The Mohawk Connection

[Mr. Wrestling 27]

I haven't seen this posted yet and wanted to get everyone's opinions on this. Last Monday's Impact had Jesse Neal calling out Matt Morgan and getting a save from Shannon Moore. Then they looked at each other and nodded. I think this is a little bit of foreshadowing that they could become a tag team. My question to you is...would it work? Could they be taken seriously? Should they even be a team? Right now you have tag teams that are MIA i.e. Generation ME, so is their room for them?

I personally am a fan of both of these guys and would like to see it, but I don't want to see them get swept under the rug...with the realistic reformation of LAX right around the corner, I don't want to see them get pushed aside. If that is going to be the case then keep Shannon Moore in the X Division Title hunt...what are your thoughts?

 

[HBKrosstheLine]

I noticed this as well last week, and think the two mohawk punks could make a great team. Jesse Neal has not had anything relevant to do lately besides be 3D and rhynos lackey (for lack of a better term). Also, I don't feel that Moore should be in the xdivision title hunt simply because his buddy hardy came to tna. There are better xdivision athletes who were pushed aside for Moore. However, as you mentioned, there may be too many tag teams presently for the Mohawk duo to be featured regularly. It's kind of ironic that one company has practically no tag teams and TNA is almost overcrowded with tag teams. Good thread!

 

[UFOcalling]

I'm sorry to disagree, but I have no love for "The Schmohawks" (big-ups to Larry David!). You are 100% right here though, the Schmos are definitely quite fond of one another, and could be starting a tag-team.

All kidding aside, you have to admit that these guys look a little silly with their Mohawks. Obviously the writers think that they have their finger on the pulse of the new "punks" that are TNA fans (or they might be thinking they could rope-in some potential new fans), and want to create a next-gen version of "The Headbangers".

To answer your question, I don't think these guys can be taken seriously until they create real "characters" and stop trying to rely on their similar look (which is out-dated). Think about it...were "The Headbangers" ever really taken seriously? ...okay, they were WWF tag-champs one time, right? ...and Thrasher won the Hardcore-Title once? Please correct me if I'm wrong with the facts here. I guess you could say "The Headbangers" were taken seriously enough, but not extremely.

Back to Moore & Neal: The haircuts currently have more personality than they do. I don't mean to pick on the guys, but their gimmicks (Moore especially, more than Neal) just don't seem genuine. I don't buy that these guys are "punks". In fact, they look a bit desperate; clutching to their youth, and look a little too old to be cutting their hair that way.

Do you know why not even Tim Armstrong cuts his hair that way anymore? Because fucking mainstream-fashion ruined it with "the fauxhawk". The Mohawk hairstyle (which once upon a time could be considered a symbol of rebellion), was quite simply (to quote George Carlin) "...a way to piss of the squares...THE SQUARES ARE WEARING THEM NOW!..."

Now, Carlin was talking about earrings with that quote, but the principle is the same. He stopped wearing his earring because EVERYBODY started doing it, and it just wasn't rebellious anymore.

PLEASE don't think of me as a TNA-hater, because I'm not. I also don't hate Moore or Neal, in fact I'm actually a fan of their in-ring skills...I just think that both of them could be SO much better with different gimmicks.

I know I'll probably get some hate for this post, but it needed to be said.

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EDIT: Sorry, Jesse!
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As far as the whole Mohawk thing goes, Jesse might actually have more of a right to the haircut than I originally thought. I just visited his myspace page for the first time, and saw that he listed his ethnicity as Native-American.

Although his Mohawk is probably indicative of his musical-taste (you can tell he likes the hard-rock/metal), he has more of a right than anyone in TNA to wear his hair that way if he is indeed paying homage to his ancestors. I didn't realize before now, but his tattoos might be paying tribute to his heritage as well.

If that is indeed the case, then all the more reason to NOT pair Neal up with Moore. Learning that Jesse is Native-American adds an air of credibility to his look, although Moore still comes across as a bit of a poseur.

Unfortunately, learning this information about Jesse still doesn't give him charisma...it just makes his look more legit.

I will give credit where credit is due, since Jesse isn't just using his military service to get over. He could easily milk the sympathy of losing his friend in the war, but he doesn't. Kudos to him for taking the high road, and not exploiting his friend's death for the sympathy he could easily get from the fans. I truly respect him for that.

Who knows, maybe I'm all wrong here, teaming them together might elevate both characters. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

 

[Fan_of_Wrestling]

I say make them a tag-team... it can never hurt to give the Tag-team division another team. It would also take Shannon Moore away from the x-division, I'm not a Shannon hater, but I'd like to see Brian Kendrick or Jay Lethal have a feud with Kaz after the Doug Williams feud resolves it's self.

