The Reason TNA Has Been Better as of Late

[gd]

Over the past few weeks Impact has been on somewhat of a mini roll. Not only have the shows not sucked, but they have actually been consistently entertaining and fun to watch. There are several reasons for this, but I think the main one is that TNA has kept it simple. They have clearly defined who is face and who is heel and have made the whole show about good v. evil. This was highlighted by the big brawl where everyone chose a side. Clearly defining everyone as a face or a heel really has it's benefits.

There is a reason wrestling has been booked with the same formula for years. The fans need someone they love to cheer for and somebody they despise to cheer against. If they have that, fans will be much more involved in the matches, leading to better overall match quality.

I thought the fact that the line between face and heel awhile back really hurt TNA. In particular the Sting/Mick Foley rivalry. Both had the ability to give us great promos and a pretty good hardcore match, but the fact that both of them were definite tweeners really took something away from it.

What do you think, has the adoption of the face/heel dynamic helped TNA recently? Should they contiune this, or go in a different direction? Do you think other things have played a factor?

 

[yoshi_doce2006]

I totally agree. I liked when they let the fans choose who to boo and cheer but it wasn't the same as it was in the good ol days. I remember watching videos of when everyone in the NWA locker room were faces except for the Four Horsemen and how people would go crazy when they broke the leg of Dusty Rhodes. Will the Main Event Maphia ever fallow Sting to the TNA offices and tie him to a truck before breaking his arm with a ball bat. No. But people will know who to boo and cheer.

TNA has a nice fan base but not many are kids from the crowds I have seen. Having clear cut faces and heels should improve that a bit. Not much but a bit.

 

[AndarielHalo]

I think TNA's quality, like it's ratings, maintain a perpetual level of suck that is never wholly offset by its moments of brilliance.

Examples: Mick Foley's speech before Victory Road claiming that he was wrestling for the title not because he wanted to prove anything to the fans or to the wrestlers, but to prove something to himself. That was the most brilliant and beautiful promo piece I've seen from anyone in any wrestling company in many years.

That big-ass fight riot they had last Thursday was great fun and entertaining. It was offset by the gaping plothole in the story:

Just WHO and WHAT are the MEM and World Elite fighting? Are they trying to take over TNA? In which case, why would Kurt Angle go to TNA Management, and RESPECTFULLY reach a MUTUAL AGREEMENT over Kevin Nash's pissant title "dilemma"?

"TNA Management, you suck and we're going to show you your show can't survive without us by beating the shit out of everyone and absolutely dominating your show's spotlight and there's not a damn thing you can do about it! Also, can Kevin Nash get a rematch for his Legends title loss, please?"


And then there's the whole deal of everyone calling Eric Young a traitor. Just who and what is he a traitor of? He hasn't left TNA---he's still wrestling for TNA. The babyfaces don't even have a formally established faction that he could have defected from! So what the fuck happened there?

And then Christopher Daniels calls Eric Young a baby or something, and tells him to step up and be a man.

LOLWUT?!?!

That's EXACTLY what Eric Young has been doing for the past several weeks, Not-Suicide!!!

Speaking of Not-Suicide, just what ever happened to that little storyline/feud with Daniels Daniels and the MCMG/LC? Gone down the drain of Vince Russo and Co.'s perpetual ADD, I suppose.

 

[Reddannihilation]

Just WHO and WHAT are the MEM and World Elite fighting? Are they trying to take over TNA? In which case, why would Kurt Angle go to TNA Management, and RESPECTFULLY reach a MUTUAL AGREEMENT over Kevin Nash's pissant title "dilemma"?

"TNA Management, you suck and we're going to show you your show can't survive without us by beating the shit out of everyone and absolutely dominating your show's spotlight and there's not a damn thing you can do about it! Also, can Kevin Nash get a rematch for his Legends title loss, please?"

Dominance over the TNA Originals. Not hard to grasp.

And then there's the whole deal of everyone calling Eric Young a traitor. Just who and what is he a traitor of? He hasn't left TNA---he's still wrestling for TNA. The babyfaces don't even have a formally established faction that he could have defected from! So what the fuck happened there?

