TNA Slammiversary thoughts
A new TNA world champion was crowned at Slammiversary Sunday night, but that’s not what people who watched the pay-per-view were talking about after it was over. Nor were they buzzing about the final battle between longtime rivals Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett.
The bout that stole the show was the Last Man Standing Match between A.J. Styles and Bully Ray. The match was hard-hitting, told a good story and featured Styles delivering an elbow drop from about 15-20 feet in the air off a lighting structure onto Ray and through a table.
Despite Styles’ big move, however, Ray still managed to win the match, which means their program will continue. That’s good, because I’m not ready to see it end yet.
Thanks to an assist from Eric Bischoff, Mr. Anderson defeated Sting to win the TNA world title. It was definitely time to get the belt off the 52-year-old Sting, but I’m not overly excited about Anderson getting another run as champion. His character has lost luster lately because of poor booking.
The new No. 1 contender for the championship is Angle, who earned that status by beating Jarrett in the match that closed the show.
Slammiversary was an OK show overall. The right people went over, although the way the threeway match for the TNA X Division title between Abyss, Kazarian and Brian Kendrick was laid out buried the “traditional” X Division guys in general, and Kazarian and Kendrick specifically.
One nice thing about the pay-per-view is that Hulk Hogan wasn’t on it, Bischoff only made a cameo and there were no long promos about who’s running the company and The Network.
Here is a match-by-match look at the show:
Kurt Angle defeated Jeff Jarrett (17:34): This was billed as the final battle between the two in addition to being a match to determine the No. 1 contender for the TNA world title. Angle’s Olympic gold medal also was on the line. While this was a very good match, it was far from the best that Angle and Jarrett have had with each other on pay-per-view. A straight wrestling match actually felt a bit anti-climactic after seeing them wage war in a brutal two-out-of-three falls steel cage match a couple months ago at the Lockdown pay-per-view. After a ref bump at the 12-minute mark, Jarrett landed a low blow and then nailed Angle over the head with a guitar. He motioned for a second referee to come out, but by the time Earl Hebner got there, Angle was able to kick out of Jarrett’s pin attempt at the last second. Angle and Jarrett exchanged near falls over the next couple minutes, including Angle kicking out after taking The Stroke off the middle rope. At the 16-minute mark, Jarrett went for an Angle Slam. Angle thwarted it, but then got caught in an ankle lock. Angle teased several times that he was going to tap, but he eventually battled his way out of it. Jarrett went for the submission maneuver again, but his time, Angle rolled through and applied an ankle lock of his own, and Jarrett tapped out. The Angle-Jarrett program could have been booked better, but it has definitely been the best thing in TNA since the feud began in late 2010.
Mr. Anderson defeated TNA world champion Sting to win the title (15:50): Sting had a more menacing look to his face paint, as it reminded me a bit of the old Satanic rocker King Diamond (look it up, kids). While Anderson was doing his mic shtick on the ramp, Sting attacked him from behind. Once the match officially got underway, the action quickly spilled outside the ring and into the crowd, where Sting remained on the offensive. Once they were back inside the ring, there was some back-and-forth action, including Sting kicking out of the Mic Check. Sting hit the Scorpion Death Drop, but as he made the cover, Eric Bischoff – who had been watching the match from the floor for several minutes – slapped the mat while referee Jackson James was making the count. The distraction caused James to break his count, and Sting got up thinking he had won. Anderson then hit a low blow on Sting and delivered the Mic Check to win the title. Bischoff smiled and clapped from outside the ring but did not celebrate with Anderson, so it looks as if was more a case of Bischoff being against Sting then being aligned with Anderson. The finish might have been more impactful if Anderson had remained a tweener leading up to the match rather than becoming a heel without ever really turning. Anderson losing to Eric Young, and Sting losing to Gunner over the past two weeks on TV didn’t help either. Speaking of which, shouldn’t Young now be in line for a title shot against Anderson? Hey, since Young has the old TNA world title belt in his possession, perhaps TNA can make it a title unification match. Uh-oh. I think I just gave Vince Russo an idea for the main event of this week’s Impact.
