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TNA

Hi Scott,

first of all just want to say thanks for keeping me entertained during
the "Netcop" days. As a teenager during the turn of the century, part
of the highlights of my wrestling fandom was waiting for your PPV
reviews which were hilarious and sometimes more entertaining than the
show.

Like a lot of people, after the Invasion started I just zoned out of
wrestling. maybe watching the odd match here and there. For some
reason a couple of years ago, I was bored and decided to watch some
WWE again. And the Daniel Bryan story in 2013 leading up to
Wrestlemania 30 really hooked me in. But after that it was clear that
Bryan was an anomaly of booking and WWE just got incredibly boring
again. I also started to watch other promotions such as TNA, which I'd
heard about but never watched.

And to be honest I think that as far as onscreen product goes, Impact
was by far and away more compelling than anything else on tv. I loved
the storylines and it seems since about June last year, they've had a
string of great shows from a booking perspective. Wrestlers seem to
have more freedom to develop their characters, and the booking has
managed to put people like EC3, the Wolves, Spud, Bram, Lashley over
as credible wrestlers. They've also got a Main event scene that is
fresh and unpredictable.

However as I looked online It seems that there's a vocal group of
people that just want nothing to do with TNA. They say that even if
the show is good, that they've been "burned", which seems strange to
me considering the amount of times every wrestling promotion has gone
through bad patches. Perhaps because I didn't watch it before, I
didn't know, but I doubt that anything they've done is far more worse
than the intelligence insults the WWE slings at people.

It seems there's this weird double standard for TNA and for those who
have been a part of the current wrestling fandom for a while it might
not seem to be weird, but as someone who used to be a huge wrestling
fan and is rediscovering their love for wrestling, it seems incredibly
bizarre and confusing. I can't think of another artform or fandom that
has this almost vitriolic hate for a organisation. It reminds me of
the Monday Night Wars in that people were choosing sides, but that
logic doesn't really apply anymore because of the WWE hegemony.

I get that not everyone wants to watch it. but I think the hate from
people who don't even watch is unfair to the wrestlers. They've
practised their craft for years and dedicated their lives to wrestling
and it's pretty disgusting really to be told that nothing they do
matters, no matter how much they sacrifice their bodies to put on
great shows, that nothing they do matters because of the company the
work in.

Wrestling fans are always moaning about how the art of wrestling is
unappreciated by the mainstream and how they don't get respect. I
think that some of these same fans need to realise that they are
acting in the same way towards TNA and have crossed the line from not
liking something to being out and out disrespectful. It can't be easy
to bust your ass week in and week out only for "smarks" to ignore you,
or worse tell you they don't give a shit because of things that Hogan
and his pals did a few years ago. It's just not fair to the wrestlers
or the staff.

Sorry for ranting, but as a wrestling fan who now watches wrestling
from all the world, It's been bugging me for a while now.


Will.

Comments

  1. I wonder if it was HHH or Vince that was bothered by the podcast questions. Having only read recaps of it and not having actually seen/heard it, I didn't get the sense that HHH was put off and he can certainly hold his own verbally with Austin.

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  2. Cena is a softball lob - Chyna was a fastball to the head. I was surprised Austin went there.

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  3. 2 days, 2 12:00 starts. I could be offended, but having them early prevents conflict with GoT at night.

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  4. Apples to apples HHH seems far less excitable than Vince, and probably more confident. He really seemed unflappable when Austin was laying in the tough questions.

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  5. With the exception of the Chyna question, I thought Austin was pretty soft to HHH compared to Austin's interview with Vince.

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  6. My opinion is that it was just to do a cool move at Mania and has nothing to do with this Austin business.

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  7. Hot start to Islanders/Capitals.

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  8. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 10:27 AM

    If Bischoff and company never went through with the New World Order angle in 1996, how quickly is the company dead?

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  9. True. But he was enjoyable from time to time. Like with Jake, Hogan and, uh.. Nevermind.

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  10. I had no idea his name is Will.

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  11. First off, that email is a cut above the usual stuff Scott is bombarded with.