Do you actually watch Impact? Two weeks ago Eric Young, AJ, Daniels and Beer Money were in a tag match against the World Elite and Eric turned heel attacking AJ and helping the World Elite win, then joining them.

Speaking of Not-Suicide, just what ever happened to that little storyline/feud with Daniels Daniels and the MCMG/LC? Gone down the drain of Vince Russo and Co.'s perpetual ADD, I suppose.

The feud was actually between Suicide and the MCMG/LC Daniels got caught up in it because they thought he was Suicide then they found out he wasn't. That elminated any reason for Daniels to be in the feud anymore.

Seriously, do you actually watch Impact? Because it really doesn't seem like it.

 

[barley96]

TNA has marginally improved with the face/heel dynamic. Now if TNA can have wrestling matches longer then five minutes, I will say that Terrible Nonstop Action has improved significantly.

 

[StInGeR-HBK]

I think right now, it's a very good thing TNA is doing with the heels and faces. In some cases it's ok to have a superstar or two who aren't really defined as a face or a heel but if TNA wants to attract some newer viewers, they have to really define who's who in TNA. Up to this point, their characters change almost on a monthly basis. One month Team 3D is a face team, the next they're heels. Same with every other superstar they have. When a new viewer starts watching, they automatically get confused and then stop watching cuz it's too much chaos. Once they have a steady number of viewers and they're reaching that 2.0 rating or so, they can start to change things around but for now, they're doing an awesome job. Almost like a World War 3 type of match where you have all the faces and all the heels. I like it!

 

[TellMeWhy]

I did not mind the grey area between faces and heels. I think it can work for quite some time but a superstar can't stay that way forever. At a point, that tweener has to show his/her true colors and become a full heel or face. But heel/face is cool. If you look at the TNA roster right now, the only ones in a grey area are Lethal Consequences and Kong/Saed and I don't mind that they blur that line with some members of the roster until they find a definite purpose for making them either a full fledged face or heel.

 

[AndarielHalo]

Dominance over the TNA Originals. Not hard to grasp.

It actually IS that hard to grasp, considering that these "TNA Originals" are barely on their own show, while the nWo has been feuding with Jeff Jarrett, Mick Foley, Sting, and now Bobby Lashley, while the goonies of the nWo are facing the top men of the TNA Originals? What kind of battle for domination is that? They barely even mention the TNA Originals as their enemies, and instead focus on people like Mick Foley, Bobby Lashley, and TNA Management.

If this were World War II, Lashley and Foley would be the Soviets/Allies, the MEM would be the Axis powers, and the TNA Originals would be the Polish Resistance.

Do you actually watch Impact? Two weeks ago Eric Young, AJ, Daniels and Beer Money were in a tag match against the World Elite and Eric turned heel attacking AJ and helping the World Elite win, then joining them.

I wish I didn't, but I have to. It's my non-paying job for TheWrestlingFan.com Catch me here: http://thewrestlingfan.com/tnaimpact.html

Though since you believe my statements are TOTALLY false, you might not enjoy it as much.


And two weeks ago, Eric Young said he was going to stick it out with TNA, NOT with AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels etcetera. Considering the sheer amount of face/heel turns that go on, why is this so significant that it gains a huge "OMG TRAITOR!" vibe? Especially considering Eric Young was a heel for the past month or more, why would they be surprised, considering how much TNA and its "Originals" have been treating him like shit.

I pointed in my last rant/review/recap to Robert Roode. Last time he gave a promo on Eric Young, putting him over and such, and COMPLETELY IGNORING the time when he basically enslaved Eric Young. Not so much as a fucking apology? An acknowledgement that he did wrong? I had even stated that it would have been a fan-fucking-tastic promo if he'd brought it up, and mentioned how Eric Young managed to fight his way free, perservere, and remain a great and loyal TNA wrestler.

What does Eric Young have to gain by teaming up with his former slave master Bobby Roode, and a bunch of guys who supported (in kayfabe) Jeff Jarrett, the very guy Eric Young hated for the past month or so?


Considering the rather apathetic treatment he was bound to receive in that bunch, it's only natural that a bad guy would take the prover "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" to play.


