Magus

I just read that Spanky isn't returning TNA's calls and will probably stick to ZERO ONE. Probably the best thing for him, really.

Definitely agree. The tag title change was stupid also. I stuck up for them, as I said that Harris/Skipper winning the straps was an interesting move. I also said that TNA would find a way to fuck it up, and so they have. There's no reason to give the titles to the two guys who were supposed to be INJURED!!!! I just wanted to point out that I admitted when TNA did something good/right, and they let me down yet again.

Random thoughts... -If Jerry thinks Russo sucks so bad, why doesn't he just get rid of him? He knows Russo's useless, we know it too. Why keep him around, other than to make Russo feel like shit and punish the viewers? -If Russo hates the business so much, why doesn't he just FUCKING QUIT? Oh, he's staying out of the goodness of his heart because he loves the boys... cry me a river, bitch. You can leave any time you like, so don't play the fucking martyr. -If Russo was REALLY serious about being a minister, why does he stay in the business? And why the FUCK does he feel the need to soak up the adulation of his little trolls? Don't encourage a bunch of fanboys to keep idolizing you just because your ego gets a kick out of it. -I love how he's acting like he doesn't understand how one human being can say something slightly mean to another. Don't act so fucking innocent and pious, Vince. You're praying for Jerry's soul? Keep your prayers to yourself. And you said yourself that its a cruel business, so STOP acting like such a victim. -And finally, I think its great that he wants to be a minister, but if that's truly the case, he wouldn't be wasting his time in the wrestling business and he'd try to go about it like a NORMAL GUY. He talks like some sort of saint, but he's acting like just another publicity hound trying to gain the admiration of the masses. His problems could easily be solved, but he saw The Passion one too many times and he's gotten on a martyr fix. Christians like this piss me off.

Yes she's very cute. Tell her some weird guy on the internet said so (don't REALLY tell her that, Laz, I have enough restraining orders as it is, thanks much). Anyways, I think we can all agree with you on SEX vs. TNA. The huge blowoff match where TNA defeats SEX cleanly is simple, it makes the most sense, and the fans would appreciate it more than the constipated endings he usually came up with. Russo always used one angle to move into another without properly finishing it off. So his storylines rarely got any resolution. But still, I'd say Russo's a better writer than Dutch and he's certainly better than Jarrett.

My Thoughts... 1) I agree that they need some big names, but those names have to be able to work decent matches and be willing to put over TNA's wrestlers. That rules a lot of guys out, but a few remain. Sting can still go and will put most others over no prob. Hall can work when he's encouraged properly, and he doesn't have Nash's ego. Terry Funk would put over Shark Boy if you ask him to. DDP may have a few matches left in him. Foley is a possibility, but he may not want to piss off McMahon. Get rid of Jarrett, and have guys like these mingle in the main event to get TNA over as a major promotion. What I don't agree with Joey on is his comments about AJ Styles. To me, TNA was built on the X Division, so it should be highly respected as not just a Cruiser division. The X Division should be as important as the NWA World Title division (notice I didn't say "heavyweight" division). Its like TNA has two major titles. Anybody who is over enough can be in the World Title scene, no matter what his weight. But not just anybody can be in the X Division. That's what makes it cool, and if the X Division workers are over enough to compete for the NWA Title (like AJ is), then let them. 2) I COMPLETELY agree on his assessment of the booking team. They're fucking inept. Joey's point about Pat Kenney is right on target. I still think that TNA should focus on the wrestling while WWE focuses on the "entertainment" though. But focusing on traditional pro-wrestling doesn't mean you have to book like its the 80's. The characters can't be corny and the angles have to tell a legitimate story, not just "they hate each other!" You can be traditional and even family-friendly while still having edgy characters and storylines. That's what people want. 3) As for dead weight... there's only a few people in TNA who annoy me really. Russo, Goldy, Gilberti, Watts, Hammond, even the owner himself. Basically, people who shouldn't be there, but are because of connections. James and Konnan still have some name value, and as I said, if they are willing to put others over and can work a decent match, they're okay. Dusty and Larryland get on my nerves, but if they were used better it wouldn't be so bad. The Championship Committee isn't a bad idea, TNA just fucked it up like they do everything. If TNA spent more time trying to get over the guys they have instead of just hiring more, they wouldn't have so much dead weight. Hell, what the fuck are they paying Jeremy Borash for anyway?

Russo's always been bad at finishing storylines. I personally wouldn't have gone with the inner turmoil angle, because it'd just reek of nWo vs. Wolfpac. If they could've just ended it with a Wargames match or something, it would've been cool. The NWA could officially announce that SEX was "outlawed", and the members could've kept going without being under a banner. P.S. Who is she and what are my chances?

Would I get to use the same wrestlers you guys get to use? Or will we get leftovers and get to use indy wrestlers? I was planning on taking scraps anyway, so could I make my roster after you guys have drafted yours?

As hard as it is to admit, Russo actually did a lot of good for the company. In my opinion, if the company could've kept him off TV but allowed him to continue the SEX angle, and Raven would've won the title, TNA would be doing MUCH better than they are now.

Its true the X Division sucked ass in 2004, and will continue to do so. I'm sorry, but when I think of "Best of X Division" I don't think of Jeff Hardy, Michael Shane, Kazarian, and a Street Fight/brawl. That's just insane.

