[Official] General TNA Complaints Thread

[MrHashasheen]

I have little to no complaints about TNA at the moment. My only complaint in fact, is the Winter storyline. I really can't see what's the pay-off at the end of this. Is Winter a ghost? A making of Angelina's mind, because she deep down can't trust Velvet or Lacey or anyone in the division? It's not something I actually watch with antcipation.

Also, Joe needs to lose some more weight. He's not looking too good.

Finally, this isn't a complaint but more of a note: Tonights Triple Threat for the Television Champion held 3 former TNA World Heavyweight Champions.

 

[Derf]

I don't watch TNA that often, but I have been following it lately, as best as I can at least. Last night I watched, and as a go to show for a PPV, it lacked a few things, for example, the World Champion was nowhere in sight. Nor was his scheduled opponent for the evening. And with mere seconds of the show left, they change the PPVs Main Event to a guy that JUST turned face. Why the hell would I wanna spend my hard earned cash for a ME with zero buildup?

I also thought it was lame that two other matchs, ironically both titles matchs, didn't have anyone involved in anything in the impact zone. Sure, backstage segments are alright, but they need to focus more in the ring.

My final complain. Like I said, I don't watch TNA very often, last night was the first time since BFG. So when I watched the new opening video, I was insulted that it featured ONLY people in Immortal and Fortune. If they're gonna spend all their time focusing on the NWOv2, anyone left out will get fed up and try to jump ship. Vince might not be afraid of TNA, but I doubt he'd hesitate to sign any non WWE-Regects if they got out of TNA.

 

[Uncle Chester]

I don't follow the ratings all that much, but I think TNA has had some of it's highest ratings ever the night Hogan debut as well as the Impact after BFG.
how long was TNA is business BEFORE Hogan/Bischoff/ect came along? what were TNA ratings like back in their 1st year on TV? ratings with Hogan/Bischoff/ect are going to take time, they don't change over night.

I mentioned this is another thread. you can ahve all the young talent that are the greatest wrestlers in the world, but if people don't know who they are it's not going to matter because general fans are not going to tune into watch.
in order for TNA to increase it's ratings it is going to have to do something to make general fans want to watch. there are A LOT more general fans that hardcore TNA fans.

in order to get higher ratings, TNA has to be a show on TV WITH wrestling rather than a wrestling show on TV

Actually this year TNA's ratings have averaged worse than previous years so it must show a dissatisfaction with some fans at the direction of the company since the changeover. It's been 11 fucking months but that isn't enough time for considerable change? BULSHIT. The recognized talent should be used to make the young good talent recognizable as well, this is essential. Relying on RVD an Hardy isn't going to work in the long run but creating your own stars is.

 

[A-KO]

The whole point I was trying to make about them finding their own identity is that they need to be known for something original, unique and something that makes them stand out from the crowd. Right now all they are is like every other promotion, wrestling in a 4-sided ring (God I miss the 6 sided ring).

Ask yourself this, when you look at TNA right now, what do you see?

Do you see a company that will still be around in 5 years time? Do you see the company even lasting the next 2 years to mark its 10th anniversary? How many 40 plus year olds in TNA can still wrestle week in and week out and be consistent enough in promos? Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett maybe, but even Angle is breaking down from years of physical abuse.

So think and ask, where do you want to see the company go from here?

 

[Uncle Chester]

The whole point I was trying to make about them finding their own identity is that they need to be known for something original, unique and something that makes them stand out from the crowd. Right now all they are is like every other promotion, wrestling in a 4-sided ring (God I miss the 6 sided ring).

Ask yourself this, when you look at TNA right now, what do you see?

Do you see a company that will still be around in 5 years time? Do you see the company even lasting the next 2 years to mark its 10th anniversary? How many 40 plus year olds in TNA can still wrestle week in and week out and be consistent enough in promos? Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett maybe, but even Angle is breaking down from years of physical abuse.

So think and ask, where do you want to see the company go from here?

This was the X-DIVISION. Something unique and relatively unprecedented. And instead of running away with it TNA BURIED IT ANd became stale impersonations of former products. The X division was what TNA DIFFERENT but they shat on this, opting to go for something which has failed them time and time again. I see TNA dying in 5 years time. But before they die they will undoubtedly hire many WWE alumni to try and somehow undermine the WWE but as a result, and evidently with the last couple of years, the originals and the youngsters will suffer.

 

[MB1025]

The whole point I was trying to make about them finding their own identity is that they need to be known for something original, unique and something that makes them stand out from the crowd. Right now all they are is like every other promotion, wrestling in a 4-sided ring (God I miss the 6 sided ring).

Ask yourself this, when you look at TNA right now, what do you see?

Do you see a company that will still be around in 5 years time? Do you see the company even lasting the next 2 years to mark its 10th anniversary? How many 40 plus year olds in TNA can still wrestle week in and week out and be consistent enough in promos? Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett maybe, but even Angle is breaking down from years of physical abuse.

