Knockouts Better Off Without Love?

[NSL]

The idea is pretty simple here: Do you think the KOs are better without Angelina Love around? She was getting a lot of TV time, and let's face it, she was average in the ring, and was easy on the eyes. Her promo segments were good, but I'd reach and say Velvet was the better of the two there.

Without Angelina around, KOs like Kong, Tara, Alissa, Hamada, and ODB have had time to appear on TV, show their skills, and get a following. The match between Alissa and Hamada a few weeks ago was better than anythign she ever did, and Tara, ODB, and Kong have all worked to making the KO belt important again.

You thoughts...?

 

[Dexter]

Don't get me wrong, I love looking at the Beautiful People as much as the next guy and I want them around, but they don't need nearly that much TV time and they sure as hell don't need to be anywhere near a wrestling ring. They're the one black spot (ok, one of two besides Christy Hemme) on an otherwise phenomenal KO division. They're dragging the rest of the KOs down.

And yeah, we're better off without Love. I mean she's a tad bit better than Lacey Von Erich, but that's like saying she's taller than Hornswoggle. It doesn't take much. At least now with Love gone the KO title is on someone that can actually work and we have a good feud over the belt. Love was killing that title.

 

[SavageTaker]

Honestly, her not being there does make a difference for the TNA fan in me. When she was in The Beautiful People stable, I always thought that they were the most if not one of the most entertaining acts in TNA for a while.

But then Angelina left and now we have to watch Lacey in the KO‘s division. Don’t get me wrong, I think Lacey is pretty hot, but the reason that I like watching the knockouts over the divas is because TNA allow them to do a lot more and actually you know…wrestle! My point is that I don’t really like Lacey wrestling and I don’t find her entertaining at all and TBP haven’t been as entertaining ever since she joined. I thought she would make a good addition but I was wrong.

Yes, Angelina is no Awesome Kong or Alyssa Flash in the ring, but she was damn entertaining. Which is the reason why I think the knockout’s are better off with her than without her. If anything, they are better off without Lacey, someone who provides absolutely no entertainment to me.

Also, I think that if Angelina were able to return, then the knockouts would still get the same amount of TV time they get and would be featured as prominently as they are. I really hope Angelina is able to return soon so that they hopefully have her replace Lacey so I and anyone else with the same opinions don’t have to suffer seeing her in the ring anymore.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Hmmm well, I dunno really. It just depends on how you look at it. There are better in-ring workers among the Knockouts than Angelina Love, but none with the possible exception of Velvet Sky has her charisma. Angelina was pretty decent in the ring, I wouldn't call her great, but I still enjoyed watching her more than most of the other Knockouts.

One one hand, I can see why some might wonder why the BP get so much air time on Impact. As has been pointed out, they're not the best in-ring wrestlers in the Knockout Division. But, they do have charisma, attitude and pretty good mic skills overall. At least Angelina and Velvet anyhow. Also, any segment with the BP has often been the most viewed segment of Impact.

Then you have to consider her replacement, Lacey Von Erich. Lacey Von Erich is beautiful, no doubt about that, but I cringe everytime she gets in the ring. I'm going to go on record as saying that there isn't a single Diva on the WWE roster that isn't better than Lacey Von Erich. Lacey is just horrible, there's no other way to put it. She hasn't been trained NEARLY enough and that shows. If she's not tripping over her own feet, she's probably going to wind up hurting herself or someone else eventually.

With the exception of the BP along with Taylor Wilde & Sarita, I don't really have much interest in the Knockout Division. Kong is going around laying out every Knockout in the singles division and there just doesn't really seem to be any competition for her. The novelty that is ODB has long since worn off, Alyssa Flash hasn't won a single match in the 4 or 5 months that Raisha has been using that character.

Personally, I think the Knockout Division overall has gone kinda flat, but I don't necessarily think it's because Angelina Love isn't there.

 

[bcg60]

Hmmm well, I dunno really. It just depends on how you look at it. There are better in-ring workers among the Knockouts than Angelina Love, but none with the possible exception of Velvet Sky has her charisma. Angelina was pretty decent in the ring, I wouldn't call her great, but I still enjoyed watching her more than most of the other Knockouts.

