Vince Russo Dragging TNA Down?

[misskim]

Some people who complain about TNA and saying how much higher ratings could have been by comparing to the 90s are missing a HUGE vital point. And as sorry as it is to say this, most wrestelrs today SUCKS!!!! compared to the 90s. Seriously check out most wrestlers today! Most of them couldn't even tie the shoes of most of the MIDCARDERS from WCW from the 90s.

Let's face it, the talent today is crap compared, even WWE are noticing this, but ofcourse TNA will. They simply have to do the best they can. No offense to Jay Lethal but this guy wouldn't even have been hired by WWF or WCW mid 90s yet TNA made him work somewhat. Same with guys like Sonjay, Shark Boy and those guys, if they had been in the monday night wars they could might aswell have tattood jobber on their forehead.

TNA have ok storylines, sure they could be better but they won't make the ratings go up all that much because a lot of people simply don't know that TNA exists. Every time I say stuff like "I like Scott Steiner" in chat rooms or to friends I get a "he still wrestles???" TNA is simply not on the radar and that imo is what is dragging them down today and nothing else.

 

[Damien Reign]

first of all, i don't disregard everyone's negative opinions about tna. i just take issue when those with negative opinions treat their opinions as facts and claim to speak for more people than they actually do. for the record, i personally don't like everything on the show, and i'll address some of those specifically in part 2 of my current article.

i agree with heyman's article, but you have to understand that tna operates within a budget right now. as the company grows, the marketing of the product will increase. it doesn't happen overnight. as it stands right now, we're drawing a 1.0-1.1 on a weekly basis on spike tv, which the network is pleased with. wwe is practically a monopoly in the wrestling business, and their owner is a billionaire. they can afford to do the things they do, like pay mayweather millions, whereas tna can't right now. tna is what it is. a growing wrestling organization with some great young talent that's trying to get a piece of the wrestling pie, at a time when the pie isn't as big as it used to be.

I completely agree with Glen on the marketing of the TNA Brand, however while I don't know if it is actually Marketing, the thing that irks me about TNA is that they can't Market within the shows.

For example, Advertising/Build/Hype for big time matches isn't very good. When TNA had their Live iMPACT or Biggest iMPACT in history, there was little build for it.

Big-time matches/Specialty Matches/Concepts and first time matches all should have hype, advertising and build. When Kevin Nash faced Kurt Angle earlier this year for the first time, there was little hype for the match. When Booker T faced AJ Styles in what could be considered a dream match by some, there was little if no build or hype on the show so the match came off like just another match. Sometimes fans can't tell when a PPV is because there is little actual hype towards it. Gimmick Matches come off as confusing because TNA does little to explain the rules or stipulations. Also the rules change later on which voids the whole argument.

This inward marketing will not increase ratings but it will hold the ratings.

 

[gg inferno]

Some people who complain about TNA and saying how much higher ratings could have been by comparing to the 90s are missing a HUGE vital point. And as sorry as it is to say this, most wrestelrs today SUCKS!!!! compared to the 90s. Seriously check out most wrestlers today! Most of them couldn't even tie the shoes of most of the MIDCARDERS from WCW from the 90s.

Let's face it, the talent today is crap compared, even WWE are noticing this, but ofcourse TNA will. They simply have to do the best they can. No offense to Jay Lethal but this guy wouldn't even have been hired by WWF or WCW mid 90s yet TNA made him work somewhat. Same with guys like Sonjay, Shark Boy and those guys, if they had been in the monday night wars they could might aswell have tattood jobber on their forehead.

TNA have ok storylines, sure they could be better but they won't make the ratings go up all that much because a lot of people simply don't know that TNA exists. Every time I say stuff like "I like Scott Steiner" in chat rooms or to friends I get a "he still wrestles???" TNA is simply not on the radar and that imo is what is dragging them down today and nothing else.

i addressed this in a post awhile back. the midcarders today are kids, we were adults. the guys today are probably more creative and innovative than we were, but they didn't have an ounce of the charisma we did. check out some old nitro and you'll see. i'm working with alot of the guys on how to combine entertainment with wrestling. it's a work in progress. trust me.

 

[Raderick]

It all comes down to this one simple question:

What has Vince Russo done to bring in new viewers to TNA Wrestling?