    That said, since you the emailer admit to not knowing about TNA's past transgressions and wonder where all the vitriol, allow me to give you a small sample, courtesy of WrestleCrap. WWE does some dumb shit, but at least they don't have a cage match that fans can't see into and wrestlers can't climb out of.

    I give you...THE NEW MONDAY NIGHT WARS

    http://www.wrestlecrap.com/inductions/the-new-monday-night-wars-2010-gooker-award-winner/

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  12. I watched a bit of TNA since the move to Destination America. Visual I like the look of it but the roster is terrible and they've looked good only to get shitty again so many times I just can't get invested. That and you never know when Tommy Dreamer will show up.

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  13. WCW in 96 prior to the NWO were doing OK, they were turning a small profit and bringing in decent ratings. They would have gone under at the exact same point due to the 2001 Time Warner merger.

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  14. TNA has always made damn sure they come across as secondary to WWE and as such a lot of people have no patience for them. In fits and spurts i've enjoyed TNA and to say they've been an unending shit show for years isn't really fair to them, they've been occasionally great and sometimes the superior product. But no one wants to see WWE's leftovers being treated as main event talent, especially when you have homegrown or may as well be type guys that are clearly stealing the show.

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  15. I'm not sure how not having watched since the Invasion can lead one to say that Bryan's booking was an anomaly.


    As for TNA, someone should link that lolTNA thread. I'm sorry, but if you are just now watching TNA, you don't have the whole picture.


    But if you like it now, great, I think it's nice people can still find enjoyment in something that could have been more than what it is now.

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  16. They have one of the worst rosters ever assembled because they pissed off so many great workers who have left to go to WWE or the indies.

    Even when they had a great roster, they were still hot garbage.

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  17. The last time TNA was worth a shit was in 2012.

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  18. You should check out one of the first two Raws from the Attitude Era list, can't remember the exact one. Billy Gunn does the intro, and it's about as riveting as you could imagine.

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  19. It's weird to think that 15 years ago was "the turn of the century."

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  20. right at the start of Aces & 8s before it stopped making sense and took over the show

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  21. First place to start for this guy to learn about TNA is the nightly
    thread a few months ago that just so happened to be there the night TMZ said Spike was done with TNA and it turned into a giant wake for TNA.


    SO MUCH leaving the memories alone that night.

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  22. The stunner was not invented by Austin. He is not the only wrestler who ever used it and variations have been in use for decades.

    He has no right to be pissy because someone in WWE is using a move that partly looks like a move he used to use.

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  23. That's one way to blow the 3 on 1...

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  24. Immortal was pretty brutal. I think for awhile there everyone who won the title turned heel and joined Immortal.

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  25. FREE McDAVID chant

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  26. Yeah, that summer when the focus was on Bound for Glory was pretty great....then Aces and Eights took over and LOLTNA

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  27. ROCK-em SOCK-em Robot!!!!April 19, 2015 at 10:40 AM

    I think the Chris Sabin title win diluting any possible payoff for Aces and 8s was the last straw for me.

    We underrate how stupid a booking decision that was.

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  28. That's ridiculous. Four 1st rounders weren't enough?

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  29. Yup.


    Looks pretty even so far. Caps had the better chances on their PP, but Isles had more shots.

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  30. Just terrible. How can you STILL be that bad.

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  31. Or when the next Eric Young main event push is coming.

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  32. You're right. Austin should bow down to all the other grapplers who popularized the move as one of the most famous and memorable in professional wrestling.

    Like...uh...that guy in the...um...you know with the face...he did that thing with that guy...?

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  33. Good call. I feel like the very last thing people liked in TNA was the big It Was a Plan All Along highlight video that Bully Ray narrated after he joined Aces and Eights.

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  34. They can't draft. Taking the top prospect at #1 is fine but they can't find anyone beyond that.

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  35. Kids don't know how to play or win.

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  36. Isn't Eric Young challenging for the title at the moment?

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  37. Who knows what the fuck Vince's mind is at nowadays. He spent a good chunk of his podcast with Austin talking about how he enjoys pushing dudes in pools.

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  38. As the top comment at Deadspin says, "At least we now know how McDavid would look being found guilty of a triple murder."

