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Willow.

Mr. Artistic guy

Better Off This Way
Perhaps my favorite series of vignettes ever. They resonate with me, although I'm sure that says more about me than them.

Moreover, they've turned Jeff Hardy into someone I am interested in and am even looking forward to seeing, as opposed to the beforehand image of an overrated, ageing, ex-WWE cast-off.

I love characters. Willow is intriguing. Abyss is returned. Sam Shaw's belated more official debut was nothing short of a monumental success in my eyes (although he clearly has a penchant for watching Dexter in his spare time). Why people are not singing the praises of that jack-of-all-trades, a one Rockstar Spud, for me the most accomplished corporate stooge besides William Regal that I've yet to witness, I have yet to decipher. I'm not sold on EC3 completely as a big-time player, but I see something in him, and he does extort the odd chuckle. MVP is embracing his role very nicely. Samoa Joe has just woken up from a mobile coma of a good half-decade. Eric Young is on an elite single-digit list of people I'd G.G.F. (Go gay for (The others being either Franco brother, Brock Lesnar out of pure submission and Christopher Walken - Although I get the feeling he's got more of an asexual, transcendental deity thing going on).

Bully Ray's booking has been bizarre, but he himself has notched a calfzilla-shaped groove in the elite list of wrestling current class so that he has become the second incarnation of King Midas. The BroMans began as a joke, and are now legit. Kaz and Daniels, maaaaaan. Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, Storm as a heel, Dixie has been absent from the screen increasingly. People like Gunner, I don't even know when the fuck that happened. He does look like I imagine Norcal to in his downtime, and he will keep playing that military card, bonefide crowd pleaser. The Knockouts number now exceeds five, although I'm sure they have a Y-chromosome per pair at current. Sabin's devilishness has grown on me. In fact, one of the only people or groups I'm more negative than positive, is The Wolves.

They still work in what I imagine is an ROH pace. It's flash and exciting, but essentially like watching The Expendibles. Great visuals, but leaves you a little cold. I get the idea, there's less than a Cumbrian hamlet's full of people that are not aware that wrestling is scripted, so why bother with that pesky meddling selling and storytelling malarchy? We all know you'll pull off that mask and it'll be Old Man Wilkleton under the 50,000 volt ghost costume... again... But I do think they could do by following the lead of Bad Influence in that department. Guys who consistently demonstrate that high-spots and storytelling are simultaneously achievable.

As you can tell, I'm feeling more positive about TNA now than I have in over a year.

But this is mainly a Willow anticipation thread. Treat it as such, you surly bunch of brigands and scoundrels. I mean that affectionately of course.
 
I agree wholeheartedly.

TNA seem to have better characters overall at the moment. It's amazing what a blueprint for a character will do. I thought Sam Shaw was dull as shit when he was on Gut Check, now as Samuel Shaw he's caught my attention and is awesome.

I liked Spud before but he's reached a whole new level of awesome as a stooge. I maintain the BroMans are the jocks to Bad Influence's snarky assholes. Chris Sabin has become the epitome of whiny annoying heel who has a strop when he doesn't get his way.

Aries is still awesome, Roode is still awesome, Storm is still awesome. Magnus as the snobby British guy works. Joe is becoming cool again. And I'm loving the Willow vignettes. I will admit Jeff Hardy was being sub par ever since losing the World Title but I think that was more because he didn't have anything to do. When he has something to do he's good.
 
It's difficult with Hardy, I like that has can still do some of the mad things he can do and his ability to innovate, but like many established guys he suffers from being treated like he is beyond character progression. I love Bully Ray, I loved Joker Sting. Established guys are just so because they're that good, so why not keep challenging them and letting him them knock it out of the park? The appearance of Willow is a hallmark that says he's still willing to try new things, and that's always great, because if recent history is anything to go with it often turns out well. Overall, I'm confident in Hardy's ability to succeed in this new chapter of his career. And on another plane, far better way to explain Hardy not being on the European Tour than last year. Monumentally so.

And, yeah, same on the Aries, Roode, Kaz/Daniels thing. They are the guys that I didn't have much to say about, and those guys are some of the best. It says a lot of how much better focused TNA's booking is currently as compared to last year's, admittedly depressing, lull. I'll be honest, when people complained about TNA most of last year, as a fan, I didn't really have much of anything to come back at them.

I am, as I said and as did you, also very impressed with Sam Shaw's narrative. He was a guy as generic as anybody when he was on Gut Check. His transformation was so extreme that it was weeks after he re-emerged that I even remembered him from that. It's Husky Harris/Bray Wyatt classification of metamorphosis, although obviously not on the same scale.

Altogether very encouraging at present methinks.
 
I think the problem with established guys is that people are so used to what made them famous that they/the writers are reluctant to give them a change in case it bombs.

And I said in KB's Q&A thread how a little direction can do wonders for a talent. Shaw and Wyatt are proof of that.
 
Yeah, Willow should be good if they let the character shine through instead of just Hardy in a mask. So I am not sold yet.

I am sold on EC3 though, thanks to his interaction with Angle this past week. IDK, just something about his delivery I guess. He is getting better ever since he left WWE.
 
No, and what the hell is that?

Old movie. General Kael was one of Willow's (the protagonist) nemeses, and his mask/armor is pretty fucking sweet:

GeneralKael.jpg


Back to wrestling, though. Don't wanna derail.
 
It's a shame people aren't vibing to Magnus the way it'd been hoped. For me, he just cut the promo of his career last show, and is actually doing a fine job as world champion. The cracks between himself and the Dixie regime only add interest to the scenario and him as an evolving character.
 
Willow is the answer to the age old question of what would Jeff Harvey be like if he had anyway decent mic skills. Really enjoyed the vignettes. I'd rather they go all out with Willow than see the ugly belt and hear about the creatures again.
 
Willow is the answer to the age old question of what would Jeff Harvey be like if he had anyway decent mic skills. Really enjoyed the vignettes. I'd rather they go all out with Willow than see the ugly belt and hear about the creatures again.

He's always had decent mic skills. When he's being weird as hell. I felt his mic work when he was heel was the best he'd ever done.
 
I think it's an Ultimate Warrior deal. I'd rather hear him talk crazy nonsense in an animated fashion than hear a generic sensible but very dull promo with lots of shouting. Willow seems more Jeff Hardy in a lot of ways, his verse is much along the lines of his song lyrics, so he's probably going to be more engaging as a character from the perspective that Hardy's further enjoyment will ingratiate himself more towards the viewers.
 

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