So think and ask, where do you want to see the company go from here?

How many 40 plus year olds, who are their on a permanent basis, are there wrestling each week on TV?

Flair
Foley
Hogan

All those guys only wrestle for special live events or PPV's. Hogan may not be able to wrestle ever again. Flair has put Jay Lethal over and is now your X Division champion. Foley wrestled once in which 90 percent of wrestling fans thought it was a great old school match. Don't say EV2 because that is a short term thing. People are really really going overboard with TNA's roster being old.

 

[MrHashasheen]

You know, I got shit on in another forum for telling all the anti-TNA guys to stop whining and enjoy the good month of wrestling, which didn't have too many flaws. I was the new fan of the fed that was standing up for it. This edition of Impact just sucked the enthusiasim right out of me.

1 Impact of pointless Team 3D re-signing and split up, Rhino heel turn, 35 minutes of talking to start the show, generally bad matches and I'm starting to see what they meant by TNA disapointing its fans.

 

[MisterRob]

Why can't TNA ever improve? Seriously! TNA really needs to clear out everyone that has any influence right now on the writing and booking of the product and start fresh, and take a chance on people who haven't held those roles for decades now and come out with the same stuff all the time. A new vision and new ideas, please!

I have lots of complaints about TNA:

Why does Ric Flair have to bleed in every single damn match he's in? It doesn't add to a thing, it completely detracts from every match now and is just ridiculous.

Why is the guy that was rated the best wrestler this past year, and definitely the top wrestler in TNA right now, doing absolutely nothing of importance? Flair comes out at the top of every show and cuts promos, Flairs in a match tonight in the main event, Fourtune are just in the background until Flair needs them as lackeys. AJ Styles has done nothing memorable in months, not compared to the level he should be at right now. What the hell is Beer Money doing? One of the best tag teams in the business and they're never even in tag matches, they get no time to develop themselves beyond lackeys in Fourtune. I can't remember the last time I got a glimpse of personality or development from Beer Money.. or even heard either of them cut a promo of any sort. They just stand in the background, or jump wrestlers for Flair. Fucking ridiculous.

What the hell's with Pope and the casket? He suddenly has Undertaker powers?

There's something seriously wrong when most of the angles being developed on Impact revolve around guys like Flair, Jarrett, Team 3D, EV2. When they're getting the chance to evolve and shine and talents like Styles, Beer Money, MCMGs, Jay Lethal, and the list goes on are just kind of there.. it's cause for concern.


Oh, and one more thing: How the hell does Jeff Hardy's Anti-Christ gimmick even make sense? Does no one even know what Anti-Christ means..

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Why can't TNA ever improve? Seriously! TNA really needs to clear out everyone that has any influence right now on the writing and booking of the product and start fresh, and take a chance on people who haven't held those roles for decades now and come out with the same stuff all the time. A new vision and new ideas, please!

I agree TNA is in immediate need of fresh ideas, but I don't think you can just bring in a brand new set of writers/bookers who have never done the job before. If you're going to bring in someone who hasn't booked/written before, it needs to be a former wrestler/on-screen character. It needs to be someone with some on-the-job experience. They can't bring in people like you and I, inexperienced know-it-alls. We would ruin the freakin' show.

I have lots of complaints about TNA:

Why does Ric Flair have to bleed in every single damn match he's in? It doesn't add to a thing, it completely detracts from every match now and is just ridiculous.

I think you're overlooking the fact that Ric Flair shouldn't be wrestling..period. I love Ric Flair, and I'm very happy he's still apart of the wrestling world. But, he doesn't need to wrestle anymore. But, if he's going to be in there, save the blood for special situations. Less is more in this particular circumstance. Also, Flair isn't the only one bleeding, he's just doing it the most. The constant blood-flow happening on t.v. every week needs to calm down.

Why is the guy that was rated the best wrestler this past year, and definitely the top wrestler in TNA right now, doing absolutely nothing of importance? Flair comes out at the top of every show and cuts promos, Flairs in a match tonight in the main event, Fourtune are just in the background until Flair needs them as lackeys. AJ Styles has done nothing memorable in months, not compared to the level he should be at right now. What the hell is Beer Money doing? One of the best tag teams in the business and they're never even in tag matches, they get no time to develop themselves beyond lackeys in Fourtune. I can't remember the last time I got a glimpse of personality or development from Beer Money.. or even heard either of them cut a promo of any sort. They just stand in the background, or jump wrestlers for Flair. Fucking ridiculous.

This is probably where I agree most with you. Fourtune has turned into backup for Flair, and even more so for Immortal. Adding Fourtune to Immortal was a HUGE mistake, and it isn't going to play out very well.