One one hand, I can see why some might wonder why the BP get so much air time on Impact. As has been pointed out, they're not the best in-ring wrestlers in the Knockout Division. But, they do have charisma, attitude and pretty good mic skills overall. At least Angelina and Velvet anyhow. Also, any segment with the BP has often been the most viewed segment of Impact.

Then you have to consider her replacement, Lacey Von Erich. Lacey Von Erich is beautiful, no doubt about that, but I cringe everytime she gets in the ring. I'm going to go on record as saying that there isn't a single Diva on the WWE roster that isn't better than Lacey Von Erich. Lacey is just horrible, there's no other way to put it. She hasn't been trained NEARLY enough and that shows. If she's not tripping over her own feet, she's probably going to wind up hurting herself or someone else eventually.

With the exception of the BP along with Taylor Wilde & Sarita, I don't really have much interest in the Knockout Division. Kong is going around laying out every Knockout in the singles division and there just doesn't really seem to be any competition for her. The novelty that is ODB has long since worn off, Alyssa Flash hasn't won a single match in the 4 or 5 months that Raisha has been using that character.

Personally, I think the Knockout Division overall has gone kinda flat, but I don't necessarily think it's because Angelina Love isn't there.

I totally agree, watching the chokeslam on Impact was painful, she took 3 fucking minutes to set it up, and Hemme had to JUMP to sell it...for a split second you could actually see Hemme's face and it looked as if even she was laughing.

 

[Joey B.]

Geez, it's nice to read someone fault Lacey for that bad-looking choke slam on Christy. I've read posts in a few other places (not on here) in which people were blaming Christy because she didn't jump high enough, which made me shake my head. Full disclosure here: I'm a Christy fan, so I may be a bit biased. But blaming her for that choke slam is ridiculous.

Back to the topic at hand...no, the Knockouts Division is not better off without Angelina, in my opinion. First of all, I think people are selling her in-ring work a bit short. She was the best worker in TBP, and rarely looked off-balance or clumsy in the ring, at least to my eyes. And I think she was the best on the mic among all of the Knockouts, and always drew a good reaction from the crowd. And let's face it: Velvet and Madison doing "the ring entrance" just doesn't have the same effect as when Angelina and Velvet did it I'm not going to blast Lacey to the extent that many other people are, but she was definitely rushed into things here simply because her look fits TBP. She may (hopefully) grow into the role, but as of right now, the Knockouts division does lack a bit without Angelina. Fortunately, there is enough talent in the division to keep it among the most entertaining aspects of TNA.

 

[AMH]

I don't think the Knockouts division is really missing Angelina Love. But I do think that The Beautiful People are. The knockouts have plenty, PLENTY of talent. And since Vince doesn't care enough about the women's division to shell out the cash to get them up north, they probably will for a longtime to come. But where I think Angelina's missed the most is with The Beautiful People themselves. Velvet Sky's given an admirable effort, but without her fellow Bitch in arms, it just doesn't seem the same. And as for Lacey Von Erich, make her a valet. Put her with Cody Deener, it doesn't matter, as long as her hot self is seen by we horny fans. Because, quite frankly, she just doesn't have what it takes to be an in-ring performer. She's sloppy, her effort in the ring is forced. She just, overall, doesn't have what it takes to become even a Christy Hemme, let alone Awesome Kong. Although, as a WWE mark, I did find it somewhat humorous to actually see a knockout botch a move. The divas do it just about every week on Raw and Smackdown.

 

[Lancer]

Oh my god, the Beautiful People's entrance on the most recent Impact (10/29) was the absolute hottest thing I have ever seen from them, whether it be Angelina or Lacey in the mix. I think Lacey is waaaaaay hotter than Angelina, miles ahead of her in that department. I don't use bold text for any old reason now.

I think Lacey fits well in the role, yes she was rushed into things. But TNA would not have just disbanded the hottest women's stable ever. They had to find a suitable sit-in, and face it Madison doesn't really do it. Velvet and Madison can take care of most of the ring work and Lacey can just look hot on the apron for all I care. Over time, she can pick it up, if not she can always have a role as a valet...

