Why I respect Jim Cornette

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

I'd like to be able to wipe the slate clean...but when the sole reason I stopped ordering the PPVs was Jarrett? I can't.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

Come on Laz, give the guy a second (or 28th) chance.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

I gave him a second chance when he dropped the title to AJ in the cage. I'm not giving him any more chances, and I'm standing by my decision to not order again until JJ drops the belt. I don't even care if it's only for one week, I will not order while JJ is champion.

[Magus 0]

just to be arguementative, JJ doesn't have to be the champ to overtake the show and suck everyone's heat. AJ's first title reign is the prime example of this.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

And just to let you know, the slate is no longer clean. The screwy finish in the X-match has pissed me off. Nothing on JJ, but that is just bad booking. They need to remember people are paying for this crap.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

See WMD summed it up in one post. YOU ARE PAYING FOR THIS!!!! They need to treat Impact as the show with the screwy finishes(if they MUST do them in the first place) and the PPV should be where the blowoff should occur. It's pretty sad that they still have no clue what they are doing.....even after getting Impact on FSN.

[TheBigSwigg 0]

You know, all this is making me want to join the ranks of those who say TNA will be gone in a year.

 

Seriously, shitty booking will bury this company.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

I don't know if they'll go out of business, at this point that just depends on how much Panda is willing to spend. If they don't make a change though, I will no longer be a fan. The only thing keeping me a fan right now is my hope that they will do good, it's not appreciation for their product.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Why do you hope that a product you dislike succeeds?

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Then there would be competition for WWE, (hopefully) forcing both companies to provide a better product.

 

TNA = WCW. Their heart is in the right place, but the brain still hasn't caught up.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

Becuase I like wrestling. Ilike several of TNA's performers, and would love the opportunity to easily watch them perform on a good show, but I'll watch them on a bad one if I have to.

[TheBigSwigg 0]

Then there would be competition for WWE, (hopefully) forcing both companies to provide a better product.

 

TNA = WCW. Their heart is in the right place, but the brain still hasn't caught up.

This is pretty much it. It's not that we truly dislike the product, but we know it's a bit misguided. It's actually just a few steps away from being REALLY good.

 

I think the majority of people here hope that they start making money, find someone intelligent to help out, and actually put on really good shows.

 

But I doubt most of us really believe all three of those will happen, or happen soon. We still rally around it in hope that a miracle takes place.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Weird.

 

I'm speaking in generalities here, don't get this into specific feuds and wrestlers and whatnot..

 

Wouldn't it make much more sense to support them (financially speaking) when they produce a product you enjoy? This goes for anything, not just wrestling. Suppose a band you like a couple songs from consistently releases terrible single after terrible single, when all the while the basic pieces necessary to good music are there. Supporting a finished product like that just encourages more of that product, not for them to change.

 

If you just like wrestling, period, then, y'know, whatever, but it doesn't make sense at all to me as a consumer to spend money on something I consistently am disappointed in, even if I want it to be good. Perhaps I'm fickle.

[TheBigSwigg 0]

Weird.

 

I'm speaking in generalities here, don't get this into specific feuds and wrestlers and whatnot..

 

Wouldn't it make much more sense to support them (financially speaking) when they produce a product you enjoy? This goes for anything, not just wrestling. Suppose a band you like a couple songs from consistently releases terrible single after terrible single, when all the while the basic pieces necessary to good music are there. Supporting a finished product like that just encourages more of that product, not for them to change.

 

If you just like wrestling, period, then, y'know, whatever, but it doesn't make sense at all to me as a consumer to spend money on something I consistently am disappointed in, even if I want it to be good. Perhaps I'm fickle.

That's why I watch Impact, and not the PPV's.

 

 

 

 

 

Well, that and because I have been living with my grandparents, who don't get PPV at all.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

Yeah, if you'll notice a couple of posts up, I said i wouldn't be getting the PPV this week. I don't even bother taping impact if the spoilers suck.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

What I feel TNA needs to become better:

-Take off the limitations on the workers. It's obvious to any fan that was around before Mantel joined the booking crew that Jeff Jarrett is one of the members of the lower-half of quality workers on the roster, so don't make everybody else dumb their work down just to make him seem better. WWE does this, and this is a big reason why many members of the IWC (read: TNA's only true fanbase) stopped watching Vinnie Mac's company.

-Few people buy Jarrett as a main eventer. He was a believable main eventer for the first year or so of TNA's existence, but afterwords he became overexposed as the limited worker and personality he is.

-Do not overbook every match to death. WCW lost its fanbase because every match seemed to have a dumb stipulation (Judy Bagwell on a Pole might have been funny as hell during Positively Kanyon's promo, but the stipulation is undeniably idiotic) or too many run-in's. Some people (Marty2Hotty and his crew) enjoy the "Sports Entertainment" finishes, but the vast majority feel as though they have been cheated.

-Gimmick matches should be saved. If you feel the need to build the feud up with some sort of gimmick match, make it something that is common but also not your average match, ie. Falls Count Anywhere or simple No DQ matches.

