Savage gone AGAIN?

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

I go easier on Hogan's current inring work after seeing how big a mess Savage has become since about 2000.

[TNABaddboi 0]

Rick Scaia, who very rarely even mentions TNA, discussed the Savage/TNA situation in his latest Online Onslaught column:

 

I don't want to say I was waiting for this story, but.... well, I kinda was.

 

In the latest panel of the hilarious comic strip that is TNA's backstage scene, Randy Savage is out of the company. Which is funny, since just days ago, Savage was booked to pin NWA Champ Jeff Jarrett on PPV, setting up a title match main event for TNA's next PPV in January.

 

And it's doubly funny since Savage was booked to do so after walking out on TNA just days after their PREVIOUS PPV, but decided to come back and was still plugged immediately back into the spot as the company's top babyface.

 

Much to my bemusement, there actually seem to be two versions of the story going around: one is that Macho Man Savage walked out on the company over a dispute regarding the finish of the January NWA Title Match. The other is that TNA dismissed Savage and sent him home after a dispute regarding the finish of the January NWA Title Match.

 

Pardon me while I titter.

 

I mean, if the second story doesn't stink of a Really Dumb, Misguided Attempt to Save Face, I don't know what does... then again, this is the company that thinks they are accomplishing anything by trying to invade a WWE commercial taping and utilizing Vince McMahon impersonators, so I'm not entirely convinced they've got their priorities straight, anyway.

 

Look, I'm not defending Savage, either, he seems quite loony. Or at the very least, convinced that he's still a hip young lion in this business. Which, if you heard even one track off his "rap album," you'd know is pretty F**King funny. But at least I can see how Savage would pull a diva act and walk out on TNA if he didn't get to win the NWA Title...  it's logical.

 

What's not logical is this cover story. I mean, TNA and Savage have a meeting, and at that meeting, there is a dispute over the Savage/Jarrett PPV match, and Savage says, "Alright, I disagree with you, but I'll stick around and we'll work this out," but then TNA says, "Nope, sorry Macho, you go home now, because we are the Big, Bad, Not Even Remotely Desperate Or Mismanaged TNA, and we don't need you, especially if you're going to stand there and attempt to be reasonable by working TV tapings until an amendable solution can be worked out. Get Lost!"?  Makes no fricking sense... if Savage didn't walk out of TV tapings yesterday, there's no way TNA would have sent him home.  At best, this is a "I Quit/No You're Fired" mutual parting of the ways deal... and in any case, there's more important things for TNA to worry about than saving face with some miniscule percentage of fans who want to believe in TNA.

 

Perhaps that #1 Most Important Thing: figuring out what to do about January's PPV main event. Although the lesson of November (where Savage walked out, then came back) might lead us to believe we're still gonna get the Jarrett/Savage match, it might be time for TNA to look at what worked this past Sunday, and to look at a few of the ideas I put forth in Monday's column... because while there is certainly some value to using Savage to draw in a casual audience, TNA will realize no long term value from placating and centering an entire promotion on a Randy Savage who is only SLIGHTLY less-laughably-uncool than Jeff Hardy.  If Savage doesn't want to reign it in, act his age, and be a Legend, his value really approximates zero. At least in my mind.  There are ways to age gracefully, to still be a valuable performer AND a legend (Flair's run since returning to WWE is a textbook case of how to do it at the very tale end of a career; of the "younger" guys just starting to cross this bridge, I've been very pleased with the way Sting has always recognized his voluminous past while not completely writing off his future, and hell, why TNA hasn't bent over backwards to get HIM on board is beyond me), but Savage ain't doing that.

 

So what do we do about January's PPV? If I'm somehow put in charge, I don't even TRY to book a replacement for Jarrett's title defense. Instead, I tell the TNA locker room: "Somebody else is gonna have to step up this next month, we'll try to tell some good stories, we'll set the PPV card, and when January 16 comes around, we'll put the match that deserves it on top. Cuz it sure as hell worked last month for AMW/XXX." Maybe it'll be some younger guys, maybe you can find a pairing for AJ Styles to get the main event, maybe you book some kind of big gimmick match that you know will blow people away. And if none of that really clicks, and you want to rely on vets: I'd honestly have no problem with asking Raven and DDP to up the ante and carry the show.  TNA has plenty of crowd pleasing options, they don't have to be married to this idea that Jarrett must defend the title against Savage or Savage's replacement in next month's main event.  [The "Kings of Wrestling" gimmick alone makes it easier to "hide" Jarrett in PPV tag matches and give him less meaningful title matches on Impact, too.]

