Hey, Scott. I'm a fan of TNA, in part due to the idea that competition breeds better wrestling programming (a sentiment I know you've expressed before). This summer TNA really was putting out a quality product, and I think for the most part most of their stuff is enjoyable. Which brings me to Aces and 8's. You've been killing this angle for a while, and as much as I want it to work, I have to concede, it doesn't. Rather than concentrate on what they could have done I was wondering what could be done. My challenge to you is to book TNA out of this mess and salvage the angle; is there a way?
Nope. They need to have Sting or whoever run through these goofs at the next available PPV, unmask them all, and then have them ride off into the sunset. The entire group has been comprised of hasbeens or jobbers thus far, and there's no one on the horizon (D-Lo, Brisco, Garrett) who is going to redeem this thing and make people take them seriously. Especially since they lose every match. I know TNA has a hard-on for decompressed storytelling and making sure they do EVERY BEAT of their storyline exactly when they planned it, but it's time for some damage control with this shit. Have Dixie just fire them all and go scorched earth with it.
I am all for long-term angles. However, they debuted on June 14 and we really don't see an end in sight. To put how long this story has been going in perspective: on June 17, Cena defeated The Big Show to have Johnny Ace fired.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned before, there's a difference between long-term and spinning your wheels; A&8 quickly became the latter. How many weeks did we have to endure the call-out-A&8s-to-start-the-show/Pier-Six-at-the-end stalling to this story and did they need to be there every week (would've been better if you never knew when they were going to be there)? Then TNA did the usual TNA bullshit: If this group was such a rogue threat, how come there weren't more security in place? Why were they given their own opening montage and theme at the start of every Impact? Why did no one give a shit that Joseph Park was being beaten and tortured during Impact (because we need to update that BOUND FOR GLORY LEADERBOARD)? TNA had a brief run of brilliance, with the BFG putting the focus on the matches (and its results) and utilizing guys like Aries and Bully Ray the best way they should be, and now, I'm back to watching the TNT NBA doubleheader every Thursday until the next glimpse of promise from TNA, which will probably be in 2016 for me.
ReplyDeleteThey still haven't revealed who the ACTUAL leader is. I can only assume its Jeff Jarrett, Eric Bischoff, or Brooke Hogan for some reason.
ReplyDeleteBobby Roode shoulda been revealed as the leader. Would have given them star power and cred. Something that it is impossible now.
ReplyDeleteRemember when we were all excited and playing "armchair" booker to see who the leader was? Yeah, that was months ago. Time to kill it and move on.
ReplyDeleteI swear from the reviews it sounds like at this point they're just waiting for the 'E to fire someone so they can hire them and retcon this whole angle to fit whoever it is.
ReplyDeleteI still think (and sincerely believed would happen at the time) that Bully Ray should've won the BFG series with help from Aces & Eights. "Now you know who I am." The whole set up of that show, with an injured Hardy trying to overcome the odds seemed to be headed that way but that obviously wasn't the plan.
ReplyDeleteEither Bully Ray as the leader and BFG winner or Roode as the leader and champ heading into BFG would've made sense and kept the angle moving. As it stands now, the angle is an anchor weighing down the rest of the show. Couple that with the fact that Bully Ray has had his momentum killed just so he can give a rub to Brooke Hogan (both literally and figuratively, heh) and you have TNA restored to it's regular role as the company squandering all it's potential. They're their own worst enemy.
Here's how this angle makes money:
ReplyDeleteThey reveal that Aces and Eights has all along been a joint venture arranged by Ace Steele and Ron "8-Ball" Harris to take revenge on the wrestling industry for never making either one a "top guy". Once those two are revealed as the masterminds, the balance will shift and the gang will start to dominate TNA. Things will only get worse when Wes Brisco reveals himself as a member of the gang during a tag match with Kurt Angle against Devon and Luke Gallows. But then Wes will turn right back around on Aces and 8's, providing a ray of hope - he was a double agent all along. But wait. Brisco swerves again and hits Angle with Dixie's loaded purse, fully embracing the Aces and 8s and dooming TNA. TNA is left with only Sting, Angle, Styles, Bully Ray, Samoa Joe, James Storm, RVD, Jeff Hardy, Austin Aries, Ken Kennedy (having swerved Aces and 8s for real), Hernandez, Chavo Guerrero, Joseph Parks, Hulk Hogan, the returning Jeff Jarrett, and the newly recruited Don Harris and Colt Cabana to take on Mike Knox, Devon, Wes Brisco, Festus, and (surprise member) Chris Masters, Ace Steele, and Ron Harris. It appears to be the end of TNA, but somehow they rise above the odds in a Reverse Battle Royal in a Cell match and Sting ultimately saves the company.
Then all the Aces and 8s go on to work for TNA regularly and the angle is never mentioned again.
Cha-ching.
The thing is this angle could be salvaged into something decent but it would take a lot of work and a really creative mind and I just don't think TNA can do that. I say get the Garret/D Lo "swerve" on Angle outta the way, maybe build some of these guys as legit threats so that when the angle ends they aren't left drowning, reveal the crappy higher power whether it be Bisch or Jarrett, have a big blow off match and just end it. Use the A&8 time for something more constructive.
