The Pope: Would You Miss Him?

[MINISTRYrising]

So at Hardcore Justice The Pope was taken out backstage by the Aces and Eights Faction. This was done so that the Pope could be written of tv for a while to allow him to recover from a legitimate Shoulder Injury. He has been gone for a while now and i can't say that I miss him one bit. While the Pope did have a good look and was ok on the mic, I found him very boring to watch in the ring and he did not find him entertaining at all. So if TNA choose not to have him return and he was released from his contract would any of you miss him at all.

 

[Spinebreaker]

He'd be ideal to slot into the X-Division, which sorely needs talent, attention and TV time.

 

[Wolf Pac]

No. I think Pope is talent, but TNA have done very little with him to make me care. I don't miss him now and I certainly won't miss him if he is released.

 

[SpecialFNK]

I've felt like Pope has been misused for awhile now. I've never like this "Pope" gimmick. is he religious? I don't buy it.
I think he has the talent, the look, the mic skills, all to be successful, but I really don't like the gimmick.
I wouldn't buy him in the main event, I'm thinking more mid card or X division.
I thought he could work really well as a heel thug. I was hoping it would go that way when he started getting involved with Devon. at that same time I also thought he could work really well in a tag team with Devon, but they had like 1 or 2 matches and that's it.

but at this point if he never returned to action in TNA, I wouldn't miss him.

 

[SacredMesa]

I already do miss this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm0k084sJ8A


I really want to see the Pope get used more. The guy has good charisma and is a great talent. I would like to see him pushed in either the X-division or for the TV Title and eventually to the World title. He has the talent and I hate that TNA has been wasting it.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Honestly, I didn't even realize that he hadn't been used on TV for so long. I hadn't missed him one iota. So I guess my answer to the OP's question is pretty obvious.

 

[waylon p]

I agree with sacredmesa. I have been missing Pope for a long time now. He is good in the ring, and great on the mic. To think that Vince once called him "the future of the WWE." but he couldn't do anything with him, and neither can TNA. Does anyone know if he is hard to work with, or perhaps a prima donna backstage or something?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I couldn't care less about the guy and don't know what anyone really sees in him to be quite honest. He's pretty decent in the ring but nothing overly special, same with him on the mic and as a character.

He's in his mid 30s and hasn't done a damn thing in the 9 years he's been a pro wrestler. I don't believe he's going to amount to much in TNA. He's been in TNA for 3.5 years and has nothing to show for it. The bloom is long since off the rose when it comes to The Pope. He's got a degree in criminal justice and I think he'd be better off if he just got out of wrestling and got a job in his field.

 

[Rayne]

It's not what you know, it's who you know.

Pope is as athletic as you need to be to be a successful professional wrestler. He's decent with the microphone. With the relative dearth of professional wrestlers these days who are able to connect with the audience, you'd think he would have been pushed into the position where he could sink or swim, and a three week blowoff feud for a title doesn't count.

With his skillset, if TNA wanted Pope up front, that's where he'd be. They rammed Gunner and Garret Bischoff down our throats for almost a year before giving up on that, and those two, second moreso than the first, don't approach Pope's level of talent. There's some reason that the movers and the shakers in TNA aren't that interested in promoting him; don't ask me what that is, or who should get blamed.

He'll be back in TNA, he'll have feuds with people which will get him TV time (and hopefully nothing as awful as that Devon mess), but I don't expect him to be placed near the top of the card.

 

[gers09]

he still works for tna. i honestly forgot all about him so i guess no i dont miss him

 

[Doctor Awesome]

It's hard to miss a guy that hasn't been relevant in two years, which sucks because he is a much better all-around talent than half the roster. If he comes back healthy and get's to truly be The Pope; like when he first arrived in TNA and stays healthy, the people will get behind him. TNA is at a point where they have to ride the hot hands and if he comes back with a good push he'd be a nice piece in the mid-card to main event scene. Time will tell but I for one hope he comes back pimpin'!

 

[Kizzani]

Mr. Pope has in ring talent and has mic skills he could go far if it wasn't for his MAJOR flaw. ( now before I tell about this flaw you must understand this flaw is based on WHO is running the wrestling Companies.)