 

[NSL]

Yes, Angelina is no Awesome Kong or Alyssa Flash in the ring, but she was damn entertaining. Which is the reason why I think the knockout’s are better off with her than without her. If anything, they are better off without Lacey, someone who provides absolutely no entertainment to me.

This.

Angelina was extremely entertaining, but she didn't excel at any one thing. Putting her on TV equaled ratings, and TNA knew that. But, the division as a whole suffered, because there was no real "champ", and all the challengers were pretty easily tossed aside, when they really should have been steamrolling her.

Without her taking up TV time, we get to see 3, maybe even 4 KO segments a week, with only 1 featuring the Beautiful People. The belt is a hot topic right now, and people have already seemed to forget that Cody Deaner once was trying to kill it.

While I disagree with your opinion as a whole, you do bring up a strong point that Angelina is a draw, and that's never really a bad thing.

Personally, I think the Knockout Division overall has gone kinda flat, but I don't necessarily think it's because Angelina Love isn't there.

Considering this is a valid opinion, I can't try to prove you wrong. I can try and change your mind though.

ODB's novelty has not worn off. If anything, she's actually proven herself as an in-ring worker, and because she's not on the mic, no one thinks of her as a too-drunk redneck broad.

Alissa Flash hasn't been winning, which upsets me as a mark for her, but she has carried some damn fine matches, and sadly, there isn't a KO not named Daffney that would have taken that match against Hamada to put her over with the table shot. She's one of the best workers in all of TNA, much less the KO division.

Kong running over the roster is not a bad thing. Remember when the division was first started? Kong was on a rampage, and literally threw aside every competitor. Now that she's back to that, it means every other KO needs to put up or shut up, and prove their worth. This ultimately reshuffles the entire division.

As far as other KOs like Hemme or Traci...There's not much I can say. At least Hemme has a cool finisher, even if it doesn't look effective, and she should never really get a chance to use it.

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

I'm going to state again, as I have in the past, that womens wrestling doesn't really draw and the average fan could care less about womens matches. Now I'll give them credit, yes some of them can wrestle decently, but I'd still rather watch am MCMG match or even a promo.

Angelina Love brought entertainment. I don't think she helped in terms of wrestling and I don't think she hurt...but in terms of presence and pure entertainment she offered a lot. Lacey is downright terrible at everything, and Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky aren't the best mouthpieces. Velvet is not bad but she needs someone to feed off of.

I'd much rather see one Beautiful People promo than four Knockouts matches. The only KO that I'd say I actually like to watch wrestle is Sarita. Everyone else is good, but nothing special.

The Knockout division is better with Angelina Love.

 

[NSL]

I'm going to state again, as I have in the past, that womens wrestling doesn't really draw and the average fan could care less about womens matches. Now I'll give them credit, yes some of them can wrestle decently, but I'd still rather watch am MCMG match or even a promo.

That's all well and good for TNA as a whole, but this is strictly for the KOs. Love was average as a worker, and needed Velvet to work decent segments. She could not have had that character and success without her.

Without Angelina hogging all of the time the KOs could have gotten on TV, they've flourished. The singles matches have all become better, and the tag (and 6-KO tag) matches have all improved. This past week we got to see Hamada run over the BP, and truly show they're not in her league. ODB dominated as well, and the BP really didn't have a shot until Hemme was involved. We all saw Lacey botch that chokeslam to end it also...

 

[123abc]

And yeah, we're better off without Love. I mean she's a tad bit better than Lacey Von Erich, but that's like saying she's taller than Hornswoggle.

Just a "tad" bit better? Wrestling wise, even though she's not the greatest, you can still consider Love lightyears ahead of Lacey here...

 

[Pedro08]

I have to disagree. Having Angelina Love makes the Knockout division stronger. She may not be the best, but she's a solid worker and definitely the best of the Beautiful People in the ring. I think with the Knockouts, the more good workers you have, the better the division looks because they help to carry the weaker ones.

