"They" Are Coming!

[TellMeWhy]

am i wrong that sting told jarrett the same thing?

Sting said something along the lines of "They will pay or you will pay like them". Maybe the They isn't a good choice of words but I'm thinking Abyss' They and Sting's They are 2 different things but are getting viewers like us mixed up or maybe this is really premeditated and Abyss and Sting really do have a connection as I guessed a week ago.

Even though TNA no longer talks about Samoa Joe's kidnapping, I'm thinking that Joe's kidnapping may have something to do with the people driving Abyss back to his monster ways. Also this week, Joe wasn't on Impact so I'm now putting the 2 and 2 together.

The ECW stable looks like they may end up involved with the Jesse Neal/Team 3D angle but really I don't know and I don't know what TNA has planned and where they'll be going with this. Maybe when it's said and done, things will intertwine with the angles and things will start to make sense.

 

[LegendKiller716]

I have a few things floating in my head right now.

1st thing is that when Joe made his return, the only thing he has said since then is that they were coming.

2nd thing is, if im not mistaking, i seem to remember Bichoff having something to do with Joe's capture.

Anyone think there is a possibility of a WCW group? Lead by Bichoff, Including Sting, Nash, and possibly even Jeff Jarrett? Sting keeps talking about deseption, and not believing what you see. Maybe it's just a huge invasion angle.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I have a few things floating in my head right now.

1st thing is that when Joe made his return, the only thing he has said since then is that they were coming.

2nd thing is, if im not mistaking, i seem to remember Bichoff having something to do with Joe's capture.

Anyone think there is a possibility of a WCW group? Lead by Bichoff, Including Sting, Nash, and possibly even Jeff Jarrett? Sting keeps talking about deseption, and not believing what you see. Maybe it's just a huge invasion angle.

Very good point! Great memory you have, since they haven't followed up with that very much since. Joe certainly fits the bill as well, so perhaps this "they" thing is a little more full-circle than most – cough*KB*cough – have given TNA credit for, eh?

The same "they" behind Joe's kidnapping & resurrection could very well be behind the Abyss heel turn.

 

[UFOcalling]

I've got my fingers crossed for James Mitchell to be involved somehow. I'm really hoping that "they" aren't the ECW dudes (Dreamer, Raven & Stevie), just because that's SO obvious. I've touched on the same idea in two other threads already (I imagine all of these will eventually be merged), but I think the ECW3 (Raven, Dreamer & Stevie) being "they" is just too lazy -- even for TNA Creative. I really hope that Dreamer, Raven & Stevie showing up in the crowd is just a "red herring" to throw "smarks" off the "they"-trail for now.

My original thought when I heard Abyss say "they" told me (to act the way I did last week, etc), was that "they" are the maniacal voices in his head. I thought Abyss was even going to announce that in the promo he cut with Hogan, but since he didn't he must be talking about an "actual" group of people.

This angle is textbook (VINTAGE!!) Bischoff. The angle reminds me of what a certain former WWF wrestler said when he arrived in WCW in 1996. Invasion? ...It's possible, but who would it be if it's not the ECW3? Heyman? Mitchell? Foley? Maybe even the Stinger?

In any event, who "they" are will most likely be revealed at Victory Road. I think it might be smarter on TNA's part to wait until Hard Justice to unveil who "they" are, just so TNA can milk the suspense a little while longer. One thing's for sure, there's absolutely NO CHANCE that we'll find out who "they" are on a taped episode of Impact!. Bischoff would NEVER allow such a big "reveal" to happen anywhere but live television.

At one point during last night's episode of Impact, Tenay asked Taz who "they" could possibly be? Taz didn't say a WORD, and there was silence from both announcers for at least five seconds or so. I was waiting for Taz to propose that "they" could be the ECW3, but he didn't. The announce-team digressed to the in-ring action instead. I hope Taz's silence wasn't delegated by TNA Creative; by that I mean if the announce team were to mention the ECW3 as a possibility for "they", that the cat would be let out of the bag...unfortunately, all signs are pointing to that conclusion. If that's the case, TNA creative takes us all for a bunch of fucking idiots...nevermind, I already knew that.

