Will Kurt Angle actaully help TNA to the next level?

[St. Jimmy]

IMO, casual fans will hate TNA. It has no non-wrestling entertainment value.

[BigDaddyCool]

Originally Posted by St. Jimmy IMO, casual fans will hate TNA. It has no non-wrestling entertainment value.

Interesting point. But I think the real weakness to its entertainment value for casual fans is A.J. Styles...well no, that isn't fair. It is all of the cruiserwieght indy workers they have really, who are best represented by A.J. Styles, at least in my mind.

All the TNA indy workers strive to be super awesome in the ring. And we all know being super awesome in the ring doesn't sell tickets or get the causal fan into it. Being super awesome in the ring is always a plus, but none of them have character that is unique to themselves, they are all the same. The only reason I named Jay Lethal and Eric Young is because I know who they are. Eric has a pretty good gimmick going right now, and Jay Lethal is the black guy. The rest of them all have generic names (hell Eric Young is prett generic too), generic ring attire, flashy move sets with unrealistic moves even for wrestling (but they all have them so they become generic movesets by default) and pretty much no gimmick. News flash, having the announcers calling you the Canadian Destroyer is not a gimmick.

Now if they were start getting the guys to be more unique, not all of them can be young pissed off badasses with a chip all the shoulder trying to prove how good they are to the world. Also, being the ethinic verision of the pissed off up and comer doesn't count as unique either, that's right I'm talking to LAX, Senshi, and Sonjay Dutt.

Plus, to get more casual fans, it would help if Jeff Jarrett was kept away from title for a while, and the title stayed on a guy for longer than 2 or 3 months.

[St. Jimmy]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyCool Interesting point. But I think the real weakness to its entertainment value for casual fans is A.J. Styles

That was pretty much perfect right there. Rest of the argument was true, and good, but that first sentance was perfect.

[BigDaddyCool]

Originally Posted by St. Jimmy That was pretty much perfect right there. Rest of the argument was true, and good, but that first sentance was perfect.

Yeah, I have been hating on A.J. Styles since before it was cool to hate on A.J. "Faggot" Styles.

[Vastardikai]

Originally Posted by BigDaddyCool Interesting point. But I think the real weakness to its entertainment value for casual fans is A.J. Styles...well no, that isn't fair. It is all of the cruiserwieght indy workers they have really, who are best represented by A.J. Styles, at least in my mind. All the TNA indy workers strive to be super awesome in the ring. And we all know being super awesome in the ring doesn't sell tickets or get the causal fan into it. Being super awesome in the ring is always a plus, but none of them have character that is unique to themselves, they are all the same. The only reason I named Jay Lethal and Eric Young is because I know who they are. Eric has a pretty good gimmick going right now, and Jay Lethal is the black guy. The rest of them all have generic names (hell Eric Young is prett generic too), generic ring attire, flashy move sets with unrealistic moves even for wrestling (but they all have them so they become generic movesets by default) and pretty much no gimmick. News flash, having the announcers calling you the Canadian Destroyer is not a gimmick. Now if they were start getting the guys to be more unique, not all of them can be young pissed off badasses with a chip all the shoulder trying to prove how good they are to the world. Also, being the ethinic verision of the pissed off up and comer doesn't count as unique either, that's right I'm talking to LAX, Senshi, and Sonjay Dutt. Plus, to get more casual fans, it would help if Jeff Jarrett was kept away from title for a while, and the title stayed on a guy for longer than 2 or 3 months.

I'd like to see a guy enter the X-Division with a gimmick like this: I don't need to do the aerial shit to be a star. I'll do it on my own terms.

The guy comes out, dressed in long tights and boots, no kickpads. He more or less cuts a promo about how he doesn't like the X-Division wrestlers who look alike, dress alike, move alike, and, most importantly, Wrestle alike. He also shits on the Kickpads and Spandex Shorts that seem to be the uniform of the entire X-Division. He could probably pull of legit heel heat with that, if he can talk.

Then, when the match starts, he's more or less a straight ahead brawler, who just moves out of the way of high spots, and favors doing Old fashioned wrestling. I'm talking picks a body part, wears it down for the finish, that makes sense. If the other guy doesn't know what selling means, work a little stiffer. Not injure the guy, but if the arm bar starts hurting the shoulder a little bit, maybe they can figure out "maybe I should act like my arm hurts." Not necessarily not do High Spots at all and stick to rest holds, you have to understand. I'd rather see a match with 5 spots that tell the story for the match than 34 spots that just lead into another spot. It will make the big moves seem bigger.

Sure, Jack Evans is big shit because he can do a 630. When some guy busts out a 810 off the top rope, will anyone remember Evans? Does anybody remember the first guy to do a 450 on Mainstream American Wrestling?

[Londoner]

Originally Posted by Vastardikai I'd like to see a guy enter the X-Division with a gimmick like this: I don't need to do the aerial shit to be a star. I'll do it on my own terms. The guy comes out, dressed in long tights and boots, no kickpads. He more or less cuts a promo about how he doesn't like the X-Division wrestlers who look alike, dress alike, move alike, and, most importantly, Wrestle alike. He also shits on the Kickpads and Spandex Shorts that seem to be the uniform of the entire X-Division. He could probably pull of legit heel heat with that, if he can talk. Then, when the match starts, he's more or less a straight ahead brawler, who just moves out of the way of high spots, and favors doing Old fashioned wrestling. I'm talking picks a body part, wears it down for the finish, that makes sense. If the other guy doesn't know what selling means, work a little stiffer. Not injure the guy, but if the arm bar starts hurting the shoulder a little bit, maybe they can figure out "maybe I should act like my arm hurts." Not necessarily not do High Spots at all and stick to rest holds, you have to understand. I'd rather see a match with 5 spots that tell the story for the match than 34 spots that just lead into another spot. It will make the big moves seem bigger.

Didn't they already do that with Joe?

[BigDaddyCool]

Originally Posted by TL Didn't they already do that with Joe?

Joe isn't a cruiser wieght. It was obvious he wasn't going to fly.

Originally Posted by Vastardikai I'd like to see a guy enter the X-Division with a gimmick like this: I don't need to do the aerial shit to be a star. I'll do it on my own terms. The guy comes out, dressed in long tights and boots, no kickpads. He more or less cuts a promo about how he doesn't like the X-Division wrestlers who look alike, dress alike, move alike, and, most importantly, Wrestle alike. He also shits on the Kickpads and Spandex Shorts that seem to be the uniform of the entire X-Division. He could probably pull of legit heel heat with that, if he can talk. Then, when the match starts, he's more or less a straight ahead brawler, who just moves out of the way of high spots, and favors doing Old fashioned wrestling. I'm talking picks a body part, wears it down for the finish, that makes sense. If the other guy doesn't know what selling means, work a little stiffer. Not injure the guy, but if the arm bar starts hurting the shoulder a little bit, maybe they can figure out "maybe I should act like my arm hurts." Not necessarily not do High Spots at all and stick to rest holds, you have to understand. I'd rather see a match with 5 spots that tell the story for the match than 34 spots that just lead into another spot. It will make the big moves seem bigger.

Yeah, that is pretty much what I have been thinking for a while. I never worried that much about what he would wear. I also thought instead of a "brawler," just have him you tons of old school moves. Have a move set containing side russian leg sweeps, atomic drops, drop toe holds, ddt, sto, and stuff like that. Just kinda old basic moves, nothing overly flashy. Also I could see him doing some high flying occasionally but mostly an old school grappling based offense.