TNA Announcing a New TV Deal?
It has been reported that TNA is telling people they will be making an announcement regarding a new TV deal within the next ten days.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio
Kurt Angle Update
It is expected that Angle will remain in TNA and that the company is trying to make it seem like he will be leaving in order to make it look like a surprise when it is revealed that he is staying.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio
WWE Confirms Date for Next Quarterly Report
The report will take place on October 30th with the WWE Network subscriber amount number being released on that date as well.
http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_81305.shtml#.VECuAfldXIs
Ryback Update
It has been reported that Ryback is now medically cleared to return to the ring. Also, the WWE is currently trying to figure out how to re-introduce him and are considering ideas like tweaking his gimmick and giving him a new singles push.
Credit PWTorch.com
TNA Impact Rating Falls
Impact drew 988,000 viewers, down from the 1,102,000 from the previous week. The show is expected to get a 0.8 rating.
Credit PWInsider.com
Well, this will be my last Daily Update until the beginning of November as I will be away for the next two weeks. However, Stranger in the Alps has volunteered to take over these duties in my absence so you all can discuss the news. I am sure that he will do a fine job.
It has been reported that TNA is telling people they will be making an announcement regarding a new TV deal within the next ten days.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio
Kurt Angle Update
It is expected that Angle will remain in TNA and that the company is trying to make it seem like he will be leaving in order to make it look like a surprise when it is revealed that he is staying.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer Radio
WWE Confirms Date for Next Quarterly Report
The report will take place on October 30th with the WWE Network subscriber amount number being released on that date as well.
http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_81305.shtml#.VECuAfldXIs
Ryback Update
It has been reported that Ryback is now medically cleared to return to the ring. Also, the WWE is currently trying to figure out how to re-introduce him and are considering ideas like tweaking his gimmick and giving him a new singles push.
Credit PWTorch.com
TNA Impact Rating Falls
Impact drew 988,000 viewers, down from the 1,102,000 from the previous week. The show is expected to get a 0.8 rating.
Credit PWInsider.com
Well, this will be my last Daily Update until the beginning of November as I will be away for the next two weeks. However, Stranger in the Alps has volunteered to take over these duties in my absence so you all can discuss the news. I am sure that he will do a fine job.
Man, 1987's head must be ready to explode.
ReplyDeleteGood news about TNA, but it came from his own personal anti-christ, who is wrong about everything.
EVERYTHING IS FINE for TNA
ReplyDeleteSoooo WWE rejected Angle, then. Figured as much. This shit is way to easy to see through now.
ReplyDeleteMeltzer has reported the "announcement" about five times already. First it was 7 days, then it was 7 again, then it was 10, now it's 10 again. The guy is just covering all of his bases.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's almost like the unstable state TNA is in right now makes it difficult to report on.
ReplyDelete"It has been reported that TNA is telling people they will be making an
ReplyDeleteannouncement regarding a new TV deal within the next ten days."
Dixie: "Ok guys, we have 10 days to find a TV deal. GO!! "
Its the fact that TNA is a low-rent carny company and tries to work everyone. They can never give a straight answer about anything
ReplyDeleteIt'd be such a perfect TNA moment if they acted like he was leaving to 'swerve' the internet and then the WWE actually signed him.
ReplyDeleteThe big suprise signing that will bring a lot of buzz is a guy that already works for them.
ReplyDeleteBecause TNA.
Longest running episodic what?
ReplyDeleteWhy would they give a dirtsheet guy news to break when they can break it themselves?
ReplyDeleteThey haven't broken shit except for the morale of their own workers
ReplyDeleteAlso reported by Dave Meltzer even though all talent have been positive in any Twitter messages they put up and any interaction with fans. Seriously man, Meltzer might be accurate with WWE but he just makes up so much random shit about TNA.
ReplyDeleteRemember when people thought Ryback should've won the title from Punk because he was way over at the time?
ReplyDeleteWhy were the TVs of these people showing different episodes of Raw than mine were showing?
Ryback should've won the title. They dropped the ball big time with the Big Guy.
ReplyDeleteKurt Angle: SURPRISE! I'M STILL HERE!
ReplyDeleteCrowd: Um, ok? That's cool, but what's the surprise?