That answer is nothing. You can say that Stone Cold Shark Boy has sold the most T-Shirts. You can say that you sold out Lowell, MA. But those are current fans buying the shirts and going to the events, probably many of them have been fans since 2002, or 2004 when they moved TVs to Orlando. But what has TNA as a whole done to raise their 1.1 viewership rating to a... oh yeah, it's been a 1.1 since it's inception on Spike TV.

 

[Marty2Hotty]

first of all, i don't disregard everyone's negative opinions about tna. i just take issue when those with negative opinions treat their opinions as facts and claim to speak for more people than they actually do. for the record, i personally don't like everything on the show, and i'll address some of those specifically in part 2 of my current article.

i agree with heyman's article, but you have to understand that tna operates within a budget right now. as the company grows, the marketing of the product will increase. it doesn't happen overnight. as it stands right now, we're drawing a 1.0-1.1 on a weekly basis on spike tv, which the network is pleased with. wwe is practically a monopoly in the wrestling business, and their owner is a billionaire. they can afford to do the things they do, like pay mayweather millions, whereas tna can't right now. tna is what it is. a growing wrestling organization with some great young talent that's trying to get a piece of the wrestling pie, at a time when the pie isn't as big as it used to be.

I agree with this and am actually looking forward to hearing what you have to say about TNA. I'm sure you already know what's wrong with TNA... NOT the way the people online sees things. I'm sure you want more exciting, entertaining angles, with some having nothing to do with wrestling.

In regards to the article about Lance Storm:

*Let me preface this by saying I was a big fan of Storm in WCW. I was on the booking committee at the time and without argument can take a lot of credit for his character development. When he came in he was a babyface, and I was like, "How can anyone like this guy? He has no charisma and does nothing to connect to the audience." So we came up with the logical conclusion to make a gimmick out of the fact that he was boring and push him down people's throats. We gave him the mike, and made him the stereotypical Canadian heel, which he did well. We gave him three titles simultaneously, and actually drew a number with him when he wrestled Booker T for the belt on nitro in a time slot that we were getting murdered by the WWF. He set the standard at the time for how to push a new character in WCW, which was actually push him. Most midcarders under the Sullivan regime were just thrown on the show in matches when they debuted and relied on to get over themselves, even though they were jobbing half the time.

I'm not exactly sure what happened with him post WCW, but I think it's safe to say that when Russo, Ferrara, and myself were booking Lance Storm it was the highlight of his televised wrestling career. Now I see him referenced a lot on the websites, and his commentaries create a lot of controversy. I started reading how he was burying TNA's booking, so I decided to see for myself. I checked out Stormwrestling.com and boy, oh, boy, does he have A LOT of egg on his face now for some of his comments, specifically about Shark Boy.

I agree. S.H.I.T: Saskatchewan Hardcore International Title. I do think that was his best gimmick he ever: some very enjoyable stuff,.

Raderick.. what has Russo done? Well, when he was booking for real: the stuff with VKM, and the Abyss/Sting story, and the swerves that happened, it got people talking. I also really enjoyed it when TNA took us to AJ's house, and Shark Boy's home, as well as the infamous Thanksgiving episode with some of the most entertaining moments TNA has ever done, and the Deal or No Deal episode where Daniels got fired. I think that was some of the best stuff TNA has ever done.

I don't think TNA is really letting Russo take control like McMahon/WWF let him write back in the day. That's why TNA will never really grow. They pay WAY too much attention to the online fans, while McMahon/Russo back in the late 90s didn't give a shit. They looked at the numbers, the reaction, and continuing pushing for it.

They built Mankind, Dude Love, Cactus, and then took Mankind with Socko to McMahon at the hospital. People loved it.. The fans online can't figure out how people are reacting to a SOCK over a wrestling match.

Much like any tv show, the people online will always want things a certain way and that certain way will most likely NOT draw to the masses.

Glenn likes to praise Shark Boy and I like Shark Boy as well. But the bottom line is, TNA didn't use him for 3 weeks and this week he didn't do very much. I dont think there is enough character development for the top stars AND the young stars. Guys like R&R are just coming out with the same schtick. MMG is just coming out, wrestling and leaving.

