Ric Flair/AJ Styles

[Ruien]

Anyone buying into AJ being the next "Nature Boy"? Had no idea this was going on until I seen Ric on TNA. When I seen him, I was like holy shit and finished the segment (And watched the whole show). The rub that AJ may get from this is amazing, his promo once he came out was outstanding. He had the energy during the promo like Ric Flair would have.

Also, Angle not talking in that segment was amazing. TNA has a great show, hope some of you watched it.

[What Would Kevin Do?]

The Nasty Boys went over Kevin Nash and Eric Young cleanly, with EY taking the fall. That's not a great show, that's fucking stupid.

[The Pope]

So?

[Juan]

So?

Why do you post shit like this? If you don't like the thread, don't post in it.

Anywho, I tried watching Impact last night. I watched that whole Flair promo, but it was pretty obvious that Flair was under the influence of some sort of substance. Made me kind of sad so I stopped watching.

[Loose Cannon]

Liked the show and loved that segment in particular.

[Schlomey]

saw bits and pieces of the show. Very good stuff overall. Didn't see anything offensive to my eyes. Love aj/flair combo even.

[Mr. JL]

Meh, its just EY! I cannot see how anyone could take him very seriously after his stint in Team Canada. Plus, as long as its to build the Nasty Boys as a legimate threat against Team 3D (and Team 3D wins the match/feud) then I think it is worth it in the end. I definitely do not believe that the Nasty Boys should become a permanent fixture in TNA, nor do I think they are even able to at thier ages.

[EDWARD]

the show was pretty good, it had it's moments.

[legendkillerRKO]

dont think aj is the next flair...but he is a better heel than a face...he can pull off the young arrogant cocky champion...aj is one of the best in the business and hogan said he wanted to make him a household name...well you team him with flair...feud him with an established name in kurt angle and basically put the company on his shoulders

[Skippord]

Meh, its just EY! I cannot see how anyone could take him very seriously after his stint in Team Canada. Plus, as long as its to build the Nasty Boys as a legimate threat against Team 3D (and Team 3D wins the match/feud) then I think it is worth it in the end. I definitely do not believe that the Nasty Boys should become a permanent fixture in TNA, nor do I think they are even able to at thier ages.
Eric Young was running a successful stable and was one of TNA's most over heels a couple weeks ago

[Ruien]

The Nasty Boys went over Kevin Nash and Eric Young cleanly, with EY taking the fall. That's not a great show, that's fucking stupid.

......... You take one thing from the show and say it sucks. First off, Nash was distracted with the whole Hall and 6-pac thing going on. Eric carried the match for the most part, Nash was barley in. Nash got laid out on the outside, with the Nasty Boys DOUBLE TEAMING Eric Young, Eric fell. That does not make Eric Young look bad at all, IT CALLED A STORYLINE!!!. I am sorry you are use to person A feuding with person B and it can only develop when A and B are in a match/segment together.

You are one of those people that goes crazy when Jericho (Or whoever you think if the best wrestler) loses a match.

[Skippord]

anyone losing to the Nasty Boys in 2010 sucks

[thecc]

......... You take one thing from the show and say it sucks. First off, Nash was distracted with the whole Hall and 6-pac thing going on. Eric carried the match for the most part, Nash was barley in. Nash got laid out on the outside, with the Nasty Boys DOUBLE TEAMING Eric Young, Eric fell. That does not make Eric Young look bad at all, IT CALLED A STORYLINE!!!. I am sorry you are use to person A feuding with person B and it can only develop when A and B are in a match/segment together.

You are one of those people that goes crazy when Jericho (Or whoever you think if the best wrestler) loses a match.He jobbed to two washed up hacks. How are people not seeing that's the problem.

[Mr. Nerfect]

The Nasty Boys should not be working in TNA. That much is for sure. This thread is not about the The Nasty Boys, though -- it's about Ric Flair and AJ Styles. Personally, I think their alliance has got some potential. I am yet to see Styles as the character, so I will reserve official judgment for now. I can, however, see both pros and cons for this idea.

I wonder how long it will take TNA to bring in Reid Flair to either feud with or join Styles?

[Stealth-Icon]

That so called pump handle slam that Sags tried to do was absolutely horrible. He couldn't even get EY up over his shoulder to do it correctly. He got him half way up and had to drop him down.

I don't mind Flair with AJ. It has been a few years since AJ was a heel, and with Flair with him now he shouldn't come off as such a pussy as he did his last go around as a heel. I would like to see a good stable form around him with Flair as the manager. Maybe put Beer Money with AJ and then find one more "henchman" to join up. Matt Morgan would be good. I don't like him with Hernandez anyways. Put the Pope in with them too.

REFORM LAX!!