Kurt Angle: The fact that I'm still here, silly! WE SWERVED YOU!
Crowd: Uh, ok. Good for you.
TNA....where swerves and surprises feel like taking out the trash or washing your dog.
I don't think he should've won the title. I think he could've been built up into the IC or US title programs, THEN challenged for the world title. He wasn't at that point where you could effectively put the title on him (and he was insanely over at the time), but it was one of those "now what?" situations they always put themselves into.
ReplyDeleteThe TNA re-signing isn't going to come across as special on TV at all. He is the on-air matchmaker so he's been on every episode for awhile. They should take him off TV for a couple weeks or a month.
ReplyDeleteReason why ryback never stayed over is because he lost all 4 of his big feuds (punkx2, cena, shield). If he won at least 1 of those, he might have stayed over.
ReplyDeleteLooks like SSW is closing in on TNA in the ratings! #NeedsMoreMisty
ReplyDeleteHe should have been like 2010s version of ultimate warrior: squashes to winner of a lower card belt and winning a big feud and then main event.
ReplyDeleteI always found it funny, right before the pipebomb promo, Punk had lost his previous 4 big feuds in the previous 2 years (Taker, Mysterio, Big Show, Orton). Then 1 big promo, and 1 win over Cena, and BOOM. Top star.
ReplyDeleteSo anyone can be rebuilt really. The big question is, will they?
Stranger's very first daily update:
ReplyDelete*nervously steps up to the keyboard* "Hi everybody! *gulp* Is everybody.....good?"
Yes. Even with Goldberg, Goldberg was able to remain over even after he won the title. I really think Ryback would've dropped a lot quicker if he had won it. Basically it was a no-win situation.
ReplyDeleteEvery time Stranger posts a Daily Update, we should hijack the thread and chant for Bayless.
ReplyDelete# HIJIACKUPDATE!
Watch out though....Andy PG will call us lame.
Have a good vacation.
ReplyDeleteTrue, but at the very least Punk had held the world title a couple of times, won MITB, and had been in a good feud with Jeff Hardy, so it's not as if he were the Jobber of the Week turned superstar overnight. And those four guys are like upper-echelon stars.
ReplyDeleteReally, there's no excuse why someone like Cesaro shouldn't be prominently featured every night. He can work, he can talk, he's insanely strong, and the crowd was ready to jump on him.
In retaliation, I will hijack every other thread with false news reports about Bayless' vacation.
ReplyDelete#EBOLAQUARANTINE
I didn't think it was possible for anyone to think less of their fans than WWE, but TNA has it down pat. Combine that with poor promotion and you don't need to wonder why they're holding cards where the talent outnumbers the fans.
ReplyDeleteGet off the stage!
ReplyDeleteBOO THIS MAN!!!!
So when Chrstopher Daniels, Matt Morgan, Frankie Kazarian, and AJ Styles all spoke about the poor morale and getting stiffed on their paychecks they were making that up too?
ReplyDeleteThe company is a joke and I don't know how people can struggle to figure this out.
I like that you say "have a good vacation" and your avatar is flipping us off. Makes it seem like you're totally being sarcastic and you don't actually wish Bayless a good vacation.
ReplyDelete"Have a good vacation, Bayless. Go fuck yourself."
That's it Bayless (if that IS your real name), I'm halving your salary for the month.
ReplyDeleteStranger, I'm doubling yours.
Zanatude will stay the same.
Yeah really. One big win (the biggest win ever, but still) was all it took for everyone to forget Lesnar losing to HHH and being treated like a joke upon his return.
ReplyDeleteProof you can't keep certain turds down, I cannot believe they are going to repush Ryback? Why does WWE have these moments of madness where they desperately try to smash a lug over again and again?
ReplyDeleteAnd it's a guy who might actually die in the ring.
ReplyDeleteIt's like watching a 2-year-old walk into a wall for 30 minutes straight.
That's actually another good example. To me, those 2 early losses mean nothing right now. All that matters is, he CONQUERED THE STREAK, then squashed Cena at Summerslam to win the title. Who cares about 2 years ago really?
ReplyDeleteI really am the BoD puppet master.
ReplyDeleteTNA... NOT GONNA DIE?
ReplyDeleteWell, when they actually announce it, and not just rumor it, I'll agree with the above. Until then, always remember...