This is classic Hogan and Bischoff stuff. Hogan and Bischoff see Flair as a bigger draw than anyone in Fourtune. They see him as the Ric Flair of twenty years ago, just like Hogan see's himself as the 'Hulkster' of twenty years ago. In Hogan's mind, he believes Flair and himself can outdraw anyone in the company, and unfortunately, he and Easy-E may be correct.

TNA hasn't gotten the job done in making their young guys big draws. Millions of people around the world know Ric Flair, and still care about him. He's still a big part of pro wrestling. Seeing as no one cares about TNA, AJ Styles hasn't gotten close to that status. Flair should be there to help elevate AJ, and that isn't really happening. TNA's creative team is impatient, and has decided Flair is still the biggest draw, and they're going with him. It's idiotic and serves no purpose for the future..but hey, that's Bischoff/Hogan/Russo at their best (or worst I should say).

What the hell's with Pope and the casket? He suddenly has Undertaker powers?

This was terrible, as is the entire feud with Abyss. Pope is probably the most overrated guy in TNA..well, behind Abyss.

There's something seriously wrong when most of the angles being developed on Impact revolve around guys like Flair, Jarrett, Team 3D, EV2. When they're getting the chance to evolve and shine and talents like Styles, Beer Money, MCMGs, Jay Lethal, and the list goes on are just kind of there.. it's cause for concern.

Once again, this is the Hogan mindset. Guys like 3D are a much more proven draw than Beer Money. Hogan is worried about right now. Hogan and Russo do not care about 5 years from now, when this company has gone under. They are trying to save their jobs right now, and they are using who they think draw money. They are most definitely wrong in their approach, but try telling them that.

Oh, and one more thing: How the hell does Jeff Hardy's Anti-Christ gimmick even make sense? Does no one even know what Anti-Christ means..

This is where we disagree. I think Jeff Hardy, in an Anti-Christ type gimmick, can be very effective. Hardy is effective, Immortal is not.

Having Hardy be apart of this ridiculous stable takes away from his character. Instead of being the focus of the main-event picture, he is constantly sharing his time with Bischoff, Hogan and Flair. Hardy doesn't need those guys. Jeff Hardy as an evil, gothic heel works fine, and it would work better if he were not apart of this over-the-top, idiotic stable. Stables can be a great part of wrestling..but Immortal isn't one of those stables. In the end, it will hurt Jeff Hardy's heel title run, I would bet big money on that.

 

[taker73]

but what some of you are forgetting about is I think hogan does realize he needs to bring in more guys to "UP" the ante for TNA so to speak, guys that can put butts in seats! maybe eventually he goes after guys like cena, orton, etc he says there is some big surprises still to be had in TNA wrestling and I honestly do enjoy even as much as wwe right now! there is better wrestling and better matches for sure, overall! i LOVE the stable and I definitely think it can and will get better! more big time talent coming to TNA is not done in the coming months, bringing Mickie James over was a brilliant move also!

 

[sXe_Factor]

My own issue with TNA is simply inconsistency, and ignoring the fans.

There's been so many times they've run storylines the fans liked, and cut them short after 1 Pay-Per-View event, then other times, with stories we hate, they run them for a year!

 

[Dogfingers]

The whole problem with TNA is that the younger talented guys such as The Guns, Joe, AJ, Lethal etc are never presented as equals to the washed up folks, they're presented as lesser stars. There's nothing wrong with having a fair few older guys on the roster, it's how you use them.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

The whole problem with TNA is that the younger talented guys such as The Guns, Joe, AJ, Lethal etc are never presented as equals to the washed up folks, they're presented as lesser stars. There's nothing wrong with having a fair few older guys on the roster, it's how you use them.

And how exactly have Ric Flair, Bischoff or Hogan been presented as bigger stars than them (which they are). They all hold managerial postitions. Saying that they are something more than the wrestlers, is like saying that Michael Cole is something more than Randy Orton.

The washed up folks are not wrestling.

As great as AJ Styles, The Guns, Joe Lethal etc are, I highly doubt that any sane fan would think they're equals to Ric Flair or Hulk Hogan. It would be nice but incredibly awkward for a new TNA fan. He turns on the program and Jay Lethal, a complete unknown is being portrayed as Ric Flair's equal? C'mon man. What happened to "TNA should start producing television for people who have not watched TNA, not please their current fan-base's every wish". Did that go out the window?

The Guns, AJ, Joe, Lethal - these guys don't need to be presented as equals to Ric Flair and Hogan. They're the type of performers that let their in-ring work speak for their talent. Leave it to the fan to decide that.

Remember how they made AJ Styles to be the next Ric Flair and Abyss to be this era's Hulk Hogan in a way? Remember how much that sucked? Flair was hyping AJ left and right, Hogan was hyping Abyss left and right, saying he has the power of Hulkamania and all that BS? That was horrible.

The youngsters are holding all the belts, the people contesting for the belts are also youngsters or established stars. No washed up fella is wrestling and beating people left and right. Maybe Double J will fall into some people's category here, I like the guy.

