Posts Tagged ‘sports entertainment’

Impact Wrestling Hits the Reset Button at #TNANYC

Posted: August 27, 2014 in Potato Shooter
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by @anarchyroll
8/27/2014

Better late than never, but is it too late? TNA officially hit the reset button at their recent television tapings in New York City at the Manhattan Center. How do I know they hit the reset button? Because both Kurt Angle and Taz said as much on camera during the first of six episodes taped in NYC this summer. However, in the middle of the taped episodes airing, reports surfaced that Spike TV will not be renewing their contract with TNA to keep Impact Wrestling on the air.

Coming out of the Hogan/Bishoff era, followed by the kayfabe heel Dixie Carter era, TNA desperately needed to hit the reset button. Putting the World Title on Eric Young saw ratings hit an all time low between the Lockdown and Slammiversary pay per view events.

From a skeptical distance one can chalk up the reset button being the following things;

  • Putting and keeping the World Title on Bobby Lashley
  • Bringing back the six-sided ring
  • Reuniting the Hardy and Dudley Boyz
  • Exploiting ECW nostalgia
  • Putting the annual one month spotlight on the X Division

If one were to read the results or highlights, or have a friend tell them what happened at Destination X or Hardcore Justice (two pay per view like events that aired free on Spike) one could summize that TNA simply combined WWE and ECW nostalgia acts with a couple of their own classic concepts to try to pop a rating. However, one must have watched or at least skimmed through the shows with their own eyes to see and feel how the mood has indeed changed in TNA.

  1. Bobby Lashley is being built, showcased, and promoted like a heel world champion should be. The fact that Lashley will be fighting at a Bellator MMA event as the reigning TNA World Champion is a great thing for both TNA and the wrestling business, because it is the first of its kind. Can you imagine the press WWE would get and how much their mark fan boys would be gushing if any sitting WWE champion went to fight in the UFC?
  2. The return of the six-sided ring is a metaphor that the fans’ opinions matter to TNA management.  It was ridiculous that Hogan/Bishoff got rid of the six-sided ring in the first place. It did nothing to help the product in any tangible way. Bringing it back won’t pop a rating, but it will send the message that TNA cares about their fans again. Since TNA clearly hasn’t cared about the fans’ opinions for several years now, a symbol like the return of six-sided ring is a great start to rebuilding the trust between TNA management and pro wrestling fans.
  3. In case you haven’t seen the NYC episodes, Jeff Hardy has been involved in the best match on each show he has wrestled on. His match with Lashley was the best of Lashley’s career until Lashley had a match against Austin Aries at Destination X. Both matches the reunited Hardy Boyz had (versus The American Wolves and The Dudley Boyz) were as good as tag team wrestling gets in 2014 or any year for that matter. Both the Hardys and Dudleys reuniting has worked, why? Because the matches have delivered and I am genuinely excited about the upcoming Triple Threat Tag Team Match Series that will round out the NYC tapings.
  4. WWE is allowed to exploit ECW whenever they want but when TNA does it, it’s tacky and outdated. That is the opinion of Paul Heyman and most of the internet wrestling community. This type of ridiculous bias is why it is always hard to get a true read on TNA’s quality without seeing it oneself. The fact is that is that there was kayfabe, storyline appropriate reasons for Devon Dudley and Tommy Dreamer to be brought into Bully Ray’s feud with Dixie Carter. Rhino has worked for TNA on and off since 2005 and if Al Snow can stay in that kind of physical shape, and be that over with a live crowd, there is no reason he can’t be on television for TNA, ROH, or WWE. Not to mention that as I write this, the “ECW” nostalgia angle has already been done with for as long as it was presented as an on camera angle/feud.
  5. TNA was built by the X Division. The X Division got them to Spike TV, getting to Spike TV got them to Sting, Sting got them as close to the mainstream as they’ve gotten. With Sting gone and Spike TV apparently on their way out, there is no better time to refocus on the X Division. The recent X Division showcase has been built around Samoa Joe and Low Ki. If you don’t want to see Samoa Joe and Low Ki get not only ring time but mic time weekly, on a nationally televised pro wrestling show, then my friend I suggest you binge watch reruns of Saturday Morning Slam and AWA on ESPN until the cows come home.

