So is Sting a heel or not?
Sting finally broke his silence last night on TNA Impact, but his promo left me more confused than ever. If that was supposed to be a heel promo, then Sting isn’t very good at being bad.
The fans at the Impact Zone sure didn’t see Sting as a villain. They cheered everything he said, even when he ran down TNA’s top babyfaces, Samoa Joe and A.J. Styles. I guess that’s what happens when you book your top babyfaces to be whiners.
I can’t blame the fans for not booing Sting. With the exception of him praising Booker T. and Kurt Angle, who are both heels, he didn’t say or do anything overtly heelish. He also made Styles look foolish (what a surprise). Earlier in the show, Styles said that he was “going to stick my fist down Sting’s throat,” but it turned out to be tough talk that he couldn’t back up.
Sting handed Styles his bat, turned his back and offered him a free shot (this was lifted right from WCW in 1997). Styles spun Sting around and went to clobber him, but Sting beat him to the punch and laid him out with the Scorpion Deathdrop. Yet another inept moment for a TNA babyface.
Sting was passionate when criticizing the young guys in his promo, but he might have been too fired up. Rather than talking as fast as he did and cutting a “Sting promo,” he should have changed his normal cadence and spoken more deliberately – just like Chris Jericho has done during his recent transformation. A hint of bitterness in his voice would have helped as well.
The other key missing ingredient was that Sting showed no contempt for the fans. With Jericho’s turn, as well as Bret Hart’s from a decade ago, they basically told the truth, but they came off as sanctimonious, and, more importantly, they called out the fans for cheering people whom they considered morally corrupt. If Sting had criticized the fans for supporting the guys he referred to as “spoiled brats" and said that the fans were to blame for his attacks on Joe and Styles, the crowd's cheers most likely would have turned to jeers.
Then again, there is the possibility that Sting didn’t go that far because the plan isn’t for him to be a full-fledged heel. He said in his promo that he was going to play the role of a parent by straightening out the young guys and teaching them respect. The story line could be that he is showing them “tough love."
I’d rather TNA just keep it simple and make it clear that Sting is a bad guy now. Judging by the reaction from the crowd last night, having him be a tweener won’t do guys like Joe and Styles any favors.
Other thoughts from last night’s show:
Something significant needs to happen soon with the Kevin Nash-Samoa Joe storyline. The friends one week, not friends the next week bit has gotten really old. After talking to Nash last Saturday at the Maryland Championship Wrestling show, I get the impression that he feels the same way. Sometimes I have no idea why they are even mad at each other. For example, Nash was totally unprovoked when he slapped Joe during Nash's match with Angle last night. Joe, who was doing commentary, was actually speaking well of Nash before that. ...
The Karen Angle interview segment with Abyss was really bad and seemed like it was never going to end. Abyss is a complete ripoff of Mankind, right down to pulling out his hair. The problem is, Chris Parks as a performer is no Mick Foley. Now that Foley has reportedly signed with TNA, I would assume that his first angle would be with Abyss. ..
It was unintentionally funny when Mike Tenay, right aftter witnessing such a bizarre segment, said matter-of-factly, "Some interesting comments from Abyss." ...
It was SoCal Val, however, who had the line of the night. When announcing that she was going to hang her engagement ring above the wrestling ring during a Jay Lethal-Sonjay Dutt match, and the first person to grab the ring gets to be with her, she said, "I know it sounds ridiculous." You think? She also had the fakest-looking black eye I have ever seen. ...
Jeff Jarrett's name was finally mentioned on the broadcast. The video package was very well done. I just hope TNA doesn't pull one of its infamous swerves and have Jarrett come back and turn on Joe or Styles. ...
I like the way Sojourner Bolt was introduced. Rather than defeating a lesser opponent in her debut, she was competitive in a loss to Awesome Kong. Not getting squashed by Kong is more impressive than defeating an inferior opponent in my opinion. ...
ODB showed a lot of fire in her attack on Kong, and Kong's facial expressions were awesome during the beatdown. It looks as if Gail Kim's departure is going to move ODB up in the pecking order. I thought ODB's promo was pretty entertaining as well, and I loved the shirt. ...
The tag match between The Beautiful People and Roxxi and Taylor Wilde was a little sloppy in places. The match wasn't that bad, but the TNA women have set a pretty high standard. ...
TNA really needs to get Kip James away from The Beautiful People. He could be used better and they don't need him as part of their act.
Comments
Yeah, I was left scratchign my head last night...after the show two weeks ago, I thought...TNA is on its way....last night...
SoCal Val letting a match decide her fate, is what I have been saying all the time, if only countries could solve differences the way wrestlers do...at the big PPV...then they usually move on....