Sting is saying the same thing. Kurt Angle has become a normal wrestler, an angry one.. but he is telling AJ to keep away. Nash is still funny, but is not really doing anything spectacular. He needs a standup segment every week.. I guarantee you that him doing 20 minutes will not draw less than a boring wrestling match - ratings wise.

Joe is the champ. yet I don't really care.. (this is just me). Machismo is the x champ;; some of the stuff with Dutt is funny.. in a juvenile way...

Dudleys, Christian/Rhino are kinda used okay.. but i'm not really marking out to them. Prince AJ was my fav character a few months ago. Tomko got a push and then got de-pushed. LAX is doing something with Hector.. which is somewhat intriguing.

Robert Roode Inc. hasn't really developed a new fragrance, clothing line, or anything wallstreet-ish. Kip/BG are doing jobber wrestling feuds.. when they were VKM and using reality to make their roles interesting. Matt Morgan is interesting.. but he doesn't really do much. MMG, when they cut promos, sound like 5 year olds making fun of each other.

I like the knockouts. Velvet/Angelina were great this week.. but that was one segment. ODB's diss was not bad... Gail is pretty hot..

But yeah, they need a super hot angle.. and with all the stars they have, it's good that Spike TV is happy with the ratings. but they can do much more if they create more interesting stories. Vince Russo IS THE ANSWER... they have him, yet they won't use him to create something special EVERY WEEK. Push the envelope!

 

[Damien Reign]

I love Shark Boy as much as the next guy but he is there for the TNA fans, not to attract new viewers.

For example back in the Attitude Era the WWF Roster was filled with great characters from top to bottom. Unlike the WWE of today there is an immediate possibility of midcarders jumping to the main event. In WWE, Triple H or another main eventer single handedly defeat 10 of them in one night making the midcarders look horrible. WWE doesn't even devote time to their midcard wrestlers like they do to the main stars.

The thing I love about Russo style wrestling, everyone has a character. He gave midcarders characters in WWF (Val Venis, Godfather, The Brood) he gave midcarders characters in WCW (Mike Awesome, Lance Storm, Hugh Morrus, Booker T) and now he is giving midcarders in TNA characters (Jay Lethal, Petey Williams, Sonjay Dutt and the Rock N Rave Infection)

While I rant and rave about how I like this, it is actually the main stars who sell tickets. However while Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle and AJ Styles are better wrestlers than Stone Cold, Rock and Undertaker, it was the marketing that built them what they are today.

Marty2hotty, what do you suppose TNA do to improve their product. What booking changes would you like to see made.

 

[Rated K for Kennedy... Kennedy!]

I'vew gotta agree with Damien, Russo's booking from what I know about is damn succesfull, yes in WCW without a moderator he went over the top, but so many people forget that it was Russo who wrote a lot of tha Attitude Era stuff, but he left before WWE turned the corner to major popularity so he never gets the credit. I think he has good ideas. Sometimes he just needs to be filtered, and I think TNA can do that with a veteran like Cornette having the final say.

 

[AnthonyM4]

I did an anti-Russo post earlier in this thread, but if I have to say one good thing about him is that he tries to give EVERYBODY something to do. He tries to use everybody on the roster. I mean look at TNA Lockdown. Practically every single person on the roster had a spot on the ppv. I still think his booking sucks and his dislike for in-ring action is annoying, but unlike the folks in CT, everybody does something in Florida.

 

[Marty2Hotty]

Damien, I think the masses will catch on to Shark Boy. The reaction is proof that there is HUGE potential. Just like the masses loved Mankind's humour with Socko. Shark Boy, if used in important segments every week, will just provide great entertainment, similar to the Rock/Sock 8.1 rated segment that had NOTHING to do with wrestling.

A lot of the SCSA/McMahon stuff was just them arguing with each other followed by Austin whipping someone's ass. Cornette annoys the living crap out of me, so I think the fans would love it if Shark Boy beat the living crap out of him.. stun him, etc.. I think it'll just be great entertainment and won't lose any viewers whatsoever.. It'll only just gain. There's no harm in doing good entertainment. You do wrestling, something everyone has already seen, and you just turn the potential viewers off.. because it's boring..

Most TNA matches nowadays are very boring.. but they can be REALLY exciting.. if they want it to be.