[AKin3D]

I always wanted to see Flair and AJ work together. I just wish it could've happened a year or two ago.

[Joesgonnakillyou]

Flair paired with AJ is fucking terrible. Your world champion doesn't need a fucking rub, he's the champ. He's meant to be number one. Not imitating someone else like a child. It was a pointless heel turn. Typical russo booking. Awful, just fucking awful.

AJ can stand on his own absolutely fine.

[Blakeamus]

......... You take one thing from the show and say it sucks. First off, Nash was distracted with the whole Hall and 6-pac thing going on. Eric carried the match for the most part, Nash was barley in. Nash got laid out on the outside, with the Nasty Boys DOUBLE TEAMING Eric Young, Eric fell. That does not make Eric Young look bad at all, IT CALLED A STORYLINE!!!. I am sorry you are use to person A feuding with person B and it can only develop when A and B are in a match/segment together.

You are one of those people that goes crazy when Jericho (Or whoever you think if the best wrestler) loses a match.

It's still real to him.....damnit!

[Steveviscious89]

The Nasty Boys should not be working in TNA. That much is for sure. This thread is not about the The Nasty Boys, though -- it's about Ric Flair and AJ Styles. Personally, I think their alliance has got some potential. I am yet to see Styles as the character, so I will reserve official judgment for now. I can, however, see both pros and cons for this idea.

I wonder how long it will take TNA to bring in Reid Flair to either feud with or join Styles?

I agree with the potential it has. AJ NEEDS the rub, regardless of how good of a wrestler he is. Almost everyone agrees he is outstanding in the ring, but he has to have that heat that's been lacking for so long in his character in order to be a better draw.

I too thought that the Nasty Boys shouldn't be there, but you know....at least they came in with a little bit of heat on them for tearing up 3D's lockeroom. Really, I think that was the best they could do for them. I bet they leave after the feud is over.

[Joesgonnakillyou]

I agree with the potential it has. AJ NEEDS the rub, regardless of how good of a wrestler he is. Almost everyone agrees he is outstanding in the ring, but he has to have that heat that's been lacking for so long in his character in order to be a better draw.

Even if you agree that AJ needs to develop character (which i don't particulary) is the way for him to shine really to play second string to a 60 year old man? or perhaps to work on his own identity a little bit more?

[Mr. Nerfect]

I just watched this week's episode of iMPACT!. I kind of like the AJ/Flair relationship. If this were the WWE, I don't know how I would take it, but given that TNA tends to focus more on detailed characters on a wider spectrum, I think it makes a good deal of sense. AJ's made a choice, and it's up to us to decide whether we like it or not. Kurt Angle summed it up best in his backstage promo, where he implied that Flair is corrupting a good kid, but AJ is a "big boy" now. And to be honest, I think it has given extra weight to Styles as a power-player. His character was a bit too passive and happy-go-lucky before, for my liking.

As for The Nasty Boys -- while I would rather they not be there, there's so much going on around Kevin Nash and even Eric Young right now that their loss made sense. The Nasty Boys need to be made to look like something before they can put over Team 3D. I don't have too much problem with it.

[Jordan]

Impact was really fun and entertaining, although I didn't like some thing about it for sure. The AJ/Flair alliance, well I am just not sold on it yet. I hope that over a few weeks AJ is able to take his Ric Flair imitation and make it his own. Honestly I am not interested in seeing another Nature Boy rip off. And I didn't love his promo either, until his whoo at the end which was really cool I thought. I hate watching AJ get all excited when he talks, he comes off as a dumb redneck. He should try to stay cool, state the facts, and when the hype time comes to get excited always be the confident one who knows he is going to win because he is that damn good.

The screw job was really well done, although a shot for shot remake of the 97 screwjob, which is retarded, seeing as WWE is still running that angle today. I really like Angle's reaction and Hogan being there... but it was the same shit as SS 97 lets be honest.

They did however redeem themselves by Bischoff comming out bloody and fire Foley, (btw loved when Eric and Hulk called him Cactus Jack) great moment for TNA.

[Jordan]

Oh yes the Nasty Boys. Well I was actually impressed because my expectations were very low. To be honest they did not offend. And I think the feud with 3-D will be entertaining for angles and a bloody brawl. I am a pretty big Team 3-D fan so the feud does interest me. Jerry Sags was actually pretty decent in the match. Also I didn't mind them going over Young and Nash because Young's stock has really fallen in my eyes as well as Nash's. I don't much care for either of them at the moment. Although the potential alliance of The Band and Eric Young is intriguing, I really don't think it is going to do much for Eric Young, probably more harm than good.

[Jordan]

And one more thing. I love the Kurt/AJ rivalry, but their last two matches can't hold a candle to the Impact 1/4 match. They need a break from each other or a good stipulation match.

