TNA signs Becky Bayless; "Jersey Shore" coming to TNA?

[It's Damn Real!]

According to a report from a rival dirt-sheet site, TNA has signed former ROH and Shimmer star Becky Bayless to a contract, adding to the depleted Knockouts division a character she debuted as "Cookie" in what is supposedly patterned after Jersey Shore star "Snooki" (along with Rob Eckos, who is patterned after "The Situation"). She was announcing along side Jimmy Hart for Wrestalicious prior to this.

The popularity of MTV's Jersey Shore is remarkable (to say the least, considering the value of the actual content you're watching) as well as unmistakable, so any early predictions on the value or potential of this kind of gimmick coming in? Certainly can't be any worse than Zack Ryder's "Woo Woo Woo" "Strong" Island nonsense, no? Hell, people actually like Ryder (for reasons unbeknownst to me)!

Bayless, for those of you who are wonder, is quite hot.

Thoughts? Concerns?

 

[Pepsiplunge]

She's fucking hot, and as a big fan of both TNA and Jersey Shore this could be a really interesting and fun project.

 

[Smooth Sexual Chocolate]

She is definitely hot, no doubt about that, though that is the extent of knowledge, she obviously has the looks, though that doesn't always matter in TNA.

The gimmick is concerning to me, to say the very least. I don't see how ripping off a D star talentless reality television personality is going to help TNA in anyway. These are the types of gimmicks that many people associate with TNA, and that's not a good thing. I would think TNA would want to move away from this type of Gimmick, as they're trying to be taken more seriously, and having someone come out and pretend to be one of the most foul, disgusting personality's in reality television is not going to help them reach the promise land; though I'm sure the Impact! Zone will eat this shit up, that's not saying anything though.

But Damn, she's a helluv a lot hotter than "Snookie" too bad this is what TNA has in store for her.

 

[Find'er Woo'er Ryder]

she is hot. well im not big with the jersy shore shit but i cant wait for tna to make fun of it its gonna be epic. who knows mayb she is the motorcycle woman

 

[Viola Moonlight]

Becky has some notoriety behind her name, both in the wrestling world and the mainstream world... so I'm sure that the wrestling fans won't mind having her around whilst her name can attract some more viewers to the product. This signing is a must considering that the girls need some more girls to work with... although I'm not too sure what they'd do with her for the long-term. Christy Hemme has got the female interviewer gig and all other announcing spots are taken... maybe she can become the ring announcer? The girls is good looking and won't be getting viewers to change channels from her looks, so it can't be all bad.

It's a good pick-up by TNA that prevents the E from using her. They could have used her of there, but now the A gets to hopefully reek the benefits of the signing. She's well-known, good looking and talented... what more can you hope for?

 

[TheTemp]

Certainly can't be any worse than Zack Ryder's "Woo Woo Woo" "Strong" Island nonsense, no? Hell, people actually like Ryder (for reasons unbeknownst to me)!

Because Ryder has a lot of untapped potential and Talent which they aren't giving him a chance to show. Example: Look at his matches with Christian from ECW on Syfy and Superstars.

 

[Max Headroom]

Jersy Shore? REALLY?Ugh.

Not here to diss TNA, as I have just recently started watching it, and was looking forward to tonight. BUT I mean come on, Jersy Shore? Just let her be like, evil. She got an evil look. Something that don't make me think "what is this BS". I really can't think of anything premium for the girl but DAMN think of something better than that.

What's next, Allan Doyle? Great Big Sea? Stupid don't even describe this idea, in my opinion.

MAYBE, and if this is the case, then props to the idea. But maybe they plan to make fun of the show, as opposed to basing a character off the show. If that is the case I will probably enjoy it.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Because Ryder has a lot of untapped potential and Talent which they aren't giving him a chance to show. Example: Look at his matches with Christian from ECW on Syfy and Superstars.

