Backstage Thoughts on "Total Divas"
According to Bryan Alvarez, everyone he has spoken to about the show, including people involved in the production of "Total Divas," hate this show with a passion. Many of them who saw the second episode (they were on the Overseas Tour during the premiere) thought it was awful. There is also a feeling within the company that if you speak out against the show and if it somehow gets back to Cena, that will be the end of your push, due to his relationship with Nikki and the Bella's being presented as the stars of the show. For the record, the only wrestler who spoke out against the show has been Dolph Ziggler. Also, the word bacsktage from RAW Monday night was that eveyone hates Eva Marie.
Credit Bryan Alvarez, Figure Four Weekly Newsletter
Highspots Releases Shoot Interview with Jesse Sorensen
The interview, which was conducted after his TNA release, was conducted by Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com and is available now on Highspots
http://www.highspots.com/p/sorenson-shoot.html
Son of Actor/Musician Kris Kristofferson Released from WWE Developmental
Jody Kristofferson, who wrestled as Garrett Dylan, was cut on 8/6. He had a reputation in the company of being a nice guy but with average skills.
Credit Dave Meltzer, Wrestling Observer
...oh Dolph...
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of funny to think of wrestlers being high and mighty about a mindless reality show.
ReplyDeleteWhen you hear stories about the backstage politics, it actually isn't.
ReplyDeletenow theyre telling stories backstage, too?!
ReplyDeleteThe good news: TNA CANNOT give him a worse name than he already has.
ReplyDelete(And no, this isn't a challenge to do that.)
They've always done that. Hell, as long as the wrestling's good, politics mean shit to me.
ReplyDeletefrom Rajah:
ReplyDelete- WWE is still planning to have their pre-PPV match at Summerslam. One
match being discussed for the pre-show is RVD vs. Antonio Cesaro.
----------------------
how stupid is that? i'm all for the match, would be a great one, but that deserves to be on the ppv card. to even consider putting rvd on the pre-show right now is retarded.
'There is also a feeling within the company that if you speak out against
ReplyDeletethe show and if it somehow gets back to Cena, that will be the end of
your push, due to his relationship with Nikki and the Bella's being
presented as the stars of the show.'
further proof that cena is not the nice guy goody-goody the pr machine wants us to think he is
the fact that there is fear of reprisal says enough on its own
Barf Dickler
ReplyDeleteCorrect, because wrestlers are never unnecessarily paranoid.
ReplyDeleteDoes it really make any difference at all? It's not like you can't use RVD as a draw because he is been on a pre-show. In fact, the idea is to get more eyes on the pre-show. You do that using big names, not having Superstars matches.
ReplyDeletebut the pre-show makes no money--Cesaro belongs there--but there are people who will pay actual money to see RVD
ReplyDeleteIndirectly it can. Might convince someone to buy the PPV at the last minute.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you already have two matches on the show that will draw money. The main events.
Biff Dazzler!
ReplyDeleteThis is the same type of stuff that goes on in a real work environment. This by no means makes Cena evil. Cena jobs when he is called to do so.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean the 11th hour?
ReplyDeleteI think you either meant to reply to asshole or missed my sarcasm.
ReplyDeleteThe Notorious Z.I.G.?
ReplyDeleteDoof Zooglee
ReplyDeleteRolph Wiggler
ReplyDeleteWhat the fuck does Sorenson have to talk about? Other than a busted neck and a "promise", what insights can he offer? That backstage TNA is chaotic?
ReplyDeleteI was just generally replying to the conversation. My point being everyone is acting like Cena is being some huge dick when in reality all of us are pulling shit like this or having shit like this pulled on us in our real life jobs.
ReplyDeleteDazz Waggler!
ReplyDeleteYeah because this makes the story automatically true just because Bryan Alvarez reported it.
ReplyDeleteCaddy Cheers-indine
ReplyDeleteI don't know that a pre-show has ever gotten someone to order a PPV last-minute. Maybe it has, but I kind of doubt it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about wrestling, but I think the Leonard Garcia-Korean Zombie fight on the Aldo-Faber prelims helped that show, since that FOTY candidate was so great.