And they call him a "traitor". Why don't they call Bobby Roode a "hypocrite" for his long-ass feud with Eric Young? Continuity nods like that are great for a company's long-term success. Even if it's just a slight remark, like that time Triple H apologized to Kane for the Katie Vick thing.

The feud was actually between Suicide and the MCMG/LC Daniels got caught up in it because they thought he was Suicide then they found out he wasn't. That elminated any reason for Daniels to be in the feud anymore.

And Daniels was apparently just throwing a temper tantrum when he said many months ago "I'm Daniels. And now, I'm angry" and beat the shit out of them? Fuck no. Suicide was barely involved in this angle, and even after Suicide and Daniels appeared in the ring together, they were STILL feuding for a while.

And now the MCMG/LC don't even give a shit about Suicide anymore. That sort of shoots your logic apart.

 

[smalltownfan]

I think TNA has taken advantage of the fact that WWE has gone PG. TNA has had several interviews that have had to be bleeped out and there's a new edge to them. Also, the improvement of AJ Styles on the mic and the transformation of Samoa Joe to psychopath has helped, too. Last week's IMPACT was the best they've ever done in my opinion. That riot was awesome and well done. TNA is on the right track. They will never compete with WWE as far as ratings go, but they are very entertaining.

 

[BillAlfonso]

I think TNA has taken advantage of the fact that WWE has gone PG. TNA has had several interviews that have had to be bleeped out and there's a new edge to them. Also, the improvement of AJ Styles on the mic and the transformation of Samoa Joe to psychopath has helped, too. Last week's IMPACT was the best they've ever done in my opinion. That riot was awesome and well done. TNA is on the right track. They will never compete with WWE as far as ratings go, but they are very entertaining.

I think you hit the nail on the head. TNA is doing what ECW did when they got started, the picked up the guys that the Big Two left out before they began to rape ECW in the 18-34 male demographic. I mean PG will pick up the kids but there's still a whole audience being left out. Another example is the video game industry when Sony dominated with the PSone. They realized something Nintendo and Sega didn't, just because people get older doesn't mean they stop playing video games. It's the same with wrestling, the PG will bring in the kids which brings in the merchandise and that's smart, probably the smartest thing WWE does(looking at you creative) but there's still people out there who want action.

 

[Reddannihilation]

It actually IS that hard to grasp, considering that these "TNA Originals" are barely on their own show, while the nWo has been feuding with Jeff Jarrett, Mick Foley, Sting, and now Bobby Lashley, while the goonies of the nWo are facing the top men of the TNA Originals? What kind of battle for domination is that? They barely even mention the TNA Originals as their enemies, and instead focus on people like Mick Foley, Bobby Lashley, and TNA Management.

The TNA Originals is basically every face in the company, call them the frontline, the originals or just TNA it's the faces. Still the point being MEM want to be the top dogs in the company, to do that they have to beat out everyone. They want to have as much power as possible so they feud with the guys in control. It's pretty simple.

And two weeks ago, Eric Young said he was going to stick it out with TNA, NOT with AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels etcetera. Considering the sheer amount of face/heel turns that go on, why is this so significant that it gains a huge "OMG TRAITOR!" vibe? Especially considering Eric Young was a heel for the past month or more, why would they be surprised, considering how much TNA and its "Originals" have been treating him like shit.

I pointed in my last rant/review/recap to Robert Roode. Last time he gave a promo on Eric Young, putting him over and such, and COMPLETELY IGNORING the time when he basically enslaved Eric Young. Not so much as a fucking apology? An acknowledgement that he did wrong? I had even stated that it would have been a fan-fucking-tastic promo if he'd brought it up, and mentioned how Eric Young managed to fight his way free, perservere, and remain a great and loyal TNA wrestler.

What does Eric Young have to gain by teaming up with his former slave master Bobby Roode, and a bunch of guys who supported (in kayfabe) Jeff Jarrett, the very guy Eric Young hated for the past month or so?


Considering the rather apathetic treatment he was bound to receive in that bunch, it's only natural that a bad guy would take the prover "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven" to play.


