TNA Notes from last night's tapings

[TNABaddboi 0]

The AJ Styles vs. Abyss match at the Lockdown PPV will headline the show and will also feature an added stipulation where the winner challenges NWA champion Jeff Jarrett at the May PPV on 5/15. The plan is for each Lockdown cage match to feature different stipulations. The idea of having an entire night of stipulation bouts inside the Cage is said to have come from Dixie Carter.

 

The mood backstage before the TNA taping was said to have been miserable as there is a lot of heat on Dusty Rhodes' booking. According to several sources, there have been a number of meetings internally about the state of the company in recent days and some of Rhodes' ideas (Trytan, Harris Boys, Phi-Delta Slam, Dusty's pickup truck office) were not used on the show. Dustin Rhodes was there and used for one hour of the taping. By the end of the taping, once word got out about the meetings, there was said to be a much better mood among the performers. There are two distinct political groups right now - those who favored the Jeff Jarrett camp and the way things were up to Turning Point, and those who favor the way things have been lately under Rhodes' direction. Rhodes is still the head of TNA's creative direction, and is still being given a chance to improve things, although there are some who wouldn't be shocked if he was eventually gone. The internal word is that TNA management wasn't happy with the feedback and the early buyrate prediction for Destination X (which was easily the worst of any of their three hour PPVs) and are making sure that whatever changes need to be made will happen quickly.

 

There was word going around during the taping that there will be a new focus back on the X-Division performers, including possibly some of those who haven't been used in some time back in the fold. Another change that has been decided upon is that performers who are currently under contract will be used while performers who were working nightly deals won't be used, so that might explain the absence of some of the newer talents. I guess that means we'll be seeing the return of Pat Kenney and Erik Watts down the line.

 

Kevin Nash will be teaming with Scott D'Amore on Friday 4/15 at the Border City Wrestling event at the Hellenic Banquet Halls in Oldcastle, Ontario. Chris Sabin, The Amazing Red, Petey Williams, and Alex Shelley are also scheduled for the show.

 

For those who have been asking, sources tell me that WWE's deal with NBC Universal will not have an effect on TNA renting the soundstage at Universal Studios in Florida.

 

I like them closing with AJ/Abyss as presumably, the last visual will be AJ Styles celebrating winning a title shot, which the fans should eat up if they tell the right story in the match. It's interesting that Dixie suggested putting all the matches in a cage. That Destination X buyrate must have been really low if the non-wrestling people are calling for such a drastic move. And anytime they focus on the X-Division, that's a good thing. So far, this Daniels/Skipper thing has been great. My only issue with is it that I wouldn't have used it as Daniels first feud to make him look more vulnerable. Sabin might have been a good first contender. Anyway, I'm just happy TNA is using the back story properly and booking a coherent storyline for once.

[Guest Coffey]

I'd rather have Abyss win and go on to challenge Jarrett. It'd be something new.

[Placebo Effect 0]

BRING BACK INSANE ERIK WATTS!

 

Other than that, no big surprise. It's great to see Dusty's ideas pushed to the side. Hopefully Dustin Rhodes will stop being used as well, as without the Goldust gimmick, he's shit.

[slimm44 0]

I see Abyss winning since he won the Destination X Match that was allegedly for a number one contenders spot. Abyss would be great because he could fight through Jarrett's stable and put them all out.

[geniusMoment 0]

JJ sucked as creative, do not bring him back. Rhodes sucks as creative, fire him. Just burn the whole god damn company to the ground.

[RedJed 0]

I think its clear, much like the TNA booking has been the entire time, that Rhodes needs a filter, or at best there needs to be a booking TEAM right now to bounce things off back and forth and filter through stuff. There's too many guys sitting around doing nothing in the backstage creatively when everyone should be able to add their two cents, well maybe except Jeff Jarrett and other active wrestlers in terms of being on the booking team. I see some good from Rhodes in trying to develop the undercard and create interest in feuds, but it seems to be going in circles generally. My best suggestion would be to have Jerry Jarrett have his hand back more into the booking of the TV much like way back when. I still think when him and Russo were booking shows together, that brought the best result. Maybe a mix of Rhodes, Jerry Jarrett (NOT Jeff) and dare I say a dark horse like Shane Douglas (who could bring some sort of ideas for the current scene into the fold from his experiences in ECW) might be a good idea to get some real substance to this product. Guys like Mantel, Dixie Carter, and other road agents like Terry Taylor and Jerry Lynn could then be given roles to fill in areas that need help, like establishing more character development with certain wrestlers and Lynn could certainly maybe run with the X division stuff much like Finley has/had done with the WWE women's division. Just some ideas there that might not be a bad idea.

