Live Discussion - TNA 1/4/2010

[Coco]

Red dropping to Shelley? Good thinking.

I know people like the Knockouts, but I really don't care. My instinct is to fast-forward though all ladies wrestling. I've been conditioned well.

 

[NSL]

I don't think Shelley or Sabin will win it, but they'll almost definitely be the highlight of the match.

I'm thinking Homicide takes the belt, and re-ups his feud with Suicide.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I agree here. The difference I see is that there are too many what if's and open ends in TNA's broadcast. I still think that WWE's package as a whole is greater than TNA's surprises that they bring to the broadcast.

Speaking in Sidious's language (not an insult), they can tease a million things but if they don't have compelling storylines they're just blowing smoke up our asses. The elements Sidious listed look incredible on paper, but TNA has lacked execution of great elements since their birth.

First of all, they fell short with the interaction of Jarrett and Hogan some years back.

Acquisitions like Rhino, Angle, Team 3D, Booker, Nash, and Steiner have fallen short of expectations. Who's to say these new additions to the roster won't be the same?

At least with the WWE you already know you're tuning into a product that already has direction. The only thing that is diverting my attention is that I'm curious as to how TNA's new genesis is going to pan out. It's more about my curiosity than anything.

The WWE already has storylines in place and has generated interest in things BESIDES Bret's return. TNA is basically saying "Ok, we've run out of ideas with our current roster. But here's Hogan, Hall, Bischoff, X-Pac, and Russo so let's start over now." To me, it's not convincing enough to make me watch it first and foremost.

I'll be tuning into Raw and DVR-ing Impact.

And the thing is, we can talk execution on TNA's part, but they are going head to head with Raw to try and improve their company standing tonight. They also have people like Bischoff on board as an advisor. There is going to be a difference between the quality of execution in the past and what they do tonight, since they are going head to head with Raw.

And the thing with Jarrett was a flop because Jarrett simply is out of his league as a Main Eventer. Nobody takes him seriously as a big player in the wrestling business, and they never will. His best thing is to work behind the scenes and unfortunately not be a big player in the Main Event.

But I would expect him and Angle to go head to head tonight, which was another thing I forgot about, over the Karen Angle affair. I wouldn't be surprised if she is brought in tonight, either.

But what does the WWE offer other than Bret Hart? Not trying to be argumentative, but other than the same stuff they have offered for years and years and years, what else are they honestly offering tonight? What else is going on in WWE today that is really all that compelling?

 

[NSL]

I'm not a huge Jarrett fan, but I want him in the main event Sid. I'm among the Hogan-haters, so seeing Jarrett come back for his job, and to fight alongside Foley can't be anything but a good thing.

 

[Coco]

I hate to side with Sid, but I'm gonna side with Sid.

WWE had established storylines to offer, past the Bret Hart saga, that will interest the masses? Like what? DX having happy fun times with their new best friend, Hornswoggle? Oh, Randy Orton is gonna be in a big match... Wait, Orton bores most sane people and has killed Raw's ratings on many occasions. Have I mentioned that he's boring? He's like an invitation for me to change the channel. Don't forget Sheamus vs. Cena... Oh, Cena won't be there tonight. So... what does WWE really have to offer that trumps TNA?

TNA's established issues:
-Nash vs. Foley/Jarrett
-Jarrett vs. Angle (Remember that street fight? I do. And now they have the Karen issue to add to the fire)
-Angle vs. AJ
-Hogan vs. Foley/Jarrett
-Russo/Dixie involvement
-A possible Sting/Jeff appearance

Not to mention a major Knockout return, a major X-Division match, and possible emphasis on Joe's quest for gold. There's a bunch they can do with these three hours and it won't be as though there's been no build.

And as Sid's said, they have new management. Different execution is a strong possibility.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I honestly wish I could be in the TNA LD tonight, as I more than likely am going to enjoy it more. But the WWE LD needs opposing viewpoints as opposed to everyone agreeing with each other in there. It makes for a rather boring discussion to have everyone saying the same things, agreeing with each other saying "this is great" and "that's great" and all of that. I'm just lucky to be against most of the things on WWE these days, so it just works out that we do have those variety of viewpoints given.

