Gunner & Murphy: It May Seem Trivial...

[It's Damn Real!]

But getting them a set of [matching] tights as was seen at the Against All Odds Pay-Per-View match where they fought alongside Rob Terry in a losing bout against Scott Steiner & Beer Money, Inc. was actually a huge step in actually making both performers look like [credible] performers. The black cargo pants & generic TNA security t-shirt-wearing gimmick they had going on prior to that made them stick out like sore thumbs in a group of already seen by some as rag-tag wrestlers in Immortal, who let's face it, could use all the help they can get right now. With Abyss on the shelf, the only real "stars" in their group are the Hardy boys and Jarrett — beyond that it's a steep drop off to guys like Rob Terry as well as Gunner & Murphy.

I know G&M are still quite green in terms of exposure, but Immortal actually needs them since the loss of Beer Money, Inc. via the Fortune turn. If the two stables are going to war with one another, Immortal needs to actually have something to pit against Fortune that isn't just a mishmash throw-together of two random performers who'd simply compete as tag-team wrestlers. It seems trivial, but the matching tights actually gave them an incredible boost in credibility, and as I'd imagine they will be the team to feud with BMI for the titles, it was a very necessary and likely over-looked move by TNA creative.

Thoughts on all this? Thoughts on Gunner & Murphy?

 

[neildittmar]

Matching tights gave G&M credibility only insofar that they now look the part of a wrestling tag team as opposed to corrupt security officials in the back pocket of Bischoff/Immortal. I think you're right in that they were given actual ring attire directly due to the defection of Fourtune. Immortal needs a tag team, naturally to win the tag team titles and stay dominant.

So what's the problem? The way I see it, G&M go beyond just being green. Said differently, the few times I've seen them in active competition I haven't bought either of them as "professional wrestlers" one bit. The previous attire was only one part of the recipe that was missing. Their moveset is not only limited, but often times extremely sloppily executed. I'm thinking typical "WWE Divas" level of bad. Personality and charisma are always highly debatable subjects when talking about wrestlers, yet G&M really haven't given me anything to go on one way or the other. They really did play the nameless and faceless hired bouncer/security thing well. I don't know anything about them. Right now, I don't want to know anything about them.

I understand why they were "brought up" to active competition, but if there could ever be a complaint made about wrestlers taking up spots that they truly don't deserve, right now I'd be hard pressed not to associate Gunner and Murphy to that claim. Way too green, premiere spots (tag team) with the top heel faction, and putting on matches with true, seasoned professionals like Beer Money... it just makes them look like they're fresh off the train. In all honesty, they probably are... at least in a professional wrestling context.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Don't jump the gun on G&M being Immortal's Tag Team yet. They have moved up in prominence (as witnessed in last weeks iMPACT when they were wearing their own duds), but given how unproven they are thus far I'd imagine they have the foreseeable period of bodyguard/ Immortal's whipping boys' duties ahead of them. On a positive note, whilst they botched some spots at AAO, they appear to have the potential to be competent in the ring. The next question is can they display sufficient charisma for us to care?

Given the lack of top level heels since Fortunes' swerve I sense another one coming to bolster Immortals numbers. As RVD has now (hopefully) moved past Matt, I could see someone joining with him in a tag environment - this could be Hernandez (although I see a Blueprint feud on the immediate horizon for Super Mex) but my money would be on Omega alumni Shannon Moore swerving Ink Inc partner Jesse Neal. Alternatively, maybe both members of Ink Inc will cross the line, if Hardy Snr is to big for the tag belts.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I think any team that enter as 'enforcers' for someone or a group can find it tough to be seen as a credible tag team whenever they are elevated. Enforcers generally need to be big, powerful and commanding; flexibility and speed are 2 key components when it comes to ring action but are not associated with the enforcer role so this creates a bit of a stumbling block for them.

If they had entered as a tag team and then been recruited by Immortal then it wouldn't have been as big an issue, they'd still be green, but they'd be in the fans' mind as 'wrestlers' rather than 'enforcers', and so the jump would have been easier. There would probably even be threads asking to see them given a chance as a team instead of being Immortal's lackeys.

As far as the tights go, it was a good move. Fortune have pretty much been colour coordinated since their inception and I guess makes the action easier to follow for any casual viewers as they're used to seeing teams in their colours against each other.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Some may see it as trivial, but yeah, matching wrestling gear does go a long way. This is a huge problem among "random" tag teams, most of which are in the WWE. Yoshi/Mark Henry, Morrison/R-Truth, etc. Not only do these pairings have no story behind them being together, they don't look as though they belong together.

Gunner and Murphy are both shit. Complete and utter shit. But, at least they have reason to be a team. At the end of the day, it's still going to be extremely difficult for me to buy into them as a legit threat, but taking them out of black slacks and into wrestling gear definitely helps.

 

[JaredJammer]

I noticed it, too. I thought they were pretty stylish outfits and made them look far more credible than their typical security garb.

I wouldn't mind seeing them get a little bit of a push. They're a fresh tag team who seem to have solid talent, and if they're gonna be members of Immortal, they can't be complete jokes. I'd have them demolish Eric Young and Orlando Jordan, who seem to be going nowhere in a hurry, and maybe Ink, Inc., too.