With or without Angelina, The Beautiful People will have a segment on the show because they are over. The Knockouts get about 2 segments per Impact and with the number of ladies on the roster, it is just inevitable that some won't be used for weeks at a time. That should change with the addition of another show, but for now that's how it is. Overall, I think they have done a pretty good job with balancing out TV time

The Knockout tag champs, Sarita and Taylor Wild haven't been seen since Bound for Glory and it took a couple of weeks for a match between Hamada and Alissa Flash after their awesome confrontation in the bleachers.

So,I think that the only difference in the booking if Angelina were still around would be that Beautiful People would be the tag champs and Lacy would not be around.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

I say hell no! The Beautiful People suck ass now. The majority of fans are really not digging the new crew, including myself. Love wasn't the best worker, but she was way above Sky, Rayne, and 20x better than Lacey.

She made people care about TBP, not Velvet. Velvet played a big role, but Angelina was the leader, she carried the team in the segments, the ring, and made the stable work. Now we have to sit through Velvet & Lacey's below par ring skills, and it's not pretty. At least Love could put on some good stuff with great workers like Kong, Tara, and others, which the others can't.

When Angelina was with the Beautiful People, you heard and read reports at how popular the group was, now all you hear is how much of a screw up Lacey is. Love isn't irreplaceable(nobody is)but with lacey, Velvet, Madison(who is decent in the ring) getting ring time and what not, the Knockout division is not better.

 

[NSL]

The Knockout tag champs, Sarita and Taylor Wild haven't been seen since Bound for Glory and it took a couple of weeks for a match between Hamada and Alissa Flash after their awesome confrontation in the bleachers.

Taylor and Sarita had the food fight segment with the Beautiful People the Thursday after Impact, and Alissa and Hamada were part of a tag match 2 weeks after that beat down, and then they had their street fight match the following week.

As far as Sarita and Taylor not having a match, they could have been included in the 6-KO match this past week, but how would they have booked it? If the champs dominate the entire match, then it looks like there's no competition, and that's worse than weak competition. Lacey using the chokeslam was booked to make her look strong, which is great, except the execution was awful. Hemme needed to be in that match for the plan to follow through, and Hamada was on display there as well.

 

[NSL]

I say hell no! The Beautiful People suck ass now. The majority of fans are really not digging the new crew, including myself. Love wasn't the best worker, but she was way above Sky, Rayne, and 20x better than Lacey.

She made people care about TBP, not Velvet. Velvet played a big role, but Angelina was the leader, she carried the team in the segments, the ring, and made the stable work. Now we have to sit through Velvet & Lacey's below par ring skills, and it's not pretty. At least Love could put on some good stuff with great workers like Kong, Tara, and others, which the others can't.

When Angelina was with the Beautiful People, you heard and read reports at how popular the group was, now all you hear is how much of a screw up Lacey is. Love isn't irreplaceable(nobody is)but with lacey, Velvet, Madison(who is decent in the ring) getting ring time and what not, the Knockout division is not better.

The whole idea is that the less we get the BP in the ring, the more time the other KOs get to showcase themselves. Instead of 3 BP segments, and maybe a KO match per week, we're getting 1 BP segment, and 2 or 3 matches involving KOs each week. If Angelina were still there, there would be no Hamada, Alissa would not get TV time, and that means Raisha is still with Kong, who wouldn't be running over the division, and ODB would certainly not be champ, and she's really come on lately.

It's a big snowball effect...Angelina at the top just isn't right for the division.

 

[Saddler The Great]

Honestly, her not being there does make a difference for the TNA fan in me. When she was in The Beautiful People stable, I always thought that they were the most if not one of the most entertaining acts in TNA for a while.

But then Angelina left and now we have to watch Lacey in the KO‘s division. Don’t get me wrong, I think Lacey is pretty hot, but the reason that I like watching the knockouts over the divas is because TNA allow them to do a lot more and actually you know…wrestle! My point is that I don’t really like Lacey wrestling and I don’t find her entertaining at all and TBP haven’t been as entertaining ever since she joined. I thought she would make a good addition but I was wrong.

Yes, Angelina is no Awesome Kong or Alyssa Flash in the ring, but she was damn entertaining. Which is the reason why I think the knockout’s are better off with her than without her. If anything, they are better off without Lacey, someone who provides absolutely no entertainment to me.