 

But then, if TNA IS intent on running an NWA Title match next month as the main event? My one observation is that they sure as s**t better make it against somebody "from the inside." I know I just said I'd like to see them spending their money on Sting instead of Savage, but honestly, you want the title match to have a story and make sense, and just importing Sting, you ain't gonna have time for that.  And further, not just "from the inside," but it should be one of TNA's homegrown stars. Which, of course, almost instantly limits us. 

 

I cannot tell you the many ways that "Jeff Hardy PPV Main Eventer" makes me laugh. And also to not want to tune in. I think DDP needs to stay with Raven for another month or three, cuz knowing how Raven's mind works, we've only scratched the surface there. Raven's a heel, as are Nash and Hall, so unless you do something wacky, they're out. Which really does leave us to pick from the slim selection of TNA's homegrown stars.

 

Would I be wrong for suggesting that it leaves us with a choice between AJ Styles and Monty Brown?  I know if you give me that choice, it's a no brainer, and I tell AJ to get in there and kick some ass. But hell, as much as I cannot understand even the slightest fascination with Brown (seriously, he's a fun little 5 minute diversion on the lower-mid-card, but if I want intensely unintelligible promos and sloppy power wrestling, I *will* picket WWE HQ until they release "The Best of Ahmed Johnson" on DVD), I'd rather see TNA get it through their skulls to take advantage of whatever fresh, in-house talent they've got rather than constantly thinking that the solutions lie among 50-something cast-offs. I mean, would *I* buy a TNA PPV headlined by Monty Brown? Nah. But I'm probably not buying it no matter what... so why not fortify your fanbase, TNA? I have my tastes, but I'm also not blind: I think your fans would gladly accept Monty Brown as a challenger (and if he and Jarrett could improve a bit on the match they had on Impact last week, you'd also have a MATCH that they'd accept as PPV-ready), so play to that.

 

It'll be interesting to see what TNA does. There have a couple alternatives that I'd find acceptable (in order: 1, Demote Jarrett from PPV Main Event, Let Some other Match/Story Shine in January; 2, AJ Styles challenges Jarrett; 3, Ahmed Johnson Jr. challenges Jarrett), but the underlying basis of all of them is: cut bait with Randy Savage.  It just doesn't seem worth it to me.

Credit: OnlineOnslaught.com

[RedJed 0]

I'm not even following what his point is - who cares what version of the story was that sent Savage packing? I'm not seeing where the masses demand "what really happened" with Savage - more than anything the masses are happy he's gone, however it happened. I sure am.

 

One thing I also have to take up with him is that TNA did in fact try hard as hell to get Sting in, ironically in the place that Savage ended up taking. They even promised him a world title run (which was supposed to start at Turning Point or the next ppv) and a healthy salary and he still balked at the proposal. Hell, I wonder if Luger showing up the week before the first ppv in that Best Damn show had something to do with their attempts to get him in. So for him to rip TNA a new one because he feels they didnt try to get Sting kind of blows. They have bent over backwards to get him, but Sting just isnt interested.

 

If you can tell, never been a fan of this guy.

[TNABaddboi 0]

If you can tell, never been a fan of this guy.

 

Yeah....I've been a fan of his column, but he regularly belittles TNA and his site lacks and sort of real coverage of anything that's not WWE.

[RedJed 0]

If you can tell, never been a fan of this guy.

 

Yeah....I've been a fan of his column, but he regularly belittles TNA and his site lacks and sort of real coverage of anything that's not WWE.

It's not that I mind that he rips on TNA so much as he is just not informed about them and the operations - also seems apparent he doesnt even watch them, which always is annoying to then hear someone tear them up and spit them out when they dont even know how good/bad the company really is.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

If you can tell, never been a fan of this guy.

 

Yeah....I've been a fan of his column, but he regularly belittles TNA and his site lacks and sort of real coverage of anything that's not WWE.

It's not that I mind that he rips on TNA so much as he is just not informed about them and the operations - also seems apparent he doesnt even watch them, which always is annoying to then hear someone tear them up and spit them out when they dont even know how good/bad the company really is.

Dave O'Neil comes to mind.

[TNABaddboi 0]

It's not that I mind that he rips on TNA so much as he is just not informed about them and the operations - also seems apparent he doesnt even watch them, which always is annoying to then hear someone tear them up and spit them out when they dont even know how good/bad the company really is.

