Jeff Hardy Works the Impact Zone?

[jccool420]

Credit Pwinsider.com

By Mike Johnson on 2010-11-08 21:07:48

A strange scene ended tonight's Impact taping.

Throughout the taping, TNA plugged that fans could take their picture with Jeff Hardy at the end of the taping for $25. However, when it came time for Hardy to come out, he insulted Jeremy Borash (who had introduced him to the crowd) and told the fans to go take their money and "go buy groceries."

Hardy then went to the back and didn't return. After several minutes, TNA and Universal Studios employees, who were completely confused and caught off guard by the situation, began refunding the money.

There were quite a few fans, particularly families with young children, that were upset about the scene. I can't imagine that was a planned spot, since it took place at the end of the night and it wouldn't have served any purpose to get the crowd to turn against Hardy at that point.
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Wow... That seems a little harsh to the familes and stuff that already paid the money and had the kids excited about taking a picture with Jeff...

I understand that it was to try and completely turn the Impact Zone against Hardy so he comes off as a strong heel on TV...

I think it would've been more tasteful of TNA to refund the money and have someone like Morgan or RVD, even Pope come out and take pictures for free... Morgan would've been a great choice since they are trying to get him over as a face...

Thoughts?

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

This isn't good. This sounds like a Vince Russo move, and I think he's finally taken it one step too far. This is just terrible. Attempting to mix kayfabe and real life has a limit, and this is it. You don't treat your fans that way, even if it is in the Impact Zone.

You can rip on the Impact Zone regulars all you want, but they are as loyal as they come. I don't know if "the road" fans would treat TNA so well. This is just a slap in the face to the audience, and I'm not happy about it. You can kick fans around by presenting a not-so-good product, but to actually slap them in the face is pathetic. This just stinks of Vince Russo.

 

[MrHashasheen]

This isn't good. This sounds like a Vince Russo move, and I think he's finally taken it one step too far. This is just terrible. Attempting to mix kayfabe and real life has a limit, and this is it. You don't treat your fans that way, even if it is in the Impact Zone.

You can rip on the Impact Zone regulars all you want, but they are as loyal as they come. I don't know if "the road" fans would treat TNA so well. This is just a slap in the face to the audience, and I'm not happy about it. You can kick fans around by presenting a not-so-good product, but to actually slap them in the face is pathetic. This just stinks of Vince Russo.

Or you know, its all on Hardy. Bischoff has mentioned that he's given hardy major creative leeway in terms of his character, and something like this could have been a moment of "inspiration" by Hardy.

 

[LSN80]

Whether this was a product of Russo or Hardy is irrelevant. Hardy may think its the "heelish" thing to do, but one thing that has always set TNA apart from WWE in a positive way has been the accesability of its superstars.

Im not saying all of that is out the window, but it spits in the face of goodwill. They took the people's money, and......just didnt deliver what they promised? TNA, by many, is considered low-brow and low-rent by many. I don't care if they refunded the money, this is as low-brow as it gets.

Even if Hardy has "creative control" of his character, the cameras were off. There was no need for him to continue to be a dick to the people who had paid to get their pics taken with him, especially little kids who often can't blur the line between kayfabe, and reality.

Ive heard personally from friends about how wonderful TNA shows are, both in the Impact Zone, and at house shows. The wrestlers are friendly, accessible, and talkative. Which sets them apart from the machine that is WWE, where the superstars are portrayed as larger then life, and completely unaccessable. Fake or scripted, this hurts that image, and that isn't good for TNA, no matter how you explain it.

 

[ABMorales787]

Wow. Apparently going to the back and finding somebody else for the photo session would've killed TNA. That was ridiculosu and unnecessary. I doubt it was spontaneous because who would offer a shoot with the top heel anyway? It was a boneheaded move and it was even more boneheaded not to find someone else.

 

[Alastor]

This could be an attempt to get Hardy over with the Impact Zone crowd as a heel so that he will be booed when he appear on television. However I feel that it can easily backfire as the smarks might just be silent or cheer ironically to protest if they really hate the dickish move.

Anyway why piss off people that are actually willing to pay just to advance a heel character? I really hope it is not planned as it is just a dumb business move.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

This is vintage Vince Russo. I'd be surprised to know that someone other than him is behind this. Its a pretty meaningless move though. I do not think people will boo Hardy anymore than they were already doing prior to this incident. Nor is it, as the WWE fans think, going to affect the ticket sales in any way.

I do think Vince Russo takes pro wrestling too seriously though.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think it was a good idea to have Jeff Hardy refuse to sign the autographs as it helps to put him over as a heel and get him hated by the fans, but TNA should have countered that by having a major name face- E.G Kurt Angle there to jump in and offer to sign the autographs, to keep the fans happy.