Did that last paragraph make sense? ...I hope so. Whatever happens here, I'm just glad that Abyss isn't Hulk-Junior anymore. Was I the only one happy to hear Abyss come out to his "old" music during his match with Anderson?

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

I can understand why Abyss said this...Becuz of the ECW Faction..but if it is the ECW Faction..then I don't know why Sting would say it... I mean Sting did say it, 'If your going to walk with them, your gonna go down with them'...Same thing..who's them??

TNA have got something going here..and its spicing up...defo what Dixie is talking about..and with Mick Foley returning in the coming months...I can't wait to find out....

 

[UFOcalling]

Originally Posted By Ruthless-RKO
Sting did say it, 'If your going to walk with them, your gonna go down with them'...Same thing..who's them??

RKO, I thought that the "them" Sting was referring to were Hogan & Bischoff. I could be wrong here, but Sting's whole angle seems to be "us vs. them" ("them" being Hogan & Bischoff), so that's what I figured. Especially since Jarret seems to be siding with Hogan & Bischoff.

I think that Abyss' "they" is a different story. There are a lot of possibilities here: the ECW guys (Raven, Dreamer, Stevie), James Mitchell, Mick Foley, Paul Heyman (he's the least likely, but still possible), etc.

Just my two cents on the matter.

 

[The Best At What I Do]

First off, I think Sting and Abyss are referring to two completely different 'they's. Sting has been talking about 'their' deception for months almost even half a year now while Abyss just recently started warning about his 'they' coming. Also Abyss is following what his 'they' has been telling him to do while Sting is bringing down anyone who walks with his 'they'.

I really think Sting is still referring to Hogan, Bischoff and Carter. I also get the feeling that Abyss is referring to the old ECW guys even though it doesn't make much sense to have him blabber on about his 'they' are coming and just have 'them' show up in the same episode but I digress.

... Ugh, I'm going to go ahead and apologize for this post in advance. I'm normally the biggest stickler for grammar and this all just looks like shit but it's the only way I could explain it. Damn you TNA.

 

[TheLunatic]

Abyss adressed that Dixie was the one who needed to be warned that "they" were coming, first off, right? He went straight down the "management" line, and said that everyone needed to be warned.

I do see some sort of invasion angle coming out of this... Sadly, it'll be something already done, and lose steam fast, and we'll probably talk about what could have been...

 

[gbaby_steve25]

I agree that Stings they is Hogan and Bischoff, and Abyss's they is who ever is going to come in to tna...

Now Sting could still be a part of this... maybe he is the ring leader and thats why he is taking everyone down. He went out and got the ECW guys, he got back in to Abyss's head, (remember the Sting vs Abyss angle from a few years ago with James Mitchell), he could even have gotten Mick Foley since Bischoff fired him...I mean Foley could be pissed off at Jarrett for him siding with Bischoff and Hogan after firing him, and that good be an intense rivalry...

Now I dont think this is the plan, but it would be good to see. Sting sets up this whole anti-hogan&bischoff plan and invasion to rid tna of them all because of what happened in the past. While its a god idea, I DO NOT think this is whats going on. Sting could be part of the plan as his 'you walk with them, your going down with them' could mean that if your with hogan and bischoff your going down, i mean it doesnt say he isnt with the new ones coming in, and it doesnt mean he is either... all i know is that in 1996 at bash at the beach, bischoff had a back up plan for Sting to be the leader of the NWO if hogan no-showed...so we know bischoff has faith in Sting to be a leader...

 

[jccool420]

I don't remember Joe saying "They are coming."

But, if this does tie into Abyss... Why has it been so long with no follow up? I understand building a story but, nothing was explained from the Kidnapping angle... Were they really waiting this long for Dreamer's no compete clause to expire?

