TNA, Making a fool of themselves?

[Tougie]

So I'm watching No Surrender and I missed most of the last few Impacts. So the main event is Anderson and Pope. And first thing I think is how both of them were both WWE rejects and also have main events a ppv earlier in the year (Against All Odds). So I'm trying to decide is this sad? Or does it prove TNA knows how to push people?

For example, it is sad because they were both fired by WWE and then a year later they are main eventing a PPV in TNA, kinda proving they (TNA) is the minor league compared to WWE.

However, TNA is doing what WWE didnt by proving Anderson and Pope can main event, yet their not doing it in WWE.

I really can't decide, think its a little bit of both. But just a random thought and was wondering what the rest of the IWC thought.

 

[RVDisTNA]

Anderson and Pope are two of the most entertaining wrestlers I've seen in a while. They are the total package. But when they were in WWE, i couldn't have cared less about Elijah Burke and Mr. Kennedy. And it might be because WWE is not a good place for guys with actual mic skill these days. (Just watch Raw, its cringe-worthy). WWE just didn't know how to work these guys. And TNA obviously does. They are now marketable. (I have a Pope and Anderson T-Shirt btw)

WWE can push the guys THEY want to push. But if you're not in the good graces of Cena, Triple H, or Orton you might as well give up.

 

[goodlay]

How did TNA make a fool of themselves? They picked up two of the hottest free agents in wrestling in Elijah Burke and Ken Anderson. The Pope is a great gimmick and Burke has great charisma and the skills on the mic to pull it off perfectly. He isn't amazing in the ring, but he's constantly improving. Like it or not, Anderson's gimmick is perfect for him, and he executes it to perfection. People were asking in the LD, is he heel or is he face? That's exactly the point of his character. You aren't supposed to know whether to boo or cheer him.

So I don't see how this is a bad thing. TNA just signed these guys and have built them up well enough to put them in the main event.

 

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

I personally don't think this a bad thing they have utilized Pope better than WWE did when he was Burke and actually gave him a chance to shine and he has done pretty well. Anderson has also been a very good pick up by Tna he's been fantastic on the Mic and he's had some pretty good matches. I think them Main Eventing shows that Tna has used these Anderson and Pope well.

 

[Reddannihilation]

So I'm watching No Surrender and I missed most of the last few Impacts. So the main event is Anderson and Pope. And first thing I think is how both of them were both WWE rejects and also have main events a ppv earlier in the year (Against All Odds).

Ugh, this again? Yes Pope and Anderson are WWE rejects and Steve Austin, The Undertaker and HHH are WCW rejects. Oh and Hulk Hogan he was a WWF reject when he joined WCW. Just because one person was in one company and was released does not reflect their calibre as a wrestler, Batista botched all the time and had terrible matches, yet he was still successful, Sean O'Haire was literally the perfect big man but he never accomplished anything. It means nothing.

So I'm trying to decide is this sad? Or does it prove TNA knows how to push people?

It proves that TNA is willing to let these guys move beyond the mid-card, an opportunity not given to them in the WWE.

For example, it is sad because they were both fired by WWE and then a year later they are main eventing a PPV in TNA, kinda proving they (TNA) is the minor league compared to WWE.

No, this is just silly. Anderson and Pope were at one time contracted to the WWE, yes. They were never allowed to move past mid-card status. In WCW Steve Austin was never allowed to move past mid-card status. It's all about opportunity, Pope in the WWE was terrible, he had no character, no personality and average skill in the ring. Since moving to TNA, he's developed a character and a personality, you take a look at any promo he cut as Elijah Burke on WWECW and compare it to his TNA work. He's gotten better in the ring too. What this proves is that Pope was willing to work for a second chance, he made himself a better character, he got the fans support and he improve his ring work and it paid off.

Anderson is a similar deal, he suffered a few injuries in WWE that stalled his push. He was involved in backstage politics and arguments with top WWE stars like Orton which didn't do him any favours and as such he was given the boot. In TNA we've seen an injury free Ken Anderson, he's been cutting good promos and his feud with Angle was excellent, Ken Anderson is a guy who had all the tools and none of the luck in WWE. In TNA he's made his own luck and succeeded.