Also, I think that if Angelina were able to return, then the knockouts would still get the same amount of TV time they get and would be featured as prominently as they are. I really hope Angelina is able to return soon so that they hopefully have her replace Lacey so I and anyone else with the same opinions don’t have to suffer seeing her in the ring anymore.

100% agreed. I think she was so essential to the KOs and the Beautiful People. She was the best on the mic, and played her character so well. Velvet's doing ok but she's just not as good as Angelina. And Angelina is 48736981263287436987126498716987631x better than Lacey Von Erich, who couldn't wrestle in a match without a botch to save her life. Like someone else said before, there hasn't been one entertaining BP segment since Angelina left, and w/o her they have become dull and boring to me. In conclusion, I don't see how the KOs can be better without someone that helped put them on the map (along with Kong, ODB, and Gail Kim). I just feel so weird watching TBP w/o Angelina...Lacey Von Erich IS BRUTAL!!!!!

on a side note, whoever said TBP entrance sucks w/o Angelina was 100% correct.

 

[Sean Valjean]

I don't think Angelina had THAT much of an impact on the Knockouts division, even as champ. The knockouts haven't suffered at all without her IMO; in fact, I've hardly noticed she's gone. Well, except when The Beautiful People come on air.

The real question should be if The BP are better off without her, and I say no. Lacey just hasn't shown me any of the charisma that Love had and has been pretty stale overall. Both her and Madison's "snobbiness" feels forced; Velvet's the only one who seems natural in her role, so she pretty much carries the team in terms of charisma.

Lacey hasn't been in the ring much, but the times she's had she's been pretty bad. Her movements are slow and stiff, and she's not fluid at all in the ring; she almost reminds me of Rhaka Khan. I need to see her in a one-on-one match before I can judge better, but for now, she's much worse than Love in the ring.

The Knockouts as a whole don't need Love, but the BP desperately need her back.

 

[NSL]

The Knockouts as a whole don't need Love, but the BP desperately need her back.

This is my stance on all of it. They could be taken as more than a rehearsed segment before she left, and now it leaves you scratching your head every time they appear on TV. I've said for weeks now, in every LD, that if they spent as much time working on their ring skills as they did on the rehearsed entrances and celebrations, they might actually be a threat to win some gold.

 

[Pedro08]

As far as Sarita and Taylor not having a match, they could have been included in the 6-KO match this past week, but how would they have booked it? If the champs dominate the entire match, then it looks like there's no competition, and that's worse than weak competition. Lacey using the chokeslam was booked to make her look strong, which is great, except the execution was awful. Hemme needed to be in that match for the plan to follow through, and Hamada was on display there as well.

You're right about the food fight. I was talking about being in the ring. They should have used Sarita and Taylor Wilde in the 6-KO match with Hemme to play off of the food fight from last week. Hemme would still take the pin. It gives the BP a win (indirectly) over the champs and could have made Lacy look strong if she could have pulled off the choke slam more convincingly. ODB and Hamada didn't need to be involved.

 

[NSL]

You're right about the food fight. I was talking about being in the ring. They should have used Sarita and Taylor Wilde in the 6-KO match with Hemme to play off of the food fight from last week. Hemme would still take the pin. It gives the BP a win (indirectly) over the champs and could have made Lacy look strong if she could have pulled off the choke slam more convincingly.

Agreed. But...

ODB and Hamada didn't need to be involved.

They didn't need to be, but it would have looked bad to go a show without ODB appearing, especially with Tara and Kong getting big chunks of time. She needed to be somewhere, and it made sense to have her lead the 6-KO tag.

As far as Hamada, I was disappointed she was there, instead of working Alissa, but I am glad she got TV time. She was the star of that match. She was faster, stronger, and simply better than anyone in that ring, and for a second there, I believe Velvet even sold a spot without looking like she was waiting for it. Without anywhere else to put her on TV, it made sense to use her here.