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  39. This game is going to be chippy as all hell.

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  40. He is, so not a good time to start watching, unless you're related to Eric.

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  41. The Bound for Glory series....would have been great had they sat down one day and booked the whole thing but they had to throw in these random "winner gets however many points we forgot to book them" matches.

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  42. Following your logic
    Nobody can use any form of the DDT because it was popularised by Jake Roberts.
    Nobody can use any form of the Spear because it was popularised by Edge.
    Nobody can use any form of the T-Bone suplex because it was popularised by The Rock.
    Nobody can use any form of the Leg Drop because it was popularised by Hulk Hogan.
    and so on....

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  43. ROCK-em SOCK-em Robot!!!!April 19, 2015 at 10:45 AM

    Not to mention that they'd spent months building up AJ as the savior against an unbeatable Bully.

    Than *whoops* Sabin wins, loses it back in a week and now there's no impact to his win (pun intended).

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  44. For the OP - this should catch you up on how great TNA has been:

    http://taimapedia.org/index.php?title=LOLTNA_History



    Enjoy.

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  45. Signs you watch too much wrestling: I read that sentence 5 times thinking, "But Hogan's turn was in '96 and Austin's in '01. That's not 15 years..."

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  46. TNA has a good roster still, not a great roster like they once had, but a good enough roster to churn out a decent product. All TNA has ever needed is a good booker.

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  47. The Spear was popularized by Edge? Really?

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  48. At least if it was Arizona he can enjoy the weather. There's just nothing appealing about Edmonton.

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  49. The Spear was popularized by Goldberg. And The Rock doesn't use a T-Bone.

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  50. Yeah, it's ridiculous how they figured "hey, a fluke win won't hurt him!" Set your story on fire, why don't you.

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  51. Rock Bottom is a slight variation of the T-Bone suplex.

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  52. like this?

    http://ohl.uploads.mrx.ca/erie/images/en/rosterheadleague/2014/11/McDavid.Connor5205.jpg

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  53. I'm not saying it makes sense I'm simply following his logic. Other wrestlers may have used it before and in other companies but they don't matter, only the big names in WWF count.

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  54. Who said he's being pissy about it? For all intents and purposes he's taken the high road when Vince is acting like a petty child.

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  55. We can agree to disagree, so nobody else is allowed to use the uranage then?

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  56. No thanks to TNA. I've been burned by them time and time and time again.

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  57. Dude just got Clutterbucked.

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  58. ROCK-em SOCK-em Robot!!!!April 19, 2015 at 10:50 AM

    The closest comp I can think of would be Chavo winning the title in Feb 04 to end Triple H's reign of terror and losing it back a couple weeks before WM20.

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  59. I'd have to guess whatever the problem is, it isn't podcast related, since in both cases every single question was vetted prior to the actual interview.

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  60. A better comparison might be how Hogan lost the title to Luger for 2 weeks during his long title run before the big loss to Sting.

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  61. ROCK-em SOCK-em Robot!!!!April 19, 2015 at 10:51 AM

    Credit where credits due to TNA:

    They've gone a fantastic job of taking unknown WWE castoffs and making them into something the last couple years. EC3, Bram and maybe McIntyre are all success stories.

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  62. I think it's a culmination of things from the podcast, Mania and Tough Enough.

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  63. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I never liked the whole BFG concept anyway just because in kayfabe sense it seemed unfair with one wrestler getting to have 20 matches in the series and another wrestler would only work 10 matches. They should have just stuck to doing old fashioned tournaments, but I'm guessing BFG was invented by Russo because the guy needs to overcomplicate the simplest of rules.

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  64. ROCK-em SOCK-em Robot!!!!April 19, 2015 at 10:52 AM

    Lugers at least a main event level guy.

    Switch him out for Rick Steiner and you have yourself a deal, sir!

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  65. No doubt, FunkDoc.

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  66. Doc Emrick should call Raw too. "OHHHHHH!"

