Is TNA the worst wrestling promotion in history?

[Memphis Mark]

I think Low Ki hands are clean of this deal. TNA is not running house shows and late on pay. Who in their right mind would want to be under contract to TNA at this point in the game.?Right Low Ki , James Storm , Austin Aries and Nick Aldis have left the company. I suspect there will be many more.

 

I don't know how the WWE will offer out of this group , but I suspect that NJPW , AAA and ROH will have some interesting talent decisions in the near future.

[goodhelmet]

I wouldn't mind seeing a talent infusion in ROH.

[SomethingSavage]

Part of me wouldn't mind seeing Aries shake things up in ROH, because I think it could be mutually beneficial. But ROH has kind of painted themselves into a corner with these exclusive contracts & crap recently.

 

If I had to choose - I'd much rather see Aries go the Styles route & tear it up across all indies for awhile, possibly with a stint in Japan and definitely getting some dates with PWG.

 

If he could work all over like Strong, Styles, etc. then yeah. I'm all for it. I just wouldn't want to see him saddled in one spot with too many restrictions though.

 

James Storm is a guy I was really high on at one point, and I've honestly enjoyed his work even as recently as last year's program with Gunner. He can be a super fun brawler when he busts out the working boots. And he's a fantastic fucking bleeder. I don't know how far outside his "comfort zone" he'd be willing to go in order to seek work, but I wouldn't be totally shocked if he found a decent deal somewhere.

 

Low Ki would be fun in Lucha Underground for a cup of coffee. Then, when he gets upset over being asked to take a fall, they can just go all Machete Kills on him & launch the character into outer space or something.

 

If Low Ki chooses to come back for the next season, they can have him return as a space gringo with plunder & weaponry from the seven rings of Saturn or some shit. Otherwise, just let him throw his usual tantrum & leave. No harm done.

[NotJayTabb]

Magnus is reportedly joinng GFW, which makes sense. My understanding is that he's always been a guy Jarrett is high on, and I can't see him in RoH or LU. I think he's a guy with enough positives that he'd be a good fit for the WWE, and one who could improve at a good rate in NXT, but I don't see it happening.

[LariatMMBOPPO]

Magnus is a weird case. Got pushed to the moon last year, randomly lost the world title to a mid-card comedy wrestler and and is now leaving a little over a year later.

[sek69]

On the (last?) tapings Kurt Angle announced he has a tumor in his neck and would be out indefinitely. They did an angle where EC3 took credit for it, not sure how you would even do that, but either way looks like TNA's not going out without making sure they have the award for worst angle on lock.

[Memphis Mark]

I don't think GFW is actually signing any talent to a contract . All the GFW talent are free agents that are being paid per appearance . I don't think a start up like GFW can afford to burdened by a large amount of fixed cost this early in the game.

 

I sure that the WWE , NJPW and ROH will look at all the former TNA talent . they will pick up whoever can draw money.

[SomethingSavage]

Magnus seems like a surefire candidate for a WWE/NXT deal, but I said the same thing about Shaun Ricker and that didn't turn out so great. So ya never know.

 

From what I've gathered, it seems like TNA is just cutting contracts and paying per appearance instead. So maybe a lot of these guys will just be freed up to work outside dates, but they'll likely still be seen on TNA television and working for TNA in essentially the same roles anyway.

 

I could see Aries branching out and breaking loose on the indie circuit and possibly even Japan, but guys like Magnus and Storm would probably struggle to find as many offers. Maybe I'm wrong.

[Memphis Mark]

The deal is that fans know that Aries and Low Ki can work wrestling matches at a high level. No one really knows what James Storm , Nick Aldis, Gunner/ Phil Shatter and even Samuel Shaw can do in the ring because they have been working in the Russo booked/ inspired TNA for years . . Storm had some great matches in AMW , but that was years ago . Fans just assume these guys cannot work because they have been forced to participate in these idiotic story lines in TNA.

 

The collapse of TNA and the struggle of GFW to even get off the ground have created a buyer's market for talent.. Recent WWE releases like Brian Myers , CJ Parker and PJ Black are not yet getting looks from ROH or NJPW . Harry Smith has gotten a total of one ROH booking.

 

Recently , ROH had a try out camp and they had 50 campers. There must be over a 100 indy workers trying to get a few ROH spots . The WWE continues to sign non - wrestlers for NXT program . That just take spots away from legitimate pro wrestling talents.

