Booking Christian vs Monty...

[eirejmcmahon 0]

Just curious.

[Guest GoJoe]

Uh, more dumb than smart, though I don't see any reason for a slow build with Christian, so in theory Christian vs. Main Eventer was a good idea. I just don't know if Monty was the right guy...

[Guest Coffey]

Monty wasn't the right guy. Christian is going to get in his way because Monty has been chasing the title. The only way I can see this match working is if AMW & Jarrett do a run-in to make it a no contest finish...which is the last thing a match needs on PPV.

 

You can't feed Christian to Monty and you can't feed Monty to Christian.

 

Unless TNA are planning on pulling the legs out of Monty's main event push, this seems really illogical.

[Guest JMA]

I like both guys but I had to vote "really dumb." TNA wants to push both of these guys (and rightly so) but if you put them against each other than one of them has to lose and neither man can afford to right now.

 

They should've booked Brown vs. Rhino (Pounce vs. Gore) and Christian vs. Raven or Jarrett instead.

[razazteca 0]

Christian vs Jeff Hardy or Raven would of been my choice.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

It's dumb, if they've booked themselves into a corner they don't want to be in. It's always possible that they realise that Monty isn't ready for where they want him to be, and by putting him in against Christian, and having him lose, but in a competitive match, that they can ease back on the Monty push until they have Monty where they want him to be at. If they do want to ease back on Monty, having it be because he loses to Christian is the best way for it, because Monty can gain a lot from that loss, and it can help be part of the rebuilding.

[Guest Bulwark]

Bah... Thanks for Spoiling Impact for me.

 

Oh, and I voted "really dumb."

[Failed Bridge 0]

I don't see the big hoopla over Monty. He has average mic skills and that's it in my opinion. Feed Monty to Christian and put Monty down a peg or two.

[Guest El Satanico]

It could be great and it could be a huge flop that hurts both. I'm assuming both are still "face", which would be best. Do a face vs. face mini fued for #1 Contender and have Monty win a back and forth feud that makes both look strong. While Monty vs. JJ finishs, Christian can start building towards a heel turn. After Monty beats JJ, we start Monty vs. heel Christian.

 

Sure, it's not very original, but it would work.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Christian wouldn't work as a heel any time in the first year or so of his being in TNA. They want to cheer him like crazy. Going against that would be a terrible idea.

[Guest El Satanico]

Did they? I didn't see his debut, so wasn't sure how over he is as face.

 

What I set up there, would probably take 8 months.

[Failed Bridge 0]

they cheered him something crazy, even chanting "Christian Cage" for a few minutes.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

It was one of the worst non-WWE things* they could have done with Christian.

 

(A WWE thing would be making him a stutterer or something)

[Guest JMA]

Although I like the three title premise, it might help TNA if they had a secondary heavyweight title to put on Monty. Since Spike TV is such a big part of TNA it could be a Television Championship (with Monty defending it every week).

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Not to steal someone else's point but TNA hasn't been able to book the World title and tag titles correctly, so why would you want a second title?

[eirejmcmahon 0]

Bah... Thanks for Spoiling Impact for me. 

 

Sorry bout that, it's been such a topic of conversation around here that I forgot the episode hadn't aired yet - my bad.

 

Could a mod change the subject line maybe ?

 

edited to add : I see bps and redjed have voted

[Guest JMA]

Not to steal someone else's point but TNA hasn't been able to book the World title and tag titles correctly, so why would you want a second title?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The obvious answer is that they'd need to start booking both of those titles correctly and then introduce a secondary title. There are many benefits to having a secondary heavyweight title in a promotion; TNA should take whatever steps are needed to make it work.

 

As for the poll, I think it's safe to say we've reached a consensus.

[Guest JMA]

There is a way that TNA could get around either guy having to job. All they need to do is throw a third guy in there (maybe Rhino or Raven) and have Christian beat that wrestler and not Brown.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Then everybody knows who is losing. At least with Christian vs Brown you can sort of argue that either guy could be winning.

[Guest JMA]

Then everybody knows who is losing. At least with Christian vs Brown you can sort of argue that either guy could be winning.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That could be countered by having the third man be someone credible. Anyway, I think we all know who will be going over in the Brown/Christian match.

[UseTheSledgehammerUh 0]

Please keep Christian away from horrible Raven and horrible Jeff Hardy.

[Failed Bridge 0]

Please keep TNA subjects away from horrible UTSU

[Rendclaw 0]

I like the idea of a TV championship... the problem is that it can't be booked and used effectively until TNA goes to two hours. Remember the WCW days, where no matter what show it was on (Saturday Night, Nitro, etc.) you had the TV champ defending the belt every single time.

 

Again, if done correctly, the TV title can be used to take a wrestler to the next level. A decent say, two to three month reign can do quite a bit for a wrestler, no matter if he is a face or heel.

 

To answer topic, I have to agree with the consensus. Neither man can really afford to take a loss right now, with Monty gaining momentum and Christian coming in red-hot. I would book it as some sort of non-finish regardless of how it would "kill" a PPV (easy way out of that is to make a series out of it, say best of five over the next several Impacts culminating at the next PPV).

 

Christian needs to do more to establish himself. If Benoit or Jericho were coming in, hell yes, plug them right into the World Title picture, but not a second-tier WWE guy. A few warmup matches and then a program with someone near the top to keep his heat going, THEN start him in the title hunt. I think TNA is not thinking clearly here, and trying to bank on Christian's star power more than anything else.

[Guest Zarock]

Christian right now should be basically an invader akin to early-nWo where he just starts fights with faces and heels. I'd have him in a match with Petey Williams, then go against a mid/upper-mid card face just to show him as a badass anti-hero. Monty Brown should be squashing guys and trying to get a title shot.

[Guest JMA]

I like the idea of a TV championship... the problem is that it can't be booked and used effectively until TNA goes to two hours. Remember the WCW days, where no matter what show it was on (Saturday Night, Nitro, etc.) you had the TV champ defending the belt every single time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it would work for Brown since most of his matches are squashes. They could just keep the TV Championship on him until TNA gets two hours for Impact!.

[Magus 0]

It was a stupid decision to make in the first place, so I don't really care anymore who wins this match. They've built up Monty for so long that if they cut the legs out from under him, he'll look like shit and won't be able to rebound like he did the last time it happened (although he's never 100% recovered from that burial). Christian can be a huge asset for TNA, but beating Monty doesn't mean he'll beat Jarrett. In a few months, they'll have ruined Christian in the same way they ruined Raven.

 

At least this is a good way to destroy some of Jarrett's top challengers.

[Dimensions 0]

Hey, what if they played off the angle as them being bitter towards each other now but then in the coming weeks they could ally together to face a common enemy in Jarret and co.

[Guest Fook_Theta]

Wow they just made Christian look like shit on free tv.

 

Really dumb, but Christian will likely go over unless he's completely lost it.

[LaParkaYourCar 0]

Like has been said before they are booking two guys who do not need to lose against each other. Unless they're pulling the plug on Monty's push then this isn't smart.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Unless they're pulling the plug on Monty's push then this isn't smart.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's why I don't think this was booking themselves into a hole. I think they may want to ease back on Monty's push, and the best way to do that, while still keeping him strong, is a loss to Christian. Monty loses, but pushes Christian to the limit.