TNA STILL GONNA DIE!
Also, time to place Network bets. With the ads coming in, and what that "should" mean to the sub base's growth, I'll be optimistic and say 777K. And expect to be off by a fair bit.
Make 'em dance, 'llax!
ReplyDelete(tries to do the math, then chunks my calculator at the wall.)
ReplyDeleteWHY DO I KEEP GETTING ERROR MESSAGES?
I disagree about him being able to talk. I found him pretty annoying on commentary last week.
ReplyDeleteYES!!! *runs out to the nearest Porsche dealership*
ReplyDeleteWith all the budget cutbacks, PLUS now the extra revenue from the ads, I'm guessing they're no longer losing boat loads of money. Unlike TNA, I think WWE *WILL BE FINE*.
ReplyDeleteSee, this is what I'm talking about. The Raws and PPVs I saw at the time showed an untalented guy who wasn't 1/10th as over as a few internet weirdos claimed and was mostly being mocked with Goldberg chants the whole time.
ReplyDeleteWhat else was different about these shows? Did the Shield still debut in this alternate universe around that time? Because if you haven't seen those guys, whoo boy, they turned out to really be something.
They weren't. I don't think he should have won the title, but I also don't think they should have put him in the match in the first place... but he was very over at the time... then he lost on like 8 of the 9 next PPV and has never recovered.
ReplyDeleteI'm leaving money on the table I guess
ReplyDeleteHe might have been annoying, but he seemed comfortable, which is a lot more important. With a little training, he could be just as good on commentary as I am hosting the best weekly podcast about all the news in Queens.
ReplyDeleteStay tuned later today for the TribCast!
It amuses to me to no end... even more so that you are the only one that knows what I am talking about.
ReplyDeleteNope, Scott took it away and left it on Stranger's table.
ReplyDeleteHell no he shouldn't have. The Rumble with Rock/Punk did a huge buyrate, and the Wrestlemania that "Nobody wanted to see" did a huge buyrate too. They needed Punk's title reign to still be going strong for the Rumble match.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I am not only your apprentice, but also the MOST MUST-SEE poster on the Blog of Doom!
ReplyDelete"I will now say BURIED in 5 different languages!"
ReplyDeleteThis is just like when Ricky Steamboat took time off after winning the IC title in 1987.
ReplyDeleteRyback has shown he's got a ton of charisma outside the ring. And they've protected "suspect" workers in the past (shoot, Ryback's rise was no doubt helped by him being protected).
ReplyDeleteGiven another chance, I think it'll work out for him. So I'm not confident in the least.
Stranger is the Honky Tonk Man of the BoD?
ReplyDeleteMore like when Tony Garea got fired as road agent in 1995 because IRS was supposed to get his job, but then he went to WCW instead and Garea got it back out of pity.
ReplyDeleteI still will always say that WM29 should've been Punk/Rock/Cena in a triple threat.
ReplyDeleteThe Dick Cheney of the BoD? And I know that just kills you.
ReplyDeleteYou truly are a fabulous audience. Thank you very much.
ReplyDeletePuppet H? Chucky? Rocko?
ReplyDeleteReally? Really? REALLY?
ReplyDeleteYes, I really believe WWE missed the boat with WM29. The reaction Punk could have had as champion, beating the Rock, would have been through the roof. Main event of WM29 SHOULD HAVE BEEN Punk-Cena, the Hogan and Savage of the era, going at it in the main event of the biggest show of the year.
Stranger! When are you gonna sing your song and play your guitar for your fans?
ReplyDeleteI understand that I am in the extreme minority, but I was fine with the show the way it was. It wasn't in the top WM's of all time, but I still understood it, and it was refreshing to see a long term booking plan stay the course.
ReplyDeleteWho is the Butch Reed in this scenario?
ReplyDeleteBrock is also not overexposed and is treated as a legit monster with UFC cred. I think his case is a special one.
ReplyDeleteGod imagine the match the 2 of them would have out on in a 'Mania main event... Cena always brings it in the 'Mania main event... a motivated Punk.... and they have crazy chemistry at a house show in Des Moines... they 6th * could have been in jeopardy.