 

It will be interesting to see where all these guys land. I will guess and say Aries and Low Ki will get some ROH dates , but the others might find it tough out there. I bet that Styles , Joe , Lethal , Daniels , Kaz , Shelly and Sabin are glad they got the hell out of TNA and got jobs elsewhere before all the fall of TNA . It Will be interesting to see how it all plays out

[SomethingSavage]

The deal is that fans know that Aries and Low Ki can work wrestling matches at a high level. No one really knows what James Storm , Nick Aldis, Gunner/ Phil Shatter and even Samuel Shaw can do in the ring because they have been working in the Russo booked/ inspired TNA for years . . Storm had some great matches in AMW , but that was years ago . Fans just assume these guys cannot work because they have been forced to participate in these idiotic story lines in TNA.

 

 

I get what you're saying, but I disagree with a lot from this first paragraph anyway. I may be wrong in assuming that other people have enjoyed Storm as much as I have in recent years, but I certainly have pimped & raved about some of his performances - particularly the singles run from 2011 to late 2013. The matches with Gunner were incredibly fun brawls. The bad acting and terrible TV segments aside... they delivered when it came to in-ring action.

 

And the praise isn't exclusive to Storm there either. Gunner more than held up his end. Didn't feel at all like a carry job. Both guys went out, busted their asses, shed blood, threw bombs, and even cooked up some slightly innovative stuff with their utilization of the weaponry. It wasn't just a string of run-of-the-mill garbage matches.

 

Same could be said for Storm versus Roode - both the Street Fight and the Lockdown Cage match - although I'd admittedly rank both of those higher than the Gunner series. The intensity *MIGHT* have been greater with Gunner in spurts, but the story... the drama... the heat... and the atmosphere was exceptionally higher in the Roode feud, and that's something you rarely got from TNA rivalries.

 

I've seen Shaw in other promotions outside of TNA. Have yet to feel like he's had anything noteworthy anywhere, to be honest.

 

I could be wrong, but you're almost making it out to sound like ROH is the promised land that these guys should be aiming for. I don't think that's necessarily the case for any of them to be honest, nor do I really think it should be that cut & dry. And now with the rumored Evolve/WWN stuff being tied to NXT deals, well... there's a ton of options out there. PWG, LU, So-Cal indies, Southern indies, Northeast Indies, Japan, you name it...

 

The door's wide open with opportunities if they pursue them and - as you kind of alluded to - if they're simply talented enough to warrant getting booked for their work.

 

Some of them certainly are. But it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if a handful of them are just content & comfortable with what they're doing. They might keep on trucking with TNA dates, supplemented by a couple of dates with indies here & there.

[Alucard]

 

The deal is that fans know that Aries and Low Ki can work wrestling matches at a high level. No one really knows what James Storm , Nick Aldis, Gunner/ Phil Shatter and even Samuel Shaw can do in the ring because they have been working in the Russo booked/ inspired TNA for years . . Storm had some great matches in AMW , but that was years ago . Fans just assume these guys cannot work because they have been forced to participate in these idiotic story lines in TNA.

 

 

I get what you're saying, but I disagree with a lot from this first paragraph anyway. I may be wrong in assuming that other people have enjoyed Storm as much as I have in recent years, but I certainly have pimped & raved about some of his performances - particularly the singles run from 2011 to late 2013. The matches with Gunner were incredibly fun brawls. The bad acting and terrible TV segments aside... they delivered when it came to in-ring action.

 

And the praise isn't exclusive to Storm there either. Gunner more than held up his end. Didn't feel at all like a carry job. Both guys went out, busted their asses, shed blood, threw bombs, and even cooked up some slightly innovative stuff with their utilization of the weaponry. It wasn't just a string of run-of-the-mill garbage matches.

 

Same could be said for Storm versus Roode - both the Street Fight and the Lockdown Cage match - although I'd admittedly rank both of those higher than the Gunner series. The intensity *MIGHT* have been greater with Gunner in spurts, but the story... the drama... the heat... and the atmosphere was exceptionally higher in the Roode feud, and that's something you rarely got from TNA rivalries.

 

Agreed for sure here. Storm was an incredible top babyface in 2011-2013, most especially in the Roode feud. 2012 is my favorite TNA Year and Storm was my favorite promo in wrestling at that time. Thought he did some real good heel work too in the past couple of years in the Gunner feud, still comes off like a star at times. Gunner was on fire last year and looking real quality, like he could've easily been TNA Champ and the guy to win it from Magnus if they kept going forward with him.

[Memphis Mark]

 

The deal is that fans know that Aries and Low Ki can work wrestling matches at a high level. No one really knows what James Storm , Nick Aldis, Gunner/ Phil Shatter and even Samuel Shaw can do in the ring because they have been working in the Russo booked/ inspired TNA for years . . Storm had some great matches in AMW , but that was years ago . Fans just assume these guys cannot work because they have been forced to participate in these idiotic story lines in TNA.