He's an annoying Long Island douchebag with a grating accent and atrocious ring attire – why the fuck would I look at him? If AJ Styles wrestled in a thong and covered himself in lotion every time he came to the ring, I'm not watching him wrestle, period. I don't care if it's AJ Styles – the gimmick is insulting.

If Ryder had that much "potential", he'd probably have a better gimmick by now. He's shit, and this is a thread about Bayless and the "Jersey Shore" gimmick coming to TNA, so let's get it back on track, please? You wanna talk about Ryder and we can do so in another thread.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Usually I'm not a big fan of promotions hiring celebrities (see Jay Leno, David Arquette and Pacman Jones as examples) but in this case it won't hurt anything for the simple fact that she does have a wrestling background so its not foreign territory for her.

Because Jersey Shore is so popular (man kids are stupid these days) it will help bring in some new people (for 1 week at least) and not only that Snooki probably can bring something to the table in regards to the product, not only is she the most popular character on a popular show, she also has experience in the wrestling world as a wrestler and a manager. I don't say this often but good move by TNA.

 

[The Doctor]

I like the idea of the gimmick - but not for TNA.

The gimmick itself is a really good idea. People love to hate the Jersey Shore douchebags, so a gimmick like this could really equate to tons of heat. It could also be funny and entertaining if done over-the-top, like Ryder's similar gimmick. However, TNA is trying to present itself as a more-serious, No Gimmicks Necessary type promotion, so really I don't think this sort of gimmick fits at all. TNA is focusing more on real people with real personalities, and this just seems too cartoony.

I am looking forward to the gimmick to see how it would work, but I really think it would fit better in another company.

 

[Ferbian]

First thought really is - At least now The Beautiful People have someone that looks more like a doll than them. I guess if she's able to work, and can make the gimmick work, that she'll be more than welcome. However "Cookie" seems a little cheesy. I haven't seen the whole "Jersey Shore" thing, however I guess with some kind of relation to that, it could cause a bit of popularity to TNA doing something from the mainstream.

Barbie doll looks or not, I guess she looks pretty decent. Above average for certain, but it's most likely due to her tits to be honest.

 

[Dressler]

The girls is good looking and won't be getting viewers to change channels from her looks, so it can't be all bad.

Well 99.9% of WWE Divas are all pretty damn Hot yet we still change the channel 99.9% of the time cause they're boring. I get what you said but she can hot all she wants don't mean people will sit and watch her for 3-5 minutes.

On to the subject, like everyone's said, TNA needed some new blood in the Knockouts Division, so there you go, plus you get a gimmick mimicking the god-awful yet amazingly popular Jersey Shore, so lets see how it goes.

 

[Joe's Gonna Kill You]

I think that this is a really good idea for Tna and I think that its a smart move for them to do a Jersey Shore gimmick with Becky Bayless as a play off of Snookie as Cookie and Rob Eckos who from what I seen is pretty charismatic and good in the ring playing Robbie G a spinoff of the Situation. I think its also smart because alot of people watch the Shore and during the last couple of weeks Impacts ratings from 10-11 were higher then the 9-10 hour and from 10-11 the Jersey Shore brings in alot of viewers and it seems that some of those people are also watching Tna at that time.

 

[Blush]

I've only seen her in a couple of Wrestlicious matches. Wasn't impressed and her voice grated my nerves, but considering it's Wrestlicious, maybe going to compete with the knock-outs will help show her potential and abilities? Lacey's getting better..

 

[Smooth Sexual Chocolate]

Does TNA not have an ounce of originality, I mean how obvious do they have to make this gimmick look, what not let the fans figure out what they are trying to do. The Guido gimmick is all fine and dandy, the obvious Jersey Shore rip off is where I'm drawing the line here. If they wanted to boost ratings than they probably could have actually gotten Snookie to make a few appearance's, not that it would have boosted ratings, but this cheesy, and o so obvious rip off is what turns me off of the TNA product. Let me think for myself, let me notice that you are trying to make them Guido tools, they don't have to state the obvious with everything they do.