ReplyDeleteThe thing I would have changed, I would have saved the Punk/Cena Raw match for the PPV after WM 29. Pay punk to stay 1 more month, and have the final blowoff match on PPV instead of on a free Raw. Punk can say "You overcame the Rock hurdle, but you STILL have never beaten me straight up with the WWE title on the line. ".
ReplyDelete"Mr. Basic Cable."
ReplyDeleteFuj. Obv.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I buy that rumor. Is it official? I mean, the guy NO SHOWS the biggest night of his career, and Vince still keeps him on the roster for 8 more months, including a WM 4 match? How the hell would he not have been fired on the spot?
ReplyDeleteWait - with Ryback about to get pushed......where's Big E? Did he spontaneously combust or something?
ReplyDeleteHonky said it was true. Then again, its the Honky Tonk Man
ReplyDeleteI should get the Butch Reed shoot and find out what he says about it
Affirmative action?
ReplyDeleteSPEED FORCE
ReplyDeleteBig enough name to use to put others over. After that, his push stopped. He was getting a decent push when he was first brought in
ReplyDeleteWe'll try our best not to break Stranger while you're gone, Brian.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Stranger is a fine man and a jam-up guy. You are all in good hands.
ReplyDeleteUgh - is that "In Color"?
ReplyDeleteRocko
ReplyDeleteI doubt him.
ReplyDeleteI am still shocked that the whole WM 4 rumors were confirmed by all parties. Seriously, Vince changed his entire world title long term plans to appease a comedic character refusing to lose the IC title, when he was told to. It wasn't exactly Ken Shamrock who had the belt, it was the Friggin Honky Tonk Man. Blows my mind.
ReplyDeleteMaybe contributed. I'm still gonna go with "wasn't talented."
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was odd how Honky of all people stood ground and got Vince to cave in on his demands. Then again, Honky was drawing as the IC Champ at house shows and Honky said that he wanted to prove he could draw before losing the belt so it ended up working out for both parties oddly enough.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't fuck with him. He is COOL, COCKY, AND BAD!
ReplyDeleteI'm currently working on my new hit single "Hunka-Hunka-Stranger-Danger". I'll premiere it during the big Hell In a Cell PPV thread.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, which is also why losing to Cena and HHH didn't really matter much at all.
ReplyDeleteJobbing to Rusev on Main Event.
ReplyDeleteAnd who are you to doubt a man who polished off a Papa John's Pulled Pork Pizza?
ReplyDeleteEl Strangy.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest Blogadore in all of the Interwebz
ReplyDeleteSo when am I getting monies for the, like, seven things I've written here? I know they weren't commercial hits, but critical acclaim has to count for something.
ReplyDeleteI am a walking (well, sitting) contradiction.
ReplyDeleteAlso, look at my avatar.
Love,
Hoss
#HOSSAPPROVED
ReplyDeleteStranger! Bring back 'comment of the day', guaranteed ratings winner!
ReplyDeleteWell, while we wait for Stranger to sing his song, you can all hear me sing this week on the TribCast, which will be posted just a few hours before I make my NYC television debut tonight!
ReplyDeleteDamn right.
ReplyDeleteHeh.
The King of Media, Steve Ferrari
ReplyDeleteI thought Garea put Vince in a rest hold backstage and when Vince came to, he forgot he fired Garea...
ReplyDeletePulled pork.
ReplyDeleteI strongly dislike that term. Sounds too much like whacking off.
Brock won the feud, but HHH won the biggest match of the feud. That is what people will remember.
ReplyDeleteNot bad. I'd have done Cena-PUnk to open WM, with the winner facing Rock for the title. Book it however you wish from that point, but that guarantees a hot open and close.
ReplyDeleteBuilding a guy up and getting him over just to make him a jobber is everything that is wrong with WWE at the moment.
ReplyDeleteIf they ran things like this during the Monday Night War, we would be watching Nitro today...
They remember what they want to remember I guess.
ReplyDeleteI mean, anyone who's one of the most elite in-ring and promo talents of the last decade could be rebuilt, easily.
ReplyDeleteYour average wrestler, not so much.
He also went away for a while in there. Doing commentary helped IMO for his popularity.
ReplyDeleteI eagerly await Strangers daily updates.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why, but I have a feeling this TNA TV deal is going to have them coming out looking pretty good. My initial thought is FS1, but I'm probably wrong. I think it's going to be a huge positive.