And sure, I get mad as Hell sometimes with some people in there and we go back and forth, but I have to keep in mind that it makes for a better discussion at the end of the day.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I've stated as much even in the Raw LD, but for the fans tuning into the Impact LD, you guys are going to get the better show tonight with more surprises, hands down.

So let the WWE fans get all excited over Bret Hart's return, and yes that is a HUGE deal, and I am not denying that and nor want to take away from it. But even that is not going to compare to the number of things you are going to see Impact do tonight. They are going to go all out, being the Underdogs.

You guys have:

Hulk Hogan
Eric Bischoff
Dixie Carter
An NWO tease with Hogan, Hall, and Nash
Possibly a Russo appearance on camera interacting with Hogan
More than likely Jeff Hardy
Possibly Sting

and pot shots and shoot comments being taken at the WWE probably all night, to make things interesting.

Not to mention on the lower tier, other interesting things like Angelina Love's return and a huge Steel Asylum match featuring the X Division.

Looking at your list, I see:

Hulk Hogan. Surely a big deal but with his limited capacity in the ring due to age and health, not as big a deal as it would have been a decade ago.

Bischoff. Probably the biggest deal in all of this, because of his unpredictability. Only problem is, he's running out of rabbits to pull out of hats.

Dixie Carter. On the show? Or behind the scenes? Either way, not much of a selling feature for me.

nWo. Would have been relevant a decade ago, now it's just recycled has- beens. Did you see the pictures of Scott Hall? Sad, actually because I used to be a huge Razor Ramon fan back in the day. But that day wasn't yesterday.

Russo. Actually I'm kind of indifferent to a Hogan/Russo interaction, so I won't comment on that.

Jeff Hardy. Definitely not. Backstage to visit his buddy Shannon Moore, nothing more. And this back stage appearance is being manipulated by Dixie Carter to dupe the fans. I would have expected better of you here, Sid, I wouldn't have expected such naievity from you of all people.

Sting. Definitely, but that's not new. That's like getting excited about Raw tonight because of HHH.

Lots of pot shots and shoots to be expected for sure, which smacks of desperation, instead of the front runners, who won't even publicly acknowledge the "competition."

Angelina Love could be significant, but I don't place a lot of emphasis on the female divisions, whether they be divas or knockouts. Just eye candy only to me.

They should feature the Steel Asylum match prominently and I hope they do as this sort of match is what distinguishes TNA from WWE, and should be the direction that TNA takes, rather than false bravado and recycled cast-offs.

I expect TNA tonight to be pretty good, I really do. But it will be miles behind this epic edition of Monday Night RAW.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Looking at your list, I see:

Hulk Hogan. Surely a big deal but with his limited capacity in the ring due to age and health, not as big a deal as it would have been a decade ago.

Bischoff. Probably the biggest deal in all of this, because of his unpredictability. Only problem is, he's running out of rabbits to pull out of hats.

Dixie Carter. On the show? Or behind the scenes? Either way, not much of a selling feature for me.

nWo. Would have been relevant a decade ago, now it's just recycled has- beens. Did you see the pictures of Scott Hall? Sad, actually because I used to be a huge Razor Ramon fan back in the day. But that day wasn't yesterday.

Russo. Actually I'm kind of indifferent to a Hogan/Russo interaction, so I won't comment on that.

Jeff Hardy. Definitely not. Backstage to visit his buddy Shannon Moore, nothing more. And this back stage appearance is being manipulated by Dixie Carter to dupe the fans. I would have expected better of you here, Sid, I wouldn't have expected such naievity from you of all people.

Sting. Definitely, but that's not new. That's like getting excited about Raw tonight because of HHH.

Lots of pot shots and shoots to be expected for sure, which smacks of desperation, instead of the front runners, who won't even publicly acknowledge the "competition."