-Find the workers on your roster who cannot talk very well on the microphone, and either book them into feuds that don't rely upon interview time or give them managers. This is a basic that EVERY promotion needs to learn, not just TNA. (IMO, the only company that actually did learn this was ECW, and that's because Paul Heyman is a booking genius.)

-Have some contests now and then. WWE does them here and there, but instead of offering free stuff, offer something like a guest commentator for your favorite wrestler's match, or be the guest backstage interviewer. They did this during 2002 when they had an auction for the Tennessee Tornado Fund, or whatever it's called, and I thought it was pretty cool.

-Do NOT tell your fans who you want them to cheer and who you want them to jeer. Instead, book angles as you feel right, and if the fans react the opposite way you thought they would do, re-write the feuds properly. Lynn/Styles, the best TNA feud yet (IMO) to have more than one match (thus discounting Raven/Jarrett, which was great until the match), was originally going to have Lynn as a heel and Styles as a face (you can easily tell, because Lynn attacked Styles first, and Lynn cut a heel promo on Styles the next week). The fans reacted to Lynn in a more favorable manner, since at that time TNA's sole fanbase were the smarks (who respected Lynn for his years of being one of the more innovative high-flyer's in America, and also just being an all-around nice guy), and they boo'd Styles. Styles became TNA's #2 heel (right behind Jarrett, who was slowly turning face due to how good the character actually was), and Lynn became one of the company's top faces (dare I say THE top face).

-GET RID OF KAZARIAN.

 

'Nuff said? 'Nuff said.

[TheBigSwigg 0]

You'd think those things would be common sense.

[Magus 0]

the booking could be a lot better, but i'll be the one to give them credit on one thing: it seems now that every week there's a BIG match. Six Sides of Steel, UX4, and we have Raven/Sabu and JJ/Hardy (despite who's in it, its a World Title match, thus its important) seemingly lined up for the future. having a big match in the main event every week is at least a step in the right direction.

 

I still think Laz is right about his points against the booking, but they have to be given credit where credit is due. Hell, i think Jarrett should take himself off the fuckin' show completely, then maybe he won't be such a bitch about booking everything around himself. he and Mantell are an okay team, but Jeff's ego definitely gets in the way.

[Guest whitemilesdavis]

It's a PAY PER VIEW! Every match should be a big match. Seriously. THis is the flaw in having weekly PPV's. You just can't keep it up, and expect people to pay out good money for non-finishes.

 

I don't hate Kazarian. I think He could serve well in a tag-team. Leave him there for a long time, then if he grows, let him be a single again.

 

Everything else LAZ said I agree with.

 

Plus, Jarrett must work OR book. He can't do both. It's just a conflict of interest.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

Plus, Jarrett must work OR book. He can't do both. It's just a conflict of interest.

Exactly! I've always hated when wrestlers have booking powers.. how biased is that? If you're going to be booking, you should stay off TV, or if you must be on TV, let someone book who won't biasedly give you the title, and will actually book on what the fans want. (having no other insentives)

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

He and Mantel suck. The show even without Jarrett wasn't worth shit until Russo was brought back in, and even then, I was still bored with the show as a whole. When you're used to ***-**** matches each week, and then suddenly the best match for three months is **3/4? That's fucking SAD.

 

I say again: Fuck Jeff Jarrett, and Fuck Dutch Mantel.

[Guest MikeSC]

It's a PAY PER VIEW! Every match should be a big match. Seriously. THis is the flaw in having weekly PPV's. You just can't keep it up, and expect people to pay out good money for non-finishes.

 

I don't hate Kazarian. I think He could serve well in a tag-team. Leave him there for a long time, then if he grows, let him be a single again.

 

Everything else LAZ said I agree with.

 

Plus, Jarrett must work OR book. He can't do both. It's just a conflict of interest.

Hasn't JJ shown a remarkable ability to NOT work and book thus far? He is just not good in the ring.

 

TNA has the curse of being a PPV-based company, still. This means they HAVE to be better than RAW (they weren't this week) and SD (ditto) EVERY single week. That, and they are WAY too reliant on gimmicks. They killed the X Cup concept and the Ultimate X match isn't exactly rocking my world. Hell, it seems the BEST booking they've done this year (that whole road to the cage thing) they managed to blow by throwing it away for a totally different ME.

-=Mike

[Magus 0]

JJ/Mantell are decent. they don't rush things, and they focus on the action. those are the only two pros i can think of. unfortunately, the JJ/Mantell booking seems to dumb down the in ring action (God knows why), they aren't very creative with storylines, and the main event scene serves entirely as a handjob to Jeff.

 

IMO, they should just get someone NEW to write the shows, or maybe give the book to Raven and Shane Douglas. they're both creative guys who can book compelling fueds, and they don't have a problem with others getting over. it'll never happen though. and Vince Russo can't book shit without putting himself somewhere on the show, so he's no better than Jeff.