How would Joe and Abyss work together?

If Joe and Abyss are linked by the same "they" then how do the ECW guys link into things? Abyss I can understand... He's hardcore and he's easily persuaded to do other's dirty work... But, Joe?

I can see them saying that THEY kidnapped him and made him get his balls back and become more of the violent Joe of the past... But, would Joe being alligned with Dreamer, Raven and Stevie really make sense? The only possible link is Taz... They seemed to be making a big deal over Taz being behind Joe's Nation of Violence, then they just dropped the storyline and stuck Taz on the announce team...

Maybe Taz will leave the announce booth and join up with the ECW crew? Or will he become a heel on the booth and put over the ECW guys?

I would love to see Taz leave the booth and become a serious manager for Joe... Taz was great on the stick in the old ECW... He was very intense and I believe he could help Joe out a lot...

All in all, I think TNA is doing something great... They are creating a lot of buzz over this storyline... I just hope to God (Ric Flair of course lol) that everything gets tied together in a good coherent way...

 

[Rasha]

Guys, Sting has nothing to do with the "They" angle. Last week Jarrett was emphatic that he was sticking with TNA, including supporting Hogan/Bischoff. He named them specifically. Obviously, that's who Sting has a big problem with right now and that's who he was referring to last night with the "if you walk with them" comments.

Most everything that points to the Extreme Invasion angle has been mentioned already, and that it could happen sooner than you think. Here are a few things other things I've noticed:

- The four-way World Title match at the next PPV. You have two of TNA's biggest faces (RVD, Hardy), a tweener leaning on the face side (Anderson), and only one heel which is of course Abyss. This is a perfect setup for an invasion angle because it allows the ECW guys to come to Abyss' aid in the match and have instant heat with the three faces. Or, even if the invasion doesn't happen that night, four-way matches are an easier to way to leave a "blank slate" that allows new storylines to start for the various participants.

- Hogan has made a point to kiss RVD's ass in almost every promo, and we saw RVD come to Hogan's aid last night. Seems to me that they're laying the foundation for the ECW guys to show up and have heat with RVD for "selling out" and becoming Hogan's boy. This is really smart because it would seem crazy for RVD to not be part of the group, but this is a very believable angle that would allow him to stay seperate and remain a top face.

- They teased that Samoa Joe/Matt Morgan feud just enough that you felt like something was going to go down, but then suddenly Hernandez came back and Joe disappeared from TV. Looks like the script got rewritten and Joe is being saved for something. While I doubt that knew what they were doing at time Joe was originally "kidnapped," they've found a great way to tie up that loose end and give the new faction a guy who can carry the leader role (sorry Abyss).


Some other thoughts...

- While some might think it's a bad decision to have Flair's newly-formed group and now these ECW guys battling for heel stable TV time, I think it will be just fine. Remember in the late 90s that neither the nWo or the IV Horsemen were really a face group even when they were feuding with each other. It really came down to who you wanted to root for; pure, classic WCW or the invading nWo? You could have a similar element here, especially with guys like Styles and Beer Money representing the TNA originals.

- And lastly, it wasn't long ago that we all bashed the WWE for botching the WCW/ECW Alliance angle. Now, it seems a lot of people want to bash TNA for "copying" parts of that storyline. It's one thing to ripoff something that was successfully done, but I don't see anything wrong with TNA trying to do what WWE failed to.

 

[JobMeOut2008]

I think the 'they' is Robert Carter and the bankers behind Panda Energy, hopefully with a healthy amount of dynamite and a wrecking ball in order to annihilate this pitiful wrestling promotion from the face of the earth.

An ECW invasion....really? If that's the case then TNA has reached the pits of desperation. Does anyone care about Stevie Richards and Tommy Dreamer anymore? Look, ECW as the renegade promotion in its mid-late 90's heyday was excellent, but if their reemergence into the limelight of the wrestling world in 2010 is the earth-shattering announcement meant to grow your fan base, then you're already dead.