Maybe we'll get lucky, and they'll poach a WWE writer. Then they can put Mike Tenay and Monty Brown in a homo-erotic implied rape scene and watch the dollars roll in. Only if we're lucky. Mike Tenay being revealed as Monty Brown's secret prison bitch sounds better than anything Jeff and Dutch could write.

The X Division title has now become a glorified United States Championship. Needless to say a bad choice of matches considering what the X Division was supposed to be.

Good article. TNA once showed some promise, but they're really getting pathetic with the shitty booking and politics. It is easy to point out the problems, but if you want a solution, its as simple as this: GET A NEW WRITER. They've always been able to survive despite the financial woes, but when the shows are as terrible as they have been under JJ/Dutch, TNA is basically doomed. Also, I gotta agree with Konnan. I'm not saying that he and James are mega-stars or anything, but they are at LEAST as known as Jarrett. The crowds love them and most importantly, they've improved their workrate. To me, that warrants a better push, not to put them over everyone, but at least let them look somewhat strong instead of punking them out every show.

Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit. I'm always the last one to hear about these sorts of things. This happened at TNS. I came into it late and picked my roster from whoever wasn't already picked. So... is there any way I can start up my own with you guys'? If so, I guess I'll need to know who's drafted who and whatever rules have been made. Thanks.

True. They probably won't be around for too long, as TNA couldn't possibly afford to sign them. What will most likely happen is we'll get to see some fabulously crappy matches involving a few 6-Man tags, and Hall and Waltman each doing the job to His Lordship Jeff Jarrett. Then they'll leave and TNA will be in the same rut they're in now. And worse, I can't see the situation being any better if Hall/Nash/Waltman stayed on permanently.

There's money to be made off Scott Hall, and Waltman could be a good hand if he's properly motivated and stays in his place (a lot like Jeff Hardy, actually). Nash, on the other hand, is a waste of time, money, and space. As Laz said, 2/3 ain't bad. At least they'll add something to the main event and we won't have to see JJ bury everybody all the time. What really pisses me off is that Jarrett has decided to change TNA from what it was originally supposed to be. In the beginning, TNA was the place to go if you want your talent recognized and didn't want to have to cow down to egos or politics. In truth, TNA's gotten as bad at these things as WWE. The one important thing they were supposed to be, an alternative to WWE, they decided to go against, and the product sucks for it. Maybe having Nash around will take them back to that state of mind.

That would actually be a good gimmick for him.

They'll definitely pick him up since he's now ex-WWE. But that's not a bad thing, as Noble's pretty good. He could do a lot with the X Division, or hell, he's a WWE reject that I wouldn't mind seeing pushed in the main event.

If they said that, TNA could actually make submissions mean more in their matches than in the traditional 4 sided rings. Little nuances like that can make the ring serve a purpose besides just being different.

Just another example of TNA dumbing down the workrate. So we get 5-Move classics in both WWE AND TNA.

I'm actually holding out a little hope. They're taking a huge risk with the monthly PPVs now, and they could very easily shut down if they continue to screw things up like this. Hopefully, if ANYBODY there has ANY kind of common sense, they'll start listening to fans and turn the product around. People want Jeff Jarrett out of the limelight, they want Raven as a main eventer (his skills may have dwindled, but a lot of that is his place on the card IMO), and they want Simon and Swinger back together. Listening to what the fans want is critical to their survival right now, and I think its Do or Die time for TNA regarding that.

Agreed, and I honestly think that they'll figure these things out sooner rather than later. With the new format and everything, Jeff and Dutch will more than likely get a reality check when they don't break even with Victory Road (assuming that the build-up for Victory Road, as well as the show itself, resembles anything like the Hardy/Jarrett fued leading up to last week's PPV). With the direction they have now, I think they'll figure out soon enough that its not working and something will have to be done. Dutch has some good ideas, but he doesn't execute them very well and the storylines wind up sucking for it. Jarrett is a fine businessman, but he's not creative enough to be a writer. Add to that the fact that they've neutered the wrestling, the glass ceiling, and the workers aren't being used correctly, its a recipe for disaster. Personally, I feel that neither man should be writing the show, and that Jarrett should just hang it up and disappear. It'll happen at some point, because if it doesn't, TNA will fold.

I'm sure its a great video. But its still a video to a PPV where Jeff Jarrett will be headlining and probably squashing his opponents. Not something the public will be terribly interested in, no matter how many great videos they make for it. Doesn't mean Victory Road will actually be a "huge deal".

Boo-Yah. Hit the nail right on the head, Laz. Mantell does want the show to go along with his "vision", but unfortunately his vision sucks. Its not that complicated: People want good storylines and good wrestling. For some reason, Mantell hates both of these concepts, and the product sucks with him in charge. And Jarrett really has become the new Kevin Nash. He's a talentless hack who cares only for his ego and not putting on a good show for the fans. There's no way to get rid of him either, since he owns the fucking place. In order for TNA to turn around, Jeff needs to get off TV and a new writer(s) needs to be found. Because if TNA insists on fucking up the product just so Jeff can pretend to be a big star, they're dead.

Read the spoilers. This show sucks big black gorilla cock.

I agree that Mantell's a moron, but I believe the problems with creative are just as much Jarrett's fault as they are Mantell's. A lot of the stupid booking decisions belong to Dutch, but Jarrett deserves just as much blame. Like I've said, I'd take Russo back at this point. TNA probably has the worst creative direction since Nash ran WCW.