[What Would Kevin Do?]

......... You take one thing from the show and say it sucks. First off, Nash was distracted with the whole Hall and 6-pac thing going on. Eric carried the match for the most part, Nash was barley in. Nash got laid out on the outside, with the Nasty Boys DOUBLE TEAMING Eric Young, Eric fell. That does not make Eric Young look bad at all, IT CALLED A STORYLINE!!!. I am sorry you are use to person A feuding with person B and it can only develop when A and B are in a match/segment together.

You are one of those people that goes crazy when Jericho (Or whoever you think if the best wrestler) loses a match.

I'll concede that the rest of the show wasn't bad. Here's my issue. I normally don't give a shit who loses a match and who wins a match The issue in this case is who is losing and specifically, who is winning.

The Nasty Boys are irrelevant. They're burned out remnants of an old generation, and for the most part, they were never really a "big" team. The reason they're in TNA is because Knobbs is buddy buddy with Hogan. If it wasn't for Hogan, they wouldn't be there. In the entire match, Knobbs, the fat ass that he is, looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

Yes, EY did carry most of the match... If by carry you mean spending most of the time in the ring getting beaten. Let's call a spade a spade, the Nasty Boys essentially dominated him. It wasn't "close" by any means.

When you're booking a guy who could be a future talent to lose cleanly to a team that shouldn't even be wrestling in the first place, who is only there because one guy is a buddy with Hogan, and you're doing it to build a feud that shouldn't even be happening in the first place, THAT"s when I have a problem.

TNA has been very hit or miss in the past. I want to give them another chance, and honestly, they are getting better in various areas. However, I see no reason why I should invest my time hoping TNA gets better, when they're blatantly doing shit like this, that if nothing else, shows that there is still major Hogan politicking going on.

EY losing cleanly to the Nasty Boys is a joke. Almost anyone on the TNA roster losing cleanly to them is a joke. It might be one thing, but it's one thing that signals to me that I shouldn't be surprised if more stupid shit happens in the future.

Also, for the record, I was pissed when the Nasty Boys laid out the Dudleys, and for the most part, I'm not a fan of the Dudleys either. Once again, it's just because a team that doesn't belong there is being made to look great, and the only reason it's happening is because of Hogan.

[Dante69]

All of this new shit is a ploy for Hogan and Bischoff to destroy TNA, just to be purchased by the devil himself...... Vincent Kennedy McMahon

[RGWhat316]

WWKD is spot on. I'm not even a Eric Young fan, but the fact that he was the youngest guy in the match, and losing cleanly is just wrong.

[Indifferent Clox]

i think they are trying to keep all guys on a level playing field. that's what's up with all the osing of big names.

[Jordan]

When did young guys all of the sudden have a right to beat old guys? Most wrestling fans don't think in terms of "getting somebody over". Eric Young is not about to be the next HBK like Nash said, or even the next Jeff Jarrett. He is a good worker who is flat on the mic, and the only thing that makes him interesting is his weird voice. So what if Eric loses to The Nasty's, their program with 3-D is bigger on the agenda obviously.

[Londoner]

Flair paired with AJ is fucking terrible. Your world champion doesn't need a fucking rub, he's the champ. He's meant to be number one. Not imitating someone else like a child. It was a pointless heel turn. Typical russo booking. Awful, just fucking awful.

AJ can stand on his own absolutely fine.

You're a fucking idiot.

[What Would Kevin Do?]

When did young guys all of the sudden have a right to beat old guys? Most wrestling fans don't think in terms of "getting somebody over". Eric Young is not about to be the next HBK like Nash said, or even the next Jeff Jarrett. He is a good worker who is flat on the mic, and the only thing that makes him interesting is his weird voice. So what if Eric loses to The Nasty's, their program with 3-D is bigger on the agenda obviously.

It's not that there "old guys", it's that they're the fucking Nasty Boys. It'd be like bringing in the Bushwackers and having them go over MCMG... It just doesn't make fucking sense.

[What Would Kevin Do?]

I think Bubba the Love Sponge appears to be in better shape than Knobbs...

[Joesgonnakillyou]

You're a fucking idiot.

Constructive.

:|

[erickman]

i wonder if they will do a 4 horseman type stable flair aj tomko maby big rob or stiener as big body guard.

[The Pope]

I would like to see another 4 horsemen.

[Kane Knight]

The show was decent, the Nasty boys were not. Can't we all just get along?

...Wait, that seems out of character. Hold on...

Can't we all just get along, you fucking retards?`

[Joesgonnakillyou]

Lance Storm said it better.