It would be more impressive if it was the pulled pork featured at Wendy's...
ReplyDeleteThat still happened all the time. I love this "rose colored glasses" revisionist history about the Attitude Era.
ReplyDeleteTJ: Just got PWG's BOLA 2014 three day tournament. There goes whatever I had planned for today.
ReplyDeleteAgain though, a pretty special case in that Brock Lesnar was already one of the most over wrestlers ever, annnnd the win that rebuilt him was the biggest possible rub that was available in pro wrestling. (Ending the streak.) And the next win was a squash of John cena.
ReplyDeleteSo yeah he was rebuilt, but it took the two absolute biggest wins possible. You can't just do that shit for everyone.
Which is to say, it's probably a good idea to just push the guys that you wanna push, rather than fuck around and assume "oh we can fix this later."
Now let's burn rubber, baby!
ReplyDeleteI don't really recall a guy being built up back then that got over and jobbed on every PPV afterwards.
ReplyDeleteHell, guys like the Godfather who had 9 million gimmicks in the past, got over and won IC gold back when it meant something...
The TNA Network is coming soon!!
ReplyDeleteEh at this point I can't see how you could make TNA fans feel like Kurt Angle is some kind of surprise. He's taken multiple months off before, and like you said he's on the show every week now. They'd have to hold him off for like a year for it to mean anything. Better off not even bothering and instead of worrying about "making it a surprise", which is impossible, they should, I dunno, book a good storyline for him?
ReplyDelete"Shades of Brian Pillman!"
ReplyDeleteRikishi turned heel, and immediately got beat clean by Austin at the October PPV, then Rock at the November PPV. From there, heatless tag team with Haku, then back to comedy face. Totally destroyed the moment the heel turn hit. That's probably the best example I have, I can find several others if requested.
ReplyDeleteRyback sucked and he was reckless in the ring.
ReplyDeleteEven with the loss to Triple H, though, it didn't really hurt him all that much, because he was BROCK freaking LESNAR. He beat Triple H in a rematch, tossed around Big Show and then he ate, slept and beat the streak.
ReplyDeleteJealous.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm sorry, the IC title was totally dead by the time WM 15 arrived. It just got hot potatoed like 18 times, I can't even remember who had it.
ReplyDeleteThey need to find a way to have Puppet H at the commentary booth for a show. Honest.
ReplyDeleteAlso one more important thing - Brock looked like a killer against CM Punk, AND he won the match, which legit should've been their MOTYC instead of the HHH one (because we already know...). He wasn't exactly Zack Ryder looking to break the streak.
ReplyDeleteThat Wrestlemania that nobody wanted to see did a huge drop off from the year before despite adding brock Lesnar and his big salary. PPV-wise that's a big disappointment, especially since in the year leading up to teh show their goal was to break their biyrate record. Ya gotta stop pushing this fallacy that they booked a sucessful PPV show that year.
ReplyDeleteThe gate for live attendance was massive but it had zero to do with the booking, as the place sold out way before any matches were announced, and ticket prices were huge because it was NY. But again, the announced matches played zero part in that.
The PPV number absolutely was a disappointment considering the massive star power (and salaries) that went into that show. It'd be like saying the NY Yankees had a great season with a $250 million payroll by winning the wild card and getting knocked out in teh first round.
He was MAD protected in the ring - how many upper-echelon guys did he beat? Seemed like he was always extinguishing local jobbers.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it was an over gimmick, but a very fragile one. Basically, 1 loss ruins everything, so there isn't really much mileage out of it.
ReplyDelete"It is expected that Angle will remain in TNA and that the company is
ReplyDeletetrying to make it seem like he will be leaving in order to make it look
like a surprise when it is revealed that he is staying."
Ugh. Same old shit. Stop trying to work people. I hate this company. I hate this company so much. I will never, ever watch their TV.
Available only on Etch-A-Sketch!
ReplyDeleteIs the Bayless era over? Will Stranger make a power play?
ReplyDelete"Cena always brings it in the 'Mania main event"
ReplyDeleteCena vs The Miz would beg to differ.