 

I dont really feel Styles-Abyss as the main event, more than anything because this feud came out of nowhere. Styles flip flops from X division to world title contention with no reasoning. How does losing the X title mean he now then is in line for a world title shot? Shouldnt he still be trying to face Daniels again? Abyss already has a title shot that he won, so whats the point here? If Styles wins, that a mistake IMO since they've already run the mill with Styles/Jarrett. Abyss needs to win and then beat Jarrett unless they still want to give Brown the belt from Jarrett - maybe at the Anniversary show.

[Guest TheLastBoyscout]

BRING BACK INSANE ERIK WATTS!

 

Other than that, no big surprise. It's great to see Dusty's ideas pushed to the side. Hopefully Dustin Rhodes will stop being used as well, as without the Goldust gimmick, he's shit.

If Dusty was the one who got Trytan over then he's the only one in the whole company who doesn't have his head up his ass.

[Carnival 0]

Rhodes is still the head of TNA's creative direction

I hate to say i told you so.

 

Now everyone can stop blaming Jarrett.

[Jingus 0]

I find it downright hysterical that, in an entirely new millenium, Dusty Fucking Rhodes is still booking a major Southern wrestling company. Especiallly since that it's in Florida.

[Guest MikeSC]

Rhodes is still the head of TNA's creative direction

I hate to say i told you so.

 

Now everyone can stop blaming Jarrett.

Jeff is the boss, like it or not. He gets all of the blame.

-=Mike

[ChrisMWaters 0]

If it weren't for the fact he was still employed by WWE...

 

...I would personally like to see what Paul Heyman would be able to do with TNA.

[Jacques 0]

Jeff is the boss, like it or not. He gets all of the blame.

-=Mike

No, Dixie Carter is.

[Guest Joel Wendel]

Apparently the 8 cage matches in one night was Dixie Carter's. What I can't understand is putting additional stipulations on them all- how the hell do you do a table match or a flag match in a fucking cage? This is Dusty overbooking to the Nth degree! This may well kill the cage match in TNA for a looooong time.

 

BTW- Isnt a cage match supposed to be a stip to keep people out of the ring, essentially used to end feuds...not really effective for thrown together matches....yeah.....yeah.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Jeff is the boss, like it or not. He gets all of the blame.

           -=Mike

No, Dixie Carter is.

When it comes to matters of booking, Jeff has the real final say. If Dixie wanted something really bad enough, I'm sure she could put her foot down, but she usually stays out of the wrestling side of things, especially finishes.

 

Let me specify about Jeff's booking power. He has the final say over his own programs. Like with bookers during Hogan's run in WCW, Dusty does the lions share of work, but Hogan had the final say over anything involving him. Same deal with Jarrett here. The final call over everything Jarrett does, as it always has done, lies with Jeff himself.

[Jacques 0]

Jeff is the boss, like it or not. He gets all of the blame.

          -=Mike

No, Dixie Carter is.

When it comes to matters of booking, Jeff has the real final say. If Dixie wanted something really bad enough, I'm sure she could put her foot down, but she usually stays out of the wrestling side of things, especially finishes.

 

Let me specify about Jeff's booking power. He has the final say over his own programs. Like with bookers during Hogan's run in WCW, Dusty does the lions share of work, but Hogan had the final say over anything involving him. Same deal with Jarrett here. The final call over everything Jarrett does, as it always has done, lies with Jeff himself.

Like the time when Jarrett wanted to drop the title to Monty Brown and Dusty said Monty was not ready?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Jeff is the boss, like it or not. He gets all of the blame.

           -=Mike

No, Dixie Carter is.

When it comes to matters of booking, Jeff has the real final say. If Dixie wanted something really bad enough, I'm sure she could put her foot down, but she usually stays out of the wrestling side of things, especially finishes.

 

Let me specify about Jeff's booking power. He has the final say over his own programs. Like with bookers during Hogan's run in WCW, Dusty does the lions share of work, but Hogan had the final say over anything involving him. Same deal with Jarrett here. The final call over everything Jarrett does, as it always has done, lies with Jeff himself.

Like the time when Jarrett wanted to drop the title to Monty Brown and Dusty said Monty was not ready?

I can't think why Jeff would agree with a decision for him to not drop his vanity belt. Oh, wait. There have been two occasions when Jeff was 'meant' to drop the belt to Monty. If Jeff really had wanted to drop the belt Monty, he would have ensured Monty got built up enough so he could drop it to him the second time.

[Carnival 0]

Dixie is the boss.

 

Dusty is the book.

 

Jeff has some say in booking, but mostly does business side of things now.

 

So there are 2 people ABOVE jeff that should be getting blame before JJ.

