BellaOnline Forums Sports Wrestling Sting and Samoa Joe, huh?

I'm also glad the workers have a choice in case things don't work out in other companies. I'd hate to think that Raven, Christian, Team 3D, ect would be stuck in such small Feds that we would never see them again. Choices are a good thing to have in life.

Se7en

I don't get the chance to watch TNA that much due to my shift work.
WWE has the bigger product and definitely has a lot more going for it.
But TNA has a lot of good, young, raw , energetic talent. My younger son is a huge TNA fan and thinks Samoa Joe is the bomb actually so do I. What I don't like about TNA yes same old thing the six sided ring, Jeff Jarrett enough ahhhhhhh......and now(remember I'm behind you guys re: programming) Steiner(the man does not look healthy) & Luger (same). Christy Hemme(really nice to see her back, though she looks like she lost a lot of weight) Nash (well what can you say? ok. he's Nash)
And are you serious is it true that Hall's wife left him? The guy's only been married since August '05 last I heard he was very happily married. How can you go from being that happy to divorce court at least give it some time sheeesh rumours......

ECW & NWA before Ted Turner got his hands on it built their product up with an originality. Those wrestlers that started there became stars because of what they did their.
WCW of the Turner days & now TNA today are trying to build there product up through the nostalgia of WWE stars & former WCW stars. Plus TNA doesn't have the marketing formula that WWE has to succeed. Vince McMahon, Crockett & Heyman are the only ones that are are worth giving any credit to in my opinion.

I completely disagree.

If thats the case, the same could be said for Heyman rehiring all of the old ECW stars. Thats all nostalgia too then.

I truly believe that if WWE started today as a new program, no one would watch what Vince MacMahon puts on the show. The writing, booking and angles are nowhere near what they use to be. The ratings over the years prove that.

As for TNA not having the formula, it has moved from a $10 a week PPV to a prime time show on Thurday night. Sure they have a ways to go but look at how long WWE has had to get their act together only to be fumbling the ball right now.

Yes TNA has brought in stars from WCW. Not that long ago WWE bought WCW and look at who they all brought in. No federation is going to bring in new fans in a mass rate at this time in wrestling, so TNA is hoping to get some of the old ones back. Once they turn in, they get to see the next generation of wrestlers like A.J. Styles, Samoa Joe, Chris Daniels, Petey Williams ect.

Let's face it, everyone has to start somewhere and this is where alot are going to get their start. So far WWE has shown me, that they are bringing in characters like Kahli, the Spirit Squad, the Boogeyman and who knows whatelse.

Sure TNA has a ways to go to get their nitch, but in anymore Vince is losing his hold on it.

Se7en

WOW! So much to comment on, where do I start.

Ok. I strongly agree with Seven re: disagreeing with Forcegx7 re: TNA only hiring old buggers for nostalgic purposes.

You've gotta bring in recogniseable talent just to get people to tune in. Thats why Indo shows get 50pax to a house show but WWE, ECW, WCW, TNA were/are packed to the rafters. People like to know who they're watching. It's also why there's a bit of a backlash when we're expected to accept a complete character make over from one federation to another.

In saying that, once you become a regular watcher, you start to know who the new guys are and want to see what they're doing each week. It's not purely for nostalgia, it's smart hiring and booking.

To PrincessIce, It is always great if you try to widen out your viewing. I remember being completely "one eyed" to WWF.
I knew who AWA and NWA were. But was not too interested as I was already a long time cluey WWE fan. I got to see both AWA and NWA on Skysports at the Hotel I worked at, and really thought that they were [censored] in comparison. But after a while I changed my mind (about NWA anyway). I'd get my PWI and check the ratings re who the best wrestlers were for the month and gag at Hogan's low ratings and Flair's continual No.1 spot. I had never seen Ric win via clean pinfall, he ran away, he needed others to help him. How could he be No.1? But, I was a mark through and through then, so now I can appreciate Flair's talents.

About WWE today? We're nearly all going to keep watching it. As much as we bag it, it still presents good matches and interesting storylines. There's just alot of [censored] to wade through as well. It is a Much smoother program than TNA. No doubt about it.

In my book. If I really had to choose only one. I'd pick TNA, purely for the wrestling.

Tikus

Wow so much to comment on so many comments.

I completely agree with Tikuis who agrees with Seven who disagrees with Force on this.

Think about the stars in WWE. Benoit, Booker T., Mysterio, the late and so great Eddie Guerrero, and many are "rehashed WCW" guys.

Austin was a WCW and ECW rehash.

I think that TNA needs names to catch people who are only into "names" and will watch because there is a name they know on there. The younger guys who are tearing it up will be huge no matter where they go. If AJ Styles or Samoa Joe went to WWE tomorrow and were allowed to do exactly what they do now, they would be "superstars" in the eyes of the WWE only crowd. But we know WWE would pull a Goldberg on them and have them wearing wigs and jobbing.