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  67. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 10:55 AM

    Exactly. His whole run was just a blur of Undertaker, Kane, Foley, Rock matches

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  68. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 10:56 AM

    No, you're right. He had his moments and I get that the character wasn't supposed to be all about workrate, but the dude had some really horrible years too

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  69. ROCK-em SOCK-em Robot!!!!April 19, 2015 at 10:56 AM

    Or Vince is terrible at vetting questions.

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  70. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 10:56 AM

    If the injuries and drugs don't bring him down, is Kurt Angle considered GOAT at this point?

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  71. In some ways I understand what they did. They wanted the whole X-Division champion getting a title shot to be on the same level as a MITB winner getting a title shot because a MITB winner is 99% guaranteed to win the title, and if that was the case they really needed to rebook that part of it where instead of Sabin getting the shot, it should have been AJ getting the shot.

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  72. "Yep Mode" Abeyance Brown ©April 19, 2015 at 10:57 AM

    So you obviously have never heard of the electrified steel cage match.

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  73. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 10:58 AM

    Why did Vince think the HHH/Austin podcast was a good idea to begin with? What was his upside in signing off on that?

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  74. Hard to say. Some might argue that it was due to the drugs that he was able to perform as well as he did. The repercussions are obviously undeniable, however.

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  75. It was still better than a Blindfold Steel Cage Match

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  76. That's not a better comparison because WCW was stuck between a rock and hard place with that one, where no booking decision could have saved what they built up. The problem WCW had was that they were building Hogan vs Sting for a year, but something unexpected happen where Luger was clearly the #1 face during the summer of 97. Compare that to Chris Sabin, where most fans just perceive the guy as a JTTS guy.

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  77. Many variations. That's exactly what Orton needs to do at the next ppv. The rko is banned. So instead he uses the diamond cutter or the stunner.

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  78. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 11:01 AM

    Honestly, he shouldn't. He has much bigger things to worry about, between business and family. He probably sees himself as "above" all these guys who cling to their rasslin' gimmicks and old history, and really he should. Austin isn't necessarily one of those bitter old guys clinging to the glory days, but he also isn't a guy who has any particular power over HHH these days either

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  79. The You Can't See Us red bar cage match that kicked off the Monday Night War 2 was glorious.

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  80. Same here. I think people are reading way too much into this.

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  81. They would have done a rematch on Raw if the lights hadn't gone out. Savio was set to win, Dibiase was set to leave, and i bet the angle would have still gone down.

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  82. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 11:05 AM

    Fair point. I bet the same can be said of Shawn Michaels. Would he have done a lot of the wild spots and gutted out 110% effort performances if he wasn't whacked out on drugs?

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  83. Well they are the two biggest names in the business and it was a good gimmick to sell Network subscribers too. If WWE were smart (ha) they should played up the controversy up a lot more, that way they the Austin podcasts would become must see tv.

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  84. TNA promoted a UK show on the back of a AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe ladder match. Myself and 6 friends went to the show solely for that match, TNA changed the match to a 6 man and it was possibly the least entertaining thing in the world.

    TNA is booked poorly and is an extension of WCW. It was in 2003 and still is today.

    My friend at work wanted to watch TNA and he only had ever seen WWE wrestling and was shocked to find when they didnt even have on screen graphics naming who was coming to the ring making the whole experience for him quite bewildering. Even the most basic of shit is foreign to TNA, a promotion with no identity of its own just a promotion that lives off of WWE names and WCW booking. Yes there are rare exceptions to this but holy shit it doesnt happen often.

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  85. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 11:08 AM

    Yeah, exactly. Just make it a "hard hitting, no holds barred hour of questions from the most controversial man in sportz entertainment history", Pal!

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  86. I can't be the only one who skips over emails and just reads scotts response. What the fuck is this guy rambling on about it? Jesus why do TNA fans have such a victim complex?

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  87. Is it still a podcast if it's on TV?

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  88. Copyright that phrase!

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  89. I think Angle is the guy that achieved the most in the WWE in the shortest amount of time compared to everybody else.

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  90. Yeah, the series as a round-robin tournament is a nice, fresh idea. But their execution was always pretty bad.

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  91. This is like 17 paragraphs longer than my attention span for emails, but as far as TNA goes I like that EC3 guy. That's pretty much it though.