And they call him a "traitor". Why don't they call Bobby Roode a "hypocrite" for his long-ass feud with Eric Young? Continuity nods like that are great for a company's long-term success. Even if it's just a slight remark, like that time Triple H apologized to Kane for the Katie Vick thing.

So basically what I've gathered from this is "Why do they call Eric Young a traitor?" Now, this may seem odd, but turning your back on the company that made you and siding with a group of foreign wrestlers who consider themselves above the company tends to yield that result. You're right they didn't mention Roode's feud with Eric Young, big deal having done so would've been counter-productive to the storyline e.g. Robert Roode promo; "So yeah I may have handcuffed Eric and beaten him with a chair a few years back, but he's the bad guy remember" Roode brought up his past with Young without delving too far into it, it allows him to play the betrayed friend card. This in turn generates more heat for EY. The end.

And Daniels was apparently just throwing a temper tantrum when he said many months ago "I'm Daniels. And now, I'm angry" and beat the shit out of them? Fuck no. Suicide was barely involved in this angle, and even after Suicide and Daniels appeared in the ring together, they were STILL feuding for a while.

And now the MCMG/LC don't even give a shit about Suicide anymore. That sort of shoots your logic apart.

They don't give a shit about Suicide? You mean the two guys who basically cost him his X-division title? Uh-oh looks like my logic was wearing a bulletproof vest. Suicide was literally the main element of the X-divsion storyline this year. Daniels was included in the story as a nod to fans that he had been Suicide at one point, Daniels then moved up to the MEM storyline while LC/MCMG continued feuding with Suicide. Yes as of right now they've dropped the Suicide storyline, probably because it started with the MCMG wanting revenge on Suicide for taking Shelley's championship, they beat him up and inadvertently cost him the title. Their work is done.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I agree GD. I think that the line was drawn last week as to who were the heels and who were the faces. In the past there were too many tweeners. Before Joe was in the MEM he was a face but pretty much a tweener with his nation of violence. The same thing goes for Sting and Foley. Both cut great promos, but fans didn't know who to route for. Sting was in MEM and Foley was flip flopping between heel and face every week.

They lead to some interesting promos but not interesting matches. We are now able to see who are the dominant heels and faces. Who would of thought that Eric Young would be a heel leader of his own group? I like that creative is letting the talent go out there and be themselves. Some might say that the MEM and World Elite together are too many heels.

If you think about it, that's only 11 wrestlers. 14 members if you count Taz, Sharmell, and Jenna. Also, Morgan and Richards as separate entities.

Who are the faces? Foley, Sting, Lashley, AJ Styles, Daniels, Homicide, Hernandez, Beer Money, Team 3D, Lethal Consequences, Rhino, Suicide, MCMG, Amazing Red, and Abyss. Looks like the MEM and World Elite have their work cut out for them if you ask me. Even if you take away Abyss and the MCMG, you still have a stacked deck of faces compared to heels.

I believe World Elite and MEM coming together was great for the company. It also allows some underutilized wrestlers to shine. As long as they keep it up, I for one will be continuing to tune in for some Total Nonstop Action.

 

[AndarielHalo]

turning your back on the company that made you

IN WHAT WAY IS JOINING A HEEL FACTION WHEN YOU ARE A HEEL "TURNING YOUR BACK" ON TNA?!

And how is that WORSE than trying to BREAK THE LEG OF THE COMPANY OWNER?

The British Invasion and company may be hated for thinking they're bigger than TNA, but KNOCK KNOCK-- HELLOOOO!! THAT'S WHAT ARROGANT HEELS ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THE COMPANY THEY ARE IN! THAT'S WHAT MAKES THEM AN ARROGANT HEEL

having done so would've been counter-productive to the storyline

No it's not! I even detailed it in that very post how it could have been executed. Here is how I would have transcripted it:

"Now Eric Young has got a lot of issues, I know. And if you remember, I forced Eric Young to be my personal servant several years ago, humiliated and horribly hurt him. Eric, buddy, my friend; I'm sorry. I apologize. I did wrong, and you did right; you recovered from that; you grew, you became better, you forgave and you forgot, and you proved that you were the bigger man between us two.