Bully Ray defeated A.J. Styles in a Last Man Standing Match (20:17): The story in the early stages of the match was that Styles was determined to take Ray’s best shots and survive them. Each time Ray delivered a hard chop to Styles’ chest, Styles asked for another. Ray obliged, but Styles kept coming back for more. The chops were so brutal that one actually elicited a “holy [you-know-what]” chant. Styles also asked for – and received – a punch in the face from Ray. At about the 12-minute mark, Styles took Ray’s chain away from him and busted him open with it. Styles went on to hit a Springboard 450 Splash, and then he body-slammed a bloody Ray over the top rope onto the ring steps, and followed with a dive over the top rope onto him. Ray regained the advantage and set up for the Power Bomb spot off the stage. Styles hit a Pele Kick, however, and knocked Ray off the stage. Styles then got a running start and leaped off the stage with a flying forearm onto Ray. Ray repeatedly kept barely beating the 10-count throughout all of this. The biggest spot of the night was next, as Styles set Ray up on a table and then delivered the elbow drop off the lighting structure. Both guys were down before Styles started to get to his feet at the count of six. Before Styles – who had his back to Ray – could fully stand up, however, Ray kicked him from behind while still lying on the ground. The kick sent Styles crashing through the bottom of the stage. With the help of the guardrail, Ray was able to pull himself up briefly just before the 10-count, and he was declared the winner. This was an awesome match with a clever finish.
Matt Morgan defeated Scott Steiner (9:18): Prior to the match, Steiner cut a backstage promo in which he said that after he beat Morgan, he was going to show Morgan’s girlfriend what it was like to be with a real man. I wonder if Morgan’s wife knows that her husband has a girlfriend. There was a nice sequence at around the 8-minute mark, as Steiner hooked on the Steiner Recliner, but Morgan powered out and got Steiner up in an Electric Chair. Steiner, however, turned that into a Victory Roll for a near fall. Steiner went for a belly-to-belly suplex, but Morgan boxed his ears and then hit the Carbon Footprint for the win. This match was booked perfectly, with Morgan scoring the clean win over a big-name star in the twilight of his career. After the match, Morgan hugged his wife at ringside before walking to the back. I thought for sure that Steiner was going to mess with her, but it didn’t happen. It’s now time for Morgan to move back into the world title picture.
Crimson defeated Samoa Joe (10:28): I give TNA credit for trying to create a breakout star in Crimson, but the fans don’t seem all that enthusiastic about him at this point. Hopefully, TNA doesn’t give up on him yet, because I think he has potential. This match did expose Crimson a bit, however, as he looked like he was blown up about halfway through and some of his punches looked weak. Joe dominated the action but couldn’t put Crimson away. Joe charged at him but Crimson caught him and hit Red Sky out of nowhere for the win. Joe shook Crimson’s hand after the match and said “we will meet again.”
TNA X Division champion Abyss defeated Kazarian and Brian Kendrick in a threeway match (12:04): The booking here was so mind-bogglingly misguided that I’m starting to believe that someone in TNA wants to kill the X Division for real. For almost the entire match, Kazarian and Kendrick worked together, basically making it a handicap match. Despite their combined efforts, however, Abyss still managed to get the better of them. Near the 11-minute mark, Abyss threw Kazarian and Kendrick into one another, and the two babyfaces finally starting fighting each other. After Kendrick landed a flying kick on Kazarian, Abyss pulled Kendrick out of the ring and covered Kazarian for the victory. So not only did Abyss prove that he was physically superior to two of the top X Division stars, but he also out-smarted them. I don’t know how the burial could have been any worse. It really stinks for Kazarian, who seemed to be gaining momentum before this angle.
TNA world tag team champions James Storm and Alex Shelley defeated The British Invasion (10:56): This was a good opener. I was expecting there to be some miscommunication between Storm and Shelley – who was filling in for the “injured” Bobby Roode, who sat in on commentary – which would lead to them dropping the belts. There was a nice false finish that teased such a scenario, as Storm accidentally spit beer in Shelley’s face, and a blinded Shelley inadvertently superkicked Storm. The British Invasion then hit a double-team move on Storm and went for the pin, but Storm kicked out at the last second. After Magnus kicked Douglas Williams by accident, Storm nailed Magnus with a superkick, Shelley followed up with Sliced Bread, and Storm covered him for the win.