Though overall yeah, cena's an awesome Mania (and big match in general) performer.
to me, 1 million buys = success. it didn't have to beat the previous year. Not to go Caliber, but not having the Rock/Cena rematch would have been leaving money on the table. 0 problem with the card.
ReplyDeleteYOU'RE OUT OF TIME!!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah... honestly that match was fine until the dumb ass overbooking started... I don't really blame any of the people in the ring for the problems with that match.
ReplyDeleteI dunno man, Brock couldn't have seemed colder going into that Undertaker match. Take a look at any of the segments leading up to Mania 30, nobody cared about that match and Brock might as well have been Mania 22-version Mark Henry in the buildup.
ReplyDeleteIf the ratings improve, I'll be demoted
ReplyDelete"In talks" meant Kurt was talking but WWE wasn't listening.
ReplyDeleteYes, and looking back, I'm glad it was that way. It turned his win into the most shocking wrestling moment I have ever seen in my life. I'm glad they didn't hint it in any way.
ReplyDeleteThe crowd was just sitting on their hands waiting for Rock to come out. Nobody was buying anything that was actually happening in the match.
ReplyDeleteThat said, Cena and Miz were ridiculously overwhelming throughout, totally just going through the motions as if it was a Saturday Morning Slam taping. Cena's obviously a pro, but that's the one time you could basically see him phoning it in on a big stage, probably not exactly too happy that he was about to be upstaged by Rock AND job to Miz all in the same night.
I was thinking Rikishi too. The heel turn really shouldn't have happened. He was insanely over as a face, but I can understand them thinking they needed a stronger heel presence at the top to counterbalance Austin and Rock on the face side. You could even make an argument that they botched Big Show early on and he never really got to the level that he could have.
ReplyDeleteBotched pushes are just a fact of wrestling. The difference is that the top of the card around 2000 was so stacked, and even the midcard was full of really over acts, both solo and tag team. So it's probably easy to forget the mistakes when so many guys got so over.
Bayless in the box for 2 minutes. Delay of Game.
ReplyDeleteYeah it worked out, though on the flip side I think it would have been way cooler to have Brock kick Taker's ass throughout the build. It would have created some actually heat for the match, with fans actually wanting to see Taker get revenge at Mania, instead of fans going into the match almost feeling bad for the haplass Brock. And even if Brock dominated the build everyone STILL would have assumed Taker would win, just because it's The Streak. I don't think the surprise factor changes one iota, and instead they would have told a complete story of Brock absolutely dominating Taker.
ReplyDeletePlus that just would have been more exciting TV in the weeks leading to Mania.
Overall though it's mostly a moot (moo?) point since Lesnar winning cancels out everything.
I've wondered though, what the fuck happens to Lesnar if Taker wins that match? Lesnar was alreday so cold going into that match that a loss against old man Taker in an awful match would pretty much have killed him dead as a monster heel. Wouldn't mater how many 3MB beatings you feed him. How do you use Brock Lesnar coming off a Taker loss? I kinda feel like a face turn would have been the only move.
Maybe Lycos or Altavista can sign TNA so that they can compete with Yahoo's new TV service.
ReplyDeleteIt really is remarkable in hindsight. The Honkytonk Man literally changed professional wrestling history for years to come. Decades, even.
ReplyDeleteOr Compuserv. Or Prodigy. Or NetZero.
ReplyDeleteRikishi was never built up to a main event level guy, he was a dancing mid carder who had heat.
ReplyDeleteHe really had nowhere further to go with that act so making him the heel there was the right move...
Yep, Hell, Billy Gunn got tons of start/stop pushes, in 2000, Benoit/Jericho/Angle often got main event level matches against the top guys, jobbed, then went right back to feuding with each other in the mid-card.
ReplyDeleteHell, after the Rock turned heel and on the world title, he had SEVEN world title matches against Mankind, where he couldn't beat him without cheating ONCE, then Jobbed clean to Austin back to back PPVs, then jobbed to Taker at KOTR, then lost to HHH in a strap match. Was the rock "buried" because he couldn't beat main eventers?
I still loved the Attitude Era, and it was clearly better than things are now. But there is this selective memory that makes people think it was a perfect utopia of 18 equal main eventers who jobbed clean to each other at all times or something. I'm just pointing out that lots of today's "glass ceiling" stuff also happened back then.