Yeha, Damien, Attitude era had characters from top to bottom and people would talk like normal people and lots of wacky characters, stories.. Just embracing entertainment. Perhaps TNA needs to do that too... There were also good serious angles. Even the serious angles had some humour, with Austin: "Bang 3:16" or Rock "you go to hell" knocking Austin off the bridge. It was just classic Vince Russo stuff

In regards to main eventers selling tickets.. In regards to what I want.. I do feel TNA is ready for that big angle.. I don't think main eventers are the main people that sell tickets.. it's a combination of keeping the entire show exciting and having everyone doing someting interesting. TNA is pretty strong sometimes, but at this point in time, I don't think they're using all the characters to the full potential or keeping the show interesting enough to hold onto the viewers..

I'm no booker, Damien.. but I really liked what TNA were doing back in December-January. I want more reality-shoot-based angles because it makes it different, creates more reality for the charactesr and dialogues. Not all stories should be "i hate you, i want your belt". Base some of the stuff on reality. Have some comedic characters.. have a big main angle. I guess I liked a lot of the early WWF Atttitude stuf, the Powers That Be, and even the New Blood vs Millionaires club angle. People can shit on Russo's WCW 2000 era all they want, but if you actually watch the shows, the fans were into EVERYTHING much like they were into all the stuff he wrote during the attitude era (for teh most part)

They just need Glenn and Vince to convince Jeff/Dixie to push the envelope and not pay too much attention to guys on the net who have criticized most if not all the attitude era for the drastic change in dirction (more adult oriented) that pretty much propelled the WWF to mainstream popularity. TNA will not reach that if they are afraid to push the envelop and create controversy.

 

[FromTheSouth]

kfabe said:
If a football team wins the Superbowl, yes the players are responsible for that success, however do we not also recognise the coach for his selection and tactics? Of course we do!
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?

Bill Walsh never won an MVP trophy. Chuck Knoll never went to Disneyland. I never said Russo shouldn't be given any credit. I would even credit him for being an all-time great. But, given the talent he had to work with, I would hope he succeeds. I will credit him for combing the midcard and finding the right guys to fill those rolls. But if you think he was sitting there saying that some kid the crowd is booing would become the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, then you are wrong. Rock made Rock. Austin made Austin. Russo wasn't scripting evey word out of their mouths. DX was given free reign to work with the story given. I give you the analogy that the 49ers of the 80's were a great team partly because of Bill Walsh's West Coast Offense. But if you put my high school team in the system, we wouldn't win the Super Bowl. It was a mixture of the right plan, and the right guys to execute it. SO while Russo did a very good job, he was blessed to no end by the abundance of talent around him.

For example, he tried into put himself in the McMahon role when he got to WCW. I am the asshole boss. It didn't work because Vince McMahon was better at the role.

 

[JoesGonnaKillYou]

Russo bashing is one of the biggest mis-conceptions in the IWC I'm usually the only one that takes Russo's side in these arguements but this forum seems to have more then a few intelligent people who've covered the whole basis that Russo is wrongly blamed. I watched Sacrifice today and those "Fire Russo" chants we're pathetic.

The guy tried a new direction in WCW and finally pushed deserving talent. Guys like Scott Steiner Jeff Jarrett Chris Benoit Booker T finally got a chance to main event under Russo.

Doesn't hurt Russo booked Jerichos masterful debut in the WWF.

 

[klunderbunker]

After watching about half of Sacrifice, I'm starting to agree that part of TNA's problems, and I heavily emphasize part of, is Vince Russo's gimmick ideas. If I'm not mistaken, in the tag tournament, none of the teams thrown together advanced at all, making it seem to me that there was no point whatsoever in that concept being added. On the other hand, the women's match was a bit of an interesting concept as it enhanced the knockouts by giving them an actual story to go with. It seems to me that the main thing that Russo is hurting TNA with (if it is him responsible for it that is) is by adding in things that simply are unneeded, such as the gimmick matches with the names being added to them. It's fine once in awhile but its extreme overkill at this point. Whether this is Russo's fault or not, it is very reminiscent of him, which seems to not be working with the fans.

 

[Talon_DR]

Rant of the Week
Before I get into my rant I would just like to say that I do believe a fan should freely express their opinions on the product. If a match is boring they should chant “This is boring” or if a concept is stupid they should chant “This is stupid”. Be well aware though that the wrestlers involved sacrifice their health to entertain you.