TNA Knockouts champion Mickie James defeated Angelina Love (7:58): In a backstage interview before the match, Winter tried to give Love her “medicine,” but Love, who was less zombie-like, said there was no need for that any longer. Love said she gets it now and that her and Winter are on the same page. I wouldn’t go so far as to say this was a bad match, but I do think it was a disappointment considering that James and Love have been two of the top female stars in the business over the past few years. The finish was botched, as James went for her jumping DDT, but she and Love were not in sync and they landed awkwardly. Despite how bad the move looked, James still covered Love for the victory. The story of the match was that Winter repeatedly distracted James and interfered, but James still prevailed. After the match, Winter and Love attacked James.
Comments
This is the first positive review of the ppv that I have seen.
RESPONSE FROM KE: And people say that I'm anti-TNA!
Posted by: G | June 13, 2011 4:07 PM
That was very politic, in not kicking a company while they're down. I suppose only a really mean-spirited person would do that now.
At least in exposing a plethora of weaknesses--TNA did expose a couple of strengths, although it is unclear whether or not they'll capitalize. Ray is the most improved wrestler of the last decade, in my opinion, and Styles needs to be put in the kind of spotlight we've all called for--I can't even think of anyone I've heard disagree.
I find Anderson's situation dissapointing--especially since the booking up until a couple of weeks ago could have made this a big moment--both for the character Mr. Anderson, and for the performer Ken Anderson. It's very sad in a way, and indicative of the lows that TNA has reached that are the sobering counterpoints of the highs exemplified by Ray and Styles---and even Shelley, Storm, Magnus and Williams. There wasn't a lot of sensical booking or writing or build-up leading to that tag match---but all four men are great in-ring workers.
I just don't know where they go from here, (and the burying of Kendrick after some of the only compelling promos given by any wrestler in the company in the past couple of weeks was so weak that it really soured my opinion of the entire PPV), and the future is not bright.
I've made my decision to see if Lethal comes back at Destination X. If not, I'm done with TNA. This is not, for the most part, wrestling, and I feel bad for guys like Styles and Anderson and Morgan and many others who would really flourish and come into their own under different management and creative direction.
Posted by: DumbSmark | June 13, 2011 4:16 PM
I thought tna had some good momentum going with their ppv's lately but last nights showing set them back a few steps. I wish they could have all of their ppv's somewhere other than the Impact Zone. When you're in a town that's excited to see a ppv, you're going to get a better crowd. That doesn't mean last nights show gave fans much to cheer about. There is plenty of blame to go around for the lackluster show but I'm going to pick on referee Jackson James. The guy obviously doesn't belong in the main event seen as a referee. Time after time the guy is out of place and he often appears to be confused about what he's supposed to do. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but this guy seems like someone that fell into a wrestling job as opposed to someone that aspires to in the business. I know he's Bischoff's son but when you have Sr and Jr Hebner on the roster, Jackson James should be nowhere near the main event seen.
Posted by: jt | June 13, 2011 4:27 PM
Kudos to TNA for using Sting, Steiner, and JJ to put over guys who mean more to the future of the company. Maybe the same could be said of Joe putting over Crimson, but that was premature, imo. Crimson needs more seasoning, and Joe still has a lot to offer, imo.
And I like that they didn't take the easy way out with Beer Guns - or whatever they called them - and have a lame title change.
And what can you say about AJ Styles? He is worth the price of admission.
Aside from the Abyss abysmal booking, this was a surprisingly well planned PPV. Well done, TNA.
Posted by: Ruzious | June 13, 2011 5:14 PM
I thought JJ was trying to put Angle in the torture rack, not the Angle slam.
Posted by: Andy | June 13, 2011 5:45 PM
I thought this was an above par PPV, especialy considering how poor Impact has been in recent weeks.It just shows that TNA could be a player if they could get some consistency going on Impact to make people want to see the PPV's.
TNA always seems to throw me a curve ball, and no I'm not talking about another one of Russos mind numbing swerves. I mean last months PPV had some really good Impacts leading up to it and then the PPV fell flat. And then this had some of the worst Impacts leading up to it and I came away from this one pretty happy, saves for the Anderson/Sting finish.
This isn't the first time this has happened, I offten find myself either really dissapointed because I had such high hopes going in or pleasantly suprised because I though it was gonna be a dud.
TNA's slogan should be...Lower your expectations, we just may suprise you! I think that will work better than Wrestling Matters. Because it clearly doesn't.
