1. Although everyone has been raving about the Dragon Gate 6 Man match at Supercard of Honor, some of the tag team matches involving ROH guys are just as good if not better. On any other weekend Strong/Aries vs. Blood Generation, Styles/Sydal vs. Do Fixer, Aries/Evans vs. the Briscoes and Styles/Sydal vs. The Brsicoes would be raved about as matches of the year.
2. Despite being a disappointing champion, Austin Aries might be the top babyface in ROH right now. The fans just love him and his work is more than keeping up with his popularity.
3. Does anyone hit a hot tag better than Roderick Strong?
4. There will never be another Samoa Joe in ROH. He truly is the heart and soul of the company. Having him involved in the ROH vs. CZW feud really shows that it is something the fans should care about and not just a mid card feud.
5. Bryan Danielson might just be the perfect world champion. You love to hate him because of his supreme arrogance, but also love to watch him wrestle (whether it be him stretching someone like Jack Evans or getting a beating from Roderick Strong).
6. Samoa Joe vs. Bryan Danielson will be all kinds of fantastic when it happens. The slow build is just whetting the fans appetitie right now.
7. Colt Cabana vs. Bryan Danielson going for 2/3 falls in Chicago in August could well see the first title switch of 2006. Cabana has been on such a roll this past year, he deserves to be champ.
8. Who thought BJ Whitmer would become a top level guy? Whether it's his sacrificial lamb role in the ROH vs. CZW feud or his crazy rivalry with Jimmy Jacobs, a BJ Whitmer match is no longer a reason to hit the fast forward button.
9. Davey Richards is the next big ROH star.
10. Now that TNA have their X Division rankings system which concepts will they steal from ROH next? Let's hope it's not a talent raid and a ban on TNA guys working ROH.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Saturday, June 24, 2006
ECW returns to Philapdelphia
In principle it seemed like the obvious thing to do, take ECW back to the city where it was born. Not just that though, take it back to the very bingo hall where it all began. After all, TNA and countless indie companies from ROH and CZW to IWA MS and 3PW had all relied on the lure of the Viking Hall faithful to give their show credibility, so why shouldn't the rightful owners of the ECW legacy?
If only it was that simple. Bringing WWECW to Philly is like adding petrol to a still simmering barbecue - on a windy day!! This was too volatile and unpredictable a mix for WWE to ever expect to control and as such they got burnt. Whether it was the boos for WWE defectors like Kurt Angle and Big Show or the rejection of bastardized version of ECW favourites like the theme tune-less Sandman and the forgotten Tommy Dreamer. WWE have been fortunate thus far by running their TV in venues populated by WWE fans watching Smackdown or by running in venues like the Hammerstein Ballroom where they put the ticket price up high enough that they could keep out the riff raff. If ECW is going to be a lasting concern, then they are going to have to run the traditional ECW markets where fans are going to be less accepting of a neutered version of their hardcore icons and so WWE will have to work hard to try and get those fans to be loyal as it is those dedicated fans who are willing to spend the money that will stop ECW from being another XFL.
The only plus side of this show was the debut of CM Punk and the return of Stevie Richards. The ECW faithful embraced Punk as one of their own in a way that Angle and Big Show never will. Punk is the ultimate outsider as a result his straight edge beliefs and his 'king of the indie' reputation. But isn't being an outsider what ECW was all about. If any of the New Breed of ECW are going to make an impact it is Punk, so let's hope this is continued on to TV on Sci Fi this week and we don't see him fed to Big Show or dressed as an alien only to be caned by the Sandman.
If only it was that simple. Bringing WWECW to Philly is like adding petrol to a still simmering barbecue - on a windy day!! This was too volatile and unpredictable a mix for WWE to ever expect to control and as such they got burnt. Whether it was the boos for WWE defectors like Kurt Angle and Big Show or the rejection of bastardized version of ECW favourites like the theme tune-less Sandman and the forgotten Tommy Dreamer. WWE have been fortunate thus far by running their TV in venues populated by WWE fans watching Smackdown or by running in venues like the Hammerstein Ballroom where they put the ticket price up high enough that they could keep out the riff raff. If ECW is going to be a lasting concern, then they are going to have to run the traditional ECW markets where fans are going to be less accepting of a neutered version of their hardcore icons and so WWE will have to work hard to try and get those fans to be loyal as it is those dedicated fans who are willing to spend the money that will stop ECW from being another XFL.
The only plus side of this show was the debut of CM Punk and the return of Stevie Richards. The ECW faithful embraced Punk as one of their own in a way that Angle and Big Show never will. Punk is the ultimate outsider as a result his straight edge beliefs and his 'king of the indie' reputation. But isn't being an outsider what ECW was all about. If any of the New Breed of ECW are going to make an impact it is Punk, so let's hope this is continued on to TV on Sci Fi this week and we don't see him fed to Big Show or dressed as an alien only to be caned by the Sandman.
Friday, June 23, 2006
TNA Slammiversary 2006
As I outlined in my preview thoughts, this was possibly the most important show since TNA debuted on Spike TV and fortunately they managed to take all of their strengths and score a positive result with nearly all their matches. After a week, or is it perhaps a month, of mised oppurtunities by WWE with the relaunch of the ECW brand, TNA managed to reverse the trend of their past few months worth of their pay per views and put on a show with loads more plusses than minuses. However, perhaps more importantly they put on a fun show full of great wrestling, not the ego trip of a 60 year old man who likes to exposed his backside on national TV.
The show started off with an all out brawl between the James Gang and Team 3D. Putting these guys on first was a great way of building on the buzz from the Philapelphia house show as well as giving the middle finger to WWE by using the one duo the new ECW could really have done with. Although the match started slowly, it built well with both teams working hard. Where TNA go with the James Gang next is a mystery as the glow on their star is certainly dimming. However the former Dudleyz really showed that they are still a potent force when given the chance and should be the team which TNA use as the backbone of their tag division. But more of that later.
After this high impact start, TNA brought the crowd down with a long winded Jeff Jarett promo and then followed it up with the only poor match on the card as Rhino took on Bobby Roode and Scott D'Amore in a handicap match that was way too long and far too meanigless for all but the most dedicated Rhino or Roode fan to care about. For the past two shows this was where the show began to sag and never really got it's momentum back. However fortunately this was not the case tonight. On the plus side though, Rhino got the win and hopefully he will return to the main event picture before too long. Roode did his part well, however the Team Canada/Scott D'Amore gimmick has gotten tired and desperately needs a rest from TV.