"I’m not going to say this is wrong or even a definite bad idea, only time will tell for sure, but I hated AJ Styles as the new Nature Boy. There are a ton of things that needed fixing in TNA but AJ Styles isn’t one of them. One of the reasons the Nature Boy gimmick worked so well for Ric Flair was that he lived it; he really did live this life style. AJ Styles is about as far from this gimmick in real life as humanly possible. The only person that might be less suited for this gimmick is me. I also think AJ as a heel is a terrible idea because most of the appeal of AJ Styles is all the phenomenal stuff he does. AJ does cool shit and has great matches, so why would I want to boo him? The answer is I don’t, I like and respect AJ for how hard he works and I enjoy matching his matches. AJ Styles acting like a Ric Flair wanna be is just going to make him look like a second rate worker marking out for a guy he sees as a bigger star than himself. Also, on a production note, book SHORTER girls! Why did no one notice that these girls were TALLER than the World Heavyweight Champion, and point out that this is a bad visual on TV? AJ got in the ring and stood between Flair’s two girls and they were both taller than him. Book shorter girls or make them take off their heels when they get in the ring!

To me this angle is a sabotaging push. You claim to be pushing a guy while you force him out of his own element as a character, put him in a situation (being a heel) that limits his strengths in the ring, you then over shadow him with someone who is supposed to give him the rub and do underhanded things that make him look bad (like having him look small standing beside girls) and then when he isn’t as over as he is supposed to be at the end of it all, you point out that you tried real hard, “but the kid just couldn’t get over” and put all the blame on him and then go on to push who you originally wanted to in the first place. I hope I’m wrong, but the alternative to this being a clever way of making AJ fail, is that they are actually trying to succeed and are making this many mistakes unknowingly. I’m not sure which is worse. "

That's what i meant worded better than I could do.

[Jordan]

Like I said I wasn't offended by the Nasty Boys, but Storm and a lot of you guys are right. Sometimes I just don't give a shit if TNA or WWE or ROH does stuff that displeases the IWC.

[Loose Cannon]

I respect Lance Storm and all, but I think the times have just passed him by. Wrestling is not the same as it was 10-20 years ago. The days of mastering your craft are over. The days of living the gimmick are over. You got to accept it. Wrestling is as mainstream as ever right now. These newer fans just don't care about the little things that made wrestlers great in our eyes so long ago. Wrestling is just another show on TV these days. And with most shows these days, logic takes a backside. Ive finally accepted that. Five years ago, I would of probably picked apart TNA piece by piece and shit all over that show. But today, I just watch it just like anything else. There's stuff that's going to suck and there's stuff that's going to be good. My days of analyzing every single segment and posting about what would make more sense are over. Wreslting will continue to go on

[Kane Knight]

I respect Lance Storm and all, but I think the times have just passed him by. Wrestling is not the same as it was 10-20 years ago. The days of mastering your craft are over. The days of living the gimmick are over. You got to accept it. Wrestling is as mainstream as ever right now. These newer fans just don't care about the little things that made wrestlers great in our eyes so long ago. Wrestling is just another show on TV these days. And with most shows these days, logic takes a backside. Ive finally accepted that. Five years ago, I would of probably picked apart TNA piece by piece and shit all over that show. But today, I just watch it just like anything else. There's stuff that's going to suck and there's stuff that's going to be good. My days of analyzing every single segment and posting about what would make more sense are over. Wreslting will continue to go on

TNA practically books to smarks, though. While you could make that argument about WWE very much so, TNA's spent a lot of time pushing one type of fan as their core audience, the kind who would most care about traditions and gimmicks and shit, and they're doing the opposite.

I'm not saying TNA sucks for not fellating a bunch of anal geeks, but when you court a demographic, expect that demographic to get a little pissy when you start acting in a fashion that kind of flies in the face of that. and TNA's best hope is probably not trying to be WWE lite anyway.

Also, the "Nature Boy" monicker only really matters to the people who are like you were five years ago. It's not going to help get him over with people who are fans because wrestling is mainstream. Flair isn't, either. This seems like the sort of thing that would be tailor made for the smarks, so I can't blame Storm or anyone else for looking at it from a smark perspective.

I doubt many casuals could name a second "Nature Boy." I'd hazard that to the majority of those casuals think that Ric Flair is the Nature Boy in more or less the same way Triple H is the Game, Michaels is the Heart Break Kid, and Undertaker is the Phenom. The whole point to the Flair angle seems to be use of legacy, a legacy that casuals aren't going to care about.

That being said, I haven't given a shit about Flair in years now, and just want him to go away. They could put a big tank in the ring, put Flair on a motorcycle, and have him very literally jump the shark in TNA, and I still wouldn't care. But the people complaining are making a very legit set of points because they're the only ones who are likely to give a fuck about this kind of thing.