Not doing that just pisses people off and makes the fans hate the company for being assholes, not hate the wrestler for being a heel like TNA hoped they would

Nice work, Russo

 

[Post]

I don't know if it was a good idea, but I'm all for it. The people that attend the impact zone seem to be regulars for the most part (I always see some of the same faces in the crowd on TV). You don't want to burn bridges with the people that buy tickets, t shirts, and foam fingers. But there are a lot of tourists there too...

Personally, I read this and laughed. I would have loved to have seen it. It just sounds really funny. This could be great for Jeff's character. He could be targeting older fans and might be trying to distance himself from his old image, which is a bit cartoonish (especially w/ the face paint).

Either way, I like the fact that it is something different. Jeff is staying in character, like the heels used to do some years ago. I can't wait to see what happens next.

 

[TheBWO]

Yeah...that was a dickish move.....as much as I loathe the Hardys in general, they always say that the people you meet on the way up the ladder are the same you meet on the way down. Remember when Jericho had that little incident going to his car and was attacked by the fans as he was trying to get in his car and someone had taped it.....and then we all tried to figure out if it was a shoot or not? That being said, the only difference was that it wasn't taped.....maybe they did a dry run to see the fans reaction first, before deciding if they should tape it and put a spin on it. He's labeling himself the "Anti-Christ of wrestling".....maybe he's trying to make this as real as possible.

 

[Kostaki]

I thought the idea was brilliant. The point was to generate heat and get people talking about his "dick move" and it succeeded on both counts. There were Hardy chants at the PPV, and this is most likely what was decided upon to counteract that.

It's a heel being a heel, nothing more.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

I thought the idea was brilliant. The point was to generate heat and get people talking about his "dick move" and it succeeded on both counts. There were Hardy chants at the PPV, and this is most likely what was decided upon to counteract that.

It's a heel being a heel, nothing more.

Absolutely, it was a brilliant move for Hardy's character, what was not a brilliant move is for TNA to let it end like that and not bring out a face to replace him, all that does is let fans down, and I know if I were one of those people, it'd be the last time I ever gave TNA a dime.

 

[xGotTheEdgex]

I love that Hardy did this. It was a good move on Hardy and TNAs part. If you watched the PPV, Hardy was actually cheered quite a bit. Hardy is the mega-heel right now in TNA and TNA needs the crowds to hate and boo him.

BUT...If TNA was smart, they would have had Morgan or Pope come out after this and offer to take the pictures and sign autographs in place of Hardy. This would have helped put either Morgan or Pope over even more...too bad they didn't do this.

 

[MWRedskins]

i think this smells of a way to get more fans to hate Hardy by acting like this is the real Hardy. Now we all of course know that Hardy DOES care about his fans in real life, but this move smells of TNA taking Hardy's heel character to a whole new level.

 

[wrestlemaniac]

Read something about money on a post on here....how it works...if anyone her other than me has been to a taping or a house show....how it works is, after the show the audience lines up by the rail and once borash gets to you you pay him or the ref that is there. The wrestler would already have had to be in the ring....in this case hardy....for the line to form. The money from the rest of the people in line starts being taken up after the 1st picture but in this vase since no picture was taken, I would assume money wasn't either. My take on this hardy move. I think it's great a a great way to get fans to hate you lol.

 

[Sicc Nick]

This isn't good. This sounds like a Vince Russo move, and I think he's finally taken it one step too far. This is just terrible. Attempting to mix kayfabe and real life has a limit, and this is it. You don't treat your fans that way, even if it is in the Impact Zone.

You can rip on the Impact Zone regulars all you want, but they are as loyal as they come. I don't know if "the road" fans would treat TNA so well. This is just a slap in the face to the audience, and I'm not happy about it. You can kick fans around by presenting a not-so-good product, but to actually slap them in the face is pathetic. This just stinks of Vince Russo.

A little too sentimental, are we? Don't those fans enter the Impact Zone for free? Aren't half of those fans part of the IWC? IWC being a community full of dumb shit people who talk about the wrestling business like they know everything about it, and complain that kayfabe is weak and that the business is going to shit because of it? The TNA fans are lucky to see such a product, and the industry as a whole trying to recreate not an angle (for once), not a stable (for once), not a gimmick (for once), but kayfabe.

Remember the good ol' days where you hated the heel like a son of a bitch and when he kept winning the matches you almost didn't watch the show 'cause of how much you hated him, but still watched so the babyface can finally kick the ever loving fuck out of him? And then when he finally does so, you couldn't even describe how much you enjoyed that show? Yeah, that in itself is giving you your money's worth, and your mental loyalty's worth. By doing this, they can make the PPV's actually worth waiting a month for, and they can make it where even when you read the spoilers for the show, you can go on and actually watch the show still, just to see how everything pans out.

