Roderick Strong and Austin Aries in hot water with TNA
 

Credit: Mike Johnson of PWinsider.com

"TNA will be removing Roderick Strong and Austin Aries from their bookings for at least the next several tapings and possibly as long as several months in a disciplinary move for willingly putting themselves in a position where they could have missed the Against All Odds PPV this past weekend, despite orders to skip a Ring of Honor event to travel to Florida.

Aries and Strong were among a crew of TNA wrestlers scheduled to appear at Ring of Honor's Lake Grove, New York event the night before Against All Odds in Orlando. Due to the heavy snowstorm that was heading into the Northeast, TNA management requested that everyone leave immediately for the airport and booked them on flights to Orlando. Jay Lethal, Alex Shelley, and Homicide all left and flew to Orlando. Aries and Strong, who hold the ROH Tag Team belts, remained and worked the show. They flew to Florida the next morning and appeared on the PPV as scheduled in a loss to the Naturals.

Strong and Aries both lost matches at the Impact taping two nights later. Their storyline where they and Alex Shelley had been complaining that they were being given chances in TNA, which teased an eventual showdown with Jerry Lynn, was also dropped. The company was unhappy with the two not doing what was requested of them, which led to the decision to "bench them" for the time being. I'm not sure of exactly why but there is more heat on Aries for the situation than there is on Strong.

I was told by a number of sources that while TNA does value Aries and Strong's work, they unfortunately ended up being made an example of because management is tired of talents missing PPV events when advertised. Although they made the PPV, Strong and Aries are being penalized by TNA in an attempt to send a message to the locker room and will have to pay the price. "

psh. this sounds more like a WWE story.

This is a bad move for them. Dropping a story with no explanation (except to the smarks who'll read this shit) to "punish" them hurts them more than the wrestlers, I'd reckon. As much as I enjoy the macho, dick-driven politics of wrestling, it's going to hurt the quality of their programming, and they can't afford this (At this point, even the WWE can't, but that's beside the point).

If Aries and Strong weren't ROH tag champs, I'd say it was a bad move on their part.

I think TNA made a great decision. If an employee plays a stunt like that, they should be punished accordingly.

Yeah but they made it back for the show :wtf:

Yeah, if they wouldn't have made it though...that would've fucked TNA up.

This is too bad. Their little group with Alex Shelly were pretty much the highlight of watching TNA.

And they shouldn't just drop it with no reason. Especially when they are heading towards primetime. They need all the talent they have.

If they missed the show, fine, you have a reason to be pissed and punish them. But they got there and so they should just be pissed and punish them with a lesser sentence.

I don't understand this. I know they have to set an example, but it sounds like Alex Shelley is getting punished, too, if they're completely dropping the "GenBassy" story. If they're really insistent on punishing Rod and Austin, have Shelley come out on the next Impact and sign up full-on with Planet Jarrett.

Have him talk about ditching the "dead weight" that's been clinging to him since he came back, and how he knows the only way to the X Title is with the King Of The Mountain's help. Not only doesn't it punish Alex for what his stablemates did, it continues to stroke JJ's ego, which in turn makes everyone happy.

A little over the top on this occasion I think (as has been said) but so long as TNA are consistent with bigger stars (as they have been really) I say it is a very good move stamping out any sort of WCWish ideas right from the start.

Good on TNA for making the stand and sticking to it, even if they may have gone a bit harsh.

Would they still be paying Aries & Strong for sitting on the bench? If so, this could backfire. I'd much rather see them turn Aries & Strong into quasi-jobbers, using them only for house shows, pre-PPV matches and Gauntlet Matches, etc. Not booking them at all makes it sound a bit rough.

I think it is good TNA is not letting its employees run the asylum.

Good job on the part of TNA. Aries and Strong were being morons, not listening to what management told them to do. They should indeed be punished.

Are they even contracted by them? If not they have no reason to bitch especially since they made it back on time.

I mean Jesus Christ at least the WWE allowed CM Punk to work a ROH show the other week.

Stunt? They were contracted to be at both shows, they wrestled as both shows. If anything, I give the two of them credit for not pussy footing out of their deal with ROH.

That might not be true. There are rumors that CM Punk asked the wrong guy in WWE, and the wrong guy still might not have given him permission to do it.

Again it's just a rumor right now so take it with a grain of salt if you will.

Yeah, how dare they honor BOTH their engagements and therefore their contracts? They should be punished for not breeching with RoH. God damn their practical set of ethics and their timeliness and their sense of commitment! Nothing like this should go unpunished.

It's not the fact that they worked the ROH show, it's the fact that the weather conditions were bad to the point where it could've kept them from the TNA show. And it's not like the weather crept up on them. They already knew it was going to be shitty. That wasn't an issue with CM Punk at all.