Just because both guys were in WWE and left doesn't mean they aren't good and it doesn't mean TNA isn't a good company.

However, TNA is doing what WWE didnt by proving Anderson and Pope can main event, yet their not doing it in WWE.

Anderson always could main event, the WWE thought so, the problem was he was unlucky, he got hurt during his big pushes and then during his latest one he got fucked over backstage. Simple as that, they let this guy win the MITB contract, he was groomed to be a star. Same with Pope, they gave him the Drew McIntyre treatment, had McMahon endorse him as the future, had him feud with a high level mid-carder in RVD. Unfortunately, much like McIntyre, once the McMahon endorsement disappeared he was left on his own and hadn't created a personality that could get him over. In TNA he has gotten over with his character. Simple as that.

I really can't decide, think its a little bit of both. But just a random thought and was wondering what the rest of the IWC thought.

No, TNA gives everyone equal opportunity, when Anderson debuted his first feud was with Abyss of all people, he got over with a solid character and ended up feuding with Angle. Same with Pope, he debuted and feuded with Suicide then Team 3D. But he got over and ended up feuding with AJ and Anderson.

TNA isn't making a fool of themselves, if anything they've made a fool of the WWE for throwing away two wrestlers with all the necessary skills to succeed. I mean have you seen the WWE's newest Main Eventers? A monotonous British guy, an Irish Batista and a Kurt Angle wannabe with a lisp. I have the feeling someone in the WWE is kicking themselves for letting go of two guys with excellent promo skills now that almost none of their young guys have any.

 

[K4P-Unleashed]

Well seeing as though I loved both of them in WWE and now that they have transitioned to TNA, I can say that I'm even happier. They took 2 guys with enormous potential that WWE failed to utilize and gave them the best chance they could succeed; and look where they are now. Maybe that main event wasn't a spectacular, but it was still a good match that will help to lay the groundwork for BFG. I'm really happy for both Burke and Anderson and I am proud of TNA.

 

[The Doctor]

The whole concept of "WWE Rejects" is just...stupid. I made a whole thread on this once. Look, talent is talent is talent is talent. It doesn't matter what company they were released from. Pope and Anderson are two very, very entertaining talents, and since they're good enough to main event, they should main event. It doesn't matter that they used to be WWE guys! TNA has taken one (Pope) and repackaged him into something unrecognizable and great, and has let the other (Anderson) run wild with his natural talents in a way WWE did not let him do.

Come on, you never saw people call Steve Austin or Chris Jericho "WCW Rejects", did you? So why do people insist on calling good ex-WWE stars "WWE Rejects"? It's stupid. TNA cannot live on originals alone. And you really should not be able to stop talent from being in its rightful place on the card.

 

[Miro_A12004]

You seem to not know a lot about history, just because WWE dropped the ball on both these wrestlers and TNA is pushing them doesn't mean that they are making a fool outta themselves.

Remember at the height of the Attitude era, some of WWF's biggest stars were Steve Austin, Undertaker, Mick Foley and Triple H all of whom were WCW rejects, still Austin and Undertaker mainevented one of the biggest WWF PPVs in Summerslam '98 as well as many other PPVs in that year, while the mainevent of Summerslam'99 was Triple H vs Foley vs Austin, Triple threat and the mainevent of the 2000 Royal Rumble was Triple H vs Cactus Jack, I'm talking about three of WWF's biggest PPVs and they were mainevented by WCW rejects, that didn't make WWF fool, or look like a minor league, however it made WCW look like fools because they fired those four without realizing their potential.

The same can be said about tonight, Pope and Anderson are two of the brightest superstars in the biz, great on the mic, great in the ring and have the looks and charisma to be big stars whenever they go, just because WWE fired them for whatever reason doesn't mean they are small time players, they settled well in TNA and proving their worth with time passing by, certainly two of the best TNA aquisitions in the past year.