I am majorly impressed with the level of pure talent TNA has. The fact is there are only so many places for wrestlers to work. Eventually they all end up working everywhere. I mean, WWE, TNA, and Ring of Honor are the only truly well known promotions (and ROH has little or no TV at all). These guys have to eat. They have to make a living.

I think a huge statement was made when Christian decided not to stay in WWE and went to TNA. He was saying he was sick of the WWE treatment and wanted to do what he does best before the years go by and he didn't get the chance. He's doing awesome.

And on the flip side, if someone from TNA (Let's say...CM Punk who did just jump not too long ago) is a star in WWE, is he a TNA rehash?

Sure, some of the guys in TNA could stand to tone down their TV time (Jarrett for one). But so could some of the guys in WWE.

I am just saying that the two promotions are very different. Different demos, different budgets, different forward looking statements, different goals. But both are entertaining for many people and we are glad to have another show to watch. It isn't either or. It's both!

And when ECW airs, I will watch that. And when Society X airs on MTV, I will watch that too.

I am a wrestling fan. Not a certain promotion fan. That is the difference between the two distinct groups of fans out there.

Not saying one is superior to the other. Just saying one group likes to watch wrestling and the other feels WWE is the only game in town and won't give anyone else a chance.

A choice that I feel closes the wrestling world to them but that is their choice.

Re: WWE today. I would roll my eyes and LAUGH at their [censored] if they were a brand new promotion starting out and brought me the [censored] they do. I put up with a lot of it out of nostalgia and for the good matches and promos that are interspersed within the owner of the company making out with a woman 1/3 his age, the Great Khali's grunting, the Boogeyman's worms, Umaga's 80's beast gimmick, the Spirit Squad's cheerleading, and a man who is fully mentally capable pretending to be retarded.

Sounds kind of funny when you realize it is WWE, huh? lol

Anyway, I haven't seen it but I read the results. Did anyone else see it? Looks like they definitely did the right thing by Joe, not jobbing him out to anyone.

Am I the only one who thinks that the Spirit Squad is a great gimmick? Not so much the cheerleading but because there are so many of them and there are plenty of chances for interference. Stuff like that is so prevelant in wrestling. Interference runs wild. The original Legion of Doom, the Four Horsemen, any team with a manager, the Nation of Domination, etc.. The spirit squad is no different and the cheerleading is ok I guess because they have an excuse for weapons at the ring, i.e. the trampoline, the megaphone cone. Maybe thats just me, though.

I'm a gimmick man. I believe wrestlers should have catchy names and their finishers should have catchy names as well.

The Big Bossman was a prison guard gimmick so he carried a billy club as part of his uniform and would come in handy as a weapon along with handcuffs. Who was it that carried a huge bug sprayer of perfume? Adrian Adonis? Rick Martel?
That kind of stuff is great.

I have the same type of stuff in the book I am writing about pro wrestling. I made up my own organization and wrestlers and stuff like that is in there.

<img src="/images/graemlins/irish.gif" alt="" /> carries a shelelagh(sp?) Yokozuna and Fuji had a bucket of salt for before match rituals, The Great Kabuki and his son Muta spit a mist as did Tajiri and I guess the different colors of mist were supposed to represent degrees of intensity of the mist.

Great gimmicks make for entertaining watching, in my opinion. Whether it's a large group of wrestlers on a team or a wrestler bringing a weapon that fits with his gimmick.

Remember Macho King and his scepter? The Warrior does, I'm sure. lol.

Don't like gimmick and they suck at cheerleading. I don't mind factions. Many factions were my favorites. This one is NOT. However, at least two will emerge as a great or least very good solo wrestlers in due time.

Cat, I saw the TNA PPV and they did exactly right. Joe worked with Sting, won, shook hands but his job was done and he left and, when he saw Sting getting beaten up, he kept walking. After all, he did what he was asked to do. I loved it because it kept him heel but the fans got to see him actually respect a babyface. And this opens a window of opportunity for Sting to fight Joe.

Joe's name was heavily chanted drowning out any possibly Sting ones yet TNA saw fit to pay Sting six figures and trans while almost losing Joe because they were stingy with him. That man there IS TNA right now. Not Sting, not Jarrett, not Steiner, or any of the other "names".

Nash squashing the X Division is lame and I don't like it even though I know how it will end. It isn't going to help anyone. When Rey beat Nash no one, for a second, believed any of it and it did nothing for Rey.

Re; Gimmicks and Factions, I miss Stables, such as The Four Horseman, The Bobby Heenan Family (Bobby was an awesome heel manager). We still see some of it such as the Canadians in TNA. But not like the old days.

Tikus