What does TNA bring to the table anymore?

[BigDaddyCool]

Their weekly show is pretty much awful. There tends to be four 5 minutes matches, which is a shocking 20 minutes of wrestling for a 2 hour show. They are non-stop skits and interviews, and the commentary is awful. I've never bought a ppv because they just don't look good. I'm mean if I can watch decent matches week to week, why should I have to pay to finally see them wrestle?

So my question, is what does TNA actaully bring to the table?

[Ruien]

Kurt Angle.

They have the only heels that are not complete punks (Afraid of anyone/everyone).

A nice cruiserweight divsion.

The Knockout Division.

Velvey Sky.



Only part I feel TNA is lacking (Besides commentary/writing) is the mid-card.

[RatedGSuperstar]

You could add having some semblance of a tag team division on that list, too, even if they have corny names for the tag teams like "Lethal Consequences" for Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed.

[BigDaddyCool]

They have the only heels that are not complete punks (Afraid of anyone/everyone).

Mike Knox, Kane, Mark Henry, Bigshow, and William Regal are all heels, and none of them seem like they are cowardly punk heels that run away from danger.

[Tanawesome]

They need to put more empasis on the X-Division...which is the main reason anyone started watching them in the first place.

[Nicky Fives]

AJ Styles
Kurt Angle
spotty X-division stars (Sabin, Shelley, Kaz, etc.)
Awesome Kong
The Beautiful People

that is all......

[Fox]

Aside from frequently good matches on PPV and a different set of stars, TNA brings pretty much nothing to the table right now.

People started watching TNA because of the massive success of the X-Division. That is a fact. Nobody gave a fuck about Jeff Jarrett's run with the NWA Championship, or about his lame feuds with mid-carders like Jeff Hardy, Raven, or Rhino. The reason I started watching TNA was because of AJ Styles. His incredible moves and cocky attitude were what got me started with them. I stayed for awhile due to guys like Daniels, Amazing Red, Low Ki, Sabin, Shelley, Roderick Strong, Austin Aries, Petey Williams, Samoa Joe (when he was a bad ass), Elix Skipper, Ron Killings, and even Monty Brown (to an extent).

That group of guys had amazing matches every time they got into the ring. They were putting on exciting, highly athletic, entertaining matches and that's what took them to the dance. I think the peak of this "sensation" was Daniels vs. Joe vs. Styles for the X Title at Unbreakable 2005.

These days, you're hard pressed to find a great match from the X-Division. And I don't think it's because the wrestlers have "spotty styles," because it's always been like that with cruiserweights and smaller guys. It's that TNA does not take the necessary time to build up any kind of coherent storylines or interesting characters out of their stars, and when they do, they end up wasting them with no real pay-off. The way they have mis-used Christopher Daniels for the past 2-3 years has been repulsive.

TNA has the same pecking order of the card structure as the WWE, with the "big name" guys on the top and the rest of the guys filtered out throughout the rest. And I'm sorry, but Jeff Jarrett, Sting, and Kevin Nash can't put on amazing matches anymore. Neither can the Dudleys, Rhino, or Scott Steiner. TNA was going to usher in a new era of new stars, and I thought that meant the main event would be invested in completely new blood. That has not happened.

Ahh, TNA. I had such high hopes for you. Maybe something will come of you yet.

[BigDaddyCool]

TNA always seems to go with buying used up stars that giving their own guys the ball. I mean Matt Morgan should be in the title hunt instead of fucking around with Abyss. So should Roode.

[Innovator]

Potential...about it.

[BigDaddyCool]

Potential...about it.

They have had potential for the past 3 years and manager to not live up to expectations. I don't think they have potential anymore.

[Jeritron]

Mike Knox, Kane, Mark Henry, Bigshow, and William Regal are all heels, and none of them seem like they are cowardly punk heels that run away from danger.

Neither does JBL. He accepted a title challenge no questions asked, and he was even the one to offer Shawn Michaels a one on one match with a lot on the line. There were no shenanigans either. He pretty much doesn't back down from a fight, and seems to cheat rarely. JBL was a cowardly heel as champion, but in the year or so he's been pretty agressive.

I wouldn't characterize Swagger, Kozlov, Matt Hardy as cowardly either. They use heel tactics and actions, but they don't run from a fight. Matt's whole character right now has been trying to start one.

[Innovator]

In terms of their roster and who they have, yeah they still have potential to do it right.

[Jeritron]

Orton is a grey area. He is a badass sometimes. Sometimes he'll pull cowardly shit. He certainly doesn't "run from a fight." He might run from a guy with a sledgehammer, but otherwise he's pretty consistent in starting fights, making attacks, and even accepting challenges.
He chose to face HHH.


The only "cowardly heels" are really Edge and Jericho.