And this is coming from someone who have been very critical with TNA as of last.

 

[Mr Jones]

I don't think TNA utilized Pope well at all. I believe that Hogan, Bischoff, and Dixie thought he was assed out(out of luck).

After seeing Anderson saying ""Give me my fucking elbow pad!", you can tell that Pope wasn't long for the main event scene. Ever since he had his shoulder injury, his momentum got stalled. Never mind the fact that when he was the Number One contender, he was made to look like a total chump. Instead of the babyface comeback, he was subjected to beating after beating every week. Even worse, the Impact Zone's response hadn't been the same since he returned from the disabled list. It's like they're afraid to get behind Pope. The long-term deal he signed doesn't help.

I have a bad feeling that Pope is about to be given the Monty Brown Treatment.

 

[marklouis]

I'm going to take the 2 cases seperately.

Anderson: we all know there were extenuating circumstances regarding his departure from WWE. In my opinion, he was the best heel in wrestling during his feud with Angle earlier in the year. Their cage match was probably the best of the year so far (you could say HBK/Undertaker for sentimental reasons). I think if they turn Anderson heel & BFG & give him the title, he can carry the main event scene.

Pope: as others said, he hasn't been the same since the injury. But, he's very talented, & I think the best thing for him would be to form a tag team with another guy lost in the shuffle-Jay Lethal. Pope can do the majority of the talking for the team, because he's definitely better on the mic (unless Lethal is doing an impression). They could feud w/Beer Money for the #1 contender's slot, & then w/MCMG for the tag titles. After a while, one of them could turn heel & they could have a feud.

It's not a mistake to push guys who didn't work in other companies. If it was, many legends in this business never would've had careers.

 

[sTyLnK]

Just because they're in TNA doesn't mean they're rejects. Both are good at what they do. Both are decent wrestlers and good on the mic.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

Is it really fair to brand these two "WWE rejects?" I mean, Burke was only around to lace up his boots while Anderson was only around long enough to get injured again.. I am not a fan of either guy, but if TNA thinks they are good enough to be a big deal to them, then more power to TNA. But this is the internet and TNA can't win ever.

So, I take it you didn't enjoy the match?

 

[Mr Jones]

I'm going to take the 2 cases seperately.

Anderson: we all know there were extenuating circumstances regarding his departure from WWE. In my opinion, he was the best heel in wrestling during his feud with Angle earlier in the year. Their cage match was probably the best of the year so far (you could say HBK/Undertaker for sentimental reasons). I think if they turn Anderson heel & BFG & give him the title, he can carry the main event scene.

Pope: as others said, he hasn't been the same since the injury. But, he's very talented, & I think the best thing for him would be to form a tag team with another guy lost in the shuffle-Jay Lethal. Pope can do the majority of the talking for the team, because he's definitely better on the mic (unless Lethal is doing an impression). They could feud w/Beer Money for the #1 contender's slot, & then w/MCMG for the tag titles. After a while, one of them could turn heel & they could have a feud.

It's not a mistake to push guys who didn't work in other companies. If it was, many legends in this business never would've had careers.

I think the last thing in the world you want to do is put a wrestler like Pope in a tag team.

For one, Dude has always been a singles wrestler. Tag Teams are only good if a Tag Team is already established. Turning a singles wrestler into a tag wrestler may work in the short term, but I think it's a step back for Pope.

Pope needs to rebuild his credibility as a world title contender. Start with him feuding with AJ for the TV title. Have him challenge AJ for the TV title in a series of matches that end with Pope winning the title at Bound For Glory. Give him a long run with the TV title until Lockdown 2011 and then build him up for a Slammaversary title match, preferably King Of The Mountain. Have him get close but not win the title and then give him a Last Chance title match so he wins at Bound For Glory 2011.

It can work.

 

[marklouis]

Pope needs to rebuild his credibility as a world title contender. Start with him feuding with AJ for the TV title. Have him challenge AJ for the TV title in a series of matches that end with Pope winning the title at Bound For Glory. Give him a long run with the TV title until Lockdown 2011 and then build him up for a Slammaversary title match, preferably King Of The Mountain. Have him get close but not win the title and then give him a Last Chance title match so he wins at Bound For Glory 2011.