A soild ***1/2 for Slammiversary
Posted by: Andre the Midget | June 13, 2011 7:28 PM
I never ends no matter how good the matches,or show you just have to make sure that 75% is criticism,it will never end, as long as you live,breath and bleed WWE there will never be a balanced opinion of anything that has to do with Impact Wrestling,ok fine,but not only do you continue this all of the time but when you have legitimate areas to jump you lay off,for instance AJ was up as we all saw and you clearly stated in your recap at 6,then why wasn't the count restarted? Would it have mattered no,it only would have made the inevitable take longer to finish,but this was a ridiculous swerve,AJ had this totally wrapped,and I for one have no need to see this feud prolonged,all of the other "old WWE guys" you dog and don't every chance you get but Bully Ray is somehow the supreme being? Really? I don't see it,talk about a guy with no moves,at least Sting can jump 2 feet off the ground,run aaaalllll the waaaaay across the ring without getting gassed,AJ took it all and showed it all Ray didn't do squat yet you are glad this feud continues, I am trying to follow your logic Kevin but I can't. Maybe you should just come clean and tell your readers that wrestler A,you like and wrestler B you do not,therefore everything wrestler A does is great and what wrestler B does is a joke,frankly that's what this has come to when you talk of TNA/Impact Wrestling. If only you would begin to recap WWE shows,Pay-per-Views and matches the same way,then at least it would show some consistency,Shawn Michaels could come out with a walker and in a wheelchair 10 years from now and he would be written about as if it were the second coming and how on Earth did the WWE last this long without him. How you can show such a deep understanding one moment and total bias the next is beyond me,you aren't supposed to be writing like a fan,like say I would, I believe having a byline in a major newspaper no matter how small should lend you to have some legitimacy and fairness. Man talk about a "homer",are you using this as an in print interview for a possible Ravens job in the future? That's the only place this kind of favoritism would be tolerated,except of course for Wresting,well really it's only called Wresting at Impact it's "Sports Entertainment" for your hometown WWE right? They despise and have banned the word Wrestling so I guess I speak upon deaf ears.Keep up the one-sided work,for someone who has said how much he loved the old territory days you sure do have a hard time telling.Uncle I give.
Posted by: mickfowl | June 13, 2011 8:04 PM
Man, that Bully Ray/Styles match was insane... now if everyone performed at that level, we'd have some real wrestling! Dare I say match of the year contender?
This PPV was a little above average for me.. At least it was better than the last few... the one thing that annoyed me the most out of all of this was that it was held at the Impact Zone.. If this was one of their big PPVs, then it should've been held elsewhere.. or at the least give the arena a PPV touch up... The drapes didn't exactly match the decor if you know what I mean... I also feel it's inconsistent to have the program billed as "TNA Wrestling Presents: Slammiversary" yet have have the refs wear the Impact wrestling garb. The same goes for the ring aprons, turnbuckles and the graphics presenting the title matches... but I digress...
The "traditional" X-Division guys shouldn't have been buried the way they did I agree, but if they do it right, it would make more sense for Abyss to drop the title at the Destination X. Or if they have him hold on to it and it's really changed to the "X-treme" title (barf) then he'll hold on to it probably past HardCORE Justice this year. Just my thinking there.
I'm a big Sting fan, but I am so glad he lost the title and the way it happens make sense... though I feel the match wasn't all that great.. let's face it, Sting can't perform at the same level any more and it really shows... Angle is next in line for the title.. He is a performer through and through so I really hope they let him be champion one more time before he goes off to train for the Olympics. More than anything, it's time for Roode or Morgan to get a title push!
Oh, by the way, I LOVED the King Diamond reference, Kev. I was actually thinking Sting actually let Jeff Hardy apply his face paint last night.
Ummm. Where in the heck are they going with this Love/Winter storyline.. I'm bored, where's my crayons?.. I don't get why they just didn't reset and redo the botched finish. I know we're all entitled to mistakes, but c'mon ladies, we're professionals.
Side note... I remember Alex Shelley throwing the name Gun Money a couple Impacts back... wouldn't it have made more sense for the team to be named Beer Machine, being that Roode is the "Money" of Beer Money...
Posted by: JB | June 13, 2011 10:24 PM
I found this PPV to be an absolute step in the right direction. One problem I had is that they had two matches that should have been for a lesser title. Whether it be the TV title or a new title, TNA needs a belt that is the equivalent to the Intercontinental title. Morgan vs. Steiner or Crimson vs. Joe should have been some kind of title match. TNA has the ability. I wish they would use that ability to get people more interested.
