I don't think anybody believed that the "old guys fading away" included Hogan or Flair. They thought the Nasties would fade away (which looks possible), and that Hall/XPac would fade away (maybe less likely but still possible after Nash is done with them). Nobody ever expected Hogan to go away, in fact when it was announced he was joining TNA almost every post was "so and so days until AJ loses the title to Hogan!" And by the way, AJ has probably held the title longer than any of those people predicted.
Would I like to see less Hogan? Of course. But I'm pretty sure what Hogan is doing is exactly what everybody expected Hogan to do. The fans, Dixie, Russo, everybody knew this was going to happen and TNA decided to take a chance on it. If you don't like it you don't have to watch, but this is the direction everybody knew it was going in.
As for Flair. He's a great mouthpiece and AJ has already stepped up his game because of it. He's going to wrestle every once in a while, probably only in tag matches, and that's it. I don't see a problem with that.
And yeah, Mike Tenay was hyping the March 8th match with Flair and Hogan, but why wouldn't he? It's the two greatest wrestlers of all-time in most people's opinion and it's the first time either has wrestled a match in TNA. Was Tenay supposed to hype the fact that it was AJ's 1,245th match in TNA and Abyss' 834th match in TNA instead?
Originally posted by HokienauticWow, really? I'm hardly a TNApologist, but come on. Breaking free of cuffs is a deal-breaker for you? Come on, that doesn't even make the top 100 in all-time "not possible according to physics" actions of wrestling in my lifetime.
Its not the breaking of the handcuffs. Its getting the power from Hulk Hogan's Hall of Fame ring that did it for me.
His WWE HOF ring at that....Abyss has...the power of Vince!!!
I forget where "orange" is on the emotional spectrum . . .
-LS "ahhh...vague, mandatory knee-jerk cynicism. God Bless Internet Forums.."
I wish Flair would invest in cosmetic surgery for his body. (They have that, right?) Go under the knife, cut away the excess skin, tighten up the flesh, etc.
'Cause as much as I love Flair, at this stage of his life... he LOOKS like what he is: A well-traveled, hard living senior citizen who could realistically get his ass kicked by an angry wife. I mean, his physique has aged to the point where he just isn't a credible wrestler anymore.
When he disrobes, you don't think, "Wow, that's the legendary Ric Flair! Wooo!! Time to ride Space Mountain BABY!!!!!" You think, "Jesus f'n Christ he got old. That's really depressing. Look at those titties jiggle. Gross. Glad I don't have to touch that."
Originally posted by rv581I wish Flair would invest in cosmetic surgery for his body. (They have that, right?) Go under the knife, cut away the excess skin, tighten up the flesh, etc.
'Cause as much as I love Flair, at this stage of his life... he LOOKS like what he is: A well-traveled, hard living senior citizen who could realistically get his ass kicked by an angry wife. I mean, his physique has aged to the point where he just isn't a credible wrestler anymore.
Maybe it would be better for him to not be one. Which had been the plan.
Originally posted by rv581I wish Flair would invest in cosmetic surgery for his body. (They have that, right?) Go under the knife, cut away the excess skin, tighten up the flesh, etc.
'Cause as much as I love Flair, at this stage of his life... he LOOKS like what he is: A well-traveled, hard living senior citizen who could realistically get his ass kicked by an angry wife. I mean, his physique has aged to the point where he just isn't a credible wrestler anymore.
Maybe it would be better for him to not be one. Which had been the plan.
Originally posted by rv581I wish Flair would invest in cosmetic surgery for his body. (They have that, right?) Go under the knife, cut away the excess skin, tighten up the flesh, etc.
'Cause as much as I love Flair, at this stage of his life... he LOOKS like what he is: A well-traveled, hard living senior citizen who could realistically get his ass kicked by an angry wife. I mean, his physique has aged to the point where he just isn't a credible wrestler anymore.
Maybe it would be better for him to not be one. Which had been the plan.
Originally I read that as not to be a SENIOR CITIZEN, which made sense becuase so few wrestlers get there. Then I saw what you were actually saying.