ReplyDeletei dunno, you never heard of people being worried that they pissed off austin* or the rock
ReplyDelete*jarrett and owen notwithstanding
ralph wiggum
ReplyDeleteMaybe the NFL has pre-game show that Vince is trying to compete with?
ReplyDeleteCena does not come off looking good on Total Divas. Then again even he is aware of that considering I read a report that he tweeted before the show premiered that the show is only going to add fuel to the haters.
ReplyDeleteAlf Ziggum
ReplyDeleteOwen broke his neck and almost ended his career. Kind of different.
ReplyDeletei don't get the logic in that at all, for MMA anyway.
ReplyDelete"that fight they gave us for free was fucking awesome and probably better than anything on the ppv tonight. i GOTTA order it now!"
Austin only worked with about four guys his entire time on top. Kane, Undertaker, Foley, Rock. He didn't even want to job to Triple H clean. So yeah you heard about it all the time from Austin. He didn't want to job to Brock because it wasn't a pay per view or thats what he says. Austin took his ball and went home several times notably Triple H and Brock. Its curious how Bret is told "he should have done the job" yet no one ever brings up Austin walking about because he didn't want to job on free tv.
ReplyDeleteIf I was at work and I heard someone talking shit about my wife I'd make sure and make their life a living hell too. Thats just the way the world works. Don't come to work gossiping about a mans woman (no matter what your feelings on her are) its disrespectful. Not too mention as someone else said wrestlers are a paranoid bunch as is, this sounds more fear than news.
ReplyDeleteSlut Bunwalla.
ReplyDeleteIt's Dolph And he's back in Pog form. Remember Dolph?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't really count the Brock thing as an example of not wanting to work with a talent. They wanted to put him in an unadvertised KOTR qualifying match on RAW for their first encounter that would result in a quickie loss. That was beyond wasteful and stupid.
ReplyDeleteTo this day I totally get why Austin would be upset with Owen about that. Making matters worse was Owen never checked up on him or apologized for it (I believe Bret confirmed this as well).
ReplyDelete"Why give something away when you can make money off it?" You're comparing apples and oranges (and I like both guys).
ReplyDeleteBut are the people complaining really talking shit about the Bellas themselves or just the show?
ReplyDeleteMeh, it's not like he was being shot to the moon anyway. The company has been messing with him for years.
ReplyDeleteI had assumed that everything on Total Divas that wasn't fake was contrived. I didn't get the sense that Eva Marie lying about being able to dance with Fandango would have been accepted.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's successful. So they may as well grow up and accept it.
ReplyDeleteI'd agree, except Austin broke Chono's neck with a similar move,
ReplyDeleteI would like to see that Jesse Sorenson interview but I doubt he would be honest as to what really went down with TNA with all the lies and backpeddling he has been doing since being released.
ReplyDeleteYeah, who knows. But would RVD wrestling on it hurt his future drawing power in any way? Is it something to get worked up about?
ReplyDeleteDolph Ziggler is my hero. Dude seems like he gives zero fucks.
ReplyDeleteDroz Mangler
ReplyDeleteWait, everyone hates Eva Marie, who comes across as the bitchiest bitch who ever bitched? SHOCKED!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen the show past the ten minutes of the pilot I could stomach, but it seems like the show is just a competition of which chick could be more of an asshole. I'd be pissed too; you have guys busting their ass in the ring and the company is focused on the chicks, most of whom can't wrestle and are not only not being shown in a good light, but are being rewarded for their cattiness. It reminds me of how everyone detested the Diva Search bullshit.
In the F4W, Alvarez wrote something like "Everyone knows not to say anything or it will hurt your push, but Dolph either didn't get the memo or doesn't care." And I'm just thinking dude went from winning the world title in a HUGE moment the night after WrestleMania to a mixed tag match at Summerslam... what else could they do to his push?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's unfair to the male wrestlers at all. Between RAW, Smackdown, Main Event, NXT and Superstars -- all wrestling-based shows -- how many hours per week do the men have to be showcased? Meanwhile, the women have 1 hour of Total Divas and maybe a combined, what, 30-45 minutes on the other shows? Plus, it's the entertainment business; it's not just about who can wrestle, it's about who brings something to the table that people want to see.