The state of the X Division at Slammiversary was a matter of hot debate going in as a result of the often ludicrous Kevin Nash vs. Chris Sabin storyline. However they counter balanced this well by putting on a 6 man X Division match that would determine the top 6 contenders to the X title involving exciting young guys like Senshi, Jay Lethal and Alex Shelley. Not content with simply raiding ROH's talent, they also stole their top 5 rankings system for this match, however thanks to the fact that this match was given plenty of time to shine, all but the most ardent ROH fan could find reason to complain about it. All 6 men got enough time to do their moves and get over with the fans and by putting it on just before the Nash vs. Sabin match which had the potential to do so much damage to the X Division, they managed to show off just what the X Division was all about to the point that you almost forgot what a stupid angle the Nash one is.
Speaking of which, the Sabin vs. Nash match itself was a lot better than many of us dreaded, with Sabin getting lots of offence in before Alex Shelley interfered and cost Sabin the win. In wrestling terms this makes sense as Nash is the heel and Sabin needs to chase his win against the bigger name (not to mention it opens the door for a Sabin vs. Shelley feud), however that doesn't stop you from wondering just what the whole point of this feud is at times.
Having said that though, the quality of matches which preceded and followed it meant that the mood could not be brought down by this goofy angle. Following this X Division action came the X Division Dream Team of Chris Daniels and AJ Styles taking on NWA tag champs America's Most Wanted. After a couple of early meetings that were close to good, but not quite, both teams brought their A-game and put on one of the best tag matches in TNA history. This was quite simply an amazing match with tons of high flying action from Styles and Daniels, some great heel tactics from the champs and a really strong story that involved Daniels and Styles bringing in a 'neutraliser' to eliminate the unwanted influence of AMW's valet Gail Kim. Unlike at Sacrifice where this match had the potential to steal the show but fell flat, this match not only stole the show, but did so on a card which had 2 other really strong matches on it. If you watch one TNA match this year, make sure it's this one as this is tag team wrestling at it's very, very best.
Speaking of must-see matches, the bout most people were expecting to steal the show at Slammiversary this year was Samoa Joe vs. Scott Steiner. Just as AJ and Daniels are being moved out of the X Division so a new generation can succeed, so it is that Joe has begun his slow but deliberate progress towards being a top heavyweight star for TNA. After teaming with Sting against Jarrett and Steiner last month, Joe continues his ascendancy and his run of taking on the big guns of TNA. In a lot of ways Joe and Steiner are a very similar pair of characters and as a result the build to this match has been fantastic. TNA has gotten more out of Steiner in a handful of promos than WWE did in 6 months and Joe's promo skills have been greatly underated. This old school feud based on simple hatred and a search for respect suits both men's volatile, monster like nature and although this was not a mat classic, this had a great 'big match' atmosphere with Steiner looking better than he has in years. Although still slow in the ring, Joe covered up his weaknesses with some great selling and in return Steiner took enough of a beating that the win seemed believable without him looking a push over. By the time Joe hit the quick powerslam for the three count, both men had given their all and proved to the fans that they both deserved their resepctive positions on the card.
By this point, not even the convoluted nature of the King of the Mountain match could stop this from being a thumbs up show. However before we got to the main event we were introdced to TNA's new face of management, the one and only Jim Cornette. Although only an on-air character at the moment, Cornette brings an element of credibility to TNA. Not to mention being one hell of a talker. Just as he did to ROH earlier in the year, Cornette makes a great authority figure and will hopefully allow more things to make sense in TNA.
Unfortunately he arrived too late to stop the ridiculous King of the Mountain match from closing out the who. I could go on for hours about what a stupid concept for a match this is. I could go on for pages and pages about what ridiculous booking it was to have Christian put his belt up in a match where he didn't have to be pinned to lose it and that no previous champ has defended his title in, however that is a rant for another day. TNA have made this match important to the fans and it has become something of a signature match for them, whether that is right or wrong. As far as the match itself was concerned, all the men involved worked really hard (as you would expect from the likes of Christian Cage, Ron Killings and Abyss) but the match lacked a clean and decisive finish, which is something TNA have developed something of a habit of relying on as a way to get their fans to watch Impact. However despite this lack of a clean finish, TNA did manage to create a memorable climax to the show, with the fans peppering the ring with garbage as Jeff Jarrett climbed the ladder to his hollow victory. Whatever the merits of Jarret winning is debatable, however, thanks to a strong undercard, this show managed to save itself from being a turkey and has built some interesting angles for the next few weeks of TV.
Verdict: B+
"If TNA can continue to put on shows as good (if not better) than this then they have a chance of putting up a fight against WWECW. With at least 3 matches worth going out of your way to see, this is one of TNA's best shows of 2006. The tag match is worth geting the show for alone! However with strong X Division action and a great hard hitting match between Joe and Steiner this is what a TNA show should be all about - 3 hours of quality wrestling entertainment and not a zombie in sight!"
The show started off with an all out brawl between the James Gang and Team 3D. Putting these guys on first was a great way of building on the buzz from the Philapelphia house show as well as giving the middle finger to WWE by using the one duo the new ECW could really have done with. Although the match started slowly, it built well with both teams working hard. Where TNA go with the James Gang next is a mystery as the glow on their star is certainly dimming. However the former Dudleyz really showed that they are still a potent force when given the chance and should be the team which TNA use as the backbone of their tag division. But more of that later.
After this high impact start, TNA brought the crowd down with a long winded Jeff Jarett promo and then followed it up with the only poor match on the card as Rhino took on Bobby Roode and Scott D'Amore in a handicap match that was way too long and far too meanigless for all but the most dedicated Rhino or Roode fan to care about. For the past two shows this was where the show began to sag and never really got it's momentum back. However fortunately this was not the case tonight. On the plus side though, Rhino got the win and hopefully he will return to the main event picture before too long. Roode did his part well, however the Team Canada/Scott D'Amore gimmick has gotten tired and desperately needs a rest from TV.