I don't get what people's issue is with the "washed up guys". They're not wrestling, they're just talking, and most of the time talking about how great their stable is and constantly putting them over on the mic. Flair's promos are all about Fourtune and how great Fourtune is, or how great AJ is, or how great Beer Money are, or how great this guy is, that guy is. He rarely cuts a promo hyping himself up. Same goes for Hogan. What's the problem?

You're sure you're not being a bit blunt about this, right?

 

[Dogfingers]

Who speaks on behalf of fortune? Ric Flair. Who is the entire storyline centered around? Bischoff, Hogan, Flair. The young performers in Fortune are nothing more than backup for Flair, they are never presented as stars, just hired muscle. The group is so massive that no one gets the chance to shine.

As for your silly Randy Orton/Michael Cole comparison. Michael Cole isn't commanding Randy Orton around for his own personal goals.

As to your argument that Lethal shouldn't be portrayed as an equal to Flair? Why not? If TNA are to move forward they absolutely NEED to portray guys like that as equal so they can gain credibility. Otherwise we'll be seeing the same big names fight each other for into the next decade.

As for washed up, Okay perhaps I exagerated. Lets say 'past their prime' to be nice about it. Jeff Jarrett, RVD, Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair and MAtt Hardy fall under this one, and all of those have been employed by TNA and the majority have been presented as bigger stars than most the TNA roster. Are they bigger names? Yes. Has it made one bit of difference to the TV ratings? Fuck no. So why not take the opportunity to take someone like say Joe or Pope or AJ and make them look good out of it.

The point is no one from the original TNA roster pool has been allowed to shine and the company have relied on - mostly - big name stars that are past their prime to get quick ratings. And it hasn't worked and the product as a whole is suffering for it.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Who speaks on behalf of fortune? Ric Flair. Who is the entire storyline centered around? Bischoff, Hogan, Flair. The young performers in Fortune are nothing more than backup for Flair, they are never presented as stars, just hired muscle. The group is so massive that no one gets the chance to shine.

As for your silly Randy Orton/Michael Cole comparison. Michael Cole isn't commanding Randy Orton around for his own personal goals.

As to your argument that Lethal shouldn't be portrayed as an equal to Flair? Why not? If TNA are to move forward they absolutely NEED to portray guys like that as equal so they can gain credibility. Otherwise we'll be seeing the same big names fight each other for into the next decade.

As for washed up, Okay perhaps I exagerated. Lets say 'past their prime' to be nice about it. Jeff Jarrett, RVD, Jeff Hardy, Ric Flair and MAtt Hardy fall under this one, and all of those have been employed by TNA and the majority have been presented as bigger stars than most the TNA roster. Are they bigger names? Yes. Has it made one bit of difference to the TV ratings? Fuck no. So why not take the opportunity to take someone like say Joe or Pope or AJ and make them look good out of it.

The point is no one from the original TNA roster pool has been allowed to shine and the company have relied on - mostly - big name stars that are past their prime to get quick ratings. And it hasn't worked and the product as a whole is suffering for it.

I agree with a lot of what you said, and it is a viable option which looks good on paper but might be perceived silly by the viewer.

Yes, they're never perceived as stars but muscle for Flair and Bischoff who boss them around and tell them what to do - partially true. Ric Flair and Bischoff bark orders - yes, but it's all they do. Beer Money are the ones in the ring having the awesome matches. AJ is the one having classics with Doug Williams, before he got injured that is. Abyss is the TV Champion, Beer Money are the tag champs, Kazarian is the X-Division Champ and they rarely lose. If that doesn't convince the viewer that these guys are money, what will? What more do you want? Must Flair come out and say "I'm a piece of shit and you're all greater than me"? No. That's silly.

The faces are being put over as well, the ones that are oposing Immortal. Mr.Anderson is the World Champion, RVD is not washed up, he never had anything to wash up but is still in great health and can go like he always did and he's been floating around pretty nicely, Matt Morgan looks like a beat recently, Crimson is an even bigger beast. So what must TNA do with those guys?

Do you want THEM to boss around Flair, Bischoff and Hogan? Isn't that completely stupid?

What role do YOU want Bischoff, Hogan and Flair to take? What's your definition of "star"?

The group IS massive and noone shines, that's absolutely correct. However, why would you make your heels shine? That's what you do with your babyfaces. You make THEM shine after all the struggles and the obstacles just like Anderson shined against Hardy at the last PPV. Matt Morgan shined on iMPACT, he looked indestructible. Crimson shined as well. Why would you take the shine off your faces? They're the ones you want people rooting for, even though the heels are much superior wrestlers.