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  92. A cage match that ended in a DQ after the winner couldn't make it out of a cage (not in kayfabe. He literally couldn't climb out of the cage.)

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  93. I'm sure things would've been interesting if Austin brought Bob Costas in as a moderator for the McMahon interview

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  94. Well that was terrible.

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  95. HALAKAMANIA IS RUNNIN' WILD BROTHER

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  96. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 11:21 AM

    Vince already owns "Pal" I think. :(

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  97. Wasn't someone trying to get in to interfere and he couldn't climb the thing either, or am I remembering that guy slightly askew?

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  98. They really called that...wow.

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  99. Way to be Brooks.

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  100. This is email is fake as fuck. Me personally I was done with the company after they dropped the ball BIGTIME on Monty Brown. I came back and went out of my way to watch Aires win the World Title and immediately lost interest again. Typically when you torch the fans one time too many they don't come back, see WCW for reference.

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  101. This game is extremely unexciting.

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  102. With the Capitals wearing their throwback this looks like an 80's game.

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  103. Not the best use of the man advantage I've ever seen.

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  104. The early days of the Lightheavyweight division was really weird when you stop to think about it. They bring in talented international wrestlers to try and capitalise on the fanbase that the quick highflying style is cultivating in the US.
    Then they build the division around Brian Christopher who was the slowest, most grounded guy in the division and have Lawler bury them all on commentary week after week.

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  105. That's their normal roadies I think.

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  106. If TNA still had AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Kazarian, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, and Jay Lethal, then I might give them another shot. Bobby Roode is fantastic, and they have some other guys that are alright right now, but it's not the same. I can watch a crappy wrestling show if it features really good wrestlers. But I can't watch a mediocre wrestling show built around mediocre wrestlers.

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  107. I'll add to my previous comment - I really gave TNA a shot when it first started. I order several of the original $10 weekly PPV's. The 2003 Super X Cup episode is one of the my favorite wrestling shows of the last 15 years. This company had the opportunity to go in a fresh direction with a wealth of homegrown talent and instead brought in Bischoff and Hogan and a bunch of dinosaurs. They didn't even know how to book guys like Samoa Joe or Kurt Angle. Sorry I have no interest in this product and I really feel I've given it a fair shake over the years. I'm not why so many butt hurt TNA fanboys exist but this shit is getting annoying.

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  108. Still the greatest promo of all time: http://rutube.ru/video/b38548474e56e5ce84dd216e5b09ab39/

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  109. One thing to love about TNA: even they themselves think their company is second rate. How many times during the Hogan era did people in promos talk about "turning the company around," "bringing it to #1" or comparing the WWE as "the top of the mountain?" I mean, no one would take them seriously if they said they were the #1 promotion in the world, but man don't go out on tv and remind everyone how much you suck.

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  110. Fighting over another company's Hall of Fame ring was absurd.

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  111. Fat, Ugly Inner-City SweathogApril 19, 2015 at 11:32 AM

    Survivor Series 1991Retcon:


    - Hogan, Savage, & LOD vs. Roberts, Undertaker, & Nasty Boys (Survivor: Hogan)
    - Flair, Dibiase, IRS, & Mountie vs. Piper, Virgil, Tornado, & Santana (Survivor: Flair)
    - Hart, Bulldog, & Rockers vs. Martel, Beverlys, & Warlord (Survivors: Hart & DBS)
    - Boss Man, Duggan, & Bushwhackers vs. Disasters, Repo Man, & Skinner (Survivors: Disasters)


    Bonus Match:
    - Slaughter vs. Mustafa, 'Boot Camp' Match (Break up the elimination matches)


    Final Match of Survivor:
    - Hogan, Hart, & Bulldog vs. Flair, Quake, & Typhoon (Survivor: Flair)

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  112. That angle proved one thing: Hogan is Sauron.


    9 RINGS FOR MORTAL MEN DOOMED TO DIE, BRUTHA!

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  113. MaffewOfBotchamaniaApril 19, 2015 at 11:34 AM

    Evolution is a mystery.