[geniusMoment 0]

I will blame Jeff if I want to, and I blame him, I blame him all the way to the depths of hell.

[Guest MikeSC]

Dixie is the boss.

 

Dusty is the book.

 

Jeff has some say in booking, but mostly does business side of things now.

 

So there are 2 people ABOVE jeff that should be getting blame before JJ.

Jeff Jarrett can veto a job. Which means he has more power than Dusty,

 

Dixie wields as much power over TNA as Ted Turner did in WCW.

 

You can continue defending your non-sexual crush if you wish, but it's silliness.

-=Mike

[Jacques 0]

No, Dusty veto'ed Jarrett's decision to job to Monty so he obviously has more power.

[Guest MikeSC]

No, Dusty veto'ed Jarrett's decision to job to Monty so he obviously has more power.

Because telling JJ NOT to job is SUCH a difficult decision to get him to approve.

-=Mike

[Si82 0]

For those who have been asking, sources tell me that WWE's deal with NBC Universal will not have an effect on TNA renting the soundstage at Universal Studios in Florida.

Sources?

 

Where is this stuff from?

 

I doubt this would be true anyway becuase WCW used to tape shows there years ago.

[Carnival 0]

You can continue defending your non-sexual crush if you wish, but it's silliness.

at least you said it was non-sexual.

 

It's just a fact that Jarrett has less power now than he ever has in the past with TNA. People are just looking for a scapegoat, and on screen Jarrett seems like the perfect candidate.

 

In reality he is not the head boss, so logically how can you not blame dixie or dusty?

 

I'm also wondering what Jerry Jarrett's role in TNA is now?

[Guest MikeSC]

You can continue defending your non-sexual crush if you wish, but it's silliness.

at least you said it was non-sexual.

 

It's just a fact that Jarrett has less power now than he ever has in the past with TNA. People are just looking for a scapegoat, and on screen Jarrett seems like the perfect candidate.

 

In reality he is not the head boss, so logically how can you not blame dixie or dusty?

 

I'm also wondering what Jerry Jarrett's role in TNA is now?

Because Jeff IS in charge. Dixie plays virtually no role in the company whatsoever and Dusty does whatever Jeff tells him to do.

 

If you wish to pretend otherwise, have a blast.

-=Mike

[Carnival 0]

Ok i'll give you Dixie, she doesn't have much to do with the hands on. But she favors Dusty as the book more so than jarrett. Therefore dusty has more control over the storylines and has more influence on Dixie than Jeff.

 

seriously what does jerry do now? I don't know.

[Guest MikeSC]

Ok i'll give you Dixie, she doesn't have much to do with the hands on. But she favors Dusty as the book more so than jarrett. Therefore dusty has more control over the storylines and has more influence on Dixie than Jeff.

 

seriously what does jerry do now? I don't know.

Jeff is the one in charge. He is the one who can say "I won't job to him" and it'll happen. If Dusty had the power, he could make Jeff job when he doesn't want to --- not "prevent" him from jobbing, which sounds like something Nash wouldn't have the guts to try and convince somebody of.

-=Mike

[Carnival 0]

Jeff is the one in charge. He is the one who can say "I won't job to him" and it'll happen. If Dusty had the power, he could make Jeff job when he doesn't want to --- not "prevent" him from jobbing, which sounds like something Nash wouldn't have the guts to try and convince somebody of.

-=Mike

I don't blame you for thinking this whole "refused to let job" thing is BS.

 

But the bottomline is that Dixie and Dusty have more power than Jeff.

 

Dixie likes Dusty more than JJ therefore he gets more input and has more influence over the show than JJ.

[Jericholic82 0]

wont a whole ppv of cage matches get boring around the 3rd match or so? why was it a good idea to change the show idea?

 

It just like the overhyping of "six sides of steel" its a frickin cage match who cares if there are more sides on it?

[Jericholic82 0]

well except for the 6 man, which appears to be some sort of wargames ripoff so it might be ok even if the guys in there are old and cant work.

[Guest MikeSC]

Jeff is the one in charge. He is the one who can say "I won't job to him" and it'll happen. If Dusty had the power, he could make Jeff job when he doesn't want to --- not "prevent" him from jobbing, which sounds like something Nash wouldn't have the guts to try and convince somebody of.

        -=Mike

I don't blame you for thinking this whole "refused to let job" thing is BS.

 

But the bottomline is that Dixie and Dusty have more power than Jeff.

 

Dixie likes Dusty more than JJ therefore he gets more input and has more influence over the show than JJ.

Dixie wields as much power as Ted Turner did in WCW. I know it makes you warm and fuzzy to pretend that Dusty MAKES Jeff "win" when he doesn't want to --- but that is just so much BS.

-=Mike