That's a good idea. A feud between Pope & AJ could definitely work, as they do have a history from earlier this year. I just think that Pope needs to work, period. It seems like he can be off TV for weeks at a time, & he needs a consistent feud. And I think he & Lethal could make an interesting team.

 

[wushady]

I don't think it's a bad thing at all on TNA's part for pushing these guys. I don't agree with people that say Anderson wasn't given a fair chance in WWE. He was well on his way to the top of WWE many times. Unfortunately every time he was getting a push he got injured and had to start over. Even worse was why he was released for apparently pissing off Orton.

The Pope on the other hand wasn't given the same opportunity in WWE. In TNA he has really stepped up his game. I don't think he's ready to be World champion yet, but he's well on his way. In the long run I believe both of them are better off in TNA.

 

[LokiCobain]

I think the fact that they're headlining a PPV isn't a knock on TNA being the minor leagues at all. One guy WWE used AWFULLY (Elijah Burke), and the other was disliked by Randy Orton (Anderson). I don't think that makes them "rejects". If Kane were fired from the WWE because his dentist gimmick failed, then was picked up by WCW, would that have made him a WWE "Reject". The reference to anyone who was in WWE and then is signed by TNA as "reject" presupposes that TNA is already the minor league. So when you ask us if the "rejects" main eventing prove its a minor league, you're sort of not really asking, but telling us, that it is so. It's assuming that if you don't make it in WWE, despite the well-known politics and bullsh*t that goes on in WWE, you don't deserve to be a wrestler or go anywhere. If TNA signed Daniel Bryan after his "firing", would Bryan count as a "reject"? By your standards, yes.

The foolish part on TNA's part was headlining a PPV with two guys that aren't a) household names (Kurt Angle) or b) the faces of TNA (AJ Styles). I agree with a bunch of comments about Kurt Angle vs Jeff Hardy as the main event. You have two guys that have epitomized wrestling in the last 10 years. That will sell. Two guys who never actually proved themselves (both get injured constantly) as stars should not be headlining. Especially with how the Angle/Hardy match ended, it would have been a cliffhanger that means "tune in next week". BUT, there's no Impact next week, so perhaps having Angle/Jeff was the original headline, but due to the change with Spike, they changed it so that the PPV was more "final".

This isn't an "original" vs "reject" question, and it never should even be brought up. It's like saying Babe Ruth was a Red Sox reject, or that no team should sign Free Agents because they should just worry about their development. A growing company NEEDS recognizable people, and it just so happens WWE had a monopoly on wrestling for over a decade, so anyone recognizable on a large scale would have come from there. Think of all the WCW "rejects" WWE took in (Jericho, Eddie, Benoit, etc). In retrospect, Jericho, Eddie, Benoit, were not rejects because they had a successful career. But by the same logic all the morons on this site use, they failed in WCW and were thus "rejects" who WWE used properly and they became stars. So why can't TNA do what WCW did, that is to sign people WWE misused/didn't use at a ll? How did WCW get ratings in the first place? Oh right, by signing WWF guys (Hall and Nash). People aren't fixed to one company for life, nor is one company the "pros" because it bought out all the other ones and has the most popularity.

There are plenty of things TNA is doing wrong, but signing former-WWE talent is not one of them. In fact, it's one of the things they're doing right. What they're doing wrong is that they're assuming that because these guys were in WWE, they're "known-ness" will bring in ratings, so they throw them into the main event. Signing them isn't the problem, it's how they're using them.