It's kayfabe at it's finest. Tell me the last time kayfabe has even been decent. It hasn't been decent since 2001.

 

[blackmetalbuick]

Lol if the Impact Zone fans think they are the best and brightest TNA fans, they should have seen this coming from a mile away, so I don't have much sympathy for them. With how hard they're working this evil Hardy thing, there's no way he was going to come out and spend time with the fans. I'm sure there were at least some people in the crowd who knew it was likely a setup from the moment it was announced, and maybe only a few unfortunates who were dumb enough to really get excited about meeting a huge HEEL after the show.

I do agree though that if they didn't bring out someone else as a replacement, then that's pretty lame towards the fans. But again, it's not like they were doing this at a house show on the road, they did it with the same crowd who is there every week, and who are getting more annoying on TV than ever.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Eeh ... I don't necessarily agree with this. I mean, be mean to the people and stuff, give 'em a few birdies, curse them if you will, but don't fuck with little kids' minds. If I were a 10 years old, and Hardy was my idol and the guy tells me to go buy groceries and I don't get the picture with him I wanted I'll most likely dehydrate myself from crying my ass off. Be mean but that's fucking stupid.

I don't care that much about the adults -- they know the deal, but the kids don't. Some of them might still believe this is real and there's no way to explain to a kid that that's his gimmick.

TNA crossed the line. WHOOPSIE!

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

A little too sentimental, are we?

This would imply I am upset because it "isn't the way it used to be done." I don't care if this is a new tactic, or something from 40 years ago. You don't treat your fans that way. As a fan, you should probably understand that.

Don't those fans enter the Impact Zone for free? Aren't half of those fans part of the IWC? IWC being a community full of dumb shit people who talk about the wrestling business like they know everything about it, and complain that kayfabe is weak and that the business is going to shit because of it?

So because the crowd enters for free (actually it isn't free, I'm pretty sure they have to pay to get into the park first), TNA should be able to treat them like shit?

And what does this have to do with the IWC? Are you sure the crowd is mostly made up of IWC members? Sounds like a huge assumption to me, where you have zero evidence to back it up.

And even if they are ICW people, does that take away from their status as being a fan? Even if they are let in for free, I'm sure they buy snacks, drinks, t-shirts, magazines, DVD's, etc. So don't give me this free-ride bullshit, it doesn't hold water.

The TNA fans are lucky to see such a product, and the industry as a whole trying to recreate not an angle (for once), not a stable (for once), not a gimmick (for once), but kayfabe.

Ok, I'm not going to get into just how "original" TNA is right now, but you can seriously wipe your ass with this entire statement. TNA should feel lucky, as a company, that people are filling up that arena. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. I'm not saying this incident is nearly big enough to drive away a crowd, but further incidents could be.

Remember the good ol' days where you hated the heel like a son of a bitch and when he kept winning the matches you almost didn't watch the show 'cause of how much you hated him, but still watched so the babyface can finally kick the ever loving fuck out of him? And then when he finally does so, you couldn't even describe how much you enjoyed that show? Yeah, that in itself is giving you your money's worth, and your mental loyalty's worth. By doing this, they can make the PPV's actually worth waiting a month for, and they can make it where even when you read the spoilers for the show, you can go on and actually watch the show still, just to see how everything pans out.

Yeah, you're rambling here. But, I think you are talking about the good ol' days of kayfabe running wild...a bit sentimental here, are we?

Heels, in the old days, could draw a million times more heat than any heel is drawing in TNA right now, and still sign autographs after the show. I have a Ted DiBiase autograph from 1992 and he was still a rather hated heel at that point. What I'm saying here is that if you had a quality product, and heel turns that fans cared about, you wouldn't have to resort to these shit tactics. But with Jeff Hardy being as popular as he is, it's not going to be easy turning him heel. But that that doesn't mean you need to resort to these kinds of shit tactics. It's idiotic.

It's kayfabe at it's finest. Tell me the last time kayfabe has even been decent. It hasn't been decent since 2001.

This really isn't kayfabe. This is TNA attempting to piss of it's home crowd, off screen, so they will boo even louder the next time. If it were completely kayfabe, it would happen on screen. These are petty, bullshit tactics. They are attempting to draw real heat on a guy like Hardy, by pulling shit moves like this off-screen. It shows TNA has a lack of confidence in getting over what they want to get over on television each week.

 

[flocker]

A little too sentimental, are we? Don't those fans enter the Impact Zone for free? Aren't half of those fans part of the IWC? IWC being a community full of dumb shit people who talk about the wrestling business like they know everything about it, and complain that kayfabe is weak and that the business is going to shit because of it? The TNA fans are lucky to see such a product, and the industry as a whole trying to recreate not an angle (for once), not a stable (for once), not a gimmick (for once), but kayfabe.