[BigDaddyCool]

Neither does JBL. He accepted a title challenge no questions asked, and he was even the one to offer Shawn Michaels a one on one match with a lot on the line. There were no shenanigans either. JBL was a cowardly heel as champion, but in the year or so he's been pretty agressive.

I wouldn't characterize Swagger, Kozlov, Matt Hardy as cowardly either. They use heel tactics and actions, but they don't run from a fight. Matt's whole character right now has been trying to start one.

Also, Umaga, I believe he is heel, and he'll fight anyone.

Then there is Jericho, sure he is being a bully and fighting old men and taking cheap shots, he has accepted a 3 on 1 handycap match for mania. He has been getting in everyone's face when challenging them.

Infact the Edge and Orton (with Rhode & Dibiase) are the only cowardly heels.

While I'm not completely up to date on TNA, it does seem like the entire mainevent mafia is pretty cowardly as they don't get into fight unless they completely out number their opponet and never live up to their words.

[Gerard]

A fat guy with a tyre mark on his face.

[Jeritron]

There are a lot of great talents in TNA, and there can often be great matches. Things don't seem to come together though.

It's like having world class puppets, and someone with no hands trying to pull the strings.

[StingerSplash4Lyf]

the stinger

[Mr. JL]

Sting versus Mick Foley in a Six Sides of Steel Match.

That is about all I can say TNA brings.

[Mooияakeя™]

I know fuck all about promoting, so can't say I know shit about what goes on behind the scenes, but I can't help but feel I'd bring something to the table of creative there, that would boost ratings.

[Dorkchop]

The only thing, for me, that TNA brings to the table is Sting. His feud with Daniels was effortless on both parts (and with the company), but overall I'd say Sting has been one of the only consistently good things in the company. Christian was, but they stopped using him and he left.

At this point TNA brings nothing to the table. That's not to say they can't have something in a couple of months. The Sting/Foley match could be something, but I honestly don't care too much.

Even a year ago they had the awesome Knockouts division.

[Theo Dious]

People started watching TNA because of the massive success of the X-Division. That is a fact.

The only thing TNA ever brought to the table is the fact of another wrestling company with something like national exposure. That was why people started watching it. The X Division might have dragged in some extra attention, but their success was only massive in light of the shitty-ass main events they were putting together out of guys who either couldn't or wouldn't work for Vince McMahon.

A few spurts of good booking managed to convince the land of the smarks that TNA was some kind of paradise, but even that's fallen off (at a rate that's diretly proportional to the abandonment of TNA being mentioned as the place where someone "would get used properly" when he left WWE.) They have a few guys with some talent, but any group of wrestlers you can assemble will front that. Most of the younger guys with any kind of potential are never going to break through the glut of established guys. Established in WWE or WCW, mind. They have a stagnant roster, just like WCW did, they're using old WCW storylines, and they waste their time trying to prove they're better than WWE. If you had handed WCW to the Jarretts in 2001, the result would be exactly what you see in TNA today.

[Theo Dious]

Infact the Edge and Orton (with Rhode & Dibiase) are the only cowardly heels.

Orton isn't exactly the model of a cowardly heel though. I'm not saying he isn't one, but he hasn't been Grade A pussy-boy material either. He's menacing when he needs to be, and he runs away when he needs to. He's done a lot of cowardly shit against HHH, but come on, look who you're talking about here.

Edge, too, isn't 100% coward material... he runs and saves his ass more than his share, but he also locked himself in an Elimination Chamber to get a chance at the title. Both of them, really, are a lot more opportunistic and loud-mouthed than cowardly.

Santino, on the other hand...

[Theo Dious]

Kurt Angle.

They have the only heels that are not complete punks (Afraid of anyone/everyone).

Just to join these two concepts... Angle's current heel character is a poor man's Triple H circa 1994.

[The Optimist]

Yes, your question.

[The Optimist]

From what I can see, the majority is only interested in a few certain wrestlers that TNA has for one reason or another. And, other than the Knockout division, those mentioned we're homegrown in TNA. So . . . hilarious.

And the X-Division keeps getting mentioned, but it's gone by the wayside massively.

[BigDaddyCool]

Orton isn't exactly the model of a cowardly heel though. I'm not saying he isn't one, but he hasn't been Grade A pussy-boy material either. He's menacing when he needs to be, and he runs away when he needs to. He's done a lot of cowardly shit against HHH, but come on, look who you're talking about here.

Edge, too, isn't 100% coward material... he runs and saves his ass more than his share, but he also locked himself in an Elimination Chamber to get a chance at the title. Both of them, really, are a lot more opportunistic and loud-mouthed than cowardly.

Santino, on the other hand...

I agree, except with Santino. He isn't a heel, he is a comedy act whipping boy.

[RatedGSuperstar]

Orton isn't exactly the model of a cowardly heel though. I'm not saying he isn't one, but he hasn't been Grade A pussy-boy material either. He's menacing when he needs to be, and he runs away when he needs to. He's done a lot of cowardly shit against HHH, but come on, look who you're talking about here.