 

[Adalam]

The They refered to by Abyss is Team Extreme of RVD, Team 3D, Raven, Stevie, Rhino, and Tommy Dreamer with Taz being their manager. I believe that Sting thinks that JJ is working with Team Extreme and is trying to prepare for the invasion.

 

[ramblinroy682]

First, I think the ECW faction will be something different from Abyss' they. I am not sure where the ECW Faction fits in unless Heyman has been signed. If they brought these guys in for that, then I am okay with it. I think Heyman has a lot to offer. If Russo really does want to move away from creative then Heyman is a great option. Putting Dreamer, Raven, and Richards on TV for a while is better than the Nasty Boys and OJ which Hogan brought in.

I think the Abyss storyline will be something different. I think Sting is the one who got to Abyss, maybe he was in with him the whole time. Sting had Abyss as his insider and that is where the deception comes in. Either way I am interested to see how this plays out.

If he winds up partnering with Foley and the ECW group then I will be somewhat disappointed, but it is still a better angle than the stupid ass ring of magical powers bs.

 

[kris8524]

I've got one for you to chew on: Mick Foley. I know he keeps saying "they are coming", but what if he's talking about the "many faces of Mick Foley" that are coming? Or maybe Foley comes back to "tutor" Abyss with multiple personalities. Abyss has always been they kind of character with a duplicity about him. I think the "ECW invasion" in respects to Abyss at least, is a swerve of a kind, it's been done before. I could see Dreamer & Co. maybe coming in as the anti-ECW, somewhat like what WWE did with that Godfather faction years back, Right To Censor.

I thought about the faces of foley being they too, they could have him say that the same voices abyss hears are the same that caused him to inflict so much punishment over the years. I also thought of the idea that someone touched on earlier, what if there is a faction to go against the ecw invasion and over a few weeks or months that the group petitions bishoff to bring back foley so they can get the upper hand. This could even eventually get everyone to listen to sting as i am sure that RVD will align with the ecw group and TNA will be forced to acknowledge what sting has been trying to say for so long. I just wonder where Fortune will fit in to all this i hope they do not just get thrown on the back burner.

 

[ABM2KX]

I don't know if anyone brought this one up, but didn't Samoa Joe keep talking about a "They" that kidnapped him? I don't remember anyone actually being revealed in that whole angle (if you can call it that). I'm thinking that this may be the direction that Joe goes also. If so, I'm not sure that this will be interesting.

 

[wood44]

i guess i would like to see a invasion on TNA....but they are realling getting away from what made TNA appealing in the 1st place...its like they are following the same doomed footsteps of WCW...to many old guys, with too many recycled gimmicks....like when hogan and bishoff came in...it was all about HOGAN..and the tease of "WHO" he was gonna bring in with hints from NASH...so this is the same gimick just recycled over and over again....

 

[Heater41]

I know it would never happen but wouldn't a working agreement between ROH and TNA be great?!! "They" could be the ROH stars and they enter the scene to feud with the TNA stars. We would at least have some quality wrestling for a while.

 

[Rasha]

its like they are following the same doomed footsteps of WCW...to many old guys, with too many recycled gimmicks....

I've always thought the typical "why WCW failed" argument fails to mention a key ingredient; the WWF stopped sucking and made WCW look bad. Yes, WCW had many flaws. But ultimately, they failed because Austin, Rock, HHH, etc. rose up and gave McMahon the superior product again. Even if WCW had fixed its problems, you're still looking at an organization trying to compete with guys like Steiner, Booker T, Benoit, Eddie, and maybe Jericho as its top stars while WWF/E was bringing all of its Attitude era greatness. It wasn't happening one way or the other.

Present day... now look at WWE; it's hardly a great product anymore. The Cena era has driven off many of the old school fans and the PG programming is creating a divide in the audience. There's a big, disappointed demographic just sitting out there and TNA is trying to make that their fanbase. They've pushed the late-90s nostalgia with Sting, Main Event Mafia, and now Bischoff/Hogan/Flair. Now they're making a play for the old ECW crowd with RVD's title push and of course the probable invasion angle.