The state of the X Division at Slammiversary was a matter of hot debate going in as a result of the often ludicrous Kevin Nash vs. Chris Sabin storyline. However they counter balanced this well by putting on a 6 man X Division match that would determine the top 6 contenders to the X title involving exciting young guys like Senshi, Jay Lethal and Alex Shelley. Not content with simply raiding ROH's talent, they also stole their top 5 rankings system for this match, however thanks to the fact that this match was given plenty of time to shine, all but the most ardent ROH fan could find reason to complain about it. All 6 men got enough time to do their moves and get over with the fans and by putting it on just before the Nash vs. Sabin match which had the potential to do so much damage to the X Division, they managed to show off just what the X Division was all about to the point that you almost forgot what a stupid angle the Nash one is.
Speaking of which, the Sabin vs. Nash match itself was a lot better than many of us dreaded, with Sabin getting lots of offence in before Alex Shelley interfered and cost Sabin the win. In wrestling terms this makes sense as Nash is the heel and Sabin needs to chase his win against the bigger name (not to mention it opens the door for a Sabin vs. Shelley feud), however that doesn't stop you from wondering just what the whole point of this feud is at times.
Having said that though, the quality of matches which preceded and followed it meant that the mood could not be brought down by this goofy angle. Following this X Division action came the X Division Dream Team of Chris Daniels and AJ Styles taking on NWA tag champs America's Most Wanted. After a couple of early meetings that were close to good, but not quite, both teams brought their A-game and put on one of the best tag matches in TNA history. This was quite simply an amazing match with tons of high flying action from Styles and Daniels, some great heel tactics from the champs and a really strong story that involved Daniels and Styles bringing in a 'neutraliser' to eliminate the unwanted influence of AMW's valet Gail Kim. Unlike at Sacrifice where this match had the potential to steal the show but fell flat, this match not only stole the show, but did so on a card which had 2 other really strong matches on it. If you watch one TNA match this year, make sure it's this one as this is tag team wrestling at it's very, very best.
Speaking of must-see matches, the bout most people were expecting to steal the show at Slammiversary this year was Samoa Joe vs. Scott Steiner. Just as AJ and Daniels are being moved out of the X Division so a new generation can succeed, so it is that Joe has begun his slow but deliberate progress towards being a top heavyweight star for TNA. After teaming with Sting against Jarrett and Steiner last month, Joe continues his ascendancy and his run of taking on the big guns of TNA. In a lot of ways Joe and Steiner are a very similar pair of characters and as a result the build to this match has been fantastic. TNA has gotten more out of Steiner in a handful of promos than WWE did in 6 months and Joe's promo skills have been greatly underated. This old school feud based on simple hatred and a search for respect suits both men's volatile, monster like nature and although this was not a mat classic, this had a great 'big match' atmosphere with Steiner looking better than he has in years. Although still slow in the ring, Joe covered up his weaknesses with some great selling and in return Steiner took enough of a beating that the win seemed believable without him looking a push over. By the time Joe hit the quick powerslam for the three count, both men had given their all and proved to the fans that they both deserved their resepctive positions on the card.
By this point, not even the convoluted nature of the King of the Mountain match could stop this from being a thumbs up show. However before we got to the main event we were introdced to TNA's new face of management, the one and only Jim Cornette. Although only an on-air character at the moment, Cornette brings an element of credibility to TNA. Not to mention being one hell of a talker. Just as he did to ROH earlier in the year, Cornette makes a great authority figure and will hopefully allow more things to make sense in TNA.
Unfortunately he arrived too late to stop the ridiculous King of the Mountain match from closing out the who. I could go on for hours about what a stupid concept for a match this is. I could go on for pages and pages about what ridiculous booking it was to have Christian put his belt up in a match where he didn't have to be pinned to lose it and that no previous champ has defended his title in, however that is a rant for another day. TNA have made this match important to the fans and it has become something of a signature match for them, whether that is right or wrong. As far as the match itself was concerned, all the men involved worked really hard (as you would expect from the likes of Christian Cage, Ron Killings and Abyss) but the match lacked a clean and decisive finish, which is something TNA have developed something of a habit of relying on as a way to get their fans to watch Impact. However despite this lack of a clean finish, TNA did manage to create a memorable climax to the show, with the fans peppering the ring with garbage as Jeff Jarrett climbed the ladder to his hollow victory. Whatever the merits of Jarret winning is debatable, however, thanks to a strong undercard, this show managed to save itself from being a turkey and has built some interesting angles for the next few weeks of TV.
Verdict: B+
"If TNA can continue to put on shows as good (if not better) than this then they have a chance of putting up a fight against WWECW. With at least 3 matches worth going out of your way to see, this is one of TNA's best shows of 2006. The tag match is worth geting the show for alone! However with strong X Division action and a great hard hitting match between Joe and Steiner this is what a TNA show should be all about - 3 hours of quality wrestling entertainment and not a zombie in sight!"
Watching live, on tape?
After watching far too many mediocre WWE pay per views at 1 am on a Sunday night on Sky Sports, I decided to give up watching wrestling 'live' back in 2004. Instead I'd use the safety net of the internet and make sure the show was worth watching before investing three hours of my time. However as time went by, wrestling began to lose some of it's magic. The surprises became inevtiable and the shocking became passe. As WWE's product became worse and worse I did not feel I was missing out. However as TNA has begun to improve leaps and bounds, something was missing in the viewing experience - the genuine experience of not knowing what was about to happen.
So with TNA approaching it's 4th anniversary and the Slammiversary pay per view, I decided to revive some of that magic and try a little experiment and watch it as if it was live. Admittedly I chose Slammiversary on purpose as it had a card that, on paper, I knew should not dissappoint and boy did it live up to expectations. The good matches were still good and probably would have been just as good had I known the result. However the main difference was in the average matches. Where in previous months I would have fast forwarded, I found myself actually wanting to see what happened in the Bobby Roode vs. Rhino. OK, so it was still pretty poor, but at least it did not have the crushing inevitability of a match I already knew was bad.
So will this affect my wrestling viewing habits? I doubt it. Alas, TNA's output is as inconsistent than WWE. On the plus side, their product is consistently good rather than consistently bad. However until both WWE and TNA improve their product to the point that the shows are worth making the effort for, then I think I'll keep my internet based safety net for just a little bit longer.