 

[c.ochoa312]

First of all, TNA did a great thing in signing two young up and coming stars however TNA is killing both stars with gimmicks. Burke is called the Pope which is somewhat contravirsal as he is potrayed as half preacher and half pimp which is borderline offensive. Mr Anderson is another star saddled with a crap gimmick. He refers himself as an a$$hole on national television. He was a shining star up until the point he began to insult himself. Overall TNA needs to stop saddling stars with bad gimmicks and let their skills show their character. One more thing, the TNA PPV was the worst PPV of 2010 with the exception of the Hardy-Angle match

 

[Kenny Powers]

The whole concept of "WWE Rejects" is just...stupid. I made a whole thread on this once. Look, talent is talent is talent is talent. It doesn't matter what company they were released from. Pope and Anderson are two very, very entertaining talents, and since they're good enough to main event, they should main event. It doesn't matter that they used to be WWE guys! TNA has taken one (Pope) and repackaged him into something unrecognizable and great, and has let the other (Anderson) run wild with his natural talents in a way WWE did not let him do.

Come on, you never saw people call Steve Austin or Chris Jericho "WCW Rejects", did you? So why do people insist on calling good ex-WWE stars "WWE Rejects"? It's stupid. TNA cannot live on originals alone. And you really should not be able to stop talent from being in its rightful place on the card.

Doc has pretty much summed it up. It really doesn't matter where a wrestler comes from if he is able to be utilized in the main event. All companies couldn't survive on home grown talent alone. Home grown talent is an oxymoron since most wrestlers have worked from different territories over the years.

What's foolish about putting two young talented workers like Pope and Mr. Anderson in the main event? I would rather see that then to see Nash vs. Jarrett or Jarrett vs. Sting. It's great to see AJ Styles and Samoa Joe in the main event every now and then, but you have to be able to mix it up a little. Just because a wrestler leaves WWE it doesn't make them a reject. Is Shawn Michaels a reject? If Jericho decides to leave WWE would that make him a reject? Elijah Burke and Mr. Anderson aren't rejects either.

Its not like TNA has Funaki and Jimmy Wang Yang in the main event because they were released from WWE. TNA doesn't hire every talent that is cut loose. Does it really matter if they did as long as they're talent?

 

[The Encore]

First of all, TNA did a great thing in signing two young up and coming stars however TNA is killing both stars with gimmicks. Burke is called the Pope which is somewhat contravirsal as he is potrayed as half preacher and half pimp which is borderline offensive. Mr Anderson is another star saddled with a crap gimmick. He refers himself as an a$$hole on national television. He was a shining star up until the point he began to insult himself. Overall TNA needs to stop saddling stars with bad gimmicks and let their skills show their character. One more thing, the TNA PPV was the worst PPV of 2010 with the exception of the Hardy-Angle match

Half Pope, Half Pimp? Woah I had no idea that he was half pimp man. Cause to be a pimp, you can be half, full or even a quarter. And Mr.Anderson calling himself to me is an awesome gimmick, He's arrogant as hell and like he always states "The World Needs Assholes Like Myself". It's a perfectly fine gimmick where as with Burkes... It's a decent one, great concept to be honest all they need to do is turn him into a full heel and have him get more into his promo's and into his character as he does write his own stuff. Other than that I see no problems with these men and there gimmicks. AS FOR WORST PPV OF 2010? You think that Hardcore Justice was better than this PPV? Look at our opening match we had, it was an awesome tag team match, all the other matches were decent. Angle vs Hardy was great and we should have seen ANGLE win. The Main event was not horrible, it was better than ANY John Cena match. It was straight and to the point.

 

[JuviJuiceIsLoose]

I also hate the term "WWE rejects".

The WWE itself wouldn't exist right now had they not taken guys from other companies and pushed them.

Had they not take guys like Hogan from the AWA, Piper from Mid-Atlantic, and Savage from Mid-South. There's no telling where they'd be right now.

TNA is giving these guys opportunities that the WWE wasn't going to give them.

Talent is talent. Who gives a damn where they came from before they got to TNA, or the WWE, or ROH?

The fact that they're in TNA now makes them TNA guys and not WWE guys.

They're doing more in TNA than they did in the WWE. Especially The Pope. A guy who I thought had tremendous talent, and thought the WWE made a huge mistake by releasing him.