He is black in a world of racist White Power hungry clowns.

I could go into great detail on how held back Americans with a darker color pigment, But all anyone has to see is world titles and who gets to hold them, If you want me to believe a Drug out Jeff Hardy has more talent then a clean pope your high as Hardy. Here are a few other jokes who have held the title that Pope is better than...
Mick Foley ( anytime, anywhere Foley has been a fat joke since day 1)
Rob Van Damn ( first of ripping of a horrible actor name aside, he has a few moves that get repeated then re-repeated every single pot smoking match
James Storm Please as a tag team he looked good with Roode, but alone he looks like a Dumpster version of Stone Cold Steve Austin...Without the Cool look, tough guy persona, and Fan base. Damn I guess that just leaves him with drinking beer, So maybe he is more like Jake Roberts or Scott Hall well without the talent.

If pope was given a fair shot then yes he would be missed, but since he is held down for the likes of Robbie E, Abyss, A group of masked WWE Rejects, Robbie T and even EY who gets to be a Female champion, No I would not miss not seeing him.

 

[Dieter_Von_Cunth]

Oh please. The Pope has been given every chance in the world to succeed. He did main event Lockdown (The Summerslam of TNA) back in 2010. He was on fire back then. Crowd pops were amazing plus his matches were pretty tight. Ever since that main event at Lockdown, he's been the victim of the injury bug or he has had his head in other avenues that are not wrestling. What the hell do you want TNA to do? To me if a dude is constantly injured and his head isn't 100% into the wrestling business, that isn't being racist. That's called being smart and doing what is good for business. The Pope is a guy when his head is in the game and healthy, could be a upper card to main event type talent. With the way he is right now, no doubt, TNA made a great choice with the way his current status is now.

 

[rondiesel2005]

I don't think Bruce Pritchard is a fan of The Pope and his gimmick. I mean way before he got injured, he didn't have a storyline with anybody, he was either being use for the BFG series during house shows or being use on Xplosion.

I don't really miss the Pope. he is a decent wrestler with a gimmick that is hard to get over. I know fans were behind him before he got injured the first time, but once he came back, he was hardly doing anything meaningful. I think his gimmick confuses a lot of people backstage which is why they are really not using him like they are suppose to. I know he doesn't have a lot of merchandises to sell. who knows, he might get a push next year which might be hard to get into because he didn't do anything at all in 2012.

If they are not going to use him, they might as well release him

 

[SpecialFNK]

Mr. Pope has in ring talent and has mic skills he could go far if it wasn't for his MAJOR flaw. ( now before I tell about this flaw you must understand this flaw is based on WHO is running the wrestling Companies.)

He is black in a world of racist White Power hungry clowns.

I could go into great detail on how held back Americans with a darker color pigment, But all anyone has to see is world titles and who gets to hold them, If you want me to believe a Drug out Jeff Hardy has more talent then a clean pope your high as Hardy. Here are a few other jokes who have held the title that Pope is better than...
Mick Foley ( anytime, anywhere Foley has been a fat joke since day 1)
Rob Van Damn ( first of ripping of a horrible actor name aside, he has a few moves that get repeated then re-repeated every single pot smoking match
James Storm Please as a tag team he looked good with Roode, but alone he looks like a Dumpster version of Stone Cold Steve Austin...Without the Cool look, tough guy persona, and Fan base. Damn I guess that just leaves him with drinking beer, So maybe he is more like Jake Roberts or Scott Hall well without the talent.

If pope was given a fair shot then yes he would be missed, but since he is held down for the likes of Robbie E, Abyss, A group of masked WWE Rejects, Robbie T and even EY who gets to be a Female champion, No I would not miss not seeing him.

a Pope vs Jeff Hardy battle is no contest, Pope doesn't even come close to Hardy. what Pope can do inside the wrestling ring is pretty irrelevant. who are fans on TV going to want to watch more, Hardy or someone named Pope D'Angelo Dinero? most general fans might not even remember who the Pope is. Jeff Hardy is one of if not the most popular wrestler in TNA. that makes a difference.