 

Jarrett, after all these years of main eventing and holding World Titles, is STILL NOT A STAR. Jarrett would have to go on the wrestling version of Queer Eye to get made over enough to at least MAYBE be a half-decent main event wrestler. at this point, he's trying so hard to prove to everyone how great he is, its just pathetic. maybe if he just left the show and focused more on booking and less on his ego rampage, TNA would benefit. i'm liking the shows lately, but not the main event basically b/c Jarrett just can't cut it. okay, i'm done now.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

JJ/Mantell are decent. they don't rush things, and they focus on the action. those are the only two pros i can think of. unfortunately, the JJ/Mantell booking seems to dumb down the in ring action (God knows why), they aren't very creative with storylines, and the main event scene serves entirely as a handjob to Jeff.

The only pro I can think of for JJ/Mantel is that they don't rush things. They don't focus on the action, since there IS no action. Do you remember what TNA was like when Mantel and JJ were booking entirely, and Russo wasn't around because of the possibility of Hulk Hogan coming in? Boring shows, angles moved at a snail's pace, and nothing was happening. The only feuds were for the titles, and that's NEVER good booking when the only feuds on television are for the three titles (non-title feuds are ESSENTIAL for exciting programming and creating new title contenders).

IMO, they should just get someone NEW to write the shows, or maybe give the book to Raven and Shane Douglas.  they're both creative guys who can book compelling fueds, and they don't have a problem with others getting over.  it'll never happen though.  and Vince Russo can't book shit without putting himself somewhere on the show, so he's no better than Jeff.

No, he's a lot better than Jeff, considering he has asked and begged Jeff to take him off of the show since he came back "a new man" (having found God and recognizing the necessity of traditional wrestling and whatnot). JJ is the reason Russo is on TV. Also, when Russo was booking himself as an on-air character in TNA? At least the angles he was involved with were interesting and didn't revolve around "who will do the J-O-B to Jarrett this week."

Jarrett, after all these years of main eventing and holding World Titles, is STILL NOT A STAR.  Jarrett would have to go on the wrestling version of Queer Eye to get made over enough to at least MAYBE be a half-decent main event wrestler.  at this point, he's trying so hard to prove to everyone how great he is, its just pathetic.  maybe if he just left the show and focused more on booking and less on his ego rampage, TNA would benefit.  i'm liking the shows lately, but not the main event basically b/c Jarrett just can't cut it.  okay, i'm done now.

The funny thing is that Jarrett was well on his way to being a recognized main eventer when TNA started. It's the fact that he booked himself over everybody that turned the fans against him. His face run after April 30th tanked, and his heel run since winning the title back from Styles last October has been terrible thanks to the fact that he's overexposed as all hell, and nobody gives a shit about him anymore.

 

My ideal TNA booking crew, with the people they have, would be Russo for the writing of segments and different "entertainment" aspects of feuds, Mantel for the pacing, and Shane Douglas as a leeway between the two that gives his own ideas (it's common knowledge among every wrestling fan that the only quality XPW shows were booked by Douglas). Raven would give his insight as well, mostly on his own angles and such, and people like Jerry Lynn would be assigned to help younger, inexperienced workers develop. As for who would aid in the plotting out of matches? I dunno. You got any ideas?

[TheBigSwigg 0]

and Shane Douglas as a leeway between the two that gives his own ideas (it's common knowledge among every wrestling fan that the only quality XPW shows were booked by Douglas).

Correction, it's NOW common knowledge to every wrestling fan.

[Magus 0]

i think at this point there's not going to be some creative genius to come along, write everything himself, and make the show great. that's the answer TNA is looking for, but i don't think it'll work. i'm starting to think that a small committee is the way to go with the creative department, kinda like you mentioned, Laz. here's how i see it:

 

-Dutch: i actually like his booking, as he can pair up wrestlers for matches all day long. but he lacks something important: imagination. i think he's the guy to decide who fueds with who. but other people need to actually tell the story.

-Russo: as an idea man, he could be useful in character development. as long as he's actually changed and he stays off TV. this is the guy to write promos and such for those who need it.

-Douglas: he's responsible for a lot of ECW's success, and of course XPW. and Douglas could teach a thing or two to TNA's heel wrestlers. he's also creative, so he'd help establish what the fueds are about.

-Raven: not so much on the booking team, but i'd let Raven have more control over his character. Raven should be able to come in and say "this is what i wanna do", and let the booking team work that in somewhere.

-Jeff and Jerry: i'm against letting a wrestler book himself, so i think these two should only be involved if Jeff stopped wrestling. i think Jeff could contribute a lot to the creative team, but he sucks right now because he's booking himself to be invincible. Jerry's proven to be a good traditional booker, but he also wants to put Jeff over everybody. put it this way: the shows lately seem really good except for the parts with Jeff Jarrett involved. so just end the pain and retire, Jeff! you've got a company to run, nobody expects you to be the star of the show as well. but i've said this all before. Jeff would probably do a better job writing (and the shows would be better) if he weren't involved himself.