Spoiler

That's what I feel like with every single stupid TNA gimmick, just dial it back a bit and let the fans think for them selves, we're not a bunch of babies that need to be spoon fed easy to understand gimmicks, we have brains for a reason, and I like to use mine. They try and make everything a big "GET IT" joke, yeah we get it TNA, we get that your shit and have no Originality.

 

[Maikeru_1979]

I like the idea of the gimmick - but not for TNA.

The gimmick itself is a really good idea. People love to hate the Jersey Shore douchebags, so a gimmick like this could really equate to tons of heat. It could also be funny and entertaining if done over-the-top, like Ryder's similar gimmick. However, TNA is trying to present itself as a more-serious, No Gimmicks Necessary type promotion, so really I don't think this sort of gimmick fits at all. TNA is focusing more on real people with real personalities, and this just seems too cartoony.

I am looking forward to the gimmick to see how it would work, but I really think it would fit better in another company.

so you are saying without saying that you would rather have her in WWE.


this might bite them in the ass but who knows. i have watched less than 1 epdisode of Jersey Shore and that's because Snooki is kinda hot. can't stand the douchebag guys

if they make it a parody then it could end up being really funny

 

[The Doctor]

so you are saying without saying that you would rather have her in WWE.

No, not really. I don't think there is a fit in WWE, with Ryder already around, many WWE wrestlers having no gimmicks (or even no real personalities ala Drew McIntyre) and them wanting to get rid of managers. I think this gimmick would work much better in a gimmick-heavy promotion, one that thrives on silly gimmicks. TNA isn't really a gimmicky place anymore, and I just don't think this tandem will quite "fit".

 

[neildittmar]

I will reserve judgement on this gimmick until it (assumingly) hits the air. Reason being, we won't know if it's going to go anywhere until we actually see it. On paper, how many people would've thought an "undead zombie impervious to pain" would've became one of the biggest stars in the business? Or that a "white rapper preaching hustle, loyalty, and respect" would've sold more tickets and merchandise than Vanilla Ice ever did?

I think it's somewhat smart to capitalize on the whole Jersey Shore thing, even though I personally think the show is attrocious and borderline unwatchable. If Bayless and Eckos are booked to be over the top parodies of their corresponding "Shore" characters, it might be a fun ride. If they try to copy the characters outright and expect fans to take them seriously... not so much. I'd bet on them being brought in as the former rather than the latter though.

If their skill sets can shine through the gimmick, "Jersey Shore" might be a great way to get people to initially take notice.

 

[MarysesPantiesInMyMouth]

I agree with TheTemp, Zach Ryder is awesome, and he doesn't need to change his gimmick at all. His in-ring ability is awesome, his gimmick is awesome, and his microphone skills are only improving. I give it 2-3 years before he's main-eventing Smackdown weekly.

PS......why did you even mention AJ Styles covered in lotion and wrestling in a thong? Were you trying to turn urself on?

 

[Neiler187]

Usually I'm not a big fan of promotions hiring celebrities (see Jay Leno, David Arquette and Pacman Jones as examples) but in this case it won't hurt anything for the simple fact that she does have a wrestling background so its not foreign territory for her.

Because Jersey Shore is so popular (man kids are stupid these days) it will help bring in some new people (for 1 week at least) and not only that Snooki probably can bring something to the table in regards to the product, not only is she the most popular character on a popular show, she also has experience in the wrestling world as a wrestler and a manager. I don't say this often but good move by TNA.

TNA aren't bringing in Snookie, they're bringing in independant wrestler, Becky Bayless who's character is going to be based off of Bayless. I am a fan of hers, from seeing her in ROH but I'd rather see her as a backstage interviewer but I can see her being a good manager for Rob Eckos. Good move by TNA to bring in these two.

 

[JJYanks121]

I really don't get the dichotomy of thought on here. First, we complain about "dialtone personalities", then we criticize a girl because she comes with a gimmick? Pick your poison!