(Reposted from late last night):
ReplyDeleteWhat is TNA doing with Magnus? I thought they were building him up as one of the top guys in the company -- and I could still see him being like a HHH-in-1999 level, almost-main-event heel right now -- but it seems like they just gave up on him or forgot about him. I watched all of their shows when they were in New York and I think he was used maybe twice, and nowhere near the main event. Then this week he jobs to Matt Hardy for ... some reason.
Magnus reminds me of Alberto Del Rio during his last few months with WWE; he can go out there and put on a decent match with anybody on the roster, but creative hasn't given him any kind of story, angle or character for the fans to get behind or care about. It's like we're supposed to buy into Magnus as a heel simply because he's not from America, which isn't enough.
TNA had a pretty good thing going with Magnus starting with last year's feud with Sting, the Bound for Glory series, his winning the world title and then losing it to EY. Then they paired him with Bram, which seemed to be going somewhere, but lately it's been nothing. What is his character's motivation even supposed to be? Does he care about he and Bram splitting up? Does he want to get back at somebody for costing him the title? Does he even want the title? Just a few months ago he was consumed by being the champ and would go to any length to keep the belt ... now Kurt Angle makes a 4-way match for the No. 1 contender without even mentioning Magnus, and Magnus doesn't notice or care that he was left out. No character consistency.
Every wrestling company tries to work people. That's part of the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteAgain, they took the main eventers from the previous year and added Brock Lesnar's first Wrestlemania match in 10 years, and STILL dropped almost 300k buys. That's not successful booking.
ReplyDeleteThey had the goddamn Rock and booked him in a pretty heatless match with a foregone conclusion result, a result that fans were not psyched to see. That's bad booking. They took Brock and booked him in a rematch against someone he didn't have a good match with just a few months earlier, and against a face that wasn't all that over as a face. That's bad booking.
And they had a guy who just a few months earlier had been riding the absolute perfect gimmick to actually put the streak match in doubt (a record breaking streak of his own), and instead of using that to create a massively intriguing Streak match, they instead booked Punk like a chump for 2 months and billed the match as "come see Undertaker kick this jobber's ass." Bad booking.
And all of that added up to a show that was mostly not fun to watch, pissed off the live crowd, and drew 300k less than the year before despite adding the biggest new star (and salary) that they could possibly add.
They should have been able to do much better that year, both quality and buyrate-wise.
Isn't Douglas doing a new promotion with the founder of Lycos?
ReplyDeleteYeah, while watching the match, trying to find positives, I really couldn't find any. I was trying to see how Taker could logically put Brock away, and I kept thinking "Taker's streak of good WM matches is over. It will look very cheap when he wins". Then, JAW... DROPPED...
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I think they badly missed the boat on Ryback.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I can think of worse ways to go than by having Lana and Rusev out for another gloating promo, only to be interrupted by a "FEED. ME. MORE."
Never forget Ask Jeeves!
ReplyDeleteMore Kacrash?
ReplyDeleteThis seems too strong. I would think "Mr. Cable Access"
ReplyDeleteYeah that's what I was thinking too, how shitty BOTH guys would have looked if Taker had just hit the usual and won that awful match. Not that Taker wins are usually greeted with massive cheering and chanting and shit, but the crowd would not have cared if he won. Would have been a pretty muted reaction, and both guys probably would have needed to go away for good. Lesnar winning was absolutely the right call.
ReplyDeleteHe's playing an insecure psychiatrist on The JBL Show on YouTube, and... it's actually pretty funny
ReplyDeleteThat's really my point. He's funny, he WAS over, and he's strong. What happened to him?
ReplyDeleteIf I am not mistaking, there were betting lines that drastically changed to nearly even money right before the match, right? I thank god I was not aware of this. It would have ruined the entire thing for me.
ReplyDelete"Whatcha gonna pay?"
ReplyDelete"Fifteen ninety-nine!"
Every wrestling company tries to work people, but TNA does it worse than anyone in history.
ReplyDeleteFTFY.
So TNA is trying to swerve themselves with who they re-sign? Lol.