I saw the Abyss interview back in 1997 with Foley/JR...and uhh yeah Karen is attractive but well.....yeah Karen is attractive...
I love the bag over the head by the BP! That is classic
Posted by: Micheal Deff | August 29, 2008 3:37 PM
Sting is positioned beautifully, Kev. He is best when he is an island unto himself. Sting is like Batman, dishing out his own brand of vigilante justice. The minute you doubt his loyalties is the moment he lays the wood to the baddies and gets himself over again with the fans.
What I don't understand is why Jeff Jarrett is being hyped as if he is somehow the Ying to Sting's Yang. Jeff Jarrett has always been in my mind a mid-carding clown. He is a poor man's Honky Tonk Man on his best day. By comparison, if Sting is Batman, Jeff Jarrett is the Space Ghost. If not for the fact that he is part owner of the company, he would be in wrestling obscurity by now.
Posted by: Lee | August 29, 2008 4:24 PM
It's hard to turn Sting full-fledged heel when he hasn't done anything remotely heelish. I thought his promo was very well done, and in line with his actual actions, as opposed to the constant accusations tossed around every week drawn up out of thin air. But if Sting is going to be the guy to show Styles and Joe "the way", what does that make of Nash? Still, any kind of New Blood/Old Guard type feud is going to end up with the young guys getting turned on by the fans. Of all people Kevin you should know that Sting doesn't do the heel role well.
Since when does ODB straighten her hair and dress normal, are they trying to make her "hot"?
Posted by: Joe Barber | August 29, 2008 4:29 PM
Hey Kevin , I've not really followed any brand of wrestling in recent weeks (including my beloved (?) TNA) and I am thoughly confused . Admittedly it doesn't take much .
Re: Jeff Jarrett , after the passing of his wife which devastated him , and such a long ring absence , what kind of role would you see him having in the future ie; actual matches or "appearances"?
Posted by: the artist formerly known as jack in hebron | August 29, 2008 5:05 PM
Sting is the only person who I would never be able to picture as a heel, no matter what he says or does, the fans will always cheer for him.
Posted by: Danny | August 29, 2008 5:19 PM
Abyss is horrible. Like you said, he is a total Mankind ripoff.
Also he is a terrible worker. All of the thumb tacks, barbed wire, broken glass crap has to be used with him, because he isn't talented enough to have an entertaining match otherwise.
I hate the whole Vince Russo shades of gray phenomenon. You have to make people be clear faces or clear heels, otherwise people just won't care that much either way.
Posted by: Elevation | August 29, 2008 7:03 PM
Sting hasn't been a heel since his "Bladerunner" days in Mid-South/UWF. That was mid 80's. Plus he's been such a iconic figure as a face for so long that I think the fans would never boo him.
Posted by: Greg | August 29, 2008 8:09 PM
Good blog like usual Kevin. I don't know why TNA would try to make Sting a heel. Every since he was the hero for WCW from the nWo, I'm convinced it'll never work. He's just too entrenched as a face, and I don't think the fans would ever boo him.
I also agree with you on the Nash/Joe angle. Nash either needs to finally turn on him, or they need to get over their issues. I thought TNA was doing a good job at holding off on the match, but it's gotten old now and they just need to go through with it.
And yes, the match for SoCal Val is beyond ridiculous. I love Lethal and I'll be glad when this angle is finally over.
Posted by: Josh | August 29, 2008 11:38 PM
You know, Kevin, I have to agree about the Nash-Joe storyline. What does it say about how the "top babyface" is booked when some (or more than some) viewers have more of a connection to, or more sympathy for, Nash?
The only plausible explanation for Nash to do that little slap is in his earlier promo. He showed concern that Joe was spending too much time chasing Sting and not paying enough attention to his championship and the people gunning for his title. Since (I think) the idea behind the interaction is a mentor type relationship, it makes some sense for Nash to want Joe to pay attention to the match...
It really doesn't make a whole lot of sense as to why Joe would cost Nash the match. Sure, he can say that Nash lost the match because he redirected his attention from his opponent to Joe, but why in the world would the babyface not wait to make his point until after the match was over?
I really wasn't feeling Sting as a heel. That being said, I don't like how A.J. is looking in all of this either.
When all is said and done, I will continue to give TNA a chance. It just may be fewer and further in between chances.
Posted by: Mina | August 30, 2008 3:27 AM
This show is such a mess, but there is a lot of good wrestling talent to save it.
CAn't they get some announcers with something insightful or interesting to say that don't talk to the fans like they are a bunch of children or total idiots? Maybe they can lure Matt Striker away from WWE.
Changing announcing team would put a whole new complexion on Impact.
Please cut down on the chaos/stupidity factor and try to offer up something that more people can relate to better.
Posted by: AMC | August 31, 2008 3:43 PM