 

[synnamongirl77]

I have to say I almost feel like a sucker for believing that this "they" angle even has a TEENY shot at being good or relevant, but what does a girl know right?? Anyway, after last night's show I came up with a few theories, a lot of which I see others on here were thinking too so I guess I can't be too dumb. First thing I thought was Paul Heyman, possibly creating a "NEW ECW" because he was disenfranchised with Hogan & Bischoff's handling of the company. Maybe it is a way to capitalize on the fact that right now WWE is boring people with their new PG status...what better way to grab a few of us Attitude-era fans that want a return to the way it was...blood, violence, etc...I did notice it seems lately TNA has been showing a lot more blood/weapons and whatnot. I do however agree that unless it IS Heyman at the helm, not sure if it will work. He's still the best at what he does.

Second, I briefly entertained the thought of the "voices" in Abyss' head too but doubt it. Rather I do see the distinct possibility of Mick Foley returning and being behind a new radical or extreme faction (if it's not Heyman) due to his treatment from Hogan and Bischoff...maybe we will see the return of Mankind???

Lastly, what about a new "alternative" faction? Long shot but at least it would be different and a way to get new people involved. Father James Mitchell at the helm, once again leading Abyss, with guys like Ink Inc, and what about someone like a Kevin Thorn or Kizarny? Guys that WWE hyped and dropped without so much as a second glance but could definitely fit into an angle like that...kinda like a new version of the Brood from WWE. What do you guys think?

 

[Brahma Bull]

i think that it is all the same they and hogan and bischoff know about them. sting has known all along and has actually been the only good guy of the bunch. sting is close with abyss, so he showed abyss that this group is coming.

it could be paul heyman with ecw, but hopefully not just dreamer, raven, and richards. i mean is that really a threat to anyone? rick flair is leading a tougher team than that.

as one person pointed out, i think it would be great if the they was lead by shane mcmahon. he buys the company from dixie and starts taking over. he could even say he will make it like the wwe. sting would obviously not be for this and would destroy anyone trying to turn tna into wwe.

the only thing that stops me from thinking this is it would be bad business for the wwe, and i dont know if shane would actually pull this. but it would definately be an interesting angle.

 

[UFOcalling]

Originally Posted by Heater41
I know it would never happen but wouldn't a working agreement between ROH and TNA be great?!! "They" could be the ROH stars and they enter the scene to feud with the TNA stars. We would at least have some quality wrestling for a while.

I LOVE this idea. How great would a ROH invasion angle be, really? ...it would be ESPECIALLY awesome if Bryan Danielson was somehow involved, ROH-invasion or not. This would also be the ideal way to reintroduce "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels (isn't he rumored to return to TNA?). Even if TNA doesn't "partner" with ROH (the way WWE did with ECW years ago), Daniels & Danielson could still act as ROH "Outsiders" (hehe). They would also be awesome as the ones in Abyss' ear, the "they" who told Abyss to "destroy" Hardy & Anderson last week.

Daniels & Danielson could "debut" as an unstoppable tag-team, part of a faction with Abyss. They could feud with the ECW3 (Dreamer, Raven & Stevie), Fortune/Fourtune, and/or go after the tag-titles before their eventual-split into the singles-race. A feud between Abyss & Daniels or Abyss & Danielson would be awesome as well...if this angle actually happened, we'd have to see an eventual power-struggle between the three.

With the "Band" being defunct, this would be fucking EPIC. Obviously it's not going to happen, so it doesn't matter anyway...but what a great idea. We'd also have to wait two and a half more months before this would even be possible (non-compete clause for Danielson).