TNA has lost the benefit of the doubt with the vast majority of wrestling fans. Their live attendance, ratings, and problems securing a new TV deal with Spike TV reflect that. In a way, TNA deserves to go out of business. But we all know that would be bad for wrestling. I remember 2001, WCW deserved to go out of business too, but was the wrestling business better because they did? Alliance anyone?

The episodes of Impact Wrestling from New York City has looked and felt like the TNA Wrestling I was a fan of from 2003-2009. At the very least, watch the title matches. The best wrestling I have seen this summer that hasn’t involved Brock Lesnar or ROH has been the title defenses or wins involving Bobby Lashley, Samoa Joe, Gail Kim, and The Wolves.

TNA has hit the reset button. The consistent quality of the last six weeks beckons a second chance from their alienated fan base. Let’s just hope it’s not too little too late.

Rasslin’ 2014 will be a Very Good Year

Posted: January 3, 2014 in Potato Shooter
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potatoshooterlogoajclogo2by @anarchyroll
1/2/2014

2013 started out with a lot of potential. The Rock came back, the spinner belt was retired, Hulk Hogan’s TNA contract wasn’t renewed, Jim Cornette stopped booking ROH, Brian Danielson became the biggest star in the business, and Brock Lesnar made magic with CM Punk at Summerslam in an absolute masterpiece of a pro wrestling match. However, as I’ve been reading various dirt sheets’ year in review lists, blogs, polls, etc one thing is clear…2013 was an overall down year for the business.

Ratings, attendance, and buy rates were down for each of the big three. WWE, TNA, and ROH were each at one point during the year completely unwatchable, although as per usual ROH kept their bad programming to a minimum and insanely awesome programming to a maximum. Especially as the year went on, Delirious distinguished himself as one of the best bookers of post attitude era, if not the best in my personal opinion. Many would say TNA was unwatchable the entire year, I wouldn’t argue per say, but would stick up for the last month of the BFG series and the last month of the year. We all know when WWE went downhill don’t we? I’ll give you a hint, the entire season of autumn.

I’m from Chicago, I’m not a Cubs fan but waiting until next year seems woven into my DNA whether I want it to or not. I believe 2014 will be a very good year for pro wrestling/sports entertainment. Here’s why:

WWE: Lesnar, Batista, Taker will all be in the fold from January through April. WrestleMania season is literally a 1/4 of the year and those three part timers mixed with the emerging era of midsized workhorses WWE has developed (Bryan, Punk. Cesaro, Ziggler, Ambrose, Rollins, Rhodes, Sandow) will lead to great matches by default that will only need good storytelling and production value to pop a rating, both of which are WWE’s specialties. My money is on Brian Danielson main-eventing and winning the Undisputed Title at WrestleMania XXX. Why? A gut feeling guided by pattern recognition from 24 years of watching pro wrestling.

TNA: In case you haven’t noticed, and judging by all metrics of monetary success, you haven’t, TNA Impact Wrestling has been putting on quality television for a whopping six weeks now. Although many haters shat all over the Dixie gimmick tournament, and Dixie Carter in general (deservedly so), the pacing, production, character development, and storytelling segment to segment, show to show, has become definitively solid since Bound for Glory. TNA has a history of this, see 2009, and even though I may not find the majority of the show personally entertaining, good TV principles are good TV principles, and TNA is utilizing them consistently for six weeks and counting.

ROH: As a mark for the original ECW it should come as no surprise that I find ROH to be the most entertaining company in the modern wrestling era. The fast paced, aggressive, more high spots less selling style appeals to me more personally. BUT my match of the year 2013 is CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar, which was the opposite of what I just described. Take the indyriffic matches out of it and I still say ROH is producing the best television show consistently, week in week out, month in month out, big show to big show. Everything that takes place on ROH TV means something, leads to something, and/or is connected to something that has been going on in the company for at least three months. If you bitch and moan about WWE and TNA being piss poor (which at times you’d be right) then you better be watching ROH. In case you missed it, Cornette is gone, so it’s safe to come back, Smokey Mountain of Honor died as of Final Battle 2012. 2013 was a great year for the company and unless the entire roster reports to NXT, 2014 should see them grow as big and bright as Sinclair Broadcasting is willing to monetarily invest.