that it has only just become stale

as above said, they are a joke and the only one thats gained anything from being a part of it is Bully Ray.

 

[SpecialFNK]

in the beginning I thought it was GREAT! people complain way too fucking much. how often do you get a masked group attacking people where you do not know who they masked guys are? yeah same old same old.

I see 2 major flaws in Aces and Eights. the reveals were weak, really weak. Devon? DOC? Knux? Wes Brisco? Garrett Bischoff? D'Lo Brown? ugh.
the other flaw is they were booked to look so weak. they lost way too often for a heel group that should be looking bad ass. the guys who ended up being in the group would not have been so bad had the entire group been booked to win more often.
problem is who was available out there for TNA to bring in to be the masked guys? there weren't any big names available that would work.
but like many things TNA does people just want to shit on it and say it's bad just because it's TNA.

 

[J3Piecenickas]

It's weird because to me this angle always seemed like it was a bad idea. It was drawn out for months and months just revealing members of the group. The whole biker gimmick is so poorly ripped from SoA that it's very difficult to take this seriously. I never really bought into the gimmick and thought it was boring from the start. When Taz revealed himself as a member I actually laughed at the TV because it was so pointless to have him involved in the angle. Then the reveal of D-Lo pretty much made me hate it. Only one guy in the group has any ability to be a part of something like this-Bully Ray. But still, Bully Ray is not the kind of high profile guy who should be pulling the strings at the top. I'm not saying Bischoff, Hogan, Flair, or any TNA management would make it work. If they truly wanted to make this angle work they would have found a way to get some other big name star to be in control of the group (shoulda got Heyman). TNA is just too bad to really watch anymore. I really wanted to give it a try but this whole MEM vs Aces & 8's is so cliched and so cringe-worthy/douche-chill inducing that I cannot watch anymore.

 

[multiverseman.com]

It was stale a year ago. Which is odd considering the amount of effort they have continued to pour into it week after week.

 

[SaveUsCMPunk]

No, and I've liked the angle (for the most part) from the beginning. Yeah, they could use some bigger name guys in the group and find someone to fill DOC's void now that he's gone, but it's not as bad as most people on the internet say. It's reinvigorated one of my favorites, Mr. Anderson, and allowed him to become a pivotal part of Aces N' Eights. Anything that gets Mr. Anderson promo time and ring time is OK in my book.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Undeniably yes. TNA has kind of an opposite thing going than WWE: Whereas WWE storylines seem to peak and end too quickly at times TNA storylines seem to drag on WAY too long and peak long after people lose interest.

The very idea on paper wasn't too bad but my biggest issue this whole time was its ANOTHER heel stable that is the main focal point of the programming. If you look at the entire timeline of TNA there is a heel stable dominating the program at least 70% of the time (SEX, Planet Jarrett, MEM, Fortune, Immortal, A & 8's) not to mention some smaller heel stables (Triple X, Team Canada) as well. It's like they're always stuck in the 90's with their main programming where big heel stables were the norm (nWo, all the factions that branched off from nWo (save nWo Wolfpac which were faces), The Corporation, The Corporate Ministry) and that needs to stop. It seems like they try to re create the nWo every year or 2 and it just doesn't work. The nWo was last shown in '02 and not even a year later TNA was trying the same thing with Sports Entertainment eXtreme and they've done it ever since.

I feel they need to step away from it and do something different for a long period of time. There's nothing wrong with doing similar storylines from the past, everyone does it but it gets really old when there isn't enough breathing room between it (same reason I don't care for Triple H vs. Vince McMahon, or the corrupt boss in WWE but that's for another time).

I'm not sure why TNA feels they need to keep having the same shit dominate their programming but there is plenty of other storylines in wrestling, there's plenty of shit that hasn't been done even though it may be hard to think of something, so why not try other stuff? It's not like ratings or buyrates are going to suffer, they always just kind of hang around where they are currently so why not? Worst case scenario is things stay stagnant like they have (which Spike TV seems to be fine with), best case scenario is ratings and buyrates actually increase.