 

Very true

[Slickster 0]

Hmm...if Hogan did win the NWA title, he'd be only I think the second competitor in history to hold the NWA, WCW, and WWF/E titles in history.

Not to mention his reign as IWGP Champion. Plus, one can't forget that some historians credit him with an AWA Title reign for his win over Bockwinkel.

 

So yeah, that would be 15 World Title reigns if he gets the NWA Title.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Even with those added reigns, Hogan still doesn't match Flair . However, Flair's last 2 or 3 reigns were complete crap, so it's really a fair fight again .

[Guest Evolution]

It gets more and more like the dying days of WCW as each week passes.

So does this mean that the right person will win the NWA Title at the wrong time, like Booker T with the WCW title?

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Hmm...if Hogan did win the NWA title, he'd be only I think the second competitor in history to hold the NWA, WCW, and WWF/E titles in history.

Not to mention his reign as IWGP Champion. Plus, one can't forget that some historians credit him with an AWA Title reign for his win over Bockwinkel.

Actually, I'm not exactly sure, but I think the IWGP Heavyweight Title history and the IWGP tournament that Hogan won (by actually KOing Inoki accidentally, IIRC) were two different histories.

 

As for the AWA title win, every place I've looked doesn't have mention of him winning. That's including Solie's Title Histories, PatrickRiley.com's AWA World Title History, and the (debatable) Official AWA Webpage

[Slickster 0]

Hmm...if Hogan did win the NWA title, he'd be only I think the second competitor in history to hold the NWA, WCW, and WWF/E titles in history.

Not to mention his reign as IWGP Champion. Plus, one can't forget that some historians credit him with an AWA Title reign for his win over Bockwinkel.

Actually, I'm not exactly sure, but I think the IWGP Heavyweight Title history and the IWGP tournament that Hogan won (by actually KOing Inoki accidentally, IIRC) were two different histories.

 

As for the AWA title win, every place I've looked doesn't have mention of him winning. That's including Solie's Title Histories, PatrickRiley.com's AWA World Title History, and the (debatable) Official AWA Webpage

You win this round, Mr. Waters.

You and your voluptuous sig pics have caused me to commit two grievous errors. *shakes fist*

[Jobber of the Week 0]

TNA's title has an identity problem, which I think is rooted in having a fanbase that is so widely smark/smart, and so little marks.

 

Putting it on an old geezer like Hogan doesn't matter because "they're recognizable with marks" which the company correctly realizes is important, but it turns off the smarter crowd they already have.

 

Putting it on one of their young guys does nothing. This is because marks wonder who the hell he is to have the title while smarks know the guy's good and don't need to see a belt around his waist to be sure of it.

 

At this point, I'd say management is right about needing geezers, but they've got all the wrong geezers. Savage is not the geezer that will get marks talking.

 

Neither is Warrior.

 

Neither is Hall.

 

Nash? LOL!

 

 

If they do find the right fossil to dig up, that person should have the belt a respectable amount of time (three? four?) Then job it to Brown, IMO.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Hmm...if Hogan did win the NWA title, he'd be only I think the second competitor in history to hold the NWA, WCW, and WWF/E titles in history.

Not to mention his reign as IWGP Champion. Plus, one can't forget that some historians credit him with an AWA Title reign for his win over Bockwinkel.

Actually, I'm not exactly sure, but I think the IWGP Heavyweight Title history and the IWGP tournament that Hogan won (by actually KOing Inoki accidentally, IIRC) were two different histories.

 

As for the AWA title win, every place I've looked doesn't have mention of him winning. That's including Solie's Title Histories, PatrickRiley.com's AWA World Title History, and the (debatable) Official AWA Webpage

You win this round, Mr. Waters.

You and your voluptuous sig pics have caused me to commit two grievous errors. *shakes fist*

Nobody expects the Molly Inquisition!

 

...there we go, hire Molly, and have HER win the NWA World Title.

 

...can't be any worse than Jarrett, can it?

 

Oh, and here's a thought that I just had...does NWA still have that old rule that masked wresters can't win the NWA World Title without unmasking?

 

If so, that leaves Abyss out in the cold.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

FTR, Hogan KO'ing Inoki to win the IWGP Tournament was the planned finish. It was long thought to have been a legit accident, but it was revealed to have been a work a few years ago.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

FTR, Hogan KO'ing Inoki to win the IWGP Tournament was the planned finish. It was long thought to have been a legit accident, but it was revealed to have been a work a few years ago.

Ah, OK.

 

That might mean that Solie.org has to change their page on that subject.