It think it's okay to club a team together because of a similar look give them the name "the Princes of Punk" and your half the way there. I know a lot of you are thinking that they'll take away time from teams like Generation Me and MCMG but to be honest you know the feuds they'll have... they'll go after Matt Morgan, then Team 3D. If after that they've found a good thing keep them together, if not no harm done.

P.S. Why is everyone acting like the Mohawk is out of character for Jessy Neal... those tattoos aren't rub-ons.

 

[Wainy]

Why not have them as a tag-team? As singles wrestlers they do nothing for me & frankly, should just be happy to be in a job! If you look at the teams in TNA now, off the top of my head I can think of;
MCMG
Beer Money inc'
Team 3D
Generation Me
Maybe Hall & Waltman
Hopefully LAX again
Maybe The Worlds Greatest Tag-Team

That's only four active teams, hardly a huge division, so why not go for it? With the last 3 plus Neal & Moore, it could be an interesting Division. If need be, use Neal & Moore as jobbers to establish the other teams further. The two things TNA have constantly had over WWE is their Tag Team & Cruiserweight divisions so why not exploit this to their advantage? Alot of people chose WCW over WWE for this reason, & if they could add a couple more teams then it would make the need for a second show even more important & thus, have it become a reality. The ptential is there to make TNA something huge, it's whether the people in charge realise this.

 

[Lazerball]

I think its a waste of time because they both suck, TNA should have never got Shannon Moore causes hes awful but im sure Jeff had something to do with it, and as much as Jesse's store is sad so is he in the ring, both are a waste of time everyytime they appear on TV, we keep losers like this around but Chris Daniels has to go, wat the fuck is the prb with managment.?

 

[fenfool]

I think it's a good idea if they are going to have both guys on the roster, but I see them basically being used as enhancement talent. Let Gen Me kick them around for a few weeks to get over...but I don't really see them in the main title picture.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

No, because Moore is finally getting the push he deserves as a singles competitor. Throwing him into some meaningless tag team the way the WWE loves to do with two random singles wrestlers is incredibly stupid all things considered.

There's a reason Jesse Neal can't get over, and it has little to do with his mohawk – it has to due with the fact that if not for his buddy dying on the U.S.S. Cole, no one would give a fuck about him, and that's the honest truth.

Leave Moore alone. Let him continue his singles work and let him establish himself as a competitive and relevant X Division star like he deserves. Don't job him out with Neal to appease some false sense of American pride or because of some misplaced sense of loyalty to a fallen soldier. Let Neal perish the way he should have long ago on his own.

 

[shattered dreams]

I actually think the tag team is a good idea. When they are both out doing their gimmick by themselves it takes away from one another. Moore is getting some crowd reaction and doing some good fast paced wrestling with a little bit of high flying. Neal is getting some crowd reaction doing some crazy brawling/power wrestling. Together that could lead to an even better crowd reaction and some versatile wrestling from an interesting tag team.

 

[future admin]

Ink inc I believe it is called, this tag team isn't bad, I would like to see where this tag team goes. I don't know what they did for a title shot at sacrifice, but they have one, and I think they are gonna win it

 

[It's Damn Real!]

With a win under their belt or not, I still stand by what I said earlier. This is a bullshit move that removes Shannon Moore from the X Division picture for no reason other than to give Jesse Neal a purpose. If not for his buddy who died on the U.S.S. Cole, Neal would still be meddling around in the indies somewhere failing to get the crowd to give a shit about him.

Ink Inc. will basically be replacing Lethal Consequences as TNA's jobbing tag team in no time, I'd presume.

 

[Attitude_Raven]

actually if you watched his promo after Morgan turned on him, the guy's preetty much over with the crowd (or at least TNAs crowd), there were a couple of signs with Jesse's cartoon (yeah, those you see in DeviantArt.com), and the crowd chants his name, and well, taking Shannon out of the Xdiviion is a dumb move, he made it look more legit as he, Lethal, Kaz and the two Japan guys are currently the only ones in the division who can offer something more than just flips and karate kicks.

back to Jesse, the guy's good in the ring, he's got that ECW/Attitude look, he just needs to learn mic work, if the company doen't deop the ball he can be TNAs next anti-heroic, he's got the war survivor story, he can tell the fans how he lived through the horrors of war, how he suffered for the country he loves (without touching his friend's death) and also shoot at the government's corruption, it could be controversial and fans can get behind him easily as the rebel hero, also his theme is just bad-ass, so here's a really marketable face in Neal

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

Let me be honest and say, i don't really care if they team up, maybe they;ll do good, the only thing in common is the mohawks and tatoo's, what else is there...the thing is, how long will tna keep them as a team...will they go for the titles?

i was kind of hoping for a shannon moore x division title run...

although i don't really care about either of them..