This gimmick would have worked well in TNA..............before the Fortune storyline. The problem now is that a serious tone has been set, leaving little to be achieved by a more gimmicky personality. This gimmick can work in the wrestling world and it should. With Jersey Shore's popularity, you'd think a character that is similar to those people would draw immense heat. Ryder is a similar character and he draws heat when he gets time.

For the record though, it's a gimmick, but it's not. You know why people like me understand the "Cookie" character and the Ryder character? Because that's who I see out at the bars on Friday night! I'm from Long Island and I can tell you that I see people out that make Ryder look tame. Same I'm sure with Becky. That's what makes you hate them as characters: you know people like that and they piss you off.

If anything, the "Jersey Shore" personality might be the new wave of heel. It's more realistic than a lot of the other personalities. Don't believe me? Come out with me next Friday and I promise you'll see it! It'll piss you off and you'll realize why it's such a great heel character. I'm not sure where Becky fits in, whether she'll compete in the knockout's division or serve as a valet, but it'll be undercard for now, while this Fortune thing sorts itself out.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I really don't get the dichotomy of thought on here. First, we complain about "dialtone personalities", then we criticize a girl because she comes with a gimmick? Pick your poison!

This gimmick would have worked well in TNA..............before the Fortune storyline. The problem now is that a serious tone has been set, leaving little to be achieved by a more gimmicky personality. This gimmick can work in the wrestling world and it should. With Jersey Shore's popularity, you'd think a character that is similar to those people would draw immense heat. Ryder is a similar character and he draws heat when he gets time.

For the record though, it's a gimmick, but it's not. You know why people like me understand the "Cookie" character and the Ryder character? Because that's who I see out at the bars on Friday night! I'm from Long Island and I can tell you that I see people out that make Ryder look tame. Same I'm sure with Becky. That's what makes you hate them as characters: you know people like that and they piss you off.

If anything, the "Jersey Shore" personality might be the new wave of heel. It's more realistic than a lot of the other personalities. Don't believe me? Come out with me next Friday and I promise you'll see it! It'll piss you off and you'll realize why it's such a great heel character. I'm not sure where Becky fits in, whether she'll compete in the knockout's division or serve as a valet, but it'll be undercard for now, while this Fortune thing sorts itself out.

I take a bit of offense to this, as the "dial tone personalities" thing is my creation, and I never once trashed this – I just posed the question, is all. I certainly never said it was incapable of being a gimmick that might actually draw (heat or fans).

I do think you fail to understand that there's more to wrestling than either having no personality or having a gimmick, though. There are plenty of guys who have a personality but have no gimmick – take Christian Cage, for example. Same goes for Edge, Kevin Nash, Kurt Angle, etc.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

TNA aren't bringing in Snookie, they're bringing in independant wrestler, Becky Bayless who's character is going to be based off of Bayless. I am a fan of hers, from seeing her in ROH but I'd rather see her as a backstage interviewer but I can see her being a good manager for Rob Eckos. Good move by TNA to bring in these two.

I really need more sleep that was pretty stupid of me. Thanks for pointing it out.

Still feel the same way though, I've heard she's a decent talent and having a snookie like character on TNA could help with viewers (even though I'll never figure out why Jersey Shore is so popular). At the very least it won't hurt TNA bringing her in, the knockouts division has gotten a lot worse since it started (just to think Knockouts were once the best part of TNA programming).

 

[goodlay]

The hate for this is quite ridiculous. It just goes to show how WWE fans love to pounce on anything TNA.

We haven't even seen this girl in the ring yet, and we haven't even seen how this gimmick is going to play out on screen. So, quit getting your panties in a knot and just wait and see what happens.

For me I think it could come off pretty well or turn out really cheesy and forced. She could generate some strong heat, or the fans could just see her as a complete joke. She definitely has the looks though.

 

[chessarmy]

All I know is I'm gonna be staring at Becky Bayless when she comes out, I'd do some bad bad bad things to that woman. As for the other guy, I think TNA is smart to jump on a new TV fad to try and gain extra ratings, I have no problem with the signings.