 

 

I get what you're saying, but I disagree with a lot from this first paragraph anyway. I may be wrong in assuming that other people have enjoyed Storm as much as I have in recent years, but I certainly have pimped & raved about some of his performances - particularly the singles run from 2011 to late 2013. The matches with Gunner were incredibly fun brawls. The bad acting and terrible TV segments aside... they delivered when it came to in-ring action.

 

And the praise isn't exclusive to Storm there either. Gunner more than held up his end. Didn't feel at all like a carry job. Both guys went out, busted their asses, shed blood, threw bombs, and even cooked up some slightly innovative stuff with their utilization of the weaponry. It wasn't just a string of run-of-the-mill garbage matches.

 

Same could be said for Storm versus Roode - both the Street Fight and the Lockdown Cage match - although I'd admittedly rank both of those higher than the Gunner series. The intensity *MIGHT* have been greater with Gunner in spurts, but the story... the drama... the heat... and the atmosphere was exceptionally higher in the Roode feud, and that's something you rarely got from TNA rivalries.

 

I've seen Shaw in other promotions outside of TNA. Have yet to feel like he's had anything noteworthy anywhere, to be honest.

 

I could be wrong, but you're almost making it out to sound like ROH is the promised land that these guys should be aiming for. I don't think that's necessarily the case for any of them to be honest, nor do I really think it should be that cut & dry. And now with the rumored Evolve/WWN stuff being tied to NXT deals, well... there's a ton of options out there. PWG, LU, So-Cal indies, Southern indies, Northeast Indies, Japan, you name it...

 

The door's wide open with opportunities if they pursue them and - as you kind of alluded to - if they're simply talented enough to warrant getting booked for their work.

 

Some of them certainly are. But it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if a handful of them are just content & comfortable with what they're doing. They might keep on trucking with TNA dates, supplemented by a couple of dates with indies here & there.

 

 

Well I did not mean that ROH is the promised land for these guys . The promised land would get on the WWE main roster , main event PPV's and make a few million . Most of these guys will not get there , mainly due to size and age.

 

The next best thing would be an AJ Styles deal . Styles is under contract to to NJPW , is an attraction in ROH , still is on American Television , gets to work overseas dates and cherry picks select indie dates. AJ has one of the best deals in wrestling. That deal would be the promised land for Austin Aries or Low Ki . PWG and all these indies really don't pay a lot of money compared to what AJ is earning with his NJPW / ROH deal.

 

The NXT deals required wrestlers to move to Florida and , in some cases , accept lower pay . ROH offered the Briscoe's more money than the NXT deal . Plus the Briscoes , Young Bucks and others do not want to move to Orlando . These guys are grow men with families and are really just concerned with making money. They are not marks for the WWE , l.. There lies a major flaw in the NXT deal.

 

I was not referring to my own opinions about this group of wrestlers. I like James Storm's work . He was great in AMW and I loved the Beer Money / MCMG series. Outside of Aries and Storm ,I really don't know much about the other guys. However I would watch their work with an open mind.

 

I was referring to so called smart fans in the ROH / PWG / Indie crowd . These people would not even give a guy like James Storm a chance to prove himself , simply because he worked for TNA. They would pre -determine in their minds that he cannot work . They have closed minds. I saw it when Cornette bought in some young OVW guys to work opening matches. These OVW were not given a fair shot by the ROH fans. I think guys like Storm , Aldis and Gunner would get rejected by a segment of the fans due to their TNA roots.

[SomethingSavage]

The backlash to Cornette's guys in ROH seemed more like a rejection to the changes in booking and the overall direction of the company at the time. Couple that with the way guys like Steen were openly voicing their dissatisfaction of the product, and you could easily see why so many fans would side with the original ROH talent over an "outdated outsider" like Cornette. It just wasn't a good fit.

 

The Reseda crowd has been particularly kind to former TNA talent actually. Daniels, Kaz, Sabin, and even Lethal were pretty much brought in (or brought back in) with clean slates. You might get the usual "fuck TNA" heckling, but they seem to really keep an open mind to let guys prove themselves and see if they shit the bed first.

 

That being said, I don't feel like Storm or Gunner would necessarily "belong" in the PWG landscape. Could they come in and pleasantly surprise people by matching up well with some of the more heralded indie darlings? Sure. Wouldn't totally shock me. But the fact of the matter is that PWG has so much talent just waiting to get their foot in the door out there. And PWG has a solid track record of listening to the audience, in that they'll try to bring in guys due to popular demand first & foremost. There's not going to be any buzz around Storm or Gunner. Nobody's going to be calling out for those guys to get a shot in PWG. And there are only so many spots.