With that said I want to recognize an incident that happened at Sacrifice that pissed me off. Orlando, Florida is the home field of TNA Wrestling and has featured more wrestling events than any city in the past year. The fans in the iMPACT Zone have the opportunity every other week to see back to back shows of some incredible action at it’s raw form. They don’t witness most of the backstage segments which can only be seen on TV. They only see the wrestling matches and in-ring segments. I know because on occasion I have attended a few TNA Wrestling events in the past.

The point I am trying to make is that the Orlando fans are spoiled. They have seen all different types of matches, wrestlers, concepts and characters. They have been part of the greatest TNA Moments in it’s near 6 year history. What fans from other cities would pay to see, the Orlando fans only show up to see, without paying to get into the iMPACT Zone.

There are many cities across the world that would die to experience TNA Live at least once and have yet to do so. There are many cities that TNA is capable of selling out its arenas to, where there are crowds as, if not more passionate than the fans in the iMPACT Zone. Orlando fans you have a privilege to experience TNA every other week.

This all leads to my biggest gripe about the Orlando Fans from Sacrifice. After viewing an event which saw many excellent showcases of wrestling, the fans in the iMPACT Zone witnessed the Makeover Battle Royal. The booking leading to this match may have left something to be desired but the match itself or the result of the match was good. Orlando fans who think they are smart because they read internet sites and talk to their IWC buddies than ignorantly start chanting “Fire Russo” during the Roxxi Laveaux head shaving process because they don’t like the outcome of the match. A few points on this

1) This result should have drawn heat on Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, who cost Laveaux the match. It should also had drawn sympathy for Roxxi Laveaux, which it did both. Mission accomplished TNA Management.

2) The match and segment were emotional, which in my book are signs of success. That is what music, movies and sports entertainment do, they draw different emotions. Personally I would have felt sad for Roxxi Laveaux had I not felt angry at the ignorant idiotic Orlando Fans.

3) Vince Russo is not all to blame. Fans didn’t chant Fire Russo during the attitude era. They don’t chant Fire Russo during segments that they like. Did you know that Vince Russo is a TNA Writer? Much like the WWE Writers, Vince Russo doesn’t have final say on what comes onto the television screen. Jeff Jarrett is the one responsible for the final creative decisions. Of course the fans who chanted this are ignorant, so-called “smarks” who don’t do their research. Not to sound like a sap here but what about Vince Russo? He is a human being who loves the business and the fans. It is easy to blame someone for something without research being done. How easy is it to see it from their point of view.

I know he sits front row at certain events with his kids. What do you think the kids think when the fans are chanting “Fire Russo” ignorantly. The kids feel crappy. It is disrespectful to Vince as a human, not as a professional.

4) As Fans it isn’t your job to make creative decisions, booking decisions or anything like that. If TNA wanted your opinion they would ask you. I know for a fact one of the biggest reasons they don’t ask fans for their opinions anymore is because of crowds like we saw at Sacrifice who base their opinions on false pretenses.

If you want to write or book a show than get hired as a writer or booker, I suggest working your way up through the independent shows. Your writing or booking expertise will then be utilized. Maybe if you’re good enough you might get hired by TNA or WWE. Unfortunately don’t put all your eggs in this basket because by your response at Sacrifice, it Is evident that most of you Russo haters share a brain and professional wrestling promotions hire independent thinkers.

As a fan, you have a right to say what you like and don’t like. But make sure your criticism is on the product that you know for certain, not the one you don’t know. You can definitely say that you want more wrestling or more clean finishes or want Wrestler A to get a bigger push etc. Make sure your criticism is what happens in front of the screen, not behind the scenes.

If the promotion does not fulfill your needs as a fan, then stop watching the promotion. TNA, WWE and other national promotions judge their product on buyrates, ratings, merchandise and Live Event attendance. If the ratings drop, TNA knows there are problems that need to be fixed. If TNA doesn’t fix them than Spike TV will. You might have the line of thinking that you don’t want TNA to die because of you not watching but TNA won’t die. Even if Spike TV drops iMPACT there will be other television outlets or other means of viewing. TNA is growing in every facet, not shrinking. If TNA dies, another wrestling promotion takes its place.

There are alternatives to TNA. You want pure action, watch UFC. WWE features a brand that is more focused on UFC Style Wrestling. TNA answers to certain fans who want storylines nobody else delivers.