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  114. How they didn't put the entire promotion on the back of The Alpha Male, I will never know or undesrtand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEqEas9hUAI

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  115. They were literally trying to copy that storyline beat for beat with Bully as Hogan, AJ as Sting, and Sabin as Luger. The difference being there was no good reason for the Luger win and even less of one for the Sabin win. And I like Sabin, that just didn't help him at all.

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  116. Was that a YES chant by the Islanders fans? LOL

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  117. YES chant at Nassau

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  118. What's so mysterious about it? It's just a modern-day 4 Horsemen.

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  119. Now that would be a good use for him. If Albert isn't keeping the job permanently Taz would be great in that spot.

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  120. http://33.media.tumblr.com/d983e6afde723e198be54af703df39ca/tumblr_niv9c2RlCH1seuz2eo1_500.gif

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  121. It is weird seeing Derrick Bateman being treated as a major player. Good for him.

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  122. Islanders crowd turning into SmarkaMania with all the sing song chants

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  123. He turned on Hogan in 1994 in WCW - so I guess you weren't too far off.

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  124. Every time Doc calls out Bailey's name, I just want him to yell ITS BAILEY!

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  125. Legit. Of course the WWE is not pouncing on that shit; fuck sports team attention when Maria Menounounounous needs another push.

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  126. Randy Orton, then now and forever. What people see in him i'll just never understand. That people still think he's a good worker shows how much "mark" is still in the "smart mark" equation.

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  127. Hulk grabbing Liz's ass at SummerSlam '88 proves he was lusting after her

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  128. Mainstream attention above all, pal...except when it's due to that nasty little goat. Repeatedly. Over and over, lol.

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  129. Or the same people who believe reality shows are real.

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  130. Well........ Taker had an OK match with Austin at Fully Loaded, his tag team match at SummerSlam wasn't terrible.... and.... that's it.

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  131. I'm with you, I think he's incredibly boring

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  132. I preferred Austin. If Austin said he was going to do something, then he did it.

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  133. Don't feel sorry for TNA. I gave them chance after chance after chance. Their last chance came when Hogan first came in and I saw nothing was ever going to change. It doesn't mean I'm happy if they go out of business or that none of the boys work hard but at the same time I shouldn't feel bad for not caring about a product that took until the last minute and after everyone else is gone to start getting their shit in gear.

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  134. Since Flair/Hogan isn't happening at WrestleMania VIII, might as well have the match at Survivor Series.

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  135. At the time (1999) I found it so confusing. Didn't know then that he was messed up because of injuries. To me, he was so boring even though he played the character well, and I just wanted him off of my TV.

    The Fully Loaded match was OK, I agree.

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  136. Actually, even that isn't entirely fair, as Aces and Eights started out pretty great for the first couple of months.


    Then LOLTNA

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  137. I was just glad he stood on the apron most of the time

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  138. I actually didn't mind TNA for a little while. Had Bobby Roode gone to WWE and started THERE instead of TNA, I really think he could've been something (great look, solid talker, can work a very good match with the right opponent), and TNA also made stars out of guys the WWE wouldn't have touched (Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, Bad Influence, etc.). The problem is, the booking at the top has been abysmal at times. Jeff Jarrett couldn't draw in his prime, let alone the first years of TNA, the Hogan stuff was bad, and trusting Jeff Hardy was clearly a mistake.


    I vividly remember one of the Monday Impacts where they brought Samoa Joe back as a mystery partner. The place went CRAZY when he returned unannounced and kicked the crap out of everyone with the stiff offense...and then TNA did NOTHING with him. He should have been their version of Lesnar at that point, and instead he wound up being just another guy.

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  139. Ah... TNA fans... such anguished cray-cray. Back in the day WCW fans were the same way (and WWF & ECW fans too, just not as crazy). You know I used to get death threats writing the Monday Night Recap? There is clearly a sense of inferiority when the wrestling some choose as their favorite isn't perceived as "the best" by everyone. True for lots of things in life besides wrestling, actually. But there was a special kind of crazy that went along with being a diehard WCW fan that seemingly passed on to the TNA fans. What's funny is once WCW was gone, people let it go. Everyone now looks back, points to the few shiny things here & there, but generally acknowledges overall it was (after a point) all a garbage pile. The amazing thing is just how long these TNA fans have held onto this chip on their shoulder. They have been frothing-at-the-mouth-angry at Dave Meltzer and us "smarks" for over a decade now. TNA haters come and go, but the hater haters linger.