Angelina Love could be significant, but I don't place a lot of emphasis on the female divisions, whether they be divas or knockouts. Just eye candy only to me.

They should feature the Steel Asylum match prominently and I hope they do as this sort of match is what distinguishes TNA from WWE, and should be the direction that TNA takes, rather than false bravado and recycled cast-offs.

I expect TNA tonight to be pretty good, I really do. But it will be miles behind this epic edition of Monday Night RAW.

Tell me what you will get on Raw tonight, besides Bret Hart and let's compare the lists.

 

[NSL]

Tell me what you will get on Raw tonight, besides Bret Hart and let's compare the lists.

Hornswoggle
DX saying "Buy our stuff!"
Randy Orton uses a chinlock!
Cena via satellite
Michael Cole using his vintage line, "Vintage!"

I'm all out of ideas...

 

[NSL]

Anyone else see the Steel Asylum as a sign that they're keeping the ring shape?

I don't see how they can build that cage around a square ring.

 

[Coco]

You seriously lack imagination.

 

[D-Man]

Tell me what you will get on Raw tonight, besides Bret Hart and let's compare the lists.

I see a good point here, Sidious. But I'm going to answer your question simply...

WWE is going to offer a solid, weekly program that we've all been watching that has kept them in the game for the years that WCW's been gone.

TNA is offering anarchy, unpredictability and many open-ended questions.

It's all a matter of preference, really. I, for one, love unpredictability. This is why TNA's show interests me. But their track record for hyping things up and falling short is probably ahead of the WWE's, as far as I'm concerned.

At least with the WWE I know what I'm going to get for the majority of the show (and I've been happy with it for some time now, along with millions of other fans) and adding in Bret's return is REALLY sparking my interest.

Therefore, I'm going with the sure thing and one of (if not THE) most anticipated returns in the history of pro-wrestling.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Hornswoggle
DX saying "Buy our stuff!"
Randy Orton uses a chinlock!
Cena via satellite
Michael Cole using his vintage line, "Vintage!"

I'm all out of ideas...

If we're lucky, we can get a flashback to Little People's Court via a Raw Flashback.

And as you said we can have:

Hornswoggle
DX pushing their new snuggies
And another DX vs Jerishow match
Another Orton vs Kingston match


Correct me if I'm wrong, NSL. But other than Bret Hart, I simply am not seeing anything new offered that we haven't seen out of WWE for either months if not years now.

 

[NSL]

WWE is going to offer a solid, weekly program that we've all been watching that has kept them in the game for the years that WCW's been gone.

It'd be the first solid show in months. and, there's been nothing making them keep it up since WCW closed, so you can't say it was their programming keeping them in business. The lack of competition did.

TNA is offering anarchy, unpredictability and many open-ended questions.

And what's wrong with having fun while you watch wrestling?

I'd much rather not know what's coming, then know we're going to get a Santino comedy skit, a decent Miz promo, and yet another Randy Orton borefest.

 

[NSL]

Correct me if I'm wrong, NSL. But other than Bret Hart, I simply am not seeing anything new offered that we haven't seen out of WWE for either months if not years now.

We're in agreement here.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

We're in agreement here.

So if that is the case, I can only conclude that many of the WWE fans simply do not get tired of seeing the same thing over and over and over again.

Because it has the initials "WWE" attached to the show, this means in their eyes that the company can do no wrong.

Got it.

In that case:

Bring on more Hornswoggle segments

Bring on more DX lame and un-funny humor while they blatantly try to push merchandise in front of people, while DX and Vince thinks the segments are actually funny

Since Vince like politics, bring on more Hillary Clinton vs Barack Obama wrestling matches. Maybe we can have Dennis Miller return for more standup political humor. If WWE does it, then that makes it okay and "better than TNA".

Maybe a Donald Trump vs Rosie O'Donnell match for good measure, which got the fans in the arena to chant "TNA" while Vince was sitting at ringside.