I know that everyone thinks that Danielson will eventually be back in the WWE (I know that this is more likely than any other possibility), but he would fit perfectly with TNA. Even debuting as a singles-competitor (sans Daniels), he could be a part of Abyss' "they", join up with the ECW3, possibly be the "man behind the mask" (saying he was Suicide the whole time, kayfabe-wise), or part of the (highly unlikely) ROH-invasion.

Just throwing Danielson's hat into the (TNA) ring here, although it's about as likely as "Chris Benoit's Revenge From Beyond the Grave" WWE tour. That example came out of left-field, but you know what I mean.

Danielson debuting in TNA would be the ultimate "fuck you" to Vinnie Mac & the WWE, so never say never (although not very likely). If I was Danielson, I'd be pretty bitter about the way I was released, and I'd be looking to exact my revenge. However (also if I was Danielson), I'd also be looking for my big-break (which I'm sure he thought he had with his last WWE-run). Obviously, since the WWE is the largest pro-wrestling platform in the world (universe? lol!), all signs point to him resigning with the WWE...but what if the WWE doesn't take/want him back? I know many others would say he'd wind up in ROH, but if I were him I'd head to TNA (if WWE was no longer an option).

I know this whole idea is slightly off-topic, but that's an AWESOME idea, Heater....you really kick-started my imagination with your last post. Bravo.

 

[boywithatoy]

The ROH invasion is a great idea but it is NEVER going to happen - at least not whilst Jim Cornette is there. Cornette hates Russo, Bischoff and Carter with a passion. I was listening to his podcast the other day and he described a trip to the toilet as "taking a Russo". He also has major heat with Terry Taylor who works backstage too. I just can't see it happening.

I think the ECW lot are being thrown in as a red herring because the only way for the ECW faction to be a MAJOR storyline on their own is if Heyman is leading them - and there's no way Heyman is going to TNA. He wont go to TNA unless he gets full control backstage, and with Hogan, Bischoff and Russo there, that isn't going to happen.

What I think might happen is that TNA is going to break up into several factions. The "they" people keep referring too are all different ones.

So, I think we're going to end up with something like this:

ECW faction: Foley, Dreamer, Raven, Team 3D, Stevie Richards, Rhino - and eventually RVD.
Flair's Fortune: Flair, Styles, Kaz, Beer Money.
A 'TNA' faction: Sting, Abyss, Samoa Joe, Jay Lethal, possibly a tag team like LAX or, if we're unlucky, Ink Inc - and eventually Jeff Jarrett.
And finally, a 4th faction of "outsiders" (ie: people who started off in either WWE or WCW) led by Bischoff with people like Kevin Nash, Matt Morgan, Orlando Jordan, Mr Anderson and - eventually a Jeff Hardy heel turn.

What about Kurt Angle? Well, he's going to carry on his top 10 contenders thing and he's going to not get involved - or at least try to not got involved - with the factions trying to court him but he turns them all down by saying he is concentrating on climbing the rankings and winning the title. This of course will end in one of the factions costing him the title.

Whilst all these fueds are going on between these four factions, Hogan is going to be doing his usual babyface routine, trying to keep control of all of it which will inevitably end up in a Hogan heel turn, joining the "outsiders" faction and clusterfuck 4 way between Hogan, Flair, Sting and Foley (cos TNA love doing them!).

Anyway, to sum up, I don't think we're getting one faction invading, I think the roster is splitting off into several factions.

 

[DigitalNight]

Danielson has a 90 Indie ONLY clause with his current WWE contract. They knew what they were getting into when they signed him & then dropped him. He can compete for any indie program as long as it does not have a prime-time TV slot in his favor. (That's why he can do GCW and ROH road shows.)

 

[doggstarr77]

It makes sense to me to have it be the boys from ECW. They Need AXL rotton. After all, he's still young, and could add some fresh blood to TNA. Not to mention he swings a mean chair. LOL Another reason why I beleive "THEY" are ECW guys, is my brother told me he saw that TNA got the ok from Spike tv to get bloodier. Let the Invasion begi IMO!!!