    I just like to point out to TNA faithful that you can wail and gnash your teeth all you want--or employ the latest tactic of concern trolling about the fate of the poor TNA workers who we disrespect by not showering them with adoration... none of it matters in the end because it was TNA ITSELF that drove its own fans away, and it's YOU TNA FANS who continually abandoned the company. Bryan Alvarez ranting about them and all the #LOLTNAFAIL in the world didn't cause the million-ish people who watched the show every week stop buying their PPVs and going to their house shows.

    You like TNA? Great. Watch their show. Write them a fan letter. Buy their next PPV. Go see them live. Buy a t-shirt off their website. Why do you expend more time & energy complaining about non-fans than you do in actually being their fan? Why do you give such a fuck what others think? If your being a fan of TNA requires such validation then maybe you need to look inward and question your own supposed love for them.

    We'll be over here bitching about how awful WWE has gotten in the vain hope it will somehow make them get better...

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  140. I like how Steve has been above Vince's nonsense. Vince puts Jericho's terrible podcast on the network, Austin doesn't care. Cena uses a crappy springboard stunner, Austin doesn't care. I'd love to see Stone Cold show up for WrestleMania, but if he doesn't, just to give Vince the ol' middle finger, then good for him.

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  141. I just wanted to note that this e-mail was NOT written by me.

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  142. I think they're changing believe dat.

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  143. Well, Triple H did pretty much throw Vince under the bus in relation to the bad booking decisions of the Rumble.

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  144. They have PPVs?

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  145. Adam "Colorado" CurryApril 19, 2015 at 12:08 PM

    "or worse tell you they don't give a shit because of things that Hogan and his pals did a few years ago"



    Hey buddy, get it right, my not giving a shit about TNA has nothing to do with Hogan. I don't give a shit because they keep employing Russo and putting titles on Jeff Hardy.

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  146. Not their best idea.

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  147. Adam "Colorado" CurryApril 19, 2015 at 12:11 PM

    Sunday thread is up.

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  148. Not putting the title on Month Brown was beyond dumb. He was the most over guy in the company, beat Nash and DDP in a triangle match, but got beat by the heat sucking Jeff Jarrett. It was PATHETIC that a scrub like Jarrett got pushed to the main events in WCW and TNA. WCW had Goldberg RIGHT THERE and they go with Jarrett..... stupid, stupid, stupid.

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  149. Well, just those pretaped throwaway ones. But they might try again someday...

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  150. I enjoyed the Bruce Prichard era - angles slowed the hell down and made some semblance of sense. Joseph Park was a fun character, Roode and Storm were fighting to the death, the women wrestled credibly, and there were fun things happening. Then everyone got the boot and they went back to the bush-league bullshit like six sided rings and Vince Russo.

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  151. You'd love it now then. TNA has had up to 6+ month long angles running.

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  152. Does anyone really believe that Cena is using this move as part of some Austin smear campaign? This is so goddamm stupid.

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  153. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!April 19, 2015 at 12:15 PM

    There is zero evidence to suggest that he's at all pissed off.

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  154. Nothing wrong with putting the title on Hardy since he is the biggest name they have. If TNA booked to the future then the smart thing would have been to give Jeff a year long reign and have him go over the majority of the roster, while at the same time they would have built up a home grown talent guy as TNA's last hope to beat Jeff and he does so, and hey presto, you built up a match that drew a lot of money.

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  155. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!April 19, 2015 at 12:15 PM

    Vince would never be that petty! The NERVE of some people!

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  156. You don't think Cena, a trained athlete who's been competing at the very top level of his sport for over a decade with very little downtime, could "learn" a fairly simple move pretty quick?

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  157. Adam "Colorado" CurryApril 19, 2015 at 12:17 PM

    One good thing I will say about is that the AJ-Daniels match from Destination X 2012 is my favorite match in the last 10 years or so.