So with TNA approaching it's 4th anniversary and the Slammiversary pay per view, I decided to revive some of that magic and try a little experiment and watch it as if it was live. Admittedly I chose Slammiversary on purpose as it had a card that, on paper, I knew should not dissappoint and boy did it live up to expectations. The good matches were still good and probably would have been just as good had I known the result. However the main difference was in the average matches. Where in previous months I would have fast forwarded, I found myself actually wanting to see what happened in the Bobby Roode vs. Rhino. OK, so it was still pretty poor, but at least it did not have the crushing inevitability of a match I already knew was bad.
So will this affect my wrestling viewing habits? I doubt it. Alas, TNA's output is as inconsistent than WWE. On the plus side, their product is consistently good rather than consistently bad. However until both WWE and TNA improve their product to the point that the shows are worth making the effort for, then I think I'll keep my internet based safety net for just a little bit longer.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
TNA Slammiversary preview
With Slammiversary approaching this weekend, TNA are facing, arguably, the most important moment in their history since they debuted on Spike TV last year. With WWE positioning ECW as the new third wrestling brand in North America, TNA has lost it's comfort zone and will have to work hard to prevent itself from losing ground to WWE just as they seemd to building some momentum. After the car crash that was ECW's debut on Sci-fi, TNA need to capitalize on this and put on a genuine alternative to WWE that ECW failed to make the most of this week. So here are the 5 things I think TNA need to do at this weekend's pay per view to make the most of ECW's failures.
1. Action not promos
ECW's TV show started with a 10 minute promo. As did Raw. And Smackdown. How does that make ECW different to WWE TV? Answer, it doesn't!! So in order to make themselves different from WWE, they need to put on the X Division guys, give them 15-20 minutes and let them tear the house down. Start the show strong and give the fans a really strong wrestling show.
2 a). Make the most of new stars
Despite promising fans a 'new breed' of ECW talent, the ECW show focused on WWE stars and older ECW names like Sabu, Mick Foley and Terry Funk. The problem is, that all 4 of those men are over 40 and hardly the future of the business. On the flipside, TNA have Chris Sabin, Jay Lethal, Alex Shelley and a whole host of other new names that are under 25 and can put on a fantastic match if give the chance. Add to that established talent like AJ Styles, Chris Daniels and Senshi and you have the kind of exciting action that WWE buried in a battle royal this week instead of giving the chance to shine.
2 b) Samoa Joe
In a side note to this point there is, perhaps the most important name not mentioned thus far, that TNA need to make a big deal about this weekend. That man's name is Samoa Joe. He is their future star and their next great homegrown star. He is being brought up into the heavyweight division where he is more than holding his own and his match with Scott Steiner has the potential to be the match everyone is talking about on Monday morning. Just so long as Joe is given the win and Steiner plays his role as star-maker. Joe is the antithesis of the WWE mould of muscular big men who can't wrestle a great match and would have been a natural fit for ECW back in the day. However in 2006 he probably would have been given a stereotypical gimmick like Umanga onn Raw, instead of being given the chance to shine as he is in TNA. Future matches between Joe and Sting, Christian Cage and Jeff Jarrett are should earn TNA some hefty buyrates and make for some great marquee matches. However, they need to continue to build Joe up to make sure that they get as much hype and buzz coming into those matches as they can. Slammiversary is the start of that build.
3. Allow the former ECW stars a chance to shine
Tommy Dreamer was the heart and soul of ECW. He was the star of last year's One Night Stand and occupied a prominent position at this year's show in the semi-main event. So what did they do with him this week on the TV debut? Put him in a battle royale with a bunch of jobbers. The same with Justin Credible. Former ECW champ, punked out by Kurt Angle in a matter of minutes. TNA have on their roster the most dominant tag team in ECW history in the Dudlez/Team 3D. They have the best talker the company ever had in Raven and they also have the first and last ECW champs in Shane Douglas and Rhino. TNA need to push these guys and remind any ECW fans not happy with the WWE's vision that these guys can work in an unrestricted environment on pay per view this weekend and every Thursday night on Impact. At the TNA house show, Matt 'Spike Dudley' Hyson tore up a WWE contract, which at first seemed like a very daft thing to do considering the state of the business. However in hindsight it looks like one of the ballsiest moves a wrestler has made this year and as such he and the other ECW alumni should be rewarded for pinning their colours to TNA's mast.
4. Have clean finishes
Terry Funk and Sabu managed to finish a match bleeding and wrapped in barbed wire at ECW's Born to be Wired. Tazz and Bam Bam Bigelow finished a match when they went through the ring. So why did Rey vs Sabu end in a no contest at One Night Stand? ECW fans were quite justified in their 'bulls**t' chants as this was not what ECW was about. At the same time, TNA have been very guilty of over-booking their shows in recent months and that needs to stop. Clean wins and losses do not hurt a wrestling promotion (just ask any Ring of Honor fan) and they need to address this sooner rather than later. Hopefully the arrival of Jim Cornette as the new face of TNA management will help reverse this trend and bring a good 'old-school' mentality of sensible, logical booking with clean wins and losses. If they establish that, then when they do want to do a screwjob finish it will mean more as the fans won't have seen it on every show - at least not every TNA show! They'll probably still see it on Raw and Smackdown every week!
5. Respect the intelligence of your fans
Zombies? Aliens? Vampies? OK, so wrestling can be a bit corny and hokey. But when the rest of the show was bad, this just came across as the icing on the case and became a calling card for anyone who wanted to ridicule ECW and wrestling in general. Part of ECW's success in the mid 90s was in providing an alternative to the high camp of the Ultimate Warrior or Papa Shango in the WWF. TNA need to avoid this like the plague and put on the kind of exciting, athletic wrestling that helped the business boom in the late 90s and made wrestling cool once again.
1. Action not promos
ECW's TV show started with a 10 minute promo. As did Raw. And Smackdown. How does that make ECW different to WWE TV? Answer, it doesn't!! So in order to make themselves different from WWE, they need to put on the X Division guys, give them 15-20 minutes and let them tear the house down. Start the show strong and give the fans a really strong wrestling show.