Holy fuck shit motherfucker shit. Read comics. Fuck shit shit fuck shit I sold out when I did my job. Fuck fuck fuck shit fuck. Sorry had to do it....
*snip*
Revenge of the Sith = one thumb up from me. Fuck shit. I want to tittie fuck your ass. -- The Guinness. to Cerebus
Originally posted by rv581I wish Flair would invest in cosmetic surgery for his body. (They have that, right?) Go under the knife, cut away the excess skin, tighten up the flesh, etc.
'Cause as much as I love Flair, at this stage of his life... he LOOKS like what he is: A well-traveled, hard living senior citizen who could realistically get his ass kicked by an angry wife. I mean, his physique has aged to the point where he just isn't a credible wrestler anymore.
Maybe it would be better for him to not be one. Which had been the plan.
You shoulda KNOWN that that plan ain't gonna hold water. This. Is. Ric. Flair.
And there's still Hogan to job to, dammit. Duty calls.
Originally posted by HokienauticWait, what? How would Hogan turning on Abyss lead to a superface Hogan??
It wouldn't. I was laying out the two possible endgames, one for face Abyss and one for heel Abyss.
(edited by Amos Cochran on 26.2.10 0945)
Is it impossible to believe that another possible endgame is just a standard tag match where one team wins, another loses, and no one turns on their partner? Doesn't sound too crazy to me.
Although I would not mind a monster beatdown on Hogan by Abyss, it would only lead to more Hogan in the ring. If they just do a straight up match, maybe Hogan doesn't wrestle again for a few months?
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Originally posted by TrunzoFor everyone saying the Hogan focus was temporary and that it would eventually elevate other guys, I think TNA has told you you're wrong with this booking/shilling. Their belief is that Hogan, and to a lesser extent Flair, is what the people want to see and that's what they're going to give you. At the expense of someone like Desmond Wolfe, who jobs in 2 minutes nowadays.
The people saying "give it time" and that the old guys would fade away soon and make way for the younger guys have to admit now that they're wrong. TNA actually does believe Hogan in the ring and being the centerpiece of almost everything is the future of their product.
This, on the other hand, I tend to agree with you on, although I'm trying to remain optimistic.
I figure that they figure that as long as they're paying Hogan whatever ungodly sum they're paying him, they should get their money's worth, which means putting him all over the show. This wouldn't be a huge problem except that they're also paying a half-dozen other senior citizens big bucks as well, which means that they need to be all over the show, too. Which means we get super short matches featuring the young guys and then interminable promos with the old guys, with no end in sight.
--K
***EDIT! Man, this thread is moving fast.
(edited by Karlos the Jackal on 26.2.10 1518) Last 5 movies seen: The Informant! **** - Sherlock Jr. **** - Revanche *** - Standing in the Shadows of Motown *** - Sherlock Holmes ***1/2
Originally posted by TrunzoFor everyone saying the Hogan focus was temporary and that it would eventually elevate other guys, I think TNA has told you you're wrong with this booking/shilling. Their belief is that Hogan, and to a lesser extent Flair, is what the people want to see and that's what they're going to give you. At the expense of someone like Desmond Wolfe, who jobs in 2 minutes nowadays.
The people saying "give it time" and that the old guys would fade away soon and make way for the younger guys have to admit now that they're wrong. TNA actually does believe Hogan in the ring and being the centerpiece of almost everything is the future of their product.
This, on the other hand, I tend to agree with you on, although I'm trying to remain optimistic.
I figure that they figure that as long as they're paying Hogan whatever ungodly sum they're paying him, they should get their money's worth, which means putting him all over the show. This wouldn't be a huge problem except that they're also paying a half-dozen other senior citizens big bucks as well, which means that they need to be all over the show, too. Which means we get super short matches featuring the young guys and then interminable promos with the old guys, with no end in sight.
--K
***EDIT! Man, this thread is moving fast.
(edited by Karlos the Jackal on 26.2.10 1518)
Yea, when I made this thread I thought it would get 1 or 2 replies then be banished. I'm glad to see certain people agree with me, and even the few who don't its good to get perspective on things. I especially like the "Abyss isn't getting powers per se, he's getting his confidence back because Hogan believes in him." I haven't watched TNA long enough to know that backstory, and it was eye-opening. However, I stand by my assertion that its ridiculous.