Edge, too, isn't 100% coward material... he runs and saves his ass more than his share, but he also locked himself in an Elimination Chamber to get a chance at the title. Both of them, really, are a lot more opportunistic and loud-mouthed than cowardly.

Santino, on the other hand...

I would also mention Edge's psychotic streak that seems to kick in every few months or so. The weeks leading up to his HIAC match at Summerslam against Taker were great. Since Taker didn't appear on TV until that Summerslam (IIRC), Edge carried the hype for that match and absolutely delivered.

I don't know if I'd call them cowardly heels, though...I'd probably go with "calculating" instead. As characters, both Orton and Edge know when to pick their spots, have their own ways of stacking the deck in their favor, and can be especially vicious when they do find an opportunity to be so.

[Funky Fly]

Velvet Sky, I guess. Don't give a shit about TNA other than her.

[Xerzes]

http://bleacherreport.com/images_root/image_pictures/0239/5731/samoa_joe2_feature.jpg

"I'm moping because there's a dick on my face. I wish I could go back to a bloody towel like when I was in good storylines."

[Juan]

looks like the Famous logo

http://www.teamhelluk.com/images/famous%20logo.jpg

[The Mackem]

They've tried to introduced us to more characters/gimmicks to get away from wrestler a is the same as wrestler b but with a different name. It doesn't seem to be working, however, as BDC says if they get away from showing no wrestling and way too many promotional videos, they could make it work. Why they feel the need to show a 1-2 minute video for every member of the roster in a two hour TV show is beyond me.

[Destor]

I agree, except with Santino. He isn't a heel, he is a comedy act whipping boy.
LOL, what? He's a heel BDC. Stop talking.

[FourFifty]

Potential...about it.

I don't know about you, Inno, but I'm not going to stare at a lump of coal thinking it'll become a diamond.

[Fabien Barthez]

There was more wrestling on Impact this week than in a month of Raw's. My only problems with them are of course the shocking booking, the lack of ME's who can work a good match and to an extent, the ring.

I actually posted this last night. Not word for word, but with the same points. I don't want to say too much about it though, in case some mexican teen pokes fun at me and hurts my feewings.

[BigDaddyCool]

LOL, what? He's a heel BDC. Stop talking.

I know he is a heel, but I don't think anyone hates him like a heel should be hated. But yeah, Santino is the only true out and out cowardly heel.

[Innovator]

I don't know about you, Inno, but I'm not going to stare at a lump of coal thinking it'll become a diamond.
Thats what TIVO is for, I usually get through impact in 15 minutes

[erickman]

Thats what TIVO is for, I usually get through impact in 15 minutes

yep i love tivo 20 mins raw maby 25 for smackdown 10 mins for ecw and 25 for tna

[DAMN iNATOR]

I know he is a heel, but I don't think anyone hates him like a heel should be hated. But yeah, Santino is the only true out and out cowardly heel.

And a 3-ring circus, even without Phoenix & Mendez on his arms.

Also, I believe you could most definitely characterize Shelton and Kane as 2 more WWE heels who don't back down from anything.

[BigDaddyCool]

And a 3-ring circus, even without Phoenix & Mendez on his arms.

Also, I believe you could most definitely characterize Shelton and Kane as 2 more WWE heels who don't back down from anything.

I mentioned Kane already. Shelton picks his spots but doesn't back down.

Again, besides of Santino and Edge, I wouldn't say WWE has any cowardly heels. While TNA has the entire MEM.

[Mr. Nerfect]

TNA offers talented guys that aren't in the WWE a place to earn a paycheck. Besides that, potential is really all they offer, as Inno said.

It's really sad, because if TNA let Kurt Angle work in the X-Division for a few months, just as an experiment (something Angle has said he'd like to do), a program with Christopher Daniels or something could completely regenerate interest in their product. But they won't do that.

[St. Jimmy]

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[XL]

I dunno, I kinda had a soft spot for TNA - we Brits love an underdog after all.

I held out a load of hope for the MEM v Originals/Frontline angle but they dropped the ball perhaps moreso than ever.

I thought the idea was to put the likes of Styles and Joe over the established guys like Angle/Sting. Then we got the involvement of Rhino and Team 3D. What we have ended up with however is an angle between Sting, Angle, Foley and Jarrett - not a "new" face in sight.

Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig mistake I feel.

[BobBitchen]

Mike Knox, and Big show,are heels, and neither of them seem like they are cowardly punk heels that run away from danger.


Kane is a jobber.
Mark Henry, and William Regal are Douche bags.

[Funky Fly]

Wait, just remembered: Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin and Eric Young.

Also, the occasional talent exchange with Japan. I remember when WWE used to do that. Good times.

But mainly just Velvet Sky. TNA is pretty poopy.

[LoDownM]

Velvey Sky.