ReplyDeleteI think of Rob Van Dam as being high.
ReplyDeleteStump Chestman!
ReplyDeleteZack Ryder him and take him off TV?
ReplyDeleteQue? This is the first I'm hearing that.
ReplyDeleteAnd part of the issue with Owen and Austin (at least that I heard) was that Austin agreed for Owen to drop down on his knees (like a tombstone) instead of falling back in a regular piledriver like he did.
Jody Kristofferson should have wrestled under his real name, tagged with either a wrestler named "Bobby McGee" or a diva named "Bobbi McGee."
ReplyDeleteIt would print money.
I think they're trying to make a concentrated effort to make the pre-PPV a bigger deal featuring some of the name talent. I mean if it's Miz v. Santino Marella, no one will watch that, but more people might tune into RVD and then, maybe more people by the show.
ReplyDeleteZimbobwe Sam, long lost second cousin of Samona Joe.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fGroJC4Z7s
ReplyDeleteAustin is a gigantic hypocrite!
What's this "TNA" people keep talking about?
ReplyDeleteWhat future drawing power?
ReplyDeleteit doesn't hurt his drawing power but i think they should push "Mr. PPV"'s ppv matches as ones that can steal the show as an extra reason to buy the ppv.
ReplyDeletenow summerslam is stacked with the 2 main events this year that it doesn't need it, but advertising cesaro vs. rvd for it would just make it sound even more must-see, not giving it away for free on the pre-show. put the mixed tag match on there or something, not the match that would potentially be match of the night on any other regular card.
we're not allowed to post those on the blog anymore.
ReplyDeleteYes but the thing with that is- Austin seemed to STILL be upset about that, as of a couple DVD documentaries ago. I would hope that would go away once someone drops to their death during a ppv.
ReplyDeleteYes Man: "We have Kris Kristofferson's son under contract. That should be a big bump to our image, having the son of a famous actor on our roster."
ReplyDeleteVince McMahon: "Let's go to the WWE Ring Name Dartboard Version 5.3™ and give him something else."
Yes Man: "Yes!"
*twack*
Yes Man: "Nice throw! You hit Garrett!"
*twack*
Yes Man: "You missed the wall of names, but good shot otherwise!"
Vince McMahon: "I didn't miss, I did that on purpose. You're fired."
Yes Man: "Yes!"
*twack*
Yes Man #2: "Excellent throw, Mr. McMahon! You landed on Dylan! It looks like his name will be Garrett Dylan!"
Vince McMahon: "Damn, I'm good."
I LOVE this idea, how people can Downvote this I don't know. I initially thought he could go as The Highwayman or lead a stable called The Highwaymen but I like your idea better.
ReplyDeleteI guess for me, I just don't see any of it translating to success on the other show; how many E! watchers are gonna start watch wrestling all of a sudden? How will it get them more over when it seems like most of the comments and reactions are that these are really horribly self-absorbed people? What is the endgame here other than getting a solid rating on an unrelated network? I guess it furthers the brand reach like Vince always dreams of, but it seems like a lot of energy for something that won't cross over successfully to main programming other than now having a reason to put the Bellas on RAW.
ReplyDeleteBut then again, I don't really understand of most shows of that ilk, so to each their own.
Any wrestler not named Haitch sides with Austin when that topic is brought up.
ReplyDeleteApparently a legit question. I was at an amusement park and they showed an advertisement on the TVs hung up around the place for TNA coming to the park. Aside from that TNA is gonna do a show from Six Flags isn't a good sign, after the commercial ended, I heard some kids say "oh, WWE is coming!"
ReplyDeleteAnd for $15 too. Do people really drop money on things like this? I assumed anybody who wanted to watch shoot interviews from C or D level wrestlers could just find them on Youtube or elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteBig McLargehuge.
ReplyDeleteUh, he said he'd be fine jobbing to Brock as long as they made some money out of it. I agree with Austin, doing it on a random Raw with no build in a meaningless King of the Ring qualifier match is fucking stupid.
ReplyDeleteDolph did an interview during Wrestlemania week stating how he constantly is at odds with management. He certainly cares which I think is the problem, if it can be called that.