2 a). Make the most of new stars
Despite promising fans a 'new breed' of ECW talent, the ECW show focused on WWE stars and older ECW names like Sabu, Mick Foley and Terry Funk. The problem is, that all 4 of those men are over 40 and hardly the future of the business. On the flipside, TNA have Chris Sabin, Jay Lethal, Alex Shelley and a whole host of other new names that are under 25 and can put on a fantastic match if give the chance. Add to that established talent like AJ Styles, Chris Daniels and Senshi and you have the kind of exciting action that WWE buried in a battle royal this week instead of giving the chance to shine.
2 b) Samoa Joe
In a side note to this point there is, perhaps the most important name not mentioned thus far, that TNA need to make a big deal about this weekend. That man's name is Samoa Joe. He is their future star and their next great homegrown star. He is being brought up into the heavyweight division where he is more than holding his own and his match with Scott Steiner has the potential to be the match everyone is talking about on Monday morning. Just so long as Joe is given the win and Steiner plays his role as star-maker. Joe is the antithesis of the WWE mould of muscular big men who can't wrestle a great match and would have been a natural fit for ECW back in the day. However in 2006 he probably would have been given a stereotypical gimmick like Umanga onn Raw, instead of being given the chance to shine as he is in TNA. Future matches between Joe and Sting, Christian Cage and Jeff Jarrett are should earn TNA some hefty buyrates and make for some great marquee matches. However, they need to continue to build Joe up to make sure that they get as much hype and buzz coming into those matches as they can. Slammiversary is the start of that build.
3. Allow the former ECW stars a chance to shine
Tommy Dreamer was the heart and soul of ECW. He was the star of last year's One Night Stand and occupied a prominent position at this year's show in the semi-main event. So what did they do with him this week on the TV debut? Put him in a battle royale with a bunch of jobbers. The same with Justin Credible. Former ECW champ, punked out by Kurt Angle in a matter of minutes. TNA have on their roster the most dominant tag team in ECW history in the Dudlez/Team 3D. They have the best talker the company ever had in Raven and they also have the first and last ECW champs in Shane Douglas and Rhino. TNA need to push these guys and remind any ECW fans not happy with the WWE's vision that these guys can work in an unrestricted environment on pay per view this weekend and every Thursday night on Impact. At the TNA house show, Matt 'Spike Dudley' Hyson tore up a WWE contract, which at first seemed like a very daft thing to do considering the state of the business. However in hindsight it looks like one of the ballsiest moves a wrestler has made this year and as such he and the other ECW alumni should be rewarded for pinning their colours to TNA's mast.
4. Have clean finishes
Terry Funk and Sabu managed to finish a match bleeding and wrapped in barbed wire at ECW's Born to be Wired. Tazz and Bam Bam Bigelow finished a match when they went through the ring. So why did Rey vs Sabu end in a no contest at One Night Stand? ECW fans were quite justified in their 'bulls**t' chants as this was not what ECW was about. At the same time, TNA have been very guilty of over-booking their shows in recent months and that needs to stop. Clean wins and losses do not hurt a wrestling promotion (just ask any Ring of Honor fan) and they need to address this sooner rather than later. Hopefully the arrival of Jim Cornette as the new face of TNA management will help reverse this trend and bring a good 'old-school' mentality of sensible, logical booking with clean wins and losses. If they establish that, then when they do want to do a screwjob finish it will mean more as the fans won't have seen it on every show - at least not every TNA show! They'll probably still see it on Raw and Smackdown every week!
5. Respect the intelligence of your fans
Zombies? Aliens? Vampies? OK, so wrestling can be a bit corny and hokey. But when the rest of the show was bad, this just came across as the icing on the case and became a calling card for anyone who wanted to ridicule ECW and wrestling in general. Part of ECW's success in the mid 90s was in providing an alternative to the high camp of the Ultimate Warrior or Papa Shango in the WWF. TNA need to avoid this like the plague and put on the kind of exciting, athletic wrestling that helped the business boom in the late 90s and made wrestling cool once again.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Was ECW better off dead?
Being an ECW fan has been something of a rollercoaster ride over the past week and a half. I've wanted to sit down and write this column for the past few days, but each time something has happened that changed my mind. I have gone from cautious opitimism, to genuine excitement about a new brand to complete and utter bewilderment at just what the powers that be thinkg ECW should be.
The week began with the WWE vs. ECW special which I finally got to watch this weekend. After having done a decidely average job building up ECW on Raw on Smackdown, this was the moment it really felt like they might do something interesting with this brand. John Cena and Sabu had a really fun match while the product as a whole just felt really different and exciting. The build to last year's One Night Stand pay per view was decidely erratic but in the end the show was very entertaining so I could only assume that the same would happen this year.
It's just a shame that One Night Stand really didn't deliver the kind of exciting alternative product that it did last year, or that it even managed to with the WWE vs. ECW special. For everything that was great; Terry Funk being a crazy bastard one last time, the first half of Rey vs. Sabu or John Cena's interaction with the ECW fans. There was also the nonsensical and down right baffling. Orton vs. Angle was not looking good on paper, however for it be given almost 15 minutes was an insult to the ECW fans that paid a lot of money to see an ECW show, not a Smackdown one. The fact that Rey vs. Sabu ended in a no contest - this is Sabu the man who managed to finish matches with broken jaws and lacerated arms wrapped in barbed wire, yet he was done in by a DDT through a table? I don't think. Plus, JBL, announcing he was the new voice of Smackdown. Really, who in that crowd cared?!
When all was said and done, this show has almost many plusses as minuses and at least it was something different, so hopes were high going into the debut of ECW on Sci Fi. But that was all to change over the 60 minutes that this abomonation of a show was on. In one night, ECW was emasculated and not even on love TV because the new network was too scared by the pay per view and wanted to keep them under control. This was more of an advert for WWE's Vengance pay per view than it was for the new show. The ECW talent were made to look second rate to the WWE 'superstars' and the few moment ECW guys were allowed to shine were in contrived scenarios that just them look like the bingo hall workers WWE has always stereotyped them as being. Sandma and a zombie was never going to be good, but without his siganture entrance and without anything else of note to counter balance this moment of MacMahon inspired stupidity it summed up what was a truly awful hour of TV.