The best part of the Hogan/Abyss vs. Flair/A.J. match announcement was, after Hogan's pronouncement, Tenay going "Holy *Bleep*" on commentary in a nice, shocked voice. Clearly scripted, but Tenay doesn't get a lot of kudos, and I thought he played that well.
The match will clearly be terrible, outside of the novelty of seeing A.J. ridiculously oversell every slow punch Hulk throws his way. The promos involved were mostly good, though, even some of Abyss' ("I'm not a shoe-shine boy!"). Flair's ranting during the show was off the charts, to the point that I started getting concerned for his health.
Definitely not their best show, but still not the worst, I would say. Beer Money in the spotlight, Morgan doing some fantastic mic work, Kaz being number one contender, Daffney getting pushed, Sags going through a table, and MR. ANDERSON resurging...all of that's pretty good stuff for me. I think maybe I'm helped by having DVR, allowing me to fast forward through the rambling Foley/Bischoff/Jarrett stuff, which is, to me, the least interesting stuff of all, even less than Hogan. That said, I'm going to lose the show when it goes to Monday nights (if it doesn't rerun). While I like some of the stuff going on, there's no way I stop watching RAW in the run-up to Wrestlemania, nor am I giving up Big Bang Theory/Castle for TNA.
"Never piss off a hawk with a blowgun" - Conan O'Brien
I can't believe people would complain they're hyping Hogan and Flair in the ring. What else could TNA possibly hype that would draw in the casuals? And at least it IS a tag match with Abyss and Styles involved.. my question, where's Pope? Oh, and I DO think they'll eventually try to get the new talent over. Yeah, they are sour on Daniels. They still have pushed Pope and Styles well enough. Abyss seems to be getting a better push. Joe, not so much, but TNA never seems to know what to do with him anyways. They forgot about Morley it seems.
Originally posted by CRZ
Originally posted by TrunzoYea, when I made this thread I thought it would get 1 or 2 replies then be banished.
I just wish you'd managed to wait until after the show ended (and also used the correct thread icon) but yesterday is so long ago.
The show came on outside of America before it came on Spike.. dunno what channel and country, but I definitely saw torrents for it hours before 9 PM EST.
Originally posted by Psycho PenguinThe show came on outside of America before it came on Spike.. dunno what channel and country, but I definitely saw torrents for it hours before 9 PM EST.
Well, that is fantastic and irrelevant. Trunzo knew what he was doing.
I finally caught this show out of some desire for self-masochism. No Samoa Joe (who's probably still "kidnapped"), Jarrett's flipping burgers on his long road towards a world title program, Wolfe gets squashed for whatever reason, Abyss uses the power of HULKAMANIA~! to break a pair of handcuffs, etc. etc. etc.
I bet the MCMG loved being named as one of the "lower level" teams that Morgan was naming off.
Why does the Global Championship even exist anymore?
When will the Team 3D/Nasty Boys feud end? It's more painful than having my fingernails ripped off.
Eric Bischoff's on the phone talking about how stupid it is to have celebrity guests on Monday nights. It's not about beating WWE, no sir. But he can sure bash the hell out of them for no other reason than to...give them free publicity, I guess.
And Hulk Hogan's put himself in the main event for the first Monday night show. It'll easily do the highest numbers of the night, which will lead to Hogan putting himself on the show more until he ends up with the world title. Why is ANYONE surprised about this? This happens every single time the Hulk Hogan nostalgia tour restarts! Hell, even Vince couldn't resist putting the title on the guy. It's like clockwork. Hulk Hogan arrives, he puts up huge numbers, he points to those numbers to justify more airtime/a world title reign, ratings tank, and Hulk leaves for a while before the cycle starts all over again. It's been this way since 1998 and here we are, 13 years later, and it's the same thing. I'm stunned!
What would be funny is if Abyss slowly started turning in Smigel from Lord of the Rings from wearing the ring... he could start losing most of his hair and referring to the ring as the "precious, brother".
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