I think people often forget what professional wrestling is. professional wrestling is a TV show. what someone can do in the ring is only a small amount of what really matters.

as for TNA being racist. I'm not going to completely disagree. but what about Devon? he had a significant TV title reign, and is now in a major story line with Aces and Eights.
if someone black was good enough to get a significant push, I think they would. Pope is not significant. even if used right IMO his ceiling is mid card.

 

[Alex]

Mr. Pope has in ring talent and has mic skills he could go far if it wasn't for his MAJOR flaw. ( now before I tell about this flaw you must understand this flaw is based on WHO is running the wrestling Companies.)

He is black in a world of racist White Power hungry clowns.

I could go into great detail on how held back Americans with a darker color pigment, But all anyone has to see is world titles and who gets to hold them, If you want me to believe a Drug out Jeff Hardy has more talent then a clean pope your high as Hardy. Here are a few other jokes who have held the title that Pope is better than...
Mick Foley ( anytime, anywhere Foley has been a fat joke since day 1)
Rob Van Damn ( first of ripping of a horrible actor name aside, he has a few moves that get repeated then re-repeated every single pot smoking match
James Storm Please as a tag team he looked good with Roode, but alone he looks like a Dumpster version of Stone Cold Steve Austin...Without the Cool look, tough guy persona, and Fan base. Damn I guess that just leaves him with drinking beer, So maybe he is more like Jake Roberts or Scott Hall well without the talent.

If pope was given a fair shot then yes he would be missed, but since he is held down for the likes of Robbie E, Abyss, A group of masked WWE Rejects, Robbie T and even EY who gets to be a Female champion, No I would not miss not seeing him.

It doesn't matter what you're skin colour is. If you have a good gimmick you'll get over simple as. Booker T's black, he got over, The Rock is mixed race, he got over. The reason Pope isn't more over is because his gimmick is niche. Niche gimmicks generally only appeal to certain people and unfortunately TNA's fanbase doesn't have that many people that Pope's gimmick appeals to.

Onto the fact if I'd miss him or not. I haven't missed him for the past couple of months, but I would like to see him again. He's a good worker, good on the mic and in the ring. He may not become world champion but he would certainly be a great midcard champion.

 

[Slash-LN]

I honestly forget about him being there.

I have no investment in him as a performer and he doesn't strike me as anything more than a mid card guy. It doesn't bother me that he is out and honestly if he were to be released I wouldn't think twice about it. The same thing can be said for Eric Young who I actually liked as Showtime.

Is the Pope a good for the mid card scene? Sure. Does it hurt TNA that he isn't there? Not at all. I wouldn't care either way if he stayed or not.

 

[Lowdown]

Mr. Pope has in ring talent and has mic skills he could go far if it wasn't for his MAJOR flaw. ( now before I tell about this flaw you must understand this flaw is based on WHO is running the wrestling Companies.)

He is black in a world of racist White Power hungry clowns.

I could go into great detail on how held back Americans with a darker color pigment, But all anyone has to see is world titles and who gets to hold them, If you want me to believe a Drug out Jeff Hardy has more talent then a clean pope your high as Hardy. Here are a few other jokes who have held the title that Pope is better than...
Mick Foley ( anytime, anywhere Foley has been a fat joke since day 1)
Rob Van Damn ( first of ripping of a horrible actor name aside, he has a few moves that get repeated then re-repeated every single pot smoking match
James Storm Please as a tag team he looked good with Roode, but alone he looks like a Dumpster version of Stone Cold Steve Austin...Without the Cool look, tough guy persona, and Fan base. Damn I guess that just leaves him with drinking beer, So maybe he is more like Jake Roberts or Scott Hall well without the talent.

If pope was given a fair shot then yes he would be missed, but since he is held down for the likes of Robbie E, Abyss, A group of masked WWE Rejects, Robbie T and even EY who gets to be a Female champion, No I would not miss not seeing him.