 

[AmericanDragonSW]

I have no problem watching either guy in the ring. Two of them I feel are two guys that the WWE dropped the ball with, Anderson especially. Burke needed the right gimmick and I agree that he's found it with The Pope. My problem with TNA right now is other areas but not these two. You're going almost 2 months without a world champ. That is a bad move. Then there's the match with Hardy and Angle and the way that ended. Let's just say no wonder Samoa Joe got pissed and he had every right to be. He was right. Then there's the whole Fortune/EV2 angle. I had no problem with this up until the point with the matches with the EV2 guys and I just felt it was a waste of my time. And then there's been months of Abyss going "they're coming. They're coming." They're prolonging these things to where it's idiotic. It's pretty much my reasons for giving up on both TNA and WWE and watching ROH. Is it small? Yes. Can it compete against the other two? No. But I am getting more out of them than I am with TNA or WWE. Don't get me wrong. I once called TNA the future. Now looking at it, all I can think is what the hell happened? I don't know if I'd say that it's TNA making fools of themselves. It's more of TNA not knowing what the hell they are doing anymore.

 

[Million Dollar Dream]

TNA in my opinion has done what they have been doing and thats pushing wwe rejects.. For someone to call them the hottest free agent is idiotic.. It's not like wrestlers that get fired have very many choices to make about their next stop...

The Pope is the same wrestler he was when he got zero response from the crowd in wwe... In tonight's match the fan's gave the same zero response.

Mr. Anderson is just an injury prone wrestler with good mic skills. He too could not cut in WWE.. fan's didn't care about him then and TNA fan's don't really care for him now..

Tonight's match was not at all a main event caliber match.. I rather watch William Regal wrestler then the crap those two put out tonight..

TNA pushes WWE rejects all the time.. don't think so?? Rhyno, Jeff Hardy, Christian, Booker T, RVD, Tara, all became instant champions.. The Jan 4th night Orlando F'n Jordan, Val Venis is announced as a surprises of the "new" monday night war.. I actually like watching TNA but it's due to the fact i'm watching wrestlers that I maybe haven't got to see feud before.. TNA had a good thing going when they had tried to establish their own stars.. ratings have not increased THAT much after all their "savior" attempts.. they should have just stuck with creating new stars such as Samoa Joe, Beer Money, Motor City MG, A.J. Styles, etc.. now they change course again and try to rekindle a bunch of wrestler rejects in EV 2.0.. Only the Dudleys, RVD and Raven are worth watching from that bunch of bingo hall rejects.. some people say wwe turned ECW into a joke however they already were a joke.

 

[TxKxAx]

I'd love to see TNA take either of those guys into a larger arena setting and have them main event.

You'd get a few people reciting the whole Anderson schtick along with him, but Burke wouldn't get that great a response.

Lets face it, you can't rely on the Impact Zone crowd to set who is who in TNA, besides last time I checked admission was free. Which means, alot of those people probably come in because they are at Universal, and just want to watch live wrestling without many giving two pounds of wet monkey dung about TNA.

 

[RVDisTNA]

Yeah I guess thats why CM Punk,The Miz,Chris Jericho all have Great Mic Skills and don't need to say A-Hole every 5 Seconds to get over.

Punk is great on the mic. The Miz is still very cheesy to me. And Jericho hasn't been entertaining on the mic in years. Its just the same old bitter promo over and over. I miss the actual ENTERTAINING Jericho promo. Not the cookie cutter "Im great, you suck, these people are dumb" heel promo that has been done over and over again.

Part of cutting a good promo is making people think its real and that the wrestler believes what he's saying. I'm sorry but cutting a PG promo these days is just like a watered down version of the actual thing.

 

[GameOver]

I think it's funny that in the current main event shumozel

OK Who do we have

Hardy, Angle, Pope, Anderson - all former WWE guys, defending TNA against Fortune - lead by a WWE HOF'er
EV2 defending TNA and themselves against Fortune and Abyss
Jarret defending Hogan and Bischoff & TNA "so he sais" against Nash and Sting
Hogan was primarily a WWE legend and a HOF'er

so who's the pure TNA guys in all of this? a couple guys in fortune