And about Lethal ... I don't care what Flair does to Lethal, I don't care if he's being portrayed as his equal or even greater, Lethal is still a young worker who has a very basic personality, decent mic skills and average but fun wrestling ability. It's unrealistic for anyone to perceive Jay Lethal as Ric Flair's equal. Ric Flair, one of the best mic workers, characters and wrestlers to even lace 'em up. Having Lethal be Flair's equal is just insulting everyone's inteligence and is plain moronic. Lethal's a fun guy to watch but he's no Flair, no one is.

People need to let go of the "Youth Movement" attitude. Young doesn't always mean good. The way I see it, TNA is hiding the flaws of the group. Bischoff and Flair are doing all the talking because they're awesome at it, and Fourtune/Immortal does the wrestling because they're awesome at it. Everyone needs to loosen up and realize that just because Flair and Bischoff are bossing people around, that doesn't mean that the storyline is centered around them. It's centered around the ENTIRE faction and its success. That's why the belts are on the wrestlers, not Hogan, Bischoff and Flair. Bischoff and Flair are doing a splendid job, they're managing the guys, they're continuing the storylines in a way that none of the Immortal/Fourtune boys ever could. The only issue I have is with Bischoff and his long winded promos. He needs to learn when to shut up.

 

[HiddenInPlainView]

I'm watching a dvr'd episode of Impact from this week and i keep thinking to myself "Why?". Ric Flair is bringing a talentless Rob Terry to the ring. RVD is whining and crying because he can't get a match with a crackhead. Kurt Angle is getting beat up by Jeff Jarrett and his ex-wife.

Are these three guys wasting not only their talents, but their legacies in this second tier promotion?

 

[Zeven_Zion]

I'm watching a dvr'd episode of Impact from this week and i keep thinking to myself "Why?". Ric Flair is bringing a talentless Rob Terry to the ring. RVD is whining and crying because he can't get a match with a crackhead. Kurt Angle is getting beat up by Jeff Jarrett and his ex-wife.

Are these three guys wasting not only their talents, but their legacies in this second tier promotion?

I highly doubt they are. I've heard Ric Flair say in an interview (and I'll provide the link if you want to) that he hasn't been this happy since 1986. Same goes for Anderson, RVD, Matt Hardy and all the rest.

Clearly you're not a fan of the product. Obviously no one here will be able to get a straight, logical response from you because your kind is usually very ignorant to just about everything TNA related. From the little I've read, I can already tell that you're the epitome of a TNA hater. But on topic...

No, they are not wasting their careers or tarnishing them. One's career is not defined by the type of promotion he's in, it's defined by his work in that promotion. Rob Van Dam's best work is not in TNA, he's been mediocre as he almost always is. Ric Flair on the other hand is on fire and cuts some of the best promos he has in the last decade. Kurt Angle could not tarnish his career even if he wanted to. He's having great matches with just about anybody, he just lost his entertainment value behind the mic. He's not a comedy relief, just a gritty WRESTLER.

 

[Dogfingers]

Do you want THEM to boss around Flair, Bischoff and Hogan? Isn't that completely stupid?

Yes it is completely stupid but there has to be some give and take. Can't those said people take a GM role rather than belittle the talent? The idea is, when putting wrestlers over, that the performers get the chance to speak and get valuable TV time. With Bischoff, Flair and Hogan leading the group no one except maybe Jeff Hardy gets the chance to cut a good promo.

What role do YOU want Bischoff, Hogan and Flair to take? What's your definition of "star"?

Only those big names have had star treatment, and those big names are either past their prime (Hardy's, RVD, Flair) and unreliable at best (RVD HArdy). Anderson isn't exactly great in the ring. The exception is Matt Morgan, like you said.


Why would you make your heels shine? That's what you do with your babyfaces.

Heels have to look strong so that when babyfaces overcome them it means something

And about Lethal ... I don't care what Flair does to Lethal, I don't care if he's being portrayed as his equal or even greater, Lethal is still a young worker who has a very basic personality, decent mic skills and average but fun wrestling ability. It's unrealistic for anyone to perceive Jay Lethal as Ric Flair's equal. Ric Flair, one of the best mic workers, characters and wrestlers to even lace 'em up. Having Lethal be Flair's equal is just insulting everyone's inteligence and is plain moronic. Lethal's a fun guy to watch but he's no Flair, no one is.

Flair is extremely old and is barely mobile, why not have Lethal enter a feud with Flair and be given a chance to run with it? They did it briefly but as usual TNA failed to capitalise on it. Lethal is now in the lower card.

People need to let go of the "Youth Movement" attitude. Young doesn't always mean good.

True

The way I see it, TNA is hiding the flaws of the group. Bischoff and Flair are doing all the talking because they're awesome at it, and Fourtune/Immortal does the wrestling because they're awesome at it.

But that means no wrestlers actually get to make stars out of themselves because they are acting on behalf of other people. AJ Styles, Pope and Samoa Joe have proven that they are great talkers.

Everyone needs to loosen up and realize that just because Flair and Bischoff are bossing people around, that doesn't mean that the storyline is centered around them.