The weekend of One Night Stand, two of ECW's strongest characters in the final months, Matt 'SPike Dudley' Hyson and Rhino, voiced their disgust at WWE brining bakc ECW and Hyson went so far as to tear up his WWE contract. What seemed like a moment of impetuousness that may have cost Hyson a lucrative pay deal has now become one of the most ballsy, pragmatic decision anyone has made in wrestling so far in 2006. We can only hope that in the coming weeks and month, ECW is give the chance to create a genuine alternative program. However after that first week of ECW's resurrection, you can't help but with that it had stayed dead and buried in that Philly bingo hall wear it was concieved.
The week began with the WWE vs. ECW special which I finally got to watch this weekend. After having done a decidely average job building up ECW on Raw on Smackdown, this was the moment it really felt like they might do something interesting with this brand. John Cena and Sabu had a really fun match while the product as a whole just felt really different and exciting. The build to last year's One Night Stand pay per view was decidely erratic but in the end the show was very entertaining so I could only assume that the same would happen this year.
It's just a shame that One Night Stand really didn't deliver the kind of exciting alternative product that it did last year, or that it even managed to with the WWE vs. ECW special. For everything that was great; Terry Funk being a crazy bastard one last time, the first half of Rey vs. Sabu or John Cena's interaction with the ECW fans. There was also the nonsensical and down right baffling. Orton vs. Angle was not looking good on paper, however for it be given almost 15 minutes was an insult to the ECW fans that paid a lot of money to see an ECW show, not a Smackdown one. The fact that Rey vs. Sabu ended in a no contest - this is Sabu the man who managed to finish matches with broken jaws and lacerated arms wrapped in barbed wire, yet he was done in by a DDT through a table? I don't think. Plus, JBL, announcing he was the new voice of Smackdown. Really, who in that crowd cared?!
When all was said and done, this show has almost many plusses as minuses and at least it was something different, so hopes were high going into the debut of ECW on Sci Fi. But that was all to change over the 60 minutes that this abomonation of a show was on. In one night, ECW was emasculated and not even on love TV because the new network was too scared by the pay per view and wanted to keep them under control. This was more of an advert for WWE's Vengance pay per view than it was for the new show. The ECW talent were made to look second rate to the WWE 'superstars' and the few moment ECW guys were allowed to shine were in contrived scenarios that just them look like the bingo hall workers WWE has always stereotyped them as being. Sandma and a zombie was never going to be good, but without his siganture entrance and without anything else of note to counter balance this moment of MacMahon inspired stupidity it summed up what was a truly awful hour of TV.
The weekend of One Night Stand, two of ECW's strongest characters in the final months, Matt 'SPike Dudley' Hyson and Rhino, voiced their disgust at WWE brining bakc ECW and Hyson went so far as to tear up his WWE contract. What seemed like a moment of impetuousness that may have cost Hyson a lucrative pay deal has now become one of the most ballsy, pragmatic decision anyone has made in wrestling so far in 2006. We can only hope that in the coming weeks and month, ECW is give the chance to create a genuine alternative program. However after that first week of ECW's resurrection, you can't help but with that it had stayed dead and buried in that Philly bingo hall wear it was concieved.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Has Ring of Honor gone too far?
First it was crazy brawls. Then it was no-roped barbed wire matches. And now it's Cage of Death? What the hell is going on over at ROH Headquarters?
Gabe Sapolsky announced today on the ROH newswire that the 6/24 Death Before Dishonor show would feature a Cage Death of Death match as the ROH vs. CZW 'war' reaches a new peak. Upping the ante from ROH's equivalent match, Steelcage Warfare, CZW owner John Zandig is reported in the newswire as demanding CZW choose the stipulation and they want this CZW signature event instead.
When the ROH vs. CZW feud started in November, it seemed to be all about ways that wrestlers who were never deemed 'good enough for ROH', like Chris Hero Super Dragon and Necro Butcher would finally get the chance to work for ROH - arguably the US's top independetn wrestling company. On the flipside it also meant that CZW and ROH could co-exist in the Philadelphia indie scene, running double headers together without having to resort to any of the petty feuding that there was during 2002. However as time has gone on, this feud has moved away fomr being about ways to get Hero and co regular work in ROH and has taken on somewhat of an ironic twist. ROH, the pure wrestling company, has been dragged deeper and deeper into increasingly more violent matches, while CZW's 'pure wrestlers' have been the ones spearheading the charge for their preferred company. Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli would never be regarded as atypical CZW wrestlers, and they have been allowed to develop in this feud. While brawlers such as BJ Whitmer, Adam Peace and Ace Steele have represented ROH and found strong niches for themselves in the company as a result.
So, as is so often the case when something like begins to gather steam, many of the inital loyalties and ideologies of those that follow both companies has been put to one side. ROH talent was supported by CZW fans during the recent Best of the Best tournament in CZw. While ROH's 'pure fans' are chomping that bit for more blood and violence. But is this such a good thing?
Sure this feud has helped gain more interest in the Philly indie scene than there has been in years, and both companies are benefitting from it right now. However, when all is said and done, will ROH have done itself more damage than they have good? By going down this ultra-violent route have they raised the bar so high that future shows will fail to live up to these heady heights. Or will fans expect this kind of violence and bloodshed from all their future feuds? As for the fans, sure it might bring in some CZW fans who were sitting on the fence about whether they should like the 'opposition. But once they have given the CZW fans their fix of violence and brutality, will they remain to watch more wrestling based shows that ROH has built it's name on, or will they return to their ultraviolence with CZW.
One of the most significant missing elements from this has been ROH commissioner Jim Cornette, who's anti-hardcore promos in the early days of this feud were some of the best ROH has ever put on video. But where is he now? Set to debut on TNA as their new face of TNA Management, while in ROH storyline terms, he is nursing an injured knee coutesy of CZW. ROH need his calming voice and rationale in these circumstances as I believe that ROH might have bitten off more than they can chew with this feud. As much as it was about the ROH fans mocking CZW at first, for putting on ultraviolent matches that have nothing to do with 'proper wrestling' could you not argue that, in attempting to keep up with their Philadelphia neighbours and attept to secure the same crowd that fuelled ECW in it's heyday, that they are doing exactly the same. That they have lost sight on what really matters to ROH fans and that is pure wrestling, not garbage filled brawls or Cages of Death. Perhaps ithe most ironic part of this whole sordid affair is that the show will be called Death Before Dishonor, and with this ultraviolent match as the main event, perhaps ROH has finally managed to come up with the ultimate dishonor - to itself.