ReplyDeleteOK I was waiting for that to come up. Last night I'm listening to the Austin podcast with Nash, and Nash mentions how in the old days if you used someone else's finish you had to go to wrestler's court. So I imagine there was no way Owen would have gone out & done Taker's finish in the match before his when Taker was the goddamn judge of wrestler's court. Owen might've gotten his ass kicked or at the least risked pissing off the boys. The smarter thing would've just been to ditch the whole spot though.
ReplyDeleteSummerslam has been around 6 matches and a musical guest lately. And don't forget, plenty of Miz this year.
ReplyDeleteplease, if you aren't buying this show for cena/bryan and punk/lesnar. You aren't buying it at all.
ReplyDeleteShit.. you just gave me several reasons to NOT watch the show..
ReplyDeleteHe's been wrestling since '08. I can't wait to see this grizzled veterans views on the business he has been in for all those ones of years.
ReplyDeleteDolph has also been portrayed like a total dickhead his entire face run.
ReplyDeleteAJ's over...but she's also staying as far away from that show as possible.
ReplyDeleteYou can't talk shit about the show without talking shit about the Bellas.
ReplyDeleteRock wouldn't talk shit about you...he'd just potato you in the head 37 times with a steel chair.
ReplyDeleteDickmouth Stinkface!
ReplyDelete'Remember Dolph?'
ReplyDeleteshoot comments...
"Nice" Nick Nemeth
ReplyDeleteHey, look, I get it and all, but only 'cause I'm really old. Those kids these days--there's your downvotes.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I think its on the Hart Family DVD, but Bret basically says Owen was a total dick and never apologised or even went to see Austin.
ReplyDeleteI've never really bought all this crap about Owen being the lovable prankster. Seems a very fine line between his pranks and Dynamite's and everyone say he was a complete scumbag.
Yeah..."everyone hates Eva" strikes me as a the dirt sheets getting worked and not realizing it.
ReplyDeleteApparently the Chono incident was his own fault, as Austin had performed the move slowly enough for him to protect himself, though he failed to. The Hart incident involved the wrong variant of the move being performed, catching Austin by surprise.
ReplyDeleteAnything Alvarez claims should be taken with a grain of salt.
ReplyDeleteDidn't he recently claim that the whole Randy Orton getting attacked by a nutcase in South Africa incident was an angle, even though the fallout from that has conclusively proven that it's not an angle?
For one thing, the incident was not even mentioned on TV but Bryan thinks it's an angle just because it was covered on WWE.com, completely forgetting or ignoring that the Joey Styles/JBL incident from five years ago was also mentioned on WWE.com when it happened and that was definitely not a storyline either.
Just because it's successful doesn't mean it's good. If that were the case, then Adam Sandler would be considered better than Orson Welles and clearly no sane person on Earth thinks "Jack & Jill" is a better movie than "Citizen Kane".
ReplyDeleteI wonder who would pay $15 for this myself. Do people not realize that media is free in this day and age? Especially if you have a great streaming box like the Roku or the Midnight Mx2, you can watch whatever the hell you want and not have to pay an extra dime or pay a ridiculously high monthly cable bill which is the main reason why the monthly list of homes that have cable has been nothing but continued declines for the last two years and counting now.
ReplyDeleteCena's not such a bad guy, just ask Alex Riley.
ReplyDeleteYeah, apparently people are already forgetting that Alvarez falsely claimed the Randy Orton incident in South Africa was an angle just because it was mentioned on WWE.com.
ReplyDeleteApparently Alvarez forgot that Joey Styles giving JBL a black eye was also reported on WWE.com and that was definitely not a storyline.
Yeah, remember when there was such a thing as good music? More proof that much like WCW, autotune and dubstep ruins everything.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather see him with a girl just named "Bobbi" for a little subtlety, but great idea.
ReplyDeleteTotally. You smack talk my wife (and smack talking her projects are the same as smack talking her) and I will do my absolute level best to crush you.
ReplyDeleteEnglebert Slaptyback
ReplyDeleteEh, I dunno, I was regrettably watching it and Cena and D-Bry came off as the only people on the whole show with their heads attached straight.
ReplyDelete