ReplyDeleteOn a similiar note since we all love the BFG tourney why not do it year round, where every win/way you win earns points and losing makes you lose points. Keep track of it all with a ranking system and it gives guys goals, fueds would have an undercurrent of gaining points to move up the rankings. Just an idea I had.
they did the same thing last year. It seems lost on the big two companies that if you have wrestles competing for the big belt and do a semi-decent job of making them seem credible, coupled with advertising matches (instead of the opening promo/I'll make that match playa wwe stupidity) you will get a good TV show with a reason to tune in.
ReplyDeleteAlso S.E.X, Planet Jarrett, Kingsley of Wrestling (Jarrett, Hall, Nash),
I thought it was supposed to be Austin Aries (Aces) and Hulk Hogan (8th letter if the alphabet).
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that was mentioned on the BoD at the start of the angle.
Even if that did happen, they still would have to drag it out 3 more months because of a no compete clause.
ReplyDeleteYou would think that the company that was smart enough to cut bait on the Claire Lynch angle would also recognize what a sunk cost Aces n Eights are.
ReplyDeleteThat was just some idiot grasping at straws.
ReplyDeleteI thought they did that because she quit randomly?
ReplyDeleteBut was The Rock the mastermind behind all of it all along?
ReplyDeleteThat was my Understanding
ReplyDeleteYou missed the part were Cena is proclaimed the Anti-Christ, Kidnapped and sacrificed live on tv. Jesse Baker is disappoint
ReplyDeleteOR... You have Dixie come out to fire them. She tells us all about how this was not a splinter group but a wrestling angle (blah blah blah you get it I'm an idea guy, not a writer, Jim.) Then, they refuse to go. They truly become the outlaw group they were meant to be, randomly blowing up matches at whim. Book this tight, only for a month or so, and have a War Games style match at a PPV to finally blow them off for good.
ReplyDeleteJust do a Wargames type match where the losing team gets fired.
ReplyDeleteWe don't want Hulkster getting any ideas
ReplyDeleteHowever they decide to wrap it up, I hope they can keep Gallows and Knox around as a rough and tumble tag team. Two big ass tough guys is something that lacking from their tag division.
ReplyDeleteWhy not using Batista or Goldberg? There are enough free big stars who have no WWE contract AFAIK.
ReplyDeleteHi-Re Rus-so! He'll book the whole angle during a commercial break!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though...it's weird to go from Russo's Crash TV style booking to this super decompressed booking.
Oh jeez that's right, forget it, set this angle on fire and throw it out a high-rise window.
ReplyDeleteNo, but D-Lo Brown was, and he's like TNA's version of the Rock.
ReplyDeleteYeah, once they found her infomercials on the Internet, she went back into hiding into whatever character costume Universal Studios has her wearing.
ReplyDeleteWho was doing who's dirty work?!
ReplyDelete"That's Mike Knox from the WWE!"
ReplyDeleteEvery fan wonders to themselves, who's Mike Knox?
Gallows has shown me NOTHING. He sucks on the mic and doesn't even look menacing with his Baby Head.
ReplyDeleteI think that is what they are working to, but I believe Lockdown isn't until MARCH. So three more months of this crap.
ReplyDeleteAnd every single fantasy booking scenario I saw on here was better than what we got.
ReplyDeleteScott is right. There is no saving this angle. Even if say Batista was revealed as the leader, it would be Batista and a bunch of jobbers.
ReplyDeleteReasons this angle failed:
-No motive. Aces STILL have no reason for doing what they are doing.
-No stars. Not saying it had to be Batista, Goldberg and Shane McMahon, but when you biggest name is Devon you are in trouble.
-Pacing. If you know the best you have to offer is Mike Knox and Gallows, then you should be unmasking someone once a week, not once a month. There should be an equation for how long a mystery angle runs in proportion to the fans expectations of the payoff. You can reveal Mike Knox...if the angle has only gone two weeks.
From here, the best they can do is minimize damage. First I'd fold this angle into the horrible Brooke/Bully angle by having Brooke be part of Aces to keep Bully away from it. I'd get the Wes/Garrett turn out of the way ASAP. Then I'd have it being Brooke and Garrett being the fruits of their fathers bad influence.
I'd give them minimal time each week. Just enough to build to a Lethal Lockdown blowout where Sting/Bully/Angle/Joe destroy Aces in a loser leaves match where Brooke is also fired from running the knockouts.
The leader would have to be someone HUGE and it would have to be on a big show.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, elvylanda wonders "What's WWE?"
ReplyDeleteIs Horace Hogan still around? He seems like he'd be of the same caliber of "star" to fit in.
ReplyDeleteI actually liked the calm voiced, intellectual serial killer persona he was trying to get over while being squashed by mysterio. Also his finisher and the cross body to uld back of a seated opponent always looked vicious.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Vince Russo!
ReplyDeleteThey turned in to the nWo B-team so gradually I didn't even notice.
ReplyDeleteHey There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article.
ReplyDeleteI will be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information.
Thanks for the post. I will certainly return.
Here is my site - Is Metabolic Cooking a Scam