Gabe Sapolsky announced today on the ROH newswire that the 6/24 Death Before Dishonor show would feature a Cage Death of Death match as the ROH vs. CZW 'war' reaches a new peak. Upping the ante from ROH's equivalent match, Steelcage Warfare, CZW owner John Zandig is reported in the newswire as demanding CZW choose the stipulation and they want this CZW signature event instead.
When the ROH vs. CZW feud started in November, it seemed to be all about ways that wrestlers who were never deemed 'good enough for ROH', like Chris Hero Super Dragon and Necro Butcher would finally get the chance to work for ROH - arguably the US's top independetn wrestling company. On the flipside it also meant that CZW and ROH could co-exist in the Philadelphia indie scene, running double headers together without having to resort to any of the petty feuding that there was during 2002. However as time has gone on, this feud has moved away fomr being about ways to get Hero and co regular work in ROH and has taken on somewhat of an ironic twist. ROH, the pure wrestling company, has been dragged deeper and deeper into increasingly more violent matches, while CZW's 'pure wrestlers' have been the ones spearheading the charge for their preferred company. Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli would never be regarded as atypical CZW wrestlers, and they have been allowed to develop in this feud. While brawlers such as BJ Whitmer, Adam Peace and Ace Steele have represented ROH and found strong niches for themselves in the company as a result.
So, as is so often the case when something like begins to gather steam, many of the inital loyalties and ideologies of those that follow both companies has been put to one side. ROH talent was supported by CZW fans during the recent Best of the Best tournament in CZw. While ROH's 'pure fans' are chomping that bit for more blood and violence. But is this such a good thing?
Sure this feud has helped gain more interest in the Philly indie scene than there has been in years, and both companies are benefitting from it right now. However, when all is said and done, will ROH have done itself more damage than they have good? By going down this ultra-violent route have they raised the bar so high that future shows will fail to live up to these heady heights. Or will fans expect this kind of violence and bloodshed from all their future feuds? As for the fans, sure it might bring in some CZW fans who were sitting on the fence about whether they should like the 'opposition. But once they have given the CZW fans their fix of violence and brutality, will they remain to watch more wrestling based shows that ROH has built it's name on, or will they return to their ultraviolence with CZW.
One of the most significant missing elements from this has been ROH commissioner Jim Cornette, who's anti-hardcore promos in the early days of this feud were some of the best ROH has ever put on video. But where is he now? Set to debut on TNA as their new face of TNA Management, while in ROH storyline terms, he is nursing an injured knee coutesy of CZW. ROH need his calming voice and rationale in these circumstances as I believe that ROH might have bitten off more than they can chew with this feud. As much as it was about the ROH fans mocking CZW at first, for putting on ultraviolent matches that have nothing to do with 'proper wrestling' could you not argue that, in attempting to keep up with their Philadelphia neighbours and attept to secure the same crowd that fuelled ECW in it's heyday, that they are doing exactly the same. That they have lost sight on what really matters to ROH fans and that is pure wrestling, not garbage filled brawls or Cages of Death. Perhaps ithe most ironic part of this whole sordid affair is that the show will be called Death Before Dishonor, and with this ultraviolent match as the main event, perhaps ROH has finally managed to come up with the ultimate dishonor - to itself.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
TNA: Where did it all go... right?!
After a decidely lacklustre TNA Sacrifice show, I was all geared up to write a column about where I thought TNA was going wrong with it's product and what they needed to do to resolve it. That was all until they released their ratings for Impact this week, and they are actually going up (especially among their target demographic of young males aged 18-25). Clearly they can't be doing everything wrong after all!!
So instead of bitching and moaning about what I don't like about the TNA product (you can probably work most of that out from my Sacrifice review) I thought I would look at just what is making TNA actually succeed! So here are my top 5 reasons why I think TNA's rating is slwoly on the rise.
1. The Sting Effect
One of the great names of WCW, but perhaps more importantly the only big name from that era not to have been tarnished by a run in WWE. Since WCW and ECW closed in 2001, wrestling viewership across the board has declined, so where have they all gone? By bringing in someone like Sting, TNA have gone after those former WCW fans who didn't like the way their guys were treated in WWE and it looks like it has paid off. Although there is often some debate about whether the arrival of Sting has taken the wind out of the sails of NWA Champ Christian Cage (and I believe it has) at least they have kept Sting out of the title picture and used him as an assett, when the temptation would have been to give him the belt as soon as he arrives. By having strong NWA championship feuds for Christian as well as a strong main event level feud involving Sting and Jeff Jarrett, then it gives the viewer 2 reasons to buy the pay per view, rather than just the one. It also means Jarrett has been kept out of the title picture and so when he finally gets his one on one rematch with Cage people might actually want to see it, rather than assume it is Double JJ pulling poilitical strings.
2. Bringing in the right big names
During the build to Sacrifice I really thought they had lost their minds when I heard the names Buff Bagwell, Rick Steiner and Lex Luger linked to TNA. I could feel flash backs to the early days of TNA when they brought in the ageing Randy Savage who wrestled as if in slow motion. However, unlike Savage, these guys were brought in for one shot deals only as a nostalgia gimmick and to TNA's credit, that is one of their strengths. They are very selective about who they bring and that really helps them from turning into the WCW knock-off that they so easily could. Even Savage seemed a good idea at first, as he still has plenty of name recognition. It's just a shame that that was all undone the minute you saw him in the ring. For every Sting or Scott Steiner who are brought in, there are a dozen other former WWE or WCW names that they could have brought in and haven't. By cherry picking these big names, and backing them up with strong workers who were under-used in WWE (like Christian Cage, Rhino, all three former Dudley Boys and even Raven) they establish a strong mix of 'names' as well as having a product that is about more than a trip down memory lane. Even the acquisition of former WWE diva Christy Hemme was a great choice as she has main stream media appeal thanks to her appearance in Playboy, as well as an individuality that the current identi-kit WWE Divas just don't have.