Wasn't Ron Killings TNA champ at one point? But to answer the question, I do miss Pope. I wouldn't mind seeing him battle it out in the X division or for the TV title. Hell once he's healthy he could be a wild card in the A&8's plot, who knows. I'd much rather see him on TV than the Gut Check competitors.

 

[ShawnyBoy]

Like the Pope. I Think TNA very misused him so far. He have good mic skills , even tho his matches are not super entertaining , he have (i think) a great gimmick , if TNA would give him a chance to seize that Main-Event slot , i think he could do very good with it. Guy did a lot of work on his mic skills etc.. since he left ECW. I Thought awhile ago when they cut his return promo ''my moment'' he was gonna comeback in the main-event slot , but ended up sticking in the midcard again. Anyways , yeah he does not bring much to the show right now , but he could , would miss the pope !

 

[HBsam31]

I have always liked The Pope, and I really like him on the mic. Honestly though I had forgotten about him until I read this thread. He has been given chances, but they always seemed to pull the plug on him. When he had his brief time in the main event I was actually rooting for him, but it is weird I don;t really notice he is gone. I guess I haven;t really missed him while he was hurt. Although I do like The Pope he is not someone I would miss.

 

[Tesla Tank]

Guy needs to break out and get back in the main event picture where he belongs. He had a nice return in the bound for glory series then just disappeared. But he certainly has the potential to go far.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Far as I'm concerned Pope is the total package, or at least was. He has been miused for a very long time, and I miss him even now. His heel turn when Immortal got going really killed his momentum IMO and he has been in the midcard and jobber realms ever since. I'd be disappointed if TNA were to release him.

And Jack-Hammer, Pope did actually used to be a prison warden.

 

[TheStar]

Unfortunately, as a black man I must say that the reason we haven't seen Devon or The Pope get that push is because every time TNA pushes someone of color to the top. They leave for WWE! Think back to the real first NWA-TNA champion Ron Killings. Yes I know Ken Shamrock won the tournament but that was some bull and everyone knows it- it was just for his name. Killings won and not so soon but, soon after hes back in WWE with a little more stock and than he had before. The Alpha Male was huge for TNA back in the day, a homegrown talent, connected with fans, and built a small but still something of a following fan base. Once he was on the cusp he split and went to become a failure by the name of Marcus Cor Von. Now we could add Booker to the mix but Booker was a star before he either came to TNA or WWE but WWE furthered the legacy and technically he never left WCW to come to WWE he just kept doing the same job cause his company was bought out. So lets be honest if TNA did decide to push Pope to the top and as usual then take the title off of him and then float him around after there was a general interest and buzz. WWE comes a calling and Pope goes a leaving, remember anyone who ever dreams or wants to be in this business wants to compete and showcase at Wrestlemania for WWE. Even King Mos!

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

I don't actually remember him being ON TV before he was taken "OFF" TV... I know he was supposed to be involved with the Aces & Eights thing, and I remember him being attacked. I do not remember anything before that, going all the way back to his annoyingly elongated feud with Devon.

Do I miss him? Nope. Would I miss him? Nope. It has nothing to do with his talent - although I haven't seen him do anything entertaining in years - but distance does NOT make the heart grow fonder. Not in pro wrestling at least. You disappear for too long, or remain irrelevant for long enough, and unless you're a HUGE name in pro wrestling you're pretty much dead. It's very much like Jack Swagger; hasn't been seen on Raw in quite some time, and I don't think many people miss him. It's really hard to care about a wrestler that has never meant anything to anybody.

 

[RawIsJericho]

I really liked the Pope, but at the same time I just struggle to think where he would fit in at this point, especially with the Aces and Eights angle dominating so much of the air time. There's only a couple of hours a week to go around, Anderson barely gets to do anything and I'd prefer to see Anderson getting some good usage again before the Pope.

There's really nobody on Impact nowadays who I hate seeing on TV beyond Tara's new guy but that's Tara's angle and I like her to be on TV/the Knockouts actually having an "angle". So while I'd like Pope to be on there, there's nobody who I'd really yank off TV for him weekly and establish an angle for him etc. Find him a tag team partner and put him in the tag division maybe?