Posted by: BJ Knight | June 14, 2011 2:05 AM
So, Kevin, how did you get your wife to let you add TNA PPV's to your viewing vast wrestling schedule?
Reason I ask is that I went to a tournament Fri and Sat and almost got a divorce out of it - on Sun, our 30th anniversary.
RESPONSE FROM KE: I used my charm (yeah, right).
Posted by: Marko50 | June 14, 2011 5:02 AM
Wow, I hope mickfowl wins Comment of the Week.
Posted by: Ken Raining | June 14, 2011 10:28 AM
Bully ray played his part well and showed good intensity. Great promo before the match as well. He's in much better shape than before. I don't know why you'd diss him. I look forward to more of the AJ-Ray feud.
Posted by: Glass | June 14, 2011 12:25 PM
"wrestling matters" , tna should change this slogan if hogan & bischoff continue in control, their slogan should be " wrestling gimmicks"
Posted by: andy | June 14, 2011 12:28 PM
If I ran TNA AJ Styles would be all over my marketing campaign. I would have segments promoting him on Spike TV 24/7. AJ Styles truly is must-see and is the kind of performer that makes your jaw drop with every match, yet TNA makes it seem like he's just another guy. He truly is phenomenal. Bully Ray is an older guy, but his singles character is new which makes him fresh. When you find the right character winning and losing don't matter as much, because the story that you can tell means more. Bully Ray is at the top of his game right now, and I am enjoying watching him perform.
I guess Sting and Bischoff will now battle over Hulk Hogan's soul. something tells me Hogan and Bischoff split and Hogan adopts Mick Foley's role as Impact Wrestling's network guy. Sting had a nice run as champion, but he should never be a world champion again. They made him champion because that's what they thought people wanted to see, with the whole Undertaker thing, but they were wrong. Atleast Sting got paid for it which is good for him and his family, but the fans got nothing out of it. Anderson's character needs to some work, because it's not clear who he is right now. Is he now TNA's version of The Miz, or will he go back to the poor man's Stone Cold persona.
The Jarrett / Angle fued did end in an anti-climax. It proabaly should have ended with the Chyna match in the last pay per view. Both men performed at a high level and the fued was very entertaining. They made the best of an awkward situation and told a great story. It had drama, comedy, and great in ring action. Well done. Still not sure Angle should be the number one contender, but atleast he's still believable as a championship contender, as he's still one of the best performers out there, but i have no desire to see Angle as World Champion again.
I like Crimson, but I really don't buy that he could be undefeated at this point in his career, and I don't think the fans buy it either. They need to find a way to have him lose without destroying what they've built with him. Goldberg's streak was believable because Goldberg was a force of nature, a freak with real world power. Goldberg was like Mike Tyson, his matches were one sided and only lasted mere seconds before he hit the knock out blow with the spear. Crimson is not on that level, so no need in trying to make it seem as though he is. He needs a story of why he wins so much, and why can lose as well. Then I think the fans will buy into it. He needs to start talking more too, so have him cut more promos, so the fans can understand who he is and what he's about. that should help his character as well.
The X-Division done right is one of TNA's main attractions. It's a mistake to make X-Division guys look so weak. Abyss is a "monster", but he shouldn't be able to beat two guys of Kazarian and Kendrick's level. Get the X-Division back on track TNA and just like AJ Styles, you should make it a prominent part of your marketing again, because it's something WWE does not have.
Keep the Tag Titles with Storm and Shelley, so Roode can get his singles push going. And put the World TV title on him to bring some credibility to it and prepare fans for a future Roode world title reign.
Matt Morgan should be the number one contender not Angle. It's time for him to go over. Not looking forward to seeing Anderson vs. Angle. Just because you get a huge pop in the Impact Zone doesn't mean the rest of the world is popping too and TNA needs to understand this. Angle is clearly over in the Impact Zone and well respected as a performer, but we've seen this before. It won't have an impact on ratings or PPV buy rates, so why do it? Why not try something new? Playing it safe can only get you but so far.