Recap: ODB needed to be in that match. Taylor/Sarita couldn't have looked weak there (maybe they're selling "injuries"). Hamada should have faced Alissa, leaving Tara in the tag match, with both essentially working the same way they did anyway. That's just personal preference though.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

The whole idea is that the less we get the BP in the ring, the more time the other KOs get to showcase themselves. Instead of 3 BP segments, and maybe a KO match per week, we're getting 1 BP segment, and 2 or 3 matches involving KOs each week. If Angelina were still there, there would be no Hamada, Alissa would not get TV time, and that means Raisha is still with Kong, who wouldn't be running over the division, and ODB would certainly not be champ, and she's really come on lately.

It's a big snowball effect...Angelina at the top just isn't right for the division.

True. But the thing is TBP are still getting ring time, promo time, ect ect ect. I know I, and alot others would rather see Angelina and her mediocre ring skills, than Lacey, Velvet, and Madison mucking it up against people who can fight very well(Sarita, Wilde, Hamada, ect).

So aslong as Lacey and the watered down BP get TV time, promo time, ring time, I say the division isn't better not having Angelina. They suck and are bringing the division down. Having Lacey & Velvet stumble around, and botch, and look like they have no idea what's going on makes the Knockout division look like the Diva's division.

At least when Angelina was there, you'd still see a good knockout match(like Hamada, Kong, Tara, Flash, Daffney) and a decent match with Love and her opponent, and a good promo, instead of having a joke match involving Lacey and co.

Again, the division will go on, Angelina wasn't a Trish or Lita, and she wasn't the best thing ever, but she definetly made the knockout division a little more entertaining, made the Beautiful People one of the top heel factions in wrestling, and with her gone The Beautiful People are not as popular, hated, or talked about now.

 

[NSL]

The Beautiful People are still interesting to the masses, because they're attractive, and even if you just watch their entrances, you're tuning in. They're on TV less lately, which is a good thing, and taking them off TV entirely is just not good business. I watch for the wrestling, but I know it would be a bad idea to take Velvet's ass off anyone's screen.

They get their allotted time every week, and it's usually between two solid segments, so it could even turn into a piss break for a good amount of viewers. Their in-ring stuff has dropped off (Madison & Velvet, I don't count acey since she's not active every week), but they are essentially just jobbing to the stars. Instead of having them go over someone like ODB or Hamada, they're sent out there to lose to them, and take their spots, and then get out of the ring.

Sure, they beat Hemme, but who hasn't? The goal was to make Lacey look legit, and it just didn't work out. Eventually she'll go the way of Rob Terry, and become the muscle you'd rather look at then watch...

 

[Dexter]

The big news here is that Angelina is out of the KO title picture. That, more than any discussion of TV time or ass-watching, is what leads me to the belief that we're better off without her.

She was NEVER a legitimate champion. She was so obviously not on the same level as the other KOs that it just drug the whole division down when she held the belt, but for whatever dumbass reason, they kept putting it on her. I never understood that and I'm SO freakin thankful that she's not around anymore because of it.

They still haven't blown off the Sarita/Wilde vs TBP feud over the KO tag titles, and I keep hoping to see more from that. I kinda dug the food fight angle, but we haven't seen anything about it since. I'm fairly certain it'll be back though, and that's what's why TBP is relevant now, and they're relevant WITHOUT Angelina.

 

[wolvdog316]

Raise your hands, and be honest, if you would PAY to see a Taylor Wild for Lacey match. Anybody? Didn't think so. Now what about a Lita vs Kong fued? Nothing? Cool. What about Trish Stratus vs ODB?Maybe?

Now, what about Trish Stratus vs Beautiful People with Love. Bingo. Money. That would be a GREAT feud, fantastic mic work, excellent in ring performances by Trish and that's what wrestling is all about. Making the fans happy while making money. Making it, and keeping it. You make it through stars, ratings, and sponsors. Love made TNA money. Her segments were the highest, cause she was entertaining. Nobody gives a crap about Wild, Lacey, or ODB even though I lover her so much, or Victoria. People loved to see Angelina. But because she couldn't be a good female wrestler like Victoria, or Wild she is no longer needed? You need MORE of Angelina Love than those two put together. And until TNA figures out pure wrestling won't get you anywhere without great characters, they will forever be behind ECW, Smackdown and Raw