But not anymore! You've turned your back on that, Eric! You grew out of the hell I put you through, but now you're just putting yourself through hell again, Eric! You should know better; you're better than this, Eric. You're stronger than this."

They don't give a shit about Suicide?

MCMG are now siding with Christopher Daniels against the MEM and company, after complaining they weren't on TV anymore.

Lethal Consequences were last seen trying to beat up Abyss for $50,000.

Where in the hell does Suicide fit into any of that?

they beat him up and inadvertently cost him the title. Their work is done.

And a guy named "SUICIDE" is willing to let that slide and move on? This same Suicide who supposedly underwent MEXICAN PLASTIC SURGERY to change his appearance just to get vengeance on wrestlers who beat him nearly to death. Isn't that pretty much just what the MCMG's did? They didn't try to take his life, but they tried to take his pride, his spirit, etcetera. And he's doing NOTHING in return? He's just moving on to Homicide who entered in virtually out of nowhere, with the only connection being his Feast or Fired Money in the Bank-case.

Your bulletproof vest is made of wood.

Foley, Sting, Lashley, AJ Styles, Daniels, Homicide, Hernandez, Beer Money, Team 3D, Lethal Consequences, Rhino, Suicide, MCMG, Amazing Red, and Abyss. Looks like the MEM and World Elite have their work cut out for them if you ask me. Even if you take away Abyss and the MCMG, you still have a stacked deck of faces compared to heels.

Foley, Sting, and Lashley are not working with the "TNA Originals". Any instance they've worked together was really only coincidental. Amazing Red, Abyss, Rhino, Suicide, Hernandez, and Homicide are not even involved with the MEM/World Elite storyline!


That leaves you with

AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Beer Money, Team 3D, Lethal Consequences, Mick Foley, Bobby Lashley, Sting
vs
Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Scott Steiner, Roid Terry, Brutus Magnus, Doug Williams, Sheik Abdul Jabbar, Kiyoshi, Eric Young (including the women, you have Sharmell, Jenna Haze, Traci Brooks)


Numbers-wise, it's evenly matched.

Booking-wise, it's an utter domination by the nWo.


Foley, Sting, Lashley aren't even involved with the "Originals". They're just a section that is allied with them.

AJ Styles was squashed by Kevin Nash lately in a squash match. I forgot which week, but it was a squash match.

The nWo has the Tag team championships and the TNA Championship, and the World Elite has the IWGP tag team championships, too. The Originals have NOTHING. Mick Foley has the Legends title, but he's not a part of the TNA Originals.

 

[barley96]

Although my best friend in the whole world AndarielHalo has some good points about TNA, it has marginally gotten better, which the current state of TNA suckiness, I will settle for it.

 

[The_Misson]

Any instance they've worked together was really only coincidental. Amazing Red, Abyss, Rhino, Suicide, Hernandez, and Homicide are not even involved with the MEM/World Elite storyline!

Just thought i'd point out that Hernandez and Homicide are involved with the story line...Heck last week Super Mex came out swining a giant chain and saved the Originals or Frontline or watever you want to call them... either way he saved them. Also did you forget about the whole Joe going after the X-division belt? And who the X-division champ is? And that Joe went bizerk on Homicide and had to have Hernandez come save him? Anyway i thought I should point that out for yea

 

[Reddannihilation]

IN WHAT WAY IS JOINING A HEEL FACTION WHEN YOU ARE A HEEL "TURNING YOUR BACK" ON TNA?!

And how is that WORSE than trying to BREAK THE LEG OF THE COMPANY OWNER?

The British Invasion and company may be hated for thinking they're bigger than TNA, but KNOCK KNOCK-- HELLOOOO!! THAT'S WHAT ARROGANT HEELS ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THE COMPANY THEY ARE IN! THAT'S WHAT MAKES THEM AN ARROGANT HEEL

Good god you're thick, you actually gave the reason although you obviously don't realize it. "British invasion" that name in itslef says 2 things 1.) they're british 2.) they're trying to invade and take over TNA. By siding with the Invasion he's implicated himself as one of them, thereby implying that he's also keen on reshaping TNA into his own vision. EY wasn't a heel anyway he was a tweener

No it's not! I even detailed it in that very post how it could have been executed. Here is how I would have transcripted it:

"Now Eric Young has got a lot of issues, I know. And if you remember, I forced Eric Young to be my personal servant several years ago, humiliated and horribly hurt him. Eric, buddy, my friend; I'm sorry. I apologize. I did wrong, and you did right; you recovered from that; you grew, you became better, you forgave and you forgot, and you proved that you were the bigger man between us two.