More Vince power-walking down the aisle to No Chance, and making the same goofy faces and say the same things he's said for over 10 years, since people do not get tired of it apparently

More Cena vs Orton, Cena vs Triple H, Orton vs Triple H ... and keep passing the title back and forth between those three, since fans do not tire of seeing them as champion, and seeing the same matches done again, and again, and again .....

Because doing the same thing again, and again, and again makes for a "solid" show apparently, despite how repetitive it is.

 

[Coco]

It's nice to see you don't get tired of making the same repetitive post.

 

[D-Man]

It'd be the first solid show in months. and, there's been nothing making them keep it up since WCW closed, so you can't say it was their programming keeping them in business. The lack of competition did.

The "first solid show in months" in your eyes. I've seen nothing but good things from the WWE for a while, now. But I guess I'm going to get bashed because I actually LIKE the WWE, right?

And what's wrong with having fun while you watch wrestling?

Nothing at all. That's why I'll watch TNA off my DVR after I get done with watching the live Raw broadcast of Bret's return.

I'd much rather not know what's coming, then know we're going to get a Santino comedy skit, a decent Miz promo, and yet another Randy Orton borefest.

But what does TNA have besides the open ended questions that have been hyped? All of this hype is overshadowing their title holders and main feuds. The only feuds that are even fresh in our minds are the TNA Knockouts and Angle vs. AJ (possibly). Besides that, we have some opened feast or fired cases and no direction for them as of yet.

 

[NSL]

The "first solid show in months" in your eyes. I've seen nothing but good things from the WWE for a while, now. But I guess I'm going to get bashed because I actually LIKE the WWE, right?

So you liked those two crapfests WWE put on in a row?

 

[D-Man]

Because it has the initials "WWE" attached to the show, this means in their eyes that the company can do no wrong.

Ugh, here we go again. No offense, but you're worse than the WWE when it comes to repetitive concepts and statements that only you believe are relevant or true. Some day you just might realize that people (including me) watch the WWE because it entertains them. Give it a rest, already.

 

[D-Man]

So you liked those two crapfests WWE put on in a row?

How many months are we talking? For instance, in the past two months, two of their shows have been bad (in my opinion). Wow... that's 2 out of 8 shows. Terrible odds. But tack on a few more months and you have 2 out of 12 shows... or 16 shows... the odds are getting a little better of a good show happening. (Of course, I'm being sarcastic.)

My point is that for the majority of their programming, I'm entertained by the WWE and UNentertained by TNA for the majority of theirs. Apparently, millions of other fans agree with me. And don't give me that "spoonfed by Vince" garbage. People either watch TV or they turn it off. If they are entertained, they watch. If not, they shut it off. End of conversation.

I refuse to explain myself any further.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Ugh, here we go again. No offense, but you're worse than the WWE when it comes to repetitive concepts and statements that only you believe are relevant or true. Some day you just might realize that people (including me) watch the WWE because it entertains them. Give it a rest, already.

I'm sorry, D-Man. I was simply having a calm discussion. I don't want it to turn into Drama or anything, so I suggest we just cool it with each other and all calm down for a bit. I'm trying my best to have discussions, but still remain friends with people. It's just hard when you have opposing viewpoints.

But let's not get our blood pressure raised here.

 

[D-Man]

Sid, I'm cool as a cucumber, bro. Please don't misread my tone.

I'm enjoying this discussion without the childish stuff and don't want things to go there. Trust me.

 

[NSL]

I refuse to explain myself any further.

I'm not asking you to "explain" anything. I'm just saying that I feel WWE has been subpar since the draft.

Difference of opinion, so there's no point in arguing it.

 

[Coco]

I'm entertained by the WWE and UNentertained by TNA for the majority of theirs. Apparently, millions of other fans agree with me.

No, they don't. TNA doesn't have the same exposure as the WWE, so the enjoyment (or lack thereof) that the wrestling fanbase as a whole gets from TNA can't accurately be compared to the WWE.

Man up, D-Man. Man up!