But it is! It's about Bischoff and Hogan taking control of TNA



Anyway, thats my take.

 

[CrayzChris]

I have to agree with 'Dogfingers' here.

Basically, every storyline in TNA revolves around Flair, Hogan & Bischoff.

Every heel in the company is basically a part of "Immortal" - so every storyline, ultimately is centerted around this Hogan, Bischoff, Flair vs. Dixie "power struggle".

Ric Flair pretty much "manages" every heel on the TNA roster. He speaks on their behalf, which is great. But the heat goes to Flair. Last night on Impact, Kurt Angle called our Jeff Jarrett - and who responded? Flair! Who was the one losing his mind screaming at Angle? Flair. How does that advance the Jarrett vs. Angle storyline? It doesn't. It just puts over Flair - and makes you wonder if we're going to see Flair vs. Angle.

I don't think anyone would dispute that Bobby Heenan was the greatest manager of all time. He would speak on behalf of his clients, interfere in their matches - but still managed to keep the focus ON the talent he managed. When Heenan managed Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude, Andre the Giant, even the Brooklyn Brawler - he would start an interview, hyping up his client and running down their opponent....but ultimately, the guy he was managing would get a chance to speak, and put himself over, and hype the feud.

That NEVER happens in TNA. You could basically take ANYONE, and stand them behind Flair, Bischoff and Hogan - and no one would know the difference. No one has benefitted from being involved in "Immortal". Not one guy has seen his career elevated in any way shape or form from being involved in this group. All they did was take guys with potential, who could be break out stars if allowed to - and put them into a silly gang.

Does a 7 on 3 beating really help elevate Kazarian or Robert Roode? Does it make them look strong? No, it makes them look cowardly and weak. It makes them look like a bunch of guys who just can't get the job done on their own. And have they established characters for themselves? Do we really know their personalities? Not at all, because you have 7 guys who never speak. We just are supposed to care about them, because Ric Flair says so.

I'm not buying it.

Jay Lethal was on fire when he feuded with Flair. He proved he could talk, he captivated the audience, and he's not a bad hand in the ring either. Push him. I'm not saying he should be World Champ - but this guy should have been built up beyond "X Division Champion". He went from feuding with Flair and getting a ton of air time - to jobbing of Robbie E. -- really? Is that intelligent booking?

Aside from that...there are way too many people "in control" of TNA...Dixie Carter, Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Jeff Jarrett - and sometimes Mick Foley. The show is just a constant barrage of people talking about how much power they have in the company. Who started the company, who runs it, who came in to save it....UGH...Let your stars be the stars. Take the "authority figures" off tv, unless they have something important to say. Make their presense mean something. Wouldn't you rather see Eric Bischoff and think "uh oh, something big is gonna happen"....instead of thinking "oh Jesus, him again?"

These guys just talk and talk and don't actually say anything!! And that's what the entire company is based on - talking about NOTHING and wasting TV time. By the time I'm done watching Impact! - I already feel mind-f*cked, and forget half of what I've just seen and heard.

 

[Kitten Cutter]

The only thing I agree with is the power struggles. A heel GM or commissioner, or even a neutral one makes the most sense, but a lot of the show focuses on Flair and Bischoff making decisions left and right. I still remember the awful Thanksgiving episode.

However, the youth movement thing is crap. It's not about age; it's about fresh and entertaining. Sure, Sting is in his 50's, but is anyone really over him? How much did people mark out when Steiner showed up on Impact? Styles has been a World Champion, so is he done with? We don't need to replace or phase out the old guarrd. What we should want are entertaining storylines that will engage us. Jay Lethal is one of my favorites, but he's not ready to compete for the World Title. Little by little, we're seeing Kazarian become a major player. We're seeing new sides of Jeff Hardy. We're seeing guys like Generation Me, the MCMGs, and Beer Money innovate tag team wrestling. We're hoping guys like The Pope or Crimson or Matt Morgan take that next step to the top. There's lot of potential that (albeit slowly) is rising up in front of us.

Besides, if we are watching, we're wrestling fans. And if we're wrestling fans, we should want TNA to succeed.

 

[CrayzChris]

You know, it's funny. I went back and read some of the old posts on this board from 2007, and everyone seems to have the same complains NOW that we did back then.

It really shows how little progress TNA has made over the years. We're still waiting for the same guys to be pushed. We're still waiting for TNA to stop hiring old WWE/WCW talent. It's just more of the same.

 

[hardmick33]

This may not be topic worthy and if it's not I completely apologize. I am strictly looking for a place to voice my varied views of the TNA product based on reading results and watching through channel switching for 12 months and, more importantly, watching these past 4 episodes completely through. I know I will catch flack for having a narrow view, but as a pro wrestling fan of 23 years I feel I have some basis to critique. These are my OPINIONS... so if I feel differently than you, please disagree, but please refrain from personal attacks. I have avoided the forums, to an extent, for some time now only because I see how angry people get. It's wrestling peeps, we all feel differently, act accordingly. I'm not looking to bash TNA, but my evaluation will ultimately end in anger otherwise I would have continued my curious reader status. So... here we go...