5) There are forums that you can discuss the behind the scenes stuff on TNA. Community Forums on internet wrestling sites, e-mailing TNA or in the company of your friends and family.

When you chant things like that you confuse fans watching on TV, hurt the product of other fans in the arena and tick off fans like me who PAY to see the show, unlike you guys did.

6) I am not just targeting Orlando but other cities as well. From my memory I recall three incidents of Fire Russo chants: Sacrifice 08, Lockdown 07 and Destination X 07. The Electric Six Sides of Steel was stupid. The Last Rites Match from Destination featured good wrestling but over the top gimmicky concepts.


I apologize to all Non-“Fire Russo Orlando Fans who had nothing to do with the chants from Sacrifice. As a fan I thank you for your consideration of other people and your wisdom to not jump to gun per say.

I will also be posting this article in my latest column to get the point across.

“TNA Critics hate TNA because they aren’t smart enough to be a TNA Fan”




Vince Russo doesn't drag TNA down and fans who chant things like "Fire Russo" only hurt the product.

 

[Marty2Hotty]

The right thing to do to get legitimate heat from the fans is to bring Vince Russo as an on-air character and slap the taste out of Jim Cornette and say he's taking over. "You can chant fire me all you want, but the bottom line is Vinny Ru has taken over the show once again and you can all kiss my yankee ass"

Wouldn't that be a great promo?

The next time Orlando makes that chant, they should have Russo get ready to come out and cut that promo. in order to get that chant going, they need to do some really crazy entertainment segment that goes extremely long... When that chant comes out, Russo comes out.. Won't that be sweet?

Russo will save TNA!!! The point i'm trying to make is.. Russo is already getting good heat and hasn't been mentioned on air since 2004. How's that for heel heat?

 

[jvalverde]

Ding, Ding, Ding! (Michael Buffer voice) And now we go the scorecards. Judge Glenn Gilbertti scores the bout 118-112. Judge joejoe scores the bout 119-111. Judge Marty2hotty scores it 120-110, and your winner by unanimous decision, and STILL wrestlezone forum champion.......SLYYYYYYYYYYYFOOOOOOOOOXXXXXXXXXX!!!!!

(Harold Lederman voice) Ha! I tell ya glenn, this wasn't even a close fight. I scored the fight 119-111 slyfoxx.

now back to the topic, vince russo is not dragging down tna, nothing is really dragging down tna. the only problem i have with tna is that they have too many comedic gmmicks. The only people that think that tna is crap is the "iwc' and the people who don't watch tna but hear about it through word of mouth or the internet. The people who don't like sc shark boy,black machismo, maple leaf muscle petey williams, curry man and aj styles have to understand that all of these wrestlers have a characters. Before he was a stond cold impersonatator shark boy was a jobber who dressed like a shark, before jay lethal became BM he was just a x divison wrestler, before he became curry man christopher daniels was just another x divison wrestler and the samething goes for aj and petey. if a wrestler has no character he would be stuck in the indys or stay at mid card in a major promotion.

as for the people who keep saying russo killed wcw, newsflash wcw was already dead. russo was just one of the people who tried to help but just wound up hurting it a little more. and one more thing people, pleeeeease stop bashing gg, he is just saying his opinion and there is no need to mock him because of a character he played (which personally i believed it was a funny character)

 

[BradXXX]

I too would also like to say that I got really pissed off at the Fire Russo chants from Sacrifice. I thought the battle royal and ladder match were decent. And I for one was interested in who was going to get their head shaved. Everyone I knew who are casual fans were even talking about how shocked they were that a girl was going to get her head shaved.

And it was Roxxi who got it, so you chant Fire Russo? It was so fucking stupid and it made me so mad. The segment was coming off very well, and Roxxi was taking it like a professional. Then that stupid chant happened, and it totally ruined the moment.

I love TNA's shows. I HATE HATE HATE the Impact Zone and the Orlando crowd.

 

[Talon_DR]

I too would also like to say that I got really pissed off at the Fire Russo chants from Sacrifice. I thought the battle royal and ladder match were decent. And I for one was interested in who was going to get their head shaved. Everyone I knew who are casual fans were even talking about how shocked they were that a girl was going to get her head shaved.