    Wait, what, neither of those guys work there anymore? Man, fuck this company.

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  158. My favorite match ever is Alicia Fox vs Melina and as long as Alicia is still employed I'll continue to watch.

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  159. He's obviously mastered the fields of diplomacy and politics and unlike Vince, isn't senile.

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  160. Adam "Colorado" CurryApril 19, 2015 at 12:19 PM

    "Drew a lot of money" and "TNA" don't belong in the same sentence. And fuck Jeff Hardy.

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  161. Here's the problem with TNA (as a person who was defending them since literally day one up through 2013, I'm probably the best "qualified" to answer this).


    The problem with TNA is that every single time they had a hot thing going, they somehow found a way to turn it into something stupid. This isn't just some angles -- this is EVERY angle. Try as I may, I can't think of a single angle that didn't start hot and then take a turn for the idiotic.


    They would start building the goodwill of fans just to turn around and wash it all away with something stupid.


    Don't get me wrong. There were a ton of people who hated TNA just for it not being WWE. But those of us that liked TNA and wanted to see it succeed started by saying that "TNA is awesome", but slowly morphed into "Well, hopefully they won't screw it up THIS time"



    The occasional flashes of brilliance they showed were in some ways worse than if they had been entirely bad, because it showed how amazing they COULD be when they wanted to, and it was like they were actively going out of their way to suck.


    But things like bringing Russo in and then bringing Hogan/Bischoff in and then bringing Russo in and then bringing Russo showed that TNA was determined to repeat the mistakes of others.

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  162. Belee_Matt!_INDEED!!!April 19, 2015 at 12:19 PM

    It seems emailers have a tough time remembering all of this is worked.

    It's still real to them, damn it!

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  163. Adam "Colorado" CurryApril 19, 2015 at 12:20 PM

    Is she still employed? I'm always too busy taking a shit or making something to eat during the divas matches to notice.

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  164. I watched the Bound for glory 2012 era and it was amazing. Aries as champ, Roode and Storm blood feud, the entire tournament was excellent.

    Then they put the title on Jeff, turned Aries heel, and made the dumb aces and eights fiasco the main story.

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  165. Russo may not know much about the wrestling business, but he's obviously an expert at cunilingus as to why Dixie keeps hiring the guy.

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  166. Yeah she's still employed, pal!


    *Somebody whispers in my ear*


    Shit, that was Naomi?

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  167. Red Hook was no joke back in the day. I think it may be gentrified but I still wouldn't sleep on it.

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  168. ROCK-em SOCK-em Robot!!!!April 19, 2015 at 12:29 PM

    That's almost excusable as both guys are pushing 40.

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  169. ROCK-em SOCK-em Robot!!!!April 19, 2015 at 12:30 PM

    This.

    Jeff's the only mainstream guy they have who's not held together by duct tape and bubblegum.

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  170. I would mark so friggin' hard if Orton signals that he's going to hit the move, hesitates, and then motions for DDP to enter the ring.

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  171. ROCK-em SOCK-em Robot!!!!April 19, 2015 at 12:31 PM

    Bobby Roode shall eat his dog food and like it.

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  172. Valid. See also: any high intensity promo artist from the 80s; i.e. Hogan, Savage, Piper, Warrior.

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  173. I wonder if, all those years ago, it was actually R-Truth that was angling for a match with Austin...

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  174. First year and a half of TNA was great.

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  175. HHH is above guys clinging to wrestling gimmicks? Is that why he wrestles at every Mania still, and the Monday Night War has been rewritten as to have been won by HHH and his tank? You can't convince me H isn't insecure about his standing in wrestling history.

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  176. TNA fans are incredibly insecure. I'm done pandering to it

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  177. Who cares? In two months TNA will do something stupid and suck balls again, and this writer will regret writing this.

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  178. It's wrestling. Yes, it's possible.

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  179. They had very good matches during their '96 feud, though.

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  180. Is HHH waiting for Vince to die or is he scared to death of Vince dying on him?

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  181. AverageJoeEverymanApril 19, 2015 at 1:03 PM

    Vince would probably answer "Not for nothin'"

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