 

[It's Damn Real!]

actually if you watched his promo after Morgan turned on him, the guy's preetty much over with the crowd (or at least TNAs crowd), there were a couple of signs with Jesse's cartoon (yeah, those you see in DeviantArt.com), and the crowd chants his name, and well, taking Shannon out of the Xdiviion is a dumb move, he made it look more legit as he, Lethal, Kaz and the two Japan guys are currently the only ones in the division who can offer something more than just flips and karate kicks.

So because a couple marks in Orlando cheer for the guy, you think he's over? He's not over, bud – trust me. Go to St. Louis again –*introduce Jesse Neal and see how many people cheer and how many stand there staring at the weirdo with the mohawk asking their buddy next to him "who's this guy?" A cuople signs/chants from the ultra biased Orlando crowd isn't evidence of anything. Those are the same morons who chanted "OVER RATED" at Mr. Anderson, and now legitimately boo him as the top heel in the company.

back to Jesse, the guy's good in the ring, he's got that ECW/Attitude look, he just needs to learn mic work, if the company doen't deop the ball he can be TNAs next anti-heroic, he's got the war survivor story, he can tell the fans how he lived through the horrors of war, how he suffered for the country he loves (without touching his friend's death) and also shoot at the government's corruption, it could be controversial and fans can get behind him easily as the rebel hero, also his theme is just bad-ass, so here's a really marketable face in Neal

Sorry, just don't agree. I see nothing of importance in Jesse Neal. Never have, likely never will. He's not very good on the stick, and aside from his spear finisher (thank you, Rhyno), what else does he have that means a thing? So he can pull a political run because of his buddy who died – who cares? Anyone can pull a political run – hell, EY just did it not 6 months ago.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

They haven't gotten me all that excited as of yet, but I'm going to reserve judgement until they've gotta little more time in. With the exception of Beer Money, The Band and Team 3D, every team in TNA are little more than jobbers. I find the tag team scene in TNA stagnant at this point and a fresh team that's actually used and used well could be a benefit to TNA.

Ultimately, however, if they wind up being used like the MMCGs and Generation Me currently are, then it's little more than a waste of time.

 

[nahbrah]

I hate the paring of these two. And I'm a huge Shannon Moore fan. TNA should think just a little bit harder, instead of "Hey, these guys have tattoos and similar haircuts, lets make them a tag team!"

Sure, Jesse Neal has a lot of ink on his skin, but it's freakin tribal. His tattoos look like they came out of a cracker jack box. He has the same tattoos as the guys on "Jersey Shore" Shannon Moore actually owns a tattoo shop, and has some credibility in the tattoo world.

I was gonna make a thread of this, but check this idea out...

How good of a tag team would Ink Inc be if instead of Jesse Neal, Shannon Moore teamed up with Sinn (WWE's Kizarny)

 

[gd]

Ink, Inc. would be fine, if they weren't shit. Look, they tried with Jesse Neal, but it just didn't work out. There just not enough room on the roster for someone as average and boring as him to make an impact. Also, Shannon Moore is quite shit, despite the fact he's been give 45 title shots already.

Instead of a tag team like this, I'd be much happier if they'd kept Lethal Consequences together or actually decided to use the MCMG or Generation Me. This team should be short lived and unsuccessful. I'd be surprised if they won more than like 2 matches.

 

[Scotty]

I am really not a fan of Ink Inc. I don't hate them nor do I love them, they are just kind of there. they are basically what you would expect out of a tag team between Shannon Moore and Jesse Neal. Oooo we are so hardcore with all tattoo's and our big ass mohawks. It's Damn Real! hit the nail right on the head when he stated that if not for his friend, Jesse Neal would have been fired long ago. He couldn't get over by himself, with Team 3D as a face, or Team 3D as a heel. What makes TNA think that Shannon Moore will be able to get over with him?

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I am really not a fan of Ink Inc. I don't hate them nor do I love them, they are just kind of there. they are basically what you would expect out of a tag team between Shannon Moore and Jesse Neal. Oooo we are so hardcore with all tattoo's and our big ass mohawks. It's Damn Real! hit the nail right on the head when he stated that if not for his friend, Jesse Neal would have been fired long ago. He couldn't get over by himself, with Team 3D as a face, or Team 3D as a heel. What makes TNA think that Shannon Moore will be able to get over with him?