And it was Roxxi who got it, so you chant Fire Russo? It was so fucking stupid and it made me so mad. The segment was coming off very well, and Roxxi was taking it like a professional. Then that stupid chant happened, and it totally ruined the moment.

I love TNA's shows. I HATE HATE HATE the Impact Zone and the Orlando crowd.

Well put

As for your idea Marty, I don't think Vince Russo would ever return to an on-screen role again. The idea you have would be pretty good if he actually wanted to do it but everyone knows he doesn't

I would prefer if TNA got heat on the wrestlers as opposed to the writers.

I have actually realized what is wrong. Vince Russo is an excellent writer. He is just a poor booker. Most of the problems from Sacrifice and about the product are booking problems. If TNA could fix the booking problems then Vince Russo would be used to his fullest.

 

[jvalverde]

I love TNA's shows. I HATE HATE HATE the Impact Zone and the Orlando crowd.

I too hate the fans at the impact zone. I said before and i'll say it again the impact zone fans are just a wanna be ecw arena fans. The impact zone fans should just shut up and be happy they get to watch a show for free. As for the "fire russo" chants, the fans are morons i found nothing wrong with the segment in the makeover battle royal where Roxxi Laveaux had her head shaved. I believe the main plan for the segment was for Angelina Love and Velvet Sky to draw heel heat and for Roxxi Laveaux to get some fans because she was loyal enough to get her head shaved and both of those things happened.

 

[Shub]

What the Orlando fans are too stupid to realize is that the writer's goal was accomplished. The main goal for this was to give Roxxi simpathy from the fans and thats exactly what she got. The fans were mad that she had to get her head shaved and the "mean girls" were laughing about it which is gonna draw heel heat to them and that's good BECAUSE THEY'RE HEELS.

The Orlando fans chanting "Fire Russo" was not only ingnorant but it was a way for them to show ppl how "smart" they are. The Orlando morons are everything but smart. There is a big difference between being an "Internet Fan" and a "Smart Fan". Orlando fans are sure as hell not smart.

And plus, TNA wouldn't shave the Beautiful People's hairs for anything in the world. They're the highest rated segment of their fricking show.

 

[HellBoundPower]

I think it's completely ridiculous that people are trying to blame Vince Russo for a lot of TNA problems. Vince Russo is a helluva writer. He was one of the main writers responsible for turning the WWF around and helping them crush WCW in the Monday Night Wars. He went to WCW and tried as hard as he could (and succeeded for a little while) to balance out all the politics and backstage crap and put on a good show that would be watchable by wrestling audiences everywhere. He deserves a lot more credit than he gets

People always try to point the finger at Russo. They call him a cancer in professional wrestling. They blame him for the death of WCW, holding him responsible for a company that went down because of a merger between Turner Broadcasting and AOL Time Warner. Because we all know he could control something like that (ends sarcasm). The death of WCW had more to do with top executives in Time Warner not caring about wrestling, and wanting it off their network, more than the lackluster booking and backstage politicking.

And now that TNA is in a similar position with poor booking (and that's only in people's opinions) who gets the blame? Vince Russo. If people would be more focused on being entertained by the product, and less focused on the latest problem that Vince Russo caused, they might actually enjoy the TNA product. But I guess that's just too much to ask from some people. Now I can empathize with those people a little bit, because even I think that there is too much comedy and not enough seriousness in the wrestling in TNA lately, but to point the blame at Vince Russo is completely ludicrous and downright ignorant.

I personally don't think that Russo even has the amount of power in TNA that most people think he does. I think he's just another one of their creative talents that helps come up with storylines and ideas. I don't think it goes much farther than that. Russo is just one of many people involved in the creative process in TNA, so placing the blame solely on him for the minor problems in TNA is pretty insulting to him, and also to the rest of the TNA Creative Team, who almost seem unimportant to most fans. Everyone being judged by the fans deserve a lot more credit than they receive.

And after hearing the "Fire Russo" chants while Roxxi Laveaux was getting her head shaved, I couldn't help but question the intelligence of the fans in that audience. First of all, what was wrong with the segment? And secondly, how did what was transpiring have anything to do with Vince Russo? Was he shaving her head? Was he the one that booked her to lose? Was he the one that willingly volunteered her to shave her head? I highly doubt it. Those chants were pathetic in my eyes.