3. The X Division
Ignoring the current Kevin Nash silliness and the fact that the champ didn't defend his title on the last pay per view, the X Division is one of TNA's crown jewels. Heck, the fact that the champ of this ultra-atheltic, no limits division is a 280 pound Samoan with a less than perfect fiugure should tell you that this is something different to WWE. As long as Vince and co restrict their cruiserweights and treat them as a joke or fodder for bigger men, then TNA have an edge. Sometimes they don't seem to treat this assett as well as they should - part of what made last year's run of pay per views so exciting was having the X division main event pay per views, which they don't any more. However they do at least have one really great athletic X Division match on every show. They are also determined to bring in new stars and establish them in that division, rather than rely on the same names month in and month out. As guys like Jay Lethal, Alex Shelley and the retunring Senshi are brought in, they help provide the next generation to feud with the established stars like Joe, AJ, Styles, Sabin, Dutt and Williams.
4. Fast paced action
One of the main criticisms that is labelled at Impact is that they have to cram so much into one hour of TV that they don't have enough time to dedicate to getting over their wrestler's characters. However on the plus side, by only having one hour of TV a week, it means they have to make sure everything is kept at a high pace to fit everything in. Compare an episode of Raw or Smackdown with Impact and you get as much wrestling with TNA (if not more) in one haour and don't get the constant replay packages and commercials that blight WWE TV. TNA do as good a job of developing their feuds and character in one hour as WWE do in 2 and as such they have turned one of their negatives into a positive. If they could just get another hour of TV, then who knows where that would take them. I just hope it would not see them copy the WWE format and undo what is one of their key-strengths.
5. Doing things the opposite to WWE
They don't give good wrestlers stupid gimmicks. They don't rely on outdated sterotypes. They don't ignore storyline continuity. They don't have ref bumps in every world title match. They don't try and court controversy to get ratings. They don't use their TV as adverts for their film division. They don't treat tag teams as second rate. They don't treat cruiserweights as fodder for telentless giants. They don't have 20 minute HHH promos. They don't have Vince's bare ass on TV. They don't have midgets. They don't stop people from going out and having good wrestling matches. They don't call their wrestlers 'superstars'.
So instead of bitching and moaning about what I don't like about the TNA product (you can probably work most of that out from my Sacrifice review) I thought I would look at just what is making TNA actually succeed! So here are my top 5 reasons why I think TNA's rating is slwoly on the rise.
1. The Sting Effect
One of the great names of WCW, but perhaps more importantly the only big name from that era not to have been tarnished by a run in WWE. Since WCW and ECW closed in 2001, wrestling viewership across the board has declined, so where have they all gone? By bringing in someone like Sting, TNA have gone after those former WCW fans who didn't like the way their guys were treated in WWE and it looks like it has paid off. Although there is often some debate about whether the arrival of Sting has taken the wind out of the sails of NWA Champ Christian Cage (and I believe it has) at least they have kept Sting out of the title picture and used him as an assett, when the temptation would have been to give him the belt as soon as he arrives. By having strong NWA championship feuds for Christian as well as a strong main event level feud involving Sting and Jeff Jarrett, then it gives the viewer 2 reasons to buy the pay per view, rather than just the one. It also means Jarrett has been kept out of the title picture and so when he finally gets his one on one rematch with Cage people might actually want to see it, rather than assume it is Double JJ pulling poilitical strings.
2. Bringing in the right big names
During the build to Sacrifice I really thought they had lost their minds when I heard the names Buff Bagwell, Rick Steiner and Lex Luger linked to TNA. I could feel flash backs to the early days of TNA when they brought in the ageing Randy Savage who wrestled as if in slow motion. However, unlike Savage, these guys were brought in for one shot deals only as a nostalgia gimmick and to TNA's credit, that is one of their strengths. They are very selective about who they bring and that really helps them from turning into the WCW knock-off that they so easily could. Even Savage seemed a good idea at first, as he still has plenty of name recognition. It's just a shame that that was all undone the minute you saw him in the ring. For every Sting or Scott Steiner who are brought in, there are a dozen other former WWE or WCW names that they could have brought in and haven't. By cherry picking these big names, and backing them up with strong workers who were under-used in WWE (like Christian Cage, Rhino, all three former Dudley Boys and even Raven) they establish a strong mix of 'names' as well as having a product that is about more than a trip down memory lane. Even the acquisition of former WWE diva Christy Hemme was a great choice as she has main stream media appeal thanks to her appearance in Playboy, as well as an individuality that the current identi-kit WWE Divas just don't have.
3. The X Division
Ignoring the current Kevin Nash silliness and the fact that the champ didn't defend his title on the last pay per view, the X Division is one of TNA's crown jewels. Heck, the fact that the champ of this ultra-atheltic, no limits division is a 280 pound Samoan with a less than perfect fiugure should tell you that this is something different to WWE. As long as Vince and co restrict their cruiserweights and treat them as a joke or fodder for bigger men, then TNA have an edge. Sometimes they don't seem to treat this assett as well as they should - part of what made last year's run of pay per views so exciting was having the X division main event pay per views, which they don't any more. However they do at least have one really great athletic X Division match on every show. They are also determined to bring in new stars and establish them in that division, rather than rely on the same names month in and month out. As guys like Jay Lethal, Alex Shelley and the retunring Senshi are brought in, they help provide the next generation to feud with the established stars like Joe, AJ, Styles, Sabin, Dutt and Williams.
4. Fast paced action
One of the main criticisms that is labelled at Impact is that they have to cram so much into one hour of TV that they don't have enough time to dedicate to getting over their wrestler's characters. However on the plus side, by only having one hour of TV a week, it means they have to make sure everything is kept at a high pace to fit everything in. Compare an episode of Raw or Smackdown with Impact and you get as much wrestling with TNA (if not more) in one haour and don't get the constant replay packages and commercials that blight WWE TV. TNA do as good a job of developing their feuds and character in one hour as WWE do in 2 and as such they have turned one of their negatives into a positive. If they could just get another hour of TV, then who knows where that would take them. I just hope it would not see them copy the WWE format and undo what is one of their key-strengths.
5. Doing things the opposite to WWE
They don't give good wrestlers stupid gimmicks. They don't rely on outdated sterotypes. They don't ignore storyline continuity. They don't have ref bumps in every world title match. They don't try and court controversy to get ratings. They don't use their TV as adverts for their film division. They don't treat tag teams as second rate. They don't treat cruiserweights as fodder for telentless giants. They don't have 20 minute HHH promos. They don't have Vince's bare ass on TV. They don't have midgets. They don't stop people from going out and having good wrestling matches. They don't call their wrestlers 'superstars'.
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