What I see as good:

Women's division - Seriously who could possibly argue this? Even with the rumors (facts) of who is coming to the WWE Diva's division, can anyone argue that the women's division in TNA is 10X better? Beth, Natty, Gail (hasn't wrestled in lord knows how long) and LayCool (I know, they're annoying, but they are not bad wrestlers) vs Mickie, Love, Sky (all three with looks AND skill), Sarita, Rayne, Tara... no contest. By the way, based on looks out of all of them, give me Skye any day. WWE hiring models isn't winning me over on the looks of the division. Also, Sarita vs. Mickie was a better match than any of WWE's last 20 tag team matches... which brings me too...

Tag Team Division - I'm not even going to bother. If someone thinks WWE holds a candle they need their head examined.

Bully Ray looks awesome - Seriously, did he lose 200 pounds? He was in the ring with Joe tonight and he looked like the skinny one. That's crazy. It also pushes to the point that Joe really needs to watch himself or he's going to be Husky Harris, but I'm thoroughly impressed with Bully's weight. Not in any way cut, but he's not the butter barrel he has been.

What I see as bad:

The bad? I don't watch wrestling for the Tag or Women's division. I say nothing bad about either, but I have never in my life bought a PPV or watched a TV show for a match in either of these division. Amen to you if you have. Consider that a disclaimer. I digress..

Asylum - Those assholes ruin a product that may actually have a chance to survive in the world. It's like they want to hold on to something that is theirs and only theirs which is great except for the fact that there are people who have a livelihood based on it. The 3rd row ruins the show for the casual fan and irritating is not enough of a word.

Main Event Mafia fail - Stupid stupid stupid... everyone saw what they were doing. EVERYONE! WWE ruined it by grabbing Nash and Book (and maybe Sting) and they were left with egg on their face. They went through this "they" thing once and had to savage an angle out of it. They actually did an ok job, but the next night they ruined it by having Fortune join. Fortune turning is WAY too late and is an act of desperation. I, personally, would have rather seen a ragtag TNA Frontline type stable come together than have a group of men that have been fighting for the opposite side up until last week just suddenly change sides.

Angle/Jarrett - This was mid-show, but I've never felt this way with wrestling and wanted to highlight it. I have absolutely no problem with bringing personal beef into a wrestling storyline. HBK/Hitman and Matt/Edge have proved that sometimes this is great for the wrestling world. Tonight TNA brought the kids of the families into it. To me this is inexcusable. I know they are being edgy and different from the PG life of WWE, but there's a line. They, pardon the pun, crossed it. I makes me angry, but it also makes me sad. Wrestling should never outweigh life. I feel for everyone involved as their desperation stinks, but I also feel for the kids who are entirely too young to have a clue to what's going on. In 10 years that will be hard to watch, I assure you. Jeff Jarrett is a piece of trash and Karen Angle falls very shortly behind. It's sad, it's gross and it has honestly made me sick. I may be in the minority here, but TNA has reached a new low. Give WWE all the crap you want for the PG era, but this is not something that would happen.

I hope I've shed a light or 2 for someone. Once again, if someone wants to disagree by all means please do. I look forward to the responses.

What do you think? Am I wrong in feeling this way? Once again, if you'd like to disagree with me and set your points please do, but if all you're going to do is insult my mother and have some lame brain penis joke for me, then move on to another post.

 

[shattered dreams]

What I see as bad:

The bad? I don't watch wrestling for the Tag or Women's division. I say nothing bad about either, but I have never in my life bought a PPV or watched a TV show for a match in either of these division. Amen to you if you have. Consider that a disclaimer. I digress..

When you were younger you never wanted to see the divas? I find the assertion about the tag team division hard to believe. Never watched one episode of even tv in anticipation of something in the division in 20+ years? I think you are exaggerating even if the point remains the same.

Asylum - Those assholes ruin a product that may actually have a chance to survive in the world. It's like they want to hold on to something that is theirs and only theirs which is great except for the fact that there are people who have a livelihood based on it. The 3rd row ruins the show for the casual fan and irritating is not enough of a word.

Wrong arena but no disagreements from a quality standpoint. The problem is there are some pretty significant business related benefits from being there. Still we all hope they take a shot at hitting the road soon.

Main Event Mafia fail - Stupid stupid stupid... everyone saw what they were doing. EVERYONE! WWE ruined it by grabbing Nash and Book (and maybe Sting) and they were left with egg on their face. They went through this "they" thing once and had to savage an angle out of it. They actually did an ok job, but the next night they ruined it by having Fortune join. Fortune turning is WAY too late and is an act of desperation. I, personally, would have rather seen a ragtag TNA Frontline type stable come together than have a group of men that have been fighting for the opposite side up until last week just suddenly change sides.