All in all I think most people take people like Vince Russo for granted. He was responsible for some of the best moments in professional wrestling history, but people can't see past the death of WCW, and poor booking that probably has nothing to do with Russo in the first place. Vince Russo deserves respect and credit from wrestling fans for the things that he's brought to the business. All that hatred towards him is completely unwarranted and based out of ignorance and misunderstanding. People just need to give him a break, look back, and enjoy all positive things that he's brought to the business, and the positive things that he will bring in the future.

 

[Marty2Hotty]

Well put

As for your idea Marty, I don't think Vince Russo would ever return to an on-screen role again. The idea you have would be pretty good if he actually wanted to do it but everyone knows he doesn't

I would prefer if TNA got heat on the wrestlers as opposed to the writers.

I have actually realized what is wrong. Vince Russo is an excellent writer. He is just a poor booker. Most of the problems from Sacrifice and about the product are booking problems. If TNA could fix the booking problems then Vince Russo would be used to his fullest.

I dont think Russo would object to coming on screen again. He did come back to be DOA in 2004, which was kinda corny. His best role was in WCW 2000 when he played the kickass leader of the New Blood. Pure heel. He was so good that the purists were genuinely pissed at him for shaving Ric Flair's hair on national television. How's that for heel heat?

Him as the Powers That Be in late 99 was also VERY excellent stuff. Very emotional and dramatic segments. Classic great writing in wrestling by Russo there. Damn, if TNA would just let him run with the ball.. they'd be putting out some excellent programming.

I dont want Russo on screen unless he's writing the shows, period. The only guy he has to go through is Jeff Jarrett.. The shows have his fingerprints on them once in a while, some more than others.. but man.. if he was allowed to write some SE and really write a crazy HUGE angle for TNA, they'd be drawing ratings within a year..

 

[Damolisher]

In all honesty, I don't have a major problem with Russo's current booking, because all we get in New Zealand is TNA PPV's, and I only have a dial-up modem, so I can't watch TNA on Youtube. But the thing is, Russo, I think, could be setlling in, TBH. Because for some reason, I've been enjoying TNA more now than I have for a while, and it could be because I'm not seeing some new WWE reject in every month. So, may Russo isn't to blame 100%- it's the talent. The storylines are weird, but let's be honest: How many more original storylines are there to do anymore?

 

[Talon_DR]

Like I said before my biggest gripe with the Russo-Era TNA is his booking (not writing). I do agree that a huge angle would only help TNA such as a TNA Originals vs TNA Imports (WWE Exiles) company-wide angle that would accel the momentum of some major players in TNA.

Originality is something that is rare in wrestling anymore because so many things were done in past years that being original is hard. TNA has had some original gimmicks which have been crapped on by the fans (Guru, Rock N Rave Infection and more). TNA invents new original gimmick matches which get crapped on by the fans as well. It is hard to be Vince Russo because so many fans are Traditional and are afraid to "Cross the Line" and allow anything different into their likings.

 

[Damolisher]

I have an idea: Why not do a storyline similar to what RVD was doing back in his heel heyday in ECW? Give someone a Pro-WWE gimmick, like, have them sing the praises of WWE, etc. I mean, I don't see how thats a problem, since TNA obviously has no problem taking cheap shots at WWE any other time.

 

[Talon_DR]

The best storylines are the ones that the fans believe are based off of reality.

That's why the TNA Originals vs TNA Imports Storyline would be so interesting. Whether they are face heel or anything in between, there is heat between them. The TNA Imports would spout that TNA was nothing before they got there while the TNA Originals are angry at Jim Cornette for giving the imports there spots.

TNA Originals:
Lead by AJ Styles and Samoa Joe
Followed by James Storm, Robert Roode, Eric Young, Kaz, Abyss and Black Machismo
Plus the stars of the X Division as well

The TNA Imports
Lead by Christian Cage, Booker T and Kurt Angle
Joined by guys like Rhino, Scott Steiner and Black Reign as well as other former WWE, ECW and WCW Talent.

Jim Cornette could favor the imports saying that TNA does need star power.

All The Originals want is the opportunity to prove they are as big of stars as the imports.

Little Grudges could happen in between, TNA Originals could be elevated, the X Division could be elevated.

This is similar to the New Blood vs Millionaires club feud and the nWo angle.