Remember the good ol' days where you hated the heel like a son of a bitch and when he kept winning the matches you almost didn't watch the show 'cause of how much you hated him, but still watched so the babyface can finally kick the ever loving fuck out of him? And then when he finally does so, you couldn't even describe how much you enjoyed that show? Yeah, that in itself is giving you your money's worth, and your mental loyalty's worth. By doing this, they can make the PPV's actually worth waiting a month for, and they can make it where even when you read the spoilers for the show, you can go on and actually watch the show still, just to see how everything pans out.

It's kayfabe at it's finest. Tell me the last time kayfabe has even been decent. It hasn't been decent since 2001.

Obviously, TNA should have had a face come out to save the day... But if the day is saved, why bother to get PISSED? Everything worked out fine, so why be angry? Why care? NOPE, they played this perfectly. Unless, unless, unless- what if they had sent out ORLANDO JORDAN and encouraged him to hit on EVERYONE? "Grandma come sit on my lap..." "Hey big daddy" "mamacita!" "Junior, do you like CANDY?"

Seriously, what if they played it like they were trying to make good for FREE, but it just went horribly wrong?

"Well, Hardy just flat out refused to do it, so we sent OJ out to make nice and he really went a bit too far..."

They want heat, right?

*** OR***

As a "suitable replacement" for the heavyweight champ,send out the X division champ. That crowd LOVES Robbie E!

They shoulda made good, or pushed it further.

 

[Dizzy]

Wait, so Orton does it about 5 times and it's okay? Jeff does it and Russo is to blame. Typical.

It did come off very messed up but that is how you get a heel over. I'm sure the entire locker room did not do the samething and they did get a refund.

 

[klunderbunker]

See, here's the problem with this mixing reality and scripted material: when the cameras are off and you take the money from fans, it's not that you're getting a heel over. You're ripping people off with a bait and switch.

First of all, who thought it was a good idea to offer pictures with a heel? Were the Guns busy or something? There were NO faces on the roster you could offer this with? Bad idea on TNA's part. Second, at the end of the day the fans are who you try the hardest not to tick off. You don't tick off fans like this. If you're a heel you bitch and complain but you send the fans home somewhat happy. This was a bad idea to put it mildly as a casual fan thinks he's just a pompous jerk. If you don't follow every report that the works/shoots are becoming more alike everyday, then Hardy looks like an ass rather than a guy portraying a character. When that is no longer the norm, it comes off as looking very bad. This wasn't good.

 

[Weems2k]

Considering those losers at the Impact show have been getting in for free since forever, who cares if TNA may have gotten an extra 25 bucks from them. Look at it this way. All the idiot smarks there seem to think they are the show, not the wrestlers, so Hardy and TNA for once used them to further his heel turn. Pretty smart if you ask me.

 

[Navi]

See, here's the problem with this mixing reality and scripted material: when the cameras are off and you take the money from fans, it's not that you're getting a heel over. You're ripping people off with a bait and switch.

First of all, who thought it was a good idea to offer pictures with a heel? Were the Guns busy or something? There were NO faces on the roster you could offer this with? Bad idea on TNA's part. Second, at the end of the day the fans are who you try the hardest not to tick off. You don't tick off fans like this. If you're a heel you bitch and complain but you send the fans home somewhat happy. This was a bad idea to put it mildly as a casual fan thinks he's just a pompous jerk. If you don't follow every report that the works/shoots are becoming more alike everyday, then Hardy looks like an ass rather than a guy portraying a character. When that is no longer the norm, it comes off as looking very bad. This wasn't good.

I have to agree wholeheartedly with this post.

It wasn't a fantastic idea in the first place to have people pay money to have their picture taken with a heel. If you look at the roster though there aren't many others wrestlers that fans would have paid $25.00 to take a picture with. Maybe Anderson, if he was healthy or The Pope, but I wouldn't pay that kind of money for anyone else.

If Hardy had gone through with it, then his whole new heel persona would have gone right out the window. I don't think it's a good thing to make promises, take money and then have something like this happen.

 

[Navi]

Considering those losers at the Impact show have been getting in for free since forever, who cares if TNA may have gotten an extra 25 bucks from them. Look at it this way. All the idiot smarks there seem to think they are the show, not the wrestlers, so Hardy and TNA for once used them to further his heel turn. Pretty smart if you ask me.

They don't get in for free. If you visit Universal Studios, you have to pay to get into the park, and it's not cheap. Plus you add t-shirt and other merchandise sales, food and drink, and it could end up costing quite a bit especially if you have kids with you.