Nash fucked them over more than they "failed" although I have my doubts that this story was going to be all focus on MEM anyway. Styles turning was certainly not out of nowhere. They have been building that up for a long time and recently brought Kaz in on that as well.

Angle/Jarrett - This was mid-show, but I've never felt this way with wrestling and wanted to highlight it. I have absolutely no problem with bringing personal beef into a wrestling storyline. HBK/Hitman and Matt/Edge have proved that sometimes this is great for the wrestling world. Tonight TNA brought the kids of the families into it. To me this is inexcusable. I know they are being edgy and different from the PG life of WWE, but there's a line. They, pardon the pun, crossed it. I makes me angry, but it also makes me sad. Wrestling should never outweigh life. I feel for everyone involved as their desperation stinks, but I also feel for the kids who are entirely too young to have a clue to what's going on. In 10 years that will be hard to watch, I assure you. Jeff Jarrett is a piece of trash and Karen Angle falls very shortly behind. It's sad, it's gross and it has honestly made me sick. I may be in the minority here, but TNA has reached a new low. Give WWE all the crap you want for the PG era, but this is not something that would happen.

I guess you didn't watch smackdown last year (can't blame you). Rey-Punk at least used the kids some. So you hated the heels and the segment failed because you think you know what is best for someone elses kids? This whole morality and prowrestling thing is quite odd in general IMO.

 

[hardmick33]

When you were younger you never wanted to see the divas? I find the assertion about the tag team division hard to believe. Never watched one episode of even tv in anticipation of something in the division in 20+ years? I think you are exaggerating even if the point remains the same.

I first want to thank you for an intelligent argument. It's difficult to get in forums like this. Second, you're probably right in that I've had a few instances in the past 20 years that a certain tag battle has been the held the main spotlight on the card. I guess my point, which was not portrayed well, is that in my experience viewership hasn't dropped because of the lack of tag team wrestling. It certainly hasn't dropped because of the divas. Also, if young men who are looking for gorgeous girls, like I was back some time ago, they are completely satisfied. I'm personally at a point where I'd like to see girls be able to wrestle as I know there are plenty of place to find beautiful girls and they don't have to be horrible actors.

Wrong arena but no disagreements from a quality standpoint. The problem is there are some pretty significant business related benefits from being there. Still we all hope they take a shot at hitting the road soon.

Fair enough, but has the idea of charging 20 bucks a head to get into the arena been discussed? These Cheeto and Dew heads need to pay to be detrimental to the company, event if it's a small amount of money. I will agree that smarter people than you and I are working on this. I'm probably also incorrect in my opinion as far as admission goes, but they NEED to get out of there. We and everyone else will agree on that.

Nash fucked them over more than they "failed" although I have my doubts that this story was going to be all focus on MEM anyway. Styles turning was certainly not out of nowhere. They have been building that up for a long time and recently brought Kaz in on that as well.

I get that Nash surprised them a bit, but don't you think they should have contractually solidified their major swerve before putting it into motion? Also, something I didn't add earlier, shouldn't they have let Fortune sit in the background if this was going to be a possibility. Can you not admit this was a desperation angle? I think Fortune turning was inevitable, but this soon seems rushed.

I guess you didn't watch smackdown last year (can't blame you). Rey-Punk at least used the kids some. So you hated the heels and the segment failed because you think you know what is best for someone elses kids? This whole morality and prowrestling thing is quite odd in general IMO.

This was not real life. The kids involved with the TNA angle are living this. Punk was a character much the way Eddie was years earlier. It's different when the child can be told it's all fake as opposed to when they can be told... eh... this part is fake but this over here is real.

 

[shattered dreams]

Fair enough, but has the idea of charging 20 bucks a head to get into the arena been discussed? These Cheeto and Dew heads need to pay to be detrimental to the company, event if it's a small amount of money. I will agree that smarter people than you and I are working on this. I'm probably also incorrect in my opinion as far as admission goes, but they NEED to get out of there. We and everyone else will agree on that.

They get money from people coming into the park in general. I also have heard that as annoying as cancer crew is they do end up paying money in various ways to get the best opportunities to get better access to seats etc.

I get that Nash surprised them a bit, but don't you think they should have contractually solidified their major swerve before putting it into motion? Also, something I didn't add earlier, shouldn't they have let Fortune sit in the background if this was going to be a possibility. Can you not admit this was a desperation angle? I think Fortune turning was inevitable, but this soon seems rushed.

Not sure exactly what happened in the Nash situation but even Nash has said he signed with TNA in mid January. What happened after that is tricky to figure out. Regardless something that was going to happen anyway is not desperation in my book. Especially when the only thing that changed that we know of is Nash backing out of his contract somehow. I like the Nash persona but he is not a big enough piece to change the whole puzzle by himself.