Shannon Moore doesn't need to get over with Jesse Neal. Jesse Neal needs to get over with Shannon Moore. Moore is already over, at least in the iMPACT! Zone, despite the overwhelming hatred he gets on this forum, which is exactly why I was so upset to begin with with the idea of him being throw into this ridiculous tag team with Neal –*Moore was already cutting his teeth to earn a spot as a star in the X Division, but instead now will be used as a hopeful springboard to get Jesse Neal over, which just isn'
't going to work IMO. Not even Hulk Hogan's ring would do that

 

[Alex]

The only reason they seem to be together is they both have mohawks and tattoos but aside from those they have nothing in common

I like Shannon Moore, he actually has a rock star like persona which goes with his look and he can talk and is a decent performer. He was being focused on in the X-Division and looked like he might help revitalise it

Why in the hell do you team him with Jesse Neal, a guy who is extremely boring, he can't talk and he hasn't had a good performance to my reckoning. Moore will probably get lost in the shuffle, great to shat on on of your good aquisitions TNA.

Moore has a mohawk because it goes with his personality, Neal has one because he thought it would get him over (and it's not).

 

[aphazel1]

I don't like this idea of pairing Jesse and Shannon for a variety of reasons....but mainly out of my complete dislike of Jesse Neal. IMHO, Jesse has not done anything impressive and seems like dead weight on the TNA roster. The patriotic B.S. they used when he made his debut, IMO, just seemed like a cheap exploitation of a serious tragedy. Not to get too far off topic, but as the old saying goes "patriotism is the last resort of a scoundrel." There are too many people on the roster that are not even making it on television and to give those resources to a guy with mediocre (at best) in-ring skills just seems like a waist. I could be wrong, but I don't think he'll ever be more than a second rate jobber.

On the other hand, I do like Shannon Moore and typically find his matches entertaining. He seems to be a better fit in the X-Division. LOL, I even liked the guy in 3-Count.... If TNA gets their act together, there are some great potential matches/feuds for Moore with guys like Brian Kendrick, Amazing Red, Jay Lethal, Syxx Pac, Chris Sabin, etc. Moore can potentially have a bright future in TNA and I would hate to see him be held back by having to carry Jesse....

 

[poo-poo crisp]

I'm fine with these guys being a tag team, but why the instant push. Both guys are mediocore talent and that usually doesn't make for a good tag team. Have the go through a few matchs, get some wins and gain credibility. They don't need to jump to the front of the line for a title shot right now.

 

[Scotty]

Shannon Moore doesn't need to get over with Jesse Neal. Jesse Neal needs to get over with Shannon Moore. Moore is already over, at least in the iMPACT! Zone, despite the overwhelming hatred he gets on this forum, which is exactly why I was so upset to begin with with the idea of him being throw into this ridiculous tag team with Neal –*Moore was already cutting his teeth to earn a spot as a star in the X Division, but instead now will be used as a hopeful springboard to get Jesse Neal over, which just isn'
't going to work IMO. Not even Hulk Hogan's ring would do that

Yeah. I meant that Neal needs to get over with Moore. I couldn't believe last night that the crowd went from chanting for the Machine Guns to a "WE WANT JESSE" chant. Hulk Hogan had to tell the crowd to chant that because I really don't think that the crowd would start loving Jesse Neal that much overnight. They were even chanting for Neal while Moore was in the ring. I......just don't get it.

 

[Carlito's Coolest]

i think is a good add to the tag-team division. it's something new, and is a new phase on Jesse Neal's career. TNA need more tag-teams!!!!!!

 

[Tiger Chaos Theory]

While having similar haircuts and tattoos isn't the greatest reason to team up in the history of professional wrestling, Ink inc is actually pretty decent. They are 3-0 as of now and seem to be ok (read:mediocre) as a team. So yes, I do believe it can/is work. My only qaurell is Moore was definitely just getting over as a good singles wrestler is now taken out of the picture to team up with (read:carry) Jesse Neal.

Yeah. I meant that Neal needs to get over with Moore. I couldn't believe last night that the crowd went from chanting for the Machine Guns to a "WE WANT JESSE" chant. Hulk Hogan had to tell the crowd to chant that because I really don't think that the crowd would start loving Jesse Neal that much overnight. They were even chanting for Neal while Moore was in the ring. I......just don't get it.

I'm no Jesse Neal defender, mainly because he is shit/not good and his mohawk is shit, but he has been getting cheered in the Impact zone for three weeks straight now. Further proof that TNA needs to get out of that god forsaken old folks home (No offense Scotty ) Florida.