That jumping DDT that Mickie James uses is a dangerous move. If the timing is off even slightly someone could be seriously hurt with it. It takes a lot of trust with that move. I'm surprised it's not botched more often. Don't get me wrong, I like Mickie James, but I'm not sure that finisher is worth the risk. I do think being in TNA has helped Mickie James go to another level as a wrestler though. She's doing things she never could have done in WWE. I like Angelina Love's new dark character, but you just know at some point a Beautiful People reunion will happen. But not before Velver Sky goes over as the Knockouts Champion.
Posted by: Maurice B. | June 14, 2011 1:32 PM
Mickfowl is an idiot.
Posted by: DuBrow | June 14, 2011 2:30 PM
whoa...mickfowl...I don't agree with everything he said, but I think we have just witnessed the emergence of the Jack Kerouac of wrestling blogs. It is almost like some kind of pi##ed-off acid poetry with a shot of speed to make you grind your teeth while you're flying.
Uncle...I give. (I personally don't think Mr. Eck is that bad--I don't want him to go easy on TNA---because I don't think they take very constructive creative directions and they should be called out for it---I just want to see the same mercilessness applied to WWE, when it is justified).
Anyway--that is the longest sustained stream-of-conciousness freefall that I have ever seen in the realm of wrestling. Very cool.
Posted by: DumbSmark | June 14, 2011 6:28 PM
Hey Kev,
I have 2 questions for you. When did AJ Styles become a redneck and how are you enjoying the new Abyss gimmick?
RESPONSE FROM KE: Don't know about A.J., but I like the new wrinkle added to Abyss' character of him being a well-read monster.
Posted by: Jarvis | June 14, 2011 7:59 PM
Umm mickfowl..first of all, before you post on a website learn english. I'm sure you had some logic there but I couldn't get through all the misspellings and odd punctuation.
Second of all, I'm with Kev. TNA has its moments of glory where they book people really well. But then they have Gunner beating Sting and Young beating Anderson. If the WWE were to have Yoshi Tatsu beat The Miz and Tyler Reks beat Taker or Cena people would be outraged. In TNA, Vince Russo has made that so normal that people don't even react anymore. He trashed WCW and now he is trashing WCW 2.0...er TNA. Until TNA gets a new writing team and starts focusing on its own wrestlers instead of Tommy Dreamer, they will always play 2nd fiddle to the WWE/
Posted by: Nick | June 15, 2011 11:45 AM
@ Maurice B
Excellent rundown---it seems that most thinking audience members agree on the exact same things---it's a shame that TNA doesn't take note of it. They wouldn't need to read Ring Posts, they'd just need to look at the fact that Slammiversary had a reported 7,000 buy rate. In a country with well over 300 million people, and an overseas market---that is pretty pathetic, to say the least.
I think your comment on the difference between the iMPACT zone and the bread and butter of television ratings and PPV buy rates is extremely accurate. (Although there is little pop for many characters, angles and matches even from the live crowds oft times).
Morgan's situation is a real bummer. The sticking point with me is always that back in January, at Genesis time, Anderson had the creative direction to fully actualize his character, and his chemistry with Morgan was fantastic. You could tell that they instinctually played very well off from each other. Then Anderson was brushed off and his ability to showcase his charisma in the best light was diminished, he dropped the title rather quickly, and Morgan disappeared altogether for awhile.
I'm not a TNA purist, I'm a wrestling purist, so I have no problem with Anderson being pushed main event wise, (I don't care who he worked for before---I just think his work itself is worthy of notice when it is done well)---I just have a problem when he is pushed under a forced character that does not allow him to play to his strengths. (when was the last time he said anything fall down funny? It can't be his fault, because he spent most of last summer and fall being consistently the best guy on the mic that TNA had, and regularly spouted memorable lines).
Morgan the same---the concern I have for his latest push is that they seem to being pushing the big tough guy a little too much, when Morgan's greatest reaction came from the fans when he balanced this with an air of being very intelligent and almost a bit nerdy.
My own thoughts on Crimson---I think they're directly trying to recreate Goldberg. Except Crimson is nowhere near as magnetic in his performance intensity--his move set has not been given the time to develop overly professionally---and it just doesn't seem like the unstoppable force bit fits him very naturally. It seems that developing a character which plays to whatever his own strengths may be would work better--but that seems to be TNA's perennial problem. They plug square pegs into round holes, and the saddest part is that they damage the careers of the workers among fans who just can't understand that the performer can only work with what they are given and/or told to do. These guys are all independent contractors, and if they want to earn a check, they have to play by somebody else's rules.