As far as Aries and Strong, I say kudos to them for keeping their word, but I definitely see TNA's side of it. I'd punish them, but not NEARLY this extremely.

Here's a good question... Which show were they booked for first :)

Seems like even a lot of people on the TNA board are siding with Strong/ Aries

I respect them for keep their agreement, but one is a "house show", where they can easily book another match, and one is a Pay Per Veiw, which equals exposure and airtime. tough choice.

They had a tag title defense that night at that "house show". Aries will always put ROH ahead, I mean cmon the guy runs the school.

I see both sides really. On one hand you have a contractual obligation with TNA to appear on a ppv show. Obviously, TNA wants you to consider their interests and their product.

On the other you have another obligation the night before at a different location for a different promotion that required honoring.

I don't think they should be punished. Sure, they didn't do as asked, but I mean, no harm no foul. Its not like they missed the show. To me, TNA is wrong because the only thing they have on Aries and Strong is that they didn't do what the company asked for. No one suffered for it, no one was penalized, it really shouldnt be the issue that it is in my opinion

Two things. That ROH houseshow already took a hit w/ Lowki leaving, and the snow.

PLUS

Strong and Aries do NOT have an exclusive TNA contract. Therefore, it's not fair of TNA to say "don't honor your agreement with them, because something MIGHT happen."

TO steal someone elses analogy. If I worked 2 jobs, my boss couldn't say "Don't go to your first job because the weather may get bad and you may not be able to make it into here."

Or being told by your boss "I dont wnat you staying up later or you might not hear your alarm."

Could have, but didn't.

And not legal, either (In any other business). Fortunately for TNA, this is acceptable for them, though it kills off one of their storylines to do so. They have every right to be petty, pathetic, and self destructive, much as they want to.

Exactly. Whether TNA likes it or not, they should not be able to be punished for something they did outside of work that did not in any way, shape, or form, cause an issue with there job.

It's not like it was a major angle or anything; only viewers who have been watching since the debut on Spike TV really know the story. And since TNA are building their fanbase, they can afford to drop such a minor storyline (especially under the shadow of Christian Cage's title win, LAX vs. James Gang, Team Canada vs. Everyone, and the Joe/Daniels/Styles saga) if it means showing the locker room that they mean business.

Good move by TNA, even though "months" sounds pretty fuckin harsh, considering they did make the PPV.

Yeah, good move punishing people who uphold their contracts (verbal or otherwise). Being able to work other shows is part of the TNA appeal, and this'll make people think twice about being responsible. I suppose it sends more of a message to the locker room than the 50 times they've dealt with Hardy...

Right, but if somebody shoots at you and misses, you still get pissed, right?

I'm not saying that this was that dire, but I think you see how I mean.

I see what you mean, but it doesn't make it any more valid.

TNA has left itself open to its performers having other commitments. It has now spanked two of its performers for actually following through with those commitments. This is nowhere near someone shooting at you and missing, and it's sad that you even try and draw even a loose comparison.

From my point of view, if Aries and Strong have an exclusive deal to TNA then yes they should be punished. If not, then TNA management should have no right to punish them.

Let's not pretend they had no right. They have every right to do what they want. Wrestlers don't have the same rights as other employees...

You may not agree with it (And I don't), but they have the right.

They don't have exclusive contracts, so that arguement is gone.

Furthermore, from what I've heard, they're much more loyal to ROH anyway.

Where their loyalties lie is also moot.

Would a pro-wrestling "union" FIX this unfortunate situation? If so, I think wrestlers need this more than ever these days.

Well, maybe not more than ever but it would be a good thing to have.

It would if they have the wherewithall to found one.

On that note, it would probably help is Satan was wearing a sweater and weatherproofing Hell for the impending snowstorm...

The fact is, TNA is the number 2 promotion in the US today, and they need all the positive contributions that they can get. Advertising The Naturals vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong, an obviously very well paired match that was one of the better outings on the card, and then pulling it would've been a knock that they really don't need right now (especially after the Nash/Jarrett/BFG fiasco, not to mention Jeff Hardy's recent no-shows).

They had to put a foot down somewhere, and when they told their TNA wrestlers to fly to the East coast immediately because of the impending storm, Aries and Strong should have listened instead of trying to seem like big shots with more important things to do than help build up the only viable competition to WWE on the market today.

It doesn't matter, as their employer, TNA has NO RIGHT to dictate what legal activities they do on their days off. They did not miss the show, therefore, there is no issue. You can't punish someone for doing nothing wrong. To me, this seems like nothing more than TNA saying "We're more important than ROH, and you're going to recognize it."

No harm was done to TNA, no harm was done to ROH. How the hell can you punish them for meeting their contractual obligations?