 

I could see Aries making the rounds though. Absolutely. Like I said, if there's a gun to my head & I have to pick one guy to land something (at least somewhat) similar to the sweet "AJ Styles" deal? It's gonna be Aries.

[BigBadMick]

In what might be my last ever 'It's not all bad, honestly' post on this thread, I've watched the Wolves-Dirty Heels best of 5 series in the last 2 days. Really enjoyed it.

[SomethingSavage]

I'm a HUGE fan of Aries, but I thought it was mostly underwhelming. It's probably the best thing going in the promotion, other than EC3 as an overall character, but that's not exactly high praise when you consider what little else they're offering.

 

I think I personally prefer the Hardys, Dudleys, and Wolves series from last year over this one. Both are solid and have their moments, but I remember enjoying the one from last year a lot more. Could just be my initial impression, and I admittedly might have a different take on things after letting it settle for six months or so & revisiting them both. But, as far as your garbage matches & high spots go, the multi-mans from last year packed a lot of excitement, near-falls, and all the stuff you'd theoretically WANT from those matches.

[hammerva]

The worse reaction that PWG ever gave anyone was when Shane Helms worked a match on a show 2 or 3 years ago. That was on a show with RVD working half ass too. Storm and Magnus style are similar and doesn't fit the kind of match PWG fans want to see.

[Blehschmidt]

 

 

PWInsider reports that TNA has cut Hernandez from their roster and scrapped several already-filmed segments of upcoming Impact Wrestling episodes after being found in a legally actionable position at the hands of Lucha Underground. The site reports that the company was forced to make the moves after bringing Hernandez back on board, despite the fact that he was still under contract to the El Rey promotion.

 

According to sources within TNA, Hernandez informed the company that he was contractually free and clear to sign with them which led to a deal being reached. Hernandez was then introduced and became part of the Beatdown Clan, but after the appearances at TNA’s TV tapings Lucha Underground approached the company and said that Hernandez will still under contract and had not been released, so he could not legally appear on TNA television.

 

TNA attempted to work the issue out and offered to pay Lucha Underground for Hernandez’ appearances, but Lucha Underground turned down the offers. This left TNA unable to use the footage and officials decided to pull anything involving the Beatdown Clan from TV. All of the stable’s storylines are done and TNA will be replacing that material with existing material, including matches from Slammiversary ’15. This means that TNA will have to re-edit all of their upcoming TV shows.

 

This also means that the rest of the BDC, including MVP and Kenny King, are effectively off of TV until TNA can get new material with them. TNA intends to film content at their TV tapings this month that they can put in place of some of the segments, but it likely means that several talent members who worked the tapings are off TV for the next several weeks.

 

Maybe the legal department's pay checks are running late too? You think someone would have checked into that.

[goc]

That's fucking hilarious.

[hammerva]

Okay so let me understand this. For the entire 2014, you pushed Bully Ray powerbombing Dixie Carter through a table to which it actually happened and was treated like Hogan winning the WWF title in 1984. Now Dixie is good now and needs a commissioner/authority figure/whatever and she chooses Bully Ray. Unless this is leading to a Bully Ray or Dixie heel turn that is so damn dumb

 

So how many weeks until Velvet Sky is the Knockouts champion given the Bully Ray thing. Haven't checked the spoilers for I guess the last month or so

[Loss]

I was oddly curious because I'd never actually seen Dixie Carter in her television character role. So I just watched some stuff on YouTube. It was horrifying, to the point that I thought it was uncomfortable to watch. For all the complaints Vicki Guerrero would get, Vicki was ten times the performer Dixie was and was never awkwardly bad.

[Jimmy Redman]

Vickie was kind of awkwardly bad in the very beginning, like we're talking 2007 or whenever exactly she started as a regular character. But she pretty quickly started getting it and developed into the performer that she became.

 

Dixie has always been God awful.

[goc]

It's just more evidence that Dixie Carter really doesn't "get" wrestling.

[El-P]

Dixie always sounded like a mark playing pro-wrestling and was a godawful "actor". She and Russo deserve each other.

[LariatMMBOPPO]

The fall out from this also includes MVP leaving TNA.

[fakeplastictrees]

It’s amazing that TNA killed MVP. MVP was really excited to join and sound like he was ready to bring it to a new level...but TNA has done one thing really well since its inception: killing the enthusiasm of its fans and employees. MVP became dis-enchanted (and for good reason) and left. I don’t see anyone with true options would not stay with this company.