Lastly, I agree with you on Angle. Great performer, okay promo skills, (his tough-guy "warrior" character has never hit the heights that his WWE geeky goody-two shoes did performance-wise)---but we've seen enough of him on a regular basis in the last decade or more.
If Styles, Ray, Roode, Morgan and Anderson, (given that they are allowed to capitalize on their best talents) were the rotating main event members---TNA would have a chance of busting the glass ceiling. That and focusing on the tag team division, (the Guns are phenomenal--but there isn't a lot of competition besides Storm and Roode---teams like Gen Me could be great with some makeovers), which WWE only peripherally does---and letting guys like Kendrick break out, would really make a company I would be happy with as a viewer.
Unfortunately there is a four sided barrier in Bischoff, Hogan, Russo and Jarrett. My own hopes are lowering all of the time.
Posted by: DumbSmark | June 15, 2011 1:18 PM
Now funny dumbsmark you seem to have a lot LESS to say to the the two who really went after Kevin (the usual whiners about WWE whom happen to be TNA fans, same difference) though I can't say the same for myself. (ref. look again in the hogan/warrior post)
Posted by: sharia1 | June 15, 2011 1:34 PM
"That stage is 20 feet high!" Then Bully stands up and his head is above it. Awful commentary on an amazing match.
Posted by: Tommysqueaks | June 15, 2011 7:43 PM
@ sharia1
In terms of mickfowl, I was trying to say something positive about him, as he obviously is very worked up and upset, and I don't feel he should be called an idiot as some people chose to do. I tried to find a politic way to encourage him not to stop participating in discussions just because people unloaded on him. He didn't personally insult Mr. Eck except by way of accusing him of severe bias--and I think that was incidental to a frustration that he blamed on Mr. Eck, but knew in a way wasn't Mr. Eck's fault. His real frustration comes from TNA. I stated that I do not believe that Mr. Eck has a severe bias,(although I think that a bias of WWE over any modern competitor is a general bias that many share--I think Mr. Eck has a much smaller pinch of that than most) and I tried to settle down a situation that devolved into insults on some sides anyway. He did not directly, aggressively insult Mr. Eck as some others have done.
The best thing to do in that case is to just learn from your mistakes, and keep engaging in civil, productive discourse. I tried to encourage mickfowl in that direction--in any case, he consistently attempts to articulate his thoughts and attempts to participate in some manner---and that shouldn't be discouraged.
However, YOUR implication that I somehow have it in for Mr. Eck is really starting to bore the f##king s#it out of me, to be quite blunt. I regularly have productive and pleasant conversations on this site with many of the other commenters, and have even engaged Mr. Eck a few times, and have not come away feeling that anybody dislikes one another. This is a community of people who for the most part work together to be civil, productive and thoughtful even when they disagree. As for when people directly insult Mr. Eck or others? If you pay attention, you will see that I am usually there trying to do my part to settle everyone down, along with many others---(see "Go Ahead, Ask Me", for an example--where seveeral commenters, including myself, had to chase a troll off the board who actually WAS insulting Mr. Eck, and all of the rest of us).
You on the other hand, are exactly the reason why a lot of us avoid other blogs. I have never insulted anyone on here before, nor do I plan to henceforth in the future, but you have just become a target for the one exception. Stop accusing me of things I have not done. Stop clogging up the boards with nonsense. If you want to write a thirty page treatise on some kind of aspect of wrestling, I will read it with enthusiasm, as I do with everyone else's. If your point is to continue unprovoked harrassment of me...
Well, you have to remember that people here like to read. They're going to read your posts, and they're going to read my responses, and since 95% of the Ring Posts community are very articulate, intelligent and thoughtful folks, you're unfounded bulls#it isn't going to go too far.
You're not scoring points---you're not playing a game--you're just personally attacking me and you're pi##ing me off, and if you are foolish enough to keep trying to get me involved in some game of one-upsmanship---I will remind you in the words of Roddy Piper to not throw rocks at a guy with a machine gun. If that's embarrassing to you, please take your anger stemming from your own mistake elsewhere. Your illogical, accusatory and baseless claims on here are just going to keep getting you embarrassed.
Posted by: DumbSmark | June 16, 2011 9:40 AM