ReplyDeleteAlso, lady friend left a snail trail on my sheets last night. AWWWWESOMMME (/sarcasm)
Were there? Wow, yeah I definitely didn't want any spoilers so I avoided betting line info. That's nuts. How the hell would that have gotten out, especially if as HBK says the decision was made a few hours before the show. Who would have known besides Vince, HHH, Brock, Taker, Heyman, and maybe the ref? Did fucking heyman go bet a million bucks on... oh wait, ok, there ya go.
ReplyDeleteShe came to play.
ReplyDeleteSee? SEE? I told you, the power of Rene Goulet gonna GITCHA.
ReplyDeleteThe fuck? We get salaries here? The Biff should at least be in for minimum wage for BRINGING THE AWESOME (and the few sporadic shots here and there).
ReplyDeleteBy the 27th minute, everyone has stopped laughing
ReplyDeleteTJ: Now watching The Two Towers. God I wanna visit New Zealand.
ReplyDeleteThere's a perception amongst their fans that they might be at death's door, and they're pissing around like this? No buys. And literally the only people who would know he MIGHT be leaving are the same people who now know he ISN'T leaving, so what in god's name is the point? Idiots.
ReplyDeleteDamn, these TribCasts keep getting better and better.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised more people here don't seem to remember Scott's writing during the situation, because he did full essays on the glass ceiling. There times during that period where Austin or Rock were away and the WWF was refusing to pull the trigger on a lot of the upper-midcard guys that seemed a win or two away from really being elevated permanently.
ReplyDeleteIt probably helps that a lot of the stop/start pushes went to guys that most people here don't really care about, like Rikishi or Billy Gunn. And that Jericho, Angle, Benoit, Guerrero, Edge, all of those guys eventually got to the World Title.
I think they literally just put the title on him because they were taping a months worth of TV in the UK at the start of last year. I don't think they think about things much more than that.
ReplyDeleteWell, now Angle's return won't be a surprise now.
ReplyDeleteExactly. And who knows, maybe Wyatt, Cesaro and Harper will all be world champs 2-3 years from now too. Their careers aren't exactly ruined even if their pushes have halted a bit.
ReplyDeleteYeah, just look at the greatness it gave Caliber, Meekin, and Farva! Wait a minute.......
ReplyDeleteHave a fun trip Bayless. Is this already for the wedding?
ReplyDeleteHope you have a good trip Bayless, stay safe.
ReplyDeleteLater, Bayless. Have a safe one.
ReplyDeleteTheir DVDs will be distributed at $.99 stores.
ReplyDeleteNINE NINE NINE NINE NINE NINE....
Who is booking the BoD for the next two weeks?
ReplyDeleteWell, I have no reason to continue on. So alone, without that special someone to comfort me, to encourage me, to support me, to kick my ass, to show me what love truly means.
ReplyDeleteHuh, whatsit about Bayless being gone for a few weeks?
I'd be ok with that.
ReplyDeleteWhy did Magnus job to Matt Hardy?
ReplyDeleteDuh. Was Magnus ever in the WWE?
You need Jesus.
ReplyDeleteAs it should be.
ReplyDeleteBut Cena beat him on PPV
ReplyDelete#CenaWinsLOL
The one pronounced GEE-zus...not HAY-zeus.
ReplyDeleteI'd look at it if it wasn't sideways.
ReplyDelete#NOTLOSERAPPROVEDROTATION
How Zandig said it.
ReplyDeleteUh, we're here to support you.
ReplyDeleteBut I don't like Kanye
ReplyDeleteThey should have had him come out when the Muppets were on and had them all job to him.
ReplyDeleteThen pinned Zack Ryder, just 'cause.
I'm sure both of TNA's casual fans will be pleasantly surprised by Angle's "return."
ReplyDeleteOh wait, they're not on the Internet so they didn't know this was a possibility, you say?
Fucking TNA.
"Uh"?
ReplyDeleteAre you trying to convince me or yourself?
You, thought it was a given at this point.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that term
ReplyDeleteVince and Shane beat him in a tag match. Lazy asshole didn't even tag in.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, your use of "uh" indicated a slight lack of commitment on your part.
ReplyDeleteBleed for me.
Well, he didn't want to be the one to take the pin.
ReplyDelete*reads off card*
ReplyDelete"You are a real friend and an asset to the world and everyone in it (insert name here) You should feet glad with how you inspire other (put hand on shoulder for comfort)"