But not anymore! You've turned your back on that, Eric! You grew out of the hell I put you through, but now you're just putting yourself through hell again, Eric! You should know better; you're better than this, Eric. You're stronger than this."

This is probably why you aren't a writer for TNA, people are not going to cheer someone if they go into personal history that involves the Face commenting on how he once enslaved the heel. Wrestling focuses on the short term, it's the same reason people boo Orton in his feud with HHH even though HHH technically instigated it. Wrestling storylines focus on the short term aspect.

MCMG are now siding with Christopher Daniels against the MEM and company, after complaining they weren't on TV anymore.

Lethal Consequences were last seen trying to beat up Abyss for $50,000.

Where in the hell does Suicide fit into any of that?

He isn't because shock horror he got fucked up by the MCMG and lost his title. He's going make a return at the Steel Asylum match. Currently he's not involved because the motivation for the feud was the Guns and LC trying to get the X-division title. Suicide doesn't fit in with those storyline's that's why we haven't seen him.

And a guy named "SUICIDE" is willing to let that slide and move on? This same Suicide who supposedly underwent MEXICAN PLASTIC SURGERY to change his appearance just to get vengeance on wrestlers who beat him nearly to death. Isn't that pretty much just what the MCMG's did? They didn't try to take his life, but they tried to take his pride, his spirit, etcetera. And he's doing NOTHING in return? He's just moving on to Homicide who entered in virtually out of nowhere, with the only connection being his Feast or Fired Money in the Bank-case.

Your bulletproof vest is made of wood.

What? You think the storyline from a video game is relevant to the real world. So, when you play Smackdown vs Raw do you assume everthing you're doing in the game will be mentioned on the next Raw. Yes the Guns cost him his title, he's currently on hiatus and he'll be making his return during the Steel Asylum probably taking down the Guns. He hasn't moved on to Homicide, since he lost he hasn't been seen. The obvious reason being that they wanted to focus on the World Elite and Suicide doesn't fit the storyline that well.

 

[AndarielHalo]

EY wasn't a heel anyway he was a tweener

Good God, YOU'RE thick. Are you fucking serious? In what way was he a tweener? Beating the shit out of Jeff Jarrett does NOT qualify as "tweener" behavior.

they're trying to invade and take over TNA

Says WHO?! I've NEVER heard them say this before they sided with the nWo! Does this mean "La Resistance" was trying to resist WWE oppression by sneak attacking superstars and bombing their cars in the parking lot? Does this mean "Beer Money" is only wrestling to earn money to buy beers?

This is probably why you aren't a writer for TNA,

Because I think too much and have great ideas that don't dissolve within two weeks. Or most likely because I'm not buttbuddies with Russo/Jarrett/Carter and co. who can suck up to them hard enough to get a job there.

Status does not equal quality. Just because someone is head writer of the most watched wrestling show in the world doesn't mean they're particularly good.

people are not going to cheer someone if they go into personal history that involves the Face commenting on how he once enslaved the heel

People cheer whoever they fucking want. No matter what, you'll hear people cheering for Kurt Angle in the crowd. There's almost always dueling chants between supporters for faces and heels. This is not a valid argument, in part because you are assuming on the part of the audience, and you are assuming they are just as stupid as TNA Creative thinks they are, and because I can't think of another comparison to that storyline and how it turned out.

Suicide doesn't fit in with those storyline's that's why we haven't seen him.

Irrelevant to my point, which was focusing on the kayfabe logic behind it.

You think the storyline from a video game is relevant to the real world

When they make a fucking VIDEO GAME CHARACTER INTO A REAL WRESTLER, then YES! His whole fucking gimmick is RELEVANT to the video game! Without the video game storyline, his gimmick is completely fucking pointless!

Then again, it is TNA